In 48 Hours...

...I will be on an airplane to Las Vegas. Hopefully, we will safely be up in the air on a smooth and easy flight. I pray that my Valium will be working and that I will be oblivious to the fact that I am on a plane, 30,000 feet in the air (or however high those darn things fly). I have my list of "airplane accessories" to help me through the flight:

- A good book, Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella (a funny, light read)
- Crossword puzzles - not too hard, not too easy
- A good, trashy magazine like US Weekly
- A copy of Simple Scrapbooks
- A blank notebook in which I can write my ideas and thoughts (if I'm feeling anxious, things I want to see in LV, pictures I want to take, etc.)

I'll probably write one more time before we leave. I'm really trying to control my anxiety. It's hard, but I've done it before...and I was successful.

What's Up With My Throat?

I woke up this morning with my throat feeling kind of "funny." Not necessarily sore, but it also didn't feel normal. Most people would think only a hypochondriac would grab a flashlight and check out his or her throat. I'm not a hypochondriac, but I did have a horrific case of tonsillitis in January 2005 (and February 2005) that not only felt like swallowing razor blades, but also:

- kept me from sleeping
- made me cry
- made me refuse to swallow my own saliva
- made me actually eat ice cream at 5 AM (and I don't like ice cream!).

So, at 6 AM, I pulled out my flashlight and took a look. Yep, I saw more disgusting white patches/blisters on my left tonsil - I do need to admit that I'm not even sure what a tonsil looks like. Anyway, it was there. This would be the fourth time in one year that this has happened.

To make a long story short, I just got back from the doctor, after enduring another throat culture, just to find out that it is probably just a viral infection. I'm not saying that I wanted it to be strep or tonsillitis, but at least that diagnosis makes sense to me. Should I expect to see these foreign objects in my throat every time I get a virus?

I was told, however, that I can eat "frozen desserts" if that would help. Now only if I was able to eat sugar...

It's a Go...I Guess

I got a call from my doctor this morning. She called in my prescription for Valium, which means that I will be getting on a plane in one week. I'm very apprehensive about this. Everyone around me thinks I'm so lucky to be going to Las Vegas for almost 5 days. Why can't I think I'm lucky?

Memory Is a Funny Thing

My father tells me I have a memory like a steel trap. This used to make me laugh, but now I actually think it might be true. I can remember just about everything - mostly odd things like the names of obscure songs, television shows, actors, etc.

I once read (or was told by someone) that the sense of smell is the most closely related to memory. I find this to be so true:

- The smell of Salon Selectives hairspray immediately transports me back to my junior year of high school.

- The smell of vanilla reminds me of when I was little and my mom would spend one entire day baking Christmas cookies.

- The smell of lilies takes me back to my grandma's funeral - the sickeningly sweet smell turns my stomach to this day.

- The smell of fresh orange juice makes me think of the warm mornings Patrick and I sat eating breakfast overlooking the Caribbean in Mexico.

The Countdown Begins

So, two weeks from right now, Patrick and I will be on our way to my parents' house. We're spending the night, getting up early, and flying out of O'Hare and in to Las Vegas. How I want to shout "Vegas, Baby!!!," but don't out of fear any bit of excitement will only jinx our flight. Maybe I will say it once we land safely.

This reminds me that I need to call my doctor to get a prescription for Valium. Valium helped me get to Cancun for our honeymoon. Valium is my friend.

Another migraine...

I've got a migraine today. I'm not sure if it's a new one, or the same one from yesterday that started at 11 AM. I just took more painkillers - can't believe I'm not addicted to them yet. I did a little migraine math last week - I figured that I get about 10 migraines per month, which means that I get approximately 120 in a year. With 365 days in a year, I'm miserable about 33% of the year. That's insane...


I also found some cool "migraine art" that depict how a migraine feels. It's impossible to actually describe the pain, but I think these pictures do a great job. Here are my favorites:



The pain in and around the eye is unbearable...



Even the smallest bit of light can hurt...



This is how I feel after 17 hours of a migraine with no relief from any medication (including narcotic painkillers).

Looking at these pictures makes me sad.

I Blog, Therefore I Am???

If I blog, but no one reads it, does it exist? Some would argue no. I say yes. Maybe these are just words floating out there in the massive abyss of other blogs, but they are my words. My thoughts. So far, only one person has read my blog and made comments - my dad. Does it get any better than that?

Digital vs. Film

I just purchased a "slightly used" zoom lens for my camera - a fantastic camera my parents got me for my birthday 6 years ago. To get specific, it's a Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF III Lens, and I'm so excited to start using it (yes, it's another bit of incentive to get on that plane - just think of all those pictures I can take!).

My purchase got me thinking about the whole digital camera vs film camera debate that goes on. Let's face it, there are people who love one or the other. I will admit that the digital camera (which I only use at work) does have it's benefits, but I am still a film camera girl at heart. I grew up with an amateur photographer as a father, which means that I was photographed regularly as a child (and teenager). If I'm not mistaken, he purchased his camera within the first couple of years of my birth. Hmm...maybe even before that. He was always experimenting with the aperture settings, the focus (which was NOT automatic!), and even black & white film - way before we were able to scan pictures into the computer and with the click of a mouse, change our once colorful pictures into b & w.

So, I am a staunch supporter of film cameras, and here are a few reasons why:

1. Digital cameras offer our already too fast-paced society even more instant gratification. Yes, we still have 1-hour photo shops (in which I do not partake), but we still have to WAIT to see the pictures.
2. I love the way that camera film smells. Weird? Yes. But who cares?
3. Let's not forget about the sound a real camera makes when it takes a picture. It's not a beep, but a nice, solid click.
4. I don't care what anybody says, digital pictures just do not look as good as developed film.
5. And finally, I saved my biggest reason for last. Digital cameras let you delete your mistakes. I love my "mistake pictures" - blurry pics, closed eyes, uncentered focal points, etc. Even if the picture doesn't look good, it's still a picture I took at a certain (probably important) time in my life. I don't want to erase my mistakes. Mistakes are what makes us who we are. Life would be pretty boring if we could always just delete what we didn't like, what didn't look good, what didn't turn out the way we thought. Where would I be if I didn't make those mistakes? What kind of person would I be if I never learned from those mistakes?