Monday:

Why don’t you study “invisible diseases” to try and understand the suffering some people go through? You know I have Multiple Sclerosis, and I honestly feel healthier than ever, but I still have moments with weird symptoms that freak me out and wear me out. Right now my fingers feel like they’re on fire from the inside. This is a symptom that I’d heard of but haven’t experienced until this moment. It’s awful. Good God, I hope this is only a momentary pain. You can’t always tell when somebody’s aching, reader, be sympathetic. [UPDATE: It’s gone; I made a potion. But still, that was a misery I never want to meet again.]

Tuesday:

Why don’t you spend a day glued to Netflix watching Ingobernables? I know that I’ve written about this show a dozen times already, but I can’t get it out of my head. Kate del Castillo is a revelation as the First Lady of Mexico. She’s in hiding because the government thinks she murdered her husband, but the real killer is NOT WHO I EXPECTED. Good lord it’s a good show. And the new season is supposed to come out sometime this year. I am on pins and needles for the next installment. It’s like Murder, She Wrote but on amphetamines. I’m obsessed.

Wednesday:

Why don’t you try out a new sleeping pattern timed to your circadian needs? I’ve been thinking a lot about sleep lately. Since I had the flu or whatever misery that was, I have been needing to sleep more than usual, and I’m feeling more alert because of it. But I’m feeling cheated out of my life by being unconscious. This week I’ve been trying to sleep for exactly six hours and I’ve rarely felt so well rested. This might be my perfect sleep time. Martha Stewart only gets five. Karl Lagerfeld only does seven. Maybe six is magic for me?

Thursday:

Why don’t you move someplace new where the weather is hospitable? I’m freezing my ass off, reader. It’s been winter for so long. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be warm, to have the sun kiss my skin, to smell the grass and plant pumpkins, to read a book in the vineyard with a gin and tonic; I have forgotten joy. I need to live somewhere the weather is gorgeous…like California. Le sigh. Just a matter of time.

Friday:

Why don’t you plan a long weekend somewhere nearby but far enough away that you feel like you’re on holiday? I’ve been dreaming of staying at the Hotel Julien in Dubuque for years, but I’ve never gotten around to it. Looks like a beautiful place, and there is nowhere in Iowa quite like Dubuque. The hilly streets are charmingly treacherous, there are plenty of interesting stores, and there is a chocolate shop that makes the most divine dark chocolate raspberry truffles. I need a three day weekend…I actually have one this week. Maybe.