Posted 1:11 AM by RedSox
The Experiment Continues...

I’m on the Sims On-Line and I’m making Potions. It is an exciting past time that involves standing there watching your little guy make a potion and then you sell it. Then you do it all over again. Fun no? But it is a good way to make money.

So while my mind is so thoroughly unoccupied, I thought I’d write.

Buckle yourselves in kids this could be a long one.

Lots of topics have been on my mind this week.

Some of you may have read a post I made back on September 3. If so then what I’m about to write about will make sense. If not, go check it out in the archives. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Ok, good, you are back, let’s continue...

So I had a meeting optimizer’s dream. A meeting chaired by yours truly of only meeting optimizers and don’t give a damn folks. Actually I wasn’t supposed to chair the meeting but the meeting lover who had the agenda was delayed in one of those dread “ran over” meetings. So we wee sitting around staring at each other so I grabbed the reigns. The meeting went a cool 22 minutes. That was it. Finished. Everyone left shaking their heads and saying, “that was the best meeting we have ever had with you guys”.

Yes!!!! Score one for me!!!!

Oh, but you know it couldn’t last. 5 minutes later my boss comes over and asks us if there is any reason we aren’t in the 2:00 meeting. “Yes,” I tell him, “we are done.” He replied that the meeting lover who had the agenda had corralled some of the participants on their way out and had started an impromptu meeting for her agenda. Because, damn it, she had a meeting scheduled for this time and she was going to have a meeting. So we went out to see what was going on.

So now, instead of sitting in our nice comfy conference room we were huddled around a tiny table in our atrium. An hour and a half later, I was back at my desk. Of course we had to recap our 22-minute meeting for one freaking person. All the other players were the same. Of course, this time it took an hour. Then she had two new items and that took another hour and a half. Fun stuff. The “I don’t get it” folks were the being played by the so-called experts. And did we accomplish anything? Well if scheduling another meeting is progress then I guess we did.

Arghhh!!!!! I hate freaking meetings. What a colossal waste of time.

But that isn’t what I wanted to write about tonight.

Let’s go to the back injury update. I know loyal reader, that it is not as exciting as the bowling league recap but you will just have to wait until September until I can revive the most popular segment of my blog that nobody cared about.

It has been almost three weeks since I injured my back. And, while much, much better than it was, I am still having problems with it. I am having pains in my ass and in my legs. The last three weeks have been some of the most unbelievable pain I have ever had. I can’t adequately describe. The first week I couldn’t stand, sit, or lie down without feeling agony. The second week the pain subsided in my back but the pain in my leg began. It was an annoying pain that almost felt like a cramp but it wouldn’t go away. That has continued on right up until right now.

They think there is some nerve compression. I went today for a CT Scan. I’ll have some results in a few days. I hope they either don’t find something and time will fix this or do find what it is and can fix me. This is getting to be a serious drag.

It wasn’t too bad. They squeezed me through this little doughnut and made me stay still with my arms over my head for like 20 minutes. My arms were killing me when we were done.

The worst part so far has been getting off the vicodin. Sunday at bedtime was the last dose. Monday morning, I was sitting at work feeling like a chimpanzee had rewired my brain. Getting my brain started was like starting an old lawn mower.

Prime. Pull rope. Nothing.

Prime. Pull rope. Nothing

Prime. Pull Rope. Nothing.

“Shit, the damn thing is flooded.”

Try again later.

Eventually the thing sputters to life but not before you are ready to chuck the thing into the bushes.

But the worst time was Tuesday night. I really don’t know what happened. I’m not sure if I should even talk about this or not. It is not one of my finest moments but it is something that has really bothered me and I want to get it out.

As Tuesday night went along, I got more and more irritable. I went to bed but left the volume on Boogieshoes pc on a high level from earlier in the night when I was listening to music. I had just fallen asleep when she went on AOL and the “You’ve got mail.” blared throughout the house. FYI, I have been sleeping downstairs in the pullout bed in our couch since I hurt my back. First, the stairs were agonizing to negotiate. And secondly, the bedroom upstairs is frigid.

When Boogieshoes bought the hose the upstairs wasn’t finished. It wasn’t even insulated. Boogieshoes‘ dad built the bedroom up there. But he only connected one heating vent and the other half of the upstairs is still unfinished and half un-insulated. So it gets HOT in summer up there and COLD in the winter.
But I wasn’t going to write about that tonight.

Where the hell was I. Oh yeah.

So “You‘ve got mail” comes blaring out and wakes me up. And for some reason, I just lose control of my emotions. First was anger. I reached for my glasses and knocked the TV remote onto my foot. So I kicked it across the room which, of course, caused the battery compartment to open and the batteries to fly off in four directions. Well, one of those little bastard batteries tried to make a break for it and hid on me. Only further enhancing my anger. Boogieshoes is trying to get me to tell her what is wrong. I can’t. I honestly don’t know. So she is getting frustrated and thinks I won’t tell her. That wasn’t it, I just had no explanation. So I lay down again and try to sleep and I just can’t help myself and tears start to come. Now for those who know me, I pride myself on keeping my emotions under control. This was the worst feeling. A complete loss of control. I couldn’t stop it. No matter how hard I tried.

Then something pulled me through. Helping a friend.

Boogieshoes Sims roomy, Tiger had a very unfortunate experience that night that mirrored one that I had. So Boogieshoes asked if I could talk to him, just at that moment. So I got onto AIM and talked to him. I don’t know if he will ever read this or if he knows it but he probably helped me more that night than I helped him.

That’s what friendships are all about.

The real reason I came on tonight was to talk about friendship.

Since Friday I have been absolutely surrounded by fascinating friend situations. I have made new friends. Had a friend go from a good friend to a almost a lost friend to a great friend, hung out with dear friends I don’t get to see nearly enough, hung out with one of my dearest friends, reconnected with an old friend, and fought and made up with another friend.

Friendship is one thing that means the most to me. I value and treasure my friends over any other possession that I have. The thing that absolutely captivates me about friendship is the intimacy involved. And I don’t mean physical intimacy. I mean intimacy in the truest sense of the word. The best part about being friends is the learning stuff about a person that only you know. Sharing experiences that only you share. Coming up with stupid inside jokes that on only you get and only you think are funny. It is the intimacies that make each friendship unique. It just wouldn’t be any fun if my friendship with Purge were the same as my friendship with Jupe.

So just a few words to some of my friends from this weekend who inspired this blog.

First, Chuck and Ginger. You are the new friends. I think we were friends before but now I am certain of it. Sadly, you are stuck with me now.

Lady Z, a silly misunderstanding. Neither of us mad at the other but both thinking the other was. Funny stuff, now. Don’t lose the spark and keep helping me believe in dreams again.

Tempest and Purge. I love you guys. You are two great people. I need to make it a point to make sure I see you more often.

Sock Momma, what can I say? You have become an amazing friend to me over the last few months. Who would have thunk it a year ago. We are such different people yet it works. I don’t get it but I don’t need to I just accept it. I am so thrilled that you are finally happy. We are due for a bench chat soon. I love ya kid.

And Boogieshoes. The love of my life. My best friend. You were amazing during my back problems. So understanding and patient. I can’t thank you enough.

Well, this went far longer and far sappier than I had anticipated. I still have more to say about friendship but I’ll save that for another time.

Until next time...