Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Things to think about...

As I write this I am about 10 hours away from my appointment in the MRI tube, and about 12 hours away from hearing the verdict. Instead of over-analyzing every possible body signal and working up my anxiety, I decided to come up with a list of things to think about, to distract (what's left of) my mind:
  • how to spell pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
  • how to use that word in a sentence for the "please write a sentence here" section of my patient neuro test form
  • mental rehearsal of upcoming Messiah arias
  • decide: what joke should I share in the chemo infusion room (the one that always comes to mind is: Q. "What is an insomniac dyslexic agnostic?" A. "Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.")
  • mental review of karate Pinions # 1, 2, and 3; defense maneuvers # 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 18; and kempos A, B, C, D, and E.
  • brainstorm ideas for my "can't buy it" Christmas present for my husband (our annual tradition)
  • brainstorm ideas for celebration activity if we get good news
  • create mental picture of healthy glial cells holding up a sign during the MRI that says, "Really, guys -- it's all clear here!!!"
  • construct mental list of words that seem to contradict their own meaning (like "phonetic", "abbreviated", and "monosyllabic")
  • try to remember the list of the 2-letter words that are legal in Scrabble
  • debate practice -- which was named "orange" first: the color, or the fruit? (pick one and defend)
  • sing the alphabet backwards (my son and I like to do this for grins)
  • decide: which of the dozen books I have in embryo form will actually become a manuscript
  • ponder: why do bats have nipples under their armpits?
  • happy picture slideshow: my son's grin with his two front teeth missing, my daughter in her new saddle shoes (like the ones I used to love wearing as a kid) and my husband's happy face when he comes home after driving around in Mustang Krista and says, "I love my car!!"

...and, of course--try to count all the prayers that will carry me through this process.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Could pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis ever be used in scrabble and if so, how would it be played out?