Wednesday, February 28, 2007

I am in a much better way this morning after a very blue, weepy day. Thanks to Chris for putting up with my crappy remarks, Gina, for just being comforting and Catherine for coming at the exact right moment to clean my wound up and let me cry on her shoulder, and then for telling me to buck up.

I had one day of full fledged feeling sorry for myself, but that's not really me, so I got up this morning, showered, cleaned out the wound myself, got dressed and am going to sit downstairs and knit. Buck up she said, and that's what I am doing!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

It's the very early hours of Tuesday morning and I can't sleep. The laproscopic procedure I was supposed to have to remove my gallbladder last Friday was impossible since the gallbaldder was so inflamed and diseased. Imagine my shock to come out of surgery and be told that it had to be removed with open surgery, which required a scary foot long incision, at least fifty metal staples to hold it together, a drain and a recovery time of six weeks. I spent the entire weekend in the hospital, where, by some miracle, I scored a private room, and was surrounded at one point by ten friends as I held court. I was lucky there to have great care from cool doctors and nurses and I recovered very well and my doctors sent me home "because you're doing amazingly well and we don't want you to pick anything up here". So home I came, with pain pills and a set of nerves.

Everything hurts but I am taking my percocets and dealing. Friends and Family have been wonderful. Lots of visits from people and lots of flowers and nice get well gifts in the form of food for us. Chris will be home all week. I go back on Monday to get my staples removed. Lisa and Mike took Rooney for a long walk which was helpful, Joanna, Lynne and Gina were all stars in the hospital helping me get to the bathroom and yesterday, Catherine went above the call and duty of a friend and help redress the wound after my first shower. All appreciated.

I am going to try to get back to sleep now.

Monday, February 19, 2007

It's Chris' 41st birthday and it's nice because it's President's Day and we are off from work! We both just came back from the gym - we're committed to a healthier lifestyle. I have been going but Chris just joined which really tickles me. He started going to the gym when he was traveling on work as most hotels have fairly good facilities, and now he's hooked so he's joined here as well. We go to the Philadelphia Sports Club, which is a great place, and right down Kings Highway so no excuse to skip!

We're going out for lunch with some friends and then I guess I will be hiding out in our bedroom for the balance of the day as the rest of the house is extremely cold due to windy frigid conditions here.

I just finished The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham, which was recently adapted into a film. I loved the book and am looking forward to another of Maugham's books, Up at the Villa, currently on my bedside table, waiting to be read.

Keep warm!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

It's like a frozen tundra here in South jersey with snow, ice, sleet and all sorts of crap coming out of the skies. I had to literally shove the dog out the door this morning. He's such a wimp comparted to good old Henry who loved precipitation! I managed to walk to work and it looks spectacularly beautiful along Kings Highway. The guy in the next office and I are the only ones here. It really is a muck and if I didn't live so damn close, I'd be home with my book.

I made a very tasty and healthy meal for myself last night - an Indian dal topped with steamed spinach and yogurt. I've been trying to incorporate different sorts of protein into our diet and not be so reliant on meat, fish and chicken. I'll post the recipe. It was really good and very satisfying on a cold and snowy day.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

We're off to Laurel and Patrick's for dinner tonight for some jambalaya! Laurel is, and always has been, one of my favorite people from the shop. She and Patrick are both lawyers, and she's a minister to boot - but she doesn't practice either thing. She's cool, tolerant, funny, passionate about politics, a wonderful mother and a genuinely kind human being. We've hardly socialized much over the years, but she's always been someone I wanted to get to know more intimately. Suzanne always says what a good fit the four of us would be - so we'll see! I'm looking forward to it.

In other news, I brought Chris to my gym today and he liked enough to consider joining. Planty, if you are reading this - don't faint!

Tomorrow Jo is having a brunch because Jen is in for a few days from Munich and because it's my birthday Monday. I am really looking forward to that as well. Tomorrow we are going to my family's house for more birthday celebrations. I feel loved and special.

Friday, February 09, 2007

I changed the name of my blog because I am over THAT phase of my life completely and it's all good, as Chris would say. I'm not 100% sold on the new name. I wanted it to have something to do with where I lived. It's funny - at one point this blog was called Potter Street, where I lived for years and I use the login potterstreet for all my various forums including Toytown, Chowhound, E Gullet and so forth, but for some reason, I do not feel comfortable using the name of my new street. Hence Off Kings Highway.

It's as cold as hell here and I can't be moved to leave the house at night when I can snuggle on the couch with a blanket, a book, a remote, a warm dog and on the weekend, Chris.

I am reading a great book called Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates, and though I have read one or two of her books over the years, I've never really delved deep into her catalog. As a result, I have just decided that I am going to try to read all of her books. I am always thrilled to start a new love affair with a writer, especially one as prolific as Joyce Carol Oates. To me, it's sort of deflating to read a great book by someone and then realize they have only written one other book. Usually, after I've read something that knocks my socks off, i get all crazed and want to read everything in their oeuvre.

I cannot stop thinking of Anna Nicole Smith. She was taken advantage of every step of the way. She wasn't overly bright, was vulnerable despite everything, had problems with substance abuse and didn't seem to be able to trust anyone other than her son, who died six months ago. If that's not tragic, I don't know what is. The media feeding frenzy, fueled by all of us, is absolutely revolting. Why are we all so entranced by this? It says something awful about us and that in itself is just sad.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

I'm a total pain in the ass who won't accompany my sweet husband to a Super Bowl Party. I sent Chris off in the freezing cold to a party a town or two away. I've had a mellow weekend and I just couldn't face going out into the frigid weather. Instead, embarrassingly I am going to watch - get this - Beaches and curl up on the counch with a box of tissues and the dog.

I made a really ribstickingly good chicken and barely soup this afternoon and the whole house has a wonderful smell.

Right, off to the couch then.