A Woman of Unknown Size: This was once a project... but now it's just Me.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Link

You Best Believe: what it is like to live with an anxiety disorder

blankslate:

1.
no one ever congratulates you
for doing the really difficult things
like driving on the freeway or getting out of bed or
staying alive

2.
every friendship you make is a countdown
to the moment
when they finally can’t deal
with the missed calls and canceled hangouts
every friendship is on a timer
every friendship expires sooner,
not later

3.
you hear phrases like “bootstraps”
over and over
until you wish you had some to hang
yourself with

4.
you have to learn to simultaneously
relax your muscles
and move them with determination
you have to be in control
and you have to let go
at the same time
it’s enough to drive you into
a blubbering mess

5.
music is a conduit
crying is a conduit
your dad calling is a conduit
everything becomes a conduit
for either having or not having another panic attack

6.
you learn to stop making plans
because you’ll either disappoint yourself
or someone you care about or both

7.
you accept all of it

8.
you hope someday everyone else can
accept it too

(via iggity)

Source: blankslate

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Why did I think it was a good idea to try working the composite shots first instead of the individual ones?  Like, that was the least efficient editing decision ever.  Because basically I have stitched together ONE photo, and almost a second, and it’s been hours and I have ZERO finished images to show for it so far.

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:headdesk:  

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Plus now I’m so exhausted that I really have to climb into bed.  Which would be a PERFECT time to set up a composite to stitch together in photoshop- except the last one ISN’T EVEN DONE YET and when it is, I’ll really need to examine and crop and edit it before I start stitching together another one.

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URGH.

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THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I TRY TO WORK WHILE WRUNG OUT. GALSDKFAHSKDLJVHALKSJDVB

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iggity replied to your post: iggity replied to your photo: The nugget went a…

Awww, kitty :(

Yeah I don’t know what happened- i was in the bathroom and tried to pluck off what looked like a bug (i’d say a tick even except there is 150% no way for him to have acquired a tick), and I think plucking it off may have actually hurt cause he immediately turned around and started biting me (but still just his typical gnawing not like… serious attack biting).

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Then when I was sitting to scoop the litter boxes I had to let him keep kind of gnawing on my hand to keep him from leaping up on my back (his new thing)… but when I tried to use that hand to open the bag to scoop into he went nuts all of a sudden.

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Kris said it sounded like a bar brawl!  Then he started running around the house like a typical case of the kitty-cat-crazies. 

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And now he seems to be back to his usual self… so I don’t know.  It was all weird and unpleasant… and painful.  bah.

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iggity replied to your photo: The nugget went a little nuts tonight, and…

Whoa, that’s a doozie! You okay?

Yeah, it’s probably the worst I’ve had from any of the cats, and it’s pretty significant (not stitches significant thankfully but still).

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Hurts like hell, but I cleaned it, got antiseptic ointment on it and 2 big bandaids and I think it’ll be fine as long as I keep it clean.

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The Pirate Prince however… is in biiiiiiiiiig trouble.

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He’s banned from my room until I go to bed.  :grrr:

Sunday, May 19, 2013

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The nugget went a little nuts tonight, and although I’m 89% sure it wasn’t intentional…. This was the result of his tantrum #blood #cut #meowch

The nugget went a little nuts tonight, and although I’m 89% sure it wasn’t intentional…. This was the result of his tantrum #blood #cut #meowch

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onemanbombsquad replied to your post: onemanbombsquad replied to your post: …

yikes. forget portrait photog. do u like doing stuff like the courthouses better? also sorry if this is invasive but i remembr reading u saying that the drug trial would give u the shots post trial. is that happening? i hope so so ur not in pain

Yeah, I LOVE doing things like the courthouse commission.  My ideal situation would be just that- “Hey we want pictures of this thing in this place.  Go take pictures of it and send us what you get and then we’ll pick which ones we want you to print and we’ll pay you handsomely for them.”  

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I can DO the portrait stuff (I mean, obviously)… and I don’t MIND doing it for people that know me and understand what miracles I can and can’t produce.  Like I’ve done shoots for friends and coworkers before that have all gone really well (and without the experience I have now and with nowhere NEAR the quality of photos I got of this girl), and I totally loved doing them.

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But this kind of nonsense? Is totally not worth it to me.  

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As far  as the drug trial- the plan is (supposedly) to have it available at some point (hopefully soon) but on the local level they don’t really know the specifics of it yet.

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gotmetardisgotmeboys replied to your post: Also….

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gooutapp replied to your post: gooutapp replied to your post: I’m super nervous…

Good thing you’re respecting your boundaries. I didn’t and got massively sick this weekend while at a date’s apartment. So that was awesome. My body just gave out. Should have listened.

Yeah, I kind of feel like that’s where I’m headed in short order.  I’m just… totally run down, feeling over extended emotionally- so that even the good stuff is just… too much right now.

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It’s just hard after being cooped up and immobile for so long to accept that those old emotional/mental limits still exist even if I don’t want them to.  :shrug:

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You know, it’s a process.  But yeah, I told Kris that at some point this week after I complete the Austin samples and get them to the client, I’m going to have to take one day to just… cocoon and reset.  

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Luckily for me, she gets that so her response was, “I think it’s a really good thing you can still recognize that before it’s too late.  Just tell me when.”

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Thank heavens for understanding housemates/ mama bears.

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Also….

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onemanbombsquad replied to your post: onemanbombsquad replied to your photoset: Ok,…

i’m still just so confused. aside from the top lid eyeliner she doesn’t even look made up. but, at least a reshoot will be more money in your pocket

Honestly, I don’t even know- I’m still confused about it too.

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With the effects of my drug trial starting (albeit slowly) to wear off though, I decided it really is not a good idea to keep this gig.  I’m going to back out of the party (mostly) to avoid the risk of them having to find a new photographer at the last minute, but also… if they’re going to be super nitpicky about (what I think are) nonexistant issues with photos I have an immense amount of control over (relatively controlled setting, ability to use flash, to have her pose, to get multiple photos of the same shot)… I really don’t want to deal with fighting with them afterwards about the candids from the party.

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Like, this is not what I want my career to be?  Would it be nice to make extra cash with these kinds of things?  Yeah, but not worth the headache to be honest.  

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It just got kind of ridiculous really fast for NO reason.  :shrug:  If they insist on a reshoot, I will probably do it, but I’m hoping they will want to forget about it when I tell them I can’t do the party in June.

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agreekdoctor replied to your post: Ok, so honesty time? . I am starting to have…

Do you know if they were testing a totally new neuropathy drug or is it one that is also currently available? If they were testing an existing drug maybe your doc could prescribe it?

It’s new, they’re testing Tetradatoxin (blowfish basically).  It’s in the dosage trial stages (that’s what I participated in) which from what they told me is kind of the final step before fda approval and the approval is almost assured.

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There is supposed to be something in place from the sponsor to have a prescription avaialble to the participants as their “phase II.”

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They just don’t really know what that entails at the local level just yet.

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The short answer is, YES It will be available but not sure *when*

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Ok, so honesty time?

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I am starting to have pain and numbness again.  So far, the pain is just at night for the most part (although I am experiencing more muscle cramps than usual).  Numbness though… my hands and fingers go numb on and off throughout the day.  It hasn’t really disrupted anything as yet (although I do have to stretch and shake my fingers when I’m photographing for long periods of time).  And today the sensitivity in my feet was pretty intense when I got done swimming, but once I put my shoes on so I wasn’t touching the cement with bare feet it wasn’t as overwhelming.

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My pain is still pretty good during the day (minimal at worst), but at night more and more I am having pain issues.  So far nothing really above a 6 or a 7 (except for the night of the storm).

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But it’s enough to assuage any of the doubts I had about whether or not I was in the placebo group.  I’m supposed to call them if/when the pain begins to interrupt my day to day stuff, and I’m still hoping it’s going to be awhile before we hit that point.

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So on the one hand, it’s kind of discouraging because there was part of me that hoped I genuinely was just DONE with the neuropathy.  I mean, I knew that was unlikely- but still… I was half-hoping.

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But on the other hand, the drug lasted almost full force for a whole month, and even now it’s not worn off enough that I feel like it’s a major issue (right now).

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But yeah… that’s the honest status report.

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gooutapp replied to your post: I’m super nervous because I didn’t hear back after…

The disabled to 500mph without a seatbelt is a bitch. I did it too and I’m kind of paying for with setbacks in physical therapy, etc. I’m also noticing I’m run down. I can’t seem to stop though.

Yes, the run down feeling is getting to be MAAAAJOR.  I kind of flipped out today while we were in Austin (just for a minute, but it was a decently sized meltdown even though it was relatively short).  I just kind of…lost it and narrowly avoided a panic attack that I’m pretty sure was 90% due to sheer mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.

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One of the reasons I’m backing out of this whole Quince party shoot.  I have to figure out how to listen to my body again on a normal level.  

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And once this Courthouse Commission is settled, I’m going to relax a little bit (or try to) before my next class starts in June.  I’ve been pushing way too much emotionally/mentally as much as physically.

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seriously though, at 9 minutes to the end I said to Kris,

“There is not enough time for Moffat to fix all the things that need to be fixed”

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Followed immediately by, “THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR HIM TO FIX ANY OF THE THINGS!”

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Followed shortly by, “WHY DO WE WATCH THIS SHOW?!”

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And then there was mostly crying and cursing.

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From both of us.

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watched tonight’s Doctor Who.

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traumatized.

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send reinforcements

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and some serious spoilers for the 50th.

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that was NOT OK  MOFFAT.  

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BAD MOFFAT.

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BAD!