random thoughts – Day 2,204 (Monday) – energy replenished

The day began with me waking up feeling rested and remarkably well. The energy level was dramatically better than the four days of being flat-out sick, and also so much better than usual that I wondered if it was possible that I was low-grade unwell for the past bunch of months. And that was before a shower and coffee. 

Crocuses at Mom's.

After coffee, which I hadn't had any of since Thursday and didn't taste as good as I expected it to, the litter box was cleaned and detailed like it was being listed for sale. The glass stovetop which always gets wiped but never quite looks totally clean met the magic eraser and got a more serious cleaning. Laundry was done. Bills were reviewed and set up for online payments. 

When I went outside to haul the trash and recycle bins up the driveway, I spotted Mom and StepDad trying to haul the base of a new recliner into the house and popped over to lend a hand. Once in the house, I helped with the final assembly. I hope today’s level of vitality continues and isn’t just some cruel prank of modern medicine or my declining mental faculties.

While next door, I spotted crocuses in Mom’s front flowerbed and feeling a bit of spring floral envy, I walked the perimeter of my own house and yard to see if I had any such spring flowers (I don’t – need to get some!). I walked into the woods behind the house to fetch an abandoned flowerpot that has been there since before I moved in and put it in the shed. I scanned all the broken trees, abandoned cut limbs, and years of fallen leaves and wondered how difficult and time consuming it would be to tidy things up back there without benefit of curbside yard waste pickup like I had in Lowell.

Cinnamon bread bites.
Okay, but not great.

There was a slight energy dip at supper time, so I killed the idea of planning supper and ordered pizza from Domino’s. I got frivolous and also ordered the cinnamon bread bites. Domino’s isn’t my favorite pizza purveyor so I’m not even sure why I chose them to provide the evening's sustenance. I might have been suddenly too lazy to think of another place.

The pizza was comfortably predictable. The cinnamon bites were okay, but not great, but I still ate the entire order which gave me a stomach ache that was immediately followed by pangs of regret. Live and learn (except I probably won’t learn).

random thoughts – Day 2,203 (Sunday) – revived

After 3.5 thoroughly miserable days of a sore throat and swollen glands plus extra loud and pitchy tinnitus, today, halfway through the afternoon and 24 hours into the recently started penicillin regimen, there was a miraculous return to life. Evidence of renewed life included the following: I could stand for several minutes (in a row!) without feeling lightheaded and sprinting to lie down; I could swallow without misery; and there was energy for conducting basic vital human functions like showering and preparing food.

Food that isn't soup!

The food thing was huge. There were plenty of ingredients on hand but nothing to eat. Days passed with zero energy to assemble the plentiful pantry ingredients into edible dishes or even to plan and place an order for delivery. 

Today’s physical revival led to the assembly and baking of a casserole made of turkey from the freezer with chopped fresh broccoli and onion, vegetable soup broth, cheese, gnocchi, and cornbread stuffing. This was real cooking that required boiling water, stirring, chopping, layering, the delicate spooning of small amounts of broth and gnocchi until it seemed just right, and sprinkling seasonings. It was delicious. Or maybe I was just starved for something that wasn't soup. I like soup, but moreso when it's an option and not because it's the least painful food available.

The throat glands are still enlarged and tender to the touch, and it still hurts a little to talk, but overall, things feel much better. I’d rather type than speak most times, and having more food options is wonderful.

random thoughts – Day 2,202 (Saturday) – diagnosis and disappointment

On Thursday, I hoped my throat would be better on Friday. It was not. On Friday, I hoped my throat would be better when I woke up on Saturday. It was not. The throat was still swollen. The throat glands were even more swollen and hurt.

Beautifully not crowded.

Mom drove me to the urgent care I didn’t know was located barely two miles away from home. The place was not crowded and things moved efficiently. Insurance info was provided. Paperwork was completed. After a few minutes, my name was called and I was taken to an exam room. There were the usual blood pressure and temperature readings and a bonus throat rapid swab that triggered the gag reflex with an assistant. Yee-haw.

In a few more minutes, another medical professional appeared and informed me that it was definitely strep. I think the last time I had strep was half a century ago when I was in high school. Seriously, who gets strep throat at my age? And how? Anyway, the penicillin regimen of three times a day for ten days has begun and will be my friend.

The sacrifices are mounting. The first two days of feeling poorly meant I never left the house and included missing the Friday opening of Cherry Hill Ice Cream, and ice cream is usually the only opening day I’m interested in. The two days of invalid life were not enough to ward off the damage. Day three of unwellness meant I missed two dance workshops in Arlington I was signed up for. I already excused myself from dance group on Sunday morning because it seemed wiser than waiting until morning and spinning the wheel of fate to see how I felt.

Fun time culture swap room.

The throat glands feel even larger this evening than they did this morning. Ramen as the primary food source is losing its thrill. A can of cream of mushroom soup, bought on a whim last week for a recipe became supper. It wasn’t as good as I remember from my high school and college years when it was my go-to food. And strep throat is turning out to be worse than I remember.

random thoughts – Day 2,201 (Friday) – still swollen

The sore throat of Thursday was not “just a memory” on Friday as I had hoped.  It was worse. The throat was still red. Still swollen. And I was as weak as a wet dishrag. 

Multiple times during the day there was dizziness and lightheadedness when I stood up. Once, I had to race from the bathroom to the bed to lay down before I passed out and hit the floor. Another time, while boiling water for ramen, there was a race from the kitchen to the couch for the same reason.

The sleeping nearly all day on the couch part was pretty nice. At 4:00 I woke up and sat up for a while and it seemed better. I really wanted some ice cream, but the closest thing in the house was a Luigi’s lemon Italian ice.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. Fingers are still crossed.

random thoughts – Day 2,200 (Thursday) – oj and couch time

Just like so many times in junior high and high school, I woke up with a sore throat. Several times overnight I woke up and couldn’t swallow. When I finally got up, hours later, it wasn’t worse, but it also wasn’t better. I did the thing with a hand mirror bouncing the light into my mouth and saw it was bright red and swollen. A long adolescent acquaintance with sore throat ailments led me to check for white spots (none) and to check my neck for swollen glands (not found). I didn't feel sick enough to stay in bed in pajamas all day so I dressed in jeans and a hoody.

Kiki at the window.

For some reason, when my throat is aggravated, I want orange juice. Luckily, there was orange juice in the fridge and I went for it. Logic seems to indicate that OJ would be too acidic, but it feels nice and cool on my throat. 

After drinking juice and later coffee, there was a lot of laying around on the couch. The day's lofty plan to start the big dance skirt was postponed and the home sweatshop remained closed for the day. Kiki stationed herself nearby on the windowsill and gazed upon the outside world until I stood up for a second and she ran to the bedroom.  

As a student, while home sick from school with what was usually diagnosed as strep throat or tonsilitis (often with a bonus ear ache), I would hunker down in my bed for the day with a book. My favorite book for being at home was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today, I considered reading the book about the dancer/choreographer Martha Graham that I started last week and carried it over to the couch. 

On the couch.

Instead of reading, I picked up my phone and played Words with Friends, read news and emails, participated in several text conversations, and played at least a dozen games of chess in Duolingo (and won more games than I lost). The phone usage was so heavy my cell had to be charged twice.

The daylong absence of exertion seems to have worked, because by evening, the throat looked less fiery and was less swollen. I never once thought to check my temperature and by the time I thought of it, it seemed pointless. In any event, my throat is already improved and with luck, by tomorrow, it will be just a memory. Fingers crossed.

random thoughts – Day 2,199 (Wednesday) – started and done

Underway.

The black and gold top for the costume for the June show was started. The tissue pattern pieces were smoothed and altered to be longer. The fabric was folded and spread on the dining table. The pieces were pinned down and checked. Then they were unpinned moved around to be set tighter for less waste.

There was plenty of fabric for the top, and I tend to set pieces close to each other, so running out of material was never an issue. After cutting out the pieces, the piece of fabric that remained was larger than what I used. That means I can make something else someday to go with the top for another costume.

Most of the day was invested in making the top. Test strips were sewn to check the machine’s thread tension and stitch length and then, it was off to the races. In the past, I avoided sewing with stretch fabrics because I thought they were tricky to work with, but this project was easy. Lesson learned.  

Some of the time was spent reading and re-reading the pattern instructions and consulting “The Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing” for tips on working with knit fabric. There was also the search for things like ball point needles and seam tape to stabilize the gathered center front and the shoulder seams to prevent stretching. I couldn’t find my seam tape so lengths of ribbon were cut to use instead. Somewhere along the line of checking for needles and seam tape, a kitchen counter and the top of a bookcase were rearranged, and some cabinets were dusted because, well, side quests happen.

Done!

The only rush to complete the top today was personal satisfaction. The job search is essentially dead in the water, and I'll take any victories I can snatch. The sewing project expanded to fill the time available which in this case was pretty much all day. 

Suddenly, it was the last step of tying off and trimming loose threads and it was done. Fini. Finito. Acabado. Now the skirt can be started.

Now that the top has been made once and the lessons were learned, I could probably knock another one out in an hour or two.

random thoughts – Day 2,198 (Tuesday) – fixin' to start

It was another lightly snow dusted morning, and once again it melted off by midday. The forecast for tomorrow is 51 degrees and 65 for Thursday, so maybe spring is fixin' to start acting like spring a bit more and that is something to look forward to.

A trip to the grocery store for green grapes and grape tomatoes was partially successful. There were just a few bunches of grapes left and they didn’t look great, but the tomatoes were good. And so did the crackers, New York Cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, half-and-half, and a few other items in another example of overachieving.

Fixin' to sew.

The afternoon saw time dedicated to beginning a new black and gold stretchy top for the June dance show and the dining table is now officially covered in fabric and tissue. The pattern pieces were cut apart today and tomorrow the layout onto the fabric will begin. And maybe the sewing.

The top should be a quick project. My favorite lesson from production operations management class in grad school is: “Do the quick jobs first.” That way, they can come out of the queue and move to the next step. Turns out it works well in non-work scenarios as well. So, I'm fixin' to start the top that requires one yard of fabric and three pattern pieces. Once made, the thrill of success will propel me to start the skirt with the 25-yard ruffle on the bottom. Easy peasy.