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Distracting Fantasies

3/9/2017

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My Kingdom! My Kingdom for a neck massage and a hot water bottle. 

I don't have a kingdom but I am The Empress Dammit! That ought to count for something!

​If you are sensing a theme here, you would be correct. Between the yoga workshop this weekend and blowing all my grocery money on a deep tissue massage I can finally move my neck. But it still hurts so bad, I have been wanting to put some heat on my neck but I no longer have a microwave to heat up my buckwheat pillow. I guess I need an old fashioned hot water bottle. I could also use another good neck rub, like a chair massage maybe? Boy every time I move or turn my head, my neck just grinds. Is this an engineering or a mechanical failure?
Don't get old. I do not advise it!
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If you could build your dream home, what would it be like?

Because architecture and the myriad of ways people express what home feels like to them interests me, I get a kick out of watching various UK home shows on Netflix! The vocabulary is fun to get used to "Sanitary Ware" instead of "bathroom fixtures." Homely means what we would call Homey rather than, plain, etc. I've really been having fun watching a show called, Grand Designs where people are building their own houses. Most of the homes are modern design and have some really unique material choices. One of my favorites so far are the couple who bought a windy airfield and built a huge steel and glass home on it. I kept having to rewind though because the husband is Scottish and the wife is from Spain, my two favorite accents. I tend to tune out the words and just hear the music of the accent. The other is Kevin McCabe's massive cob castle, Dingle Dell, which is still a work in progress.

Before it was a trend, I really wanted to build a tiny house, but I couldn't find anyone with land to park it on and right now it's beyond my means. When I was younger, if you said I could build the house of my dreams it would have been something large and grand with fabulous things like stables and a paddock, a huge library, massive cook's kitchen, a pool, an atrium and a music studio. Now, I would want something in Northern California or of course, Scotland, near the woods and the ocean or at least a river or lake. And it would have a small kitchen with good storage and an excellent stove or "range," a nice little "snug" "reception room" as they say instead of "living room." It would have a cozy bedroom with a storage and dressing area hidden away. And it would have a library/music/ writing nook. I might like a garden outside or a wee greenhouse. There would be lovely views but not giant windows. It might be round or at least have some curves. A roof like The Sea Ranch Chapel (pictured) but covered in sedum, perhaps? And it might have modern ideas, conveniences and energy efficiency but it would be some blend of hobbit cottage, gypsy vardo, yurt, sailing ship influenced by a Gaudi-esque dream.
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So spill it, what's your fantasy home?
By the way, I've run out of episodes of Grand designs on Netflix. FYI, their season one is actually something like season 13 of the actual series. It ended with an island cottage on the Thames that has dragon scale siding and is amphibious. In other words it has a floating basement and can rise as much as 12 feet when it floods. This architectural concept would be awesome for places like New Orleans! Pictures and a video that shows how it works here!

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The owners have a wind sculpture of a dragon on top
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So Much Ouchness!

3/8/2017

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If I gaze deep into your eyes and say, "I wanna neck"
Sorry, it probably won't mean what you think it means.
It means, "Ouch! I literally want a new neck!
​This arthritis and aging shite is the worst!"


This has been a really rough week. I'm glad to be halfway through it.

I'm still in a lot of physical pain. I had to break up with my Nurse Practitioner, but I got a new one. My Care Coordinator once again proved she is made of awesome!

Today was the last appointment with my therapist before she goes on to her new job. I was determined not to cry, but I teared up, then she teared up and then I had to grab a fist full of tissue. I was the very first client she had at NAHC so I've been with her the longest. I guess it feels good that she's going to miss me too.

I came home to find a birthday card from Libby which was really nice. I'm going to wait to open it. I fed the kitties, scooped their "toilets," took a shower and pondered what vegetable will go in my ramen noodles tonight. When I parked my car, I had to walk by the pizza place which was torture. When was the last time I had pizza?
I reminded myself that Leaning Tower's pizza is overpriced and it's good but not great, but that doesn't stop it from smelling really good! Seriously, I think it's been over a year since I had a slice of pizza. That is sad.

I'm not entirely sure yet, but I think I have Friday off. I kinda want to go somewhere or do a thing but I am just too broke. I may just hermit the heck out of my birthday. I have no idea how I will be feeling or what my emotional state will be. It's a mystery. I do wish my birthday could be in some other month when I might have money and not be reminded of sad anniversaries but there it is sitting there like a big pile of poo on the same date each year.

If I Won The Lottery...

Of course I have plans for helping people and all kinds of practical self care items (Thanks Capricorn Rising) like food and shelter on it, but you know, of all the things on my list of, what I'd do if I won the lottery or had some huge windfall, pain motivates me most.

I would immediately make appointments for stem cell therapy and get some relief for the osteoarthritis that plagues my knees and my neck! Medicare/Medicaid will cover most of the $50K of knee replacement surgery only when it gets to the point that I can't walk and there's nothing else to do. They will cover a few physical therapy appointments which won't solve the issue. But they won't cover any of the approximately $500-$800 for stem cell therapy which has shown great effectiveness so far! It's absolutely crazy!

So yeah, I'd go straight from the bank to the specialist and then I'd be helping a whole lot of people out with a spring in my step!
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#ItsExpensiveToBePoor

There are all kinds of cool knee repairs now! 

​There's also one that replaces the missing knee cartilage with a silicone gel! For the stem cell therapy they grow the stem cells from your own fat and inject it. They have found that a small dose is most effective and when they first started they were doing multiple injections. Now, one is usually enough. The therapy has been available for about 7 years but insurance still considers it experimental. Almost all patients get some notable degree of lasting relief and many are able to return to regular activity pain free.

James Balog, the photographer who has been documenting climate change by time lapse photographing glaciers destroyed his knees. He had it done successfully and even talks about it in, Chasing Ice. If you haven't seen Chasing Ice, by the way, you should! He had injections back in 2010 when they were just starting to do the procedure here in the US. Back then they cost 4-5K a pop. He's still going strong.
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