Manda Propaganda

After several days of anxiety and a moment or two on the verge of sheer panic, I got my blood test results back yesterday. I am not diabetic. I am not even pre-diabetic. This is fantastic news, and the relief I felt was phenomenal.

According to the test results my hormones are fine, my trace elements are all where they should be and even my cholesterol is OK (except my triglycerides are high, but duh, I’m a chub!). My blood sugars were really low, but thats mainly because it was a fasting blood test, and was to be expected.

My beautiful Russian Dr Katya has put me on several different medications though, including Metformin to help control my insulin resistance, as well as recommending I take massive doses of omega-3 on a daily basis, to assist my wellbeing.

In addition to the fistful of prescriptions, I was given 3 referrals… one to a dietician, to make sure I know how to control my energy levels and get those pesky triglycerides back where they should be; one to a sports physiologist, so I can learn to run again without aggravating my existing injuries; and one to the Black Dog Institute, and this is where the bad news starts.

Seems I have been fainting because I am stressed out of my gourd. I am literally worrying myself unconscious. This is fairly displeasing, because I honestly thought I was managing alright. The captain of my brainship however, seems to disagree.

Some time next week I will need to go and have a mood assessment with the friendly people in white coats and go from there. I already know what they are going to say, and in a way I feel like the last 12 months of my life have been leading me to this point. Its all very confronting and a little scary, but also brings more of those feelings of relief.

I need to do this, I need to stop pushing all the feelings aside and internalising the stress, because if I dont deal with it now, the next time my coping mechanisms fail, fainting will be the least of my worries.

In 2009, I read 18 books. Not a bad effort, considering I really only started reading in March, when I moved into my new place. This year I’m aiming for 2 a month, 24 for the year. So far, so good.

Breakfast At Tiffanys - Truman Capote

I vaguely remember seeing the movie year ago, but only a few scenes stood out. Apparently none of those scenes are in the book, cause it was really very different from what I was expecting. I enjoyed the style of writing though, and at only 100 pages, it was an easy start for the year.

Things You Get For Free - Michael McGirr

A lovely autobiographical story about a 40-something Jesuit priest who takes his mother on the European “honeymoon” she never got to go on when she got married. It meanders back and forth between travel stories, life in the priesthood, growing up watching his father die of kidney failure and the slow discovery of his familys roots. Although I have absolute zero interest in religion personally, reading about the honest love and faith this guy had was really touching. Being that the family grew up in Sydney, it was also really great to read stories that happened in places I am so familiar with, and hearing about how the city and suburbs have changed since before WWII. Beautiful.

Next up… The Power Of One, by Bryce Courtenay.

• When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
• Mr B Gone - Clive Barker
• A Twist in the Tail - Jeffrey Archer
• Harvesting the Heart - Jodi Piccoult
• I Lick My Cheese - Oonagh O’Hagen
• Spirit - Graham Masterton
• Life of Pi - Yann Martel
• The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
• The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
• One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - Ken Kesey
• Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
• Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
• Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
• Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
• Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
• Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris
• All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris
• From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris

Best of the list is a toss up between Oscar Wao and Life of Pi, thought I thoroughly enjoyed the entire True Blood series of books.

Biggest disappointment was definitely Spirit, there were tonnes of great reviews for it on Amazon (though it was recommended to me by the lady at the second hand book store I frequent) but I thought it just dragged on and was totally dull. Clive Barker also let me down with his latest offering, but I will forgive him, just this once.

Best discovery of the year was David Sedaris, can’t wait to read more of his stuff!

This year, I’ve had heaps more time to read… and its been awesome :)

Here is what I’ve read so far, with some brief commentary:

When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
I originally only noticed this book before of the awesome cover art, but after reading a review and listening to David Sedaris read some of his essays, I knew I would love it. I know other people who have read it and not really been overly impressed, but I thought it was brilliant, bordering on hysterical. Can’t wait to read more of his work.

Mr B Gone - Clive Barker
I really like the idea of Clive Barker, because the premise of his books are always so promising. But this one was lame. It got really dull really fast, and even the scary, gory, horror bits were disappointing. There wasn’t a single moment where I had to put the book down or even look away and catch my breath… maybe I have gotten desensitised to literary violence, or maybe it was just lame.

A Twist in the Tail - Jeffrey Archer
I first read this book when I was about 15. I have no idea where the book went, so when I had a random dream about one of the short stories in this collection, I had to go out and buy it. All the stories are enjoyable, but the final one “Christina Rosenthal” is by far my favourite.

Harvesting the Heart - Jodi Piccoult
I really love Jodi Piccoult. I have read at least half a dozen of her books, and have not been able to put any of them down once I’ve started them. This one focusses on the nature of motherhood and how a woman can choose to walk away from her family. Very emotional, probably due to my own mother issues, but also because its just so well written.

I Lick My Cheese - Oonagh O’Hagen
This book was a gift from my flatmate Katie when we moved in together. Its a collection of notes people leave for each other in share house situations, ranging from the sweet and uplifting, through the strange and awkward to the downright vicious and scary. A delightful study of non-verbal human interaction.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel
This is the book that claims to make you believe in God. Well, I very much doubt I will ever believe in God, but this was a great read. I totally understand the hype around this book, it really was that good.

Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
The first in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I started reading it after watching the whole first season of True Blood, and still have to work my way through the rest of them. After reading all the Twilight Saga repeatedly last year, I needed a break from vampires, so I have made an attempt to read a “real” book between each one. Seems to be working!

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
A friend, Nathan, recommended I read this book, however his brother, Heath (one of my all time best friends in the whole wide world), had his copy and couldn’t find it. By the time it turned up I had already bought my own copy and was half way through it. There is a LOT of Spanish in this book, but although it was distracting at first, it really gave the story authenticity. It was an amazing story, and I was sorry to have it come to an end.

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Next up, I’m reading The Memory Keepers Daughter, by Kim Edwards. Then I might read something light, a comedy perhaps! Between chapters I’m reading another vampire book written by good friend Kevin Glennon. So far so good… I’m very impressed with his work, but since I only have it in MS Word, I can only read it on my laptop. If I could take it on the bus, I’d have finished it by now! Maybe I can put it on the blackberry… hmm.