how long, how long til we reach the bottom of the lake
21 May 2006
ok, it's finally sunday, and i have been pushing myself so hard to be able to do everything for myself since i got home that i can barely move today. but, i'm going back out tonight to the expecting rain show at the beachland... la la la... gotta try to get dressed and not look like crap ^_^.... i really relaly overdid it and barely moved for most of today. ow.
oops. forgot the CD of pictures and other files off the laptop at the clinic. oh well. i'll be back there tomorrow for rehab and a visit with george, who's going through more of the screening process.
the flickr account has been upgraded to pro, so all of my pictures are visible. i'll be handing off the passwords to these to george and becca too. (ps, becca, do you need a second invite? i was wondering if something got messed up the first time. let me know!)
i will also be buying a domain name, probably in the next week or so, but i'm not entirely sure about how to integrate a blogger site into a site, which hosts are good and which aren't. any recommendations on where to buy the name and where to host, please email me. also, does anyone know if it's possible to be hosting two different blogger blogs on the same domain? so we could have seperate blogs but as subdomains for the same place? ie, stardustholiday.com/erin or stardustholiday.com/george or whatever else. i think that would be pretty cool.
i'm finally home, kicking back and having a couple beers. it's been a long strange three months, but let me tell you: it's good to be home. it is damned good to be home.
ok, thursday now, i've had zero internet access and 500 million things (exaggeration) to take care of. exhausted? yes. happy? absolutely.
i have about 100 pictures (not an exaggeration) from the past few days, so when i get home (TONIGHT! I'M GOING HOME TONIGHT!!!) i'll start with photo posts and explaining what it is that i've been doing for three days.
yes! i'm still alive! standing up hurts like a bitch, but i love being semi-independent again. sorry for the short post, i just wanted to let everyone know that i'm doing well and i'll be back to blogging. i'm waiting for the hotel car right now to take me over for a full day of strength testing, MRIs and the works. but i'm doing alright, and i've got about 50 million pictures coming soon.
first sitting up in 12 weeks.... wow. i haven't "gone white" yet, so i'm doing alright. i feel a little shaky and really disoriented, but doing well so far. and this is how long my hair has gotten in three months. and yea i look crosseyed, we were having problems with the camera and i was focused on it for too long >_<
more pictures as the morning progresses, but i don't know if i'll be able to post them. it's going to get pretty crazy after 9ish.
mike finished emptying out my room today, the walls are bare and depressing. my money tree is still here, the first plant that came into my room, and the last plant to leave. there are still odds and ends here and there, mike is coming back with the empty suitcase to pack up my clothes for my move to the hotel.
i am so ANXIOUS! argh!
i have a tickertape going through my head and all it says is "get out of bed" over and over and over.
so today was mother's day, and i bought my presents through holly (kiss kiss! thank you so much for the discount hookup) so those should be out shortly. and the hospital food service staff likes to do nice things on holidays, so there was a little basket of hershey's freaking kisses on my lunch tray. OMG EVIL EVIL EVIL! so tammy put them up on the ledge where my animal parade used to be and said "when you can reach them, you can have them".... fair enough. i really want to get up and grab them now, but i'm pretty sure i'd be a crumpled heap on the floor.
dr cavanagh was in on thursday with a present..... a box of malley's chocolates. i'm going to devour that in .... ok, i won't do it in one sitting. but wow, am i ever going to tear into that. no chocolate for three months. wow. but the reason he came in on thursday is because he was leaving for england later that day. he's giving a talk about diabetic foot issues on monday, err, tomorrow in london. so he won't be here, i'm disappointed, but i'll still be getting out of bed tomorrow!
george came in and we played quite possibly the geekiest game of scrabble EVER. we couldn't lay out a board without it being a bit of a hassle, so he brought his laptop, got onto the CCF public wireless network, and we played internet scrabble.
suzanne, who has been an inspiration to me during the later part of the study (and a fellow bedrester, although hers was mandatory) brought in a card and a scarf that she made herself. she taught herself how to crochet from one of those kits that a part of the proceeds go to breast cancer research and made me a pink scarf! amazing, considering that four weeks ago she was struggling like a madwoman with casting on her knitting.
i also taught the lab's summer student intern how to knit on thursday, hurrah! what's the count up to now?
i have a lot of thoughts and reflections on 12 weeks of bedrest, but right now, my brain is focused on one thing, and that is getting out of this bed tomorrow morning. i am so excited it hurts. philosophical reflections will have to wait for a couple days while i get over the insanity of getting out of bed and all of the post bedrest testing that needs to get done before i get my earth legs back.
ok, ok! i should be sleeping now. but wow, i'm too excited. valium has had zero effect. the tickertape of the unconscious is still going : i'm getting out of bed tomorrow, i'm getting out of bed tomorrow, i'm getting out of bed tomorrow.
started off with "can you do a live phone interview tonight? it's for a canadian television station".... uh, sure.
the NASA interview was a lot of fun, Jan came down to my suspension (which i might mention is MY LAST ONE EVER) and interviewed me there, goofing off a little bit and having a good time. got a lot of pictures, hopefully some turn out :-D someone mentioned that the canadian TV station was actually canada's MTV. -boggles- cool!
when we got back to my room, my cell phone had voicemail and about five minutes into the rest of the interview, my phone was ringing again. MTV. asked them to call back, finished the interview with jan, checked messages and it was david, the reporter from seed magazine. called him back, and he wanted to talk to george and then mike too. so i put those phone calls in and got that set up, hope everything worked out with that. and as soon as i got off the phone with david, MTV called back about getting permission to use the flickr photos.
phew! SO MTV is calling me back right after my massage. insane.
mystery box arrived during suspension today. didn't bother waiting for scissors, tore it open myself. -squeeeeeeee!-
contents:
devendra banhart - cripple crow (the one i didn't own! whooo! hasn't left my laptop disc drive yet. i am in LOVE.) kurt vonnegut, jr - welcome to the monkey house. (certainly not to be confused with the AWFUL dandy warhols records that regrettably has the same name. what the hell happened to "dandy's rule, ok?" ugh!)
and............. e.e. cummings. - complete poems 1904 -1962.
thank you daniel s. of CT!!!
my DVD of the CNN stuff also came in the mail, thanks kate!
now i have to figure out how to copy it so my mom can have a copy.
from my head to my toes to my knees to my eyes, every time i watch the skies....
apparently a mystery box showed up at my apartment yesterday. mike thought it was so important that he called me in the middle of my massage to ask me if he could open it or not. he was so excited. such a little kid sometimes. -grin- i felt weird talking on the phone when i was getting a massage. very hollywood.
i told him no, i wanted to open it. i vaguely and halfassed-ly threatened him with mail tampering and hung up the phone. so he's bringing it out today. but he said it's HEAVY. like... his six year old went to pick it up to "help out" and couldn't. -bounce!- i can't wait to see what's in it.
i'm sorry there haven't been a whole lot of posts lately. i'm very anxious to get out of bed though! the muscle biopsy did go a lot better, which i was really happy about. after three days i'm almost completely back to normal.
i've also been really busy kicking a personal community into high gear. they have an event coming up and have been hemming and hawing about EVERYTHING. i finally got frustrated and said something. hoping something helps.
i'm also thinking of buying a flickr pro account, because i didn't realize only 200 pictures would be shown. i have WAY more than 200 pictures. gah.
also: started making origami fish for a litle project of mine. fun. ^_^
i can hear and smell the rain, and oh god i miss spring. i can't wait to get out of here!! seriously. i'm done.
ps: yes, i am screwing with the template again. bear with me.
in fact, i've never done this. but i think this is unfortunately, an accurate picture of our president. i think everyone should watch this and realize that he's a puppet, and doesn't actually know anything about running a country.
if this war's ever over, if it ever runs out, maybe then we could think about travel
09 May 2006
a lot of people have asked about the biopsy, and it went much better than the first time. an extra (deeper) shot of lidocaine did the trick. i'm doing a lot better, i can already bend my knee up to my chest, so i'm set and ready to go.
but, due to a little computer mixup, i'm on cloud nine and kindof passing out. so that's all for today.
i guess i was on the news tonight? i didn't watch cuz i wasn't really paying attention. i don't even know when the news AIRS anymore. don't care.
Keith also sent me audio of the mention I got at the conference. I'm going to try to edit that down tonight or tomorrow and save it as a smaller format and try to post it here.
and as I told him tonight:
...it feels wonderful to get recognition for something that started out as "hey, I think I might want to do this study" and then devoted ... well, my entire life to this for three months. Most of all, I hope this gets more volunteers to sign up for the study.
I'm done fighting with the template. I'll do more tomorrow, if I'm not totally swamped on the interview front. Tomorrow is Fox8 and .... Seed Magazine.
i didn't realize a subscription would be required to see the financial times article. ugh. i can't even read the rest of the article myself.
other media updates (hold on tight, here it comes):
->CNN will be back next week, they'll be taping me getting out of bed, and then another live interview wednesday or thursday. ->Daily Mail (UK) wants to use me as an example for a piece "about unusual experiences that people have endured in the name of medical science." far out. -grin- ->seed magazine wants to do an interview with me tomorrow. (online sci-tech magazine. i looked around, pretty sweet stuff) ->and something about fox8 news being here tomorrow. -shrug- eh? natalie asked about it today and i was like, sure, i'm game.
phew. this is my last week in bed and it is going to be BUSY.
and:
to fix the IE issues with CSS (-grumble- haven't you gotten firefox yet?) I'm going to be reverting to a blogger template until I can figure out the problem. bleh.
bleh... in about an hour and a half i have the second muscle biopsy for the study. ugh, yuck. i hurt just thinking about it. it's quite possibly the worst pain i've ever been in. EVER. and i'm putting myself through it again. they said i can refuse it right up until he actually puts the needle in. in the end, that would make the first biopsy completely pointless, and i would have put myself through all that pain for nothing. they have to compare before and after, right? with nothing to compare the first one two, the first one is completely worthless. so that's why i'm going to go through with it. better to feel it twice and there be a benefit for science than to feel it once for no reason at all.
ok, to make myself feel better, a little devendra banhart Well the end of May The middle of June They'll be coming home Sooooooon
Soon is good But sooner is best
Surgery I stole from you Surgery you stole from me Have believe in apathy Orange tree could be all a dream All that I have seen of him His money is such a lucky sin Your eyes see sweet but your mouth tastes tin The toothbrush is black That's the place where you're at And a snake holds the knife And a snake holds a knife All I see brings you close to me All I do brings me close to you Summer snake dance for dance's sake Into faraway, into faraway, faraway Into faraway
almost forgot! friday night i was the number one most watched free video on CNN.com! the video's still there, if you find the section on science/technology videos. -grin-
jay's making art noises on the vinyl chair. when in doubt, go for fart jokes. they'll never fail.
craig and nick and this is hilarious. carrie was scratching jay's head, and i mentioned that my nails had gotten super long since coming in here (i'm not out smashing them into things and breaking them, so they finally get a chance to grow out) so carrie handed head scratching over to me. and then craig got into it. and for about five minutes, they both were half passed out. i should start charging. really
craig and jay again. happened to catch a really random clear picture of jay making kissy faces at craig. not sure what that was about.
nick wanted his picture taken while he was picking his ear. not sure why.
for some reason i could not get a clear shot of carrie. sorry!
lisa was in here too, but i forgot to take pictures. she brought some lovely flowers, and now my camera batteries are dead and i -can't- take pictures! boo. they're beautiful and smell really nice too.
Flat out at work By Erin Peterson and Catherine Neilan Published: May 5 2006 17:29
I was online, looking for a new job, and came across a link saying “Get paid to stay in bed!” I didn’t think it was for real, but it was: a Nasa-sponsored bed-rest study into what happens to bone density and muscles during long periods of weightlessness. It’s really expensive to send people into space, but lying in bed with my head slightly lower than my body simulates microgravity, so space researchers can see - in a Cleveland, Ohio, hospital room - how my body adapts.
/edit: i didn't realize a subscription was required. ugh. i can't even read the rest of the article myself.
and, for once, she thought i was getting a picture of her sticking her tongue out, and i got a normal picture. thanks for taking pictures, sara! -grin-
looked like this... and felt like THIS. eeeeeeeeeeesh. the whole thing was a quick, five minute BLUR. i was happy to get it done, and had a huge adrenaline rush during it. fun.
i handed my camera over to sara and said please please please take pictures. pleeeeeeeeeease you can't tell... but i was freaking out. big time. (or maybe you can tell) i was looking at the cables and stuff above my head, trying to relax... and the entire setup was VIBRATING. it pulsed every time my heart did. that didn't help matters much. by the end of the interview, i was pretty comfortable with the fact that everyhting i said was going out onto live national television. phew. i don't think there's really much of a delay, just me choosing my words carefully.
on my ride over there, i saw the huge satellite truck. sweet! so i took a picture... and the guy guarding the truck was watching me. just looking up and watching me. shaking his head "no".... i thought i was going to get booked on suspicion of terrorism, with the look that guy gave me. i tried to point and say "it's for ME though!" -laughs-
so, i had TV issues in here today. they tried everything. i guess that when the repair people came in to fix my call button, not only did they disconnect my light switches (from my bed) and tv controls and stuff, but the speakers built into my bed! agh! so ly came in this morning to turn on the TV... she could turn it on on the actual TV, but i couldn't get any sound. figures. the one time i turn on my TV in three months, and it doesn't work.
so kay came in with a TV from their conference room... and couldn't get the cables hooked up. ok, now what? they put me on a cart and rolled me into another room so i could watch it.
did i mention this was all before 8am? no? i didn't? well, it was really REALLY early for me.
pictures of my little jungle. i have more plants in this little room than we have in our entire apartment! and the underside of this one plant, because that's about the only part of it i really see -grin-
you with nothing to say, you in your autumn sweater
my usual "laying around" position. helps with backaches and is fairly comfortable mike was pretty surprised there weren't any pictures of this yet. and mike, doubly back lit. lamplight on one side, daylight on the other.
so. sara FINALLY mentions to me this morning that my blog looks like CRAP in internet explorer. so! i'm going to recommend that everyone gets mozilla, because it looks infinitely better in mozilla. internet explorer has AWFUL CSS support.
gah. i really want to kick the bed. i guess when they were fixing my call light they not only disconnected all of my light switches from my bed, they also disconnected any and all TV controls, AND the speakers. so someone could turn it on just fine, i just can't hear anything from my bed. suppose i should have looked into it last night or something. oh the IRONY. the one time i want to watch TV, and i can't.
it looks like ly is finding me a cart so she can wheel me into another room to watch TV (for once)...
i keep seeing random snippets of myself on TV... EEK. -grin-
ok, leaving now....... squeeeeee!
ok, NOT leaving now. we're having issues finding a TV with both sound and CNN.....
here's hoping the ambien works. and that my headache goes away. and that i drink more water. and that mike doesn't mind that i'm falling completely in love with devendra banhart. it's really the only thing i've wanted to listen to all day long.
here's to big days and the little ones in between. late night hair washes and small panics. random love songs and talks of smoothies.
note to self: finish thoughts before publishing entries! silly girl.
i'm still waiting for the ambien to kick in. it's taking longer than expected. more photos from today, they'll have to wait til tomorrow. i'm too lazy to take them off my camera tonight.
This blog is maintained by past, present and future subjects of a NASA sponsored bedrest study at the Cleveland Clinic. These are the chronicles of three full months of bedrest, in addition to the craziness leading up to it, and the who knows what afterwards. The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author/blogger and do not in any way necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Clinic, NASA or NSBRI.
Any and all postings on this site are my own opinions and do not in any way represent the position, strategy or opinion of the Cleveland Clinic, NASA or NSBRI.
first sitting up in 12 weeks.... wow. i haven't "gone white" yet, so i'm doing alright. i feel a little shaky and really disoriented, but doing well so far.
and this is how long my hair has gotten in three months. and yea i look crosseyed, we were having problems with the camera and i was focused on it for too long >_<
Keith's screen grab of the CNN feature on friday...
...and put on the HUGE screen at the International Space Developers Conference. Buzz Aldrin and Bill Nye the Science Guy were key speakers. How cool is that?
jay's making art noises on the vinyl chair.
when in doubt, go for fart jokes. they'll never fail.
craig and nick
and this is hilarious. carrie was scratching jay's head, and i mentioned that my nails had gotten super long since coming in here (i'm not out smashing them into things and breaking them, so they finally get a chance to grow out) so carrie handed head scratching over to me. and then craig got into it. and for about five minutes, they both were half passed out. i should start charging. really 
craig (L) and jay. fuzzy picture. 
craig and jay again. happened to catch a really random clear picture of jay making kissy faces at craig. not sure what that was about.
nick wanted his picture taken while he was picking his ear. not sure why.
for some reason i could not get a clear shot of carrie. sorry!
looked like this....
but it felt like THIS.
looked like this...
and felt like THIS. eeeeeeeeeeesh. the whole thing was a quick, five minute BLUR. i was happy to get it done, and had a huge adrenaline rush during it. fun. 
i handed my camera over to sara and said please please please take pictures. pleeeeeeeeeease
you can't tell... but i was freaking out. big time. (or maybe you can tell)
i was looking at the cables and stuff above my head, trying to relax... and the entire setup was VIBRATING. it pulsed every time my heart did. that didn't help matters much. 
by the end of the interview, i was pretty comfortable with the fact that everyhting i said was going out onto live national television. phew. i don't think there's really much of a delay, just me choosing my words carefully. 
on my ride over there, i saw the huge satellite truck. sweet! so i took a picture... and the guy guarding the truck was watching me. just looking up and watching me. shaking his head "no".... i thought i was going to get booked on suspicion of terrorism, with the look that guy gave me. i tried to point and say "it's for ME though!" -laughs- 
so, i had TV issues in here today. they tried everything. i guess that when the repair people came in to fix my call button, not only did they disconnect my light switches (from my bed) and tv controls and stuff, but the speakers built into my bed! agh! so ly came in this morning to turn on the TV... she could turn it on on the actual TV, but i couldn't get any sound. figures. the one time i turn on my TV in three months, and it doesn't work.
pictures of my little jungle.
i have more plants in this little room than we have in our entire apartment!
and the underside of this one plant, because that's about the only part of it i really see -grin- 
my usual "laying around" position. helps with backaches and is fairly comfortable
mike was pretty surprised there weren't any pictures of this yet.
and mike, doubly back lit. lamplight on one side, daylight on the other. 
