So I woke up this morning with enough pain to notice, and headed off to the gym as planned.
GREAT workout. Equal run/walk intervals for 55 minutes on the treadmill, plus 10 minutes on the elliptical to warm up.
Then - off to the church to meet with the crowd of people who were coming to help decorate the church for the Advent season (we were at Other Church last week, so we didn't have to decorate until this week).
No people.
Just me. And the choir director, who no doubt had a gazillion other things she could have been doing.
~sigh~
If anyone knows the secret to getting church folks - really, really good people - to actually DO stuff, please please let me in on it. We announced it for weeks. Last Sunday I virtually BEGGED people to come and help today.
No one came. No one. Just two of the three paid staff at the church.
The place looks great. I SO appreciated having any help at all. I honestly wasn't sure it would be anyone but me.
But here's the deal - that tree stays where it is after Epiphany is over unless someone else takes all the decorations down. In other words, the same two people who did all the work to put it in place are NOT going to take it down. I don't care if the darn thing is still there on Good Friday - I am NOT taking that tree down.
It's a good thing I'm not bitter.
The headache, on the other hand, really loved the hard workout and has faded considerably. Yay!!!!
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
This 'n That
* I managed to get a ton of things done today. Yay me. Or not so much.
* Went to the vet with my friend so I could cuddle with her new kittens. So! Cute! And they were such good babies ~ hardly squirmed at all when they got their needles. Oh my, the cuteness.....
* Made appointment for our big boy Ouzo to see the vet next Friday. He's not doing so well. Losing weight, peeing lots, drinking lots, losing his jumping ability because his back end is pretty wobbly (arthritis?). He's probably diabetic. We're really hoping we can manage that with pills or diet - I just don't think I could inject him with insulin. It's different with Pillar - he injects three times a day, but he knows WHY he has to do it. Poor little man Ouzo would just look at me with those beautiful eyes and wonder why mommy is sticking him with sharp things. I'm not looking forward to next Friday. At. All.
* Sermon. Done. It needs some touching up tomorrow night, but so far it's not worth jumping off a bridge for (to quote my favourite preacher Cheesehead). Perhaps Antonio or George will swoop in tomorrow night and fix it for me. Hey, it could happen!
* Christmas shopping. Done.
* Parcels mailed. Done.
* Headache. Doing. Me. In. This is a bad one. One eye closed because the screen is too bright. I had a feeling part way through my shopping frenzy that I had tipped the balance in the wrong direction and I was going to pay for my over-doing in pain. I was right.
* Bed. Now.
* Went to the vet with my friend so I could cuddle with her new kittens. So! Cute! And they were such good babies ~ hardly squirmed at all when they got their needles. Oh my, the cuteness.....
* Made appointment for our big boy Ouzo to see the vet next Friday. He's not doing so well. Losing weight, peeing lots, drinking lots, losing his jumping ability because his back end is pretty wobbly (arthritis?). He's probably diabetic. We're really hoping we can manage that with pills or diet - I just don't think I could inject him with insulin. It's different with Pillar - he injects three times a day, but he knows WHY he has to do it. Poor little man Ouzo would just look at me with those beautiful eyes and wonder why mommy is sticking him with sharp things. I'm not looking forward to next Friday. At. All.
* Sermon. Done. It needs some touching up tomorrow night, but so far it's not worth jumping off a bridge for (to quote my favourite preacher Cheesehead). Perhaps Antonio or George will swoop in tomorrow night and fix it for me. Hey, it could happen!
* Christmas shopping. Done.
* Parcels mailed. Done.
* Headache. Doing. Me. In. This is a bad one. One eye closed because the screen is too bright. I had a feeling part way through my shopping frenzy that I had tipped the balance in the wrong direction and I was going to pay for my over-doing in pain. I was right.
* Bed. Now.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
December
Diana has put out the invite for contributions to the December Headache Blog Carnival. I haven't been able to participate for awhile because my blog went underground (private -invite only) for a few months due to a pesky hacker. That was problematic when I wanted to contribute to either the Headache Carnival or the weekly Friday Five with my peeps on the RevGal&Pal site. So here I am - back in business.
No doubt aware of the diversity of the Headache crew, Diana has given us free reign on the December topic. I hardly know where to begin, so I'll start with everything I'm thankful for first...
I am thankful this December for:
* all of the Decembers I've had in my life that did NOT include chronic pain. I was blessed to be pain-free throughout all of those wonderful Christmases with our family when our boys and their cousins were young and fully engaged in the magic that is Christmas. My heart goes out to friends who suffer chronic pain and work so hard not to let it affect their small children. It must be so very difficult.
* Pillar. I haven't had a Christmas without him since I was (I think) fifteen. We didn't start dating until we were sixteen, but I knew him for awhile when he first moved to town and he has been a part of every Christmas since. Dude ALWAYS out-gifts me. Every. Single. Year. I come home with what I think is the perfect gift for him thinking smugly that this is the year I'll out-do him. But he always manages to find the one thing I never would have thought of owning. Ever. Of course, every year when I ask him what he wants, the answer is the same "Nothing. I have everything I need right here." Sweet? Yes. Helpful? No.
* Da Boyz. They are my heart. I am so thankful for and proud of our guys and even more thankful that a bit of my DNA and a lot of Trial and Error Parenting made them into the fine young men that they are. Of course it doesn't hurt that the other half of them is the sweet guy mentioned above....
* Teh kittehs.....of course.
Meanwhile, back at the Carnival...
How will I get through December with Pain and its usual suspects of Nausea, Photophobia and General Feelings of Bleh?
* Exercise. Even when it becomes increasingly busy during the month, I need to keep up my gym schedule. It definitely helps with my energy level, which in turn helps me cope with any pain I might experience. I'm also increasingly appreciating the "pain exchange" part of a hard workout. I know how bizarre it sounds, but it really is better to have sore calves for a few hours than to have to think about the hot ice-pick in my right temple. Even a brief reprieve is appreciated.
* Pace. For anyone not involved in the church, this may not make much sense, but Advent and Christmas are like a horse race. On Advent 1, we clergy types are let out of the gates, and we are off and running. Like any other kind of running, if you start off at too quick a pace, you won't be able to sustain it for long. There is a whole month to get through. My plan is to take it a day at a time, do whatever I can do, whenever I am able to do it within the framework of my full time status, and forgive myself for the things I simply cannot get done. (Anyone who has known me for any length of time - you may now pick your jaw up off of the floor - yes, the therapy worked).
* Focus. When a person is experiencing pain, for example, the kind of pain that makes you wince when the lights are switched on - it is REALLY difficult to focus the mind on whatever task may be at hand. I find personally that my ability to stay on task is severely diminished once my pain level reaches that 8/10 or greater stage. Thankfully, that doesn't happen to me very often anymore. For me, the important thing is to stay as focused on what I'm working on while I feel generally okay (which for me is anywhere from 3/10 to 6/10) so that if a doozy hits and I'm laid low with nausea and the need of a dark room, I won't be fretting about everything I should be doing. In other words, I try to use the "make hay while the sun shines" theory for the entire month of December. It brings more balance to my life and proves once and for all that I would make a lousy farmer.
* Laugh. I saved the most important tip for the end. Last year when I met with a professional recreationist, she asked me "So, what do you do for fun?" I just stared at her. I honestly could not remember. It had been almost four years since I could go out anywhere after work, especially to a bright noisy place like movie theater or concert. I couldn't come up with a single tangible "fun" thing that I remembered doing pre-2005 (aka pre-headache), though I'm sure there must have been some fun in there somewhere. On the other hand, before that point I was also exercising my compulsive tendency towards overwork and exhaustion, so it could just be that since my ordination I haven't really had much fun. That makes me kind of sad, actually. The clear "fun" exception, however, is the annual Festival of Homies - FUN!
This Christmas, I plan to laugh more, relax more, spend more time living in the moment and less time in that ominous "what comes next?" mode that tends to haunt the season like the Ghost of Christmas Next Sunday.
It's a plan. And it might even work.
No doubt aware of the diversity of the Headache crew, Diana has given us free reign on the December topic. I hardly know where to begin, so I'll start with everything I'm thankful for first...
I am thankful this December for:
* all of the Decembers I've had in my life that did NOT include chronic pain. I was blessed to be pain-free throughout all of those wonderful Christmases with our family when our boys and their cousins were young and fully engaged in the magic that is Christmas. My heart goes out to friends who suffer chronic pain and work so hard not to let it affect their small children. It must be so very difficult.
* Pillar. I haven't had a Christmas without him since I was (I think) fifteen. We didn't start dating until we were sixteen, but I knew him for awhile when he first moved to town and he has been a part of every Christmas since. Dude ALWAYS out-gifts me. Every. Single. Year. I come home with what I think is the perfect gift for him thinking smugly that this is the year I'll out-do him. But he always manages to find the one thing I never would have thought of owning. Ever. Of course, every year when I ask him what he wants, the answer is the same "Nothing. I have everything I need right here." Sweet? Yes. Helpful? No.
* Da Boyz. They are my heart. I am so thankful for and proud of our guys and even more thankful that a bit of my DNA and a lot of Trial and Error Parenting made them into the fine young men that they are. Of course it doesn't hurt that the other half of them is the sweet guy mentioned above....
* Teh kittehs.....of course.
Meanwhile, back at the Carnival...
How will I get through December with Pain and its usual suspects of Nausea, Photophobia and General Feelings of Bleh?
* Exercise. Even when it becomes increasingly busy during the month, I need to keep up my gym schedule. It definitely helps with my energy level, which in turn helps me cope with any pain I might experience. I'm also increasingly appreciating the "pain exchange" part of a hard workout. I know how bizarre it sounds, but it really is better to have sore calves for a few hours than to have to think about the hot ice-pick in my right temple. Even a brief reprieve is appreciated.
* Pace. For anyone not involved in the church, this may not make much sense, but Advent and Christmas are like a horse race. On Advent 1, we clergy types are let out of the gates, and we are off and running. Like any other kind of running, if you start off at too quick a pace, you won't be able to sustain it for long. There is a whole month to get through. My plan is to take it a day at a time, do whatever I can do, whenever I am able to do it within the framework of my full time status, and forgive myself for the things I simply cannot get done. (Anyone who has known me for any length of time - you may now pick your jaw up off of the floor - yes, the therapy worked).
* Focus. When a person is experiencing pain, for example, the kind of pain that makes you wince when the lights are switched on - it is REALLY difficult to focus the mind on whatever task may be at hand. I find personally that my ability to stay on task is severely diminished once my pain level reaches that 8/10 or greater stage. Thankfully, that doesn't happen to me very often anymore. For me, the important thing is to stay as focused on what I'm working on while I feel generally okay (which for me is anywhere from 3/10 to 6/10) so that if a doozy hits and I'm laid low with nausea and the need of a dark room, I won't be fretting about everything I should be doing. In other words, I try to use the "make hay while the sun shines" theory for the entire month of December. It brings more balance to my life and proves once and for all that I would make a lousy farmer.
* Laugh. I saved the most important tip for the end. Last year when I met with a professional recreationist, she asked me "So, what do you do for fun?" I just stared at her. I honestly could not remember. It had been almost four years since I could go out anywhere after work, especially to a bright noisy place like movie theater or concert. I couldn't come up with a single tangible "fun" thing that I remembered doing pre-2005 (aka pre-headache), though I'm sure there must have been some fun in there somewhere. On the other hand, before that point I was also exercising my compulsive tendency towards overwork and exhaustion, so it could just be that since my ordination I haven't really had much fun. That makes me kind of sad, actually. The clear "fun" exception, however, is the annual Festival of Homies - FUN!
This Christmas, I plan to laugh more, relax more, spend more time living in the moment and less time in that ominous "what comes next?" mode that tends to haunt the season like the Ghost of Christmas Next Sunday.
It's a plan. And it might even work.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Nothing special
Just another day in the life....
Buried one of the founding matriarchs of the church today. Lovely family. Sat at the luncheon with former LCotC folks who waxed eloquent about the days "when the church was really the church" - whatever that means.
Awwwkwaard.
Back to the church for awhile this afternoon, and when I had done enough, I hit the gym.
Running Intervals today: 2 minute run (6.0 mph), 3 minute walk (4.0 mph) for a total of 45 minutes, with a 5 minute cool down. 15 minutes on the elliptical, then home.
Just another day.
Buried one of the founding matriarchs of the church today. Lovely family. Sat at the luncheon with former LCotC folks who waxed eloquent about the days "when the church was really the church" - whatever that means.
Awwwkwaard.
Back to the church for awhile this afternoon, and when I had done enough, I hit the gym.
Running Intervals today: 2 minute run (6.0 mph), 3 minute walk (4.0 mph) for a total of 45 minutes, with a 5 minute cool down. 15 minutes on the elliptical, then home.
Just another day.
Monday, November 30, 2009
And so it begins...
Yesterday's shared Advent 1 worship was excellent. The liturgical dancers were amazing, as always. They re-enacted the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth as a local thespian read a script that she had written to accompany the piece. She shared Elizabeth's story with such beauty and truth that it brought tears to my eyes.
My colleague from Other Church and I work very well together. We each picked a part of the reflection time to do and our messages "fit" so well that virtually everyone who mentioned it thought we must have sat down together to write it. Nope. Totally Holy Spirit driven.
I love being in the choir. It is such a huge learning curve for me and it takes me so far out of my comfort zone - it's just perfect. Every now and then I think we all need to take on something that we don't really think we can do. How else can we experience that feeling of looking back and saying "You know, I did that!"
On the other hand, my poor beloved Pillar has to listen while I practice the same piece over and over and over again all week. He will definitely get some extra saint-hood points in the Great Somewhere Else for this one.
In entirely other news: My run intervals at the gym are getting much better. The time between intervals has gone from every ten minutes to every five minutes. I crank up the pace and run for two to three minutes, then walk for the remaining two minutes or so until the next interval. In other words, I'm walking as much as I'm running! Not bad for an old girl.
It's a nice gym. The same people are generally there at the same time that I go for my workout. There are a lot of smiles, nods, and hellos, but otherwise, we leave one another alone with our music or tv program while we work out. The place is crazy clean. There are always staff people around wiping down the machines (even though we also do that ourselves), replacing running towels and just generally being helpful. The membership, so far at least, has been worth every penny.
Headache-wise, I'm still not sure if the exercise is helping. Some days a really good workout will drop a 6/10 to a 5/10, other days it won't change the pain level at all. Either way, I tend to leave feeling better. At the very least, my calves and thighs hurt more than my head.
My colleague from Other Church and I work very well together. We each picked a part of the reflection time to do and our messages "fit" so well that virtually everyone who mentioned it thought we must have sat down together to write it. Nope. Totally Holy Spirit driven.
I love being in the choir. It is such a huge learning curve for me and it takes me so far out of my comfort zone - it's just perfect. Every now and then I think we all need to take on something that we don't really think we can do. How else can we experience that feeling of looking back and saying "You know, I did that!"
On the other hand, my poor beloved Pillar has to listen while I practice the same piece over and over and over again all week. He will definitely get some extra saint-hood points in the Great Somewhere Else for this one.
In entirely other news: My run intervals at the gym are getting much better. The time between intervals has gone from every ten minutes to every five minutes. I crank up the pace and run for two to three minutes, then walk for the remaining two minutes or so until the next interval. In other words, I'm walking as much as I'm running! Not bad for an old girl.
It's a nice gym. The same people are generally there at the same time that I go for my workout. There are a lot of smiles, nods, and hellos, but otherwise, we leave one another alone with our music or tv program while we work out. The place is crazy clean. There are always staff people around wiping down the machines (even though we also do that ourselves), replacing running towels and just generally being helpful. The membership, so far at least, has been worth every penny.
Headache-wise, I'm still not sure if the exercise is helping. Some days a really good workout will drop a 6/10 to a 5/10, other days it won't change the pain level at all. Either way, I tend to leave feeling better. At the very least, my calves and thighs hurt more than my head.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Story of Our Lives
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
The caption is cut off a bit here, but it says: "If you close it, they will come."
So. Very. True.
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