Me and Mike, Part Deux
Hello all:
Thank you for all your well wishes . . . and for all the emails flooding my box. You are all great. Love and peace to you all.
Mike Tyson's blow has now spread down my cheek . . . and I look a fright. A real fright. If I do my makeup "just right" I look clown-like. My eyebone . . . I am pretty sure is fractured . . . so not fun. Even my hair brushing against it hurts. What do prize fighters do????
And no, I still have no idea what I am allergic to. But next week . . . tests.
And tomorrow, I am meeting my new editor. For Magickeepers, my middle-grade fantasy series. (I just have to figure out how to "spin" my appearance so that he understands I am not a prize fighter but . . . without being too dramatic. I prefer a "funny" spin.) Now editor meetings are a wonderful thing. I have never left one without being utterly energized.
Editors are an overworked breed, and I don't know a single one who doesn't preface the reason for their career with an "I love books." The editor-author relationship, to me, is usually just wonderful . . . and so far, from the comments I've seen him give me on the first 75 pages of the book, I am blown away by the absolutely brilliant insights and thoughts he has given me. This is a man who has done his homework, who "gets" the genre. So I am looking forward to it.
As for my family, Oldest Daughter is coming to Manhattan with me as escort (and so she can shop), and my epi-pens will be in my purse, and she has instructed me, "Eat nothing weird at lunch." So there you go.
And now a question . . . because we ALWAYS bring it back to the writing.
As I went through my blackout . . . I was rather observatory about the whole thing. When I was losing my vision, I noticed how my eyes divided up the vision field into a thousand "pixels" and I had a buzzing sensation. And then . . . I had a sense that blacking out would be blissful. Like this horror and pain would just end.
And then when I woke up with a black eye, it looked back. But I have discovered day TWO of a black eye is WAY worse than DAY ONE. And that given the bruise is spreading down my face, day THREE doesn't look promising at ALL.
So . . . have you ever experienced something and realized . . . gosh, there are details you never KNEW? Details you may even have gotten WRONG before? As a writer?
Do share.
Peace,
E
Thank you for all your well wishes . . . and for all the emails flooding my box. You are all great. Love and peace to you all.
Mike Tyson's blow has now spread down my cheek . . . and I look a fright. A real fright. If I do my makeup "just right" I look clown-like. My eyebone . . . I am pretty sure is fractured . . . so not fun. Even my hair brushing against it hurts. What do prize fighters do????
And no, I still have no idea what I am allergic to. But next week . . . tests.
And tomorrow, I am meeting my new editor. For Magickeepers, my middle-grade fantasy series. (I just have to figure out how to "spin" my appearance so that he understands I am not a prize fighter but . . . without being too dramatic. I prefer a "funny" spin.) Now editor meetings are a wonderful thing. I have never left one without being utterly energized.
Editors are an overworked breed, and I don't know a single one who doesn't preface the reason for their career with an "I love books." The editor-author relationship, to me, is usually just wonderful . . . and so far, from the comments I've seen him give me on the first 75 pages of the book, I am blown away by the absolutely brilliant insights and thoughts he has given me. This is a man who has done his homework, who "gets" the genre. So I am looking forward to it.
As for my family, Oldest Daughter is coming to Manhattan with me as escort (and so she can shop), and my epi-pens will be in my purse, and she has instructed me, "Eat nothing weird at lunch." So there you go.
And now a question . . . because we ALWAYS bring it back to the writing.
As I went through my blackout . . . I was rather observatory about the whole thing. When I was losing my vision, I noticed how my eyes divided up the vision field into a thousand "pixels" and I had a buzzing sensation. And then . . . I had a sense that blacking out would be blissful. Like this horror and pain would just end.
And then when I woke up with a black eye, it looked back. But I have discovered day TWO of a black eye is WAY worse than DAY ONE. And that given the bruise is spreading down my face, day THREE doesn't look promising at ALL.
So . . . have you ever experienced something and realized . . . gosh, there are details you never KNEW? Details you may even have gotten WRONG before? As a writer?
Do share.
Peace,
E
Labels: details
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:18 PM
23 Comments:
Erica, I am so glad that you are improving. I once helped out a friend who had hit his head in a soccer match... the hit had crushed his cheek and lower eye socket - not pretty at all. Being as squeemish as I am, it took just about all the self control I could muster to get him to the emergency room and then wait with him until his girlfriend showed up. He was in shock (luckily) and so it really didn't register too much for him, but I was a complete mess. I came close to passing out about three or four times and only had the heaves once. I sincerely hope you are in better shape than that.
Things I had not known about? How tough and rubbery the umbilical cord is and how difficult it is to cut when you are (again) squeemish and ready to pass out. I might get a chance to use that in a story at some point... I hope it doesn't make me ill when I have to write about it :) Did I mention I'm squeemish?
Best of luck with the editor tomorrow, and shopping with your daughter. Maybe you could look into a full-body airbag that deploys at anything over 45 degrees from verticle. I'm sure you could find one in black in Manhattan :)
Do we so looovvve how squeemish Ewoh is concerned about the fashion? Black? =) (kidding Ewoh, I know the squeemishness is actually caring)
Funny, I can almost hear the funny spin you put on the black eye...and yes, day 3-4-5 look worse. I feel qualified to comment on this having a partial hearing loss in my right ear from having been back handed numerous times. People tease me about being coy whern I cant my head left...I ain' tryin' to be cute, I just wanna hear what's going on!
Thank you for posting this.I'm certainly not happy about the lack of certainty allergy-wise, but if a shiner is your biggest worry--hell, at least I'll sleep tonight!
(hmm, did that soundf about ME? it really wasn't)
Ewoh, I'm a member of the squeemie club too! Seriously, my daughter was in the emergency room when she was little, and my hubby found me on a cot beside her when they finally brought him to the back room. My daughter was sitting up with a lollipop that the nurse had given her, and I had my feet propped up and white as the sheet that covered me. When the spots went away, they said I could go home.
Erica, you are one brave girl. When will you find out about any broken facial bones? Did they X-ray you? I'm so confused about how you really are! And good luck with the editor meeting. You have a terrific story to tell one day in an interview. Heck, I'm seeing a movie here. LOL.
No, no, no! I think you should tell him you are a prize fighter.
I consider you a prize fighter. I think you're the most amazing prize fighter I've ever known.
Details ... living in a fog, the brain a blank, white slate for years, except for the repetitive, desperate command, "think!" Suddenly stopping mid-sentence, and saying, "What were we talking about, again?" And no longer being embarrassed about it, just resigned, repeating the same question hundreds of times an hour. Reading the same paragraph over for an hour, falling asleep, waking up, rinsing, repeating, and after days of it, still on the same paragraph, having to open the book multiple times to even remember what subject I'm reading on, let alone what I read.
Staring at the floor in public, literally unable to take my eyes off of it, having no other thought in my brain except this desperate fear that I am going to lay down, just lay down in the middle of the floor. In the middle of the mall, in the middle of class, in the middle of a lesson, wherever.
And looking back, and realizing that in seven years, I only have a fuzzy impression of white, and only three or four memories. Poof, all gone.
Hey Erica --
Isn't it funny how it's painful experiences that imprint their details on a person? LOL
Yeah, the bruise thing...it's going to take awhile before all the colors fade away. I'm so sorry about the bone, too -- OW!
Your new editor sounds fantastic. Enjoy the meeting...maybe you can tell him you got hurt on a dangerous expedition (you did! life is dangerous), and project an air of adventurous mystery. :)
Take care, please feel better, and keep us posted on all of amazing stuff you are doing and thinking.
MicheleL
I think the standard line is: You should see the other guy.
Anyway, details--yeah, even when you research and research and research. What's amused/bemused/panicked me was when my Slovak translator e-mailed me to ask questions about why my main character in The Devil's Pitchfork was doing certain things in the military. He clearly had spent time in the military (I believe it's mandatory in Slovakia) and was questioning some of assumptions (like why a former Colonel would have a desire to salute a Captain and yet quell it--I explained that for Derek it was more of a reflex action; see uniform, get ready to salute).
Or, hey maybe you can tell the editor you were auditioning for Dancing With The Stars!
Just wait till it turns green. Thats a lovely phase of the bruised eye thing.
You could dress as one of your fantasy people from the book when you meet the editor and pretend your face is just part of the person/creature in your book. Like a promotion?
--er---okay, maybe not.
Hope you're healed soon!
Boy, I hope everything gets back to normal soon.
My only emergency hospital stay... wait, there were two - involved stitches on my hand and a bout of bursitis.
The needle for the stitches hurt worse than the cut, and when the doctor was yanking my arm around to check the bursitis, it felt like he was trying to tear my arm off.
Speaking of puke - yeah, I can use that in a book for sure.
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th days are the worst. After that it gets better, The color will last for at least 2 weeks. Considering how much damage you did, it could be longer. I hope you're getting sufficient rest. No matter how fit you are, your body needs to recuperate from a trauma like that. Don't push yourself too much!
Erica,
What an adventure. It sounds frightening. So glad that you're on the mend.
My hives are derived from preservatives, such as stearic acid, or any combination of stearic acid (magnesium stearate, etc.) The preservative is in everything from makeup foundation, to sinus medication, Advil, Tylenol, vitamins, etc. Even when I'm vigilant, it sometimes sneaks through. I discovered mine by much suffering and trial and error. I so hope you find your trigger soon!
As gross as it sounds, my enlightenment came when I broke my right leg. Up until age 44, I hadn't suffered a broken bone, but I tripped and broke both bones above my right ankle. The sound and feel of the bone pieces scrubbing together...and the rubbery effect of my ankle drooping in an impossible direction...that I'll never forget. Nor the excrutiating pain that made morphine my temporary friend. Until then, I had no idea what suffering a broken bone entailed....
When I had surgery for a deviated septum, I recall the rainbow colors. Black, blues, purples, greens, yellows...you're going to be quite colorful, I'm sure. ;-)
Positive healing thoughts coming your way,
Kathy
Hi Ewoh:
OK, so that's a really gross umbilical cord detail. ;-)
And I think it's really cute that you are squeamish. I was in shock too, like your friend . . . They had two heaters blowing on me in the ambulance, and three blankets, and my teeth were chattering so bad, my teeth/jaws hurt.
Hi Lainey:
Yes, the shiner is the worst of it, and the eye bone . . . whch can't be set, so it is what it is. I am also still having a headache . . . just never goes away, and I feel "foggy"--but I presume the fog will lift in a couple of days. Kind of feel like a stoner.
:-)
E
Hi Ladonna:
There's nothing to be done about the eye bone. I can't put a cast up there--LOL! So . . . you know, it's just time healing it all.
E
Hi Spy:
Thanks. You are a fighter, too.
And isn't your guy due home soon???
xo
E
chumplet:
What a crew we are. Using umbilical cords, puke, black eyes, etc. in our writing. :-)
E
Hi MicheleL:
I got the whole rainbow going on. And today it was a LOT darker than yesterday. And I know green is coming!
E
Mark:
I always feel that military stuff is some of the hardest details to get straight (for me) . . . because I have no frame of reference in my own life for it.
E
Hi Anti-wife:
I am trying to rest. My Oldest Daughter keeps telling me to go lie down, which is very sweet.
E
aimless:
LOL! Love your suggestion.
Actually, I think my make-up job was Oscar-worthy today. :-)
E
Hi Kathy:
Yes, I think injuries . . . you know, it's just hard to know how to describe them in writing until they happen to you or you can interview someone. I know for YEARS I got gunshots wrong until I actually met someone who was shot in the shoulder and told me how I was getting things wrong.
E
LOL at the person who said that you should say you're a prize fighter!
Or---you're doing research for a book! YAY!!! They should pay you more.
I didn't read your first post until just now, but I'm glad you're getting the care you need. I hope the tests give you some answers.
Best,
Chris
Hi Chris:
Thanks!
:-)
E
Tell them you were trying out a magic spell for your book and it backfired!
Seriously, you poor thing! Personally I don't mind the black and blue part. It is when it gets yellow that I hate it cause it just looks so ugly. But at least at that part you know it is starting to fade away. Oh yes, I have had many black eyes and bruises as I am terribly clutzy.
Magickeepers! I am so excited!!!
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