Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone is as safe and sane as can be. This week, my chair got new wheels, I gave out candy on Halloween, and dealt with drainage. Daily summaries below!

October 28, 2022

• Drainage looking lighter? But then not? I don’t know anymore.
• Wheelchair repair man came here and fixed up my chair! So now I have new wheels and front casters. Huzzah!
• Worked out with an SCI trainer. He said I was less tight than I was on Monday, so yay for that. I need to get back on the FES cycle though, because I have lost some muscle mass.
• Caught up with a friend from Ed school.
• Not gonna lie, I turned off the World Series after the second inning because it looked like the Astros were beating up the Phillies, but now the game looks closer and I’m going to turn it back on.
• Got to FaceTime my sister and nephew! He’s so cute!!
• My mother baked an apple pie! We had to try a bit (who doesn’t love warm apple pie?), even though it was kind of late for noms by the time the pie actually cooled.
• LOL, the Phillies came back to beat the Astros. In Houston. <cackles at the sad Astros fans>
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: Kind of dehydrated, because I also drank some wine earlier. I should drink more water.
• Currently looping: My music group on FB did a post asking members to create a 10-12 song playlist that would introduce someone to a favorite artist. So I give you my “Introduction to Evanescence” playlist! I realized afterwards that I went with more of their ballads than their hard rock songs.

October 29, 2022

• Overnight drainage not as bad. Cautiously optimistic?
• Why yes, I am marathoning “The Simpsons” Treehouse of Horror episodes while I try to catch up on some writing.
• I’m also listening to the new Rihanna song, and it’s kind of gorgeous.
• I think the Guillermo del Toro “Treehouse of Horror” opening is the best one.
• My boyfriend’s here! We decided to watch “The Shining.”
• DANG, that movie is different when it’s not the cable version.
• Really hoping the Phillies can win once they’re back in Philly, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, either.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Glad I finally started back up with writing. It’s been overdue.
• Currently looping: Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.” Yup, it’s gorgeous.

October 30, 2022

• My boyfriend and I are watching “Rings of Power,” and the most recent episode was actually hilarious. Perhaps unintentionally, but hilarious all the same.
• No baseball tonight. Alas.
• My boyfriend went out for groceries, and returned with groceries, and a burrito bowl from Chipotle. “I was going to call you [if you wanted one], but I was hungry.”
• <Proceeds to take food out of bag and start eating> “I also realized that if I got a bowl, then you would want a bowl.”
• <Starts eating. Then pauses> “I’ll go get you a bowl.”
• Of course I’m not a monster and I let him finish his food first before going out again.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Full of burrito bowl.
• Currently looping: No music today, although I have so much to catch up on.

October 31, 2022

• Happy Halloween!
• Caught up with a professor I’ve taught for.
• Worked out with an SCI trainer.
• Turns out that four bags of candy wasn’t enough this year. Although that could be because some children stuck their hands in the bowl and took like, two fistfuls of candy.
• But it’s Halloween and kids have been dealing with COVID for the past two years. I can let them clean out my candy stash.
• I’ll get five bags next year.
• Alas, it’s raining in Philly.
• Omg, the concert I wanted tickets for sold out. I didn’t know Belle and Sebastian was that popular. <cries>
• Wordle: In six.
• Currently feeling: Kind of dehydrated? I thought I was drinking water.
• Currently looping: Not so much looping anything, but I joined a Music League with my FB music friends.

November 1, 2022

• Overnight drainage good, daytime drainage blah.
• BLAH, I tell you.
• Did the FES cycle for the first time in over a month, and my muscles are glad for it. Was the drainage afterwards annoying? Yes, but I refuse to lose more muscle mass.
• My father stopped by today for a surprise visit. I haven’t seen him in a while, on account of the subways being kind of scary to take, but yay, glad he made the trip.
• Therapy!
• My mother baked butternut squash bread and cranberry walnut bread. Mmm.
• I can’t believe I’m rooting for the Phillies.
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: At that point where I’m not fully recovered, but I’m just so fed up with being in recovery mode that I need to get stuff done and catch up on so many things I’ve let pile up while in recovery mode. Like, I feel better catching up on things than letting them sit until I’m 100%. Or, I will never feel at 100% until I act like I’m at 100% if that makes sense.
• Currently looping: Ad Infinitum, with a bit of Halsey thrown in?

November 2, 2022

• Overnight drainage light. Daytime drainage was not that light, but also not terrible?
• Overdue dentist visit. One cavity, and one “this is going to be a cavity unless we do something about it” situation.
• What does one do after getting a cavity drilled and filled? Bubble tea, of course.
• If you think that bubble tea contributed to my cavity, then please keep it to yourself <sips, then chews>
• Zoomed into a talk given by my adviser. He flashed some Merovingian cursive onscreen, and I’m like, “Lol, I have no idea what that says.”
• Oh gosh, I owe him a chapter.
• My advisor isn’t sure how to stop screen sharing on Zoom, and it’s like peak academic suburban dad (for context, I took a seminar with him, and other students have described my advisor as an academic suburban dad). That wasn’t as funny after I typed it out.
• Found out that one of the barrier creams I was using as my pressure sore was healing has cod liver oil in it. No wonder it smelled like old seaweed ice cream.
• <places order for different barrier cream>
• My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up, but he’s not much of a birthday person. Folks, I’m this close to getting him protein bars for his birthday. And a card. Just because I know he’ll eat the protein bars.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: I might be the girl who gets her boyfriend protein bars for his birthday. This is what happens when he says not to get him anything.
• Currently looping: The tail end of my “Invincible” playlist.

November 3, 2022

• Overnight drainage not bad. Daytime drainage horrendous. Absolutely horrendous.
• Oh my gosh, why is this happening?
• <sobs>
• <continues sobbing>
• My parents tried to cheer me up today with the usual. You know, bubble tea and sushi.
• I love bubble tea and sushi. I just wish they could heal my body.
• <more sobbing>
• I had an appointment for a covid booster, so I went and did that. I was told to drink a lot of water, so I’m trying to do that.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: How do you think? Half this post is sobbing. And fine, you can tell me that recovery isn’t linear, but when you’re going through it, it doesn’t feel linear. It feels gross and never ending, and you’re just hoping that everyone else is right, and that things heal.
• Currently looping: I was introduced to the most amazing live performance of Disturbed’s cover of “The Sound of Silence” feat. Myles Kennedy (of Alter Bridge). It’s effing beautiful.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, get your boosters, and never take your body for granted!