So tired

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

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

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

So we're about to get hit with a major winter storm

and I do mean major, followed by frigid temperatures. I mean, it's just now starting to snow, and it's 13 degrees now, but that's rather balmy compared to what it will be. Here are the alerts in effect for Lexington at the moment:

Weather Alerts- Lexington, Kentucky

Winter Storm Warning Until Mon 7:00 am EST

1 of 2

Action Recommended:  Make preparations per the instructions\

Issued By Louisville - KY, US, National Weather Service

Affected Area Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky

Description ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ MONDAY...

WHAT...Heavy snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain along and south of the Bluegrass and Western Kentucky Parkways. South of the Parkways, storm total snow and sleet of 4 to 8 inches with total ice amounts up to three quarters of an inch. Localized areas may see total ice over three quarters of an inch. Across southern Indiana and north central Kentucky, mainly snow, heavy at times. Total snow accumulations between 10 and 15 inches. Localized higher amounts of snow and sleet possible.

WHERE...Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky.

WHEN...Until 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ Monday.

IMPACTS...Expect power outages and tree damage due to the ice. Travel could be impossible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. In Indiana, for Indiana Road Conditions please visit http://511in.org In Kentucky, for Kentucky Road Conditions please visit http://goky.ky.gov

 

Cold Weather Advisory From Mon 12:00 am until Tue 11:00 am EST

2 of 2

Action Recommended Make preparations per the instructions

Issued By Louisville - KY, US, National Weather Service 

Affected Area Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky

Description ...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT EST /11 PM CST/ SUNDAY NIGHT TO 11 AM EST /10 AM CST/ TUESDAY...

WHAT...Very cold wind chills as low as 15 below zero expectedW

HERE...Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky. 

WHEN...From midnight EST /11 PM CST/ Sunday Night to 11 AM EST /10 AM CST/ Tuesday.

IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 15 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Make frequent checks on older family, friends, neighbors, and pets. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside. 

 

Well, it never hurts to be prepared, especially if you have major anxiety issues that can only be helped with obsessive steps. I have charged my large car-battery-sized power bank (the one that can be charged either through AC current, via car adapter, or solar (that one I don't have an adapter for, but cool and that runs my CPAP for several hours a night, and I have the CPAP adapter at the ready. I have also charged every electronic device that takes one in the house. I have made sure that all five flashlights either have batteries or are charged. The crank one is in the car in case it is needed there. It also has a radio. I found the 20 LED tealights and 20 regular tealights to put in our many hoarded jars for light, as well as my five normal scented candles, plus at least two he's borrowed from me. I found a cache of matches and bought two lighting wands in addition to mine, as mine is low on fuel. He also has a few boxes of the wooden matches. The car has half a tank of gas for charging the power bank and keeping any vapour lock from happening, but not a full tank because the power steering is having issues, and I think it'll need to be fixed soon, and I may have to switch to the bus anyway after I can get out on my own. My wipers are up. I have deicer and WD-40 for thawing locks and doors, and they are in the utility room with an extra scraper/brush. I have done everything I can think of to prepare. I managed to get all of our foodstuffs except yellow onions, which I thought were pretty good. I was on the waiting list (#!0) for a service that takes healthcare workers to work in severe weather, but I've been assigned a driver, so I think I've been bumped up. I'm going to check. That'll help on Monday. It occurs to me that I did not request a ride home yet(!). Here's hoping we all get through the storm okay. 

PS I just put in my request for a ride home...it's pending. Hopefully it's not too late.

More snow

 

Look at the snow between the pickets. We got about three more inches on top of 6 and ice.

Getting to work tomorrow, hopefully

The Fayette County Sheriff's Winter Care programme will still be in effect tomorrow, January 7th. I called a little while ago and they're going to pick me up at 7:30 AM from my house and take me to work since I work in healthcare. I thought about taking the bus but I think the stop, which is relatively close, is still too far to safely go there. If you need help as well, call 859-252-1771 and ask about Winter Care. So I just need to get to the street. I've got my hiking poles with the snow tips ready and snow boots with good treads. There's some snow on top of the ice now, which can be good or bad. Wish me luck!

January 2025 ice/snowstorm

Thankfully the branch did not come down on my car. I can't walk with all this ice. I called into work. They were urging people to stay off the roads anyway. There's a few more inches of snow coming today, then a polar vortex hitting us tonight and tomorrow. Oh, and another system at the end of the week. Lovely. It does look pretty, though. Yesterday I let the dogs out and they frolicked, even the one who hates the wet yard and the cold yard. Apparently both together are fun. This morning it was almost painful watching them slowly crunch through the ice and snow so they could go do their business. They were certainly not happy then.

Before

2 hours in

Going over into ice

Going towards evening

Last night

This morning

A different view

Icicles on the shed

Glazed kitchen window

Out front with a branch blocking my car

Another view

 

No game today

Brenda's still got the crud, so we're taking another week off.  It's been a pretty relaxing weekend. I've spent some time on Facebook and Twitter (I'm also never actually on Twitter, to be honest, and I tweet and retweet rarely, but I did today).  YKWIA's done a lot of reading, and I've done a little. I got a free e-book for subscribing an electronic newsletter, and it turned out to be Ellis Peters' A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first Brother Cadfael mystery.  It includes maps and a guide to Welsh pronunciation.

I've also requested some seed catalogues, one from Burpee's (a staple), but most from heirloom, sustainable, non-Monsanto sources (and that's harder to do these days).  Most of them are available in PDF form, so I just downloaded those rather than have them send me a paper one in the mail.

Now I'm doing one super-mega-large load of laundry, and was rewarded for doing so by $12 falling out of my trouser pockets as I was going through them.  I've been out twice this weekend on the roads after the snow, once to go to the grocery for soda, and then today to take YKWIA to meet with someone over lunch, and then to stop by the gaming store The Rusty Scabbard and to get a few things at the store that weren't there yesterday post-rush.  The produce section yesterday looked like Armageddon was on its way, all for about 1-2 inches of snow, but they were resupplied today.

Tomorrow I work, as we do not get off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  The University of Kentucky does, however, and so the parking shuttles aren't running, so we've been told that we can park in the adjoining parking garage, although they wouldn't guarantee we wouldn't be charged.  So that $12 might come in handy.  Seriously, though, I suspect the gates will be up tomorrow.

Now I'm listening to some music. I was listening to Blue October's Home album, but it's made it past that on Windows Media Player and so it's Bonnie Tyler's 'I Need a Hero' right now.  Have you ever seen the music video for that?  I will not post it here.  It is...terribly creepy and inappropriate, running right across the boundary of sick and wrong, to be honest.  It's set in a young men's school (as in teenagers) and she plays a teacher. Enough said.  How did we not see that back in the 80s?  I still love the song, though.

Okay, I'm going to sign off here for awhile. YKWIA is taking a nap, all is quiet, save for the music.  It's still about an hour-and-a-half till the animals need to be fed (although one is right by me, hoping to be).  The laundry is drying. I am considering lying down for a bit while that tumbles.

Ooh, we've made it to The Box Tops' 'The Letter'. :)

We had our first snow

The street, still covered with snow, with a crow standing in the front yard.

Said crow in the snow.

The dogs have been cavorting in the snow in the backyard.  And yes, that is a poison ivy vine on the outside of the window, complete with berries.  My friend is fond of it (he's not allergic), and the birds love the berries.

My phone was giving me some trouble

Suddenly, when plugged up with my normal, factory-provided charger, it was saying that there was moisture detected. I'd turned off the phone and restarted it, but it still kept popping up. I've only had that happen when trying to use a standard USB charger that isn't adaptive fast charging for the Samsung Galaxy S7.

So, I looked at some troubleshooting and decided to take a cotton swab and gently swabbed the port with dry cotton, and it's working now.  So it must actually have somehow detected some humidity.  It's snowing outside, so I'm assuming the air isn't the normal winter 'dry'.  I've had the phone for a year or more now, though, and it's never done that, at least with the charger that came with it.

I pulled out my box (with the quick start guides and the SIM-card drawer key) and the only other thing that came with the phone, a caddy with earbuds (which I don't use; I use my old S5 ones because I don't like the S7 shape of the buds, so I use them as a backup, only.  Inside is one other thing, a  USB to micro USB connector that, for the life of me, I have no idea as to why it was included with the phone when it came with a transfer USB to micro USB cable as part of the charger, and those sorts of cables are ubiquitous.  I just never got it.  I typed 'what is the purpose of the USB micro USB connector that comes with the galaxy s7' into Google and it's for Smart Switch, the Samsung method of transferring files from one phone to another device.  Still, I found it kind of weird. They did mine in-store using their Wi-Fi, except for the applications, as I had about 500 of those (I had 750 the other day, and I thought perhaps I should delete some I don't use.  But that's the number that comes up on the scans, and probably included pre-loaded ones). So since I was trying out the charger and cables anyway, I'm backing up my photos and music (that are already on a microSD card) further, by putting them on to my laptop.  It's about a third of the way through the music.  The pictures didn't take that much time; the estimated time for the music is one hour and 15 minutes.  I don't think it's going to take that long, though.

YKWIA and I have had our custard and nog.  The animals, who were fed late, are fed and the dogs are out for a bit in the snow. It's not really accumulating, really, just tiny amounts.  The laundry, which I've done in a leisurely manner, is almost finished.  I did the dog blankets and YKWIA's bedding, too.  [He accidentally fell asleep with a cup of tea in his hand last night, and spilt the whole thing, practically].  Tomorrow I plan on doing my bedding and clothes.

I had planned to listen to some music, stretching out on the bed, when the charging thing happened.  I went from 60% to less than 40% in very short order trying to figure it all out.  But it's charging now, albeit not as quickly as when plugged into the wall, given that it's plugged into the laptop.  We're  over halfway to the music backup being finished, so yeah, it's going pretty quickly.

Okay, that's all for now.  May your Christmas Eve be pleasant and warm.

Preparing for tomorrow

Tomorrow it's supposed to have snowfall at the morning commute, be frigid tomorrow night, and oh, yes, it's the first night of Chanukah. So tonight has been all about preparing for all that. I already had most of a tank of gas, but the first thing I did upon returning home was to make a grocery list of things YKWIA needed for cooking, things I needed for the latkes, and general things we needed. I then proceeded to go to the Tates Creek Kroger, got almost everything I needed (although I had to get them to stock the half and half from the back and wandered a bit until I found applesauce in the fruit snack aisle). The one thing I needed to go to Fresh Market for was a Belgian endive. On entering the Landsdowne Shoppes, I had an old man who was in the right-turn lane who suddenly he decided to go into the left-turn lane (my lane) while I was occupying it. I laid on the horn, something that has taken me years to really do--I usually tap it ineffectively, and had the satisfaction of not only having him return to his lane, but he startled and I suspect I nearly scared him half to death, which is fine, given how inattentively he was driving. It is so easy to startle Southerners, who cannot fathom why anyone would be rude enough to honk their horn at the person trying to hit them. We as a lot tend to be overly polite, never stick up for ourselves, and do everything in a roundabout way so as to not offend or confront. YKWIA was raised in an aristocratic Southern family, but his Yankee roots are also quite evident. He does very well in places like New York, which would eat me alive. Southerners frustrate him, however.

Anyway, I got the endive, returned, put everything away, and then we ate leeks au gratin, which was wonderful, with a little bread, too. I cleaned up while he made a phone call to a friend, and I proceeded to go through one of my nightstands and consolidate some medications and fill up my pill reminder box since I brought my medicine with me today but didn't take it because I didn't have it pre-sorted. The bag it was in was at least useful; I gave that to a family who needed something to prevent the glitter glue from a cast (hey, we are a children's medical centre) from getting all over a car seat.

The plan tomorrow is to make classic potato latkes with applesauce and sour cream, latkes made from strained cottage cheese (sweet latkes that are very yummy with the applesauce, as I prefer the sour cream with the potato ones) and some zucchini latkes with tzatziki. I've made all three recipes before, but not in the same year, I don't think. I've been making latkes for Chanukah for YKWIA for years as a treat. This year I gave him a nice linen napkin set because his old napkins were in sad shape. He gave me a lovely hooded periwinkle scarf that is fleece and very warm, which will come in handy tomorrow. I did discover that I cannot back into our driveway to save my life. I thought it would be better to be heading out towards the street if we got any real snow, as I have front-wheel drive, but I ran into a branch that was over to the side and I'm sitting mostly in our side yard, but I'm definitely off the driveway with the back of the car a little crooked, on the grass. I think it's a shame that my car, a 2001 Taurus, is just too old to have been outfitted with a backup camera. That is one thing I miss about that Hyundai Veloster I rented. Well, that and Bluetooth. :)

Okay, I'm at a strange angle on my bed, typing, and my neck is starting to hurt. I'm going to sign off and head on to bed. I must get up a little early just in case I need to scrape the windwhield or otherwise deal with precipitation. Hope you're having a good week so far. Good night.

For some reason

Google Chrome has not been loading on my laptop when I try to get on the Internet, which is one reason I haven't blogged much lately. Instead I've had to blog on my phone, which has certain limits on using the Blogger mobile application, and the browser doesn't work at all for Blogger in terms of filling in the boxes, at least on Google Chrome. So...

In the time it took Chrome to come up and hang up, I used Microsoft Edge (which I don't like) to download and install Firefox. Now I'm online with no trouble. So it may have been a Chrome issue. Pity, I do like Chrome, but only if it works.

I was in scheduling yesterday and today, and both days were busy yet alright. Yesterday there was an appointment, too, and I went and got something for a friend at the pharmacy while he was at the doctor's office. Of course, there was something else to get today due to that visit. So I've been to the pharmacy, which is clear across town, but which we prefer to the big mega-pharmacies, twice in two days. After I delivered the item, I read through and proofread a document he wrote up, and then headed home. I'm behind on my cleaning venture, and tomorrow we have the pest control people coming in, so I need to have the kitchen and bathroom in good shape. Mainly I need to wash the handwashable dishes, take out the trash, and the recyclables, something I haven't done yet. Of course, after starting out warm this morning it's very cold outside and also very windy. We're supposed to get snow sometime overnight, maybe a dusting up to three inches. I'm not in scheduling tomorrow, but I expect there will be quite a few cancellations--they've been cancelling for two days already out of concern for the weather, even though it should be a mild snow, the ground is quite warm, and it will warm up in a day or two (60 degrees on Sunday). Spring seems to be around the corner (my allergies prove it), and that's great. We had a statewide tornado drill Tuesday to kick off the storm season, as well.

So it's been a busy week, so busy that yesterday I was in bed by 10 and still had trouble getting up this morning. The alarm went off at 6 am and I think I hit snooze several times till 8:10. Mind you, I need to be at work by 8:30. Fortunately I live very close to work. :)

There was something I saw today which was pretty cool, and has librarians across the country celebrating. President Obama has appointed (subject to Congressional approval, of course) a new Librarian of Congress. It's history-making because she would be the first woman, and she is black. But we're just happy that she's an actual librarian by training (it usually isn't, and the last Librarian was not, actually, a librarian by training). Her name is Carla Hayden:

Obama nominates African American woman to be Librarian of Congress

Hayden is the chief executive of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, a job she has had for 22 years. She drew praise and criticism for her decision to keep the library open during last year’s protests over the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. As the head of the American Library Association in 2003-2004, Hayden took on U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft over measures in the Patriot Act that she considered an invasion of privacy. And she is credited with updating Pratt’s technology and launching programs to meet the community’s needs.

Anyway, yay. Let's hope she'll be confirmed, and that the Congress (and the Republicans who would like to obstruct just about anything the President tries to do in his last eleven months in office) aren't poopheads about it.

I finally came out of hibernation

because I was hungry, which was good, as I my blood sugar was going a little low (68). I found a package of peanut butter crackers I'd forgotten were in my lunch bag and ate them, with a few multigrain crackers as a chaser. I feel a bit bleary, and my back hurts from so long in bed, but generally, I think it helped. I've found that a good lie-in bed is good for me about every three months or so, especially as I don't sleep like I used to.

The snow has stopped. I'm not certain how much we got. The parking lot drive is clear, and the steps are shoveled. I don't think I'll have any trouble getting out, as I just have to get the snow off of my car, which I can see from my window. I'm the only one who put their windshield wipers up last night; hopefully that will help. Today it's gloomy and there's perhaps going to be rain or a little mixed drizzle. But given how much rain we have in the forecast, the snow won't be around much longer.

One good thing about not eating much this week; I've lost four pounds exactly. It's not the best diet plan, and there's only so much peanut butter one can eat, but hey. I did eat a fish sandwich meal at the cafeteria Friday with the promise of paying later. Yes, I'm like Wimpy from Popeye. But I always do pay, so they let me; I just try not to abuse that. But otherwise it's either been bread and peanut butter or crackers and peanut butter for awhile.

Okay, I'll take the rest of my medicine and think about getting a shower. I'm moving slowly but really, isn't that the point on a day off? :)

I felt run down today

So I've spent most of the afternoon and evening in bed.  It's the middle of the night,  and I surfaced for water,  Lantus,  and brushing of teeth. Along the way I talked to two friends,  my mom (who is doing much better),  and replied to an email from an aunt.  I ate dinner,  and I blogged on the computer,  but I haven't posted that yet; I will in the morning.  I do feel better. I guess I just needed a lot of rest.  I plan to get up early and do some things around here.  I'm off for Presidents' Day (which is still new to us,  as it just started last year after years of no break between New Year's and Memorial Day).

It has been snowing just about the whole time I've been in bed. We were supposed to get 3 to 5 inches.  From my window,  it looks like three. That's not enough to be a problem after the morning,  so I should be able to go to the library and my PT appointment. I wouldn't want to miss my last session.

Okay,  I'm going back to bed for awhile.  Good night.

Well, apparently Hell has frozen over...

Or perhaps the opposite has occurred. I came home tonight and it appears (at least as far as I could see) that my street has, indeed, been ploughed. Kudos to Lexington for adding contractors to help this year. It was a very pleasant surprise, anyway.

It was nice to be back at work today, and I caught up pretty quickly. One of the ladies at work who is subbing for a co-worker out on maternity leave came in and asked me if I’d seen the Sarah Palin endorsement of Donald Trump. I’d seen the ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit, but she told me that the original was far more surreal. So on my break I watched that and the Stephen Colbert take on it. Oh, my goodness. It was worse than I thought. What scares me? Americans actually pay attention to these two self-absorbed egomaniac blowhards. Only Sarah Palin would make a political endorsement in a showy blouse and talk a lot about herself, rambling on and on saying crude things about the current President and looking like she’s laughing at the very people she’s talking to at the same time. Both she and Trump sicken me.

Granted, I’m the one with a Bernie Sanders sticker on her car, but the man has something these people don’t have (or Hillary Clinton either, in my opinion)—integrity and consistency. The only thing that I have any doubts on Bernie about is foreign policy, but on the one thing, he’s smart enough, as my co-worker said, to surround himself with experts on it, and compared to people like Trump—who has the capability to pretty much undermine any foreign policy and alienate virtually any sane country on the planet, and who has been the subject of a debate in the UK Parliament concerning a ban on his visiting, Bernie looks damn good in comparison. It’s horrible that he’s making gains on fear-mongering, as well. On the other hand, I don’t trust Hillary Clinton one bit, and the whole e-mail server thing frankly causes me to question her intelligence. It’s simply common sense to handle sensitive material—of importance to governmental operations—on secure government servers. I don’t transact my company’s business on my personal e-mail—and I work for a non-profit with no real trade secrets, much less government security secrets. Even if there were no real sensitive information—and it does not look like that’s the case—it was colossally dumb, and even if she were that naïve, someone on her staff should have had a clue. That’s my opinion, anyway.

I thought that it was horrible that the stupid in our country actually elected George W. Bush twice. Now I’m beginning to think that it’s going to be far worse.

Okay, I’ll leave my political musings to that for now. I think I’m going to go find something fun to do, now that I’m home, and take some of my medicine. Good night, just in case I don’t write any more tonight.

Up and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

For all that I had trouble sleeping last night, and probably got to bed about 2 am and then listened to some Depeche Mode for awhile after that, I got up at 7:45 am and am pretty perky, or about as perky as I get in the morning. Yesterday I was not as vigilant about doing all the stuff to keep my blood sugar in control, and my bedtime glucose was high, so I took both Lantus and Humalog (long-acting and short-acting insulin, respectively). This morning my fasting blood sugar is 117, which is very good, and I’m back on track. I only missed one pill and one injection, really, but I felt a bit like a slacker, when I’ve been doing so well. So, here’s to being back in form today.

It is 9 degrees outside, quite cold, and sunny. I plan on waiting for it to warm up before going anywhere. I’d like to pop by the library today, as it’s been closed, but on Sundays they open at 1 pm, so I may not be able to. We’ll see. A friend wants me to get a book from the Beaumont Library for him, and I’d like to hook the computer up to Wi-Fi for just a bit to get any updates there might be.

But I’ve got some time today before then to maybe work on my to-do list, since I haven’t really done anything on it except dishes.

You’d think with this much snow on the ground, nothing would be bothering my allergies, but I have inside allergies as well. My eyes are watering to the point of crying and I just blew my nose and unstopped it. I just took my allergy pill and I’m taking eye drops for that as well. These help. I really need to get back on track with my allergy shots, since the phials are at the practice and ready.

A few things to do this week:

1. Get my allergy shots, at least once, but twice if possible.
2. Take YKWIA to an appointment during the workday and three appointments in the evening.
3. Go to Time Warner Cable and give back the modem/router.
4. Go to one appointment of mine during the day and one evening appointment, the second of which coincides with YKWIA’s, at least. Getting allergy shots twice this week is looking slim. But there’s Wednesday, when they’re open late, and that’s free, for now.

Oh, by the way, speaking of taking the box back to TWC:

Vonage will not let me go. As you may know, Vonage is a voice-over-Internet phone provider, meaning that an internet connexion is required to use the phone, unlike bundled phones from the cable company. I have had Vonage for (apparently) nine years and five months. During that time, I have happily paid my bill through an automatic draught month in and month out. So they consider me a wonderful customer. Years ago, I was having trouble making a payment, and they actually comped the entire month. Last year, I lost my internet for a couple of months and they forwarded my calls and gave me credit for two or three months so I wouldn’t be charged.

Yesterday I called to cancel, and they really did all they could to make sure I didn’t. They dropped it down to an account that would be $6 a month with taxes, then gave me the credit for six months so that I could call back in that time to see if I got a connexion back in that time. That way I get to keep my phone number. I agreed to this (probably I will get the internet back in that time, through some provider, if I can find a good rate that I can afford, so I can watch Netflix on my TV again). So, everyone was happy. They really have bent over backwards to try to keep me as a customer. I certainly would recommend them to anyone. Anyway, thank you, Vonage.

I’ve been playing more of ‘Inside Out: Thought Bubbles’ and I finally got through that one level, but I’m stuck again, getting within one ball several times, using both Joy’s and Sadness’ powers. :( I’m assuming I’ll eventually unlock the other emotions, if I can just get past level 24.

Okay, it’s nice and bright in here, with the sun reflecting off the snow. I think I’ll read for a bit. I’ll write later, hopefully.

Whew!

It’s been a weird day. I mostly did some things around the house, ate, and played a bubble shooter game on my phone without much success of getting through level 23 (it’s based off of Disney Pixar’s movie Inside Out). A had called me earlier today and explained that the snow ploughs had not made it to his street but that he was about to go out and do some shoveling. I asked him to give me an update later. About 2 pm he called and said the plough had been through, everything looked good, and he’d shoveled the walks and driveway for me. They were almost out of coffee, and we’re getting temperatures around 0 degrees tonight and tomorrow morning, so I figured conditions would just worsen, so I went out and spent a half-hour digging out my car with a broom and a dustpan. Yes, really. I do need to invest in a snow shovel, after never needing any for years. But last year we had over 10 inches in each of two storms two weeks apart, and this time, while the official measure was over 9 inches, A and I each have about 10 or 11, as our parts of town got more snow. Add the drifting from the wind and it could go up to three feet in places.

After digging out where I could (and I’m counting that as exercise for my Habitica application), and only falling down once into a drift onto my butt, I managed to get out of my parking place, and then there was a moving truck taking up most of the space near the curve to the exit from the parking lot, so I had to go through the snowier area. I got stuck on my street, which never gets ploughed as far as I can tell, but shifting into reverse and then into first and second gear (which I’ve never done using an automatic) and got out and down the road. The next street and the one after that wasn’t bad, just narrower. Once I got to Man O’War, things were just wet, except for slush where people pulled out of other streets here and there. None of the right turn lanes had been ploughed, though, so we were having to turn from the right straight lane instead. I went down Man O’War and then another road that I knew was a snow route just to be okay, not the normal back way I go. Then I got to their street, which was pretty decent, and into the driveway. A and I went and got a few groceries for each of us, stopped by Jin Jin and got Chinese food, and then I headed home, as I wanted to get back by dark and the sun was already low on the horizon. I got home shortly before 6 pm, managed to make it back into the very same parking place I’d been in, after negotiating my street again.

I came in and one of my floor lamps (the newest, which I got three years ago), was leaning awfully badly, so I tried fiddling with it, and it totally came apart and broke, much to my frustration. I decided to walk away from the lamp and eat my kung pao tofu and spring rolls and calm down a bit. When I went back it was obvious that it was broken and not merely unscrewed, and that it was designed somewhat poorly. I salvaged the heavy glass shades off of the torchiere piece and the two reading lamps, and I’ll get rid of the rest when I take things to the dumpster, then look for another one that is similar. It means the living room is a bit dark, having only the original floor lamp over by the computer, and nothing will come on when I flip the switch next to the door, but I’ll eventually get another, maybe when I get my tax refund and have a little money to spend. Who am I kidding, that will all go to bills, I’m sure. :)

So now that I have released the lamp to the Great Beyond and I’ve eaten, I feel better. There are plenty of things to do tonight, but my back and neck are hurting somewhat from wrestling with the lamp (the base was very heavy, and the whole thing was nestled in a spot in the corner behind the couch, which reclined while I was trying to line up the base with the pole and screw it back together. I probably needed two people to even get as far as I could, but in the end, the screw would not pop up to where the pole could be screwed in, and plastic parts, beyond the metal pieces that were giving me fits, just crumbled, especially up in the light. Fortunately I didn’t break any of the shades (I did break one once before when the lamp fell over, and had to replace the two small shades with something similar). In retrospect, the lamp has never truly been completely vertical at 90 degrees to the floor since then, so it probably was on its way out for some time and I managed to keep it going for awhile by leaning it against the wall and putting it between other objects. Oh, well.

To be honest, I think I’m going to lie down for just a little while and then maybe watch something on DVD. Or read. I don’t know yet. I did do a little reading last night, but the book was terrible in terms of grammar so I returned it. It purported to be a history of Rome, but it was very cursory at best, treating the entire period from the founding of Rome to Augustus Caesar in few pages, and I had doubts of it getting any better. Plus, it focussed on battles rather than much of (in my opinion) the more interesting history of Rome, the social and political aspects. Anyway, considering I’ve taken graduate classes where I had to learn the history of the Republic and the Empire pretty thoroughly, this seemed inadequate, more like a listing of kings and emperors. I already had to memorise the entire list of Roman Emperors, I don’t need another listing. What I wanted was a nice overview to jog my memories on certain aspects of Roman history, and was disappointed. The download included another book on the history of Aegypt and one on the history of Greece, but I decided to not even try those.

Okay, the bedroom and perhaps getting comfy with a book (or a Kindle) is calling me. Oh, and probably I’ll just fall asleep for awhile anyway. :)

A lazy day

Well, other than keeping an eye on the snow, taking copious breaks by ‘napping’, eating a couple of times today, checking the news, rerouting my digital antenna to the window using the newly free cables so I get better reception (it kept going out on the newscast at inopportune moments until I did that), reconnected my speakers to the power supply and laptop, etc., I haven’t done much. Oh, and I finally took a shower, because I couldn’t stand it anymore. Officially, our snowfall so far is 6 inches at the airport. On my side of town, it looks more like 8, although it’s hard because the winds have caused quite a bit of drifting. The roads are apparently being difficult—the interstates are being taken at 30 mph as the safest driving speed. Man O’War looks completely covered right now. The road crews have been working very hard, but we’ve just had snowburst after snowburst.

While I haven’t done much of anything on my list, I have tonight and tomorrow to do so. In fact, I think I might watch a DVD and read tonight, and get my laundry together and the dishes, and I’ll be happy with that and do the rest tomorrow and, if need be, Sunday. I’m not sure when I’ll get the car out on the road. The drifts are up on my car up to almost the top of my tyres, for example. I don’t own a snow shovel. Last year, during the 10+ inch snowfalls, I was lucky because one neighbour helped me to get out, and then on the second a couple of women driving by saw me out with a broom and dug me out. While it was absolutely great that they all did that, I can’t rely on that. I really need to invest in one of those small collapsible shovels, at least, at some point. Our winter season is just really getting going, after all.

I’ve seen exactly two regular vehicles going by the window today while I’ve been up and watching the snow. There’s a snow plough doing the parking lot right now. The stairs that were shoveled hours ago are impossible to distinguish at this point, especially in the dusk’s fading light, due to the drifts.

The governor has declared a state of emergency for the state; a lot of counties have, too. We’re not to that yet, so people are out and about. But some parts of the state will get at least 20” of snow.

I am very glad that I didn’t go out today. The afternoon commute would have been very difficult for me. Driving is a source of anxiety on a normal day. I actually take BuSpar for my driving anxiety. Earlier I said jokingly that if I’d gone to work, I would have had to have taken 2-3 of them to get home during a phone conversation. YKWIA chimed in that I’d need a BuSpar drip, which quite frankly, isn’t far off. Even my PT was asking why my back pain had flared up. Part of it is that a couple of sessions had been cancelled due to issues in his family (he’d had a funeral and the birth of his child to attend). But part of it is even the small 3-4” snowfall we had made me very tense as I drive. There’s been two injury accidents so far in the city today, with about 35 non-injury ones. That’s not too bad, considering, but I think most people just stayed off the road, which helped.

Earlier A called me and asked me jokingly if I was going to come to get him from work. He took the bus early this morning and even though it wasn’t snowing yet, the buses were on their snow plan, so the bus driver honked at him from across the street and got him to come over, as the stop he was at wasn’t being serviced. He was at work alone in his department today (he is a central sterile tech, and they had quite a few surgeries that were not cancelled, so he pretty much had to be there). He did have a ride home from work, at least. I heard on the news earlier that LexTran was actually shutting down night service after 8 pm tonight, and resuming at 7:30 am tomorrow. I’m going to check on him in just a bit.

There’s only one flight to Detroit going out of the airport tonight, according to what they just said on the news. Wow. So glad I wasn’t going to Chicago today.

Okay, I think I’m going to sign off here, turn off the news, and call A. Take it easy out there. Good night for now.

Snow Day!

So the snow didn’t actually start until the early morning commute. I got up and watched the conditions being predicted on the weather, though, and decided that while I most likely could drive or take the bus to work, getting back was going to be an absolute problem, whichever I chose. So I called my boss, who bless her heart planned on being in, as her husband was going to bring her from Garrard County, and left a message on her voicemail that I was going to heed the warnings and stay off the road, hunkered down in my apartment.

And then the snow came. And came. And came.

I went back to sleep till about 10:20 and fixed a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast with fruit, a banana, and Morningstar farm veggie sausage patties. As I ate, I watched the snow coming down. It was about two or so inches then, and it was coming down probably at about 1-2 inches per hour. Some of my neighbours, mostly from South Asia, were coming up by foot and visiting others here in the building. No one was out clearing vehicles or trying to drive anywhere that I saw. (I have a front living room window, facing the parking lot, so I can sort of watch the world as it goes by. I did a lot of that after I was hit by the car and was laid up for three months with a broken foot and ankle.) Anyway, one of our maintenance men came and shoveled the walk, stairs, and porch, clearing the snow. It seems to be a heavy, wet type of snow. I decided to go back to bed for awhile (I didn’t sleep that well last night), and so I slept from about 11:45 to 1:00 and got up to about six inches of snow. The walk is completely covered again, and it looks like the snow has been blowing and drifting some. The southern part of the state apparently got ice before the snow, so things have been worse for them. We’re at about the limit of my ability to drive in the snow now; if it continues like this for three more hours, I really don’t think I could have gotten home, and it is supposed to go for some time, up through tomorrow morning.

Now I’m going to try to do some things around the house. I’m a little chilly, but getting up and doing some things should help (it’s one reason I went back to bed.) So I’m going to turn the heat up a notch and then try to (over the next couple of days, since I’m probably not going anywhere soon):

1. Wash dishes.
2. Straighten up the kitchen.
3. Bag up the recyclables.
4. Take out the trash and recyclables if possible.
5. Straighten up the dining room.
6. Fold the remaining clean laundry.
7. Gather the dirty laundry for tomorrow, after the snow stops.
8. Straighten up the living room a bit.
9. Do a quick once-over on the bathroom.
10. Tackle the bedroom, which need to be excavated, as for once I have dirty laundry on the floor rather than the hamper, some clean laundry stacked up, the boxes of Christmas ornaments to still put away, and some things pulled out of the closets that need to go back. Then I can make the bed and all should be right with the world, and I can mark things off my to-do list.
11. I also need to call Vonage today and cancel my service, since I don’t have Internet at home anymore. To save on data, I’m also typing this up in Word first and then pasting into Blogger.

I’d also like to do some things for fun while I’m off (what’s a snow day without reading, for example). And while I can’t watch any streaming video, I have some DVDs to catch up on, including Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, some Phryne Fisher mysteries, and of course, ‘Downton Abbey’, where I’ve only finished the first season and have two and three on DVD, so I’m hopelessly behind.

Depending on how things look tomorrow afternoon, I may try to dig out and get A for a trip to the store, assuming there is anything left to get. :) But it may be Sunday before we can do that. I did bring them milk, creamer, and bread yesterday to help bridge that time.

Okay, I guess I’ll start with the dishes. Stay safe if this storm is impacting you.

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.

I am so glad that today is (mostly) over

But:

1. I managed to make it from one side of the city to the other and back, along with various areas between, despite snow and nasty commuting conditions.
2. I didn't get hardly any sleep last night because I was keyed up over the snow and so I'm looking forward to going to bed tonight.
3. Tomorrow is pay day. I can't pay everybody, but I can make a dent in things.
4. Tomorrow I should get my W-2s, and I got my student loan interest tonight, so basically I'm ready to do my taxes.
5. I ache all over, and part of me just wants to take some ibuprofen and head on to bed.
6. At least I got my medicine and A's medicine before the really big snow hits on Friday (somewhere between 6 and 21 inches, depending on which model you look at). My meds were ove $500. That's with insurance. Thank the Gods for flexible spending accounts. I don't know what I'm going to do when the hospital moves to the medical centre next year and I lose my job, and my insurance. I have to find a job before then, and frankly, the chances of getting the solo medical librarian position I interviewed for is looking pretty dim, given the time that has passed since the phone interview, sadly.
7. I did finally get that reimbursement from the Chicago trip. It only took a month and a half. :) It wasn't much, but given that I had less than a dollar between my two accounts, hey, it's grocery money.
8. I checked on my mom today and she was doing pretty well. Yay for that.

Last night was all about managing various digital content. I ripped some CDs from my collection to my computer so I could put it on my phone, took the photos on my phone and backed them up on the computer, deleting them and freeing up a bunch of space on my SD card, and downloaded some free Kindle books. Today I went online and downloaded updates from my Kindle library (that is one nice thing about e-books--they can be corrected easily).

Tomorrow I need to:

1. Pay many bills.
2. Try to get a hold of my allergist (again) and see if I need to start my allergy shots over.
3. Try to get a hold of a friend's doctor as he has an appointment on Friday evening and I really don't think we'll make it due to weather. I tried to call today but apparently had the wrong phone number, so I'll have to look it up. My phone was running out of battery at the time, and I was about to head to the pharmacy, so I put that off.
4. I really want to transcribe a passage from one of the games that didn't get put into the notes.
5. Go to PT. I didn't get to have my session Tuesday because my physical therapist's wife was in labour, and really, I can't fault him on wanting to be there for the birth of his child. But I've been hurting as a result of the missed appointment.
6. Whittle down my to-do list on Habitica.
7. Read!
8. Get my tax info together so I can do it this weekend.

Okay, I've (finally) had dinner, which I practically inhaled, I was so hungry (it was 8 pm after all, and I hadn't eaten since noon). Time to do some quick checking on the computer and then start winding down for the night. Good night!

Finishing up at an appointment

and thought I'd write for a bit. I hope you had a good new year's weekend.  We started our Monday with just a bit of snow, the first dusting in an otherwise warm winter so far.  Of course, tonight I think it's supposed to be about 17 degrees, so so much for that, but later in the week it's supposed to go back up to the fifties, which is fine with me.

I got a lot of rest over the weekend, and work went well today.  I just had physical therapy and got to check that off on my little Habitica application, so I am now a level 9 warrior, huzzah! (Yes, it tells you that.)  Make fun all you want, but it really is helping me remember to take my medicine and other tasks, and maing them a habit.  I think I started it almost two weeks ago, and I've had a pretty good streak.

One of the things I am definitely going to try to do this year is read more. I've put it as a habit already.  I read some of The Epic of Gilgamesh last night and I  am going to read a bit more while waiting for my friend to get out of PT. I'll write some more later.