Finally feeling alive again
A week of being sick, softball starts up again for our youngest, a burnt hand, a wedding, and some yard work
Hello,
Last week was not a great week for our household. That cold I mentioned in last week's newsletter hit us pretty damn hard. Hard enough that my wife was home sick from work Monday and Tuesday, our youngest was home Monday from school and then came home early Tuesday, and I struggled to do the slightest thing all week long. I don't know what we had, but whatever it was it Hit us all pretty hard. By the end of the week I was feeling better, but still struggled to catch my breath and felt exhausted and winded after doing the slightest activity. It was quite miserable and left me frustrated because I wanted to get a bunch of writing stuff done last week, but couldn't really do anything at all. But, it seems like we're all doing better now, some lingering coughs here and there, but for the most part I think we're all getting over that cold. So that's at least some great news.
Our youngest daughters softball also started up last week. So at least by Wednesday evening when she had her first practice, we were all feeling decent enough to go. She absolutely loves playing softball, and I'm super excited her seasons starting back up again. I love sitting at her games excitedly cheering her on as she comes up to bat then cranks one out into the field and zooms around the bases. So really glad that we are back at that season again. Got to the store and updated some of her gear for the new season. So now she should be good to go.
Last week also saw one of those parent moments where you feel panicked and worried. Our oldest daughter had burned her hand on a hot frying pan, not realizing that the handle had been left over the burner she had been using. She was pretty upset and in quite a lot of pain with that burn. We decided it would be good to go to the nearest urgent care and get it checked out. So me and her got ready and headed out to do that. After getting examined at the urgent care they made us panic even more saying that they were very concerned about the burn and that it could affect the mobility of her hand. They then told us they wanted us to go to the university burn center and have it checked out there. To say the least, I was shocked. I didn't think it had been that bad of a burn, but immediately began to panic about my daughters hand, the future of her hand, and if she would be OK. Luckily my wife had been working from home that day, and when my daughter and I returned back home from the urgent care the three of us got everything together we needed, then hit the road and headed Out for the 40 minute drive it takes to get to the university hospitals and clinics. I'd be lying if I said my wife and I weren't panicking the whole drive down there, worried about our daughter as she moaned in pain from the burn. After getting there and navigating that massive hospital, getting checked-in in the emergency department, then taken up to the burn unit and checked-in, finally we saw someone in the burn unit. After an Extensive examination of her hand, they called it good, said it was a mild burn, she didn't really even need a cream or anything on it, just manage the pain with Tylenol and ibuprofen, keep stretching it and call it good. We were like, seriously? The urgent care at home had made it sound like it was a life and death situation. The burn unit people explained that since we do not have a burn unit at home, doctors in the urgent cares there tended to panic and freak out over burns and send people down to the university. I mean, that was a hell of a relief. Obviously our daughter was still in pain from the burn, but at least now we knew that it wasn't as serious as the urgent care people had made it out to be, and that she would be just fine. Just another one of those parenting moments where you're panicked and worried and your brain is running so many scenarios in your mind, then you get the news from the professionals and can breathe a sigh of relief that it's not as serious as your brain tried to make it out to be. Our daughter's hand is still sore, but it's doing better each day.
On Saturday we had a wedding to attend. So after getting our grocery order in the morning, then getting a bunch of house stuff done and eating lunch, we then hit the road and drove an hour and a half to that wedding. It was a nice event and a good time. Drive could've been a little shorter, but it is what it is. It did give us the time to work on getting some stuff put in our calendar that we needed to, creating a list of stuff we still needed to take care of for our oldest daughter's graduation party, and packing list for the trip my wife and I are going on in May. Definitely a good use of the long drive time. We spent Sunday getting the rest of the yard work caught up. Mowing, cleaning out gutters, and all that wonderful kind of fun. Yep, it's that time of year again I guess. Oh well, I would rather deal with yard work than shoveling snow any day. So I'm grateful for the warmer weather.
Finished reading The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones. That was an awesome book. Definitely a great way to end that series. I enjoyed hanging out with Jade again and exploring that world once more. That book was fun, bloody, gory, and beautifully written. Definitely Get yourself a copy if you haven't read it yet, and read the first two in the series as well.
Also finished reading We Have to Do Something by Max Booth III. This was one hell of a claustrophobic horror ride. You find yourself trapped in the bathroom with that family, mind spiraling down and wanting to shatter the longer you're stuck in there with them. It's creepy, claustrophobic, kind of terrifying at moments, and definitely unique. Enjoyed this Novella, check it out if you haven't read it yet. But beware, you might not want to go in your own bathroom afterward.
I did have a book I wanted to mention that I read a couple of years ago and wanted to make sure you knew about it. Scanlines by Todd Keisling. It was an awesome, horrifying, creepy, and thrilling book. I really enjoyed reading it. I just don't think it gets talked about as much as it should. If you haven't heard of it you should definitely go check it out and pick up a copy. It's one of those books that I can't recommend enough, especially if you like horror fiction like I do. So go grab a copy and enjoy the hell out of that one.
Currently reading: Nestlings by Nat Cassidy. Yup, already loving this book! I'm hooked and can't wait to see where this goes!
Also, the wife and I are still reading Hold Me Tight: Seven conversations for a lifetime of love by Susan Johnson. We're finding time here and there when we can fit it in to sit and listen to this book together. We're both still really interested in it, and learning a lot of interesting things as well.
Currently listening: Canvas by the band Avralize. I came across this song and love the hell out of it. I keep listening to it over and over again. Damn good song. Otherwise, I really didn't listen to much music last week. When I wasn't dying from that cold, I was reading or watching TV with the wife and kids. I did however lay on the couch Sunday evening and listened to my Bone Thugs-N-Harmony playlist for a while. I've been a fan of those guys since my mid teens, and I love listening to their music still.
Currently watching: we made it into season six of The Rookie, and actually got completely caught up with every episode. So now we have to sit and wait until new episodes are released. I guess there's one advantage to being sick, you can just binge shows, lol. My wife and I did check out a show on Hulu called Under the Bridge. I found it to be quite interesting and intriguing. There are only two episodes out though, so we'll have to wait till more of them come out to really get into it.
So yeah, due to that cold last week I got no writing work done. Which sucks, but it is what it is. I am feeling a lot better now though, and plan on trying to get back to work on stuff and really make some great progress this week. I don't foresee any reason why I shouldn't be able to make that progress this week either. Well, pending another bad cold doesn't infect our household, or our daughter doesn't melt another hand on a hot pan, I should be good to go. Sorry this newsletter is a little shorter, but There wasn't much more to talk about from last week. Hopefully you're doing good and not sick or battling with a cold. But if you are, you have my deepest sympathies. With that, I'm going to gulp down some more hot coffee, fire up my MacBook, and get my ass to work. Take it easy, and I'll talk to you soon.
Thank you for reading this weeks newsletter. I hope to see you back here next week. Be yourself, be original, and be bloody.
- Matthew R. Taylor