Miscellaneous

I was going to title this potpourri but given the bunch of topics, it'd be a bit of a misnomer.

UTI's
So I had to deal with a UTI yesterday.  Not exactly the greatest of topics but I want to vent about it because a) I lost a beautiful Monday off recovering from it, and b) if you haven't had one before, here's warning to take care of it rather than put it off.  I've had one before but not one this bad.  It was compounded by having had a glass of wine at dinner (alcohol and caffeine dehydrate which isn't what you want!) then crashing into bed after putting Derek to sleep without washing up or anything, meaning I also didn't go to the washroom, meaning I didn't flush out any small bit of irritating bacteria I may have had, meaning I allowed it to build up while I slept.

So, while I did get 10 hours of sleep (and loved it!), I woke up with the awful urgency to pee and went to the washroom every 10 minutes for 2 hours.  There was blood (eeww, I know) and also blood clots (eeww eeeeeeewwwww), which got me pretty concerned but there wasn't much I could do at that point except drink water, try to get through breakfast and keep peeing, even if it was a dribble.  Thankfully everything cleared by the afternoon but I was still only feeling 60%, maybe 70%, and having to deal with Derek drains energy quicker than usual.  I napped for 2 hours - after that long a sleep you'd think I woudn't need one! - and continued to feel tired the rest of the day.  That seriously bites.  It was such a gorgeous day I really wanted to go out with Derek and enjoy the sunshine.  Alas, none of my tasks really got done except for making congee for the week.

So if you every think you may have a UTI (main symptom is feeling the need to pee without much production, burning/stinging/weird intense feeling while peeing, cloudy pee, a bit of blood in the pee) don't underestimate it.  I'm glad I had antibiotics left over from my last bout (my doctor purposefully gave me more than I needed) and am taking that now.  It's important to take it for at least three days to make sure it's cleared otherwise it can come back even more severe, infecting your bladder or even your kidney.  Take care of your urinary tract!!

Letting It Roll
I was dreading today's shift a bit because I had a feeling I would be put on till.  After training on Saturday and feeling like a complete doofus while serving just 10 customers in 1.5 hrs, I didn't look forward to holding up the line due to my lack of practice with our computer system.  Thankfully it turned out okay and I learned to just let things roll, as in both going with the flow and not letting things get to me.  I used to really feel the pressure of people staring me down with their impatient eyes, wanting to please them while being torn because there was only so much I could do.  These last four years have really taught me that essentially, if that's all I can do at that time, so be it.  There's no way everything can be done so just smile and let it roll.  I think that got me through a lot today, not just internally but smoothing things out with the customers as well.  I've found a balance between trying to ease matters with the other party while not letting it affect me.  When I was pregnant, I must admit that I used my condition a bit as a shield to hide behind and not caring how others may have perceived it.  I know a lot of people do that anyway but it doesn't sit well with me to do it myself.  So now I still use a shield but to defend rather than to hide, so to speak, and continue to interact as I do (I was going to say swing my sword but that's more confrontational than I intend to portray.. perhaps not the best of metaphors to have chosen).

You Know You're a Parent When
...you're fairly tired from a physically demanding job yet you love spending time with your kid doing whatever.  That spurt of energy may only last 10-15 mins but it's spent with the kids rather than the couch or bed (entirely).
...you'll kiss their head even though it's wet and sweaty.
...you learn to cook different things, even eat different things, just so they can enjoy eating too.
...you look at birds and automatically want to point them out.

Okay, maybe those aren't universal but those are some of the changes that have happened with me.  =P


What I'm Reading Now
Finding Your Voice by Brian Hands.  I want to take vocal lessons but can't afford them and this latest sickness (not counting the UTI) had me squeaking in ways I knew was not healthy for my vocal chords.  I looked into voice therapy because for the last 3 years I haven't been able to reach beyond a high C comfortably.  Given that I used to reach an F# with some good warm-ups, this has been troubling me.  Brian Hands is a voice doctor who has helped opera singers.  I'm sure there's something I can glean from his book!

Courage and Calling by Gordon T. Smith.  I'm sure you've all heard me talk about this book at one point or another so I won't go on, but it's really helped me sift through the reflections I've had since I started my Tyndale journey and most intensely this last year as I went through my decision to resign.  You'll find quotes I've found particularly helpful in the Mentoring section of my blog.  If I haven't hyperlinked this here, I will soon.

The Morland Dynasty, #33 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.  At least I think it's #33.  It's going through WWI and at times it's boring (there's only so much I can read about planes and trenches!) but when I do have the attention to read those parts, it reminds me to be grateful for the peaceful time we live in now.  Of course, there's always the minor threat of war - the Middle East, North Korea, anyone with nuclear weapons - but we live in a relatively peaceful time.


Alrighty, that's it for now.  Gotta clean my makeup brushes then turn in early for a 5:30am wake-up.  I start at 7am tomorrow!  =X