Basement Woes

If you read my blog then you have probably heard me complain about the basement! We had record precipitation this year and all spring the basement was continually flooding. Even the sump-pump and the shop vac. couldn't keep up with it! Eventually things dried out, but the damage was done.

We tried treating the mold with a bleach and water solution, which would seem to help, but the mold would always rebound. Eventually, even though the basement was dry, it was spreading to new surfaces! After finally facing the facts we are in the process of demo-ing out most of the basement.

Ross has been working on it a couple of hours here and there all month long, and he's my hero for doing it, but this has meant no heat! We didn't want to risk turning on the furnace and spreading nasty mold spores all through the house. Luckily he tells me that he is just about finished removing every mold tainted surface and we should have heat by Monday. Thank God!

For your viewing pleasure:

Why Don't They Like Us?

I was stunned to turn on the TV this morning and learn that Chicago's bid was the first to be eliminated in the voting for the 2016 host city. All week the rumor had been that the real contest was between Rio and Chicago, with Tokyo in dead last, so when Chicago dropped out first...like I said, stunning. It continues to amaze me how overlooked Chicago is. When we were in Las Vegas we met two separate couples from the UK who, in addition to Las Vegas, were going to be spending part of their American vacation in L.A. I felt sorry for them! How weird is it that L.A. and Las Vegas are the cities that represent the U.S. to so many visitors? Honestly, of all the cities I've seen in this country, none has the natural beauty combined with the architectural magnificence (not to mentioned the richness of culture and history) of Chicago. I know I may be biased, but I think it is America's finest city.

And yet, poor Chicago, it is much maligned! I had a Spanish teacher in high school who said that when she told Europeans she was from Chicago they would invariably reply with either "Al Capone!" or "Bang, bang!" On our visit to South Carolina this summer a relative said about me "Well, I guess they can't say nothing good ever came out of Chicago." Um, thank you? I hoped that the Olympics would let the world see just what a great city we have, but I guess for the time being Chicago's greatness will continue to be our little secret.

Las Vegas

We're back! I have seen some wonderful sights this summer, but nothing to compare to the sheer spectacle of Las Vegas! I loved the food, the palm trees, the sunshine, and all the dazzling sights.

Jason and Dee were married on Saturday night at the Graceland Chapel and it was awesome. It was impossible to watch Elvis in his leisure suit serenading them both and not grin from ear to ear. Afterward, they took us all to Magiano's for dinner. We were in a lovely private room with a great view of the strip, and we stayed for hours eating delicious Italian food and celebrating the happy couple. (Except for little Joey, who, after a long and eventful day, conked out in the corner for the evening :)

Unfortunately, about half way through the trip Ross came down with a severe cold and spent most of the next couple of days in bed. I spent my fair share of time in bed too - I think I may be a little too old and decrepit for Las Vegas! But I'm glad I finally got see this crazy city and I will never forget it!

Wrigley Field

Somehow I have managed to live 31 years in Chicagoland and never see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field (((gasp))). So yesterday the Stangers remedied this tragic situation by taking Ross and I to the North side to see the Cubbies play the Astros. It was a gorgeous day for a game! Sunshine, blue skies, soft breezes, and, from where we sat, a view of the lake. If that wasn't good enough, the Cubs won, 2 to 0. Afterward we grabbed a bite to eat in the loop and I got Mussomon Curry, yummm. A perfect day :)

Enjoying it While it Lasts!

August is over and the days that I can sit out on my back porch enjoying the tall pines and the flitting birds are numbered! (What will I do when I can't come out here with my laptop and my cup of tea!?) Here are some pictures captured in the back yard on this crisp, crystal clear September evening.

Cantigny, Wheaton, IL

Some Random Plans and Gripes about the Weather

It has been raining almost constantly for three days. With multiple applications of bleach we thought we had killed the mold down in the basement but last night that old familiar smell started creeping up the basement stairs and in through the vents. Grrrrr. It's incredibly wet, and cold, and depressing. I could never live in a country with a monsoon season.

At least the weekend starts tomorrow. I'm ready to get this week behind me. It hasn't been a bad week, but it's been hard to get much done! The weather lady said we could see sunshine on Saturday, and Sunday we have Dee's bridal shower to look forward to. Yea!

Next week I go to my first ever Cubs game! (My first professional baseball game of any kind, actually!) I'm excited to see Wrigley Field from the inside, and eat a hot dog in the stands, and hang out in such a special place with the Stangers and Ross. Hopefully all the rain will have moved on by then.

And then the following week we head to Las Vegas for the long awaited, much anticipated, historic joining of Jason and Dee in wedded matrimony! (And I have it on good authority that it won't be cold or rainy.)

Dreaming of Family

I've been dreaming about family a lot lately. Last night I dreamed that we tracked down a long lost aunt who, after telling us all sorts of entertaining but very implausible stories about our ancestors, made me promise to name my first born Mickey, after a forgotten great-uncle. I woke up thinking, what have I done, he's going to get beaten up! However, a cup of coffee later, I realized that promises made to imaginary aunts in a dream are probably non-binding.

There is a lot going on in the family these days. Last month we went down to South Carolina for Ross's cousin's wedding - next month we are going down to Las Vegas for my brother, Jason's wedding - and then in December my brother Noah and his wife will be welcoming their first child. It's comforting that in this long stretch of very little happening for Ross and I, that our family continues to grow and start new adventures. It breaks the illusion that we are living in some kind of dreamy, limbo world and reminds us that growth and new adventures are on our horizon too, even if they feel so out of reach at the moment.

Doctor Who, Waters of Mars

Last I heard, this should air in mid-November. If you look closely, the blue screen that flashes after the captain character asks the Doctor "Which is what?" has people speculating that it is Rose Tyler standing there holding her new baby brother, Tony. That would be pretty awesome, but it could be some other blond holding a baby and saying a teary farewell to her man stationed on Mars. But would they have blurred out the face if it was, or even bothered to include it in the trailer? Rumor also has it that Rose Tyler and Jackie Tyler will appear in the season finale (or final special or whatever you wanna call it.)

Fixing my Fibromyalgia

After reading more about Dr. Teitelbaum's approach, I went and bought his book, and I'm trying out the SHIN protocol. The first three weeks you focus on sleep, pain management, and nutrition. It gets more complicated after that, with weeks 4-8 focused on detecting and correcting hormone imbalance, and weeks 9-20 focused on rooting out any hidden infections.

For the sleep thing I've started taking Suntheanine, which has been awesome for daytime nervousness and anxiety. For me this is a big deal because my social anxiety is a real aggravating factor with my FMS and keeps me from doing a lot of things that I would otherwise enjoy. As for sleep, I'm not sure yet. The first few days it didn't seem to help, but I just started taking a larger dose at bedtime and it seemed to work last night, so we'll see. I also brought the foam mattress topper down from the guest room and put it on our bed, and that seems to be helping too.

For nutrition I'm taking a bunch of supplements, but the most important one, according to Dr. Teitelbaum, is D-ribose. It's a sugar that your muscles need to repair themselves and people with Fibromyalgia usually don't produce enough on their own. So I take it three times a day, and I should start seeing results by 2-4 weeks.

The pain thing is trickier. Tylenol doesn't work, Ibuprofen makes my stomach bleed, and I'm avoiding prescription pain killers. The idea is that the supplements should eventually start helping with the pain. In the meantime I'm just doing the same things I usually do - try to wear my sneakers for good support, take lots of hot baths, don't over exert myself, use O24 for localized pain, etc.

I'm remaining cautiously hopeful about this treatment plan. I've been down this road before, and I never get the amazing results promised. But this SHIN thing takes such a broad approach...and if nothing else I'm already thrilled with the Suntheanine. We'll see!