Red, Red Roses
My grandmother was admitted to Mount Sinai (hospital in Toronto) almost a week ago. She had arhythmia and low BP, among other complications. My mom and I went down Wednesday, stayed with T&G (thanks so much to them!), and came home to OWS late Thurs night. We're now (Sat night) down in Guelph at my sister's, heading back to TO tomorrow. Thankfully, my grandmother went into sinus rhythm (i.e. NORMAL) on her own, rather than being shocked into it. (It's called cardioconversion, and my grandmother kept joking around, asking if she'd still be Jewish afterwards.) She's out of CCU, in a "Step Down" ward (where the nurse:patient ratio is higher than a regular ward, but not as high as CCU); they've adjusted some of her meds, and she's now starting on blood thinnners. They won't be sending her home until her INR is at the right level and stable. Once she gets home, she'll be taking the same meds I took after my blood clot, just a (likely) different amount. One good thing is that she already doesn't eat much food with high vitamin K, so she won't have to change her diet much.
So, I got a call from work last week saying I should call back to work out the details of returning to work, 'cause they've got all the official okays, etc. I've left a few messages since then. However, in the meantime, there were floods in Manila (in the Philippines, where we also have a HUGE office). Since StC is head office for North America and Asia, that means it's their problem, and a much bigger one than getting me back to work. You would think that having an able and willing body help take some of those calls that can no longer be handled by the Manila office would be something they'd jump all over, but no. Yes, I'm hoping everyone is okay (especially since, as a trainer in StC, I actually had phone/e-mail contact with people in Manila), but I'm (naturally) concerned about me. I was telling my mom that at this rate, I'm almost better off not working before the 15th, 'cause anything I make would come off my next social services cheque, so I'd be no further ahead. Yes, it would be nice to actually interact with people (besides my family and the shul, where my age group is infinitesimally small), and gets me out of the house. (I've at least managed to find some things to help with the shul, but I don't have too many reasons to leave the house.)
While in Guelph today, I went to Old Navy. There isn't one in OWS. It's funny, that I'm somehow morally against shopping at The Gap, but I'll shop at ON, which is owned by the same parent company. Maybe because I've spent so long pinching pennies, and their clothes are generally surprisingly affordable/comfortable. Also, their wide range of sizes makes it easier for me to accept them socially. Since I'm not fully decided one way or another how I feel about the social practices of this company overall, let's just not discuss it.
I brought up this brief shopping trip because I bought a few very nice tops, including two sweaters (my primary reason for going). Although I have no immediate plans for working in a job that has a business casual (or stricter) dress code (since I'm not expecting to get a training position in the OWS office), my expansive hoodie collection won't do me much good on making a good office-appropriate impression in the winter months.
(I am surprised to find that "shopping" is not a tag already in my journal repertoire!)
Anyway, the real reason I'm posting is because I had a sort of composition suddenly circulating in my head, and couldn't fall asleep till I got it out. I'm not much of a musician, and have forgotten a vast portion of the little musical knowledge I ever did possess; so although I hear it in my head more as a song than a poem, I can't correctly express how it sounds, either in written notes or aloud (as I'm not much of a singer, neither). For those of you particularly curious, it would be kind of a cross between the chorus of U2's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?" and the epitome of pretty much every Sarah McLachlan song...
Red, red roses
Growing by my window
Red, red roses
Reaching for the sun
Red, red roses
Growing from the earth
Red, red roses
Mirroring my mirth
Velvet petals
Kiss my face
Velvet petals
So soft to touch
Velvet petals
And their dark stain
Velvet petals
And pleasures gain'd
Red, red roses
Stretching to the sky
Red, red roses
Snatch'd away from home
Red, red roses
Showering down
Red, red roses
Hint what's lost, and found
Piercing thorns
Bright sparks of pain
Piercing thorns
Drawing beads of blood
Piercing thorns
Piercing through my heart
Piercing thorns
Tearing us apart
Red, red roses
Grew outside my window
Red, red roses
Drowned in drops of rain
Red, red roses
And violets of blue
Red, red roses
Remind me, I lost you
(Also, I do realize my avatar is actually a red poppy, but close enough, yeesh! Another "also," I've never been much good at rhyming poetry, so this has kind of impressed me, even if the rhyming scheme is erratic and nominal.)
Anyway, it's almost 5 a.m., and I REALLY need to get some sleep, so I'm off to try to get some (again).
So, I got a call from work last week saying I should call back to work out the details of returning to work, 'cause they've got all the official okays, etc. I've left a few messages since then. However, in the meantime, there were floods in Manila (in the Philippines, where we also have a HUGE office). Since StC is head office for North America and Asia, that means it's their problem, and a much bigger one than getting me back to work. You would think that having an able and willing body help take some of those calls that can no longer be handled by the Manila office would be something they'd jump all over, but no. Yes, I'm hoping everyone is okay (especially since, as a trainer in StC, I actually had phone/e-mail contact with people in Manila), but I'm (naturally) concerned about me. I was telling my mom that at this rate, I'm almost better off not working before the 15th, 'cause anything I make would come off my next social services cheque, so I'd be no further ahead. Yes, it would be nice to actually interact with people (besides my family and the shul, where my age group is infinitesimally small), and gets me out of the house. (I've at least managed to find some things to help with the shul, but I don't have too many reasons to leave the house.)
While in Guelph today, I went to Old Navy. There isn't one in OWS. It's funny, that I'm somehow morally against shopping at The Gap, but I'll shop at ON, which is owned by the same parent company. Maybe because I've spent so long pinching pennies, and their clothes are generally surprisingly affordable/comfortable. Also, their wide range of sizes makes it easier for me to accept them socially. Since I'm not fully decided one way or another how I feel about the social practices of this company overall, let's just not discuss it.
I brought up this brief shopping trip because I bought a few very nice tops, including two sweaters (my primary reason for going). Although I have no immediate plans for working in a job that has a business casual (or stricter) dress code (since I'm not expecting to get a training position in the OWS office), my expansive hoodie collection won't do me much good on making a good office-appropriate impression in the winter months.
(I am surprised to find that "shopping" is not a tag already in my journal repertoire!)
Anyway, the real reason I'm posting is because I had a sort of composition suddenly circulating in my head, and couldn't fall asleep till I got it out. I'm not much of a musician, and have forgotten a vast portion of the little musical knowledge I ever did possess; so although I hear it in my head more as a song than a poem, I can't correctly express how it sounds, either in written notes or aloud (as I'm not much of a singer, neither). For those of you particularly curious, it would be kind of a cross between the chorus of U2's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?" and the epitome of pretty much every Sarah McLachlan song...
Red, red roses
Growing by my window
Red, red roses
Reaching for the sun
Red, red roses
Growing from the earth
Red, red roses
Mirroring my mirth
Velvet petals
Kiss my face
Velvet petals
So soft to touch
Velvet petals
And their dark stain
Velvet petals
And pleasures gain'd
Red, red roses
Stretching to the sky
Red, red roses
Snatch'd away from home
Red, red roses
Showering down
Red, red roses
Hint what's lost, and found
Piercing thorns
Bright sparks of pain
Piercing thorns
Drawing beads of blood
Piercing thorns
Piercing through my heart
Piercing thorns
Tearing us apart
Red, red roses
Grew outside my window
Red, red roses
Drowned in drops of rain
Red, red roses
And violets of blue
Red, red roses
Remind me, I lost you
(Also, I do realize my avatar is actually a red poppy, but close enough, yeesh! Another "also," I've never been much good at rhyming poetry, so this has kind of impressed me, even if the rhyming scheme is erratic and nominal.)
Anyway, it's almost 5 a.m., and I REALLY need to get some sleep, so I'm off to try to get some (again).