Distractions

distraction dis·trac·tion (dĭ-strāk'shən)
n.

1). A condition or state of mind in which the attention is diverted from an original focus or interest.


Woke up this morning with the mother of all migraines. What is up with these lately? I used to get tension headaches that turned into a migraine when I couldn't lie down and practice my relaxation exercises - which, when Jessie lived here was pretty much all the time. But what part of blissfully, finally, fully sleeping causes the blood vessels in my brain to dilate? WHAT?

Take a migraine pill - a vasoconstrictor - always amazed that I am going to tell my blood vessels to constrict to stop pounding the shit out of my head. You would think it just the opposite (OK, I would think it just the opposite) and it always is with a titch of trepidation I swallow thinking that the next thing to happen in this scenario is a burst embolism since, well, I just constricted my blood vessels and they were pounding ...

Doesn't happen ...





... again


but the weirdest thing does! My head stop pounding and is just throbbing, but at a tolerable level. The pounding - the intolerable, painful pounding? It moved DOWN MY NECK and lodged itself BETWEEN MY SHOULDER BLADES - in my SPINAL COLUMN! This, I might add, has never happened before. My headache either stays or goes away, but has NEVER just decided to take a walk ...


So - I begin my day of DISTRACTIONS. Distractions that take my mind off my throbbing head. Distractions are good, right?

Distraction #1: The Fear of Being Paralyzed From the Waist Down.

Yes, I did obsess that somehow, maybe just temporarily, I would become paralyzed from this unique situation. That I would have to drag myself to a phone and call someone to come help me get the milk out of the fridge, because that, now, was also on the list of: "Things Too High For Lori To Reach" - a very lengthy list right now and I feared it would be growing at an exponential rate ...

The throbbing IN MY HEAD was completely forgotten for, oh, at least an hour!

This segued conveniently into

Distraction #2: Charlie is Absolutely Insane

Head pounding, not wanting to lay in bed anymore and just count the beats of my heart as they exploded in my head, I went to my desk to try to distract myself.

Charlie kept coming over and head butting my chair, walking back and forth, being a general pest - which is EXACTLY her way of telling me she needs to pee. So, I get up - fireworks sparking in my head and make my way to the back door ... without vomiting - which is a completely new accomplishment for the morning. Open the door to 30-something degree weather and rain. Charlie stands at my side. "OK, I'll stand right here ... just hurry and you won't even notice the cold or the rain ... Charlie?". She's no longer at my side. I look around. She had retreated 20 feet into the Great Room and has planted her butt firmly on the ground. If this isn't Charlie sayin' "Damn girl, I'm not going out there for anything!" I don't know my dog at all ...

I shut the door and make my way back to my desk.

She does this FOUR times. FOUR TIMES!!! With my pep talk getting more and more encouraging each time ... 'cause, well ....


SHE NEEDS TO PEE!!!

The last time she did this I added this caveat as I walked blindly back to my chair: "If you pee in my house, dude, I can't be held responsible. And please, please, please, just pee on the tile, not the carpet ... what is UP WITH DOGS AND CARPET?" (OK, I don't even know if she has peed in this house - she BARFS on the carpet, not the tile - I am just assuming it would be the same).

Plunk myself down and decide I need some TLC. Hmmmm, that reminds me - Gary said I should upgrade our hotel room during the MS150 since I will be just sitting around waiting for him to pedal his way to me.

The MS150 is a two day, 180 mile bike ride from Houston to Austin - which begs the question: why '150'? Get on the computer, look up my e-mail reservation confirmation for the phone number to call the Hyatt and, what do you know, in horror I discover

Distraction #3: My Reservations are for August 17th instead of April 17th!!!

Arrrrrgggggghhhhh!!! I KNOW I gave them the right date. There are THIRTEEN THOUSAND bicyclists descending on La Grange, TX on April 17th - a month from now. And three months ago - could I find a room in that teeny, tiny town? No - I am 30 minutes away in a lovely Hyatt Regency Resort. OR SO I THOUGHT.

I am picturing Gary and I camping out in someones cow pasture while I am sitting on hold with Hyatt.

I'm in luck!!! Two more rooms left (I have TOTALLY given up on an upgrade - damn, I just want a bed, any bed ...). He changes my reservation telling me politely there is a special for the MS150 participants. Great! Yeah, it is $50.00 more for the room than I was paying originally. Demand, you see. I am still just freaking happy to have a room.

I breathe a sigh of relief and decide I should get reading. I was an 'adult' last night and put myself to bed at midnight instead of finishing my book on my camera. Lets see if reading will help the thumping ... I really don't think it is going to, but I am going to soldier on ...


About this time, something curious happens ...

Distraction #4: UPS Arrives and Christmas Comes Early!!! (Late?)

OK, here's the thing:


I am spoiled.



I know I am spoiled, but I don't think that adds any brownie points to my big tally in the sky. I have been lusting, yes LUSTING after a piece of software. I have been seeing it in my Photoshop magazines. It is a plug in for Photoshop and Lightroom that does magical things and I just want it. The spoiled part (other than 'just wanting it')? It is WAAAAAAAY EXPENSIVE. But, I have the fun money (I have explained my 'fun money' before - but briefly: Gary and I get so much a month, each, to do what ever we want with. We can't do anything but roll our eyes at the others choices. This has shut down almost all arguments about money in our household and I completely recommend it. Whether it is $10.00, $100.000 or $1000.00 a month - it is SO WORTH IT. You just save and get what you want.)

So - two nights ago, I decide, I want it, it is worth the money ... to me. But, if I order it, Gary will know how much it is and the eye rolling might be a bit ... intense. Hmmmm - I'll just go buy it at Best Buy (I have enough cash squired away to pay for it leaving no trace ...). Get online at 3:00am and look for it - no go. Too specialized - Best Buy does not sell it. Damn! Call a camera place when things open up and they recommend a weird electronics store on the 610 loop. They have it!!! Dang ... at full price ... and I have to pay tax ... and I have to DRIVE THERE. But *whiny voice* I want it now .... (... see ... no brownie points ...)

Grow up a titch and decide to order it via the web, leave a money trace, Gary's eye rolling be damned (hey, using a fractal algorithm it can increase the size of your photo by 1000% WITH NO DEGRADATION .... and that is just one out of hundreds of magical things it can do ...) but I WILL order it over night. It isn't coming from Mr. Amazon himself - he also decided it is too specialized to keep in his garage, so one of his lazy cousins is going to send it to me, they say, in a day or so ...

But ... I ordered it yesterday at 3:00pm and UPS shows up at my house TODAY! That cousin is ON THE BALL! I think I am going to be liking him and using him more - he is a camera specialist after all ...

So - busy installing / playing with my brand spanking new toy. And if you know me at all - take a computer, a piece of software - ALL ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY and you know what? That throbbing?

What throbbing? Leave me alone, I'm busy here ....