Sigh

So apparently I overdid it yesterday, which I guess isn't surprising. I was bored, so I did all that housework, and that was a mistake. It's not my knee that is really hurting (although it is a bit), but rather my back. I am really tight above my knees, as if my quads are telling me, Really, again? Anyway, I'm going to try to take it easy today. I'm up taking my meds and drinking some fluids, but after that, I may lie back in bed. I got up and made coffee, and got my friend up (and he's moving slow). He's studying via Zoom with friends now and probably will for a couple of hours at least, so I'm just going to rest, and he agrees I should. Afterwards, when he can be attentive, I need to practice going up the step with the left leg. My right leg has been my 'good' leg since high school, and of course, you go up on the 'good' leg, down on the 'bad' one, but once the next surgery happens, the left will be the 'good'. The thing is, it just had surgery, so it needs strengthening, and the right still needs strengthening before surgery as well, so I have new exercises to do as well. But I think going up and down the stairs will help, though I found out in PT it's hard, especially at first.

Up

I won't say early, because compared to the weekdays I've actually slept in, getting up right at 9 am. But in the 30 minutes that I've been up, I've started a load of laundry, started a loaf of bread making in the bread machine, gone out to the car to get some Diet Sunkist from my car, nicely chilled, and am now caffeinating. It's why I drink the stuff--I don't care for colas that much, preferring fruit flavour, but it's the only orange soda I've found with caffeine. That said, I know soda, in general, is not so good for me, particularly with artificial sweeteners (Diet Sunkist uses aspartame). So I have been exploring other options. I don't care for coffee or black tea. I've tried Mio Energy and Crystal Light Energy but they are artificially sweetened as well. So I'm still looking. And yes, I like water, but I need a little caffeine to get through the day or I'm like a zombie.

Also since getting up, I've also taken my insulin and Byetta (but not the oral meds yet--I'm at the end of my pill container and need to fill it up. I need caffeine before I do that, or I tend to put them in the wrong slot or even drop them, which is not good when you have cats, particularly a kitten, who is fascinated by all sorts of things dropping to the floor.

I did splurge just a bit yesterday, buying a Kindle book of a regular book that I have out from the library. It is called Orchid Modern: Living & Designing with the World's Most Elegant Houseplants By Marc Hachadourian, the curator of the Orchid Collection at the New York Botanical Garden. It's a lovely book, dealing with the history of orchid collecting, the different species, plant care, creating decorative projects like terrariums, creating a good environment for the orchids, etc., all in one substantial book and generously and beautifully illustrated. I really liked looking through it, but when it came to reading--and he has a good writing style--I found I was impeded by the relatively small typescript, no doubt small to leave room for the lovely pictures of orchids. So I got the Kindle book because while on my e-reader it would have been wasted, I normally read my books on my tablet now (which is not a Fire, but I use the Kindle application on an Android tablet. I say splurge because it was $10.99 and I don't have much money, and I am trying to get tyres soon. But it is such a lovely book. What can I say, orchids have a long history of causing mania, why should books about them be any different? Anyway, this way I can increase the text size to see what I'm reading. My glasses do correct to 20/20 both in general and with the bifocal, but the small print is still harder to focus upon. This, I think, is the most useful quality of e-books, that they can be manipulated in terms of settings so that anyone can read them who would normally have issues due to age or disability, and most books, particularly non-fiction ones, are not given Large Print editions. Also, you can blow-up images when needed on the tablet, something that the Kindle e-reader does not do hardly at all. Incidentally, I used to keep my Chrome settings at 95% and I knocked up the text and the rest up to a little above 100%. It helps immensely. No sense in getting eyestrain. I think the presbyopia is part of my hiatus from enjoying reading, so anything I can do to read more books is worth it. And I can also read on my laptop, which is a low-end 2-in-1 that folds back to be a very large tablet-like screen when you change to tablet mode and I have the Kindle application on it, as well.

Alright, I'm going to go get some breakfast. I'll probably write some more before I start my Sunday chores proper (although laundry is something I do on Sunday, that's for me, not the household, generally).

I've been sick

It started the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. I had a low-grade fever and a sore throat. I was off work Thursday, pretty bad off with a nasty respiratory virus (it wasn't the flu, I'm sure, as it was a gradual onset and didn't have a higher fever or really much of a whole-body ache). But it was nasty. I was feeling a little better that Friday with Mucinex and Stahist, and it was a light and short day as we had our company Christmas party that afternoon, so I left by 3 pm. I was careful to handwash or use sanitizer, but I did feel better. By 4 pm, though I was in bed because the sun was going down and that always seems to make a virus disease feel worse, in my experience. I spent the whole weekend in bed. I barely made it into work, but I did go to work Monday through Friday. I did feel better after Tuesday, but Friday (as in two days ago) was the first day I really felt myself again. I even went and had dinner with our friend who has cancer, as we were better and I think we weren't contagious anymore.

Yesterday I did a lot of errands.  I went to the bank and put in some money that was an unexpected gift.  I finally was able to get my taxes from H&R Block.  Lord save me from accountants--it took me almost an hour and a half to pick up and pay for my paperwork, the man there was so meticulous.  Thank goodness I came in when I did.  He was with a client when I came in, so I had to wait a little while, but there were three or four after me who waited the entire time I was here.  But I eventually left with everything I need.  Then I went and got my insulin and some medications for YKWIA at the pharmacy before they closed.  I stopped by Staples and got some ink for the printer, as we hadn't had any since September.  I also got gas and a few groceries.

I was tired when I got home. I'd left at 10 am and it was about 2 pm when I got home.  I did some work around the house and then went to bed for a nap for about 45 minutes.  We were going to work on the floors yesterday and also do the postponed latkes for Hannukah that we missed.  But I was really tired, still, so we put it off till today and cancelled the game.

This morning I woke up clumsy, feeling bad, and full of mucous.  It's better now that I've gotten the Mucinex and Stahist in me, but I am coughing, blowing my nose, sneezing, etc.  So maybe I'm not out of the woods yet.  I thought I'd gone into a sinus infection.  That may be true, but I'm out of breath easily and wheezing.  I think I may be going into bronchitis.  I do have a nebulizer and some medicine for it.  I may see if that helps, and use it at night.  I've swept so far, and the mopping is nigh.  I'm also doing laundry, as I didn't for two weeks and I have one purple pair of pants left (hey, I liked the alliteration), and no other pants or shorts to speak of.  I'm running around in pyjama pants and a t-shirt in the house right now, and those were both leftovers, the shirt from yesterday and the pants from the dirty clothes.

Anyway, I guess I'm mostly back.  The house is better--I did the dishes and bathroom and trash.  Thursday night I took the trash containers to the kerb and did a thorough job on the cat boxes, as they'd gotten bad while we were sick.  I need to get something stronger for the shower, like Kaboom, to take care of some of the stuff on the tile.  But otherwise, things are better,  and I do feel better.

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.

Today's agenda

1. Get medicine from pharmacy
2. Return books to the library
3. Donate a few of YKWIA's books and a CD to the library
4. Work on the bedroom
5. Pack books
6. Get totes for clothes' storage
7. Get mattress pad to protect my current (queen) mattress from dust (and cover up a couple of menstural blood stains from the movers--I should have putt one on years ago. The new one (which is a full mattress) had one on within minutes of delivery. Of course, it has a 10-year warranty that is void if it gets stained.)
8. Find something that will work for providing more clothes storage in the closet at YKWIA's
9. Work on game notes

Today, possibly tomorrow:

1. Take telescope, holiday decorations, and walk-in-closet things to storage
2. Take out trash/recyclables
3. Go through medicine in the refrigerator and reduce packaging/space
4. Clean kitchen
5. Clean bathroom

It's a little sad when

you have to take a knife to open up a 20 oz. bottle of soda. I got one at Thornton's on the way back from my unemployment review and class, because I was very thirsty, and couldn't get into it, so I came home and tried a jar opener, a case knife, and finally I was able to make a bit of a perforation with a sharp paring knife (without hurting myself, always a plus) where apparently it didn't make one. But I feel somewhat puny. I also had a light in the kitchen flare out when I got home, and had a light bulb, and got on my little step stool only to find that I barely can change a light bulb, given my short height. I need a taller step stool. There is a reason most of my overhead light fixtures' actual covers are carefully put away, as I can't put them on or take them off at all, without an actual ladder.

The class and review were fine. I got to see three former co-workers, all from different departments. I gave in my list of jobs for which I've applied, and the lady went over the various services they offer and things we have to do to keep our benefits. I have to revise my system résumé, at their request, to take off two old jobs and my references, and have that printed out and ready, along with a packet, by Thursday at 9 am, when I go in for a small-group résumé review. I'd brought everything today, because I wasn't quite sure what was expected, and I was one of the better-prepared job-seekers. I hope that means there's a job out there for me.

After I came home, I opened the windows (it's 77 with a breeze right now, but it's supposed to be humid and close to 90 degrees later), pulled a few things out of the walk-in closet, and called about the air conditioner and the toilet running. When I talked to the leasing agent, I found out that the inspections have been put off till Friday, which gives me some time to vacuum, mop, and go through some of these boxes that are stacked up. This morning I got up at 6:45 am, later than I planned, but it was good, cleaned one little bit of wall that had something on it (I think it had a little mould from where I keep a hamper there, and I thought I'd need bleach, but it turns out Citrasolv works well, as that's what I had), did the dishes, and took the trash and recyclables out. Then I got ready for my review, and I was there 15 minutes early.

I called pulmonary rehab and cancelled for the day, and they were very understanding and told me to call Thursday if I still needed time, since it's an upper respiratory thing, and even if I could breathe better, stop coughing, etc., by then, she said she didn't want me wiping myself physically with the exercise programme if I'm not up to it. I have a sinus infection, cold, and bronchitis, and of course, bronchitis sometimes takes awhile to get over. I'll try to do the actual breathing exercises tomorrow if I feel up to it. I could have worked this past week, but on the other hand, I'm glad I could get some rest. I just would have had to push it a lot more, and rest in the evening more.

That leaves me the rest of the day to look for a job, go through some things here, and maybe go get some medicine for YKWIA if he needs it, later. We talked on the phone briefly. He's still hacking, too, and there's a medicine they gave me but with his insurance I think they were more expensive, so he'd held off. But they do help with the coughing, although I wish they lasted all night. I'm waking up early each night with coughing. This morning I was awake from 3 am to 4 am because of it. The coughing subsided after awhile, and then I couldn't get back to sleep for almost an hour. I'd also like to start The Glass Magician (and I need to check on my library books and when the next ones are due) and maybe watch a couple of things sometime today.

I got a call from my former workplace. They really want me to come in and help cover for the maternity leave, and she wanted to know what they could do to have me come in. YKWIA told me to tell them a full-time job with benefits and the same salary I had before. :) I'd like to help out, but I don't think it's viable. It would take quite a bit of time from the job search, not pay more than unemployment (unless they change that drastically), and make things more complex with the parking and the like. I'll call her back and hear what she has to offer, but I just don't think it'll work. They were saying before that they needed me for eleven hours a week for about twelve weeks. But I need to focus on getting a full-time job, soon. My unemployment benefits are only good for six months, and we're six weeks in. Also, soon I'm going to have to pay for the medical end of COBRA, and between that and the dental, it's about $750 a month. The sooner I get a new job, the sooner I get benefits, including health care, and can save money.

Oh, and I need to go back to that one post, a few down, and review my agenda for today. It is one reason I do that, it's sort of my way to make lists that I'll remember to go back to.

Hope you're having a great day.

In truth, I've gotten a little done this evening, but not much

I did work in the bedroom, true excavation, for about 45 minutes and took care of that. I'm feeling stressed now, mainly because the house is not in the shape I'd like it to be, and I'm still too sick to really do what I want with it, and I've run out of time for the most part. I think I'm going to have to just let that go, and do the few things I can before tomorrow morning. I may just go to bed early tonight, because I'm not feeling energetic in the least, and I'm having some trouble breathing. Rehab might be interesting tomorrow. I'll try though. The worst I can do is be sent home as too sick to do the exercises, I guess. I was debating on getting up early and doing the laundry and some work here, and really that's just the anxiety talking. I should just focus on going to the review tomorrow, trying to do rehab, and then I can come back and do laundry in the afternoon after that. I'm also going to see about getting my allergy shots tomorrow; I didn't feel up to it at the end of last week, and so I didn't get them at all, although I will say both arms itched the entire week from the week before, so apparently we're up to a fairly high concentration. :)

I think I'll just go on to bed, even though it's only 10 pm, and get up early, and see if tomorrow is a brand new day after all.

This afternoon I:

1. Corresponded with the company over the computer I sent back.
2. Signed an author agreement for a book review.
3. Applied for a job as an electronic resources coordinator in the county my dad grew up in (and I spent a good bit of my early life).
4. Got my job applications binder ready for tomorrow's review.
5. Ordered four macramé plant holders to suspend from the ceiling, three for the living room and one for the bedroom, to be sent to YKWIA's in the hopes that it will work better than sending things here.
6. Took A home so he could wash up and get ready for a meeting that I will also take him to and from tonight.
7. Picked up some medicine for a friend.

So not quite as productive this afternoon, but hey, it was important stuff, at least. I found today that I (almost) had no anxiety driving in rush-hour traffic, as my general stress level is down, despite the need to find a job soon. I think that's a good thing. I did manage to break a tumbler that was in the drainer when I went to get a saucer out, which amazes me, as the tumblers are thick and sturdy, but I managed not to hurt myself on it, either. A is going to call me about 6:40, and I pretty much just got home, so there's no point starting laundry quite yet. I think I'll have dinner and maybe do something fun for about an hour, rather than work on the apartment, then go get him, drop off that medicine, take him to his meeting, and come back and work on everything. If I have to wait on the laundry, I can--I plan on wearing a nice skirt and top tomorrow, and I have underwear and such to wear, at least in the morning, and I can probably change into my jeans, which aren't too bad, and a shirt for pulmonary rehab, so I'm fine at least until Wednesday. I might even wind up actually doing the laundry at YKWIA's, depending. I knew today wasn't good. But on the other hand, his washer has a hand-wash setting that is superior to the delicate we have on our washers in the laundry room. So we'll see. Tonight I'll focus on getting the rest of the bedroom in shape, straightening up just a bit, etc. I don't want to stay up too late, though, as I need to get up early for that review tomorrow. But that'll give me about four hours to work on things till bedtime. I'll also wash the few dishes that are in the sink (I've kept up with them, the trash, and recyclables really well the last couple of weeks).

I've already been pretty productive this morning

I:

1. Woke up easily and rested.
2. Took all my medicine, including my injectables, and not only checked my blood sugar, but transferred the readings over to my phone. I haven't been doing so well with this between the different schedule and being sick, so I'm starting anew and really trying to get a handle on my glucose readings.
3. Got a shower and got dressed.
4. Sent the computer package back to the technology company.
5. Enquired about getting a mailbox at the UPS store so that I can get packages, since it never seems to work out if I'm not home and it comes to the apartment, which is why I always had them delivered to work. It's $20 a month, $240 a year, but if you pay for a year right now, through a promotion he's running through June, you get three months' free, so it's cheaper. I'll think about it. I may be able to get things delivered to YKWIA's without the hassle I have at my home, because they leave things there for him. It may be my settings--I do have things tracked--or it might just be because I live in an apartment building. But I can receive things at UPS from any shipper, so that's good. Still, that's awfully expensive, and I doubt I'd have enough shipped to really warrant the expense. I may have a couple of small things sent to YKWIA's to see if it'll work before the special ends, and go from there.
6. Got some quarters from Kroger.
7. Picked up some caffeinated orange soda, which isn't the best for me, I know, but at least it doesn't have the dark colas' phosphoric acid in it.
8. While there, I found a couple of orchids, still blooming, in colours I like, that were 75% off each. I am beginning to thing this orchid bug is an illness. I now have six orchids--two I re-bloomed, two I just re-potted, and the two I just got. All are different colours, and all all phalaenopsis, except possibly the smallest one. If I can get that one to re-bloom, and ever get to the orchid society, I'll ask them. Here's a picture of the two new ones:
   
   
   
   
9. After I got home and opened the windows (it's quite pleasant with a breeze, although it's supposed to be in the 80s today), I noticed the peace lily, which the hospital I worked at sent me when my mother died, is finally about to bloom. It's a huge plant, and fortunately doesn't require a huge amount of light, so it's away from the window. I was afraid it wouldn't bloom for that reason, but it's about to, just in time for mother's day. :) I'll take it as a good omen:
   
   
   
   
   
   

Okay, it's not quite time for lunch yet, and my cherry chocolate Greek yoghurt is still keeping hunger at bay from this morning, so I think I'll start working on the house. I need to check and see just how much stuff needs to come out of that walk-in closet, as they need to fix the air conditioning, and then there's the rest of the apartment to straighten up before tomorrow's walk-through. And I really need to do something about the plants, as they are in the way of the windows pretty badly. I mean, if there was a fire, I'd be able to get out, because I wouldn't worry about injuring the leaves or flowers then, but they'll need to open them tomorrow. I wish I had a couple of hanging basket holders, and I could suspend a couple of them from the ceiling. Maybe I'll do that. The larger shamrock would work, as would the older Christmas cactus, and they wouldn't actually block the windows that way, like a shelf would. They're just a bit too crowded right now. I mean, I have 25 plants between the two rooms. I think I'm at my limit.

I've gotten a lot of rest today

broken up by terrible bouts of coughing. I tried to do some simple things like rearrange the TV table in the living room, and it got hard to breathe through the mucous (yeah, isn't that lovely) and I had to sit down. So today I'll just rest. I've got the Bastille station (although, really, it's played a lot more Mumford and Sons in the last hour than anything else) on Pandora on right now. I may watch something later, but really, I think I'll read. I still need to finish The Paper Magician and I have five days left on the loan. I am really enjoying it, it's just I only now have a good light (I put an LED bulb in) over by the couch, and if I read in bed, I tend to fall asleep. :) I think my doctor would definitely say it's time to rest today, and I can work at other things as I feel better.

So here's my week ahead:

1. Tonight. Read. Listen to music. Relax. Pick up A from his job at 1 am and deliver him to his house. Give my (now bimonthly) libation, as I'm doing so at dark of the moon and at times I have my period. This one is the latter. It sucks to be on your period and sick, let me tell you.
2. Sunday: Request my benefits check. Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Maybe do laundry over at YKWIA's. I need to, as I didn't last week. If not, I may do it over here at the complex, as I have detergent and softener here. It's just a matter of getting quarters from somewhere on a Sunday. A lot of places get a bit stingy on that front. If I'm feeling up to it, I should work on the bedroom while I'm at it and do a bit of excavation of most of the horizontal surfaces. The bath and kitchen are in good shape; I just need to do a few dishes and touch up the bathroom. The bedroom is the worst room in the apartment. Light a candle for my mother.
3. Monday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Send back the extra computer, as they got the return labels to me. They're crediting me $15 with Amazon for my trouble. I need to work on the apartment, especially straightening up in the dining room, living room, and anything else in the bedroom. Try to rearrange the plants in front of the living room window so they won't get crushed if they try to open the windows--they open fine, but I always have to move a plant or two, with the orchids blooming, and the freesia bulb pots are on the sills. If I move things around, and they open them, as I think they're required to check, then I can minimise any damage. The African violets in the bedroom are never a problem, as they're pretty low to the pot.
4. Tuesday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. My eligibility review with the unemployment office, a class related to that, my pulmonary rehab, and of course the walk-through/inspection is that day. Go through my life insurance portability and AFLAC paperwork and send them in.
5. Wednesday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Do some more de-cluttering and de-hoarding. I've got two boxes of books ready to go from the entertainment centre that is between the living area and dining room; I need to finish the rest, find a room for the books I'll keep, break down the centre, take it to the Dumpster area, and then move one of the other two shelving units over so that the one is back to back with the other and the space between the two areas is more open. Right now, the space has the centre on one side (going towards the hall), with two shelving units back to back with it, dividing it completely. I want to change that. I also need to take a friend in for a blood draw.
6. Thursday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Pulmonary rehab, and I may be taking a friend to an event. I can't remember if he said he wasn't going after all, or if he's checking on it. It's where a mah-jong group takes over a local restaurant and plays for about four hours. :) He's been playing at the library and learning the game. It sounds very complicated.
7. Friday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Take a friend for a shot. Work on the game notes.
8. Saturday: Check for jobs to apply for, and apply if I fit the requirements. Take a another friend to work at an ungodly hour (for a Saturday) for the first of two jobs, then pick him up at 1 am that night.

I am really moving slowly this morning

I don't know if it's the cloudiness outside, or the fact I was so productive yesterday, or what, but I got up at 7:50 am, had breakfast, loaded the dishwasher, ran it, took my medicine, then went back to sleep for a little while, got up, did a few things around here, went back to bed, got a call from YKWIA to make plans for today, went to sleep, got a call from A, went back to sleep, got up, washed all the plastic and other dishes, including two big vases, and out of desperation made coffee, which I do not normally drink but thought that with enough half-and-half I'd try to cultivate since it's better than soda, since I do have other things to do today and just am not with it, apparently. Now I'm hot and sweaty from doing the dishes and I think I got more water on me than them, but they're all done. I still have to take out the trash and recyclables, as they're full, which I'll do before I go over to YKWIA's at 2 pm, and then I'll apply for that job this evening. Although I did go to bed at a decent hour, I didn't sleep well, accidentally set our four o'clock appointment today for AM, so woke up at 4 am, and then couldn't get back to sleep for a good long while. I don't know. But I'm going to try to keep on track. Next on my agenda, after I cool down under the little fan on my desk, will be to get a shower and get ready to go, then take out the trash, etc. I've got about an hour, so that should take up most of it. :)

I had four goals tonight

1. Finish the game notes, even though it meant reliving the loss of the character. [Check]
2. Get the living room in serviceable shape so I can sit on the loveseat and actually watch something if I'd like. [Check]
3. Get the dining room in enough shape that I could get a bucket from the bathroom to the aquarium (which is in the dining room). [Check]
4. Fill up the aquarium and then vacuum it as thoroughly as I can. [Check}

I'm hoping the one remaining goldfish (which is the biggest, prettiest one I had) will not die, with this major influx and change of water. But I'd let the aquarium languish, to the point where it was too low to keep the pump on, and there was a lot of Java moss, too, which tends to choke the remaining water. I have most likely the dirtiest aquarium known to man, mainly because I can't get those stupid 'self-starting' vacuums to work, and I've gotten enough knowledge of aquariums and infection control that I didn't want to do the old 'suck on the hose until it starts' that we did in the old days. I have three vacuums, two large, one small, all 'self-starting'. The small one is actually for the three-gallon betta tank that is currently not set up.

Well, I took an old Tidy Cat five-gallon bucket (not a liquid five gallons, but you get the idea), and filled up the bucket three times with water, and put it in the aquarium, which brought it up to the right height. I also changed the foam and activated charcoal in the filter (but not the anti-ammonia pellets--you should always keep some of the medium so that good bacteria that eat nitrates and therefore keep down algae blooms spread throughout the filter). I then plugged in the filter and discovered, to my dismay, that the heater had been plugged up all this time, in not so much water, which I don't know what that does. I think it shut itself off, at least. I cleared out some of the Java moss and then I let the filter run for a couple of hours, till the milm was settled on the floor of the aquarium and the water was clear.

Enter the turkey baster. Years ago, a former friend had given it to me as a gag gift, which had nothing to do with eating, as I don't eat poultry. It was still in the original plastic, some time ago, because of course I rarely throw anything away. I had used it once before to start the suction on the vacuum, and tried again. But the large vacuums have very long hoses, and I am too short to properly get the water and detritus into the container from my height, with the hose on the bottom floor of the aquarium and the container on the floor of the apartment. I decided to try the smaller vacuum, with a shorter hose, used the turkey baster to get the suction going, and then vacuumed two two-litres and a gallon milk jug's worth of gunk and water, which I capped and saved to water the plants with, as it's good fertilizer.

I then planted the plants back in, righted the tree branch and gargoyle, and found the little cave the fish like to go into. I replaced the lost water with six two-litres full of clean treated water and got some of the algae off the glass top. I certainly didn't get all the sediment, but I didn't want to shock the fish's system any more than I had done already. I then put away everything, scrubbed my arms down with soap and water, and I'm going to wait and see what it's going to look like when everything settles, then wait a week or two, and vacuum again. If I can get it looking halfway decent, I'll check the water (my chlorine, ammonia, and chloramines are always fine, the pH is hard, given that we're sitting atop lots of limestone, and my nitrates (but not my nitrates) are always very high, which is why I've had feeder goldfish in the tank for years. Of course, goldfish are very 'dirty' fish. They poop a lot, which causes the milm to build up, and the nitrates. Maybe if I can get things under control, I can go back to other fish, like livebearers and plecostomuses, while keeping the goldfish. You are probably thinking, just set the three-gallon up and put the goldfish in there. The problem with that is that goldfish actually need quite a bit of room, and goldfish bowls actually stress them out, and they die quickly. And while they usually prefer colder water than livebearers, mine's use to warmer water. So there's that. We'll see how it goes. I've had trouble with this set-up since I put the aquarium back together years ago. It never matured correctly, even with adding nitrate-eating bacteria and letting it 'cure' before putting fish in. I never had that trouble before, and the aquarium has been up most of the last thirty years, and the only thing I've really changed is the type of filter (better than the old undergravel ones) and that worked for years, and I've put an LED light in rather than flourescent, which provides more natural and long-lasting light. So I don't know. I did fine for over twenty years. Maybe it's somehow how the aquarium has aged. The gravel is the same gravel, albeit having been washed with water (not soap or anything) between set-ups. In the meantime, I'll cut the long hoses down to a better length. Anyway, here's hoping that everything's going to get better, and I get to be a better 'fish mom', not letting stress make me ignore the poor fish and the tank.

Just realised

that the one thing I didn't do this morning was take my medication, so I've taken the Lantus [which was painful, as I hit a capillary--I wish I could figure out how NOT to do that, after all these years] and my oral meds.

It's beautiful outside, and I've gotten a lot accomplished so far, although the next big project is taking out the trash and recyclables, something that tends to hurt my back more than anything else I do housework-wise. I'm not sure why--it doesn't even have to be heavy at all, there's just something about carrying something in that manner that does it. I usually get out my granny cart and do it, but I think I'll just try to do the trash in one trip and the recyclables in another. My container for the recyclables is totally full--I go through more of that than trash, really.

Right now I'm taking a break and having something to drink (which should be water, and isn't, it's soda, but I did fill up my filtered water pitcher, which was really low, for later).

I have been doing some job searching, too--I usually do check several boards and the library job list each day. I found one yesterday that isn't a library job, but sounds like it could be good, and pays about the same as the last library job I applied for. It's basically a position which assists the anaesthesiology faculty with technology, especially web technology. So I'm not just looking for library positions, although I would like to keep with that if at all possible. But I know it may not be.

I'm starting to get a little sleepy. I've kept the music peppy and my contacts are in, rather than my glasses on, so I wouldn't be tempted to take a nap. I need to make sure that I don't start napping in the early afternoon when I'd normally be at work; I'm trying to keep a fairly normal business schedule, although some days I've slept in a bit.

I wonder if it's worth trying to call the state unemployment office regarding the 'credits have been applied to your account but a check has not been issued' thing. Every time I've tried to call, it's stayed really busy, and I left a voicemail at the career center, and the person never called me back. I would probably have better luck going early Friday morning and asking in person. My understanding from a web search is that for whatever reason, it hasn't been finalised, although I did get a letter saying I was eligible and how much it will be, but there's not much to do, except put your claims in at the times specified, and eventually they'll deposit funds in my account. But it's a little frustrating, as they told us in our seminar before I was laid off that we should file, then wait 16 days (which I did), request benefits (which I did), and then we'd get paid a week later. And that's what happened the first time I got laid off and went on unemployment, but at least that was a reduction in hours and I still had some income coming in. They never mentioned this particular issue. Sigh. Granted, because of the 'waiting week' I was only going to get a week's benefits, but it would have been helpful. I also have to figure out whether next month, when I have to do my eligibility review, if I have to do it there in person, or if if that's what my meeting with the official was when I filed and I can do it on the computer, as while it says in the handbook the first one must be in person, he sort of indicated that I'd be doing it online. It was a little vague, though. So I can ask if I go on Friday, which I'm thinking I should.

Okay, the trash and recyclables are not going to take themselves out. So much for my break.

Okay

I'm going to YKWIA's at 6 pm. That gives me time to:

1. Do all the plastic dishes.
2. Do the other dishes in the dishwasher.
3. Wipe down the kitchen counters and stove.
4. Cut up a pineapple and see if it's still good. (I was hopeful, but it isn't).
5. Clean out the refrigerator. (My crisper does not keep things crisp at all).
6. Make bread.
7. Clean the bathroom.
8. Hang a new shower liner I've had for awhile.
9. Take out the trash.
10. Take out the recyclables.
11. Work on the boxes that line the hallway.

If I can do that, then at least we're good for workmen and Terminix to come in tomorrow. I'll see what else I can do today and Friday. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment, pulmonary rehab, and an allergist appointment, so I doubt that I'll get much done tomorrow at home.

So far today

I have:

• Gotten up and ready
• Gotten gas with the $10 of quarters I'd taken out for laundry at the apartment complex (but I did my laundry at YKWIA's)
• Gotten breakfast at McDonald's (two egg and cheese biscuits)
• Gotten something with caffeine (with my last couple of dollars)
• Spoken with a former co-worker who'd also been laid off I'd run into at Kroger and checked on how she's doing
• Gotten my allergy shots (the first on the highest build, red, and there was quite a bit of local itching right after)
• Eaten breakfast
• Enrolled in COBRA
• Put Ed Sheeran's album on Bluetooth playing from my phone to my speaker in the living room

I do feel better today. Last night I gave a libation of an entire bottle of wine, some honey, some lavender flowers--both dried and fresh--and prayed about the whole situation that's causing me stress. That really helped. I'm glad it happened to be dark of the moon. :)

Now there's the rest of the day to plan out. I think I'll call YKWIA and find out when he wants to get together, so I can plan around that and get some things done at the house. I'd like to put the windows up and just start clearing some things out, plus working on some of the areas I haven't gotten to. With all the stuff I brought from my desk and everything else, it's kind of hard to get around here. None of that has been put away, really. It's just a disaster, really. So today (and maybe Friday), I'm going to work on it and see what I can do.

Okay, let me go make that phone call.

So it's been a difficult few days

Lots of stress, lots of little things, lots of running around, lots of phone calls. I won't go into all of it, but suffice to say most of it it financial, and things should get better in the next few days, and in the meantime I'm moving heaven and earth trying not to overdraw my bank account.

And, although the game was very good Sunday, and it was a particularly difficult adventure that the game master really had to rework, I lost a character. Now most of you who roleplay do short bouts of adventures, with a dungeon crawl here, or a single story, and then things happen and sometimes your character gets killed, and you roll up another and go on. But when you play an ongoing story, in which the characters take on life, for nearly twenty-six years, you get a little attached to them, and it kind of bums you out for a day or two. In all the time I've been playing Call of Cthulhu, I've lost three characters. One was stomped on by Shub-Niggurath and became toe-jam, just two months after she had a baby. The second was a guy who sacrificed himself in Antarctica to save the world (and a beloved non-player character), and I felt very good about that one, really, and hadn't been playing him very long at all. This one I've played for about 5-7 years; she had a baby 10 months ago in game time, and was killed by being cooked from the inside out when she missed her saving throw by none other than Nyarlathotep himself. I suppose I should be honoured by the fact that I've had characters killed mainly by major manifestations, but it still hurts. Also, the woman's husband had to be killed because he was turning into a Cthulhoid thing (and he was already a necromancer), just mere hours before her death. So the child is an orphan, though fortunately the family curse was thwarted, and he will not be doomed for all time.

You've got to love Lovecraftian roleplaying.

On the good side, I had no less than three characters on this adventure, and one was my very first character--the one I've been playing for 26 years or so--the one who usually survives by going insane, getting pregnant--she actually spent two game years inside Yog-Sothoth. If that's not devotion to avoiding death and mayhem, I don't know what is.

In this one adventure--'The Burning Stars'--we had seven characters (two for Brenda, three for me, and two non-player characters). Two went insane, two died, one barely survived having her heart squeezed by a spell by Nyarlathotep, and one was left standing to hike back into Port-au-Prince (we were in Haiti) to find help. That was the one who'd been around all these years, and she had an interesting discussion with Nyarly (as we call him) where she was basically tired and mourning and wasn't up to being terribly afraid of him. Of course, she should be.

So I was down a little yesterday, kind of glum, actually. Today I feel better. Of course, I also had my rehab today and did lots of exercise, worked harder than I had, did my breathing exercises, and wound up pushing myself into the beginning of an asthma attack, so I had to use my inhaler. But things are improving on that front. I'm still holding at about 7 lbs short of where I was a month ago and 16 lbs short of my all-time high. So it's helping with that, as well.

Okay, I think I will go do some things around the house. I need to call in the air conditioner and our bimonthly pest control visit is Thursday, and those dishes aren't going to wash themselves (more's the pity).

An early start to my morning

I am trying to keep a normal business schedule in terms of getting up and starting my day, but I'm afraid things were so busy last week I only managed to get up at 9 am on most days. Today I was awake by 7:45 or so, up by 8. I took a shower, did all that sort of stuff, then moved the car over by the recycling containers and tossed in all the issues of The Journal of the Medical Library Association and MLA News I had in the trunk of my car. Before you go totally aghast let me explain that:

1. I had issues going back to when it was The Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.
2. They are actually (at least the JMLA and Bulletin) available freely online through PubMed Central.
3. They were one of only two things I couldn't find a home for (the other being our hospital newsletters).
4. I don't have the room to store them.
5. I already have too much stuff that I'm trying to unclutter.

The one exception is that somewhere in my house there is one where I wrote a book review; I'll keep it. But the others, should I need to refer to the information they have in them, have been digitised and posted freely on the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central site. So I felt pretty decent about letting them go.

Then I took the hand truck and took four boxes of books that I weeded from my personal collection the other day and put them in the trunk of my car. YKWIA gets first pick, and this way he can just look through them and anything left can go to the public library, either for their collection or most likely their Friends' sales. I'm cool with that.

After that I checked the job boards and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives' job list site for anything new.

All that in an hour.

Now I've revived a rather hard, previously frozen French baguette (microwaves will make them softer, if you do just a few seconds on a piece), eaten it, had some water, and I'm preparing for my day.

So last night I cleaned up the kitchen and bath of various stuff that was lying around, loaded the dishwasher, ran a load, etc.

What I want to do (I'm going to try to get as much done today as possible, as I'm fairly free today, and Tuesday and Thursday are particularly busy, but if I don't, I'll just keep plugging through the list this week).

[In no particular order:]
1. Take out the trash and recyclables [which includes the discarded plants that were diseased or infested with mealybugs, when I made room for the others, so it's heavy].
2. Wipe down the sink area of the bathroom and clean the toilet.
3. Clean all the horizontal surfaces in the kitchen (island, counters, stove).
4. Unload the dishwasher and do the plastic dishes.
5. Sweep and mop the kitchen and bathroom.
6. Fold and put away laundry.
7. Collect dirty laundry to take to YKWIA's and wash.
8. Start unpacking boxes from my desk, etc.
9. Find a place for the boxes of holiday decorations that are still sitting out.
10. Take a bag of donations to out to the car so I can take them to Goodwill (and anything else I find to donate in the meantime).
11. Excavate the dining room table and couch.
12. Straighten the dining room and living room.
13. Fill up the fish tank.
14. Hang up my interview suit and the dress I wore to the funeral in the closet (they've been hanging up elsewhere).
15. Take the three boxes of books I weeded in the bedroom out to the car for YKWIA to look at/donate to the library.
16. Get with John if he can come up today and get the family photos from him.
17. Call my human resources representative regarding continuing AFLAC.
18. Reschedule my counseling appointment that's tomorrow, as it conflicts with the pulmonary rehabilitation.

I'll probably get A from work tonight and get something from the pharmacy for YKWIA, either this evening or tomorrow morning. We'll see. But I'm going to try to stick around today and get things done at home for the most part, and in case John can come up with those photos.

Okay, I guess I'd better get going. First, the trash and recyclables, as there are a lot of them, and they're often heavy. I think I'm going to put on my Bluetooth headphones (yes, they look like they're from the 70s, but you can move well in them) and listen to music while I work. That usually helps.

And there was much rejoicing

Well, it took $601.43 total, but:

1. I have working rear brakes that are safe and happy...
2. My ball joints were fine (take that Tire Discounters, who tried to get me to pay for a replacement), but my ignition coil was causing all the engine misfiring, and that was fixed...
3. I got an oil change, which was overdue, and they threw in a new stopper, replacing the old one, which was threaded...and
4. My windshield wipers, which basically shredded, were replaced.

Tire Discounters quoted about $800 for the first two alone. Thanks Kenny and the folks at Mitch's Auto for the great service. I've gone there for years, and they're very straight-shooting and reasonable. And thank you to YKWIA and A, who helped out by paying half of the bill, since I give them rides quite often. And thank you to Jackie, from work, who came and got me and took me into work and then brought me back, so I didn't have to ride the bus and take time out from my workday. It drives like a new car. :)

After I got the car, I went over to YKWIA's, had dinner (it was very yummy) and took A to a meeting. Now I'm home, and I have my choice of:

1. Laundry,
2. Kitchen, or
3. Book review, or
4. Some sort of combination of the above.

I also told A I would do some checking on the computer for him. So there's definitely that. I also want to listen some more to my audiobook (I'm five chapters away from finishing). If I did laundry and went over to the facility here, I could listen and work on the computer, too, and even work on the book review, perhaps. On the other hand, the kitchen really needs help. So we'll see. Right now I'm going to change into comfy clothes and wind down a bit, without actually relaxing to the point of sleep. I'm thinking of putting on some peppy music. :)

Naan and popcorn for dinner

Technically I do have basmati rice to go with some prepackaged Indian food  and some pasta and sauce,  but both of then require boiling the rice or pasta.  I don't feel like even doing that amount of cooking,  small as it is. And I'm not very hungry. I'm starting a cold--sore throat, headache,  runny nose,  cough,  achiness,  and wheezing.  I have some Mucinex,  some Stahist,  Ricola, two kinds of cough syrup--all left over from May's bronchitis--some ibuprofen,  and the Albuterol for the nebulizer (which I just used). That should help.

I went to counseling tonight and while we didn't tackle hoarding,  which I've barely worked on with all that's been going on,  we did discuss my stress levels and how to bring them down so I can cope. I feel better as a result,  although I'll have to do  proactive things to improve my stress that will war with my need to do everything.

So now I'm listening to Pandora,  drinking water,  and eating just a little.  I have some things to do tonight,  but right now I'm taking some time to myself. I need it.  I also want to read (or at least listen to my audiobook),  go online and help a friend apply for a job,  and pick a chore to work on that is small but will help with the house.  Actually, I may just create a plan,  given my schedule for the week.  I have a list of what I need to do,  but I need to assign times so I'll actually do them.

Okay,  back to Pandora.  I may write later.  If not,  have a good night.

Well, that was decidedly odd

I've been burning the candle at both ends, by working long days, doing errands and going to appointments with friends and for myself, visiting my mom (who was transferred to the rehabilitation centre within the nursing home my grandmother used to be in, closer to their home but further away from me), and basically getting about 4-5 hours of broken sleep at a time. So it's probably no wonder that I haven't written much.

I came home about 6:30 or 7 tonight, had a quick bite to eat, and then laid down for a bit. I shot for an hour's nap; I got two, with Pandora in the background and my fan running (I was terribly hot). I'd been having some trouble breathing today, which is why I didn't go get my allergy shots today. Anyway, I slept well. Then I woke up, went to the bathroom, and then the kitchen, where I grabbed something to drink and some string cheese, and I had my glasses off (you know, you get used to your house and can do certain things, even if you're nearly blind without them). But I did notice the light in the aquarium was off, which was odd, because it was on when I got home, and I didn't turn it off. I have several LED bulbs in the aquarium hood--one might have gone out, but that is unlikely, as they're not old and LEDs last a long time. So I went and got my glasses, turned the light to the dining room on, and tried the light. Nothing. I looked around to see what could be amiss, and it turns out the large and one small, heavy pictures on the wall, maps of the world, had fallen off somehow, fortunately straight down, so they didn't hurt the aquarium (29 gallons of water and fish on the floor would not have been good), but they did unplug the light and the pump. So I've plugged those in and I'm going to check and make sure the pump is putting water through in a minute. But it was weird.

There are a few things I need to do this weekend:

1. Get up early tomorrow and go over to YKWIA's house by 8 am and get him up for an appointment.
2. Take him to said appointment.
3. Go get some of his medicine from the pharmacy.
4. Pick him back up.
5. Take him home.
6. Go to the library and return a book. Read off the small amount of fines I have (they've got a fine read-off through tomorrow).
7. Go to work and get some hours in, doing the extra work I agreed to do, which will help keep me from being as short from the holiday for Christmas day from Monday.
8. Come home and work on:
   1. A book review.
   2. The game notes.
   3. The house.
   4. Watch the ball drop at midnight.
   5. Pick up A at 2 am from work on New Year's Eve downtown, hopefully without getting struck by a drunk driver.
   6. Get over to YKWIA's at 9 am Sunday to clean house for the game.
   7. Play the game.
   8. Pick A up at midnight from work. At least I don't need to work Monday due to the holiday, unlike normal, when I struggle to get up in time on Mondays.
9. For Monday--I have physical therapy with YKWIA in the middle of the day. Otherwise, I'm going to try to work on my own house and try to get caught up on my rest.

So, yeah, still busy, and starting the year off just as hectically. Oh, well. Anyway, I hope you all have a good New Year. 2016 has been pretty sucky--here's hoping that 2017 will be much better. Granted, I'm scheduled for a lay-off, but I might do better in the long run.