Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone is staying as safe and sane as can be. This week, I watched hella baseball, was in a ridiculous amount of pain while sitting, and ordered wine. Daily summaries below!

October 14, 2022

• Drainage, why have you returned with a vengeance?
• Why???
• Watched some baseball today, because playoffs.
• My boyfriend stopped by with another protein bar, and then went out and got bandaids because my mother cut herself while opening a can (we needed a specific size of bandaid that I did not have). He’s awesome.
• We also watched “Jeopardy!” together and dang, that Cris (Kris?) guy is just killing it.
• More baseball!
• Working on my standing endurance.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: Feeling in pain from the drainage and all that, but it was so nice to see my boyfriend. And to watch the Phillies beat Atlanta.
• Currently looping: Not much music today, mostly baseball.

October 15, 2022

• My boyfriend’s here!
• We’re watching baseball and eating takeout. Mmm…takeout.
• Took a break from baseball to watch an episode of “Rings of Power,” so now we’re halfway through the season.
• Oh my goodness, this game is in the eleventh inning. At least we didn’t miss any scoring by watching “Rings of Power.” 
• Okay, we’re in the eighteenth inning. This is almost two games back to back.
• What is going on?
• Wordle: In six!
• Currently feeling: Okay, so, I want to watch all of the baseball, but also for the sake of my boyfriend’s sanity, the channel that is playing the Yankees game because it couldn’t air on the original channel (because that channel is still playing the Mariners game) should be playing “Blades of Glory” and he loves that movie.
• Currently looping: No music, just lots of baseball.

October 16, 2022

• Ugh, drainage, why.
• Thank goodness my boyfriend’s here. He brings some much needed silliness.
• Wow, the Jets and the Giants won? I’m terribly confused.
• My writing/baseball buddy came over to watch the Yankees game. There was much hating on Bob Costas’ lack of commentary (seriously, they’re not paying Ron Darling enough to babysit him).
• Oh great, now it hurts to sit because my skin is so irritated (don’t worry, the surgeon said it wasn’t a pressure sore during my appointment earlier this week).
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Yay, game five!
• Currently looping: No music.

October 17, 2022

• Bloody overnight drainage. Which isn’t new, but I was really hoping I was past this phase.
• The nurse assures me this is normal. She was basically like, if it keeps continuing, the surgeon can fix it when the next procedure gets scheduled, and I’m like, “What?” Because that’s not what he told me.
• But really, I should go with what the surgeon said, because he was way more cautious about my options.
• But also I’m in a lot of pain right now. Sitting hurts. I have to sit all the time, except for some sweet precious standing frame moments.
• Went in my standing frame to watch “House of the Dragon.” Very excited for the season finale, which I’m surprised by, except that the end of episode nine was pretty epic, so I guess that’s why I’m looking forward to it.
• When watching James Corden’s show, my mother thought he seemed very obnoxious. She was right.
• My friends sent me flowers. It was very nice of them.
• While waiting through the rain delay, my mother and I started watching “The Cube” (that game show hosted by Dwayne Wade), and it’s actually quite fun.
• Wordle: In three!
• Currently feeling: In near constant pain and exhausted.
• Currently looping: Episodes of “The Cube”?

October 18, 2022

• Overnight drainage not bloody, so there’s a plus.
• But there’s still a lot of it. Whyyyy?
• And I’m still in pain, but my skin is healing (turns out all this sitting is causing some non-pressure-sore irritation).
• That feeling when all you can do is watch reruns of “Chopped.”
• Called the nurse again to be like, “Hi, I’m in a lot of pain, and this is reminding me of when my first surgery failed and abscesses started to form.” But she has to talk to the doctor before I can go in.
• And now I’m on temperature monitor duty to make sure I don’t have a fever and need to go to the ER.
• I just bought a bunch of wine because I ran out. Looking forward to the next movie night.
• I’m one of those Mets fans who doesn’t mind rooting for the Yankees if the Mets are no longer in the postseason. Because I believe in glory to NYC. Also, they’re in two different divisions, so it’s that situation where the teams aren’t actual rivals, but the fans are.
• Side note, Bob Costas said, “I can rock your baby” and it was gross (it was in the context of a Yankee player mocking a Guardian’s home run celebration).
• Ooh, new season of “Chopped”!
• How are the Phillies in the lead right now?
• Like, how?
• They won?! What?! This is the same Phillies team that went 5-14 against the Mets this season? Folks, the playoffs make no sense. None.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: Doing everything I can do to avoid a fever, and praying that the surgeon gets back to me soon.
• Currently looping: No music, but I did introduce my mother to The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” because fans keep chanting it during baseball games.

October 19, 2022

• Drainage with blood, so ugh.
• Sitting = pain. Made an appointment with the surgeon to figure out what the hell is going on.
• Got to catch up a bit with my bestie.
• Have to adjust my weekend plans because folks, I am in no condition to leave my apartment.
• Now I’m just using a dish towel to clean the sweat that my body is producing from the pain.
• Wow, the sweat subsides when I fold laundry? I’ll take it?
• I’ll get back to dissertation work when I’m not sweating from pain.
• Oh sweet standing frame, please alleviate my pain.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: Ow. Sweaty. Tired.
• Currently looping: Started listening to Death Cab for Cutie’s “Asphalt Meadows” album. Will have to finish it before I form an opinion, but so far so good.

October 20, 2022

• Sweating. Still. Ugh.
• Went to the surgeon’s office, where he did a thing that alleviated much of my sweating, so thank goodness for that.
• Except he also found a pressure sore, which, DAMMIT.
• Fifteen years of SCI, I didn’t get a single pressure sore.
• But now I have one. It’s stage 1, maybe 2, and I’m just like UGH NO WHY THIS, TOO.
• <groans loudly>
• So my mother and I went for bubble tea, because that is what you do after finding a pressure sore. And she also picked up some appropriate bandages to cover it.
• UGH.
• WHY.
• We also watched half of Gabriel Iglesias’ new comedy special, and he’s delightful.
• Wordle: Got stuck.
• Currently feeling: UGH. But at least I’m not in as much pain. But still, UGH.
• Currently looping: Listened to a lot of randomness on Spotify.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, get boosters, and watch a comedy special!