All the small things

When little things add up

Solving problems is an essential part of life. If you don’t navigate your way through, you get stuck.

The moving part is essential.

But sometimes problems compound and the concrete starts to set around your feet.

That’s what this past week has felt like. My hip pain relapsed and, after a trip to hospital, urgent care (again), imaging and the GP (again), it turns out that I have a bulging disc that is pressing on my sciatic nerve.

More/different meds, more days off clutching a heat pack, more digestive chaos as my poor system tries to cope and more sleepless nights in pain.

It’s been BLEAK. Healing is slow going and requires more patience than I have at the moment.

Side note: The Australian medical system is all over the place! If something bad happens to you between 10pm and 8am, you’re stuffed!

At 9.30pm last Tuesday night, I stood up and HOLY $#@!

I don’t have health insurance so I couldn’t call an ambulance (it’s $445 + a per km rate).

I got myself to hospital and the nurse gave me Endone.

At 1.30am, after waiting for hours, I went home because it was going to be another five hours at least.

At 6am, I rang 13CURE, one of those Telehealth GP services. After waiting by my phone for an hour, the GP told me they don’t prescribe pain meds over the phone.

At 8am, I went to the Medicare Urgent Clinic. It was fast, free and is attached to an imaging place. On the downside, the doctors there won't prescribe pain relief.

So then I tracked down my GP at a different clinic, paid $95, organised for my CT scan results to go to her and she still gave me the wrong pain meds. GAHH.

I was joking when I said I would end up hustling for oxys and yet, here we are.

Watching

La Palma

There’s disastrous family holidays and then there’s La Palma.

A Norwegian family heads to their regular holiday spot in the Canary Islands and dormant tensions arise.

Meanwhile, a bunch of scientists start noticing some troubling signs of an impending volcanic eruption.

Tremors lead to cracks, cracks lead to gas emissions, gas escalates to ash … and then KABLUEY!

Amidst viscerally realistic geological events, a pinball machine of panicked decisions reveals the fault lines - and seams of gold - in people’s character.

Valour, selfishness, radical acceptance and propulsive hopefulness drive this narrative into wild corners of human behaviour.

Watch it on Netflix with a good bottle of South American red wine in your safest volcano suit.

And Just Like That

I’m calling it: This is the best season of AJLT so far. Spoiler alerts ahead!

It’s still got all the frippery and nonsense that I expect (and adore), but this time, it’s with a side of middle-aged honesty. Carrie and Miranda get shitty with each other sharing a living space, Carrie’s ornery downstairs neighbour becomes a begrudging ally, Harry gets diagnosed with the Big C and Charlotte bawls her eyes out in the adult diaper aisle. Aidan’s son, Wyatt, acts like a moody psycho and Aidan accidentally breaks a war-era window trying to be romantic.

I don’t want AJLT to turn into an existential misery-fest but goddamn it, I enjoy the saltiness of reality.

Watch it on Max with a fresh baguette in your finest lingerie. This show definitely inspires me to dress better!

Also, another hot tip on good telly is Mix Tape, according to my friend Pevvie - Sliding Doors-y and romantic.

Listening

Wild Rivers - Thinking ‘Bout Love

I’m on a whole Wild Rivers jag at the moment.

Shopping

Kmart period belt

My friend told me about this thing - it heats up and vibrates to alleviate pain. As someone who has spent the past week microwaving a wheat bag, non-stop, this seems like a brilliant invention - and only $26!

Also, if you happen to be near a newsagent, I have a story out in the July edition of MindFood magazine.

The article is about Tough Guy Book Club, a group that my friend Mick is OBSESSED with. As luck would have it, another old friend of mine started it.

If there’s a man in your life who needs to make some friends, they can find a local chapter here.

My darlings, I hope you have an ordeal-free week.

May your discs remain snug inside their vertebrae, your kids be entertained with wholesome outdoor activities and your hair look good with zero to no effort.

Loads of love,

Em xxx