Rubber stamp, airport, and more than enough excitement...

[fajrdrako]

Which is to say, I'm so tired. So very tired. In real terms, I didn't do so much today... did I?

meri_oddities and laitosto have been visiting. They left to go back to the States today, and we had a lovely breakfast at the Mayflower, talking about yesterday's marathon - meri_oddities was one of the runners, and we feel terrificially proud of her. Our friend, the marathon runner! We had oatmeal for breakfast: something I love but haven't had since The Foot was broken, since it involves cooking.

After we took them to the airport, maaseru and I went to Cotton Ginny, a clothing store we both love. She bought stuff. Gorgeous stuff. I was tempted, but it was so difficult to try anything on, and I didn't want to buy clothes without making sure they fit right, that I didn't get anything. I seem to have a lot of clothes wearing out at once, so I want to get a number of things. Must wait.

Then I bought a rubber stamp at Michael's. One of my favourite and most useful rubber stamps is a swirly one that says "Thank You", and I use it to make cards. Sadly, I left it in my drawer at work. So I thought it might be a good idea to buy another one. Two "thank you" stamps would be handy.

They had three stamps which said "Thank You" - one ugly, one too fancy, one okay but boring, and one that said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I almost got the okay one, then I realized that the repetition of "thank you" three times reminded me of John Barrowman (with his famous, "Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!" and that was reason enough to get it.

So by the time I lurched back to the car on my crutches I was totally exhausted.

Home. A nap, which turned into several consecutive telephone conversations. A visit from Sheila and Harry, and we watched Torchwood ("Something Borrowed") and Doctor Who ("Partners in Crime"). They'd wanted to see more Torchwood, and much as it breaks my heart to turn down any chance to watch Torchwood with anyone, I wanted something cheerier.

So why do I feel as if I ran a marathon? Doesn't seem right.

Comments

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling: no matter how much you get done in a day, it never feels like enough and it always leaves you half-winded from the strain.

Thanks for the Whovian reminder. I need to check DWIN for new info on CBC relations with the show.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It would be nice to know that CBC hasn't abandoned "Doctor Who" forever!

[dewline.livejournal.com]

A safe assumption to make that they haven't, I believe. (http://www.dwin.org/expressionengine/index.php/site/a_poem/)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

LOL! What a great link. Okay,I'm happy about that.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Why do you feel as if you ran a marathon? Because you did! This was more stuff done in one day than you've been able to do in over eight weeks. Admit it! This was huge!

By the way, congratulations: 8 weeks today. Eight weeks ago right now, as I type this, at 7:09 PM, you were still waiting for surgery. Possibly just then getting the satisfaction of hearing the nurse lecture the complaining person about you having been waiting longer, so you'd be going into surgery first.

So: look out the window! (Pretend it's still daylight. I just realized that my computer is reading three hours slow -- it's ten after ten.) What's in view? Snow? Ice? People in heavy coats, walking with gingerly and cautious steps? Heck no! Green grass, tulips, leafy trees, birds, and maybe even dust from under people's feet! Yay. You made it. It's not winter any more.

Congratulations times 26 to meri_oddities, and ditto whiney jealous whimpering to both her and laitosto for being lucky enough to visit you. While I'm at it, whiney jealous whimpering to Sheila and Harry, too! Miff.

Now. Tell me what sizes of what. The things that are wearing out.

Not likely socks, eh? [snicker] Sorry, couldn't resist.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

This was more stuff done in one day than you've been able to do in over eight weeks. Admit it! This was huge!

Yes. But the lack of productivity or usefulness seems overwhelming.

whiney jealous whimpering to both her and laitosto for being lucky enough to visit you

Heh. It was really maaseru they were visiting, which doesn't meant it wasn't great to see them.

Using half the socks I normally do has no doubt expanded their lifetime. But today I discovered a hole in my favourite bra. Waaah!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

But the lack of productivity or usefulness seems overwhelming.

Meaning, the past eight weeks spent letting your body first get used to not being itself, then starting to heal? You did a great deal in those eight weeks. Meanwhile, you had time to think. "Usefulness"... many interpretations for that idea; mine are one, yours are another?

which doesn't meant it wasn't great to see them.

...whine...whine.... Even so! [g]

Socks joke... whew, held off on it for eight weeks and a day... somebody should give me a medal. Heh.

Tell me sizes, dear. Sales are on, and I just did some overtime. I need to buy stuff anyway; easy enough to do it twice at once.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've been thinking about much. But the rest has been good.

I'll send you sizes a.s.a.p. Tricky because American/Canadian sizes are different. How about if I send measurements?

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

How about if I send measurements?

Whatever works.

Jeans, too?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't know about jeans. I'll have to see whether what I have still fits. I'm not wearing jeans these days because elastic waists are easier to put on and off with a cast and mobility problems. I need to go through my clothes and see what fits and what doesn't, and what's worn out (besides my favourite bra!), but I'm waiting till I can stand to do that.

So the bottom line is - stand by! I'll know more in a few weeks.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Okay, then. Good enough. I'll see about what I've already mentioned (and I won't mention what that is, here, as they were unmentionables, after all) and keep searching for what we talked about on the phone. Happy to do so. Keep an eye on your mailbox!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I like to think that on my LJ nothing is unmentionable.

But... that might be a personal delusion.

I don't remember what we talked about on the phone. Was that when I was sleepy? Or is it just my bad, bad memory?

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Ahem. I think I was referring to a conversation about underwear. Also known as "unmentionables." [snicker]

Anyway, feel free to indulge in personal delusions galore; it is, after all, your LJ.

I actually think we talked about underwear, on the phone! And, yeah, you were pretty sleepy. Note, for instance, that I am now not calling you in the evening, realizing that you are probably totally wiped out from being at work and otherwise negotiating the Wide World all day, and still need to do exercises, and go online, and have quiet time with the budgies -- uh, that is, have interactional time with the budgies... and all that.

But I hope you enjoy the replies to lapsed conversations, here [g].

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty tired this evening. But not in a bad way.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

There's good-tired, and bad-tired. I'm in the latter today. For some reason, I'm in a sensory-overload mode in which I keep dropping things and tripping on things and doing things clumsily. Stuck a sewing needle into my thumb just as if it were a dart, for instance, earlier.

Rest. You are doing marathon-ish levels of physical work, right now.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I'm not exactly alert but it's okay. I'll do a few things I have to do and go to bed early. Maybe with a book, or some comics, or fic.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Ahh... early bedtime with comics! As nice as early bedtime with cats who enjoy cautiously lifting their noses up into the stream of air coming from the air conditioner [g]. It's all cuddling, no?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I cuddle comics - not deliberately, that messes up the pages - but it sure is cosy to read in bed.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Congrats on getting out in the world again.

And a small piece of information that you may or may not find useful: Oatmeal (not instant or quick, but the old-fashioned kind) can be made in the microwave. 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup water. Nuke on 50% for 6 minutes. No stirring, no other effort required. I actually like the texture better this way than when it's made on the stove. Add salt and/or any other flavorings (butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, by preference [g]) after cooking.

[flautopiccolo.livejournal.com]

You beat me to it! I make oatmeal the same way every morning, but with milk instead of water, and adding frozen berries.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sounds yummy! Sounds maybe worth getting my microwave moved, if I can.

Meanwhile: yogurt and cold cereal for breakfast. Unless I go out. Which I'm doing this morning. Seems... decadent.

[flautopiccolo.livejournal.com]

Not decadent - you deserve it!

I'll elaborate a bit on the oatmeal recipe, in case it encourages you to try it earlier once you can get the microwave moved. In fact I use less liquid, cover it with wax paper and zap it at 90% for 3 minutes. We have an old microwave, with no turntable, so I need to turn the bowl and stir midway through. You'll be able to experiment depending on your microwave and how you like your oatmeal.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My microwave has a turntable, though sometimes it gets askew, and in its current position, is difficult to adjust. That alone would be a good reason to get someone to move it - just as soon as an able-bodied friend visits, I'll do that!

This whole conversation has really encouraged my enthusiasm for oatmeal.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Oatmeal is one of the joys of life. This sounds utterly delightful. Thanks!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I had oatmeal for breakfast yesterday - at Denny's. They make good oatmeal!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

I have done rudimentary scoping-out of the stuff in Las Vegas, for our trip in August, and one thing I've discovered is that the hotel next to ours (Bally's; we'll be in Paris) has a restaurant called The Sidewalk Cafe or something like that and it has decent prices on "real" food, including oatmeal for breakfast. I think I'll be there!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of actually getting the nerve up to make oatmeal tomorrow. I may decide not to when the time comes, but I would like oatmeal, and it costs so much more when you buy it in a restaurant. On the other hand, eating it in a restaurant is fun.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Eating it in a restaurant may be costlier on the surface, but think of this: included in that cost is your boon of having gotten out of the house, gone somewhere, and found a table to sit at. Fresh air, refreshed perspective, and general jolly interaction with humanity! All that for the price of a lovely bowl of oatmeal that you didn't have to cook yourself!

I took a new box of microwave oatmeal to work with me today; a couple of us keep it in the cupboard, there, and have it on occasion. And my other box is about empty. The older I get, the more I like oatmeal! How do you like yours?... me, milk with sugar. Pretty basic, I know. And the microwave package kind: apple, maple, or maybe walnut & honey. Probably mostly maple.

But it's all good.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, eating out, or getting food delivered, has been a godsend. A way of keeping properly fed without pain and frustration. It's worth it! Absolutely! Not just the food, but not having to find a way to carry a plate of food somewhere - impossible, actually - or washing dishes afterwards. In restaurants, they do all that for me. Amazing and wonderful.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

A way of keeping properly fed without pain and frustration.

Yes. Which is why-- oops! CAn't say that yet. It's a surprise coming up later. But... yep, I agree.

Not just the food, but not having to find a way to carry a plate of food somewhere - impossible, actually

You'd have to get someone to do even that for you. Of course. And... some of us would not think of that, unless we'd been right there with you when the situation came up. Unintentional thoughtlessness may have ensued.

In restaurants, they do all that for me. Amazing and wonderful.

Isn't it so nice of them to do so, as well! hee

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You'd have to get someone to do even that for you.

The problem being, there isn't always someone around. Like tonight. Budgies don't have the strength! So what I do is: I collect my plate and food in the kitchen as best I can, put it all in a plastic bag, and carry the bag to my seat in the living room. It's rough and inelegant, but it (mostly) works.

Isn't it so nice of them to do so, as well! hee

I did the same, when I was a waitress. And I tip well!

Those people are wonderful, those folks in the food service industries.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Hee. Taking you back a few quantum steps, this one is! Remember when you yearned to be able to walk AND carry something? Well, now you can.

I learned to tip well a long time ago, I am proud to say. And I plan to keep up the habit for a long time to come... who can say that the extra two dollars I lay down on the table is two dollars that someone will need to put enough gas into their car that night? We're all connected.

I've been thinking about the Las Vegas trip, too. Five weeks away, now, or so. I imagine I'll have to allocate a small amount of funds each day for putting into slot machines... the chance always exists to win more than you've put in, and if I can come home with five dollars up, even that little bit, then it will have been a good way to spend a little time. Plus, you see, when you are gaming, the servers bring you free drinks -- for tips, of course! -- and I already know that a bottle of soda-pop is three dollars in hotel vending machines, whew!! So, for what I put into the slot machines, I get a free soda... yeah, comes out about even. Is this logic, or something much sillier?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

If you enjoy playing slot machines for a free drink, go for it! It's not something I like to do, so I'd pay money not to be there. Gambling gives me collywobbles. Makes me incredibly tense.

Walking and carrying things at the same time - what a luxury!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info and recipe for oatmeal... Sadly, the microwave is terribly difficult for me to use right now. It's at the far end of the kitchen, which is difficult to get to, and on top of the fridge, which is difficult to reach, and I have nowhere to sit while it cooks for six minutes - so the process of using it is so exhausting that I am eating most things cold. (Peanut butter and cheese are wonderful things - not necessarily together!)

It doesn't seem worth it to get someone to move my microwave to a more convenient place. I'm happy with it where it is, when I have two feet. But maybe... hmm. Might be worth it, after all. Next time I have an able-bodied person around, I'll discuss it with them.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Oh. I wish I could have warned you to have someone move it the day you got home from the hospital. You could have saved yourself a lot of grief, and eaten much better in the interim, too.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You are so right - I know that now! Next time I have some sturdy friends over, I'll have them move it. It would be so nice to be able to heat up leftovers.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Good.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Oh, and make oatmeal [g].

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That too.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

This is a good thing to keep in mind for any future such incident -- a little forethought during a frazzled coming-home-from-the-surgery time, indeed. Akin to sending a couple strips of postage stamps along with a sympathy card or a shower/wedding card, which my Great-Aunt Dorothy did for us when my mother passed away, and I have never forgotten to do since then.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

This is a good thing to keep in mind for any future such incident

I will keep in mind as I re-design my apartment, to keep it handicap-friendly. Given my space, a few things will be challenging - but it does seem worthwhile to move the microwave. I think.

I don't understand about the postage stamps. You mean - as a gift to the person because they'll probably be having a lot of mail to send out?

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Re stamps: yes. Thinking, when stuff comes down around you, ordinary things like remembering to go buy stamps go by the wayside. Also, it's just kindness, to give people the means to send thank-you notes if they want to.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea about the stamps. Even if they don't need or want them, the thought is kind and considerate and would be nice for the recipient.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

It is a bit more complicated when the surgery is unexpected [g].

Mine wasn't, so I had a chance to arrange things ahead of time to make it easier for me when I got home. I still got blindsided by a number of things that only having one functioning shoulder for several months caused, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, under the circumstances.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It is a bit more complicated when the surgery is unexpected

Yes. I thought I was just going to work that day.

It gets easier to cope as I get used to things, and rearrange things for convenience, and become more mobile - and all these things are slowly happening.

[meri-oddities.livejournal.com]

It was so lovely to see you. Mr. L and I had a great time. And Dr. Who was wonderful. Thanks for sitting with me through it all.

Our friend, the marathon runner!

That made me smile. *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I take it you got home all right, no problems with the flight? No crazed terrorists? No hurricanes or crashes? Home safe and sound?

It was so lovely to see you.

Wasn't it great!

Dr. Who was wonderful. Thanks for sitting with me through it all.

And thank you for giving me the chance (or excuse) to watch it again. I particularly enjoyed seeing "Blink" and "The Last of the Time Lords" - "Blink" because it's so good and "The Last of the Time Lords" because I don't watch it much.

So proud of you, my marathon-running friend!