A lot of people ask me what my real name is short for.

Making up answers can be kind of fun.

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Raq, I'm in the "he'll get over it" corner, about Mal. You get to eat. Is he still sick? Sometimes, that makes babies lose sight of any bit of patience they might generally have.

I feel the same way, only in reverse. If I introduce myself as Steph (which I do 99% of the time), then DON'T call me Stephanie. I don't like my full name, which is why I use only the first syllable.

I don't care what you call me, as long as you don't call me late for supper. That is to say, in person, most people call me Cin, but it doesn't ping me about my own name. I know it can grate though, because I hate when people call Benjamin – Benny, or Benji, and am even startled by people who call Julia – Julie. I'm fine with Ben, by the way, and call Julia all manner of things, but I just don't think of her as a Julie (which is even a name I really like). My guess is that the people who incorrectly shorten vw and Susan's names and lengthen Steph's don't have the ping so they're clueless to yours.

Sorry for all of you who hurt. I also have a mysterious injury to my finger. It's swollen and the nail feels like I poked the skin under it. Have no recollection of injuring myself, so I'm very perplexed. And annoyed.

Ouch. Are you soaking it, or putting any Hydrogen Peroxide on it? Is it red, or is it hot to the touch?

That bites. Especially when it something the doctor can't give you a magic, one-time pill for. Does a hot shower help? Or heat/ice on the back of your neck?

Both the shower and a heating pad help, although I think I had the heating pad on too long this morning. I feel a little burnt, although dh says the skin looks fine. Part of the non-pain discomfort is that the muscles in my neck and upper back right now are about as flexible as a brick, so the heat is good. I'm afraid to try ice, because although I know it's good for sprain sorts of injuries, I don't think this is that, and I think it would just make me more tense at this point.

You could also try getting one of those special pillows for your bed, with the indent in it, to help correct the position of your neck while you're asleep. I had one for a while and it was great.

Yes! Where do you get these, AmyLiz? I was wondering about one this morning. What do you do, just put it under your neck? Does any part of it go under your head at all?

Scott took Chris to his very first soccer game today (which I missed, because I was too hurtin'). Now Scott and Chris have taken Julia to her soccer game. Ben's staying home with me. He said he wants to, but I think he's really babysitting me. Scott has to do the grocery shopping later. He's still not 100% himself, so I don't want to run him ragged, but I'm so willing to try one of those pillows right now, it's not even funny. He has some Flexeril from his back injury, and I have been considering taking one, or a half of one, but I've never taken it before, so I don't know how I'd react. I'm not sleeping well, so I'm also afraid it will make me so relaxed that I'll pass out in a position that's worse for my neck.

I *must* stop whining about this. The other day at the school, one of the mothers stopped me, when she noticed I was wearing the collar. She's a PT, and she's seen me in it before, when I've had problems. I whinged to her, and because she's a lovely, lovely woman, she was very kind.

The next day, I got an email from another of the mothers at school. Nice PT mother was diagnosed with an extremely serious health problem over the summer, and people are taking up a collection to buy restaurant gift cards for her family. I may have reinjured myself, kicking myself in my self-pitying ass.

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Very funny comic about anxiety. [link]

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My guess is that the people who incorrectly shorten vw and Susan's names and lengthen Steph's don't have the ping so they're clueless to yours.

This is a reenactment of what happens almost every time I introduce myself --

Me: "Hi, I'm Steph."
Them: "Stephanie?"
Me: "Uh, yeah, but I go by Steph."
[later....]
Them: "Hey, Stephanie! Did you see...."
Me: [apoplectic rage]

I mean, it's *easier* to say one syllable, as opposed to three, damn it!

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I'm guessing it was an all-purpose fuss. He might be sick, but no symptoms (although Robert sounds like death warmed over), and he might be teething, but again, no other symptoms.

I collected him after I ate and once he calmed down he was happy enough again.

It's just one of those "Am I like other parents" moments.

(I love my indent memory foam pillow, purchased at BloodBath & Beyond)

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Just got back from the doctor.

We shot many x-rays (I typed ex-ray three times. Dude, we didn't break up or anything.) of my neck and while it is supposed to have a nice curve and instead is dead straight there is nothing OMG bad going on, which is good.

Urine test pinged for blood but he is sure that it caught the myoglobin from three solid weeks of muscle spasms and not actually hemoglobin from real, honest, not-made-by-monks blood.

I really just did do something mysterious in my sleep three weeks ago and twoing! presto pinched nerve.

So the treatment: sending me to PT, continue the Flexeril, continue the moist heat and trying not to aggrevate it and, yesh, take the damn Vicodin woman. I am also supposed to get as many people to rub my back as possible. Heh.

It's not a magic pill once thing but I am at least seeing the possibility of feeling better in the future.

I'm going to go get a pedicure at the $18 place because I could climb trees with my toenails and I frankly am not bendy enough to do it myself. Plus? I really like pedicures. Then there will be the need for serious lying about with moist heat on my neck and that funky spot on my back.

Cindy, please feel better sweetie. It's not self-pity when you are in pain. I love those cervical pillows (which sounds like porn but isn't). I have one with a little bump I always use but I might find another one that will help me remind my neck that cervical vertebraes are supposed to curve.

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Very funny comic about anxiety. [link]

BWAH!

downs Vicodin

It's just one of those "Am I like other parents" moments.

The icky ones? Not a chance...

Raq, I hope Mal stays unfussy and that it was just a baby moment for him.

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Pain sucks. It eats up all your patience and gnaws at your days.

Cindy, please invest in a pillow and go see your doctor. He may have the same advice as ever but this is going on too long. Your whole family is limping along right now. Take care of yourself.

I for one welcome Our New Whinging Overlords you venting when you need to.

Poor Cass. May the Vicodin take you off to a beautiful...land of chocolate! Yes, just like the one where the little chocolate dog ran up to Homer and he took a huge bite out of its back.

JZ's off to the opening of Faire. It's a gorgeous day in San Francisco.

I'm sorry if I was an obnoxious git about names yesterday.

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Nah, I can see where it pinged you.

For myself, I only have opinions like that about names that don't have a face attached to them. Otherwise it's so wrapped up in the person that it really doesn't have much to do with the name. (Ergo, Emmett is a name that I doubt I'd ever thought one way or another about, but now it's firmly in the coolest column. Oh, and he's totally got a great baseball name. I look forward to the day when I can bore people with "I knew him [from a distance] when stories.")

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Cass, for some reason, I had your pain filed as being lower back pain. The flexeril is doing you good for your neck, even though they think it's a pinched nerve? Hmmm. Yeah, I am probably calling my doctor on Monday.

Raq, I think reading "Bloodbath and Beyond" made my day.

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