Weeds are OK in your lawn! Although I did give in to DH's desire to assimilate into suburbia by having the front lawn treated. I apologize for my hypocrisy.
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Checking on Nie Nie now and then amazes me.
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Another political news story worthy of a rant. Obama makes an ethics law, involving the elimination of conflict of interest at government agencies. Then he appoints a man to head NASA that requires a waiver, because of a conflict of interest. So the law is good only when it doesn't get in your way, I guess.
Oh, then there is the whole issue of Bill Nelson, a democratic senator from Florida, threatening to throw a tantrum if the president didn't pick his friend for the NASA position while actively campaigning against other candidates.
This article doesn't mention the conflict of interest at all, gotta love the media.
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There has been another doctor appointment. I met with a new neurologist (actually a physician's assistant) on Saturday. Leaving the appt DH and I agreed it was a huge improvement over my last neuro. He was not extreme, not postulating on an overall diagnosis at the first appt like alot of drs have tried. Several things came of this appointment.
The diagnosis I received many years ago (16) of TMJstill holds true. When the neuro held my hands on my tempromandibular joint and I felt the major movement, that he said is not supposed to exist, I realized there was a problem. When I received my TMJ diagnosis way back when, I was told it would be over a thousand dollars to treat it and we were poor college students. I actually cried when I left that dentists office, knowing that I would just have to suffer the pain for a very long time. When DH's uncle, a dentist, adjusted my bite and took out my wisdom teeth it helped so much (Thanks!). But now more is known about the condition, more treatments are available, and I now know that normal jaws shouldn't move like that. The neuro said this won't solve everything but could very likely help. He encouraged me to get a professionally made mouthpiece to wear at night, I hope our dental insurance will cover it.
This was interesting to read, though I won't count on a whole body healing for me(from here): "There is no doubt that TMJ dysfunction can have far-reaching effects, even to the point of involving peripheral circulation and paresthesias. S. D. Smith reported a case where major improvement in leg circulation directly corresponded to balancing a left TMJ compression through jaw repositioning."
The other interesting thing to come out of the neuro appt. is that I had been taking two drugs that make me stupid! So I have an excuse :) Seriously, both of the drugs I had been taking have the side effect of "Memory loss, problems concentrating, or slow thinking" (see, I told you = stupid). The PA explained that the medications were both at low doses so I was getting minimal benefit with maximum side effects. So I'm not taking the least effective of those two medications now. Just for any of you out there on meds, FYI the drugs in question are Lyrica and Topamax. For help with another troublesome side effect he counseled that Miralax is a great laxative if you need it on a daily basis to counteract drug side effects. TMI? Just trying to be helpful.
Upcoming- EMG on my hands to check for nerve damage. And, one day I will have a positive attitude about Rheumatologists again, and make an appointment with a third. My PCP is encouraging this, obviously I'm discouraged.
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BOOKS!
There is much going on in the world of books, probably because I aren't stoopid anymor. My reading had slowed to a crawl, it was just too difficult. It took me almost a month to finish Run by Ann Patchett.
It wasn't as enjoyable as Bel Canto, her first book, but it is worth reading. I wish she had spent just a little more time polishing it, especially the first half , it drags and the characters aren't solid. I really like the concept she plays with, that the chronology of events in our lives is complicated and cannot be undone. If you took away one bad action from your past, would it negatively effect the long term positive result of your life?
For years I've heard about The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. I read it in four days (see, no more dumb).
This book seemed like two books smashed into one. It was a book about grief, about the things this woman thought, but never said out loud - the mind knots we tie ourselves into just to cope. That book, that I appreciated. And I celebrate her ability to write such raw honesty with the bravery to publish it. I can only imagine, as one who has in comparison suffered minor griefs, that her words bring comfort to many who suffer the same. There before the grace of God go I.
The other book within this book, I could do without. It was the elitist, self-circulating, snobbery that made me want to ask the author, so what? She name dropped like it was a Jeopardy round. And the casual mention of dropping tens of thousands on a house down payment made want to tell her to keep her finances to herself. All the trips, the wealth, 5 star hotel stays, the servants doing everything, inserting the names of her and her husband's books frequently into the text, all of it I could have done without and the remaining themes would have soared. The author had a great concern for not developing self-pity, maybe if her life weren't all about her it wouldn't be such an issue. The success of this book probably has only exacerbated her condition by telling her that her grief is worthy of worldwide attention, while millions of others suffer their grief in silence and poverty.
Perhaps I'm still just the dumb youth, who hasn't experienced wealth or grief enough to understand Ms. Didion's whole point. Perhaps she meant it all to go together so as to echo her husband's thoughts about his life. He felt they were no longer having fun, that he had accomplished nothing; yet they both were well published writers and very wealthy. After his death she found a note in a computer file- "The concept of service." (p. 186) Yet, she never returns to the concept. (Am I too easily dismissing her service by way of writing this book?)
If you check a book out from the library too many times are you considered a stalker?After trying to be frugal, by checking it out again and again, I broke down and bought my own copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Now I'm reading The Roald Dahl Omnibus, a collection of short stories.
Anybody read it before? R wants to read it too so I'm wondering if hidden in those thick pages there is a "R" rating? But if I let her read with me I'll just have to pry it from her hands when I want it. Let's make her wait. She loved BFG that he also wrote.
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For anyone who is great enough to keep reading through this bloated post, thank you. You must be the kind of wonderful soul who would do something nice for humanity. How about participating in the Cancer society's research, CPS-3?
I'm glad the Dr went well. It would be nice to find my mental problems are caused by an outside influence (other than my children).
Nice post.
Posted by: readerMom | May 26, 2009 at 09:06 PM