:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Friday, January 02, 2009 ::

Well, damn. Welcome to the new year. It's been six months and a lot has happened, so I think a recap is in order.

The fact that I'm at home right now to write this is testament to the first event [part one of two, as it turns out]: carpal tunnel release surgery on my right hand in mid-December. I finally caved, after being diagnosed a year ago and trying many things from physical therapy to work restrictions, and even attempting a new electro-cortisone treatment-- yeah, weird... didn't work.
Once this puppy is all healed up and regains full function [i.e. dexterity and strength], we're gonna cut the left hand. All of this results mainly in about 4 weeks off work entirely for each hand, and some light duty in between for several weeks thereafter. I put it off as long as possible and had hoped it would heal with extra care and rest, but it often comes down to the fact that many employers don't really view us as human beings; this situation being just inconvenient for them, they'll work you until you say "stop, it hurts too much." I guess it took me some time to allow myself the luxury of believing that I deserved that consideration [and I'm still on the fence]. But it's been set in motion now, and hopefully by this time next year, everything will be better than it was, at least with my hands.

That being said, things got decidedly worse in November when, the week before Thanksgiving, my cat-- MY cat, the most wonderful cat of my life, Samantha, was diagnosed with a common form of cancer in cats, alimentary lymphoma.
She was on such a downhill slope, and had actually stopped eating for a couple of days after the first vet visit. I took a whole day and drove her to the veterinary teaching hospital at OSU in Corvallis for some specific procedures, and we got started on round one [of four] of a chemotherapy regiment called "CHOP" therapy. We just finished round one last week, and she has responded quite well [knock on wood], so we'll proceed after the obligatory week off between rounds. I am fully convinced that, given the course of things and her condition around Thanksgiving, without this procedure, Sammy wouldn't even be here now. So I'm grateful for every bit of healthy-feeling-good time from this point forward.

Though it's hardly worth mentioning, since it really has no bearing upon my life these days, but my errant brother and his mental wife reappeared at the beginning of October and have moved back to town after running out of money. I won't go into the whole sordid fiasco, but I will say that the scary couple did contact much of the family in hopes of a bailout, and when it didn't pan out for them, they became nasty. The entire family is now maintaining radio silence until such time as Grant realizes where he is and what he has done and makes a decision to get out of it. He truly has nothing to lose now but his pride.

In other news, I'm slogging through the weighted part of the film work, which should let up soon into the fun part. I do wish I had a bit of help, but there's not really anyone available who is both willing and capable of doing some of the prep work. So it's on me, but I knew that going in.

Throw in all of the usual workings of making a living and keeping shit running, and there you have my life this Fall and Winter. The only thing I really miss right now is recording music, but that will come back after healing and being done with the film project. I'm hoping to be reimmersed in the CD project by summer. Man, that's been a long time coming.

:: Anne 12:30 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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