la la la new goal

oh! and i have another project to work on.

a friend of mine in new hampshire is working on a comprehensive BJM archive, and i'll probably end up designing the layout of the site. whew! it's pretty extensive so far, but it's pretty boring as far as layout. (as in, there is NO layout, whatsoever) it's nowhere near complete, either.

this also gives me a chance to teach myself how to make searchable online databases (perhaps, depends on what he wants to do with the site) and more interactive layouts.

second thoughts

last night i had my first real "freakout" about this study. all of a sudden (unfortunately right in the middle of a really amazing set by henry james) i started worrying that it was going to be like high school all over again.

my mom sent me to live in new mexico with relatives after my freshman year of high school, and everyone was completely different when i got back. this is actually a longer period of time (i was in new mexico 2 months, i'll be 3 months+ rehabilitation for this study) but i know this isn't high school anymore, it was just a past experience versus unknown territory flip out.

i talked to ricki (the study coordinator at the cleveland clinic) and she said that there ARE going to be days where i just want to get up and leave. but that she was going to be around, the nurses, the doctors, the lab staff, the volunteers, my friends, etc..... they're all going to be around to help me out with this. it's my entire life for three months. and that can be a little overwhelming. but i've got a big support network around me and things are gonna be alright.

future accomplishments

they (the study coordinators) want me to go into this study with goals. things to accomplish while i'm laying in bed for twelve weeks. so here are my goals:

* knit or crochet blanket for project linus
* learn (at least) one new knitting/crochet technique a week
* work extensively on graphic design so i have a huge portfolio by the time i leave the clinic.
* master lucid dreaming
* read the teachings of buddha.
* try meditation every day.
* two words: rubik's cube.
* work on the "doodle tape" (a continuous design on cash register tape.) get at least a foot done every day. will be for use in posters and whatnot, mostly borders and pretty backgrounds.
* devise a plan for world dominationn,,,,,,,,, errr, financial independence.
* try my hand at fashion/jewelry design. employ my fabulously talented and mobile friends to create said designs. (and quietly make a fortune from my hospital bed. ^_^)
* learn how to use programs like fruity loops so i'm not completely unproductive in the musical aspect of my life.
* and, if they'll let me, i'll teach myself how to play guitar. but if i have a roommate, i'll probably skip this.



bedrest, coping with bedrest

reading materials

'Around the World in 80 Days' and '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne
'slaughterhouse five' and 'mother night' by kurt vonnegut
'the painted bird' by jerzy kosinski
'the little prince' by antoine de saint exupery
'the jungle' by upton sinclair
'the jungle book' by rudyard kipling
'the catcher in the rye' and 'franny and zooey' by j.d. salinger
'walden and civil disobedience' by henry david thoreau
'the count of monte cristo' by alexandre dumas
'the cider house rules' by john irving
'siddhartha' by hermann hesse
'jitterbug perfume' by tom robbins
'black sun' by edward abbey
'them' by joyce carol oates
'house of leaves' by mark z danielewski
the teachings of buddha

books, boredom, coping with bedrest, Reading, bedrest

introesque

first things first.

I'm participating in the NASA-sponsored bedrest study at the Cleveland Clinic. Well, I will be in about a month. I've passed all of the initial screening and I am FOR SURE going to be a part of this. I'm THRILLED! whoooooooooooooo.


This is THREE WHOLE MONTHS of laying in bed. And they mean business. They have an ALARM that goes off if you try to get out of bed.

I'm going to be chronicling the entire experience here, hopefully I won't bore everyone too much with mundane details.

technorati: bedrest (test)