Turkey Shmurkey

Happy day-after-Thanksgiving!

I had a nice Thanksgiving. I watched some of the parade, ran 3.5 miles and ate the best mashed potatoes known to man. I watched some football and took some naps, but most of all just enjoyed the simplicity of the day. I love this time of year. Aside from the people who are probably strangling each other for televisions right now, I really do think the holidays bring out the best in people.

This year RA and I adopted two families for Christmas. If I do any shopping today, it will likely be for them. We need to get a sewing machine, bikes, an MP3 player, etc. When I was little, we always picked angels off of a tree at church and went shopping for gifts for people who might not otherwise get them. I look forward to continuing a similar tradition as an adult. I've been fortunate to always have gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.

I've had two doctor visits over the past few weeks, and they both went surprisingly well. At the CF doctor, my PFTs were down a bit from baseline, but up a bit from the previous visit. Perhaps the doctor was feeling generous because I don't have to go back for three months. Hooray! I also went to the ENT so he could have a look at my sinuses, and I was relieved to hear that they "don't look too bad." I haven't been to the ENT in more than a year, so I figured the possibilities were limitless. Hooray for healthcare and decent reports at the doctor!

The Falcons are 9-1. They lost their first game to the Saints about two weeks ago. UGH, THE SAINTS. They played an ugly game of football last weekend to beat the Cardinals. On Sunday, they play the Buccaneers, and I hope to see none of last weekend's shenanigans repeated.

In fantasy football news, my team is 8-3. I'm going to have a tough week considering 7/13 of my players were injured as of yesterday. I'm hoping that the holiday spirit heals their sprains/strains/pulled muscles so that I can get another win this week. I think I'm pretty set to make the playoffs regardless, but I'd like to finish the regular season strong. GET IT TOGETHER, BOYS!

Well, I guess it's time to make the most of my day off. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Pain now...beer later.

I just got home from watching my brother-in-law, sister and sister's friend run in the Atlanta marathon. What a morning for it! It's the coldest morning we've had all year, I think, and it's starting to get a little wet from Hurricane Sandy. Brr! Several of us were there holding signs, and it was fun to cheer for the runners. We definitely amused ourselves!

The Falcons play the Eagles today in Philadelphia. The Falcons are actually the underdogs, but I have a good feeling about it. I think it has already started raining in Philadelphia from the storm, so it might get pretty messy today. I wore my Falcons hoodie to the marathon and waved a Falcons flag, so that's got to bring the team some good luck. Goooo Falcons! The Eagles are 13-0 coming off of bye weeks under this coach, but every streak must come to an end.

One of my best childhood friends (KZ) got married two weekends ago, and it was a blast. The wedding was in Rome, which is quite a beautiful little town. It was so low-key and full of awesome attendees. The ceremony went off without a hitch. I was responsible for carrying the groom's ring, which was somewhat nerveracking, but I made it to the vows without losing it! I only have one more wedding to attend this year, and it's my cousin's (EJ) next weekend. Until next spring...

My doctor's appointment went okay the other week. I ended up getting put on oral antibiotics, and I go back in about two weeks. I'm not surprised it wasn't my best, but I thought it would have gone slightly better than it did. You win some; you lose some!

Yesterday, when getting dog food at PetSmart, I saw a little jester collar and hat on sale for $1.97. Of course I had to get it for Noodle, and I had her wear it for much of the day yesterday. I think the collar might be the key to the Falcons' victory today. I like the sound of the little jingle bells on it. Aww!

Well, I hope the Falcons make me proud today. Rise up!

Back that thing up

Well, well, well... To address the elephant in the room, the Braves lost the stinkin' playoff game. They made three errors that gave up five unearned runs. Painful. They lost their best scoring opportunity on a pop-up to left field, on which the umpires absurdly applied the infield fly rule. The horrid call got a lot of air time, and the remainder of the game was played under protest. It wouldn't be Braves baseball without some insane drama! Despite the loss, I'm glad I went.

I was supposed to go to the doctor on Monday for a check-up and my annual labs, which meant fasting since Sunday night. When I was getting ready on Monday morning, Noodle took it upon herself to open a cabinet and find the only chocolate that exists in the house. In addition to half of a huge chocolate bar (ahem, dark chocolate, the worst kind for dogs), she ate an entire bag of craisins.

I obviously started freaking out about the chocolate, and my friend (IK) gave me a recipe for a potion to make her throw up. At this time in the saga, it's literally impossible for me to make it to the doctor on time. She drank one dose and I could tell she wanted to vomit, but she was holding it back. I whipped up another dose, but she'd realized it was awful by this point, so I tried adding some peanut butter. Not thinking, I ate a fingerful of peanut butter, accidentally breaking my 12-hour fast. After this, I just threw in the towel and canceled my appointment all together.

When she threw up, boy, did she throw up! Tons and tons of it. The only casualty I suffered was one rug. If you were to make a baked bean and craisin casserole... TMI.

I am slowly injuring every player in the NFL through my fantasy football efforts. I have now injured my back-up running back's back-up. This one was season-ending. In case you aren't following, I'm now on my fourth different starting running back for one slot. Quite impressive, if I do say so myself. I'm 3-2 for the season, so I could be doing much worse given all of my injuries.

I'm sure I have more to say, but I'm very tired. The Falcons are 5-0, which is AWESOME!!!!!

Peace!

Pink lime

I'm drinking a pink lime frozt (Why the "z"?) at Starbucks. I'm sitting outside, and it's probably about 10 degrees too warm to be doing so. But I am invincible with my pink lime froZt.

I had a busy holiday weekend. I performed in three improv shows, so that was a blast. Saturday I went bridesmaid dress shopping. Sunday I went to a brunch to celebrate the four marriages on my mom's side of the family. Monday I (unfortunately) went to the Braves game, and they lost in a Braves-like fashion. Last night they broke their impressive 8-game losing streak. I had such high hopes for that streak!

Tomorrow I go back to the doctor, so we'll see how that goes. I wish I could say I was looking forward to it, but I'd be a big old liar.

I guess I better head to rehearsal since it takes 15 minutes to go half of a mile in Atlanta.

Smile about something!

Sparkling

Hello! It's time for my occasional post. I'm pretty sure the last time I posted was around the time of my birthday. I've been going pretty much nonstop ever since, but does that surprise anyone?

First and foremost, my sister got MARRIED this past weekend. It was so much fun, but I am wiped out. I spoke at the rehearsal dinner, and that was a lot of fun. I was told my speech was "epic." I also got my first pedicure on Friday. My toes are lookin' good!

The wedding day itself reminded me of prom. We got up super early to start getting our hair done. I loved mine! The photographer arrived at 10:30 a.m., and it was pretty much paparazzi fest for the remainder of the day. I can't wait to see some of the photos, especially where we reenacted the cover of the Bridesmaids DVD. The ceremony itself was pretty short. I felt like I might tip over at a few points, but I think that part of that was due to my lack of spectacles.

The reception was a blast. We did the Wobble. Claire also dedicated Montell Jordan's "This is How We Do it" to my brother and me. There were some awesome mashed potatoes with all kinds of toppings. By the end of it, I was so worn out that I fell asleep around 10:30. I had so much fun! I am so happy for Claire and Billy. Claire was gorgeous, Billy was handsome, and they both looked so happy. Happy ever after!

The improv benefit show (Laugh 'Til You Cough) was a huge hit. My team is still short of our Great Strides goal, but I am pleased. The walk is on Saturday! I wish we had raised more money at this point in time, but I know some years are tougher than others. I'm also missing several walkers from last year, and I didn't factor that in when setting my goal.

(I know this post is dragging on! I should break it into several to look like I've been blogging more frequently!)

I had a doctor's appointment today, and it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I'm not surprised, though, given how busy I've been. I got put on two oral antibiotics and have to go back in two weeks. I think that, if I can increase my sleep and decrease my running-around-like-a-crazy-person, I ought to be just fine.

I've been exercising like a champion! I've met my minimum of three hours every week except one. (I started probably two months ago.) I feel a lot better when I'm in a good workout routine.

I was planning to get to bed at 9:30, and I just realized it's a few minutes after. I better go ahead and post this so that I can get up and exercise before work.

Go Drew's Crew!

No rain, no gain

Well, well, well... Here we are on this rainy Monday. It actually rained all weekend, but the rain has resulted in warmer temperatures than usual for this time of the year. I'd much rather it be raining and warm than dry and cold. Take that, Winter!

I'm not sure if it was the temperature change or what, but I didn't feel well for much of the weekend. I took about 45 naps on Saturday (I'm seriously not exaggerating.), and spent much of Sunday on the couch coughing. It was pretty exhausting. I took Theraflu and got about 10 hours of sleep last night, accompanied by the occasional waking-up-coughing. I was already on antibiotics when I went to the doctor on January 13, but they upped the dosage and put me on a second one as well. Due to some incompetencies by Target pharmacy workers, I just got the second antibiotic yesterday, so I'm hoping that this whatever-it-is can be put to rest. I've been feeling under-the-weather for entirely too long.

Now for life's non-complaints...

I have been working out lately! I forgot how much fun it is to get some physical exercise. Plus I'm going to be on a beach exactly one month from today, so that's motivating, too. Hooray for strength and sun!

I performed improv Saturday night at 8 and had a blast. I got to do something I'd never done before -- dubbed for a film that was put on silent and projected on the TVs. It was a blast!

What else? It's crazy that it's already nearing the end of January. I feel like we were just counting down to 2012! I can tell it's going to be a good year.

Here's to a NyQuil-enhanced sleep!

Got a leg up

Good morning!

So, first and foremost, let me address that yesterday's high in Atlanta was 86, and tomorrow it is 58. The lows this week are dropping into the 30s. WHAT IS THIS?

Well, this weekend was pretty eventful. I'm going to post this picture before I give any explanation.

Yep, that's my leg hanging out of a window. On Sunday, we filmed a video for the theater, and I had to play a goth teenager sneaking in through a window. This picture just cracks me up; I can't imagine what neighbors were thinking.

In the Fantasy Football department, I'm still in first place. Mwahaha! Ultimately it won't matter what place I get, but I'm having fun. Winning is always fun!

I went to the doctor yesterday, and it went surprisingly well(ish). I got the flu shot, and I woke up a little achy. The flu shot deliverer was amazing, though. I honestly had no clue she had given me the shot. That may also reflect on my attention span.

Speaking of shortened attention spans, I better get going. Thank you to a lot of folks this week.

breathe easy

GUESS WHAT?!?!?!

Today I had the highest PFTs I've had since March of 2007. I am seriously in shock! It's not that I've been feeling bad or anything, but I didn't even know that it was possible! The doctor kept asking me what I thought caused the increase, but I have no idea. It's probably a combination of the hospital, the sinus surgery, the time off work, etc. Either way, I'm not complaining! Now I feel like trying to push the limit even more. I don't go back to the doctor for three months (ahh, it's like music to my ears), so we'll see what I can whip up by March!

Then I went to my (protein) study appointment and that went pretty well, I guess. It took four attempts to get blood, but is this surprising to anyone? Nope? Nobody? Me either.

What else? I'm about to go to sleep. I know it's early, but I'm really tired. Oh, that reminds me that I also told the doctor that the additional sleep was probably helping me healthwise. I need to do my noseroid. Speaking of 'roids, I'm getting a Cortisone injection in my SC joint at the end of the month. What a walking disaster!

I didn't get to eat Willy's today because I was slammed at work. The good news is that I knocked out EVERYTHING I needed to finish today before I headed to the doctor.

Mmm, bedtime.

Night owl

Yooooooooooo. Just got home from a crew shift at the theatre. I was supposed to be on camera, but I ended up suggestionizing and camerafying solo because there was a no-show. It was fun! I hadn't seen a main stage show in a good bit. Hoorah!

I performed on Thursday night and was in some fun scenes - Buzzer Talk Show, Spanish-Dubbed Soap Opera, Sit Stand Lean Oscar, ABC Buzzer Beatnik Poetry, and Musical Styles (Reggae, Blues, Country, Rap). I have an official new favorite game of all time: ABC Buzzer Beatnik Poetry. Oh man! That junk is crazy-fun! My mom came to the show (per usual!) and so did two friends (JM and SLW). Baller!

Well, I've been staying up way too late since this whole hospitalization thing. I gradually stay up later and later and sleep later and later. I've pretty much lost all structure to my days, but I'm going to fix it ASAP. I guess this proves that, when I have it my way, I'm a bit of a night owl. I've always thought that I was a cross between a morning person and a night owl, but someone who slumps in the afternoons. I think I prefer being up late versus going to bed early. See? I wouldn't be having this debate with myself at 1:21 a.m. if I wasn't a night owl.

I don't really feel like saying anything else. I could try to recap the entire week, but it runs together. I went to the doctor and it went pretty well, but I need to see the eye doctor and the neurologist. Umm, my roommate and I went to Willy's on Thursday for lunch, but I think I need it again tomorrow (which is now 'today').

Honestly, I just can't believe October is ending. It feels like it just started... Happy Halloween! I don't like Halloween.

Loving the view from cloud 9

Oh man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Braves just made me so proud! When we were down 4-1 going into the 7th, I've got to admit I was getting a little concerned. Then, WAM BAM, THANK YOU MA'AM to tie it up in the 8th. It took 11 innings, but the Braves and Giants are now tied 1-1 in the 5-game series. Whew! I wish I could articulate how excited I am right now. It's funny because I'm so wound up that I don't even feel tired! It's so similar (yet different) from last night.

So, the Braves lost a very uneventful 1-0 game last night (Thursday...it's Friday in my mind right now). I mean, I think there were seven total hits between both teams and it was basically a pitchers' duel, although Lincecomb definitely outpitched Lowe. Anyway, I was just perturbed because of the umpire's botched call that kept a runner on base -- that particular runner being the only player who scored in the entire game. I literally was up in the night having a conniption fit over it. When I woke up this morning, it was the first thing that crossed my mind. Now, though, that junk is chump change. CHUMP CHANGE! AHH!

SUNDAY CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH! I am exerting so much energy right now.

Well, yesterday (Thursday) was a really great day, despite the game. I received a comment on my blog that made my entire day, if not my whole week. It's incredible that something simple can make a big difference to someone. I find myself feeling so inspired this week. It's odd to imagine the 'woe is me' person I was on Monday when I feel so invincible now.

This morning I saw my cousin (BH) before her appointment with the CF doctor. We went to IHOP and I had a really great breakfast. PANCAKES! I was feeling so appreciative that I left a gigantic tip. Now, I know it's not really generosity if you feel like you need attention for it, but I am trying to illustrate that happiness/positivity really does have a snowball effect.

What else? My sinuses are causing pain in places I've never had it before, such as directly behind my eyeballs and in my cheekbones. I can truly say that I am looking forward to my surgery. RELIEF IS ON THE WAY!

Gosh, I need to chill out. It is 2:00 a.m. I'm going to try to get to sleep, I guess. Tomorrow's gonna be an alarm-free day. Oh, and I think I'll exercise.

LET'S! GO! BRAVES!

How things change...

Well, today went much differently than expected. That sentence sounds weird, but I'm out of it. Anyway, I went into work super early (7ish) because I wanted to get home early so that I could see a friend who is (was) leaving the state tomorrow. When I got to work I was very focused, knowing that I have a lot to accomplish this week before I take off for surgery. I emailed the staff about my upcoming leave and started cranking things out.

Out of nowhere I started getting a call from an unknown number. I could tell it was an Emory number, so I answered, thinking it probably had to do with surgery talk or something. To my surprise, it was one of the CF doctors. I still assumed she was calling to verify that all systems were go, but she was instead informing me that some tests from my doctor's appointment (on September 2) showed that I had developed a bacteria in my lungs. As you can imagine, I was very shocked - not only because that appointment was so long ago, but also because this information was nowhere to be found last week.

After an emotionally exhausting day, the new plan consists of me getting admitted to the hospital next Monday to start IVs, with surgery being postponed until next Thursday. As tough as today has been, I am feeling at peace with what is going to happen. Needless to say, I was too much of an emotional wreck to tack on the goodbye, so that has been postponed until tomorrow.

In positive news, THE BRAVES ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS. I am going to the game on Sunday! The doctor tried to get me to come into the hospital on Friday, but I negotiated my way out of it. When I was emailing the surgeon's assistant to explain my unrelenting need to get the date changed, I was like, "To be completely honest, I am a die-hard Braves fan." She was very sweet and encouraging - one of the highlights of my day. My friend (ES) gave me some Braves SillyBandz today! I have on a tomahawk right now.

I am running on low emotional fuel right now, so I'm going to go to sleep. Although I never would have imagined it earlier in the day, I'm starting to see the positive...

Thank you for any thoughts of healing and happiness that you can send my way.

P.S. No word from the rat.

When I wake up in the mornin'...

Sometimes I fail at things. Lately, that thing is writing blogs. It's funny because blogging is something I enjoy, so I don't exactly know why it's been falling to the wayside lately.

I had a good weekend. I took it VERY easy - really made the most of having a weekend without obligations. Honestly, it seemed like it lasted FOREVER! I stayed home pretty much the entire time, mainly watching sports. I saw Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Falcons get their first losses of the season. Ugh!

Atlanta's athletic failure continued on Sunday night when I went to the Braves game with BA. We had a lot of fun! Unfortunately the Braves lost. I did, however, eat some Dippin' Dots. I really, really didn't want to witness another loss this year, but sometimes the stars just don't align. I'll have another opportunity, though...

TOMORROW! Me and my brother are going to the game, and it's at 12:10 p.m. I'm pretty excited because I don't think I've ever taken off work to go to a sporting event. It makes me think of Zack Morris on "Saved By the Bell" when he plays hooky and catches a ball at the Dodgers game and is caught on TV. The main difference here is that I requested time off forever ago, but it will still feel risque! However, I might be on TV! My brother got us awesome tickets in literally the fifth row. AHHH! I am excited!

I don't have a whole lot else to say. I got the official call about sinus surgery today, so I should have that scheduled within a week. The nurse mentioned that recovery would be about two weeks, which kinda surprised me. Now I've just gotta coordinate with the CF doctor to see if I should try to do IV antibiotics or anything while I'm already getting thrown into the slammer. Decisions, decisions.

Have a great night!

Did you hear about the corduroy pillow?
It's making HEADLINES!

Laaaaaaaaaaaabor Day

I am getting so bad at blogging. I cut myself some slack, though, because it feels like I haven't been home much at all this week.

Well, Thursday was an eventful day. Because of all of the kidney issues, the doctor mentioned wanting to hospitalize me to give me fluids to help flush out my kidneys. They went ahead and moved next Tuesday's CF appointment up to Thursday so that they could put me in the hospital with as much information as possible. So, I went to get bloodwork so they'd have the results by the time of my appointment. Now, for the dramatic turn in all of this - my kidney bloodwork was almost back to normal and my PFTs were up another three percent. Nobody understands at this point, but the hospital talk was merely a scare and now it's only a matter of scheduling sinus surgery. This has been such an emotional roller coaster!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday night I spoke at a CF fundraising cultivation event. It was fun! Since I was running around all day, I really had zero preparation time, but I still think it went well. Yeehaw!

Yesterday (Friday) was a good day. My roommate was working from home, too, so it was a lot of fun. I wish she got to work from home with me every Friday. :-) When I got off work early, I went to meet Claire at the pool. We hung out and chatted for a few hours. On my way to work at the theatre, I treated myself to Yogli Mogli and ate many things shunned by my low-oxalate diet.

I worked the lights without any supervision last night, so that was fun. Light-wise, all went extremely well. However, the lights person is also in charge of recording the DVD, and I got the dreaded "Disc cannot be finalized" message. Thankfully everyone was really laid back, but it made me so mad. That was the easiest part of the last three shows. People were like, "Oh lord. I know that message." So, OOPS, although I heard I couldn't have done anything to fix it.

Right now I'm sitting at my parents' kitchen table. I'm about to go get my hair did(!).

Happy birthday to my brother (yesterday), and happy Labor Day to all!

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!

zZzZzZzZz

Welcome to Tuesday. I just wrote a blog post and lost the whole thing.

I really realize how pointless my ramblings are when I don't even know if it's worth retyping. Basically all I said was that I could

___

Well, what you see above is what I wrote before work today. Now it's not even Tuesday anymore, I'm tired, and I have no idea what irrelevant information I intended to share this morning.

I'm sure I mentioned how I couldn't sleep last night. I think the whole staying-up-until-dawn-on-Sunday thing put a little wrench in my plan. I was literally in bed for a few hours when I decided I should go ahead and get my morning shower. Then, after that didn't make me tired (at 3:00 a.m.), I decided to do sudoku. DORK! I dried my hair after that and then finally fell asleep for a few hours. I haven't had a night like that in forever. I am really surprised I made it through the day. I'll confess, though, that I had a Monster at about 5:30 p.m.

Today was quite the day. I sat at my desk for all of two hours, and none of that was in a chunk that exceeded 30 minutes. Chunk is kind of a gross word. Anyway, I had meetings from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by sitting in on an interview/discussion for another hour and 45 minutes.

Tonight I was working on camera at a graduation show. I truly had a blast! One of my friends that was originally in my six-month class performed. He and his story are both incredible.

I'm about to start an inhaled antibiotic. It's pretty new to the market, but the doctor suggested that I start on it. She said, and I quote, "It may help stave off a course of IV antibiotics." We can only hope! I want to get my hands on it before I head out of town for the weekend. Yeeehaw!

Well, I usually telecommute on Wednesdays, but I have a training that requires my being in the office, so I'm sure that will be enthralling.

I've fallen and I can't get up

Yes, my back hurts. I mean, ouch. I was somewhat numb for the first portion of the day, probably because I took some of the prescription Motrin I got when I was in the ER several months back. Now, though, my back is just screaming at me again. I didn't hear a response from the doctor, but I will say that today was an improvement from yesterday, so I'm hoping it's just something muscular... The good news is that my SC joint hasn't hurt since I got back in town. I sound like such a hypochondriac right now.

While I'm on the topic of health and what not, my bloodwork was a breeze today! I dressed warmly and put on a jacket for about 30 minutes before the actual blood draw. As I walked into the clinic building, the study coordinator came down the steps and told me to stay there in the lobby versus coming up to the lab where it's COLD. So, I got needled in the middle of the lobby of the building. Either way, it was beautiful. I know a lot of people hate needles and blood, but it was so refreshing after the unsuccessful sticks yesterday. Plus, this means I don't have to withdraw from the study over something ridiculous.

There was some major improvement on the appetite front today. I went to Willy's and was able to sustain my appetite throughout the entire meal! Maybe I was just having Willydrawals. Man, those nachos were good.

The Braves lost tonight, which was disappointing after a good winning streak. I handled it very well, though, because they've been playing so well lately.

What else? I need to do my annual self-evaluation for work when I'm telecommuting tomorrow. I've tried to work on it the past two days, but I get so distracted when I'm trying to answer the narratives at work. Plus, I wanted to give it some time to get over the shock of returning to work after vacation. I did it at this same time last year (the day I returned from Florida), and wasn't the most positive person.

Last night I couldn't sleep for anything. I literally got about two hours of sleep. I have no idea why I'm still up at 1:00 a.m. I thought I would have crashed a long time ago. I took a small nap tonight, but I'm surprised I've lasted this long. Tomorrow's probably going to be tough.

Cheers to all. Life is precious.

Technology!

Wooohooooo! Well, today was a busy day. I got up and worked a bit and then headed into the office. I went to our staff meeting and had to leave for an appointment shortly after. Today I officially became a Patient Family Advisor at Emory, so that's pretty cool. I got my own namebadge and valet parking validation. I felt pretty official walking around the hospital with a namebadge. I was nominated and interviewed for this last year, but it took a little bit of time to get off the ground. Basically I'll help make recommendations for improved patient care at the hospital. Pretty cool!

Then I headed to my doctor's appointment which went pretty well. My PFTs were exactly the same down to the hundredth of a point. I'm glad they didn't decrease, but I was kind of hoping for an increase. Next time! I also got referred to an endocrinologist because of my bone density scan. BLAH!. Now, for the highlight of my appointment...

When some members from the CF team came to see my benefit show, they gave me a card with a picture of a Nike+ sportband. Now, I didn't realize at the time that they had truly ordered that for me. I just thought it was a metaphor or something. Well, today at the appointment, the doctor walked in with a little box and it contained the sportband. I'm pretty stinkin' excited. It has a little wristband thing and a sensor that goes in my shoe and it will document my workouts - like my pace, distance, etc. I think it's gonna be a good motivator. I was tinkering with it this afternoon and realized I need shoes with a sensor holder or a little pouch to put it in to attach to my shoe. I'm going to figure that out tomorrow. I went and worked out hardcore today, though, because I was excited about it. I can't wait to experiment!

My Braves are about to destroy the Phillies. It's 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Come on, boys! I'm confused because it looks like it's raining at Turner Field, but I haven't seen it here yet...

Hmm, yep. That's about all I have to say. I'm getting really sleepy.

First place

Enough said.

I watched the Braves take the lead in the NL East today. It was a blast! I went to the game with 8 friends and it was a lot of fun. We WON! We also sat in the upper box area and it was really nice. We caught a lot of the breeze and I stayed pretty comfortable all day. My record is 4-0.

Tomorrow I visit the CF doctor. I'm interested to see how that goes... I know it's probably too soon to tell a difference in my PFTs (from the vanilla goodness), but I'm hoping for an increase anyway!

Back to sleep for me. I've been sleeping almost all evening since we got home from the game. I want to be well-rested for a good morning run. I ran this morning and am looking forward to starting tomorrow the same way.

Also, send some positive thoughts to two of my old camp friends - Kathy and Mo. I appreciate it!

Let me tell you a story called...

"Where has all the time gone?"

That's the only reference I'm going to make to being short on time in this post.

Yesterday was a day full of wondrous Emory-related events. I worked at a classical concert and at the Corpus Cordis Aureum reception, which is the group of Emory alumni that graduated at least 50 years ago. It was interesting noting the differences between the new graduates and the CCA graduates. The new graduates refused to wait in short lines at the block party, while the CCA folks waited several times as long and never even made a remark about it. While this isn't a direct reference to the thing I said I wasn't going to reference earlier, it's neat how waiting seems irrelevant when you're 80 years old. I could stand to exemplify some of that patience more in my day-to-day life. There's no need to be in such a stinkin' hurry all the time.

This morning I got up a few minutes before 4:00 a.m. to get ready for commencement. Thankfully, although it was cold outside, the weather cooperated and the rain held off until later in the day. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered the commencement address and, I've got to admit, he was pretty funny. Inspiring? Umm, not so much. Entertaining? Yes! He literally went through all of the lines folks would want him to say, including "Hasta la vista, baby," "It's not a tumor," "I'll be back," etc. He was good-humored about the whole thing. Although he attempted, there wasn't a very moving message, but it was enjoyable to watch, so I didn't mind.

I got home a little before lunchtime. Since it's my wonderful sister's birthday, I treated her to lunch at our favorite, El Toro. I ate quickly and came home and worked for a while until I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I knocked a few more things out and then headed downtown to rehearsal. Traffic was an absolute nightmare, but I was surprised to arrive only six minutes late. We worked on Oscars, which was fun.

My SC joint is literally killing me. I think I need to call el doctor tomorrow. I sound like such a hypochondriac in these posts sometimes.

Tomorrow is the big day! I have study-related appointments at 7:50 and 8:30 a.m., so it's gonna be another lengthy day. Then, off to work to knock things out until it's time to get ready for the show. Tickets have been pouring in left and right, so I am getting very excited. I think my doctor is going to be there as well, so that's awesome news! Although a few donations haven't posted online yet, Drew's Crew exceeded $16K today. I AM READY TO PUMP YOU UP!

Dodging a bullet

Well, y'aaaaaaaaalllllllllll........ My doctor's appointment went surprisingly well today! I'll start at the beginning. I got to Emory right at 10:00 a.m. to start my glucose tolerance test. When they finally drew (DREW!) my blood at about 10:30 a.m., I felt like I was going to faint. I survived the blood draws and then drank the special orange drink, which actually tastes pretty decent when you're starved beyond rational thinking. I then headed over for my DEXA bone density scan. After that, I headed back to the lab and had to wait until 12:30 p.m. for my post-orange DRANK stick. The worker was so helpful and, given how weak I was feeling she packed me a baggie with two 4-packs of Oreos and two apple juices, which I thought was really sweet. I want to write her boss and commend her work, but every time I plan to do that it's difficult to follow through...

From there, I headed up to the real doozie - the CF appointment. I didn't have to wait too exceptionally long before completing my PFTs. Believe it or not, my numbers had IMPROVED from the study visit, but were still down a little bit from my baseline. I couldn't believe that I would have improved considering the fact that I didn't feel so great, but I did...so I'll take it! My bloodwork from the morning looked great, with my glucose tolerance test showing that I was normal.

Interestingly, though, the doctor did notice that a particular liver enzyme was elevated. It didn't worry her too much, but she did take note of it since some CFers end up with liver disease for a variety of reasons. Then, we got to talking about the pain that I'd had (the ER-inspiring pain), and she was convinced that the pain was in my gall bladder/liver area. She said that lungs don't really have pain censors, with the exception of when the lining is inflamed, but my pain didn't seem to be affected by my breathing. So, with the combination of the pain and the elevated enzymes, she wants to do an ultrasound of my gall bladder/liver if the pain returns. Hopefully it was just an odd occurrence, and I'm optimistic since I've been painkiller- and pain-free for a week.

Needless to say, after all of that news, I don't have to go to the hospital and I don't have to return for a follow-up until June 1. YAAAAAY! The doctor also mentioned trying to get me back in the study, so I'm hopeful for that. I let that fall to the back-burner temporarily because obviously my current health is the most pressing, but lately I'd been thinking how I really hope to get to participate in the study even though my initial screening indicated otherwise. I'll keep you posted on that.

I don't really have too much to say, as the doctor's appointment was the bulk of my day. Drew's Crew is at $9,367. I'm excited! I think my next endeavor is to encourage friends to email everyone they know. We've come a long way, but we're still only halfway to my aspirational goal!
Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes my way; they helped!