I would have made up this word if it didn't already exist

Language is a tool to be used for clear communication. It is no secret that i often combine, add pre- and post-fixes and plain make up words to get exactly the meaning i need.
One of my favorite things about researching Thesaurus Thursdays has been discovering words that seem to have come straight from the Niktionary and this week's is a doozy:
AMOREVOLOUS -  an anglicised version of the Italian adjective amorevole (loving) to mean kind and affectionate, possibly from the 1600s [primary source]
Isn't it wonderful? Dare i say marvelous? In fact, i would.
It takes the feel and power of marvelous and makes it stronger by specifying that someone or thing is marvelous in the way that s/he/it/they loves and cares and shows affection.
It describes a wonderous kindness and i can support that.

This is Rickki Rea.

My champion through life's crap.

She's amorvelous.

November is made for fire

My love of dancing flames is no secret, as is my love for hot dogs and marshmallows.
Put them together with friends, a chill in the air and whittling sticks and you make Niki joy.

First, however, you do need to get a fire going:

Some sort of starter... kindling...aim-n-flame...

Come on people - FIRE!

How many people does it take to light a fire?

Ahhhhhhhh... here we go.

Add some chunks of wood.
          Careful; leave room for oxygen flow.

That's better.





Thanks to Lynn and Shawn for having Betsy, Ron and me over for a campfire.

Considering how much camping Lynn and I did together as children it felt nostalgic to talk and laugh and catch up with friends that have drifted apart while sharpening sticks, grilling doe-dogs and making s'mores.
I love, love the crackling of the wood and the smell of the smoke (when it isn't attacking my eyes, that is - less of a fan then). And i love them even more when surrounded by fun people.

Jam and Jelly

Kudos to my BFF for reaching her 101 in 1001 goal of canning 500 jars a full year early!

She really is awesome.
Here post about reaching the goal is here; please go give her an attaboy.
Speaking of which, Rea is celebrating her upcoming blogiversary by giving away a gift pack of jams and jellies.
You name is entered into the drawing every time you comment on Sept posts on her blog.
If you love some homemade goodness, be sure to go back and comment on all of the September posts. And if you mention that you came from here, my name gets entered as well. Yay!

https://wallacehomestead.blogspot.com/

farewell Lydia; be sure to wear your seatbelt

Today was my last adventure with Lydia before she moseys south to join her sibs in Georgia and we had to do it up BIG style.

Big Crash Test Dummy style, that is.

Searching for giant objects to collect for my 101 (4 down, 6 to go - 394 days to finish) I saw a post about a giant crash test dummy in Maryland.
In Glen Burnie.
At the main MVA.
Like, less than 20 minutes away.
How is that even possible? 
   I was sure i had every cool/strange/odd thing of a gigantic nature in the metro area.
Turns out "Lamont" was installed in 2012
 to remind drivers to wear their seatbelts,
which is the same year i stopped traveling for work.

And i, like all rational individuals,
avoid the main MVA like the plague.

No wonder i missed it.

wee little Lyds - he's 5 times normal sized

But by jiminy, i was determined that Lydia was not going to miss it before she traded steamed crabs for peaches.

So we parked in the sketchiest, vaguely abandoned parking lot we could find by MVA and walked over to meet him.

Here we are in front of two large signs about the history of the seatbelt. 

No, really. 

A comprehensive history of seatbelts. 

On well-written, actually interesting plaques.

You kinda have to see it to believe it.

Good luck, friend and remember to always buckle up and avoid the peltzman effect. 

Lamont would want it that way.

random brain bits

I love visiting Florida.
Living there? Not so much.
But a nice week in the sunshine is just what is needed to relax, clear one's mind and start to shake off those winter doldrums.
There are record high temperatures this week.
The AC broke, so that's a bit unfortunate.
Still, i don't have to shovel heat.

Two weeks ago i couldn't close zip-top bags.
I use them every day in the studio.
I have never had any issue before, but suddenly, no matter how many times i slid my fingers down the top ridge, it wouldn't seal.
I tried different sizes and brands, but i was stymied.
What the what, people?
Then just as suddenly, last Tuesday i could close all of the bags again.
Sometimes i think my house must have been built over toxic waste and the fumes are making me hallucinate large parts of my life. It would explain a lot.

Going by someone's house yesterday on my constitutional, i saw small decorative piles of rocks placed as yard art and said, Oh look -  Inukshuks! to the no one riding along with me.
Then i paused to think, Why in the world do i even know that word? Inuit sculpture isn't something i encounter in my every day life.
It was from an episode of due South.
Betcha haven't thought about that show in a hot minute.
Who says tv isn't educational?
Upon closer investigation they were less traditional Arctic tribal art and more tiny little adorable  rock people.

i want them in my yard

Mental Morsel: the plural of inukshuk is not inukshuks as i thought, but rather inuksuit, which i have no idea have to pronounce.

Recently i heard some less than good news of a medical nature (not about me).
For the next 36 hours or so i had the Time For Your Checkup song from Doc McStuffins stuck in my head. A 43-year old woman with no children should not have to endure It's okay if you giggle; this will only tickle a little for that long.
Great. Now it is stuck in my head again.

Bonus Mental Morsel: despite sounding like most of the noble gasses (neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon) the coolant Freon is not really a single chemical, but the trade name of a bunch of different chloroflourocarbons used as refrigerants.
Generally, Freon is four times heavier than air.

I can't believe it took me the last 25 minutes searching the internet to find that this guy's name is Sir Scoopsalot.

You know i can't resist a costume character and this guy was in Hampden, hon, handing out coupons to The Charmery.

If you haven't been to The Charmery in Baltimore, you need to go now.
They make all the ice cream in-house from local milk, invent interesting flavors and try to capture the spirit of our charming, quirky city.
I highly recommend the salty caramel.
Every day is the right day for ice cream, even if it is only 30 degrees.
Or you can get hot chocolate with house-made marshmallow.

The fountain in the lake in front of my dad's house goes off at 11:47 pm or, as my dad informed me when i pointed it out, 10:47 pm before daylight saving's time.
Nice round number, yeah?
It gives me pause.

Recently -maybe the last two months-  i have been using "totes" instead of totally when speaking.
Hello 2010, what are you doing here?
I didn't use that term when it was popular.
Why in the world would i suddenly start now?
I didn't even realize i was doing it until i heard one of my charges -a kindergartner no less- use it in a sentence and realized she had to have picked it up from me.
Now i am hyper-aware of when it slips into conversation and am really annoyed with myself.
So to all of the people with whom i might have had a conversation of late, i am sorry about resurrecting this lame slang.
I think i need to go with the snapping-rubberband-around-the-wrist aversion therapy to stop myself.

And finally, to end this stream of consciousness, kittens:

Spring 2014 with Erin, Caleb, Cameron and Collin

what's in my brain today?

My new favorite misspelling of my name is Nickie.  It is so random.
A very nice lady wrote that on my Christmas card.


Kathleen Turner suddenly jumped into my brain last night as i was falling asleep.
Whatever happened to her?


Last week i took a broken chair to the dump and saw this:

It was only 4 days after Valentine's. 

Someone hated it enough to take it to the dump, but loved it enough that they just couldn't throw it in.

You know there has to be a good story there.

I am a lot older than i think i am.
I have now known most of my friends for 20 years or more.
In my head i am really not old enough to have known people that long unless we met in kindergarten.

Speaking of fast time flies, last spring Dash and I went to the library after school. There is a brick divider wall in the parking lot and i had the idea to put him into the "decorative" openings to take a picture of him peeking out of it.

Two weeks ago when we passed the same wall leaving the library, he said I want my picture taken in there. He could almost climb into it himself, but then needed i little help because he barely fit:

 Andrew took me to the Gem and Jewelry Show.
I was expecting gems and jewelry.
There were plenty of both, but he didn't warn me that there would be BEADS FOR SALE, dirt cheap.

Oh, so many pretty beads. Some of them had to come home with me.
Also, this lovely, understated purple ring came home with me as well, thanks to Andrew.


What happens to those beads?
I think we all know the answer to that.
It sounds so impressive to say, I worked hard all day and got 80 pairs of Quirkees designed, plus another 60 pairs pulled for design.

The picture doesn't make it look that impressive though.
That's the problem with creating little things.








In case you didn't realize it, i have been updating my 101 progress every week.


Learning never gets old; i love the tingle of new neural pathways being forged in my brain.
Last night i was reading a book and came across a word i'd never seen before: gainsay. From the context of the sentence it seemed like it would mean " to agree with" but in fact it means the opposite - deny or contradict.
Let's all try to use gainsay in a sentence this week, shall we?
And in case you are wondering, yes, gainsaid is the past tense. That makes me smile and i don't even know why.


There are no pictures for it, but i did use one of the neglected kitchen gadgets that is on my 101 - the electric skillet.  It has not been plugged in for at least a decade, but it provided a nice, evenly heated surface for the pancakes i made over the weekend.
One down, three to go: immersion blender, bread tube and my pop chef.

brain dump

The jewelry show this weekend went well - meeting new customers and catching up with previous ones. 

It was fantastic to put a newly remade bracelet on its owner. 

She had some wooden letter beads from a broken bracelet that she wanted me to salvage so i added two sizes of jade beads randomly, creating a double wrap that she loved.

Last night while i was brushing my teeth i suddenly realized that the ABC Song is to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

Did you know that? How did i not notice that before? 

I stood in the bathroom, mouth full of foam singing both of them to verify my epiphany. 

Incidents like this convince me that i should both have a personal photo/videographer to capture the insanity and that i should never ever let anyone see what i am like at home alone. Not sure how to get both of those things to exist simultaneously. 

42 days into the 101 challenge and i am already happy that i have over 2.5 years to get some of this stuff done. It has focused me, but there are still daily/weekly things that i haven't managed to work in yet. It is nice to know that i have the time to ease into some of these things.

Speaking of the 101, #77 is Blog caught up, which doesn't sound hard until you consider that i have two whole vacations to do, as well as pictures ranging from last week to last year to four years ago.

Ridiculous, Niki.

So i am going to aggressively try to clean out the A BLOG photo folder by doing random posts like this one, combining several small posts into one larger one.

Jason loves BBQ - i mean, that boy loves barbecue - so last year he was stalking a local food truck called The Smoking Swine. 

a picture of Kate taking a picture of JP and DJP

When it was at  Catonsville ArtVille the family went to try it. 

My pulled pork was very good, but the stand out was the Slap Yo Mama Mac and Cheese. Three cheeses, two noodle shapes, a touch of heat and goldfish on the top add up to a moni cheese that easily makes my top 5 list, possibly my top 3. 

The only disappointment was that the prices were seriously jacked up for the festival, not even close to the advertised prices online.

The older i get the more i appreciate what a fine job my parents did raising me; I was blessed to have both my mother and father actively involved. 

Recently i have been dealing with people that have no idea how to be adults; self-absorbed and clueless, it is obvious that their parents were indulgent or clueless themselves. Both personal and professional activities are conducted with only their best interest in mind and with the maturity of a high-schooler.

Don't get me wrong: in no way do i think i am perfect. 

Please, on a good day i am scattered, nuts, judgmental and vain-glorious (though honestly, who wouldn't be if they were me?). 

But there are good parts as well and i can see that they were created or nurtured by my parents.

The more i realize how much of me is a reflection of them, the less angry i am with these ridiculous people i encounter. In fact, i kind of feel sorry for them because the entitlement and resulting inability to cope with reality didn't come from out of the air: someone fostered it in them.

So if you are reading this Mommy or Daddy, good job.

This hunk of blue glass was in a garden that was the setting for a party i attended last summer.

Does anyone know what it is, how it was made, where i can one?

I am intrigued by things that defy my explanation.

Does anyone remember the slice of carrot cake that defied explanation? 

It was from The Pub in Gettysburg. Ron and I ate there again during our stay at the Lodges in August. This time i ordered a calzone.

It was the size of a small house.

Anytime something is served with its own gigantic knife you know you are in for an experience. 

Gosh, it was good.

 All four meals that it took me to finish it, it was good.

The Dessert of the Week was Fruity Pebbles Cake.

You read that right.

It also was fantastic and lasted for three days, being the densest cake i have ever eaten. 

As well as the pinkest.

 

i found it!

My missing pink camera card reader has been located.
The culprit was not evil gnomes as suspected or even the increasingly bold mouse that tap dances in my kitchen nightly.
No, indeed.
It was a beloved companion whom i never even suspected: Squeaky Monkey.
I don't know why it was hidden, tucked away at the back of the passenger seat of my car under Squeaky Monkey's feet and he was mum on the subject.
Let's do a quick run down of last month now that we have photos, shall we?

Erin and I (along with baby Caleb) attended the Festival of the Wreaths at the Carroll County Arts Council, which is in a cool converted Art Deco theater. There were over 150 wreaths decorated in every style and theme. Erin had created a fun one out of craft supplies with her friend Amy of One Artsy Mama dot com. In fact, Erin is now working with Amy on the blog.

  Go visit them

.

And now a gratuitous adorable baby shot.

I like to really get utility from things.
It is important to me to not be wasteful.

But mayhaps it is time to get a new laundry basket.








There was one of those you-can-steal-a-present gift exchanges at a Christmas party that i  attended and a designed a ReWearables necklace as my offering. Good news: it turned out well and several people liked it. Bad news: there was almost a fist fight when one woman took it away from another. I was rather conflicted: great for my ego, bad for the Christmas Spirit.
At the same exchange i came away with a cement hedgehog.

The drive to Ohio on Christmas Eve was again fraught with questionable weather. Why can't it ever just be cold, but sunny?
The fog in the mountains was awesome and i mean it in the definition of inspiring an overwhelming feeling of fear.
Here is the visibility in the valleys, on the ascents/descents and on the mountain tops.

I got the best ho socks ever for Christmas,

and an Elf on the Shelf.

But not some ordinary Elf on the Shelf.

Oh, no.

Mine is full of candy, has a fan and LIGHTS UP.

I also have an interesting story about driving back in time, but that will have to wait because i need to go pick up the shawarma.

In Bocca Al Lupo, Carlotta!

Today is my friend Carlotta's birthday and last night a group of mutual friends gathered to celebrate her. Unfortunately (for me), it wasn't just a birthday party, but instead a farewell party. The lovely, hilarious, vivacious, curious, talented Carlotta is leaving for Europe to go on a vision quest. She might be back in the next 6 months to keep her resident alien status or she might find somewhere else where she wants to stay.
At dusk i photographed her in front of an amazing mosaic made by our hostess, Barbara. There were some nice portrait-type shots, but my favorite is one of her in mid-laugh. That is how i always think of her: laughing loudly or talking with great passion.

Safe travels my friend; seek joy.

Into the mouth of the wolf; may your wolf die. 

Good Luck, Felicia!

fTM Felicia is moving to New Mexico.
Yesterday we met at Meadows Custard in Columbia (btw, EXCELLENT custard) to hang out before she drives cross country next week. After a few hours she said that she wanted to try to find the playground of her youth in Cedar Lane Park. Neither one of us was sure exactly which entrance to the park led to the playground (as with all things in Columbia the park is as confusing as possible) or exactly where any of the entrances were, but such trivialities do not deter us.
Did we find it?
Of course.
There was a new playground there, as one would expect after 25 years and it is fantastic. We played for a while, then chilled at the picnic tables in a shady glade.  Felicia spotted a turtle statue that had been in the park when she was little. She agreed to a little photo shoot with it as this will be her last appearance on The Nikiverse for a hot minute. The last shot was my favorite; she was laughing so hard that she almost fell off and this is the moment where she recovered her balance.

Drive safe, have fun and ENJOY your new life!

a hundred pounds of glitter

My boss Andrew walks into the store yesterday carrying a stack of floral wreaths.
We don't sell wreaths. This can not be good.
Remember my friend, James? he starts.
Oh no, oh no, oh no... James owns a design and decorating business and sometimes gives us his cast-offs to sell or use in the store.
You mean James of the horrible candle holders that i can't get rid of and are still taking up all the space in the back? says I.
Yes. Well long story short, he is leaving the country. I don't know why he's leaving, but i just bought about half of his showroom.
Did i mention that Andrew is not supposed to be buying anything right now as we rearrange the store?
Wait...  he interjects as my eyes roll almost into the back of my head. You can't be mad. Wait till you hear the screaming deal i got AND i bought you a present.
After some more discussion it was revealed that he did indeed get a really, really, really good deal and i was ready to hear about my pres-nent.
They are taking it apart and packing it now. I will go get it later.
What is it???? Give me a hint Andrew
What is you're favorite thing in the world? he asks.
Well, that could be a lot of things because i really like a lot of things.
Shiny, was the next hint.
That doesn't really narrow it down for me.
It will make you squeal.
Yep, that doesn't really help either.
GLITTER he triumphantly announced.
Glitter?!?!
He had told me before that James had an entire glitter section that i would love, so when it was for sale yesterday Andrew bought it for me.
Oh My Squeeeeeeeeee!
Later that day he got a call and said, I am going to go pick up some more things from James, including your present. You just might kiss me when you see this.
I kept pricing the wreaths and floral -we are going to sell them at HonFest, June 14-15- and when he returned i rushed from the back with my hands out in the universal gesture for gimme, gimme, gimme.
Where's my glitter?
Outside. Bring your car keys.
My car keys... why?...
I'm not sure how we are going to get it into your car.
?????????????????????????????????????????
Have you ever received a present that was equal parts FAN-DAM-TASTIC and horrifying, my friends?

All of those long floral boxes are full of containers of glitter.

Totally. 

Full. 

Of Glitter.

And sequins.

And spangles.

And seed beads.

And glitter.

After squinching and shoving and pushing to get all four boxes into my car and throwing Squeaky Monkey on top as there was no where else for him, Andrew turned to me and exclaimed Happy Birthday!
I had no reply. Speechless.

There is so much that when i got home i had to have my neighbor Chad help me unload the boxes as i couldn't lift them.

They are on the front porch as i have no clue where i am going to put 100 pounds of glitter.

Now might be a good time to mention that i am having another crafts yard sale on June 21st.
Free glitter with every purchase.
Glitter.

Lydia vs. USPS

I have often pointed out that i am a fan of the postal service. I really am.
My friend Lydia however, not so much.
They have a knack of screwing up her deliveries. Weird, but true.
Case in point- i received an email from her after having to cancel a Friday adventure due to feeling gackky that said: I hope you are feeling better and am checking that you received the manatee.
Umm... manatee?
I hadn't seen any manatee and as a marine science major who studied in FL, i would certainly know a manatee if i saw one.
She checked to make sure she had my address right, which she did, and then set about trying to find the missing manatee.
Meanwhile i was left wondering how she found a box large enough for a manatee - they are not tiny creatures, people.
According to USPS, the package had been delivered 3 weeks earlier.
Except that it wasn't.
Then, they found the package at the post office and claimed that they had left one of those peach colored You've Got A Package post cards.
Which they hadn't.
It is baffling to me because my letter carrier is really good.
  She would have just left the package in front of my apartment and if for some reason she couldn't -like it needs a signature- she always leaves the postcard.
All i can assume is that it was her day off.
Or that Lydia really is cursed when it comes to the mail.
Anyhoo, i was going to pick it up, but was too busy all the week so Lydia picked it up herself before we met for lunch. Look at this:

Clearly marked that it was delivered.

How could it possibly be marked delivered and yet still be at the post office at.the same time?
How could no one notice that discrepancy?
Someone really fell down on the job this time.

Before opening it while we waited at Grilled Cheese & Co (yummmmmmmmm) i wanted a picture of Lydia with this frustrating box, which we continued to refer to as the manatee despite it clearly not being a manatee.
I told her to either look sad about it getting lost, mad at USPS or simply bewildered by the whole think.

She tried, but could not hold any expression before bursting into laughter.
It is one of the things i love about her: Lydia is pleasant and prone to chuckling.








And then i finally got to solve the riddle of the manatee.

It is a loose tea infuser!

A manaTEA!

I love it, love it, love it! 

She included some loose black Chai tea so that i could use my new toy right away and yes, it makes an excellent brew.

Thanks Lydia!

And next time you need something shipped, let me do it for you.
USPS likes me.

besties since the beginning

I know i am given to hyperbole, but when i say that my BFF and i have known each other our whole lives:

Nicole and Rickki Marie - July 1971

I enjoy the look of complete confusion on my face and that Rea is obviously looking at some adult who is probably saying Sit right there. Don't move. Don't lean on the baby.
Also, i think it is hilarious that she was born brunette and i was born blonde since that is opposite of how we ended up. In case you are wondering, yes, she always been a full head taller than me. No matter what age, in pictures i come up to her shoulder or chin. We have grown at exactly the same rate our whole lives.
For 25 years i have been searching for the earliest picture of us together.
The best i could find was when we were toddlers, but i found it hard to believe knowing our family that no one took a picture of us meeting.
I don't know where she found this or why it suddenly appeared, but this picture of us at 2 and 5 months, respectively, showed up in my email three days ago fulfilling my quest and making me smile for hours.

the three amigos

I visited fTM Erin to meet baby #3 today. Caleb Henry was born mid-November and this was the first time since then that schedules synced up for me to spend the afternoon at Casa de Chaos.
Yes, a freak snow storm that was only 10 miles wide hovered right over where i was driving, reducing visibility to 15 ft and nearly killing us all, but that didn't stop me.
Well, it almost stopped me. I pulled over, called Erin and told her it was too dangerous for me to drive (words i haven't uttered in 30 years), but she texted me a radar picture showing that the storm was directly over me (yeah; no kidding) and that if i pushed on for about 2 miles i'd be out of it.
No lie, 15 minutes later there was no trace of snow and i had on my sunglasses.
It was a fun afternoon of romping, eating, rocking, petting and chatting as there were 3 little boys, 2 dogs, 2 cats and an Erin to play with; plus quite a lot of time on Pinterest looking at powder rooms with pedestal sinks.
My camera battery was dead, dead, dead so i've borrowed a picture from Erin for today's haiku:

A trio of boys:

Collin, Caleb, Cameron.

When does Mommy sleep?

Happy Birthday to my Rickki Rea

Over the holidays my bff and i spent quality time at one of our happy places - the Hobby Lobby.
Giggling up and down the aisles i spotted a sign so perfect for her - tall and heartfelt - that it had to be captured:

Tall, blonde, green-eyed twin.

85 days my elder.

Best Friend Forever.

anniversary

Twenty years ago today i walked into the Disney Store at Columbia Mall to waste some time before my interview at The World of Science and spent the whole time talking to a cast member named Doug. We really hit it off and thus started one of my oddest friendships (which if you look around at my friends, that is saying something).
Crazy antics, wild rumors, two marriage proposals, a piano and several truly amazing trips later we were both somewhat amazed that the perkiness of me and the curmudgeonliness of him had somehow found a way to not only peacefully coexist, but compliment each other. To celebrate the longevity of our unlikely friendship we'd been talking about going to New Zealand.
Unfortunately, ten weeks ago my Douglas went to sleep and did not wake up.
I don't have anything else to say about it right now, but wanted to publicly acknowledge the important role he played in my life for twenty years.
Almost twenty that is.

Silly and fussy.
Basically a misanthrope.
Loved him regardless.

i love people!

Festival season has been great so far, but I am spending a LOT of time alone in the studio so I am trying to make a concerted effort to spend time with actual people.
Last week I went to see fTM Erin three days before she was going to the hospital to birth son #3.
She couldn't quite bend over to finish packing her hospital bag (I tried not to giggle) and I stayed with the boys while she went to her last doctor's appointment.

Caleb Henry was born late Friday night after a long, somewhat tricky labor.
Congrats to the whole family.
And good luck with three boys under the age of 4.






Last night fTM Felicia and I met for yummy quesadillas and then went to a deep water running class.
Yes, all you moms out there, not only did we eat before exercising, we ate before jumping into 12ft of water. Good news, neither of us died.
Deep water running was a much better workout than  I was expecting. You wear a floatee belt since an hour of treading water is too much for anyone, especially while you are doing jumping jacks and cross-country skiers and crunches. Yes, crunches. And there was some weight work as well. My shoulders are still sore.
Tonite I am taking a class on a new stamping product.
Wait, did I mention that I am now a Stampin' Up! consultant ?
I am not planning on actually doing any parties, but got a REALLY good deal on ink that I needed to buy anyway.  If you need any SU! stuff let me know because I will be placing one more order in December and am happy to share my discount.
But between now and then, fTM Amy and I are getting together for tea and to exchange pictures from our adventure to Elioak Farms. Hopefully that means a blog post about it soon.

Quick Quotes 10

This morning, on the phone with Rea, The best defense is a strong offense if you're a near-sighted rhino.
I dare you to try to come up with the conversation we were having to illicit that little gem.
Here is a helpful hint: she had mishearing something i said as "a hot hippopotomus".

GO!

teal for TN (warning: not a happy post) (though it is at least clown-free)

Trigeminal neuralgia [also prosopalgia or Fothergill's disease] is a disorder in which the largest cranial nerve -responsible for the motor function of chewing and facial sensations- is damaged, often but not exclusively from swollen blood vessels scraping the protective sheath of the nerve.

Because the trigeminal nerve runs from the temple to the jaw and across the cheek in three branches the pain associated with TN can strike almost anywhere in the face leading to frequent misdiagnoses. Some patients experience symptoms for years, often undergoing unnecessary dental work before receiving the proper diagnosis.

Symptoms include sharp, intense pain described as "stabbing electric shocks, burning, pressing, crushing, exploding or shooting pain that becomes intractable" and has been called one of the worst pains known to medicine.
Sometimes attacks are triggered by talking, eating, brushing your teeth, wind, loud noises, touch or high pitched sounds; however, sometimes there is no apparent cause.
Episodes can last anywhere from a few seconds to hours and sometimes occur in clusters of up to a hundred attacks in a day.
All of this cheerfulness has led to TN being nicknamed the suicide disease because, well, okay, that's self-explanatory.

If you've made it this far in the post you're wondering what in the world this has to do with The Nikiverse.
In January of 2012 my beloved BFF was finally diagnosed with TN after having pain so bad that it would incapacitate her and she'd fall down repeatedly at work for several months. Of course first she was treated for sinus infections, ear infections, some other stuff that has all blurred together and checked for seizure disorders and brain tumors.

My soul's twin, the one I have loved since we were toddlers, has the suicide disease.
That isn't the kind of thing that could keep a girl up at night; nope, not at all.

Treatment is a combo of anticonvulsants and pain management. In some patients with  specific blood vessel swelling there is a medical procedure that can be up to 70% successful. There is also current research being done on using healthy nerve cells to repair the damaged ones.
However, in many patients it is a chronic condition that often worsens over time as the nerve degenerates.

I haven't shared Rea's condition until now because it is her story and her decision about who knows.
Today is finally the right time to share the information with all of you because Monday, October 7, 2013 is the first internationally recognized Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day.
Here is an article about how awareness is being raised around the world, as well as a PSA.
I'm not gonna ask for contributions or anything like that; I know we all have limited resources and causes that are already dear to our hearts.
I just wanted to do my part to spread the word that this disease exists and strikes 1 in 15-20,000 people (hard to pinpoint the exact # as it is so often misdiagnosed).

On Monday I will wear teal -the designated TN ribbon color- for my Rickki; that and prayer are the only things I can do to help her.
        It would make my heart happy if you would too.
You could also drop by her blog on Monday to let her know that she isn't alone.

[I will share her email privately, if you ask]

Feeling So Random

Went to see Thirty Seconds to Mars last night and ended up on stage this close to the drums.

Will share the story, but realize that I need to tell a story of a story to get to that story because.. well.. i'm me. Keep an eye out; mayhaps all 3 stories will get posted by New Year's.

Sitting here working on another Etsy update - Pink Ribbon earrings for October. They are a mix of cute ones from last year and awesome new ones so there both new and old pictures to go through, but I am really distracted by the fact that my chest smells like tacos from a wee lunch incident.

Had dinner Saturday at fTM Miriam's new apartment; she lives in an actual Baltimore rowhouse.

It is beautiful.

She made Lydia's Stuffed Squash, so named because Miss Lydia had it last year and loved it so much that she has been asking Miriam to make it again.

Stuffing of quinoa, onions garlic, carrots, cranberries, apples and walnuts is cooked inside of a roasted acorn squash.

It is autumn on a plate.

As my first experience with acorn squash like this I am delighted to report it was yummy.

And yes, Lydia joined us for dinner because how can you have Lydia's Stuffed Squash without her?

Last week the hardwood floors in the foyer of my building and the steps going to the upstairs apartments were stripped and sealed. We couldn't use the front door for several days, but they do look incredible.
The down side?
It smelled like varnish and decay, with an under note of natural gas.
I slept with the windows open, fans on and several extra blankets but I think there might have been some long-term brain damage. I mean, nothing that smells that bad can possibly be good for you. Plus, I spent so much time around flammable chemicals  the last 20 years that I was in a state of heightened awareness on the lookout for a non-existent chemical leak.
For three days.
 It was exhausting.

At the Parisian Flea one day I saw this box -Beaver Finger Ring Cutter- and was like what?
Those words make no sense in that order.
Opening the box I found a truly alarming looking instrument:

Beaver. Finger. Ring. Cutter.

Pointy, circular bladed, sharp hooked, wicked looking thing.
Does it cut fingers?
Where does the beaver come into the picture?
I ask Andrew and he told me that it is for when someone has a ring stuck on their finger.
WHAT?
MENTAL MORSEL:
It cuts the shank of the stuck ring so that it can come off of the finger and it is made by a guy whose last name is beaver.
Even knowing the answer I am still a bit confounded every time I see the box.

Earlier I was on the phone with fTM Erin arranging to go visit tomorrow when she uttered, No Collin, you can't be naked in that rocket. I just imagine her 3 year old being like, Well which rocket can I be naked in? because that was my first thought. When I stopped laughing that is.