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Apr 20, 2013 movies and tv, online humor
Because I’m a huge fan of Marvel and Iron Man and of Robert Downey, Jr, I’ve been keeping up to date on the promo tour that RDJ is on for Iron Man 3. Making it easier is all the press stuff I’ve been getting from each stop on the world tour.
At first, I kinda felt bad for RDJ, since his 48th birthday fell in the middle of the first stop in S. Korea and the second stop in Bejing, China. I’ve had to work on my birthday and it’s no fun. To top it off, he would be away from his family for his special day.
But after getting the reports back from the S. Korea and China stops, I’ve realized that he worked his birthday like a boss.
In S. Korea, he was presented with a huge “Iron Man” themed birthday cake that would have made Duff from Ace of Cakes proud. The huge crowd also sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
Then, in China, they threw him a party at the Imperial Ancestral temple in Beijing (the first time a Hollywood movie has been promoted there) and during the ceremony, he was presented with a giant birthday card containing 5,339 fans signature. This set a new world record for most signatures on a birthday card, and he received a plaque from the Guinness Book of World Records officially recognizing that.
On top of it, they let him sit on a golden throne decorated in serpents, because not only is 2013 the Year of the Snake, but RDJ’s birth year was also a snake year. A GOLD THRONE, people.
So let’s recap. He works on his birthday and gets not one, but two countries to throw him huge birthday parties where he gets an incredible cake, a gold throne to sit on, and a Guinness World Record.
Kinda puts your average birthday party to shame, doesn’t it?
I have to wonder though, what is he going to do for his 50th in two years…especially since that milestone birthday happens to fall during what will undoubtably be promo time for Avengers 2 (2015).
And how do I get an invite? ::wink::
Seriously, how do you top that? I’m gonna feel like a slacker if all I do is go out for drinks and dinner with friends on my birthday.
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Apr 18, 2013 life
Well, it’s been three months since I last updated y’all on my health. I’d say I’m hovering at about 80% right now.
I’m taking my meds everyday – all 10 prescriptions plus all the recommended vitamins and supplements. In the morning, it’s like a pre-breakfast when I take them. I think they’re going to have to up the dosage on my Thyroid meds, though. My levels were off when I had my last set of labs done, plus I’ve gained 10 lbs in the last month, all in midsection. I have labs at the end of this month that will determine if those meds have to be upped.
This post brought to you by random kitten cuteness
My nephrologist determined I have stage 3 kidney disease. On the downside, stage 4 is where I have to start thinking about dialysis, but she says if I take it easy on my kidneys, it might be possible to reverse some of the damage. So I drink mainly water. I’ve only had one alcoholic drink all year, so far. I’ve also stopped taking Naproxin Sodium for my pain and cramps. The doc says that stuff puts a strain on the kidneys.
So far still no fluid build-up in my heart and lungs. That makes 10 months clear, which is good, because I have no desire to go back into the hospital.
What I’m worried about is my sudden drops in blood sugar. Maybe I’m not eating enough or at regular intervals, but sometimes my sugar will suddenly drop and I’ll get all dizzy. Today I had just eaten and all of the sudden my sugar dropped to 56 (norm for me is 80-100). I’m trying to keep written track of when and what I eat to determine if I need to alter my diet again.
I’m also having problems sleeping. I can usually sleep for 2-4 hours at a time, then I wake up and can’t get back to sleep for a few hours. So I’m not getting a full 7-9 hours like I should. I’ve had this problem before, so I’m not too worried, but it’s definitely not helping with the recovery.
Otherwise, I’m walking every day and trying to get in 30 minutes of other exercise daily. I still have to watch my heart when doing cardio. I have nitro pills, but I don’t like to have to use them.
But overall I’m getting better slowly, I think. At least I’m better than I was a year ago when I was in the hospital.
I hope y’all are doing well. Thanks for caring!
xoxo
Apr 16, 2013 life
So again I haven’t been updating here for a bit, but I’ve been busy with doctor’s appts, and numerous lab and x-rays and ultrasounds. I’ve also been trying to funnel a lot of time and effort into making my CitySurfing Orlando blog the best it can be. It even has a Facebook page now.
And through the blog, I’ve been able to check out some of the arts and culture that Orlando has to offer.
Madama Butterfly
Since February, I’ve seen a swing-jazz Valentine’s concert by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Michael Andrew and Swingerhead. Then I took in the one-man theatrical production of The Odyssey by the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. And earlier this month, I watched the Orlando Philharmonic’s production of the classic Pucinni opera Madama Butterfly. It was my first opera since I was in high school. [Click on the links to read my reviews at CitySurfing Orlando]
I also got to check out Chuy’s a new Mexican restaurant in Kissimmee the night before it opened to the public, and I’ve checked out a few other places like Splitsville at Disney, and the new House of Blues menu.
It’s hard to get out and about without a car of my own, but thankfully I have friends who are willing to cart my butt around to these press events and general nights out.
The next major thing on my calendar is the Iron Man marathon on May 2. To celebrate the release of Iron Man 3, I’m going to the AMC Downtown Disney where they’re showing Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers (in 3D), and then Iron Man 3 (in 3D). You also get collector Iron Man 3D glasses and a lanyard. There are 4 different 3D glasses, too, so I’m going to have to figure out a way to get all four.
Because yes, I am that much of a geek.
So that’s what I’ve been up to the past few months. For those of you interested in my health progress, that will be the next post.
Jan 19, 2013 life
At almost 3 weeks into 2013, I have to say this year is starting off better than last year, when I was so sick.
Me and the cast of DRIP
My first major outing of the year was to review a new show in Orlando called DRIP. It’s an artistic show that uses dance, paint, water and sand, to tell the story of love found and lost. The main twist is that the audience becomes part of the show, as the paint, water, and sand is flung around. By the end of the show, I was covered head to feet, but it was so much fun. Messy, but fun. You can read my full review of DRIP over at CitySurfing Orlando.
I also got to see the opening night in Orlando of Ringling Bros and Barunum & Bailey’s Built to Amaze! show. I hadn’t seen a circus since I was a kid, but this one was rather entertaining. You can also read my review of the show at CitySurfing Orlando.
Health-wise, I’m still plowing through all of the doctor appts I need to make. I have labs again next Tuesday. My rib pain has returned, but it’s not a constant pain. There’s a bit of swelling in the area, too. Hopefully the tests will reveal something.
I also got a new Yoga mat, and I’ve been trying to do a bit every day. I don’t know that my form is exactly yoga…more yoga-ish. But I’m sure I’ll get better the more I do it. That’s the goal, anyways.
On the downside, the niece of a close friend died unexpectedly of a drug overdose. She was only mid-20s – I only met her a few times, but she seemed like a nice person. Drugs just suck.
Also found out that Rhonda’s brother has cancer. They say that it’s treatable, but I know she’s really worried. Don’t blame her – my mom and dad both lost their lives to cancer.
So that’s my 2013, so far. How’s yours going?
Jan 4, 2013 movies and tv
Here is my list of my favorite films from 2012. Keep in mind, due to my illness in the first part of the year, I missed a lot of movies.
But of the ones I did see, here are the ones that stood out for me:
1] The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
I was a little nervous about this, since director Peter Jackson was taking one book and splitting it into three movies. However, this first installment in The Hobbit trilogy of films had very little downtime, even considering its almost three hour runtime. I also saw it in the new 48-frames-per-second speed of film (regular film is 24-frames-per-second) and in 3D. Everything felt more realistic and it gave the 3D effect a true depth I hadn’t seen before. This isn’t a perfect movie, but it came very close.
2] The Avengers
I missed it in theaters since it debuted the weekend I went into the hospital, but I did get the DVD for my birthday. Joss Whedon crafted an amazing movie. I mean, how do you take already established characters, who have their own separate franchises, add in a couple of new characters, and make them seem to work as a cohesive unit? He made it look easy, with a film that had great dialog, amazing action sequences, and seamless special effects. Of course it helps that the film had high caliber actors (Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston) bringing their A-game to their characters. I honestly don’t know how Whedon is going to top this, but he has until 2015 to figure it out (that’s when Avengers 2 is due out – ooo..maybe they’ll shoot that in 48fps!).
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Jan 1, 2013 life
Usually around my birthday, I wax all philosophical about where my life is and where I’d like it to go. Well, in September, I sat down to write my annual birthday post…and I realized how much I’d been through.
It was all a bit much, mentally, so I kept putting off writing about it. But I figure it’s the end of the year, I might as well do a retrospect type of post to sum up my year.
This is how 2012 felt to me.
Today marks almost months since I got out of the hospital, and while I’m better, I’m still not at my best, health-wise.
The good:
- No visible fluid build-up around my heart and lungs anymore. Even when I got out of the hospital, I still had some fluid, but it appears to have all disappeared.
- My hypertension is under control and my blood pressure is the lowest it’s ever been in years.
- I no longer have to take insulin injections (yay! no 4 needles a day!)
- I no longer need a walker or a cane to get around. I may wobble a bit when I walk, but I’m doing it under my own steam.
- I’ve lost 80 lbs since getting out of the hospital. I still have a ways to go, but I’m on the right track.
The bad:
- I may have kidney damage. I have to go to a specialist and have tests done to find out how bad it may be.
- I have referrals for seven other doctors, specializing in everything from my heart to my feet. Thank god for insurance. LOL
- I may have some kind of damage to my left ribs. Waiting on x-rays to find out for sure. All I know is it’s always sore.
But overall, the prognosis is good. Or at least better than it was at the beginning of the year.
In other news, still saving up for a car. Can’t afford to be too picky. Just want something that runs well, gets a decent gas mileage and is cheap to insure.
I’m getting back into my writing. I write daily (mostly) posts for my Orlando-centric website, CitySurfing Orlando. I have friends that help me out with reviews since I can’t get around much due to the car issue, but it’s about 95% written by me. I hope to get my travel blog back online by next month, and then I have a third website in the works that I hope to have up soon after that.
I’m also going to work harder on getting fit and healthy. I know a big part of that will be losing more weight, but I’m more concerned with just improving my health, stamina and fitness. I’m not aiming for a particular weight or clothing size.
So anyways, that’s pretty much where I’m at, as 2012 comes to a close. I’m hoping 2013 will bring about more positive changes and experiences, and I’m making goals and plans to help ensure that.
Thank you dear readers for sticking with me and this blog during the last tumultuous year. I hope the new year brings you all many blessings.
Michelle Snow. Journalist. Photographer. Web Designer. Graphic Designer. Traveler. Geekgirl. Browncoat. Musicologist.
