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The Migraine, the Massage and the Monsoon

24 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

aura, car, dumbass, family, haircut, headache, job, massage, naked, pain, water

I always say that you really pay for it both before and after trying to take a few days off from work at a super busy time of the year.  As much as it’s necessary to take a break occasionally, the preparation for being away and the rush of returning and trying to catch up in a fast-moving work environment and a small (or not so small) mountain of email can take its toll. 

I feel very fortunate that I have very little to complain about with my current job.  For the last five years most of my work has been short-term consulting engagements, about a year or less in length, and I’ve really hit the jackpot with this current team.  But taking a typical vacation is not really in the cards for me.  I am only paid for hours worked (and pretty well paid, but still vacations are not paid). 

Doing short-term engagements has allowed me to zoom in and out of very different work environments and cultures and to learn a lot very rapidly – both best practices and things to avoid.  There’s an art to it – you’ve got to hit the ground running, develop rapport very quickly with your new colleagues, get your bearings on what’s happening and what needs to happen, and add value from Day One.  So, trying to carve out a week-long vacation, say, can be challenging, unless it’s negotiated right up front when interviewing for the position.  There’s a chance it might be a deal-breaker if it’s during a crucial time in the project.  And I don’t count my time off between work engagements as true vacation time, for my drive to network and land a new engagement is the noise that overshadows any attempt at really unplugging for a while and relaxing.  Perhaps I’ll get better at that the next time around!

I came back to work on Tuesday after a relaxing 4-day weekend with family in town visiting from Chicago.  Ahhh, when I am with them all is right with the world.  And when I got back to the office I had a very brief 10-second moment of bliss, and then the (absolutely expected) WHAMMO debrief of a ton of stuff that happened that I needed to catch up on – fast. 

This time of year is even more hectic.  The company’s fiscal year ends at the end of June, so everyone’s a little extra nutty trying to wrap things up, make sure budgets close out when they’re supposed to…oh, and come July, this place turns into a bowling alley.  Everyone (well, the employees that is) skips town and goes on very well-deserved vacations.  And it’s usually the contingent staff that covers.  This is the 4th business unit I’ve consulted with at this company, and this year actually marks TEN years of consulting here over the past 13 years – wow!  So I’m very, very familiar with the rhythms of business at this company and how the last half of June is a 27-ring circus.  Get stuff done before the fiscal years closes out AND before everyone goes on vacation!

By Thursday I was feeling pretty much caught up, enough to where I felt good carving out a (spontaneous) true hour-long lunch with my former office mate who now is with a different part of our work division.  I’m so glad we are keeping in touch!  We each had Chiang Mai noodle soup – absolutely delicious.  Curry does not typically agree with me (big bummer) but the curry in this soup is very light, and the flavors and spices make this one of the best lunches on the campus – love it!

Then I had a tiny flash of light dot in front of me.  Oh shit, here it comes.  A migraine.  K and I finished our lunches, hugged and walked back to our offices.  I swung by the first aid cabinet in our break room and fumbled around for some sort of pain reliever.  Sometimes if I pop something right when it hits it will dissipate fairly quickly and won’t linger.

This time I wasn’t so lucky.  But let me back up a minute here.  I am one of the lucky (tongue in cheek) few who are ‘blessed’ with occasional menstrual-related migraines.  Now don’t worry, I’m not going to get too gory in here about female stuff.  I just know that if I do get them, they’re going to be female hormone triggered.  Oh yay. Years and years ago in college when they started happening, my doctor prescribed a very mild anti-depressant.  I remember thinking that was odd…I have migraines, I’m not depressed!  But they worked. 

As the years went by I tried seeing if there were ways to avoid these types of migraines without depending upon a prescription.  I read that there are certain triggers (foods, etc) that might play a part.  Or that perhaps getting more exercise would help.  Caffeine, red wine, cheeses, chocolate…and for me, perhaps curry?  Hmmm, as good as those noodles were, perhaps I should have avoided them that particular day.  And then I remembered…I had a very small wedge of Brie for breakfast that morning.  Oops.  Those two foods in one day were probably not a good idea, and now I was paying the price.

I had a meeting with my manager right after lunch.  The “aura” part of the migraine was starting to increase and my vision was slightly blurred.  I grabbed my laptop, walked into her office and said “hey, I’m not trying to be dramatic here but I’m having a migraine episode.  So if my eyes seem a little out of focus, that’s why.  My vision is a little blurry but this should pass in about 10 or 15 minutes.”  We forged ahead with our work.  Like I wrote earlier, this is a super busy time of year.

What happens with these migraines, you’re wondering?  Well, in my case the tiny bright spot of light slowly turns into an oval or circular ring of pulsating, vibrating colors.  It gets wider and wider until it leaves my field of vision.  Then the after effects set in – a pins and needles feeling in my upper shoulders and back of the neck, the same feeling like when your foot goes to sleep.  Then, a little nausea.  And nope, closing my eyes does not shut out the aura. 

Thankfully I’ve been through this a few times and know what to expect.  And knock on wood, it’s never happened when I’m driving.  Or playing hockey.  Usually a good night’s sleep will leave me refreshed and with all symptoms gone. 

But the next day, Friday, my neck and shoulders were still feeling prickly and horribly stiff.  Wow, this episode was a doozy.  But I smiled, knowing I had a massage booked for later that night.  Relief!

Last month I had a massage for the first time in years.  And I’m going to try to get one once a month and see if this can bring some relief to my neck and shoulders which seem to have the weight of the world on them.  Turns out that in the month since my first massage with J, she is now completely mobile.  She brings her massage table, blankets, music and everything to her clients’ houses!  So hmmmm, this was going to be an interesting change.

I told her about my migraine episode the day before, and we agreed we’d spend the whole hour just working on my back, shoulders, pecs and scalp, not the whole body.  She set up her table in my living room meanwhile and then went into my powder room to wait for me to disrobe and get under the blankets.  Before doing this I laughed and said you know, this is a little weird being naked in my living room.  She laughed as well and said lots of her clients make that same comment!  And it’s true!  I live in a townhouse so all bedrooms are upstairs.  I’m rarely naked down on the main level in the living room, dining room or kitchen (but when I am there is always a guy involved, heh).  OK…anyway back on track here.

J gave a wonderful massage.  At first I had a hard time relaxing because, well, here I was naked in my living room (under blankets) on a massage table which was a first for me…and I realized that I prefer getting massages where I’m not in my home.  For awhile my mind was racing as I pondered everything in the living room, even with my eyes closed in the face cradle…did I dust that coffee table?  Man, I need a new TV.  Should I get new pillows for the sofa?  And on and on.  Finally, I was able to just breathe deeply and enjoy the massage.  J explained that our blood vessels constrict during a migraine, so the massage is a great antidote to increase blood flow back to my scalp, neck and shoulders. I felt so incredibly relaxed when she was done…and refreshed…and taller! 

Now, have I ranted enough about how bad the weather is in June in the Seattle area?  We call it “June-uary” actually.  And we joke that summer does not officially start until July 5th.  Yep, AFTER the fireworks shows on the 4th, which often have to adjust for lower altitudes, otherwise the fireworks will get lost in the thick, grey clouds.  Kind of sad, right?  Well, this June has been pretty crappy, save for a few sunny days.

I woke up yesterday, showered and headed out to the salon for a haircut.  I remember driving into the city and thinking wow, those are some angry black clouds on the horizon.  It wasn’t raining, however.

Fast forward an hour and the skies opened up.  Torrential, pouring rains…and wind.  We got over an inch of rain in about two hours, so say the news folks.  Unbelievable!  I was so relieved I had parked in the garage under the building where my hair salon is.  I had no coat and no umbrella…I would have been soaked through, not to mention ruined my freshly styled hair!

I slipped my parking validation ticket into the machine at the garage exit.  The garage had closed so there was no one around, and there is a chain type of door that raises and lowers automatically just like a garage door.  It opened as I drove up and I remember thinking I should wait until it completely opened, as I’m not the best judge of space and distance.

But when the garage chain door finished opening, it immediately starting closing!  I had a brief moment of panic…do I go for it or just wait for it to close and ring the attendant?

I floored my car and squealed out of there.  Keep in mind there is a very sharp turn immediately coming out of the garage, so I lurched forward and prayed the chain door would not hit my car on the way out.  And immediately got blasted with the heavy rain pouring down.  Man, I am such a dumbass sometimes.  The car and I got out of the garage just fine.

And while we’re on the topic of dumbass, I got home and realized I’d left my master bedroom window open for some fresh air.  This was long before the rains came pounding through.  Now I had soaked wood blinds and a flooded window sill!  Damn!!  Water drops were hanging off the wood.  I immediately grabbed a towel and carefully started mopping up what I could.  Ugh.  Thank goodness for that small wet/dry vac I picked up when L and I started the popcorn ceiling scraping project.  Who in the hell leaves a south-facing window open on a day like that?  Oh wait…that was me.  After vacuuming up what water I could from the window sill it was full again after an hour.  Geez we got soaked.

I’m so ready for a pain-free and dry week ahead!

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Two Surprising Ds

02 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bra, cafeteria, colleague, connections, D, escalator, gossip, haircut, lingerie, Nordstrom

I had a really great week but up until yesterday still hadn’t had an aha moment or two or three to inspire me to write today.

Then, within hours, two sprang up yesterday.  Quite literally, actually.

Saturday was a couple hours at the salon getting my color touched up and my hair cut.  Good laughs and time to get my OK! and People mag fixes.  I’m all caught up on celebrity gossip now!

Then, I forced myself to go to the mall.  I LOVE shopping, but I can’t stand shopping for bras.  Yeah, bras and swimsuits are the two worst.  Not fun.  But believe me, it was time.  When your bras stop doing their job, wires break, well it ain’t pretty and it’s super uncomfortable.  And, as much as I hate to admit it, some of mine are a leeetle too tight in the band now.  That’s either weight gain, loss of muscle tone or both.  So I figured I would do the bra shopping first and then do something fun afterwards, like get some new makeup or perfume to reward myself. And why “waste” freshly-done hair by just going home, right?

Next destination:  the lingerie section at Nordstrom in Bellevue Square.  OK, I had to first stop in makeup, jewelry and then upstairs to look at cute sweaters.  THEN I headed up the escalator and procrastinated some more…browsing around looking at cute sleepwear…then a sales person asked if I needed help.  Ummm…yeah, I need new bras I kind of mumbled.  She smiled and said no problem and that she’d measure me to make sure I had the right size.  

OK, I remember doing this a few years ago.  I was super self-conscious about it as that was my first time ever getting fitted, but they are pros.  And it’s a free service!  Alright, are you wondering how they do it?  C’mon, you’re curious, admit it.  Here’s what happens:  you and your fitter go into a dressing room.  You take your top off with your back turned to the fitter and face a non-mirrored wall.  You keep your bra on, and she measures you for your band size.  Then she asks if you have a favorite brand.  She comes back with a few basic styles just to get an idea of your cup size and you take it from there.  She helps you into the bras by standing behind you and holding it for you to slip your arms through.  Then she fastens it in the back and you turn around and she helps you get it adjusted and helps decide if it’s a good fit or not.  So yay, no bare booby moments with the fitter.

So as she was measuring me she said yeah, you’re around a 36.  Really?  That’s what I’ve worn for years and now most of my bras are too snug even in the loosest clasp.  She said, well, yes, you might be more around a 38 – we’ll try both.  OK, that sounds good to me…well, not really that I’ve gone up a band size but that’s reality right now.  My favorite brand, by the way?  Chantelle.  These bras are beautifully made and just really work well on my figure. No, they’re not cheap, but they last for years and years.  And that day I was on a mission to get t-shirt style bras…those that are just simple and smooth and don’t have a lot of lace.  Just basics that look nice under sweaters.

As L was heading out of the dressing room to grab a few for me to try, I said oh, these are gonna be C cup, right?  She smiled and said, no…D.

I stood there in shock, looking at this petite brunette who was probably all of 30 who had just measured me…and I looked her right in the eye and said are you shittin’ me? Good Lord almighty.  Normally I can keep my cool but that just popped out of my mouth.  L kept her cool, smiled and didn’t miss a beat.  No, that’s your size, she says.  And we both laughed a little.  Man, I’m sure she hears it all with that kind of job.

Then she left the dressing room.  And I had a rather awkward moment with myself.  What the hell is it about store dressing rooms…the light is always so unflattering.  I sat down in the corner seat and looked across into the mirror…I’m just wearing jeans, black high-heeled boots and my now-too-tight Chantelle bra.  My pale skin looks like a plucked chicken in that horrible fluorescent lighting.  My lost muscle tone.  Rolls and bulges I don’t remember seeing before, made worse as I was sitting down in my jeans. UGH IS THIS ME? 

And how in the hell am I now a D cup?  That just seems…well, BIG.  I’d been a 34B for years…forever it seemed.  And I could never quite fill out that cup size but I would buy it anyway just ’cause.  ‘Cause that was my size!  Back in college we had a joke club in our sorority:  the IBTC.  Yep, the itty bitty titty committee.  And I was Vice President.  I remember later when I first got professionally fitted and found out I’d morphed into a 36C.  And now, up another size yet again.

A few minutes later L came back and I came mentally back to 2011 after that daydream down Bra Memory Lane.  I giggled again and said sorry, I’m still trying to process this new info!  Anyway, we tried on a few styles and I ended up with 3 I really liked.  Not loved, because, well I still was in shock.  L was great the entire time…I thanked her so much for her help and said thank you for making a not-so-fun chore a tiny bit fun for me!  She really was fantastic.

$235 later I was on my way back down the escalator, headed into the main mall.  (Yeah, I told you these bras are not cheap, eesh). I looked down at my shopping bag, new bras all nicely wrapped with tissue.  And smiled.

Next it was off to Sephora – I was tempted to get a new mascara but then remembered I have a ton at home.  Willpower, yes!

I walked past the Michael Kors store and realized I hadn’t been in there in awhile.  I really love his stuff and how this store is laid out.  An SA approached me and he and I chatted for awhile, admiring shoes and bags (ahh, my favorites!)  I wasn’t really in the mood to purchase a bag given the $$ I just spent on my new bras, BUT I then suddenly remembered how everyone raves about Michael Kors perfume…and I’ve never tried it!  So I asked R to show me the perfume.  I tried a little spritz of it and LOVED it.  I have no idea how to describe it but I am in love with it.  Amazing.

R was waiting for a cash register so he could ring me up and we just chatted for awhile.  He asked what I do for a living and I said I’m consulting at (name of company).  Then I heard a somewhat loud woman’s voice behind me:

“I THOUGHT that was you!!”

Do you know that moment when you turn around and see someone you think you recognize but aren’t quite sure how to place it?  I smiled and looked at the woman.  Where do I know her from?  Then she jumped in, “…building 110, remember?  The cafeteria??”  Aha, now I do!  Too funny!

Back at my last work engagement, consultants did not get official, assigned workspaces.  You could try squatting in empty cubicles but more often than not the routine was to either work at home (which I can’t stand) or find a place in the cafeteria that’s close to an electrical outlet.  This also was a less than ideal setup – the chairs are not ergonomically correct for sitting for hours, and during the peak lunch hours it gets so noisy it’s hard to concentrate.  And don’t even try to be on a conference call during those times – too much background noise.  But I knew that would be the deal going into the gig so I wasn’t too surprised when I had to give up my unofficial cubicle.

So I officially met D, my cafeteria colleague.  She too has moved to another group on campus, and we had a blast reconnecting, sharing our common memory of the ol’ cafeteria.  We talked about networking and how important it is, especially in our line of work.  She explained, while purchasing an incredible black leather bag, how she is a part of a group of women who meet periodically for professional networking.  Sign me up!  I handed her one of my Silpada business cards and she said oh…jewelry?  We may need to REALLY chat soon now!  

R, the SA, was very patient, waiting for D and me to finish our chat as he wrapped up my new perfume.  He smiled, hearing us reconnect and all.

Will D and I stay in contact?  I sure hope so – I really liked her personality and energy.  And in just that short chat we seemed to have a lot in common.  

I drove home, smiling.  New haircut, new bras and a new colleague connection!  That’s the funny and cool thing about weekends…you never know what’s gonna happen!        

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