NotesFromtheVoices

Last night, I covered the monthly Sip & See series at our local Arts Council for the newspaper and magazine. I look forward to the event each month because a I feel little cultured after it. I needed to get a crowd shot so I stood up on a chair and  ended up having a brief exchange with a man I didn't know. Man: I know you are trying to get the picture but you need to be careful in your delicate condition. Me: Oh! I'm not pregnant. I just had a really good December. He apologized a lot. But I was cool with it. I didn't freak out and ED didn't get a voice in the matter. I did have a very good December. And I enjoyed every bite of it from the breakfast casseroles and ham dinners to amazing  cakes and pies. It was an AWESOME month and January hasn't been to bad either. And I am cool with it. It has been too cold to do my three days a week walk and I have been putting in some late hours. Exercise  hasn't been a major priority. So I know where the weight h...

I have been fighting an awful cold. If my nose isn't running, I am coughing and feeling bad.  I have kept it contained pretty well but when you work at a newspaper and have deadlines coming for several big projects. You chug cough syrup, take Dayquil and keep going. I think the cold stems from the fact in the last week, the highs have been just above freezing. I have bundled up the best I could but I lost the battle. When my nose started running at work, I didn't have any Kleenex for my desk. So I took a roll of tissue from the supply closet. Work tissue is not the softest in the world so by the end of the day, my poor nose was aching. After getting home, I don't know what made me go through a box in the laundry closet but I did. In it, I found a box of Puffs that I had gotten for my mom before she died. I think she used two. I remember when I was packing up her hospital room, I tossed the box in the other things. Seeing that blue box Wednesday night made me feel a li...

This has the makings of a good week. I got a new cell phone. A Nokia phone that is AWESOME with internet access.  I am feeling slightly under the weather with a cold.  As I was looking online, I found this list at www.marcandangel.com about 50 things every person should know how to do and decided to see where I stand. Overall, I think I can hold my own pretty well. Let me know how things shape up for you. 1.    Build a Fire   – I can't do this.  2.    Operate a Computer   – Give me a few hours to explore and I will figure a computer out.  3.  Use Google Effectively   – I excel at this. If I have a question, I Google. 4.  Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver   – I learned CPR in college so if I need to help I think I could do it. 5.  Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle   – Driving should be effortless. There is too much involved with stick shifts.  6.  Do Basic Cooking ...

I have never liked to look in the mirror or to take photos. I guess at times I just don't like what I see looking back at me. This is something I have been working on for a few years now. The photo above was taken Friday while I was working on a day trip story for the magazine my newspaper puts out. I went to an art center that was 45 minutes from RR. It was one of the best day trip I have taken since I took over doing the section three years ago. It was just wonderful. The owners and the artists at the center were wonderful people. It was a trip filled with good vibes and good energy. For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself and I liked myself . When I took that photo, I didn't cringe or pick out my faults. Instead, I saw someone I very proud of and who is a fighter. I know everything isn't always sunshine and puppy dogs. But I am okay with this. I could see possibilities and feel hopeful about life. It is a wonderful feeling. And I came away from the ...

I may not know much in life but I know myself pretty well. I am a creature of habit. I am not big on change. This habit of mine allows to see when things are out of whack. For instance, I switched from remeron to prozac while I was on vacation. Anytime I changed meds or start meds, I like to do it while I am not working so I see if anything is different or if the meds make me tired. I started taking the prozac on Dec. 28 and by New Year’s Day I noticed my mouth was little swollen. By January 4, I could barely talk.  During this time, I didn’t eat anything weird or do anything. I had to be the meds. I left a message with my doctor and made the decision to stop taking the prozac on Jan. 5. Since then, I am back to normal. The swelling has gone away. When I got in touch with my doctor on Monday, it was the reaction of the nurse that shocked me. Instead of giving me kudos for realizing something was wrong, she got upset because had started taking the new med a week afte...

I am so glad it is a new year because honestly 2012 was a bitch. Please excuse my language but it was a rough year for me. But I see hope on the horizon for this year. It helps that I had most of the first week of the new year off from work. I had a chance to rest, regroup and plan. Also I was put on some new meds. At for the first time in weeks, I feel like myself again. Tomorrow,  I return to work. I will miss being a lady of leisure. I continue this lifestyle if I win the lottery,  divorce and marry a rich guy or write an awesome best selling novel. Well, I don't see those things happening. So I return to the world of work, a little more energized. I looked at my 12 things I wanted to accomplish in 2012 to see how I did. 1. More visits from JJ in RR. There were no visits from JJ in 2012 but I did visit him a lot in 2012. 2. Continue with my recovery from ED. It continues to be a daily struggle. But I will continue to fight the fight against ED. 3. Volunteer wi...