Disappointment...

One of my long time friends & I had planned a road trip for next month that I was really looking forward to.  Well, yesterday she told me she didn't want to go because I'm not much fun to be around since I got sick. 

 

Wow, thanks. 

 

She's worried I'll have a bad day and we'll sit around in a hotel room. 

 

I've been steadily losing friends over the past few years because I can't make it to cook outs or parties or clubbing.  I should be used to it, but we've been friends for over 10 year & this stings quite a bit.  She could have given a better excuse, like not having money or she wants to hang out with her new boyfriend. 

 

I was still dealing with a bad depressive episode yesterday so I decided to wait before replying to her.  I started feeling better today and re-read the email thinking I could have read it wrong.  Nope, but at least I'm feeling well enough to respond like an adult & not a whiny teenager. 

Accident update...

As expected, I'm in a ton of pain right now.  I have some impressive bruises, too.  It's snowing here today (a rare thing) and while it's pretty, the cold and pressure changes are making my joints ache.  Saturday was the worst.  The slightest movement caused massive amounts of pain and I haven't been able to sleep much.

 

 

I've spent the last two days laying in bed, soaking in Epsom salt, fielding phone calls & watching cheesy horror films.  The Epsom salt baths don't really seem to help much.  They're good for minor muscle pain, but not Ehlers Danlos Syndrome + accident pain.  When I do manage to fall asleep, I wake up from dreams that people are trying to rip my joints apart or jamming evil looking serrated knifes in my joints.  That's the best way to describe the pain. 

 

One positive to come out of this is my cousin is coming to visit.  My Aunt G thought it would be nice to make some food for me & have my cousin bring it down so I have someone here while the Mr. is at work.  My overly dramatic Aunt M threatened to come down as well, but we talked her out of it.  Phew!  Aunt G asked M if she'd like to make something too & M blew everything out of proportion.  She likes attention and had me added to the "Prayers for the Sick" list at Mass.  Former neighbors & other family members have been calling all day.  I'm sure by now all of Pittsburgh knows about it or at least the mutated version of what "happened."  

Manner of accident "provided" by former neighbor.



 

Valentine's Day postponed...

The Mr. normally drops the ball on Valentine's Day.  It figures the year that he actually plans things out and makes reservations at one of my favorite restaurants, I get the most horrible migraine.  I couldn't even eat my chocolates.

 

It started Sunday & was mostly gone Monday.  It returned in greater force on Tuesday (and stayed until Thursday) and some lucky person scored our dinner reservation.  The good news is I had a doctor appointment Friday & I'm getting my MRI on Tuesday.  Now I'll find out if this is a Chiari Malformation or a massive nerve disorder.    



This is what I was going to wear to dinner.

We were waiting to reschedule dinner to make sure the migraine doesn't come back again, but after my appointment I went to the mall to get a new garter belt (which no one had) and ended up getting hit by a car .  The girl backed into me, but I ended up bouncing between her car and mine.  She was 16 and talking on her phone.  She panicked and took off, but a police officer happened to be sitting in the parking lot and saw everything & caught her (she didn't get far).  I know she was charged with Hit & Run, but I think there was at least one more charge.

 

My car is OK, but I'm not.  I ended up with a sprained ankle, new dislocated ribs, dislocated pubic bone, torn tendons in my wrist & lots of bruises.  If I didn't have Ehlers Danlos, I probably would have walked away with a few bruises and some sore muscles.  It could have been much worse, so I still consider myself lucky. 

Hair yet again...

I did get my hair cut a few weeks ago.  It's not quite how I wanted it and it took me a week to convince myself that it wasn't as much of a "soccer mom" style as I thought it was.  The husband said he liked it, but I think he was doing the "I'm supposed to notice when the Mrs. changes her hair & compliment it" thing.  Once I got home and started styling it, I realized that it will work.  Victory rolls are much easier to do & it's much easier to put curlers in. 

 

Now that my arms have healed a bit, I'm playing with the color and I had a very nice magenta color.

 

 

Then I decided to try to make it more purple.  It ended up more orange (don't ask), so I'm trying to put it back the way it was.  Oops.  I'm pretty good with hair color, but every now and then, I mess up.  I've had offers by salons to work there dying people's hair, but I'd still need a license.  I debated doing that a few months after I became unemployed, but it doesn't look like I'll be rejoining the working world. 

Tumblr...

I've been spending a lot of time on tumblr lately & decided to start a "blog" there in addition to this one.  I've added a button in the sidebar.

Right now it's a mix of vintage, comic books & other random stuff.  I've been updating that more often than this one because I really don't have much to write about these days.  I do have a lot of photos though!

Please check it out!

I need my own charity...

Having a chronic illness is expensive.  I do have insurance, but they only cover so much.  Today ButYouDontLookSick.com posted a link to GiveForward.com, which is similar to Kickstarter.com, but for medical bills.

 

I've seen other people that blog about their medical issues with donation buttons on the side of their blogs and I've debated doing that as well.  My biggest issue is that I was raised not to whine about my problems to strangers (or even most family) or to ask for money.  I have a hard enough time letting my friends pay for my lunch, much less asking strangers to donate for my medical needs.

 

On the other hand, the list of surgeries/procedures/tests/devices I need is getting longer and the things I've been pushing off are getting to the point where I can't push them off much longer.

 

Right now I need:

 

Ligament repair (right knee), new braces, MRI to confirm CIPD or Chiari Malformation then surgery to fix it if possible, two rotator cuff repairs, two ankle fusions or ligament reconstruction, ligament repair in my right thumb, gum reconstruction, spinal fusion or spinal cord stimulator, surgical mesh replacement & they need to clean out the arthritis/cartilage tears in my hip & maybe tighten the joint.

 

I'm also having major issues with collar bones, ribs & my sternum dislocating.  Yes, this can happen and it can be quite painful.  I don't know what they can do to fix this, maybe fusion? 

 

The hardest one for me to face is I may need to buy a wheelchair much sooner than later.  I have to have an ultra light model due to the Ehlers Danlos. 

 

So, is it tacky for someone with an incurable chronic illness to set up a donation site for themselves?  Would you do this?

From Photoplay April 1923...

Yes, for only $2.35, you can own this, um, "beautiful California electric boudoir lamp."

Some people love stuff like this, but I wouldn't be able to sleep with this in the same room.

I have random ads & articles from old magazines & newspapers that I might start posting every so often. 

Hair Again...

I think I solved my hair dilemma.  It's finally getting cut this week or next. 

 

I was ready to give up & go back to a bob because I couldn't find something that I thought would look good in a vintage style or left alone.  I need something easy to work with, especially now.  I dislocated both arms & tore both rotator cuffs, so doing hair right now is out.  I'm lucky if I can get it brushed.

 

Then answer came while I was watching Nothing Sacred.   

 

  

I'm a taller, bustier version of Carole Lombard.  I looked at some of her shorter hair styles in my search, but for some reason I skipped the longer hair photos, probably because I was stuck on "bob."

 

 

In the scene where she's pulled from the river, you can see what it looks like unstyled.  The length is where I want it & it's easy enough to style (once my arms heal).  I put the photos on my phone, but may run out to have them printed off just to have a larger version for my stylist to look at.  It's not a complicated cut, but pictures are always good. 

 

Anti-Vintage Mister...

My husband is anti-vintage & is pretty vocal about it.  We watch shows like Auction Hunters, Pawn Stars & American Pickers and he doesn't understand why people want a lot of the things they find, like the old stove on tonight's Pawn Stars.   

 

Tonight he ranted about vintage hair (a friend of Danielle on American Pickers had her hair in a vintage style).  I know he's seen my Vintage Hairstyling book upstairs.

 

He does approve of the bullet bra though.  Go figure...

 

He hates vintage clothes.  "They're just someone else's old nasty clothes."  He has NO idea any of my wardrobe is vintage other than my coat. 

 

I got away from dressing in vintage clothes for a while, but have gone back to it over the last few years.  I'm not sure if he doesn't like the direction & this is his way of hinting about it or he's just clueless.  He's OK with rockabilly/psychobilly, but not vintage.  I didn't think he could tell the difference. 

 

When I ask him what the problem really is, he can't explain.  He just doesn't get it and "he's right, everyone else is wrong."  I thought maybe it was the smell that some clothes have.  Nope.  He hates vintage shops because they charge too much for "old junk" & he hates thrift stores because they're dirty.  The thrift stores around here are pretty sketchy & I do not have good luck at them. 

 

He's OK with my preference for old movies.  He claimed he was into older movies when we first started hanging out, but that isn't the case.  He only liked two old films before I started making him watch them more often.  Maybe I'll wait until I can fit into some of my old clothes or replace more of my wardrobe, then tell him how much is vintage & show him how it's made better and is nicer than what I could get at most stores. 

 

Does anyone else have an anti-vintage mate?

Cleaning vintage...

The dress I purchased last week still smells like the shop it resided in.  I’ve cleaned it and it did fade a tiny bit, but it’s a strong scent.  I’m not sure how to get rid of it without destroying the dress or waiting.  I read somewhere that Oxyclean (dissolved in hot water) can be safe to use on some vintage items, but I don’t know if that will help with the smell too. 

I debated dying the dress since I have lots of black & white gingham already, but I’m not sure how well it will take the dye or if it will shrink when added to hot water.  I’m pretty sure it’s cotton, but the tags are long gone so I’m not 100% sure.  Probably better if I don’t. 

Anyone have any ideas?

Oxfords...

I’ve wanted a pair of spectator style oxfords or saddle shoes for months now.  I finally talked myself out of getting either since I don’t go anywhere.  I had been so good about not looking until yesterday.  TCM had a Marx Brothers marathon on yesterday & a girl had on an outfit I own with a pair of tasseled oxfords.  I found the exact pair online, but they weren’t in my size.  When I went back to find the picture & link to post here, it was gone. 

Here are some of the ones I found...



$80

This is the pair I really, really wanted.  Crown Vintage shoes are super comfortable.  I may sneak over to the store later to see if they have these because they’re sold out of my size online.  


Price Varies

These were my second choice.  Expensive, but they’d last forever & are comfortable.  The chunkiness offsets my braces.

$32

If DSW doesn’t have the Crown Vintage shoes, I may order these.  They’re different though I’m worried about the thin sole (inserts don’t really help).  I don’t think I could wear these for very long.  



$95

I thought these looked different, but they’re too manly for me.  


$42

The standard issue saddle shoe.  I like this shell & black combo, but they seem too manly.  I had the generic looking corrective shoe version of these & they just seem too boring.


$32

These remind me of the shoes Tuppence Ha’penny wears only flat.  


$38

I like the shape, but the tweedy part is too busy.


$29

Cute, basic & cheap.


$69

I almost got these.  They’re chunky & have a thick sole, but there is something I don’t like about them that I can’t put my finger on.


$69

Probably comfortable, but the heel is too high.

$35

These ended up being the winner.  Thick soles prevent my feet from being bruised after lots of walking.  I'm not sure how odd the soles will look when they get here.  They're a mix of espadrille & trainer.  Odd, but they should distract from my knee braces as well. 

New Years...

I hope everyone had a safe New Years Eve.  We stayed in and played “Fireworks or Gun Fire” while watching The Twilight Zone. 

Everyone keeps asking me what my New Years resolution is.  I never make one.  I’m always trying to lose weight, eat healthy & be a better person.  It’s silly to me to only vow this once a year.  If some people feel better making them, it’s fine.  I guess some people like the fresh start of a new year.  I suppose I could pick anything, but it's really not my thing. 

Maybe I should resolve to not make pointless posts like this...