I didn't sleep either.

I finally turned in at 6am and was also woken up by worker sounds. I can't even figure out what they are doing, but their doing it from a truck in my driveway. I say 'my' as if I have a car. It's the slab of cement next to my kitchen, really.

Anywhoo. Ugh.

I did go over the the memorial garden for my friend Kim this morning with Cagney. It warmed my heart that he jumped up on the mosaic and settled down. Kim loved Bartleby so much. I'm sure she would have loved Cagney even more.

I mentioned her death four years ago when she was killed in a car driven by her daughter. I _also_ mentioned trying to be involved in the committee to create this garden in her honor...including the fact that I had to run for the exit screaming. Difficult, disorganized people.

Well, they did it. (Though I bet is was just her boyfriend who stuck it out.)

The garden is lovely and could not be more personal and particular to her. I'm kind of verklempt over it.

One of Kim's specialties was taking broken bits of things and flinging them down in such a way as to take your breath away.

The mosaic incorporates all her favorite colors, gardening tools and even her hand-painted gardening clog...along with one of her hiking boots (including sock). It's just lovely.

While we sat there, a fellow came by with his two little kids and asked me if I knew what it was about, so I was able to be a docent for a moment.

Then, a young couple came by and the fellow hopped up onto the middle of the mosaic (which has some fragile bits) and started making noises like he was in a canyon. Apparently he thought it was 'one of those things where you say something and you can hear it from a distance."

"Nope, it is a memorial for a good friend of mine."

His poor face. "Oh. And here I am being a jerk."

"You can find that sound thingy in the Capitol. Would you like to hear about my friend?"

It is within visual distance of my house. I think I might hang out there a lot.

...and send a thank you note to the committee.

eta: a 'slab' of concrete is not a slap unless you are in a Tarnatino movie.

Moving drama continues. So my apt is very messy, partly due to being slovenly partly due to working a lot of hours plus the drive time and my legs hurting and not being used to standing on my feet so long. I come home, I'm tired I don't do anything.

I should be packing.

Then my landlady emails me this morning and says her plans for using this as day care are falling through (which I kind of knew, she needs 3 full time kids and can't get a third) so she's going to rent out my apartment for a few months.

And btw the only time the lady can see the apartment is today, when is a good time? I told her 3 pm. So I'm scrambling to get this to look nice and I wanted to be lazy and clean and instead I'm frantic and cleaning.

I'm so ready for Wednesday, after work I'm moving the bare essentials and the cat and staying at the new place until the big move.

I'm sorry about the less than restful nights being suffered.

It is a delight to read about the memorial, bonny. How lovely to have this place to remember your friend.

bonny, that sounds like a lovely memorial to your friend.

The construction site behind my house has been very careful to follow the noise ordinances, for which I am super grateful.

askye, do the bare minimum! Her not being able to get her shite together isn't your problem. I hope the new place treats you better.

I did finally get to sleep, and slept like a log until 11am. Which, nice to get a good night's sleep, but geez, glad I didn't have any plans. Now I feel sloth-like and can't get my ass in gear. Never taking Allegra again. I think I had some weird kind of reaction to it.

I tried to sleep, eventually got up, and made my way to the park to run. Still annoyed.

And then my roommate came home from her weekend and informed me that she "really hates" the color I painted the walls, and it's "too much". I was like "Suck it up, you're moving out in a month and I like it". She was all "Well, I didn't think you'd ever actually DO it!" (I'd had swatches painted on the wall for quite a while). So I have a yellow wall (I painted ONE of the walls! Granted, the long wall, but still), red couches, and an orange rug. I am planning to get a new, less bright, rug (this one is old and stained) but not until she and, more importantly, her CAT move out. It is a bright yellow, but I think it'll be nice in the dismal winter months.

Now to figure out what I'm bringing to a BBQ...I promised something sweet.

I have turned in the Really Difficult Editing Test. I didn't add any swear words to it, but I still think it would have improved it.

And I'm probably headed back to Urgent Care (not for a migraine; for the stupid recurrent cyst which is not improving and is horribly painful). Words can't convey how much I DON'T want a strange doctor to deal with my ladyparts. But this is ridiculously painful and possibly infected, in which case I should start antibiotics ASAP.

Today is stupid.

That is a very stupid way for today to act. It's like today thinks just because there's a holday, it has no responsibilities.

Ugh Steph, I'm sorry to hear you are still in so much pain. I hope you can get it sorted out--and healed!--soon.

I am back from Urgent Care, and glad I went. For a while this afternoon, I held a warm washcloth on the cyst, which is about the only home treatment you can do (or sit in a bathtub). But I went to Urgent Care because the compress wasn't helping.

When the doctor took a look, apparently the warm compress had helped, because the cyst had ruptured. Which was a little gross, and that's all I'm going to say, even with the availability of whitefont.

The doctor was politely appalled that my OB/GYN didn't give me antibiotics when I was there for Round 1 of this thing. She's running a lab culture to see if I have any particularly nasty bacteria (ALSO something my OB/GYN didn't do), and sent me home with antibiotics and instructions to keep sitting in a bathtub a couple of times a day for a few days.

I'm a little honked off that my OB/GYN gave me such substandard care. I've been seeing her for 20 years, so I'm not going to leave over one incident, but I am giving her the stinkeye. And I'm calling tomorrow to tell her that despite what she did, the cyst recurred. Because I want it in my medical record (and I don't want her to think that her substandard care was adequate).

So yay, Urgent Care.

Oh golly, Steph. If yours is anything like mine have been...well, you have my sympathy and support. Ergh. So, um, indelicate...not to mention painful!

I'm glad you got decent care and have a plan for addressing the substandard care.