I've lost 12 pounds since the 27th of November. Yep, that's just in the last 9 days. When I saw my therapist on Friday, the first thing she commented on was that I look like I've lost weight. Well, yes, I have and continue to, ever since starting my new medication(s) on the 27th. It has completely obliterated my appetite. I have to remind and force myself to eat, and even then I can't each much. It was an unexpected but welcome side-effect. I suspect that as I adjust to the meds, which should take at least one more week, it will start to taper off as I regulate. But it's nice that I get a sort of jump-start to burning off the weight I put on from the 5 week stretch with pneumonia I had this summer, considering at that point I was only about 15-20 pounds away from my target, with all the triathlon training I was doing. I've been missing it so bad, and haven't been in any sort of physical condition to resume it, yet. Hopefully I'll get there soon. As it stands, I don't think I'll be in good enough shape to enter the Iron Bruin in March. It's possible, but not probable. So I can take things a bit easier, not push myself so hard I get sick, and aim for 2011, or maybe a different triathlon in Spring or Fall of 2010.

And speaking of Spring of 2010, I'm being "commissioned" to write a series of short stories by Spring, and it may lead to an on-staff writing position. So there's a chance I'll be able to pursue a viable career in writing, after all! Stupendous news, that, as it would give me the "off-time" I need to adequately maintain my health, yet keep me from requiring disability or any other such supplemental income.

Now, I just need ideas. There's only one project I've already got that fits the desired format--the story my therapist requested I write. Opinions and suggestions are encouraged and always welcome, folks.

My new glasses finally arrived in the post. Pictures will be forthcoming. They're transitionals! And they're ultra-fab.

And now, the not-so-stellar minutia...

My hair has resumed falling out in huge amounts. So apparently the medication and cut only slowed the progress for a short while? Or perhaps I'm just too wonky for it to continue to be as effective? Hopefully it will slow down or even stop, again. That would be lovely. I don't want to be bald.

My sciatica is going super-wonky. I managed to pinch a nerve, somewhere in my spine, and it's making my left extremities alternate between shooting pains and numbness. This is what has made learning the guitar and up-keeping my piano skills rather difficult. I'm not sure if I did something to exacerbate this, or if I just slept wrong, or if it's even a side-effect of the new medication...it could be any of those, but I have to wait and see. It's also going to slow my progress on all the origami boxes I'm making for Christmas. Booooo.

My room is a war-zone. Things have been way too bizarro in my world to make time to keep it tidy. My bathroom and closet are fine. I'm too OCD to let them get icky. But everything else is...well...yeah. Hopefully I'll get to it today.

I'm kind of worried about paying for my car's registration this month. Money is really tight, especially around Christmas. But I'm sure I'll figure things out. I always do.

Other than that, things are going alright, and I really don't have any complaints. Life isn't perfect, but that would be boring and unchallenging. I have another doctor's appointment on Monday, and I need to get a number of blood tests, which I'll likely do this upcoming week.


And now, I have to work on the "homework" my therapist gave me. Hopefully all is well with everyone reading this.


UPDATE:

I did more intensive research on the new medications I'm on. Apparently all the new "symptoms" I'm experiencing is being caused by one or both, including the neurological madness. The list of symptoms I've got going on is as follows...

* Paresthesia
* Dry mouth
* Congestion
* Palpitations
* Weight Loss
* Loss of appetite
* Grogginess
* Increased Libido

Well...that explains everything! Hm...now to see if any of this will actually taper off, or if this is just how it's going to be. The only one I'm truly worried about is the Paresthesia, because I can deal with all the rest pretty easily. Well, maybe not the increased libido, considering it's naturally astronomical. But I rather dig that...most of the time.

Uh...I'm on Facebook, now. (Under Coercion!)

I've already sold my soul. I may as well make it publicly known. So, if you think I'm all 31 flavors of Nifty and you want on, message me and I'll add you. That is, unless I hate you. Because despite being on that dreadful site, I maintain a strict, drama-free zone.

Google Fun - don't forget the "'s"

(FYI - Had to do this using my nickname, as my birthname will not show up in these searches. I do not exist on the internetz.)

Q: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search.
A: Rainey needs to be appreciated as the beautiful woman that she was.
-Was? "I'm not dead yet!"

Q: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search.
A: Rainey looks like a complete jerk!

Q: Type in "[your name] says" in Google search.
A: Rainey says “I just decided to like jazz and I don’t even really know why. Mainly, I think, because it was just something different.”

Q: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search.
A: Rainey wants to make music that will live forever.
-True story.

Q: Type in "[your name] does" in Google search.
A: Rainey does not just have an ear for music and melodies but also possesses an ear finely tuned to the beauty of language, understanding, as he does, the chasms between certain nouns and verbs and the unparalleled intimacy shared by others.

Q: Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search.
A: Rainey hates Orlando Bloom.
-Hate is so harsh. And I have mad love for Legolas.

Q: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search.
A: Rainey asks who is detonating the bombs.
-ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO RAINEY!

Q: Type in "[your name] goes" in Google search.
A: Rainey goes a bit nuts, but I kept expecting Parkins to step in with some crazed piano or electronics, and she never does, instead preferring to tinker around in the margins, adding subtle ornamentations here and there but never stepping front and center.
-Goes nuts? I live there...I don't have to do anything to get there.

Q: Type in "[your name] likes" in Google search.
A: Rainey Likes To Get Physical.
-Olivia Newton John + Legwarmers = FOREVAR.

Q: Type in "[your name] eats" in Google search.
A: Rainey eats the cupcake.
-If it's Red Velvet, you're damn right I do.

Q: Type in "[your name] wears" in Google search.
A: Rainey wears a smile and the next, a fierce reprimanding look in her eye.
-Well I am quite Mercurial. Just roll with it.

Q: Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in Google Search.
A: Rainey was arrested for indecency in Chicago when police responding to a noise complaint found a room full of naked women in “intimate“ situations (she was bailed out the next morning by Bessie Smith).
-Considering I haven't been in Chi-Town since 1978, (but aiming to go in 2010 for the Rodz Family Reunion), I was one wild and crazy toddler!

...Before I die, someday, I will punch Phil Laak in the nuts. Man, that guy bugs me like no other poker player on the planet.

But soon it could be yours. (DIRTY!)

So I got a hold of Kevin and asked him to email me the pictures of my custom cards. He may or may not get to it today, so in the meantime, here is a "Trial Run" of what the origami boxes that will be mounted onto this year's craft cards will look like. (As in shape/size. Colors and patterns of the paper used will vary.)



What will be inside depends on whose card it is, obviously. And in most cases, this will also determine the color scheme and theme. I'm not saying who's getting what, but a small list of this years themes are:

• Care Bears


• Hello Kitty


• Rainbow Brite


• Strawberry Shortcake


• Elephants


• Batman


• Spiderman


• The Incredibles


• 80's Music (New Wave/Euro-Pop)


• Butterflies


• Cinderella


• Minnie Mouse


• Zombies


• Guitars


• Motorcycles


• Powerpuff Girls


• Poker/Texas Hold 'Em


• Winnie The Pooh


• Star Wars


• and More!

Pictures, if and when I get them, will be forthcoming.

Want one, too? Let me know. If you have a color or theme preference, go ahead and tell me. If it's too obscure I'll tell you to stuff it. ;)

And now, I resume much folding and creasing...and watching DVD's.

---

Update: Origami paper? What's that?

 

So me being a mad genius decided to attempt making a modular box using heavy cardstock, because I have TONS of that stuff from all my crafting, and I'm low on origami paper until my new shipment arrives, hopefully next week but maybe not. Cardstock is not in any way designed for folding and most certainly not for origami. But I beat that shit into submission because that's how I roll...er fold, and here is the result:



The Box



The Lid

And a video instruction on how to do this yourself:



Buy Tomoko Fuse's kick-ass book on modular origami boxes, HERE!

Aside from my parents, I am COMPLETELY DONE with my Christmas shopping. And it isn't even Thanksgiving. I am awesome.

Of course, buying presents is the easy part. It's the packaging, wrapping, etc. where I always get my ass handed to me and end up working all the way up until Christmas Eve, since I hand-create and personalize everybody's Christmas card into some sort of art/collector/personalized/themed piece. (I think this year everyone's 3D card will be a customized/personalized origami-style keepsake box with a surprise inside) I haven't even started those. But I will very soon. This weekend, actually.

This makes up for the fact that I was supposed to be productive this whole week, while being struck with a Mighty Flare-Up and a Killer Migraine, in addition to The Cramps That Feel Like An Alien Foetus Is Chewing Through My Uterus, yet I've still managed to get something done.

Now, it's back to bed to sip yummy coffee and watch my new DVD's. I finally got Watchmen! As well as a few recommendations from Ken. And on the subject of The Musician Extraordinaire, I got a new youtube account and reposted his Tribal Cafe videos, for those that have noticed that the posted links don't work anymore.

Watch them Here.

You know what else is slick? The external hard drive I just purchased for %30 cheaper than what Frys and Best Buy are charging. 1TB to house my megaton music collection, as well as my picture, graphics, and video archives. This, in addition to the unlimited space and bandwidth I have on my domain, as well as the 350GB external hard drive I've already almost maxed out, means that once I purchase my new netbook/umpc this Christmas, I will be reformatting the desktop computer I'm currently on and turning it into my music, video, design, and graphics studio, with Pro Tools, Logic, CS3, and MORE*!

I'm off to research origami boxes. I see much folding and paper cuts in my future. Good thing I've got lots of cute and cartoon band aids! =D

P.S. If you'd like me to make a customized Christmas box for you or someone you know, just drop me a line. Once I get a few of them done I'll post pictures so you can see what they're like. I'd already have pictures of previous Christmas 3D cards posted but KEVIN keeps neglecting to get me copies of those photos. He's a weenie. But don't worry, I've already made him aware of that fact. (His present won't be an origami box. For one thing, his origami kung-fu is far greater than mine and I don't wish to embarrass myself, and his present is too big to fit in one of those boxes. In fact, he has all my origami books and paper. Bastard! *shakes fist* YOU WIN THIS ROUND, WEE BULL!)

*Definitely movie editing software and most likely some sort of publishing software. I think. We'll see.

Yes, I am aware that this makes me look like I'm about 13 years old.

This was just having chopped the length, no razor work. Yet. And I haven't decided exactly what to do with my bangs...I have to play with them until I find something I like.

I haven't cried yet. I'm sure I will. I'm too tired/achy to dye it tonight so you'll not see the finished product until I do. This may or may not happen this weekend.

Of course the day I finally feel motivated and ready to get done all the stuff I've been putting off is the day that the flare I've been trying to squelch starts getting the better of me. I was up until after sunrise this morning, still dealing with crazy temperature issues and the like, I only managed to sleep for four hours, my back/spine is screaming at me, and I've been getting hit with random waves of dizziness and nausea. But I refused to stay in bed or just laze about for another day. I've been highly productive from the moment I dragged ass out of bed this morning.

After breakfast I took a Tramadol, smoked a little, threw on the Chinese import boxset of Transformers Generation One, and got to work. My entire closet has been re-organized for fall/winter. All the laundry is done, including bedding and towels, I cycled the bettas tanks, gave myself a badly needed manicure, as well as a deep conditioning/repairing hydration mask hair treatment, organized stuff for storage and donation, and re-organized all my board and card games. Oh, and I watched Speed Racer on DVD, and finished off disc two of Clerks The Animated Series.

Once the last of my blankets is done drying, I will finish making my bed, shower, and likely spend the rest of the night eating candy and playing video games--specifically, the new House of the Dead: Overkill--for which I am especially excited.

Tomorrow, if the vertigo-like symptoms don't have me down for the count, I need to go to the bank, buy groceries, make a trip to the pharmacy, get my car washed, look into picking up some ornaments for my Christmas tree, and try to restrain myself from buying hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars worth of computer gear. Ugh.

Plus, ever since I heard that Rock Band is making a Pixies edition, I'm really thinking it's time to replace my Xbox 360. That has been quite hard to resist. Especially since the best Burnout and Geometry Wars games aren't being made for the Wii. Oh, and the new Dead Rising: Chop 'til you Drop is sounding rather cool. I fucking loved the first one.

My hobbies and interests are expensive...meh.

I'm also bummed that I'm not in Las Vegas seeing Leonard Cohen, but I fucking should be. :(

Righty-O. Time to kill zombies.