Alright. I'm just going to have to sit down and write all this out! I've been putting this update off for a while because it's so huge, but I really just need to do it. First, though, I will explain the picture on today's post. This is a badge I made in Expression Design using a Photoshop tutorial. It actually wasn't very difficult to adapt it, I just had to look up a few things online that weren't obvious from Photoshop to Design (such as rasterizing - it's called creating an image object in Design). Anywho, I didn't make that pretty thing up, but I did make it! And I think it looks pretty darn cute.
So, on to the 2 1/2 weeks that I haven't been posting! First of all, I just want anyone reading this to know that I'm not going to stop posting. I've taken a short hiatus because the end of the semester got REALLY busy and I've been dealing with some more (minor) health problems. Now that the semester is over, I'll have plenty of time to post more regularly!
I won't be able to cover everything that happened since my last post (I just don't remember everything! Plus, it would be REALLY long), but I'll hit the major points! So, after I started getting better from the infection, I started having a lot of trouble sleeping. My sleep schedule got really messed up and I was going to bed regularly at about 4am and not getting up until after noon. It was really terrible and I had a hard time getting it back on schedule, but things started getting better after I got sick the second time.
So, a last week (Wednesday, I think?), I woke up with vertigo. I've never had it before, and it really sucked. Either the room would feel like it was spinning or I felt like I was constantly tipping over. I ended up staying at home a couple more days (I was supposed to go back to Jamie's house, but he came over Wednesday to see me, anyway) and went to the doctor's on Friday. Apparently, my infection didn't clear up all the way. I still have some congestion in my ears (and nose, and chest...) and it was throwing off my balance. I got a bunch of new medicines to take: a new antibiotic, a nose spray for the congestion (it's supposed to help my ears, too), and medicine for dizziness.
The antibiotics make me sleepy, but it hasn't been too bad. Since I got the vertigo, my sleep has been better and it has definitely improved since I started taking the antibiotics. The nose spray really clears up my sinuses, but I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to take it. We'll probably call the doctor soon to find out, but I know I'm supposed to take it even after my symptoms get better. I've only taken the dizziness medicine twice and I'm not sure how well it worked. I'm only supposed to take half a pill, but I might try a whole one if the dizziness comes back. I've been feeling a lot better the past few days - not really dizzy at all, so I hope everything is working out.
Other than all that, I finished up the semester. I had a big rush at the end to finish that Computer Assembly & Config class, but I got everything done and got an A. I was so glad to finish everything for tech writing. I actually pulled out an A in that class, too! I was pretty sure it was impossible, but I did well on the last two assignments, so I'm really happy about that. The website for Workgroup came out really nice and so did the site for Multimedia (the yacht club site). I'm happy with how everything turned out.
Now I'm just contemplating what I should do this summer. The plan was to finish up the degree in the summer, but for some reason I'm having trouble with the idea. I think I just feel like I need a break, but I still have to figure this out. It's a little frustrating. I think I will finish this summer, but I just need to get the necessary stuff done for it. I have to register for classes, do the FAFSA, and fill out a summer financial aid form. I should probably meet with my adviser, too, to make sure there aren't any reasons why I can't graduate.
Well, what else. I finished Catch-22. I wasn't able to read when I was sick (either time), so it took a while to finish the book even though it was really good. Here's my review:
Catch-22 by Joseph HellerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
I started and finished A Wizard of Earthsea:
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le GuinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
I have the next two books in the series, so I'm going to get on those tout de suite! I'm actually 7 books behind now! I've lost a lot of time, but hopefully I can still catch up!
We went to the Maple Festival a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't have a very good time. James was upset with me and we weren't getting along the whole time. We got some maple stirs, though, gyros (they are actually pronounced year-ohs, but I've always said jeye-rohs), and some fried green tomatoes (which were actually really good!) I also bought a really pretty owl bracelet. I'll post a pic of it soon.
What else? The day before the maple festival, I got a few really mean comments from some dude on reddit and I let them get to me. That's part of the reason James was upset - I overreacted about this guy's comments and let his stupid words get to me. The worst part is that I really let it affect my own self confidence. The positive part of all of this is that I realized that the way I am (or the way I react to things) can cause problems in my relationship. I can be selfish and I can definitely overreact to things. But those things can also affect people around me, and realizing that just made me want to do better. I want to try to do things for other people and really think about what I say and do and how that will affect people around me that I love. I don't want to lose someone I love because of my faults. I can change them and improve and make the lives of people around me better because of it. I guess I just started feeling like, this is just the way I am and people are going to have to accommodate it. But I'm not stuck, I can fight the negative attitude and the tendency to overreact and the not thinking before speaking, and I can make myself better. I want to make myself better for James and for my family. If I can make their lives easier, that's much more important than indulging my moods and bad attitudes. Ah, growing up...
Teddy is a bit sick right now. He had to go to the vet a couple of days ago. He has an infection and the doctor found a hookworm egg. He also might have a low-functioning thyroid, plus he is a bit anemic. It's strange because we hadn't noticed anything off until recently, but it sounds like a lot of problems. It makes me sad to think he is sick or suffering. I think the fleas probably caused most of the problems (we've been having a bad time with them lately - the mild winter didn't help and I think they are pretty bad out in the woods where we take him for walks). He is on an antibiotic and a few other medications for the other problems. He also got some shots and blood taken (poor baby!) He had been eating grass a lot, which is a sign he wasn't feeling well. He also got a shot to settle his tummy. He seems to be feeling better, though. He's not his usual self quite yet, but I think he will get better soon. I'll keep you updated.
Well, this post is already getting pretty long, but I'll end with our escapades yesterday. My momma took me, Meghan, and my dad out to lunch at Tai-Pan (which is a great Chinese restaurant). It was really, really good! I had some sesame chicken and the egg rolls were fantastic! (Oh, I almost forgot to mention. The other day, Jamie's parents went out for their anniversary, so we ordered some Chinese from this great takeout place, but they got our order wrong! Jamie was kinda mad, but the food wasn't too bad. He got his sesame chicken but no rice, and I got some chicken lo mein which actually was pretty good. We didn't get our teriyaki sticks, though, which was very sad. They're so good! It wasn't bad, though.) Anywho! Back to yesterday. I saw someone from high school there, but didn't know what to say. I feel kind of bad because it was probably rude that I didn't talk to him, but I'm not even sure he recognized me. I shot him a facebook message later about it, but haven't heard anything back. *shrugs* After lunch, all us girls got our hair done:
Me
Meghan and I got our hair cut by one of my old friends' sister. She did a great job on my hair. I'm pretty much in love with it! : ) I miss Meghan's pretty hair, but her little pixie cut looks cute. I really like mom's hair, too. I think it turned out really well. After that, we headed over to Wal-mart to pick up some things and finally headed home. We forgot to pick up my prescription, though, so mom had to run back up to Middlefield today (it's about 30 mins away-ish).
Well, I think that's about it. Sorry for such a long silence from me. I've had a busy few weeks and have just been putting this off again and again! I'm glad to have it done now, though, so I can get back on track. I've been crocheting a bunch lately and learning new things with CSS and Expression. I'm working on a portfolio for all of my websites and design stuff and I'm really excited about it. It's so cute! Plus, I'm working on a logo for our library. They're having a contest; I could win $50, lol. I have a cute idea, though. Maybe I'll post the submission when I'm done.
Love,
Christen
