Getting Away

So, I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Myrtle Beach. Before you start wondering why I'm writing instead of playing, well, the hotel is a few miles inland. Not too far a drive (five minutes or so) but a hefty walk. Mike's company sent him on an install and suggested he bring me with him. Who am I to turn down a free hotel room? We will be paying for a second night tomorrow but since I got us a Courtyard Marriott for $83/night (with the tax), who's complaining? That's what I thought. Go me and travel. Maybe I need to change my vocation. lol

We won't be gone long but will be able to go to the beach and have some relaxation. Lord knows I need that. So, til Mike gets back from work, I'm gonna chill here and enjoy the quiet. And catch up on some stuff. Just exist for a while.

I did have a couple of good things happen over the past few days. We got the house cleaned and looking like we live there rather than like it's a storage shed. We threw out a lot of junk and I shrunk stuff down into manageable boxes. Next week I'll be organizing and putting stuff away. We loaded up the spare bedroom again so that I have one spot to work from. God, it's good to have clean and space. It's helped both our moods. We also had a jolt to get it done quickly because Maja came to visit. For those of you who don't know, she's my German friend. We met about six or so years ago at USC. She's now a journalist back home but had popped over here to visit some friends in Baltimore. When I found out she was here and realized I had time, I offered to go up or her to come down. Maja's friends lent her a car and she drove down. It was a very cool visit and I am ever so happy she came. Both Jon and Mike like her and she seems to like them. They helped "babysit" (her words) her while I was in class and at an appointment. Though she is quite able to take care of herself, I felt bad for leaving her alone which is why I wanted them to help. Besides, it's not like they minded. In fact, when I mentioned that non-US friends get a place to stay for the wedding, she volunteered Jon's place for herself. lol You should have seen Jon's face when I told him. That was funny. Guess he was relegated to trusted friend status. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened, eh Jon?

I had my appointment yesterday with the counseling center's psychiatrist. She's nice. Basically, it comes down to me having extreme anxiety coupled with depression. No bipolar stuff -- she doesn't think Lashley had labeled me that way, thank God. But considering the family history, it's possible since that can spring up at any point. Anyway, I am obviously maxed out on the stressors and stuff so she's prescribed Lexapro. It's an SSRI that is similar to Zoloft for those of you who know what that is (just look at the commercials). It's geared towards both depression and anxiety. I'll spare you more info cause you can look it up on the main website. She has me on the lowest dose right now because you have to start out slow and build up plus she doesn't want to cost me a ton of money. Gee, I think this will get me the FMLA and short-term disability stuff. Hope so anyway. The side effects are supposed to be mild but if I notice anything odd, I'm to tell her asap and stop taking it. I had no bad reactions to the Luvox years ago but that doesn't mean anything. What I didn't like about that is it made me feel too neutral after a while. I didn't feel particularly happy or sad and it was kind of bland. But I want to feel less spazzy so I'm willing to give it a shot. We'll see.