Scooting!

I scooted today. I've had a long break from it, but once again I've had buses to the limit, so I went to bed at 9.15 last night, woke up at 6.30, left at 7.10, and arrived at work at 8am, for half an hour quiet time before work. I was quite pleased because I think it took 48 minutes. Broke the 50 barrier, so I'm closer to 45min than an hour. Big difference in my mind. Also, I gave up and walked the last 50 metres of Anzac Parade, cos I think I'm a little bit unfitter.

However, by the end of the work day I was really tired.

And because it is cold, I can't dress light enough to avoid a really sweaty back from my backpack. Might have to have a change of shirt.

What I did on my weekend.

Engage conference. Next year I aim to not be tired. I looked forward to this conference every year, and yet again the late nights and strange bed and the cold weather turned me into half a zombie, which makes me crave chocolate and wish the music would be quieter and the talks shorter. I saw my brother up there, but didn't catch up with many people.

I also helped the friend of a friend tidy up her house for her in-laws to visit on Saturday afternoon. One of those crafty people who see potential in everything and have more inspiration than discipline in their life. I really couldn't sit there and do cross-stitch while she flapped around among the mess and babies saying "I'm just not motivated" so I helped her. And I do believe that other people's mess is a bit easier to work with, because you are undistracted by the sentimental value of the mess, and can get more quickly to the 'before and after' transformation. Anyway, it was a weird and sort of taking-over thing to do in an almost strangers' house (it was the second time I was visiting), but on the other hand it was a practical and loving way to help. It's hard to know where the boundaries are, sometimes.

Life.

I want to blog something edifying and whimsical. Right now I can't think of anything very good. I could tell you that I cooked another batch of cookies and followed the recipe better and improved it also, and the results were pleasant. But I baked leftover dough the next day, and the results were deformed. The dough doesn't keep. Oh, here is something interesting, smh.com had this on it this morning:

I thought: the secret to long life is not exciting enough to be the main story? it's at the bottom of the screen? and the picture is soup? is soup the secret? I didn't click and read because it so obviously was NOT much of a secret.

How I measure the gap in my teeth.

Dad gave me this calliper set. It is lots of thin slivers of metal. For ages I could fit the whole set into the gap, which means it was more than 2mm, but now I fold one back (one that is 25/1000 of an inch) so I can tell that the gap is smaller, and the set I can fit in is a bit over 1.5mm wide.

This is a lot more accurate than putting a ruler in my mouth.

Braces update.

Yesterday I had my ortho appt delayed from 2 weeks ago. The hygenist said I had a cavity, but privately I have decided I'm not going to the dentist until my braces come off, because I'm sure there will be more surprises under those bands, besides needing a clean.

The appt was to remove a screw in my jaw and put it in a different place. In the end, he changed his mind about the xrays and moving the screw in my jaw, (second time changed mind about that!) because the gap is smaller. I thought it was wishful thinking. He put some more rubber chains in my mouth, and a few hours later my teeth were tapping again (when I try and clench my teeth 2 teeth bump into each other and the rest can't meet) and when I stick the spark plug calliper into the gap, it doesn't fit! I have to fold back a piece! So it has very quickly gone from over 2mm to about 1.6mm.

He said that when the gap gets to 1mm, that will be it. 

Next appointment is 11/9 so he seems optimistic that the rest of the mm can close in 4 weeks, I guess. I wonder what else will happen after the gap being closed, or if that's it and my braces can come off? I'm starting to get excited that the end of the year is a realistic goal for biting into an apple.

Pillow retraction.

It's still a good pillow, but it doesn't stop whatever it is that locks me up. Another weekend, another terrible night's sleep, another Monday with a stiff neck, killing my whimsy. I did some stuff on Saturday, sanding and so on, that might have made me stiff, but it doesn't make sense that I'd tense up in my sleep on Sunday night. I can't pinpoint it to any trigger, which is frustrating. Can only try and be consistent with the stretches. Maybe I'll try and avoid sitting on the couch next weekend and do a straight backed chair instead.

Seems like a good time to share my fav Carpenters song. It's a Monday, the weather is wintery, and I'm grumpy. Can't get much closer to living out 'Rainy days and Mondays always get me down'.

I wish I could play the harmonica.

Tonight, however, will be guacamole party night. Which means that after I've done Jillian (if I risk Jillian on a sore neck) and my flatmate gets home, we will watch Once Upon a Time and eat a bowl of home made guacamole and a bag of doritos.

Pillow update.

My neck tension has subsided again. I've had two attacks of neck-shoulder pain, about a month apart, with some neck stiffness the rest of the time. I think it's triggered by my braces, because my teeth are uneven at the moment, but I'm trying to cover every possibility.  I've swapped things around at work, moved my mouse to the left hand. I've tried different hairstyles to reduce the weight on my head. I'm keeping my jaw tucked shut even if my teeth don't meet. I'm minimising carrying a heavy bag where I can. I've had a massage. I'm doing physio stretches. And because I went to bed relaxed from a massage and woke up tense again I have bought a special shaped foam pillow for sleeping. (FYI, a Denton Medi Rest on sale from My House $66)

It is higher than I am used to, and the foam is more rigid than the feather pillows I had, but that's what I need because I was mashing those feather pillows into all sorts of neck-twisting shapes in my sleep. I wish I didn't have to use it, but I think it is beneficial. After a week, I think I'm getting used to it.

Photo Recap: Stonehenge and Chawton.

We drove to Salisbury to find wifi which was at Hungry Jacks and I bought some clean socks at M&S. We walked past the cathedral. Then we left, and found Stonehenge. Which was so wonderfully strange. You're driving along, looking at maps, and you look up and it's suddenly right in front of you in real life. It was raining really hard, so the getting out of the car and taking photos of it was not that great. So although it's stupidly tragic that Stonehenge is surrounded by roads, I think the experience of finding it on the side of the highway, like a truck stop or a big pineapple or an alien spaceship or something, is pretty wonderful.

Then we went to Chawton and I visited Jane Austen's house. AMAZING. It was quiet and pretty and full of treasures. It's manned by lovely volunteers who sit around quietly and read books.

Then we went to some boring motel for the last night of our England part. In the morning we drove to London, refilled the car, returned the car, pulled our suitcases back to Earl's Court, took pictures with the TARDIS, of which I have none. No photos. Weird. Caught train back to Heathrow, hung around a little while and then flew BA to South Africa overnight. The plane was half empty! and therefore it was the best flight we had. I moved over to an empty row and spread out and managed to doze a little.

Reality check.

Meanwhile, in the present day, the holiday is far behind me. For the sake of authenticity in social media, my life is currently nothing like those pretty holiday photos. It is this desk, and Sydney buses, and freddo frogs, and sleep.