Over spending some time at my friends' house

One of them is at the barber shop getting his hair cut, the other is working on something at the computer, and I brought my laptop with me, so I thought I'd take a few moments to blog. Yesterday I went to an ENT specialist about recurrent sinus infections. Next month I'm going to have a CT scan of my sinuses to see if there is a reason for them. I've never had a CT scan before, so this should be a new experience.

So most of yesterday morning was spent at the doctor's office. I went on into work and got everything I needed to do finished. Then it was over to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for two people (including myself), to the post office to pick up a certified letter (regarding an issue that's already been resolved), and the bank to put a little cash into the ATM to cover a debit that will go through today. Afterwards, YKWIA and I watched some videos and then 'Grimm', which has been really great of late and promises to continue to be.

This morning I was very slow to wake up and wasn't feeling the best. My back is hurting, but I took some acetaminophen. I'm trying to get away from ibuprofen due to the kidney issue, but take only as little acetaminophen as possible. Now I've eaten and taken all my meds and I'm feeling a little better. Today we are finally taking down the Christmas tree, there's a movie we want to watch in DVD form from Netfiix (The Ladykillers, with Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers), the grocery run, and maybe some projects around here. But I also have to do the game notes, so I'm going to sign off here and start that. Have a great day!

I am being more cognizant

Of the fact that chronic use of over-the-counter pain relievers can be hard on your body,  so even though I am in enough pain that it woke me up,  I am trying not to use any. Ibuprofen and other NSAIDS are bad for the kidneys if taken often over time; acetaminophen is damaging to the liver if taken often over time. Since I'm on a medicine to prevent any further damage to my kidneys,  I figured ibuprofen is generally out for me.  But I have fatty liver disease/NASH/cirrhosis of the liver secondary to diabetes in my family as well.  So I need to be careful.

I did at least get up,  took that medicine and my long-acting insulin,  got a bit of water,  and put an overnight repairing lotion on my legs,  which are dry and itchy to the point of distraction. I refilled my distilled water in the CPAP humidifier. So I'm good for the night. But my feet and neck and back are hurting,  and I'm aching in general,  probably due to the weather.

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment with an ENT because of chronic sinus infections,  something I've had most of my life.  We'll see if there's anything they can do, short of surgery.

Class yesterday was good.  It runs late, till 9 pm, though,  so I always feel a little hung over the next day.  Afterwards I went to the newly renovated Euclid Kroger,  which was very nice.  I didn't park on the roof,  though.

Today was our library committee meeting,  which went well and was very productive.

Tomorrow is the doctor and 'Grimm' and a trip to the pharmacy and post office, not in that order.

Okay,  I'm going to bed.  Good night.

Trying out

Digital audiobooks from the Lexington Public Library via the One Click eAudio Book application.  I've checked out Susan Wittig Albert's Tale of Hill Top Farm, the first in her mystery series with Beatrix Potter as the protagonist. The audio has skipped a couple of times in the first chapter,  but is otherwise clear.  I'm not using Wi-Fi,  so that may be the reason. Generally it is set to do so,  but I changed the settings because I don't have home Wi-Fi at the moment,  and my phone data plan is unlimited. I'll let you know what I think when I've gotten further into the story. But it is nice to have a free audiobook on my phone for 20 days.

Tired

Okay, I did have to get up earlier than usual to take a friend to an appointment—my alarms were going off at 5 am and beyond, and I finally got up at 6. One of the women I eat with at lunch had a birthday, so I had some birthday cake, so my blood sugar went up, so that may be it, too. And it was a busy weekend, so I guess if you factor it all together, I shouldn’t be surprised.

Over the weekend I:

1. Took a friend to an appointment on Friday evening, during the snow.
2. Watched the first half of the UK-South Carolina basketball game with A on Saturday.
3. Went on the weekly grocery run with A.
4. Watched Doctor Doolittle (the original, with Rex Harrison, which came out the year I was born) with YKWIA. I loved it. It had very good points about animal welfare and vegetarianism, along with race relations, especially given its time.
5. Helped straighten up my friend’s library and shelved books. I really should put it on my résumé—his library is actually bigger than mine at work, at least in terms of number of books, I find information for him, and I do everything a librarian would do for a patron.
6. Played a little Moon Tycoon.
7. Worked on the game notes.
8. Cleaned house for our roleplaying game on Sunday.
9. Played the Call of Cthulhu game.

Yesterday after work I went to the pharmacy, made some food for YKWIA, and helped him with a monthly project. We also watched an episode of ‘Hart of Dixie’ and some YouTube videos. I got home about 10 pm and pretty much went straight to bed, although the frustration of trying to embed the last post’s video made me get back up and get the computer rather than my phone. So I think I made it to sleep about midnight, didn’t sleep well (although a little better than Saturday night), and woke up feeling tired this morning.

So tonight I’m at home. Things I need to do over the rest of the week outside of work:

1. Go get a certified letter from the post office (not happening tonight—besides, I think it’s not available until tomorrow since they tried to deliver it today. That may be Thursday, Friday, or even the weekend. They won’t send it back till February.)
2. Call my student loan servicer and discuss my options.
3. Go to the pharmacy. They didn’t have my insulin in stock the other day when I was there. That will probably be Thursday. They’re closed right now, though.
4. Go over my class materials tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s class.
5. Work on the game notes (that I will try to do tonight).
6. Go through some 14-day books from the library and do some reading.
7. Get some real rest tonight.
8. Go to an ear, nose, and throat doctor on Friday morning that my primary care physician referred me to.

The question is, dare I lie down for a bit and take a nap, or will it mean wasting the whole night? Maybe I'll play a little Moon Tycoon (it's a simulation game where you build moon bases) to relax and go from there. But I am going to go take off my bra and take out my contacts, etc., and get comfy.

I love the sound of the song

But the video is damn powerful in its own right.

And a little bit behind the song and music video:

Still tired from the weekend a bit

And I just got home tonight from helping a friend with something.  Tomorrow I must get up early to take him to an appointment.  So I'm going on to bed.  I'll take the computer with me tomorrow and try to catch up on my blogging. Good night.

Oh!

And I didn't get a single phone call from anyone,  including creditors,  at either phone today.  It was up to 12 calls a day. I still need to get in touch with my student loan servicer,  but everyone else has been taken care of for now. That I will do Monday.  I called earlier and was on hold but my friend was about to come out of his appointment so I hung up. Anyway,  yay for no calls and some peace and quiet.

A full day

I managed to catch up on everything I needed to at work, and found out that,  yes,  the woman I've been filling in for is coming back on Monday,  yay!  So I'll be back in the library full-time  (although half as librarian,  half in my revenue cycle job).

I filed my taxes today.  I got both forms I needed yesterday and wasted no time. This year,  since my internet connexion is kaput,  I did it on my phone.  Turbo Tax has changed from charging for the state tax filing to charging to automatically fill in information from last year.  You do have the option to file for free,  but you have to both have and put in that information.  Since I wasn't at home,  I went ahead and had them deduct that amount from my refund, am option which may be new as well. I get a small refund compared to folks with kids or who own houses,  but it should help a great deal.  Here's to a quick turnaround.

We're experiencing our first significant snowfall tonight,  with some sleet earlier. There's over two inches in the ground so far,  a heavy,  wet snow perfect for snowballs and snowmen.  Tomorrow it's supposed to rain,  though,  so that may go away.

Okay,  I'm sleepy.  'Grimm' was great,  I had fun over with my friends,  but I'm glad to be home and warm and snuggy in my bed.  Good night.

All in all, it was

a very productive day, indeed, despite not getting home till 12:30 last night (class was great, by the way, I learned a lot) and probably not getting to bed till at least 1:30, on top of the night before, when I couldn’t sleep for some reason. But now I'm home in my mostly clean house--yes, I took all those bags out yesterday after getting up early to finish--and settling in for the night.

Today I have:
1. Paid or arranged to pay no less than five bills, pretty much draining my account but almost bringing things current, except for my student loan servicer, whom I need to call. It’s a step in the right direction, anyway. May the phone calls please stop. I was getting up to 12 a day, between the two phone numbers, all at my cell phone, as the home phone is currently forwarding calls.
2. Came up with library goals for the coming year.
3. Reviewed applications for an award I’m helping review.
4. Did all the other library-related stuff needed for the day.
5. Received the forms I need to file my taxes, which means, hopefully, I can catch up financially someday soon.
6. Checked on a couple of appointments.
7. Had my yearly performance appraisal for my job as librarian, which was great, and spoke with my boss about the future of the library at our institution and concerns I have about the transition to ambulatory care centre and the services that will no longer be available to our staff in preparation for a library committee meeting next week.
8. Spent an hour and a half with several other people reviewing an award’s applications via conference call.
9. Checked on a friend to see if he needed anything.
10. Came home, ate, and played Moon Tycoon, which I haven’t played in years, lost from my computer in the migration, but eventually found again. You build moon bases and try to get your oeconomy balanced.
11. Changed password management applications after the one I was using (Keeper) suddenly started demanding $9.99 for one device.
12. Cancelled my Amazon Prime. Right now I just can’t afford it, am not really getting deliveries, and have no Wi-Fi to watch Prime videos. I may be able to do it later. But for now, that means I can’t stream some music I was used to listening to. That’s okay, though, I have a lot of music I own on the phone, anyway.
13. Finally changed into some comfy clothes, took out my contacts, etc. I see a bed very shortly in my future.

Anyway, that was my day. Tomorrow’s my chance to catch up with the data entry position, work on referrals and charge entry, etc. I also find out when the woman I’ve been filling in for is coming back to work, which should be next week, but they’re unsure of the day. I’m hoping it’s Monday. It’s been a good experience. I just love being a librarian more, and I have a lot to do with the library in terms of some weeding and reorganising. I also have a needs assessment to create. After work, there’s ‘Grimm’. I missed last week, of course, so I hope to see that episode, but since I need to take a friend to an appointment at 6, I don’t know if we’ll be able to work it in. But here’s hoping.

Okay, I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the evening. Good night!

I'm beginning to regret

Not taking the trash and recyclables on out.  They are weighing at my mind like an albatross,  keeping me awake at 3 am.  I did get up and get all my stuff together for work and class tomorrow,  checked that those cheques posted,  and finished straightening up the living room, and I put away several things that needed to go neatly into closets, but it's probably not a good idea to go wandering out to the dumpster at this time of night laden down with bags,  even though I have a pretty safe neighbourhood. So they remain.

I suppose part of the problem is I have had so much rest lately,  all of the weekend practically and most of Monday night. Now my brain wants to get up and do!  I'm going to try to go back to sleep,  at least for a couple of hours.  Let's hope this works.  I've also put on some relaxing lotion (my feet were hurting),  so maybe that will help.  Now I smell like lemon muffins.

Of course

It would have been great if I'd taken my contacts out before putting my hands down in an aquarium to clean algae off the glass.  As it was,  I washed my hands and arms up to my elbows three times before taking them out,  visions of eye-eating bacteria or amoebas in my head.  Think I'm crazy?  Google it.  If they can be in dirty,  warm water,  then that's the perfect environment.  In fact,  that is one reason you won't find aquaria in our hospital -- infection control.

Okay,  that's it for me tonight,  I think.  Good night.

Both fish tanks

Are now full,  gurgling as both filters are now running,  and both of the heaters are plugged in.  The fish are exploring their newfound water space.  All is well.  I treated the water and put some starter for helping the biological filters do their job.  I have happy fish now,  and that makes me happy,  as I was feeling like a very bad fish mom.

Post 10,000!!!

Okay, technically this includes 40 posts that were drafts that never quite made it to published, but I’m going to count those, because, after all, I did write them. :)

I feel like a new woman today. I think I’m pretty much over my illness (although I’ll stay on the antibiotics to make sure). Yesterday was tiring and I went straight to bed upon getting home from work. Today was much better. Yesterday I was terribly disappointed that I didn’t get mail, because I was waiting on a cheque from a warranty on a device I’d had to return, and I didn’t get it, but I totally forgot until about 1:30 this morning that of course it was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and no mail ran. On the other hand, the banks weren’t open, either, so my pitiful account which would have gone into the negative yesterday still has a positive ledger balance, although the pending payment to Netflix would have sent it into the negative. On the other hand, I did get the cheque today, along with one from my health insurance plan, so all should be good. (Before anyone expecting payment jumps for joy, it wasn’t much, but it’s enough for gas and groceries, and maybe a little more towards a bill, most of which will be paid Thursday when I get paid.) I sat down today and looked at the finances. I can’t completely catch up, but I can do a lot towards catching up. I usually get my W-2s with my pay stub, so if I get that and download my student loan interest payment form, then I can go ahead and file my taxes and hopefully get enough to put me back in the black. That will be one stressor down.

It looks like the woman I’m filling in for in scheduling may be back on Monday, which is great, because while I don’t really mind the work, and it’s good to have a change of pace, I don’t really love it, not like I do being a librarian. I even like my data entry job more. On the other hand, it’s put me in contact with patients and families and I’ve learned some valuable skills. Despite the fact that it’s not my favourite thing in the world, I’ve tried to do a very good job, and at the very least, I think I helped when they were down in staff and demonstrated that I’m willing to work together in a team. But my cubicle-mate and I were talking today and even she’s noticed that my manner on the way to my stint in scheduling and when I come back or am in the library on the days I don’t work there is totally like night and day. So that will be one more stressor down. And I’m definitely going to use the time I’m getting back to re-organise the journals, a task I’ve been putting off, but which really needs to be done. Of course, this includes weeding, which is an issue right now because the list we used to offer up medical journals on, BackMed, was hosted at Swets, which has crashed and burned (i.e., gone into bankruptcy), and the list disappeared without any warning about a week ago.

So this afternoon after work I checked on my friends, got into comfy clothes, and proceeded to clean house. I did a load (a very big, nasty load) of dishes in the dishwasher, washed the hand-washables, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the bathroom, and straightened up the living room and dining room. It’s not perfect, it’s not even really neat, but once the trash and recyclables are out of the house, it will be. My lower back’s hurting a bit, so I’m taking a break for a few minutes before taking all that out. I also want to clean out the refrigerator. The bedroom needs a little tweaking, but it’s not bad, considering I’ve been living in it for days.

So if the lady I’m subbing for comes back on Monday, tomorrow will be my last day in scheduling. Then I need to review some grant applications and get ready for a conference call on Thursday. I also need to transcribe the minutes from our last library committee meeting, as we’ll have another one next Thursday, and I’ll prepare for that. This Thursday I’m meeting with one on my bosses regarding my performance appraisal, too, but I think I’m prepared for that, although I should try to set some goals for this year.

After work Wednesday I have to go to the pharmacy and then to my class. (I’m glad those cheques came; I wasn’t sure if I’d make it across town to either with what little gas I had. One is on Alexandria Drive, the other is out Newtown Pike past New Circle, so basically they’re as far away from the side of town I live on as they can be and still be in the same city.) Although last week was mostly introductions and an overview of how the class is going to be organized, I’m already learning from my peers. So I think it will be worthwhile. Don’t expect much detail, though—there’s a confidentiality expectation that I don’t plan to violate. After class I need to stop by my friends’ house and deliver some medicine. Then I’ll probably come home and call it a night.

Hmmm…I need to work on the game notes sometime this week. Perhaps Thursday? I got a reprieve last week with my illness, but I don’t want to wait until the last minute as usual. We’re starting a story arc that involves Brenda’s character in a plane crash in South America. It looks to be interesting.

Okay, I should be getting back to the house. I’m loathe to put on outdoor clothes again and take everything to the dumpster/recycling containers, I must admit. Maybe I’ll just get it all in one place and take it out tomorrow morning. One more night will probably not make a difference. That would allow me to spend some time putting the fish tanks back in order, and maybe read for a bit before going to bed. Oh, and I should make some ice. It was so sad to be sick without ice those few days, but I just didn't make any. Yes, I know, it’s easy for me to talk myself out of doing the boring but necessary things. I’m better at work than I am in my personal life, at least, with a little less procrastination. :)

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me for 10,000 posts in a little over 13 years. Here’s to 10,000 more.

My carefully crafted post

Just disappeared when I went to publish from my phone,  on top of my keyboard really having trouble doing predictive text for some reason, meaning lots of editing.  I give up.  Good night.  Tomorrow I'll try to make it substantive and use the computer,  as it will be post 10,000.

At the risk

Of messing up what has been near-perfect blood sugar readings today,  I made pancakes for dinner with the last of the sugar-free syrup.  I'm feeling much better,  with all the rest and the antibiotics.  I even managed to take A to the store and spend some time over there.  But now I'm tired and my headache's back. So I think I'll rest for a bit and then turn in early.  Sorry things have been pretty dull of late.  But better that than high drama, I suppose.

Apparently

Being sick plus being too poor to eat much plus taking my medicines on time equals really great blood sugar readings.  Lunch was 78, dinner 88. I've had a few crackers and a bit of cheese for each meal,  plus some vegetarian chili for lunch.

I started out my day paying $500 for medicine at the pharmacy.  Thank goodness for flexible spending accounts,  as that was my part,  and not quite all my monthly meds.  I am glad that the antibiotic I'm on is once a day,  so it's much easier to keep up with. I came back home,  took my meds,  ate,  and proceeded to nest in bed for hours. I feel somewhat better.  I'm going to stay home tonight,  at the urging of my friends,  and wait till tomorrow to do A's grocery run.  There's no game tomorrow due to my being ill, which is good,  because I don't even think I could work on the notes now, much less have the level of involvement the game takes.

Okay,  I hate to say it,  but I'm tired.  I think I'll put the phone back on blocking mode and sleep.  Good night.

Not up to 'Grimm' tonight

So I went to the doctor,  and while the good news is I don't have strep,  the bad news is I have infections in both my left ear and sinuses. No one mentioned anything about being contagious or otherwise unable to work,  so I went on in,  and I managed to make it through work today,  but as night approached,  I felt worse,  so I came home about 7:30 pm from my friends' house,  even though I had originally planned to watch 'Grimm'  with YKWIA. Now I'm in bed, trying to breathe through my CPAP masque.  I've taken my late evening medicines and am turning in for the night.  Tomorrow I go to the pharmacy to pick up some meds  that will hopefully help.  I have a lot to do tomorrow,  but that's going to depend on how I feel.  Still,  they shot my butt up with some antibiotics today,  and last time it made a very quick difference.  So here's hoping...

Not feeling well

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and headache,  and generally feeling bad,  but no fever,  so I went to work,  and to my endocrinologist appointment,  then back to work. Then it was to the pharmacy,  and home,  where I ate and then went to sleep.  Now I feel worse,  but still no fever.  Fortunately I have an appointment with my family doctor first thing tomorrow about something else.  So I will have it checked out then.

Okay,  back to bed.  Good night!

Just got in from class

It has been a very long, yet productive day. I was in scheduling this morning, did the data entry duties this afternoon, took a friend to a doctor’s appointment, and still managed to make the first day of my class on time. It’s a class for learning more about various conditions and learning strategies for dealing with the challenges of caregiving. Considering it’s taught totally on the opposite side of town from where I was, I think I did pretty well. It being the first day, there were a lot of introductions and housekeeping. It’s a large class; we filled a conference room. It is a free class that goes for eleven weeks; I’m hoping my upcoming Chicago trip, which will probably be sometime in March, doesn’t interfere with the last class, which is graduation and a potluck.

I’ve been feeling pretty decent lately. Yes, I have had some stresses, especially in the finance department, but I took few minutes today and went through my various bills; most should be caught up by February if I’m very frugal, and I can hopefully call about my student loans and maybe get a temporary forbearance until I can catch up.

Tomorrow I have an endocrinologist appointment (must remember to run the figures off the glucometer on the desktop computer, which is physically attached to the printer and does not require a Wi-Fi connexion) and then Friday there’s one with my regular doctor. Thursday I need to run to the pharmacy and there’s ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on television. Friday night ‘Grimm’ comes back, and I’m keen to see what happens. Saturday we are (finally) taking a friend’s tree down (we had to wait after the end of the Christmas season—January 6th—and then he was out of town last week). I also have to take those electronic recyclables over to the collection centre. There’s the store run to make and game notes to do. And I should at some point fix the fish tanks, do the dishes, and take out the trash and recyclables (yes, I know, I’ve been saying so for days). Sunday should be the Call of Cthulhu game. So there should be a lot to do over the next several days.

Right now I am (finally) eating dinner, and I think I’ll try to read or listen to music in a little while and unwind some. Hope you had a good day.

After work

I went to the library and checked out a book I had on hold for a friend, and while I was there I picked up some new books for myself: How Google Works by Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg, Encyclopedia of Witch Craft by Judika Illes, Wonders of the Solar System by Brian Cox, and a delightful book I’ve been reading since I got home, Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon. So I’ve been reading with the radio playing in the background, and I’ve gotten all comfy. I went through the mail, which contains a $4.78 reimbursement cheque from my flexible spending company, my AAA renewal (I’m not sure that’s going to be feasible before it expires at the end of the month) and the final Time Warner Cable bill.

YKWIA just called asking about some bagels he thought I’d left there, and I explained about the book on witchcraft and that when I randomly opened a page, the first entry I saw was on ‘Charmed’, which is his favourite TV show. I think that made him happy.

There’s a lot I should be doing tonight. Dishes, taking out some cardboard boxes, finally doing the stuff for the fish tanks, that sort of thing, plus the trash and recyclables. Right now I have an annoying headache, so I’m going to take some ibuprofen and relax for a bit before trying to do anything. That usually winds up with me falling asleep far too early. I’m going to try to not do that—but I’m not promising anything. I had thought to stop by the house and take the laptop over to the library, blogging from there, but decided to just settle in at home and use my phone hotspot anyway.

I also need to give a libation tonight to the Goddess, and although I do not have wine, I have some nice honey. Yesterday when I started my period (I give the libation when I menstruate), I also managed to restore the backup of the Android application that keeps my cycle calendar, so that made me happy. I think that was the last thing that hadn’t been set correctly since I had to get the phone factory reset when I locked myself out of it with the fingerprint scanner. :)

Okay, I’m going to take that ibuprofen. If I don’t blog anymore tonight, I hope you have a good night.

Eight more posts

until I reach 10,000. I know, since I don't have a standing Internet connexion right now, I haven't been blogging quite as much. I'll try to remedy that, now I have a better since of how much bandwith I use of the 3.0 GB hotspot on my phone per month each time I go on. I have almost 7 GB of unlimited phone data used this month (mainly because of the factory reset and having to re-download applications), but only about half a gigabyte of hotspot use, so it's all good. That's with six more days left in the month.

Anyway, I'll pass the 10,000-post mark soon. Hopefully the posts will be more substantial than this one. :) Again, good night.

I had a really nice time with the Call of Cthulhu game today

My character who was injured in a vampire attack last time was healed by a witch, one of the NPCs (non-player characters) is going nutsy cuckoo due to an ability to travel and manipulate other people's dreams, and one of Brenda's characters has crash landed in a plane in the rain forest with several other people and a mystery is afoot as to how they got there. Next week should be very interesting. We hadn't played for a couple of weeks, so it was nice to do so. And even though I'm not on the plane adventure, I don't mind watching what happens (I have a character who is visiting an injured family member, so when I play that out, Brenda's in the audience, but mostly we're both in the scene, so to speak, together. I am the more passive player, however, and that's something I haven't really worked on in the 23 years I've been playing this game, and I really need to do so.)

It's been a pleasant weekend. A was away at a conference and YKWIA and I spent a lot of time together, watching episodes of 'Hart of Dixie' and talking about all sorts of things, including comics. We both used to work for the same comic book store, but I had no idea just how encyclopaedic his knowledge was of the Marvel Universe. No wonder he's always complaining about how the movies mess with the canon. For someone who has read comics all his life but is not a comic geek at all, he knows lots of details, and remembers many of the covers of his youth. I now know a lot more about mutants, Inhumans, Eternals, and Celestials than I used to, as well as Kree, Skrulls, and other alien races. :) But it was fun to learn about. I came to comics late. I read a couple when I was in my teens (Star Wars and The Amazing Spider-Man), but I didn't really read or collect much until I was working for the store and was in charge of ordering, so I saw the full catalogue. I started with The X-Files (I was a really big fan of the show at the time) and then discovered Sandman, which is still my favourite title, although it's not really a 'superhero' comic. I'm glad Neil Gaiman has been working on the prequel. I've got the first two issues, but I'm missing the third--I haven't had a chance to pick it up with how tight things have been of late. Comics have gotten more expensive than when I was working at the store in the 90s. It's over $5 for those comics, and I had been getting both variant covers. Granted, the Sandman prequel isn't monthly, so it's not really a terrible expense, but there's been other bills to pay and things like food and gas to get, so no, I can't really afford to collect much in the way of comics these days.

Okay, I have to get up early tomorrow and run an important errand before work. Good night.

I took the tree down tonight

As we are past the Twelve Days of Christmas, which runs from Christmas through January 6th. It was nice to have up, but it did take up a lot of room in my front window. Now I can see my plants again, and I have watered them. The little Yule tree in the bedroom will stay decorated, I think. The ornaments are so tiny, they don’t really detract from the tree itself. Each ornament is about three-quarters of an inch in length or diameter.

I put the tree, whose box was really starting to fall apart, into a big plastic tub I had that was remarkably empty. The wreath fit in there as well. The ornaments and other decorations are in three copy boxes plus a small box. That includes the lights, the Chris-Moose family, a stocking, and the ceramic Santa my mom gave me that she made a long time ago. Those will go into the bottom of the bedroom closet; the tree pretty much has to go in the walk-in closet, but I put it on the side that rarely leaks, and the tub is well-sealed with a bedside commode and shower chair on top of it.

I essentially had to clean out the walk-in closet to do all this. There is a car load of electronic recyclables that can go, plus some cardboard boxes that are now empty. That gave me the opportunity to rearrange things, and I can actually walk into the closet at this point. :)

I still need to take that out to the car and, for the boxes, the recycling containers. But frankly it is quite frigid out there and I do not feel like hauling it out just yet, even though it would make things better in the house. I’ll take the electronics to the recycling centre on Saturday, so for now I’ll collect everything in one place, and then load it up on the weekend.

Today I went to the ophthalmologist. I took the dreaded field of vision test, which I hate. It’s not uncomfortable or anything, it just seems like I always feel like I’m not seeing all of the little lights. He didn't mention anything about that, but my pressure is still borderline, a little higher than it was last time. He thinks that it’s probably not quite as high as it reads, because my corneas are fairly thick, and that apparently causes the reading to be higher, but if it goes up at all, I’ll wind up having to take eye drops. So, I see him again in six months for another pressure check and pictures of my optic nerve.’

I picked up an interlibrary loan for a friend that I’d requested, and I got another DVD from Netflix in the mail that he can watch this weekend.

I made an appointment in February for a doctor to manage my psych meds. Next week I start an eleven-week class sponsored by NAMI that should be very helpful. It’ll mean very long Wednesdays, especially while I’m still working scheduling, as that is usually the biggest clinic day, and I won’t get out of the class until about 9 pm, so that’s over twelve hours of going non-stop on that day. But I hope it will help with one of my relationships.

Okay, here are things I still need to do tonight that don’t involve going back outside into the cold:

1. Finish charging my glucometer.
2. Vacuum up needles from the tree.
3. Watch ‘The Big Bang Theory’, since I’m home tonight.
4. Fix the fish tanks so each has enough water, the heaters are working correctly, and the filters are as well.
5. Put my car insurance cards in my purse, as the old ones expire tonight, and then put them in the car tomorrow.
6. Run a load of dishes.
7. Get the sheets back on the bed; they’ve crept up and off their corners.
8. Get some sleep!

Good night.

Brrr ...

It's 5 degrees outside at the moment with a wind chill of -10, and it should fall to sub-zero for the air temperature tonight.  I've got the faucets dripping a bit and I've kicked the heat up to 68 degrees.  I'm in pyjamas instead of a sleep shirt or tank top and shorts.  The fan is not on,  which is rare. I'm fairly warm-natured,  but I am also a Southerner,  and we freeze quicker than our Northern cousins. :)

Today was very busy and stressful,  followed by some errands.  But I unwound  some with friends, and that helped.  Tomorrow I have a field of vision test and ophthalmology appointment. I also have to pay some bills,  including my rent. And work,  of course.  But supposedly not in scheduling,  since that's usually Monday through Wednesday. That will give me time to take care of the library and get caught up in the revenue cycle duties.  Yay!

Okay,  keep warm. Good night.

Just got off the phone

With a Vonage representative.  I had called to cancel my phone service because it piggy-backs onto the high-speed Internet,  which I no longer have.  I explained that I have always had great service,  but that I don't have cable and am unlikely to get the connexion back for a couple of months or so.  I have been with them for eight and a half years,  so she really didn't want me to cancel.  She offered a deal that would halve my bill and increase service,  but of course,  I still don't have the Internet,  so that's a problem.  So she comped me two months' worth of service to give me time to find an Internet provider but still keep my phone number,  at the new rate.  Have I mentioned there are concrete reasons I am a loyal Vonage customer?  They once gave me a free month when I couldn't pay the bill years ago.  I've never forgotten that.

Anyway,  thank you,  Vonage!

Sorry for the absence

I'd like to say I've been really busy, and I have been, really, but the last few days are sort of a blur of activities that I really can't comment on because I don't remember the order or substance of all of it. I did get everything on the new year's list finished except the fish tanks. I'll try to do that this week. But I did two weeks of notes (although the game was called this week), the book review (right under the wire). I got all four loads of laundry done and the bedroom looks much better, although I have a few things to do, like take the air mattress that had been in a tote that now houses summer clothes and put it in the car trunk so that if I'm stranded at my friends', I can sleep on that. I also need to dig out my old CPAP and put it in there, as I can't really sleep well without one. I do this each winter, and I'm a little late this time but the cold snap we're experiencing is really the first taste of winter since the snow on Halloween.

This is the first night in days when I didn't feel like heading straight to bed, or (when I was procrastinating the book review and notes) playing solitaire on the computer for just long enough to get sleepy. Yes, I know, not the best use of time, especially when there are other things to do, but it was relaxing.

I hope you've had a good start to 2015. Mine's going pretty well. My main resolution for the year is to try to manage my medication well. I've plugged it all into a medication reminder application on my phone. You can 'take' them individually or shake your phone to take all at once. Considering I take seven injections of three different medicines, plus six tablets once a day, and two tablets twice a day, for a total of ten tablets a day, and one inhaler as needed, this will hopefully help. I take different meds around 8 am, 9 am, noon, 4 pm, and bedtime, so that varies a lot, too. The application is called MediSafe, and it isn't obnoxious or anything; it notifies you with either pop-ups or notifications with the sound of a pill bottle shaking. So far I'm struggling (it is easy to just tell it you took something to get it out of the way), but it'll keep track of things and even things like refill times, prescribers, and if you designate it, a medication buddy who receives info to make sure you're complying. And yes, it's free.

Okay, I should probably sign off. Fortunately the 3 GB hotspot is working pretty well as far as not getting too much being used with each session. I think this will do well. But I don't want to spend too much time at any given time throughout the month. But I can use my phone, which has unlimited data, for most things, including blogging, but it's easier to use the laptop for long posts (without having to deal with autocorrect, for one). :) Anyway, have a good night.

Happy 2015!

May this be a wonderful year for all of us!