Two women, five degrees, one combination lock...

and the lock defeated both of us.

Mom had a horrible day, I had a bleah-ish Monday, and we both really needed our workout tonight. I am really pleased with the water walking, and I think that this is something I can stick with. I'm also offering guest memberships to JammiesFest attendees for any nights that my water class is held while I have guests. I won't skip my class, but I'll be happy to share the Natatorium!

The one good thing that happened today was that when I turned in my 2009 goals, my team lead said that she'd like to copy one of them and put it on everyone's goals AND she didn't change a single word. Yay me!

Oh, and Mom's going to ask Dad to get a key lock for our locker, lol.

More ow-inna-good-way

As usual, Mom and I underestimated the amount of prep work my study will need before it can be painted. She and I worked together Saturday morning, then came over here to get started. I archived and boxed books, Mom moved boxes and bookshelves and tore down wallpaper, and Dad came over to remove the pretty-but-essentially-lightless ceiling fan. Dad kept telling me what a good quality piece it was, but at a maximum of 4 25-watt bulbs hidden behind white glass, it didn't give off nearly enough light. So it's boxed up and awaiting either sale or donation. I've decided on my paint colors, based on the blue-and-white of Delft-style china, and I'm down to the last two shelving units. I boxed up almost 400 books this weekend, and may do some more tonight (although I should in fact be putting away laundry).

Yesterday, in sunny Dallas, it was 38 degrees and the Mathgeek-Crossword family did the MS Walk. I have a lovely picture of Bookworm Mathgeek wearing her free t-shirt as a scarf, and one of Tinkerbell and Princess Mathgeek all wrapped up and sitting in a little red wagon. Thank you, my wonderful family. <3

Tomorrow is headless chicken day at work, but I have water walking to look forward to, and afterwards I will either finish up the book-boxing or actually put the laundry away!

Ow in a good way

I started a new exercise program last night, and I think it's one I can stick with for a long time. Hyphenated Corp will reimburse employees for a one-year gym or health club membership, so I joined the city natatorium. Last night, I went to my first water walking class, and I'm really impressed. I worked every single muscle in my legs and most of the rest of my muscles, had so much fun and worked so hard the hour just flew by, and got to indulge my waterbaby Cancerian otterish side. I'm now thinking about investing in a more sportish swimsuit. The one I have is cute and flattering, but the tank-style top doesn't restrain my built-in flotation devices as well as a T-strap top would.

A big advantage to the water exercise is that the cognitive effects aren't the only MS-related problems I've been having. When I saw my neuro last month, my balance was so bad after the first few tests that the nurse skipped the final balance test. In the water, if I fall over, I'm not going to hurt myself, so I felt safe in trying everything. I do need to work on my jogging/fast walking, because I noticed last night that the minute I speed up my pace, I start using my toes instead of my whole foot. I think next week I will slow down until hitting heel first is completely habitual and then I will start speeding up. Even if this is the only way I ever jog, that's no reason to get into bad habits!

The only thing I didn't do was quack during one of the exercises. For now, I will save my quacking for when I am among friends.

Color me weird

but I just can't allow my clothing to be uncoordinated. Last night, I wore a grey satin nightgown to bed. This morning, I put my red sleestak from Mallie over it and pulled on some red socks. I had to go down to the basement to start the laundry, and I couldn't make myself put on purple or blue or green slippers. I had to spend five minutes looking under the bed and in the closet for my red slippers. Then, when I got as dressed as I ever do on a day when I'm not leaving the house, I had on dark purple sweatpants and a light purple fleece top, so I had to change my socks and my slippers.

It's just a Jammies thing.

Thanks, Lush

My tax refund order arrived last night, and I unpacked and put away most of my things and set aside Maresche's items to take to work today. Somehow, I missed a little sample of Herbalism, which I noticed this morning when I was folding up all the packing paper. I set it on the shelf unit which runs the length of the back wall of the breezeway, intending to try it tomorrow morning.

As much as I love Lush's bubble bars and ballistics, I've been resistant to getting into their face care because it's so very expensive and I have very odd skin, oily yet flaky, with overlarge pores. Still, I was going to try the Herbalism.

Tonight, when I got home from work, I let Bigfoot out and fed Littlefoot, then let Littlefoot out and fed Bigfoot. When they were both fed and I had changed out of my work clothes, I ran out to the curb to get the mail and bring in the trash can and recycling bin. In the two minutes that took, Bigfoot found my sample and decided Herbalism was a nice dessert. Since the sample was about two ounces, I'm not too worried about the nettle irritating his innards. However, the kaolin may prove to be a bit of a constipator for the old man.

So thanks, Lush, but I won't be trying your skin care this time around.

Monday blues

Warning: seriously whiny post ahead.

My headache from yesterday is still with me, and it has been joined by dizziness, because headaches hate to be alone.

I took on a new project at work, and did most of it well, but I did manage to get a little tangled up in my underwear and submit one request twice and one not at all.

Tomorrow, I will be representing the family at a memorial service for a father of young children who was just barely older than me.

I thought that starting my seeds would be good therapy, but I can't find the fricking peat pots I was going to put them in.

A nap sounds lovely, but I know that if I do that this late, I'll be up half the night and my sleep schedule is screwed up enough as it is, thanks to stooooopid DST.

*whine*

So close I can smell it!

This morning, I took Plaid and Flannel Jammies to the airport. They're in Dallas now, visiting with the Mathgeek-Crossword family. I stopped at the bank, then came home, made lunch, cleaned the bathroom and took a nap.

After dinner, it was warm enough for me to spend twenty minutes outside clearing last year's leaves from the glads and petting the daffodil and grape hyacinth shoots. Tomorrow, I am hoping for more warm weather so I can rake last year's leaves out of the front flower beds. The garden catalogs have me drooling, and Cochran's Nursery is showing signs of getting ready to open. I'm ready to garden!

Sign of the (bad) times

I was one of many folks who were late to work today, owing to a huge traffic tie-up caused by 5,000 people trying to get to a job fair near my office.

Video and story.

Ironically, today was the day my probation at work ended. I've still got to be careful and triple-check everything so that my cognitive problems don't cost me my job, but I do have one.

Shameless begging

Please sponsor me for this year's MS Walk. Flannel Jammies will be walking with me for the first time ever, and while I'm sorry that she won't be in Texas to see Princess Mathgeek turn six, I'm glad we'll have the chance to walk together.

Please let me know if anyone is doing a local MS Walk, and I'll add your fundraising link here if you'd like.

The good news, the bad news, and the worst news

The good news is that I'm not imagining things, I'm not crazy, and I'm not being over-dramatic.

The bad news is that I'm not imagining things, I'm not crazy, and I'm not being over-dramatic.

The neuropsych testing shows a significant gap between my intelligence and my recall and speed of processing. It's more than likely that it's secondary to the MS.

So now I need to learn how to manage all this and still stay employed.

The worst news is that one of my dearest friends was just diagnosed with MS. I hate this damn disease.

Woodchuck for lunch--YUM!

My almost-9 year old nephew got his purple belt in Tae Kwon Do on Saturday. Mom and Dad and I drove down to watch him do his test, break his boards and get his new belt. Then we went out to lunch with the entire Pickypants family, and I discovered that you can now get Woodchuck cider in Ohio. It was wonderful, and exactly the right beverage with my filet mignon sandwich.

The Book From Hell went to Manufacturing yesterday, which is good. This morning, I got the results from my neuropsych testing, and I'm still trying to process them. I'll write more when I have a handle on what it means for and to me.

One thing related to this morning's appointment:

I don't mind when people correct me when I use the wrong word or something similar, especially not now, when I'm grappling with cognitive issues and have caught myself using a completely wrong word in e-mails or in conversation. I also don't mind having my pronunciation corrected. I have what I call "oldest child syndrome," by which I simply mean that I read a lot as a kid and didn't have older siblings to tell me when I was saying things wrong. I think I was in fifth or sixth grade when I found out that "suicidal" was not pronounced "soo-iss-iddle."

I do mind when I've been running around using the wrong word and making myself look like an idiot and no one tells me. I've been saying "neuropathy" to mean the tingling in my hands and feet since September of 2003, when it started and the resident at my doctor's office called it that. This morning, my neurologist told me that what is going on with me is not neuropathy, as that is a specific syndrome which can have tingling as a side effect. I wish he'd corrected me five years ago! Sheesh.