So Cold.
No, the heater in my office is still not working. The temperature when I walked in this morning was 31°F(-1°C). We’re up to 48°F (9°C) right now, thanks to Mr. Sun, but there’s no sign of getting any artificial assistance to the all-natural BTU’s we’re getting at the moment. I have a space heater sitting on my desk, about six inches from my keyboard, so I can feel my fingers. At the moment, I don’t care if it fries my keyboard or not.
Today marks five months, two weeks from my transplant surgery. I can no longer give the days elapsed off the top of my head, but I can usually come up with the answer after about five seconds of calculation. I don’t want to identify myself as a liver transplant survivor. I want to be a veterinarian, a friend, maybe even a writer who happened to have had a liver transplant. I don’t know how to jump tracks to get to there, though. Some days I almost do it. I can go ten, even twelve hours at a stretch without thinking about it. But then it comes time to take pills again, and I’m once again “The Transplant Kid”.
Some weeks ago I made a totally unnecessary purchase at a local department store. While I try to fight it, I have been known to succumb to the “impulse purchase” pressures that stores apply to the vulnerable consumer as they stand in line, bored and impatient, waiting to check out. In this case, I purchased a pen. It’s a nice pen, comfortable grip, good point, comes with its own refills and batteries. Uh, yeah … batteries. It glows in an array of ever changing colors when the top is pressed and the point deployed. I admit to being the teeniest bit ashamed of myself for throwing money away on this purchase, when money is somewhat tight right now. But impulse purchases short-circuit the common-sense circuitry somehow. I picked it up knowing I shouldn’t be looking at it, I put it back knowing I shouldn’t buy it, I stared longingly at the display knowing I should turn away, and I picked it up again at the last minute when it came time to ring up my tally.
I have managed to make several co-workers intensely jealous of me though, as well as having earned the envy of the big boss. You can’t buy love, but you sure as hell can buy attention.
I have discovered that (much to my chagrin) I missed a lunar eclipse on Saturday. Technically speaking, I didn’t miss it. I saw it. I just didn’t recognize it for what it was. The Socialist stopped to look at the moon when we went out for our take-out pizza Saturday night. I’d noticed the moon looked different, but I put it down to cloud cover. It really did look neat, but I can’t believe I didn’t recognize an eclipse in progress. What’s worse is that I didn’t even have a clue there was supposed to be an eclipse. Worst of all is that the Socialist must have even pointed it out to me, since he made a comment about looking at the moon, and even went back out after we got home to look at the moon (which I thought at the time was a little strange, but everyone’s allowed to be moonstruck now and then) but I somehow missed that he told me. I feel majorly imbecilic at the moment.
Hey, they got the heater working again. Looks like Hell has heat again.
Five months? NO WAY! It cannot possibly have been that long. I demand a recount!
I’m glad that your heat is restored. We all know that all sorts of bad things happen when Hell freezes over. 🙂
Thank you for your encouraging words, btw. They are much appreciated. :*
Ohmigosh! I have one of those pens! Impulse purchase, or no, it’s fun just to pull it out and use it. As you say, attention CAN be bought.
Personally, I think you should lay the guilt aside and enjoy the pen. I can’t quote it exactly, but there’s an old axiom that says basically, "If you have but two dollars left, use one to buy bread to feed the body, and the other to buy crocuses to feed your soul." Maybe a pen isn’t as high-falutin’ as a crocus, but it’s still feeding your soul in some small way.
Hugs,
Ani
i heard about the moon on the news and then forgot to go out and look at it! duh!! good thing the heat is working, it’s a cold one today.
We often define ourselves by our situations. When something that major happens, it is easy to allow it to define you, or at least label you. Though what i am dealing with doesnot compare, i sometimes fall into that trap with my seperation.
i enjoyed the eclipse. The girl and i saw it together. Wonderful.
I missed it too and I was outside most of the night.
Glad they got the heat working again. I noticed on the news this morning it was cold your way. That’s what you get for having all that heat last week. 😉
(Yes, it is a national test…but I can’t celebrate until I know for sure I have passed. If I pass my practicals, it will still take 10 days to find out if I passed the written. I figure I will know by the end of Nov.)
Aha! You know who Edward Gorey IS! I think the list of living admirers is now up to four. Yipee!
That sounds like one cool pen. I can’t buy expensive pens since I lose them too easily. I’ll just live vicariously. (penwise)
Hurrah for heat!!! As for the moon thing: 1) I mentioned it a couple of days before in my diary, and 2) I didn’t get to see it because it was raining cats and dogs. Of course, tonight it’s clear as a bell. Gonna get down in the thirties tonight, too.
~Cali
I think with time your new liver will find it’s place and settle in. I imagine the other aspects of you will be enriched by it. I know the writer will have new views and experiences to draw on.
And who should ever deny themselves a pen? Isn’t it written somewhere that all pen and office supplies are necessary and therefore nothing to feel guilty about? If not I’m in some serious trouble!!!
~QE
Those pens are sooooooooo cool.
The past couple teachers I had graded the test then and there, so you walked out knowing what you got. This teacher doesn’t. We should get the tests back either tomorrow or next week. I can say I felt better about that one than I did the first one; I’m hoping for a mid to high B, but if I guessed really well on the few questions I stumbled on, maybe an A.
Alli
I like your pen.
The trampoline is in the back yard, and the kids tend to peel off their socks while on it during the summer. It wouldn’t be surprised if there are still more socks out there hiding and waiting to be found like soggy easter eggs.
Alli