Living Proof

I’m not dead, I swear. Here’s a blurry, weirdly colored picture I took of myself yesterday to prove it:

I’m also sharing it with you because I have inexplicably managed to lose ten pounds in the last few weeks, and also because I just got that green shirt on Friday for like six dollars and I totally love it.

So yeah, I’m not dead, but damn, am I tired. Oh man, and my distraction probability index is at, like, whatever number would mean “really, really high.” I keep getting distracted by people dropping into the office, web sites I haven’t checked in weeks, office calendars that still are on July, and the pile of mail on my desk that I haven’t gone through yet. It’s probably going to end up taking me an hour to finish this entry, the way I’m writing a sentence here and there between work stuff.

Anyway. Yes. I’m back. Note that I did not say anything like “that was an awesome vacation,” or “now I can really relax and have some down time,” because neither case is true. I did have some good times but it wasn’t very vacation-y, more like insanely-crazy-work-y, and I’ve got a ton of stuff coming up in the next few weeks so I’m turning into No Time to Sleep or Eat Girl, which may explain the weight loss.

Aside from the missing luggage, the food poisoning, and the getting lost every time we drove anywhere, the conference in New Hampshire was great fun. I made some great connections in my field and I learned a lot. Our luggage arrived on Monday in the late afternoon, finally, and my bout of food poisoning was mostly finished with by the end of Monday as well, and I didn’t have to be hospitalized. We think it may have actually been a shellfish reaction, although I’ve never had one before, but either way I won’t be eating mussels or lobster for quite a long time anyway so I should be fine.

Also while at the conference, we took an evening and drove to Quechee, Vermont, to eat at Simon Pearce. It was unbelievable, and if you’re ever in the area I very highly recommend it. Click through the few “story” pages on that site I linked and see for yourself how gorgeous it is, and take my word on the food. I had the spinach salad with spiced nuts and Great Hill blue cheese, and the chevre, tomato and basil ravioli. SO GOOD.

We arrived in Raleigh late on Thursday afternoon, just moments before a torrential downpour that flooded the roads leading into the airport and grounded planes for hours. I took pictures as we paddled through the parking lot, and I’ll get around to posting them eventually. On Friday I spent the day getting tires and a garden party dress – at least, that’s what we’re calling it. And then Saturday I went to a wedding, Sunday I drove back to the plantation where the reception had been held to take my friend’s keys back to her (I was the DD; she’d lost them in my car). And I got stung by a velvet ant, which I’d never seen or heard of in my life before, and it was weird and hurt like hell. It’s a wingless wasp, by the way. Picture here.

And then Monday I went to band camp.

Band camp was difficult this year. I’m working with a director who is very disorganized, and that plus some other issues created a lot of challenges for my choreography work. I did finish the show, but wasn’t able to teach it all, so I videotaped it and made notes and the advisor will teach the numbers we couldn’t get to during camp.

All of a sudden the choreography gigs are flowing in, which is a mixed blessing. It’s good because I enjoy it and it’s a nice way to get some extra cash. It’s bad because my shoulders are in terrible shape, and because I’m pretty well flat-out exhausted. But for better or worse, I’ll be going to a different school every evening this week after my day job to work with those girls. And later in the fall I’ll be judging a competition – also a paying gig, and fun and easy to boot.

I got back from camp on Friday night, and on Saturday I went to yet another wedding, this time with Ginny. There was a hilarious moment when the flower girl threw a temper tantrum in the lobby, chucked her flowers on the floor, and proceeded to stomp down the aisle, arms crossed, scowling and pouting the entire way. When she got to the altar she let out a banshee screech and was promptly hustled out of the church. The maddest flower girl in the world also punched me in the arm with her pacifier in the buffet line at the reception.

And now, on to the Ginny news.

Awesome news – she can walk now! She was cleared for weight-bearing on both legs about two weeks ago, and has been walking a little bit with the walker every day. She can go up to about 50 feet now, but still gets tired pretty easily while building up her strength.

Slightly less awesome news – she is having surgery again, on Wednesday. The doctors believe that the screws in her left knee are bumping into her tendons and interfering with her range of motion, causing the knee to lock up pretty frequently. So on Wednesday they’re going to go in and remove them, and check to see if there’s anything else causing the problem. She will be knocked out, but it’s supposed to be a short procedure and if everything goes well, she’ll be home by the end of the day.

More awesome news – her 22nd birthday was yesterday. We took her to the Olive Garden for lunch, and then Jamie and I took her shopping afterward. If you want to get in on the post-birthday action, she has an Amazon wish list. At the very least, please go wish her a happy birthday and good luck on the upcoming surgery at her diary.

Okay. With that, you’re pretty much up to date, I think. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

10 Replies to “Living Proof”

  1. I've got a few ideas for what we could do with the wallpaper. It would certainly look a lot different when we were done.
    Is that towel ring well secured?

  2. ha, two people said, “yay! … … …um, catch you later.”
    So, you got lost a lot, had a spinach salad and drove through “Quechee” to get that salad; you covorted in the rain and took pictures of it; you got stung by a wingless wasp – something that can't fly at you but, instead, has to walk on little legs to reach you and has markings that suggest, “HEY, I'M A WINGLESS WASP AND I'M COMING TO STING YOU! OH YEAH, I'M COMING – YOU JUST WAIT!” then you made a video we'll have to pay 29.95 to view soon and finally got schooled by a punchy flower-girl. I might suggest you've lost weight from the stress of accepting that the world has conspired against you.

  3. okay, so there were only three things in there that sound kinda bad. Not, “world against you” material. I take it back. In any case, you look pretty good in mirror, lady.

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