I got up very early for a Saturday

But then I was in bed by about 9 pm and asleep by 10:30 last night.  I have to take a couple of people to an appointment in a couple of hours, and so I wanted to get up early, get washed up and dressed, and clean out the car.  Not that there was much in the way of trash (a couple of soda bottles to recycle), but I still had a small cherry table in the backseat and my TV and DVD player in the trunk, and they've been there since before I got sick.  I set it all up, it works (now that I have WiFi, I can not only get the basic channels with a digital antenna, I can get streaming services since it's a (small) Smart TV).  I can also watch my DVDs now without hooking up the old DVD-ROM to my laptop (I don't have one built into the computer as it's smaller and they saved space).

YKWIA just came in and saw the TV set up.  I'm not sure he was happy, but he said it was okay.  I did set it all up while he was asleep in the hopes that he'd be less likely to say no, I have to admit, which I did freely to him.  But it's out of the way of his treadmill (though next to it) and away from the books, so I think it'll be okay.

So far this morning I've also taken my meds (including the antibiotic), eaten some raisin bran with a banana, and now I'm in my room while he's watching 'Will & Grace', with the cat perched on my bed.  It's raining outside, so the dogs weren't particularly happy, and they were just let in and are gated in the kitchen.

I like the new room. I have a door I can shut so I have more privacy, so my music doesn't disturb him (or the TV for that matter).  I can hear him on the computer when he's watching stuff because he plays it loudly (his hearing isn't what it used to be, but then neither is mine, I just can listen to things more softly), but I can take it down a notch or two by closing the door.  I'm surrounded by books on three sides of the room, and I have taken over some of the built-in shelves, so I have more storage as far as the bed go.  The water for my CPAP, for example, is in the footboard instead of next to the bed.  I have the two nightstands, with two drawers each, the bookcase on the headboard, plus the top of that, the footboard with two sliding-door cabinets and two long drawers for underwear, socks, and nightclothes.  He's let me use his cedar chest for pants and T-shirts.  My normals blouses and sweaters, along with my laundry basket, lunch bags, a few random bags, and my robe are in the entryway closet.  I also keep my two microfleece blankets there in the daytime.  In the hall closet are my linens and two bags of purses.  Also in the bedroom, in addition to the TV/DVD/cherry table, are two small trash cans and a Bluetooth speaker tower.  My headboard has a small CD player/boom box, so I have all the music set up and now the video.  He brought a stool in while I was sick to put my food on, and I've kept it, so I have the laptop on it right now and my chair from the kitchen.  But those travel around, of course.  So it's a nice, comfy environment, and I'm doing so much better in terms of anxiety and psychological peace since downsizing.  Now granted, I am having to pay for storage, and most of that is the books that I didn't get rid of.  But it's still much better than when I was in the apartment.  We're doing pretty well in terms of getting along and giving each other space, although I'm a bit too chatty for him before his coffee, except that's usually just Saturdays and Sundays, and I can take a hint. I think having me home (especially after I ventured out of the bed after three days) was starting to get to him, having a little too much time with me).  But otherwise, we're doing fine.  I have certain chores and he does as well; we share a lot of the upkeep.

I have two windows in my room, good-sized, but separate as opposed to the two in the living room, which are together.  There are two maple trees and a redbud outside in the front yard, and there is a squirrel who has been hopping between one and the roof above.  The cat is having his Zen time on my bed, or I'm sure he'd be enjoying the view.   We get lots of squirrels.  Our neighbour has been putting out corn for them, and they nest in the maples.  It's nice living in a house.  It's got a little over 1200 square feet, has the large bedroom, which I gather was two rooms at one point, you can tell on the hardwood floor, the library, which was a study and a den at one point until they remodeled, the living room, a kitchen with utility room, and a bath.  I do wish they'd kept the bath as one main one with the half bath off the master bedroom, but instead they knocked down a wall and made it a large bathroom with tub, a shower glassed in on three sides, a window, two sinks (that is nice) with a large mirror and three cabinets behind it, and a door going to the bedroom and to the hall.  But sometimes we trip over each other trying to use it.  Still, it's nice, and there's ceramic tile in the kitchen and bath, and hardwood throughout the rest of the house, the former having been part of their remodelling a few years ago.  There's a nice-sized shed for storage and a privacy fence for the dogs, although one likes to jump up and peek over it, and can.  She could technically clear it, I think, she just doesn't realise it.  Still, I suspect she scares the neighbours when she does that, as she is a Labrador-pit bull mix with amazing jumping power.  The other little dog is a border collie-terrier mix.  The cat is black and slinky.  They are all incredibly loving and good-natured.  The older dog has mellowed over the years; she used to be much more anxious and weird.  We found that a Thundershirt helped when she was outside, but the other dog was offended by it and would drag her around the yard by it until she tore it to pieces.  She used to have to be sedated around the Fourth of July, but now she's a little deafer and it doesn't bother her.  I love all the animals dearly, but I'm a little partial to the little dog, who sleeps in my room most nights.

There was just a mourning dove out on the tree a minute ago, spooked by a squirrel.  But she walked along the branch with that funny gait and head bobbling thing they do.  I think they are my favourite bird, not particularly showy, but I love them.  They're usually on the ground in pairs when I see them.  I love their call, as well, so eerie.

Okay, I guess I should go get hydrated and ready for the outing.  I hope things are going pretty well for you all.  Stay well (I had mild flu, really, but it still was bad enough).  Have a great day.

It's been a relaxing weekend so far

Yesterday YKWIA and I did our own things, for the most part. He watched 'The Flash' and 'Arrow' on Netflix, and then listened to BBC radio plays with Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. He also took care of the empty boxed we'd saved from the move he needed for something and did some other things about the house. I got some medicine at the pharmacy, did a grocery run, did most of the laundry and some dishes, re-potted two African violets, gardened some outside, and then relaxed, listened to music, and did some reading. I am re-reading Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson on the Kindle. I haven't read the third (and last) trilogy, so I thought I'd re-read the first two trilogies and then go forward with those. I'd already finished the game notes Friday night, so I had plenty of time on Saturday to do whatever I liked.

Today I got up early, took a shower (something I never got around to yesterday, which is rare), washed my bedding and then made the bed. I also took my medicine, ate, etc. I was cleaning the cat box when YKWIA got up (he'd gone to bed later than I did). He fed the animals and let the dogs out (we agreed that if I do it in the morning, it'll set a precedent where they'll bark, etc., and since I get up around 5:30 or 6 am on weekdays, that's too early for that. So far it's worked well. I find they'll come out, hopeful, but if I just ignore or maybe just pet them, they'll go back to bed. Well, the cat will stay and get loved on and follow me about, but he's mostly quieter and doesn't keep begging for food much.

We did get some very bad news last night. An acquaintance I hadn't seen in about 20 years tracked me down via Messenger and let me know that a mutual friend (the owner of the comic shop I'd worked for) now has stage IV colon and liver cancer. We'd fallen out of touch over the years. I told YKWIA (he'd known him better and for far longer) and got the address of someone who can let me know if we can help him in any way or see him, as this person is not on Facebook.

Brenda called today to cancel the game due to either a stomach bug or bad barbeque from yesterday. So we're not playing, and I have pretty much the rest of my day to do anything I want. She knows the person with cancer as well, so YKWIA told her what was going on and she was going to tell her husband, who also knows him. A little later, YKWIA called me into the other room. His Internet and phone were both out. I put the modem through a cycle, and it worked for a moment, then lost the connexion again. I called Spectrum and apparently, there is an outage in our area. Fortunately I can get on through the hotspot on my phone, but it's not good for videos, etc., due to a monthly cap of 5 GB.

There are only a couple of things I have to do today. One is to go get pen needles from the Kroger pharmacy, as I forgot to ask at mine yesterday, where I have the prescription. I also told YKWIA I would wash his popcorn bowl (and by that, I mean the top of a plastic cake safe, so it's pretty big). I'll do the few dishes that are left after I put away the ones I did yesterday.

I have to admit, I feel more relaxed here. I always used to feel rushed on the weekends, and when I was home, with all the stuff I hoarded, my apartment seemed oppressive. My room is cosy. My friend and I are getting along well, giving each other space, and have had no major problems as of yet. It's actually been pretty companionable. I really do feel like I'm home now.

Okay, I should go and do something. I think I'll do a little reading. I'm going to go to Kroger after the church rush. Hope you are having a pleasant weekend.

Things I did today

1. Worked steadily in the library, taking care of everything I needed to finish before the weekend, including my revenue cycle duties, but also interlibrary loans, etc.
2. Took a friend to a doctor's appointment.
3. Got my allergy shots.
4. Took my friend to Barnes & Noble.
5. Dropped two books off at the library.
6. Renewed another.
7. Helped my friend find some paperwork.
8. Came home.
9. Opened the windows.
10. Changed clothes into something comfy.
11. Started making bread in the machine.
12. Cooked macaroni & cheese and made hot chocolate.
13. Consumed both.
14. Turned on the star fairy lights and skull diffuser.
15. Started playing Depeche Mode in the living room.
16. Applied for a job.
17. Updated my résumé on Indeed.com.

It's been a productive day. Now, to relax and let bread bake (it's an extra-large loaf of wheat bread. I used the oil option rather than the applesauce, because that's what I had. Hopefully it will come out alright).

Wow, it's 6 pm and I'm home!

I don't remember when I was last home with the sun shining so brightly through the windows. YKWIA had an appointment tonight, but had to cancel it, so I dropped off something for him I'd gotten at the store (I was a block away from his house when he called), did a couple of things for him, and was home by about 5:45 or so. So far, I have changed into comfy clothes, unpacked the computer, started some music going from the phone through the speaker tower, changed a battery in my clock, and taken my blood sugar/medicine. Now I'm eating and listening to the music (Hozier). Some things I'd like to do tonight:

1. Water the plants inside and out.
2. Straighten up the living room.
3. Clean up the kitchen and make some zucchini, peppers, and onion before they go bad, so I can have it for lunch tomorrow.
4. Update my ledger.
5. Clean the bathroom.
6. Read.

I think that's doable, and would go a long way to making my life at home pleasant. So I'm going to go check the news and finish eating so I can tackle them.

UPDATE: Of course, did I do any of those things? No, I fell asleep for 12 hours, because apparently I'd been going, going, and going, and finally went plop. Oh, well, I got some much-needed rest, at least.

I'm home. Yay!

I will update later, but for now I am back in my apartment and am going to take a well-deserved nap, then get up in about an hour or so, grab something to eat, and then go take A on a grocery run. But first, sleep!

Home tonight

I took my books in this morning on the way to work, had a very productive day at work, then went to a doctor's appointment and he was happy to see that the increase in medicine dosage had helped. I see him again in six weeks. Right as I went to leave a friend called and asked for a ride home from work, so I stopped by there and got him. It took me ten minutes just to get out of the Beaumont area, another few minutes to go through the double crossover, and then finally I got to him, took him home, and then had to take an alternative route home because of major backups, a way I don't use often and I got a little lost, but it was still probably quicker than in would have been if I'd sat in traffic. Now I'm home, with the evening news on, and it's kind of nice to have a free Wednesday for now. If my application is accepted and I go through the training, I may be helping teach the same class I took this the last three months or more during the summer. (At least we won't have to worry about snow days). There are eleven sessions, once a week. I'm excited by the possibility. It's a volunteer position, but that's fine. I think it's a very helpful class and I think it can be a godsend for the students who take it.

I've also recently applied for a job at a neighbouring county's public library. Wish me luck! The application window closed Friday, so hopefully I'll hear something soon.

Wow. I just saw a video on the news of a man calmly describing the F-4 tornado that was bearing down on him while he was out driving. He was totally unflappable. He wasn't a storm chaser, I don't think, just someone out driving, and I must admit he was much calmer than I would have been, I'm sure.

Okay, I think it's time to get away from the computer for a bit. I may write later, but it not, have a good night.

Ahhhh...

In Lexington, at home, in my own bed, in the right time zone. Still a little pumped from the trip. And hot. I was hot in Chicago, where it was sunny and 70 degrees, I was hot on the plane and used the fan. Now, even though it's only April, it was stuffy when I got home so I put on the air conditioner and am in front of a fan. And they tell me my hormones are normal and I'm not hitting menopause yet. Maybe it's all that insulation I have. Anyway, I'm glad I'm back. I really appreciate the beauty of Lexington and the Bluegrass now. And I missed knowing where on earth I was going, too. :) Now I'm listening to music (James Blunt). I accidentally checked my headphones, so I couldn't listen to my phone's music at the airport, at least without raising the ire of my fellow passengers. I think I'm going to put my feet up and if I fall on to sleep, so be it. I've been up for hours, I've done a lot of walking, and I'm tired.

I'm home for now

waiting for 'Supernatural' to be over, since a friend won't answer the phone or door during the show. I spent about 2 1/4 hours in the cooler tonight, stocking and organising--with the fans running. That and today's great journal purge made for a good workout, and left me a little tired. I'd like to just go to sleep for a little while. Alas, that is not to be, so I'm eating dinner to get some energy.

I should have stopped by the grocery to get distilled water for my CPAP humidifier. It helps keep my nose and mouth from drying out when I sleep. But I didn't want to make any stops; I actually used the ATM at work to get some money, even with a $2 charge, than to go over to a bank that's a half a block away. My food came from the store, too. I just wanted to go home. I do need to see about getting some wine tonight when I pick a friend up from work, as I have not made my monthly offering. I had quite a few wine bottles in the recyclables today; anyone poking around in my kitchen cabinet would have thought I was an alcoholic, but of course I don't drink the wine--I use it for libations. I just hadn't cleaned out the cabinet in awhile.

I think I may try to zone out in my comfy chair for a few minutes. It's not quite as nice as sleep, but I find it relaxing. I just let my mind wander; often I get insights into the game that way. :)

A pleasant holiday

I went to Danville for the day and enjoyed a feast over at my stepfather's mom's house. My mom cooked most of it (my grandmother cooked fish and green beans/potatoes without meat in it for me), but my mom and John have been renovating their kitchen and had sold their table and chairs, so needed a place to host it.

John's mother is a wonderful old lady who pulls no punches when talking about anything, including family. Her home is beautiful, and she has a lovely large tortoise-shell tabby who she's adopted to keep her company. He was very friendly and snuggled right up with me. I'm getting to enjoy cats vicariously a lot lately, as a friend has recently acquired a kitten. I also got much loving from my grandmother's dog.

The main thing on everyone's mind was apparently my stepbrother, who is in jail for his second DUI, running a red light, hit and run, and marijuana and alcohol in the car. I don't know if that's the end of it. Apparently visitation is very complicated, requiring much red tape a day in advance, so John hasn't really gotten to see him but once and doesn't even know if he was injured in the accident. I also don't know if he injured anyone else.

Robert is 23 years old and I would hope that he can turn his life around but I'm really not sure if he will. I know John doesn't want to cut him off (he's living with them and they help him with money), but I think he's enabling him, too. A few years ago he had a spinal accident and it's limited the work he can do; he's not really got the education or propensity for a clerical position, and little experience in anything other than dead-end, low-paying jobs, so he doesn't have a lot of prospects. But instead of playing up his to his strengths he seems to be hanging with the wrong people and using far too much alcohol and pot. I just don't know what will become of him. I know 23 is still in the young-and-stupid age range. I just hope he grows up without hurting himself or anyone else any more than he already has in the process.

On a brighter note, I came home while it was still light (deer are pretty bad on US 27, so I avoid it at night if at all possible, especially this time of year) and there was this dichotomy of dark storm clouds and sun, which set up the most beautiful double rainbows I have ever seen. The main one was particularly bright, not diffused at all. People were pulling off the road to take pictures. I really wish I knew where my camera was. It was just gorgeous and made my day.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you had a good day as well.

I'm home earlier than normal

I didn't have to pick my friend up from work tonight because he's off. I did have to go to Kroger to pick up some things, including Cerys' food, something that I forgot earlier.

I never did get to start Harry Potter. I intend to get through the first chapter tonight. Then tomorrow I'm going to bring it along because the woman I normally eat lunch with is on maternity leave (she was induced Friday; I don't know yet what she had, and they never found out ahead of time--I hope and presume all went well). The others have been eating outside, and I've been trying to stay out of the sun because I burn easily anyway and the Lasix increases that risk. So instead I'll have a trusty book with me. Then I have an appointment that afternoon, so it's always good to have something to read while waiting.

Anything I haven't mentioned from this week already? Oh, the other night I went by the ATM and it said 'do you need more time?'. I said no and it spit out someone's debit card and receipt. I couldn't really slip it under the front doors of the bank, so I held onto it until the next morning, locking it in my glove compartment. It felt strange to have someone else's card. I took it in the next day to a teller. I hope the guy got it back alright.

Today we played the game (it was excellent). Dee wasn't there, she had family obligations, but we soldiered on. Brenda killed two Byakhee in a total magical darkness, which was quite impressive. Of course, then the cultists started shooting, and that's difficult to handle when your main weapons are swords.

By the way Byakhee is also a free program for generating standard Call of Cthulhu character sheets. Check it out. It allows you to automatically roll a character and fills out your sheet, generate random character names, roll complex dice combinations, import images for the investigator, calculate income, roll checks off, and allows you to export to a web page. It is, unfortunately, not so useful for us because we have such specialised stats, but fun nonetheless, and did I mention free? They also have on the website sheets for NPCs (Non-Player Characters), newspaper handout templates, calendar sheets, a resistance roller, a back sheet for the standard sheet, one for Delta Green, and additional rule packs (skills, occupations, weapons, spellbooks, etc.) for Walker in the Wastes, 1930's Antarctic Explorer (from Beyond The Mountains of Madness), Delta Green, 1920s Investigator Companion, and Dreamlands. There's even a thought for today. The one I just got was 'Famous last words: "I think it's intelligent. Let's see if I can communicate with it."' That would be Dee's character Autumn, I'm sure. :)

Well, that's all for now. I want to get that chapter in!

I feel snotty, oh so snotty

Sorry I haven't posted. I've been turning in early because I've been fighting a cold (and losing). Memorial Day I was in bed (or more accurately, in chair, by 9 pm). I've been sleeping in the recliner with the CPAP machine because I've been able to breathe better upright. I need a new masque and hose, so some air is leaking. Plus my machine may need to be recalibrated--it's been several years. Today I need to make an appointment with the sleep centre to see if I can take care of that. Wouldn't want to die quietly in my sleep, you know.

Saturday it was like having part of the day off, since I only worked six hours (I'm back to the normal ten this week). Sunday was the game, fortunately with no explosions this time but we did all get satellite cell phone hookups which was great. They're supposed to be global, which will help in the Antarctic adventure. It helps to have a few wealthy characters in the game, as they're about $2000 a piece.

Monday I went home to visit my mom and grandmother (who turned 83 yesterday). I brought my grandmother some calla lillies for her birthday. It took me nearly an hour just to check all the car fluids (trying to avoid killing another engine like I did last year). It took awhile to figure out where the transmission fluid dipstick was, since it was hidden behind and down from the engine. Fortunately I still have my manual. It needed antifreeze, oil, and a smidge of transmission fluid. I went ahead and got a phone card and then I was on my way.

It was a pleasant drive (thank goodness for cruise control, my personal anti-trooper deterrent--who needs radar guns if you're not speeding?) and a pleasant trip. My mom was between a 16-hour and 8-hour shift up in Lexington, so she couldn't stay long. I have my insurance card for the car now, too, so while hopefully I won't need it, I won't be without it should I be stopped. My grandmother loaned me her exercise bike, since she can't use it anymore. I haven't gotten it out of the car yet; I'll try that tonight.

After I got back, D and I went shopping with the gift card I'd received. I got 5 pairs of underwear, 1 bra, 1 nightgown, 3 blouses, a pair of sandals that are dressy enough for work, and a skirt, and basically only paid for the skirt. It took us a little over an hour to hunt things down, which amazed Dwana.

Yesterday it was back to work to both jobs with the cold in full swing. It's worse today--I'm just clammy and snotty and seriously wondering if I should call into work. But I'll preservere. Besides, I don't want my boss at the gas station to have to work a double because of me. But man, I feel like crap.

Cerys is itchy again, so I need to check into giving her another cortisone shot--I don't want to do that too often, it can trigger diabetes, but I don't want her miserable either. Plus she goes around the house rubbing against everything, pulling bookshelves down, and heading for a crescendo of the only real bark she does anymore, which isn't good in an apartment complex environment. She's calmed down this morning, thankfully. But I think a shot is in order.

Well, I guess that's all for now. It feels like Tuesday because of the holiday. Soon I'll be painting shelves and a bedroom between jobs, so I'm not sure how much time I'll get to blog--I hope to keep up pretty well, though. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Being productive

I came home right after work and took a nap, then worked at putting things in order, getting the trash and recyclables together, and going through my languishing mail. I bought a mail sorter from Target the other day. It has a drawer for chequebooks/stamps, etc. and 31 labelled slots for due dates. I now know that I've paid all but my medical and large bills and those are going to take some time to whittle down. But I know where to start, and that's something.

I also got a reminder that I'll be forty soon--the breast centre where I had a mammogramme a couple of years ago (I was having breast pain) sent me a nice little letter saying I was due on April 2nd (my 40th birthday). Yay, let's celebrate middle-age by getting our breasts squished.

I discovered the other day that the points I get for using my debit card and other things related to my checking account are upwards to nearly 20,000 (in only about six months, no less). That's enough for $50 gift cards to various stores. I'm wondering if I should save up for the $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Hmm...

Well, I suppose I should turn in, although I may read a little of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files first. 'Night.