as one of my dear friends pointed out.... that from the infrequency of my blog entries, particularly in the manner that they have been trailing off... fewer and fewer... it may appear that I have... well, died.
Welp, I'm still here, hanging by a thin tether to humanity, to sanity and any other itys you want to add.
I have been finding it increasingly difficult to find time on the computer during the day, and in the evening I have been so shattered that I've been in bed most nights by 9:30/10pm. It hasn't helped the stress much, but at least I can say I gave a good attempt at sleeping.
oy vey.
quick update on the health situation-- just realized (thanks to Angela!) that I haven't mentioned how I'm doing. My hearing is back, though my right ear pops and goes echo-ey on occasion still. I am still coughing and still have major sinus congestion. It doesnt' seem to be draining normally-- just going down the back of my throat and making the coughing worse. :( Fortunately I will be seeing the specialist on Monday. It will be really helpful to actually be suffering when he sees me, so he can see what I go through. I sure hope he has something good to say or for me to do... I am really fed up with being bunged up and tired all the time and headachy. :(
We had some wonderful meals & conversation together too-- despite the fact that I was completely deaf in my right ear, I did fairly well in keeping up with all the lines of conversation. I had to ask only a few times for people to repeat what they had said, or to ask what they were talking about, if I'd missed the beginning of the conversation.
The place we went to for dinner the first evening was fabulous-- it's called the Swan Hotel. They have a really posh restaurant, and a really cozy pub-like room called the Mallard room. In the pictures on the website-- the room isn't really done justice. At the opposite end to the bar, there is a large open fireplace, gas one, which was lit and beautiful and warm as we arrived-- it was a chilly evening, and the B&B was only down the street from there, so we didn't really wear coats. We had a lovely meal (I had the fillet steak/filet mignon) and it was really scrummy.
During dinner we were talking about various films and books and things, and Lord of the Rings came up. At some point when I was talking, Kevin asked me what the actor's name is who plays Aragorn. And you know how it feels when you're mid-thought, and someone asks you something you know, but you can't for the *life* of you think of what it is, well that was me! I was sat there racking my brain trying to remember. I finally got out that it started with a V but that didn't help because I knew it was an unusual name and Lori & Kev started throwing out normal names that start with v. There was a young cutie of a waiter who had just started working at the pub the day before and so we thought he might know-- or be able to ask the girlies in the kitchen or the other servers-- so we asked him. He didn't know, but said he would ask the others for us. It was really driving me crazy so I ended up ringing Ione on Andy's mobile and asking her!! She answered it straightaway (thank you Ione!!!) and put me out of my brain-frozen misery.
Last weekend we went to Hay-on-Wye to meet up with friends Lori (my american friend who is like a sister) and her hubby Kevin (lovely Welsh bloke from Swansea). We had a fabulous time! We met up on the Saturday around lunchtime and just walked around and browsed in all the book shops and had nice coffees in the cafes.
On the way down, Andy and I stopped in Kidderminster at an Army Surplus store where we both got some boots (mine are waterproof walking ones, and his are big old black army ones). whohoo! We also bought some gaiters-- the cool thingys that you wear over the tops of your shoes/bottoms of your trousers-- that protect from dirt, tearing, etc.
When we arrived at the B&B (a very nice one, in fact, called the Firs, the lady who owns it greeted me and said "You must be Lori's sister!" At which I laughed -- because we're not related, but have kind of become sisters over the years through friendship and laughter. She said it was that we looked so much alike. The next morning as we were paying our bill about to leave, she again was going on about how much alike we looked and are. So we've decided we're pretty much sisters-- my folks love her already, and hers love me, and we've both met each other's brothers and get on well with them, so hey-- why not? I've always wanted a sister-- specially an older sister!
and i love to play card games. I collect playing cards from most places we travel to, and ask others to pick up a deck if they see any interesting ones! So far I must have a hundred or so decks... from all over the globe. If anyone else out there reads this and collects playing cards like me and wants to swap-- I'll send them a pack from Chester or someplace pretty and they can send me a deck from wherever they're from!
whohoo :)
now all I need is someone to play card games with!! :) :D
isn't very fun :( neither is it fun to be bunged up. It seems that the good doctor cannot do anything more for me. Apparently he doesn't want to give me drops for my ear because it's not painful anymore-- and doesn't want to prescribe another antibiotic because he doesn't think it will help. Fair enough on the antibiotic thing, but I wish there were SOMETHING he would do to help this temporary deafness thing. Not enjoying it one bit!!
:(
I'm on day four of Antibiotics, day six of symtoms (not to mention the two to three week run-up of sinus headaches and pressure before they began to drain!) and I'm still miserable. Can't hear a thing out of my right ear, which is my good ear, so everyone who talks to me must repeat things several times and at louder volumes. Unfortunately this is making some people frustrated, and instead of repeating it, they're saying "Nevermind!!" :(
Last night we watched 2 dvds-- Bad Boys and the sequel, Bad Boys II. Both are pretty hilarious movies, although there is a honkin' lot of swearing in both of them. I really like Will Smith as an actor, he's very funny, and Martin Lawrence can be hysterically funny too-- but why all the f'ing this and mf'ing that? I bet if you took out all the swears and put in real words it would be just as funny.
I hope I'm well enough to go to Hay-on-Wye this weekend. :( We're supposed to go down on the Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening.
it's official... my body hates me.
since Thursday I have been suffering from a sinus infection (actually which began about 3 weeks ago but only really hit full-blown on Thursday), and then Saturday night my ear began to really hurt. I haven't had very many earaches in my life, but the ones I've had have been doozies!! I was in a lot of pain.
Then I wake up this morning with pink-eye. Good old conjunctivitis. I haven't had *that* since I was in junior high I think. Good grief. So I dragged myself into the doctor's office and got a prescription for antibiotics and he signed me off work for the week.
lucky me. i'd rather be healthy and at work than this. :( The worst thing is that Andy's down in Southampton until Wednesday night. So I have no one to look after me. :(
but my mom cheered me up-- sent some photos of their florida mini-break and a really sweet card from Jackie Lawson.