Best birthday gift ever: medicine from Dr. Lam getting rid of my tummy virus after seven days of food poisoning. After four days, first quack doctor told me try going on a water/Gatorade/jello diet for 2 days with no food including soup. Major torture. So HAPPY to be eating and functioning without pain now. Since Saturday I have seriously cherished every single bite of everything I eat. Not that I didn't before...
Amid the daily uncertainty, unceasing lies and accusations, destructive harassment, an almost-death, and two violent deaths affecting people really close to me, I feel almost inappropriate trying to even think about the happier things in life. But even at funerals, people start healing by focusing on the positive, so I just need to do this.
-P moved down here in June. We work really close to each other and it's great to see each other more than once a month now. For our 2 1/2 year, we had a picnic lunch at the plaza between our offices with his homemade pork belly, pickled red onions, and sliced mangoes and melons for dessert. Really not sure how we managed it for a year because I can't imagine having it any other way now. -I get to see my mom everyday. -My brother is excited about moving to Boston and apparently is quite the social butterfly. He's already met and hung out with people who will be living on his floor next year (thanks to FB). -I am really grateful to have some wonderful friends who are there for me, and for Phuong too. -Went on a fun girls-only trip to Vegas for the first time. -Hmm what else. I billed about 384 hours in June and July in an attempt to get back on track to meet my minimum, and did about 40 hours of pro bono. This is a good thing, all things considered. Plus it provided a distraction. -I finalized an adoption for an adorable 8 year old boy and quarreled with DCFS until his new adoptive mom got more than $14,000 in retroactive benefits (a special rate for his autism) that she should've been getting. -Went to a case management conference that went berzerk and got the case dismissed, yay.
Okay, that was therapeutic and I feel slightly better now. I really wish I could be up north for him now though.
As a little kid I used to sing in the shower. I loved Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" and "Phantom of the Opera" in particular and would sing them on repeat until my fingertips got super wrinkly. At some point that just stopped.
On my way home from work I used to sing along to a CD of my favorite songs in the car--no matter how crappy my day was or how tired I was because it helped improve my mood--even if I only had enough to energy to hum. Since last month I haven't been able to do it.
At work I've started listening to Pandora radio (the best thing ever) with music in the style of Rent (only during doc review unfortunately since La Vie Boheme is not conducive to drafting motions). Both of my childhood songs popped up one day and made me think back to the happier, more carefree times.
The happy and optimistic, less moody side of me was inherited from my Mom, and for her I am ever grateful. She used to sing too, on random occasions during the day. Her world has crashed more than mine, and it is a helpless situation because there is only so much I can do, but I am going to do everything possible in hopes that maybe someday we can both sing again.
Currently Rent (2005 Movie Soundtrack) By Jonathan Larson, Rosario Dawson, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Anthony Rapp, Tracie Thoms see related
Everything appears to be about the same as I go about my day from one thing to another, but in my mind it is one really horrible dream in slow motion. A part of me definitely died yesterday. 2008 was supposed to be the big year of change. 2009 so far has been another big year of change but in the worst, most wrong ways possible.
Went to the House of Blues last week and listened to Scott's band, which was super fun. The fact that this guy is a partner at my firm makes it even cooler b/c in the office you would never imagine he plays in a band.
Went to the Ahmanson Theater tonight to watch Ain't Misbehavin, a musical tribute to music by Fats Waller from the early 1900s, thanks to a friend who had an extra ticket to super duper orchestra row seats. The music was super energetic, quite powerful, and hilarious at times.
A friend has gone through tragedy like seriously no other this past month and I hope she is finding solace in music, and in her many friends who have been there to support her.
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