A few much-needed updates from my week:

1) The Arthrogram that I had along with my MRI was the most painful, horrific medical experience (and rates in the top 5% of other experiences) that I have ever had the pleasure to endure. Does this speak well for my quality of life that it's one of the worst things I've ever gone through? Maybe. But it still hurt like hell, and emotionally it was absolutely horrendous. I did not, however, pass out during the procedure. I'm hella proud of that.

2) I had my follow up on Thursday to discuss the results. I have a damaged ligament in the rotator cuff. The good news is that it isn't completely torn through, and so 3 weeks of physical therapy ought to do it. I guess there really isn't any bad news, since I pretty much knew that something had to be wrong.

3)Steve is coming to visit! He's making the long drive from NJ to MS all by himself today. If he left when he was planning to, I'd say that puts him on I-95 between Baltimore and DC right about now....

4) Long story short- My car broke. AGAIN. Last Saturday. It's fixed. This is annoying, especially since I had plans for that money. And now I'm broke.

And since I haven't been bothered to post about anything this week (which is a Good Thing, since no one really wants to read Whiny McWhineyBlog, right? See.), here's a little something for your entertainment. The little sis wrote some poetry for a creative writing class. They made me smile.

The following are by Jes Ballew, copyright 2003. Published here with permission of the author. If you steal her words, I will hunt you down and flay you with the righteous fury of an overprotective Big Sister... so don't!

STARING CONTEST
One day I was bored as a block
And so tried to outstare a rock
Six hours past
And I gave up at last
But the stone just kept staring in mock.

FAITH
"Dear Fate," he cried, "Help me find the way"
As usual, Fate had nothing to say.

FOOL
The most foolish of fools
The fool who he himself can fool
Himself.

PIERS THE PUNMASTER
Piers Anthony
Created Xanthony
And though the books were rather fun,
This world was overrun with puns.

ORSON SCOTT CARD
Orson Scott Card
Might make a good bard
If he made the choice
To put his stories to voice.








  ¶ 3/08/2003 11:49:00 AM

  There's a new meme in town - Greyduck has started "Past, Present, and Future" in answer to the recent lameness of the Friday Five. And so hence begins my attempt to actually follow through and keep up with something:

PAST: The term "rebellious teenager" is sort of redundant, when you get right down to it. It's probably safe to assume that you made a nuisance of yourself more than once during those years. Tell us about the most memorable stunt you pulled. It's okay, I'm sure the statute of limitations has run out by now.

Hmm. I did quite a lot of crap as a teenager, but for the most part it wasn’t anything that all the other teenagers weren’t doing, too. I grew up in a small town, and in small towns there isn’t much to do except for get trashed, drive around, knock stuff over… etc. I suppose the worst thing I did was a series of sneaking out – and taking the parents’ car. Before I had a liscense (or even a permit). Usually my co-conspirator would snag her mom’s car, because it was easier to sneak out, so I actually only “borrowed” the car once.

I didn’t get caught for taking the car at the time, but my mom caught me climbing back through my window a few weeks later. She wasn’t stupid, made some calculations, and realized that I had taken the car before.

I was grounded for a year. Sophomore year of high school was some ASS.

PRESENT: You can't have completely lost your desire to do absurd and silly things. Fantasize for a moment (but not too long) about a silly stunt you wish you could get away with today. Yes, this very day. And then, of course, share your fantasy with the world.

Well, certainly nothing like the above. Although we thought we were cool as hell at the time, I am pretty ashamed for having done that. I’d have grounded my ass for a year, too… or possibly worse.

Hmmm. This really doesn’t seem all that rebellious at all, but I frequently have urges to climb random buildings. There are these ledges around the one I work in, and it would be fairly easy to climb up to them from the balcony. And then, just sit. And maybe throw stuff at people. Or start picking people off with a paint-ball rifle.

I don’t know if my urges to climb things come from my love of agile superheroes (Spidey, Daredevil, Nightcrawler…) and Doorways In the Sand or if I love them because they feed into my primate urges. Probably a little of both.

Also – the scene in Office Space where they take the printer out into a field and beat the shit out of it? I have fantasies about our fax machine and it’s violent, bloody death. Oh, yes.

FUTURE: Hauling more cliches out of the closet we have the phrase "going out in a blaze of glory." You're 110 years old, give or take a couple of decades. Having made the solemn decree that you will go out with a bang instead of a whimper, what crazy scheme have you come up with to make your entrance to the afterlife the stuff of legend?

Nuh –uh. There would be no such decree. I don’t want a bang, or a whimper. I’m thinking more like a peaceful sigh.

  ¶ 3/03/2003 11:50:00 AM