I've been busy. It has mostly been medical stuff and heraldry stuff, which is actually boring to read about unless you are a herald or a really really old person waiting your turn to tell your medical saga. So I shall not post any of that (save one little snippet which will be at the bottom of this).
We're gearing up for Pennsic, as is normal this time of year. Part of our pre-packing stress has been the need for a stand to place the little refrigerator on - why a fridge at Pennsic? See "boring medical stuff" comment above. This stand, or table, or whatever was something we were both loathe to deal with as it seemed like a load of work or money for something that we'll need only this year. Next year, I can go back to coolers & ice. Sadly. The 'chill your drink without melting your ice' aspect of fridge-use spoiled me last year. Anyhow, during one of my sleepless nights it finally occurred to me that there was no reason we should consider the stand 'temporary camp gear'. Why not get/make one sturdy enough to sit under the fridge in the garage, its normal home, and make it so Bossman doesn't have to nearly bend over to the ground in order to get a cold drink when he's fooling around outside? I presented this concept to da Bossman and he was quite receptive to the idea of added comfort in his declining years*.
One of the blocks to taking care of this nagging little chore has been that the Bossman is the woodworker in the family, for the most part, and he hasn't been inspired to do any woodworking for years. Which is odd but I've had my desert moments with sewing, so I know how it goes. So the idea of me loading him with a project he doesn't want to do in the first place has been dumb. While driving to the store the other day, I commented to him that every time I pass our neighbour's two chest of drawers out on his curb (he really should call the city and schedule a pickup), I notice that one more drawer seems to disappear, and I also keep thinking that it'd sure be handy to use something like that for the fridge stand. Wait. Huh. It would be handy. And there are yard sales and second-hand stores all over the city... this morning I bought a side table. It is ugly as sin but is sturdy as a night nurse, cost $6.50 and best of all, my husband didn't have to do any crafting at all. Burden lifted, one less worry about our packing.
Currently I am taking a small break from the next thing on my Pennsic-prep list, which is cutting out a hole inside of a blank book to create a holder for my Nook. Last year I got teased in a loving and sweet way for 'having a showcase period set-up and then sitting in it reading an electronic book'. (Actually, the commenters were using my rare moments of being in camp as a chance to let me know how much they like looking at our camp setup. That I was reading a Nook just made them laugh at the irony.) Now, my Nook was in an expensive lovely I-miss-it-badly leather case which does not fit my new one, but if it was too obvious, then by golly, I'll fix their boats! I bought a very pretty and ornately-gilded journal and am hollowing out the center to put the Nook in there. All I'll have to do is glue the holding pages together and add a ribbon on the inside covers to tie it shut for transporting and storing. I like it better than the covers that are commercially available. But oh, the steady pressure needed to make the razor cuts are a tad wearying for my hand so I'm here doing something else as a break.
I cracked open a Legos kit, or three, and plan on building them all to celebrate not having any leftover work in my heraldic queue. The most I have to worry about is upgrading my laptop in preparation for the Known World Heralds & Scribes Symposium, and deciding if I'm going to try to bring my coronet or not - I've not flown for over 15 years and the idea of bringing that expensive thing with me in my carry-on, for no purpose other than vanity (I guess) is making me waffle. I'm going to the event by way of Las Vegas (yay "book your flight inexpensively!") which let me schedule a two-day layover to spend some time with our eldest child and see his home city through his eyes.
And in my promised medical snippet, I'm still dealing with specialists trying to find out why I'm losing blood pressure and circulation in my legs when I'm walking or standing. The Neurosurgeon & vascular specialist have struck out and in nine days I shall have to go down and get one of those electrical test things where they shock your muscles and see how they react. Oh joy. Yesterday I conferred with the oncologist (btw - NED still) and he agrees that there is an outside chance that the disability made be Gleevec-induced. It'd be an exaggeration of the known side effects but the timing between starting the Gleevec regime and onset of symptoms fit. So I have permission to discontinue the drug for two-three weeks to see if it is the cause. If so, we have some decision-making to do. Bossman suggested, and I agreed, that the trial period should be during Pennsic when I'd be on my feet more often than at any other time. The increase or lack of effect should be clearly obvious. So that's that - I'm kind of scared about discontinuing the treatment, in a superstitious way, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. We're grasping at straws trying to find the cause of this muscular weakness & numbness.
*I threw that in because he's going to read this and now I'll know when he does because I'll hear his snort.
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