2024 - Week 23

Arts & Crafts

I had hoped to enjoy Perler beading more than I do. They just don't melt well. I'm sure there is some key to it that I'm missing or my iron is terrible. The smaller items tend to turn out better for me.

Wow, I hadn't noticed I used a dark pink one in my heart. Oops! On the opposite side, one can see that they aren't melting evenly. I read I should have parchment paper with holes in it. I'm wondering if it's as simple as that and if I can buy some that already has holes in it.

That darn pink one! Maybe I can paint it...

Decluttering & Minimalism

I haven't done much on the decluttering this week since I'm not allowed to be all that physical while my mouth is healing. I've been focusing on smaller efforts instead.

Gaming & Streaming

I'm taking a break from streaming for now while I heal. I can talk, but it hurts. 

On Sunday, we continued our Pathfinder campaign. When last we met, we had defeated an angry enchanted cauldron and burned down it's former living quarters. This time, we came upon some ruins. The tower looked like a perfect place to sleep, but there was a giant spider that almost claimed the life of Flint. I had to heal them so much to get them to withstand the effects of the poison. My other compatriot suffered bad luck repeatedly on their rolls. It took many rounds before we were able to rest. In the morning, dwarven skeletons sprang to life and we had to dispatch them. My gauntlet was very useful on one of them. Later, I did a beauty of a tumble through and I was so pleased that I couldn't focus enough to hit another one. I got a ring and a junky sword. Next, the wolves we fought on day 1 had returned. This time, we were able to defeat them!

Lifestyle & Sports

Monday morning had me off to the hospital to get an x-ray done on my shoulder. There was nothing found, so it's unlikely that it's a fracture. I'm now waiting for the ultrasound appointment later this month to check the soft tissues out.

Tuesday was tongue tie release day. I did a half day of work before getting on the longest, bumpiest, and loudest transit ride I've had. The first half was fine, but from Tunney's Pasture to pretty much the Sensplex was pretty awful. Most areas had LRT construction going on and I feel bad for the people who live in the area. 

Anyway, my procedure went really well. I can open my mouth 14mm wider than before. I also noticed reduced neck tension right away. I felt pretty alert after as well though I'm really glad I took a Lyft home rather than trying the bus as the freezing was wearing off. It felt rather like a burn in my mouth. It was done with a laser then sutured, so that makes sense to me. I'm not entirely sure, but I might be salivating more, which is hugely wonderful and welcome. My Myofunctional Therapist had mentioned that the tongue normally does help stimulate the salivary glands just from moving, but mine couldn't move enough.

It wasn't long before I was starving. The first thing I had was an ice cream, but I had to cut the chocolate off of the outside and put that part into the freezer. It just hurt too much to deal with that part. I also had some chicken salad, and that hurt some too. Soft bread in small bites was OK.

It's so weird not having ever present neck tension.

Wednesday wasn't bad pain wise, but my Internet was down, so I pretty much just watched DVDs on my recovery day. After an entire day of that, I went out to the monthly Pinball Women Ottawa night. My friend came in third place!

I was quite sore on Thursday, but my stitches were all good. I felt it best to avoid people as much as possible in my building because, though talking is good, I needed rest. I would get enough talking in at work that day anyway. In the evening, I bought a few more food options and then did some laundry before spending the evening watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. I wasn't able to remember exactly where I left off during a previous watch through, but it seems like I may have been in Season 6 as a lot of Season 5 has been familiar.

Friday was a softball day, but the forecast wasn't promising. It rained and stormed much of the day, but it turned out to be nice in the evening. My team won and I'm happy for them. Hopefully I'll be able to play soon. In the meantime, I continue to do my exercises. They're going better now. I wonder if my arm and shoulder just needed some rest before going at them again.

I pretty much just lazed around on Saturday outside of a load of laundry and a thrifting trip. I watched more Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was also the start of putting this nasty tasting powder on my wound that is supposed to help ensure the scar tissue stays soft. A lot of rinsing and a sweet treat were needed after that stuff to banish the taste of it.

On Sunday, my first stitch came out and my tongue felt a bit more mobile. I was off to a softball party with my team followed by game night. 

Music & Songwriting

I know I've been all over musically over the passed couple of years.

I've accepted the fact that I have an overwhelming preference for instruments that don't use chords or use them sparingly. This is partly a brain or hearing thing for me. I can't hear the individual notes when singing if a chord is played; it all just sounds like one to me. When I am playing chords on a guitar or ukulele, it just doesn't sound like the song to me and I struggle to hear the melody and get too distracted to keep time.

All the instruments I've actually enjoyed playing were single-note-at-a-time ones like woodwinds and brass. 

That being said, I've always wanted to play some sort of stringed instrument. I found a well-rated, budget-friendly violin on Amazon and I've ordered it as my birthday gift to myself. Even several pros were surprised by it, including Ray Chen. Why violin? I've wanted one for over a decade. Ever since I played around with the one a previous partner was renting. It felt the most natural of any stringed instrument to me and using the bow felt intuitive at the time. 

Violinists do play chords, but it's not a constant thing or the focus like it is with guitar and ukulele. It's quite common to play single notes on them and just sprinkle in the odd chord. They also do well in a variety of genres.

My birthday isn't until next month, but maybe I'll at least be able to play Happy Birthday by then without sounding like I'm murdering a squirrel. At the suggestion of a friend, I plan to take some lessons as it is a difficult instrument to learn because it's fretless. It can also be hard on the body if one doesn't learn the proper form.

Writing

This is going well though it has certainly taken a hit with the tongue tie release. I've just been really tired. I'm not used to taking so many pain killers. I should be fully healed by the 18th and not need them anymore.