So many great things happening!!!

These are my flavors of interesting. Click to embiggen.

So many great things are happening, with meeting new people on Facebook and at the huge new AT&T store (more on that later) and having great phone interviews leading to in-person job interviewing for two hours later this week!! I figured I'd make one of these to illustrate myself to people getting to know me outside of random online jibba-jibba, whether they've known me for 20+ years or 2 days. It sums things up very nicely, really.

See, I'm very ottery and smiley and happy, as far as everyone who sees me is concerned. I also look way younger than I actually am (I'm turning 39 in a few months but apparently still look 28-32), so used the perfect young asian otter image from Das Otterhaus even though I'd be a North American River Otter (NARO) if I was an otter. However, on the inside I have the huge-eyed stare of a tarsier because I'm adjusting to new meds, amazed at the stupidity I see expressed on the internet, playing Sims 3 for 5 hours straight, etc.

I'd love to spend most of my days doing wildlife and nature photography (ideally for National Geographic, with incredible shots like Bruce Dale does there) and getting deep tissue massages, but I have to worry from hour to hour on what I'm able to do on any given day since I tend to overdo things when I'm feeling back to my old normal. I'm doing way better with pacing myself still and knowing my limits (the newish normal I've found after the Sjogren's Syndrome diagnosis), but the new meds have been helping me to feel outstanding when I'm awake, and I'm awake for entire days again, and this makes me SOHAPPYOMGCANYOUBELIEVETHIS?!?? (Side note: the Cymbalta withdrawal brain zaps are much better but today I'm dizzy and puky-feeling and need to crash because of crappy sleep from a 30 degree temperature drop. Also, sleep has sucked for the last two nights due to having to take down my blackout curtains due to some weak plaster and a wonky outlet breaker issue. Long stories. Don't ask.) Oh, and the pain cycle image is from this very well written page.

My typical attitude is me feeling all wise and awesome like an elephant while being enveloped by a non-normal living environment (health crap) yet trudging along as best as I can anyway. If the elephant in the photo can have fun daily swims, dammit, I can too, figuratively speaking. Or something. Crap it's almost 3pm and I need to eat lunch. (See? Overdoing it again, but stopping soon, really. Woo, tangent.) My ideal future for years has been opening up a fine art shop in New Mexico for selling my photography and hubby's art, but now it's grown more specific with wanting to do that plus farm Chimayo chiles in Chimayo (those chiles are so amazing, you guys, like omg, you guys). Having a little cafe there too would be pretty spiffy, since my brother-in-law has this chili spice blend that's incredible, and I need me more of that and more green Chimayo chile powder for cooking (it's seasonal and the Rancho de Chimayo is out of stock, per their website).

So. There it is. I'mma eat a really late lunch now then crash for a bit, and then organize music, and then come home and figure out more of how to work my new Samsung Galaxy Note, and then and then and then... Oh, Claude (my old iPhone 3GS, named after Claude Debussy) is death rattling very constantly now, with buzzing like the sound off/on switch is being flipped but with no one touching it and me staring at it from across a room. It's disconcerting. I need to put some of the contacts in Audrey (my new phone, named after Audrey Kawasaki) and download some apps and more, but not right now.

OH - and I had the best day yesterday with meeting up with an old friend, and eating freaking incredible food (both the ravioli and Guinness ice cream were like ambrosia, y'all), and visiting cute local shops, and basking while inhaling the smells of an old bookstore, and okay I'm really going now, damn.

Quote of the Day and life update

"... not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."  - William Bruce Cameron

This is usually attributed to my homeboy Albert Einstein, who apparently often said, "Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count really count."

I like that. It sounds better when he says it, in my head.

In life news, we've moved but still haven't unpacked everything. I can't find any matching pairs of socks. I tried to not freak out too much while on the phone with SOMEONE COMPETENT at Cigna today. She confirmed that my Certificates of Creditable Coverage were on file and proceeded to kick three things back to Claims for processing. Hallefreakinglujah, especially since one was from, oh, LAST MAY. She was also not sure why I got a form for a physician re: seeing another physician during a certain time period, since the CCCs cover any pre-existing conditions. Incompetence. It's not what's for dinner or lunch today! *happy dance*

Claude (my iPhone, named after Claude Debussy) is senile. I'd love to play with a Samsung Galaxy Note in person since I love everything about it, but since I'm still jobbing, I may or may not get that soon. I'm also looking at less expensive Android phones like the Galaxy S II Skyrocket, wondering if I should wait and consider a Galaxy S III Skyrocket and/or iPhone 5, and fretting about Claude's power constantly draining at an alarming rate because the power button doesn't work. (I can't even snap photos 90% of the time.) I used to have a Samsung not-so-smart phone and it worked very well for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing what all they have out now. Okay, maybe I'll have to consider the HTC Titan 2, which isn't on AT&T's site at present, but OMG with the 16 MP camera plus second camera for chatting. I used to have a Windows Mobile phone 6 years ago (Cingular 8125) and loved it, so I might have to look at the WinMo7.5 now. Hope that OS has improved.

We had a friend (I'll call her Red Fraggle since I'm totally Mokey Fraggle) stay with us one recent weekend due to a sci fi expo in town. With 4 of the cast of Firefly there, uh, yeah. No brainer. I still need to go through my photos. I definitely need to learn how to knit so I can get in on some Jayne Hat action.