In Which I Spill the Beans

I recently wrote a guest post for Spill the Beans, an amazing blog for teenagers with chronic diseases. Check it out (and follow the blog, 'cause Sky is awesome): http://www.spillthebeansblog.blogspot.com/

Can You See?

There are visible disabilities and invisible disabilities. Visible disabilities are those with an obvious visual cue that lets a bystander know there is something wrong without having to be told, such as a wheelchair or walker. Invisible disabilities have no visual cues and if a person did not already know they would have no way of knowing that something is wrong, such as a pain disorder.

CMT is a bit odd because it is both a visible and invisible disability. I wear leg braces. They are pretty hard to miss with that bright purple color that I picked out, unless I am wearing jeans. In that case, you would have to really look for them to know they were there. This is why people glare at me when I park in the handicap spot at Walmart and they see me walk into the store without any apparent trouble. Key word there: apparent. Just because you cannot see something does not mean it is not there. For example, let us consider the concept of pain. You cannot tell how much pain I am in just by looking at me, unless of course you know me very, very, very well.

"Well, sir, if things are real, they're there all the time."
"Are they?" --The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Okay, that was a bit of a nerdy reference, but it fits here. Just because I have a disorder that causes pain, it does not mean that I am in pain all the time, or that I am in the same amount of pain all the time. All pain is equal, but some pain is more equal than others (Oh, look! Another nerdy reference). I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I feel well enough to walk across campus with my braces on. Other times I feel like not getting out of bed in the morning because I am in that much pain.

Never assume you know what is wrong, and be sensitive to your surroundings and the people around you. You never know who may be suffering in silence just because no one sees what is wrong. Or they may be ridiculed because their disability has no visual cue. The opposite of course is also true. Picking on someone because it is apparent they are different is just as bad as ignoring someone who needs help.  We all do it, but it can be dangerous to rely solely on visual cues.

One Dabbler in Words

From the NaNoWriMo Facebook page: "Friday's writing challenge: write a personal ad to catch your novel's eye. Describe yourself and the kind of novel or characters you're hoping to fall in love with!"


One dabbler in words searching for plot details to fill a basic story sketch. Dry wit and adventure appreciated. Characters able to work within outlines preferred but not required. Be prepared for excessive use of adverbs and random pop culture references. Must be willing to work with metaphorical dragons.


I must be insane to even think about doing NaNo again. Three research projects do not mix well with writing a 50k novel. This year, I only hope to beat my previous record of just over 25k. We'll see how it goes. . .

AFO's

You read that right. Not UFO: AFO. Also known as Ankle Foot Orthotics. Also referred to as a leg brace. I'm wearing them now because without them I trip all the time. The tripping is mostly caused by the awful foot-drop gait which is just what it sounds like: when I walk I tend to "drop" my feet in an attempt to not trip on them. My CMT apparently got to the point where I couldn't help but trip.

Oddly enough, I'm getting more comments on the fact that they're purple than people wondering why I have them. Progress on education about hereditary diseases that nobody has ever heard of? I now have to buy shoes at least half a size larger or in a wide size. Shoe shopping has suddenly become astronomically more difficult. Also, it is next to impossible to find cute boots to wear with them.

Attolia--by Megan Whalen Turner

 The Thief

"Be cautious. Do not offend the gods."

"I can steal anything."

"Do you announce that you're going off to steal something before you start?" He thought for a second. "Yes, you do. Well I don't."

"Eugenides was the god of thieves. We are all named after him."

"You are more beautiful, Your Majesty. But she is more kind."


I was going to right a long review about the Attolia series by Megan Whalen Turner. This review was going to be full of in-depth comments about its awesomeness and the amazing characters. You are never going to be able to read that review because I am never going to write it because if I did I wouldn't be able to without giving key points of the plot away.

The Queen of Attolia

"Be Cautious. Do not offend the gods."

"I would never steal from you."
"Oh? Where is my tourmaline necklace? Where are my missing earrings?"
"That necklace was hideous. It was the only way to keep you from wearing it."
"My earrings?"
"What earrings?"

"You sound like the chorus in a play."
"And the play is a tragedy, I suppose?"
"A farce."

"I'm always willing to forgive him anything--until he wakes up."

"Are you insane?"
"No more than usual, I think."


Attolia is written in such a way that even the tiniest detail can change the course of the entire story without the reader even knowing it. Each book is so deeply entwined with its successors and/or predecessors in the series all at the same time that it is nearly impossible to not give something away.


The King of Attolia

"Am I insufficiently kinglike? Costis has been telling me so."

"I can't keep on apologizing."
"Why not?"
"Well, I think you would be bored."

"Costis, I am speechless."
"Not noticeably, Your Majesty."

"I am mortally wounded. I deserve some consideration."

"I am here to make sure that you stay in bed, Your Majesty, because if this offends you and you order me summarily executed, it is no loss. Politically speaking."

"I am beginning to sense a certain amount of fraud in the reports of the poets, Costis. Maybe someone lied to the poets. Maybe it's just me. ... No 'Glory shall be your reward' for me. Oh, no, for me, it is, 'Stop whining' and 'Go to bed.'"


And so, instead of trying to write a review that wouldn't work because I couldn't properly review it without giving something away I decided to pull out some of my favourite quotes instead. It was difficult, because some of my favourite quotes would have given something away.

Conspiracy of Kings

"I am Sounis."

"Sophos, you sleep with a knife under your pillow? I'm hurt."

"If I don't get away from the pernicious attentions of my attendants, the rivalry between my palace physician and Eddis's, and the need to refrain from pushing certain members of my court down the stairs, I am going to be a very bad king indeed."

"Did you warn him not to offend the gods?"
"There was no need," said Attolis, smiling. "He couldn't offend the gods with a pointed stick."


And thus concludes my review.

Out With the Old Year, in With the New!

In 2011 I...

Earned my Associates degree.

Broke my nose two weeks before giving the commencement speech at my own graduation.

Began my quest to tell the world about CMT.

Started using a powered scooter.

Said goodbye to my grandfather.

Transferred to another college.


In 2012 I hope to...

Get rid of the cough that has plagued me since Thanksgiving.

Earn a gold belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Get A's in all of my classes.



Here's to 2012, the Year of The Hobbit!

Only One More Sleep 'Till Christmas

Well, I'm still sick, and I am even more out of it than I was before if such a thing is possible. Having pneumonia will do that to a person I suppose. Anyway, since I'm not coherent enough to write a proper blog post, I thought I would offer up a little Christmas concert instead.

To start us off, one of my favourite Christmas songs of all time:

I sang this in a choir once. The harmonies are so beautiful.

Next, something a bit more modern but no less beautiful:

Just because I'm a geek:

And because I like the Muppets:

It's not Christmas until you've heard at least one version of this song:

And finally, because we should never forget why we have Christmas in the first place:

Merry Christmas! And may everyone in the world be healthier than I am.