Boredom

I've been trying to occupy my days with knitting, japanese self-studying, drawing, etc...
It's been hard.

The main reasons for trying to desperately occupy myself are to prevent
a) boredom
b) eating
c) depression
Now in my case, a) is the most important reason. Why ? Because in my case, a) leads to b), which leads to c) and back to b). Some times even a)->c)->b)->c). So in any case, a) is my enemy.

I'm in the process of knitting arm warmers. No, not short hand warmers, long arm warmers.
After 4 different tries with different styles, effects and colors, I settled with black and bright violet yarn and am just doing a simple wire effect.
I finished the first one, I just need to start the second.
Olivier asked me to make him socks which surprised me because he's always refused my offerings to knit him something. Hmm..
A friend of mine told me I could knit her socks, I'm hoping to go yarn shopping once I get the green light for leaving the apartment when I want to.
Having to stay at home is such a bore..........

Now I've been wanting to learn Japanese for quite some time now.
I'm a fairly active reader of manga and what I've learned about the Japanese culture and language via manga, anime and googling, has made an impact on me.
I have the Rosetta Stone program, I have a book for learning (got that one in Finland like 6 years ago) but nothing has motivated me to start it.
Expect now.
I want to go to Japan.
I neeeed to go to Japan to experience it for myself.
And I've started an advanced Japanese language course here in my little town and I'm waaaaay behind everyone, so I really need to study by myself.
I've always been able to learn languages fairly easily, I guess that's one good thing going for me.

Drawing.
Who am I kidding, I haven't drawn ANYTHING.
I should draw but I have nothing to draw. Draw draw draw...
I did draw patterns for my yarn art, does that count ?

Oh. And to help me skip a) to get directly to c), I do not have permission to go to Finland during my sick leave.
I've been trying to conjure up a plan since 1½ weeks to go there anyway but there's my conscience and the fear of home call check ups to ruin everything.. oh well... This is me buying stuff on the net to compensate the void it has created.. eheh..
I've been a biiiiig iHerb buyer.
So many things I want to buy !

I bought Astaxanthin and probiotics a month ago, have been using them since.
The former one is supposed to be a powerful anti-oxydant, but what really interests me are the studies showing that when using it, your skin is highly protected against UV-rays and does not BURN !
I mean, I'm not a sun worshiper, that's for sure, but since I AM going to Sri Lanka for one month in February, I need all the help I can get ! Forgetting the use of sunscreen that is.
Sun BLOCK is a better word for it, because it blocks the produce of Vitamin D - which for me is the only reason to expose your skin to the sun.
15 mins is enough people ! No need to crisp up your skin !
Gah.

Oh and I just ordered Vitamin D's too. One bottle I'll be giving to my mom, I hope she'll take 'em.
Can't do you harm. Or me, especially. I avoid the sun and tend to be dead weight now that winter is coming.
There're actually been extensive studies to support the claim that Vitamin D is VERY important for us and that we really aren't producing it sufficiently around the year. Let's crank up the volume then shall we?
It will hopefully boost up my energy and help me avoid getting sick !

***

Sooo.... Olivier and I finally got pacsed. :)
Yesterday, 11 a.m. No need to run after papers anymore.
It's done. Over. AH. No one bugging us about it anymore. Peace !
...now everyone just wants to know when we are getting married.
AAAARGH.

And I know that I already mentioned my ring more than 6 months ago, and that normally there IS NO ring for the PACS, I will still use it proudly ! :)

Here's a picture of it :

Me and my butterfingers :)

Broken bones and DVDs

I came back home yesterday.
Even if at the clinic all I did was sleep between swallowing pills and eating pretty decent hospital food, it's really nice to be home.
Olivier's been really sweet, he went shopping for groceries for me yesterday, he made my bed on the sofa and prepared my breakfast. And he's vacuum cleaning as we speak. So why is he doing everything for ME?
Because I can't really move much, he won't be here for 10 days and I need food to survive. And a clean house is pretty great, especially when you're forced to stay indoors all the time.
I did clean the house last Sunday before leaving for the clinic. So Olivier only had a few things to take care of.
I wish that next week I'll be able to do something else than just lie down and get up just to go to the toilet or get me something to eat.
I might consider taking a shower from time to time.

I mean, I will need the help of a home nurse 2 times /week....
But just to change the bandages. Otherwise I can manage.

The stay at the clinic was pretty pleasant.
Sunday evening before going to sleep pretty early in the room for 2 people where only I slept for the whole duration of my stay, I had to take an antiseptic shower using the "shower gel" they gave me.
A nurse came to wake me up (even if I hadn't really managed to sleep well during the night) at 5:30 so that I could take another antiseptic shower just before the operation.
2 hours later I was wheeled into a waiting room with other patients and given the anesthetic to put my right leg to sleep.

I guess that by the time they wheeled my into the operating room I was so tired that I just barely managed to stay awake. I just remember lying there, listening to them talking and explaining what they were doing, with a small smile on my lips.
When he started using his electric saw("it slices, it dices, it makes French fries and three different..!" - ahem), the sound it made was pretty impressive. I did feel the impact of it on my foot, but not the pain.
I think it must've lasted for like 1½hrs, before they wheeled me back out to the same waiting room and plugged me into this machine that calculated my oxygen level, my blood tension and my pulse.
If ever any of those 3 went below the average, the machine started to beep.
It kept beeping all the time.
A heart rate below 45 is considered as below average and mine beats at ~43 /per minute.
So they had to reprogram the machine to lower the "danger" level but even still it beeped from time to time.
3 different nurses came to see what the beeping was all about and every single one asked me the same question : "You must be pretty sportive huh ?"
-Um, not especially, no...
"Well you have the heart for it"
- k.. *snore*

There was a quick x-raying before being wheeled back to my room.
They forbade me to move from my bed for the remaining of the day. I avoided drinking too much water, but still, a chamber pot was needed........... so embarrassing...

During my stay after that I just slept, played with my HTC and read books. And slept some more.
I never really suffered. I felt that my leg started to wake up, the muscles trembled and hundreds of nails kept pricking my skin. But no pain.

I saw the beauty of my leg Tuesday morning when a nurse came to change the bandage.
I have to admit that I was pretty surprised by the size of the opening. One image came to mind :

It'll make one mighty scar.

I got to see the X-rays yesterday. The had sawed 2 of my bones and fixed them back into place with nails.
I wonder if I'll beep when passing through airport security.

So, that done,
I have 2 months before me.
2 months of REST.
I hope I won't get too bored.

A client of mine sent me a box full of DVDs !
I mean... that's just so sweet.... she doesn't want me to fall into boredom so she sent me multiple seasons of different series and a few films. I was really touched.
I mean, she had asked me for my address, but.. I never imagined that she'd really do it.
I mean, she could forget.
...but she didn't...
I wonder how to repay her.. hmhmhmh..

Oh and I decided to invite the girls over for a visit !
And I already know what to offer them :
A cupcake fondue ! :D
Imagine this, mini plain or choco muffins, melted choco, melted white choco, liquid caramel, different sprinkles, slices of fruit, berries..
It'll be great ! :D

Muahahahahahahaaa !

Oh and I bought my tickets to go to Sri Lanka !! :D
ça y est, it's official! I'm hyped ! :)

I put a photo of my foot in my section "Photos".
If you want to see it, be my guest.
Any damage done to your PC following you throwing up on it is not of my fault.
Cheers.