This has worked pretty well in all and today I finished the last of the 64 blocks I need to make the main part of my Triple Irish Chain quilt. I’m really pleased with how it looks (even if I did have to pick it all up again because the cleaners were coming later) and hopefully I’ll slowly keep working on sewing the blocks together.
Since people have been so lovely as to leave me encouraging comments as I’ve dealt with this change in depression meds, I thought I’d post the latest update.
Basically, I went back to the doctor today and we both agreed the new meds haven’t yet done the trick. After talking around the options, we decided to increase the dosage of the current med and hope that that works.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed as I’m totally over this whole experiment already and starting to wish I’d never started the whole mess.
But I say that with my cross stitch sitting beside me as I continue to make slow but steady progress with part 1 of Illuminated Medieval Sampler. I’d pretty much stopped stitching on the old medication, as well as slowing hugely with my reading and stopping patchwork and writing completely. I’m still struggling with the reading, but I’m not at a complete halt, so that’s something.
Hopefully this latest change will be what is needed and things will go up from here.
2009 Reading:
Books read for 2009 = 50
DNFs for 2009 = 4
10/10 for 2009 = 3
New reads for 2009 = 41
Rereads for 2009 = 3
% paper books : % eBooks = 54 : 46
2009 Challenges Progress:
100+ Reading Challenge = 48
Support Your Local Library Challenge = 14 (Stage 1 Completed 3-04-09)
Romance Reading Challenge = 10 (Challenge Completed 25-02-09)
YA Reading Challenge = 7
eBook Reading Challenge = 22 (Challenge Completed 24-02-09)
Patricia A. McKillip Reading Challenge = 2
Once Upon a Time III Challenge = 7 (Books Component Completed 22-04-09)
2009 Non-Challenges Progress:
SF/Fantasy books read = 30
Audiobooks listened to = 4
Better late than never, here are my May reading statistics. Much to my frustration, I’m still struggling to read (and June has been even worse than May) and my totals are significantly down on other months. Oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it but hope that it passes.
Best book of the month = Madam, Will You Talk?
May Reading:
Books read this month = 6
DNFs this month = 2
10/10 reads this month = 0
New reads this month = 5
Rereads this month = 1
% paper books : % eBooks = 60 : 40
May Challenges Progress:
100+ Reading Challenge = 6
Support Your Local Library Challenge = 1 (Stage 1 Completed 3-04-09)
Romance Reading Challenge = 1 (Challenge Completed 25-02-09)
YA Reading Challenge = 0
eBook Reading Challenge = 2 (Challenge Completed 24-02-09)
Patricia A. McKillip Reading Challenge = 0
Once Upon a Time III Challenge = 1 (Books Completed 22-4-09)
May Non-Challenges Progress:
SF/Fantasy books read = 1
Audiobooks listened to = 1
Marcus’ imaginary friend, Super Bear (aka one crooked index finger), came to the supermarket with us today. She was being very annoying, flying around the vegetables and generally being anti-social.
Dave said something rather sharply to Marcus about controlling Super Bear and that “she was being very distracting.”
The woman at the vegetable stand next to us looked over, worried, and said something.
Horrified, I realised that she thought we were talking about her. I was quick to explain, “We’re not talking about you; it’s our son’s imaginary friend.” (Just how rude did she think we are? Even if she had been distracting – and she wasn’t – we never would have said anything.)
I’m not sure if she believed me or not, but I sure hope so. Especially since we kept meeting her all the war around the supermarket aisles.
For some reason, I decided it was time I set my mind to writing a blog post. But this isn’t the one I was going to write. Instead, it’s what came to me after following my way around some links.
I’ve just read a fascinating article called “All in the Timing” that suggests that children reading ahead of their age level isn’t always a good thing. Not that it’s bad children are advanced readers, but that by pushing their reading level, they miss out on enjoying books that they are deemed to have “gone past” or read books before they are emotionally ready for them. It’s a very interesting article that I recommend reading, and one with which I mostly agree.
It got me thinking about Marcus. Sure, he’s only five now and still learning to read, but the days are coming when Dave and I, as his parents, are going to need to start helping him read appropriate books, read with him and monitor his reading to some degree.
I can’t help but be proud that he’s in the highest reading group in his class, even if his reading material is still Honey for Baby Bear or Naughty Max Monkey. As a reader (who currently isn’t managing to read, which is the blog post I was originally planning to write) I want Marcus to know the joy of books.
But by that I don’t mean reading at as high a level as possible to show off how smart he is. I mean that absolute joy of getting caught up in a story and having it speak to your heart. I can do that with adult books, YA books and even children’s book and I’m not ashamed of reading any of them. Why should it be different for a child? (Although obviously in concept rather than with regard to the same books.)
And while I wouldn’t consider Marcus to be an immature five year old, he’s certainly still a little kid and I think it’s very important to cater to his emotional level as well as his reading level. Finding books that do both those things may well turn out to be a challenge. I guess it’s time to start making a catalogue of useful links and resources.
I’ve been stitching steadily on Illuminated Medieval Samper – I guess one of the few upsides to stabilising on new antidepressants is a need to keep myself busy (or I’d climb in bed by about 7.30pm and hide there for the rest of the night) so I’ve been stitching. I find myself a little intimidated by just how MUCH border there is to this design, but I must say that what I’ve done so far is looking very nice. The photos aren’t great, but here’s my progress for this week.
For all that there’s still an awful lot of empty fabric, I’m starting to feel like I’m making my mark on the project and so long as I don’t focus on the enormity of the border, I’m enjoying myself.
Of course, Chatelaines tend to breed and now that I’ve started this one, I’ve gone and ordered the materials pack for Pompeji Garden. It won’t be started before this is finished, so we’re talking a few years ahead, but I have some money to spend on it now and it’s always nice to have the next project stashed away in a cupboard waiting for its time to come.
