Thursday 25 July 2013

Bleah.

So I was all positive and happy the past few entries, now I'm going to grumble, because it's good to be balanced. lol.

OK, I'll still mix in some positives:  I picked a great week to participate in ICLW. Why? Well, I'm not working and not busy with tons over other stuff, as I would be in any other final week of the month in the year. So I have time.

Also (TMI alert), my "lost at sea AF" (thank you for another nautical metaphor St. Elsewhere, adding it to my collection) arrived after 40 days and 40 nights on Tuesday. I am glad AF finally came into port (har, har, har....grrrrrrrrrroan) as I didn't know what to think when my cycle went so long (OK, actually I thought a lot of things: sleeper pregnancy that hides from HPTs? Menopause at last?? some ill beyond my ken?). However, as can be the case after a longer cycle, it's a more difficult period. I'm not exactly in pain, but I'm....really uncomfortable. As in I feel like my insides are simultaneously liquefying and creating a bubble of noxious gas that lodges in my pelvis, somewhere below belly button and in front of tailbone. It comes and goes, but tends to get worse I'm moving around, which means I am spending a lot of time on the couch with laptop/iPad/Kobo reader.  I felt so disgusting yesterday that I downloaded another Phil Rickman mystery as a compensation. (I just finished one last week and usually I try to space them out.) And AF is really, really heavy. Oh, so much fun.

Although I do enjoy book 'n' blogs I also always have a running list of Things To Do in the summer, so I would be really happy if this could just be over already. I'm starting a community summer band program today, so I hope I have enough energy to practice my euphonium for a little while, as I haven't picked in up in more than a year and am no doubt pretty rusty.

Here's a picture of me playing the euphonium some years ago. I like this photo because I'm playing outside and if you  look closely, you can see the sky and Badlands of Alberta reflected in the bell. :-)


17 comments:

  1. Your AF description is insanely good in that it paints a perfect picture. Not exactly a pleasant one, but a very clear one. :) Sorry you're feeling so awful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Cause I just had to share. I think I've finally feeling better, maybe I'll go for a walk before dinner.

      Delete
  2. That's such a great picture of you! I love your hat, and it's so neat that you can see the landscape in the reflection. I'm sorry you're having such wicked cramps, but I'm glad AF finally showed up so you don't have to worry about "some ill beyond your ken" LOL. I'll have to check out Phil Rickman; I've never read any of his works, and I'm a total bookworm, so I love a good recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Annie! I've had that hat for a few years and even though I have others it's a good one because I can throw it in the wash and fold it anyway I like.

      I recommend Phil Rickman. I am reading the Merrily Watkins series. They are kind of like detective novels, but the mysteries are complicated by a supernatural element that nevertheless never veers into fantasy. I also like them because he is so good at creating a picture of the Welsh border area including culture, landscape and mythology and history. The books are full of references to real places and people and stories and I often pause and do some research on something he mentions, which makes it more interesting.

      Delete
  3. That's a really good picture of you. Thanks for pointing out the lanscape and skies! Very catchy!
    I appreciate your description of AF coz I am in the smae shoes. As we speak, I am in the throws of a long cycle:(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuck! I hope your AF gets better soon. It really sucks the life out of you, on top of all the worry about IF and treatments.

      thanks for the comment and kind words!

      Delete
  4. Sorry about the long cycle...and the rocky seas!

    I'll have to try out Phil Rickman. I always like a good series and the supernatural element appeals to me.

    Thanks for your support when you wrote on my blog!

    ICLW #50

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the shout-back! fingers still crossed for you!

      Delete
  5. Love the photo with the reflection! Sorry to hear you're in delayed AF hell. May your flow abate quickly so you can get back out there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Aramis! I'm hoping I'm over the worst of it.

      Delete
  6. You're right, that photo is brilliant. As is your ability to play the euphonium lol.
    As for AF, have you tried a heat pack? That always soothes the cramps and bad feelings for me.
    Good luck with your band and enjoying the rest of your summer :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi K,
      Thanks. I took up euphonium (and music) as an adult at age 26 (7 years ago). A few years later I also started learning percussion. It is amazing how much it has added to my life. I am lucky to live in a city where there is an organization that runs bands dedicated to adult learning. There are people who take up an instrument in the 70s for the first time! I always tell people: if there something you've always wanted to learn, whether it's play an instrument or anything else, DO IT!! It is so worth it.

      Thanks for the tip about a heat pack. I will keep that in mind next time I have a painful AF, which hopefully won't be anytime soon!

      Delete
  7. Love that picture! Love!!

    Hope you start to feel better soon! Glad AF showed up finally! Nothing worse than waiting for it... well maybe feeling awful is worse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kasey. I think I'm over the worst of it, and I can feel my mojo coming back.

      Delete
  8. What a great photo! Love the reflections. I've been hemming and hawing about an ereader for months, now. Much as I love paper books and could never give them up, I think for the trash I'm reading this summer it would be so much easier to download from the library rather than wait for the physical book to become available. But I'm worried I would miss paper too much. Any thoughts?


    Also, St. Elsewhere has left me comments but when I try to respond her blog profile is private so I can't get to her blog. Is that just me? If you comment, please let her know I'm trying to read her but having trouble? I would much appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Anne,
    I've been thinking about an eReader for a while too, but couldn't decide if I wanted it or not. Like you I enjoy the feel of a "real book." However this summer I was able to borrow a Kobo reader from the school where I work for the summer. I jumped on that because it meant I could try it out without buying it. I do like it so far. I'm not sure how Kobo compares to other ones, e.g. Kindle.

    What I like:
    1) space wise, it's great to be able to have several books in one small space! Kobo is wonderful for travelling for that reason. (however, it needs to be charged by plugging into a computer so you need to have a laptop or computer available. This would be a disadvantage if you were going somewhere without a computer.

    2) I found Kobo fairly user friendly. Sometimes it is glitchy, but not anything I can't deal with. I would suggest get an e-reader with case because then you can hold it like a real book. Again, if you are buying one probably a good idea to read reviews and compare products.

    3) There are books that I definitely want to have in my library, e.g. books that I treasure and want to own. However, I have also realized that I don't necessarily want to physically own every book I read. I really dislike clutter and I'm not that into "stuff" in general. Maybe I'm also a bit weird or a snob, but I also find it almost depressing how many books are paper-published every year. Are they really any good? Will they really be read enough times to justify all the resources that go into them? I used to find bookstores exciting and now to be honest I find them rather dreary. Maybe I'm also realizing I won't live forever and I'll probably never even have a chance to read all the good books LOL. However, e-books seem much less wasteful in a way, and I can browse through hundreds of them online without feeling like they are taking up too much space in the world.

    4) ebooks can be cheaper than paper (although not necessarily: could be cheaper to buy second-hand). What I like best so far is being able to buy Phil Rickman's series as eBooks for about $11 CAN each. Not only are they more expensive in our local stores (and I haven't been able to find any second hand), but the stores don't even carry the books past the fifth one and order from the UK would get even more expensive.

    OK that turned out to be a really long reply! And to answer your other question: I have had same issue with St. Elsewhere. If I could remember the name of her blog...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's a mystery! Someday someone will know how to get to her blog...!

      Thanks for the response about the ereader! My brother has a Kindle Paperwhite which seems like the best of the bunch: very clear display, more like paper than the other ereaders I've tried which hurt my eyes after a while, and hardly ever needs charging. But I haven't made the leap yet and you're making me want to! I definitely don't need to own every book I read (just my favorites, which I reread), which is why I love the library so much. But I wasn't sure if reading off the screen would be something I would get used to, or if it would somehow lose appeal without the paper. I guess I should just take the leap and buy one. You make it sound so appealing :)

      Delete