O Internet! To you I say Hey.
If you have tattoos in prominent places, you know that people without tattoos will constantly ask you the same two questions: Did that hurt?This is kind of a dumb question, but you assume that what they’re really asking about is the degree of pain involved. As in, did that hurt more than an injection? more than a punch in the kidney? more than falling under a steam locomotive hauling buckshot to Ted Nugent’s house? So I usually point to the insides of my wrists and tell them that hurt, a lot. In fact, that’s kind of my go-to for pain. Anything less than that, I can take. (Although, uh, I can’t imagine how people tolerate having their elbows done. The last one came within half an inch of my elbow, and OW.) What does that mean?
This is a very complicated question. I have set answers, but I can never fully explain what they mean to me, and why it’s important I have them on my person. When people point to the one on my arm, I tell them it’s the number of people I’m responsible for. Some get it and some don’t. Often they think it’s cynical, but it’s not at all. To me, it implies more a sense of wholeness as a person; knowing I will always be intact no matter what. The text on my thumb is shantih in Sanskrit. I tell people that it means ‘peace’. I wrote more about it here. It goes well with the one above. It didn’t occur to me with the new piece that I’d be reciting a poem all the time, but yeah. I just tell people I like it, which of course is true, but it’s also hardest to explain. What it says to me is that it’s pointless to worry about what might happen in the future, or the fact that we don’t go on forever. Do and enjoy the things that make you happy, because that’s all that matters. People who have tattoos only ask one question, the same one I ask them: Where do you get your work done? And as you know, I have feelings for Uptown Tattoo. I’ve also been tattooed at Ink Lab, Tatus by Kore (LOVE!), and a seedy shop on South Beach, but I plan to stick with Uptown. So, this week! On Tuesday, Matt’s parents did not come visit as expected, so we went to a Saints game, followed by Town Talk. The Saints stomped all over the Lincoln Saltdogs, probably because they were jealous of their superior uniforms. At Town Talk, Nick had to be reminded of my drink. Clearly, we have not been there in a very long time. Such is summer, really.
Yesterday, I went for my first physical therapy appointment in a very long time. I’d been having trouble with my neck again, and was worried that the bulging disk issue had worsened.
(I first typed that as ‘bulging dick’. Sorry, that story will not be appearing in this post.) Instead, she told me it was my rotator cuff; I had probably hurt it a while ago, and was compensating with my trapezius muscles, which would lash out with angry fists of rage and make my neck and shoulders all stiff. She taught me four exercises to strengthen my right shoulder, and sent me on my way with a $3 strip of latex. AND A SMILE. That’s my favorite kind of medical treatment: teaching me to fix myself. I’m going to lay on my side on Matt’s floor and lift a can thirty times tonight, and it is going to be sexy. After PT, I took advantage of Matt’s bowling night and cleaned the dump I used to call an apartment. The rented backhoe was sufficent to unbury my furniture, and the cats escaped mostly unharmed. I did everything but mop, because I do not own a bucket. (How I have lived sans bucket for these three years, I do not know.) I then busied myself with Ravelry and my yarn stash, because I am sometimes a huge nerd. That site is the greatest thing to ever happen to knitting, and it makes me think about makin’ stuff more than the average human thinks about sex. Thankfully, I can multitask. Later, Cindi and I went to the Red Dragon, where I discovered she has a very sensitive mouth. In other news, I’ve been reading Anna Karenina via DailyLit’s RSS feed, another of the best internet-ideas ever. Facts:1) I hate Tolstoy, but despite that
2) I wrote half my thesis on his work.
So reading this has been a good challenge for me; I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt again, even though he sucks. I’ve been enjoying it so far! Today’s biggest achievement (after waking up this morning) is that I hit the mimimum fundraising goal for the 3day. I still have $758 more to go to $3,000, but I’m very happy to have reached this milestone! Thanks to everyone who’s donated and supported us. As you know, it means a lot to me. Tonight I’m going to go get some groceries and join Matt on the couch, where he is recuperating. Holy crap, he had such a fever last night that it actually scared me. I will do my best to fix this with orange juice and hugging! LATER.
Jenni