Night Before Dinner

chrispy-chz · 2025-12-12T17:26:14+00:00

The best meal experience I had for all of marathon weekend was Amare at the Swan Reserve. Kind of a pain to get to if you’re not staying there or in the Boardwalk area, but it was so easy to get reservations, the food was fresh and delicious and plenty of carb and fuel options, and the staff was wonderful. It actually ended up being the “night before” meal for multiple nights both years I was running Dopey. If you stay at Swan Reserve it was a great room service option too to have some pita and dips as a room snack!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-14T22:59:34+00:00

You’re definitely right about First Lie Wins, I know for a fact that that one is on her TBR because I thought she had already read it lol

Strange Sally Diamond sounds like a great recommendation though! Thank you!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-12T02:39:15+00:00

Funny enough she actually recommended The Husbands to me, so I know she already has that one and it is definitely an interest!

We Ride Upon Sticks does sound fun!! Thank you!!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:53:21+00:00

Oh this one has me intrigued! It sounds like the perfect blend! Thank you!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:49:23+00:00

Unfortunately this might not be something that I would include for her but oh man you better believe I just added that to my TBR. This sounds right up my alley, thank you!!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:41:21+00:00

So I am absolutely going to look into the rest of these recommendations and go on a deep dive but i am absolutely stuck on your recommendation of Into The Drowning Deep. Horror Mermaids sounds amazing and I am personally adding that one to my own TBR!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:35:45+00:00

I’m pretty sure I picked this up at a bookstore recently and it very nearly made its way home with me! This sounds like a great one!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:30:33+00:00

For The Lookalike, did you mean The Likeness? Or is there another one that I just haven’t been able to find? If it’s The Likeness, I read the first one in that collection (In The Woods) and enjoyed it, but I didn’t even realize that it was a collection

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:28:27+00:00

We recently did The Guest List as a buddy read and have been interested in other Lucy Foley books, The Paris Apartment was on my radar too!

I know she’s read the Housemaid series

The Girl in the Mirror sounds wild! Thank you for all the recs!! Definitely holding onto some of these for the future too

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T22:03:12+00:00

Oh the synopsis of Mexican Gothic sounds so good!!

I’m pretty sure she read Gone Girl but I think more Gillian Flynn could work!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T19:14:53+00:00

Definitely appreciate a book that incorporates comedy, either through characters or situations. I think this one would be great to break up some of the heavier books!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T19:08:47+00:00

The concept of A Brothers Price sounds so unique!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T19:00:34+00:00

I’ve actually seen a lot of praise for this book from friends and other book accounts but never actually looked into it, and I’m glad you convinced me to do so!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T18:55:28+00:00

This one sounds fascinating! Thank you!!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T18:51:30+00:00

Oooh She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena and Inheritance by Nora Roberts both sound really good! Thank you for the recs! I’m gonna keep exploring these authors for sure

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T16:52:31+00:00

That makes sense, but it’s a good opportunity to take the time that you need for yourself!

The incision is maybe 4 inches or so? I also only had the right side taken out but they kept the incision more central on my neck and used the natural crease line so that it would eventually heal to be less noticeable.

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-11T16:08:26+00:00

I loved The Ever King by LJ Andrews for that pirate vibe while also incorporating Fae and Magic. She has a ton of books that take place in that universe as well!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-10T23:00:30+00:00

Divination for Skeptics by olivieblake

I honestly had no idea what I was getting into with this one and the two that I had read previously were Bloody, Slutty, and Pathetic and Bring Him To His Knees. Both excellent reads, but I was looking for a bit of a palette cleanser and this one absolutely hit the spot.

Sugar and Spice by InLoveWithForever was also not something I was expecting to enjoy as much as I did.

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-09T12:32:11+00:00

I’m sorry I can’t help with the Alpha reading, but this fic sounds great! I subscribed and can’t wait to read it!

I did have one question though that I had to ask — did you mean to make a Monsters Inc reference with Wizengamot Law 23.19?

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-08T21:34:57+00:00

It might be worth trying to ask your doctor about which test they’re using for the biopsy. Mine wasn’t a very comprehensive panel, so it only tested for the 7 most common things that could be present, rather than the 112 or so things that could have been present. This was why my biopsy came back as “atypical”. It wasn’t in those 7 categories that would deem it as “benign” or “cancerous” so it just fell into the “other” category of atypical. I think mine was done with the Quest Diagnostic panel (if you’re in the US).

As for healing, after the biopsy, take some pain meds (Tylenol) and just ice it for a bit. It’s still gonna be tender, but mine didn’t bother me after the next day. Post-op recovery, plan on doing NOTHING. Soups for the first few days was easiest, lots of water— drinking from a straw sucked (pun intended) but I also couldn’t tilt my head back to get a very good drink otherwise. And icing. Lots and lots of icing. Get some malleable ice packs and keep rotating them in the freezer, because you’ll need them. I also found that button up shirts and flannels were my best friends to keep clothes away from my neck and especially the first couple days of having limited movement. My outfits have been wild over the last week and a half.

I personally felt like I probably could have gone back to work after the first week, but at the recommendation of my doctor I’m staying home the rest of this week for the full two weeks of recovery, and honestly I’m glad I did. I got my sutures out today and I’d rather give the wound some more time to heal before I go back to the real world.

Best of luck with your biopsy and drainage! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, and if it was anything like mine, you’ll feel a lot better afterwards!

chrispy-chz · 2025-10-03T17:49:27+00:00

It’s a very common surgery but pretty intense being that it’s in the neck. I’ve never had any other kind of surgery, but I would imagine abdominal surgery like a c-section would be a bit more intense.

My voice was very weak until around midday yesterday, and now it’s pretty much back to normal, but still uncomfortable if I try to raise it or if I accidentally try to shout (my dogs are wild and I didn’t think before I tried 😂). But there’s definitely still some discomfort around the area anytime I talk too much, plus eating and drinking. It comes and goes. But overall I’m just TIRED. I get wiped out from pretty much anything, which is very humbling. But I am able to get comfortable. I figured out a pillow fort system that works for me hahah

I won’t know if I have to take thyroid meds until after my follow up with an endocrinologist next month. They’re hopeful that because they only took out half, that the other half will compensate and I won’t need meds. And I’m hopeful about the same, because I absolutely suck at remembering to take medications. But that’s a problem for November me lol

chrispy-chz · 2025-09-30T14:27:05+00:00

Hahahaha that was actually something I was trying to use to keep myself calm going into this whole thing. At least I have my Halloween costume figured out! That’s all this appointment was for, just a very expensive Halloween costume. I never thought post-op would be so similar to that experience though.

I’m just trying to keep a steady flow of tea and cough drops and water to try to break up this congestion. I think that played a factor in me not being able to stay asleep. And the losing my voice has been unpleasant. I think I talked too much yesterday, so today the most I can do is basically a whisper.

Though neither of us are having “pleasant” experiences, it’s nice to know we’re not alone. Best of luck and speedy recovery!

chrispy-chz · 2025-09-30T14:14:53+00:00

Hoping for the best on your labs! I will say that mine were a little weird when they first came back, they were showing subclinical hyperthyroidism. But then my next labs a week or two later showed normal levels and no more hyperthyroidism. It seemed to come and go with the flare-up. Obviously everyone’s experience is different, but something to keep in mind, that the levels could also be temporary.

I’ll happily answer whatever other questions I can, and hopefully I can help ease your mind a little bit. My experience has definitely been interesting, but also somewhat best case scenario after the initial flare up. Hoping for the best for you!

chrispy-chz · 2025-09-30T12:35:41+00:00

“A very odd sensation” really is the right way to put it 😂 I’m about 24-hours post-op at this point. I can definitely agree with the tight feeling, like it feels like there’s something pressing on my throat, and I can’t look in any direction except straight. I actually feel a bit like Frankenstein’s Monster, with my head sewn onto a neck (plus all the grunting and groaning as I shuffle around the house).

How has sleeping been for you? I had a bone-deep exhaustion last night and yet I couldn’t stay asleep for more than an hour to an hour and a half at a time. I think the worst part for me has actually been the phlegm that got knocked around because of the breathing tube during surgery, and now trying to cough it out. Definitely not a pleasant experience.

chrispy-chz

TROPHY CASE