Every weekday since we first met, Atom has emailed me. 

Here’s a few samples of his email sign off’s from the past two weeks:

“Love you more than Copernicus loved his telescope.”

“Love you more than Dostoyevsky loved to bore people with long books.”

“Love you more than Tom Waits loves to prance around on the Letterman Show”

“Love you more than Michael Crichton loves genetically engineered dinosaurs.”

“Love you more than Jerry Garcia loved to jam in front of hippies.”

Yesterday, I had another round of interviewing for the marketing position that I’d consider a dream job.  My pre-interview jitters continued post-interview.  A phone call today revealed that the candidates have been narrowed down to myself and another candidate with more experience.  They’re flying the other candidate to Atlanta to interview at headquarters and, unfortunately, my fate rests on how well that person interviews in person.  Frankly, I hate being in second place and I want this job very badly, so a small part of me (maybe a bigger part of me than I care to admit) is hoping that the interviewee tanks it, so that I can have a shot at it.  Or maybe they’ll just miss their flight or something.  The VP said that nothing is decided yet and I’m still under consideration, but overall I feel incredibly discouraged and glum about the whole thing.  A frosted sugar cookie is this pity party attendee’s cake.

I’m trying not to put all of my eggs in one basket, since I do have a second interview for a position unrelated to marketing or what I want to be doing with my life, but an interview nonetheless for a job that will pay the bills.  It’s at the beginning of next week.

Also, next week I head back to the doctor because I’m still nearly immobile due to the pain in my back and side.  Time for an MRI.  I saw a massage therapist earlier this week and it was the first time in over a month I felt temporary relief.  Said relief lasted for a whole, uh, hour or two, but at least I could sneeze without doubling over in pain.  Anyways, I liked this massage therapist and she was far less awkward than the person I was going to for treatment in Seattle.  When I was about to leave the clinic, she asked if the past year had been really discouraging due to my injuries and that I was still in treatment nearly a year later.  It has been. 

Along with finding a massage therapist, I ended up deeming it necessary to find an attorney, as well.  From this week on, he’ll be handling all of the insurance stuff that goes along with getting hit by a car.  After working for attorneys for a couple of years, I wasn’t quick to want to get one involved.  But it was time.  Now, I can solely focus on getting proper care and healing without feeling pressure to settle.

Time to continue this party offline with what I deem to be the television version of chicken noodle soup, Gilmore Girls.

his office hours are held beneath the couch

Today, it’s 65 degrees and the sky is bright blue.  I stood outside with the dogs for nearly an hour and let them bask in the sun. 

Tonight, I plan on finishing the Millennium Trilogy.  Less than 200 pages to go.

Tomorrow, I have two, TWO job interviews.  One is a second interview and one is a first interview for what I would deem my dream job. 

1/5/12

1/3/12

Porter ER

As some of you may already know, the past week has been a little too eventful for me.  I was sent from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital to determine the cause of excruciating pain in my lower right back/side.  Most of the theories revolved around either kidney stones or a blood clot (I have a genetic disorder that makes me prone to blood clotting).  My veins were nearly tapped dry and I basically lived in a CAT Scan machine, but the most recent doctor has ruled out both kidney issues and clotting and instead thinks I merely have a slipped disc in my back that is pushing on another disc thus putting lots of pressure and swelling on my nerves.  I’m on lots of medication to control the pain and will return to the doctor in less than a month to gauge improvement and determine if an MRI is necessary. 

Here is what I’m thankful for… 

As of right now, I don’t have people in white coats hinting that my life is in jeopardy.  A slipped disc is no walk in the park, but it’s much better than a blood clot in my lung. 

Atom has been a wonderful and attentive boyfriend and nurse.  He’s been my ambulance, my purse holder, my distraction during shots and my Sonic Cream Slush provider.  His sister, a nurse, has also been incredibly helpful and has given me more than one ride.

Though unemployed, I was able to extend my medical insurance coverage until February.  Tests are EXPENSIVE.  Hospital stays are EXPENSIVE. 

my hospital

Hopefully the bills will be manageable.

–

So there’s an update on my health and even though I’m on doc ordered couch rest for the next month, I am determined to make 2012 a year of continued happiness.  Really, 2011 was a great year for me.  Sure, I was hit by a car in January, so the new year started off with a literal bang and smash, but there were so many highlights from the rest of the year that it’s hard to choose what makes my list. Here’s a rough draft of my favorite moments in 2011:

1.  Adam.  We met on 1/16/11. 

2.  Iceland.  The most beautiful country I’ve ever visited with the best traveling companion.

3.  Astoria, OR.  Goonies!

4.  San Francisco.  I love that city so, so much.  Maybe, someday, I’ll wind up there.

5.  Adam’s surprise birthday in Portland.  We ate the most delicious meal I’ve ever had at Toro Bravo.

6.  David Sedaris in Portland. 

7.   Bikes.  I finally bought a road bike and the weather allowed for a few fun rides.  One in particular was a lot of fun with Atom and Steph as we made our way from Lake Union to Golden Gardens and basked in the sun.

8.  Cooking.  I stuck with a resolution from back in 2010 and continued cooking for the majority of my meals. 

9.  Sailing.  It made me really appreciate Seattle’s beauty and it was a great way to spend time with my parents.

10.  Relocating to Denver, renting a house and adding a pup to our family.  While I’m not entirely sold on this city yet, I am happy that I’m not going to spend my entire life in once place.  New adventures.

Honorable highlight mentions:  J. Mascis at the Tractor; the Cask Festival; delicious meals at Kingfish Cafe with my family, Cafe Campagne, Purple, Flying Fish, etc.; growing in my job and seeing results; Twin Peaks marathons; BBQs; Atom and I getting our first Christmas tree; friendships with some of my favorite people growing and gaining new groups for happy hour.  Oh, I could continue!

I realized this morning that I traveled from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic Ocean last year.  I love that.  I wish I could do the same in 2012, but without a job and depending on savings and Adam’s income and now with medical bills, I don’t know how realistic that is.  However, Atom and I each have a $300 credit from United Air that we have to use before September.  We’ve talked about Chicago (Atom’s hometown) or Nashville or NYC, but I think we’ve narrowed down our options to either Boston or Maui.  I’ve been to Maui before, but Atom hasn’t and neither of us have been to Boston.  Guess it’ll depend on what sort of deals we can get on lodging in each locale before we make our final decision as to our next vacation.  Though it may not happen this year, we’ve decided where our next vacation out of the country will take place…Spain.  I want to be there in April to see their elaborate Easter celebrations.  I want to see Barcelona, Granada and Seville! 

Now that I’ve living thousands of miles away from my family, I’m going to be using vacation money/time to travel back home to see them.  I am happy, though, that my parents found a killer deal last year so that they can now fly out here in early February and get to stay for close to a week.  Now, I just need to get my sister and her fam and all my friends to come visit!  I did have one of my best friends from Seattle out here last weekend just for a day and it eased my homesickness SO much.  Start looking for airline deals, people.

Alright, so I guess it’s that time to state my resolutions for 2012. 

1)  Get a job.  Oddly enough, I miss working.  I miss the cash flow.  I’ve had a few promising job interviews in the past couple weeks, so keep your fingers crossed.  Ideally, I’d like to find something in marketing that I can make a career.  This is actually a necessary resolution, so I know it’ll happen.

2)  Establish a solid group of friends down here in Denver.  Atom’s friends are great, but I’d really like to branch out and meet some new people in this new city. 

3)  Lose weight and get into shape.  Given my current health, exercise may prove challenging, but ideally my resolution is to begin walking the dogs every evening with Atom and once the snow melts to continue biking.  This also means cutting back on desserts, which I’ve strangely fallen into the habit of having around despite not really loving sweets.  This wouldn’t be a resolution list if this one wasn’t on there, would it?

4)  DIY projects.  I’ve got a list of stuff I’ve wanted to make for some time now, but I finally have a yard and space and Atom got a ton of tools for Christmas, so this seems very plausible this year.

5)  Garden.  Atom wants hops and I want tomatoes and squash and zucchini.  I’d like my yard to be cleaned up and I’d like it to be bbq friendly.

6)  Travel as much as I can and begin researching Spain and perhaps diving into Spanish again.  Aside from our Boston or Maui trip and the trips to Idaho, we’d like to go to Albuquerque, NM during their air balloon festival and Austin, since I’ve never been.  It’d be easy to fit in a Vegas trip, since it’s close and flights are always dirt cheap from Denver.

Alright, I’m going to stop before the list gets out of control and I have too much to tackle! 

I want you all to know that I love you, friends and family, and am so grateful for everything you did to make my 2011 a great year, whether it was an encouraging note on my blog, joining me on an adventure in Seattle or whatever.  You’re all great and I wish you the very best for 2012!

With one week of living in Denver under my belt, I felt more put together than I ever had.  Moving boxes were unpacked.  Pictures were hung and coffee table books were on display.  A Christmas tree was purchased and decorated and lights hung from my front window.  Gifts were wrapped neatly and tied with red ribbon.  Dinner was made nightly, including one of the best roasts ever tasted.  And then…I got a puppy and my togetherness fell right apart.

Leland Palmer, an 8 week old English pointer/chocolate lab mix, was adopted on December 10th.  Feeling a little lonesome and homesick after my move, Adam and I would look at photos of adoptable puppies online for no other reason than to allow the sheer cuteness to cheer me up.  Eventually, we thought, we’d get another black lab/border collie (same mix as Hercaberc), but not until we were completely settled in Denver, had two incomes and the weather wasn’t as snowy or cold.  This plan went flying out the window when we stopped by the adoption event and the people from Colorado Puppy Rescue started talking to us about the puppies and what they were rescued from.  Before I knew it, I had a puppy running around my house like a bat out of hell.  He is cute, especially cute when he’s not gnawing on me or anything of value, but he’s exhausting!

Leland Palmer