Stress: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

An Overworked Mind

This is called “An Overworked Mind.” I can definitely relate.

 

“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.” ~ Nikita Khrushchev (just because)

Short post for tonight, more of an update. This has been my day:

  1. Visit to my wonderful pain doctor. Sixteen, count them sixteen trigger shots from my neck all the way down and across my back to my right butt cheek. Too much information? Tough. Try getting the shots.
  2. Picked out the perfect frame for Eamonn’s prom picture. He has been bugging me ever since he got his half of the pictures that he and Kelsie had taken at the prom. They are actually very nice. When I have time, I’ll scan and post it. Anyway, stopped in Target for a quick run to look for frames since they are within 2 minutes of the pain doctor’s office. Target, who used to have a wonderful selection of frames, no longer carries much of anything. I suggested T. J. Maxx. Corey, keeping the budget in mind, relented.
  3. Went to T. J. Maxx, looked longingly at flowing sun dresses that I would love to have. Looked but did not touch. Went to frames. Found one great frame for $3.50 for the 5×7 that Eamonn gave me to put in the living room, and a nice glass drop-in frame for his picture. Managed not to spend very much money at all, and both frames cost less than one frame would have cost at Target. Take my advice thrifty shoppers: The Maxx is still the awesomest for housewares (speaking of which, saw some towels I would kill to have. Our towels are sooo old and tired).
  4. On the ride home began to feel pain from shots that I tried to keep at bay by taking pain meds after office visit. Discussed the issue of closing car factories in the U.S. and what that means to American consumers. Seriously, would you buy a brand spanking new Chrysler with one of those great deals if you knew that getting parts down the road might be a problem? Something to consider.
  5. Got home. House was hotter than hell. Trying not to use living room A/C because it is dripping water onto brick. Water damage. Yuck. Temperature was 91° F. Tried to sit down in my desk chair. Spilled my Pepsi on the bedroom floor. Shakes ran in from outside soaking wet as he wanted to show me that he had jumped in the pool. Brett was in meltdown over presentation. I considered turning around and walking back out of the house.
  6. The glass frame that I bought for Eamonn’s picture for his room was too big. Needed to do something creative. Went into Photoshop to create a lovely background to paste onto the piece of white chip board that came with the frame. Found the perfect paper in my assorted collection of decorative papers. Played around for about half an hour until I got the sizing right. Gave it to Eamonn. Actually got a “Thanks, Mom” for the effort. Yay for me. Sweating like a pig.
  7. Checked e-mail to see if there was anything from Brett’s history teacher. No. But lots of updates from Goodreads. Always fun, when I find the time. Meanwhile, Brett is pouring over index cards I printed out for him and claiming that he does not have the right stuff. What’s the right stuff, I ask, trying very hard not to lose my temper because I’m tired and perspiring like a worker on a chain gang. I don’t know. That answer won’t help me. Moving right along.
  8. Suggest to Eamonn on his way out the door that it would be nice if he calls his grandmothers to ask them personally to attend his graduation. Mumbled answer. No idea what he said.
  9. Towel on floor that is sopping up the Pepsi is shifted slightly to the right to clean up wet paw prints from Shakes coming into the house straight from pool and bypassing towel.
  10. Some kind of strange little flying beasties, not big enough to be flies, not small enough to be gnats, have taken up residence in the bedroom. It is now cooler outside of the house than inside the house. So glad I bothered to put on makeup today. Resenble the Joker.
  11. Still haven’t gotten around to taking more pain medication for the 16, count them 16 shots that I got today. Going to get right on that.
  12. Eamonn has two days of school left. Hooray? Brett still has more days left. Any days left are too many for  me.
  13. Haven’t gotten around to working on Socratic method of analyzing Macbeth, and don’t really see how that’s going to work since the whole basis of the Socratic method is question and analysis . . . whatever
  14. Would kill for a big chocolate milkshake. From Sonic. Now.
  15. Time to depart to watch Enemy at the Gates so that Brett can bone up on his Russian accent. Of the movie choices that include Russian accents, this was his choice. Pretty good choice, too. Haven’t seen this movie in a while, and if I remember correctly, it’s a good one. Seems to me at the time that it first came out, Eamonn wanted to be a sniper. Obviously, that phase has long past.
  16. Tillie is in the living room having a conversation with Brett about her ball. How do I know this? What a silly question.
  17. I think that I’ll paint my fingernails while I watch the movie. Maybe I’ll have a glass of wine instead of a milkshake.
  18. I would kill for something chocolate, preferably by Lindor, preferably in the form of Lindor balls.
  19. Did I mention that I saw some towels that would be so beautiful in the bathroom, that is, as long as you just looked at the towels and not the bathroom.
  20. I would dearly love to be able to shop for clothes that fit. Someday. Maybe this year. That would be nice. Makes me salivate to think about it, that and chocolate, and the new towels.

Oh well. Quick update. My life as it is. Can you stand the level of excitement?

More later. Peace.

Grace in Small Things #31

bumper-stickers-mania

Bumper Sticker Mania Reflections of a Person’s Soul

Dazed and Confused

Somehow I ended up with #31 on February 1st so I can either go back and renumber all of them, or I can do two today, or I can just keep going from here because I think I’ve already begun to confuse myself. I think that I’ll just stay with what I have and remain confused for the rest of the year, knowing that I started 23 short, if that makes any sense, and maybe at the end of the year, I’ll do a post that has 115 items in it . . . thoroughly confused? No more so than I.

1. Calendars. I love calendars, and not just the beautiful ones that you put on your wall. I also love pocket calendars and desk calendars. At the moment, I am at an all-time low, having only three: one wall calendar next to the computer, a lovely black and white Zen calendar; a beautiful orchid calendar in the kitchen (I wonder what made me think of orchids, Maureen), and a weekly pocket calendar in my purse. I really feel that I should have at least one more large planner, even though I have nothing to plan. It would just make me feel better. Can’t be too careful, especially when you can’t remember what day it is.

2. Reading other people’s bumper stickers. I’m not crazy about putting them on my own car, but I love to get behind people who go crazy with stickers on their cars. I view it as a window into a person’s personality—the bumper stickers they choose. You can tell a person’s political affiliation, what their hobbies are, which bands they like, whether or not they have good interpersonal relationships, and if they are cowboys, rednecks, or goths. Sometimes, you can even tell how many people they have in their family; you know, when they have those stickers that  imitate a mom, dad, kids, dog, cat, etc. These are usually found on minivans. I would buy them if they had alternate images, like a warrior, a rock n’ roller, a skateboarder, a gamer, and then maybe a three-headed dog, but even that is too tame.

3. Post-it notes. Couldn’t live without these wonderful things. I have them in bright colors. Least favorite color is the plain yellow. I love the bright turquoise. I have one of those nifty pop up dispensers, and I have post-its all around my big screen—songs I want to download, books I want to buy, people I need to call. See, I would never be able to do that without post-it notes.

4. Picture frames. I buy frames even when I don’t have a particular picture to put in it if I happen to like the frame. I know that the perfect picture will come, and I will already have the frame. I keep the frames in a box under my bed. Although, I haven’t checked lately. Tillie may have eaten the picture frames I have been saving. I never know what she’ll discover as her next favorite food.

5. Waking up without a headache. Sounds like such a simple thing, really. But the reality is something for which I am truly grateful when it happens.

That’s today’s list. More later. Peace.