Relief

So I pretty much lazed away today.  I rewatched most of season 4 of Psych.  Watched the entire Season 1 of the Office (before you gasp, its only 6 episodes long).  Took some naps. Read some blogs.  (which by the way, there's nothing that will make you feel worse than doing nothing all day while reading about all these women who apparently juggle parenting, home schooling, crafting, an etsy shop, making dinner every night, while still having time to paint their house.  I mean, really.  Plus, these people are now decorated for Valentines day, and I still have yet to take down my Christmas decorations.)

I even surfed a bunch of sites looking for something to buy.  Yes, I was looking for a present for myself.  No, I didn't do anything to deserve it, but still.  A coworker told me about fleece sheets, so I was looking for a set for me.  Didn't end up getting them, but I surfed just about all of Anthropologie's website, am now watching about 100 ebay auctions, spent way too long on etsy, and skimmed through amazon, overstock.com, and a couple of other fabric and pattern sites.  Would you believe i found nothing to buy for myself?  At least nothing that shouted my name or "buy me" loud enough.  I think thats tied to the whole lack of motivation thing. 

I finally ended up making a purchase though - well, 2 purchases.  Two songs at the iTunes store....total purchase price: $1.98.  Big spender today.

My big accomplishment of the day was making Atticus biscuits.  The pumpkin biscuits I made him several months ago he didn't really like, but I found a new recipe in a different book, and after tweaking it a little, I have settled on something that he actually really likes. 

A stack of stars ready to be baked

I just checked my email and saw that part 1 of my blood test results are in.  I know there is a lot wrong with HMOs etc, but computerized test results are not one of them. 

Let me take you on a quick side explanation of hyperthyroidism.  While there are several tests to be run for it, my maintenance blood tests are TSH (reflexive) and T3 total.  They work in tandem with one another - when one is high, the other is low, and vice versa. 

Average results from a normal person put TSH reults between 0.3 & 5.5.   Normal results from my TSH results are off the charts low.  Usually less than .0005:  as my doctor explained to me "they could keep testing your blood til they get exact results, but whats the point?  They could be at it for days, and the end result would be the same - your thyroid is hyperactive". 

Anyways, my most recent TSH results are 25.9.   Not off the charts quite yet, but still labeled "extremely high".  What a huge relief.  Yes, this means I'm battling a different type of problem (hypothyroidism), but FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY, I know why I've been feeling the way I have.  Not that I'm looking for something to blame, but it makes me feel better that biology is responsible for my laziness.  I'm still waiting for my T3 results, but I predict them to be low.  *crosses fingers*  

What does this mean?  Other than meds for the rest of my life....it means the radiation I got over a year ago finally worked.  It means I can finally go see the blasted eye doctor (long story).  It means I don't need more radiation.  And it means that hopefully I can get on some meds and feel back to normal again.  I really can't wait. 

And because I feel so relieved, here are some more pictures that make me smile....

The only valentines decorating I will do...



In case you didn't believe me, please notice my Christmas stocking hanging up in the background.  I took this picture today.  I should hang my head in shame...



Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~ Lin Yutang

Saturday's cycle

I started a cycle of cleaning today.  Not on purpose, mind you.  But it went a little something like this...

Woke up early. 

Sun shining.

Felt guilty for Atticus's lack of exercise.

Went to the dog park (got to wear my new rain boots - they came in handy in all the mud!)

Atticus, typically, got covered in mud and other dog slime.

Came home.

Gave Atticus a bath.

The bathtub is now dirty, and I used the last of the dog towels.  There's also bathwater covering most of the bathroom (Never turn your back on a wet dog).

Dog towels into the washing machine.

Bleaching the bath tub.

Now I HAVE to clean up the rest of the bathroom.  Otherwise it's going to permanently smell like wet dog.

No place to put the clean dog-towel laundry (cause I never cleaned out my laundry basket from the last 6 loads I did...haha...whoops).

Go to put towels on my bed, but realize I should probably wash my blanket first. 

New load of laundry....

And so it goes. 


A rare sunny January day....

In other news, my doctor thinks my thyroid treatment I got over a year ago has finally worked due to symptoms I've been having.  I should know by Friday the results of my blood test.  Never have I ever wished for a new disease before in my life - it'd be nice to have an explanation for all this crap I'm dealing with.  Yes, that is the medical terminology for it all:  crap.

Okay, break's over.  Back to cleaning....

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. ~ Lao Tzu

Making time

In an effort to force myself out of my motivationless rut, I've self-imposed some rules this week:

Every day I must:

Make something
Pick something up
Clean something

So while I actually need my whole apartment vacuumed, dusted, floor mopped, Christmas-decoration-picked up, bath-bleaching cleaned, I know that taking on that task, while having a list of 50 other things to do will only increase the over-whelming desire to go back to bed.  So, I pick little things, things that are almost too embarassing to admit that I "count".  But its worked.  While I'm still not ready to get my Christmas tubs back out of storage, I'm making headway. 

Today my "make something" includes egg salad and pasta salad.  No, I don't normally actually make those things or survive on any type of salads, that just happens to be what I have ingredients for. 

Earlier this week, my "make something" includes:

A "fancy" (maybe???) Barbie dress for my niece's birthday.  Which, has already passed.  *hangs head*

Another fancy satin dress.  Only this time I didn't care what the background of the picture looked like.

For the white Barbie dress, I was experimenting with natural light and flash and zoom, exposure, etc etc etc.  What a pain.  Its just easier to take mediocre pictures and not care. 

This is what Atticus thinks of me focusing my camera on something other than him:

:)

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. ~Mark Twain

pink

The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius. ~ Rebecca Pepper Sinkler

Night

I'm running on coffee fumes and pure stubbornness.  Two 12 hour shifts in a row and I'm wiped.

I'd rather be chilling with Atticus on the floor. 

Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o'clock is a scoundrel. ~ Samuel Johnson

Tied up with string

I love getting packages.  Even if I'm the one who paid for the contents...


From etsy.  A seller had their entire stock of fabric on sale.  The top is Joel Dewberry.  Which I know means nothing to most of you.  To me he means $10+ a yard. 



The next two are Michael Miller.  Also, $10+/yard.  No, I didn't pay that.

Maybe this will help to inspire.  I dunno.  I already  missed my nephews birthday yesterday.  Haven't even opened the closet to look at my sewing machine yet.

I'm tired and out of sorts from my 12 hour shift yesterday.  Nothing like starting out your week with overtime.

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

TMI

So, I hate the mall.  I hate driving there, I hate parking, I hate the crowds, I hate the teens that invariably are swarming outside of EVERY store I want to enter.  I planned to go today though, because I really really need a 2011 calendar.  I can't get started on birthday presents without one.  Don't ask, thats just how it is. 

So anyways, I got up today, showered, dressed, put on my shoes, sweatshirt, got a stomach cramp, then promptly threw up. 

Random.  And TMI, I know.  However, I took it as a sign that I wasn't to go to the mall today. 

So instead I curled up with Atticus and resumed my watching of my Dead Like Me marathon, all 29 episodes of which I found on Hulu. 

And to answer your next question - I'm fine.  I didn't feel sick 5 minutes before I threw up, and haven't felt sick since. 

Since I haven't really done anything else of note, here's a picture of pizza I made yesterday.  Not bad for my first attempt.   I even made the dough.  And to answer your next question - there's BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce on it, thats why the edges are super dark.  Well, BBQ sauce and burnt cheese. 

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~ John Mason