This week was an exercise in patience with back pain. I'm still shy of 30 years old (chronologically), so it's unusual to have back pain that lingers for a week. But that, unfortunately, is only if you don't do a foolish thing like adjusting your pillow setup, I guess. I pestered the chiropractic place about it yesterday, since it was on their advice that I did this change to a rolled up towel under the neck, and then added the towel under the lower back since it hurt so much. They told me that I should put a pillow under my knees instead of under my lower back (because your hamstrings are connected to your lower back, basically). So, having made that change for one night, I now have a stiff middle of my back instead of a really stiff lower back. Progress? No idea! Stay tuned, we'll see if it goes away after a few nights or if it gets worse.
I did get to complain about my back problems to somebody this week besides Chris and you, my gentle readers. Though, like most pets, it's debatable how much he actually understood and how much he was merely humoring the person that fed him. This week, I took care of a parrotlet for a couple friends of mine.
It was a pretty short stint this time, just a couple days. I've done this before, though, so other than needing to cook a birdie-omelet (egg, corn, peas, green peppers, no seasonings) to go with his veggies and fruit, it was basically just "toss stuff in bowl and remember to keep company." Parrotlets are very social critters, so things like sitting with him while he ate, keeping music or podcasts on, and chatting at him every now and then were essential. But he was pretty calm and chill this visit, only occasionally getting excited (and thus noisy) about understandable things. Which was nice, because I was feeling extra high-strung. I think he was glad to be back with his moms, though, even tired as they were from the redeye flight they took home.
In other news, winter seems to have breathed its last breath for this season, with a light covering of snow and some sleet a few days ago. It's now 75 degrees outside. It'll get colder again soon, but it seems like, for now, the cold weather is behind us. This is probably just as well, because there are lots of Pokemon to be found in Pokemon GO and being cold and tramping through snow makes that a miserable endeavor. Besides the Twitter account that tracks where things are in Grand Rapids, I've also located an online map of sorts. Sometimes parks or other woodsy places are specifically inhabited by a particular Pokemon, so if you go there, you can definitely find one (sometimes a dozen or more) if you stick around for an hour. So for example, about 5 minutes' drive away from our apartment, there's a park that spawns one of Chris' favorites, Kabuto. So naturally we went there for a half hour or so and snagged a few. It was nice to get outside and walk around. Makes me wish it was a mite easier to get my bike outside and that the bike didn't require maintenance.
Lastly, this happened:
Yes, that is a lava lamp, just like the 70s trendy decorative item. I always kind of wanted one, but it never quite occurred to me that I could simply buy one once I was an adult. Priorities, I guess. Lots of other things to buy, like food, rent payments, electric bills, etc. But I happened to mention it in passing near Chris, so he bought me one for this month's monthaversary. (For the confused, we have a little mini-celebration each month of our wedding/dating day: mostly a small present, a meal out, or doing something extra nice for each other).
I could have, I suppose, settled for an app version of a lava lamp, as there are at least a dozen in the app store. But now I don't have to, I guess. It's mildly relaxing to stare at the goop inside the tube, though I can't quite predict the physics of the goop yet. It seems very dependent on the temperature in the room and how long the lamp has been on. And also possibly whether my leg is doing the rapid twitching thing which shakes my shelves and desk a bit.
Chris sometimes talks about building our own house, if we have the money someday, instead of renovating whatever house we can manage to find. Specifically mostly because we would both benefit from having at least one soundproofed room, and it's easier to build for soundproofing than it is to renovate for it. I think if that happens, and we have a soundproofed room for relaxation, that room is going to have at least two blue lava lamps in it. Maybe three, so I can set them up side by side and have a nice non-accusatory section of the wall to stare blankly at.
I did get to complain about my back problems to somebody this week besides Chris and you, my gentle readers. Though, like most pets, it's debatable how much he actually understood and how much he was merely humoring the person that fed him. This week, I took care of a parrotlet for a couple friends of mine.
 |
| This is not him, but it's pretty close in color |
It was a pretty short stint this time, just a couple days. I've done this before, though, so other than needing to cook a birdie-omelet (egg, corn, peas, green peppers, no seasonings) to go with his veggies and fruit, it was basically just "toss stuff in bowl and remember to keep company." Parrotlets are very social critters, so things like sitting with him while he ate, keeping music or podcasts on, and chatting at him every now and then were essential. But he was pretty calm and chill this visit, only occasionally getting excited (and thus noisy) about understandable things. Which was nice, because I was feeling extra high-strung. I think he was glad to be back with his moms, though, even tired as they were from the redeye flight they took home.
In other news, winter seems to have breathed its last breath for this season, with a light covering of snow and some sleet a few days ago. It's now 75 degrees outside. It'll get colder again soon, but it seems like, for now, the cold weather is behind us. This is probably just as well, because there are lots of Pokemon to be found in Pokemon GO and being cold and tramping through snow makes that a miserable endeavor. Besides the Twitter account that tracks where things are in Grand Rapids, I've also located an online map of sorts. Sometimes parks or other woodsy places are specifically inhabited by a particular Pokemon, so if you go there, you can definitely find one (sometimes a dozen or more) if you stick around for an hour. So for example, about 5 minutes' drive away from our apartment, there's a park that spawns one of Chris' favorites, Kabuto. So naturally we went there for a half hour or so and snagged a few. It was nice to get outside and walk around. Makes me wish it was a mite easier to get my bike outside and that the bike didn't require maintenance.
Lastly, this happened:
Yes, that is a lava lamp, just like the 70s trendy decorative item. I always kind of wanted one, but it never quite occurred to me that I could simply buy one once I was an adult. Priorities, I guess. Lots of other things to buy, like food, rent payments, electric bills, etc. But I happened to mention it in passing near Chris, so he bought me one for this month's monthaversary. (For the confused, we have a little mini-celebration each month of our wedding/dating day: mostly a small present, a meal out, or doing something extra nice for each other).
I could have, I suppose, settled for an app version of a lava lamp, as there are at least a dozen in the app store. But now I don't have to, I guess. It's mildly relaxing to stare at the goop inside the tube, though I can't quite predict the physics of the goop yet. It seems very dependent on the temperature in the room and how long the lamp has been on. And also possibly whether my leg is doing the rapid twitching thing which shakes my shelves and desk a bit.
Chris sometimes talks about building our own house, if we have the money someday, instead of renovating whatever house we can manage to find. Specifically mostly because we would both benefit from having at least one soundproofed room, and it's easier to build for soundproofing than it is to renovate for it. I think if that happens, and we have a soundproofed room for relaxation, that room is going to have at least two blue lava lamps in it. Maybe three, so I can set them up side by side and have a nice non-accusatory section of the wall to stare blankly at.
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