I have lived for this day for quite a while. It did not come easily. Every muscle in my body aches, I have bruises in the oddest places, and my fingers feel like they may fall off. However, it is worth every ache and pain.
I joked with a friend a while ago that one day we wouldn't have to lug our laundry to the basement or laundromat. This we decided, would truly be a sign that we made it. Of course, I had imagined that the washer and dryer would be in a home that I owned, but really, I couldn't be happier. We're in a great neighborhood and I have everything that I wanted plus a couple extra bonuses. Behold, the first wash cycle. It contained our sheets that we promptly placed on our bed, which is still just a mattress on the floor. I'm not sure if we'll get the bed frame put together before we drive down to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving, but that seems minor when comparing it to the long weekend of moving our stuff just around the corner. We also have a few more decisions to make, like whether we'll sleep in the small or larger bedroom. This decision will largely depend on where we find space for Jesse's desk.
So, what are those other bonuses you ask? Well, I now have ample counter top space in the kitchen in addition to a dishwasher. My Kitchenaid mixer can now take its rightful prominent spot in the room, instead of on a bottom shelf. Also, under cabinet lighting rocks! Who knew I could be so excited about fluorescent bulbs? I'm also pretty excited that we are directly across the street from one of our favorite bakeries -- although I'm not sure my hips (or wallet) will agree that this is a bonus feature of our new home.
Here's a sneak peek at our living room that is still insanely cluttered with things that will eventually move to other rooms. Rooms. Plural! It still doesn't seem real. The living room doesn't look all that different from the old place, but we have quite a bit more space. Jesse might even get an ottoman to go with his chair. His excitement over this is akin to my love for the front loading washer. I also have a sweet view from my chair (the orange one on the right) onto 21st Avenue. I think I will spend a lot more time gazing out the window with my morning coffee.
On the moving front, yesterday was not very productive. I did get a permit to reserve parking space in front of our new building for our moving truck on Saturday. However, the remainder of the day was spent huddled in the library trying to finish up reading and writing for class. It was actually time well worth spending, because I think I may have finally figured out my focus while taking graduate classes at PSU. Rather than halfheartedly completing coursework toward a masters degree (that I have no intention of finishing), I think I'm going to work toward a graduate certificate in sustainability. While this wasn't the first time I had read about the certificate program, I initially dismissed it because of my limited understanding of what "sustainability" actually means -- I'm all for "going green" and sustainable building design, but as a career choice, it's just not my bag.
That's why the readings for last class last night were so mind blowing. I came to realize that environmental (or physical aspects) of sustainability are just one piece in a larger puzzle that includes economic and social aspects as well. Organizational sustainability is just as important as the physical stuff. I took a closer look at the certificate program and was pleased to find that the core classes are spread out in various departments including, economics, urban studies and planning, sociology, and environmental science. It's like American Studies with a focus. I love it! I found out that two of the core courses are being offered during the winter quarter, one of which is being taught by my current professor. Since there are no full time job prospects in sight, I think I'll sign up for both.
In other news, I made an awesome pot of chili earlier this week. In fact, it might be my best batch ever. It has ground turkey, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, corn, carrots, and roasted acorn squash. The squash and carrots add a nice sweetness and texture. I imagine this would make a pretty good vegetarian version, but I'm sort of partial to the chunks of turkey in addition to the veggies. While I'd like to take all the credit for the tastiness, I have to acknowledge Penzey's Chili 9000 spice blend for part of the success. I'm thinking there is enough chili for one more dinner, so I probably won't have to worry about cooking until tomorrow -- and by cooking, I mean take out. That is a relief, since I have a ton of moving to take care of today. I'm hoping to have the remaining contents of our kitchen and most of the closets emptied by tomorrow afternoon.
Sharon's wedding was awesome. She was beautiful, the food was spectacular, and we got to meet (and re-meet) some Sharon's close friends. I gained quite a few more Facebook buddies Saturday evening. I also ate solid food for the second time this weekend (the first was the dinner that Graham cooked us on Friday night after a long day of travel). After dinner and dancing, my Christmas Sockets were not very happy, so we had to leave a little early. By early, I mean midnight even though the party was still going strong. I later learned that the bride and groom didn't get to bed until after 3am. And of course, a photo of me wearing the dress. Not the greatest picture I've ever taken, but you get the idea.
In other news, yesterday I signed the lease for our new apartment. After a few bumps in the road, I came to realize that the property management company is largely staffed by giant asswipés (pronounced ass-wee-pay). I hope our contact is minimal after we finally move in. I woke up this morning and decided that I'm not going to dwell on the events that took place yesterday, for fear of tainting the whole process of moving that was exciting until twenty-four hours ago. So, no recounts of yesterday's activities, which are minor really. Moving on.
And moving in (YIKES) four days. I will start to shuttle odds and ends throughout the week so that we're hopefully left with only large items, such as our bed, bookshelves, and random furniture. Jesse walked over to the apartment with me yesterday evening and was struck by the largeness. Our meager belongings are going to look very lost in all of the space. We're also going to have to invest in a few rugs to absorb some of the sound! I am also going to have to buy a jumbo bottle of laundry detergent to get me through all of the loads of clothes that I plan on washing in my very own full-sized, front loading washing machine.
My trip to the oral surgeon was successful this morning. The doctor confirmed my suspicions that I had developed the dreaded dry socket (although a pretty mild case). For the sake of your eyes, don't Google image the term. The results are disturbing. In short, all that means is that my body somehow dissolved (or I dislodged) the clot that protects the spot where my wisdom tooth used to live. That pretty much leaves nothing but air between the world and my unhealed jaw bone. Jaw bones aren't used to feeling air, so that causes them to scream. Luckily, mine was merely refraining from using its inside voice by the time I got to the office.
To provide a barrier and some relief, the oral surgeon placed what looked like fine tufts of chewing tobacco in the spot that hurt. In reality it was some sort of dissolving dressing soaked in clove oil. Clove oil? Really? Amazingly, it provided instant relief that (knock on wood) is still going. The oral surgeon said it should last for a couple of days and by that time I should be healing on my own. He swore to me that people usually don't have to come back for a second round. However, one side effect of my miracle dressing is that I constantly taste cloves. It was pretty intense at first and actually made me a little nauseous, but has mellowed out over the course of the day, so I don't mind.
I was thinking this afternoon that instead of dry socket, I'll call it my Christmas socket, since it tastes like mulling spices. Maybe I'll have a glass of warm apple cider after dinner to enhance the experience. I will also raise my glass to the oil of cloves for restoring my sanity!
My my stupid, ugly, asshead wisdom tooth battle wounds started aching last night on the right side. I looked at my "What to do if..." sheet from the oral surgeon and realized that this should not be happening, especially since I've been pain free for a couple of days. I popped a super duper strength ibuprofen and tried to go to sleep as visions of my face falling off danced through my head.
I woke up this morning feeling about the same as I did last night and was actually quite pleased. I had sort of self diagnosed my condition before drifting off to sleep, which included phrases like "pain so excruciating you'll think that you're dying." Thanks internet, that will teach me for straying from the Mayo Clinic website. I called the oral surgeon this morning and scheduled a visit at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow. If it's what I think it is, he'll be able to help and I'll have immediate relief, but a longer healing process. I'm not going to mention my self diagnosis, because then you'll Google it and hate me for what you find. Boo!! I hate you wisdom teeth!
Can you tell that I'm holding off on solid foods again due to the pain? Cranky Brasilliant is back with a vengeance. I've consumed approximately three giant tubs of yogurt over the course of the week and swallowed whole a number of foods that probably are a choking hazard -- eggs, ravioli, frozen blueberries, and not-so-tiny pieces of chicken. Since I didn't feel like I was dying, just starving, I decided that I needed to take care of a few errands in preparation for our trip to Los Angeles. Given my lack of nutrition, my brain was not firing all circuits. I stopped by Kohls as a last ditch effort to try and find a black cardigan to go with the dress I made last weekend. If you've ever been to Kohls, you know that they are usually located in a strip mall. I spent quite a lot of time in the store, checking out underwear, sheets, and other things that had nothing to do with the mission at hand. I paid for my merchandise and decided to head home.
I walked to my parking spot, which was empty. I shrugged it off, thinking that maybe I just misjudged the row. I walked up and down the rows of parking spots and my car was nowhere in sight. There weren't that many, so it's not like it was tucked behind an SUV. Immediately, I started looking around, thinking that maybe I hadn't put on the parking brake and it rolled somewhere (stupid, I know). I tried to retrace my steps and realized that someone had stolen the car. I went to the bench out in front of the department store and sobbed for a good five minutes. Once I was over my self pity, I called Jesse, but he didn't answer. I didn't want to call 911 because it really wasn't an emergency, so I walked back into the store toward customer service to get the number for the local police department.
While walking through the store, I got really angry because I was going to have to take a taxi home and probably again in the morning to the oral surgeon's office at 6am. As I was fighting back tears again, this time from frustration, I saw natural light shining into the side of the store. What? A second entrance? That never happens at strip malls -- except on days when I'm emotionally unbalanced and clearly not thinking. In the end, I found my car. Just where I had parked it. I also found a rainbow, which was lovely, but seemed to be mocking me. I know, I'm nuts. I also can't wait for this week to finally end!
Right on the heels of a recent study revealing that some canned foods contain concerning levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) -- a known toxin and endocrine disruptor to humans -- I made an enchilada casserole. Half of the ingredients came from cans. What's not pictured is a giant tray of roasted acorn squash, that made up the other half of the ingredients. The name alone makes me cringe a little, but it was inspired by a local delicatessen that sold theirs at $9/pound. The delicatessen casserole was pretty tasty, mine was equally as delicious and probably cost a total of $8 (including the fresh squash).
I'm not usually one for all-out casseroles, but the soggy tortillas packed with a ton of vegetables was exactly what I needed while healing from my wisdom teeth battle wounds. When getting up enough courage to look at the spots where my teeth used to be, it was indeed a horrifying war zone. When I was a kid, my mom used scold me for a messy play area by exclaiming "Your room looks like downtown Beirut!" -- a reference that I didn't understand until much later in life. I chuckled to myself last week in the mirror (probably because of the Percocet-induced fog) and whispered a similar sentiment about the civil war that occurred in my face.
Oh yeah, back to the BPA casserole. It was an act of post-wisdom-teeth-removal desperation for anything other than smoothies or soup. It was also an effort to give my poor husband relief from my constant crankiness onset by pain and hunger. Delicious it was, photogenic it was not -- probably because I really didn't care to even try to capture it in any pleasing way. There you are. Casserole on the stove. What? I was tired after opening all of those cans. All jokes aside, I have nothing against a good casserole now and again. Some of my best dishes are essentially casseroles, like my chicken purloo and jambalaya. However, they usually all contain fresh ingredients as opposed to canned.
As for the cans, I'm pretty bummed to find out the potential hazzards. We are all aware of BPA, given the extensive media coverage over the past year or two for its presence in plastic bottles, particularly baby bottles, and the heightened risks to developing organs and for developing certain types of cancers. I never really thought that the same plastic that was lauded in water bottles might be the same wonder liner that prevents our cans from leeching gross metal flavors into food. However, I'm learning that it isn't as simple as it seems, certain processed foods lauded as "organic" and "BPA-free" packaging still contained trace amounts of the compound.
I personally rely heavily on canned tomatoes to make homemade tomato sauces during the fall and winter months. It's just one more reason for me to wonder what the hell our FDA really does anymore? It's also troubling to think about the kids who grow up in households that rely heavily on canned foods for a bulk of their vegetables, especially in areas that aren't fortunate enough to have affordable fresh markets at their disposal.
In the numerous hours I spent in bed recovering from my damned wisdom teeth, I had lots of time to think about new projects. Certainly, planning the move to our new apartment in two weeks, and writing another paper for class is not enough excitement.
My good friend, Sharon, is getting married next weekend and I was looking through my closet to figure out what to wear. The dresses that I worked on back in April and May were a little too summery -- and I already wore the green one to two different events. So, I set out to make a dress last night and managed to finish it up before dinner this afternoon. Of course, it's the same pattern that I've used before, but with an altered neckline. I couldn't help myself, it fits so well! I had to rip out the zipper twice, but it was totally worth the end result! The only part that needs work is the belt (right now the yellow buckle is just tacked to the waist) and I need to put in the hem. I also need to find a black cardigan, since it is supposed to be a little cool down in Los Angeles in the evening.
Jesse said that when paired with my silvery heels from Halloween, I looked very much like I could be on the set of Mad Men. I'll take that as a compliment.
Remember how pleased I was Tuesday with how recovery was going? Well, I could kick myself for thinking that it would be smooth sailing. Day two was much worse than day one -- the swelling, the pain, itching from the Percocet, and voila, a mild grade fever. The itching got to be so annoying that I skipped my 11am dose and was feeling pretty good, except for the fact that my skin felt like it was on fire. I stayed in bed mostly, but was so antsy by 5pm that I decided to go to class. I was also so ravenous that I had Jesse make me scrambled eggs and I gnawed at them with my front teeth like a gerbil and swallowed them whole. I also said something like "If I ever see another smoothie again, I'm going to kill myself." Jesse just looked at me and insisted that he would need a beer after dropping me off at class. As Echo would say on Dollhouse, "I was not my best" yesterday.
I got ready for class in a hurry and put on a turtleneck, scarf, and my winter jacket. About half way through class, which I really didn't want to miss because one of our state Senators was speaking, I realized that I probably had a fever. Why? Because I never took off my coat and was looking around to see who had left open that drafty window. Also, by then, my pain medication had fully worn off and I was a basket case, shivering and in pain. Jesse drove me home from class, I took my medication and sort of sobbed myself to sleep. I also told him that his presence was highly annoying, and begged that he go to a concert rather than stay home with me to wait out the pain. Again, not my best yesterday and am not all that crazy about the way I behaved.
I woke up this morning around 5am in a little pain, so I took all of my medication again according to schedule. Also, the pecan that I was hiding in my left cheek yesterday is officially a chestnut. My "take home patient instructions" from the oral surgeon promises that today is the last day that my swelling should get worse. My fever is gone, though, so that is a huge relief. I feel like a new person, actually.
I have a site visit this afternoon for a potential job with that architectural firm that periodically hires me for consulting work. Not ideal timing for sure, but you know how that goes. (Also, now that I've told the internet that I have a potential job, it will likely crash and burn.) The site visit is informal, just to meet the project team and drive around the town that we'll potentially survey, which is near Salem. Thankfully, my supervisor is driving, because the only way you'd get your mitts on my Percocet is if you pried the pills away from my cold dead hands. I've learned my lesson, no need to be a hero. I just need to ride the itchy wave of pain relief until day 4 or 5 (when everything should be a lot better).
I was pretty pleased with how well I felt yesterday after having my wisdom teeth removed. Jesse took excellent care of me and kept a rigorous schedule of icing, eating smoothies, changing my gauze, and keeping track of the somewhat complex medication schedule. I'm so thankful that he was here to take care of me, I really couldn't have done it alone.
The surgery went really well. The only potentially hazardous event took place before I even got to the oral surgeon's office. I didn't realize that the Valium had kicked in on the car ride and when I went to walk up the brick stairs to the office, nearly fell face first. Apparently, my legs and brain were not really talking anymore -- brain said "lift foot" and foot responded with a lazy drag. Luckily, Jesse caught me and I avoided any further oral surgery to replace my two front teeth.
The only thing I really remember is the IV needle going in and a little pain from the Novocaine shot a couple of minutes later. In no time, I was awake in the recovery room chair (don't really remember walking there). I slept on and off for the rest of the day, but by mid-afternoon I was starving and slurping down a delicious blueberry pineapple ice cream smoothie that Jesse whipped up in the kitchen. I made him fix another later on in the evening so I could post photos. Oh the sacrifices I make for this blog!
This morning I woke up with Jesse at six and kept to my regular pill schedule. I then got up and made a breakfast yogurt smoothie, even though my stomach was hungry enough to scarf down two burritos. I should have taken that as a sign to get back into bed, but immediately went about with my usual morning routine. As I was sitting at my desk (typing my blog entry for the day), I suddenly felt faint and a wave of nausea come over me. I staggered to the bathroom and cried on the toilet for a few minutes until Jesse convinced me to get back into bed and finish my smoothie.
He was right, taking my meds on a mostly empty stomach was a bad idea. I'm feeling much better now that most of the smoothie is down and hopefully keep yesterday's recovery momentum. While my cheeks are a little puffier than yesterday, but they're certainly not terrible enough to not venture out of the house. Maybe I'll go on a short walk this afternoon to get some fresh air.
Today I am having my wisdom teeth removed. Probably by the time you read this, the deed will be done and I will be drooling and staggering on my way to the car. Jesse will be my caretaker and chauffeur for the day (and if I can milk it, for the entire week).
The whole process started about two weeks ago when I had a consultation with the oral surgeon to discuss the procedure and sedation options. I find myself pretty lucky to only have two wisdom teeth; they are on the bottom and only one is impacted. For the extraction, I had three options: a) local anesthetic only b) a sedative and some laughing gas or c) all of the above plus an IV (aka knocked the heck out). He highly recommended the latter -- and he used to be in the Navy. In fact, he practically insisted that I start my trip to la la land last night at bedtime with a sedative. I was instructed to take another just before heading out to his office. Given that Benadryl knocks me out cold in 20 minutes, I'm thinking that Jesse might have to give me a piggy back ride to the dental chair.
I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the library trying to finish up a paper that is due on Wednesday for class. It was a little hard to concentrate, but I managed to get it to a point that I'm comfortable turning it in after one more read through. I also ran a few errands, which included picking up a whole sack full of prescription medication that I will have to somehow ingest or swish. I was kind of pissed that I had to fork out the same copay for a bottle that contained two pills, as the bottle that has a weeks worth of antibiotics -- those sedatives work out to be about $5 a piece. Lame. Although, I'm sure it will be worth every penny for not having to remember what my oral surgeon termed as a "very active" procedure. Yikes!
In preparation for my recovery last night, I made a batch of vegetable soup and pureed a few cups for slurping. I also picked up ingredients for smoothies, which Jesse seems pretty excited to make for me. My good friend, Sharon, thought I should also purchase a bell to really take advantage of being an invalid for a day. I thought an air horn might be even more fun, but sadly, forgot to pick up either when running errands. I guess I'll just have to survive without them! Hopefully, I will have a quick recovery.
My posting this week has been a little lackluster only one dreary account of job interviews gone awry. The rest of the week was all uphill and actually quite busy and exciting:
I put down a deposit on that 2-bedroom apartment in our neighborhood. Our official move-in date is November 16th! Highlights of the apartment (other than a second bedroom): dining room (photo to the left) AND living room, washer and dryer in the unit, dishwasher, and hallway. Yes, it has a hallway. I have never had a hallway since living on my own. Our move out date at the current apartment is November 23rd, so we'll have a full week to pack up and move our belongings approximately four blocks.
I finished picking up last minute items for our Halloween costumes and spent every free moment (between trying to write a paper and readings for class) preparing for Saturday's party at our friend's house. Jesse was a skeleton and his makeup turned out to be quite scary. I was pretty impressed. Even when he smiled, he looked scary. Also, his face glowed in the dark, but because we were never totally in the dark, it really didn't matter. By the end of the night, Jesse couldn't wait to wash his face because the makeup dried and cracked and felt like it was sucking the moisture out of his skin. What can you expect for a $6.99 drugstore makeup kit?
This year, I was a mail order bride. I actually used a dress that I had made two Halloweens ago while we were still in D.C., but never got a chance to wear. It's made out of FedEx mailers, the kind that are impossible to rip and virtually indestructible. Not surprisingly, it survived the cross country move. I was a little nervous when I pulled it out of the back of the closet that my current form would prove too, uh, curvy -- while nearly indestructible, the mailers are not very forgiving when it comes to give, say around the hips. Miraculously, it still fit well and I wasn't in danger of bursting from the seams. I whipped up a veil and found a pair of perfectly hideous lace tights and was good to go. To perfect the outfit, my good friend teased and sprayed my hair into a perfectly large bouffant hairdo.
I had such a great time at the party (complete with costume contest and catwalk) that Jesse and I were already plotting ideas for next year!
I joked with a friend a while ago that one day we wouldn't have to lug our laundry to the basement or laundromat. This we decided, would truly be a sign that we made it. Of course, I had imagined that the washer and dryer would be in a home that I owned, but really, I couldn't be happier. We're in a great neighborhood and I have everything that I wanted plus a couple extra bonuses. Behold, the first wash cycle. It contained our sheets that we promptly placed on our bed, which is still just a mattress on the floor. I'm not sure if we'll get the bed frame put together before we drive down to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving, but that seems minor when comparing it to the long weekend of moving our stuff just around the corner. We also have a few more decisions to make, like whether we'll sleep in the small or larger bedroom. This decision will largely depend on where we find space for Jesse's desk. 
So, what are those other bonuses you ask? Well, I now have ample counter top space in the kitchen in addition to a dishwasher. My Kitchenaid mixer can now take its rightful prominent spot in the room, instead of on a bottom shelf. Also, under cabinet lighting rocks! Who knew I could be so excited about fluorescent bulbs? I'm also pretty excited that we are directly across the street from one of our favorite bakeries -- although I'm not sure my hips (or wallet) will agree that this is a bonus feature of our new home.
Here's a sneak peek at our living room that is still insanely cluttered with things that will eventually move to other rooms. Rooms. Plural! It still doesn't seem real. The living room doesn't look all that different from the old place, but we have quite a bit more space. Jesse might even get an ottoman to go with his chair. His excitement over this is akin to my love for the front loading washer. I also have a sweet view from my chair (the orange one on the right) onto 21st Avenue. I think I will spend a lot more time gazing out the window with my morning coffee.
