GIVEAWAY!

I'd like to thank ALL 3 OF YOU for reading my blog. Now is your chance to win the chic Metalicious Glimpse necklace you see to your left.

What do you need to do?  Go to my Etsy shop, pick out your favorite piece and post it here in the comments.  The 35th post will win.  It's that easy.

Ready?  GO!!!

Back to the future

Health update: I am getting lower back surgery next week to remove the damaged part of my S1 disk. It is said disk that has been pressing on my sciatic nerve causing me pain, limping and all sorts of reasons to go to the hospital. Good times here in Metaliciousland.

But the neurosurgeon gave me a 90% chance of getting the feeling back in my foot and leg. So it's all good (except the part where I can't bend or pick anything up for 6 weeks-- including my baby). I should be good as new in 3 months.

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, hugs, and all other ways you have supported me through this bizarre health crisis.

Here is what my back looks like now:

heh. heh. heh. Okay fine, it's one of my best selling necklaces, The Goddess.

But for now I still have Hope.

The Things I Think About

1) Why do I love my children the most when they are sleeping or when I am on a date with my husband?

2) Doctors should not be attractive. It just makes things awkward.

3) Why is it that even if my husband takes out the garbage, recycling AND empties the dishwasher I will still get mad at him for not putting his socks in the laundry basket? But really, why MUST he leave them next to the bed?!

4) THINGS I WANT: another torch with a full range of torch tips, a smaller saw frame, a bigger saw frame, more needle files (specifically half-round cut 2 and 4), a soldering pan, spray-on flux, an entire set of hammering t-stakes, some delrin to make my own forming blocks, a jumpring maker, a smaller tap and die set, a dead blow hammer (not as dirty as it sounds), another foredom motor with a quick-change handpiece, a rubber mallet... on and on and on.... oh and if I could have an extra room added to my li'l apartamento that would be nice, too.

5) I wish I had blank business card-sized pieces of paper that I could write stuff on and give to people. So if a stranger is having a great hair day, or their zipper is down, or if the guy they are with is treating them horribly, or if they are crying, or anything really... I could write something nice on the card and give it to them. Then quickly leave the subway car because I don't want to get punched.

6) I am the reason they don't put wheels on adult sneakers.

7) Why do I STILL sweat and giggle when I'm nervous? I'm almost 40 for heaven's sake, yet I'm still a social idiot.

8) Holy shoot, I'm almost 40.

9) 40 is the new 30, right?!!

10) I also desperately want you to like me and will smile and be overly nice to you until you do.

Beans and pillowbeans

Beans and pillowbeans
Originally uploaded by metaliciousjewelry

This is what happens in my house at night.

The best cure for depression is jewelry

and chocolate. and this picture I found when I googled 'depression.'

That's right people, I'm depressed. Between post-partum, 2 hospital trips in one week and now I can't walk without a limp... it's been tough going. Imagine me limping along and pushing my 3-month-old in a stroller as we walk around the city. Where are we walking? To various spine doctors (not to be confused with spin doctors, although I'm sure they are related) where I put on yet another washed out hospital gown and I show them how I can't stand up on my tippy-toes because I CAN'T FEEL MY FOOT.

You know what I hate the most? Those gowns. The color isn't flattering on ANY complexion, not to mention the fit. And how is it that no matter how tightly I tie the top, it always slides open and falls down? And how on earth does that other tie-- the one on the side-- even work? I can never find the other part to tie it to so my XXXXXL robe that is already falling off my shoulders now also reveals my underpants.

Anyway, the best medicine for me has always been chocolate, I mean making jewelry. Okay, both. (I'm a Geminii for heaven's sake). So here's my latest, inspired by the person who is my shoulder to cry on, my best go-to babysitter, my cheerleader, my mom.

Here's to you, Mom!

Baby's Got (bad) back

So I was rushed to the ER of St. Vincent's in the West Village on Tuesday night. I have been fighting with sciatica for 2 months now and sciatica finally won. I ended up flat on my back on the kitchen floor writhing in pain. My sweet husband brought a mattress for me to be more comfortable but I felt more like I was back somewhere in 1994 at a bad frat party. But I digress...

We were in touch with my orthopedist all throughout the day. After 6 hours of taking narcotics (prescribed of course) I wasn't any better. I couldn't stand, walk or worst of all... use the restroom. It was time to go to the hospital.

I don't know how it happened but the two female ambulance drivers were straight out of the Naked Gun 33 1/3 movie. The gurney didn't fit in our elevator so they had to put me in a wheelchair.... now did I mention that I COULDN'T EVEN MOVE without excruciating pain? They didn't care, I got up to my hands and knees when my back started spasming and I started screaming. The next thing I knew my arms were wrapped around a soft, fleece-wearing woman with my face jammed into her bosom. I was still screaming, shaking and sobbing. Finally I was in the chair, holding myself up with my arms, sitting with one cheek hanging off the edge and still sobbing and shaking. And did I mention I hadn't showered since the morning before? Anyone who knows me knows what my hair looks like when I don't shower-- think medusa meets Gene Wilder.

So that's how I was brought out of my apartment, into the lobby where my superintendent watched in horror as I shrieked and wept as they put me on the stretcher and proceeded to BUMP INTO EVERY WALL, DOOR JAMB AND LAMP POST in the short distance between my lobby and the ambulance.

Finally I was in the ambulance, safe and sound and sobbing. This pain was worse than labor by far. The gurney ride into the hospital was more of the same BUMPING into everything. It was to the point where other people in the hospital were rushing to help them 'steer.'

Luckily the ER wasn't too busy and I was able to get some more narcotics. The physicians assistant would try one thing and it wouldn't be enough to relieve the pain so he'd try something else. I ended up taking everything from oxycodone to dilaudid before I finally was able to NOT FEEL ANYTHING. THANK YOU SCIENCE.

I spent the next 2 days doped up and was finally able to walk on day 2, thanks to doctors sticking two 5" needles into my spine for something called a cortisone epidural. Good times. Here's what I saw most of the time in the hospital:



I came home yesterday, took a delicious shower to wash off 3 days of no-shower-hospital-gook. And I made it right before the giant snowstorm of 2010. Here was the view the morning I left, it's looking downtown from the West Village. My favorite place in New York City.

Hopefully I'm on the mend. I'm still taking many addictive narcotics and have an MRI and doctor's appointments the next few weeks. I need to get better so I can get back to taking care of my boys and making my jewelry. In my opinion, the glass is always half full. I'll make it!

*peek*