I've been getting better throughout the past couple weeks. I would estimate that I've now recovered to some point between 65 and 75 percent of my pre-embolism self. Now however, it feels like I'm in a bit of a stall phase. I probably reached that point where the clots may have subsided, but the scar tissue that's left behind is slower to get through. Being able to get out during the brief thaw phase of this month to at least get some good fresh air and away from my own walls from time to time has been a relief. I still have to be wary and mindful about exposure to people with colds and the flu. I was warned that contracting anything with symptoms of respiratory impairment, even to a relatively mild degree, would put me several steps backward from recovery if I'm not careful. Thus, running out to a crowded mall to do Christmas shopping hasn't been on my to-do list. I did go out during a couple less busy days and times of the week, more so to meet up and visit with some friends and familiars than to do anything else. Otherwise, the only real physically active and sometimes social thing I've been doing is taking Ella out to the dog park.
So, now with it being payday, and the realization that Christmas is only six days away*, I now have a fire lit under my ass to finish my Christmas shopping. Being amongst the teeming hordes of shoppers is now unavoidable. Inspiration and ideas have been so far alluding me.
After being shut in for so long, and finally getting some more of my stamina and energy back, I strongly felt the need to explore: to get out and tour new places, see new things. I've become desperate for novelty. I also received a bit of a settlement recently; as tempting as it is to book a trip somewhere, I won't be medically fit for air travel for some while (Boo!). All the places I want to travel to are markedly more expensive than most vacation packages to Vegas or Mexico anyway, and will need more time to save for these locales. I hope the falling fuel prices help with achieving such a goal sooner.
In a past entry I talked about finding a substitute pastime for running, cycling and skiing. Well, recently I thought I should make good on not just making that lip service. I was inspired by a figure of a gargoyle in a bar recently and got to perusing some magazines in Indigo to consider taking up wood-carving. As cheap as carving sets can be though, I notice now that even when handling knives in doing my own kitchen prep that my hand-eye coordination is getting more crude. I just didn't want this to be another pastime that I'd be rashly taking up, only to drop later out of frustration. It would be my luck that I would be destined of somehow slashing open my hand or fingers by accident while on Warfarin as I chip away at some piece of wood and then bleeding out really badly. I later found a place in this town, one of the hobby shops, that is an outlet that sells the MakerBot series of 3D printers, and I got to finally witness a demonstration of one's capability for the first time. I just about bought one right there on the spot. It's a beautiful and marvelous thing: an entire workshop condensed into less than one cubic meter of space, easily fitting into the office space of my condo. I'm looking into really getting one, but the rest of my computer systems are so antiquated now, and I require a lot of upscaling in the basics of technology before I'd be able to get and use one practically.
The first few weeks of being out of the hospital have been worrisome for me, in regards to wondering if I'll really ever recover to 100% of my old self, and get enough of my strength, energy, and stamina back to endure the rigours of a typical 11 – 13 hour workday**. The recovery has been going well, but the path through it all is still riddled with potential landmines. It has been unsettling being left to wonder what options I'd have left to do vocationally if all I'd be doing is torturing myself and suffering more after going back. As miserable as office jobs make me, I do have to consider the real options for getting one for the long-term out of necessity in the near future. Creating options in a career in design/development and fostering them with an applicable interest or hobby is probably the way to go to avoid outrageous education expenses. Who knows really? Vocational counsellors seem to be getting further and further out of touch with the world for me to rely on anything on what they have to say. Finding/creating a job/career at this time that both pays well enough, and that I'd love to do (or can at least tolerate doing) while in this state is a huge challenge.
I'll hopefully know more about a route to take as I sort out things from next medical appointment coming next week.
*- Of that time, only three days are available for me to use for shopping, the pressure's on . . .
** - Commuting time included.
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