Happy Solstice, taking stock, blog housekeeping

Jeannine Gailey — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Happy Solstice Lunar Eclipse Day, everyone!
I missed seeing the blood-red moon because of Seattle’s obscuring clouds but saw the pictures and it was beautiful. My parents got married on the winter solstice, which I always find very romantic. Happy 41 years, guys!
This time of year always catches me accidentally taking stock of things. Last night I watched a movie in which a woman received her 15-year high school reunion invitation and freaks out, dreaming of her high school boyfriend and wondering if her life is sexy/fun enough. My 20th high school reunion is next year, and maybe I haven’t freaked out enough yet, or maybe, mid-life crises happen later than they did ten years ago.
Speaking of taking stock, I’ve been checking over my blog roll and doing “blog housekeeping,” taking down blogs that are dead or inactive. If you want to be added to the blog roll, and I don’t have you listed, let me know!
Sprained my ankle last week (again) and yesterday had a full-blown food allergy reaction again, so I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, like thanks Santa! Maybe I can blame the eclipse. As far as taking stock, the lesson here is…um, I need to learn to keep my balance, literally!
I miss being around my family this time of year, my little brother playing video games and the nephews and nieces opening presents. But on the plus side, I am a thirty minute drive from many wonderful friends, which I am very grateful for.
Anyway, to avoid any depression or self pity, I will cheer myself up by celebrating that from here on, the days grow longer and sunnier, the world will get better. The sun will (eventually) shine again, and it won’t always get dark at 4 PM. The whole Christmas festival is about birth and re-birth, as well. Cheer up, don’t give up, all those twinkling lights and evergreen garnishes say!
On the plus side, I’m pysched about the fact that my new book is coming out next July and I’ve already started planning readings, I’ve been working with an excellent poetry manuscript by a friend and an article I’m excited about, and my husband is building me a poetry submission database for Christmas! Ho ho ho!

Jeannine Gailey — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:17:00 +0000

Once in a while, you get to be on top of the world; other times, it feels like life is kicking your ass. This last week was one of those second ones.
I have never had food allergies, but Sunday I had an anaphylaxis allergic reaction to a cup of tea and half a cookie. I wound up in the hospital, on an IV, and then for four days had purple hives and couldn’t eat anything, even chicken broth or ginger ale, without my mouth and throat swelling up. Good times. It was very scary and not something I’d like to repeat. I now have an epipen and a big old bunch of allergy tests to take. It might have been the bergamot in the tea, but I’m also getting tested for everything else: vanilla, tea, milk, eggs, wheat, citrus.
Anyway, I’ve had so many health setbacks lately, I just thought – wow, I had better get going with this poetry thing. No more wasting time!
On top of the 1001 doctor appointments, I’m going to try to read some chapbooks for a contest and be an excellent thesis advisor. And try to remind people that I love them more often. And send out more poetry. Do the stuff that I need to do. Because in the end, it’s poetry and people that matter to me.
It looks like I’m going to have to port my blog as well, as blogger is no longer supporting people like me who use the FTP option, Dang! Just what I needed to mess with, along with my taxes and surprisingly complicated and expensive physical therapy bills. (California has the worst system for billing, it’s way worse than Washington where insurance billing was fairly simple, and my insurance doesn’t cover all the PT here I’ve needed like it would in Washington. Yes, one more reason I’m considering relocating to the wild wet Northwest.) See, that’s all the junk I don’t want to worry about, but the stuff that keeps getting in my face and taking up my time.

food allergies – Webbish6

Happy Solstice, taking stock, blog housekeeping