Just Saying...

Trying to recover from that 9 days without electricity and heat.  Truth be told, there are still thousands in Connecticut without electricity, and for those people, this would be day 13, I believe.

Welcome to Shyt? Monday

Well...here we are, faced with yet another Monday (unless you're in Antarctica, where it is already Tuesday).  What will we do with our time?  How will we treat one another?  If you are like the average human, you will probably go about your day doing things as you always have (rest assured, this is normal, do not freak out--I've already been down that road this morning and have suffered it for you).  But...if you are awakening to the fact that you have unlimited possibilities (maybe not resources), then today could be the day that changes everything, that sets you on a fresh path in a different direction.

No matter what, though, you will live (unless you die).  And that is the most certain of all things.  So if you find yourself stuck in the mud, call for help.  And if you call for help and help does not cometh...well...you're shyt out of luck.

Fact:  Luck is known to be ever changing, so hang in there until you breakthrough that shyt.

"Be good.  Be patient.  Be away from shyt as much as humanly possible.  Be in the moment if you are covered and drowning in shyt."

~MissNikkiAnn, who is so full of shyt, as we all are

It Is I...

It's been a struggle today. Hell, it's always a struggle. I stayed in my pajamas all day. Tweeted with some tweeps. Google+'d with some old Twitter and Seesmic folk. Listened to NPR. Yelled at Sir. Yelled at Sir some more. Toasted marshmallows in the backyard, while still wearing those pajamas. Did 6 puzzles with Sir. Played Operation and Bed Bugs with Sir. Watched some YouTube videos. Made a YouTube video. Started my Pinterest board. Curated my Pearltrees. Took my Dailymughshot shot. Had my regular coffee. Had my decaf coffee. Listened to my one voicemail. And I think I am about to yell at Sir again. This means I've basically come full circle. Wait...I just got an email. Let's see... *reading email* Oh...how nice...someone on Twitter retweeted one of my tweets and my email felt that I needed to know. Yes, email has feelings.

Now yelling at Sir...

"Be good.
Be patient.
Be in the moment."
~MissNikkiAnn

The Farm

The farm was great, Sir and I were sure to check on every animal.  The black goat and Jocelyn the cow were really attracted to Sir today, which tells me that he's getting older and calmer.  I spent my time with the chickens, whom I usually don't communicate with.  But today two seemed to have caught my attention and I practiced my chicken calls, doing so well that I elicited the two chickens' undivided attention.  And the one that had its leg up, on guard, finally put it down and began playfully eying me.

But Sir's calling from his bath.  Must answer.

Be well.

Be in the moment.

I Am Here

Just finished doing my internet rounds, from one intriguing site to the next.

Just thought it only smart to drop-in my own site and see how things are going.

And?

They're going.

The page is still here.

Be well.

Keeping You Up To Speed…

I have a lot going on at once.  Since I am finally at the end of a month-long Dysautonomia flare, I am trying to play catch-up.  In addition to playing catch-up, with the help of my psychiatrist, whom I adore as a human being, I am trying to implement some activities that will help me work towards my goal of creating cash flow on my own.  I have not yet been approved for SSI or Disability, so my income is ineffectively $0.00 per hour, which stings.  And sucks. 

As I am learning to live and work around my disability, we (my psychiatrist and I) are trying to figure out how I can utilize my talents from my bed, in the lying flat position, in order to make a livable living with or without the aid of SSI/Disability.  As I’ve told her, eventually (if I am awarded money from SSI/Disability) I want to be financially independent of those systems sooner than later.  Just as a blind person, or deaf or mentally handicapped person can generate income despite their disabilities, I too feel compelled to do the same.  So our brainstorming has led to my attempting writing by voice recognition applications that I use while I’m too sick to be upright.  It’s a bit daunting, but remember how daunting text messaging used to be before QWERTY pads?  Same thing.

This morning I got an email letting me know that I’ve been accepted as the group leader of MDJunction’s Non-Familial Dysautonomia Forum.  I feel honored and excited about the endeavor, and am looking forward to advocating for Non-Familial Dysautonomia and chronic illness sufferers in general.  I’ve also been using my YouTube vlog as an advocacy tool by making my own videos and connecting with other Dysautonomia/POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a form of Dysautonomia that I have) patients.

And there’s so much more, but right now I am in so much pain and need to go handle that and Sir at the same time.  One thing I will say about Sir is that I am so proud of him.  He is crazy as hell, but he’s doing such a great job in kindergarten, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching and listening to him read; which I think has been my favorite part of his kindergarten experience.  Yay for reading!  I heart books.

Be well.

*Photo--Sir’s first day of kindergarten, Fall 2010

MissNikkiAnn

My Bad

Folks, I am still here, but am just in the last few days recovering from that one-month-long Dysautonomia flare. And it's difficult to post when I can barely hold my head up. I am still doing the Raw Foods Trial, but am no longer connecting it to Roger Bezanis. Let's just say that he's insulted by my Bat Shit Crazy Daily; he has a right to his feelings and I have a right to my freedom of speech. But please take some time and research this amazing guy, he's got knowledge that the world needs.

It's tax time. Yup. And that's where I'll end this: It's tax time.

A twitter friend of mine wrote this book. He's unemployed, has kids, a wife and talent that the recession refuses to capitalize on.

Something You Might Want To Know? Seriously!

I wrote a post about breastfeeding back in 2006, when I was breastfeeding Sir, called: Something You Might Want To Know. Since I don't blog as often as I used to, I am always amazed at how many hits this site gets without my updating it frequently. Over time, the Bat-Shit Crazy answer has been that many from around the globe flock to that breastfeeding post (click here to view: "Something You Might Want To Know"). Funny thing is, you may want to know that my boobies still produce milk--darn things just randomly starting leaking one day. And to my knowledge, this boobs have never dried out. But that's not very important, as I recently had a Thermal Balloon Ablation (yeah, you can look that up on your own!).

And that's all I really wanted to say. Seriously!

I Tried…

but yesterday didn’t go as planned.  I was stricken with pain not long after my video post, so I was unable to make the cookies.  But we did get the haircuts.  Today I have lots of craziness going on, and the pain has not let up.  I’m taking prescription strength pain meds on top of the other medication that is supposed to help control my pain that is triggered by my nervous system. 

I’m medicated the fuck up! 

Sir has another school Christmas program today (that’s what happens when you send your child to a Christian (not Catholic, CHRISTIAN) private school--they reserve the right to have 5 million programs when it’s a Christian holiday approaching.  So I need to go to that, plus two doctor appointments AND it’s a half day--and last day until after the New Year--for Sir (gets out at 12:30 p.m.).  So I have no idea how it will all flow.  But…

GOD has never failed me nor forsaken me.

Thank God!

FYI--Blog best viewed by going to actual site: www.missnikkiann.blogspot.com

FYI: Just wanted to let you all know that my blog is best view by coming to the actual site, as I post videos and other personal things in the side bar that WILL NOT appear in a "reader." So, coming to www.missnikkiann.blogspot.com is the best way to experience my work--or lack thereof!

Latas!

Hello There! You're Still Here? Whoa!

So...I'm just noticing that people actually come to this blog, even though I very seldom view it. I have all of my other accounts linked so that anything I post on the other sites comes here for viewing. But I never realized that folks actually view this stuff. LOL! I love y'all for that! I have THE BESTEST (yes, bestest) family and friends.

Anywho, now that the cat is out of the bag all around, I just want to officially inform the folks who don't know that I am ill. I've been through a lot over the last three (plus) months. Been to the emergency room 3 times for TIAs (mini-strokes), have a long list of doctors:

--Primary Care
--Neuro-Opthamalogist
--Neurolotist
--Hematologist/Oncologist (same guy)
--Dermatologist
--2 Ear Nose Throat doctors
--Anaesthesiologist
--Psychiatrist
--Psychologist (yes, both psychiatrist and psychologist! LOL)
--Rheumatologist, and
--OB-Gyn (yes, she's involved in the diagnosis and treatment).

I can't quite figure out if I'm missing anyone from that list, but I have a great team of doctors. The only doctor who didn't want to play fair was my crazy-azz neurologist; so I had to fire him.

What I am dealing with here, healthwise, is being catagorized as a possible autoimmue disease mystery illness. I've had:

--Spnial Tap
--Bone Marrow Biopsy
--Skin Biopsy
--2 Lips Biopsies
--Carotid
--CT Scan
--MRI
--Abdominal Ultrasound
--Breast Ultrasound
--Echocardiogram
--Carotid
--Every blood test possible (even HIV/AIDS, which I don't have, per the results! LOL)
--Visual Field, and
--Gallium Scan.

Now, the Gallium Scan is where my rheumatologist first found the issue, seemed my salivary glands weren't functioning properly; so she ordered a lip biopsy. The first lip biopsy was a failure. My lip was so dry and hardened inside that the rheumatologist who was doing the biopsy couldn't get a specimen. So my main rheumatologist ordered a lip biopsy through an Ear Nose Throat team--these two guys are friggin AMAZING. So this second biopsy had me looking busted and disgusted for almost two weeks now, but at least there was no pain after this one (unlike the first that was painful and wouldn't stop bleeding. I could barely talk for two days.).

So, the results from the last lip biopsy have, indeed, indicated that "something" is wrong. Now, the funny part is that all of my doctors are scratching their heads, admitting that it's a medical mystery. So they're getting together to consult with each other and do some research. Until then, I'm trying to deal with the side affects of the medication they have me on; it's some fierce stuff. They say the medication will take up to 3 months before I start to see results and that the symptoms and side effects will worsen before things get better. And I can attest to the fact that the symptoms and side effects have worsened. But...mom has been monitoring me closely and says that she's noticing subtle improvements, and that's something to be thankful for.

That's it for now. There's a lot more to this story (some of it funny as hell, some of it depressing), but all I do is talk about my illness all day, everyday (I go to a doctor almost everyday of the week and am sometimes double-booked with doctor appointments on the same day; so I get tired of discussing this shit. So for those concerned and wanting to talk, I enjoy conversations where we discuss stupid/silly stuff, not my illness (BORING!)). But it's hard to catchup with me because I'm either at the doctor, feeling too ill to chat, or sleeping (due to chronic fatigue and the medications).

I love you all.

Now I'm off to stop Sir from pouring chocolate milk all over the place. Did I mention how CRAZY he is? Yes, he's crazy! LOL!

My best to you all.

Talk to youz guyz latas!

Lazy Sunday

Up with Sir and COFFEE.

How y'alls be?

Most of my family's in Georgia for an informal/inpromptu reunion. You know how black/white/asian....folks do (I didn't want to exclude anyone! LOL! That would be racist, right? LOL!)

About to eat cheese grits and toast.

I'm here. Are you here? LOL!

Burnt Corn, Alabama

I just had to share this. Click on the title (Burnt Corn) to view the page.

More Brain Stuff . . From Cambridge University

Olny srmat poelpe can raed this.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm.This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed this psas it on !!

Tasah Smasha, thanks for solving the Kin

Tasah Smasha, thanks for solving the King Spalding mystery. They're a client of ourrs and I wanted to make sure that there was no snoopin' going on.

Another Monthly Town Block Watch Meeting

it was refreshing to see all my old elderly friends, complaining and fussing about the usual stuff. this meeting ran extra long as we had lots of "stupid" criminals to laugh at--they make the silliest mistakes. but one wasn't so fun...

high school boy has disagreement with dad over playing high school football. two days later he's still heated about it. he goes into his father's room as he's sleeping and stabs him 22 times. somehow dad is able to overpower the boy and calls for help.

one of our most irksome block watch attendees got into a heated discussion with the police officer who heads the Community Concerns Division. this woman is always getting in his--and any town worker's--butt. finally he was fed up after a year's worth of abuse and verbally--without profanity--slayed her. i grew tense, not knowing how he'd be able to continue his presentation with such tension, but he did, and with composure and all. most of us had chuckled at some time or another about all of her negative comments about the police department's way of doing things, so i'm sure she had it coming.

after the meeting was over, somehow she and i got into a conversation. we took that conversation outside in the drizzling rain, and talked from about 8:30 to 10:10 (i know cause i checked). i learned so much about that obnoxious women: the first thing being that she's obnoxious on purpose; it's her tool for getting things done. i learned that she's a twin and that she and her twin are total opposites (her sister being meek and quiet). i learned that she's single, but that her married sister has two daughters that are 14 months apart. The eldest daughter is like her and that drives her sister crazy. the eldest daughter is soon to marry a man that took the old-school route and courted her. and instead of moving in together before marriage, they live across the street from each other. i learned that she too is tired of watching so much riff-raft coming into this quiet little town. in her youth she lived in my neighborhood, so we spoke about all the local stores and places that "used" to be safe to walk to alone and at dark. she's a republican (i'm a supposed democrat). she's a catholic. she hates how her neighbor's loud music rattles her house. and she's sick and tired of being called a racist because she's fighting to keep her neighborhoods safe (cause God forbid if a white person complains about a black neighbor). and like i told her, "i'm black and i complain about my black neighbors, and some white one's too, but that don't make me no racist either." it means we're concerned tax payers who remember a time when life was simpler and neighborhoods safer.

now when i go to the next meeting and she's bitchin' and moanin' until it pisses us all off, i'll have a better understanding of what motivates this woman. cause God forbid if a woman talks in a loud voice that demands to be heard...that's just unladylike! and if this were Miss Nikki Ann's Living Room, i'd throw in some choice swear words like: "Fuck being ladylike when so much of the world is going down the toilet--make a stink if that's what kicks somebody's butt into gear." hey, maybe it's not my style, but how can i hate on those whom it works for.

So what?

I was

off
v
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a
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o
n

i
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g

and

f
a
l
l
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g

in love all over again.

v
a
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on

Thanks e.Craig!

I was visiting my favorite blog spots:

http://www.karrine.com/home/,
http://www.funformemusicforyou.blogspot.com/,
http://fridayfavecast.com/wp/ ,
http://ecraigsworld.blogspot.com/,

when I went to e.Craig's blog and began viewing an amazing video of exotic women across the world. All of a sudden...BOOM!...my face popped up--and more than once! Man, I'll tell ya', the universe doesn't allow a sista' to feel down for too long (especially with this new wave I'm riding). It's been a long and hot sweaty day (I went with Sir and his buddies downtown to the carousel). I wasn't feeling sexy AT ALL. But now...I feel a whole lot better.

"Craig, you're after my heart."

Now I can go and work until the friggin' wee hours with a smile on my face.

Here's the video's link: http://ecraigsworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/venus_16.html