Stupid, nasty screaming headache! I get weather induced classic migraines...and sudden changes in barometric pressure get me every time.

Pill taken, (out of wafers) room darkened, and a cool cloth, and I should be ok in a wee bit.

Today is my 43rd birthday. I'm not really feeling any older (I haven't since about age 25) but I am feeling a whole lot wiser, and settled in my life.

So far, the day looks very promising spent with two of the kids (middle daughter is away at Uni) furbabies, and my Matthew. There are lots of happy greetings on my Facebook account, and message board. And Matthew's Mom kindly remembered me with a lovely card as she does every year.

There will be all you can eat low fat tacos, and low fat chocolate, fudge brownies! Yum! There has been a visit from the hug monkey, and who can resist the hug monkey?! And prezzies, including a very pretty Juliet bear for my collection.

There is a part of me missing my parents today, but it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Overall I am optimistic about the future, as another bit of passage of my time here is marked.

Image Credit: I've seen this fantastic Aquarius image posted on various sites, but do not know who the artist is. If you do, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

I recently saw The Lovely Bones a film based on the book of the same name by Alice Sebold. I have not read the book, but the film has inspired me to do so.

I will try not to add any spoilers to this entry beyond what is already known via the promotional material.

To be honest I went in with a bit of trepidation because of the subject matter. 2009 was such a horrible year for me that I have purposely looked for either lighthearted entertainment or pure fantasy to escape with. I was not sure how I would feel about a movie that revolves around the brutal rape, and murder of a young teenage girl.

The film gives us a glimpse into the pain, and chaos a family goes through in losing a child to such a senseless crime, as well as the perspective of the victim as she matures within an interpretation of an afterlife.

The segments of Susie in the afterlife, and her influence on the living's thoughts, and affairs were of particular interest to me as a psychical researcher. While the film is fictional the beliefs expressed through the film of some sort of "in-between heaven" that is affected by the surviving consciousness are not that uncommon. I personally thought these scenes were done well, but might be confusing for viewers that do not share these beliefs or understand them.

By the time the film had ended I was surprised to realise that this was as close to a feel good movie as one could get considering the horror that the lead character, and her surviving family had to endure.

In my opinion the film could have been made better. Considering the subject I should have felt a gut wrenching emotional response, which I did not. Although I would be lying if I did not admit it did provoke some tears as I too was a child of the 70's and could relate to Susie, who was played brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan.

It is a gentle film, that did in my opinion get the story's point across without being exploitive of a very touchy subject, and I am not sorry that I saw it.

I have an odd hobby.

Yes, I am well aware that many of you might think the interest, and research into UFOs, and other paranormal topics is oddly enough... However, this one is not related to that, and I'll share it with you.

I like to rescue dying and sickly house plants, and attempt to restore their health. I have been doing this for about 8 years now.

Sometimes I succeed, and other times my efforts are for not....

I find these poor specimens thrown out in other people's trash, others at the back end of flower shops where I can usually purchase one for less than a dollar if they do not just thrust them in my hands happy I guess to be rid of it, and still more are brought to me by people who were made aware of my little project.

Does anyone else do this? Perhaps this is some form of a God complex? I do see it as a challenge.

I am quite proud of my efforts when they go well, and I have several lovely plants to share my home with.

No, dear readers who are familiar with Doctor Who, which just happens to be one of my fave tv shows......

....I am not referring to THIS Doctor Donna. I am writing about the specialist I have been seeing since 2007 because of Graves Disease. In part my endocrinologist's name is Dr. Donna....and the coincidence amused me.

Yesterday the good doctor finally cut me loose because my thyroid numbers are now perfectly normal!!!

I nearly cried when she gave me the news, and I thanked her profusely because she has always been very understanding, and supportive.

For the last couple of years it has been a bit of a nightmare going to the lab monthly (sometimes every two weeks) for blood work, and being on pills that needed constant adjusting. This was the easy part...the horror is what Graves Disease can do to the body, mind, and emotions such as feelings of extreme exhaustion, (I would get tired just putting on make-up) brutal itching, hair falling out, wonky metabolism, excessive mood swings, and the inability to concentrate. It was not surprising to me when I learned that symptoms of thyroid disease can often mimic those of schizophrenia in severe cases, including hallucinations.

It has been very hard on my family too. Can you imagine living with a person going through what I am describing? It should also go without saying, but I was unable to cope with working full-time, so this has been financially draining for us on top of everything else.

I used to feel bad about blogging about the Graves disease because I figured we all have problems ... right? And there are people going through far worse than I can imagine, so who would want to read about mine....but then I thought it might be helpful to someone else who is recently diagnosed to read a bit about my experiences, and not just info from a medical site. Sometimes it helps to get the perspective of someone who has actually been there.

To that end I will migrate my old blog entries related to Graves Disease to my main website where they can be permanently archived, and read by anyone who may find them useful.

As for what happens next, I can be monitored by my family doctor meaning blood work once every 6 months, which is much more manageable, and one pill once per day for the rest of my life. Easy!

I really hope 2010 will be the year I can finally look forward to getting my life back on track!

Image Credit: Wiki licensed under fair use in Canada

So much for a great start to the new year....I bunged up my knee while doing something stupid, and now it looks like it might be hyper extended. I know ..... lots of ice, and keep it elevated, but are there any other suggestions that may speed the healing process?

It ticks me off even more with myself because I was less than 15lbs away from my target weight, and now after the holidays I won't be able to exercise the way I had planned.

Oh well........I guess this means I will hopefully get more work done on the websites as I keep my leg propped up, and await the swelling to go down.