Excuses

Allow me to share with you, dear reader, three very important facts about myself:

1. I have had dress-up, non-speaking roles in the weddings of six of my good friends.
2. I am a borderline introvert.
3. I have come to a full and complete appreciation for lumbar support.

These facts will come to bear in the following paragraphs.

Last time, I asked you all to check back in 24 hours; thanks to the four people who did so. The rest of you disappoint me utterly. Since it has now been a full week, I will explain. Susan and Brian’s wedding was a blast. There were pre-pre-parties involving people, items and food that I very much enjoyed, a hairstyle that I sported (free of charge) that was possibly the best one I’ve ever had, and lots of appropriate celebratory goings-on and hullabaloo. [Ten dollars is yours if you can work that word into casual conversation in the next hour.] Without naming names, I will say that I expect to go through this yet another two times. Maybe I should write a ‘how-to’ book…

Also, last week was the first time I had really visited Chattanooga since my departure in August. Turkey Weekend counted for naught, as I saw practically no one, choosing instead to spend my time in the walk-in clinic to ensure the devilish hematoma would not have lasting negative impact on my life. That being the case, I put any local so-called ‘busy beavers’ to shame. My parents, although they saw evidence of my existence in my slightly rumpled pallet and used strands of dental floss in the trash, are still uncertain as to what hours I actually spent at their house. The combination of wedding/circulating/eating out/wearing a sleeveless bridesmaid outfit while trying to smile convincingly for photographs being taken outside in the middle of winter wreaked havoc on my weak, introverted constitution. I got sick.

Upon arriving in Cape Girardeau, I immediately fell prey to an unholy quantity of head congestion, chills, aching and a sore throat. By the way, has anyone else noticed the winter television commercials involving cartoon renderings of mucus? This astounds me! They seem almost likeable when animated, making me wonder why I would ever try to oust such cute little visitors from my sinuses. That being said, I have overcome the illness with vitamins C and B12, DayQuil and NyQuil, and lots of Naked Juice Smoothies. And by passing along said affliction to Greg, who even now is suffering from his version of the symptoms.

In the meantime, I have focused on work, which is entirely up to me and on my computer. After a slow start, I am building to a routine and coming to appreciate the unique challenges of working from home at one’s own pace. Every time I open my laptop, I am confronted with a choice: use it for play and communication, or use it for work and subsistence. I have been choosing the latter, as it will pay the bills. My workstation is a recliner with a TV tray, support is a beanbag sausage-shaped wrist guard and two hand towels bracing my lower back, warmth is my cat sitting in my lap. It’s like working for Google, but without all the people around. I have, thus far, avoided any joint or muscle fatigue that would normally accompany prolonged use of a laptop for typing.

So there is my thesis, the extended reason I have not written anything this week. I still await suitable photographs from the wedding, as you must see the striking figures we made! But for now, it’s off to work.

By the way, I miss Melanie. A bunch. Torri does too.