Mortality has been on my mind a lot of late

In seems like everywhere I look, things are hastening to their natural end. Tonight one of my beloved ‘nieces’, a collie shepherd who is about 16 years old, has been doing very poorly. Something has hurt her; I don’t think it was another dog, but she’s bloody under her right ear, and is very unsteady on her feet and more out of it than normal (and lately the senior moments have been more numerous than when she’s alert). So far, even when she’s slowed down, she’s come back and done pretty well. But she was obviously wanting to drink earlier, had her mouth right over the water, and couldn’t seem to. That’s not a good sign. My friends are going to call the vet first thing in the morning and see if they can get her an appointment. We did go ahead and give her the arthritis medicine in the hopes that it would help with some of the pain. The other dogs usually give her a wide berth because she is old and cranky, and there’s been no known dog fight or anything. It’s possible she tangled with something out in the bushes or got trapped and pulled loose. We don’t really know. But hopefully tomorrow at least the vet can see her and make her more comfortable. But we may be looking at the end. She’s been a wonderful and loyal dog. Considering her size, her age is remarkable. I do hope she’ll be alright, but I’m steeling myself for if she’s not.

Today I had my second performance appraisal in a week; I have two jobs at the hospital. I got pretty high marks, and I’ll be getting a raise (yay!) In the first appraisal, I was very candid with my primary boss about looking for another job, and she agreed that I had to pursue what’s best for me. In the second appraisal, my other boss asked me what my plans were at this point, when the hospital shuts down and moves to a new building as an ambulatory care centre. I explained that best case scenario, I find another job that has benefits and is full time. While I could stay to the bitter end and collect a severance, be eligible for unemployment, and have health care for a limited time, it’s very uncertain as to the particulars, a lot of the severance would go to taxes (although I’d get some back as a refund the next year), etc. I did tell him that I will have been here 20 years come next year, right before the move, and I’ll also be turning 50 (another reason mortality has been on my mind as of late), and it will be harder to be looking for a job. And I may need to look outside of the library field, maybe do something along the line of my second job in revenue cycle, if possible. We further discussed that if something did come up in the hospital, I would consider staying, although I’d probably have to take a pay cut, because my library rate is very good, and even though my charge capture position is much lower, it averages out to more than most of those jobs pay, and he was candid about that. He suggested that I could perhaps do something there in fiscal services, and even though I don’t have a formal background in accounting, I can obviously do similar things. Of course, at this point, they’re not sure how many positions in fiscal services will be going, either, so it’s not like he can say, yes, there’s a position you can have. But I think he’s happy with my willingness to take on other duties and help where needed, and I think if something came up, he would recommend me and prefer to retain me. The most likely place to have an opening would be scheduling, which I am trained in, at least to a point. I said I wasn’t sure I’d like to do that five days a week all day, but I would be willing to try, if the pay wasn’t terribly low. The main concern I have at the moment is continuing to have health insurance, and while I might find something on the exchanges, we have excellent insurance and it would be nice to keep it. But benefits are the main goal. That being said, I am having trouble making ends meet, mainly because I’ve overextended myself on debt in the last couple of years. So a pay cut, while it may be inevitable, is not going to be fun, either. Anyway, I asked him to let me know if anything came up, and to keep me in mind for future openings. It couldn’t hurt.

It’s been a very long week, it seems. Tonight I missed the return of ‘Grimm’ because A really needed to go to the store and do a large grocery run. YKWIA recorded it though, and we’ll watch it tomorrow. I also need to see the last two ‘Heroes: Reborn’ episodes. Oh, and he’s been recording the ‘Sword of Shannara Chronicles’ but we haven’t seen them yet.

So, tomorrow I need to:

1. Possibly take the dog to the vet (it’s very close to where they live, but the poor thing is too unsteady to walk up there, right now).
2. Take A to get his medicine, or at least go by and get it for him.
3. Possibly take him to get his hair cut.
4. Take in the Time Warner Cable equipment.
5. Do a very small grocery run for a couple of items they didn’t have tonight.

Okay. I’m pretty tired, and it’s after midnight. Good night.

Unless something changes in the meantime

I will not be going to work tomorrow. Our entire commonwealth is under a severe winter weather warning, and we are expecting up to and perhaps more than a foot of snow tomorrow. Now, according to the Weather Channel, it may not start until about the morning commute, but the problem is that while I might be able to get to work tomorrow morning, I most likely will not be able to get home. They're talking high winds in addition to the snow, causing a whiteout. Most everything is going to be closed, the garages downtown are free through Sunday to keep the cars off the snow routes there. I was told twice today by my boss that if I felt I could come in, that was one thing, but they didn't want anyone risking injury or death to be there, especially as I am non-essential personnel. Our clinic is lighter on Fridays, and while there were quite a few originally scheduled, there were already cancellations and I suspect there will be more. So I will most likely stay home to avoid getting stuck there, or if I do go, it'll be by bus. We already rescheduled my friend's appointment that was tomorrow, too.

After work today, I:

1. Got gas, filling up the tank. I went to the Euclid Speedway, which had gas at $1.58 a gallon even without any discount. I drove by Euclid's Kroger and it was crazy, with cars like vultures circling a kill. Because of that, there was no way to get to the bank that was next door.
2. I was, however, able to go by the Chinoe Kroger and get a roll of quarters for laundry from them. When I got there, the parking lot was busy, but I was able to get a spot near the edge of the lot. When I left, people were parking in strange places and circling around and around. I got the last cart before they brought more in (and they were doing that very quickly). I got some basics, including things that don't require power to make (I have an all-electric apartment), including a couple of items for my friends. The lines were backed up down the aisles, even though all the checkout lanes were open and running quickly. I didn't wait a long time, but I was about four or five back and there were at least another five or so behind me, and it was piling up further, with lines snaking around to the freezer section. I was lucky--I'd gone into work early, so I was able to leave early, so I beat a lot of the crowds. On the news tonight, they were showing the denuded shelves at Euclid's Kroger.

Then I went to my friends' house, dropped off the items, and my friend and I went to physical therapy. We got home about 8, recording the finale to 'Heroes Reborn'(we haven't watched the one before that yet). I fixed him some food, pilled the dogs, watched something with him as he ate, let the dogs out, fixed him tea, and then got home about 10 pm. Fortunately the snow hadn't started yet, so the roads were mostly dry till I got to my street, which is probably considered tertiary and to the best of my knowledge, has never seen a snow plough. But anyway, I put my windshield wipers up after I parked the car, brought the groceries in, etc., set the computer back up (I'd had it with me today), and ate some string cheese and the last bit of my pumpkin ice cream. My comma key is sticking for some reason. I'm not sure why.

Other things I did today:

1. Talked to someone at Time Warner Cable, who initially told me I could get my service back on for about $64, but then it quickly ballooned to a deposit and first month's payment in addition, so almost $200. It's not worth it. I pointed out that I had a hotspot through my cellular plan that gives 5GB of data just for that (my actual data plan on my phone is unlimited). I pay $10 a month extra for that, as opposed to $55 a month for monthly Internet from them. I've been using it, and I quite frankly came nowhere near that cap. So I feel confident letting the cable go. I'll take in the equipment and pay what I owe them, and that's that. Because of that, I'll have to cancel my Vonage phone, but I mainly use my cell phone anyway, and while they have been very good to me over the decade I've been with them, unfortunately it does require Internet to work, so that'll save me another $20 a month. The main drawback is that I can't watch Netflix on my TVs or laptop, as I don't think that 5GB cap would work if I were streaming programmes, but I mostly watch over at YKWIA's anyway. I am considering cancelling the DVD portion of my Netflix subscription, as we're not going through them quick enough to justify the money. I'll see about that. But if I do need Wi-Fi for anything, I can go across the street to the public library.
2. I rescheduled the appointment for tomorrow.
3. I added roadside assistance to my car insurance. My AAA is up for renewal, and it's simply too expensive compared to the dollar or so a month I'd pay through my insurance carrier. I also put in for a low mileage discount. In the three years I've had my car, I've put about 12,000 miles on it, and anything under 7,500 a year is considered eligible.
4. Checked with my allergist to see if I need new phials or if they're okay for now and at the practice. Everything's okay. I may have to go down to another phial, but they're good till April and there, so if I can go twice a week till then, I might use up most of them before they expire.

Okay, the news is off and Jimmy Fallon is on, so it's getting towards bedtime. Hope you have a safe time if you're in the path of this storm--some places are actually expecting up to two feet of snow. Good night.

So, I'm trying an experiment

It's a whole wheat bread with cranberries and sunflower seeds. I sort of mixed a couple of recipes together. We'll see how it turns out in a couple of hours. :)

Meanwhile, I'm eating some macaroni and cheese and watching the goldfish swim in the aquarium. After PT YKWIA and I went to his house, I fixed him dinner, and we watched 'Doctor Who' (with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper). Rose is growing on me, and so is this Doctor. I've mostly seen the Matt Smith and Tom Baker series, so Eccleston's is quite a bit different. But he still captures the essence of the Doctor. This one was called 'Father's Day' and was all about time paradox. I hope YKWIA doesn't put those creatures in the game. But he's right, the basic quality of a good companion is to have lots of pluck (and the ability to run...a lot).

Tomorrow after work I'm heading to the pharmacy to pick up meds for my friends and later that night there's 'The Shannara Chronicles'. 'Heroes Reborn' comes back from hiatus (how do you go on hiatus with only three episodes of a thirteen-episode arc left?) on Thursday. So we're watching TV again. I hope I can get my Internet turned back on this week, although it's looking iffy. I have to pay my rent (yes, I did that last time, very late, and can't take the chance on doing that again) and my car insurance. Not much is going to be left. :( I hate that I've gotten behind like this. But, hey, if I pay what I can and talk to them, it's bound to get better.

I have to admit, I'm a bit tired. I got up early this morning (I've been trying to do that lately) and tomorrow is no exception. I'm trying to get up at least an hour and a half before I have to be anywhere. Not that it takes me that long to get ready, but it's an opportunity to get other things done that should get done, and usually by the late evening I'm ready to do something quiet and go onto bed. So I'm trying to wring as much out of my time as I can.

Speaking of which, I think I'll do some more reading. I'm at the point where Gilgamesh is trying to find the Sumerian equivalent of Noah to ask him questions about eternal life. These ancient epics--Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, even the Vestas--have way too much testosterone in them, and apparently men aren't all that different then from now. Give a man a beer, a weapon, and the chance to get laid and the results are pretty much the same. Except that Gilgamesh rebuffed Inanna, which, quite frankly, was dumb. One thing we learn from Greek mythology is that it is very good to live quiet lives beneath the notice of the Gods. Yes, you should be pious, and make sacrifices. However, it never ends well when mortals run afoul of Immortals, and even worse, when they offend them. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu terribly insulted the Goddess, in a most foul way. I'm surprised the people of Uruk were not destroyed to the last man, woman, and child. Any Goddess who threatens the zombie apocalypse just to convince her father to let her borrow the Bull of Heaven is to be feared. I guess women haven't changed that much, either. The scene is like watching a teenager beg her father for the keys to the car or else she'll (insert threat here). :)

Okay, back to reading I go. I'd like to finish it tonight. I also need to take something so I can put it in my phone's Habitica application and get some experience points. :) Good night!

I wish I could figure out

why my laptop can do a Google search, but refuses to connect to any actual websites? My firewall just got updated; maybe that's it. But it's damn annoying.

I'm still hurting, but taking ibuprofen and sitting rather than walking have kept it bearable--I actually got a lot done today, and I made headway on the referrals. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at 11 am; it was the quickest they could work me in. I hope I just strained something and it'll work itself out soon.

I've been listening to the Linkin Park station on Pandora. There's nothing like alternative metal/nu metal to totally stoke the fire when you're annoyed already. I think I need to switch the station over to Loreena McKennitt or Ella Fitzgerald.

I wish I could stay up some more, but I am hurting, and I took some medicine for it, and while it hasn't kicked in yet in terms of the pain, I'm feeling sleepy. I have to get up early tomorrow, so I think I'll go take my contacts out and go to bed. At least I did get to see 'Heroes Reborn' tonight. They've done an excellent job with it. Tomorrow, as Scarlett said, is another day.

Back to normal--

or at least, back to normal for me. The medication kicked in and I got some rest. I had a little trouble getting up this morning, but I felt better than I have in days and got a lot accomplished. Today and tomorrow are my catch up day for the library and all those little tasks I have for the revenue cycle aspect of my job.

Earlier I took a friend to our family doctor and went to the allergist myself (which was, fortunately, across the street from his appointment). I got a good report from the allergist and was able to start my allergy shots back up, only having to take a few steps down to a lower phial. But I'll build my way back up fairly quickly, she said. I'm going to try to go tomorrow and get another shot, as there's no harm in doing them one day after the other, but I have to go to the pharmacy, too, so we'll see if I have time for both. I think I will, anyway. Afterwards we got some food at Taco Bell (a much better experience than last time), went over to his house, and we watched an episode of 'Scream Queens' on Hulu and ate. Later, we watched 'Heroes Reborn'. Then I came home right before the UK-Auburn football game let out, yay, and got home just in time to see the final score (a close game overall, but Auburn won). UK has not had a Thursday night game since 1939, and they had much to do to make it run smoothly as far as traffic is involved, especially after the Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert that left Tates Creek road a virtual parking lot for hours on end, just a bit ago.

Okay, I'm sleepy, and it's time for bed--my phone application has told me so. I'm going to sign off. Good night.

For someone

Who does not normally watch television,  I am fairly committed this season:

Monday: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Minority Report'
Tuesday: 'iZombie'
Thursday:' Heroes Reborn'
Friday: 'Grimm'  (starting October 30th)

It would be Wednesday,  too,  but I'm too wussy for 'American Horror Story'.  And of course,  'Doctor Who'  is an issue with YKWIA,  who can't understand Peter Capaldi. So Saturday is more for Netflix,  like 'Lost Girl'  and 'Haven'. (YKWIA also won't watch SyFy due to how they spell their logo,  so we catch those shows on Netflix rather than cable.)  ;)

Okay,  good night!

Tired

Apex Janice Mary Jane shoe

I went into work by 7 this morning, even though my normal Thursday time is 8:30 am. I was trying to make up some time, as I had an appointment about mid-morning at the podiatrist to pick up my diabetic shoes. They're very nice--Mary Janes that are actually wide enough for my feet (7 extra wide; my foot is about as wide as it is long). The doctor was a little concerned about the straps, which are a kind of Y-shape with Velcro fastening, in a sort of hook and loop. But the nice thing is that I can wear them with pants or skirts, socks or hose, and they're pretty comfortable, although I'm breaking them in. I also got some inserts that can be moulded to the foot by using a hair dryer to warm them, sticking them into the shoe, and then inserting the foot and standing on them a couple of minutes. I'm allowed one pair of shoes a year--my insurance pays for them--and over the last three years I've gotten some New Balance walking shoes, a pair of A2 boots for winter wear, and now these for dress wear, so I'm pretty set on shoes at the moment. The other great thing about the Mary Janes is that they are closed toe but don't have a heel (I can't walk in heels), and if I were to get a job at the Lexington Public Library, one of their rules is closed-toe shoes only, so the Vionic sandals I wear in the summer would be right out, and these make a great alternative, as they're not heavy like my others. The podiatrist did want to see me back in 9 weeks to do another x-ray; last time he discovered a piece of bone had broken off and might be causing some of the mild pain I've had in my ankle. He suggested getting a sleeve for my ankle (which I did) and also checking with the representative who delivered my bone stimulator three years ago to see if it can be reset and used. My understanding is that it's a single use, single person device that shuts itself off after about 270 days. If that's the case, I have a $5,000 paperweight in my closet, which did help a lot in terms of building up my ankle after I broke it, but may not be used now, and might as well be recycled. But I'll see. I doubt my insurance would pay for another one due to a fragment of bone that's come loose. But he thought the sleeve would at least provide a little support, and if I could get the bone stimulator reset, it might help the situation.

Today I also got my flu shot and TB skin test. After work, I went and got some medicine for my friends and I. I accidentally got home with someone's dementia medicine (Aricept/donepezil), so I need to take that back. After that I took care of one of my friends who wasn't feeling all that great. We watched 'Heroes Reborn'. I recognised Harris as the same actor who played the first Ash in 'Lost Girl' (he has an extremely deep and hypnotic voice, and comes off a bit creepy because of it), so I felt a little proud of myself. But despite having great blood sugar all day (it was 126 this morning before breakfast) and taking my medicine, I was a little off when dealing with YKWIA--I just didn't seem to get the banana at times. That might just be me being tired for having been up since 5:30 or 6 am, and waking up practically every hour on the hour throughout the night.

Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go on to bed. I think I'll totally unmake the bed this time, because I want to rub some lemon lotion on my feet and give them a good rub, and I think the lotion would discolour the comforter, but not the blanket. Good night.

'Heroes Reborn' was absolutely wonderful!

It was nice to see the intrigue is back, with all the small plots weaving together to form a larger one. I am definitely hooked! I loved 'Heroes', particularly the first part of the series, and it's nice to see some familiar faces as well as new ones. I have the series on DVD thanks to a deep sale at Half Price Books, so I should re-watch the episodes. My favourite was the one where we saw the camp where Angela Petrelli had been in when she was young. Like the 'X-Men' comics, series, and films, there are lots of references in 'Heroes' to the persecuted, and there were absolutely overt comparisons to gays, blacks, and Jews--among others--in both the original series and this one. The miniseries starts with a great festival symbolising peace between humans and 'Evos'--those with powers, with rainbow placards and people protesting with signs worthy of the Westboro Church. I am already into the characters and plots and subplots. YKWIA and our friend Tammy both watch it, too--in fact, I was watching over at YKWIA's, and Tammy called within a couple of minutes of the end to chat about the show. Anyway, I think we all three enjoyed it immensely.