Sunday, May 26, 2013

Summer Kick-Off

Getting ready to hop on a plane back to College City! I had five days at home with my mom and dad, and we had a pretty lovely time. Yesterday was my dad's birthday, so we went out for a delicious seafood dinner with my brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Then we came back home for cheesecake (which I baked but alas, am still too much of a freak to actually eat...) and presents.

I saw Dr. A on Friday, which was both good and bad. More on this later because I'm too lazy to detail everything right now, but basically things are progressing well although it looks like I'm going to have to hang in there with the pain for another few months. Still, I'm feeling way more optimistic and less depressed all the time. I get frustrated and scared and angry, but I have no intentions of giving up and no doubts that things will get better.

I've started writing in my journal again. As a kid, I kept them religiously, writing pages and pages every day, and then I got out of the habit for several years. Last spring, I made an effort to start up again and wrote pretty regularly through the fall, and then lapsed again. But I'm getting back on the wagon! Call me old-fashioned, but there's something so satisfying about putting pen to paper.

Books of the week:
Lit by Mary Karr - memoir about alcoholism, motherhood, divorce, academia, etc. (Same author who wrote The Liar's Club, which is probably more well-known.)
Touched with Fire by Kay Redfield Jamison - Technically I haven't read this one yet, but I'll probably start this afternoon on the plane. It's about the connection between bipolar disorder and the "artistic temperament," looking at various artistic geniuses (Lord Byron, Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf) who all suffered from bipolar.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Not a literary masterpiece, but a fun summer page-turner. The plot twists get a little ridiculous by the end, but it's an easy thriller that definitely kept my attention.

More randomness: I've got a lot of free time coming up, and do not want to get stuck in a cycle of isolating myself, especially when I'm just starting to feel a little more emotionally solid. In the spirit of staying busy (besides all the aforementioned books), I've set up dates with a couple friends this week, along with seeing Dr. P, the dentist, and my mechanic. I know, I know: things are getting crazy up in here. Plus I'm brainstorming craft ideas. Right now I need placemats, coasters, and throw pillows. We'll see if I actually get creative enough to make my own stuff or just end up having a Walmart spree!

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