I’m sorry, I haven’t been writing much lately, either on my blogs or commenting on my favorites. I’ve had so many thoughts to share, but I’ve been on Flexiril, a muscle relaxant that make your mind go all fuzzy and generates a lot of napping.
What happened, you ask? I slept wrong. It’s that simple and stupid. I have the best mattress in the world, a very good pillow that suits me, and I’ve been sleeping with them for a long time! But, it happens, we sleep a little wrong one night and end up with a crick in the neck. After a few hours, perhaps even a shoulder rub, it goes away for good. Right?
Not this time.
Sunday, I woke up with a crick. It was mostly gone by the time I went to bed, but Monday brought a whole new level of stiffness. I used a heating pad off and on all day, then finally gave in and took a back pill (from an old injury). Still stiff, but at least I could sleep and it would heal. Or so I thought.
Tuesday morning I awoke to sharp pains centered on my left shoulder blade and running to my hip, elbow, and neck. I forced myself out of bed (where I couldn’t get comfortable at all!) and tried to find something to eat. The pain intensified, and within an hour the whole left side of my torso and my left arm were so tense they were bunching involuntarily and twitching. It even wrapped around my rib cage and I couldn’t get a breath because my lung felt encircled by stiff muscle. That’s when I got scared. My boyfriend and my Dad both called, one after the other, and both implored me to go to the hospital.
So, I called a cab and went to the ER of Hoboken University Medical Center (formerly St. Mary’s). This is where this entry starts to fit in with my Words for Good theme, btw.
I have been to a lot of emergency rooms in my life (I’m a klutz who danced and rode horses, need I say more?) and I have to say, some of the people I encountered at this one were above and beyond my expectations.
First of all, they actually recognized I was in serious pain, and got to me pretty darn quickly (although it felt like hours at the time). I’ve had times where I was bleeding profusely and was forced to wait for less-needy folks to go ahead of me. Also, the person who does intakes asked me for my name and social security number, and then said she’d get the rest after my treatment because she didn’t want me to have to do all of it while in such a state. That has NEVER happened to me before, and I really appreciated it.
The real hero, or heroine if you prefer, was the triage nurse. I didn’t get her name since I wasn’t thinking clearly, but she did everything she could to make this fast and as painless as possible. She made sure the doctor arrived by the time she was done taking my blood pressure, and he made the diagnosis of cervical strain causing pinched nerves pretty quickly. Then she gave me a shot of pain meds herself, and her bedside manner was perfect! She told me everything she was going to do before she started and again while she was giving it to me, and somehow made me laugh the whole time! It was the most painless shot of my life.
The whole time this was going on, everyone in the entire hospital (or so it seemed) was banging on her window and asking her questions, which she handled deftly and with apologies to me for the distractions.
I want to find out her name and send her some flowers or something, and if I do, I will post about her again so I can shout to the world – THIS IS THE BEST TRIAGE NURSE EVER!!!
***
Epilogue:
As for my back, it’s feeling a lot better. They told me to take a few days off, wear a cervical collar (I look so funny!), and take my meds. I am going stir-crazy, to the point where I actually want to clean, but it’s probably good for me to have a little break. I might even be able to lift a full glass of water by tomorrow, which would be such a relief! At least I'm finally coherent enough to write a little bit - phew!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Projects 85: Dan Perjovschi
I witnessed history in the making yesterday.
No, I didn’t see something that made the front page or anything, I just watched an artist add the last bits to a piece of his work. On the other hand, this particular artist has made me think, laugh, and cry all at once, which is not an easy feat.
His name is Dan Perjovschi, and it is his first time exhibiting in America. His exhibition, Projects 85, is opening at the MoMA tomorrow (running through August 27th), and if you can get there to see it, do. Just do.
Unfortunately, I heard about it too late to share with you while he was creating the exhibition, which he has been doing during museum hours for the last 2 weeks. It’s a whole new aspect for him, usually his work is done while the gallery is closed to the public. Read an interview or watch the movie at moma.org to find out how he felt about working in front of an audience.
Standing high above the second-floor obelisk and the milling crowd in a lift with just enough room for him and an engineer, Perjovschi slashed away at the wall with a fat black marker. Each drawing took only a few minutes, which was lucky for me since I got there just before he finished! I got the sense he was literally just spewing ideas onto the (permanent) walls, coming up with each brilliant piece right on the spot. Pause, think, click, draw! Something about his technique seemed almost conversational, if that conversation was a passionate political and social debate between very intelligent and angry friends.
Now, I’m a big fan of political cartoons AND line drawing, but I have literally never seen anything quite like this. Provocative doesn’t begin to describe it. Whether you agree or disagree with his views, there is no way you could walk away without being affected.
Perjovschi is Romanian, born in 1961, and therefore a first-hand witness to some of the weirdest and harshest political and social changes in history. Now, he uses current events and issues local to wherever he is working at the time as his springboard for creativity. In New York, his “comments” (as I like to think of each drawing) range from our country’s place in world affairs to our gluttony for absurd fashion trends. The best part (to me at least) was that even as I recognized some of my own faults in the drawings, they made me laugh at myself in a positive way. Basically, he combines the best qualities of a great stand-up comic with a skilled hand. What could be more entertaining?
I could go on forever, but I think his work should speak for itself. Get yourself to New York before this exhibit ends and see this, it’s well worth it!!
No, I didn’t see something that made the front page or anything, I just watched an artist add the last bits to a piece of his work. On the other hand, this particular artist has made me think, laugh, and cry all at once, which is not an easy feat.
His name is Dan Perjovschi, and it is his first time exhibiting in America. His exhibition, Projects 85, is opening at the MoMA tomorrow (running through August 27th), and if you can get there to see it, do. Just do.
Unfortunately, I heard about it too late to share with you while he was creating the exhibition, which he has been doing during museum hours for the last 2 weeks. It’s a whole new aspect for him, usually his work is done while the gallery is closed to the public. Read an interview or watch the movie at moma.org to find out how he felt about working in front of an audience.
Standing high above the second-floor obelisk and the milling crowd in a lift with just enough room for him and an engineer, Perjovschi slashed away at the wall with a fat black marker. Each drawing took only a few minutes, which was lucky for me since I got there just before he finished! I got the sense he was literally just spewing ideas onto the (permanent) walls, coming up with each brilliant piece right on the spot. Pause, think, click, draw! Something about his technique seemed almost conversational, if that conversation was a passionate political and social debate between very intelligent and angry friends.
Now, I’m a big fan of political cartoons AND line drawing, but I have literally never seen anything quite like this. Provocative doesn’t begin to describe it. Whether you agree or disagree with his views, there is no way you could walk away without being affected.
Perjovschi is Romanian, born in 1961, and therefore a first-hand witness to some of the weirdest and harshest political and social changes in history. Now, he uses current events and issues local to wherever he is working at the time as his springboard for creativity. In New York, his “comments” (as I like to think of each drawing) range from our country’s place in world affairs to our gluttony for absurd fashion trends. The best part (to me at least) was that even as I recognized some of my own faults in the drawings, they made me laugh at myself in a positive way. Basically, he combines the best qualities of a great stand-up comic with a skilled hand. What could be more entertaining?
I could go on forever, but I think his work should speak for itself. Get yourself to New York before this exhibit ends and see this, it’s well worth it!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Words for Good
This blog is inspired by a woman I have never met. In fact, two weeks ago I was barely familiar with her work, having noticed her books at the store. Then one day I was surfing aimlessly when I ran across her blog, and was entranced. This woman is Cathryn Michon, the founder of the Grrl Genius movement, and one heck of a writer! She has been doing the “positive thinking” thing for a lot longer than certain recent writers, and I think she makes a lot more sense than most of them.
She also happens to be really dedicated to her blog and the posters who leave comments, which is rare in the blogosphere. What’s more, she really cares about everyone who contributes to this community, and it really is a community that’s grown around her. It’s like the best group of girlfriends (and some “Enlightened Men”) you could wish for, able and willing to debate any topic, but completely supportive of each individual’s successes and trials.
This is the flip side of the “evils” of the Internet. This is the world getting smaller in such a lovely way.
Anyway, if this wasn’t inspiring enough, she wrote a great post to welcome me to the gang. Of course, I was impressed, and more honored than seems reasonable, but it was one line that really got me:
“By participating, you are part of whatever positive results may happen from people reading the conversation here.”
So, I was thinking, it would be great to have a blog that is about doing good, in all it’s forms. We’ll see what kind of format it takes, but I’d just like to get the conversation started about what we can do, as individuals, to make the world a better place, or maybe just brighten someone’s day.
Words are way too frequently used for putting others down or convincing people to support things that are bad for them. Let’s take back the power of the pen (or keyboard) and use it for good!!
I, for one, think Ms. Michon is one individual that is living that every day. If you want to learn what Grrl Genius is all about, you should check out her blog and her books (my copies are on their way to me – yipppeeee!).
She also happens to be really dedicated to her blog and the posters who leave comments, which is rare in the blogosphere. What’s more, she really cares about everyone who contributes to this community, and it really is a community that’s grown around her. It’s like the best group of girlfriends (and some “Enlightened Men”) you could wish for, able and willing to debate any topic, but completely supportive of each individual’s successes and trials.
This is the flip side of the “evils” of the Internet. This is the world getting smaller in such a lovely way.
Anyway, if this wasn’t inspiring enough, she wrote a great post to welcome me to the gang. Of course, I was impressed, and more honored than seems reasonable, but it was one line that really got me:
“By participating, you are part of whatever positive results may happen from people reading the conversation here.”
So, I was thinking, it would be great to have a blog that is about doing good, in all it’s forms. We’ll see what kind of format it takes, but I’d just like to get the conversation started about what we can do, as individuals, to make the world a better place, or maybe just brighten someone’s day.
Words are way too frequently used for putting others down or convincing people to support things that are bad for them. Let’s take back the power of the pen (or keyboard) and use it for good!!
I, for one, think Ms. Michon is one individual that is living that every day. If you want to learn what Grrl Genius is all about, you should check out her blog and her books (my copies are on their way to me – yipppeeee!).
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