ER

This post should have been about the art project I started last night.  Instead, it's about stitches. I went to the ER last night.  I was cutting wine corks in half for the aforementioned art project and the knife and I did not work well together.  I wasn't able to slice the last cork I was working on in half, but I was able to slice open my finger pretty nicely!  Man, did that hurt.  Blood and tears and fear came next.  -Fear about what they would have to do to me in the ER.  I'd never had stitches before and I didn't feel sad about that at all.  Stitches sounded painful.  I must have asked Josh 10 times at home, on the walk down to the car, in the car, after parking at the hospital: "Are you sure we can't just take care of it at home?".  He kindly indulged me by gently removing the blood soaked rag I was holding onto my wound, and looking at it every time before responding, "Yeah, babe.  I'm afraid it's beyond a band-aid."  When the nurse looked at it, he said there were "finger guts" hanging out.  Uch.  They were all very kind to me at Swedish in Ballard.  Josh was my hero, stroking my hair and kissing my forehead while I was unhappily being treated. The doctor stitched it up so I look like I have a finger shaped baseball on my hand, then the nurse bound the finger in so much gauze protection, I feel like I'm wearing a prosthetic digit. (Makes it tough to type, too.)

It's a wonder I'm not  regular at the ER.  I am incredibly accident-prone and terribly reckless with myself.  Going 33 years without a stitch or broken bone is pretty astounding for such an individual, I think.  Bruises, minor cuts, scrapes, minor burns...those are more my style.  I'd like to keep it that way.  I'm not interested in returning anytime soon.

Oh, and I did finally get my hair cut today.  It wasn't so bad. 

The art of doing Nothing

I know I can't afford it and I really don't have the right mindset, but I do ache just the teensiest for a baby. I also ache for a home and a new car and financial security. Those, unfortunately, are the more sensible things to work towards.

I saw on the news last night that one of the only places in the country not suffering from the recession is Battle Mountain, NV.  That's because their economy is due to gold mining and when the national economy is poor, gold is worth more. I mentioned to Josh that maybe we should move there for a year and save money.  I didn't mention how barren the place is-how it's miles from any sort of entertainment or true civilization. I didn't mention how much I was sure I would truly be miserable there, even though we would be doing it "for a good cause". I didn't need to.  His immediate response was, "Why? We would hate that!" I know. I just really, really want to save money so we can buy things we need for our future.  When I looked up other places with lower costs of living online, I found that Tennessee and Oklahoma are the 2 lowest cost of living states. I really liked Tulsa when I helped Jason move there some years back, but the landscape of Tennessee is far more appealing to me.  Still, when I relayed this info to Josh he was able to put me back into reality.  "You don't want to be land-locked, Angela." It's true.  I love being on the coast.  The only problem is that a higher cost of living seems to go hand in hand with coastal living.  Too bad. I don't think we'd really save money anyway, considering we don't do anything that is in crucial demand for work like nursing or law enforcement. We'd probably make less doing our jobs wherever it cost less to live. It's all relative, I'm sure. Bummer.

I think we'll be able to give blood today. Josh came home for a quick lunch before finishing up his day and anticipates completing work by 2. I really need to shower and take Lulu out for some exercise. She keeps looking at me with anticipation, then sighing heavily when I don't react. Poor boo. I also need to make that hair appointment. I keep putting it off.  The longer I put it off the harder it is to call! I know I'm being silly.  I just need to do it. It's not surgery.  It's just a haircut.

sun kisses

Lulu and I went for a power walk: hillclimbing 70th-75th, walking down from Greenwood to Fremont and sprinting between blocks. I'm going to try to add one more hill next time.  I don't think I get tired as much as I just get bored.  It takes a long time to go that distance and I didn't bring my iPod, so that made it a little less entertaining.

God it's gorgeous today!  Lulu and I got sun kissed up and down.  Lots of people were out in their gardens or walking or at the coffee shops.  I forgot it was President's Day.  I didn't think many people got that holiday off, but apparently they do.  I liked all the energy around us.

Yesterday was a crap day.  Josh had an episode, in public, and Lulu and I were both affected.  I managed to busy myself by making snickerdoodles from a recipe site. I substituted 1/2 cup of the sugar for Splenda.  They turned out yum.  I had never made them before, so I expected the dough to be wetter and the cookie to "grow" more like chocolate chip cookies do in the oven.  They don't.  They don't really look baked when you take them out, but as soon as they cool, you can taste that they are baked. My first batch were too small (since I expected them to grow while baking),

but the second and third batch were just right.  I ended up smooshing them down a bit thinner onto the sheet.

For consistency's sake, I think the trick is to take them out just before you're supposed to so the middle is soft and the sides are a bit more baked.

I meant to make us appointments to donate blood today, but Josh got some work he was able to go do so I am going to try for another day this week. I plan to make an appt. for Lulu to give blood as well. I feel it's our duty to give it since we're able to. I also need to make a hair appt. this week and I really dread going. I haven't been happy with a haircut since 2006.  The hairstylist who did it messed it up the very next time and ever since then I've just been salon hopping trying to do damage control.  I'm going to try out a place a few others have been blogging about since it's just down the street.  May as well. 

Thank god for weeks off!