A Week Off

I took last week off from Curves and eating healthy because: 1. My birthday celebration came and went and I no longer had to worry about wearing a crop top and 2. I hadn't been feeling well for a while. 

St. Patrick's Day marked the one month anniversary since [WARNING: TMI. IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, I SUGGEST YOU SKIP DOWN TO THE PICTURES NOW.] my week-long bout with diarrhea. It came out of no where, figuratively speaking. I arrived at my place at three in the morning after celebrating my friend's birthday in Palm Spring. I went straight to bed and woke up at eight, planning on getting more shut eye as soon as I saw the time. Just as I closed my eyes, though, I remembered that it was another friend's birthday and called her before I forgot. When we hung up, I went to the restroom so I could be ready for my second round of sleep and there it was, diarrhea. No sign, no cramping, no sudden pang to hit the toilet. It just appeared. So I recollected what I had eaten the day before-- left over lasagna and salad, lots of bread, pita chips, and the most expensive piece of chicken I'd ever eaten at a steakhouse, and a shot of Patron and a margarita at the club. I had nothing weird or out of the ordinary for me. So I made yerbabuena tea, hoping it would work its magic during my nap. I woke up at one--I had never in my life woken up at one-- and to my disappointment, Diarrhea was still present. So I went to Target and got generic Pepto. But my loose bowel movements were active two days later and I started to panic. I knew it was something more serious than just an upset stomach. I emailed my doctor and when I got no response, I spoke to a nurse on day five. She suggested more home remedies so I loaded on Gatorade and Imodium AD. The imodium didn't constipate me like it had done years before and on day seven, I took Alka-Seltzer per my mother's request as my last resort. By that afternoon, I felt so lightheaded I was scared to stand. Based on my own presumption that I was dehydrated, I headed to urgent care. The nurse took my blood pressure twice. I had hoped for an IV or another form of nutrient replacement but all the doctor prescribed were more diarrhea pills and requested stool samples. 

The diarrhea disappeared the following day, no thanks to the pills. But I continued feeling dizzy at work. I thought my body was weak from losing so many fluids and I was concerned enough to email my doctor again. Because I felt better towards the end of the work week, I told the nurse to ignore my message when she returned my call.  By the weekend, though, I was also feeling nauseous. I even took a nap to feel better but the living room spun as I laid on the couch. I called my doctor on Monday morning and made an appointment for the afternoon.

Once there, the nurse took my blood pressure at least three times. She asked me to relax, to stand, and a second girl clipped a white clothespin looking thing to my finger until my pressure came out normal. Once I saw the doctor, he diagnosed me with vertigo.

I have family members with vertigo. It causes dizziness. I learned that it is an infection in the ear that interferes with balance. I was heartbroken. I was scared it would be a condition that would be with me for rest of my life. But the doctor said it would go away in a few days. He gave me a cheat-sheet with more info and instructions for an exercise regimen that would help it go away. It said vertigo could last days or weeks. I'd already been dizzy for two weeks as I sat on the bed in the doctor's office. Since then, I've only felt "normal" a handful of days. But I'm not so sure it's vertigo I have anymore as much as hypochondria. Because my blood pressure was low both times I visited the doctor, I now think I might have low blood pressure.

That's why I threw away my routine. My body needed a break from all the health drama. I also wanted to replace my sugar and salt levels that might have decreased during the diarrhea incident. The binge eating began the day after the use of my crop top. I started with a bag of Ruffles with sour cream and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Everything else just fell into place: pupusas, California rolls, tri-tip sliders and mimosas, penne pasta in pesto, pizza and beer accompanied by a Clipper game, all the hummus dip at a farmer's market, Flamin' Hot Lays, organic carrot cakes, chilaquiles con chile verde, sopes, and beans, beans, beans! 

I felt better this past weekend. The dizzy spells come and go. Again, I don't know if they're real or if I'm making myself sick. So I made a follow-up appointment to discuss the low blood pressure issue and requested a physical. I'll know next week if I'm crazy or not. In the meantime, I took it upon myself to reverse the effects of my free week. I accepted my sister's invite to climb hundreds of steps in the Hollywood hills last Saturday. Despite my two-week absence from the gym, I did pretty good. I am ready to take over my life again and do what I love to do, which is to be one with nature. See you out there!

First set of stairs.

Fakin' it till she made it!

The houses reminded me of Danish town Solvang.

House on stilts. 

Second staircase. 

Selfie.

Beautiful!

Meant to take a selfie with the Hollywood sign in the background. FAIL! 

Que purti, mi sister!

Third set. 

I thought it was a dead baby bird.

This one is for Ms. Irene. 

Fourth staircase. 

View from the top.

My Mary Poppins shot.

I liked the gargoyle.

Castle, anyone?

Hollywood reservoir... who knew?

We actually found some dirt!

Jackie: There are so many trails here!
Me: That's the one we just came from.
Blonde moment number one.

Yes, it's just a reservoir. Yes, it's man-made. But it's still amazing. 

You can barely make out the Hollywood sign.

The girl on the right thought I was younger than Jackie. Music to my ears. Never fails. 

Sure enough, there they were, playing. 

Spotted these flowers after Jackie said, "That's a huge iguana." And we all clarified, "Jackie, that's a squirrel."

Living In a Fantasy

I have lived in a fantasy three out of twelve months for the past eight years. The school I work for is one of the few still operating under a year-round system. This means that instead of having summers to myself like the rest of the educators in the country, I have January, May, and September off. People ask, "Do you like that?" And I always say, "Yes!" Ask any of my coworkers and we all respond the same way. We work three months and then we're on vacation for one, and the cycle continues. There's always a light at the end of our tunnel. As a matter of fact, the light never burns out. It only gets dimmer or brighter, depending where we find ourselves in the three-month period. Like right now, that light is as dim as it can get because we're back to work tomorrow. But knowing that we'll be off again in May keeps the flame burning.

Rumor has it that this dream is about to end. We are scheduled to join every school system and their traditional calendar for the 2014-2015 year. That means that the majority of my vacation is going to be bulked into the summer months. For the first time in my adult working life, I'm going to be running my AC all day only to find the astronomical electricity bill at the end of the month like the rest of my peers. Sure, there will beams of light peering through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break, but weeks off at a time will never be compared to months off. The aspect that upsets me most is that I didn't take full advantage of my vacations. I never traveled outside the west coast like I've always wanted. I was in grad school three of those eight years but I have no excuses for the other five. I guess I can blame the lack of funds. But more importantly, it's very difficult to find a partner in crime with the same breaks to explore the world with. 

One of my coworkers said, "This is our last January off." I don't believe it; I'm in denial. I can't remember getting up at 6:30am Monday-Friday and spending seven hours with children, not including tutoring or writing lesson plans after school. I've lost all sense of time during this break, the longest of them all, a six-week period. I never know the day or date anymore. I go to sleep whenever I want, wake up when I wake up, go to the gym in the middle of the day, and go wherever I please.

I know most people only have two weeks of vacation and others have none. So I will not complain about returning to work tomorrow. Instead, I will savor the sweet memories of this past off-track time. I attended two family birthday parties, went on three hikes, visited four beaches, one museum, and a national park, saw a comedy show titled Undateable, had lunch and dinner with friends, went ice skating, watched Summon the Yeti perform at a local brewery, and visited two California missions. The most delectable part of it all was the food I had at the local eateries everywhere I went. I really need Jillian Michaels' help now.

I leave you with the tail end of my vacation before I set my alarm tonight for the first time since December 19th, 2013. I know I sound like a spoiled brat and I guess I am, but the end is here and it is a little sad, nonetheless.

Lunch at a local spot, Simple Simon's. How is it that I'd never been there?!

The Lunar Fest really tripped me out when I saw many, many more dressed in their favorite cartoon characters like this one.

The best of luck to those of you born in the year of the horse!

I loved how this student-dancer kept her eyes on her teacher during the performance. Kudos to her for taking the stage all by herself.

I thought these were the cutest kids.

Sumo wrestlers.

He's 370lbs and more flexible than most of us.

I couldn't decide between Baayii and Byamba...that was until I learned that the latter is a four-time world champion.

I thought this was the cutest little girl I had ever seen. She looked like a doll, from the 80s, none of this Monster High crap.

I love my city! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Pacific Island Fire Dancers

I wanted to join these girls, right then and there.

Senryu Taiko Drums from my alma mater.

Tiger Crane Lion Dance Team from UCR.

Happy Year of the Horse!

My baby parked in front of the mission.

Beautiful winter day!

Inside the church.

El campanario.

Father Serra, founder of all the missions.

Bricks from the original mission, before the Indians burned it down, were used to make these crosses.

I love me my California palm trees!

Shot of the day.

St. Francis of Assisi Fountain.

My version of Mary Poppins :D

Claustrophobic little door.

I liked how the Mexican, Spanish, California, and United States flags were all represented.

My seventh mission.

Only 15 more to go!

Just happy!

I love my baby. I'm so thankful that she's taken me to so many places and on so many adventures. I love you, Rubi!

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.

This warms my face just looking at it.  

I have nothing to complain about.