But first

Okay,  I decided to put the heating pad on for about 30 minutes before tackling the clothes.  If I can't take meds for the spasms,  then some heat should help.  I must work on the clothes though,  as I almost fell badly when I closed the blinds.  So for now I'm listening to Mumford & Sons and not putting on the CPAP in the hopes that I won't fall asleep.

Apparently

I process codeine cough syrup in about four and a half to five hours, tops, so I woke up coughing slightly at 3:45 am, worse by 4:20, and then by 4:45 I was out the door with a cough drop in my mouth on my way to Kroger for the daytime stuff so I wouldn't be coughing my brains out. Of course, it was thundering and lightning. It was sprinkling on the way to the store, a decent rain by the time I got there, and then all the heavens broke loose while I was inside (thankfully). I proceeded to stock up on vitamin B12 and D, since mine has disappeared, Kroger Mucinex and Delsym cough syrup, as directed by the nurse practitioner. I also got some bread, blueberries, and bananas, more Kleenexes for work--since I went through half a box yesterday, probably, and some trash bags and toothpaste since I was low. Everything fit in two bags. I did forget to get more Ricola drops, though, and I gave some to my cubicle neighbour, who was coughing pretty horribly yesterday, so I'm getting low.

Now I'm back home, and my strangling cough I had through the store has subsided while I'm drinking something. I'll take the Delsym in a few minutes. It's 12-hour, supposedly, so it can stay home. I'm already taking a small pharmacy and a nebuliser around in my backpack these days, anyway. It was funny, I was getting the Delsym and it asked for my ID at the U-Scan. They didn't even need my ID for the codeine the other day at CVS. :)

I did change back to my other masque for the CPAP, the one with the nasal area rather than the pillows going into the nose, as my nose is a little raw these days. But I went back to the sizing card and my nose length is just on the border between small and medium, so I went up to the medium nose piece instead and it fits better, snugger, without leakage. I slept much better as a result. When I slept, anyway. Oh well, I got about five hours total. That's better than one of my co-workers who has a six month old who gets fed every few hours or so throughout the night. So I won't complain.

Well, it's almost six. I was planning on getting up then, but I think I'll take some of this new cough syrup and try to sleep till 7 am, anyway. And right on cue, there is the dulcet tones of my Scottish music (Battlefield Band) which indicates my cell phone morning alarm is going off. Better snooze for 60 minutes....

I'm not sure if I just kicked butt

or if it kicked mine, but the first thing I did this morning (when I woke up before my alarm, feeling rested) was open the windows, put on my workout clothes, and then I headed over to the gym. I walked at about 2.0-2.5 mph for fifteen minutes, and while my heart rate went up to where it should be and I had a light sweat, that's where you want to be, so I was doing pretty well, so well, in fact, that I decided to go on the recumbent bike for another 15 minutes, mostly at 15 mph.

That was probably too much at one time. I haven't been active, so I need to start small, either divide them up in 10 minute blocks or do one or the other, because I got to where I could barely talk (which isn't good), I had sweat pouring down my hair, even in my ears (my headphones were slipping a lot), and I felt like I couldn't do it any more. But I did persevere, finished it, and then came back outside, where it was blissfully about 58 degrees, and walked home. I was doing fine until I came down the stairs, and had sudden pain in my ankle, the one that broke a few years ago when I was hit by a car. I carefully made it down the stairs with it hurting, got into the house, tried to take off my shoes, and it was doing the same. I got the shoes off, got some water, gingerly, and now I'm sitting down and taking a bit of a rest. I took the phone and plugged it into a speaker, so the same playlist is going as when I was exercising. I feel sweaty and stinky, and desperately need a shower. But I don't want my ankle going out from under me there, so I'm going to just sit here a bit and just take my meds and eat breakfast. I had felt energised after walking, now I feel drained. But I did reach my goal.

My physical therapist had suggested walking as a way to increase the strength of my core; my podiatrist suggested the bike because there's not as much pressure on the foot bones and muscles. But I think the bike was what did me in, and not because I'd already been on the treadmill--I think the rotation made my ankle hurt, and I had some trouble with my knees, too. I think I'll try each separately and see how I do, and if the bike is still an issue, just stick with walking, which is still fairly low-impact, good for your back, and I know I can do for awhile before I'm in danger of hurting myself.

I'd say the masque was a success, since I woke up early and felt good. My face wasn't as puffy, either. I had to keep the other fairly tight to keep it from become unsealed, and my face would have morning edema as a result, getting all swollen and puffy. This morning I just looked like me when I came in and washed my face.

I just crashed, after an insane day off of doing all sorts of things

We decided to just record 'Grimm' and watch it later, even though this was the 'Taming of the Wu' episode. So I dropped my friend off about 7:30 pm, went home, put the new CPAP masque together, took out the old SD card and replaced it, and put the old card in the package to send back to the medical supply company so they can download all the information on it. (Yeah, that's a bit creepy, I know). Then I tried to lie down for a bit, and the new masque is a little different. There are not separate nasal pillows that fit up your nose, but rather a under-the-nose area area. Here's a comparison. The one on the left is the ResMed Swift FX for Her masque (made by the folks who made my original CPAP machine--which I probably have had for fifteen years and still keep in the car during the winter in case I'm stranded somewhere), the one on the right is the Phillips Respironics Dreamwear masque (by the same folks who make my current CPAP):



Note the nasal pillows on the Swift FX, and that the hose is on the bottom. The Dreamwear has the hose on a rotating thing on the top of the head, so it's a little less likely to tangle as you move around in bed. Now you would think that without something in my nose, I would have fallen to sleep immediately, but actually it is a little louder, more reverberation I guess, and I didn't really feel like I had a masque on, which is good, but disconcerting. So it took a good hour to actually fall asleep, and I really just rested, but finally did doze, and I'd moved around on my back, left side, and right side. Both have their good points. And considering I wore the Swift FX upside down for almost the entire time I wore it, it worked remarkably well, getting 90% of 16.1 pressure over time. [The plastic piece goes on top; the soft cloth piece in the back]. The new one can't be worn in any other way, since the top has the hose, and all writing should be right side up. So I guess you could say it's more idiot-proof. We'll see how the new one goes. I'll definitely keep the other in case the one doesn't work out, and as a backup.

So all told, I was resting or napping for about two-and-a-half hours, just crashing. Now I'm up, and blogging, listening to the OneRepublic station on Pandora. I called my friend once I sat down to this, because I realised that we never got A's bus pass. They're going to use cash to go somewhere tomorrow, which will take them near a Kroger, where they can get one there, so really, the only thing I'm needed for tomorrow is the grocery run later in the day. So...that means I can push certain things to tomorrow, including:

• Exercising
• Bill paying
• Cleaning house

and really put some effort into the house, which is terribly messy at the moment. Not insurmountable, of course, just messy. And the fish tanks need attention and the recyclables need to go out (I took the trash out a couple of days ago). So the idea is to go back to sleep, wake up maybe at 8 am, go exercise, get a shower, start on the house, work on it for awhile, and pay bills as I take breaks. Tomorrow I think it's supposed to rain and be cooler, so it'll be good to do stuff inside, although hopefully it won't be raining so hard that the recyclables will be an issue. That way I'll also get things put together before the end of the month, Beltane (which starts tomorrow night), and my next cycle/dark of the moon. That'll be nice. So, I think I'm going to head back to bed. Good night!

PS I'm not sure how many miles I drove today, but I went through a quarter of a tank of gas, and made several trips around the eastern and middle parts of town, back and forth, back and forth. My step count for the day was only 4,856, so most of my running around was by car. But whew! What a lot of running!

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.

Random things

Yesterday I:
1. Went to the sleep centre and as he was writing a prescription for a lowering of pressure on my CPAP and a nifty new kind of masque that has the tubing on the top, I discovered that I have, in actuality, been wearing my CPAP masque UPSIDE DOWN for years. All I can say, is you can demonstrate something to someone once, but if they have ADD, good luck on them repeating correctly. The funny thing is that a) it's remarkable I did as well doing so, as I maintain a decent pressure over 90% of the time according to the report, and b) while technically more comfortable (the plastic thingy that looks like a corrugated tie goes on top, not on the back, where it was a little painful if I were on the my back), will be a little hard to get used to.
2. Took a long purifying bath with lavender oil in the water, lavender incense going, and a lavender candle burning. It's hard to get up and down in the tub these days, but I managed. If I every owned a house, I would so install one of those walk-in tubs. I love baths. Showers feel cleaner, but baths are so much more relaxing.

Today I:
1. Wore purple, because well, Prince, and because I love purple and the clothes were comfy for casual day.
2. Had a bone density scan and mammogramme. I still have markers on my skin tags that I need to pull off. Holly, the tech at the St. Joseph Breast Centre, was stupendous, making sure everything was positioned just right so we didn't have to repeat anything and doing the angled shots in two sets to get good images without crushing my boobies too badly. Plus, their gowns for big girls swallow me up, and I'm a very big girl.
3. Carried deodorant around in my backpack all day because you can't wear deodorant while having a mammogram, so I brought it to put on afterwards.
4. Saw a bald eagle flying above Chinoe Road while at a stoplight, with the distinctive white head and brown body. I've never seen one in person.

Happy Earth Day!

My CPAP machine went flying off the bedside table

which is actually a set of plastic drawers on wheels, when I turned over this morning, giving me a rude awakening. Fortunately, and probably partly because of, the humidifier portion isn't on it at the moment, so while it's lighter than normal, and easier to tip, there won't be water anymore. I finally found my distilled water, so I can use the humidifier again, although I don't use much of it in the summer, usually just on the lowest setting. I'm also waking up because of a slight kink in the hosing that sometimes cuts off the air, and I found my backup hose, so I think I'll switch it out. It's not quite time for a new hose, I don't think, as I can get new supplies every six months, and I saw my doctor in April.

Ouch, that's eleven. Someone asked me the other day how many doctors I go to, and counting the dentist (and now the sleep doctor), but not the dental hygienist, it's eleven. Most I see once a year, though, like my podiatrist, or as needed, like the orthopaedist. I did see an ENT doctor earlier this year, as well, but that was a one-time thing. But still, wow...

1. Internist
2. Gynaecologist
3. Allergist
4. Opthalmologist
5. Podiatrist
6. Endocrinologist
7. Psychiatrist
8. Psychologist
9. Sleep Specialist
10. Orthopaedist
11. Dentist

Thank God for health care, insurance, and flexible spending cards.

I am up exceedingly early

I'm going to break Internet protocol, and post things ahead of time about a short trip I am taking. I hope that does not mean bad things will happen, but this is really basically my diary, and given my driving anxiety, I need to write a bit here before I go.

First, the things I have to do before I go to work (and for once I won't use strikethrough on the list; suffice to say it all has to be accomplished:

1. Get some water in me; I'm very dry.
2. Switch from my backpack to my Chicago tote bag in terms of 'purses'.
3. Take a portfolio with various information on the training I'm doing related to the class I'm teaching.
4. Make sure I have the Kindle charger with me.
5. Fill up my medicine box, replenish my pen needles, get extra insulin together, and put in an extra phial of test strips.
6. Make sure I have my highlighter and plenty of pens, as well as the sticky notes for the training notebook they'll give me.
7. Get my clothes together for the weekend.
8. Bring three books, Pete Earley's Crazy, the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, and a book on mobile technologies in libraries that I have to review by month's end.
9. Take apart my CPAP and get it into its bag.
10. Charge my phone (I fell asleep without doing it.)
11. Charge my laptop.
12. Transfer the game recording over to the laptop so I can work on that if I have time this weekend.
13. Get ready.
14. Feed the fish.
15. Water the plants.
16. Put the toiletries into a bag.
17. Put the bags all together.
18. Make sure I have distilled water jug with me for the CPAP.
19. Program my destination into my phone
20. Return an interlibrary loan to the public library.

All in all, with my 'purse/tote', I have five bags, plus a water jug, but they're all small and portable. Fortunately there will be no plane rides with this, so I can take whatever I want.

The training is pretty intense: 7:15 am Saturday to 7 pm plus dinner; 8 am Sunday to 5 pm, with breaks about every two hours and meals provided.

I'm a little nervous about the drive, but not in full-blown panic, which is good. We'll see if that changes once I'm on the Interstate. But people have assured me that I-64 is much easier to handle than I-75, I should avoid most construction, and the plan is to leave work early enough to get a good start before rush hour traffic happens. Of course, once I get to Louisville, I'll be in rush hour traffic there, most likely, so I guess you pick your poison there. It's only about an hour and a half drive, straight up the Interstate to the hotel. The college where the training is a little further away from the hotel than I thought it would be, but it's a short jump on the Watterson Expressway from I-64, and while I could go the back roads, I've never actually driven in Louisville and it would probably be easier to keep to the major ones. In a way, I'm looking forward to the actual trip up there. I have a roommate at the hotel; I hope she's okay with my (very quiet) CPAP.

Okay, I have reached the point where I get ready for work. I haven'd decided whether to get my allergy shot before I leave town or not. I'm afraid I'll get bogged down with things if I try to run any errands or do anything before I go. I think I'll skip this time; I can double up next week. In fact, I may just pack up everything into the car before leaving for work and then drive straight from there to the Interstate. I think my CPAP would be okay in the car trunk. We'll see.

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.

Up briefly

I got home about 5:30 this afternoon, after taking A to his appointment and to the grocery, watching the missing episode of 'Grimm' with YKWIA, and going by the grocery myself. In fact, I'd been to Chinoe Kroger three times in one day, twice for them (a bread and milk run, then the regular one) and for me (YKWIA gave me $5, and I used it for bread, mil, and chips, to go with the cereal and peanut butter I had.) The last time I went I thought the $5 bill was in my shirt pocket, so I left everything else in the car. I got to the U-Scan and discovered the paper in my pocket was a receipt from earlier, and that the bill was out in my phone case, so I had to leave everything and run out. I came home, put up the windows, ate, and then promptly went to bed for a nap that turned out to last till now, about 1 am. I need to close the windows (it's a bit nippy in here now), take some medicine, and get some water down, as I'm very thirsty. I need to set my CPAP humidifier back up, as I do have distilled water now. Then I'm going to head back to bed again, as I have an early morning in preparations for the game, and then there will be the game, and then 'Salem' late, at 10 pm. So I'll sign off for now. Good night.

Celebrating having electricity

By putting on some Loreena McKennitt music, turning on my fan, filling up my CPAP, and charging my phone. Yay! I managed to get through the entire day despite my lack of sleep. YKWIA and I visited for awhile, and then he napped and I rested nearby, and while I didn't actually sleep, I might have dozed for awhile, when you're halfway in and out of sleep and kind of have dreams but are still conscious. Later we watched an episode of 'Star Trek: the Next Generation' that had the guy from 'Max Headroom' on it, and then the new episode of 'Grimm' that he'd recorded Friday night. We were going to watch the recording of 'iZombie', but I was getting tired and A, home from his game, and I still needed to go to the store. YKWIA prepared a special list of things for tomorrow, so I took that list and A took the other, and we stopped by Good Foods Co-op for a couple of things, and then we did the big run at Kroger. We got back about 10 pm (we'd left at 8:30). I helped put things away, and then pretty much gathered my stuff up and said goodbye, as I was tired, my contacts were foggy from my allergies, and I thought they might want some couple time. I've eaten some string cheese I got from the store, and I'm pretty much ready for bed. Good night. :)

Over at my friends' place

After McDonald's, I went home and propped my pillows up against a study pillow, and managed to sleep somewhat over the next couple of hours. A called, and I went ahead and got a shower (somewhat warmer than lukewarm on 'hot', but better than I thought it would be), and took him to the pharmacy. Then I got him back home so he could go over to a friend's house and watch the University of Kentucky-University of Cincinnati game. Now I'm hanging out at their house listening to YouTube videos (Human League's 'Don't You Want Me Baby' right now) and charging my phone and laptop. I have to admit, I'm feeling the sleep derivation, but hopefully I'll have my electricity on before I get home. Technically it could be as late as 11 pm, but they assure me that it should be within 24 hours of when I paid the bill. So I should be able to use the CPAP tonight.

This evening we're going to go to the grocery store after the game, and then tomorrow we're going to do the kugel and matzo ball soup, since there is no Cthulhu game. Brenda's meeting her future daughter-in-law's family for dinner. I wish them luck, and in the meantime we'll celebrate my birthday (early) with happy Jewish food.

Well, I made a (somewhat) horrible mistake

I forgot to pay my electric bill. So last night I came home to a dark, cold house, and had to use one of those battery-powered push-on/push-off lights to find my around. I couldn't sleep much at all, because I didn't have my CPAP. In fact, in the six hours I was in bed, I probably slept about an hour and a half.

At 5:15 I finally gave up, got up, washed my face, dressed, and headed out to McDonald's, where I could get breakfast, charge my phone, and get free Wi-Fi. So I thought I'd spend some time on the Internet before they got busy. My phone was at 10% when I came in, and on ultra-power-saving mode. Now it's at 64%, so I'm feeling a little better about having a connexion to others if needed. Funny how we've gotten so dependent on cell phones.

Okay, I'm going to check the news. I don't have much juice in my laptop and I can't get the plug into the outlet here for some reason, so I can't charge it. But I'll try to make the most of it. Boy, though, I'm sleepy. I'm supposed to celebrate my birthday/spring with friends, one of whom is going to make Jewish-food goodness, like kugel and matzo ball soup. [It's a little early--my birthday is in early April, but my friend associates it with the vernal equinox, and I was at work yesterday, so we're celebrating today.] I'm hoping I can stay awake with so little sleep. And I haven't taken a shower, because it would be cold, and so I look like crap. But hey, it's my own fault. And yes, I used my phone's hotspot and the laptop last night to go ahead and pay the bill, so it'll be on sometime before 11 pm tonight. Here's hoping it's sooner.

Hope you're having a somewhat better weekend so far.

I thought

after I finished watching Despicable Me 2 (which was quite fun), I would just go back to sleep for a little while, especially as I'd changed out my CPAP supplies. But I found I wasn't too sleepy, so I listened to Bastille's Bad Blood and played on my phone for awhile, mostly downloading updates to applications and looking at Facebook posts. Per a conversation with YKWIA earlier, I added A Streetcar Named Desire to the Netflix queue, as I've never seen it.

I have decided that unless I feel terrible tomorrow morning, I will go into work at least part of the day. If I feel like I'm overdoing it, I'll go ahead and leave. I don't think either of my bosses would have trouble with that (although neither of them will be there tomorrow, as they're both on vacation). So, here's what I need to do tomorrow:

• Send Despicable Me 2 back in to Netflix
• Send my mom her birthday card
• Enter the charge sheets from Friday if there are any and Monday as they come in
• Work on the referrals
• Do the OR reconciliation
• Take care of any library requests that are waiting
• Check about possible speakers for that forum on mobile devices

No lifting, no rearranging, no shelving books or journals, nothing like that, yet...just getting to my desk, doing stuff there, and maybe getting my sheets from another department and going to the cafeteria and the like. No overdoing it. If I need help, I'll ask for it. I'm sure people will be willing to help if I need it. I will take my cane just for a little added stability going through the parking lot, but I shouldn't need it around the hospital any more than I do here.

All in all, despite the surgery, it's been a good weekend. My friends who took me were great, my mom called and checked on me (she had a procedure at the same time, so she couldn't come up) as soon as she was able, A was great about staying over, today has been pretty peaceful, and while I had my doubts about how quickly they said I should be able to do things, I must say the doctor has been right so far. Apparently he did talk to my friends (I don't remember even seeing him, if I did), and stressed my need to lose weight, which of course, he'd already spoken to me about. If I can start walking without the pain I've been having, I think I have a chance of doing that, and I'm trying to watch my blood sugar and eating already. My left knee is also hurting, and I plan on mentioning it to him when I seem him for my post-op visit. I don't know if it was hurt when I got down on the ground like the other, but not as badly, or more likely it's hurting because 1) it's my 'bad' knee, and 2) it's been working harder with this one being so bad off. We'll see. If it's just arthritis, then that's one thing. If the meniscus is an issue on it as well and it's about the same as this one was, then I may need further treatment. But I'd like to see how this heals and if I have less pain first. But if I could get to where my knees weren't painful, I'd be much more likely to walk and exercise, as it has been one of the limiting factors for years.

Ugh

I was actually working on my house tonight when I was overcome by a sneezing and coughing fit and basically got all choked up and could barely breathe, which is odd because I didn't do any dusting or anything that would stir up anything. But everyone I know who has allergies seems to be having trouble this year. I did break down and turn on the air conditioner because the pollen blowing in from outside was just too much, and with temperatures in the mid-80s, it was too stuffy otherwise. So the dishes are washing, but I'm taking a break and I'm in the bedroom listening to music (Natalie Merchant), with the CPAP on to try to clear out my nasal passages. I may read a little. I have some new material on the Salem witch trials to read. The plan is NOT to go to sleep yet. We'll see.

So I'm at McDonald's and it's a little after 6 am

There was no point in trying to sleep any more, really. I managed to get into a sort of drowsy half-sleep for about an hour at a time, but kept waking up because I couldn't get comfortable. I normally sleep with a fan, for one. The CPAP is crucial for me, of course. So I'm tired and kind of achy. But I did manage a lukewarm shower and dressing in the dark. I wish I'd remembered the allergy medicine I got at the grocery yesterday, though. Mine are in full swing.

I've had breakfast (two egg and cheese biscuits), and I'm on their wi-fi catching up on news and blogging. But I'm behind on my time because of that three-hour dental appointment the other day, so I think I'll go on in to work soon. I just have to be careful I don't get overtime. I can't leave early today because I may be needed to meet someone who did a book drive, and that'll probably be between 4 and 5 pm.

Hopefully the electricity will be back on at home by the time I get there this afternoon. I unplugged the aquarium and little fish tank so the filters/pumps wouldn't run without water.

Okay, I'm going to go check the news for the morning, then head over to work. Have a great day. And hey, at least it's Friday (and in my case, jeans day at work.) :)

Got a good report today on how the new CPAP is doing

They were very pleased with the amount of time I'm using it (averaging about 9 hours a night, and using it every night). My sleep is so much better. I have more energy during the day and only start to fade at a reasonable time, not mid-afternoon. The new masque is doing remarkably better, as well, with a negligent amount of leaking. So, yay! I'm supposed to go back in a year.

I've been in a really great mood all day. I'm in the holiday mood; I went ahead and took some decorations into work and put up the tree there. I can't find some special ornaments that I had for it, but I stopped by and got some tonight to add tomorrow. I brought in my stuffed 'Chris-moose' family, finally finding that this morning. I had a couple of special light strands of my own that I brought in, putting the 'flame'-shaped multicolour lights on the tree, and some globe LEDs that are bright and cheerful at the cubicle. I also had a small resin snowman to put on my desk. The Santa my mom made from ceramics when I was young and the ornaments either made by me or made for me stayed home. The little tree at home has silver bells and red and white stars and snowflakes on it, with white lights. I have a bell decoration on the door that is red and white as well. I have to admit, though, if I had a regular-sized artificial tree at home, I would be tempted to decorate with some beautiful peacock-themed ornaments I saw the other day. But money is tight, I prefer a live tree, and I'd already gotten the little tabletop one, and I like it.

My Christmas cactus, or zygocactus, is blooming. I'm including a picture of it. The buds seem pink but then when the flower opens, they're more of a red. I have a new one at home that is a deep pink as well. I do love them. Last year, after a couple of years of not blooming, or just maybe having a bud or two on it, the plant welcomed me back from my three-month absence by blooming profusely. It's a very cheery little plant.

Okay, I should probably tear myself away from the computer and work on some things here, since I have a night to myself. Just in case I don't write further tonight, have a good night, hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, happy Chanukah (latkes tomorrow night! :) ), and I hope the upcoming holidays and new year bring you light, joy, and fellowship.

Agenda for the week (when not at work)

• Monday: Appointment with the sleep doctor evaluating the new CPAP machine; run by pharmacy
• Tuesday: Take a friend to a medical appointment, celebrate Chanukah with him and fix him latkes, both the potato and cheese varieties; watch 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' there
• Wednesday: 'The Tomorrow People' and 'American Horror Story: Coven' over at YKWIA's house
• Thursday: Downtime at home; watch 'Big Bang Theory'; do game notes
• Friday: Watch 'Grimm' with YKWIA
• Saturday: See Catching Fire; grocery run
• Sunday: Prepare for game; play Chthulhu game; 'Witches of East End'

I wish I'd recorded 'The Big Bang Theory' tonight

Not only did it have Bob Newhart and Bill Nye the Science Guy, it had some utterly great lines that I'd like to hear again. Here's hoping they get posted to YouTube on the show's channel.

So, that's over now. I need to decide what to do now. It's only 9 pm. Here are my options:

• Watch the DVD of Coraline, which I received from Netflix today
• Listen to Pandora, specifically some Loreena McKennitt, which I'm doing now
• Listen to the radio or some CDs
• Watch an episode of 'Downton Abbey'--I'm on the second season, and the fourth is starting in a couple of months
• Watch some 'Grimm' off the DVR--I have all but the pilot on there, and I should catch up
• Work on the game notes in anticipation of playing Sunday
• Read (I'm currently working on Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Argrim, which has been quite good)
• Go to bed (but it's only 9 pm, although I'm a bit tired--I haven't been getting the normal amount of sleep of late (although it's been very good sleep with the new CPAP), and I didn't have enough insulin with me today so my blood sugar went up, which always makes me tired)

Which would you do, out of curiosity?

One of the reasons I didn't get enough sleep last night was because of watching 'American Horror Story: Coven'. I didn't get home till midnight, and it usually takes awhile to wind down after that show, which is both disturbing and excellent storytelling. Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates are particularly great. I've gone from watching the occasional run of 'Doctor Who' to several shows, mostly with YKWIA. There's:

1. Sunday: 'Witches of East End' [I have really bonded with the character of Ingrid Beauchamp, who is a librarian, among other things]
2. Tuesday: 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' [of the latter, the Dog Dean Afternoon this week was much better than I thought it would be, I must admit]
3. Wednesday: 'The Tomorrow People' and 'American Horror Story: Coven' [the first I'm trying to give a chance, having loved the British series of that name as a child; the second is hand's down the best drama I'm watching at the moment]
4. Thursday: 'The Big Bang Theory' {I'm really not much into sitcoms, but this makes me laugh so much I'm surprised I don't pee myself] (that I usually watch on my own; I think YKWIA records 'The Vampire Diaries', which I've seen some of, but not a lot]
5. Friday: 'Grimm' [which I like, but haven't seen many of, yet]

Getting ready to try my new CPAP machine and see if I can sleep with it

I did put it together earlier after unpacking it and it's super quiet and the masque fits ever so much better than my old one with the did. The old one required a chin strap to keep it stable, and as a result, moved around when that loosened. This new-fangled machine replaces my fifteen-year-old one, which will now be a back up just in case (and will go to live in the trunk of the car in case I get stranded anywhere over the winter, along with the air mattress and foot pump). Features of this one that are nifty are as follows. It:

1. is smaller than my old one, which rather looked like a 70s hair dryer, but heavy enough not to move around and generally seems well-made
2. has a chip that keeps data on it for some time that can be used by the doctors to determine if it's working well
3. starts at a minimum pressure that my old machine has, but can automatically adjust up to a higher pressure after sensing a need for it, which can help with some of the daytime sleepiness I've had
4. has an internal humidifier that nevertheless can disconnect from the other part of the machine in case I want to run it without the water
5. has a humidifier cartridge that easily comes apart for cleaning, something that was a real problem with the one that attached to my old machine, as the container did not come apart on that one, and so you just had to swish the water around
6. has programmable menus
7. is easy to adjust the dial for the humidifier also acts as a big button to turn on
8. actually senses if you put the masque on and starts it without you having to hit the button
9. has a filter that can be rinsed instead of having to order more
10. has headgear that doesn't need a chin strap, is easily adjustable, and has soft cushions to go over he silicon straps, which hopefully means no more lines on my face in the morning

Thank you, my insurance company, for buying this machine when I would not otherwise be able to afford it. Also, I talked to the specialist at the medical supply company and if, in the future, I do not have health insurance (such as after the library gig is over in a couple of years), there are charity programmes that help patients without insurance get supplies and machines, which is important, as it could very well save a life. I knew someone who died due to sleep apnea, and it was very sad that it might have been preventable. Sleep apnea can cause many problems, from damage to the heart to poor work performance to early death. Hopefully this machine will help me stay healthy.