"A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner."
~English Proverb~
**********
I know that a quote isn't really considered an entire post, but as rotten as I'm feeling, I hope you'll cut me a little slack as I'm still trying to work my way up to posting more often, in an attempt to get back into the swing of things. I also really like that painting and the proverb is really apropos for where I am right now in my day to day life. I need to keep reminding myself that adversity is nothing more than an opportunity in disguise!
**********
I spent most of today at my doctor's office being poked, prodded, swabbed, and when they weren't doing all of that, they were taking chest x-rays.
The throat swabs came back negative for strep - something I was really worried about. My sore throat has taken on epic levels of pain and both lymph nodes in my neck now resemble angry bratwursts. Seriously folks, they are that big. Oh, and sore. And when I swallow, it's like trying to force a bunch of ten-penny nails down my throat.
After looking at my chest x-rays and talking to a toxic allergen specialist, my doctor thinks that my body is reacting to the black-mold spores I was exposed to when the ceiling in our bathroom collapsed and all those months worth of stagnant water came down along with it. I was already fighting off a nasty UTI and then bam! This happens. Let's be honest...obese people often aren't real healthy and right now my body is waving the white flag of surrender and slowly caving in to everything that comes it's way...despite the baby steps I'm taking to get back on track.
So, I'll cruise through this valley of potholes and get over it. I have to tell ya though, I was having a hardcore talk with the Powers That Be after my throat was swabbed and I gagged so hard that I sent the doctor leaping backwards about 5 feet, while she pulled her white coat just a bit tighter around her...I looked up and said, "Yo, PTB, it sure would be nice if you could arrange a way to have an air conditioner dropped off at the house today...it's like 95F+ with 80% humidity and I'm trying to fight this crap out of my body but I am suffocating at home!" I think I was only kind of half serious. We had been talking about getting an AC unit, at least for the upstairs because it was well over 100F+ and unbearable. Our bedroom and the office and loft are all upstairs and it was miserable! However, for the foreseeable time being, buying an air conditioner just wasn't in our budget.
A bit earlier this evening, our landlords phoned and asked if they could come by and do some more work on the bathroom in an effort to continue the repairs. After warning them that the house looked like a herd of angry wombats had ran through it, I told them it was fine. Gareth and Gaby buzzed through the house like nothing I have ever seen and did an amazing job of tidying things up. By the time the landlords arrived it only looked like perhaps a grumpy wombat or two had ambled through the house.
Well, I'm just going to tell you right here and now that we have absolute ANGELS for landlords. Not only are they one of the nicest couples I have ever met, they are so kind to Gaby (and Gaby just adores Mrs. Landlord...I think she kind of sees her as a grandma figure and Mrs. Landlord just dotes on Gaby!), and so very nice to us. Before I knew what they were doing, they were carrying a huge box upstairs in which was a brand new air conditioner!
Thank you Universe, Thank you PTB and Thank God and great landlords that I am about to lay my tired head down on a genuinely cold pillow and not one that I have stuffed with ice packs. Our landlords went on to tell us that if the downstairs area was getting to be a bit too stifling, to let them know and they'd install an even larger unit down there.
Our landlords really are cooler than the other side of the pillow!
