top ten things to do for a migraine

1. go home. turns out when you get a migraine is when everyone at work decides to start yelling. about everything. you might as well just leave.

2. get yourself to a darkened room. it just figures that the one day of sunshine in two weeks, the day you've been craving, is the day you sprout a headache.

3. take your hair down. all accouterments next to the scalp, and all gathering of the hair will only agitate your pain. if you must do something with your hair, a loose braid starting an inch below the nape of your neck is your best bet.

4. apply heat. especially at the inner corner of your eyebrows and at the base of your neck where the neck meets the skull. those are two areas where veins enter through holes in your skull, wrap around your head via behind your ears, and then re-enter the skull at the eyebrow. those two points are key.

5. take painkillers. find something strong. something with the word "migraine" in the title is best.

6. drink caffeine. if you start to get chronic migraines, cut this step out, as the caffeine can actually continue your headaches. but for the occasional headache, this opens the blood vessels and lets the blood flow easier, often times alleviating the pain.

7. take a nap. that is, if you can fall asleep. a mild sedative or antihistamine may help with this step. hopefully you will feel better when you wake up.

8. take a bath. i know, this goes with the "apply heat" step, but it's also a way to get you to relax and lay still so as not to agitate anything.

9. sit up straighter. it's possible that it's not a migraine, but a stress headache, and nothing assists stress better than bad posture. feet flat on the floor, back straight, chin back, shoulders down. take a deep breath.

10. get someone to give you a head massage. especially those places mentioned before--the nape of the neck and the eyebrows--and you could be on your way to feeling like a better, more functioning member of society.

picture of the week: the dress

top ten most comfortable articles of clothing for a winter's day (not necessarily worn together)

colleen gave me the topic for this list after we returned from the march and ice skating - it was really cold!

1. pajama pants - preferably of soft cotton
2. thermal shirt
3. over-sized, worn cotton t-shirt (usually worn over a thermal)
4. thick, warm socks
5. soft chunky sweater
6. fuzzy, cushioned slippers
7. your favorite hooded sweatshirt
8. fleece blanket (not really clothing, but..)
9. a cup of fresh hot cocoa (again, not clothing. i know.)
10. none of the above - just stay in bed!

picture of the week: xbox

this was taken right after ben exclaimed "O-M-G!"
(you can see my mom's new kitchen in the background, too.)

sisters

these quotes came to me in a myspace bulletin today and i wanted to share them with you. you're one of my sisters! :]

You can kid the world. But not your sister.
~Charlotte Gray

To help one another is part of the religion of sisterhood.
~Louisa May Alcott

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.
~Toni Morrison

What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it? ~Jenny DeVries

More than Santa Claus, your sister knows when you've been bad and good.
~Linda Sunshine

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

The mildest, drowsiest sister has been known to turn tiger if her sibling is in trouble.
~Clara Ortega

thoughts

i feel like i'm in a jane austen novel:
a woman at the threshold of love, with very poor timing

sometimes the emotion is so full and tangible i feel like vomiting
it pushes at my throat and it hurts

i am clearing out my metaphorical closets and making room
i am tired of what ifs

this is a black eye:
it will take a few days for the bruising to show

top ten things to do when drama gets out of control

1. go for a long walk, by yourself. explore somewhere you've never been.

2. get out of town! hit the road for a saturday. take along a friend who has nothing to do with the drama. eat at a restaurant three towns over and head home. be sure to bring along good, upbeat music to blast.

3. confront it. talk it through, try to see all sides, and try to convince the other party (parties) to see your side.

4. take one of the people assisting the drama for something completely unrelated and whimsical. remember why you've put yourself in a position that you're willing to put up with drama from someone, and try to restore a little normalcy to the relationship.

5. say no to drama. walk away from the situation, and possibly the person/people causing the drama.

6. get on with your life. give it a week or so to blow over before returning to it. many times, it will have deflated to realistic proportions.

7. list out your priorities, and figure out where the drama falls. many times drama comes from having to choose one priority over another. a friend of mine had drama when her five-year boyfriend didn't want to live with her adult child, and she had to choose whether caring for her child was more important than her romantic relationship.

8. vent to a friend. pick someone totally unrelated to the situation.

9. take a class, something you can do with your hands or body, to get your mind off the subject.

10. journal it. sometimes getting it down on paper will help you sort through it.