I was saying on here, very recently, that in some fundamental way this blog is a kind of modern ‘cyber-journal’. A record of some of things I’ve done or am doing. And very much a way to remind myself that I exist at all!
One of the main ways of doing this we have in our contemporary society is ‘I spend, therefore I am.’ And now, with social media such a large and powerful force, I ‘tweet’ (or whatever), therefore I am. It’s a continual performance. Surely this is a form of unbridled narcissism?
Anyway, leaving such worrying thoughts aside momentarily… it’s Thursday. Thursday is a non-school/non-teaching day. Such days are usually spent on a variety of things: from pure rest (for reasons I go into elsewhere on this blog I’m often utterly exhausted), to working on home/DIY stuff, or my teaching prep and admin, etc.
Earlier today I revisited a drum score – Led Zep’s ‘Good Times Bad Times’ – because whilst teaching from it yesterday I was reminded that it has a number of errors of interpretation in it. I corrected as many of them as I felt able to without spending all day on it, and then emailed the revised score to the pupil who I’m working on it with.
That’s all to the good. And it enabled me to tick off two items on todays ‘to do list’. But that list is pretty massive. I feel little crushed by the oppressive weight of obligations. This feeling isn’t helped by physical issues: I have various headaches, my eyes are streaming, and I have post-nasal drip! Such stuff very rapidly begins to feel like it a form of chronic attritional torture!
It’s hard to be dynamic, energised, pro-active, and all that, when you feel crushed by mountains of stuff to do, and beset by physical issues that drain you of energy and vitality.
As many will know from bitter personal experience, years of anti-NHS Toryism (some of it implemented by the Labour govt’s of Blair/Brown, to their everlasting shame), are slowly but inexorably grinding the NHS to dust. Trying to see one’s GP, where I am, has become an Orwellian dystopian nightmare. And people are literally dying as a result.
I mention this because the anger that this generates is one source of harness-able energy that could motivate me to more action. But before I go down a ranting rabbit hole, back – in proper ‘age of me’ blogging style – to more personal matters!
Numerous visits to the local GP surgery – at 90% of which I see a nurse or ‘clinical practitioner’ (what is that?) – have failed to clearly unpick my numerous ongoing issues. One line of inquiry is to treat me for hay-fever. I’m taking the meds. No signs of improvement yet.
So, having got up pretty late, about 10am, after a very good nights sleep (first time in three or four nights), I did the work on the drum score in Sibelius. Then I took a break for lunch. Made myself a three egg omelette, with onion, mushrooms and cheese, with a weak coffee to wash it all down.
I’m still cogitating over whether I ought to try this FODMAP diet experiment. I think I ought to. But I’m not sure I have the discipline (or even the funds to buy the required alternative groceries!?). But my constant bloatedness and wind argues that I really really should make the effort. I’m 50, fer chrissakes, and still don’t know my body/health like I ought to!
Some other symptoms of less than ideal health are my profuse sweating, IBS style bowel movements, and – especially noticeable overnight – continually dry mouth. Reading about this stuff online, along with stuff I’ve gleaned from the treatment of my psoriasis and arthritis, suggests high blood pressure.
So once again improving diet and increasing exercise are indicated. The only real exercise I get at present is the home/DIY stuff I do. Such, for example, as the earth moving I’ve been doing recently in preparing a base for the shed Ken gave us.
I’ll take a break from this post now, to go back to some of that work!