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fr_defenestratoMy neck is broken in the sense that it doesn't work properly. I broke it Tuesday morning in the process of brushing my hair. If I understand these things correctly I have a nerve pinched between two vertebrae, causing all kinds of nasty muscle spasming from next to right shoulder and a ways down my back and down my right arm. This happens occasionally; I've never been to a chiropractor, but I'm thinking maybe I should try it out.
Meanwhile since yestiddy I've been taking cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxant) and naproxen sodium (e.g., Alleve); the combination seems to work well, but of course the cyclo leaves me sluggish and sleepy. More so, anyway. And whereas one might logically predict that resting the neck (e.g., in sleep) would be better for its recovery than moving it around a lot (e.g., your average workday)—and such a prediction has come true in the past—in this case my neck is far happier during the day, when it's holding up the weight of my head, than at night, when it's arguably not doing much. I've tried adjusting pillow height and the shape of my spine, but nothing seems to work: it just fucking hurts a lot when I lie down.
All of which throws a grim pallor over the weekend to come: in which I rent a car, pack it with foodstuffs and essential bits of my kitchen, drive overnight (tonight) to Granville, Vermont, and assume the rôle of chef de cuisine for a totally gangbusters Italian feast for 22 Saturday night:
Primi
Ciabatta and Three-cheese bread, olive oil, olives, cornichons, etc.
Roasted garlic-goat cheese spread/Sicilian tapenade
Fagioli alla Tuscana (Tuscan white bean salad—a thing I always make but don't always append the word 'Tuscan' :)
Panzanella (Tomato, onion, cucumber, and bread salad)
Pepperoni bread (haven't made this in forever)
Secondi
Chicken piccata (cut into small portions)
Peperoncini con salsiccia e finocchi (Fresh cherry peppers stuffed with sweet sausage and fennel filling, baked)
Mussels in white wine sauce
Acciughe (anchovies) in lemon juice and olive oil
[Opt: Carpaccio con Parmigiano-Reggiano, capperi, e erbe (if I can find a butcher that will slice some beef for me paper-thin)]
Le paste e riso
Linguine con marinara e polpette di carne (basically, linguine and meatballs)
Sformato di riso con ragù di funghi (Timbale of risotto filled with mushroom gravy—this has been served at Movie Marathon)
Fusilli con ragù di salsiccia (Fusilli with hot sausage gravy)
Penne alla Renata (Penne with yellow and red pepper cream sauce)
Dolci
Fichi (figs), gorgonzola e prosciutto con vino rosso (baked)
Tiramisù (another Movie Marathon debut item)
Espresso
Sambucca or Strega
(Nice, huh? Most of my shopping is already done.)
But I'm worried about how sitting 9 for hours and change, arms forward on the steering wheel, is going to affect my neck and upper back. Yikes. Also, the beds at the former Newton's Christmas Tree Inn are, as I recall, not terribly comfortable. Wish me luck.
Meanwhile since yestiddy I've been taking cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxant) and naproxen sodium (e.g., Alleve); the combination seems to work well, but of course the cyclo leaves me sluggish and sleepy. More so, anyway. And whereas one might logically predict that resting the neck (e.g., in sleep) would be better for its recovery than moving it around a lot (e.g., your average workday)—and such a prediction has come true in the past—in this case my neck is far happier during the day, when it's holding up the weight of my head, than at night, when it's arguably not doing much. I've tried adjusting pillow height and the shape of my spine, but nothing seems to work: it just fucking hurts a lot when I lie down.
All of which throws a grim pallor over the weekend to come: in which I rent a car, pack it with foodstuffs and essential bits of my kitchen, drive overnight (tonight) to Granville, Vermont, and assume the rôle of chef de cuisine for a totally gangbusters Italian feast for 22 Saturday night:
Primi
Ciabatta and Three-cheese bread, olive oil, olives, cornichons, etc.
Roasted garlic-goat cheese spread/Sicilian tapenade
Fagioli alla Tuscana (Tuscan white bean salad—a thing I always make but don't always append the word 'Tuscan' :)
Panzanella (Tomato, onion, cucumber, and bread salad)
Pepperoni bread (haven't made this in forever)
Secondi
Chicken piccata (cut into small portions)
Peperoncini con salsiccia e finocchi (Fresh cherry peppers stuffed with sweet sausage and fennel filling, baked)
Mussels in white wine sauce
Acciughe (anchovies) in lemon juice and olive oil
[Opt: Carpaccio con Parmigiano-Reggiano, capperi, e erbe (if I can find a butcher that will slice some beef for me paper-thin)]
Le paste e riso
Linguine con marinara e polpette di carne (basically, linguine and meatballs)
Sformato di riso con ragù di funghi (Timbale of risotto filled with mushroom gravy—this has been served at Movie Marathon)
Fusilli con ragù di salsiccia (Fusilli with hot sausage gravy)
Penne alla Renata (Penne with yellow and red pepper cream sauce)
Dolci
Fichi (figs), gorgonzola e prosciutto con vino rosso (baked)
Tiramisù (another Movie Marathon debut item)
Espresso
Sambucca or Strega
(Nice, huh? Most of my shopping is already done.)
But I'm worried about how sitting 9 for hours and change, arms forward on the steering wheel, is going to affect my neck and upper back. Yikes. Also, the beds at the former Newton's Christmas Tree Inn are, as I recall, not terribly comfortable. Wish me luck.
