Mental vs. Physical Illnesses

 

It would be so much easier to show the doctor your broken bone, have him agree that the bone is broken, and then get help to fix it than having something wrong that you can't show or explain objectively.

 

 

I Have ONE Question for You

I have watched TOO many hours of volleyball this week in a gym with NO air-conditioning and with outside temperatures in the triple digits. Today, it was around 104 degrees OUTSIDE ... what do you think the temperature was inside with four courts of volleyball being played continuously?

But that's not actually the question I have for you.

Here's the question I'd like an answer to:

Is it possible for a humble, kind, and generous person to be a successful athlete in a competitive team sport?

If you say "yes" ... list some examples.

If you say "no" ... tell me why.

Maybe it's just the heat exhaustion. Maybe it's the seven hours spent in the hot gym - just today. Maybe I need to take a kick-boxing class.

But I am so freaking tired of coaches playing the girls who suck simply because they are more "aggressive." Accuracy doesn't seem to matter them. Consistency doesn't seem to matter. But if you're the meanest, most selfish player on the team ... well let's applaud you.

And now, I'm going to go to bed and try not to dream about volleyball.

Sparse Postings

Yes, my postings have been sparse this last month. Between the typical busy month of May and my computer crashing ... it's been a challenge to write blog posts.

But here's the good news:
1. My son is letting me use his computer until mine is fixed (if ever).
2. I sent my new manuscript off to my agent.

Now I can worry that she'll hate it wait patiently until I hear back from her.

Happy June.

I'm so glad May is over.

:)

Busy Month

Oh. It is a busy month. End of school year for my daughter. Transition from college to mission for my second son. Family coming to town. Friends coming over to visit. Weeds growing in the garden.

And I am working hard to finish my manuscript.

*sigh*

What are you busy with this month?

Use a freaking COMMA!

Normally, the first Wednesday of the month is reserved for the IWSG post, but today it will share space with the A to Z Grammar Rules. :) Seriously, what insecure writer amongst us could not use a little grammar pep talk? Well, today is more of a lecture. So if you're feeling tender hearted, maybe skip my post today. Happy April, everyone. :)

 

 

 

(Originally posted in 2011)

...

Here's my tiny pet peeve (when not used):

"Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, page 5).

For example: "The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed. The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, page 5).

More explanation: "Two-part sentences of which the second member is introduced by as (in the sense of "because"), for, or, nor or while (in the sense of "and at the same time") likewise require a comma before the conjunction" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, page 5).

Tell the truth. What's your grammar pet peave?

Or are you just an all around happy person, and nothing ever bothers you?

Bring You to Your Knees!

Well, to say I've been distracted by my daughter prepping for volleyball tryouts would be a ridiculous understatement. So many other responsibilities have slid, simply because I'm too emotionally invested in her success - uh, happines - uh, well being - uh, future - uh, everything!

Sheesh.

For those of you who've been keeping up, you already know that she needs to run a mile in 7minutes 45seconds (the coach added 15 seconds) to be considered for the varsity team. She's very physically fit, but she's not a runner. So while training to meet this goal, we've run (haha pun intended) into some issues. Namely: her knees.

We've tried:

And we've tried:

And we've tried:

Interestingly enough, the band (the last two pictures) which apply pressure to the tendon have helped the most. Plus, she is alternating ice and heat at home, and she's been working on strengthening her thighs and butt muscles.

Tomorrow is the time trial for the mile with a full day of volleyball drills afterwards. Saturday is the second day of volleyball drills and then teams will be listed.

She'd be fine on the junior varsity team, but she wants to make the mile time for varsity.

So - please - think positive thoughts for her and excuse my blog neglection. Next time you hear from me ... we'll be done with tryouts. *sigh*

How about you? Are you emotionally invested in your children? What defines: TOO invested?

Men and Their Poop

What is it with men and poop?

Seriously.

Why do they like to talk about it so much?

Our family was watching the t.v. show "Out of the Wild" on Netflix (great show, btw), and the guys started discussing their poops. My daughter and I grimaced while my son busted out laughing.

Sometimes my boys will make random announcements like:

"If you need me, I'll be on the pudding cup."
"I'm going to go cut some logs."

... GROSS! ...

I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THAT!

My husband said to me this morning, "I'd really like to tell you a story but I don't think you'll appreciate it."

I asked, "Does it deal with bodily functions and the bathroom?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to know."

"But I'd really like to tell you, and Jacob thought it was funny, and my coworkers thought it was funny."

"NO!"

... He told me anyhow. ...

YUCK!

Do the men in your life talk about their bodily functions? Or if you are a man: WHY?

And ... don't ask me to pull your finger. It's dumb and GROSS!

FAFSA Stupidity

Oh. My. Gosh.

Am I the stupidest person on the face of the earth? I feel like it right now.

I have two boys that are high school seniors this year, and so I must figure out all the college stuff and FAFSA (federal financial aid). *sigh*

So, today I googled FAFSA and clicked on the link for fafsa.com.

Big mistake.

But I didn't figure it out until I'd entered ALL our personal information (son's, mine, and husband's) social security numbers, birthdates, bank account balances, and so much more. It wasn't until I got to the final screen, where it asked for a credit card number, when I sat back and thought, WHAT?? (They wanted $79.99 to process the application.)

I scrolled down and read the teeny-tiny print at the bottom of the website. It said they were not affliated with the Department of Education and linked to the correct FAFSA website.

SHEESH!!

I clicked over to the correct site: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ and started over. Interestingly enough, the application took a fraction of the time and asked for a fraction of the information the other site did. Oh. My. Gosh.

Did I mention how stupid I feel? Is that other site going to steal our identities? I did go back to the other site and alter our information (changing it all to john doe and generic numbers). It wouldn't let me delete the account I had created.

Do RULES really exist?

In honor of a great blogfest ( CLICK HERE to check it out ) ... I'm re-posting a little-rant-item that originally saw the light of day over eighteen months ago on my blog. How do you feel about "being" verbs? Hmm? I wonder if I've grown as a writer since originally posting this ... LOL.

...

I've read on many agent blogs various reasons why debut novelists are rejected. One such blog led me to a list of "mistakes" new writers often make. I thought it was an awesome list.  You can find it here:

The Ten Mistakes

So, after finding this list, I chose one item (number six on the list) and went through my first manuscript and worked to correct that "mistake."

The website explains, "Once your eye is attuned to the frequent use of the “to be” words – “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “be,” “being,” “been” and others – you’ll be appalled at how quickly they flatten prose and slow your pace to a crawl. The “to be” words represent the existence of things – “I am here. You are there.”"

Okay fine. I improved my manuscript.

I read a lot of books. And, at the time I was working on these revisions, I was reading the second Frankenstein book in Dean Koontz's series. So, I put his book to the test. I was shocked to read five pages before he used a single "being" verb. Shocked. But then, reading the third book in Koontz's series, my head exploded. There were "being" verbs in every sentence (exaggeration, obviously). I thought, what the heck? But, then I decided, well ... it is Dean Koontz, he can do whatever he wants. He's not trying to get an agent and publish a debut novel.

BUT THEN, I'm reading Beautiful Creatures by Garcia and Stohl which is a debut novel. There are five being verbs on the first page and twenty-one in the first chapter (not even two and a half pages long). 

It's a New York Times bestseller and an international bestseller. Hmm.

So, not only did they use being verbs, but they also got an agent, got a publisher, and are selling a TON of books.

Great. Maybe I should go back through my manuscript and put all of the being verbs back in it.

Or not.

Who is to say what the "rules" really are in writing a book? What's the trick? Is it just about story concept? I don't think so. I think it has to be a great story concept, and I think the writing needs to be above par.

What "rules" do you love/hate?
Do you even believe in RULES!?

Generating Blog Traffic

Do you ever look at the "stats" for your blog ... and then look at the top keywords searched, that brought traffic to your blog?

Should I be concerned that "Hairy Russian Women" was searched for and brought two people to my blog? What does that mean exactly? ha!

Some time back, I wrote two blog posts about my kids (simply because young adults make me laugh, and I thought my blog readers would get a kick out of the stories):

Dumpster Diving
Can You See the Sweat on the Back of My Shirt?

These two posts continue to get a ton of random hits from Google searches every day. Apparently, a LOT of people are interested in both topics ... again ... what does that mean exactly?

And, yet, on a more realistic note, you can use those keyword statistics to help you formulate new posts that might generate new traffic and lead to new followers. For example, over the weekend, a lot of people searched for book reviews of BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver. This brought new traffic to my blog. So, this tells me, that people are actively searching for book reviews. Great validation for reading MORE BOOKS! Yay me. :)

So, while these keyword searches may prompt me to post more book reviews, I can promise you one thing: I will not be prompted to write anything (other than this very post) about hairy Russian women. YIKES!!

What type of posts on your blog continue to get large hits from random Google searches? Does it surprise you?

NoNaNo

Right.

I know I said I was going to switch this blog to a MWF posting schedule ... but now that I'm getting back into the whole "posting & hopping" blog thing ... well ... I realize I have a lot of words to get out of my system.  So, count on a MWF schedule, but there may be TTS posts when I feel so motivated.

With that said, let's talk about NaNoWriMo, or NaNo for short.

Or ... NoNaNo for me.

Frankly, NaNo feels like something all the cool kids are doing. And it's spreading like wildfire. Even my daughter's high school formed a group to do it last year, and she's doing it again this year.

What am I missing? Do I need to have NaNo on my resume to be considered a dedicated writer? Am I going to be shunned by all the cool kids for not giving into the peer pressure and joining them? Can I be an independent and still be accepted by the writing community as a whole?

Well, regardless of your answers, I'm still a NoNaNo.

I hope we can still be friends.

No More Doctors ... at least for awhile.

Brain tumor? Pineal cyst? Pineocytoma? Pineal lesion?

Whatever this 12mm object is in my head ... the doctors have all decided that the risk of taking it out is greater than leaving it in. I feel like I have wasted the last two months of my life pursuing this ... and wasted a ton of money. Furthermore, while I pursued this medical concern in my head, we also pursued a medical situation with my seventeen-year-old son. Long story short, after a lot of doctors and tests and money, the specialist is 95% sure he has Ulcerative Colitis. Which has very similar symptoms as Crohn's disease. There is a small (5%) chance it could still be Crohn's. This is a lifetime conidition that will need to be managed.

So, needless to say, I'm tired of doctor's visits.

However, I found several things very interesting:
1. The "bedside" manner of the pediatric doctors was much more calming than the neuro-doctors.
2. The pediatric medical staff all encouraged me to go home and Google my son's condition while the neuro-people all DIS-couraged me from researching brain issues on the internet.
3. The pediatric specialist was the first to admit he doesn't know everything, but the neuro-doctors all wanted me to take their words as divine revelation.

*sigh*

Enough complaining.

I've decided to move forward. So, starting tomorrow, I will be back to regular blog posts ABOUT WRITING, READING, AND EATING (just as the blog title says). I will probably start posting on a MWF schedule ... we'll see how it goes.

So, check back tomorrow for a new book review. And, thanks for your patience.

Pineal Gland Cyst

Well. So, I've neglected my blog posts and blog hopping, because I've been distracted by my MRI results.

I have a 12mm Pineal Gland Cyst in the middle of my brain (top red arrow). It has calcification on one side which could be a tumorous nodule. There's also a black spot (second red arrow) that could be something (tumor), but they need to recheck it. And, then there's the cavum septum pellucidum at vergae (thought you'd appreciate the correct term) which is merely an "incidental" finding with no significance, according to everyone medical who's talked to me so far. But, it does make a pretty picture of a butterfly in my head (bottom red arrow). Supposedly, everyone has the "wings" of the butterfly in their head, but only a small percentage has the "body" of the butterfly. There are only guesses as to why. Personally, I think it's because I've always been an overachiever. There were some other findings as well ... but disagreement as to the meanings. So, far I've seen three doctors, and I have a phone consultation with a Los Angeles neurosurgeon next week.

So, I might not be around making blog posts for a few days ... as I pursue a medical solution. Today, it was suggested that maybe I have MS as well. Sheesh. Whatever. I can do hard things. ... well ... in between crying and sleeping ... I can do hard things.

Once I get my head screwed on straight (literally and metaphorically), I will be back to regular blog posts about writing, blackberry picking, reading, and other fun things. So, please do check back. I won't remain mired in confusion and frustration forever.

If I Only Had A Brain!

Have you ever considered what's NORMAL and what's abnormal? As writers ... I'm sure you have! Because, that's character development! But sometimes in real life, I wonder ... are my symptoms traits normal for the average human being of my age and gender?

Who's to say really?

Well, I used the golf ball on my ankle (aka bug bite) as an excuse to visit my regular doctor. She said not to worry about it. It will go away.

Then, I took it upon myself to bring up the topic of my brain and the way it functions ... errr ... doesn't function. She took my concerns seriously. Now, this morning I "get" to go have a brain MRI.

What if they find no brain at all? That would ... explain everything.

If I only had a brain ...

A Plethora of Esoteric Words

Really?

Yes.

My sixteen-year-old son came up to me the other night and asked, "Mom, would you help me find a plethora of esoteric words?"

Really?

Yes.

He wanted to impress his AP English class. Okay. So then he looked at me doubtfully and asked, "Do you even know what esoteric words are?"

Really?

Yes.

Where's the faith? Sheesh. But then, I was on the spot, and had to produce a definition from the depths of my own brain. That instant. My answer? "Uh ... pretty sure esoteric words are big fancy words that people use to appear smarter than everyone else."

My son smiled. "Close enough," he said.

So ... we googled esoteric words, and found a great list at:
http://www.babylon.com/

I was thrilled to see EUPHEMISM on the list! Because, "euphemism" just happens to be one of my ALL-TIME favorite words!! (for reals!!) So ... boy did I feel smart. I already knew an esoteric word in front of my son! YAY me! 

But then he asked me to explain what a euphemism was ... and that was harder. Because I could suddenly only think of sexual euphemisms ... like:

1. Monkey Dance
2. Pole Vaulting
3. Sit and Spin
4. Wanna Get Busy
5. Oh ... oops ... I forgot that my mom-in-law sometimes reads my blog. Sorry to the mom of my monkey dancing partner! :-) bwhahahahaha.

Anyway ...

Here's the simple definition:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noun
1. an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, my son asked, "You mean instead of telling someone they are a terrible singer, I could use a euphemism and tell them they are not a very good singer?"

Uh.

No.

I said, "No. But, you could say, 'WOW! You hit notes I didn't even know existed!!" and smile.

ha.

Anyhow ... this post has gone on too long. If I was smarter, I could have ended this post with esoteric words ...

*sigh*

Do you have a favorite esoteric word or a favorite euphemism? Share!

TODAY is the BIG day!

Well, my husband and I arrived home late last night from one last summer trip.

We (just he and I) went camping for four days to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. Last year was the first time we took a camping trip by ourselves ... and we LOVED it! And ... the kids didn't die while we were gone, so we thought we'd try it again this year.  We were thrilled to arrive home and see that the house was still intact and the kids survived without our parental nagging.

Now, this morning the kids are all off to their first day of school, my husband is at work, the dogs are playing ... and ... I am supposed to find my mojo and get back to my manuscript.

Except things keep distracting me ... like:
1. the laundry
2. the dirty dishes
3. the bills
4. the weather forecast (seriously, supposed to be 98 degrees today ... YIKES!)
5. the unanswered emails
6. the blackberries that need to be picked AND eaten
7. and on and on and on

I need to focus, focus, focus.

What helps you get into the zone and focus on your writing?

A Good Day!

Oh ... it has been a good ... good day!

This morning, I woke to the smell of a turkey cooking in the oven. Seriously. My husband came home from work last night at 11:30pm and put a turkey in the oven. He seared (is that a cooking word?) it for 30 minutes at 450 degrees and then turned the oven down to 200 degrees and went to bed. (He did this because our air conditioner still does not work, and he didn't want to heat up the house during the day!)Now ... I've heard stories about people getting sick and dying from eating a bird cooked that way ... but good news! We're not dead.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

After getting up, I let the dogs out to relieve themselves, and I checked my blackberry bush. FINALLY. One berry (that I've been checking daily all week) was perfectly ripe and ready to pick. YUM! I ate it and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was PERFECT and sweet and firm and juicy. YAY! Maybe tomorrow there will be enough to top my cereal. And, we have a HUGE crop this year.

Then, I took my daughter to the second day of volleyball team tryouts. STRESS. She was supposed to find out the coaches decision at 2:15, but the coaches decided to announce their decisions at Noon, and not only did she make the Junior Varsity team (YAY!!!) apparently the coach made a big deal about her efforts as well. What a rewarding experience for her!! You see, instead of playing volleyball in middle school, she chose to play two years of boys' football (seriously). And, she did quite well, even played a starting position for awhile. But, this put her at a disadvantage for entering girls' volleyball at the high school level with no experience. So, last year, we put her in a couple of volleyball camps and worked with her throughout the summer. But, sadly, last year she didn't make the final cut for the team. I was impressed with her positive attitude toward the experience. She took it as motivation and continued to work on her skills all throughout the year. We saw this as parents, and decided to invest heavily in her volleyball camps this summer to do everything in our power to help her make the team. She continued to work super hard all summer, and it really paid off today. The coach even told the freshman today who were cut that they shouldn't just quit. They should work on their skills and come back and try again next year, because that's what a sophomore did (he was talking about Katie!) and she made the JV team today.

YAY!! I couldn't be more thrilled. Her joy is my joy.

So, my mom, my daughter, and I went and got pedicures and manicures to celebrate Katie's volleyball success. But, between you and me, I planned to take her for this special treat today regardless of the coaches' decision!! :) My 69 year old mother had never had a pedicure before, and she nearly fell asleep in the chair she was so relaxed and pampered. That was awesome.

It's been a great day.

We had Thanksgiving dinner around 2pm ... the turkey cooked over 12 hours at 200 degrees (ha ... turkey in August) with homemade gravy (made from only Rice Milk, Flour, Pepper, and Turkey Juices) and red potatos. We added no salt, no butter, and it was so delicious. YUM!! We've since packaged up all of the turkey meat into 3 ounce portions for our Flat Belly Diet menus, and now I'm boiling the carcass to make delicious soups. Double Yum.

It was such a great day, that not even a woman threatening to take me to court over a mishap with a cell phone can ruin my day!!

*sigh*

I hope your day was great, too!

ACK! Women Work Too Hard!!

So, I actually went to a movie with my husband the other night. This is a rare thing for me ... because I can't just sit there for two hours thinking about all of the work that needs to be done at home. I simply have too many responsibilities. Too many things on my to-do list. I've struggled all summer long to keep my head above water ... I'm not even in a state where I can think about "balance" ... I can only think about running from thing to thing and staying afloat.

But, considering our air conditioner hasn't worked for nearly three weeks (did I mention temperatures here were near 100 degrees twice this last week?) ... when my husband asked me to go see LARRY CROWNE ... I looked at him, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and asked, "Are you offering to take me to an air conditioned facility for two hours?" He smiled, and I said, "Let's go!"

Sitting in the theater watching previews ... this one came on, and I found myself getting more and more ticked off as I watched this short trailer:



Why are women expected to do SO MUCH?

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday, and she was telling me how her husband does nothing around the house. He's too tired when he gets home from his job to help with house work, yard work, or kids' homework.  When do women get to "come home FROM work" ??? Tell me!

I know I have some WONDERFUL male blog followers who often leave great comments - - so tell me please - - do you think women work too hard? Do you help around the house?

Women ... why is this a problem? Or am I alone in my struggles to "do it all" ... yikes ... I need a spa day.

ACK! Bugs - I do NOT like them!!

Okay, so yes ... I've been home from Girls' Camp a few days, and I know you are all dying for pictures and stories - - right?  Well, I've still been a bit busy trying to catch up with my runaway life.

One thing I've been busy with: sending my 16-yr-old son off on a rock-climbing and camping trip with a youth group.

He came home tonight (11pm) from the trip. At first, I thought coming home late would be fine. Right? Have him shower and send him to bed. Easy peasy.

Until he stiffly came to my room and said, "Mom, whatever you do, please don't panic. I can't handle that."

Deep breath.

"I won't panic." I slowly sat up (I had been reading THE ART OF HAPPINESS while waiting for him to head to bed).

Jacob said, "I have a tick. Could you please remove it?"

Deep breath.

Fire? Oil? Tweezers? Google?

Flashlight! Maybe he only thinks it's a tick! Maybe it's a blood blister!

Upon closer examination ... definitely a tick.

Have I not had enough encounters with bugs this month?

I very calmly asked him, "Did you use bug spray while you were camping?" YOU KNOW ... THE KIND THAT DISCOURAGES TICKS FROM HITCHING A RIDE?

"No," he calmly responded.

So, while I saturated the tick with olive oil, I wondered if I should've started with a flame, but then thought the two ideas shouldn't reside in my head at the same time. Is olive oil flamable? YIKES. Using tweezers, very close to his skin, I sucessfully removed (as far as I can tell at 11:30pm) the tick. Minus one leg.

Think I can sleep peacefully tonight?

YIKES! Seems I actually cannot DO IT ALL!

I could list out my to-do list from the last three weeks and identify the things accomplished and those that fell by the way-side ... but that would take too much time, and frankly, depress me.

So, instead I'll give you a list of five things I did accomplish and five I did not. And, keep in mind, we just got back in town, and I'm leaving again Tuesday 6am for a week at Girls' Camp.

Accomplished:
1. Colored hair purple (not bright but vibrant) because 39 girls accomplished the service goals we set for them prior to this week's girls' camp.
2. Taught Pulled my hair out ... HELPED my daughter sew four monkey themed pillowcases (two to give away) and a pair of monkey-themed fleece pajama bottoms for her to wear at camp. (Our group of 39 girls have the monkey as our mascot.)
3. Bought a swim suit so I can attend water aerobics again.
4. Got puppy to the vet for his next round of shots.
5. Really - that's all I can think of.

Not Accomplished:
1. Clean house
2. Finish critiques for writing buddies
3. Clean house
4. Pottie train puppy
5. Schedule blog posts ahead for the next week

So ... feel free to come and clean my house while I'm gone and pottie-train the puppy.

Blog posts will resume on June 20th. ... Well, assuming I survive girls' camp.