Trip to the emergency room

Well, this is slightly depressing after my last post, but L. had to take me to the emergency room early this morning. I was coughing almost non stop, had trouble breathing, and not even my albuterol and new prescriptions were helping. So, I called the on-call nurse again, and she said we should get to the ER and get it taken care of.

I must say that the people at the Overlake ER were really nice, and they got me into a room right away. We waited a little bit for the nurse and doctor to come in, and they gave me some pretty hefty duty meds for pain (to help ease the inflamation, keep the coughing down, and help me sleep), as well as some for breathing. We got home, and I was finally able to sleep for several hours in a row without coughing. What a luxury.

Today, we went and filled my prescriptions for prednesone and percoset, and so far that has helped a lot. Now when I cough it's actually productive (because of my cold) instead of just irritated. And my lungs don't feel like they're on fire. I talked to my mom for awhile, because she's had asthma for years and always has good advice. She said that the prednesone will really start kicking in tomorrow and the next day, so I should be getting back on track soon. I just have to take it a bit easy right now. And I have to avoid being around a lot of people, because apparently the prednesone is not so helpful to the immune system (oddly enough). So, I do need to be careful about that for the next week or so.

Anyway, I'm hopeful that my next post will actually be good news rather than cold and asthma updates. I'm just so thankful to have a wonderful fiance like L., who takes good care of me when I'm sick.

On the way to recovery

Well, some of the wedding planning and excitement got waylaid this week by yet another cold. I started getting sick on Monday, but tried to push through it until Wednesday when I finally had to admit that I was sick, sick, sick. This was compounded by one of the worst migraines I've ever had in my life on Wednesday night to the extreme that I couldn't even keep down my medication until mid-day on Thursday. Thankfully, L. came to my rescue late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning when I called for help. After he talked to the on-call nurse, he got me setup well enough to get a little sleep. And by Thursday afternoon, the headache had died down enough that I didn't feel like my head was going to explode. Of course, I was still dealing with the runny nose, irritated throat, and coughing from the cold.

Unfortunately, since this cold came on so closely to the last cold and sinus infection that I had, my lungs didn't really have time to recover fully, so my asthma got a lot worse. I went to the doctor today to get on some more advanced medications to try and get things under control. My doctor also prescribed Robitussin with codine in it to help with the extreme coughing at night. This is supposed to help me sleep better at night, but so far it's not doing much. I guess it has helped the coughing a little bit, but I'm still coughing enough that it's keeping me up. I'm hoping that after a few days of the new medications, things will calm down a bit and I'll be well enough to get around a bit more. Nothing reminds you of how important your health is until something takes it away for awhile.

I was worried about being sick twice so closely, but my doctor said that something really bad is going around right now. She said the last couple of weeks have been nothing but sick people in her office, and that it's like December around there. So, while it's out of the ordinary, and she's following up on it with some tests, it's likely just unlucky that I got this second cold. I sure hope so.

The ring

So many people want to see the ring, so I thought I would post a couple of pictures up here. A friend designed it, and it's so beautiful in person. He made it with white gold and palladium (a metal related to platinum), and the diamond is a radiant cut.

Goin' to the chapel

...and we're gonna get married. That's right, folks. L. proposed to me on Friday night!!! No plans or details yet, just a beautiful ring and a future full of adventures to share.

Disgusting habit

Smoking is one of the most disgusting habits. I can't figure out how people get addicted to it in the first place, but that's kind of beside the point. People do get addicted, and unfortunately they're not affecting only themselves.

Today, I went to Endfest 16 in the Qwest Field parking lot with L. and my cousins. There were some really great shows, and we had a good time all around. But, after getting used to the smoking ban in Seattle, it was such an assault on my nose and lungs to be around so much smoke. It's still in my nose hours later and I'll probably wake up feeling like the bottom of an ash tray. I just took a couple of puffs of my asthma medication because the smoke has stirred up my coughing.

Ugh. The woman in the condo two stories down from me smokes. Somehow, the smoke drifts up to my place on occasion, and L. and I both comment on how it seems like she is smoking right in the same room as us. I think it's worse during the summer, since everyone has windows open, and I had an air conditioner going. So, I'm hoping that lessens during winter because it's pretty hard on me.

I dunno. I know that addiction is hard, but most addictions are not things that you can do around other people and affect them. I love the smoking ban because it has finally made it possible to go out to a club, or bar, or restaurant without feeling like an ashtray. It's only when you get into areas, like the outdoor festival today, where you have to put up with people smoking anymore. I just wish that those people would realize how difficult it is for people, like me with lung problems, to be around stuff like that.

It's fall again

It's officially becoming fall in western Washington. Today it was that interesting mix of freezing cold and then nice in the afternoon. I went for a walk on the Burke Gilman trail this afternoon, and saw sockeye salmon coming up the Sammamish slough as I stood on the bridge between Leary Way and West Lake Sammamish Parkway NE. And many of the trees are starting to turn beautiful autumn shades. I love this time of year. There's always a small time period between the nice summers and the nasty fall/winter around here. It's one of my favorite things.


Update
I thought I'd post a picture of the salmon from the bridge. They're so beautiful and I love standing there watching them. It's not a fabulous picture, because it's kind of dark considering the bridge and plants on the banks, but you get the idea.

And not a moment too soon

My cell phone has begun to cut out during conversations, and I find it very annoying. Last week, I started looking into getting a new phone and found a good smartphone. So, I ordered it this week and it should arrive tomorrow (I hope!).

Tonight when talking to L. on the phone, it just gave out completely. I couldn't even get a successful call through after it dropped. And even after I took out the battery for a bit, it still acted funny. So, I'll be quite happy to get my new phone tomorrow. It's especially important considering I don't have a home phone.

Oh Britney

I feel badly for Britney Spears. She really seems lost and in need of serious help. I have to admit that after she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline, I was really pulling for her to come back. I gave her some slack about her behavior at first because I've been through a divorce, too, and it's not easy. And I certainly didn't have to do it in front of adoring fans and scathing critics. But then I couldn't help but shake my head at the pictures from the stalkarazzi - no underwear, irresponsible behavior, and then the head shaving. She kind of went from clueless-but-magnetic-bumpkin-gone-hollywood to...well...bedraggled and pathetic.

And then she was one hot mess at the MTV Video Music Awards last night. I heard her new single, Gimme More, earlier in the week and thought it was pretty catchy. So, I was kind of hoping that her comeback performance would be a glance at someone with renewed commitment and enthusiasm for her craft. But, it certainly wasn't.

Now, I don't really care about her weight gain. I know that a lot of people are pointing to her "paunch" or "beer belly". But honestly, the woman has had two children, gone through a divorce, and has clearly made some poor choices in recent months and years; I'm not sure that her diet and exercise routine are first and foremost on her mind. Frankly, I find it odd when Hollywood starlets are photographed one day very pregnant and then suddenly they're able to wash laundry on their abs a week later. And, I don't think that Spears looked that bad; you just can't compare her to her pre-baby years at this point. The problem was with the costume and the misguided soul who decided that it would be a good idea to present Spears that way. If she had come out wearing something with a little more coverage, I'm sure that most people wouldn't have noticed. I realize that covering her up would have been breaking her image, but I think the people around her need to realize that she isn't the same girl she once was. Her image needs to change.

No, what disappointed me about the VMA was her performance. I've never credited her as a good singer, but I do think that she was a great performer and turned out some really catchy hits. She used to be a great dancer. Her VMA performance looked like a choreography session in preparation for the actual performance - like she was still learning her moves and where she was supposed to stand. It was weird to see all of the other dancers so professional and convincing, and Spears looking like it was her first time on stage. She may as well have been singing instead of lipsynching, because she hardly did any of the dancing other than the kind of stand-in-place dancing you see at a dance club with regular, everyday people. Definitely not VMA-opening calibur. It was simply going through the moves without any actual follow through.

I wonder whether she really wants to be part of this industry any longer. It seems like she has lost her drive, which is what made her successful in the first place. Without that, she can come out with the best album in November, and people will still eat it up but without the performances behind her music, it won't be the same. I kind of want to see her fade into obscurity for awhile. Take her children, and move to a small town where she stops relying on all of the toxic people around her and grows up a bit on her own. Gets some help for the depression and other problems derailing her life, and gets away from the paparazzi for goodness sake. Takes some community college classes or something to finally get the education that she's lacking. Then comes back five or ten years from now with a newfound energy and spirit - an older, wiser Britney Spears.

What your Starbucks order says about you

This is pretty funny. You plug in your regular drink from Starbucks, and the oracle tells you about yourself.

I plugged in my favorite, a grande soy chai tea latte and it gave me this:

Personality type: Hippie
In addition to being a hippie, you are a hypochondriac health nut. You secretly think that your insistence on only consuming all-natural products is because you're so intelligent and well-informed; it's actually because you're a sucker. You've dabbled in Wicca or other pseudo-religions that attract morons and have changed your sexual orientation a few times this year. You probably live in California. Everyone who drinks grande soy chai tea latte should be forced to eat a McDonald's bacon cheeseburger.
Also drinks: Beverages with lots of marketing that says they're herbal and organic
Can also be found at: Whole Foods, indoor rock climbing facilities

I then plugged in L.'s favorite drink, a grande vanilla bean frappacino:

Personality type: Lame
You're a simple person with modest tastes and a reasonable lifestyle. In other words, you're boring. Going to Starbucks makes you feel sophisticated; you'd like to be snooty and order an espresso but aren't sure if you're ready for that level of excitement. People laugh at you because you use fake curse words like "friggin'" and "oh, crumb!" Everyone who thinks America's Funniest Home Videos is a great show drinks grande vanilla bean frappacino.
Also drinks: V8
Can also be found: On the couch at home

And my mom's drink, a simple tall Americano:

Personality type: Asshat
You carry around philosophy books you haven't read and wear trendy wire-rimmed glasses even though you have perfect vision. You've probably added an accent to your name or changed the pronunciation to seem sophisticated. You hang out in coffee shops because you don't have a job because you got your degree in French Poetry. People who drink tall americano are notorious for spouting off angry, liberal opinions about issues they don't understand.
Also drinks: Any drink with a foreign name
Can also be found at: The other, locally owned coffee shop you claim to like better

I have to say that I would never have thought to call myself a hippie, L. lame, or my mom an asshat before consulting the Starbucks oracle.

More

Several years ago, my cousin R. and I were watching videos on MTV (yes, Virginia, MTV used to actually show videos instead of stupid TV shows) and we saw the video for Hell Bent by Kenna. That video and song stuck with me for many years.

Tonight, L. and I opened up iTunes to see the free songs of the week, and lo and behold, it was a song from Kenna! I dug through my CDs and located my burned CD of New Sacred Cow, which I obtained even before it was available commercially. I played the song for L. and then ran an online search for the video. We found the video on YouTube, and L. agreed that it was really incredible.

What I didn't know until tonight is that the video was actually a short film called More by Mark Osbourne, and that it was originally backed with the song Elegia by New Order.

Here is the description from the Wikipedia entry about More:

More tells the story of an inventor who lives in a drab, colorless world. Day by day, he toils away in a harsh, dehumanizing job, his only savior being the memories of the bliss of childhood. But at night, he works secretly on an invention that could help him relive those memories and spread their joy to everyone in his despair-filled life. When he finishes his invention, it changes the way people look at the world. But his success changes him, for with it, he loses an important part of himself.

Powerful stuff, that. I was happy to have found the video again after all of these years, because it reminds me to stay true to myself.

Dash dilemma

I recently wrote something and sent it on to my friend for review. She's an editor, and absolutely loves copy editing, a job that I absolutely loathe. I don't mind everything about copy editing. For instance, I can usually spot a grammar gaffe or spelling error (although this is usually difficult to do with your own writing). But, there are deeper issues that editors must know and spot, such as when to use a trademark symbol or which type of dash (em or en) to use.

In this latest piece, she made a lot of changes to the dashes. I think I was using a hyphen (which honestly looks like an en dash to me), and she changed them all to the em and en dashes. I find this very impressive. I really couldn't care any less about whether I'm using an en dash, em dash, or hyphen. They are all more or less the same to me. If I see that the dash is butted up between two words, it's a hyphen. If it's between dates or numbers, it's an en dash. If neither, it's a separator. In writing, such as on my blog, instead of an em dash I use the hyphen with spaces to flag that it's a separator and not a hyphen. This is mainly because I'm lazy and have never figured out how to form an em dash on my blog. And now it's such an ingrained habit, that I probably wouldn't change it anyway. After all, my blog is a creative writing outlet far different from my actual work writing.

But such review exercises make me rather happy to have an editor - both in my personal life and work life.

Spider drama

I'm not entirely sure what it is about my building, but spiders LOVE it. They can't get enough of it. They have formed entire communities on it and have chosen to rear their offspring here.

Also curious is how none of my neighbors seem to mind. Out of the 8 people on my side of the building, I'm the only one to ever sweep the outer hallways and stairs. My next door neighbors have literally five ginormous spiders hanging around right outside of their door. How they manage to get in and out without disturbing the webs is beyond me. Luckily, I do not need to go past their condo to get to the stairwell.

Unfortunately, the spiders have met their match with me. I hate them. Always have. I don't mind if they're out in the bushes or make their home on a lamp post. But, I have no sympathy when they decide to bridge the concrete path from wilderness to civilization - namely, my civilization. To give you an idea of what I'm working with, our condo doorways are on the outside of the building, and each neighbor has a sort of front door area connected by common outdoor walkways. There are two stairwells on either side of the building. On the ground floor, there is a courtyard area with flowers, bushes, and trees.

Yesterday after having run through yet another spider web on my way back to my condo, I had it. L. and I went to Home Depot, and bought some regular ol' spray insecticide and a broom. This may seem a tad overkill, but it's not.

Last year, I tried to battle the little devils with a broom alone, merely sweeping away their webs and coaxing them into the perfectly agreeable yard area in front of the condos. The next day, it was like it had never happened. They were all back in their happy little places. I tried once more, this time squishing the little buggers (quick and painless death) instead of showing them new real estate. This had a little better effect, but wasn't a great solution since there were always ones in hiding that I'd miss, and then they'd just come back with a few of their best friends. So, I finally broke down and bought some insecticide, and it worked like a charm. I could safely make my way up the stairs to my place without running smack dab into a spider or its web. But, all good things must come to an end and they return each year. Hence our trip to Home Depot yesterday.

Now, I didn't do the whole building. If my neighbors want to be a spider haven, so be it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my coming and going, I'll leave their space alone. What I did do, however, was spray my whole window and door with the insecticide, and then made my way down the stairwell. I also sprayed my downstairs neighbor's window and door area since they are gone most of the year and have no means to keep up their area - which I must pass to get to my place and which the spiders really love. I also sprayed the common area entryway from the parking lot, around the storage door, and around the light globes there.

As I was doing this, one of my neighbors from the other side of the building came to get something out of storage. Our conversation went something like this:

Him: "Spraying for spiders?"
Me: "Yup."
Him: "Ah. Lots of 'em this year."
Me: "Yeah. I can't stand them."
Him: "Yeah, but at least they eat mosquitoes."
Me: "True. I just wish that they'd stay out of the general area where we have to walk so that I don't have to wear spider webs all the time."
Him: "Yup."

So, what I gather from this particular exchange and the general disinterest of my neighbors is that I am the crazy spider-killing lady in the upstairs condo. I cannot fathom how everyone else is fine walking through spider webs. It truly is beyond me. But, I just cannot handle it. If I owned my own home, I would certainly keep the doorway and porch free of spider webs and spiders, because it just looks unkempt anyway. Who wants to venture into someone's house if they have to duck underneath webs?

But, back to my story. In an interesting twist, as I was making L.'s hot chocolate this morning, I noticed a big, ugly spider on the ceiling in my kitchen. Here, I sprayed the heck outside of my condo and then one guy got in. I paused for a moment, wondering if I should call L. in to take care of it, but then I changed my mind. I couldn't risk having the thing disappear. And, as a lifetime observation, I've noticed that the men in my life aren't particularly adept at this task even though I usually defer this little job to them. I think it's because they're missing the sense of urgency and utter worry that comes from missing the target and then wondering where you'll meet up again. This has absolutely nothing to do with L. and everything to do with my wacky fear of spiders.

So, I picked up a wad of napkins and jabbed at it, hoping to smash it directly. But it was quick and swooped down on its silky web to the cabinet. I swiped again, and this time it hit the floor. Then it was over in a crunch. That's the part that I both love and hate the most; I hate the sound and the feeling, but love the outcome.

This may sound silly, but I do hope that the spiders died quickly and relatively painlessly. That's probably asking a lot, considering it is insecticide, but I don't like to see things suffer - even spiders. Even though we don't get along, I understand that they are important and I need to coexist with them. I just don't want to do it in and around my home.