Monthly Archives: December 2012

Dec 31 2012
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My Ramblings

The Last Day of The Year…

Well, here we are, the very last day of the year and what a year it’s been. I’ve been diagnosed with MS, had Alemtuzumab treatment, lost my job and started a new one. As one door closes, another one opens and all that. A whole fresh new year is ready to be discovered. Exciting!

So why oh why are two of the most miserable songs ever written all about New Year? Honestly, if I hear ‘Happy New Year’ by Abba one more time, I will be in danger of becoming seriously depressed and full of Nordic gloom.

And I’m dreading U2’s ‘New Years Day’ playing on an endless loop all day Tuesday. Where’s the happiness? Where’s the looking forward to a bright, shiny new year?

A random sample of Abba’s ‘Happy New Year’ lyrics include:

  • Here we are, me and you, feeling lost and feeling blue
  • It’s the end of the party, and the morning seems so grey
  • Seems to me now, that the dreams we had before are all dead, nothing more

Makes you want to crack open the champagne and fire off some party poppers, eh? I guess New Year’s Eve can be a bit depressing – we look over the past year, sigh over some of our decisions and ponder our regrets. According to the newspapers, most of us will be at home, celebrating with a Marks and Spencers £10 meal deal. We’ll count down to Big Ben and toast the new year in with a shrug of the shoulders and head for bed at 12.10am.

But this year, I want to celebrate my achievements and the fact that I survived everything life and MS had to throw at me. I’m still here! And I’m stronger and happier than I have been in a long time. The MS community has embraced me and I have found incredible support from other MSers. My family and friends have been amazing. What’s not to like?

So, sorry Abba. I won’t be singing along to your dirge today. I will be having a nice glass of wine, chilling in a wine bar with jazz playing in the background. Goodbye 2012, I’m sure 2013 will be one of my best years yet….

 

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Dec 29 2012
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Work and Studying

Sore All Over, But Happy

This building lark, eh? It all looks so easy. Long tea breaks, late starts, leaving early and banging a few nails in here and there. Well, I think I landed a job with the strangest builder ever. He does not stop. He does not take tea breaks. He eats lunch on the go. And I had a 7 am (!) start.

My first day on the job and we are renovating an old country pub into a house. All I have to do is knock down a few walls and tidy up. How hard can it be? Well, I flung myself into the task with abandon, hammer moving so quickly it was blurred. Lathe and plaster flew in all directions, dust went everywhere and I filled black bag after black bag with rubble. So far, so good.

The owner was a wonderfully eccentric lady, who for some reason insisted on calling me Alan. For the record, I have shoulder-length blonde hair and do not have a moustache. I managed to bring down most of the wall by just after lunch (a packet of Fridge Raiders eaten on the go), but when I finally stopped for a break, everything – and I mean everything – ached. I was using muscles that haven’t been so much as gently twanged in years.

The upside is that I stood outside at one point and just breathed in the fresh air. It was an amazing feeling to do such physical work, after over a decade in an office. There’s something to be said for being able to pop outside and just be still for a moment and it was good to chat away about something and nothing with my friend – no office politics, just having a laugh.

The downside is the fact that MS never takes a break. Whenever I got too hot, I had to cool down. My feet buzzed incessantly. I started to get electric shocks in my neck. But if I had to weigh it up, I would say that the symptoms were worth it. Ok, every single part of me is sore. I feel like I’ve been run over. But MS can make me feel that way too.

I am working today too, then I’m off for three days. The Teenager has made it safely to London and he didn’t find my Twiglets. Life is looking good.

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Dec 28 2012
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Work and Studying

New Job Nerves

My dream job doesn’t start til the Spring, so my friend is employing me as a builder’s mate in the meantime and I start today. Gulp. It will be odd as we’re best friends and now he will be my boss. He’s been joking all week I have to start addressing him as ‘Boss’ from now on too. Like that’s going to happen, mister.

I laid out all my builder gear last night – old jeans, several thermal layers, Caterpillar boots, woolly hat and gloves. Makes a change from dressing for the office and at least I don’t need to think about what to wear every day. I thought I would have the evening to myself to psych myself up, but thanks to over-running engineering work at Paddington, The Teenager has been delayed going to London, and he has hoovered up the rest of the Christmas shortbread and chocolates and I reluctantly shared my stash of Diet Coke.

Do builder’s mates wear make up? Should I still keep my nails tidy or are they going to be ruined anyway? I don’t want to look too butch, but there’s something quite nice and different about going to work in the open air, not caring if my clothes get dirty or my hair is wind-whipped. I’ve had a chat with my friend and my main job is clearing up, and I can definitely do that. Also, fetching tools from the van and making coffee and chucking a brush round the place. Easy.

He knows all about my MS, so he’ll understand if I trip or drop things and we’ll hopefully have a good laugh about it. I’ll enjoy reading The Sun and munching on greasy bacon rolls. I’m looking forward to the exercise and just blowing some cobwebs away. But I still have first day nerves. This is it for the next three months.

So wish me luck. My new building nick-name is ‘Half-Shift’, which is quite cute and  I feel like part of the building community already. Wonder if my friend will let me drive his van? Watch this space – I’ll tell you how it all went tomorrow.

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Dec 27 2012
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Daily Life

Excess All Areas

I have had an excellent Christmas. It may be getting harder to squeeze into my jeans, but you can’t go to a family get together and suck on celery sticks, can you? I have eaten thousands and thousands of calories over the last few days and have enjoyed every single one of them.

The Teenager rolled up his sleeves and helped serve Christmas lunch to forty-odd pensioners on Christmas Day, bless him. He was a bit shy to start with, but got into his stride and was soon happily scooting round, doling out roast potatoes, slices of turkey and carrots. Everyone agreed that he was ‘a very nice young man, very nice, and ooh, so tall, what was I feeding him, Baby Bio?’

There was only one awkward moment. We all had to gather in the hall and sing along to carols. A woman went round with a box full of musical instruments and feeling very Christmassy, I grabbed a couple of plastic maracas and enthusiastically shook them along to ‘Jingle Bells’. Unfortunately, I was still shaking them in tune to the next carol, the sombre  ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’  and The Teenager was mortified.

On Boxing Day, I went out for the newspapers early and had to pick up some wine for a party later on. Believe me, it’s very embarrassing paying for two bottles of wine at 8am when everyone behind me in the queue is buying satsumas and milk. Especially when my hands are playing up again and the wine bottles rattled in my bag as if I was having tremors from alcohol withdrawal.

Anyway, MS-wise, I’ve been more tired than usual and have spent endless  hours lolling around on the sofa, wrapped in a duvet. My feet have been buzzing more and the foot drop is driving me mad. I also had a spectacular argument with my bookcase. The bookcase won and my upper arm is covered in a violent purple bruise and throbs incessantly.

Apart from that, I am looking forward to more days of too much of everything. I have two very large boxes of chocolates that I feel compelled to eat and a bag of Twiglets in the cupboard, just in case. What more could I possibly need?

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Dec 24 2012
6 Comments
Daily Life

What I Want For Christmas

Well, here we are…..Christmas Eve already. How did that happen? Seems I’ve been snoozing the time away, but at least the presents are wrapped, the fridge is stocked with wine and there’s enough chocolate in the house to graze (gorge myself) on over the festive period. The advent calendar has been disemboweled and is on its way to the recycling bin.

I have finished my massive house clean. The house is aired and the dead mouse which has been lying outside my back door for weeks has finally been laid to rest in the compost. I have three days of fun and frolics lined up before The Teenager visits his dad the day after Boxing Day. Where though, can I find some extra energy? I am so, so tired. Exhausted. All I want for Christmas is energy.

MS and Christmas is a double-edged sword. It’s great that it becomes socially acceptable, almost mandatory, to have a little kip in the afternoon, wine glass in hand, paper hat askew,  but the run of get togethers, one after the other can be hard. I’m turning into a tired and crabby old Grinch.

Anyway, enough whingeing. I’m just about to programme the Sky planner, filling it up with Gone With The Wind, Miranda, Downton and all the other usual suspects. My sparkly top for Christmas Day is hanging in my wardrobe, I’m resigned to wearing flat shoes and I think we’re pretty much ready for Christmas. I don’t plan on doing anything more strenuous than choosing what to eat next, which Quality Street to snaffle and reading out bad jokes from crackers.

I wish you all a fantastic Christmas. Thank you so much for your comments over the last few months – I love receiving them. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day I will be choosing some of my favourite posts, kind of like a top ten countdown, in true Christmas fashion. Cheers and have a good one! x

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