You are the only exception

Well, I went to the Braves game tonight (ES!). As much as it pains me to say it, they got absolutely destroyed. Tommy Hanson gave up solo HRs to the first two batters, so it just didn't start off the way I would have liked. After a saddening loss (score: 7-1), I saw my first Friday night fireworks of the season. That was definitely the highlight of the night! The last two were rained out, but I finally succeeded.

So, when I went to type "Friday," I accidentally typed "Fridney," which reminds me that I've been having a lot of conversations about my kidneys lately. I ended up getting ultrasounded yesterday. While I haven't officially spoken to the doctor, I've gotten word that my kidneys have changed from the initial pre-study ultrasound. All I really heard was something about how one used to be 9cm and is now over 10cm. Hmm, I guess that could explain some of the pain. The lack of urgency makes me think that nobody's overly concerned, but I hope to talk to a doctor on Monday.

Today was my last Summer Friday, and I'm not exactly pleased with how I spent it. That sounds kind of depressing, but I really have nothing to show for it aside from the Braves game. It was the epitome of a lazy day. I guess that's how it should have been, but I didn't even end up at the pool, the gym, or anything like that. Oh well! Maybe tomorrow.

I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed lately, but I think my interpretation of reality is skewed since I haven't been in tip-top physical shape. Sometimes I wonder how much our minds and bodies truly affect each other. I'm totally starting to philosophize, but I've felt uncharacteristically unhealthy this summer, and it seems like my happiness has been wavering, too. Which came first? The chicken or the egg? It crosses my mind all the time.

Now let me use some sleep to heal my mind and body! :) I'm requesting that positive energy be sent my way!

Party in my mouth

Cherries make the day better.

Well, today was an interesting one, I must say. Early this morning I got an email from the study coordinator. Although the blood level we were originally concerned about was normal, I've had two abnormal creatinine levels. Basically, from my understanding, if this level is high, it indicates poor kidney function. So, I got taken off of the drug. Now, I don't know if this is a permanent or temporary thing. I believe I am going to be getting an ultrasound done tomorrow, but I don't know for sure. The study folks are consulting other folks and I guess I'll learn more. It's got me wondering if the bouts of pain were from an actual kidney stone or just my kidney. I WANT AN ULTRASOUND! In other news, I have GOT to be on the real thing, right? Vanilla doesn't make your body go haywire.

I went to the grocery store today during lunchtime. I picked up a few items, and one of those items was CHERRIES. They have made me happy despite my angry kidneys.

I had rehearsal tonight and we worked on dialects. I was in a surprisingly good mood and laughed A LOT. Dialects are funny.

The Braves blew a 9-run lead today, so that was impressive. Thankfully the Phillies have also lost three games in a row, so we're still hanging on to our 2 1/2 game lead. Today's game was an absolute embarrassment. I kind of wished I hadn't been telecommuting so I didn't have to see it unfold.

I better rest up for tomorrow. I'd like to exercise in the morning and I have NO IDEA if I'm in the show or not. Plus, since I may or may not be getting an ultrasound, tomorrow will be spontaneous.

SLEEP WELL!

WiLLY NiLLY!

So, I came up with a new character idea today. I'm not prepared to announce details yet because they're still being finalized in my head. However, I am super-excited about this character's potential. It looks like Dottie has some competition!

Today was an okay day. I intended to get up and work out this morning, but sometimes things don't go as planned. I opted to sleep instead. I took my gym clothes to work in case I had a burst of energy, but I'm still waiting on that as I type...

I had several meetings today, totaling about four hours of my day. The new character was born in one of the meetings, so that was very worthwhile. :-)

Some colleagues and I (LT and BC) went to Panera today, and it really hit me how much nonsense I'm not supposed to eat anymore. I realize I can eat these things in limited portions, but dang! The list is so long. I ended up going with a chicken ceasar salad so I didn't eat too much bread.

After work, I headed to Starbucks to meet a friend (MV). I enjoyed our time together, per usual. I then went to El Azteca (with MM) and got a quesadilla and a margarita. Bueno!

It's bedtime. Actually, it's past bedtime if anyone's counting.

Upside down

I guess it's officially Tuesday. Booooo! I mean, I have no problem with Monday being over, but I wish it was about an hour earlier so I could get enough sleep tonight. Oh well! I'm over it.

Sunday was a good day. I slept in pretty late - almost until 11:00 a.m. It felt GOOD. I headed to the pool for a bit and it was literally unbearably hot. It caught me off-guard. It was almost impossible to sit there. I read a little bit and spent the rest of the time people-watching.

The Braves then DESTROYED the Cubs 16-5. It felt so good.

I then headed down to an improv workshop at the theatre. We worked with someone named Chelsea from Upright Citizens Brigade. While UCB does longform improv and we do not, it made me think about some things differently. The three hours passed by really quickly, but I had fun. It was neat to hear a different perspective on improv.

Monday was a good day! I don't like saying "Monday" because it still feels like it's Monday. Anyway, I hoped to work out before work, but I simply couldn't make myself get up. I headed to work and had some meetings. The Willy's group went on Monday instead of Tuesday, so that was a fun start to the week. I ended up leaving work a bit early so I could...............drumroll...............

get bloodwork done! When they drew (THAT'S ME!) blood for the study last week, one of my levels came back pretty low, so they needed to retest it. I should find out on Wednesday (hopefully) whether or not it is back to normal. If it isn't, I'm pretty sure I have to temporarily discontinue the drug.

I also got my official diet recommendations regarding this oxalate thing, and basically the list of restrictions is a mile long. The saddest part I read today was that I am not supposed to eat pretzels. That was surprising.

I worked out after work and hope to go in the morning if I can get some solid sleep. We had 9:00 p.m. rehearsal tonight, which explains why I'm up so late. We spent the time talking about strengths/weaknesses/goals, so I've done a lot of self-reflection today.

Looking forward to a new day... <3

One last thing! Today I checked my mail and got summoned for JURY DUTY! I am way excited. I'm in a standby group, so I am super-hopeful that we have to go. Then, after that, I hope I get selected to be on the jury. I love learning how things work.

Our house. In the middle of the street.

It is late! I need sleep!

I just got home from my first night of training lights at the theatre. It was a lot better than I expected it would be. For one, it didn't take as much out of me as is does when I'm mingling with the patrons. Mainly, though, it was easier than I thought it would be ... probably because my teacher was DA BOMB (KW)! I watched the entire first show and then did (almost) all of the second show with moral support. Awesome!

What else? The stone. I had another bout of kidney stone pain this morning. It wasn't Vicodin-worthy, but it was pain of a there-are-almost-tears-in-my-eyes level. Thankfully I took some ibuprofen and it was pretty short-lived. The anxiety-provoking thing about this is that, now that I know what I'm expecting, I know that the pain should be returning. That is NOT a good feeling! I got some twinges of pain throughout the night, but nothing long-lasting. Let's see how tonight goes!

I had J. Christopher's today. Spinach and bacon skillet in the houuuuuse! It included many things that I believe are on the do-not-eat list, but that's okay. I forgive myself.

Tomorrow evening I have a workshop at the theatre. That being said, I'll probably take it easy all day since the weekend has been a little hectic. I went out last night and was up until about 2:00 a.m., and here I am at the same hour again tonight. What a wild child I am! At least I'm enjoying myself...

The eyelids are heavy, so I better give in and sleep.

I love y'all.

For real.

Every little step I take

First off - The title of this blog is a lyric to a song. I actually wanted to title my last blog this lyric, but I didn't because a friend had just titled a blog about "steps" and I didn't want to overSTEP my boundaries. HA! Anyway, I chose to title the last blog the NEXT line of the song just so I didn't seem like a copycat. However, each time I've seen that title, I've been like, "What? 'You will be there?'" because it's not as obvious and takes me a minute to figure out, even though I wrote it. So, in summary, the last two blogs have been inspired by Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step I Take," which was actually inspired by ANOTHER friend's Facebook status.

Now, if you know me, you know that I can go off on unnecessary tangents like the one above. (BTW: Now I'm listening to Bobby Brown.) However, you probably also notice that it's after 3:00 a.m. and I don't have the day off work or anything. Both of these mysteries can be explained by one simple fact, and it's that I'm pretty sure another kidney stone is rearing its ugly head.

I got my first twinge of back pain last Saturday before the show, but it was gone before I began performing. This pain is FOR REAL, though. So, to explain the unnecessary tangent, I'm actually on Vicodin right now. I tried ibuprofen and didn't keep it down, so I upgraded to bigger guns. I think I'm about to add another half of a Vicodin to the mix to try to get the pain below a 3 or 4.

Well, yesterday (Wednesday) during lunch, I went to exercise. I wore my bathing suit under my gym clothes, planning to take a dip in the pool after I finished running. Shortly after getting on the treadmill, I decided I'd rather swim laps. I ended up getting off the treadmill and heading out to the pool, even though I was goggleless. The result: I swam 30 laps! Now, the pool at my complex isn't Olympic-sized or anything, but it's between 15 and 20 yards. So, that was a big accomplishment. It felt good to do the butterfly for the first time in what felt like forever. It was a great workout! Now I want to get a membership at some kind of indoor pool so that it can become a habit.

When I woke up with the back pain, I was hopeful that it was swimming induced. As I learned with the last stone, though, when there is not a single physical position I can contort myself into to feel better, that's bad news. Ugh. I am nauseous.

Well, I've got a big few days ahead of me, so I guess we'll see where I stand after another bout of sleep.

You will be there

Yo! It's Tuesday night.

The Braves won big tonight and it made me proud. They've been scoring a lot of runs lately, so that makes me smile! I was kinda hoping to go to the game tonight since my theatre schedule isn't exactly conducive to seeing games. Buuuut, I wasn't feeling all that great and already had plans to meet my friend (MV) at Starbucks (AGAIN!), so I didn't go. It would have been fun, but perhaps I'll be able to go to some more games in the coming weeks... Before we head to the play-offs. UNNNH!

Well, let me go ahead and say that this Cipro oral antibiotic is not making my body happy. Lung-wise I'm doing fine. Stomach-wise... NO. "Food" sounds like a curse word. That didn't stop me from eating Willy's today, which may or may not have been a bad idea.

I got blood drawn yesterday! It only took two tries, so I was very pleased. I sat there using a space heater for about 20 or 30 minutes before we even attempted. I don't know if that actually helps, but it comforts me from a mental standpoint.

I'm telecommuting tomorrow. I need to go to the gym either before work or during lunch. I went for a hot second this morning, but I felt too sick to my stomach to continue. So, it's time to kick it back into gear. I feel a little lazy lately.

Tomorrow will probably be a late(ish) night at the theatre. Our annual fundraiser is on Thursday, so tomorrow will likely include a lot of last-minute prep. Friday is the only night I don't have to be at the theatre until next Tuesday. Sometimes I understand why my body doesn't like me so much anymore.

Enough yapping. Life is a cool thing.

Easy like Sunday moooornin'

I am up earlier than I should be.

Well, yesterday was a good day! I got up and did my morning breathing treatments before heading to the gym. I exercised, then came home and showered so I could meet a friend (MV) at Starbucks. We had a good time chatting and laughing; I love when she and I crack up about random stuff.

After that I headed to Goodwill to meet one of my fellow actors to look for some costume gear. I ended up purchasing Dottie's outfit in case I wanted to be her in last night's show. I guess that's the perfect segue into last night's show...

TONS! O'! FUN! The show was sold out and the crowd was pretty awesome! I had some people there supporting me, so that always makes me happy. While Dottie has not yet been birthed, I played Buzzer, Repeat Scene Family, Phones (on-stage), and Remote Control Styles. I just had so much fun with my fellow castmates. There's nothing better than having just as much fun as the audience.

Although I was worn out from the show, I decided to hang around to watch one of my friends make her mainstage debut (KW!). The show was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed being a patron; it's been a while since I did that. I was like a proud parent out in the audience! I also ran into two people I know (separately). Atlanta can get pretty small sometimes!

Well, today's gonna be a relaxing day. I plan on takin' it eaaaasy. I think I'm about to read some more of my third library book. READING IS FUN!

Riddle me this

Even though I don't feel like I have a lot to show for it, today was a very worthwhile day.

Yesterday I ended up finagling my way onto the doctor's calendar for today - both the CF doctor (not my usual one, but a good one!) and the endocrinologist. So, I ended up waking around the same time as usual to head to the doctor.

My study coordinator was there to try to get blood from me and we gave up after three sticks. Trying again Monday...

The endocrinologist had all the reports from my blood and urine fiascoes, so that was a relief. It sounds like many things checked out well, but it looks like the tests showed that I need to go on a low-oxalate diet. Basically my risk of forming kidney stones is extremely high because of the overabundance of oxalate in my body. Now, I don't really even know what oxalate it, but I did learn a few things. I remember the doctor specifically mentioning not consuming wine and chocolate. I was pleased to hear that a lot of vegetables were blacklisted, so that's a perk. All I know is that I need to touch base with the nutritionist next week to talk about this new diet. As for the funny part, I also need to go on a low-calcium diet, but I'm bordering on osteoporosis. RIDDLE ME THAT!

Now, the CF doctor went surprisingly well. My PFTs had risen from my study appointment, and had only dropped slightly from my pre-vacation appointment. I actually couldn't believe it. They think it can probably be attributed to my new inhaled antibiotic. The doctor mentioned throwing me in the hospital since I feel bad, but said that she thought we should try 21 days of oral antibiotics. Obviously they want me to feel well, but it's also hard to warrant putting me in the hospital when my numbers are pretty good. I guess that's a good problem to have...

I met my old boss for lunch at El Azteca after the visits. We had a really great conversation, per usual, and it had my mind spinning for the remainder of the day. I was thinking a lot about vulnerability and taking chances. Sometimes it's hard to live vulnerably in a world where being 'tough' is the socially acceptable way to be. The more I do improv, the more I become comfortable with being vulnerable in many aspects of my life. I really cherish life and I value the relationships in my life, but sometimes I think I ought to do a better job of demonstrating that. I want to know that, no matter what happens in my life, I stayed true to myself and I wasn't afraid of being open and honest.

Tomorrow I'm performing in the 8:00 p.m. show. It hasn't quite hit me yet. The closer it gets, though, the more excited I am.

The Braves won. YEAH!

If I knew what I was doin'...

I'd be doin' it right now. GEEZ! I love that song. It's called "I'm In" by Keith Urban.

Today was a surprisingly good day! After yesterday's shenanigans and weirdness, I didn't expect to have such a good day. The telecommuting helped in a major way. It's nice to escape from human interaction every now and then.

Here's the big news of the day, though... At lunchtime, I decided I'd take a stab at exercising. I didn't feel up to it, but I forced myself to do it anyway. Well, guess what I did?! I ran 3.2 miles without ever stopping at all. Not a foot on the side of the treadmill or anything! It really surprised me because, with the breathing issues I've been having, I didn't know I could accomplish that. However, no matter what my body was telling me, I told myself to keep trucking along. I consider this a big accomplishment; it reset my mind to where it needed to be. I'm hoping these are the first steps on my road to recovery.

I had an orange mango smoothie from Starbucks for semi-dinner. Thank you, favor-doer!

We had rehearsal tonight. I had to go downtown early to handle some fundraiser-related stuff for the event at the theatre next week. Rehearsal was neat because it was different than usual. We did some stuff I'd never seen/done before, so that kept it interesting.

Tomorrow is THURSDAY! And I'm off work FRIDAY! I am pretty stinkin' stoked!

Until you're back here, baby...

Mlaaaah, mlaaaaaaaaah. Before I forget, I want to say that I was super thankful last Thursday. I went to Willy's (me??? Willy's???) and the owner was like, "You come here all the time." I was like, "What up." Then he gave me half-off. What a wonderful man he is.

The Braves just pulled out a mega-win in the 9th inning. It was a miracle after last night's debacle. Thankfully, though, I didn't have the TV on to witness what happened last night. I had a difficult time getting to sleep last night. I think it's this whole not-feeling-well thing.

Today was an odd day. I had a ton of meetings on my calendar, but I didn't end up making it to two of them. The first one included biscuits from Chick-fil-A! The second one was with my team at work. The meeting went well, but then I got into a conversation about possibly going into the hospital and the day steadily went downhill beginning at that moment. I ended up heading home because I didn't feel well mentally or physically, so I've been home since about 4:00 p.m.

I have nothing to say. I am going to read a bit before I head to bed. I was supposed to go to a meeting at the hospital tomorrow followed by some bloodwork (me??? bloodwork???), but I'm gonna stay home.

<3

Listen to me complain

Whining Wanda here.... Today was NOT a good day.

I got up early to go to the gym. I figured that, since I wasn't feeling too great yesterday, maybe a morning workout would help get my body back into gear. Well, to my surprise, I actually went to the gym and worked out for about 25 minutes. I read one of my library books while I took it easy on the elliptical.

Then I got ready for work and, by the time I got to work, I wasn't feeling very well at all. For some reason my hoarseness turned into a cough, and I spent much of the day coughing. It was extremely obnoxious. I ended up having to leave work at about 3:00 p.m. because I just couldn't seem to get it together. I kept feeling like I had a fever, but the thermometer said I didn't. I just keep breaking out into hot spells. Typically I'm not a thermometer person, but I've checked it a handful of times today. I actually hit 99 on the most recent one, which is high for me because I usually hang out in the 97s.

Anyway, I got a salad from Chipotle for lunch. It was sooo good! I remember we used to have Chipotle pretty frequently at my first job. I didn't have much of an appetite so I figured I'd grab something light. Good choice, me!

What else happened today? Umm, I dunno. Even though I feel down and out, I'm happy.

We don't have a show this week, so I was glad I didn't have to miss rehearsal tonight. Free night on Thursday, too. Cool!

Off on the wrong foot

Happy Sunday!

Well, let us see.... Yesterday wasn't the most productive day of my life. I took about three naps which totaled to probably four hours of resting. I guess I needed that. Despite my naps, I did a few things of substance...ish.

I did end up going to the library, which was fun. I checked out five books. Two of the books are nonfiction and are about creativity, and the other three are fictional. I started one of them yesterday evening and am almost halfway done. What can I say?! Reading is fun!

I stopped by my grandmother's house and saw my uncle and mom for a bit.

Last night I made a last-minute decision to go out to dinner with a friend (BA). We went to Taco Mac and had a blast. We had some nachos and wings and I was just in hog heaven! Then we went to Coldstone to grab some ice cream before heading home. Although I have gotten sorbet with gummy bears every trip for several years, I switched it up last night. I got coffee ice cream with Reese's peanut butter cups. It was pretty delicious. We were literally laughing the entire time! Man, I laugh when I think about watching the ice cream cone hit the pavement. Sorry!

I practically have no voice today. It's kind of interesting.

T-N-T. DynaMITE.

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in so long. Yeah, a couple days isn't all that long or anything, but I'm just surprised. Part of it, I think, was that I was tired this week and slept better than last week.

Thursday's show was fun. It was sold out, so that was exciting! I played Sit Stand Lean Oscar, Repeat Scene Family Type, Buzzer Talk Show, Narration Switch, and Musical Styles. The audience was kind of quiet for it to be a sold out show, but they all seemed pretty pleased when we came out to mingle after the show.

Yesterday I got an oil change. I know that's not exciting at all, but I did it. I don't like dealing with anything like that, but it's a lot easier since I have a maintenance plan and don't have to barter with anyone or pay anything.

Last night I went to the Braves game. I hate to say that I was handed my first loss of the 2010 season. Also, because of the Phillies' hot streak and the Braves' evenish streak, the Braves are only one game ahead in the NL East. We've been in first for so long that we simply can't let ourselves fall behind. No sir. I had a blast at the game, though. It started two hours late because there was a rain delay, but I didn't get rained on much and I enjoyed myself!

I'm hoping to make it to the library today.

Hmmmmmph

I am blanking on what to even say. I think that means that I'm either tired or that my life is uneventful.

Congrats to me for working out. I got up and exercised before work. I consider this a pretty big feat since I ended up backing out on Monday. I did about 30 minutes of cardio this morning, so I felt pretty accomplished before I headed to work.

I ate Willy's for lunch with the Tuesday crew.

Well, I went by the lab today to get some bloodwork done and to pick up my new 24-hour urine collection jug. Doesn't it seem like I get blood drawn every five seconds? It sure does to me. Today only took two sticks, so that was relieving. It was funny because they were all like, "Oooh, it's 'Dotson.'" I am a Laboratory Celebrity - a Celaboratory. Hey, that's close to "celebratory." Anyway, the endocrinologist saw some abnormal levels on previous my lab tests, so I was doing a few repeats today to make sure I'm screwed up.

I took a journey to Publix tonight. I got more of my new favorite thing - CHERRIES! Last week I was in a meeting and people were eating an unusual-looking fruit. Coincidentally, people had been eating them at the hospital meeting a few weeks ago, and I meant to Google images of fruit so I could figure out what they were. Well, it turns out they were cherries! I tried one and LOVED THEM! I got some when we were down at the beach and got a big ol' bag tonight. I think I could get carried away. CHERRIED AWAY! Can you see my enthusiasm?

There was a drunk guy in the Publix parking lot. He stumbled out of the liquor store and was cussing about how Applebee's wouldn't serve him (it's in the same shopping center). For one of few times in my life, I was glad I looked like a pre-teen because he didn't try to ask me to get him alcohol. However, he did look at me and give me a friendly smile and greeting. He actually seemed like a really caring person. It kind of made me sad. He was a good-looking, 50-something man and it just made me want to learn about him. I'm well aware that interviewing him would not have been a good idea, but it just kinda made me wonder about his story. The words "his story" are basically "history." Do you think there's a connection?

Okay, this is what happens when my day wasn't eventful. I just ramble about random things and pretty much let you in on the thoughts inside my head.

Happy Wednesday almost!

One last thing - The Bachelorette season finale was last night. She was down to Prince Charming and Prince Not-Quite-As-Charming-But-More-Real. I was really hoping the latter would win, but he didn't. I really admired him because, having lost his mom less than two years ago, he was really focused on quality of time versus quantity. I think that's very important.

That was my last hoorah for the night.

The clock on the wall

I'm at home and in my own bed. Sometimes I forget how much I love my own bed until I go without it. I'm getting ready to try for an early night's sleep since it's back-to-work tomorrow. I'm not sure why I've been having sleeping problems lately. I feel like my mind has been going faster than usual; it's probably just trying to keep up with everything. Usually I'm a champion at sleeping, so I'm assuming the last week has been a fluke.

The beach is a great place for thinking. There were a lot of things on my mind, including what I want to do next. When I say "next," I'm not even really sure what I mean. I was just kinda thinking of what's up on the agenda, and I feel like I'm on the verge of some exciting things. I know I sound really vague and borderline nutty, but I just feel very appreciative of life right now.

When I got home tonight, I noticed that the main clock on the wall downstairs had stopped. It was simply ticking the same second over and over again, and it kinda reiterated all of the things I was thinking throughout the weekend. Time isn't standing still, but I often feel like I am.

Tomorrow I have rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. and will then come home and cry at the Bachelorette season finale. I'm in Thursday's show, so I'll be looking forward to that all week. It looks like a group has pre-purchased 70 tickets, so that should be a fun show. AWESOME!

Time for bed. I'm going to get up and exercise before work. I haven't exercised in an entire week. I can't tell you the last time I went so long between workouts. PUMP UP THE JAM!