backpain again

I went to my Memoried backpain log from April when I had that horrible backpain episode (my pre-World Cup Friends willl remember) and read my advice to myself which was: take it easy early on, do not schedule things back to back, do not get stuck in one position, relax, take ibuprofen and paracetamol 3 times a day. I woke up in the night, starting to feel rigid with pain, and immediately swallowed an ibuprofen and decided I would call in sick for today and tomorrow. Especially as t'h is away in the States and I worry that if I go out of action, the whole household collapses. At least I'm still able to drive, so able to ferry children to and fro.

I feel much better taking my statutorily allowed sick leave. I will read my book manuscript, draft my book proposal and mark some assignments at home; endeavour to put today's lectures onto the web; and (hey, why not?) finish the wraith fic.

I mustn't type too much, though, I guess because this is not good for my back.

Bugger. It all started 3 weeks ago when I carried a heavy knapsack to work. My Horrible Institution kindly got rid of its staff parking two years ago so that I now have to park ten minutes' walk away and lug teaching materials there on foot. I must invest in one of those zimmer-frame shopping trolley-things for decrepit octogenarians. Also, in some sort of orthopaedic cushion for my desk chair.

Okay. The main goal is not to get into the terrible state I was in back in April where I ended up spasming on the floor of the living room for 25 minutes, groaning like an animal, frightening the sons and having to ring a neighbour to come over and keep them calm. That was Very Bad.

my fingers are frayed

I have finished typing up all the handwritten wraith fic fragments.

Page count: 83! Word count: 28,594!!

I am insane.

Now I must go and by heat patches for my back. And then return to have some coffee and cake and finish reading the manuscript of my book. I am up to chapter 3 in the re-reading. There are five chapters in all. I am taking Jane Smiley's advice (which, though coined for novels, works very well for academic non-fiction also, I find): Re-read the first draft as a reader, not as a writer. Try not to want to 'make it better' at this stage. Your job is to understand what the manuscript is actually about, not to judge the manuscript.

wraithlove

Okay, I am making myself almost weep with sympathy over my wraith. I have wraith wibble! This means two things: I am insane, and this is going to be a good fic. Because, as you all know, this is one of my ethical things about ficwriting: love thine enemy, as it were. That once you've crawled into somebody's head, you can't mock or hate them as before. Viz Viggo Mortensen and Wayne Rooney.

Ah, wraith. You are such a beautiful, tragic species.

rooney/ronaldo

Wayne Rooney hugs Cristiano Ronaldo (and only him!) at 0.35.

( hug vid )