Colors!

I got colors for my room today at Ikea! Yay! B and I had a very fun road trip up to Charlotte, to the new IKEA there. She and I spent 3 hours there :), admiring all the show rooms, talking about how we would change things or what pieces/colors/designs we liked. I got to pick out my table desk (white table top, red legs), got some fun flowered placements to give some color to the white, got a down comforter and a non-down comforter, along with a new duvet cover. I've been wanting a new duvet cover for a few years, so it was nice to finally pick one out. Plus it'll give a little more personality to my bedroom. Then we had some delicious gluten-free pizza at Fuel, a pizza place local to Charlotte. The one we ate at was in an old gas station/auto shop place (hence the name), but I don't know if all of them are like that. We wandered around some antique/consignment shops, which was interesting... it reminded me of my grandparents' house a lot, and definitely had the smell of a basement. But it was amusing.

Tomorrow, the number theory conference begins. That should be remarkable.

Feeling victorious

This week I:

-lasted through an entire ballet class and wasn't in major pain the next day!

-finished writing my talk and printing graphs from Matlab, even though it was uncooperative!

-talked at the USC number theory seminar about my research!

-talked to the Career Center again about possibly job shadowing a financial planner to see if I'd be interested in that area.

-got hired by another family friend for an odd job. yay for earning money!

Tomorrow off to Ikea with B for a fluffy comforter, duvet cover, and a table for a desk :). This weekend, I head down to campus again for the number theory conference.

Last night, I opened up a lot of Haifa memories, thinking about the anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Baha. Now, almost everything makes me think of something from Haifa. I got out my journal to try and remember what things were happening then. Mr. Furutan passed away, the visit to the House of Abdu'l-Baha for the Holy Day, and Thanksgiving in Haifa, where some of the American youth and our flatmates and friends shared turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. together. And that's opened up the heartache of missing people who are no longer a daily part of my life.

That year in Haifa was such a challenging year, a formative year, and a humbling year. So much of my journal talks about the love and admiration I had for my fellow youth, the tiredness that came from working so hard and being so sick (but not knowing it), the uncertainty of trying to figure out who I was and how to show that person to the rest of the world, and trying to get all the thoughts out of my head and onto paper or out of my mouth, so I didn't feel so trapped within myself. Just reading a few days of my journals bring all that back so quickly and so fresh, no wonder I felt the urgent need to go back to that incredible place after writing my thesis using those journals. I'm starting to think about the reality of pilgrimage in just 6 months, and how 8 years ago it was exactly this time period that I was getting ready for going on my year of service in 6 months. Today it doesn't feel like a dream or a different world, the person I was and the things I did. So often it feels so intangible or imaginary that I wonder if it really did happen, but today I can actually put myself there and make it seem real. The people are real, the places are real. I remember the sincerity that I tried to put into everything I did and trying to take every opportunity I was given to learn, meet people, and experience new things.

not-fall

What season is it? Yesterday at the gym I caught myself thinking it was spring or perhaps the beginning of summer. This is the challenge of living in SC... the weather doesn't always tell you! For example, yesterday it was in the 70s. Today it's supposed to be 80. And yes, Thanksgiving is Thursday and we live in the northern hemisphere.

I want to ballet yesterday :). I am in pain today but not too bad. I went to my old ballet school, although it's in a different building now (that's also a whole lot closer to my house). One of my old teachers taught the adult class, and my other teacher was teaching the "pre-professional" company class in the other studio. Good times :).

And October flew by...

I can't believe it's already past mid-November. October flew by, as did the beginning of November. No blogging recently, as I've preferred seeing friends in person, sending emails, or talking on the phone. Way more personal.

These days I'm trying out new roles.

Mature decision-maker = no fun in the short term but probably best in the long term.

Financial planner = interesting career path... maybe I could use almost all of my skills, instead of just a couple. Who'd a thunk it.

Personal organizer = I lose track of time because I'm having so much fun creating a system and putting things in folders.

Cat policewoman and caretaker = The family cat and my cat don't get along, in that my cat wants to play and the family cat is a cranky, 16 year old cat that just wants to nap in peace. I often spend 20 minutes on the floor trying to coax one or the other into doing what I want. Yeah, there's a reason that "herding cats" is such a hilarious idea. It doesn't work....

Gym buff= spending over an hour at the gym every day. Well, except this week, due to more physical pain (traveling, moving, etc.) and fatigue and possibly dealing with cold #2 or 3. I'm a firm believer in Airborne now. Despite being exposed to at least 3 different colds, I have never been flat on my back sick!!!! A random cough here, an occasional sore throat or headache there, but nothing that stops me living life. I only cut my gym workouts short since I start feeling dizzy or nauseous or the room starts moving around - classic sign that it's time to stop. Airborne + gym = (mostly) healthy Corinne!

Beyond all that, I'm still learning what this fibro does to me... I went to see Harry Potter yesterday afternoon with the fairy godmother/queen and her princess B :), and it was great. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. But, the theater was quite loud, and the movie was intense the whole time. I have now learned that sitting in one chair, with loud music and tensed muscles due to an exciting movie = extreme pain all over for the rest of the day. No fun. I haven't had the random stinging/burning sensation and a jaw so sore I can't even imagine eating dinner in a long time. I had to spend several hours curled up in a ball with heat on various parts of me and an extra medicine to make it to bedtime (9 pm). Fortunately today I just have my usual soreness.

Last night I dreamt that I went to Disney World (and the main attraction to me was getting candy) and I was planning on adopting a child. I had to decide which one I wanted, and apparently which child I picked also determined where in the country I would live. Odd, though I think I see what it's getting at.

In Praise of My Bed

by Meredith Holmes

At last I can be with you!

The grinding hours

sine I left your side!

The labor of being fully humna,

working my opposable thumb,

talking, and walking upright.

Now I have unclasped

unzipped, stepped out of.

Husked, soft, a be-er only,

I do nothing, but point

my bare feet into your

clean smoothness

feel your quiet strength

the whole length of my body.

I close my eyes, hear myself

moan, so grateful to be held this way.

(from Good Poems for Hard Times selected by Garrison Keillor)

Graduate!

I graduated from physical therapy today!!! Woo hoo! I've met all the goals they set for me, so now the hard work actually begins... Now I have to keep doing it regularly, even without the appointments and the accountability of going to the PT office. But the good news is that I don't have to keep paying the ridiculously high fees due to not being in Ithaca :p.

Now today is my "day off" for recuperating and relaxing, before I head to Reston tomorrow! Then off to Ithaca next Thursday! Looking forward to seeing all my math peeps and celebrating a new doctor of math!!!

My daily routine

My days have fallen into my "routine of wellness". I wake up, whenever I feel like it, slowly make my way to the kitchen. I leisurely sip some coffee while reading the comics and doing the crossword puzzle, pet my cat, etc. Eventually I say some prayers, eat a little breakfast, and then head to the gym. I come home, take my shower, eat some more breakfast/lunch, get ready for any appointment (PT, chiropractor, other doctors, etc.), or head to Starbucks for hanging out with my favorite baristas, read a book, or hang out with Beeya while she does homework and I journal. Later, I come home to do my body scan meditation, and then chat online or browse online for some other appointment or research. I might run an errand or get ready for dinner. Then, my parents get home, we have dinner together, and then I spend the evening chatting online, reading a book, and/or watching some movie/Hulu/TV. Then I go to bed at a reasonable hour and begin again! It's amazing how quickly the day goes, even when you're not doing much. I love the slower pace, and the low level of responsibility I have. The only thing I have to do is go to the gym at least 5 times a week and do my body scan meditation 6 times a week. Other than that, I only do what I'm up to. It makes A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

The good news is that I love my physical therapy place, and I'm getting stronger! Fortunately I only have to go to the PT office a few more times, because it's horribly expensive when I'm not in Ithaca. Word to the wise - don't use the Cornell insurance outside Ithaca unless you absolutely have to.

Next weekend, I head to Reston. After I that, I head to Ithaca! I'm looking forward to hanging out with all my math folks, celebrating M's thesis defense and graduation, and eating lots of Thai food and soft serve ice cream! :)