I've been having falling/dizzy spells/seizure/whatever the fuck it is issues again. I've had felt a bit more wobbly over the last week, but it's really spiked the last couple days. According to merryperseis, my eyes dilated at the beginning of the episode on the bus coming home from the North End on Friday. This does not surprise me, as one of the major symptoms of the episodes is muscle weakness and poor coordination which often makes eye focus difficult, so eye dilation would make sense. However, as this is only time eye dilation has been noted in conjunction with one of these episodes, and I would prefer it to be noted again to designate it as a symptom instead of as a coincidence.

Yesterday was much worse than Friday. My morning walk an with taiaselene was without incident. I was fine until the afternoon, which went horribly. An incident that while waxing and waning lasted for well over an hour. There was in addition another significant episode in the evening, though shorter and less severe than the afternoon one.

Of course, there is no way of really knowing where this is going and when the cycle will wane again. I am using a cane/staff again when I go out and will until this bares itself out. I will not let these episodes keep me from going for my walks and other outdoor activities. I refuse to let this control my life. Sure, that increases the chance that I might be sent to the emergency room by the unduly worried — but that just means I'll have an opportunity for a cathartic release of anger at whatever asshole doctor I get. Works for me.

For breakfast yesterday I had cheesecake (not a reasonable meal), for lunch I had faux turkey sandwich with muenster, for dinner I had ziti arrabiata, and I had no healthy snack but I did get a chocolate dipped florentine cookie at Mike's Pastry in the North End as an unhealthy snack. I fulfilled my exercise quota walking around the North End, at least getting one aspect right.

My sister was in town this weekend. She arrived Friday, and quite late that evening we went out to Stanza, a cigar bar in the North End. Cigar bars are the only bars in Boston in which the patrons are still allowed to smoke, and there are only three of them. Christian, my brother-in-law, shared his staple brand of cigar with me, which I have already forgotten the name. That matters not, as he said he was planning on sending me more and I'll simply read the labels then.

purpleglitter and I spent much of the Saturday with my sister (ellynx), Christian, and my niece Maddy. At lunch we met Christian's parents, then the five of us sans Christian's folks went for a walk around Boston Commons.

I really adored Maddy. I haven't seen her in several years, and she's now six and much bigger than I remember her. She held my hand most of the time we were together and wow can she talk and talk and talk. She also has boundless energy, as a six year old should, and easily wore me out with her calvinball-style games in the park. She's quite bright and has a keen interest in oceanography, only she is worried about how much oceanlife will still be around when she is an adult. I hope her worries don't come to pass.

Later, my sister and I went shopping in Chinatown. She got me a nice silk dress and a silk robe. I'm very excited about them, and they are currently by far my finest articles of clothing.

My sister is everything I'd like to be. She has had her own share of problems; but she is generous, kind, intelligent, strong, beautiful, and successful. While I share some of those qualities to some extent, she not only embodies them all — she embodies them all with a style, boldness, take-no-shit attitude I could only hope for. My sister is one of the most amazing people I know.