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.

Wearing a shirt to the DMV

that says 'You are about to exceed the limits of my medication' which our friend Tammy got me is probably not a great idea, but I went ahead and went down there, after filling up the gas tank, using the Kroger points to get it for $2.29. There was a line at the DMV, but it moved quickly. I was behind a blind lady and her caretaker, who were very sweet. I had everything ready when I got up there, got my new registration (it looks different now, and the sticker is a weird greyish white colour that looks kind of rubbery, instead of the normally brightly-coloured ones). After that I headed to the library, got three new books, including one on a 19th-century axe murder (no, not the Lizzie Borden case), and two on diet and wellness, and then got my parking ticked validated and went on out. I decided to go to the Chinoe Kroger (it's smaller, and easier to get in and out of, and got some drinks, some ice, some hand soap, and some menstrual pads. I went ahead and put the new sticker on the licence plate. I haven't eaten lunch yet (and did resist buying food, because for some reason after the burritos this morning, I'm just not hungry yet). I'll probably eat that here about 2 pm or so, unless I get hungry sooner. Newk's may be for dinner, though. I haven't looked to see if anything's playing at the Cinemark theatres that I have free tickets to, but frankly, I've put up the windows, it's nice outside, so I may just stick around here and watch a DVD or Netflix. Hmmm, I've been wanting to re-watch Galaxy Quest, which I have on VHS but not on DVD--but it is on streaming for Netflix. That's a possibility.

Feeling better after a difficult day

I started my day oversleeping and with my morning blood sugar through the roof. All sorts of little things irritated me, from the drive in to work, to the inexplicable difficulty in peeling my hard-boiled egg for breakfast. Things got a little better as my day went, and I just decided I was having a Monday on a Wednesday. After work I took some medicine up to the vet for a friend and exchanged it for something else, and was visiting when I did something he hates (I was overly helpful), he barked at me about it, it hurt my feelings, and generally brought lots of emotions up, and when it all came down to it, and we talked, I realised I was being a little labile, probably because my cycle is about to start. So I went on home, ate something, listened to the radio, found the cards, and generally feel a little better. Tomorrow I am off from work. I think I need a break from everything. It's not that I have a particularly hard job. I love my co-workers and place of business. I enjoy what I do, and I'm good at it. But every now and then you have to get away from the normal schedule, and the last day off I had, on my birthday, was mostly spent getting the brakes worked on. So tomorrow, here's the plan:

1. Get my car registration renewed.
2. Straighten up the house.
3. Watch a movie, either at home or with my free movie tickets from work, depending on what's in the cinema.
4. Go eat at Newk's Eatery. I won a $10 gift card from them today from a contest at work to re-name the motion lab. (I was the runner-up, with the MAGIC (Motion and Gait in Children) Laboratory.)
5. Do some actual reading.
6. Stop by the library.
7. Work on a job application. Submitted!!!

So it's a mix of fun and important stuff to do. :) Okay, I think I'm going to sign off for now and go try to do something relaxing.