I am happy to report that...

I am happy to report that I have felt actually, really good today!  😃  It's bittersweet because it's been ages since I've felt this way and I'm kind of dreading it ending... BUT I'm not letting that ruin it.  🙂

One thing I've noticed since the shot / pills is that I am not freezing to death.  I was cleaning in my room last night and spotted my hat drawer and was thinking "Surely I'm usually wearing my hats by mid-November."  I mean, I'm wearing snow pants because DUH.  I'm still me.  But I'm not wearing two shirts plus a heavy jacket AND hat AND boots - and I'm just ok.  I'm ok!  😃  It's so weird, but really nice.  It's not unseasonably warm, is it?

I actually used to love the cold and my plan as a teen was to move to Alaska, but after I had Shadow all of the heat left my body.  It's like I've never been able to warm back up.  I've actually read something about the thing that gives you psoriasis is the thing that also keeps you from fighting your fetus and that it can cause problems after you have a baby, so I'm kind of wondering if all of that is related.

Anyway, I've tried with no luck to get an appointment with Dr. Hamer.  There are a thousand phone numbers listed, but none of them seem to be working.  My BCBS account gave me one that worked, but it said "For appointments, press 1" and when I did it was a recording about prescriptions.  So I will try again in the morning.

One way or another I'm gonna stay on top of this "health" business because I REALLY LIKE feeling ok.  It has honestly been the worst year for me health-wise and I think I had probably been on a downward slide for a longer time than that without realizing it and / or having any way to change it.  I am so thankful that I have insurance now.  Y'all have no idea!

I have the best guy ever.

I have the best guy ever.  For my birthday he got me a super nice printer and for Christmas he got me a little pop-up photo-takey kit.  I've had my printer for a while and I got the photo kit today.  With all of the Etsy and everything I've been doing I really needed both of those things.  Like, BAD.  LOL

I'm ok with most of my photos, but I was having to take them outside - in certain weather, at certain times of day, in certain places, and if I missed out... well, I had to use photos that weren't great, or that looked wayyy different than the others, and blegh.  With my bones hurting and winter coming I was NOT looking forward to having to deal with outdoors if I didn't want to.

These are my first photos using the kit.  I'm still trying to figure it out, but I think this is gonna be awesome.  I took these while sitting in a chair in my bedroom - not huddled outside in the dirt fighting the bugs and trying to get a decent shot.

The only thing I'm not a fan of is how clinical and white they look.  I know that most product photography is done on clean backgrounds, but this is boring as shit to me and SO NOT MY STYLE.  I think I need to use some props or something.  I will be digging around in my room to see if I can come up with anything super cool.  😃

If anyone has tips for me feel free to leave them here.  I see my bedroom lights reflecting in the rings, so I guess next time I will need to turn them off.  I know that the focus is off a little, but I usually photograph one thing at a time, so ignore that.  Other than that, I don't know why the backgrounds aren't PERFECTLY white (or if they even are supposed to be without shooping), so if I'm doing something wrong, tell me.

P. S.  Dinosaur rings.  I can do necklaces and earrings, too.  😃

Bittersweet day.

Bittersweet day.  Cookie Monster just found his home through Etsy.  This was from when I very first started making things.  I hope his new owner loves him!  😃❤

Polish All the Things was featured on another Etsy Treasury!

Polish All the Things was featured on another Etsy Treasury!  Woohoo!

winter is coming by NewKarakoalRain on Etsy

So here's a question:

So here's a question:

I found that a doctor who two of my friends recommended is eligible to be my primary care guy.

Should I change now or go back to the same place I went before for testing and a referral?  I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that there wasn't much testing done at the previous place before I was shot up with / prescribed meds, but then again I don't know what is normal for doctors these days.

So, give first doc another chance or just go ahead and make a clean break?

I blogged the left photo a thousand years ago on MySpace...

I blogged the left photo a thousand years ago on MySpace.  It might be up on another blog somewhere else, too, but  I doubt that most of you have seen it.

The left photo was taken fresh out of the shower sometime in 2007.  Hopefully the Internet won't flag it as too much nudity.  It's like, shoulders and jacked-up face.  Might be scary to some, but I wouldn't think super offensive.

The left photo was taken at a point when I didn't have insurance or a lot of other options for dealing with my health issues.  I don't know why, but my psoriasis hasn't been shy about getting on my face.  A lot of people who have this condition don't seem to have that problem, but I almost always have.  Face and scalp have always been terrible for me.  That's one major reason I used to keep my head shaved.  It was just easier to deal with head flakes when there was no hair in the way.

I remember back when I used to try to hide my face with makeup.  That only made things worse, and then one day I had the experience of someone asking me if I was trying to hide scabs from a skate-boarding accident.  It was at that point that I realized I was fooling no one, and just let it show after that.  It FELT better, at the very least - even if I wasn't like, proud of my face.

I've had it to varying degrees on the rest of my body.  It's not usually intolerable, though, unless I'm under a lot of stress, my diet sucks, or it's winter.  There are definitely some things that make it much worse.

For anyone who's curious, psoriasis is not contagious.  Yes, it hurts and itches, and I've been like a lizard in shed for most of my life.  Woo.  There is also an arthritis that comes with it sometimes, which is my current major worry.  But I'm working on that.

The photo on the right is my face right now.  Fresh out of the shower, no make-up, not shooped.

I wish I could just tell you all how I feel about it, but I'm just gonna cry instead.  I have real skin!  There is really real skin on my face.  And it's soft.  And it's not coming off.  And it doesn't hurt.  I think that after all this time I had forgotten that was even a possibility.  I feel really emotional right now.  ❤

Nails I did the other day when I was hurting so bad and couldn't sleep.

Nails I did the other day when I was hurting so bad and couldn't sleep. Happy Nails to me! LOL It was a nice distraction. Not super fancy, but that's because I used whatever was in arm's reach.