September 2009 – A Writer In A Wheelchair

>It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (apparently/unfortunately)

>So for the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about the fact that I’ve been having to leave a light on when I pop out early evening (sort of this time) so I don’t have to come back to a completely dark house. Coming back to a completely dark house isn’t nice but then neither is having to leave a light on when you go out at a time that a few weeks before was lovely and bright and sit outside reading type weather. I was going to title this entry “Honey Leave A Light On For Me”

But I never got round to it and that’s kinda old news now.

Then last night it was pretty much the last go at sailing for the year (it is probably running last week if the weather isn’t too bad but I don’t anticipate anyone being able to get me there early enough). And unfortunately the laying up supper clashes with Lord of The Dance which Mum and I have tickets for so I won’t be going.

So at the end of the evening I was chatting to the organiser and saying you know thanks for all the help this year and how much I’ve enjoyed it all and all that sort of thing. And she was saying stuff about how I’ve done and all that. Then she gave me a hug and said “if I don’t see you before, have a good Christmas.” as did one of the other sailors a bit later.

Now I really appreciate the sentiment and the wishes (and especially the hug!) but I can’t help feeling that maybe, just maybe, September is a little bit too early for that. Just a tidge. Even if it is unlikely I will see her before.

>Coming Soon: Ask me Anything!

>I was thinking it might be fun to do a kind of “ask me anything” type post.

I’ve seen several of those sort of things lately and they always seem like fun.

So for the next few days feel free to leave me questions either here in comments or e-mail them to me at writerinawheelchair@googlemail.com

And more that one question per person is allowed and definitely welcome. I’m hoping lots of people will ask questions and may come out of lurkdom to do so.

A brief off topic note on e-mail: if you have another gmail/googlemail e-mail for me please continue to use that as it’s my personal one. If you have any other e-mail please use this new one (writerinawheelchair@googlemail.com) because it’s my new secondary e-mail (for the blog etc) as I’m now doing away with my domain. Which means changing to this one is especially important if you have ever or usually use emma@wheelchairprincess.com to e-mail me. Because that one is disappearing!

I love e-mail so please feel fre!

>Two weeks

>I swear I will start thinking up more interesting titles for these entries soon. But it’s not going to be today.

So anyway, it’s been two weeks since I joined the Healthy You Challenge and started trying to take back control of my eating and generally being healthier in other ways. This week hasn’t been such a great week and my weight remains the same as last. I’ve had some viral thing that left me with several days of a sore throat (but more of a dry sore throat than anything) and now a bad chesty cough. Not one that is bad enough to go to the doctors or is productive at all just bad which is why I’m assuming viral. I think it’s getting better now so hopefully I can avoid the doctors.

One of my friends is also trying to lose weight I discovered on Saturday. We have set up a kind of mutual support thing (and have attempted to rope a third friend in but he was decidedly ignoring all talk of it when it came to specifics of goals etc). Basically the vague idea is that we have a long term time goal or deadline and we’re trying to do good things everyday. The current aims are to do 10 minutes of exercise each day and also to drink two litres of water each day. We started on Saturday and I didn’t do good that day mostly because of the virus but also because of not setting the goals until mid afternoon. Then Sunday and yesterday I met both the goals which is good! The other more personal goal I’ve set as a part of that is not to eat after 9pm.

So overall I’m pleased with the week

>101 in 1001 – Item 35…

Go one day a week without using the computer/internet for a month

…has been completed!

Five weeks of one day not on the computer each week (last week in August until the Saturday just gone). It’s actually been a pretty good thing for me to do. I’ve gotten a bit more stuff done in terms of sorting out and jobs I’ve been putting off. Although truthfully not as much as I might have. I’ve also done some writing, been out to lunch with friends, spent entire days out of the house with friends, relaxed a lot and done a hell of a lot of reading.

And I only really found being away from the computer a drag on one of the days. Which was the last one, Saturday just gone. I think part of that might be because it wasn’t something new and different any more. It was a chore and I could have done without it. The other part of that might have been that I wasn’t feeling well (I have a bit of a chest virus thing) and being online is so much a part of my daily routine that it can be almost comforting in a way. That’s truly pathetic, I know.

I think having more days when I’m away from the computer is a good thing and they will be keeping up on at least a monthly basis as I’m part way through my other 101 in 1001 goal of 1 day a month away from the computer (July, August and a lot in September, obviously). But weekly is a bit much to keep up.

I’ve always known how much of a time suck the internet is for me and how it can be sometimes depressing. But exactly how much and how reliant on it I am was something I’ve learned more about this month. It’s not a bad thing but it’s something I think I need to be more aware of and bare in mind.

As an aside, I’ve been moving all of the entries for completed goals from this 101 in 1001 mission tonight. I’ve not finished it yet and probably won’t get it done before tomorrow as I’m wanting to go to bed now. But I’m surprised by how many are completed already.

>Creative Writing Prompt – Someone Following Someone

>My creative writing class started again last night for the new term. And we did a ten minute free writing type exercise. Mark gave us a variety of prompts and I chose someone following someone.

This is what I wrote. Not edited at all.

Loitering in the doorway of a busy coffee shop, he tried to blend in as he looked around. Jack hoped to spot Sarah soon. He also hoped she didn’t spot him. If Sarah saw him this would all be over before it even started. Suddenly he saw her. She’d changed her hair in an attempt not to be recognised and was walking quickly with her head down. But there was no denying that it was Sarah.

A minute or two later Jack slipped from his hiding place and started just as quickly down that busy street after her. He kept a close eye on her but also kept looking around, so as not to be obvious. In reality it didn’t work. It just made being caught more likely. Jack had never followed anyone before and was going by what they did in Spy Movies. Life isn’t like Spy Movies however and it was only sheer luck that Sarah didn’t look back and realise that after six months of hiding, her brother had found her.

I got good feedback when I read this out but I’d welcome any more feedback you’d like to leave here as you can never have to much. Constructive criticism is just as welcome too. I was surprised to realise that instead of being the scene I’d meant to take further but ran out of time for what I’d actually written was complete story in itself.

I will probably post some more writing prompts here as the class continues. And I intend to try and use the free writing technique most days if I can.

>You know you’ve got CP when…

>Yesterday morning I went to the dentist. There’s a bit of a lip to get in but my kerb climber does it no problem.

Only yesterday I stopped to push the door open and then didn’t have enough oomph to get over the lip. I needed to go back and do it again which would be fine. Only I was right by the door frame and for some reason completely and utterly stuck. Tried to go forwards. Nothing doing. Tried to go back. Nothing doing. Forward again, still nothing doing. And back, nothing doing.

The receptionist went “Why don’t you go back out and try coming in again.” And I was all I’ve been trying to do it I’m properly stuck. Then I wacked my arm. Lovely bruise on that now, painful too. Then one of the patients clambered over my chair and out and by won’t of my doing the joystick on the chair and his pushing me got me in. The dentist then rocked up and went “I was just coming to help you!”

Nicely frustrating and embarrassing for a Tuesday morning.

Then yesterday evening I got really soaked at sailing and had to change all my lower clothes. So I stripped off and was then sat there in the disabled loo my dry knickers half on and a left leg that was spasming so much (extension) that I couldn’t bend that leg enough to get them the rest of the way on. My dad knocked on the door to check on me and I was all “Help. I can’t put my knickers on.”

And all I could think was “you know when you’ve got CP when having to get your Dad to put your underwear on is less embarrassing than getting your wheelchair stuck in a doorway.”

>One week

>One week of trying to be healthier down and it’s been going well.

I’ve lost a couple of pounds which surprised me. For some reason I didn’t anticipate having lost any weight mostly after having a bad day yesterday and eating lots of chocolate chip shortbread because I wanted it and was too fed up to try and have will power.

I’ve eaten breakfast all but three days this week. Two cases of no time before needing to be out the house and the third a lack of inclination/botheredness. Not great but five lots of breakfast in eight days is a huge improvement. Also managed two days this week when I didn’t eat chocolate at all and another two when I did but I ate a lot less than I usually would. I did some exercise a few times this week too. I want to say that was three times but truth is I forget. My coke drinking is a little reduced but still crazy.

This week I am hoping to keep those statistics at those levels or maybe a little better. It could prove to be a difficult week as potentially I’m going out for lunch twice and drinks once (although only briefly and will probably only have one drink) but we shall see. I would also like to attempt to have a day or two where my less coke drinking becomes no coke drinking.

Overall I am pleased with how the week has gone.

On Sunday I went clothes shopping for some winter clothes. For about a year now I’ve just been living in clothes with elasticated waists for the most part. I figured that in the winter trackies and skirts wasn’t going to cut it without my being really cold. So I decided to buy some jeans. I found two pairs that were cheap and when my mum helped me try them on yesterday fitted perfectly. I did also buy a smart skirt and need to get that in a bigger size but: I have Jeans! That fit me properly and perfectly! I actually can’t remember the last time I wore jeans that fit and weren’t just squeezed on and overhanging etc. Sure they are bigger than I would like but I don’t care! Clothes that fit! It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’d gotten to a point that I didn’t really know any longer how to tell if clothes fitted properly or would just do so I didn’t have to admit just how big I am.

I’m so happy! Jeans! That FIT!

Finally, my sister has also decided that she wants to take part in the Healthy You Challenge. Her blog is Sophie’s Tales of an Ordinary Life

>That shut him up

>This afternoon I actually turned round to someone who was helping me as a part of their job and telling me about job moans and replied to their comments with “do I look like I care?”

It felt very good – and shut their moans up quickly. But I think I might have lost my “she’s a nice girl, that Emma” reputation as a result.

Can’t say I’m particularly sorry about that.

>I’ve got the (will)Power

>No matter how hungry I am, I do NOT need to eat. I’m going to bed very shortly. Was planning to read but I think I’ll just sleep.

And I just checked on the Evans website to see what size I might be. Yeah, I definitely don’t need to eat. Nor will I be buying jeans in Evans tomorrow!

>Reminder Post: Save DLA

>I just looked at the Save DLA petition again. It has 3,103 signatures on it. I know lots of my friends have signed up already. But if you live in the UK or are a British Citizen living outside the UK please sign up.

The petion is here.

And my original entry on the threat to DLA and why it matters is here.