I generally think I have a high tolerance for pain. Kick me, and while I most certainly will grimace, I won’t cry, and then I’ll kick you back. You could pull my hair, but as it used to be my sister’s favorite pastime, I’m fairly accustomed to that type of unpleasant snugness around the cranial area.
My sophomore year in high school I spent the better part of a Saturday afternoon in the Newport emergency room, sitting on a table with legs outstretched and both feet utterly numb, while a doctor carefully removed over thirty slivers embedded in the bottoms of both of my feet. Before I slipped on the dock and invited a plank of wood into my heel, I hadn’t a clue I had any other slivers.
A few years back I thought a bursting ovarian cyst was just severe indigestion from dinner the previous night.
When I was seventeen, I sliced my left middle finger open with scissors and received nine stitches. The next day I proceeded to place a large percent of my body weight onto this same finger, both of my hands mashed strategically up against the brittle red of the track, as I started in blocks for two races, and took a baton in my left hand for two others.
The point of my seemingly shameless horn tooting? I’m tough, but as I realized today, only to a point.
Headache pain completely debilitates me, and while I do not understand why this is, I do fully understand that it remains fact. Every ounce of strength oozes quickly from my limbs when the evil banshee residing in my head begins his stentorian war cry. What typically starts as an irritating whisper rapidly escalates to a deafening shriek within a few short hours. And while I used to pride myself on my ability to effectively ignore the havoc-wreaking, attention-seeking banshee, as of late I find him far more adept in his powers of disruption.
Or maybe, deep down, I’m just a big wimp.
Could be.
Either way, after days like today, I can’t help but think I would willingly donate exorbitant amounts of time, energy and wads of cash (if at some point I possess said wads of cash) to help aid in the research responsible for permanently banishing my irksome little banshee.
This week I have been:
Writing, editing, and organizing grant proposals, and preparing gargantuan-sized grant budgets feverishly, to meet deadlines both old and new.
Snuggling with my pug and enjoying any downtime I have been able to muster.
Writing! I’m so excited about three different stories I have in the works, and thanks to a recent prompt by Danny, I’ve been sitting down daily to translate my excitement into actual words on a page. (Not unlike snakes on a plane. Only → Read more...
This post inspired by my friend and partner in movie quote crime, Home Sweet Sarah.
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Some of the most memorable places I have stood, in no particular order:
On The Great Wall of China. Next to my sister as she took her wedding vows. In front of the Kremlin in Moscow. Next to my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Priest Lake. Specifically, my family’s Priest Lake dock spot. On Mt. Seorak, South Korea. Poolside for countless summers with friends, and cousins, and awesome(ly ridiculous) bikinis. At the base → Read more...
Full disclosure: I initially considered titling this post !!!!!!!!! but Wordpress started laughing at me, and threatened to throw spam.
At this point to say I cannot contain my already typically excessive exclaiming is to understate. HOW am I going to refrain from blurting out, “Hawaii! I’m going there!” from now until I leave at the beginning of September? Better yet, Maui! + getting to see my sister in TWO WEEKS = how am I going to sleep tonight? And the → Read more...
Originally aired: January 19, 2007. Watched by Kerri Anne: August 1, 2010. Courtesy of: Netflix Instant Watch. Because: a) I was in the mood for a lighthearted, kid-centric story; b) Netflix told me I would four stars enjoy it and saw fit to leave out crucial somber-tone-revealing plot points in their synopsis; c) Netflix is a lying liar face; d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Starring: A slew of great Spanish actors you’ve probably never heard of, most notably Ivana Baquero and Maribel Verdú. Protagonist’s → Read more...