MRI's and Country Music

Nothing to do with the post, just some pretty flowers from early fall...

I was at the hospital 4 hours Monday, just trying to get an MRI done on my foot.  Although I arrived a few minutes late, I had no doubts about it being a short wait.  It usually is and there was only one other person waiting with me.

But I was told I needed blood work since I hadn't had any done in the past three months.  Ugh.  I had nowhere else I needed to be so I told them I would be fine waiting for them to get in contact with my doctor so he could order the needed test.  Which wasn't working out because apparently the office was closed on this particular Monday (I've had appointments there before on Monday afternoons, so I didn't think anything of it).  So they ended up calling my general doctor and getting the order from her - but it still took almost 2 hours for all this to happen.

But, it did end up happening and I think I spent close to another hour in the machine.  I don't know if this is usual in all facilities, but here we are given headphones and asked what our music preference is.  Now, despite the title of my series, I like a lot of different music styles.  On my iTunes list, I have country songs side by side with rock, pop, and 'Christian' songs.  Alan Jackson, Newsboys, Bryan Adams, James Blunt and The Rolling Stones peacefully coexist.  I decided a few years ago to listen to whatever I liked, whether it was considered 'godly' by the Church or not.  I have learned a lot by listening to...shall we say...more colorful music.

That truly is a subject for another time.  Because in this instance, I chose to listen to Country music.  And right off the bat the first two were on my favorites list (I have a long list of "favorites").  God Gave Me You by Dave Barnes and We Owned the Night by Lady Antebellum.  I was like..."Yeah, here we go..."  Of course, I had to listen to songs that rubbed me the wrong way.  After all, it wasn't like being in the car and flipping the radio channels whenever the song irritated or bored me.  And even still. they helped distract me from the pain of trying to lay still for so long in a cold room on a slab that made my achy breaky back ache.

"You called me...to take a picture???" Yes, I petted her for her trouble!

I've got my iTunes playing now, trying to dispel the gloom of the day.  The sky is cloudy and unsure of whether it wants to rain or not.  Every so often I'll flip to the other screen and add songs to the "up next" list (Alan Jackson is playing at the moment and Mumford & Sons is up next).  It's just me and the dog trying not to think too much on Carol's latest blog over at Broads of a Feather and the ghostly dreams I had this morning...well, the dog isn't too worried about that.  Jaclyn's more concerned about any cats that might be walking by outside.

But the gloom makes for a good writing and reading day.  While I'm waiting for my paperback proof to arrive in the mail, I'm glancing through my free-write of my third novel to see how much of it I can still use (a good bit, but some will need to be changed) and reading The White Princess by Philippa Gregory.  I'm liking it so far, even though it's written in 1st person perspective, which is not my favorite.

I hope everyone is having a good enough week, with time to read, and staying warm as the seasons change.



2014 - Fading as the fall colors

As Time Goes By...

Bare among the clothed

Man oh man.

I haven't been ignoring this site, honest.  There are about 6 posts sitting in drafts...where I got started and then something distracted me (either the phone rang, or it was time to go to therapy or the neighbors were fighting.) and when I came back to the post...all the inspiration had drained out of me and I'd just sit there looking at the screen thinking "Meh".

I feel kind of like the tree in the picture I posted to the left.  Dry and colorless even though I am surrounded by beauty.  Like words are at the end of my leafless tips and I can't quite grasp them.  No matter how I reach and stretch towards the sky, my fingers come back empty.

I seem to be doing ok right now, to which I'll credit the wine I'm drinking.  Maybe about 10 ounces worth.  Although my hubby just mentioned getting of Halo Wars and watching movies so I'm bound to be interrupted soon.  Keeping my fingers crossed. (Update, I started this one two weeks ago and am only now getting back to finishing it!)

I was even late posting at my shared blog the past two weeks, and I'm usually right on top of that.  But it does give me an idea how to get back on track here.

One thing we all notice as we age, is how much smaller the world around us looks.  Some of it is a natural change in size.  As we grow in stature, the world just doesn't look as big as it used to.  It hasn't changed in size, we have.

But sometimes it shrinks just because we've realized that our corner of the world it exactly that - a corner.  Last November I stood in the middle of New York City and it is pretty big compared to the little acre I grew up on.  I mean, my height hasn't changed in years.  I've been almost 5' 7" for years.  This stretch of road I've posted, has pretty much remained unchanged over the years as well.  It's always been this dirt road; it even retained its name when the county did it's 911 address update.  The leaves change color each year, and I usually take a picture now that picture taking has become easier with digital cameras being common on cellphones.  As I stood in the middle of the road taking various shots, I once again realized how small everything has come to look.  Not insignificant, just not huge or all encompassing.  My world is no longer limited to the home of my childhood.

Which brings to mind my reoccurring nightmare from when I was a child.  I would dream that I lost my home...I would take a short walk somewhere, like to the bend in the road in the middle of the picture where home couldn't be seen through the trees anymore and then I would turn around and run back, suddenly filled with terror only to find that our house and everything we had was simply...gone.  Nothing but an empty clearing to meet my frightened child eyes.  This was of course, many years ago and I no longer have the dream, or even think of it often.

Not the "Big" Hole I remember...

Of course, other times the change doesn't have anything to do with our perspective but is due to a change in the environment.  Case in point, the Big Hole.

A small crick runs by my mother's property and goes under the road via a sluice pipe, and the resulting spill creates a "hole".  Well, back in the flood of 2011, the water became high enough that this small crick ran over the road and was washed out enough that it was impassable.  As if the flood alone wasn't enough to change the "face" of the environment, the township dropped all these huge rocks around the new pipe, I assume for reinforcement.  Of course, the Big Hole I had growing up wasn't even the same one that my older siblings had when they were young.  Time and nature changes us all.

Photo 1

2nd Photo of the same sunset

And sometimes, it all depends on where you stand...because a few feet one way or the other can drastically change your perspective.  Not even the sunset will look the same.  Although in the case of the sunset, it was a bit more than a few feet.  The first photo (creatively captioned "Photo 1") I took at the bottom of mother's driveway.  The second photo, was taken maybe 10-15 minutes later probably about 2 miles away.  Because of the different angles, there's more light and color in the second photo.  At least I think so.

I haven't been slacking while I've been off here, not completely.  I have finished the first phase of proofing my second novel.  I have even revised the ending, which for some reason always unlocks new creativity in me.  Which is cool.  I've ordered the paperback proof from CreaeSpace and should have it in about a week.  I'll probably take some selfies with it like I did with the first novel, cuz that's just how I roll!  LOL

Once I get read through it and hopefully catch the last of the typos and OMG's, I'll be releasing it for purchase.  It's frustrating work, but worth it.

Have a great weekend everyone.  :)


2014 - Drawing Closer to its End