I have a pain in my ass. No. Seriously.
My back no longer hurts me thanks to my wonderful chiropractor, but now I have a new issue – nerve pain. Apparently a wonky disk in my back is pinching a nerve which causes shooting pains in my ass and all down the back of my right leg. I believe it’s what the old folks refer to as “sciatica.” I’m not an old folk, so I call it nerve pain. It hurts when I sit, it hurts when I stand, it hurts when I bend over. I have to sit on my bed to put on my underwear because I can’t raise my leg. TMI? Maybe. But, I am trying to paint a picture here. It hurts. Get it?
Until I can get an MRI scheduled so my doctor can see exactly what needs to be done to un-pinch my nerve, I really just have to deal with it. (cue violins)
Well, on Friday I kinda had enough. I decided to self-medicate. After one glass of wine, my pain had diminished greatly and I could walk without limping. It’s a miracle! I am healed! And you know what they say, if one is good then two must be better, right? I didn’t have anywhere to be and I was home alone (my husband was out helping a friend move – he’s a sucker) so I poured another glass and settled in for the evening.
That night, settling in involved pulling up Pandora on my netbook and curling up on the couch with a sketch pad and pencil. I’ve been in a creative slump lately, so I thought a little drawing while listening to music would help grease my creative wheels.
The next morning, my nerve pain was back in full force, but I barely noticed it because the pounding in my head was much worse. I shuffled out to the kitchen where I discovered the empty wine bottle and the partially consumed bottle next to it. Cursing my stupidity, drank some water and pulled on some clothes. My husband took pity on me and drove me to get some breakfast.
After returning home, I found my sketches from the night before. I don’t remember drawing half of what was on the paper, but the doodles are clearly an accurate representation of my deteriorating condition throughout the evening.
Well, hi there cute little robot. Will you be my friend little robot? I promise to never get you wet and to keep your operating system updated at all times. You will be my bestest friend little robot.
Okay, I think that first one is a flying happy marshmallow and the second is a flying piece of buttered toast. Why did I draw flying food? I have no idea, but I think I was probably getting hungry. I do remember grabbing a bag of pita chips around this time.
I’m pretty sure that’s a jellyfish. I know that jellyfish don’t have eyes or mouths, but toast doesn’t fly, either. I don’t think that logic was all that important to me at this point in the evening.
Yeah. Zombie cat from another galaxy, anyone?
Your guess is as good as mine. Dracula, maybe? A demon? A cry for help?
I started with cute little robots and happy, flying food and degenerated into zombie cats and demon-things. I thought wine was my friend.
My little experiment with drunken drawing was good for taking my mind off my little health issue for one evening. It remains to be seen if it helped charge my creative mojo. I did get a blog post out of it, but that’s not saying much. I wrote a blog post about spell check for cryin’ out loud. Hopefully, my family will do something crazy over Thanksgiving.






You managed to pull a great post out of your ass! I hope the pain goes away but the funny posts don’t. Cheers Amy!
Ha! I guess I did, didn’t I?
Thanks, Doug!
Uh…that is the evil of wine….lol. It totally turns me into an idiot (a horny one at that…lol). I have to watch my wine consumption.
Trisho
I normally stick to one or two glasses, but I got out of control that night. It did turn evil.
I can totally sympathize with the sciatica, but my cure was delivering an almost 9lb baby
Hopefully they can find your problem soon so you can get some relief. I say stick with the drunk drawing, much safer than drunk dialing and drunk driving (and a lot funnier, too)
Hopefully my cure doesn’t involve birthing a baby! Yes, of all the things you can do while drunk, I think drawing is the safest.
The robot needs finger things. You cannot get it to pour the wine or hold a glass without these finger things. Popular Mechanics and Robots: Today, Tomorrow and the Future will help engineering and diagramming these hands. Your sketches look very realistic, esp. the third one down. Looks just like my ex flying away with my wallet(and everything else) in divorce of 1984. In 1968 we used to draw things too after taking these little orange pills from the nice man in the colorful shirt at the park. Once Tito drew a yellow submarine and we got in it and went round and round and round…
Genius! Gotta get some fingers on that robot.
You seem to be drawing just fine without the help of little orange pills.
That’s awesome! And I mean the sketches NOT the pain in your [points to ass]. You never know your sketches may inspire some short stories later on or be a good writing prompt. Maybe I’m getting cabin fever but I feel a story coming on about a cat dazed and in love with a skunk…oh boy. I need to get out of the house. I hope you get that pain figured out it really sucks to walk around with such discomfort all the time. At least you know something that can temporarily relieve the pain!
I do hope that those sketches do lead to something other than a raging headache. The cat/skunk story sounds cute!
Pulled it out of your ass! Ha! That Doug, he’s funny.
Maybe that last picture is of him?
Yes, that made me laugh, too! I don’t even want to delve into the psychology of that last picture. It shall remain nameless.
Couple thoughts: First, you really are a pretty good artist! Second, those last 2 pictures scare me.
1. Thank you!
2. Me, too.
I love the three glasses of wine jellyfish. I’m going to say that to my friends from now on: “Let’s get jellyfished.”
Also, I was wondering something after reading this: “The next morning, my nerve pain was back in full force, but I barely noticed it because the pounding in my head was much worse. I shuffled out to the kitchen where I discovered the empty wine bottle and the partially consumed bottle next to it. Cursing my stupidity, drank some water and pulled on some clothes.”
Were you naked while you were jellyfished?
Okay, continuity police! I wasn’t naked, just in my jammies, which technically, aren’t really clothes. There are too many dogs with cold noses in my house right now to be naked while jellyfished or anything else. Plus, they stare and judge. I know they do.
I don’t drink, but I’m going to show this post to my friends anyway. I will do everything I can to get them to say “jellyfished” instead of “drunk”. Thanks!
I love the flying marshmallow and toast.
I’d say you used the situation to the best of your ability, and cracked the rest of us up in the process.
Keep it up.
I try, I try.
Thank you!
I always love these kind of progressions into drunkenness postings, they are entertaining as hell. You should really try to get some pain medication for that thing though. You can draw, and write, like a mofo on some Percs…
I once took half a Loratab and passed out in the shower. No pain meds for me unless all I want to do is drool. I don’t know if I could get a whole blog post out of drool.
I don’t think the computer would work well, covered in drool. Might short out the keyboard or somethin’ like that.
Sorry about the pain. Even your most wine induced sketch is better than I could do sober. Great post! xx
Thank you!!
Robot: Fear of the unknown, MRI (mechnical being) to determine your fate. Flying marshmallow: Your lost youth (note the evil, batlike wings). Flying toast: Your sister’s dog in heaven. Jellyfish: Definitely looks like you as a child, from the back, afer I had put your hair in all those braids, dont know where the helmet with eyes came from. Terrified cat: See the three point stance held up by tail, you are afraid of the outcome, what if you walk with a cane? Last picture: definitely Doug, I haven’t sent him a check lately. I truly hate your pain, look forward to the day it is gone…they can perform miracles these days. In the meantime a) more self medication or b) prescription drugs, c) definitely not both.
You crack me up! Those are all very astute observations and quite possibly correct (especially the flying toast – it does have angel wings). I’ve learned that two glasses of wine are enough to alleviate most of the pain, so I’ll probably just stick with that for now. Going to call today to schedule an MRI. Hopefully will be able to get in soon.
Mom, for your the sake of your daughter’s mental well-being…put the cheque in the mail.
I don’t think guilt will work with her. Try flattery.
(I love how you spell “cheque” – you Canadians are so fancy)
Mom, if I haven’t told you lately: Congratulations again on rearing such a talented, compassionate, interesting daughter. Product of good upbringing no doubt. I take direct deposit, bank draft or wire transfer.
I couldn’t help getting the word “rearing” in there, I’m sorry.
Amy, Canada IS an exotic country, filled with mysterious spellings (centre, honour, cheque), odd holidays (we have Thanksgiving in October PLUS we celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday) and superior hockey players.
“rearing” – the well of jokes for my malady is bottomless. See?! There’s another one!
Also, you guys have that round bacon which is really just ham. Tasty, though. Would love to visit your neck of the woods one day. In the summer, of course.
I’m getting to squashed in here to leave a reply!
Hey, is that another arse joke? It’s not THAT big.
I’m not trying to purposely use words that conjure about arses. Butt I think WordPress needs to give me some breathing room here!
Har, har, har . . .
Wow…does your back ever not hurt?
I love the flying marshmallow.
It doesn’t hurt if I can sit on the couch with my legs under me and it doesn’t hurt when I sleep (which is wonderful). Of course, I gotta make it sound horrible and all drama-like, though!
Thanks!
holy crap you crack me up! i wouldn’t be able to say my own name after 5 glasses of wine let alone draw a demonic shoney’s big boy.
i’m impressed amy. and i hope your ass feels better soon. and if not, maybe you can get one of those balloon pillows to sit on.
Demonic Shoney’s Big Boy? I can kinda see that. Yeah, there’s the bandanna . . . You may be on to something there.
Thanks, Katie!
Hey, the marshmallow and the helment have the same face. Obviously your brain turned to melted marshmallow. Now that’s the kind of zombie meal I could get into. Just keep em off my sweet potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Mmmm, marshmallow brains . . .
Your blog cracks me up.
Aw, thanks!
OMG, that is so funny, I can’t stop laughing…
I also had nerve pain that had me to the doctor the day after thanksgiving getting some hydrocodone and muscle relaxers…the hydrocodone made me sick to my stomache, but the muscle relaxers
You may want to look into that.
Thanks! I’m trying to go the drug-free route right now, but I may need to check out the muscle relaxers before too long.