Sculpin

(I had almost entirely forgotten about this before Kathea posted it on Facebook. Thanks, Kathea!)

Via Ted.

Pick Your Artist

Aimee Mann

Are you male or female?

Just Like Anyone.

Describe yourself:

I Know There’s a Word.

How do you feel about yourself?

You’re With Stupid Now.

Describe where you currently live:

I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

Ghost World

Your best friend is:

Beautiful.

Your favorite color is:

Invisible Ink.

You know that:

I Should’ve Known.

What’s the weather like?

I Can’t Get My Head Around It.

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called?

“The Fall of the World’s Own Optimist”

What is life to you?

Little Tornado.

What is the best advice you have to give?

This Is How It Goes.

If you could change your name, what would it be?

Frankenstein

If you’ve been following my facebook or livejournal entries, you’ve heard the news: I have a lumbar disc hernia the size of a small marble. I’m under treatment from a good physiatrist, and I hope to avoid surgery. I’ve cancelled plans for the next several weeks. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

That I could walk at all with that thing in my back was miraculous, with a healthy side order of “What the hell was I thinking?” Okay, so I guess I proved I was tough. Once again my strength of will outstripped my common sense by a significant margin. Note to self: strength of will is supposed to be in service to common sense.

I’m still screwed in terms of getting anything done. My first cortisone injection took out most of the pins-and-needles and about half the pain. With the help of tramadol and vicodin, this means I can do exciting things like sleeping and turning over in bed without biting back a scream. I can get to the bathroom without it being a big dramatic ordeal. And I have much of my brain back; before that shot, the pain was bad enough that I was actually more clear-headed on vicodin than off.

Sitting for more than a couple of minutes and (especially) standing for more than a few seconds, though, are things I still very much prefer to avoid.

I didn’t update here before because I couldn’t remember my wordpress password. It was written down in a little book that was across the bedroom; it might as well have been in Iceland for all I was going to get to it. Normally I’d just use my desktop machine with its autofill, but right now, no.

I have a snazzy laptop to use here in bed, but typing is a little tricky given the positions that are currently comfortable. So I owe some email, and what I’ve sent has tended to be terse. I can read just fine, but writing is harder. This post is taking me a while.

Some notes on the experience:

1. I mentioned using a wheelchair to someone who reacted with a certain degree of shock. That shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did, a little: wheelchairs totally look like instruments of liberation right now. Want. Even though sitting is not all that comfortable, WANT. (Also want a pirate hat and a sword, yarr.) I’ll probably rent one; if sitting gets easier, I’ll definitely rent one.
2. I cannot make my own coffee right now. Arrrgh. Fortunately, it does come in expensive little cans — the Starbucks “Doubleshot”.
3. At my request, Josh made me a Google form that helps me track my medications. Very handy. I should have used timestamping like this ages ago. No more, “I took that last one at noon, right? Oh hell, I’ll wait another hour just in case.”
4. After spending a lot of time reading in a supine position, I have a new preference for paperbacks. When you drop them on your head, they don’t leave marks.
5. I miss my chickens.
6. I really like hearing from friends. Thank you, friends!

Anyone read any good young adult novels lately? That’s about my speed right now. Good, kind of dumb movies or TV shows that I might find on Hulu? Boredom hasn’t really set in yet, but it will, it will.