Waking Dream and Waking
There’s been a strange confluence of events. Somewhere between a recent steroid shot (which the Humira needs in order to have the possibility of kicking my state of ability and health past OK), several days worth of massive painkillers due to a seating issue and, I suspect, warmer weather (no drafts = less muscle clench!),…
Exciting/Six Degrees of Lord of the Rings
A few days ago, I was contacted by the lovely Sarah from HealthCentral.com, asking if they could feature one of my February posts. Naturally (because some days are not blonder than others), I agreed and you can find it here. It’s very exciting connecting to a new community and I can highly recommend their sites…
In My Grandparents’ Basement: A Scent Memory
Updated March 11, 2021 My pharmacist is renovating and as part of the process, they’ve built floor-to-ceiling shelves made of pressed wood for their files. As I walked in the door, the smell of sawdust instantly transported me back to my childhood or, more specifically, the basement of the building where my mormor and morfar…
Sing It Loud
Remember the TV show Ally McBeal? Years ago, my sister and I would get together once a week for our female bonding evening. During the week, I would tape various “chick shows” and we’d settle in front of the TV with something yummy to eat – although we paid lip service to a proper dinner,…
Calamity Jane Not So Calamitous: My Ongoing Biologics Miracle
Updated May 5, 2021 When your life seems out-of-control, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and every day disasters combining to create chaos, sometimes all it takes is one moment to bring you out of it. A brief synopsis: it started with my phone crapping out, bringing with it a sort of domino effect of calamities worthy of…
35 Years Later
Today is my darling sister’s 35th birthday. Here we are in 1973, before Janne had a name (it only took 11 months for my parents to agree on one). Janne’s the one with no hair. (photo by Jens Bloch) And here I am with her daughter Morgan (alas, Liam’s too solid for this). The emotional…
The Quest for Silence
I just came back from my doctor’s office. Well, not right this very minute, as this post was started yesterday by the time you read this, but before I befuddle myself utterly, I’ll move on, without getting lost in some sort of time travelling experiment. The clinic used to be a peaceful place to sit…
Absence and Presence
I was thinking of my father the other day when I couldn’t speak and was trying to get someone’s attention. Just around the time I was born, he had something going on with his vocal cords (nodules?), had an operation and was never able to yell after that. When he was in another area of…
It Sneaks Up On You
It was the phone that started it all and in more than one way. In the middle of last week, my phone crapped out. The jack for the headset plug started emitting screeching feedback noises that threatened to burst the eardrums of whoever I was talking to, so I switched to speakerphone (can’t hold the…