The Lost Boy and Rambling On

I went to my second acupuncture appointment on Thursday for my carpal tunnel and she decided to use my left arm (the first time she used my left foot.) She stuck a series of five needles in the underside of my forearm and said that I could move my hand, but that it would feel pretty weird. Not only did it feel really weird, but it felt like a deep aching soreness. I closed my eyes and tried to think of other things, make lists of stuff to do, come up with an idea for dinner...and slowly I felt lightheaded and dizzy. I opened my eyes and stared at the wall in front of me, breathing in and out slowly and with extra care. After about a half hour she came back and took out the needles, we both agreed that I'd had my fill and that we'd work with the foot from now on.

Boy still isn't home and it's truly breaking my heart. I feel like mostly all I can do is just keep taking deep breaths; like the needles in arm: "It's okay it's okay it's okay..." As crazy and ridiculous as it sounds, I believe (I like to believe) I have an extra preceptive intuition. Feeling it when someone close is in an accident or is seriously ill, like the day Ollie became suddenly and inexplicably ill and the few days later when Jenna showed up in the middle of the night to tell me he'd died - I just knew it. The last few times Boy's been up a tree there's been this feeling of urgency - I have to go home from work because I know I can find him, I know he's looking for me. This time I can't feel anything, he's my best little bud - sleeps on my legs every night, wakes up with me every morning, enjoys being carried to the food dish when he's too sleepy to that early, comes running for a little cream when we pour the coffee - and I can't find any sure feeling to latch onto. It's like he's just...disappeared.

I can't tell whether to be confident that he'll just come back because he's a cat and can fend for himself, he is and animal, or accept that he's gone and that's that, or frantically scavenge the bushes for him in his possibly injured state. Girl is absolutely no help and has peed on the couch twice. Our current working theory is that he got shut in a garage or someone's house and they went away for the weekend (our theory changes about every hour.) Sometimes we think that one of the little brats that walks by and likes to yell "KITTY!!" and chase after him managed to drag him off or their parent, noticing he had no collar, decided that he was fair game for the taking. (And I mean it when I say brats.)

It does feel like this needs to be resolved quickly and definitely because we've decided to move to North Carolina for real. I'll be flying out June 22 to hopefully find us an apartment and possibly scout around for a job (or two). If everything goes as "planned" we'll be driving out sometime in the beginning of July. We're 80% settled on packing up all our stuff in a pod-thing from Door to Door and having it shipped out to us, it's a little pricey, but frankly not that much pricier than a U-Haul would be much less of a hassle (we think.) We're also trying to convince James to fly out to California and hang out, help us pack, and drive with us. It sounds like he's not so keen on the driving, but I'm trying to persuade him, we're hoping to make it in just a few days maybe stopping in Albuquerque and...oh..say... Garland?

We're excited and sad. I don't really want to leave without Boy or at least knowing ... where he is? what happened?

Any support/advice welcome.

P.S.- The acupuncture is helping the carpal tunnel, my wrist doesn't feel as swollen, most of the shooting pains have subsided and there hasn't been any numbness and only manageable aching. I'm optimistic.

Gone Wandering

Boy has decided to take a vacation - we don't know where he went or when he's coming back or even if he's coming back. We scoped out all the trees he's been stuck in and have found nothing but leaves.

(Based on the neighbor cat's recent yawling-which he never does-I feel like something is ... amiss.)

In the meantime we're trying to be patient and respectful of his need for space and listening intently for meowing (that isn't Rusty.)

Two tidbits

1) There are two cop cars outside the house (presumably 'visiting' the apartment complex on the other side of our neighbors' house.)

2) I'll have some cupcakes to share with you in a few hours.

Summer is upon us

The National Weather Service tells me that it's going to be 101 degrees in San Anselmo on Thursday. !!!! Holy crap! This is news that makes me appreciate two things: a) our apartment stays relatively cool due to the lack of sun and b) that I won't be in San Anselmo on Thursday! Ha! Liz and I are driving up to Portland to see Liz and Mike! Originally George and Yannick were going to come along but George can't tear himself away from the railing-building and I think Yannick flat out forgot and probably doesn't want to come if George isn't going (there are few people who would want to spend ten hours in a car with Liz and I.)

Tomorrow (only 90 degree day) is the day our veggie conversion kit is slated to arrive! George is pretty excited.

The carpal tunnel is subsiding, the nightly bracing seems to be helping, even if it chaffing the inside of my thumb raw. My panic is subsiding as well.

Diagnosis: CTS or An Account of the Week

A session of dishwashing at home last Monday left me with a funky thumb problem - I couldn't put any pressure on it without awful shooting pains, no jar opening, no mug lifting, no supporting myself as I climbed down from the loft.

Then on Tuesday I was getting weird feelings in the back of my hand - not pain, but I could just feel everything.

Wednesday morning started with a bang in the first ten minutes: getting out of bed...feeling nauseous, ears ringing, vision darkening, chills, clammy, freaking out...to being completely normal. This has, in fact, happened to me twice already in my life: eight years ago and four or five months ago. Fearing brain problems, I made an appointment at the community clinic.

I learned that the weird freaking out is almost fainting, pre-vasovagal syncope. A nerve in the body sends out a signal that slows the heart rate, thereby draining the blood from the head and down you go! (Maybe.) Apparently it can be triggered by..oh..anything and the only danger to a person is if they actually pass out and hurt themselves in the fall. I also learned that I'm not anemic and I'm not diabetic. As for all my wrist/thumb issues, it's straight-up, good old y2k fashioned carpal tunnel syndrome. The doc seemed fairly nonchalant about this, granted it's not really a serious, life-threatening, exotic injury and it's mostly inconvenient, but so far it's seriously putting cramp in everything. I've been working with a brace, which is bulky, awkward, and extremely frustrating, icing it every night, wearing the brace to sleep, I stopped knitting my sweater, I can't do the dishes, open containers, use a can opener, teeth brushing has good and bad moments, as does getting dressed. Before this my days were spent working, then coming home to knit or maybe ride my bike, and now it's mostly searching the internet and checking my email left handed.

We made it to the farmers market yesterday and came home with artichokes, broccoli, cider (wicked pricey but delicious cider), yogurt, a kiwi, and bought some roasted chestnuts but they didn't make it home. We always bring the camera so we can show you how big this market is (HUGE) but when we get overwhelmed by the number of pushy people and children we're trying not to trip over and forget.

Pictures of things soon!

stimulate this, economy.

$5.15 per gallon of biodiesel!? Fortunately, our [least] favorite president has come to our aid! (in the form of $600). In an effort to do our part in saving the economy, we've decided to stop paying for fuel all together. I ordered a veggie oil conversion kit! (plus a couple of upgrades, all tax free over the internet, naturally). We still have to find a source for used oil. A minor hurdle. We're on pretty good terms with Chef Tony. And there are well over a dozen other places nearby... come to think of it, our landlady owns a taqueria.

In other economical/automotive news, the cv joints were completely shot and the mechanic quoted me $1300 to replace them. ack. I found full axle assemblies for $189 each, and some very thorough instructions. I think it was one of the smoother car fixings I've performed. All that practice on the Rabbit has paid off.

I'm still working on that fancy railing. I think I've had about enough of doing silly work for silly rich people. The rail's pretty cool, but that's all it is. I'd like to be using my time for something at least a little more meaningful...

Ahoy, Festive Friday

Kitchen line up
Originally uploaded by average lavender

It's true, once I finish work I usually want to bake something when I get home - when I bake at home I get to bake what I want and how I want. Today is Sourdough Friday, the day at work when I mix the sourdough, and I figured that I should take this opportunity, sprinkled with time and ambition to make some at home with the starter that James gave me when we were home. This poor starter's had a rough time since leaving James' well-maintained stock; first the flight across the country under a plane, malnourished most of the time...on at least three occasions I was convinced I'd killed it and wasn't going to have the heart to tell James of my neglectful ways. Luckily I was mistaken and now it's doing great and is fulfilling its destiny!

Simultaneously, I'm having my afternoon coffee. Instead of being lazy and using our handy little electric 4-cupper I'm meticulously and patiently using our beautiful ceramic dripper. George and I have yet to really master the art of making an amazing cup of coffee with this, it's really hit or miss. Sometimes it's the best you've ever had, here or in Europe, and other times it's like you're drinking the twice reheated dregs from a day old pot of Folgers made by Luke (i.e. like mud.) Today the coffee is passable.