This Ro(a)mantic Life: Because this never happens

Body: in sickness and in health

I won't lie; this body and I have had our issues with each other for many years. Body image -- sure. Physical and mental overextension -- comes with being a Type A kind of girl. I still struggle with these things, so they show up from time to time in my writing.

More recently, illness, pure but not simple, has added itself to the mix in a multi-system sort of way. And the challenges in figuring out exactly what's gone wrong are many. As problems have revealed themselves in the last few years, beginning with reactive hypoglycemia in late 2008, I've documented them here, partly to gain a little clarity on managing complex conditions but mostly to give voice to vulnerabilities I feel but don't normally share with anyone face to face. Better out than in, they say, right? (Oh yes, humor is one way I deal.)

The links below cover the different angles I've examined (and from which I've been examined) within that experience.

Travel: neither here nor there

When the person you're married to lives two time zones away, you log a fair number of frequent flier miles. And if you blog about commuter relationships, you log quite a few posts en route too.

Since we're no longer in separate places, I blog less often from airports. But we do travel -- together now! -- which is much more fun to write about. So in addition to thoughts on our years of commuting, the links below cover the places we've been as a pair and, in some cases, the adventures that have happened on the way.

Writing: the long and short of it

Why do I do it? Good question. Maybe it's not so much that I like to write but that I have to write, even when the words refuse to stick to the page. Believe me, I've tried doing other things like majoring in biochemistry (freshman fall, many semesters ago). Within a year, I'd switched to English with a concentration in creative writing and wasn't looking back.

After graduating, I taught English for a few years and then worked as an editor, which I still do freelance. In 2007, I applied and got into an MFA program at a place I like to call Little U. on the Prairie. I finished my degree in 2011 and have been balancing tutoring and writing on my own ever since.

The following links cover the writing I've done about writing: process, content, obstacles, you name it. It's not always pretty. But some part of me loves it, even when it's hard. And this is the result.

Heart: family and friends

I'd have a hard time explaining who I am without being able to talk about the family I grew up in as well as the people I've met beyond its bounds. But even with such context, it's not easy! In the simplest terms, I'm a first-generation Asian-American who has spent most of this life caught between cultures. That, of course, doesn't even begin to describe what I mean to, but there's my first stab at the heart of it all.

That's what this group of posts is reserved for -- heart. The essential parts of my life whose influences I carry with me, for better or worse. The links below cover what I've written as I've learned how these forces work within me, for me, against me, in spite of me. They anchor me even as they change me, and they keep life interesting.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Because this never happens

... I had to take a picture. Yep, those are my (rather foreshortened) legs stretched across all three seats on the plane from Chicago to Seattle on Tuesday. Thank you to the two passengers who decided they wanted upgrades or standby seats on an earlier flight. You made those four hours so much better than they might have been.

It looks like all the testing is over for at least a month. And several of the tests came back with results we can actually work with, so it was very much worth all the trouble. Many thanks to Dr. Specialist for the very thorough work-up and for helping me retain some sense of dignity through what were some fairly dignity-robbing circumstances. Many more thanks to Almost Dr. Sis for getting me where I needed to be for all those appointments -- I know it couldn't have been easy with the tough stuff you were dealing with in your own life. The gods of timing, eh? How they mock us sometimes.

I'm happy to say I've recovered from the last round of sedation (Versed + Demerol = one very groggy Troubadour, even more so than after general anesthesia! WTF?). That said, it's taking me longer to bounce back from these last two weeks than I thought it would, for a lot of reasons, some unexpected.

Fortunately, D and I have a long weekend planned just for us at a local bed-and-breakfast. So I'm looking forward to that. Maybe when we get back, some more trip-related news. And if not, then definitely one more curlicue-related story.

7 comments:

Lynnda - Passionate for the Glory of God said...: Hello, Troubadour;

I read on Rachell G's blog that you write nonfiction. You might want to join us at http://aspiringwritersofnonfiction.blogspot.com/.

Be blessed,

Lynnda; March 5, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Good Enough Woman said...: CT, Glad you are finished and, for the most part, faring well (do you like all of my accidental alliteration?). Hope you and D have a great weekend. And three cheers for all of your airplane leg room.

Hugs.; March 6, 2010 at 9:46 AM
French Fancy... said...: Hoorah that the tests are over and that they threw up useful stuff. I can only imagine some of the positions you had to assume and you were in my thoughts.

Good news on the legs aloft on the plane situation. Have a great weekend when it is you and D back together again

xx; March 6, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Anonymous said...: It sounds like you were well-deserving of some extra legroom on your flight. I hope you enjoy your weekend.; March 6, 2010 at 2:00 PM
TKW said...: Congrats on the score with the airplane seating! Hope your results came out favorable? Thinking of you.; March 7, 2010 at 8:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Hoorah for extra leg room. Glad the testing is behind you. Hope you're bouncing right along soon!; March 9, 2010 at 4:50 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...: Thanks, all, for the good wishes! The timing on the getaway weekend was fortuitous indeed.; March 10, 2010 at 8:16 PM

Friday, March 5, 2010

Because this never happens

7 comments:

Lynnda - Passionate for the Glory of God said...: Hello, Troubadour;

I read on Rachell G's blog that you write nonfiction. You might want to join us at http://aspiringwritersofnonfiction.blogspot.com/.

Be blessed,

Lynnda; March 5, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Good Enough Woman said...: CT, Glad you are finished and, for the most part, faring well (do you like all of my accidental alliteration?). Hope you and D have a great weekend. And three cheers for all of your airplane leg room.

Hugs.; March 6, 2010 at 9:46 AM
French Fancy... said...: Hoorah that the tests are over and that they threw up useful stuff. I can only imagine some of the positions you had to assume and you were in my thoughts.

Good news on the legs aloft on the plane situation. Have a great weekend when it is you and D back together again

xx; March 6, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Anonymous said...: It sounds like you were well-deserving of some extra legroom on your flight. I hope you enjoy your weekend.; March 6, 2010 at 2:00 PM
TKW said...: Congrats on the score with the airplane seating! Hope your results came out favorable? Thinking of you.; March 7, 2010 at 8:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Hoorah for extra leg room. Glad the testing is behind you. Hope you're bouncing right along soon!; March 9, 2010 at 4:50 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...: Thanks, all, for the good wishes! The timing on the getaway weekend was fortuitous indeed.; March 10, 2010 at 8:16 PM

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Body: in sickness and in health

Travel: neither here nor there

Writing: the long and short of it

Heart: family and friends

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Friday, March 5, 2010

Because this never happens

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Friday, March 5, 2010

Because this never happens

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