TT #92: update

Thirteen things about my life at the moment I haven’t been participating in TT for quite some time. A lot has happened and I just didn’t have or make the time, so this week an update will be suitable. The holiday season has started. Yesterday afternoon I finished writing the holiday cards. The tree is up, but nothing’s in it yet… Ron’s nephew and his wife added a new baby to the family yesterday. It’s a healthy little girl called Iris Sophia. We haven’t paid a visit yet, but we will soon! Talking of family news… My brother and his girlfriend are engaged to be married! The big day will take place in May next year. On December 24th I will go to the hospital to have my xanthelasmata removed in surgery. My what??? Haha! They are a sharply demarcated yellowish collection of cholesterol underneath the skin on my eyelids. It’s hereditary, my whole family has them. They are harmless and painless, but disfiguring and awful looking. Ron gave me the best holiday gift ever: a leather-bound, 5 cm (2 inch) thick Book of Shadows, filled with recycled parchment-look paper. I love it! This weekend (probably Sunday) Ron and I will go to the Midwinterfair again in theme park Archeon. It is for the 6th time and I’ve been there since 2004. It’s a mix of fantasy, paganism, middle-ages, Celts, etc. with stands, demonstrations, live action role-playing, storytellers, bands and lots more. Ron got very bad news from his boss. After two years of burn-out he was building up to fulltime working again. He felt good and enjoyed being active again. He was told they were looking for a good place for him within the company to make full use of his knowledge and experience. Well… not really… Last week he had a personal talk with the after sales manager and the head of the personnel department. They evaded to say it literally, but there is no longer place for him with the company. They’ll at least pay for outplacement guidance. To make it even worse, his salary will decrease with hundreds of euro’s, with retrospective effect from September… This coming Sunday Ron and I will be married for 13 years. We are together for much longer (22 years), but that cold day in December 1995 will always be a warm and loving memory. It was a great day! Ron is very happy to have his sisters and their families back after the death of his mother. Although I had my reservations at first because of the past, I must say I like it too. They seem to accept and respect me now. It still feels fragile to me at times, but that’s okay. The aftercare self-help groups we were trying to start in Haarlem and surroundings didn’t work out. Although we were told all the time that there was a big need for these groups and we made a lot of publicity, the applications failed to come. Just a few people wanted to join in. After two years of trying we decided to take a long break. The motivation faded; a lot of work and almost no response. We’ll give it a try again later. This afternoon Ron has an appointment in the Sudor clinic, specialised in hyperhidrosis (excessive perspiration). He has tried all the available tips and treatments, but it never really helped. This clinic does surgery, thoracoscopic sympathectomy, in which part of the nerve is burned. The success percentage is 98 %. I spend a lot of time on Facebook. Staying in touch with people I know, but also playing the games. I have a virtual fairy garden, blue cove with fish, an army of snowmen, a green patch and lots more. I play word games, vampire hunting, slot machines, etc. I exchange all sorts of gifts with my friends. I save animals and square feet of rainforest (for real because of game sponsors). Everything is free! In short: I’m addicted! ;-) Next Wednesday I’ll have my appointments with the cardiologist and internist of the chronic fatigue centre. I hope I’ll hear more about what they can do for me. ~*~*~*~ The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted