Good morning. If you don’t really know me that well, you probably wouldn’t notice anything too weird or different with my face.
(Well, hopefully you wouldn’t!)
But trust me, it’s different this morning. Got out of bed a couple hours ago and the left side of my face was swollen. It feels like someone stuffed some bristly nuts in my left cheek while I was sleeping. (Well, I’ve always been a little squirrely…) It’s just another day of living with TMJ.
Things are getting better though, this is Day 4 where the right side of my face has remained unswollen. That’s a good sign. I can’t believe I’m even dealing with this again after 3 years. It returned on Saturday December 16, exactly one week after being struck down with Covid. Did you know there are studies linking the two?
I’m convinced my bout with covid (with a high fever for 3-4 nights) “woke up” the chronic inflammation that causes TMJ. Anyway, enough said; I just wanted to share a promising update. As soon as it ends I plan to eat “sharp foods” like Wheaties and toast for breakfast again. And bacon. Boo on oatmeal.
Getting to my next reason for wanting a better picture, does my blog look a little different to you? When I began blogging back in 2006 I did it on a Microsoft site called “Windows Spaces”. All went well until 2010 when Microsoft announced they were closing their Spaces platform.
They offered to help us migrate to WordPress, but I decided to go my own route and came over to Blogger. I was a software developer at the time, and thought I’d use the move to learn how to code my own blog using HTML (a website coding language). I figured it would be a good skill to add to my IT resume.
But I only learned just enough, and for the last 15 years I’ve been unable to do much with the look of ApacheDug’s Teepee. For example, I’ve never been able to change my orange banner which was ‘hard-wired’ into my code.
But I’m ready for a change, so a week ago I began looking at Blogger’s ready-made templates, and picked one I could update (without getting into the infernal HTML code). If you notice anything wonky on here, please let me know!
And finally, I should probably stop worrying about my blog and focus a little more on fixing up my REAL place. Last year I gave myself a decor-goal for 2023: find three or four artworks for my apartment so I could stop living with empty walls. One for my large dining room wall, one for my living room and 2 for the bedroom.
What’d I accomplish? I bought a tiny framed art piece for the bathroom and a medium-sized one for the wall above my clothes hamper (I wrote about here). You have to be in the bedroom and around the corner to even see it though.
So I’m giving myself a new decor goal for 2024: find one thing to hang on this wall! I’m thinking of a 3 x 3’ frame-wrapped canvas art print, maybe Asian-themed or industrial. I’ll tackle the other rooms next year for sure. ;^)
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE—I’M HEADING TO THE SENIOR CENTER TO ATTEND AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL AT NOON. I HOPE YOUR DAY IS SWEET AS WELL.
Dec. 16 is the day David fell and broke his leg and ended up at the nursing home. Terrible date to remember. Hope your TMH improves! As for art, oooh, I wish I could look at your choices. I love to buy art.
ReplyDelete"TMJ"
DeleteThanks Gigi, and you're right--Dec 16 was not a great day for sure! As for the dining room art, if I was a woman I'd get something like the large canvas piece in your dining room :^)
DeleteI bet Paul has a picture for that wall!
ReplyDeleteBut, you know what would look great there? A framed black and white photo of the Pittsburgh skyline. Look on line. They've got some great stuff there.
Debby you made me laugh out loud! As for your idea, I appreciate it but as a matter of fact, I am doing something already very similar in another room--you'll see :^)
DeletePS. Sorry for the delay with your comment--it went straight to my spam folder again.
DeleteIt looks great; I love the blue (my favorite color)! I'm terrible at adding artwork. Why does it feel like such a momentous decision? Most of my paintings are ones my older daughter did, gifts or photos of my grandsons. :) Ice cream, YUM!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret! And yes, so right about choosing artwork--and the ice cream social had fudge, toppings galore & pie! No dinner for me tonight :-(
DeleteHi Doug, sorry you are still dealing with the TMJ. Goodness, almost two months!
ReplyDeleteI had noticed you changed the banner along the top of your blog. It looks great!
We have changed up our artwork over the last six months or so. When we got new living room furniture we found a large canvas for over the couch that I love. We have a lot of black and white family photos and a bunch of 100+ year old song sheets framed too. Art is so personal. I hope you find something you love!❤️
Robin
Framed vintage song sheets!! I love that idea Robin. In fact, I have unframed ones displayed on my piano's copy board.
DeleteThanks Robin! And yes, I agree with Florence--your framed music sounds really cool. It's times like this when I wish I was married, not to sound sexist but women are better at this type of thing then men. :^)
DeleteHappy Valentines Day, Doug. Hope you had a lovely and yummy ice cream social. Boo to oatmeal?!? If I could only eat one type of food, three meals a day, forevermore, it would be oatmeal. I make porridge with large rolled oats, ground flax seeds, unsweetened soy milk, raisons, nutmeg and cinnamon -- every morning for decades and I still love it!!! As to art, I usually 'happen' on something I really like and buy it on the spot. ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteFlorence, thanks! We had four song sheets framed probably 30 years ago. I found three 1920 ones a couple years ago at a church sale and had them framed for the guest room walls. I love them. The song sheets were a couple bucks but you don’t want to know how much it cost to frame them!😆😆 Your oatmeal sounds delicious!
DeleteRobin
Thank you Florence, and Happy Valentines Day to you too! Listen you almost made me chuckle out loud here at your all natural oatmeal, that's incredible. It sounds delish but I still can't imagine eating that 3 times a day for life... amazing. :^) Well, when I get new art and post it, I hope you share your honest opinion!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a good time at that ice cream social. I tend to avoid them myself, but once in awhile I get a craving for something cream and sweet. Happy Valentine's Day, Doug! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks DJan, and Happy Valentines Day! Well, I wanted to avoid this one but they were trying to raise money so... anyway, I do get those cravings too. I should be good for a month or so. :^)
DeleteI like your new header and the "breaking news--like scroll" underneath. Looks very clean and updated. I like your decor too. The walls in our house are fairly bare; I prefer a minimalistic look and less to dust!😉 Happy Valentine's Day to you too.
ReplyDeleteBobi, I feel like you always know just what to say. Thank you thank you. I mean it, you're awesome. :^)
DeleteAnd I thought you were needing a new header picture of a new you. I have little or no advice. My walls feature two art pieces culled from my thirty years of collecting. But, you're going in the opposite direction, and it sounds as if you have something in mind. Follow your instincts.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Joanne--well, I'm not ready to give up that 2015 face in the banner just yet! But I do have possibilities now... as for the art pieces, you only have 2? When I moved to this new apt a few years ago, i got rid of all my former artwork. Anyway, I just need to stop procastinating :^)
DeleteTMJ is so painful. I hope you feel better soon. A nice piece of art on your wall would be lovely. Black and white Asian art or something geometric and colorful are nice options. Once you start to look at art, you'll find something that appeals to you. Something you will enjoy looking at every day will be important.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Susan, much appreciated. I'm looking forward to finally buying something for that wall and sharing it here! And thank you for the kind wishes, the TMJ really is getting better I think.
DeleteHey! You have a new header! With the metal shelves and chairs I'd siggest something industrial, but not entirely black, white and grey. Maybe something in those colours against a sunset for a bit of added warmth?
ReplyDeleteI thought I saw you on TV last night. I'm watching my way through 20 seasons of NCIS and one episode had a character who looked a lot like you, but with dark hair. I sat there eating chocolate and thought hey! there's Dougie!
Thanks very much River, good advice about the art! And that's quite an effort you're undertaking, 20 seasons. I honestly was going to do the same around a year ago but after three episodes I just felt overwhelmed. Wish I knew who this guy was though! 😄
DeleteI’ll let others judge your photos as I’m lousy at my own so I don’t like to comment on others.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the TMJ, it sounds awful.
A long, long time ago (in I.T. years – rather akin to dog years) I was contracted to create a website for the maths department for one of the universities here in Victoria (Australia).
This was written in HTML as there were no fancy templates to do such things at the time.
Imagine my surprise that it was successful and exactly what they wanted.
However, I decided I wouldn’t do that sort of thing again, because, like you, I found it really infernal (I had stronger words, but I like your description).
Thanks very much Peter--I knew my HTML stuff was pretty dull reading, but I was hoping someone else would see it and relate. I'm pretty sure I'm officially done with coding!
DeleteGo get some art for your walls. Make sure it’s good, and it’s what you like.
ReplyDeleteMy walls are replete, and they bring me joy whenever I see them (which is all the time, of course).
I wish I had more space for things I’ve seen that I’d like to hang.
Thanks Music Man, I wish I could see your digs sometime. :^)
DeleteGosh, i hope the TMJ settles down for you soon. I do agree, it likely flared due to your bout with Covid. That pesky virus can cause all sort of issues.
ReplyDeleteI can't help you with the artwork - all of my photos and the few pieces of decor (I'm not sure I'd call them art) are still packed away from our move. I'm not sure when I'll get to hang them again.
Thanks Maebeme-- I appreciate you sharing that about your packed away stuff too, I'm glad to know there's others out there that also leave stuff packed after a move. I think you just inspired a future blog!
DeleteCovid is the gift that just keeps giving, isn't it. I am glad to hear you are doing better. I was just in a Habitat resale shop this past weekend and I was pleasantly surprised with some of the wonderful professionally framed art work they were selling for ridiculously low prices. I have no empty walls in my house, but was very much tempted by some of them. Maybe there is something similar near you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Miss Merry, and I've got to be honest I never considered the idea of buying art in a resale shop, but why not? I like that idea a lot and in fact we do have a really giant thrift store about 0.4 miles from my apartment. I will definitely check it out.
DeleteI like the idea of 'creating your own space'. It's why our homes/walls say something about us. We don't have a lot of 'Artwork' in our house... mostly pics of family or framed stitchwork someone has made for us. And we tend to have DH's ships (in cases and on walls - even some large framed pics of ship plans). But I would like to see something in that space of yours that brings nature into the apartment... maybe a large picture that made you feel that you were in a forest, garden, or coast - but that's me and may not be you, Dug.
ReplyDeleteAs for your swollen face, DH gets something like that on occasion. The doctor told him it's nothing to worry about... and it goes away in a few days.
Hi Rian, thank you for the suggestions. I like the idea of ship plans, I was leaning in that direction! But I am partial to Nature too.. a lot to think about. As for my swollen face, I don't mind the lumps it just gets painful and a little sore to eat sometimes. That's interesting that your husband deals with this too.
DeleteHis isn't TMJ, it's something the doctor said was due to clogged drainage that occurs occasionally. He wakes up to one side of his face swollen and puffy, feels a little numb... but it goes away in a day or so. His isn't painful like yours.
Delete