Barmy Blue's Bland Blog

Mainly because finding something worth writing about is harder than you'd think, I want to make sure that what I write at least sounds half intelligent so I have to be in that kind of mood and because typing is a little difficult and uncomfortable due to a poorly designed desk, chair and keyboard combination along with my long fingers which are difficult to position so that the rest of my hands are properly supported. Also, making far too many spelling mistakes. What the hell is wrong with me? Although I make quite a few mistakes normally I'm making way more than I normally do (this is before I go through the spellchecker). Maybe it's because I don't type as much or because my hands are in a bad position.

There's something I notice. I guess you've noticed it too. I don't tend to respond to any comments you leave on my blog. Sorry about that. I have trouble thinking of a suitable response and then I think, why do you guys need me to validate you're comments, you've made a comment, you've put it out there, I kind of feel like I'm spoiling that achievement. Yes. Commenting on a blog is an achievement for me. I just think that if I'm going to say something it might as well be something worth saying that's more than a sentence otherwise why should I waste your time.

Writing the blog is different though. I only ever write blog entries when I have something to say and I never actually expect anyone to read them. So, those of you who do read my blog and leave comments, thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Anyway. That's why I don't write responses to comments on my blog. Rest assured I do read all of them. I figured I should let you guys know that, in case you wondered. Also, I do read some of your blogs even though it doesn't always come up as me. Most of the time I'm not signed in. I don't tend to comment on other blogs because I don't think my words will be worth anything to you but you do have my support.

Anyway. Some things I forgot to mention.
You know my mother had an eye operation a while back? Her retina suddenly detached and she had an operation the next day. Did I tell you I stayed up all night to make her a little green panda. I think it was for the first operation, it must have been. I was thinking of looking up types and or brands of green tea and naming it after one of those but the moment I finished making the panda I shut the PC down and was too tired to turn it back on to look it up. On the day of the operation there was a film I wanted to see on TV (The Princess Bride, I'd only ever seen it once before, I thought it was pretty fun) so for most of the day I wasn't thinking about the operation.

Well. I also told you that some time later her retina came away again but I didn't go into it any further. What happened was that the scar tissue where her eye was healing up from the first operation pulled the retina away again. She went into hospital and they operated the next day.

For her first operation they filled her eye with a gas bubble to replace the eye jelly and she had to keep her head down in such a position that the gas bubble would push up the part where they operated and make sure it healed in the right shape (you know, since eyes are round, you want to keep them round so the scar tissue had to form around inside they eye. Ah, I'm not an expert, I'm not good at explaining it. The scar has to go round with the shape of the eye).

For her second operation they filled her eye with oil instead because the eye was still recovering from the first operation. A while after that she went in for laser treatment. This was to stop the scar tissue pulling the retina away as it formed. You'd think it would be fine since there's no cutting but no. It's just as dangerous really. The eye had to be kept perfectly still otherwise the laser would burn other parts of the eye instead (the corneas I think, not quite sure, again, not an expert here). So for this they put a local anaesthetic in her eye. I mentioned before that she's afraid of needles right? The injection seemed to have caused a bit of weeping, oozing and bleeding of the eye but as the doctor wasn't concerned we assume this was perfectly normal.

Oh, I wasn't actually there from any of this so I can only piece it together from what my mother told me and from what I've seen on medical dramas and documentaries. That's sort of why I made the panda. As a kind of substitute for me, a reassurance. You could call it a vessel for my love, anxiety and hopeful feelings. It fits in the palm of your hand so she could carry it in her bag and give it a squeeze if she wanted.

She is still having problems with her eye. She had a follow up appointment some time before Christmas. Her eye was aching and the doctor took out one of the stitches and all was fine. She'll be going in at the end of January to have the oil drained but it seems to be okay now (there was the possibility that they'd have to top up the oil before). As they forewarned she's been developing a cataract after the operation but they're going to let it fully form and then operate on that separately.

She's driving now and I forget that there's even a problem. She tells me that she's actually okay to drive, if the cataract causes a problem she closes that eye and she's fine but she finds bright lights quite disorientating, which would explain why she keeps loosing me in Tesco.

She wore mascara for the first time since her operation over Christmas and she's wearing it to work now too (people thought she looked ill without it.) And that leads me into my Christmas.
Christmas day was both good and bad. We stayed up late on Christmas eve to get things done for the day so we didn't have much sleep. Mum stayed up later than me because she always puts the turkey in the oven at 5am on a low heat. On Christmas day I only had about 3-4 hours sleep. It's the one day that I HAVE to get up early because the old man comes to take me to visit his brother. He's been getting later over the past few years though because we only have to see one person now, when his other brother (the one who is now dead) and his wife lived nearby we'd see him on Christmas day too, then he moved to the Isle of Wight and then he died.

I gave myself half an hour to get ready (he.he.he wishful thinking). On Christmas day mum and I have a little tradition. Normally she'd be up first and she'd leave a little bag of presents in my room (these used to be from Santa until I got too old to believe in Santa (in truth I stopped believing in Santa quite some time before that but I pretended to believe so I could get more presents (I know, that's a terrible thing to do. Christmas is about giving and family and all, and that's what it means to me now but when I was little it was about presents. Who can honestly say that they felt differently when they were little?))). Anyway. She'd leave this bag in my room and when I got up I'd bring it downstairs and she'd watch while I opened them. This is like a little piece of Christmas day just for us. It's gifts from my mother to me and Napoleon has nothing to do with it. Last year, during this special piece of Christmas day I presented mum with the DSi XL, case and game that I'd bought her back when I had a job, mainly because I wanted it to be special and because I didn't want Napoleon to complain about it.

So, this Christmas day I was up before mum. I wanted to open the bag of presents with her like usual but I thought I should let her sleep. I got myself a bowl of cereal, checked my phone for messages. Napoleon was running an hour late. I expected this. That's why I didn't hurry to get up. Mum got up as I finished my cereal (may not seem like a long time to you but it can take me quite a while to eat a bowl of cereal, especially if I'm distracted. (I was distracted trying to play Bad Apple. When I got up I just thought to myself, I really want to hear Bad Apple, so I did.)) I opened the little bag of gifts with mum as usual. (It's not normally much, a joke gift or too, a couple of stocking fillers (I'm only telling you this so you won't think I'm too spoiled. I am spoiled but not quite as much as you might have been thinking. I'm not exactly proud of it. I didn't ask to be an only child)).

She got me a few books (mainly the latest volumes of Bleach and Blackbird (unrelated note, whenever I write Blackbird I'm soooo tempted to write it with 2 i's, Blackbiird. Why do you think that is? )) a few joke presents. I think since I developed an interest in anime it's a little easier for her to decide on what to get me. She tends to go to Tokyo Toys and goes for things that she knows I collect, such as Volumes of Bleach and Blackbird and Bleach replica keychain swords. This time round she went somewhere else first because she got off at the wrong stop before Tokyo Toys. She also got me 3 boxes of Golden Curry from the Japanese Food Centre and a box of powdered Red Miso soup, with sea vegetables (I've never tried that one before, I quite like Miso).
The curry is because Tesco stopped selling that brand and it's my favourite one. I love making curry with it. Usually it's just beef, carrots, potato and sweet potato, nothing grand, but it's absolutely delicious.
She also got me two origami books which I've delved into.

I had plenty of time to get ready except for one thing. Since I washed my hair on Christmas eve I didn't have time to straighten it. My hair looks crazy when it gets wet. But I figured that neither Napoleon or my uncle would much care about my hair. I cared though but I wore a hat all day so it was fine. I had a spat with the old man. But I tried to swallow it down before dinner. Dinner was fine. Yuki kept begging (she was confused to see us eating at the table. We only ever eat at the table for Christmas. Yuki got assorted scraps). We played old maid with crummy cards from a cracker. We opened gifts from under the tree. I made mum's presents this year. I made her a wrap/scarf and a hat, I also got her slippers. I worked hard to make the hat and scarf. The scarf was made from a patterned green wool with 10mm needles, 100 stitches long and 100 stitches wide. It took me 3 days to make.

Ah. I had more to say but I think I've gone on for too long. Sorry about that.
Bluebiird out.