So tired

I came home and couldn't think straight; I was so tired. I'm on the bus because while I managed to dig my car out of 3 1/2" of compacted snow and ice, I can't get the thing reversed over a shelf of ice in the driveway. I hate ice storms. Monday, I managed to get to work thanks to a veterans group, Camp Heroes, and home thanks to our medical centre administrator. Tuesday, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, KY's WinterCare folks got me there and back. I couldn't go out the back as per usual because of the back gate being blocked by snow and ice, so I had to go out the front, down and up the same steps I fell off of in June, without any snow or ice. When I was driven, I had help, but I was on my own after that. I took off Wednesday, eating the occurrence, because I knew the temperatures were, if anything, going to plummet further, so it's not like things were going to get better soon, and I needed to dig us out. I did manage to open my trunk to get my little collapsible shovel out, get into the shed to get the snow shovel and a regular shovel (which was great for the ice), and get the layers of ice clear in front of the gate enough that I can squeeze into our out of the backyard's gate. I haven't been able to touch the front steps yet. I cleaned my car mostly off, and got in and ran it for a while, but as I said, couldn't surmount the ledge. I'm pretty sure my tyres are finally no longer frozen to the driveway, at least. But as frustrating as this is, I think it's the Universe protecting me. I'm having power steering issues that may be serious, and not good on the snow. It may be that I shouldn't drive until I can get it looked at, especially on snow. So I'm on the city bus in the meantime.

I forgot that they'd still be on the Snow Plan at this point and went to the regular stop, which is now a Snow Plan stop, then went to the one across the street and caught the right bus after about a half hour, all at about 9° Fahrenheit. The bus wasn't so bad except when it let me off at Shriners on a giant mound of ice and snow where a snowplough had come through. Fortunately, I'd brought my hiking poles with snow tips, rather than my cane, but even with those, you had to kind of have a leap of faith to balance on that and not fall in the street. I may get off at the Kentucky Clinic tomorrow and walk the last block despite the icy sidewalks just to avoid that in the future.

Anyway, I came home, warmed up two microwavable heating pads (I chipped at ice till 11 pm last night while working on the car, and my back is hurting today), and then I collapsed for four hours, did three loads of laundry while the temperature outside was in the double digits, and helped my friend set up another e-mail account on Outlook. They're still on the Snow Plan tomorrow, so I need to figure out when to be ut there tomorrow as that bus comes earlier than the other.

It takes a village

Yesterday as I was about to leave for work, my roommate pointed out that my car, which just has the plastic on the window, was in no shape to park over at UK.

I'd been worried about the ADA hangtag disappearing. He pointed out that my car itself might be stolen, so I called my supervisor to ask if I could be late, and I took the bus in, which took almost an hour and a half, but I was actually only 40 minutes late for work. I was thinking I'd have to ride the bus for the rest of the time till payday [March 9th] when I'm off and can get the part put in by my mechanic.

Over the course of the day, I had friends from my department and another offering to do various things, and a plan was concocted and modified throughout the day.

• I checked with Autozone after a suggestion and the switch was not actually $150 like Tire Discounters had said (surprise) but $52. For signing up for e-mails, I got $10 off my first order, so I was able to get the whole thing, with tax, for $45. It's supposed to be here today but there may be a delay per a message I received this morning.
• The plan is to have my manager's husband try to put it in on Thursday if it doesn't require taking the inside of the door off, or the weekend if it does. I sent pictures from the website of the switch, including the plugs on the back, to my manager to share with him.
• Meanwhile, one friend took me home yesterday so I didn't have to ride the bus. My supervisor is taking me back and forth over the next few days; she comes in a little earlier, but I'm getting up about the time I would take the bus and I'm getting here quicker. They even picked me up/dropped me at the door to keep me from having to walk a distance to their cars.

I REALLY appreciate all the support from my friends at work who are helping. It really does mean a lot.

Tonight

I kept my friend company and helped out with onion chopping as he made the tomato sauce for tomorrow's lasagna and some apples and cabbage.  He wasn't feeling well and was in some pain, so he forgot to order the challah from the bakery, so I went to Kroger and found some brioche loaves that will work.  I also finally got around to getting various toiletries I needed, such as shampoo, toothpaste, and razors.

We talked about 'The Vicar of Dibley', along with ancient Carthage as a Phoenician colony, Latin, Hebrew, etc.  In other words, it was a fairly normal night.

I started out my day getting up early to go get gas, as the light was on, and it was payday. I'm still going to be behind on a couple of bills, but unfortunately, the next paycheque is probably going to go to car tyres.  The flat the other day is no doubt foreshadowing the doom that will happen if I don't. I'm very lucky the tyre went flat while sitting in a parking lot and not while I was driving.  I have to weigh being fiscally responsible and living to become more fiscally responsible another day.  I'm probably going to go to the same place I got the last ones six years ago as they offer a free alignment and I need that too, along with a cheaper synthetic oil change than Valvoline.  I'm hoping I can find a good deal on everything, but I'm figuring it to be about $600.  I'm just hoping the doughnut tyre and the others last till I can do it.  The doughnut is original to the car, which is 19 years old.  Granted, the car still only has 83,700 miles on it.  My grandmother and then mother didn't drive it much.  Six years ago when I bought it there were only 34,000 miles on it. :)  I'd like to keep it in good working order, as several people depend on it.

I'm finally becoming a bit sleepy.  I've been a bit tired (it was a very productive day at work) but I hadn't really been sleepy.  I took the trash to the kerb and did the litter boxes earlier, but YKWIA had already gone to bed when  I treated the animals to their nightly fare, cleaned up the dishes and counters, packed things for tomorrow's lunch and caffeine, straightened up a bit and played with the kitten till he sleepily went in to be with YKWIA.

Speaking of the kitten, the only succulents left in the house are the big aloe and a bit of red velvet Echevarria that is struggling to come back out after he gnawed on it.  But at least he's been leaving the orchids alone.

Okay, time for bed. It's after midnight, and I get up about 6:30 am.  Hope you have a good day tomorrow.

:(

Well, after nearly 4 1/2 years, I finally did something to the car. I was trying to get into the local government parking structure and got too near a bollard. :( But it's not too bad, I guess. And the parking spaces were so close that I couldn't get out my door and had to literally climb out of the passenger door, wrenching my knee. So renewing my registration was, shall we say, an adventure. On the other hand, there wasn't a penalty, so my total bill was something like $46.13. Not bad. There are advantages to having an old (16 years old) car. :)

It's been almost a week since I've posted

I think this is the longest I've gone in years.  But now I'm hot and up in the middle of the night and not sleeping at all,  so it seemed a good time to check in.

Almost every aspect of my life is going well this week.  I found another job to apply for.  I helped a friend through a difficult week.  I was productive at work and managed to work extra to offset an appointment without using PTO. Brenda is back in the area and can give me a ride Thursday to my procedure. I'm a little nervous about having it,  but I'm relieved she'll be there.

But I look around the house and I can tell--stress has been insidious. I'm not to the tipping point yet,  but I'm close. And there's one main reason. I've been sad and worried about my mother,  and unable to get to her.  I have a message in to my  stepfather to see if there is a way he could come get me either day this weekend so I can see her for a few hours.  It's not looking good.  It may be my last chance. With the car like it is right now,  I could easily get stranded if I try to go on my own.  I don't have enough money to fix it or to rent a car. I looked into it,  as well as a transport service between Danville and Lexington. Thirty-five miles has never seemed so long a way. I feel like a failure. My mother and I are not close like we used to be,  and there is a lot of baggage from the past.  But I just want to see her and say goodbye. Hopefully I'll hear back from John tomorrow.

:(

I didn't go to Danville today

Mainly because with the issues with the car,  I didn't want to take a chance breaking down away from home.  The car made an awful sound earlier as I turned,  for example.  That might have been the ball joint,  which along with the rear brakes,  needs replacing. My car is also running rough if the defroster or heat is on. Apparently everything's breaking down at once.

I did call my mom at the hospital,  but no one answered. I'll try again tomorrow morning.

We're not playing the game for a few weeks.  Brenda's mom is having issues, too,  and she's going to go visit her for a few weeks out of state.  She'll try to get back in time to take me to my procedure in early December.

I finished Tehanu today, and I checked The Other Wind out from the library on my Kindle,  and I also put Tales from Earthsea on hold,  since the library only has the collection of short stories in print form.

Okay,  I'm headed to bed.  Have a good night.

Note to self:

when you have pasty Irish skin and are on certain antibiotics, do not stay outside in the sun for an hour cleaning out your car and its trunk without proper sunscreen. On the one hand, yay, I got my car looking spiffy again; on the other, I also look like a lobster on my arms, face, and neck. I just took a cool shower and will put some aloe lotion on it.

Oh, and the stupid thing is I had sunscreen in my bag, in the car, the whole time. I did put some on afterwards because I was doing a lot of driving around this afternoon and thought it would help prevent further issues, but it was a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has run off. I have also been so terribly hot today, soaked to the skin, my hair wet with sweat and then dry again. I took a cool shower the moment I got through the door, and that helped, and got into some shorts and a tank top. I'm going to put on the lotion and then go lie down in front of the fan for awhile. At least I'm back in air conditioning. I've been in the car, outside, or in a house with just the windows open for something like ten hours now (although we did put the ceiling fans on for watching Hotel Transylvania, the Netflix DVD I have out).

I'm pooped for now, though.

Home from work

I left everything on the bed, because I decided it would be really hot in the car today, and didn't want anything damaged. I'm starting to get very nervous. I've taken my afternoon medicine, which includes the BuSpar, early, since I'll be on the road when it would normally be time. I'm not in panic mode at the moment. I just feel very nervous, my stomach is bothering me, and I'm having tell myself to breathe slower. I'm going to call YKWIA before I leave. In the meantime, everything is packed and ready to go; I'm going to try to leave by 3:00 or 3:15 pm, so within half an hour. I am going to stop and check my oil and tyre pressure before I get onto the Interstate. Then it's on the road from there. Wish me luck.

I talked with my friend a little while ago

and they've decided to have a quiet evening at home, which means the same for me, and I do have a lot to do around here that I've been avoiding, because, well, I do that. So instead of avoiding things, the first thing I did once I got going was to revisit my shoes. See, I've been having terrible pain in my feet, probably plantar fasciitis, and I'd tried changing from my diabetic orthotics to a foam insert I got at my podiatrist's with more cushion, and then today I got some gel inserts at the store. The thing is, I'm used to taking the insole out and putting orthotics in, so I put in the inserts after taking out the foam and they were very flat and uncomfortable (I have fallen arches and need arch support). So I put the cushion inserts back inside, which provide a higher arch, and trimmed the gel inserts down just a bit to the absolute edge of size 7, and put those in over top--and they feel pretty supported and cushioned. I'll leave them in for a few days and see if I can tell any difference in my foot pain.

Then I tackled the car, which wasn't very bad or anything (I'm cleaner about my car and office than I am about my apartment), but I had an empty laundry cart in the trunk along with my winter coat and various accouterments, so I emptied out the winter things and some other things to save into the laundry cart, took out a bag and got some recyclables put in there, put the tiny amount of trash in a grocery bag I had out there, and checked the spare for the first time since I've been driving the car (for over two years) to see that there is one, and a jack, and that it's inflated. I also took some wipes I had in the trunk and wiped down the steering wheel and dashboard, cleaned the inside of the windshield with Invisible Glass (I had a lot of spots from where my windshield froze last month on the inside, and when it was scraped and melted, streaked. It should be easier to see in the sun now.) For good measure, I took some lavender essential oil spray and gave the whole interior a good spray, as I had a damp dog in the car earlier today who peed (fortunately on the provided blanket I'd put on my rear seat). I put the regular air freshener, which had fallen off the air vent, back up. So all looks good.

For my efforts I was rewarded with a copy of my current car registration, which made it back to the trunk when I was cleaning last time, but (fortunately) not into the trash. I think I must have thought it was expired, but hadn't had the time to really read it at the time, so I'd just stuck it back with a few things to go through. It is now nestled in my glove box with my proof of insurance. Considering I have to renew it next week, this is great--it'll save me $6 I would have had to pay extra. I'm glad I did all that when I did, as it's now starting to get darker--I think it's going to storm soon. Now, I think it's time to tackle the apartment, starting with the dishes. I am out of spoons, so it is definitely time. I'm going to go put on some music to cover up the beat coming from upstairs somewhere and get to it. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Success!!!

After a co-worker and her family dropped me off at home from work, I managed to get the car cleaned off further, and got it out of the space! I went ahead and headed to Kroger, filled up the car, which was on empty, and then stopped in the store for a few groceries. My street still hasn't been touched, but I handled it pretty well. I almost got stuck again trying to get into the spot next to the one I left, managed to get back out, circled around, and found a spot without any snow and parked there.

Once I got in and put the groceries away, I changed clothes, lit a candle, and updated my computer while I made a couple of breakfast sandwiches. (Yeah, I know, it's breakfast for dinner). And while I ate, I updated my phone, which downloaded Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and is just now finishing up. So I'll have a new operating system to play with, and since I was on Jelly Bean 4.4.2 and never got the 4.4.4 update, I'm happy. We'll see if I have any issues with 5.0. Right now it's optimising the application (apparently I have 445 applications on my phone. I really should take some off, huh?)

Now that the car is free, I plan on giving blood either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday, depending on the wintry mix/rain we're supposed to get this weekend. I'm O+, so while I'm not quite a universal donor, I'm close, and the blood and platelet stock has been hit by cancelled blood drives and the inability for donors to get out and about. I called this morning to check and see if it had been long enough since I donated, and it had. They wanted to go ahead and schedule an appointment, but I didn't know about the car. So, I'll try to drop by as soon as I can. The main office is open till 6 pm tomorrow, but is on the other side of town from me. There's one closer, and I'll check tomorrow to see if the hours are the same. If so, I can make it there after work.

The cold is just crazy. It was -8 today, -22 air temperature a couple of counties over, breaking records. Our high was 7 degrees. Tonight we're supposed to be about -15--not wind chill, mind you, that was in the negative 20s and 30s today. I'm so glad the car started, especially without any gas in it, and I hope the battery holds for tomorrow, too.

Okay, I'm going to go see what I can figure out about my phone's new OS. I'm updating Google Play services now. Some of the settings have changed, so I may need to tweak it a bit. Good night, although I may write some more later.

I am supposed to be at work

I spent over an hour digging out the car and trying to get out of the space, but got stuck half-way out and half-way in, finally managing to dig around the tyres enough to get some traction and get (mostly) in. I've called my boss to let her know I'll be late. I'll be taking the bus, and the next one I can reasonably catch is in about 50 minutes, so I have a few minutes to catch my breath and get ready for the walk over there. It does mean I can't get the medications, but I'm going to check and see if the Fayette County Sheriff's Department is still running their Winter Care programme, where they'll go get them for you. If not, I'll have to try to get there by bus, meaning leaving work really early, because our pharmacy closes at 6 pm. I'll work it out somehow. Looks like I'll get to work about 10 am, or an hour-and-a-half late. But Gods willing, I'll hopefully get there. Okay, time to start walking.

Drat

I opened up some salad I'd gotten a couple of days ago, and the lettuce is icky and soggy. I managed to save the cranberries, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, and feta cheese that was in a separate compartment, Oh well, tortillas and cheese for dinner it is.

This morning I went to work, then over to my podiatrist to pick up my new shoes and inserts. I had quite some trouble getting them on, and at first we thought they were too narrow, but they do actually fit. I just have trouble bending my right knee fully in a chair (I put my shoes on by putting my feet up on the bed). I took them back off at the doctor's office, and then put them back on after I got back to work, as it's carpeted, and I can't return them if I wear them outside at all. They're kind of boots, or hightop athletic shoes, with an athletic-style shoe in black that comes up on the ankles for full support. I thought they'd be better then my lower New Balances this winter for walking on uneven snow. They're are the brand Answer2, which I hadn't heard of before, style 442-1. They're made by Apis. They also gave me several Sure-Fit inserts, which I'm supposed to change ever four months or so, and there were a couple of thin ones that go under the regular inserts to help raise the foot if needed to keep it from slipping up and down. I have a slight discrepancy between my left and right leg in terms of length, so I have that secondary insert under the right one but not one on the left, and they were doing pretty well this afternoon. The inserts are a little different than the diabetic orthotics I have in my regular shoes, though. They were much easier to get on the second and third times I tried. I'll have to keep a weather eye on my feet, though, and look for any rubbing, etc. But I think they'll be a decent fit after all. I do need longer laces for them. Even my New Balances that I got last year have boot laces in them. I have such a wide foot (I wear a 7 2E in the New Balances, XW in these shoes), that I need longer laces than they ever include. I really do appreciate that my health insurance will pay for these as part of my diabetes care. I had the same type of New Balances several years ago that were $115 when I paid for them myself. These go for about $135 online. They look like this:



The nice thing is that they work under my pants for work pretty well, and I noticed they seem to be This afternoon, after work, I:

1. Went to the bank to dispute a couple of ATM charges. Yesterday I tried to get money from the ATM at work twice, but got a 'database error' and no money. Turns out the money came out of my account, along with the fee they charge for giving me my own money and the one the bank charges for not using their machine. All told, it came out to $49. I got one returned, the fees from the bank taken off, and the second one should be taken care of soon (it needed 'more investigation', beyond what they could do right there).
2. Got some gas for the car and washed the windows. I really need to take the car to be washed.
3. Checked out a book I had on hold from the library, called House of Stone, by the late journalist Anthony Shadid, as well as the DVD for the movie Oculus.

Now I'm home, listening to 'Somebody That I Used to Know' by Gotye (featuring Kimbra) on the radio, have the windows open and the fan in the living room blowing on me, and I'm finishing up dinner. The plan for tonight is:

1. Work on the game notes.
2. Work on the house.
3. Do some reading.
4. Water the plants inside and out (although I'm down to only two window boxes--one fell and pretty much what was in it disintegrated).

I'm hoping by having the fan out here in the living area rather than the bedroom, I won't just go in there and lie down.

Well, today has been mostly devoted to

getting the car fixed, with getting very little else done. I spent a couple of hours at the garage, then came home and decided since I'd gotten up so early and because they were supposed to finish by noon that I'd rest a bit, and then at 12:30 they said the car was ready and they'd come get me in a little while. So I waited. An hour passed. I called and offered to walk over, but they said, no we'll come get you in just a bit, just relax. Well, I'm one of those people who doesn't wait well. I want to either be doing something or knowing I won't be doing something--I would hate to be in the middle of something when they did call, so I just waited. After another hour, I put my good walking shoes on and started walking. I got there about 3 pm. The guy was, oh, we were just about to come get you. I pointed out to him that I didn't mind coming over if they were swamped, I just wanted to get some things done this afternoon. Basically they were going to wait to go get me by the end of their shift (they close at 4 pm). Anyway, I'm now poorer to the tune of $530, but that's actually with a break he gave me, for a complete new set of back brakes and an oil change. The car is handling much better. I'll have to see if the battery can be changed soon, though.

The University of Kentucky is about to start their second football game of the season, and A is watching it on TV, so we aren't going to the store until later. I'm going to go over there in about an hour and a half. At this point, I should at least start working on the house. But the annoyance that got me through the walk down and across two major highways has kind of dissipated and now I just want to cool down. I'm not tired--I'm just hot, as it was 86 degrees out there with 55% humidity. So I'm going to chill out for about 20 minutes and then get up and work. That's the plan, anyway. On the other hand, I'm at 3,015 steps on a Saturday, which is usually what I get all day on the lightest walking day of my week. :)

I got up very early this morning

and took my car over to Tire Discounters at 8 am to get an oil change and the brakes looked at. I waited there while they did the oil change and the inspection. Unfortunately, I need pretty much all new rear brakes (the front ones had the shoes and rotors replaced in February, so they're fine--but the back even the drums are terribly rusty (they showed them to me), and even if they machined them, it would be outside specifications). So I'm getting those replaced after we haggled a bit on price. They found that my battery is at 50% and needs replacing, but I can't do that today--I'll try to before cold weather sets in. I love having a car, but maintenance, gas, and insurance make it much more expensive than the $30 I paid a month for a bus pass. On the other hand, I do a lot of running around that wouldn't be possible on the bus, and take friends who don't drive pretty much all over Lexington, too. So, it's worth it.

They brought me on home and are working on the car, which should take a couple of hours. They're going to come pick me up when it's ready. So I've finally eaten breakfast (veggie burger, let's call it brunch), and I'm contemplating working on the house. I haven't been home much, which tends to mean I destroy any sense of tidiness in the house, and I come in, put things down on the kitchen table or the loveseat and they just sit there. I really need to clean the bathroom, wash dishes, take out the trash--and more importantly, the recyclables, which are threatening to escape their container, straighten up in general, put some things away, sweep, vacuum, and mop. I can't do all that in two hours. Hopefully I can get started on it, though.

Sorry I didn't blog last night. I'd taken a friend to an appointment after work, watched an episode of 'Haven', and then headed home, where I ate something and kind of putzed around for a bit, listened to some music, and went on to bed early since I knew I couldn't sleep in today. On the other hand, I don't have game notes to do today, as they are already finished, woo-hoo! So there's the grocery run, 'Doctor Who', and as far as I know, that's about it, unless YKWIA and A have something else planned. Tomorrow is the game, and 'Witches of East End'. Then we'll go back into the work week, and start everything over again. This week was particularly busy because there was a lot going on at work, no less than four appointments I had to be at, and bills to pay. Also, it seems to me that whenever we have a 'short week' after a holiday, we try to scrunch everything from a normal week into less days. Next week there's not quite as much going on, thankfully. I think the last time I came directly home from work was Monday before last, and then I just pretty much crashed. I'll try to take this Monday and work on anything I don't get finished today, until I'm happy living in my apartment again. :)

I actually finished the game notes early for a change

So I'm all ready for Sunday. I'm also a couple of more episodes into the first season of 'Haven'; four more to go for that season. I didn't feel great this afternoon--not sick, not hurting, just kind of blah. And even though I was planning on brushing up on some more advanced Excel techniques tonight, I wound up keeping YKWIA company, and felt better myself as a consequence.

Tomorrow I finally get my actual, permanent partial dentures. Hopefully they'll fit well. I also need to go by the library and pick up a book on hold. Friday I need to take a friend to another appointment. Saturday I need to get an oil change and have the brakes looked at. I had one set done back in February, but I'm thinking it's time for the other, because I can hear a squeal in them.

Now I just want to stretch out, put on the CPAP headgear, and then just go on to sleep. I'm going to try to get up a little earlier tomorrow, and hopefully my brain will cooperate. This morning I was dreaming of a horrible noise coming from something electronic. I had the guys from IT helping me go through computer, Kindle, etc., to find the source, to no avail. Then I woke up and it was my alarm clock. Today at work, I told the two guys that were helping me in my dream about it and they got a kick out of it. Okay, it's definitely time for bed. Good night.

Would you believe

that I am about half-way through, maybe even a bit more than half-way, with my work on the game notes this week? A friend had an appointment, so I brought the laptop and worked while he was doing that. I'm over three hours into a recording that is about six hours long. Not bad for about an hour and fifteen minutes' work. Yay!

After the appointment, YKWIA, A, and I went to Joe Bologna's, which I haven't been to in years. I had the garlic breadstick (they're huge), a wonderful salad, and some vegetable lasagna. Everything was absolutely lovely, as usual. It would have been nice to get dessert (they have excellent carrot cake), but that would probably have pushed my blood sugar way up. If you're not familiar with the restaurant, it's a family-owned business serving mainly Italian food located inside a former synagogue, so there are stained glass windows and an upper dining area as well.

After we got back, I helped YKWIA with a couple of things and then came home. I really pushed it tonight; the gas light was on the whole time on the way home. I need to go to Kroger first thing in the morning. I have 70 cents off a gallon with a Kroger card, but it was too late to stop by tonight. Hopefully the gas prices won't be higher tomorrow.

Okay, I guess I should go on to sleep, since I do need to get up early. I hope you had a good start to the shorter workweek. I had a busy and unfortunately not-so-fruitful day (but it sure wasn't from lack of trying--I just ran into a lot of bureaucracy outside of my own organisation while trying to obtain a referral. And if I hear one more Sousa march any time soon, it might just send me screaming into the night.) If I can get a full-time library job somewhere, one thing I will not miss about my current job is dealing with insurance companies and all the rules they have in place that sometimes seem to be designed just so they can get out of paying a claim. I wish there was at least some consistency in the industry, anyway.

Oh, well, tomorrow is another day. Good night.

I was bound to crash

Today after work I put some Shell gas, the type with cleaning additives, in the car like the owner's manual had suggested. Time will tell if that's enough to make the check engine light go off. I did check my gas cap and it's tight, at least. Then I went to the library and picked up a couple of books for myself and one for YKWIA, and then I came home and crashed for about 2 hours, listening to some Loreena McKennitt but then the alarm went off and I turned over and just slept. YKWIA called about a half an hour ago, so now I'm up, which is good, except for the dreaded bagel and Nutella incident.

After being crazy busy the last few days I wanted to have a quiet evening, and it's been one so far. I think now I'm going to listen to some more music and read. My to-read pile is getting bigger.

A pleasant day so far

I tried to give blood at the blood centre today, but got turned away because my iron was just under acceptable. It's happened before, but not in a long time. I guess it still isn't back up to snuff after the oral surgery or something. Or maybe I just haven't been eating enough spinach.

Frozen, however, was absolutely wonderful--great music, a good story, and really one of the best recent Disney films I've seen in a long time. I'm glad it and 'Let It Go' won Oscars. There was even a short cartoon beforehand, that mixed old-style and new animation seamlessly, and it was pretty fun.

After that I went to Meijer, still trying to find some de-icer to pay my neighbour back. I think I'll just leave what's left (about half the bottle) as well as $5 and a thank you note. That's the second place I've tried without luck, and while I've been told to go to Wal-Mart, I don't spend money at Wal-Mart.

So now I'm back. The weather is lovely. I'm considering opening the windows. It's 57, and while that's maybe a little on the cool side still, I think it would be nice to get a breeze in here.

I got some quarters at the bank earlier so I can do my laundry tonight. So here are my plans (subject to change) for the rest of the day:

1. Take off my shoes and do a little more reading.
2. Take the things out of the trunk that make it hard to do grocery shopping and clean out the car in general.
3. Take my friend to the grocery.
4. Help him wash his dog.
5. Do the game notes tonight.
6. Do laundry tonight.
7. Watch 'Grimm'.

We may not be playing the Cthulhu game tomorrow. If that's the case, I'll work on the house, although really the laundry is the main problem. Oh, and I should run a load of dishes. If we do play, I'll still have done the important stuff today.



By the way, I am so glad I did not read the New York Times review of the movie before going to see it. The reviewer, Stephen Holden, reveals the main plot twist in the very first sentence and the ending itself later in the review without so much as a spoilers alert to be seen. Many of the comments reflect the annoyance of the readers for this. Shame on him. If you're interested in reading the review, it's From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It’s Permafrost: Disney’s ‘Frozen,’ a Makeover of ‘The Snow Queen’. But if you plan to watch the movie, skip the review before going. Also, keep in mind that while Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Snow Queen' is referenced in the credits and certainly inspired parts of the story and characters, this is no adaptation and is not so much as a makeover as much as an homage, perhaps, in the same way that the White Witch of CS Lewis could be said to be based somewhat on the Snow Queen and yet it is not the same story at all. But I glad they did reference it. Hans Christian Andersen is an author I like quite a lot, and not just because we share a birthday. :)

This morning I gave up and rode the bus

The ice was such I had trouble getting into my car (one of my co-workers actually broke her door handle trying to do that--she wound up taking a taxi). I tried to get a couple of doors open, gauged the amount of ice and how long it would take to chip into the car, and decided to just walk to the bus stop and go in that way. The buses were on the snow plan. We got about 1/2" of ice pellets with almost four inches of snow on top of them, so sidewalks and roads were quite slushy. One of my co-workers took an hour and a half to get to work because a main road coming in from Nicholasville to Lexington hadn't been ploughed. That kind of thing. I made it to the bus, just in time, crossing the intersection where in October 2012 I was hit by a car, the first time I've done that since that time. I had to cross the road back after the bus dropped me off, and that was harder, because there's no light at the lane near the hospital I work at.

Work was quiet; we got a lot of cancellations due to the weather. School was out, so there were a lot of sledders playing out on our hills (we have 29 acres of land, much of it with slopes). Even the University of Kentucky was out, which is very rare. They were just having their Plan B employees come in. The public library was closed too. The roads were just terrible, especially early.

Of course, they were much better on the way back, but I'd taken the bus, so I had to wait for it to take me back. As soon as I got home, before going inside or taking off my backpack, I scraped the snow (the ice had melted for the most part) off the car and put the windshield wipers up. We're supposed to get rain tomorrow, but it may be freezing rain. Then I went inside. I'd left work at 5 pm and got in the door at 6:30 pm. I watched the late evening news and just decided to lie down for an hour or so and listen to music, but of course I fell asleep and woke up at 11:30 instead. So I'll probably check on the weather and head back to bed now that I've gotten some water, etc. My hand and arm are hurting, so a little ibuprofen probably wouldn't be amiss. Have a a good night.

Not to be a total and utter wuss

But I'm in quite a bit of pain, due to tendonitis in the elbow and shoulder, so I'm going to keep this short. Today I:

• Voted in a special election for state senator. My candidate came in second of three, but hey, at least I voted.
• Got caught up on all the work I was behind on at, well, work.
• Lent an ear to someone who had to talk out their feelings regarding a family situation.
• Stopped by the library and got a couple of books and some CDs.
• Installed a new aquarium filter. The fish are SO much happier. Thanks Amazon!
• Watched several episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' with YKWIA because 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' were preempted by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
• Heated up a microwavable bandage for my elbow numerous times tonight. It does help. If only I could take care of the shoulder as well. First thing to get when I get paid Thursday--a heating pad. I had one that was my grandmother's, and probably it was about 40 years old. I think I gave it to Goodwill, damn the bad luck. But for now I'll keep with the microwavable things. They're like the rice-in-the-sock sort of thing, except there's a velcro strap for affixing it around the affected joint.
• Came home running on my gas light the whole way. I have $7 for gas tomorrow, before I get paid. Here's hoping I don't get vapour lock or something similar tonight--it's in the low 20s right now (Fahrenheit) and it's supposed to go down pretty far. I usually try to keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car for cold weather. Wish me luck.

Okay, enough typing already. Have a good night.