Allergy shot woes

I think next week when they ask me if I had any problem with my last allergy shots, I'll have to show them this. They always itch, sometimes for days, but this time they're red, swollen, and the left actually hurts enough to take ibuprofen. This is after 24 hours. I actually had trouble sleeping last night, despite anti-itch cream, because of the pain (I sleep on my left side usually). I am up near the top of my build, almost to maintenance dose.

Right arm

Left arm

Relief

If I have seemed particularly stressed of late, it might have something to do with the fact that I spent the last nineteen days without any money coming in, save a $41 Kentucky tax refund that credited yesterday. I set in motion everything to have income, including unemployment benefits, coming to me a month ago, but things came in much later than expected. I have been bugging the mailman, who comes about 1:30 pm for parcels and 3:30 pm for regular mail, to look at what might be there for me, as I was expecting two cheques, since the unemployment office voice response system said one had been mailed Friday. The other was my final cheque from work, which I expected about mid-month, but in retrospect that was entirely too optimistic. Unfortunately, because of everything, I am now late on several bills, had one credit card actually suspend, and was seriously worried about paying my rent. I had almost no food in the house, was subsisting mainly on rice, premade Indian dinners, and homemade bread with honey, and was running low on gas. In fact, today, my gas light went on almost the moment that I checked my mail and discovered one of the cheques. Then, when some friends and I went to the credit union (they needed to do some things there, too, and we're all members), I discovered that the unemployment had actually been put into my account electronically, like it was supposed to, today. So I guess when it rains, it pours, and all I can say is, thank goodness. I was really getting stressed.

The first thing I did was get some gas. After helping a friend apply at the VA (my, they have a confusing site; the link to the job was a closed position from a year ago--I had to go find the correct one via a search, and I'm still not sure we did everything right), I took him home and then went to the grocery, where I proceeded to fill up an entire cart, something I have not done in years. The bill came to $225, but I should be good for quite some time. The fridge is completely full, save the crisper, since that doesn't really keep things crisp long enough for me. Instead of fresh vegetables I got canned, but otherwise things were pretty healthy. I also got a small desk fan that is helping in the living room.

I started the morning with a trip to the library with some books and CDs that were due yesterday that I was returning before they got in this morning so they wouldn't be overdue. Then I got a phone call asking for a ride when a friend got called into work on his day off because the other person in his position came to work sick and had to be sent home. After that I laid down for about an hour, as I didn't sleep well at all last night. Then it was time for pulmonary rehab, and I had a good session, starting with the breathing exercises and then working on the treadmill and weights. I have become puny. I have never had much upper body strength, but lifting ten pounds in several types of repetitions is challenging. When I was in high school, I could do the press with my feet to the tune of about 190 lbs--more than I weighed, and better than any of the football team that were in our class. Now I'm at twenty, and that's enough. I could probably go up a little bit on the normal press. They've got another though that has you press up on the balls of your feet like your on tip toes and lifting that way. Between breaking my ankle and general deconditioning, that's harder. I remember when I was in physical therapy for my ankle, doing that from a standing position was the very last thing I could do of all the exercises, which surprised them.

Even though I don't officially have anything scheduled tomorrow, I think I'm going to busy. I have to:

1. Pay my car registration, which is past due (it was due by April 30th, and so I'll have to pay 3% more. Fortunately mine is under $50 even with a special library association plate, so that's not too bad. It's actually still under $50. But I had a couple of police cars behind me today and was just a bit nervous. I know a citation would probably be dismissed if I brought in proof of an updated registration, but still....)
2. Balance my cheque book. I'm no longer destitute, but I can't go willy nilly. This has to last awhile, as the unemployment is not enough to cover my bills alone.
3. Pay my rent.
4. Pay my electric bill.
5. Pay my credit card bills.
6. Pay for my Internet connexion [I don't have cable TV, but I have an Internet connexion with Wi-Fi through the cable company].
7. Pay my cell phone bill.
8. Let my student loan servicer know that I am unemployed. Since I'll be paying a lot for health and dental insurance, I think I should try to see if I can get a deferment or reduced payment.
9. Check to make sure my COBRA enrollment went through--the pharmacy ran my meds and it was saying I was uninsured. I think the website said to wait five days to get it through, and it's just now that. I didn't get my first paper work so they sent me it again (I got it yesterday) but also e-mailed it, so I enrolled online. I also need to pay my bill with them.
10. Get my allergy shots.
11. Apply for a job.
12. Pull things out of the walk-in closet.
13. Call in my air conditioning issue and the fact I have to jiggle the toilet handle to keep it from running. [The walk-in closet is where the pan for the air conditioning is, and most likely it needs to be emptied, hence the need to get the mass of stuff out of it. There aren't many things, really--they're big, like a bedside commode or shower chair, that sort of thing. I don't need to take everything out, just enough so they can get in. I did put a new light bulb in the other day that I had, though.]

I'd say that's pretty busy.

I did find out I didn't get the one children's librarian position at the Lexington Public Library that I'd applied for in March. There's still one other position that I haven't heard about from them, three from UK, and I'm about to apply with the state. I've applied for the last before, with no luck, but 1) I have to apply actively on unemployment, and 2) maybe persistence will actually pay off. I also need to mail a form and cheque that have been sitting above my computer for two weeks waiting for money in the account to get my certification from the state of Kentucky, which is required to work in public library settings.

Okay, I think I'm going to get something to drink, maybe a snack, and sit down and enjoy something, like watch a DVD or listen to some music or read. I dropped my friend off about 7 pm, went to the store, got out after 8 sometime, and probably got everything put away by sometime after 9. It took four trips back and forth from the car just to get everything in. :) I don't think I could get anything else into my cabinets or fridge if I tried, and that's great. Not having food may be helping my weight (I'm 8 lbs less than when I was working), but it doesn't help diabetes, that's for sure. There's some days my meal consisted of glucose tablets, just to keep my blood sugar up, and that's not really what they're designed for--they're more rescue to be followed by real food. Like I said, it's been a hard two to three weeks.

So far today

I have:

• Gotten up and ready
• Gotten gas with the $10 of quarters I'd taken out for laundry at the apartment complex (but I did my laundry at YKWIA's)
• Gotten breakfast at McDonald's (two egg and cheese biscuits)
• Gotten something with caffeine (with my last couple of dollars)
• Spoken with a former co-worker who'd also been laid off I'd run into at Kroger and checked on how she's doing
• Gotten my allergy shots (the first on the highest build, red, and there was quite a bit of local itching right after)
• Eaten breakfast
• Enrolled in COBRA
• Put Ed Sheeran's album on Bluetooth playing from my phone to my speaker in the living room

I do feel better today. Last night I gave a libation of an entire bottle of wine, some honey, some lavender flowers--both dried and fresh--and prayed about the whole situation that's causing me stress. That really helped. I'm glad it happened to be dark of the moon. :)

Now there's the rest of the day to plan out. I think I'll call YKWIA and find out when he wants to get together, so I can plan around that and get some things done at the house. I'd like to put the windows up and just start clearing some things out, plus working on some of the areas I haven't gotten to. With all the stuff I brought from my desk and everything else, it's kind of hard to get around here. None of that has been put away, really. It's just a disaster, really. So today (and maybe Friday), I'm going to work on it and see what I can do.

Okay, let me go make that phone call.

I got

My last of the yellow-coded allergy shots today, meaning I have ten more (red) trips before going to maintenance dose. Yay, and finally!

I signed a friend up for his work benefits, taught him about emoticons and texting, took YKWIA to an appointment and to the pharmacy, came home, ate, applied for a job I really, really want--a faculty position at UK in the medical library--went and got A and took him somewhere, came back and got my cover letter finished for another job at Lexmark, tweaked my  résumé for it, and then got A and took him to another place he's staying over at for the night.

So it was a productive day. Now I'm home and I'm considering going to bed because there's no alarm clock where A is, so I'll call and wake him up at 6:30 am and get him at 7:30 am to get him to work by 8.

Well that didn't take long at all

I specifically got two appointment two and a half hours apart from one another in case the first ran long. I got there early, filled out some additional preliminary paperwork. met the doctor and his assistant, answered a few questions, was examined, and left about a half an hour after my appointment time, with a new prescription that should help my asthma. I went over to the allergist, across the street, for my allergy shots, but I'd forgotten they closed for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. So, I'm back home (I live nearby) and am drinking a soda and eating some homemade bread with peanut butter and blueberry preserves. I'll head back over to the allergist about 2 pm, and that will give me time to get to my 2:30 appointment with my GP. It's just as well I came home for lunch, as I think if I'd gone on till whenever that appointment lets out, I'd have low blood sugar. So now I have about 40 minutes to kill. There will be a lot of waiting at my appointment, so I'm bringing the book I'm reviewing and looking over it some more.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, warm and sunny, but with a breeze. I am a little warm though, even with the air conditioning. Since I thought I'd be in the appointment longer, I parked over by my GP's office and walked over two buildings/lots, and while it was pleasant outside, and I got some exercise in, I got hot. But at least my breathing was fine; lately I've had issues going up the hill at the medical plaza. I think I'll park myself in front of the fan while I wait to go get those shots.

So yesterday was a busy day

although I did put off a doctor's appointment, which would have made it busier, to assure that I would be at my library committee meeting on time and be prepared. Then at 1 pm I went out to donate blood, but the bloodmobile was not there. Apparently, they had a radiator leak and were delayed. I went back and worked on my data entry, finishing those for the day, and the OR reconciliation, and the referrals. At 2:45 or so, they announced that the bloodmobile had arrived, so I went out there, along with several other people. But unfortunately the stickers that they put on all the paperwork and the blood didn't make it onto the new bloodmobile, so someone was having to run it out from headquarters. So we waited, and waited. A few people went back inside, figuring they could go to the blood centre and make their donation instead. Those of us who waited were rewarded with T-shirts for our patience. Eventually someone arrived with the stickers, and they were up and running. Although I'd had the first appointment (I'd been the first to sign up), I let several people go ahead of me because they were getting off work earlier than I. But eventually I made it in there, filled out the paperwork. (They ask women if they've ever been pregnant now. I'm not sure why.) And yes, they've included questions referring to Zika. Fortunately my iron was up high enough and everything else looked good, and I was able to donate. About 3 out of the 11 who came out had low iron and couldn't. My iron was low at the doctor's office six months ago, so they put me on iron supplements, yay. It was my 43rd pint, and five more will make 6 gallons, which seems like a lot, but I've been donating since I was 17, and usually donate twice a year, and I could do it more often, and probably should. While I don't donate for the incentives, in addition to the T-shirt, they gave everyone who donated a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart. Yes, I know, it is the Evil Empire, but I also have $0.33 in my bank account, and the one in Hamburg has a gas station, so I earmarked it for that. We also got a voucher for a free meal in the cafeteria. The woman running it from our end had a list of our names with numbers in front of them, and asked an employee to choose a number, and mine was chosen, so I won an additional $25 gift card to Wal-Mart. It's not the first time I've won; we don't usually have a huge turnout, so the odds are high. But it was very timely, and even though I do not normally shop at Wal-Mart, that $25 meant some food and more gas.

Today after work (yay, I'm off for four days!) I went and got my allergy shots and then dropped something off at YKWIA's and wound up keeping him company while he cooked, helped him clean up, fed the animals (one of whom bounced on my foot as I arrived, cutting my toe with her nail), cut his hair, and then helped get the kinks out of his back. We also watched an episode each of 'Grace Under Fire' and 'Hot in Cleveland'. He rewarded me with food. Then I stopped by Wal-Mart and got $17.10 worth of food. Considering how much they go on about low prices, I think Kroger has much better ones. I mean, really, 25 cents per banana?

This weekend's agenda:

1. Saturday: Take a friend to the pharmacy, to an appointment, pick him and another friend up, take them to the store. Do some cooking and housecleaning at my house.
2. Sunday: No plans as of right now, beyond normal housecleaning at my friend's house.
3. Monday: Clean house, see if a friend will help me with the mattress and box springs so I can re-attach that strut, and then watch the fireworks that night.
4. Tuesday: Not exactly the weekend, but I'm off for two doctors' appointments, and I'll go get my allergy shots, too.

Okay, I got some Breyer's Girl Scouts Samoas ice cream, and ate far too much of it. I've made myself a little ill. I'm going to go work some of it off. Good night! Oh, and PS, Happy Canada day to those of you north of the our border! YKWIA and I listened to a lovely version of 'O, Canada' in French earlier. It was quite lovely:



and en Anglais:

I'm off from work today

because it was a light clinic day and I had things to do that required being off 9-5, and while I may regret it in the long run (I don't have much Personal Time Off (PTO) at all, and Memorial Day's around the corner), it's really been nice. I got up at the normal time, though, and so far I have:

1. Called and arranged for someone to take the paper to the library, since Friday's has the Weekender and is more popular.
2. Gotten my car tags renewed.
3. Picked up a book on the Medici family during the Italian Renaissance from the library downtown.
4. Stopped by McDonald's for breakfast (they gave me regular Coke, ugh, but otherwise it was decent).
5. Picked up a friend, stopped by a gas station for drinks and his newspaper, and took him to an appointment.
6. Waited outside in the car with the windows rolled down, reading the Medici book, for about an hour. I also downloaded a couple of phone applications and laid the seat back, enjoying the pleasant breeze and sunlight.
7. Took my friend home.
8. Got a call from the allergist that my phials are in, so I can start allergy shots. They were getting ready to close for lunch, so I came on home, got my Epi-Pens transferred to my bag, and now I'm killing some time listening to the Eurythmics and A Flock of Seagulls on an 80s alternative music channel on Pandora. I've got the windows of the apartment open.

Things to do the rest of the day:

1. Get my allergy shots.
2. Go grocery shopping.
3. Pay bills.
4. Exercise.
5. Work on the house.
6. Print out some papers for a friend, whose printer is out of ink.
7. Take that friend to an appointment mid-afternoon.
8. Go get the new SD card for my CPAP machine and try the new masque the doctor recommended, see if it fits.
9. Pick up a friend for an evening appointment.
10. Take another friend to get his bus pass.
11. Watch 'Grimm'.

So, yes, busy day, but yay for productivity so far. I think I'll print those pages out before doing anything else. The allergist's office opens back up at 1:30 pm. Then I can deliver the pages when I pick my friend up.

Time for bed

It occurred to me that I meant to leave work early tomorrow afternoon so I can get my allergy shots, so I need to go in early. That means suspending some of the fun tonight and going on to bed. I did get quite a bit done. The laundry (and DVD) will have to wait till Saturday (tomorrow night is 'Grimm', so I'll be over at YKWIA's). I'm going to try to get up earlier than even the normal early time and go over to the gym in the morning (I do better about working out in the morning than evening, although I'm not a morning person, so it's harder to get up for that). I just checked out the two books to my Kindle, so I have two weeks to read. By then the new Eastside Library Branch will also be up and running. Yay! Anyway, I'm going to log off of here and transfer the phone and Kindle (now both fully charged) to the bedroom, where I may read before bed, although truthfully I think I'm too tired. I suspect even if I put on a half-hour of music I wouldn't make it through the first song. Good night.

I've had a very good day so far

with one notable exception. From the moment I got out of bed I've been bubbly and enjoying life. The first thing I did was get a CD set of Jesus Christ, Superstar onto my laptop (it's on my desktop, but that's over at YKWIA's, as he's borrowing my computer until we can get his power supply fixed). I really wanted to listen to it on my phone at work. So I did that, realising that the reason why the last time I ripped one of my CDs there were no tags or metadata on them and they came out as Track 1, Track 2, etc., was that I'm not normally connected to the Internet at home these days. So I went on my phone's hotspot and got the information so it would transfer correctly. That took a little while. Afterwards I took a shower, got dressed, and started to leave, then remembered that I planned to go to the library after work (I have an evening to myself tonight, negotiated in exchange for staying late to make dinner and watch something at YKWIA's last night when he wanted company.) So I went back, got the computer and headed out to work.

One thing I will miss from my commute is being close enough to work that I can, on a good day like today, make the journey in the space it takes to listen to one-and-a-half songs. Then, I was inexplicably happy to see the Shred-It truck outside, because that meant my shredding bin would be emptied, and I'd planned to do some file purging and organising today, so I'd have space. I am also very happy that an orchid in the office is budding, the first time I've ever had an orchid do that (and I have four). I've never had an orchid rebloom, although they all have healthy leaves and root systems. This one was given to me two years ago by a co-worker because it was languishing in her office, which is interior, and it's now by a window and loves the northeastern exposure. She thinks it's yellow. We'll (hopefully) see soon.

The one disappointing thing about today is I got a rather nice letter from the University of Louisville telling me that they'd filled the position of solo hospital librarian at St. Joseph here in Lexington. I'd already gathered that; it had been awhile, but seeing it in actuality brought tears to my eyes. I am really worried that I will not find a job before the hospital downsizes to an ambulatory care centre, and I am out of job. Still, I have to trust that things will work out, and I'll just keep applying till someone sees that I'm a good fit for their needs. At least I got a phone interview from these folks, and they did say my application was very strong and had a lot of merit. Still, that was the one down thing about the day. But I didn't dwell on it--I have faith that all will work out eventually.

Anyway, it's been a happy day, very productive, and decent despite delving into files (filing is not my favourite activity--in fact I see it as a necessary evil). After the filing was complete I had to go through and correct several errors I had uncharacteristically made in data entry, and I figured out what sheets were involved and what had happened in each case. Apparently when my blood sugar came down to normal after we adjusted my medicine, my contacts no longer were the correct prescription, having been prescribed while my glucose was running in the 200s. Now that it runs normal to low, my sight was blurry with the contacts. I had noticed a problem with reading signs in the distance while driving, but didn't realise how much trouble I was having with close up work. Apparently I put some charges on encounters of patients with the same last name, or next to the correct on on the list I work off of. There weren't a lot, but like I said, it doesn't happen very often, so this was significant. But I credited the incorrect charges and hunted down the correct encounters, and corrected everything, now that my files were easier to navigate. After that I put in new charges, being careful to double-check my work (I'm wearing my glasses now, which are an older prescription and much clearer), listening to Jesus Christ, Superstar, and when no one was in the library, singing along. I do love show tunes. I think on my phone I have that, Wicked, Les Mis, 'Doctor Horrible', Fiddler on the Roof, Rocky Horror, and the musical episode of 'Buffy: the Vampire Slayer'. :)

After work I decided to be a little proactive for the first time in months and went to my allergist for my allergy shots. I hadn't done so since October, because life kind of got in the way. I had to drop down quite a bit to a lower phial, but I was able to get them. I can go up to three times a week, and will try to go at least two times, because my phials expire in April and that way I can at least use up as much as possible before they have to reorder them. I can definitely tell a difference in my allergies without them.

As a reward for doing that, I went to the library. It's right next door, at least for now. The Eagle Creek branch of the Lexington Public Library will be closing on February 26th for good, with the new Eastside branch opening at Palumbo and Man O'War on March 15th. It's a little further away, but not too bad, at least by car. Right now I live within walking distance of the library; after it moves, it will be doable, but a pretty long walk.

So now I'm online using the library's Wi-Fi, downloading Windows updates, and blogging. I will miss this library. The other will be bigger, and have a lot more amenities, but I like this one quite a bit. I guess we live in a time of constant change, though, as places move in the name of progress, just like work is planning on doing.

I've been here about an hour (I browsed a bit, first). It's very bustling. Later I'll go home, have some crackers and peanut butter (hopefully tomorrow I can actually get some groceries!), and do a little work on the house. I'd also like to do some reading. I do plan on checking in with my friends. I did tell them to call if there was something urgent that came up.

Okay, I think I'll do a little surfing, and see if there's anything blogworthy out there. I may write later, but if not, good night.

Well, I made it to 'Lego House' by Ed Sheeran

before deciding to call it quits. I've put away the clothes, cleaned out the tub, cleaned the sink in the bathroom (the toilet is okay), and so everything is pretty much done in the main rooms, leaving only the bedroom. I am eating some cherry tomatoes that have miraculously not gone bad (I have some pasta, but didn't want to eat anything heavy this late). I also downloaded SoundCloud so I could listen to Charlie Puth's piano/no rap version of 'See You Again' (I love the lyrics that didn't make it into the main version, and his voice is very sweet, which is good for this song). I haven't been able to find any way to actually download that version, as it's being played on the radio, but isn't officially released by a record company, so this was the next best thing. I also like his song with Meghan Trainor, 'Let's Marvin Gaye and Get it On'.

I'm not exactly sleepy, but I'm not ready to start excavating the bedroom this late in the game, so it will have to be done another day. Tomorrow is an early day for me, as it's the day I get my allergy shots, so I go into work an hour earlier than normal. I have a dental cleaning tomorrow afternoon, and just realised that may be an issue, as a friend needs meds from the pharmacy tomorrow. I might be able to get them if I bump the allergy shots to Wednesday, their late day, and go get the meds and then go to the dentist before delivering them. Actually, there are two appointments after work on Wednesday, one of mine followed by a friend's, so I can't get the allergy shots then. :( Thursday is going to be a special day I won't go into at the moment, and I'm off work, because it starts out with a doctor's appointment and then various things to follow, but I am not taking even the very small chance of having a reaction to the shots on that day, Epi-Pen or not. Friday, I think, is just a normal Friday, so I can get my shots then, and have one round this week instead of two.

So that's the week ahead. It'll also be a tight week. I paid my rent (on time!) but still have a couple of major bills, and I'm trying to save money for eating out on Thursday night with friends at Masala. I've got about $30 saved, there's gas in the car, but otherwise, I don't have anything that isn't already allocated. The latter part of the month should be a little better, so I'll hopefully be able to pay a couple of bills I couldn't at the beginning of the month then. I wish I could get my hair cut between now and Thursday, but that's a no go. Oh, well. I will eventually. :)

I think I'm going to go back in the bedroom and see if I can go to sleep. I won't listen to more music right now, anyway, it's been a day full of it. I might read a bit before I go to sleep, if I don't fall asleep quickly. Good night.

I am glad I stopped by the library

after getting my allergy shots, as I had about a dozen books to take back, and they had a book in the new section that I've really wanted to read, but haven't been able to buy yet. It's called Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pamela Smith Hill. I always loved the Little House... books by Wilder and also the television series, so I was happy to check it out. The checkout system was a little different this time; they've upgraded the screens and software for the self-checkout. I liked it, once I got used to the different setup (I continued when I should have scanned the book; fortunately it let me go back).

Once I got home, I immediately watered the plants inside and out, which were looking a bit peaked. Speaking of water, there is a large hole in our parking lot with caution stuff all over it that I presume has to do with the water pipes, because I received a notice that our water will be turned off between 10 am and 3 pm on Monday, which is fine with me--I'm at work. But for the night shift folks and others who are home for the day, that's going to be an annoyance.

Work today was very satisfying. I ordered 20 books for the library, about 10 for the family resource centre, and a bunch of children's books for the early literacy project. I'm glad I didn't have any trouble with the ordering software, which runs through Internet Explorer. I had to have them upgrade to IE10 yesterday because I couldn't run any search, even simple ones, in PubMed on IE8, and they said it could cause an issue with our purchasing system (hence why most people are on an old, old version of the browser), but everything went through alright. After lunch I got through all my sheets, OR charge reconciliation, and got the referral queue down before the report comes out on Monday. On Tuesday I have a couple of reports due regarding grant programmes, so I'll be very busy on Monday, finishing that up. :) On Thursday there's my ergonomic assessment, where they'll check out my desk and work area for problems that may be causing or contributing to some of my issues.

I don't have a lot planned this weekend, but we are going out to the Indian buffet at Masala in Beaumont tomorrow. Then there will be the store, and working on the game notes (although I may try to do the latter at least partly tonight). Sunday is the game. We're on a new adventure set in 16th-century Spain.

I also want to do some reading tonight. I'm reading a book right now that is pretty interesting, on how our mindsets affect learning and success. My counselor had suggested it, and I finally got a hold of the book from the library. Then the other day I found out I had a credit from Amazon regarding the e-book class action suit, and used it to get the book on my Kindle, as I suspect I may want to refer back to it again. It's by a psychologist named Carol Dweck, and is called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. I'm finding it very insightful regarding my own mindset and life.

Okay, my back is hurting somewhat, so rather than taking some ibuprofen, I'm going to try to stretch out on the bed for just a little bit (without going to sleep). That often helps.

Home for now

I have been so sleepy all day. I just want to take a nap, but I'm afraid I'll actually go to sleep. A and I might be going to the grocery tonight since they have plans with family tomorrow. I've been up since about 4:30 am straight, and of course had interrupted sleep all night, but that was my own fault. I just got something from Microsoft asking about the upgrade experience, which allowed me to not only rate but comment, so I told them about the compatibility report issue and alternative I used.

One thing I did not even think about doing when I was off (I did beforehand, but promptly forgot) was to get my allergy shots, so I did that today after work.

Last night a friend got us Chinese food from Jin Jin, and I got a fortune cookie but forgot to eat it. I just found it in my bag when I went to get a banana. It says: 'Ignore previous cookie.' :) Ha ha. It's been awhile; I don't remember what the last one said, but I remember I wasn't happy with it. So, good.

The sun is shining brightly through the windows, and the aquarium is producing a gentle fall of water. The fish are very happy to have full tanks. I love the late afternoons in my apartment. And the houseplants have bounced back where they were looking a bit peaked before I watered them. I just watered the outside ones as soon as I got home, because I forgot them.

I really do want to take a nap. Really. :) Instead, I guess since I've eaten dinner, I including a delicious if odd fortune cookie, I should head over there and discover what we're doing tonight, Brain. Of course, the answer is always 'try to take over the world'.

It feels so good to lie down

With my feet up  (although they haven't been swelling as much as they were earlier in the season).  I must admit,  I am tired and I have a headache,  so I'll be changing from merely resting to full-blown sleeping soon.

After work I had an appointment with my allergist and got my shots.  I've gone up a colour on the phial,  and I should soon be at a level where most people see improvement. Just changing medications helped me.  I am on levocetirizine,  which has been helping a great deal.

I came home for awhile,  then went to my friends' house.  I went to Jin-Jin and picked up some lovely vegetarian fare,  including Vegetable Egg Foo Yong and Kung  Pao Tofu, plus spring rolls. I also got fish food for my goldfish from Kroger,  also in the Chinoe shopping centre.  Then I headed back,  watched a couple of episodes of 'Wizards vs. Aliens'  and then came home.  Now I'm in a darkened room,  my headache is easing,  and I'm ready for bed.  The fish were very happy to get their food. Tomorrow is one of my early days, so I must get up earlier. So,  good night.

I look and feel sunburnt

but except for about 15 minutes today, with lots of sunscreen on, I haven't been in the sun except what has come through the window while driving, and the most painful part is on the back of my head, where it should have been safe in the car. So I'm not sure what happened. I've been red-faced and hot all day, inside, and a little sweaty. I really used the fan my co-worker let me borrow a lot today. We had our big sports clinic at work today, too, so most people were out there. I volunteered to make the certificates (we'd already printed them on cardstock, so all I had to do was add the name and a gold seal, the latter of which weren't particularly sticky, so I found a decent glue stick and went to work with that). The good news about that is I contributed, but didn't have to spend the day out in the sun and heat (it's 88 at the moment with a heat index of 96, and that's in the late afternoon, not in the middle of the day when everyone was outside). We got a free lunch, but I don't do hamburgers or hotdogs (or baked beans with meat in them), so I had a cheese sandwich with Fritos and a fountain drink. I'm hoping to have something more substantial for dinner. I kind of wish I'd ordered a shirt, but I didn't. They're a heather blue. In the past a lot of times they were pretty much neon, which I cannot wear without looking washed out. I do have one from last year in cyan that I got after the fact when someone didn't pick theirs up. Maybe that will happen again. :)

After work I ran some errands, but didn't get my allergy shot. I'll have to get back on track on Tuesday. I paid my rent (yes, it's late), and requested a new lease be drawn up for me to sign (eighteen months and it only goes up $5 a month, which isn't too bad, and after all I've been here 10 years and would like to stay).

I'm on my own for tonight. Last night I finally got some rest, and recuperated fully from the weekend of training last week. Today I'm going to try to watch something or do some reading, something fun, rather than just go in there and crash. I may go into the pool, for that matter, depending on how I feel after dinner. I did find the glasses I couldn't find this morning (they were of all things on my dining room table, not at the bedside (their place) or the bathroom). So I could wear them over to the pool. I had a spare, older pair as a backup with me that I packed in my bag just in case I had any trouble with my contacts. On any given day my purse or bag contains as a minimum:

1. Medical supplies (a bag with my oral meds, a pill reminder box, pen needles, injection pens, and the charger for my glucometer)
2. Glucometer
3. Epi-Pen twin pack
4. Asthma inhaler and spacer
5. Ear buds
6. Phone charger
7. Kindle charger
8. Kindle
9. Bag with toiletries such as a small hairbrush, lip balm, contact case and solution, glass cleaner and microfibre cloth, fingernail clippers, mirror, magnifier, and measuring tape)
10. Eyeglasses in case
11. Wallet
12. Pen and highlighter

So obviously small purses are right out. I do have a wallet case on my phone for the absolute essentials such as driver's licence, credit cards, and AAA card. Everything else is in the normal wallet. But if I'm over at my friends' and have to run to the store, I can just carry my phone in my pocket without bringing the bag. On the other hand, I discovered last weekend that putting a key card for a hotel room near your phone is a quick way to get it not to work. I don't know if it erased or just scrambled it, but I couldn't get in. Fortunately a nice lady in the room next to me saw me and went down and asked them to key me another, since I had all those bags and it saved me a trip down. On the other hand, women who look nice but who perhaps aren't could have easily fooled the staff into giving her a key to my room, so I don't know exactly if it really was a good thing or not. :)

Okay, dinner's here. I'll write later, after I check today's news.

Tonight was 'iZombie' night, but

the friend I was going to watch it had a headache and wasn't feeling well, so we let it record on the DVR and I rubbed his feet till he fell asleep. I'm hoping we can watch it sometime this week.

Today I have:

1. Gotten up incredibly early in order to get my friend to an appointment
2. Taken said friend to said appointment
3. Forgotten to clock in the new way (I'm a test subject, and they decided to start this on the first day back from a holiday weekend, so I don't think I was the only one who forgot and totally ignored the signs. But I clocked out correctly.) :)
4. Discovered that our hospital system has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. But we're still us. It's a partnership, not a takeover or merger. I'm still wrapping my head around it to understand exactly what that means.
5. Managed to spill orange soda all over my desk during a web conference with the Kentucky Medical Library Association meeting that was in Louisville today. I'm so glad that I didn't have a camera and microphone at my desk. Mind you, I never spill cola or water. Just orange soda. I've had it there about three times in all the time I've been there, and I've spilled it twice. :(
6. Went and got my allergy shots after work.
7. Came home, watched 'Emergency!' while I ate, and then took a nap.
8. Went over to my friends' house, watched a bit of The Sentinel with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, and Kim Basinger. Pilled a dog who was fine with a tiny pill in a bit of bread and peanut butter, but the big pill she just kept getting bits of the nummy stuff and spitting out the pill. I finally had to coat it in peanut butter, force it into her mouth and then make her lick my peanut-butter-covered fingers until she swallowed. But I got it down her. My hands still smell like peanut butter, though, even after being washed several times.

Okay, I've blogged quite a bit tonight. I didn't really do anything to the house tonight. Perhaps tomorrow? But I think I'll go ahead and get off the computer for now. Tomorrow I have an appointment in the late afternoon. We'll be exactly one week out from the class I'm teaching. Also, the Books are Fun book fair is coming to the hospital tomorrow. Yay!

A little excited

Next Monday, May 11th, Charlaine Harris is doing a ticketed book signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington at 7 pm. I must admit, it would be nice to go. I've read the Aurora Teagarden, Sookie Stackhouse, and Harper Connelly series, as well as part of Midnight Crossroad, which is on my Kindle and is the pre-cursor to the one she's signing, Day Shift. Strange for a librarian, I suppose, but I've never actually been to a book signing. Of course, if I get the physical book of Day Shift signed, then I'll have to eventually get the first book in hardback, too. :) I have the Sookie Stackhouse books in book club hardbacks, most of the Aurora Teagarden books, which are about a librarian-turned-sleuth, in paperback (still working on that, through PaperbackSwap.com). The others I've read through the library or on my Kindle. We'll see. I'm not a great fan of crowds. If I go, I'll report back here.

Sorry I haven't blogged in a couple of days. Sunday I came home a little early because Brenda had a meeting so we cut the game a couple of hours short. I went straight to bed for a couple of hours and then called YKWIA at 9:30 (I set an alarm) so he'd be able to watch 'Salem'. But he recorded it so A and I could watch it later. Monday was a friend's '5th birthday' in a 12-step programme and we went to his celebration. It lasted till 9 or 9:30. I got home around 11 pm, and had to be up at 6 am, so I didn't get much sleep as it was and couldn't really bring myself to blog. But I'm glad I went, and I got to meet his co-worker/distant cousin, who came as well.

Today was one of my early days at work, so I was able to leave by 4 for an appointment with the allergist and my allergy shot. One more shot and I'll be ready to go up a step in the shots. I'm feeling much better than I was because I'm on a medicine called levocetirizine that is related to Zyrtec. It's been really helping with my allergies.

Tonight is 'iZombie', which I heard was picked up for next season, so yay! That's at 9. I think I'll take a little nap before heading over there to watch. Hope you are enjoying your week, so far!

I'm trying to be good

by wearing slippers instead of going barefoot in the house tonight. I mentioned the plantar fasciitis as an impediment to walking more/losing weight to my sleep doctor. He reiterated what a podiatrist had told me in the past, to not go barefoot, but he explained just how much damage is done to the fascia of the foot when a person does go barefoot, suggested I use slippers at home, especially on hard floors, and even use flip-flops in the shower. So even though I hate shoes on my feet and find slippers to be hot, I'm walking around with cushiony baby blue terry cloth slippers I got somewhere years ago, and they do seem to be helping.

My appointment went well, except I registered, got up there, and realised I'd left the CPAP machine in the trunk of my car, so I had to go back down and across a large parking lot to get it. I'm using it about 10 hours a day on average, which he said was very good. I do need to lose some more weight of course, and could go off the machine completely if I can. In the meantime, he's going to put in an order for new supplies (hoses, nasal pillows, etc.)

At work they were giving away some used children's books, and I found an old one that brought instant memories of my childhood to mind. It's called Georgie and the Robbers:



There's a whole series of Georgie books. This one is from 1963 and is darling. There's a little scribble on the cover and the name 'Sara' inside, but otherwise it's in good shape.

After work I went and got my allergy shot, then turned a book in to the library (it's right next door to my allergist) and got some more books to take home. I'm going over to YKWIA's and watch 'iZombie' with him later tonight, but I came home to get some food and work on some things. I have a lead on another job to apply for, with a closing date of Sunday (weird timing, hmmm?) I've been listening to the radio and eating. Time to do something else. Good night if I don't write any more tonight.

I read this today, and it really resonated with me

BODY IMAGE AND DATING

Except that I take it an extra step--I am so terrified by dating that I have been known to put 70 lbs of weight on when someone asked me out. For me, fat isn't just something that makes dating difficult, it's something I've chosen to gain, albeit unconsciously, in some vain attempt to keep people at arm's length. Of course, there are people who are attracted to fat girls. I have some internalised fat phobia, so I guess I didn't think that one through. But the thing is, I recognise what I've done now. I am just at a loss as to where to go from there. I would like to have a relationship at some point, but my last and only relationship had me in a triunity with two gay men, with my self-esteem in the basement, and very near a nervous breakdown. That ended 23 years ago. I've dated about three times since then, briefly. One I did pretty well with because I was the one in control, but it never panned out and was pretty much limited to a physical relationship, with a woman. One single date was a guy who was so hung up on the girl who'd dumped him that he went home afterwards and cried on a friend's couch because he could never replace her. The other was a co-worker that I really hit it off with, and then I found out he was 17 years my junior (with grey hair). I was prepared to ignore that when he regaled me with the time he got angry when his folks got rid of some of his stuff and he rammed his car into a car his dad had been driving, and threw a crowbar at the garage door, damaging it. No siree. I have a very firm rule to not date people with anger issues. So so much for that. The time I gained 70 lbs was when a woman had been taking me out and I didn't realise she was actually interested in dating until she came out and asked, and she was the smothering type and I'd had that before, and couldn't bear to be smothered again. So I did the 'it's not you, it's me' speech, ran away, and ate half the state of Kentucky.

Anyway, dating/forming relationships is one of the things my counselor and I plan on working on. I just entered therapy with her. She's a psychologist, and I'm hoping things go better with her than the social workers in the past. They tend to focus on things that don't matter in the long run--and just let me ramble without suggestions or actual therapy. I'm hoping this new therapist is different. I have appointments to see her in May, Wish me luck on that! In the meantime, I need to work on my body image and self-esteem on my own.

Okay, I have an endocrinologist appointment early tomorrow, I'd better day good night, now.

PS I got my first of a series of allergy shots today. With the exception of itching all over, and I guess part of that could have been psychosomatic, I did fine. The plan is to go on Tuesdays and Friday and then I can stay the 30 minutes I"m required to and then go home or wherever.

My schedule tomorrow will be starting one hour earlier

So that I can leave work and go get my first allergy shot of this series. My Epi-Pen is in my bag (just in case), although I don't foresee any issues, and hopefully there won't be any. I'm going to go in on Tuesdays and Fridays whenever possible. They are right across the street from where I live, practically, so it should be pretty convenient.

Tonight I got some rest, but didn't do any of the stuff I should have. That's typical for me on Mondays. My weekends are often busier than my weekdays, and I usually crash once I get home on Monday. But I'm surfacing for some blackberries and yoghurt, and to get some water in me. I had two big 32-oz mugs full of water earlier today, but haven't had anything since I got home.

So I think I'll do a couple of things before going back to bed, notably filling the fish tanks. I've been meaning to do it for awhile and the large one is down lower than half. I have just a few goldfish in there, but I'm being a very bad fish mom. So I'll at least lug some water back and forth first. Good night.

Almost too tired to blog tonight

1. 'Grimm' was very good tonight. I think Juliette is losing her freaking mind.
2. I start allergy shots next week; my phials are in. This means I will be adjusting my workday schedule slightly so I can go in and leave early two days a week, get my shots, stick around for 30 minutes at the allergist's, and then go on about my business.
3. A panicked when a bee flew into the car earlier today. He almost sat in my lap. Fortunately we were at the gas station at the time and I wasn't actually driving. And I got gas with the Kroger points for $1.99 a gallon. It cost $29 to fill a car from having the gas light on to full. Of course, the gas went up about 40 cents overnight, so if it hadn't of done that, it would have been even cheaper.

That's it for now. Good night.