I am still suffering from whiplash, but I have returned to work. Better to be doing stuff than to sit around and get more sore, I suppose. I’ve been taking regular breaks and walking a lot, too, which helps.

This weekend I was prescribed a small dose of Valium, in an attempt to relax my neck and shoulder muscles and “break the cycle” of stiffness and soreness. I initially refused the prescription, scared by the prospect of how dopey and sleepy I could become, considering how profoundly just codeine (or a cup of coffee, for that matter) affects me. But I changed my mind after four more days of no relief.

VALIUM KEPT ME AWAKE AT NIGHT. I, the world-champion sleeper — who’s fallen asleep in a public restroom and while standing up in the shower — woke up at least three times each night while taking Valium, which many people use as a sleeping pill. I’m normally a one-shot sleeper, so to wake in the middle of the night and toss and turn was very frustrating. And weird. I was wide awake at 6.30am on Saturday, phoning my mom to find out that she and my grandma both had weird side effects to many drugs, too. Hooray for genetics.

The best part, though, was reading the generic name — diazepam — on the bottle and wondering why I knew the word, only to realise I’d spent countless hours removing it in my comment spam. Ha!

I leave for the States in 46 days, so I’m determined to be able to drive long distances and carry at least a shoulder bag by then. I’ve been going to physical therapy (OK) and have tried massage (made things worse). I’m having acupuncture on Wednesday, and if that doesn’t work, I’m running out of alternatives. But not hope.

Some highlights from the past few weeks:

* dinner at Fenix — so weird and wonderful that I begged to see a dessert menu and later walked back to the kitchen to applaud the chefs

* the perfect soy chai latte at Mart, which I now know is a cafe (as well as a tram stop)!

* watching The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale

* snorting during Lawrence Leung and Daniel Kitson’s magnificent performances at the comedy festival

* a solid week of great-hair days after returning to my expensive hairdresser (completely worth it)

* finally getting into Frankie magazine (my hot water bottle is on page 23 of the current issue) with my exact choice of wording

* the anticipation and hope that someone will take me up on my custom hottie recycling offer (mentioned in above magazine)

I have had nearly two weeks off from work now. I am still sore with occasional numbness, and a recommended massage last week only aggravated the symptoms, so I’m going back to the doctor tomorrow.

I like lists. Do you?

List #1: Things that are currently difficult/ridiculous to do

knitting
sewing
cutting and pasting
photography
using a computer mouse
using my laptop for more than 30 minutes
washing/putting away dishes and/or laundry
tidying up
brushing teeth
hugging
drinking from a can or thin glass
chopping food
driving for extended periods
shopping
talking on the phone

List #2: Things I can do

sit
lie down
eat
read
take short walks
shower
watch TV
watch movies
listen to music
pet Miko
sleep

It could be a lot worse. My car could be damaged. I could have permanent, serious injuries. I could be crippled, or blind, or dead, but I’m not. I’m alive. And I head to the States in two months from today! Two things to be very excited about, indeed.

P.S. I need your help. Have you seen illustrated decals that embellish laundry stains and turn them into “creatures”?

A few months ago I came across a female artist’s website. The artist had only one item for sale: decals or iron-on transfers that embellish laundry stains. They came in four different designs — one was robots and another I think was aliens — with illustrated heads and appendages that you place around your unremovable stain to turn it into a creature (the stain becomes the belly). They were simple black line drawings and were really unique and funny.

The decals might have been priced in UK pounds, but I can’t be certain. Nor can I remember the artist’s website, name or the original blog I found it through. I have tried countless Google searches, but come up with nothing. Help!

Inspiration Point

You were supposed to see this photo a month ago, right after I took it at the Golden Plains music festival in Meredith. But, alas, What about, honey? has been broken. The template disappeared, and I was unable to add or change any posts.

I’m not sure exactly why it happened, but it took many, many tries to get it working again, including rebuilding the database from scratch (thanks, Sparky!), and the template, which is basically a new one that I’ve tried to make look like the old one. I’m still fiddling with some bits, but it will work for now. Please excuse the dust.

the He-Pee fresh-air urinal

Because it’s such old news, I won’t say too much about Golden Plains other than that the music was OK (not life-changing) but the environmental aspect was awesome. All food vendors used (compost-friendly) paper wrappers, and I even saw wooden utensils and paper straws.

But the best part was the compost toilets.

Waterless toilets that didn’t smell. They looked like normal toilets, except for the bucket of sawdust hanging on the side of the stall (”one scoop per poop”, the sign said). Six months later — thanks to sawdust and the magic of fresh air — the waste is converted into usable fertilizer for the farm on which the festival took place. Pretty nifty.

In other news, I had a bit of a bingle in my car last week, so I’ve been out of action. Bernard’s fine, but I got a bit of whiplash. Not sure what the exact problem is, but every time I do just about anything involving my right arm (including crafting and using a computer mouse), it starts to hurt and/or go numb. So it’s off to the doctor for me!