Happy Malcom X's Birthday. Today was part 2 of what I like to call A Clockwork Orange - the Miniseries. I don't remember if I told y'all about the retinal hemorrage that occurred a couple of days (OK, more like 2 weeks) ago. Anyhoo, went to see the Ophthalmologist (that's right, an "H" BEFORE and after the "T") at mah HMO and he said, "You need some laser." Famous last words. Thinking that in the true nature of my health insurance I would have to wait at least a week (filled with lost authorizations and other administrative crapola), I nearly died of shock when he continued with, "So, go ahead and wait in the waiting room. I'll fit you in." And the next thing I know, I am getting a loupe stuck in my eye (hence the movie reference; not quite so pry8ing, but still...) and then FLASH! :So," he says, "That was one. Now we do this 600 more times." What ididn't grasp at first was that it was 599 more times RIGHT NOW. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt so much as it pinched. However, having one's eyes open without blinking for about 10 minutes stresses a body somewhat.

I am still waiting impatiently for this fog to clear up. Soon, hopefully soon.

posted by Subvervia 2:34:00 AM

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Happy Monday, folks! This should be an interesting entry, as I can hardly read what I am writing. Thank goodness for touch typing and Mrs. Rosko in the sixth grade. I learned the French national anthem and touch typing from that woman. Anyhoo, today is a very Matrix-y like kind of day. I am sporting a heart monitor (as requested by my cardiologist). It's like a Walkman with electrodes attached to it that are all stickied onto my chest area. Of course there is one itchy spot that is driving me kuh-razy, but otherwise it is not so bad. Especially seeing as how all I did today was sleep. And sleep. And sleep.

I am being unstoppable in other areas of my life, let me tell you. This weekend I rented some lighting equipment and shot photgraphs (hope I just spelled that right - can't see the screen too well) for the firsst time in about 3 years. Pretty exciting stuff. That is, until tmy eye hemorrhaged again on Saturday. The funny thing is, I still shot a roll of film last night. If the images turn out anything like what appeared in the view finder to my "upset" eye, this should be VERY interesting indeed. OK. I'm getting sleepy again, so I'm off. Ciao!

posted by Subvervia 9:15:00 PM

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Happy Do Dah Day International. Have no idea what that means, but hey. So I have crossed to the other side. A friend who is encouraging my photographic pursuits placed his digital camera into my paws. To experiment. I hated admitting that I was having fun shooting with it. Not to mention getting decent images with the damn thing. Stuff my mother would absolutely love, in fact. She told me tonight that I should not only take pictures of dead stuff (which is my wont), but to take "pleasant" photos. Happy things that would go nice hanging up in the kitchen.

Perhaps I will be able to put this into a portfolio. We shall see. OK - I am itchy and sleepy, which means it is time for bed. G'night y'all. Tomorrow is another day with the lighting kit (woo hoo!!)

posted by Subvervia 1:17:00 AM

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TGIF, and it's Happy No Pants Day! Which is quite appropriate for me, considering I hate wearing pants. My mother would despair of me growing up as a child because I would always run around in a t-shirt and my underwear. I am having trouble typing tonight because I decided to hook up the keyboard from my G3 to my iBook laptop. I'm not used to the keyboard anymore - the keys on the laptop are a little closer together and I keep over shooting when I type on the keyboard. Ugh.

So why am I up on a Friday morning at 2AM? I cannot sleep. Suffering from an allergy attack, plus the fact that I feel a little too energetic and I can't do a thing about it, given the CHF, so i am trying to burn off a little steam by typing. This must be the most boring blog entry ever, but oh well....too bad. You win some, you lose some. Watched a bit of "Notorious C.H.O." last night on Showtime. HILARIOUS. Too much for me, actually - I laughed so hard I started coughing, and it all went downhill from there. Had to pop a Benadryl to stop the chain reaction.

I am just turning into a little medicine freaky-deaky. It's becoming a ritual now. All the little bottles of pills patiently waiting in a haphazard row on my dining room table for my daily swallow-fest. I've actually had to write down what pills to take when - my doctors keep changing the dosage on me, so I'm starting to lose track. AND, what's more - I'm going to get even MORE pills to take. Woo hoo!! Fun.

OK - tomorrow I shall tell y'all about The Heart Monitor. I guess I have to wear a halter thingy ("looks like a Walkman!") for 24 hours so they can monitor my heart rate. Something to look forward to, gentle readers!

P.S. - I just noticed the date. May 7th. Today is the 27th anniversary of my First Communion. Hahahaha!!!! Now that really is a funny one - how do I know this? Well, all of us good little catechists had to have a banner (remember, this is the 70's - they were still earthy crunchy post Vatican II'ing Kumbaya kinda thang) to decorate the parish. So, my architct father designed this awesome minimalist (obviously not made by a second grader) which then hung up in my bedroom for a long, long time. It may still even be there, although i haven't lived in my parents' home for over ten years now. Anyway, it was the last thing I would see before I would close my eyes going to bed. May 7, 1977.

posted by Subvervia 1:52:00 AM

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Happy May Day. So I found out some very disturbing news about myself two days ago. Namely, that I am one of the 550,000 Americans who every year are diagnosed with a condition called Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Very dramatic sounding, isn't it?!? Well, it's not a light matter by any means, but I'm really glad to have found out since, I KNEW it wasn't just in my head that I couldn't breathe!! I guess this is life's way of telling me to sloooow the heck down. So I am. Not working. Not really doing much other than watching TV, reading books and sleeping. A lot of sleeping. That is, when i can get it in. For those of you who are interested, check this American Heart Association website link on the subject: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1486

Anyhoo - it's quite disconcerting not being able to breathe. It's harder at night because it is nearly impossible to lie on my back, so I have to do these interesting contortions (like a fetal position but with a twist) in order to pass out for a couple of minutes. Literally. I'm happy if I get one hour in of uninterrupted sleep. However, I'm on medication now so the actual time I'm asleep continuously is increasing. Right now, climbing the stairs is a challenge. Even walking any distance can be a challenge. However, there is nothing one can't overcome. Especially with an asthma inhaler! ;-0

More later.

posted by Subvervia 12:12:00 AM

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Happy Astronomy Day! How that impacts my life, I do not know. Howevwer, tomorrow is No Excuse Day, which for those of you who are, shall we say, good at avoiding things for extremely inventive reasons, tomorrow should strike fear and terror in your hearts. Procrastinator Pete will come 'round and thrash you if you're full of excuses!!

And that is how fairy tales are born, boys and girls. So, let's see, where have I been for the last 4 months?!? I underwent another round of radiation in February. Twas an interesting experience. You feel perfectly well, and you go into the hospital (striking fear and terror in the nursing staff of the ward your isolated room is located) - BTW - notice how I am into striking fear and terror in this entry? - and you stay there for a couple of days. Doing absolutely nothing but sleep, read magazines and watch TV. Every once in a while you talk on the phone. And all of this in a sterile environment enhanced (?) by the presence of plastic wrap. EVERYTHING in the room is plastic wrapped - from the telephone to the desk covers to the toilet seat. I felt like the Girl in the Plastic Bubble. No one came near me for 3 days except for the nuclear medicine technician who would bring in his Geiger counter and see if I was still dangerously radioactive.

The unfortunate side effect is that while radiation kills the bad rebel force cells (as I like to call them), it does not differentiate between good and evil - heck, it's IODINE for goodness' sake! - and thus it killed good cells as well, mainly playing havoc with my immune system. Ever since then I've experienced a plethora of illnesses, all of which would normally be something annoying, but when you get them one right after another, has become very tiring and sooooo boring!

Needless to say, I am almost morbidly curious to see what my body comes up with next to try my mettle. It's a fascinating thing, the human body - what it is capable of, WITH or WITHOUT conscious thought. I leave you with that for today.

Oh, and this - did you know that the phrase "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride." actually originated from a Listerine radio commercial from the 1920's? Who knew?!?

posted by Subvervia 9:51:00 PM

. . .

Happy Astronomy Day! How that impacts my life, I do not know. Howevwer, tomorrow is No Excuse Day, which for those of you who are, shall we say, good at avoiding things for extremely inventive reasons, tomorrow should strike fear and terror in your hearts. Procrastinator Pete will come 'round and thrash you if you're full of excuses!!

And that is how fairy tales are born, boys and girls. So, let's see, where have I been for the last 4 months?!? I underwent another round of radiation in February. Twas an interesting experience. You feel perfectly weel, and you go into the hospital (striking fear and terror in the nursing staff of the ward your isolated room is located) - BTW - notice how I am into striking fear and terror in this entry? - and you stay there for a couple of days. Doing absolutely nothing but sleep, read magazines and watch TV. Every once in a while you talk on the phone. And all of this in a sterile environment enhanced (?) by the presence of plastic wrap. EVERYTHING in the room is plastic wrapped - from the telephone to the desk covers to the toilet seat. I felt like the Girl in the Plastic Bubble. No one came near me for 3 days except for the nuclear medicine technician who would bring in his Geiger counter and see if I was still dangerously radioactive.

The unfortunate side effect is that while radiation kills the bad rebel force cells (as I like to call them), it does not differentiate between good and evil - heck, it's IODINE for goodness' sake! - and thus it killed good cells as well, mainly playing havoc with my immune system. Ever since then I've experienced a plethora of illnesses, all of which would normally be something annoying, but when you get them one right after another, has become very tiring and sooooo boring!

Needless to say, I am almost morbidly curious to see what my body comes up with next to try my mettle. It's a fascinating thing, the human body - what it is capable of, WITH or WITHOUT conscious thought. I leave you with that for today.

Oh, and this - did you know that the phrase "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride." actually originated from a Listerine radio commercial from the 1920's? Who knew?!?

posted by Subvervia 9:51:00 PM

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Happy New Year y'all. I thought I'd drop some post-hospital action on ya. Had a bit o' a wrangle with my thyroid glands. Like the rebel forces there apparently are hidden pockets still living amongst the other, healthier, non-mutant tissues of my body. Had to go radioactive on them with some Radioactive Iodine (Isotope 131, or I-131) to be exact. Got to spend a lovely 3 day sojourn in Room 3217 (Oncology Ward!) of the Northridge Hospital Medical Center (a Catholic HealthWest facility!) in the lovely San Fernando Valley. Otherwise known as...SUBVERVIA!!!!

'Twas like being on vacation in Hawaii. Except for that instead of being underneath the sun, lying on the beach with something alcoholically frosty in my hand lazing the day away, I lazed the day away EMITTING rays myself with a glass of tepid water on the crash cart next to my bed. Still - I slept. I watched Food Channel. I read Entertainment Weekly.

Interesting thing being radioactive, I have to admit. Anticlimactic in ways because nothing is obvious to the naked eye that there is anything...different....about me. I felt very much like a mutant from the X-Men (a la Rogue).

posted by Subvervia 9:19:00 PM

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