Awkwardly avoiding awkwardness

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My office building is home to probably nine or ten different companies. The cafe on the first floor serves all of them. I had just started my dual-wave bolus and placed the order for my lunch when I felt the unexpected and repeated vibration coming from my hip.

Bvvt. Bvvt. Bvvt. Bvvt…. (I’m not sure how many times, but it was a lot. Also, is that how you spell the sounds of a vibrating insulin pump?)

When I checked the pump to see what was up, it  turned out to be a Motor Error. It was the first one in a year, I think — I certainly haven’t been plagued with them as I was at an earlier time. Having been through these in the past, I didn’t panic. But I did have a bunch of thoughts go through my mind.

• Did I bump it or go near any strong magnetic fields lately? (No.)
• Do I have time to run to the restroom and restart the pump before my food is ready? (No).
• Could I possibly remember all the variables I just so meticulously calculated into my dual-wave bolus, and then factor in what’s been delivered already, so that I can do it again? (No.)
• Are the insulin gods conspiring against me in retaliation for filling a medical device with an alcoholic beverage this weekend? (Possibly.)

My thought-process was then interrupted by a voice coming from my right, asking a person behind the counter if he could see the package of whole-wheat wraps. He wanted to check the carb-counts.

Who, me?

I’d never been invited to anything before as a result of my participation in the DOC. So when the Direct Message came early in December, after over a month of silence on this blog,  I was a bit intrigued.

“Hi Scott – what is your preferred email address? I’d like to invite you to an event Medtronic is having,” it read, signed by one of the company’s PR folks whose name we see around the web. Naturally, a bunch of thoughts filled my head.

Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars

Since starting this diabetes-themed blog over a year ago, the inclusion of musical references has been a recurring theme.

• Lyrics from the Beatles have appeared…
  …twice.
• I wove Meat Loaf into a teenage memory…
  …and considered swapping my disease for Bon Jovi’s.
• A Credence Clearwater Revival song led to my first DOC Meetup…
  …and running into a long-lost high-school classmate was like Peaches reuniting with Herb.
•  A catchy little ditty from Blues Traveler sang the praises of automatic data logging…
  …while a Melissa Etheridge lyric titled a post about my great-aunt’s funeral.
• Although I shamelessly made a mockery of Canada’s national anthem…
  …some boys from Kansas knew exactly how I managed to Carry On.

Even the very name of this blog is inspired by a Grammy Award-winner’s song title.

But today, after reading another blog post today on SurfaceFine, I thought of a song that I used to listen to when I needed inspiration. A song about all the stuff I had put off until tomorrow — a tomorrow that has yet to come.

Everybody needs a friend

On Wednesday, I attended a JDRF Adult T1 Meet-Up coordinated jointly by two of the New Jersey chapters.  I had been to a meet-up in New York City back in November, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of this one. Curiosity and the opportunity to expand my social circle are what brought me there.

I’m glad they call it a “meet-up” and not a “support group”. I didn’t to make it seem like I’m going somewhere because I need help. Emotionally, I’m okay with my diabetes*. Physiologically, I’m confident in my ability to try new things and make it better (note that I said “my ability to try”, and not “my ability to make it better “. Some experiments work, some don’t, and some require such a lifestyle change that I won’t even try).  [* I realize how incredibly fortunate I am for that. I wish everyone else with diabetes could be the same.]

Announcement: JDRF Meet-ups in NJ and NYC

Passing along this information for those in my local area….

The JDRF Mid-Jersey Chapter is hosting an adult-meetup next Wednesday in East Brunswick. It’s smack in the middle of the state, so I’m hoping to see lots of my fellow Garden Staters there.