It’s been a strange rollercoaster of a week. I took on a lot, then had a lot come up that needed immediate attention. I feel stretched and strained. Heck I wish I could physically stretch right now to alleviate the pain of unconsciously engaging every muscle in my back and core for four hours straight. Sitting in a “comfortable” yet detrimentally unsupportive, cushy couch-island seat was a terrible idea. After briefly complaining, I decided to “suck it up” to not seem like a relentless control freak by asking everyone to move to another spot at a coffee shop Friday afternoon.
My body has been in so much pain this weekend that it’s difficult to take a full breath.
I’m unsure how I didn’t notice how much work my body was doing to healthily support my spine and posture during that four-hour span. But as soon as I sat down momentarily at home then stood up again, that’s when the breath-snatching pain triggered.
Beyond this week, I’d been working on an essay meant for today. But, at the time-forced end of my work session on Friday after battling the lopsided seat, I realized that essay wasn’t ready. Sure, I could have cut out the research and supporting data and just shared my pathos-wrapped story alone, but the topic needs and deserves more. (Plus, I do that often enough anyhow.)
This week and weekend have been a lot for me. But we all got through it. I’m doing what I can to take care of my overworked muscles and agitated spine, I enjoyed a lovely late lunch after therapy with my sister-in-law yesterday. And I finally updated my driver’s license after I let it expire (oops) for the first time in my life. Poor Brian had to drive me to lung function testing this week because of it. (Thanks, babe.)
I’m proud of myself for my sustained self-awareness through this rough-patch week in an otherwise improving clump of time. And, outside of the cushy-seat mess-up, I’m proud of my insistence on self-accommodating, too—something I’ve sacrificed most of my life for others comfort. I changed my therapy to virtual so I could support my spine, and so I could keep my date with my sister-in-law who I only get to see every few months now. And although it at times pains me to produce “lower-effort” post here and there, I’m glad I chose not to rush a piece that wasn’t ready, and instead put the care in to write something else.
With that, here are…
One.
We watched Everything Everywhere All At Once, and I was a bawling mess through some of it. It easily became my favorite movie with its strong story, its exciting visuals (albeit chaotic), and its painfully beautiful message.
Wanting to not give away the story, I’ll leave an article from Minoo J. on Tatler here to explain.
Two.
We let the kids stay up late Friday night, finishing the anime Erased. Borrowing IMDB’s summary: 29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma is sent back in time 18 years to prevent the events leading to his mother's death, which began with a series of kidnappings while he was in 5th grade.
Normally I’m not an anime fan, but my oldest insisted that we’d love the story. It’s a 12-episode series that leaves cliffhangers at the end of each episode, ramping up the cliffhangery-ness as the story continued. We made it to Episode 8 around 9PM and just couldn’t stop hitting the Next Episode button until we binge-finished it all.
(I was absolutely exhausted all day Saturday. The back pain didn’t help.)
It was an interesting story, although frustrating at times. But, if you enjoy time-travel and/or anime shows, you’ll probably enjoy Erased.
Three.
I caved and upgraded my Supernote A6X e-ink writing tablet to the new Supernote Nomad device. It’s incredible. Although I loved the previous version, the more paper-like feel of the built-in screen protector. and the ability to change the battery yourself (plus the no-wear, never-needs-to-be-replaced nib on the stylus) sold it for me.
As someone with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome1 who loves to write manually, I discovered that paper-and-pen/pencil writing was becoming more and more difficult to do. Even since my corrective surgeries of 2022 and 2023, I can’t write for long. However, I believe it’s the spring-action of the Heart of Metal stylus option offered by Ratta Supernote, partnered with the built-in, cushy screen protector on the device that makes it feels effortless to use. Unlike the seat that hurt my back, this gentle and springy writing experience is easy on my joints and connective tissue.
Brian suggested an e-ink writing tablet to me a few years ago as he watched me struggle with journaling by hand in a notebook. At the time, he recommended the reMarkable tablet, which I did like, but for me it was simply a device that offered a distraction-free handwriting experience with “endless” notebooks that could be carried around in one slim tablet. When I stumbled onto the smaller Supernote tablet when I wanted to replace my small bullet journals, the ultra-comfortable writing experience hooked me. I no longer needed to stop writing to shake my hand as it went numb or cramped up, and my joints could sustain writing for significantly longer periods of time.
I’m not sponsored and don’t have an affiliate link to share for the Supernote, but same as when I do, I just love the product(s) and highly recommend it for someone looking to replace paper usage, who wants a more streamlined and organized writing experience (with minimal extra “stuff” needed—no page markers, sticky notes, or multiple pens, etc. etc., because everything you need is built-in), and/or you want to carry around numerous “notebooks” in one compact device. It’s like writing on paper, only without the ink transfer (damn lefty-ness) or need for an eraser or WhiteOut, and so much more comfortable for EDS folks or those with Arthritis and other conditions that effect the hands.
Four.
“In life, you’re along for the ride. You might as well make it fun!” —Travis Pastrana
P.S. I predominantly write from my personal experience as an Autistic person with ADHD, chronic illness, Anxiety, and more. Each of these factors can influence my individual experience overall, as well as my experience of each condition.
What I share is not a substitute for medical advice.
Self-identification of Autism and ADHD (what many call “self-diagnosis”) is perfectly valid. If a personal Autistic experience I write about resonates deeply with you, consider these resources on Embrace Autism (starting with the Autism Quotient Test) as a first step. If professional assessment is important to you or your life has been impeded enough that you may need to qualify for Disability, you can print your results to bring to a diagnostician. (Having all those tests completed in advance saved me a lot of money!) Although there are many more diagnosticians available, here is a comprehensive list to get you started.
Lastly, some of my opinions may have changed since I first wrote the piece that lead you here.
Comment with any questions, and I’ll respond as soon as I can.
What is EDS?, The Ehlers-Danlos Society