Pain and Purchases

First, DH's grandmother died yesterday.  He is flying back East for the funeral on Saturday, and will be back Tuesday.  He is not freaking out, but he is more upset than he is letting on.  His dad didn't think we should go, so he decided he is going alone; tickets are so expensive, PLUS all the fees they now have.  He wants to go is to see his grandfather, who is 95.  I never really knew his grandmother, because she already had Alzheimer's when I met her.  So her funeral would be more dutiful than cathartic for me.  

And having been raised Jewish, open caskets freak me out.  Just not a Jewish thing.

In migraine news, I GOT A REFERRAL TO UCSF'S HEADACHE CLINIC!  I had to stop the nortriptyline because of side effects.  They included mental confusion, urinary tract issues, lethargy, poor balance.  And when I went up to a higher dose, my mood was definitely acting up.  I was afraid I was teetering on the edge of a mixed episode.

There may have been just a bit less intensity to the headaches I am getting, but not enough to make the potentially worsening side effects worth it.  After 7 weeks, the side-effects are probably going to last as long as I take it.  I thought I was getting depressed, but now I think it was all Nortriptyline side effects.  

So finally it has come to this:  My neurologist said, "We have a lot of options!"  and immediately suggested Botox  Um, no.  Not under his supervision.  Maybe if UCSF suggests it.  Maybe.  It creeps me out.  Although, the one person I actually have "talked" to about it has loved it, and said it changed her life.  Hmmm.  Blech.

"Well, I've heard fever few an butterbar might help."   Yes, my neurologist thinks I should try herbs.  I asked about acupuncture, and his attitude was, "Sure, try whatever you want, but good luck getting your insurance to pay for it."  We shall see.  I think I am going to go see Angie at Lohaki Acupuncture, even if my insurance won't pay for it; I can start doing that about twice a month.

He also said becoming vegetarian might be a good idea.  I keep saying I want to do that, even if it is just at home.  But it boils down to my being lazy: it seems like all the recipes for main dishes are complex.  And I have trouble gauging how many fruit and vegetables we will eat before they spoil.  Part of the reason for this is that Nortriptyline lethargy has meant I haven't been cooking. At all. We have been grazing, eating cheese, cereal, canned soup, fruit, and too much candy. I keep meaning to learn how to really use beans.  I mean, I use them now and then, but I should soak and freeze batches, or something, they really are so versatile.  And I have a rice cooker, and I love oatmeal.  I guess the first step would be to take stock of which appliances I need, and which I don't, I have way too many cooking appliances.

So anyway, gah.  Oh, and after promising me he would fax the referral to UCSF on  Monday, Dr. Shithead told me it would be out by Friday.  UGH.  I already faxed stuff yesterday (Tuesday), because he TOLD me he was definitely faxing it Monday!  And he had to throw in that he couldn't see what UCSF could do that HE wouldn't already have thought of.  This is the man who does research on Google right in front of me.  I am always far more up to date on migraine treatments than he.  Whatever.  Passive aggressive shmuck.   Seriously, a passive aggressive Dr?  Could there be a worse type of MD to try to develop a relationship with?  And why wouldn't he want me to see a headache specialist after I have been having migraines for over 35 years?  Pussy.

I am his SUPAH DUPAH  NUMBAH ONE migraine patient.  Awesome for a teaching hospital, I am his walking, talking "refractory" specimen.  But he no longer has any idea what to do with me.  And I guess what this is really going to boil down to is poly-pharmacy for my migraines, as well as the BP.  He wouldn't be able to handle a poly-pharmacy approach.

I just have been out of it.  Almost 100% because of the nortriptyline, I am pretty sure.  It takes two weeks for it to be totally out of my system.  

 This is the worst period of migraines I have ever experienced, bar none.  Since last I filled you in, I also tried an stopped using propranolol, because it was clearly working as well as a sugar pill for me.  Next, I tried atenolol, which is in the same class of meds as propranolol (beta blockers), but it gave me a rare side effect: bruxism.  Because of my response to the nortriptyline, other tricyclics are also out of the question.

ANYWAY. I wanted to get back into posting items I bought.  It is an enjoyable pastime for the acquisitive Bipolar part of me, even though this time, it was all full price.  And it gives me something to riff off of, if I am desperate.

First, I was recently pointed towards a website I really like: Dog is Good.  First, I tried their t shirt grab bag: pay $25, and get three random ts. I get a tank top with bling, a light weight logo tshirt, and a tshirt with a logo that actually won a national pet product design contest: KNOW DOG, KNOW JOY, KNOW LOVE.  All very cute, and fun because of the surprise aspect.

Then on FacebookPJs, with a Frenchie on the top, "Le Chien Est Bon."  Very cute.  There is a Frenchie on the top:

There are nice details on it, like ribbon piping around the ankle, from which the hem falls away into a serge stitch hem, so a little ruffling.  And the same with the top.

Now, I really only have a bunch of new costume jewelry to show, but I am a real sucker for costume jewelry.  Unfortunately, one of my favorite necklaces' coating has rubbed off, and now the nickel is exposed to my nickel-allergic skin.

I have a pair of earrings and a necklace that are made by Kerfufle Jewelry, which I bought from one of my favorite little boutiques, Eni-thing, which supports local handmade products.  I bought the earrings first:

It's kind of hard to see, but they are small coin-like hammered metal.  I bought this necklace later:

To be honest, I go back an forth about this pendant.  Sometimes I think it is really cool, other times too garish.  Each strand that goes up to the fastener is different strand one side made of those coin-like beads, as well as a crystal strand.  But it holds up pretty well with a very simple top, because it would be too much for a pattern, imo.

On another visit at Eni-thing, I got a very inexpensive blingy elasticized bracelet.  Very simple but it goes with a lot of things:

Another fun set I collected was the Betsey Johnson French Puppy series.  I got the pendant, both pair of earrings, and best of all, the almost impossible to find charm bracelet:

There are these cute asymmetric dangle earrings, plus there is post version with the same charm: 

I also got a pendant from the same series, but it basically the same Frenchie charm as the earrings, just larger.

I also got some cool t shirts besides those from Dog is Good.  One was from Imogen Heap's Ellipse tour.  Mine actually has a white tree on a white background which is cool up close, but un-photographable, so this is just to give you an idea of the pattern: 

I also bought a cute Honest Kitchen t-shirt.  The Honest Kitchen is the freeze-dried food I feed my Frenchie, Violet.  This one says "Raw + Love = THK:

Wow. Quite a post.  

And none of it that interesting.

Sight Seeing: Prompts 22, 23, 24 #reverb10

Hi all!  I have been sick a lot this month, so I am crazy busy trying to get these prompts done.  Sorry if parts of the next few blog posts are garbled.   We're in the stretch!

Dec.  22:  Travel.  How did you travel in 2010?  How and/or where would you like to travel this year?  -Tara Hunt   

In 2010, I travelled almost exclusively by Prius, with the exception of about 200 miles.  There was a cab ride back from the airport in January.  My friend gave me a lift to my first post-op appointment for my foot.  A few van rides and cab rides back and forth between my car dealership and my home.  A bike ride to go pick up the Prius from the dealership.  And finally, a tow truck, that carried my dead Prius to a Eugene Toyota Dealership (yes, another dealership).

I only travelled a little this year.  In January, I made a brief trip back to my hometown, Pittsburgh, to spend time with my parents, sisters, and niece.   The next travel of any sort was the Oregon Country Fair, in July.  I drove myself up and back in two day increments, spending the night in Yreka on the northern drive, and Corning on the southern one.

In August, after my husband was offered a great job after almost 11 months of unemployment, we took a short trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  While we had to cut our visit short, the reason for this is going to make me jump to the prompt after the next one.  Don't worry, I'll get back to the one I skipped over.

******************************

Dec. 24:  Everything's OK.  What was the best moment that could? serve as proof that everything is going to be alright [sic]?  And how will you incorporate the discovery into the year ahead?  -Kate Inglis


If "Fraught" was the word to describe 2010, August could be considered its zenith.  We were really starting to stretch our finances to the limit.  We were discussing our options:  I had a small IRA I could sell, and DH had stocks.

Meanwhile, DH's seizures were becoming stronger, and more frequent.  His new medication, one that has been on the market for less than a year, gave him such bad side effects that sometimes he had to crawl to get around the house.

DH and his neurosurgeon, thinking that there were no more job opportunities out there for the moment, set a date for surgery.  Brain surgery that is.  Surgery that involves cutting a door in his skull, wrapping his brain with a sheet of electrodes, and then purposefully stimulating those electrodes to cause him to have seizures, in the hope of pinpointing the part of his brain where the wiring went wrong, the "focus."  At the end of the week, they would remove the sheet, and any brain they felt might be the problem (which they warned us might be golf-ball sized), and of course, put his skull back together.  Recovery is 4-6 weeks.

While DH and his neurosurgeon seemed to be handling events with aplomb, I was falling apart.  Looking at my mood chart shows I was pretty freaked out.  The chances of death were as good as nil, but I still dreaded life without him.  I also feared he would come home with a new personality, not the man I married.  I still do fear that a bit, and it turns out, he worries about it too.

The surgery date was set late in August.  I was buying pajamas, and teaching myself cribbage so we could play it in the hospital during his week stay.  About two weeks before the date, DH got a call from a financial services company:  They were interested in his experience in UI (User Interface).  Suddenly, it became a race.  Could DH get an offer before he was admitted to the hospital?

8 days before his scheduled surgery, DH received his offer.   He was so excited, he forgot to sign and fax in his contract, he just read it.  When we were on our celebratory trip to Lassen, just as we were about to head out for the day, DH got a call from his new job.  Where was his contract?   We made a dash to Redding, the nearest town of any size, and waited for a fax of another copy of his contract, had him sign it, fax it back in, then wait for confirmation of his new workplace's receipt of the document.  It took 3 tries, but at last we did it!

It had seemed like a horrible last minute nightmare when we first realized we had to get the contract in, or he wouldn't be able to start for another few weeks.  But when we knew that contract was in their hands, suddenly, DH was officially employed.   The contract was signed, the "i"s dotted, and the "t"s crossed.  We had made it.  We had lived on umemployment that lasted 6 months, and then on our savings alone for another 4 months. We are playing catch up a little with our debt, but as of January 6, all of our credit cards will be back to zero.  We have another round of surgeries and health problems to look forward to in 2011, but the outlook is so much rosier, with DH working, my foot nearly healed (meaning I can get back to my work), and really great health insurance.  

We are back.

*********************************

Dec. 23:  New name. Let's meet again, for the first time.  [Cassandra]If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be, and why?  -Becca Wilcott


Hello, my name is Cassandra.  I am the archetype of the truth teller who is ignored.  For predicting the truth time and time again, in other people's minds, I am a foreteller of doom, rather than a seer of the inevitable consequences of their own actions. I am falsely labeled "mad" when I speak truths they do not want to hear.  But when I am truly waxing crazy, my truths become harsher, and bitter.  They are just as often true.  But it is when I predict bad outcomes that come true that people are the most scared of me.

I'm not psychic.  I am a "student" of behavior.  I am a studier, a watcher, drawn to details, a collector of patterns.  It is true, everyone is different.  But what makes them different is just the differing weights of the ingredients  they share with Everyone else.  There are only so many ingredients out of which to make people, although there are always one or two without raisins, and others with nuts.  

I learned about human behavior from an expert, a psychopharmacologist who studied biologically based mental illnesses, AKA, my father.  He taught me what was normal, what was not.  He showed me the rigid patterns in which people think, the way the very words they use to conceal give them away.  I learned there were a limited array of behaviours. Some are so dreadful that it is best not to think about them.  But for all of them, it is as the old saw goes, there is nothing new on this Earth.

Sometimes, I scare and anger people with my assessments of their friends and what I foresee as the outcome of their actions.  The more often I am correct, the harder they push me away.

My plan for now is to lie low, I refuse to fall victim to any scheming Clytemnestra.  Another meaning for the name Cassandra is "defender,"  and I have always been someone who tries to defend the rights of the most marginalized members of society.   Sometimes defending is altruistic, such as helping prisoners make legal appeals,.  Other times it just means protecting myself from the consequences of mishaps created by my own peculiar recipe of perspicacity and crazy.

5 Minutes of Appreciation #reverb10

December 14 prompt:  Appreciate.  What is the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do express gratitude for it? -Victoria Klein

December 15 prompt:  5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in 5 minutes.  Set the alarm for 5 minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010? -Patti Digh


I once again have been having health problems, so I am combining some prompts, and may do so in a couple of days again.

I received the Dec. 14 prompt, and I was beginning to feel like I was being asked essentially the same thing over and over.  What did you like best about X?  What was the best thing you did?  Where did you have the most fun?  I know it isn't quite that simplistic, or overly gooey sweet.  I understand it must be hard to come up with prompts.  But I wonder if the authors aren't becoming too engrossed in making their prompt as "deep" as possible.  I can keep only mining that single, "deep" vein for so long.  I thought about skipping the prompt outright.

But then I received the December 15 prompt.  These kind of timed exercises have always helped me; as I have said, I do best with a line in the sand.  Plus, I felt like if I just started spewing memories, the things I appreciate might naturally rise to the surface.    So I set my smart phone's timer for 5 minutes, and these are the memories that "pushed through"
-
Oregon Country Fair-Avocado Dream Boats-The Ritz-spinach and cheese turnovers-glitter-Mount Shasta, the halfway point to Veneta-Driving near Corning for olives-Trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park-Mud Pots-Almost brain surgery-More and more seizures-More and more migraines-Violet and the root canal-mixed episode-hypo manic episode-Foot Surgery-Life on a scooter-DH gets new job-Quitting daycare-S, J and H-Emptying our savings-We end the year in the black-Making it through the tough times-growing closer-planning for our 10th anniversary-Job interview at a dispensary-coloring books-shopping for jewelry-Eni-thing-It's a Girl Thing-thrift shop hunting-starting to read again-learning cribbage-Happy 9th Anniversary-DH turns 40-Niece turns 3-"Sister3" turned 40-Oaksterdam University-Medical Cannabis-activism-Violet in the yard-riding a bike-car breakdowns-Crazyboards, and blogging-Blogger, and blogging-Told my mother to back off-My mother aged significantly-My father is sick
-
Now, I did corrects some spelling, and re-organize the list so it was a little more coherent to me.  Out of the 49 I quickly counted (which means the actual count could be anywhere between 47 and 51), 16 (about a third) of the memories I came up with had to do with my husband's and my health and finances.

You can see by the things I italicized what was going on in our personal lives:  Fears about health and money, surgeries, disappointment, and just overall stress.  I know a lot of marriages are pulled apart by money and health problems.  I have watched it happen to friends and enemies alike.  Maybe it is because we have both spent our lives since puberty struggling with illness.   Maybe it is because we both know what it is like to have negative worth, and that it is survivable:  At one point right before I met DH, my finances were so bad, the FDIC wouldn't allow me to have a bank account.  He had almost as bad a history.  We have worked hard to build up our savings in our marriage, because we are both late to the land of "financially responsible adulthood."

For 11 months, we watched our savings dwindle.  We actually were starting to think of selling parts of our 401k.  I hate money. Hate. it.

So when my husband was suddenly hired at the end of August, literally days before he was scheduled to have brain surgery, it blew a hole in our plans, and I hate when there is a change of plan.  Suddenly, there was not going to be brain surgery, but there was going to be income.

Much to my shock, I was torn.  I had spent the entire month of August being tended to my psychiatrist, preparing myself for my husband's surgery.  I wasn't intentionally trying to make it "all about me," but I just fell apart at the idea of something going wrong.

Yet when the surgery was postponed so he could take the job, I was angry at him for not doing the surgery instead.    Since then, the threat of surgery has reappeared, but I have come to accept I cannot make this decision for DH.  He will have it within the next year, it is just a matter of whether it is sooner or later.

So all of this depressing stuff has ironically made me appreciate my husband and my marriage more than ever.  I am bad at expressing gooey emotions towards my husband.   But we have had so much time together in 2010, that we were able to talk about our relationship and our marriage a lot, and no matter how difficult or thorny the topic.  It never seemed to take a negative turn.

So this is not exactly riveting, but I show my appreciation for my husband and my marriage by keeping the lines of communication open, and trying to be brave enough to say things I am nervous about saying.  So far, it is working.

Goodwill and cash

So I am behind in what I wore.  Also behind in what I have purchased.  This is going to be a photo dump.  But last weekend I was so busy with class, I was zonked when I got home.  This week, I had so many headaches, I didn't even dress Wednesday.  Then yesterday, I am certain I took a picture, because I keep taking them until they are almost in focus (har) and I saw the picture.  I must have deleted it by accident, but I know I will wear that outfit again, because it was easy and it matched.

Monday, I had the headache I had managed to put off during the weekend.  Saturday and Sunday, I did have to pop a couple of Imitrex, but survived.  I am wearing the "Yes on Prop 19" t shirt I bought at the bookstore at Oaksterdam U.  Awful jeans, they are going into the Goodwill bag, I think they are Target.  And suede Doc Martens MJs.

Tuesday I felt better, and of course, that meant shopping.  Goodwill this time, and I picked out a great deal of stuff for $31 and change.  My spending still sucks, because I am no longer limiting it to Goodwill, though. :(

The top is NY & Co., a turquoise empire top that is distorted by my hips.  The fabric has a kind of gather all over it, you can kind of see it.  Textured fabric is supposed to de-emphasize a lack of waist, and  I have to admit, it almost looks like I have a waist in this picture.  The skirt is Costco, and I keep almost giving it away.  But it is like a pair of jeans.  I see it hits my legs in a horrible spot, so into the Goodwill bag it goes.  The shoes are some black penny loafer mules.  The hairband was some excessive shopping I did in beauty supply store.

I got that headband in black and ivory.  It has an embossed fabric overlay, and a flower pouf-thing.  I am into flowers and pouf at the moment.  I also got a pretty claw clip (it doesn't have that butterfly hinge that is so awful), and a fuzzy ponytail holder.  Then I bought what I actually went in there for:  One of those dye wands for touching up your roots, and a waxing kit.  The wand works pretty well, but it is a little more work than I expected.  It lasts between washes, you can get it wet, but not soapy.  The waxing kit I was going to try tonight, but decided against pulling hair out of my face while I had a headache.  I still have a mask to do tonight, I am girly-girling out.  BUT, my skin has been beyond fantastic.  In fact, I haven't touched the spot zit treatment in days.

I am nervous about the waxing kit.  I have an eyebrow pencil just in case.

Okay, so Wednesday, I was punished for my profligacy (Goodwill finds are coming up).  I was so sick, it was one of the all day ones, where you basically writhe because there is no escape in any position, or with any home remedy.  So no picture.

Thursday I didn't feel great, but I had to get to the supermarket to pick up our meds, DH was about to totally run out.  You've seen that shirt before, in a variety of colors.  I wore the black one on Friday.  I look like shit in general, and those are the same awful jeans.  That is an old Target purse, and the shoes are pink and white mules, also from Target.

Yesterday, I wore new black knit pants I got Tuesday.  They are knit, but structured (they zip up the side), so they look like nice pants, not my usual knits.  The black shirt version of the pink-y shirt above, and a red Ann Taylor sweater coat (not the full length time).  It is one of my favorite pieces of clothing, although to be honest, it is over-sized.  I like how it looks though.  I wore a pair of black skimmers (how many pair of black shoes do I own?).  I wore my black hairband, and the necklace I had purchased at Eni-thing, which matched earrings I had purchased a month or so ago.

Today was an awful day.  DH had a seizure, I woke up with a vomit inducing migraine, and the gardeners were here, so Violet was shrieking all day.  After throwing up a few times, I remembered I had just gotten Imitrex shots on Thursday, so I took one of those.  I also used a very strong Indica, "Burgundy Goo," which helped me eat something, and took away another layer of pain.

I have spent the day in pajamas, although I ran out to talk to a GOTV guy.  Violet was going insane, and I said, "Violet, be nice, he's a Democrat," and he laughed.  I am voting straight Dem as always.  I used to split my vote, but no more.

So now we are going into one of my purchase lists, so hang on.  These boots are the highest heel I can wear, but the stacked heel saves me.  Ironically, I couldn't have worn them before my surgery, because my left foot was too mis-shapen.

They are definitely special occasion only.

This top is navy, and is super cute.  It can be layered, and looks really cute with jeans and boots (I have a lot of boots, at the moment):

As much as you can say I am need of a particular type of clothing, blouses are it.

I used this purse Friday night when DH and I went out to eat.

This is a really cute, compact purse, I think the boa trim is visible in this pic.  Again, more of a dress item.

I bought this lamp and lampshade separately.  The base is actually off-white, and I am still deciding whether to pain the metal part.  It is kind of incongruous, but our bed frame was jerry-rigged, we have an Eames era wrought iron bed, which is not standard size.  It has a bit of an industrial look:  We bolted it together, planning to paint the bolts black, but decided we liked the contrast.

So six items for $30 is not the best bargain I have knocked out, but the boots were over a third of that.  The lamp was $2 total.

So that is what I bought on Tuesday.

Odds and ends

Well, I am excited, because I have settled on a basic concept for my cover up tattoo. I actually consulted with one of the artists at an Etsy shop I "frequent," and got permission to base the tattoo off of her brooches. My last tattoo was partially based on a Tudor Rose brooch I bought from them. I should have asked permission, but it didn't occur to me, to be honest. It was only after I thought about it that I realized they were owed some credit for my tattoo design. That was a "meaningful" tattoo, because the Tudor Rose was in memory of my Boxer "Good Queen Bess," and it was surrounded by Violets (for guess who).



This time I will be basing it on her pansy brooches, particularly this one. Cover-ups are usually pretty big tattoos, so I am also going to incorporate the Ophelia quotation from "Hamlet": "And there is pansies, that's for thoughts..." which is a an idea directly ripped-off from the shop description of the brooch. But I don't think Shakespeare is protected by copy write. Har. I won't be able to do this for a few months. due to cost, but it is awesome to have settled on the final idea, I am in love with it. And I know H will be excited to start working on a basic design. The last tattoo ended up being a four person project. I came up with the idea, Wychbury provided the model for one part of it, H did the rough design, and Jessica from Staircase Tattoo refined it, and made it look more botanically correct.




So, it has been very hot here, in the mid-90s. Which has, of course, influenced my wardrobe choices. What I wore yesterday: My little Tiffany silver Tudor Rose earrings, a sage green spaghetti strap top I got at GW, which has kind of extra fabric that you tie in front, so it has a layered look. It has spaghetti straps, so I have to wear a camisole with a shelf bra, and in this case, it was a neon green one. I really am not thrilled with my arms, but I tend to wear tank tops a lot. Also, I wore some green denim shorts, also GW. Finally, I wore my Keen flip flops, I guess officially they are Waimea H2.

Here I am:



These are the sandals, although mine are grey:



Today was very hot as well. It also is a day worth remarking on, because it is the first time I have taken a picture of an outfit and thought, "Shriek, that is horrible on me." I couldn't have emphasized my faults better, and the shirt I wore was just too small. So it is going to Goodwill. I guess this is going to be a major aspect of the blog, seeing myself in clothes and saying, "HOLY SHIT!" So I am wearing a camisole (same neon color, different one), the v-neck collared sage and ivory striped shirt that is going to GW, same shorts, and purple Crocs flip flops.



The striped shirt is supposed to be cropped, but I don't think it is supposed to end just below my boobs. And the horizontal stripes are just, well....

I was going to go to a drop in beginning belly dancing class tonight, but then the owner told me the place had no air-conditioning. I decided that would be one thing if I were already in reasonable shape, but trying out a new exercise under the worst possible conditions was not exactly giving the new type of exercise a chance. So I will go next Wednesday.

We got our American Express bill, and it is just deadly. We won't be totally back on our feet until early December (just in time for my family's very competitive holiday gift giving, ugh). Our savings are pretty much zero, although we do have stocks we could sell, so we do have some net worth. We won't have to sell them unless there is an emergency, so that is good. Still, even though we wiped out are savings, that is what savings is for, right? We got through 10 months, and they always say save up 6 months. So we obviously had passed that goal. But now we are starting over. First savings goal, save 10k. It is like going back to the beginning of our marriage.

My mood chart says my function has gone from good to moderate. I agree. I have a lot of signs of hypo mania, but unfortunately, none of the useful ones. Mostly agitation, sleeplessness, over-eating, but none of that energy, or the "high." I am anxious about seeing my shrink, our last meeting did not end on a happy note, and now this will be our last meeting before he goes on sabbatical. Ugh, a new psychiatrist. I really like *this* guy, even if we did have a bit of a tiff.

NakedJen has landed in Santa Cruz with her doggie companions, Stella and Buddha. DH and I will be seeing her on Saturday. On Sunday, I am going to a "bird class," to learn about bird care, because we might be getting a bird! DH seems to waver back and forth on it. I am very interested, but if he doesn't want one, there is no point. It was supposed to be kind of a "concession" to him, although that isn't the right word. I just mean it was his turn to get something he wanted, and it was a bird. But now he is going back and forth. My biggest concern is that the bird will shriek while I have migraines, and I will want to kill it. Joking. Sort of. The cage would have to be in our room, there is no room elsewhere, and the light setup is the best and healthiest for a bird, as well. Violet's "hang out" is in the study, so we could have them both secured in separate rooms when we left (I would NEVER leave Violet with access to the bird while I wasn't there.

In other, more alternative news, the weekend after this coming one (23rd-24th) I start classes at Oaksterdam University, where I have my first medical cannabis course, Basic 101 Weekend . This course is a 1/2 of their Classic Curriculum. Their Classic Curriculum lasts 13 weeks, the way I am doing it is over two weekends classes. I am very psyched about this.

Well, I think my shopping is mostly done for a while, but I still have tons and tons of finds to show off to those of you who have not already had the misfortune of being forced to look at them as I purchased them. And I am also sure I will have just as many appalling outfits to post. I need it to cool off, I have many more things to wear once it goes into the 60s.