short but sweet

Hug attack was entirely too short. But they were quality hugs. So it's okay. Besides, I'm now safely snuggled into my new wool scarf. There is indeed a warm fuzzy hug in every wrap.

impending hug attaaaaaack

I'm trying not brag here, but I've got an awesome Hug Attaaaaaack in my immediate future. I head on down to the Land of Strip Malls this afternoon for some work Big Doings and as a result, I get hugs on the corporate dime. Yay! In other news, Christmas shopping is moving in fits and starts. I'm still without migraine (yay! 3 weeks!) and hope to continue that trend. And I cut my hair. Which I'm sure all 5 of you wanted to know. Hope your Tuesday is going well!

Over and out.

sitting in an apple tree

I'm not really sitting in an apple tree, but I kinda feel like I am. Sitting in an apple tree in an old orchard, a haven from the glare of the sun, a place to sit and think, or plot, or just lose track of time. My apple tree is two weeks without migraines. Now I feel like I have to explore the frontier, figure out how to step into blazing sun. I haven't worked this hard at being good to myself for myself in a long time, maybe ever. There are winners and losers in this effort. While it was good to hit the reset button and not drink anything, that's not a direct cause of migraines for me. So I'm back on the sauce, as it were. Sleep! Blessed sleep is a biggy for me. I don't know how insomniacs function. I certainly couldn't do it. I'm gonna knock on some wood as I have experienced a bout of insomnia in a couple of years. Exercise is excellent, so long as you're not one of those compulsive exerciser types (and I've known my fair share). Massage is excellent! Ask around and find a good one. Your body will thank you. Acupuncture is good! Follow the same rules as when finding a massage therapist. Ummm, other smaller recommendations: dance in your kitchen, sing front of someone (even when you're terrible) as you'll be braver for the effort (it's a life-skill I suppose), give some hugs (and be a squeezer, no one appreciates a dainty hug), and tell someone something you appreciate about them. These smaller recommendations just make you feel better overall.

That's it from the apple tree. Over and out.

because you must know brandi carlile

updates on clean living

In a comment that struck close to my heart, young Dolce Vita expressed concern over the welfare of my shoes in the rolfing process. For the uninitiated, individuals who are rolfed are generally instructed to Adios their shoes because their bodies, specifically their feet, have changed so much. To keep wearing the old shoes would only be a detriment to the overall process. The process, for your edification, essentially focuses on the fascia in an attempt to open up bound up muscles thereby bringing your body in proper alignment with gravity, or some such junk. Some people find this to be very painful. I've been fine with it most of the time. I will say that there have been a few points where it hurt so much I just started sweating. Profusely, even. Those points of sweaty pain generally center on the time where my massage therapist (who is a massage therapist rock star) says something like, "okay, I'm going to scrape your bone a bit here. So just let me know if it's too much." We have a safe word.

I'm coming up on my fifth appointment which means I've passed the point where I had to get rid of all my shoes. Except I didn't have to get rid of them. My feet, particularly my heels, didn't change to the extent that keeping newer shoes would become an issue. I did, however, git rid of a whole bunch of old shoes. Needed to be done.

Where are we at with the migraines? Ummm, I've been relatively good. I've had a couple migraines in the last two weeks, one of which was connected to the weather. So that doesn't really count because I can't control the weather. It's been over two weeks with no alcohol (writing that just makes me feel like an alcoholic... It's been 17 days sober, where's my chip?) And I've been good on the exercise. So the big, giant reset of my system appears to be moving along swimmingly. Keep your good thoughts coming.

clean living, or something

We are only 13 days into November and the month has not been kind. Methinks it is most fitting that today is Friday the 13th and I'm finally writing about the horror that has been my head over the last month. Things have been tenuously okay at best and downright mean at worst with regard to my migraines, a month of waiting for the other shoe to drop. That's not really fun. What's a girl to do? Hit the reset button. Thinking back over my years as a migraineur I've tried to tease out periods when things weren't bad, at least insofar as anyone who lives with migraines can claim. As a result I'm going back in time. Reset button = time travel, or something like that. Destination 1999: Clean Living. Lots and lots of exercise, no drinking, a concerted effort at good nutrition, regular sleep, etc. Along with this reset button is the tag-team of acupuncture and massage (rolfing, to be more specific). That's right, people, I'm not fucking around with this. I'm not saying I've given up on delicious beer & wine or tasty cocktails. Alcohol in moderation has never been a trigger for me. But perhaps regular alcohol in moderation doesn't exactly help, ya know? Yeah. It's been over a week sans booze and I have had a migraine in that time. It's not an exact science. And I don't know when I might break the fast. Maybe not until thanksgiving. Maybe not until after. Maybe before. Ultimately I'm just trying to get a handle on things to break whatever cycle I seem to be in. All of my actions encompass what I'm calling The Kitchen Sink method, because I'm really throwing everything I can at it. Keep you fingers crossed.

Happy Anniversary Sesame Street

40 years of fun and learning.