Halloween Happiness for this Chronically ill Gal!

I love Halloween. For the costumes, the excitement, and the freedom to be oneself in a totally different way. Having a friend who is downright ecstatic about the holiday is also a definite plus. Just thinking about the fun I know we will have makes a day like today a whole lot better. Plus, I get to actually show off my costume from last year. I spent last Halloween visiting a friend in another state who does not quite share the 'enthusiasm' for the holiday. We went to a private party but not out for the night. Going out on Halloween is one of the reasons why it is so much fun. I love seeing the costumes! Who would not have fun when talking with a slightly tipsy person dressed up as a Christmas tree complete with lit Christmas lights! Now that was a costume worthy of remembering.

Saluting some Halloween Happiness!

Days like today remind me of why having a holiday of fun is so important. I will not go into details but I finally* called my doctor back about my follow-up ultrasound results. The technician at the actual appointment had thought the cyst causing me so much pain was gone.

 *I've avoided three calls from the doctor and reluctantly called back. Mostly because I loathe voicemails. They keep leaving them until you give in and call back.

When I called and spoke with my doctor's nurse the news was not quite so wonderful. My cyst has shrunk a lot but still there. I absolutely hate news like this. On the one hand it is a relief to know the cyst no longer has the chance to twist and cut off blood supply to several important organs. On the other hand it is a major disappointment knowing it has not disappeared completely. I also do not like hearing, "if you have any, any issues then you need to make an appointment with the doctor pronto." Knowing it is still something to look out for always pisses me off. If I were not shaking so badly today I would have chucked my crappy cell phone at the wall.

1 of 2 pics from last Halloween of me

Alas, my crappy cell phone could care less about my ire. So I did the adult thing (kinda) and gave it a furious glare before leaving it somewhere out of sight. Sometimes it really makes a difference for me to literally do the 'out of sight out of mind.' Besides I have more important things to think of. Well, things which are more fun. Like editing my costume here and there, figuring out if I can still walk in my 7-inch Halloween heels, and doing something about my poor wig. Not to mention finding both my katanas. If you were wondering, I am going as a samurai geisha. According to my brother wearing the katanas on the back is not historically accurate. I pointed out it looks so much cooler. For those wondering, my holder is actually a complex fabric thing which looks a bit like Hitsugaya's from Bleach.

Dressed up all adorable for trick or treating

I also took a look back at a few of my costumes from years past. Like the $1 Belle dress I wore to go trick-or-treating at age twenty. My roommate and I wanted to see if we go still go trick-or-treating in our twenties.Both of us are less than 5'2" tall and were shocked at how much size plays a role. Instead of people asking if we were 'to old' they complimented our costumes, gave us candy without complaint, and told us to 'be safe.' We were in the ritziest neighborhood around, I know because we planned it that way, and they were warning us about 'stranger danger.' I have never heard so many 'you look so cute!,' 'are you barbie?,' or 'I love your costumes' before. In two hours we had an astonishing amount of king-size candy bars, chocolate galore, and knicknacks. She went off to the bar and I celebrated with the long-time boyfriend. All in all, it was a crazy successful night.

Love from the last night

My favorite Halloween was actually the very night before I became chronically ill. I went out to the bars for the first time as a Sailor pin-up girl. My costume including shoes came to a total of seven dollars. I danced, got drinks bought for me, and discovered trying to repel men by talking about the wonders of PCR, impingement, and transgenic fish is a total failure. For my friend, the science talk sends them running. I do it and get 'I think it's really hot you are so smart. Let me buy you another drink.' I cannot count how many times I have tried the 'I'm going to bore you to death with stuff which only fascinates people who can't go a day without biology' approach and had it fail. You would think talking about such things as mapping out the sequence of the dusky gene mutation in fruit flies would send a man running. Who knew me talking about my passion for biology could be so attractive?

Positive Thought of the Day: Thank you to +Julia Chi . Your courage and humor truly brightened today. I only wish I could send you all our snow this winter....