Living With Lyme

WBUR is running a series on Lyme Disease this week. It's really well done. So well done that it's hard for me to listen to. It brings up all the dark experiences that I've worked so hard to get past. Even so, I'm so pleased that people are talking about the disease, the legal boundaries to treatment, and the other extreme hardship faced by people who suffer from it. It's nice to think that maybe someday soon people like me will actually get treated rather than spending years feeling like they must be crazy.

While listening to the radio series this morning I was particularly struck by the story of Barbara MacLeod. She's local, a former anchor and reporter for New England Cable News. She described a moment when she was on the air, reporting on a storm from Logan Airport and she couldn't remember the word for runway. Hearing that was so affirming for me. While I think I've overcome many if not most of my symptoms, whether their caused by Lyme, Fibromyalgia, XMRV or something else entirely, the brain fog is one I can't seem to get past. I struggle with recalling words almost everyday. While I'd much rather forget words than live in excruciating pain, my recall problem causes some mild emotional trauma. I try not to let it get to me but as a high-strung college-educated East Coaster, I HATE feeling stupid more than most things. I just hope my friends and colleagues will continue to forgive me when I forget words, tasks, and, worst of all, names.

Stuff on Washington Street

Check out this sweet speedometer!

My long lost Yankee cousin?

New sweetness from Delicate Steve

It's summer! Almost!

I've been desperately trying to be more focused at work but since I haven't posted in a month, and I've learned about all kinds of fun stuff recently, I'm going to squeak in a quickie.

First, I'm not that big into watching silly youtube videos but I am happy to have learned about the Chloe Sevigny spoof videos by Drew Droege. Since I'm not a big celebrity stalker, I never noticed how strangely Chloe Sevigny speaks, or just how boring she is when she goes on about fashion. Droege does a brilliant job making me laugh at her expense, just with the way he says "toast." Many thanks to my friend Eric Smith for the introduction.



AND




After a lot of coaxing from people I love, I finally downloaded the Alabama Shakes album. They are responsible for my song of the week, "Heartbreaker." 


The whole album is pretty solid and I sense it'll be in heavy rotation at the Commune this summer.

Speaking of my house, this Saturday's house party will mark the sixth consecutive celebration at our place. Four of the last five have been outdoors so, fingers crossed, this rain will stop again for the weekend.

Something magical is happening on our street, largely due to some super fun new Robeson St. residents gelling with the groundwork my next door neighbor and have been laying for a couple years. It's like we built it and they're finally all coming. We may have finally achieved the perfect congruence of bros, hippies, musicians, master grillers, mixologists and cornhole champions. I love it. It means I don't have to leave my house to have an awesome time. Sweet party in Somerville, you say? That's nice but I think I'll stay here and drink a fresh caipirinha in my hammock, after eating a bangin' burger and dancing my pants off.