Weekend fun and dreams come true

Weekend fun and dreams come true

June 15, 2014 / No Comments

Today was a pretty good day. It was a weekend, of course, which meant I got to hang out with M, the love of my life. Few things are more enjoyable than that. We spent several hours in bed, drove down to Massachusetts and ate barbecue, heard the news that one of our closest friends had gotten engaged (woo hoo!), saw a double-feature at the movies then drove home under a full vanilla moon.

Due to our schedules, I rarely have the opportunity to sleep with my husband. And when I do, I generally fall asleep faster and rest more fully. Today, I didn’t sleep for very long, but the dreams were tasty. One involved going to a Dunkin Donuts and ordering an entire box. The dream version of me stood in front of a fully-stocked counter of treats and picked out all the ones I wanted to try. Before I could take the first bite, however, I woke up.

On the way home from the movies, we stopped by a DD for coffee. Lo and behold, the Munchkin racks were newly stocked (a rare occurrence late at night), so I ordered a small box just for the hell of it. And thus, in the course of just 12 short hours, I made a dream came true.

(Photo by Palto)
Living vicariously through televised drama

June 7, 2014 / No Comments

Other than the cuddling, the thing I like most about watching TV with M is the opportunity to hypothesize afterwards about what we would — and wouldn’t do — in a similar situation.

“What are you, crazy? Don’t go into the darkened warehouse!”

“Of course I wouldn’t push the Execute button! That’s like choosing to jail yourself.”

“How can she be so stupid? Again? C’mon! That’s just bad writing.”

“Yeah, that guy totally needs to die.”

(Photo by Stephanie Swartz photography. Used with permission.)
In which I paid complete strangers to cut my husband’s neck

April 19, 2014 / 1 Comment

Yesterday was Operation Day. Not fun.

M was recently diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. Per the Mayo Clinic:

Hyperparathyroidism is an excess of parathyroid hormone in the bloodstream due to overactivity of one or more of the body’s four parathyroid glands. These oval, grain-of-rice-sized glands are located in your neck. The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone, which helps maintain an appropriate balance of calcium in the bloodstream and in tissues that depend on calcium for proper functioning.

According to the docs, this problem occurred because one of M’s grain-of-rice-sized glands had an adenoma (noncancerous tumor) on it. Best course of action? Surgical removal. So early yesterday morning, we drove more than an hour north to Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, the only teaching hospital in New Hampshire.

As far as hospital experiences go, this one was pretty good. The place was immaculate and quiet. Most of the doctors and nurses were both competent and caring (one was more competent and cocky). And the waiting room staff kept me updated on the surgery’s progress (via beeper).

M was a real trooper, though. Over the course of several hours, he was poked, prodded, drugged, anesthetized and then cut open and stitched back up. He’s home now and in bed recuperating, but it looks like someone took a garrote to his neck.

As for me, I held up my end of the “in sickness and in health” vows. I maintained my composure during the drive, admission, the pre-op tests and procedure — but lost my cool when I visited M in recovery. Just seeing the man I love hooked up to a bunch of machines measuring his vital signs and completely out of it from the anesthesia made me burst into tears. I guess I was so focused on the surgery that I never really allowed myself to consider the aftermath. Thankfully, the moment passed quickly and I was able to resume my wifely duties of hand holding and ice chip feeding.

While I’m thrilled the operation was a success and we were well cared for, I’d like to avoid going to another hospital any time soon.

Or, ever.

—Photo by Nuiiko. Used with permission.
2013: The Year In Review

December 18, 2013 / 2 Comments

At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2013:

* Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the intensive manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers and countless mass shootings.

* Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death, Hooked From The First Page and Afterthoughts.

* Passed the 29,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker) and received the “I’m real” checkmark of verification.

* Penned 60 journal entries.

* Worked on my novel.

* Purchased a Fitbit, increased my daily steps/stairs and cut back on my sleep debt. Also started using FitBolt to decrease time spent sitting.

* Subscribed to the HelloFresh and Plated food services, then cooked a ton of delicious dishes.

* Read 38 books and countless magazines.

* Watched more than 30 films.

* Took classes in archaeology, disaster preparedness, health/nutrition, literature and photography.

* Launched The 10th Muse, a mailing list of writing prompts.

* Updated The Written Word.

* Participated in the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group and the Journalism & Women Symposium.

* Attended The Society of Professional Obituary Writers (SPOW) conference in Canada and launched the group’s private Facebook page.

* Created a YouTube video about the future of obituaries.

* Featured in a CNN article about obituaries.

* Profiled on JobShadow.

* Built websites for my husband and grandfather.

* Redesigned The SPOW website as well as my own.

* Went house-hunting in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

* Dyed my hair red.

* Traveled to Burlington Vt., New York City, Toronto and Scotland.

* Visited the monument to Phineas Gage.

* Tended a garden of basil, oregano, catnip, romaine lettuce, mint, thyme and flowers.

* Dealt with the libelous rantings of a couple of cyber-trolls (yes, lawyers were involved).

* Saw Stephen King, Sting and Stuart McLean in person.

* Leased a new car.

* Perfected my versions of fudge, chocolate drop cookies, carrot cake, chicken pilaf and lasagna.

* Celebrated my 4th wedding anniversary.

* Turned 40.

* * *

Plans/goals for 2014

* Save up enough money for a down payment on a house.

* Write more snail mail letters.

* Work on my books.

* Write more obits.

* Write more poetry/short stories.

* Experience fewer migraines.

* Eat more fruits and vegetables.

* Exercise.

* Win the lottery.
Om

September 1, 2013 / No Comments

How do I deal with stress? The biggest stressor in my life is work, which oddly enough, is one of the greatest joys in my life.

I’m not complaining. I get to do the job I love. I make a decent living. I work from home, on the shift that I prefer. However, by its very nature, journalism is a stressful career. You can’t surround yourself with death and destruction and crime and politics and twerking and not be affected. Well, I can’t anyway.

While I’m pretty good at maintaining my distance from the events of the day, I’m also human. Covering history as it happens can leave a person feeling emotionally and intellectually battered.

So how do I cope?

* I talk to M. He pays attention to what’s going on in the world. He’s compassionate. And his hugs are positively therapeutic.

* I drink tea. I firmly believe that freshly brewed tea, served in a favorite cup, will soothe both a tired body and an unsettled mind.

* I bake. The act of kneading or whipping ingredients into something delicious provides a physical outlet for channeling one’s aggressions. Plus, when you’re done, there’s dessert!

* I read. I can open a book or turn on my Kindle, and instantly lose myself in a romance, a mystery or a bit of poetry. As my eyes transform the words into stories, my mind is able to focus more on the characters’ problems than on my own. Books give me distance, distraction and, in some cases, enlightenment. (Once in a while though — and I’m looking at you Stephen King, Joe Hill and Chris Holm — the practice of reading to escape can lead to other emotions, particularly dread.)

* I watch movies. When I lived in New York City, I would spend almost every Friday morning at the multiplex, watching double- or triple-features. I did so because I love film, but also as a way to decompress. The movie theater has long been my dark sanctuary.

* I listen to music. Music is probably better for my soul than for my ears (I like it loud). Yet given the right tunes and enough time, most any stress can be defeated.

* I sit by the ocean. Once grounded to the sand, I look at the water and admire the ocean’s tempestuous nature. The horizon is vast, the air is salty, the wind blows through my hair and, in time, I am calmed.

* I wander in cemeteries. Most boneyards are beautiful in any season, perfect for wandering and wondering. They serve as memento mori as well; all problems pale in comparison to death. And, if your problem is death, a cemetery will offer a telling reminder that you are not alone in your pain.