Trouble ahead, trouble behind

Ah yes, tis a new year. Time for folks to make rarely-kept resolutions. Not I! sez me. Last year I made one goal: Knit one pair of socks every month. Mission accomplished, with a pair to spare. Yes, a lovely baker's dozen. Lest ye think that's all I did, my project board (a thin, cling-to-the-wall white board by the fridge) boasted 63 items completed for 2009, not including sewing/quilting stuff. Here's the quick and dirty, aside from the footwear:
Mittens - 13 pair
Scarves - 3
Shawls - 9
Garments - 8
Accessories - 12 (hats, cowls, bibs, etc)
Misc - 5 (toys, afghans)

Today I wiped the slate clean, transferred the unfinished ones over, and put the first finished item on it. Woohoo!

Christmas was really nice this year. After finding only 2 worsethanCharlieBrown trees at the Optimist lot, Daniel and I cut a little cedar tree out of one of our fencerows - perfect shape and size, complete with bird nest. The house smells wonderful! We decided not to travel north like we usually do for the Day After. I would have liked to go, but it was just not meant to be. Anna and Jacob came Christmas Eve day, and we had dinner at Ron's aunt's house. The food was delicious, especially his mom's chicken and dumplins. Mmmm. Christmas morning we exchanged gifts with just our family, then had a breakfast casserole that I cobbled together. Next morning we went to Bob Evan's for breakfast, then the kids headed back to Springfield. The visit was nice and relaxing.

So yeah, there's bad stuff too. Ugh. Last Tuesday night I woke up with severe abdominal pains, cramping, fever, nearly passing out. I took a bath, thinking the warm water would at least relax my belly, but it didn't help. Around 12:30 Wed morning I drove myself to the local ER. I know, not too smart, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm glad for the frigid temps that kept me alert and out of the ditch along the way. There was talk of a blockage, then maybe it was fluid backed up at my liver that was infected, then it was something else. Four days... The problem ended up being twofold: bladder infection, and a pretty nasty intestinal bug that was made even worse by the broad spectrum antibiotics that were pumped into me right away. Once things were narrowed down, I was started on antibiotics that targeted just the specific issues. Ron drove up Wednesday night (unhappily - he hates driving at night + strange city) and slept crammed into the hospital bed with me. Next morning he got to the apartment, picked up some things for me (undies... did you know the hospital will give you disposable ones? What are they... like paper towels??? (shiver))(overuse of parentheses and elipses. elipsi? hmmm). It probably wouldn't have mattered. My stomach was so distended, and still is to an extent, that I feel 9 months pregnant. Ron suggested my shape was more akin to a malnourished African child. Not funny. Even after several days on the meds, I'm still painfully bloated. Followup is next Tuesday, but the doc may be getting a call tomorrow!!

We're getting snow tonight, 3 - 5 inches predicted. Cars are spinning up the hill next to my apartment, so I know it's getting slippery. Knit group was cancelled, and that was probably a good thing. I don't mind snow, but the temps are what really gets a person, in the single digits even during the day, and it's supposed to continue this way until early next week. I went to the grocery store this morning and had chapped n*pples by the time I got home! Grrr!

Next weekend (Jan 15-17) is the sci-fi movie marathon at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Daniel and I are rarin' to go, tickets at the ready, barring anymore illness! The list of movies looks pretty good, though I've seen some of them more than once (Fifth Element). Last year I must have slept through bits and pieces of every single one. Also, word from my friend Mark says we'll have a pretty big turnout for just our group, maybe around 20. He's already got hotel rooms booked for Sunday morning early before we head home.

I planned to hit bed earlier tonight, but it's nearly midnight. Time to sleep...