Home!

So, we landed in Southern California around 3 yesterday.

Then we waited nearly two hours for our bags; we didn't get one of them till this morning. (For Virgin Atlantic's part, they can be kinda forgiven; there was a major jam-up on the conveyor belts for the checked luggage literally as we were checking in. Our plane was delayed for an hour because of it - and, apparently, fifty or so bags still didn't make it there on time!)

I'm exhausted, my head hurts, and I slept from 7 last night until 7 this morning (with a 30 minute wake-up for water at 2 this morning). Mum laughed that I skipped dinner and still slept through the night (I don't often do that), but you should have seen the amount of food I ate over the past few days. Now that I'm back in California, I've promised myself I'll be good, food-wise. With no more Irn-Bru to tempt me, it shouldn't really be all that hard.

So, I'll post photos to Facebook soon. I didn't take all that many; we didn't go many places, and I've taken so many photos over the years, it seemed silly. And I'll do a recap of my many mini-adventures (as well as a super-cool day-trip to France!) over the coming days. But right now, my head hurts.

PS: I bought the new Coldplay CD while I was there. I'm now a Coldplay convert. Not like it took much; they're ah-mazing.

Turns out I have WiFi here!!!

So, I'm in this cottage in the middle of nowhere (well, about halfway between Lanark and Livingston), and it turns out the farm owners have wi-fi. Who knew?

So, yes, I'm in Scotland! I survived the flights (barely), and am relishing all the good wonderful awesome non-imported British food that actually tastes right! It's fantabulous.

After 12 hours of sleep last night (which didn't quite catch me up since I only got two the night before, but it'll do), we went to Gran's this morning, where we had lunch (real Scotch pies from Auld's... yum). Then we went to the centre (the sinter, as it's called) in Livingston, which has changed a lot even from the last time I was here, two years ago. I only bought a magazine, though I was plenty tempted by lots of pretty things. Gran gave me money, but I'm determined not to spend it right away. We're going into Edinburgh in a few days, and I know they'll have some of the same shops there, and some even better ones, so I'm biding my time.

Have I mentioned that I hate my wheelchair? I hate it. But it's a necessary evil, so I'll put up wi' it. (I'm already hearing Scottish in my head!!!)

So, short update, because I'm tired, and prolly going to bed early again.

BTW, I'm liking Atonement, even if his style is very pompous and overblown. If I knew I could get away with that, (though I prolly couldn't) my writing would be twice as long. On the plane home, I'll watch the movie. (Ooh... speaking of movies and Atonement and planes, I overheard the flight attendant saying that James MacAvoy had been on the plane over to LA. Whoa! Not as cool as being on the same flight as Kobe Bryant - or like Dad, who last time ended up on the same plane as Sean Connery, which is even cooler... but still, slightly cool).

I leave for Scotland in three days...

I'm super duper major crazy excited!!!

I'm still editing my Scotland list. I just added the cable to link my camera and my laptop; I expect to take plenty of pictures. I always do.

I'm also no longer going to buy anything before I go. Seriously, I've bought too much recently. That's the problem, though, when there's not much to do around here. I just spend money. But no more! That's what the library is for! (and cheap movie rentals at Pavilions).

I've recently begun reading The Adventrues of Sherlock Holmes, which I've had for forever, but never actually perused. I like that each adventure is short - ten pages or so, tiny print (like, seroiusly, Bible-sized print), but easy to swallow, so I can do one a day. I read A Study in Scarlet years ago; it's at the front of the collection, but I honestly don't remember much of it.

I'm going to be doing a lot of reading this summer. And homework; I'll be plugging away at that too.

I may not blog again before I leave - I'll try - and I probably won't blog at all while I'm in the UK - not having internet access could make that a little tough anyway... but expect plenty of tales when I return (and am recovered).

Now, go to my sister's blog and read her poetry. Feel free to giggle a little. http://gravissilentium.blogspot.com/

Much love,

Judith

Short and semi-sweet (since I'm allergic to milk chocolate)

Basically, my life right now revolves around getting ready to go to the UK on Sunday. I've got a packing list (edited the list multiple times), and I've got a to-do list the size of the freckles on my arms (for those of you not in the know, that means BIG!)

In other news, my iPod took about an hour to update just now, because I was adding photos in case anyone in the fam wants to see what crazy life in crazy California looks like.

Anyone want to see me before we go? Call me within the next two days, otherwise it won't happen.

I'm going to make myself a pizza for lunch. Homemade. With Root Beer (not on the pizza). Yum.

This is potentially the worst writing I've done in years...

So, yesterday I went to the doctors, and got my painkiller shots in my back.

So, right now, my back feels wonderful. The rest of me is still catching up.

He also prescribed me a muscle relaxant, in our neverending quest to find something that makes the pain go away. Well see how that goes.

Anyway, getting shots is a bit of an ordeal. For me, at least. Because it entails driving from TO to USC's Medical campus. This can either take us less than an hour (like yesterday), or it can take us two hours (like it did a few months ago). It all depends on the number of car crashes, and whether they're on the 101 or the 410. And the time of the morning is somewhat influential as well.

Now, Mum and I have a tradition; second breakfast at McDonald's. I get the cinammon bun/twist/thingy and a coke, she gets the Sausage McMuffin and gives me her hash brown. Then we go to the correct building. Unquestionably, I will be the youngest person in the waiting room (what happens when you go to a rheumatologist). We will wait anywhere from half an hour two an hour and a half (never less than half an hour). That office is always running late.

When we finally get called back, we may wait even longer. (We expedited the process this time by having me get into the gown straight away, so we didn't have to wait even longer, after the check up to get the shots).

I have to lie down on the table for the shots. Otherwise I'll pass out. I don't have issues with needles, but this procedure makes me woozy.

My back was tense, from all the pain, so getting the shots makes me flinch. And because they're so shallow, it hurts only a little - though there is always a spot or two that makes me yelp. The doctor has to be careful not to puncture a lung. It doesn't help that I have a particularly fatless back.

Anyway, I get 12 to 20 shots in my upper back. I get plastered with band-aids - the super-sticky kind. I always say it's more painful pulling the band-aids off than getting the shots. They leave little square red bits. Thankfully, not every spot I get the shot needs a band-aid (torture, anyone?).

So, I was too woozy to go to the mall (which sucks, because the Glendale Galleria is five minutes away). We ended up there anyway, at the Steak Escape for lunch (which was probably stupid on my part, given my jaw issues).

The funny thing is, as exhausted as I was yesterday evening, I got some homework done. Not as much as I'd like, but some.

Who can explain the whims of the CFS? (Not the patient, the disease, of course.)

There is one spot on my back still particularly sore (obviously, he can't give me shots everywhere) but the rest of my back is in heaven.

Thank goodness for modern medicine.