Novel things

There’s not much worse than needing to rewrite an update that was accidentally lost.

I opened a Pages document and stared at it for about an hour before my sister-in-law called for a rousing chat that I enjoyed very much! She was on her way back from Plaquemine, Louisiana, where she was counting and taking artifacts and other data from the birds, Purple Martins, I believe, as part of her job in coastal ecology in Louisiana. She is such a wonderful artist, writer, and thoughtful human. I’m so grateful to have her in my life!

Back to Monday. The day of One Arm. Hopefully this one will be somewhat entertaining or cheerful via some of the pics and lists, although the title I consider is: Novelty, or, How to overcome ennui.

So, luckily, on Monday, there was only one attempt to get a good intravenous connection. However, the way the IV was set up, every time I moved my arm, especially if I bent my elbow at all, a beep-fest would begin. They gave me an extra pillow so I could extend my arm and a warm blanket to keep it warm and covered.

This was taken to a new level when I had to go to radiation. While I lie on the table, I have to bend my arms over my chest. We tried to adjust the tubes so as not to be inhibited, yet the beeps persisted. I was scheduled to see the doc after the treatment, and the technician noticed you could just click “OK” to cancel the alarm. This was a temporary fix, and the beeps would continue.

After meeting with the doc briefly, the tech took me back upstairs. As I reached my chair again, the beeping continued. The nurse came over to check on it.

“We need to flush it,” she said. “Let me know if it hurts.”

As she pushed the plunger, there was a sudden pop of pain. I clenched my fists and made a noise.

“Oooh, there was a clot,” she said. “Does that hurt?”

“That looked bad,” the guy across the way said.

“It’s okay now, I’m just waiting for my heart rate to drop a little,” I said.

“It’s flushing okay now,” she said. “I’m going to get you a warming pack.”

She came back with a warming pack in a pillow case, now to rest on my arm over the pillow.

What does one do when trapped, such as this? Well, I put on my headphones and put on my latest YouTube indulgence, Tasting History with Max Miller! I put on the Travel playlist, which covers what people in the various classes on the Titanic, trains like the Orient Express, and, most shocking, the history of meals on airlines! 

With one arm extended and the other bringing the iPad to it, I snapped some screenshots to send to my daughter; they were cracking me up so much. (I embellished them a little after for this update because I just couldn’t help myself!) 

There was also a lighthouse episode where the beard of one of the lighthouse keepers was so long that he could keep a little kitten in it! I imagine it was very cozy for the kitten and a little bit of friendship for the keeper, as it was a very lonely and solitary job. There was a lady lighthouse keeper in Calumet, Illinois, who would journal things like, “Nothing but gloom without and WITH IN,” and “So dull, this place it is killing me. Wind blowing so violently.” 

Well, she makes me feel better. On a side note, I plan on making a vegan version of the corn and potato chowder one of these days pretty soon.

Now to the novel things keeping me going these days!

Fave binges:

• Main binge: Tasting History with Max Miller on YouTube, as noted above
• Other recent binge-worthy watches:
  • The Rookie on Hulu on or after Tuesdays
  • Castle, also starring Nathan Fillion, who I find just funny enough, and I like his character’s somewhat innocent, quirky, and kid-like qualities
  • The Mentalist, which I recently finished
  • A Thousand Blows, about thug life in old England
  • The Artful Dodger, also about thug life in old England, stars David Thewlis as Fagan
    • Fun fact: Oliver Twist was one of the first plays I saw, and books read when I was a kiddo, and inspired a love of all things Dickens

Good reads, or listens if you like audiobooks:

• Currently:
  • The Waiting by Michael Connelly, which is read by Titus Welliver and Maggie Q from the series, makes for a great way to be soothed to sleep, so I put this on at night usually
  • Good Material by Dolly Alderton, which was a wonderful hardcover gift from my youngest, and was referred to her by her older sister, and it is a romantic comedy about a break-up
• Other recommendations:
  • Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change by Olga Khazan; A fabulous book for introverts and perfectionists
  • Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai, which is about navigating her world as a public figure and also as herself (I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban is also a very good read)
  • A lighter rec is Delicious! By Ruth Reichl, and I admit to having gone on a Ruth Reichl binge as well
  • The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, which led me to buy her bird book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, for myself and my sister-in-law, which is a very lovely book of drawings of her backyard birds and essays
    • I believe she was suffering from some kind of illness during this time, Lyme disease, I think, but mostly she has stated that she created this little marvel due to a desire to escape despair and depression caused by anti-Asian racism and political division, as well as an overall feeling of being “unmotivated”
  • Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott, no more needs to be said here, I think
  • Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
  • The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day
    • I will admit to loving YA books
    • Rez Dogs, a verse novel by Joseph Bruchac, is also just wonderful
    • I have compiled a list of children’s books and YA books I read while earning my MA here: https://www.mindfulness-projects.com/resources/social-inequity#Social-Equity-Books
  • The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
  • On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King
  • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
  • All About Love by bell hooks
  • Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea’s Family, Friends, and Other Victims
  • From Under the Truck by Josh Brolin
  • When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

Foods that don’t end up in the freezer:

• One or two slices of Ezekiel bread
• Fresh ground peanut butter and a jar of accompanying organic mixed berry jam
• Plain pasta with olive oil emulsified with a bit of pasta water, salt, pepper, and caramelized tofu, baby bellas, and yellow squash… although what is left over might end up in the dog bowl today….
• Oats and berries
• Kashi cereal
• Saltines, these are really good!

Fave Food Binge:

• One day, I had a weird craving, so I swung by Captain Quackenbush’s after radiation (I really wish we had a Zucchini Kill Bakery down south here, however), and I bought for a mere $26 the following
  • A giant cinnamon roll, a blueberry danish, a slice of carrot cake, a thing called “Eat Your Feelings”, and a sad and tiny vegan berry muffin with raspberry frosting in the corner
  • When I got this all home, I opened them all up on the table, got out the vegan ice cream, and proceeded to take one bite of each
  • Eat Your Feelings did include a dollop of ice cream, thus making the perfect bite as well!
  • Then they all went into the freezer, and that was really fun

Fave hot beverages:

• Four Sigmatic or Laird’s coffee, black in a small, warmed espresso cup
• Four Sigmatic or Laird’s coffee with a frothy “cream” made with heated soy or oat milk mixed with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, a tsp of maple syrup, real vanilla, and a tsp of coconut oil blended with a hand blender until frothy
• Yogi Teas: Stomach Ease, Immune and Stress, Lemon and Ginger, Mint
• Organic Black Tea with Lemon
• Organic Green Tea with Lemon

Fave Cold beverages:

• Cold water with lemon
• Carrot, ginger, turmeric, and lemon juice
• 100% Cranberry juice with sparkling water and a lemon slice
• Iced tea of all sorts
• Mixed Berry Smoothies, love these

Fave things to do:

• Sleep, or lie in bed snuggled with dogs
• Walk in the forest and find the sweet things the forest artist leaves for us to find

Try some, try none, leave me more good recs, make comments … and, most importantly, enjoy being in your present moment of this wonderful, strange life!

If you crave a slightly darker writing reflection, feel free to read Friday Black Coffee at https://www.michelleleblancyoga.com/my-cancer-journal/friday-black-coffee ​