Hey, How Are Ya?

I was offline yesterday. As in gone, nada, nothing, never logged in or on or anything. My darling laptop languished in the cold of my car (well hidden under my also-abandoned winter coat) from about 2:30 Monday afternoon until I hauled it out and into work this morning.

It sulked, actually, and wouldn't start up properly. I had to get quite stern with the stubborn thing.

Now, I frequently have a day or two on weekends when I don't log on. I'm often Out and About, and not as much happens online on weekends because other people are also Out and About. I rarely have weekdays in absentia, however, and so it was a bit of a shock to come back online today and discover dozens and dozens of emails lurking in my various accounts, not to mention all the Facebook notifications and unread blogs lying in wait. It took me over two hours to wade through everything.

When did the Internet become such a dominating presence in my life?!?!?!

Oh well.

The reason I was gone all day yesterday is that I Took The Day Off. Off work, offline, just Off. And considering how very Mondayish my Monday was, this was a Very Good Thing.

First, I had my MRI in the morning, the key reason for my taking a day off work. There was a bit of a snafu: some confused individual had not realized the doctor wanted both my lumbar and thoracic regions scanned, so had only obtained approval for the lumbar region from my insurance. Then that individual didn't go to work yesterday either, so the very nice people at the MRI place were unable to get the other approval through in time. I did get my lumbar scanned, but will have to go back another time for the thoracic.

Now, in case you hadn't picked up on this by now, I'm a little odd. My MRI experience was further proof. You see, I LIKED IT. I really did. They made me quite comfortable with a neck rest and pillow beneath my knees and squishy little ear plugs and a cloth over my eyes and I had taken half a Vicodin, and I lay there while the rhythmic thumps and booms soothed me into a doze. I was rather disappointed when my time was up and I had to return to the exterior world.

I kid you not.

Then I visited my chiropractor, who eased some knots out of my macrame muscles. I <3 my chiropractor.

My next stop was less pleasant, but I'm glad I did it. A former student of mine went missing back in early February, and his body was discovered on Sunday. It appears he had passed out, highly intoxicated, in an abandoned field and had died of exposure (it was bitterly cold that night). Yesterday was his visitation and funeral. I stopped in briefly and was able to see his younger brother, who was in class with me last year, and some other former students as well. This was my fifth student to die, the third who died of unnatural/unnecessary reasons. It's one of the most difficult aspects of my job. But attending...it gives me closure. I'm glad I went.

The rest of my day I spent in the company of dear friends, and it was a time of relaxation and renewal that I very much needed.

There was one other very important and significant event: yesterday I went to my regularly scheduled therapy session. At the end, she said I've come so far and am doing so well that she doesn't feel I need to attend regularly any longer, and we agreed that from now on I'll simply contact her and schedule appointments as needed.

I feel like I've graduated!!! I really have come so very far in the last sixteen months.

Today, I'm back into the fray. And though I'm tired and a little out of it because of pain meds, I'm doing well. It's good to be me.