Accomplishments despite the setbacks

This'll be a multiple entree. I've been having trouble uploading visuals here so I'm doing several entrees in one go. I've been away for quite a while, you see.

As it turns out both my hands have Osteo-arthritis, my working hand has CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and I suffer from impinged bicep and deltoid tendons. AGH!


Despite all the restrictions I'm able to make headway with my visual journal work.


Iv'e even learned how to book bind and I've made two journals.



I've made some rubber stamps as well, I'm still accomplishing creative work so I'm happy. My finances could be better but as along as I'm doing art I'm happy.




Unusually though, my BP has been at a record high for two weeks now. Heat and humidity is at an average of 66 degrees here. I suspect that's at the root of the matter. I refuse to buy an airconditioning unit because I refuse to pay the ostentatiously exhorbitant power rates here! I'm not giving them any more of my hard earned money. However if this kind of heat continues I might have to eat my words and succumb to airconditioning. Hah! Either that or I join the mass pilgrimage to the malls here in Manila.

MAY 3
I had a mamogram, sonogram and full blood chem done. My uric acid, cholesterol are elevated and glucose is .3 more than the borderline. This means more food restrictions. As it is I'm already of a very restricted diet. Vegan meat and mushrooms are now prohibited and so is sugar. I'm supposed to have a low calorie diet to help ease the effects of estrogen dominance. The sonogram doesn't look very good. I haven't shown it to the OBgyn yet but the results indicate ovarian cystic masses, adhesion of the ovary to the cervical area and uterine wall cysts. Whew! Writing all that zaps my energy.

I wish I had continued using progest cream. I would've avoided all this if I did. I was financially strapped 4 years ago because I moved to the city to cut down on my travel time to and from work. I had to cut my expenses down and the progest was one of the first to go because it cost about 1300 a month.

Now here i am with all the debris that progesterone deficiency and estrogen dominance have brought with it. Agh!

More material for my visual journal eh?

More epiphanies but...

I've been reading Sabrina Ward Harrison's story of how she finally got her Spilling Out book published and had an epiphany. A double epiphany, actually.

I realized though that I tend to announce my plans before I even accomplish then and then feel like crap when I'm unable to accomplish them for one reason or another. So I'm going to go against my nature and not talk about it. Well, not entirely anyway. Wa-ha-ha! I'm probably not making sense right now but suffice it to say that I'm getting the ingredients ready and will shortly put the the oven in pre-heat.

Oh, and about those glow in the dark crowns on the fabric of the Princess Pouch. I can't photograph them. I think I'll need violet light, which I don't have at the moment, to do it.

Time to go back to that micromovement jupiter, SARK's cat prescribed.

Moving along somehow

Went to the dentist to have a molar extracted yesterday. It felt like my skull was being ripped apart. No pain, just that feeling of tugging. I wonder if that's what it feels like when people say, "You rock my world!" Wa-ha-ha! Other than that, if went fine.

I took pain reliever when I got home, applied cold compress on the affected area for 30 minutes, waited an hour and had lunch. No sweat eh? So then I felt normal enough to press on with previous plans and I made these...

I've innovated on this pouch technology I got from an old indian pouch a friend gave me years ago. You pull the strings to close the pouch and pull on the shorter string near the string hole to open it. I've replaced that shorter string with shoe charms. I thought it would go well with the theme of "Your Inner Princess." Sort of like your inner Cinderella. Only, one who is braving the demands of independent single maidenhood instead of putting up with an oppressive step Mom. A-ha-ha! Fabulous, eh?


I made them in two sizes.

The print reminds me of illustrations of princesses in one of my favorite children's book. Hence, the name Princess Pouch. Its an anthology of fairy tales which has now fallen apart from years of reading. My Aunts read to me during bedtime from that book.

Anyway, that's why I bought the fabric when I recently went to my home town for a visit. As it turns out, in between the princesses are white crowns that glow in the dark. I'll try and photograph them without flash later and will post it here.

I thought I'd sell these come opening school day or give the smaller ones as gratitude tokens to people who'll give birthday gifts to me next week.

Medical and dental expenses seem to have cropped up in one go this week! A week before my birthday too. So I've called off all celebrations. My finances are shot at the moment.

I'm thankful I have the week to catch up on sewing and visual journaling. That would take my mind off the financial and medical worries at least.

More later. I'm due to meet former students for some informal advicing.

Moving further along

Whew!

Just cleared the clutter on my work table this morning before I went out.

I finally went to the doctor (a western doctor) to have my shoulder and arm checked. Its tendonitis. I'm due for a physical therapy treatment to address the pain and was prescribed a once a day medication for the pain. I don't like taking pharmaceuticals so I prefer eastern medicine -accupuncture, specifically, to manage pain. Its been almost 2 months now and the pain has progressed so I decided to give western medicine another shot. On to more medical expenses. Haay!

Atleast I'd be able to do some visual journaling tonight now that my work table has been cleared of clutter.

Moving along

Atleast that's what I want to accomplish.

There's just the matter of clearing up the chaos in my work room. Deep breaths, girl! Deep breaths!



My workroom is always a mess when I'm lagging behind. I tend to work on something until its done. I clear up the table before I go to bed. Can you tell I haven't accomplished much lately? E-he-he!

Before I leave for errands tomorrow this'll be all cleared up.

More soon. The holly week break's gonna be a good time to catch up on things.

Getting by

I'm getting by.

Its not a happy state to be in but it'll do for now. I haven't been posting as I didn't feel like writing about my current ills. I didn't want to define myself by my aches and pains and at the moment this is all I can talk about because its frustrating me to desperation! So I've decided to ditch that and just rant. It might help. No one's going to judge me here. Its my blog and I can write what I want in it.

I've been in treatment for about 6 weeks now. I would hope that there'd be some kind of relief. Instead the pain on my shoulder has progressed and I am typing this while I waves of pain sweep through my shoulder.

I was happy to have been able to paint the bugs 2 weeks ago and found that painting didn't hurt. Today I tried drawing and writing on my journal and found that doing that was also painful.

I tend to make studies before I execute a visual concept in whatever form the concept dictates and now that I don't have that option I found myself unable to go through this phase in my creative process. Again, more frustration.

If I want a pearl then I must become a diver. Well atleast that's what one of the rune cards say. I am however at my wits end trying to cope with the pain and the frustration. I must get past that before I can even begin to adjust.

Taking pain reliever doesn't really help. It makes me drowsy and I don't get anything done but sleep.

Later I'll try and do some sewing. Off to bed I go with the hope that the pain will eased by slumber. More slumber...