Living An "Interesting" Life with Heterogeneously Dense Breasts - LOL

It's two days in a row that I'm skipping the treadmill. Yesterday was because of my doctor appointment and the schedule that required. Today I was just lazy - sometimes I have to allow myself those little luxuries. I'll be back on the treadmill on Monday, but I guess, subconsciously, I needed a bit of time off. 

I love my treadmill, but today I'm COLD, and I'm allowing 
myself a day of lazy morning before heading out to the 
shop for a day's work. I've been repairing broken beadwork 
for the past few days. At least that's enjoyable, as opposed to 
other tasks (like sweeping and general cleanup) LOL. 

My doctor appointment went VERY well. I adore my cancer doctor - he's absolutely marvelous. It was time for a one-year checkup - it's hard to believe it's been a year since my initial diagnosis, but the calendar doesn't lie. I asked him about getting annual MRI exams since my breast tissue is very dense. Apparently my breasts come in at a Stage 3 of the four levels, and usually only Stage 4 level is covered by insurance for annual exams. It's a matter of phrasing. 

This is my cancer Doc - Doctor Domingo Perez. He's got a 
couple of short YouTube videos out there if you're interested 
in why I like this guy so much. His care for patients comes 
through the videos beautifully. I totally trust him to be on 
my side in this. 

Here's what Google says about it: The four levels of breast density, classified by radiologists using the BI-RADS system, describe the ratio of fatty tissue (dark) to dense fibroglandular tissue (white) on a mammogram, ranging from A: Almost Entirely Fatty to B: Scattered Areas of Fibroglandular Density, C: Heterogeneously Dense, and D: Extremely Dense, with higher densities potentially making cancers harder to spot and increasing risk. 

I have Grade C on my mammograms. If I had D, an annual 
MRI would automatically be recommended and covered by 
insurance. I have C, though, and so we'll have more hoops 
to jump through to get any MRI recommendations and 
procedures covered by my health insurance. We'll work on that though. 

So, Doc Perez is going to see if it's possible to adjust things to allow an annual MRI exam. He totally understands my desire. As I told him - "A friend's mother just went through breast cancer and her cancer was 2mm large. My own, as you know, was 10mm. That's a huge difference, and possibly could have been found earlier if I was able to get a mammogram that didn't come through with "Heteogeneously Dense" tagging. According to Doc, if my mammograms came through as "Extremely Dense", an annual MRI would be recommended and covered by insurance automatically. It's all a matter of getting the insurance to cover the procedure. MRI exams are VERY costly. 

So, we're going to see what we can do about this. He agrees with me and understands my frustration with the whole business. Meanwhile, I have a shop that needs serious work to be ready for our clearance sale which is upcoming almost too soon for all of the work we have to do. There's nothing like living an "interesting" life - LOL. *hugs* to all and have a wonderful weekend, I'll be back on Monday. 

It's a Lazy Morning ... Well ... For Another Hour - LOL

 

I was up late last night, watching an episode of "Brokenwood", so I'm in a bit of a rush today. I start the day out by dropping by my cancer center for a quick update meeting with my Primary Care Physician. I'm hoping to get the OK for an MRI, and that's got to come from him. I'm absolutely fine with that - he's awesome and actually lives just a few blocks away from me. 

We love the Brokenwood Mysteries, and since it was an 
episode that I barely remembered, I stayed up to watch it. 
I gave up my treadmill because of it - I actually needed 
some sleep. 

Since I was running late, I skipped the treadmill today. I have to work, even though it's a "day off" for me, and time isn't my friend today. Yesterday DH and I wrapped and identified and switched out artwork from the store walls. Originals and pieces we feel will do well at auction we'll store and take down to the auction house later this Summer or in the early Fall. He brought a bunch of artwork home yesterday, and we have three that he forgot to load into the pickup that will come home with us tonight. 

I have nothing against being a little lazy. It's 
never something that hangs around for long. 

Sometimes it's nice to be a little lazy, even though I'm really nowhere close to being lazy if truth be told. Still, I had a bit longer sleep-in, and wasn't quite as rushed with my daily meditation as I sometimes am. It's cold, but not snowing, the roads are just fine for driving, so it'll be a nice trip out to the Cancer Center in a bit more than an hour. Right now, however, I'm going to grab a quick breakfast and then get my act together before I head out. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Thoughts on Loneliness and A Day of No Exercise (Intentional Laziness - LOL)

I had a nice, relaxing Sunday and started Monday off a bit on the lazy side. I did my morning meditation, then my three daily solitaire games and then, when I should have been heading down to put on my exercise clothing and hit the treadmill for my 2+ miles, I changed my mind. I opened my current e-book (The Damning Stone by TJ Klune) and dove back into Verania for a half-hour or slightly longer. In other words, I decided to take a day off from my physical schedule and relax a bit. No regrets - they're silly to have anyway. Choices made. choices lived with. I think this was a fairly good choice. For one day. But I'll be back in the swimming pool tomorrow. 

In a small business like mine, you rely on the others 
working with you to pull their own weight and 
do what's necessary. I'm fortunate, the three of 
us have worked together for decades and we all 
work well together and with the customers. 
We're all different, but compatible, and we help 
each other out when necessary. 

Of course, I'm not taking the whole day off. That's something that simply can't happen. When you operate a small business, everyone needs to be where they should be on the days they are scheduled. If not, someone else has to make up for that absence which is harsh. DH works three days a week. (It used to be two - I put my foot down last year and got him to work on Fridays too, not just Mondays and Wednesdays). I work four days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Chickie works five days a week - Tuesday through Saturday. That gives all of us one weekend day and at least one weekday off, allowing for appointments and other items that can't always be scheduled for a Saturday or Sunday. 

We all shuffle schedules when necessary, it's a 
fact of life that things change and the unexpected 
can happen. In a small business, that can sometimes 
be challenging, but we manage. When it comes to 
my personal schedule, changing or eliminating 
a single day of exercise isn't much of a schedule 
shift. Tomorrow I'll be right back into my normal 
routine. 

It's convenient, it's reasonable, and most of the time it even works fairly well. We have to shuffle every now and again because things come up - life isn't predictable. But in such a small group as we are, we all have to have some flexibility when necessary. That's mandatory, and reasonable. It's also a big part of friendship and reliability. Because a true friend is someone that you can rely on - the good and the bad. I've been fortunate in my life - I've had good friends. 

Friendship - true friendship - is rare and 
precious and all too often taken for granted. 
I've been blessed in my life to have fabulous 
and fantastic friends - the BEST friends. 
I'm very fortunate to have them. 

I hope, on this Monday, that you can look over your life and realize that you have also had good friends. Friends are those small areas of brilliant light that help alleviate the darkness that can surround us at times. I have Chickie, I have DH, I have Sharon and Seth; I consider myself fortunate that I've made friends who have stuck with me for years, decades, and haven't gotten too bored or disgusted with my friendship - yet. I'm rich because I have others who give a shit. Isn't that what life is all about? Caring about other people? I think it is, and I consider it of the utmost importance. 

I think it is loneliness that people fear more than 
almost anything else. We are social beings who 
need interactions with others, and when we can't do that, 
we begin to wilt. That's one reason why COVID was 
so difficult - we were all self-isolating. We interacted 
with others minimally, we stayed in our homes, and 
we rarely went out. It's hard to break out of that cycle, but 
eventually we have to for our own mental health. 

So today, look around your life. Do you have firm friends whom you can count on and who you would help through thick and thin, knowing they would do the same for you if needed? If you do, you're rich. Even if you have almost nothing in the bank, you're rich. True poverty is being alone in this world. Mitakuye Oyasin and Slava Ukraini. 

 

A Rare Day Off From Exercise and An Exploration of Christian Siriano

I did a rare thing this morning - I gave myself a day off from the treadmill. If it had been a swimming pool day, I would already be in the water. I don't skip swimming days. But I just wasn't in the mood for the treadmill today, and since I hadn't taken a day off my exercise schedule for more than six months, I indulged and watched "Christian Siriano Having a Moment" - four episodes leading up to his show at an early New York Fashion Week. 

I love Christian Siriano - his designs, his work ethic, and 
his outspokenness. Early in his career he was selling as he 
could. But he also designed for unusual brands including 
Lane Bryant - a store catering to women size 16 and 
up. His take on that?
“I grew up with a mom who is a size 16, and a sister
who is a size 0, so I never thought that wasn’t
normal – I just assumed you had to dress everybody.”

This featured a very young Siriano - two years from his Project Runway win. Watching it was really educational. The amount of energy he put into his clothing and making sure everything was just right was astounding. He knew what he wanted and worked himself and his staff every minute. I have no idea how much sleep he got, but I guarantee he was totally the "Energizer Bunny" every moment he was awake. In essence, he's still doing that today - years after. He's got his hands in so many areas. These days, winning contestants on Project Runway get a year's mentoring from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. When Christian won Project Runway in 2008, he had already been working with fashion since the age of thirteen (probably earlier, but that's when he started seriously designing and sewing). 

His Spring/Summer 2017 collection was lovely and 
very inclusive for lots of different body types and styles. 
This show was in a location that allowed for a lot 
of room and easy in/out access for the audience. 
It was very well received. 

His application to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology was declined, so he chose to shift and attend the American InterContinental University in London, England. During those four years, he interned at Vivienne Westwood and with Alexander McQueen for six months. 

I guarantee he learned a lot from McQueen, one of my personal favorite designers and a tremendous loss to the fashion scene when he took his own life in February, 2010. A huge picture book of McQueen fashion lines was one of the few books I brought into the house after DH and I had agreed "No more physical books unless both of us agree on it." I did NOT present the McQueen book for his approval and he was NOT happy that I had purchased it, but I love it and don't regret it at all. 

Christian has designed several outfits for Billy Porter, and 
he's rocked them all. Here are three lovely ones that Billy 
wore to various events. Each one was ground-breaking. 

Bringing things back into focus ... Siriano is like the Energizer Bunny - always moving a million miles an hour. He's got a tremendous sense for the fashion pulse of America, and continues to design amazing clothing that's always on the Red Carpets at numerous events. His home (there was a visual tour through it a year or two ago) is amazing - filled with designer furnishings, classic furniture, and wonderful artwork. Most people would have an interior designer staging the rooms in their homes. I suspect Christian did all of the staging himself - he's that hands-on. 

Christian Siriano had more than ten different designs worn 
at the Oscars in 2018. Here are five of them. 

And here are five more outfits. Siriano is well known 
for designing for the person, not just having the person 
choose something off his rack. You get an idea of his 
design versatility just looking at the ten outfits in these 
two montage photos. He takes what the client wants into 
consideration and makes every one of them look amazing! 

So I got caught up in "Having a Moment" and the excitement of NY Fashion Week, and it came to a choice of finish watching the show, or get onto the treadmill. I decided a day off was OK, as long as it doesn't become a habit. So today I was "lazy", and I have no regrets. Tomorrow I'll be in the pool, and I'll be back on the treadmill on Thursday and Saturday mornings. I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Time to Slide Into Spring

Late tonight is the official slide into Spring - Ostara, otherwise known as the Spring Equinox. Then we're on the climb up to summer. That's a bit hard to believe, up here in the Frozen Northlands. We have a winter storm coming in by the end of the week that should dump 1-3 inches of snow on us. But, I really can't complain - we've had excellent weather for the past three weeks with nary a snowflake in sight. This one will be in and out quickly. 

Many people use the rabbit as a spirit guide during the
time of Ostara. I only wish our area actually had
green grasses and flowers at this time of the year.
Still, we're above freezing and most of the snow of
winter has melted. 

I'm finding it very hard to get into a home exercise regime, but I know I really need to do it - no if's, and's or but's. If I don't get a schedule settled and start working on the treadmill and floor exercises, I'll balloon, and that won't be pretty. I don't have a pool (I'm weeping here in the corner because I really miss my pool), but I have two legs, I have equipment (old but still quite functional), and I have the time. No excuses. I'll let myself wallow for a day or two more, then make a new schedule for a "new" life. 

The seeds planted in Spring will become the harvest of
Fall, at least that's the age-old promise. This Spring is
a bit more strained and desolate than previous ones. I
hope things will be resolved by Fall. 

My store is still open, and I'm really hoping it can continue operations for as long as possible. We're prepared to close indefinitely if the order comes down, but so far we're OK. The coffee shop next door isn't allowed to have seating for customers any more - it's operating on take-out/pick-up only, so our parking lot suddenly has a lot of open spaces. That's rather refreshing and enjoyable, so I'll take the good along with the bad. But I know the coffee shop owner, Kathy, is taking a financial bath from the new restrictions. 

I really like this image because it looks as though
she's sitting in the remnants of winter's snow. This
is more like my part of the world - a bit cold for new
growth and flowers. 

I was shopping at my local grocer yesterday, and they had some pretty decent produce, which was an excellent thing. But there wasn't a chicken breast to be found. The entire chicken section of the meats aisle was empty! Of course I have things in the freezer that we can eat, but I really missed my weekly chicken dinner last night. Oh well, maybe I just caught the store at a bad time. They'll get restocked at some point and the store is very close. 

I loved the colors of this depiction of Ostara. Honor Spring in
whatever way seems best to you, but know that we're on a
recovery mode now - Spring is finally here as of late tonight,
and I can't be distressed when I'll soon see flowers. 

So, as the financial markets continue their bath in the red, and people continue to pull up their drawbridges and isolate themselves from their neighbors, I'm thankful for the internet. We're isolated, but we're not. Because of the internet, we're all in contact with many people, and I stretch my hands out to all of you who read my blog and who are my cyber-friends. Be safe, be happy, and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Swimming Off Anxiety

Some of you may remember that a month or so ago my DH came back from a quick clinic visit with a blood pressure that was dangerously high - like stroke high. Very scary. He went to his physician who has had him doing all sorts of labs and visits to other specialists, and he was put on some blood pressure meds which worked really nicely to bring his blood pressure down.

EXCEPT

He's suddenly in the 80-90 range. This is starting to be scary! 

Now things are TOO low. He takes his blood pressure two hours after his pill, and yesterday had him WAY too low. He has a physical scheduled for today, so he's going to skip this morning's pill and consult his doctor. I think he either needs a lower dose of the meds, or a different one.

I like the pool first thing in the morning. It's not super crowded and I get
a chance to work off some tension before the day begins. 

But I'm worried and didn't sleep well, so I'm going to the gym to swim this morning even though I usually don't go on Mondays. What the heck - I may as well work some of this anxiety out of myself.

Just like this progression of 3-D printed cones, work pending can
develop larger shadows. I have to just grit my teeth and get to
work on beta work this week before I allow myself to write
anything new. 

Yesterday was a really lazy day. That's actually not good since I have to turn in a story on Thursday that I've barely started beta work on, but deadlines can be good. We slept in, had breakfast, went to Target later for some necessities and a few 'oh, we need one of those' moments, and lazed around for the rest of the evening. I read an e-book and DH watched "Ironman", I washed a comforter (yes, I love my new washer) and cooked some wild rice. I was really lazy. I guess I needed that.

I was really lazy yesterday, but I guess I needed that for a day. 

I hope your Monday is a great start for your week. Maybe tomorrow's post will be more exciting - LOL.

I Was Lazy (Kindof)

I admit, I was lazy on my Wednesday. Of course, that's relative since I had a long list of errands and accomplished them all. But I was home before 10:00 am, ran out once more to do my grocery shopping, and then was home doing laundry, and laundry, and one more load of laundry. In fact, I'm just finishing up my last load right now, at 5:00 am on Thursday, because I allowed one really dirty sweater to soak overnight and washed it earlier this morning.

When I have something really dirty, I rely on
OxiClean to get the stains and dirt out. I wear
my cardigan every day - my phone is a perfect
fit for the pocket. But it's a white sweater and gets
dirty quickly. An overnight soak followed by a
wash results in a pristine, white sweater for an hour
or so until I get it dirty again...

But lazy is a non-specific term. I didn't go onto my emails or Live Journal at all after my morning post. I needed a day away from the keyboard and writing and I allowed myself the opportunity to take it. So I'll be responding to your comments today and I'll catch up with yesterday's at the same time. I apologize if anyone needed an immediate response because you (quite obviously) didn't get it.

Sorry I didn't respond to emails or comments yesterday. I really needed
a day away from my social media and I'm much more refreshed today. 

I did revise my drabble for the week late last night, massaging and tearing it apart, then building it back together again. I'm almost happy with it and I'm only one word away from count, but I want to take another look at it tonight before I put it out there for my readers.

I often find that knocking a story down into its components'
and then rebuilding it creates a stronger, more cohesive tale. 

I had a totally FABULOUS conversation with Aearwen yesterday afternoon. I was actually so caught up with my workload that I was able to make a nice cup of tea and actually settle down with my phone and my tea for a wonderful talk about Tolkien's world view, his audience, his successful and lesser forays into world-building, his vocabulary, etc. Before we knew it an hour had gone by and we had to hang up and rejoin the world at large. My weekly talk with Aearwen is always one of the high points of my day off and always leaves me with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. A shout out to her - a dear and treasured friend in words!

Some of my best friends are people I've never met in RL. Aearwen is
one of those really special people with whom I felt an immediate
connection. She's like the sister I never had. 

I played a bit of my computer game. It's crazy how much I'm still enjoying Might & Magic 6 - it's an ancient game and very dated in terms of keyboard commands, graphics, etc. But I remembered it as something I had loved and I still do. My DH insisted that I download it onto his computer also, and he's been playing it since. He's a bit more directed than I am (and has a lot more time off) so he's WAY farther in the game than I am, but he's also enjoying this visit back to our earlier days.

Might & Magic 6 has a huge world for the characters to roam
through. Each square has at least two major dungeons or caverns and
they are extensive. The game starts in the square on the bottom right. I'm
now one square to the left of that. I'm really slow......but it's FUN! 

I got a credit on my Barnes & Noble account as part of a large settlement about ebook pricing. It's not a large amount (considering the amount of ebooks I buy, I really think it should have been a larger amount, but I don't buy best-selling novels and those had the largest percentage of refunds). Still, it was quite nice to see that my two purchases this morning were covered by gift card. I'll probably blow through the credit in a week or two, but what fun!

Having the settlement money deposited directly into my Barnes & Noble account
was like Christmas in March! What a nice way to wake up this morning. 

Enjoy your Thursday. Make it a productive one so that you can relax a bit on Friday. *Hugs* to one and all!