Friday Ramblings January 9, 2009

I’m beginning to come back to the world. Yesterday I had my first one-hour physical Therapy session, which was pretty fun. What I liked best was that so far each doctor or physical therapist I have seen has been amazed at how fast I am recovering. The fracture is practically healed and now I have to deal with the rehabilitation process: get the ligaments, muscles, nerves (I guess) back “on track”. That, I am told, takes a few months, and all in all it will take about a year for me to feel COMPLETELY normal again. (I can’t help but laugh at this thought…if only that was true about everything). Yesterday, my physical therapist Jenny told me: wow! You are a superwoman! You’ve healed really fast. I didn’t show that, but imagine how I felt inside (and every time one of them gave me that kind of compliment ~ yes! It’s a compliment to ME). There was this “big me” giving “little me” a few taps on the shoulder saying: see? That’s what happens when you take good care of yourself and follow orders! You heal fast and make everyone, including me, not only proud of you but in awe of you!

Haha! Yeah! Like I said…sometimes it takes so little to give me the boost I need…I just have to be careful not to take it too far and flaunt it…that would look silly!

But I am walking…on a funny looking oversized boot (you’ve seen those…you always feel a bit sorry for the dude who has to walk around in these…well, I’m one of those dudes right now…so don’t laugh!). And soon, next week, I don’t even have to wear that one anymore.

And so I am beginning to feel like I am part of the world again. I also went to work yesterday for the first time in about a month. It was not an official workday (that starts on Monday), but a totally-clean-my-new-half-office day. Yes. What used to be a pretty spacious office of mine is now cut in half, shared with a new woman who was hired a few months ago. At first I was not too thrilled by the idea…but yesterday, after I managed to empty most of the boxes I had with “junk” and put papers and stuff wherever I thought they belonged, I didn’t think it looked that bad. Just a little tighter. My office has always been the social gathering place (EVERY job I have had!) for students and teachers. I hardly ever get work done…but even my supervisor (bless her heart) admires the way I make students feel “comfortable” and that being social is part of my job! Wow! Ok! Then I won’t feel so guilty about chattin’ it up with students at every break.

So I cleaned my office and saw PEOPLE! I think during this hibernation period I have seen perhaps 5 people. So when I ran into this person and that person…talking, asking, sharing…I constantly had this background thought saying to myself: wow! you’re doing ok…yeah yeah…keep going…
I guess you don’t really forget how to be social after all. I thought I’d be a little rusty…but I was wrong. I slid right back into the old me: friendly, inquisitive, expressive…sarcastic at times, serious when needed and smiling most of the time. Check.

But in the last few days (at home) I have been a bit too obsessed perhaps with reading blogs. You know how it is…you like someone’s blog…then you go to the blogs THEY like…then you subscribe to a few of those…and on and on. I love checking every few hours if someone has posted something new on their blog. I use flock and with flock there’s a sidebar that automatically refreshes and lets you know (with a little number next to the blog) if anyone has posted anything. So once I see 1 or 2 or 4…I get all excited and immediately go to the blog and read. And read…and read…I know you know how hours can go by this way. Well, thank God for NOW I don’t have anything real urgent I need to do..and let’s not forget! I still have to keep that foot up…doctor’s orders.

The blogs I have been following recently have something different about them. You know how I can get all melodramatic and clouded at times…as social as I am, I can also be completely disconnected and “in a mood”…a real hermit. But the new blogs I have been reading in the last few days/weeks are pretty light and funny. And I think that lightness and funniness is influencing me. Even THIS post of mine today feels pretty light, doesn’t it? No heavy shit today! Yoohoo!
So, because I love to share…here they are…the latest blogs I am reading:

My good friend N. finally started her own blog called Milk Teeth. She is a super smart and funny girl. She’s an MFA student at SF State and in my opinion writes really really well…this blog is not so much about her writing (although just her little descriptions about why she likes what she posted are fun to read) but about things she likes. Very random things. I didn’t know she was into fashion, but I love her quirkiness and choice of interests. I will be seeing her this afternoon and I KNOW our conversation is going to be non-stop and LOUD! Hahaha

And so of course I checked out what SHE follows..and one of them really stood out for me. I had never before heard of “street style photo blogs”, but there is a whole movement out there of fashion conscious people taking photos of people they randomly see on the streets that have interesting fashion statements. This article here talks about the movement and has links to such blogs, which I checked out, but really not being much into fashion, I’m not that attracted to a blog that just has photos of beautiful and fashionable people (without much writing). Except for one: this is a blog that my friend N. follows and now I do too.

Garance Doré has a really cool blog. She’s a Parisian fashion illustrator and takes photos of people in the streets of Paris that catch her eye. What I like about her blog is that she also writes really fun and interesting posts. They are light. And again…this is not typically something I would search out, but having come across it by clicking on this and that link…I am glad I have. By the way, here is her blog in French: Garance Doré en francais.

Then there’s Stella’s blog. Under her blog name Stella’s mid-life crisis she writes: A 42 year old woman’s search for what it’s all about. LOVE IT! Clear and concise. To the point. And of course I can relate. And there’s LOTS of writing and interesting topics.

The last blog I have subscribed to is Chambre avec Vue (Room with a view). It belongs to an old school friend (although we were not really “friends” in school because he was a year or two above me, but I do remember him). His blog is in French. He posts a mix of quotes, scenes from movies, thoughts and photos. He just recently went on a trip to Malaysia and took, in my opinion, superb photos! I wish he posted more cause I really enjoy what he put up…but hey! I don’t post often enough either…maybe I should make that one of my new year’s resolutions! Forget it! Another thing I like about blogs (such as this one) is that you get to know these people and in his case, we are becoming friends. Love that!

Oh, but I do have to still re-metion my favorite blog: Deonne Kahler’s Life on the High Wire. I still LOVE her posts! I write “re-mention” because I talked about her in a previous post…I just want to let you know that I still follow her blog with a passion.

Ok…that’s it for today. WOW! Could this be one of my longest posts so far? I guess going out yesterday and reacquainting myself with “civilization” has truly released some much-needed expressive air!