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I recently read somewhere to get good at drawing you need to draw something you love.
Well, I love marmite—on ricecakes with cheese, in soup, in sauces—and I love maggi sauce—in soups, in sauces, with canned artichokes (yes, I have weird eating habbits)—I've drawn them both.
Mmm, marmite and maggi sauce. What would I do without them!
I can't tolerate wheat completely, and they make maggi sauce from wheat. Luckily for me, I can tolerate that, woohoo!
I've spent a few days away from my flat while my kitchen went through a demolition and a rebuilding phase. It still needs a little work. The back-wall will get tiled with hardened glass tiles (big ones, five in total) and the oven will go in the unfinished cabinet on the left.
We'll also do some rearranging of the bookcase and the table. The table will go where the bookcase now stands, and vice versa.
I've used my kitchen for a few days now and it makes me very happy. The hob cleans easily, as does the rest. The drawers also work great (never again will I tolerate cabinets there).
Compared to my previous kitchen this one looks much brighter which makes it very nice to work in.
We've also installed a one-hand-mixer tap which makes it easier on my hands. It does look a lot like a regular handle, which I like. 
My hands, wrist and elbows have given me issues lately, at least partly due to my (intensive) laptop use. I used to have this really awesome keyboard at work, and despite its price I decided to buy it. I see it as an investment in my body / health and I know it relieves some of my pain. Hopefully it arrives soon.
For the curious geeks among you: I bought the Kinesis Advantage USB keyboard (black, with Dvorak layout)
My camera has started to break down. I currently have a Canon Powershot A620 and it served me well for nearly four years. Currently, the memory-card bit doesn't work properly. The card doesn't click in and if I take it out the camera doesn't recognise the card half the time I put it back. I've dug up the cable and now get the photos from the camera by the cable (a nuisance).
I looked into other cameras and now have my eye on the Canon Powershot SX20 IS. I like Canon, and have had a few in the past and like the menu and the way it works. This model seemed a good step up from the A620 but not yet as massive as a DSLR. I don't have anything with DSLRs in general. And knowing me I'll get sand on the sensor on the first day and ruin the camera because it scratches.
I won't buy it just yet, probably in June.
Tick in tummyThis morning I woke up with a bit of an itch on my torso, right by the lowest rib. I scratched, it felt funny; I scratched under my shirt and felt a little lump that I hadn't felt before. Immediately, I checked it out and noticed this little tick, moving legs and all, stuck in me.
The idea of this creature having dug its head into my skin freaked me out a little. Last Tuesday, however, I found the tick-remover I wanted for a while and purchased that. After a minute of slightly freaked out searching for it I found the set, and tried out the small one. It wouldn't fit, so I used the bigger one.
It worked as expected and much easier than the other tick-removers I have. It did hurt when I twisted the little bugger out (a bit of a burning sensation) and he insisted on trying to keep digging back in, but I won and flushed him down the toilet. I suspect it hitched a ride on Nano and then landed on the sofa where it secretly attacked me.
I'll have a blood-test to check for Lyme's disease in a month or two, as it doesn't always give that specific rash (should I get a rash or any other weird complaints, I'll go to my GP immediately of course). The spot feels a bit sore, like a bruise, which I hope goes away soon.
Now, if only I could shake that itchy feeling I've had all day. Brr.
I spent the past ten days without my laptop, very interesting. I had my trusty EEE pc and my phone to fall back on, however, mostly just for the basics. My workflow on my macbook did not fit the EEE (for one, I really missed TextExpander)
I mostly rested, having an RA-flare, and did some decluttering (which I intend to continue). I also worked out a small plan to start a new sleeping-schedule. After trying for months to fit back in the 'normal world' I decided to revisit my afternoon naps. Not sure if I feel better, but I like the idea of getting up early, do stuff, then go to have a three or four hour nap in the afternoon and then do things in the evening as well. None of that power-nap stuff, I need solid hours. This way, I hope to spread my energy more evenly and to still participate in the 'normal world'.
I tried it out today, and though I feel sleepy and tired and slightly confused, I did very much enjoy my afternoon nap. I also made a drawing this morning, during my first wake. Always good :)
I had a really bad night with pains and waking up from sleeping limbs. I felt quite upset all night, thinking 'Frell, I haven't gotten anywhere in the past year!'. It took a lot of energy and time to get out of bed, to make my tea, walk my morning-walk, eat my morning banana. It seems I have a pretty bad (for me) case of RA in my hips. Despite the painkillers and anti-inflammatories it still hurts and walking Nano has become a major chore (but I still did it myself!). TG came over and did my laundry and cleaned up the kitchen a bit. He also fought with my hoover and then hoovered the living-room. I still didn't feel so fabulous, because I couldn't do those things myself, and then I came across Michael Nobbs' latest post where he talks about how doing a little often does make you achieve things.
I realised that in the past year:
* I did get that desk cleared out in little steps at a time.
* I did figure out what foods do work, and which don't, mostly. (yay for cheesefondue)
* I did also manage to feed myself properly enough to not have my weight bounce up and down too much
* I did walk Nano almost every time myself, not only giving her a little exercise but also myself.
* I did crochet a few little dolls and a scarf.
I still have this nagging feeling that I could do more, that I should do more, however, I also know that that nagging feeling should just shut up. I should do what makes me happy, what keeps me healthy (well, as healthy as possible) and I should do what feels right.
And slowly, I'll achieve things. It might take ages, especially with a flare like this in between, but I'll achieve wonderful things.
If I actually could make a fist right now, I'd probably shake it at a virtually enemy. But I can't, so I'll just say 'Take that, virtual enemy!'
Annoyingly, my laptop broke. I've narrowed it down to a broken video-chip and that might still fall under warranty (an extended one, due to known factory defect). Originally I planned to take it to the Apple Store this weekend, but Apple Stores during the weekend usually get a bit crowded. Current plan means going in as soon as I feel up to it (tomorrow maybe) and see if they can fix it.
For now, this means using my trusty little EEE for irc and (barely) browsing, and my phone a little. It feels very basic and simple.
We made a few movies of Nano running around in the snow. She seems to enjoy sticking her nose in it a lot. You can see how it sticks to her paws, turning them in cotton-ball-paws. We can only get it out by putting her in the shower, which she doesn't particularly like.
It started snowing a few days ago, a fairly rare event judging from how the trains stopped going. On the other hand, that says more about the trains than the actual weather.
Nano enjoys the snow very much and randomly barks at it when she sees it falling. She loves rolling around in it, for some reason, sticking her nose in it and getting covered with snow. It sticks to her fur a lot, she needed a shower to get it all out. She looked like one of those cotton-ball-sheep :)
Broken iPhoneToday I ran some errands. I got prints from my lab-work and then headed to the pharmacy to pick up my medication. My MTX went up in dosage so I had to get new prepared syringes. I left my prescription there on Saturday and they told me then to pick it up on Tuesday / Wednesday. So I went today.
Unfortunately, when I got there and after waiting for a bit, they told me they wouldn't give me more because I picked up my prescription two weeks ago already. I explained that I got a new prescription for a higher dosage right after I picked the other one up. The girl at first thought the prescription said 15mg (old dose) but upon closer look, it did indeed say 20mg. The note, made by the person accepting my prescription Saturday, said 15mg however—someone screwed up. She did promise me to order it right away and to come back tomorrow. A bit annoying.
I then went to the supermarket around the corner to buy some fruit (tangerines and bananas) and some crackers. I happily listened to my music, feeling slightly annoyed by the pharmacy thing but also looking forward to some nice tangerines. When I got outside and checked my iPhone for the time, the screen had gone nuts. All the while my music played, but the screen won't display anything sensible.
I suspect tangerine-envy.
Tomorrow I'll go back to the store to have it repaired. I miss it already.
Michael Nobbs' latest book!