Well, well, well...

What do we have here?

So, I know I just got impatient and posted a blog in mid-thought. So sue me! Tuesday didn't quite go as expected, but that seems to be the norm these days. I had an 8:00 a.m. meeting to discuss the CF center communications plan I've been crafting. The highlight of that meeting was DUNKIN' DONUTS! No, I didn't have a white powdered donut, but I did have a regular donut with chocolate frosting. As I was leaving the meeting to walk down the street to my office, I decided to have one more donut. So, with a notebook in one hand and a donut in the other, I shamelessly strolled down the sidewalk.

I went to Willy's like usual and, on the way back from lunch, my mom texted me and asked me to call her. I tried and she didn't answer, but she called me shortly after I walked back into my office. She told me that my grandfather died. Now, given that he's the healthiest he's been in several years, I was in absolute shock. I literally started bawling hysterically -- that cry when you're sobbing faster than you can breathe. I had my office door shut, but it only took moments to get a knock asking if everything was okay. I was practically in the midst of a panic attack. I started babbling incoherently and couldn't really get it together. I had a meeting a few minutes later and, for some unknown reason, I decided that the best thing to do was to proceed like normal. I pretty much sat there in a daze for an hour.

After the meeting, I decided to head home to try to gather my thoughts. As I was about to hop on the highway, my mom called and let me know that people were heading from the hospital back to my grandmother's house. I turned my car around and started making my way to her place. When I arrived there, some workers were talking to my grandmother and aunt, telling them some of the last jokes my grandfather made. [For example, a worker passed him and was pushing two carts, and he suggested that the worker better be getting paid double.] I then heard the story of what happened...

My grandparents live at a retirement community with a big lake. My grandfather loves (loved? I never know when to make that transition in tense.) walking around that lake. He went on one of his usual walks and sat down on a bench. Supposedly he had an exchange with a lady and she continued walking, and the next thing she knew, folks were running over to help him, but he was simply gone. The ambulances came and couldn't really get a pulse; they believe he had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital, but couldn't bring him back. I have to say that, of all the ways to go, it sounds so perfect to be doing one of your favorite pastimes, sitting on your favorite bench, enjoying a beautiful Spring day. Although the initial shock was very difficult, I am so thankful that he had such a painless death.

It was ironic, too, because I used to always try to wear purple when I was going to see him. I don't own all that much purple, but I knew he liked it when I wore purple. On Tuesday, I happened to put on a purple shirt and, when my mom informed me of his death, my purple shirt was one of the first things to cross my mind. I'm going to be speaking at the funeral, and I'm still thinking of what all I'm going to say. It's all been a little difficult to digest, but I'm feeling very at-peace with the whole thing.

I'm at my parents' house right now; it feels good to be home. I will leave you with a sight that made me laugh uncontrollably. One might think it seems insensitive, but my grandfather was quite the comedian, so I think he'd appreciate this photograph of a nutritious meal...




P.S. I saw another car accident yesterday. I was on foot and it was 15 feet away (at most). Shudder.

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh. How sweet it is!

Helloooo. I don't know why I am staying up so late when I have such a big day tomorrow. Perhaps it's the silly in me.

My friend Brian died on Wednesday night. I received the notification at 12:04 a.m. Needless to say, Thursday was a very challenging day. I was overwhelmed, though, by the support from my friends and family. Although it's very hard to know someone has lost the battle with CF, it's also refreshing to know that he lived a life that should make him proud.

Thursday was a big mass email day and involved interviewing candidates, so there was a lot going on and very little time to process the news. It kind of amazed me how well I was able to contain myself when necessary, but how shameless I was in the brief stints alone in my office. I honestly think that my composure, even in tough situations, has really been enhanced by improv. When it's time to perform, I have to rid myself of everything going on outside of the theater so that I can go on stage with a clean slate. I feel like I handled it all so gracefully, which is a lot for good ol' "macaroni water" me.

The big whammy is that I performed in a show Thursday night, too. So, having had probably 25 tiny tear outbursts throughout the day, several interviews to sit in on, and a huge technical failure day with our mass email tool (WHAT A TOOL!), it amazed me how well I was able to compartmentalize it for the duration of the show. I felt like I had a really great show, and I think it's a result of all of the emotion circulating in my body.

I got to do several new(ish) and exciting things: I was the therapist for Emo Couples Therapy, I commentated for Slow-Mo Sports Commentary (I think that was the name), I played Oscar Musical, I was a caller in Phones, and I played Musical Styles. It was also my friend's birthday (BA) and he was in the show, so there was great energy among the entire cast. Fun times! It was such a positive end to a day that started so painfully.

Today has been a nonstop day. I was still troubleshooting yesterday's technical issues, but I got everything finished. I got some groceries, too, which I'd needed to do all week. I also went to the bank. I had a crew shift tonight at the theatre and, since I was running super early, I had time to stop at Marshalls on my way. I got an orange shirt and some teeny tiny boat shoes. They're navy, red, and white, and they are now named "My Braves Shoes."

Well, tomorrow I have a ton to do... like perform at a festival and go see Tim McGraw. It's going to be exhausting, but I really can't wait. I'm going to try to exercise, too, so I better get to sleep. When did it become so late? Geez!

Thank you again to everyone who reached out to me on Thursday. Here's another way you can help: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/drewdotson5267.

Ben[adryl] there, done that

Hello.

I just wrote that fake Wednesday post. I'm not very good at keeping secrets, huh?

Well, today was a pretty interesting day. We were supposed to have a team retreat at work. Then it got canceled this morning. Then, when it was physically impossible for me to be in the office in time for the retreat, the team decided it wasn't canceled anymore. So, that being said, the day got started off the wrong foot and has just kind of coasted since.

I performed improv last night for another sold-out crowd. CRAZY! I played Script in Hand, Oscar Musical, Narration Switch + Sounds Like a Song, and Meet the Experts. I busted out my newly developed character named Willy Nilly. She was fun! I wished I'd had a little more energy, but it had been a long day...

We had our bowling tournament at work yesterday. I got the highest score on my team, which was a 101. That is very good for me! We didn't win the actual tournament, but we won Best Team Name/Theme, which was quite the honor. It was my responsibility to come up with both, so we were "The Bowled and the Beautiful" and dressed as celebrities. We had black shirts and wore flashy scarves and sunglasses. Our clapper board was what sent it over the top, though. We were pretty obnoxious with that board. Here's a shout out to KW for letting me borrow the board (AKA the key to success).

I guess that's about all. I've been feeling sick, so I took a Benadryl and am about to pass out. Tomorrow is going to be busy!

Fooooooooooood

Today has been lengthy. It's good to finally be home.

Well, I left just after 7:00 a.m. for my early meeting. The meeting was nice and productive, so that's redeeming. I would not have been a happy camper if it wasn't. My goal was to go to Starbucks on the way to the meeting, but I didn't want to risk being late. Perhaps tomorrow!

What else? I just got home from improv rehearsal. AWESOME!

My neck is bothering me. It's kind of strange, so I won't get into detail.

I have been eating so much lately. I don't know if my body's still on cruise time or what, but it is insane! Maybe it's a result of stress or something, but I have been eating almost every 30 minutes.

I guess it's bedtime. NIGHT.

Roaaaura

Daaaaaang, it's been a while. Tell me the last time I didn't start off by saying something like that.

Well, Wednesday I took my car to Nissan to get the brakes checked out because they were making unusual noises. Basically, the dude gave me a paper explaining that Nissan brakes sometimes make unusual noises. So, I guess that resolves that ... unless my brakes go out. KNOCK ON WOOD!

Wednesday afternoon we had a university-wide marketing/communications meeting and holiday celebration. We went bowling at the new mini-alley they opened at an on-campus hotel. I was hesitant to bowl because my SC joint was hurting, so I drank a beer before bowling. Self-medication. Then, I got children's-sized shoes with Velcro on them. Then, between addressing comments that the bowling ball was bigger than me, I proceeded to bowl an 83, which is pretty phenomenal for me.

I performed some improvisational comedy on Thursday night, so that was fun. One of the cast members got sick, so we had a last-minute substitution in the form of TO. I played Conducted Rap (rapping about Mexican food... how appropriate), Buzzer Interview, Repeat Scene Direction (gansta, paranoid valley girl), Sit Stand Lean Oscar, Meet the Experts (Barbara on travel), and Musical Styles (80s Rock, Jazz, R&B, and Southern Rock). We had a lot of fun, and I was excited to have some friends in the audience.

Yesterday I had to go into the office because it was an office clean-up day. After getting my Eggnog Latte, I headed to work. When I was almost to work, it happened ... I started to see the 'aura.' I was seeing a lot of ripples and it was getting progressively worse. I made it to the office and then hunted down someone with Excedrin Migraine. I took pills and borrowed some sunglasses, but I was pretty much down for the count. I tried eating lunch and started to get nauseous, so I came home. We were getting off early anyway because we had our holiday party last night, but I missed that, too. Oh well. I had a great nap, and that helped a little. Then I slept 12 hours last night, so I'm hopeful that it's gone.

I'm about to go to the gym. YEAAAAAAH!

Have a satisfying Saturday!

Yo, Drizzle

So, tonight when I went to meet MV at Starbucks, I got a Caramel Apple Spice drink. I told the guy I didn't want any whipped cream. Then, I was sitting there waiting and he said, "Do you want any caramel drizzle?" I thought it was hilarious because there was once a time when the word 'drizzle' was interchangeable with my name. I used to be 'Drizzle' to so many people that I would turn my head when the meteorologist said there was a chance of drizzle. I'd be like, "WHAT UP, WEATHER MIZZLE!" It was really hard to keep my mouth shut and not make a joke to Mr. Starbizzle, but he wouldn't have understood.

Also, it's been rainy all stinkin' day, so the title is a play on words. You're welcome.

I am as tired as can be. Tomorrow is going to be such a long day, too, beginning with a meeting at 7:00 a.m. I think I've officially made celebrity status because a driver will be taking me to my ENT appointment tomorrow. Basically, my presence at this meeting is so in-demand that I am being chauffeured to and from the doctor after the meeting. Isn't that awesome? Anyway, I'm excited because it's my first meeting as a member of the Program Steering Committee for the newly-formed CF Center of Excellence in Atlanta. I'm going to be in a room with all doctors and researchers. I love furthering CF research.

I had Willy's today and oh. my. heavens. Unbelievable. I also felt like a celebrity when I went in there. The workers were talking about my new hair, and the girl at the register (who I thought was mute) was like, "Where are your glasses?" I about dropped my nachos because I was startled, but I told her they were on my desk.

Well, I think that's about all the narcissism I can handle for the day, so I'll go to sleep and dream of myself. :-) GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD VIBES!

+1 Hour

So, I'm going to make a conscious effort to blog regularly this week. I actually enjoy doing it, so I hate that I've been slacking, but I've just had a lot going on - in my head more than anything.

Today we got an extra hour of sleep, which was awesome. I didn't sleep an extra hour, but I like that I got up at a decent hour for the first time in a while. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to get an extra hour built into every day. I'm sure it would eventually become the norm and I'd fill it without even thinking, but it sounds so appealing. It's kind of like the way I feel like I have gained all this time when a meeting at work gets canceled. Anyway, because of the time change, I'm feeling sleepy especially early tonight, which I also consider a positive.

Even though I'm not supposed to be reading while I'm engulfed in my book-writing shenanigans, I have been periodically reading portions of a book about being grateful. It got me thinking a lot about gratitude, so I want to mention a few things that make me feel grateful today:
-Having heat as it starts to get cold
-Good food
-Laughing at random things
-My family

I saw a musical on Friday night at Emory (with ES). It was called "Pippin: His Life and Times." Someone I know from the theatre, Robby, played the role of Pippin. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was completely blown away by the musical. It hit home for several different reasons, and I'm really, really glad I went. Hooray for Pippin! I am grateful for Pippin!

Well, I'm going to spend some time on my book before I get too tired to be productive. Sweet dreams!

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.

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

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.

Givin' Lip

Well, well, well... Where to even begin. I'd say Shoot the Hooch 2010 was a success if I've ever seen one. By the time we got to the end of the course, there were literally cops waiting for us. Now, I'm not a fan of law-breaking and what not, but I've got to admit that I am impressed we could cause so much uproar on a river that there would be cops awaiting our arrival on land. Perhaps this year's pirate theme was appropriate. There were 16 girls, and we sure caused a lot of chaos. I don't think it's smart to negotiate with a cop while wearing a shirt that says "Givin' Lip."

My uncle graciously picked my roommate and I up. However, in our post-Hooch stupor, I forgot that my house key was in my car at the put-in. So, we got home and had to sit outside while my uncle and cousin went to retrieve my car. We successfully made it into the house and were pretty useless for the rest of the night...until Burial 2010.

When my roommate went up to bed, she came down and told me that one of her hamsters had died. Between the way we were feeling and the way she was acting, I was laughing entirely too much about poor Goober. My roommate was talking to Goober's child saying, "Nothing to see here, Peanut, " and "Your mama's not doing so well, Peanut." What an end to our day!

Today I met a few Wolf Camera friends (DH and MS) at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I devoured a BLT Blue Cheese Burger and we all split a piece of Snickers cheesecake. It was so fun to catch up and talk about everything under the sun. I love lunches like that. It was the perfect start (and end!) to my Sunday afternoon.

The Braves scored lots o' runs today, so they're still carrying the NL East by five games. Ballllerrrrrr! All of those disappointing seasons feel well-worth it this year.

I guess I'm gonna go get all of my crazy bloodwork done tomorrow afternoon. I have a lunch meeting, but it should be a relatively calm day otherwise.

Oh me, oh my

There is no justifiable reason why I should be up this late on a Monday night. Like I mentioned, we had 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. rehearsal, and I felt surprisingly awake on the way home. So, I decided to go ahead and watch the Bachelorette from tonight. If this isn't pure entertainment, I don't know what is. We're about to start giving out some roses! She's already sent the psycho home, and now there's a clear underdog in my opinion. We'll see if I'm right... YES! Good girl.

Today was an interesting day back to work. I went to Starbucks on the way and got my Iced White Chocolate Mocha goodness. It was the perfect start to the day, especially because I didn't realize I'd be in four hours of meetings. Because of the meeting craziness, we got pizza delivered, which was a nice treat even though I'm not a pizza fanatic. Then my friend KQ and I went to Yoforia. I got pineapple yogurt with Sour Patch Kids, kiwi and strawberries. Mmm!

I went by the doctor's office to get blood drawn for the study. However, things didn't quite go as planned. After six sticks, there was literally no indication that my arm was willing to relinquish any blood. Sooo, we pretty much gave up and are trying for tomorrow. I wore a dress today and was really cold, which didn't help the cause. I'm gonna dress warmly tomorrow.

What else? I just feel like good things are on the way for me. It's funny that I felt the exact opposite at this time last week.

Oh, and today was not very good on the stomach/appetite front. I forgot to mention (I think) that my back started bothering me at one point during the beach trip. Saturday afternoon the pain was so bad that I was nauseous. Today was like that, too. It's really weird because no painkiller I took was helping the cause. I hope it's just a strain or something and will be headed out of the door ASAP. I emailed my doctor just to get an opinion. We'll see what she says.

Happy birthday to my mom!

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.

what a day

At least the Braves didn't lose 17 to 2. Oh wait, they did. Darn.

I'd say the Braves score is indicative of my overall day. I know that's kind of melodramatic, but oh well. Today was one of those days where it was hard to snap out of it. ARGGGGH! At least it's about over...

Surprisingly, I was able to sleep through the night like I hadn't taken 6 hours of naps immediately before laying down for bed. I'm just amazed that I could sleep from almost 3:00 p.m. until 6:22 a.m. That's quite the accomplishment. Sadly, it's probably the biggest success of the day.

I did get up and exercise this morning, although it was extremely difficult to wake up this morning. I did about 32 minutes of varying activities in the fitness center, experiencing some of the same exercise ADD that I had yesterday. I then headed off to work where I kicked off my day with a lovely 1.5-hour meeting that we have once a month. I went out to eat for lunch (Mexican), so that was a highlight.

I went to Starbucks on the way to rehearsal because I figured I needed some kind of fake enthusiasm in order to do a good job. It's getting increasingly difficult to go to rehearsal with an open mind on Mondays after work. Mmm, maybe if I anticipate it on Mondays from here on out, it won't take me by surprise. Anyway, rehearsal was a lot of fun. We played ABC Buzzer and Blind Scene, and the fact that I hadn't had a good day didn't cross my mind once!

Well, tomorrow's the big day at the doctor. I have to do a two-hour glucose tolerance test, which means I am beginning to fast. BLAH! I will never be as hungry as I will be tomorrow morning. Anyway, I need to get my blood drawn at 10:00 a.m., then I'll drink the orange drank and get blood drawn again at noon. I need to get a DEXA bone density scan somewhere in that time, too, so that the doctors can tell me I have osteopenia. Then, I have my pulmonary function tests (PFTs) at 12:30 p.m. and my actual appointment at 1:00 p.m. Yeaaaaaaaah, it's gonna be a pretty long day. While the optimist in me wants to say that it will go well, the pragmatist in me doesn't have very high hopes. Whatever happens, I will handle it with grace... and probably IV antibiotics.

Umm, what else? That's all. No money raised online for Drew's Crew today, but one of the crew members should have made his first push tonight, so I'm hoping I'll see an increase when I check the total in the morning. Unless you beat him to it....

Have a good night. I will report on judgment day tomorrow.

'Roid rage. ROOOOAAAAAR!

Hey y'all!

As you can probably assume from the title of this post, I got started on steroids today. I am really relieved because I think this is exactly what I need to get my breathing under control right now. I'm on a certain dose for five days, and then will wean off of it over 10 days if it works over the five days. I truly already feel better. I am also pretty hyperactive, but I'm tired at the same time, so I'm not sure how that works. I do wish I could have this energy all of the time.

Tonight's show was a lot of fun. The audience wasn't the biggest its ever been, but they were enthusiastic and seemed to have a good time. I had many wonderful friends and family members supporting me, so it felt awesome. Because it's my post-show ritual, I will recount the games I played... Tonight I was in Touch Collaborative Monologue (New!), Emo Interview (changer), Helping Hands Oscar (New!), Buzzer Talk Show (New!) and Musical Styles. Thanks to these 'roids, I was high-energy throughout the whole thing, which is usually the toughest part for me. Everyone was just really positive and went out there and had fun!

I decided to do a new character tonight - Barbara Buchanan. I figured there wasn't any night better than a night where I felt invincible due to medication; I was glad I went out on the limb. It was fun to try a character that was completely outrageous for a change. I tend to create characters that are 'me' with a twist. It was fun to step way outside of the box.

This morning I had set my alarm as though I was going to exercise before work. However, I ended up oversleeping by nearly an hour and a half. I was going to get up at quarter til 6:00 a.m. so that I could exercise before work. However, I heard a car honk outside and was like, "Who is honking at this hour?" Then, I looked at my phone and saw that it was 7:02 a.m. and I was supposed to leave in 40 minutes. Soooo, it was a quick morning and I threw show stuff together without rhyme or reason. Oh well, perhaps tomorrow I'll make it to the gym. And 'roid rage!

Tomorrow I'll be going into work in the afternoon because I need to be there for an appointment. I'm going to work from home probably up until lunchtime and then head over to gear up for a 3:00 p.m. meeting. After that's done, I'll probably head back to try to beat traffic on a Friday afternoon. Plus, I'm meeting a friend for dinner!

My team almost hit $5K today, so I'm pretty pumped! I got a new walker, too!

Well, Steroid Magee is headed to bed. NIGHT!

Not. My. Day.

Well, as indicated by the title of this blog, I'm not in the best mood I've ever experienced.

First off, I can't believe I posted this morning; that seems like it was three days ago, but I guess time drags when you're NOT having fun. Welcome melodrama.

So, this morning started off fine. I went to work and what not, per usual. Well, I had meetings that began at 9:00 a.m. and lasted until I needed to leave for the doctor, which wasn't exactly the ideal way to spend the half-day I had in the office. Granted, the meetings had to happen, but I would have loved to have spent the four hours doing solid work.

I then went to the CF center to begin the screen for the drug study. Within 30 minutes of my arrival, I was pretty disappointed. I don't know if I went into much depth on my last doctor's appointment blog post, but at my appointment in January, I recorded the highest lung function numbers I've gotten in quite some time. Well, today was a stark contrast.

Honestly, when the numbers first appeared on the computer screen, I was thinking something must be horribly wrong. I mean, these were worse than hospital numbers. By the time I completed the tests with enough consistency to be accepted, I was only down about 6 percent, but that's a lot in the CF world - especially when it means .2 liters of air.

Then, when it came time for the physical exam, the doctor looked at my lung function numbers and was surprised at the decline. She then completed the rest of the exam and looked at my nose, at which point she was impressed by the significance of the inflammation. She then started inquiring about my last sinus surgery, which wasn't exactly something I was imagining to hear at this study screening visit.

At the end of it all - after the lung function tests, bloodwork, ECGs (two), sweat tests, etc. - I don't even know if I'll qualify. With my lung numbers being as low as they are right now, the doctors definitely wouldn't consider me to be at a 'stable' point as far as my lung health. I've got my fingers crossed that we can wait it out until the end of allergy season and that I won't have gotten disqualified for my out-of-the-ordinary numbers today. If I don't get to participate, I will be very, very disappointed. I have been following this particular drug since 2006. Plus, regardless of whether I get the real drug or the placebo, study participants get to enroll in an extension study, in which I would be eligible to take the drug until it gets approved and marketed by the FDA. PLEASE! LET ME BE INCLUDED!

Anyway, talking about it isn't going to change what happened today, so I should probably just sleep it off. I went to eat Mexican at El Azteca in order to boost my mood, and it definitely helped. It's time to sleep again. My aching face just can't get enough sleep these days.

Heeeeeeeartbreak waaaaaaaaarfare

Well, today has been quite the Monday. Portions of it felt Mondayesque, but I'm happy for it to be ending on a positive note. I'm feeling refreshed, tired, and ready for a good night's sleep!

The most exciting thing that happened today was that I went to Target during my lunch hour. I had to pick up a prescription, so I figured I'd browse while I was at it. I got some vitamins that I've been meaning to get, and I also got some snacks to nibble on at work. I also got a shirt and a hat, and I'm excited about both. I have the same shirt in purple and it tends to do me well, so I got it in gray, too. I also got a little brown hat. I'm not sure what this type of hat is called, but it's a kind of cute hat I can wear when I feel like being nappy.

Work was fairly busy today. I had a couple of meetings, but nothing compared to the rest of the week. I have probably 14 hours of meetings this week, which makes it pretty difficult to accomplish the things I need to accomplish. Oh well, though... My biggest concern is that I need to be in the office on Friday for a big meeting, so I'll have to forfeit my telecommute day. Blaaaaah! Our intern starts tomorrow, so it will be fun to have a fresh face in the office.

Well, I don't have a lot to say, mainly because I'm too tired. I wanted to work on my book a little tonight because I'm still feeling energized from yesterday, but it shall wait until tomorrow so I can make it an early morning at work.

Smile all day

WELL WELL WELL!! It is Tuesday and the week is almost over! Or so it feels!

Yesterday was an enjoyable day off in which I, once again, accomplished NOTHING. I slept in pretty late and sat around for a while. I got a shower... I then went and ate a late lunch of Mexican food at Pure Taqueria. I also had two peach mojitos, which were pretty enjoyable.

I had improv last night and just wasn't feeling it altogether. I honestly think it had to do with having such an unproductive weekend. I hadn't really had to be 'on' at all during the weekend, so it was hard to kick it into 'focus' last night when I got to the theatre. Oh well... I bet tomorrow I'll be feeling it again.

Today I got up and went into work really early. There was a lot I wanted to accomplish and I hoped to have most of it knocked out before I went into hour after hour of meeting. I stopped at Starbucks on the way to the office and got a vanilla latte. I got to work a little after 7:00 a.m. and was able to knock out a lot before my first meeting at 9:00 a.m. From that point forward, I was away from my desk until close to 12:40 p.m., which makes for a hectic day. I actually wasn't feeling all the well, combined with starving, and headed home a little before 2:00 p.m. to eat lunch and telecommute for the remainder of the day. It was a pretty good workday, especially compared to last week's roller coaster.

After I was done working, I went to the fitness center and walked a while as I read a book. I wanted to run some, but even the limited arm movement in walking was aggravating my SC joint. Sooo.. I took it easy. That reminds me, I should be hearing from the doctor pretty soon about moving forward with the ultrasound.

Anything else interesting going on? I'm getting pretty pumped about my show on Thursday! Each day I learn of a few more people that can hopefully come, so I'm crossing my fingers for a pretty full house! I'm also glad that the weather forecast isn't placing any potential cancellation threats on the show!

Oh, and one last thing... The highlight of my day. I have a column in a CF newsletter, right? Well, today, I got a post on my Facebook page saying, "We got a donation today in your honor! The message said, 'Drew is obviously a talented writer and the column in Reaching Out is a worthwhile contribution to the newsletter.'" That pretty much made me smile all day!

Sleepy sloth

I am pretty stinkin' tired right now, but sometimes that's when I write the most entertaining things. Not that I just promised this would be entertaining by any means...

Today was a pretty good day; in fact, the workday flew by. I got to work at about 7:00 a.m. and it was almost 9:00 a.m. before anyone else arrived. That's nice because it gives me a chance to crack down in the mornings and knock some things out before I start getting distracted. I accomplished so much in the first two hours of the day. I also listened to some good music on Pandora - I started with Kenny Chesney and then ended up listening to The Juliana Theory.

I had a meeting from about 10:00 a.m. to noon, so that was a significant chunk of the day. After the meeting, I knocked a few things out before I arbitrarily journeyed to Kroger during lunchtime.

I got the following items at Kroger: a caesar salad with bacon, a box of Cheez-Its, and a bag of Sour Slices. The salad was a poor decision on my part; I rarely even enjoy eating salad - so much work with no reward. I wanted something quick and was too lazy to wait at the deli. The Cheez-Its are always a win, so that's a no-brainer. The Sour Slices are interesting. You know those orange slices that are basically like gum drops? Well, Sour Slices look the same, but have a kick to them. They're pretty exciting, I guess.

After work, my uncle came over and I helped him write a cover letter for a position he found online. I worked on that until my brain almost fell out, and then we went out to eat...you guessed it...Mexican! The Mexican food made up for that horrendous salad that I bought on a whim. I still don't even know what must have come over me in that moment of weakness.

Now I am dozing off as I type this, thinking about how I will speak at a CF Foundation event after work tomorrow. I'll probably figure out what I want to say when I'm killing time between work and the event. You know what they say... I'll stop procrastinating starting tomorrow.