happy halloween

Today we are having a Halloween potluck at work. I must say that my costume is the best I've ever come up with. I'm Tippi Hedron from Hitchcock's The Birds, complete with blond wig, '60s dress, and crow attacking my head. Yes, there is also blood and torn nylons. I may have to post a photo. Unfortunately, I am the only one in costume thus far. I do know a coworker will be partaking in the delights of costume-wearing, but she won't be in until 10 am. Oh well.

Also, it was the man's birthday yesterday, which went very well with the exception that we had dinner with two sets of his grandparents two nights in a row. Oh, and one of them brought up marriage. And the man didn't seem too opposed to the possibility, which caused a near panic attack on my end because we have never discussed it. I guess it might come to that at some point, but I've never really considered "our" life ending up there. I'm not anti-marriage when it comes to the man, but in front of his 86-year-old grandmother is not the appropriate time to have that first discussion. We are going to see Jimmy Buffett in Vegas next October, I'll make sure I build my tolerance up by then or I may come home with more than a hangover.

oh, come on...

Today is a "what the fuck?" day. Since the minute I woke up, things have been on a weird plane. The man is abnormally outward with his feelings today, which throws me off. The pets were actually calm this morning, nothing like their normal AM behavior. These are good things. Work, of course, is another story.

Warning: I'm about to bitch about my job. Today is the kind of day where, instead of leaving early like I should due to the amount of hours I've already put in this week, I'll likely be staying late or coming in tomorrow. I had my day plotted out, time parceled, etc. That blew out the fucking window at 8:45 this morning. I guess I have to "roll with the punches."

quicksand

The man is extremely stressed out these days, which is only remotely good because it allows me to get perspective on my own stress. In comparison, my stresses aren't as bad as his and thus, I am reminded to count my blessings.

I'm not going to go into details, but lately there seems to be a tidal wave of negative outcomes pouring down on the man. Family issues, business issues, career issues, transportation issues, all have reared their ugly heads this week. He was full of optimism not even one week ago, but in the matter of three days he has been sucked into the quicksand of doubt and negativity. Like quicksand, adding more negative happenings to a person can suck them further and further into the expectation of future bad occurrences.

I am trying to remain positive, despite my own propensity to be cynical. Luckily, I do not doubt the man and his abilities so it is easy for me to give him a pep talk every now and again. Mainly, I'm trying to listen so that he is able to purge some of the weight that is dragging him down. Today is a new day and I hope that I go home to find that he has risen a bit out of the frustration. It is very difficult to be cheery when someone around you is angst-ridden.

spreading the love

I have a two inch by one inch poison ivy wound healing on my ankle. I found it while I was in the shower about two weeks ago. I just assumed that I had somehow unknowingly come across it. Upon further reflection, I realized that I have not been anywhere to get said poison ivy allergic reaction: no forests, no ditches, no long grass or wooded areas of any kind. Where, one might ask, did I pick up poison ivy? I was perplexed. One morning the man looked at my unsheathed ankle (free of it's binds after the irritation cleared up) and said "ow, what happened there?". I explained and all of a sudden he looked quite sheepish. The man had a hunch at how I procured said irritation because he, the man, had brought it home to me.

The man is one of the rare superhumans who is not allergic to things people normally have reactions to, like poison ivy and mosquito bites. The man and some of his buddies went to play paintball (you guessed it) two weeks ago. There are weeds and grass and poison ivy and trees there. He brought home the horrible itchiness of the poison ivy and somehow managed to strategically place it on the inside of my ankle. A place where a lovely kitten-heeled shoe can wreak havoc on the sensitive skin covered with a small section of rashy, horrible, irritating poison ivy outbreak.

As it was already nearly gone, I couldn't be super-pissed at him anymore. He just grinned and said that as long as the worst thing he ever brings home to me is poison ivy irritation, I should be happy. Some men bring home herpes.

progress

I've been working a lot lately, on a variety of projects. I'm nearly finished with my side project for a former coworker. I'm creating a Website for the man's new business. I've been putting in overtime at work. I've been putting in time on my thesis. I've been working to revamp some spaces in the house. Whew, I've been busy.

Suffice it to say, I've made substantial progress in many of the aforementioned areas and as a result of my working so much there have been fewer posts lately. I apologize, but need to mention that although I've made progress, there is still much work to do. I will try to post regularly.

maladies #5: takes a licking and keeps on ticking

I haven't brought up my physical therapy appointments lately. I am still doing an hour of exercises daily to try to fix all of the issues, but we hit a bit of a roadblock last week. Apparently, my body decided to go haywire, just to show me that I am not, in fact, in control. Out of the blue, despite all my efforts, I regressed to my pre-physical therapy status of pain, snapping muscles, cramping muscles, muscles seemingly on fire, pain, pelvic nonalignment, pain, and oh, did I already mention the pain? Frustration followed, as did a brief spell of pity partying. But, that was short lived and I continued doing the exercises, though they had been altered a bit because of my regression.

Apparently, the changes have worked as I am once again on track to "recovery" as of my appointment yesterday afternoon. My strength, though not Herculean, has improved nonetheless, as has my flexibility. My muscles are wound tighter than a nun in the Red Light District, but after some awful stretches and massage techniques, they seem to be loosening a bit (my muscles, not the nuns).

I have another appointment next week, and if all goes well I might not have to continue my weekly visits. I'll keep you posted.

new opportunities

The man and I were actually able to spend some time together this weekend as this was his first weekend off from work since June (if not earlier). We had a great weekend and were able to accomplish a lot of small projects that we had been putting off. Also, we took some time to do nothing but enjoy one another's company, which was a welcome change from the perfunctory ways we spend time together, such as going to the hardware store or eating dinner.

Some new opportunities have revealed themselves in terms of the man's career. As a result of some savvy purchases and networking over the course of the past month, he has been able to make significant headway toward opening his own business. This project has been "in the works" for quite some time, but now the focus has shifted, allowing for a much more timely opening date and a more manageable workload.

I'm quite happy for him and I know that he will be much more content with life in general when he is back doing work that he enjoys. The selfish side of me sees how much time and energy must be put out in opening a new business and anticipates negative consequences (namely, less time for me). I'm going to have to try to be as supportive as possible because I know how much the business means to him. I do know, from experience, that there will be some rough patches ahead. This (the new business and the effects on our relationship) won't be easy.

In other news, I will be an aunt to a second tiny human as my brother and his wife are expecting their second child in May.

reasons why i am restless

1. seemingly insurmountable workload at work, and that doesn't even take into account my normal work responsibilities (leading me to feel like I have failed each time I leave the office)
2. still understaffed at work
3. hourly wage + no overtime = donation of multiple work hours to employer each week
4. minimal quality time with the man due to our conflicting work schedules
5. summer has passed, and I have participated in zero fun summer activities with the man
6. inexplicably, my physical therapy seems to have stopped progressing, meaning a new approach will be taken
7. roadblock in terms of special side project
8. lack of friend time and time with the man has been leading to all work and no play
9. rising costs of everything
10. thesis still isn't finished