Sometimes your weeks just seem like they are against you.
The biggest and most disturbing thing is that one of women in The Ravishing Mrs. TB's group of travel friends had her husband pass away suddenly. Cardiac arrest, no indication prior to the event. It happened on Tuesday, his son tried to get home the next day but his father passed the following day before he could make it home.
Nighean Dhonn is having some sort of pain in her teeth. It is complicated a bit by the fact that she is away from college and we have just changed insurances (in perhaps one of the few good decisions I have made this week, I got the upscaled dental plan for situations like this). The earliest she can find an appointment is the middle of April. This is not unusual from my own experience in trying to find a dental appointment; one to two months (or more) was easily the norm.
The Ravishing Mrs. TB is also fighting some kind of pinched nerve in her left arm. It has been ongoing for almost three to four weeks now, rising and falling in terms of its painfulness. It was somewhat painful at our visit last weekend; it continues to bother her this week.
By comparison I am doing fine health-wise, although I must confess that the semi-constant circle of work and hotel tends to wear on one's psyche. I am trying to be as conservative as I can be with meals - fortunately this hotel has a breakfast (included in the cost of the room), so I am able to eat a solid morning meal and use minimal grocery shopping and fruit from breakfast to fill in the rest. But even that becomes a bit wearing after a bit: largely eating the same thing day after day makes meals more of a chore than a pleasure.
It is not that I am discouraged - although I do admit that this being on my own is different than being at The Ranch on my own. If there is a difference, it is largely because there I was surrounded by a place I knew; here, I am essentially a transient businessman, waiting for a final landing place. And while the hotel is clean and warm and I have InterWeb access, it is not home.
Is this homesickness? I am not sure. But I find myself somewhat de-energized and depressed, for no good reason that I can think of other than I am simply here on my own while all the things that filled my life up to two weeks ago are far away.
Maybe you have temporarily exceeded your ability to experience change.
ReplyDeleteIf possible, doing some regular exercise in the fitness room may start a pattern that helps with change.
Dental work. Odd timing. I have a temporary cap on one of my fangs, while the new crown is being made.
And I have issues. (maybe a lot of issues, but I will limit this chat to only dentist related issues)
In the late fifties or early sixties a trip to the dentist meant entering a horror chamber after waiting in a smoke filled room.
The dental was a nightmare inducing torture device that used strings and pulleys.
Yes, dentistry is much better now, but when I settle into the chair I really don't like it at all.
John, that may very well be true. I am trying to re-establish a regular fitness time. The "gym" part is not too difficult; the aerobic part is more challenging as I prefer walking to being on a treadmill or other device, which means largely after work.
DeleteDental work has come up in our family more recently than I would have anticipated. The Ravishing Mrs. TB had to have a root canal last year and apparently that did not take, so likely the tooth will have to come out. Both younger children have had something beyond the ordinary "cleaning" the last visit, thus the "upgraded" dental plan.
I was fortunate in that growing up about a decade later, the dentistry was slightly better than the sixties, but it certainly did not help my overall opinion of the process.
Aches and pains are magnified when a new routine is being established, having to wait to get into the dentist/doctor is a PITA. Had to wait from mid-December until January 10th to see my doctor, guess the holidays and vacations. Only the Royal Family and certain American politicians get to see a medical source immediately. Yah........not home surroundings TB, hang in there.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I think the complicating factor is that this is not really a "new routine". It is really just an interim routine which will eventually get replaced by another interim routine and then a starter final routine. So we are likely at least a month out or more to really establish something. And I do not deal with change all that well to start with.
Delete(2nd try) Well, it's another big adjustment after a long spell of uncertainty in your life. I reckon part of it is knowing that even this routine is only temporary and will never really be "home". The best anyone can do in a temporary situation, is a temporary routine.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, Blogger has been eating my comments as well this morning.
DeleteChange is not my strong suite, and to your point a routine which is longer than about a week but is not a final routine is difficult, especially as I know we are some months away from a "real" routine. All one can do is endure and press on.
I hear you buddy. Being essentially alone at the hotel room AND work really magnifies all the other worries.
ReplyDeleteAn often-dangerous time when rogue humans detect and approach you offering friendship.
Be careful friend. This too will pass. Prayer helps, often I seek out distraction by visiting art museums and such. Something about the glories of the long past reminds me that this too will pass.
Keeping you and yours in prayers.
Thanks Michael.
DeleteTo be honest, rogue humans are the least of my worries. I go directly from my room to breakfast to work and back to my room. If I wander out, it is usually for a walk. When I am "going somewhere", I have long years of introvert practice to have the equivalent of natural signals that indicate "Does not make conversation".
I am trying to make an effort to go somewhere on the weekends, even if not far. Just that is helping me break the monotony and spread my wings a bit.
Choose your lonely traveler vices wisely. I saw a really neat pawnshop on my travels (travails??) long years ago. It was dimly lit and had junk on shelves deeper than I could reach. I LOVE stores like that. FFWD a few years and I can't pass a pawnshop without wondering what it looks like inside. EZ-Prawn doesn't count... usually. I found two that had my preferred stacked and packed look. Amarillo had a great surplus store on the old 66. San Angelo had a great one too. There was a pawn shop in a tiny west Texas town that held the most marvelous collection of old west firearms I've ever handled. Spencer, Henry, Colt. Wow.... thanks for the memory producing post.
ReplyDeleteHeed the warning.... ;)
STxAR, I will do so. If any consolation, I have already hit up all the local used books stores (sadly with limited results, but still...).
DeleteTry searching the neighborhood where you'll be residing. Look for the restaurants, book stores as surely there must be a half-price in your area, shopping malls, grocery stores, gas stations and all the various places you need in maybe a 3/6 month span. Even things and inconspicuous as a dry cleaner and shoe repair. Park the car someplace near where your moving and see where you could walk to. After all the boxes are unpacked where do you take the cardboard. My moving company will take back all the boxes we bought from them. Take a note pad and write down the places and how far. Your wife will probably appreciate having the knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAnon - I have done a bit of that already (for all that I am not always a fan of urban living, this is a very walkable location). I will have the time to continue to do some more.
DeleteJust being alone knocks me on the head.
ReplyDeleteLots of aches-and-pains are stress induced. Muscles tightened and not relaxed leads to weird pains. Jaw clenching for instance makes both teeth in top jaw and lower jaw hurt. Tight muscles along spine can pinch nerves and cause tingling and numbness.
I suspect that things will get better once Mrs TB rejoins you permanently.
ERJ, I think I like to pretend I like to be alone a great deal more than I actually do.
DeleteThe hotel living is not incredibly helpful either, both due to amount of space as well as just really not having any of my "stuff" here.
Motels and their accompanying breakfasts get old fast. I sympathize with your plight. It is hard to develop routing when you don't have a place to call home quite yet. But soon that will change and you can start putting down some roots.
ReplyDeleteEd, the good news is they do have a pretty good spread so there is a fair amount of variety, which is nice - and I can take a piece of fruit or two to help with lunch. But yes, the "non-homeness" (to coin a word) of it is a bit bothersome.
DeleteFound this today, a good read.
ReplyDeletehttps://coyoteprimeblog2.blogspot.com/2024/03/how-to-handle-beast.html
I think you dropped this in twice Michael, but worth thanking you a second time as well. It was a good article.
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