If It's Not One Thing . . .
I had one other bizarre thing occur at the tale end of the kidney mess. My gums swelled up and sores appeared on them. This was painful. My dentist explained it as an opportunistic virus. I was sick for so long that a simple virus put in an appearance as
canker sores in my mouth. This was most uncomfortable. Not
contagious. It's similar to how people who had chickenpox as kids
sometimes get shingles when they are older. It took a couple of weeks
to completely clear. But I did have to go downtown on a Sunday because
my dentist wanted to see me and my gums. That meant driving into the city because
the trains don't run very often on Sundays.
It also meant that I had to park in a lot.
Parking on the street in Chicago is a nightmare since the city privatized the parking meters a number of years go. Lot parking can cost upwards of $50 or more for a full day, but it's really the only way to go. I just needed a couple of hours. I parked in the lot closest to my dentist's office, which coincidentally is the lot for Ross, which validates, so my parking was only $17 bucks! Yay!
I digress.
Here is what I thought I was getting - a slope down, a straight shot in to the garage and then normal, gently sloping ramps.
That was not what I got.
I pulled into the parking lot on the Wabash Ave. side and found myself in a very tight spiral that first went down,
and then angled up at what felt like at least a 30 degree angle.
There was a giant Cadillac Escalade in front of me, and another car behind me, and I could see that more cars were joining the line to go up the spiral from another garage entrance (which is actually where this last photo was taken, at the Randolph Street entrance for those of you who might know the city). We were stopped on this very narrow, very tight, highly angled spiral. The Escalade kept slipping back and and I was afraid that if I took my foot off the brake that my car would slip backwards. We weren't moving much at all.
The spiral was only wide enough for one narrow lane and the cement walls were high. The Cadillac was ahead of me, and another car was right behind me.
All of a sudden, I realized I was trapped. I couldn't get out - there was no where to go.
And I had an episode of PTSD. The worst since the accident four years ago.
I felt my heart leap in my chest and start pounding like a jackhammer. None of my usual calming tricks worked (full disclosure: I was in complete and utter panic mode - I couldn't even try any of them), besides which, I was terrified to take my foot off the brake. I finally had to physically yell - out loud - at myself to try and get myself under some kind of control.
Every time we would inch forward, the Cadillac rolled back and then moved forward. I waited. And I waited - completely terrified to take my foot off the brake in case I would also roll back. Finally, I forced myself to take my foot off the brake and quickly touched the gas. The car did not roll back. I have a Subaru. It's not all that heavy and it's an automatic, but it has a very touchy gas pedal - the car can leap forward pretty quickly unless you have a very light touch. I touched the gas quickly and started up the incline. Well, it leaped forward and I was afraid I was going to hit the wall. Thankfully, I did not, but I had to stop again. And again. Each time I was leaving more space between me the giant Escalade ahead of me. And all the time my heart was going like a jackhammer as I continued to scream at myself that I was alright. I think the car behind me realized that I was having a hard time, because it began to leave a little more space between us, and - bless the driver - he/she never once honked at me.
It didn't occur to me at the time, but if I could have gotten out of the car, I could have waited for someone to come and help me. But no. I just kept yelling at myself that I was alright and was doing the best I could.
We had to get up to about the fourth level before we got to the actual parking lot, hence the tight spiral up. We finally made it to the final turn. I could see that the spiral was going to level out to more of a maybe 6 degree grade to go through, take a ticket, and get into the parking lot proper. I decided to wait where I was on the spiral until the Cadillac and the car ahead of it had gone through. With both of them out of the way, I'd have a clear shot.
Once again I had to force myself to take my foot off the brake, and touch the gas. And I made it. Then I had to drive up probably six more levels of normal, gently sloped parking garage ramps before I could even find a parking space. But I did find one. And I managed to get the car parked. And then I sat there for a few minutes. Maybe 10 minutes.
My heart rate didn't slow all the way back down for probably three or four hours.
I knew I would be OK on the way down the spiral - I'm confident in my car's brakes, but lesson learned: Park in the Grant Park Underground from now on, or give the car to the valet.
Onward.
I do have some finished objects to share today - they aren't the greatest photos, but at least you can see that I got a few things accomplished during the time I was sick.
This is the hat I knit for J. He saw it at Stitches and liked it. I had the red and natural shades, and he likes blue, so I picked up a skein of blue and left out the buffalo head that is present in the pattern - he wasn't keen on the Buffalo :-D I made the pulse warmers to go with it. He says he likes them. The hat pattern is the Poster Buffalo Cap (Ravelry link).
The pulse warmers are called Ball & Skein Pulse Warmers (Rav link). I made them out of the leftovers.
I liked them so much that I made a pair for myself - a little longer, and out of some cashmere that I picked up a few years ago but didn't have enough of to knit anything larger.
The other project I finished was The Kindness KAL Shawl (Rav Link). I used a skein of sock yarn that I picked up last year at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool. It's Ogle Design Fiber Arts Nature Trail Sock in the River Rock colorway.
It was NOT my usual choice of colorway, but something about it grabbed me. The yarn was not really a good choice for a shawl (shawlette, really), as it is scratchy and definitely NOT for wear next to the skin - but knitted up it has a 1940's feel to it that I really, really like.
When I washed it to block it, the reddish orange ran, which gave the finished project even more of a 40's look. I'm imaging wearing it at Christmastime with a black turtleneck.
Life keeps moving forward here, Chez A. I hope to writing more in the coming weeks. For now, enjoy a happy childhood memory . . . :-)
It also meant that I had to park in a lot.
Parking on the street in Chicago is a nightmare since the city privatized the parking meters a number of years go. Lot parking can cost upwards of $50 or more for a full day, but it's really the only way to go. I just needed a couple of hours. I parked in the lot closest to my dentist's office, which coincidentally is the lot for Ross, which validates, so my parking was only $17 bucks! Yay!
I digress.
Here is what I thought I was getting - a slope down, a straight shot in to the garage and then normal, gently sloping ramps.
That was not what I got.
I pulled into the parking lot on the Wabash Ave. side and found myself in a very tight spiral that first went down,
and then angled up at what felt like at least a 30 degree angle.
There was a giant Cadillac Escalade in front of me, and another car behind me, and I could see that more cars were joining the line to go up the spiral from another garage entrance (which is actually where this last photo was taken, at the Randolph Street entrance for those of you who might know the city). We were stopped on this very narrow, very tight, highly angled spiral. The Escalade kept slipping back and and I was afraid that if I took my foot off the brake that my car would slip backwards. We weren't moving much at all.
The spiral was only wide enough for one narrow lane and the cement walls were high. The Cadillac was ahead of me, and another car was right behind me.
All of a sudden, I realized I was trapped. I couldn't get out - there was no where to go.
And I had an episode of PTSD. The worst since the accident four years ago.
I felt my heart leap in my chest and start pounding like a jackhammer. None of my usual calming tricks worked (full disclosure: I was in complete and utter panic mode - I couldn't even try any of them), besides which, I was terrified to take my foot off the brake. I finally had to physically yell - out loud - at myself to try and get myself under some kind of control.
Every time we would inch forward, the Cadillac rolled back and then moved forward. I waited. And I waited - completely terrified to take my foot off the brake in case I would also roll back. Finally, I forced myself to take my foot off the brake and quickly touched the gas. The car did not roll back. I have a Subaru. It's not all that heavy and it's an automatic, but it has a very touchy gas pedal - the car can leap forward pretty quickly unless you have a very light touch. I touched the gas quickly and started up the incline. Well, it leaped forward and I was afraid I was going to hit the wall. Thankfully, I did not, but I had to stop again. And again. Each time I was leaving more space between me the giant Escalade ahead of me. And all the time my heart was going like a jackhammer as I continued to scream at myself that I was alright. I think the car behind me realized that I was having a hard time, because it began to leave a little more space between us, and - bless the driver - he/she never once honked at me.
It didn't occur to me at the time, but if I could have gotten out of the car, I could have waited for someone to come and help me. But no. I just kept yelling at myself that I was alright and was doing the best I could.
We had to get up to about the fourth level before we got to the actual parking lot, hence the tight spiral up. We finally made it to the final turn. I could see that the spiral was going to level out to more of a maybe 6 degree grade to go through, take a ticket, and get into the parking lot proper. I decided to wait where I was on the spiral until the Cadillac and the car ahead of it had gone through. With both of them out of the way, I'd have a clear shot.
Once again I had to force myself to take my foot off the brake, and touch the gas. And I made it. Then I had to drive up probably six more levels of normal, gently sloped parking garage ramps before I could even find a parking space. But I did find one. And I managed to get the car parked. And then I sat there for a few minutes. Maybe 10 minutes.
My heart rate didn't slow all the way back down for probably three or four hours.
I knew I would be OK on the way down the spiral - I'm confident in my car's brakes, but lesson learned: Park in the Grant Park Underground from now on, or give the car to the valet.
Onward.
I do have some finished objects to share today - they aren't the greatest photos, but at least you can see that I got a few things accomplished during the time I was sick.
This is the hat I knit for J. He saw it at Stitches and liked it. I had the red and natural shades, and he likes blue, so I picked up a skein of blue and left out the buffalo head that is present in the pattern - he wasn't keen on the Buffalo :-D I made the pulse warmers to go with it. He says he likes them. The hat pattern is the Poster Buffalo Cap (Ravelry link).
The pulse warmers are called Ball & Skein Pulse Warmers (Rav link). I made them out of the leftovers.
I liked them so much that I made a pair for myself - a little longer, and out of some cashmere that I picked up a few years ago but didn't have enough of to knit anything larger.
The other project I finished was The Kindness KAL Shawl (Rav Link). I used a skein of sock yarn that I picked up last year at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool. It's Ogle Design Fiber Arts Nature Trail Sock in the River Rock colorway.
It was NOT my usual choice of colorway, but something about it grabbed me. The yarn was not really a good choice for a shawl (shawlette, really), as it is scratchy and definitely NOT for wear next to the skin - but knitted up it has a 1940's feel to it that I really, really like.
When I washed it to block it, the reddish orange ran, which gave the finished project even more of a 40's look. I'm imaging wearing it at Christmastime with a black turtleneck.
Life keeps moving forward here, Chez A. I hope to writing more in the coming weeks. For now, enjoy a happy childhood memory . . . :-)
Comments
But I am so glad to see your finished knit projects. I knit a couple cowls for my hairstylist. They were fun to knit and quick to finish. Simple-minded knitting at its best. :)
Hope you have a blessed Christmas, Annie!
Janice H.
I am so proud of you for GETTING THROUGH that parking garage ordeal!!! I have a high-geared manual and those kinds of situations make ME panic because getting the car moving uphill without killing it or rolling backward is a very real challenge, so I can empathize a wee bit. Love the set you made for J; guess he's "knit-worthy". ;-)
Janice H.
Michelle - J is, indeed, knit-worthy ;-)