Florence! Florence! Florence!

Tonight I saw Florence and the Machine at the Kool Haus in Toronto. Florence was amazing! She has such a powerful voice. Complementing her were a harpist, TWO drummers, a keyboardist and a bass player... I think that was it. Full accompaniment, eh? There was a great light show too. Some of my favourite parts of the show were the intimate moments with just her voice. The crowd actually shut up occasionally! She played almost every song from her album "Lungs," one of my favourite albums ever.

Boy, were they a rowdy bunch. A lot of shoving and obnoxious chatter. At least where I was standing anyway. And of course, loads of spectators raised their cameras in the air to take pictures of Florence, obstructing my view. It was also a little too snug in the crowd for my comfort. I hated having to crane my neck to see Florence. I wasn't hot at all, though.

This concert was at club that has standing-room only, so to ensure we got a good spot, my friend and I got in line before the doors opened. We stood in line, then stood at our spot in the venue, from 7:30 to 11:30. Wow! I don't know what compelled me to buy the tickets in February and then subject myself to all of that standing, which is usually very difficult for me. For two months, I hoped that I would have a good day on the concert. I did! I felt very strong all day, able to jog up and down the stairs and to the bus stop, then stand for hours! My balance was decent too. I didn't tip over with all of the shoving at the show. And I don't think I was in any more pain than anyone else. I didn't have the balance to stand on my tippy-toes.

I tend to feel horrible after a day of feeling great and being active, so I'm dreading tomorrow -- especially with all of the homework I have to do! I've already started having issues. After the concert I was having trouble walking straight. I kept tipping and walking into my friend. And I was pretty slow and unsteady on the stairs. Shortly after I got home, I noticed my heart was going too fast and I was getting the abdominal pain. I've been getting it a lot lately. I saw my internist Friday and she has ordered blood work to rule out some things. She is on the Dandy Walker route, but doesn't know much about the condition at all -- says neurosurgeon is the way to go. She also thinks I may have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which can last for years, unfortunately. WHAT?!

Of course, it's hard for me to conceive that I may have CFS with days as good as this one. By a good day, I don't mean a symptom-free day; I just mean that the symptoms are minimal or that some symptoms are absent. And I feel guilty for using a good day to go to a concert instead of do homework. What was I thinking booking a concert, anyway? I have many really nasty days. If I hadn't had such a good day, the shoving could have made me fall or the long standing period could have given me terrible pain.

I planned to offer my ticket to my friend to go with someone else if if today was a bad day. Back-up plans help me cope with my health problems. Because they make me less accountable if I have to back out of something, I feel less nervous about potentially having to back out. I'm glad I went to Florence. It was so much fun to dance around, which really helps me embrace a good body day. This was a test. I'm glad I pushed myself. It's great to know what I'm capable of when I feel pretty well.

Anyway, I put off sleep because my ears were ringing, but now I think I will be able to sleep. Oh dear, I just realized I have to clean my bathroom, change my bedsheets and do more laundry tomorrow on top of the homework... Bleh! This is going to be such a crazy week. I'm getting nervous about my Heart and Stroke Fundraiser!