As seen on shellefly:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice.

For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

• I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!


• What I create will be just for you.


• It'll be done this calendar year.


• I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.


• You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch: you have to put this in your journal as well. Spread the creativity around!

The Rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying you want to do the meme.


2. I'll respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.


3. You should update your LJ with the answers to the questions.


4. You should include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.


5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.

I know I still owe some people questions, and I still owe answers to at least thealiwoman. Do I owe anyone else answers?

( The Questions )

Our international traveler, illuminant_love, has landed safely in New Zealand. She'll post her own update once she clears customs! 

If I change the seder to Friday, April 14, still at 6:30 pm, would that change people's availablility? It turns out I have that day off from work, and it would be a heck of a lot easier for me to prepare a proper seder!

I've decided to make a seder for the second night of Pesach this year. I know that loch_nessie and ladyandromeda are doing this for the first night, so they probably aren't available for the second night, but anyone who is interested is welcome. Please let me know if you would like to come. The second seder, by the way, is on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Arrive by 6:30 for a 7 pm seder. Don't ask me how I'm going to manage to be home by that time!

1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.
( my answers )

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey,
Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey,
Mushroom! Mushroom!

Perhaps I am tempting fate by writing this the evening before my MRI, but a significant part of me feels as if I have cheated the system. I am certianly not complaining about the ease with which I have sailed through my brain surgery and recovery. But so many people I have met and read about who have had brain surgery, tumors, etc., have had it much worse than I have. And my surgery was supposed to be one of the riskiest of them all.

We found my tumor early enough for me to have the luxury of doing extensive research.

I had no symptoms before my surgery.

The surgery itself went faster than expected.

The surgeon thinks he was able to remove all of the tumor.

My recovery in the hospital was swift and relatively pain free.

My time with my parents and at my own house has been a breeze.

I've had no symptoms post-surgery, either.

I have no visible scars from the surgery.

The fact that I even had brain surgery at all is very surreal to me. I hardly believe it, even when I read the surgical report. And yet, my life has been on hold for nearly a year because of this. I am so completely ready to move on. I am going to cry a lot if they tell me I have to go to Boston for 9 weeks.

As ladyandromeda and I were moseying through Christiana Mall the other day, I said something interesting about Mondays, and I think it deserves some more thought.

Normally, I hate Mondays. It means my weekend is over, and I have a very busy week ahead of me, during which I have a million things to get done, and I probably won't have time to finish half of them. I have to get up early to go to work, and I have to deal with my way-too-long commute for the next five days. I feel anxious and rushed before I even get out of bed.

Now that I am not working, I look forward to Mondays. They seem like new beginnings: a whole week spread out before me in which to get things accomplished. Weekends seem almost less desirable now, because they take me away from getting my long list of things done. (Not that I don't value the social time I spend with friends... I do!)

On the other hand, now that I have all of this "free" time available, I don't think I have been using it as efficiently as I could be. Part of me wants to chalk it up to taking time to relax to help in my recovery, but honestly, I think I am pretty recovered now. Logically, I think I should be making better use of my time. But, emotionally, I am not really anxious about the fact that I could be getting more done. Maybe that's an attitude I should try to carry over when I do start back at work.

I've been getting a lot done, though I know I could be doing a lot more. My sleeping patterns are still really screwy, but I'm working (not very hard) on that, and I am still mostly avoiding the less fun stuff like filing and cleaning. But all-in-all, I'm being very productive.

1. I am on Lesson 7 (Important Phrases) of my Italian CDs. I can ask how much something costs or where the train station is. I will be a great tourist one day soon. Now all I need is a trip to Italy... :)
   
   
2. I have added more to the blanket I am crocheting for Rob.
   
   
3. I have finished and hung my cork board (that is, a board made out of wine and champagne corks). If I ever got my digital camera back, I would take pictures of these sorts of things to show you all. I know you are desperate for art...
   
   
4. I have watched all but the last episode of Season 1 of Friends.
   
   
5. I have begun a cake decorating class with Liz. It's a lot of fun, and I'm not too bad at it. I suspect I will be making all upcoming birthday cakes... I'd better, actually, to justify the expense on the tools!
   
   
6. I've hung up my framed Broadway posters in my living room.
   
   
7. I've been walking more days than not.
   
   
8. I've become pretty good at making healthy smoothies and I have a freezer full of fruit to prove it.
   
   
9. I've been eating at home far more than I have been eating out.
   
   
10. My entire downstairs is spotless and 100% cleaned up and out.
    
    
11. I've purchased the materials for but not yet hung up a rod for my laundry room.
    
    
12. I've collected the DVDs spread out around my house and alphabetized them on my DVD rack. There are a lot of them, and I mysteriously have two copies of The Truth About Cats and Dogs, so if the extra belongs to you or you would like to have it, let me know.
    

Still, there is always more to do, and there are things I will kick myself for if I don't finish them before I have to go back to work, so I should get cracking on those tomorrow. Someone call me and bug me about that...

Rob and I have a double feature date night planned tomorrow. We are seeing a Sneak Peak of The Terminal and then ladyandromeda, passingfancy, shellefly, and others will join us for Stepford Wives. We've decided to all dress up in Stepford dresses, much as Star Wars fans dress up for the opening night of those movies. I don't know if I </i>have</i> a dress that qualifies, but I'll figure something out... :) Too bad my pedicure this afternoon had to be rescheduled for Saturday. It should be fun, nonetheless. We're seeing the 9:45 showing at the former Funscape, if you want to join us.

C'est tout!

There is a bug on my keyboard and I can't get rid of him. He is in between the F10 key and the = key. Oogie.

I have finally seen a cicada near my house. One squished cicada. It was sad. I saw a few others when I was visiting alannariva on Friday, but she lives in Maryland so it hardly counts.

Speaking of which, it was nice visiting with her. She looks like she's doing pretty well, though I know she must be in a lot of pain. That's why they invented pain medicine though, right? We took a short trip to the grocery store to get some Werther's Originals to soothe her throat. Werther's are so much better than cough drops or throat lozenges, if you ask me (which she did, which is why we went to get them in the first place). I hope her recovery is speedy and as comfortable as possible. We might take a trip to Crate and Barrel next week. I have a gift card to use up.

Friday night, Rob, the Albans, and I had tickets to the fourth and final show in our series at the Wilma. None of us had been terribly impressed with the first three shows, so we were quite pleasantly surprised by Jesus Hopped the A Train. The play, by Stephen Adly Guirgis, is a look at two inmates at Riker's Island who are at very different stages in their incarceration. The younger one, Angel, is going through his trial. The older one, Lucius, is awaiting transport to death row in Florida. The play explores faith and morality in a very convincing fashion without being preachy. The acting was stellar, and the show definitely made our season tickets worthwhile. We haven't decided if we will renew our subscription yet, but it's not outside the realm of possibilities.

Saturday night, we saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with arani, ladyandromeda, their beaus, and Katie. I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't seen it, but quite frankly, I was disappointed. I understand the necessity of leaving things out to turn a 500+ page book into a 2+ hour movie, but I almost think they left out too much. The first two-thirds of the movie felt incredibly rushed, like they were trying to get through the entire school year as quickly as possible so they could get to the good stuff. And I think that does a disservice to the entire school year. Though I thought the CGI they used was good, I didn't really like the images they chose to use, particularly for the dementors and for Harry's Patronus. And the kids almost never wore their robes during this movie. Are they wizards, or are they wizards? On the other hand, the movie had a much darker feeling than the first two, which was definitely a good thing, and as expected, the acting was great. I would have liked to see more Dumbledore, but I'm not sure I wouldn't have been wishing for Richard Harris if there had been. The teachers, besides Lupin, seemed to have very minor roles in this movie. In fact, it seems almost as if they are trying to make you forget that these kids are at school at all, and are just having grand adventures away from their parents. Anyway, I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed.

I have three little bald spots on my head. They are from the pins the surgeons used to hold my head still during my surgery. Though I didn't know it before-hand, they actually screwed my head down to the operating table. I'm glad I didn't know that in advance, honestly. I wonder if the hair will ever grow back there. It hasn't begun to yet, so I am thinking no. It's not like you can tell, though. I have so much hair that a few little missing patches won't kill me.

And finally, a meme stolen from shellefly:

befers's LJ stalker is ladyandromeda!

ladyandromeda is stalking you because you got better results for the 'acronym' thing than them. They are also prank calling you regularly!

I've found myself with some down time, due to the fact that I can't go back to work yet, following my brain surgery. I have a lot of projects I'm working on. I always have better follow-through when I am organized. Here's the list, in no particular order:

1. I'm learning Italian. I am trying to do one lesson each morning. So far, I've covered Basics, Basic Phrases, and Transportation Nouns. The problem with learning a language from a CD is that I have no idea how any of these words are spelled, so I may have trouble reading and writing them. I need to remedy that...
   
   
2. Finish cleaning my house. I've made very little progress on this since I got back from my parents' house. I haven't even finished unpacking yet.
   
   
3. Become a smoothie making expert. I love smoothies, and I have been making them most days for breakfast. And I'm making them in a healthy way, not in a calorie-laden way.
   
   
4. Get back on track with eating right and exercising. I've lost 16 pounds since I went to the hospital, and I intend to keep it up. I've been cooking at home much more than I used to (which is much easier when I have a clean and organized kitchen), and I have been trying to do some walking every day. I am not yet allowed to exercise fully.
   
   
5. I've been reading a lot of books. I love to read, and I think I have spent more time reading than anything else. If you have the time, check out The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. It's a great story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, I went to high school with them, so that's kind of cool.
   
   
6. Finish my cork board. Those of you who have ever been around me when a bottle of wine or champagne is opened know that I always keep the corks. This is because I have this vision of making a cork board out of them. I finally started putting that together today, and if I don't finish it tomorrow, I will have no where to eat dinner because it is spread out all over my kitchen table.
   
   
7. Finish various crochet projects. While I was at my parents' house, I made three baby blankets and a very cool scarf for my mom for Mother's Day. I am more than halfway through the blanket I am making for Rob, and then the line for blankets is long: Dave, my mom, my brother, and probably others that I have forgotten by now. Plus, I bought yarn for all kinds of scarves for myself and for gifts. In a similar vein, I have a needlepoint piece I have been working on for the Albans for a long time, and it would be good to make some progress on that.
   
   
8. Write an inspirational book about my experiences with facing adversity. Perhaps I should join shellefly's Sunday morning write-ins. I don't generally use that time for anything more productive. I think I even have a title: All My Light Bulbs. See if you can figure out why...
   
   
9. Start volunteering again. I don't know if I will have too much time to devote to the shelter once I go back to work, but I know they could use my help now at the height of kitten season.
   
   
10. Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Ever since my surgery, I haven't been sleeping 100% well. I tried taking some sleeping pills a few nights, but they left me needing naps the next day, and I never take naps. I didn't even do it when I was a kid. But keeping to a normal schedule is what will let me have productive days. I'm not doing well with this one tonight.
    
    
11. Do some gardening. For each of the weeds that alannariva and I pulled from my flower beds before my surgery, two more have grown in their place. I need to take care of them, and plant some flowers that are sitting on my porch.
    

I know there are more things on my list, but this will do for now.

Good night!

Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who has been checking on me, sending cards, e-mail, etc. It's really helped to keep my spirits up! My surgery went extremely well, and I am currently spending some time recovering at my parents' house in Northern Virginia. I'm going home to Delaware next weekend, most likely. I have a lot of LJ catching up to do, but I'll get there :) More information about my surgery and recovery so far can be found on a web page I created. To access it:

1. Go to http://www.TheStatus.com/
   
2. Click on Visit a Patient Page
   
3. Use Last Name Finn and password april8
   

There is lots and lots of information there, so feel free to read as much or as little as you would like.

Friday night, Rob and I went to see a play by Charles Mee called Wintertime at the Wilma Theater with Liz and Steve. We had seen another play by Charles Mee there last year, called Big Love. They were both definitely Mee works. He is a very modern playwright, and I have found both of the plays we have seen by him to be quite influenced by the surreal. The themes he addresses are universal (love, human nature, etc.), and I've never found his messages to be very deep, but he does present them in an entertaining, if not bizarre, manner. Wintertime is about a young couple in love. The boy takes his girlfriend to his parents summer home for New Year's where he is planning to propose. But when he gets there, he finds that both his parents have chosen to go there as well, independently of one another, with their respective lovers. Comedy, of course, ensues. All in all, I enjoyed the play, though I didn't find the "twist" all that surprising. There is a quite a bit of physicality to the play, and the choreography of it is enjoyable to watch. I do think that I would get more out of it if I were to see it again.

Saturday, I did a little bit of cleaning, though not nearly enough, and then we went to shellefly and J's birthday party. It was great fun, and I finally got to meet traceyleabeezus, elissa_carey, and Amanda, who's LJ name I can't remember, but might be smittywing. Lots of other folks were there, too, and we had a good time playing Scattegories and Chrononauts, and Shelle really liked her raspberry cheesecake!

Today, alannariva came over and we did some gardening. It was hard work, but my flower beds are now nice and clean and weeded, and the mulch is refreshed and new looking. We will plant some flowers next weekend. We were too tired to do it today. I hope the weather is as nice again. Today was beautiful. alannariva has said that she is trying to take a page from my book when it comes to her illnesses. She says that she admires how I don't let it take over my life, and I must say, I have really noticed her change in attitude over the last few weeks. I've seen her lots, which is great, and she seemed much happier today than she sometimes does. It was great to hang out with her and just talk about stuff. She even offered to come mow my lawn while I am recuperating, and that is a wonderful offer.

I still have some more cleaning I would like to get done tonight, and I also intend to finish filling out my Advanced Directives. That will put me pretty close to accomplishing all the things I wanted to this weekend. Hooray!

Right now, Abby Cat is staring out the window, chittering at a red-breasted robin that I am sure she would love to chase. I love the springtime! :)

... I will wake up without a tumor (hopefully) in my head. Time is flying by, and I still have so much to do. This weekend's goals include:

1. Finishing all the paperwork I need to get done before I go to the hospital: Advanced Directives, Power of Attorney, and have those and my Will notarized. (The notarizing may have to wait until business hours.)
   
   
2. Getting a big chunk of cleaning and organizing done: Linen closet, upstairs landing, foyer, living room, kitchen, downstairs hallway, and maybe some part of my bedroom. It also might be a good idea to clean out my car.
   
   
3. Doing some yard work, if the weather co-operates. At the very least, I need to clean up my flower beds so they don't look scraggly, and if I have time, I'd like to plant some flowers. Does anyone like to garden and want to help me out with this? I should also contact the lawn guy my neighbor recommended.
   

That seems like enough for one weekend, doesn't it? shellefly and J's birthday party is also this weekend, and I am looking forward to that.

Tonight, we have tickets to The Wilma Theater with Liz and Steve. We have season tickets, and I have no idea what show it is we are even seeing tonight. The last 2 have been decent, though, and the company is always good. I'm looking forward to it.

The One and Only Replace Beth's Tumor Party was yesterday and I am a very fortunate girl. It was wonderful, and marvelous, and I was so happy to be surrounded by my friends and family, celebrating me. (Yes, perhaps the whole thing is a little egotistical, but I think I deserve that... I am going to have brain surgery, after all!) Apparently, there were a few people who could not see the humor and benefit of having a party like this. They thought I was saying goodbye to everyone I love, or something morbid like that. But in fact, the complete opposite is true. That party yesterday really was a celebration of me. Everyone showed me how special I really am, how creative, how much love I give to them. It touched me very deeply to have all of that love showered back upon me all at once. It's funny; I knew I would cry, but it never occurred to me to bring some tissues. (Liz and Steve of course had some, but that's not the point!) That is probably the only detail I didn't think about! Every other detail of that party was meticulously thought out. And it was perfect.

( Don't you want to know more? )

All-in-all, I am so glad I had this party. Brain surgery is the kind of thing that is so serious that you must laugh at it to keep things in perspective. It would be very easy to let it take over my life, but I refuse to do that. In fact, J. K. Rowling teaches this lesson very well in the Harry Potter books. Harry and the gang are facing a boggart in their Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. The boggart is a creature that takes the shape of whatever you most fear. To conquer it, you must picture this fearsome thing in a rediculous situation so that you can laught at it. Coming up with things to replace my tumor with is just like Neville picturing Professor Snape in his grandmother's clothes. "Ridiculous!"

Last night, I bought Rob a copy of A Storm of Swords on audio. Lucky him :)

Last night, I bought a pizza that Rob and I will have for dinner tonight. I hate pizza, and he loves it, so this was a big deal. I will suffer through the pizza tonight, in addition to something else nice that I have yet to come up with. And shellefly might come to Costco with us :)

And look! It's Abby Cat in an icon!

Last night, I gave Rob a really good, long back rub, and then convinced Abby Cat to sit on his back and purr for about 20 minutes. That was a feat, let me tell you! But everyone can benefit from KVT, not just people with brain tumors!

Inspired by this post from shellefly, I will do at least one nice thing each day for my wonderful boyfriend Rob for the next week. Starting today. I'll post what it is, as long as it's postable :)