Feh and Meh

And so it begins ... today's Daily Dose of Pain. Sitting in the car, minding my own business, as we make our way to Port Canaveral to board the Carnival Sunshine. Eating a Jammie Dodger with cold coffee. catching up on social media, I become aware of each ache and pain and muscle spasm. Life as usual.

Yesterday was another pain-filled day; even the Advil wasn't working, and I finally had to give in and take a methocarbamol. Helped the pain, but also knocked me out for a couple of hours. However, according to the Social Security Administration, I am perfectly capable of working on a set schedule. Ha ha, but no. How many times during the past 3 years did I sit in court waiting for a case to be called, squirming in visible discomfort but unable to take medication for relief because, let's face it, falling asleep during hearings can be a real career-killer for an attorney? Gotta love the fabulists at the SSA.

In spite of the pain, yesterday was a very nice day, emotionally speaking. Rob and I went to tai chi class in the morning and I was able to follow along the forms. We had two new people (well, new to the school; I used to work with one of the ladies) and I think they liked it.  The other lady is dealing with even more chronic pain than I am. I am happy for Sifu Tony that the class is starting to grow. If anyone out there wants more information about these tai chi classes, you can contact me through this blog or Facebook, and I will put you in touch with Sifu Tony Juron.

The evening also finished on a high note,

since we were meeting our New York friends Ron and Shelley (although they are officially snowbirds) at the Chart House for dinner.  There's a friendship that goes back 46 years - rich memories, good times. Like I wrote, overall a good day.

As I write this, our ship is sailing out of Port Canaveral, and I am already wearing my motion sickness bands. I blame fibromyalgia for screwing up my balance, recalling that in my early days of cruising, motion sickness was not a chronic problem.  Feh, these days everything with me is chronic.

This upgraded stateroom is quite nice, but it is already obvious it is in an inconvenient location, at least for us.  It seems the very best place for us is on Deck 5 and next time I book on the Sunshine, I'll pay the extra cost for picking my own stateroom. This is still a beautiful ship, our current favorite. Also the food is better in quality and choices, and the coffee is terrific. The coffee on both the Sensation and the Ecstasy is just barely meh. No idea why there should be a difference, but there is. And you know me and coffee. A couple of years ago I responded to a post-cruise questionnaire regarding the Carnival Ecstasy, and I mentioned the coffee. I assured Carnival that the Ecstasy was still (at that time) our favorite "home" ship, and complimented them on other matters (best-maitre'd-anywhere). I have never gotten another questionnaire although I've been on a number of cruises since then, and the Ecstasy no longer sails out of Port Canaveral. Things that make you go "hmm ..."

Yesterday I also fulfilled last year's New Year's resolution by completing the mini shawl I'd been knitting forever, or a least a year and a day. Blocking will have to wait until I get home, so I brought along a fraternal twin that I made some years back using that nifty pattern from the late, lamented Knitch in Atlanta's Virginia Highlands. Best-selection-of-Noro-yarn-ANYWHERE. So sorry it's closed now (insert frownie face). I love these little shawls; they keep me warm on those rare chilly days in Central Florida, or when the air conditioner is acting a little bit too enthusiastically.

On a totally different topic, according to the blog stats provided by Blogger/Google, we've got a huge following in Russia. Like twice the number of visits from the US. I am almost certain this is a programming glitch, but if I'm wrong, what the hell is going on?  Is Vladimir Putin collecting Brooklyn-Jewish-American recipes for his own nefarious purpose? Are the ladies of Russia unable to receive Food Network on cable, and so are relying on an internet cooking blog?  Do I still have relatives back in Mother Russia, and are they searching for me? Ha, I love the internet, I really do. Hello all you Russian Osherowitz people! Try my potato latkes!