Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

Today I went to the American Martial Arts Institute in Bear, Delaware and had my first lesson. I am the proud owner of a new black gi, and I’m motivated to really do this right. I feel pretty good, and nobody died.

Thanks to Al Katerinsky for being so inspiring at Confluence, and Keith DeCandido, for talking so positively about martial arts. Between the two of you, I’m headed down that road again.

Here’s some music to play along the way:
http://youtu.be/qzPcMzy4WI8

I’ve stagnated with the pain clinic–they’re managing my pain, but not fixing it. I made the decision to leave them, and work with my awesome GP, who want to fix my back problems.

There is more physical therapy, and MRIs, etc. in my future . . . but hopefully less pain.

For this week. Unsure about the reschedule–they want me to see another doctor and take more measurements.

More headaches and more sight problems, at least for the summer.

Thursday morning, the amazing Dr. Crain will be doing an arthroscopic procedure on my left shoulder–the ortho practice called it “clean and dust.” If all goes as planned, I should be in a sling for no more than a day or two, with no interruption in planned activities.

If he finds a tear that didn’t show up in the MRI, then you’all will be seeing me in a sling for a bit longer . . .

I’ll see some of you at the next PSFS meeting, or the next Pups meeting.

2012 will be remembered as the year I came to terms with living in Delaware and found a life here. We ended the year by going to several holiday parties, and spent New Year’s Eve in Philadelphia with lots of friends, watching the ball drop on TV.

I spent 2012 editing more than ever, but I also started reviewing movies at buzzymag–best job ever! It’s a start. I took Jonathan Maberry’s Novel in Nine Months class, and while I didn’t manage to write my novel, I did learn a lot. I put out my first solo anthology: Galactic Creatures, and I’m very proud of how it turned out. I didn’t lose the fifty pounds I wanted to, but I came close at forty-eight down.

Cat-wise, we produced a litter of maine coon kittens, a litter of munchkins, and a litter of havanas. We didn’t show much, and it looks like we won’t be showing all that much in 2013, either. I’ve got a few judging assignments lined up for the next year, but my focus has definitely shifted.

Looking ahead to 2013, I’ve signed up for some online classes from EFA to spruce up my copyediting skills (a refresher never hurts), and to learn how to format e-books. I’ve got lots of editing lined up, and a couple of short stories I *will* submit (or else!). I want to do more writing, including the movie (and book) reviews for buzzymag.

I’m going to be more involved in Philcon this year (I was assistant Masquerade director in 2012), and I hope to get more involved in PSFS, too. I’m hoping to learn more about how to put on conventions–it can’t be that different from putting on cat shows, right?

I’m within fifteen pounds of my goal weight. I’m on nutrisystem, and I *will* get there this year. Next up: more exercise.

Oh, and more filking. My first guitar lesson in thirty-plus years is tonight . . .

Just so you’all know–I went to my annual eye doc exam (I’ve been having some issues, but it was time for my checkup anyway), and I’ve been diagnosed with cataracts in one eye.

What does this mean? In a few years, when they get worse, it’s back to laser surgery and I’ll get fixed up. In the meantime, more glasses with a stronger prescription–which I don’t get for a month, as I need to see once more doc to figure out things, and he isn’t available until then.

Oh well.

Thanks to Keith DeC – I’m now aware that today is National Poetry Day. So I will share one of my (and my dh’s) favorite poems–that we both independently memorized long before we met.

Approximately three weeks ago, during the extremely exotic task of chasing down a cat out from under a table, I stood up [quickly] before I was completely out from under said table. The result: I have a broken wing. Or, to be more precise, a fractured left scapula.

The orthopedist says it should heal relatively quickly. Which is good, because the scapula can’t be splinted or put into a cast. I can use a sling when my arm/shoulder feels really tired and/or sore. I’m restricted to lifting no more than five pounds with my left hand. And the pain clinic has upped my pain meds for the duration.

Once the fracture has resolved, there may or may not be a course of physical therapy to complete the healing process.

Right now, everything is difficult, from hanging up clothes to driving. And, of course, I was contractually obligated to judge cat shows the last two weekends. One of them I had a trainee who handled [did all the heavy lifting] for me–thanks Lorraine!! The other one I just had to tough it out. Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice I was judging with only one hand . . . .

The next few weeks all I have is a few writing events. We’ll see how they go.

A while ago we picked up a gorgeous oak coffeetable (and two matching end tables) at a yard sale–they had sharp corners and the house had a new baby. The table features a stained glass inset, but it was a bit . . . mundane. Our friend Marci, however, is an artist in stained glass. Mike picked up the table this weekend as part of a complex two-way cat exchange.

Behold the result.