Brain upload 80% complete

[annathepiper]

I did not go to the caucuses today. Not out of lack of interest, but more out of feeling generally blicky and unpleasant, and still being in some small part Recovery Girl. But all y'all who went out to caucuses, though, good for you. You get pie!

The last couple of weeks coming out of radiation therapy have been first brutal and then not so bad, and all around generally exhausting. I discovered week before last that all the muscles surrounding the area of zappage had taken quite the assault--and I hadn't really clued in before because I've got a generally high tolerance for pain. By the time I notice something enough to think "Hey wait, that hurts", it hurts quite a bit and it means I need attention on it now.

Which is what happened with my right shoulder and the right side of my chest. It manifested initially as numbness and tingling all up and down my arm--always a sign that my neck and shoulders are fucked up. solarbird went at the area with her massage fu, and discovered muscles so tensed up that they spasmed at her touch. I was sobbing after she worked on me for a while, and when she was done I felt like I was thrashed.

It was, however, the correct thing to do. The next day I felt significantly better and I've felt pretty good since, although there remains quite a bit of work to do. Since Dara has been getting massage therapy at the place upstairs from our chiro clinic, I went ahead and got signed up with them as well. I went in for my first session with them today; after, I felt quite a bit more relaxed, but also quite tired.

I have run out of painkiller. This has proven annoying only at the end of the work day when I'm more prone to feeling random little blips of pain, but it's otherwise manageable. Better, anyway, because I'm starting to feel mentally clearer--and restless about not doing any writing, a sign I need to be coming back to that Real Soon Now. But my sleep's still kind of disordered, so I've had to resort to valerian. Between that and massage and chiro, I'm hoping to get my sleep patterns stabilized soon. That will in turn help a lot with the return of my brain.

So. Vaguely guilty about not making it to the caucus, but not at all displeased by the news of how things have gone today in Washington state. And once November comes around, I have every expectation of stepping up to the plate with y'all to do my civic duty.

Right now, though, no matter how you caucused or who you caucused for, if you got out there and threw your voice into the fray, I salute you.

Comments

[chamois-shimi.livejournal.com]

*blinkblink* I thought Washington had primaries, not caucuses. Guess that's what I get for moving away shortly after gaining the right to vote. Heh. :P

[annathepiper]

Cool beans! Good for you for volunteering. :)

[solarbird]

It's easy, you'll enjoy it. There's really not that much reading up you need to do, tho' there is of course no harm in it. They should, but may not, mail you a rules and information packet, and you'll actually get to argue platform issues, which is the more interesting part.

[annathepiper]

To make things extra amusing, it's only purely caucus on the Democratic side! On the Republican side there's caucuses AND a primary!

This is apparently a result of recent wrangling back and forth about whether you have to declare a party affiliation during the primaries or something. I've read about it and it's whistled right past my ears. I generally only manage to absorb enough information to figure out "where do I go, how do I indicate my preferences, and what time do I need to be there?" ;)