It usually does not take me long to go to sleep

Five minutes, at the most, really. Last night it took about an hour. Thank you, Microsoft. And I wanted to get up at 6, which would have been a little over four hours of sleep, but my body rebelled and here I am, awake at 8:30. But at least I'm off from work.

So on the agenda today:

1. Finish straightening up the house.
2. Do the dishes.
3. Water the plants, inside and out.
4. Get some medicine from the vet.
5. Take a friend to an appointment.
6. Take books back to the library.
7. Maybe take a swim in the pool?

I (finally) used my frustration last night and powered it into filling up the fish tanks, so they have water. It took till this morning to get the pump on the big tank to pull the water through properly though, and the little one still isn't working like it should. They never ran empty or anything that would destroy the pumps. I changed the filter on the little one and tried to position it right above the water. It's a little persnickety, usually. I'll keep trying. I also filled up the ice cube trays this morning because I am tired of warm water.

Yay! I'm off for two days!

Which means I:

1. get away from the office for a little while (I really had to drag myself to work today, which indicated it was time to get away, even for a short time, as I usually love being there.
2. can get the house in order before the fire department inspection on Thursday (which I didn't know would happen when it will when I asked of, but I knew it was looming)
3. can take care of some errands and make some phone calls
4. can prepare properly for class
5. can get my allergy shots properly this week
6. can go swimming in the pool
7. won't have to take time off to take a friend to an appointment
8. can blog more
9. might be able to install Windows 10 on my machines, depending on how the rollout goes

Things I want to do tomorrow before class:

1. Take a CD and some books to the library
2. Clean the apartment thoroughly
3. Water the plants, including the outside ones, one of which fell off its ledge yesterday, so I also need to sweep up the dirt
4. Prepare for class

Oh, so cute!

3-week-old baby pygmy hippo plays in the pool with mom.

I actually went to the pool today and exercised

for about 45 minutes. I was afraid to stay out much longer because I am pretty pale, it was sunny, my sunscreen is from last year, and I couldn't get my back well. But I didn't have any good excuses not to go get in the water and exercise, so I did. My knees and other joints felt so good while I was in. Mind you, the water was a bit cool--no one else would go in, because they'd try a little at a time and didn't like the temperature. I went in pretty much all at once, got my head wet, and then I felt fine.

I did this despite the fact that two years ago when I went looking for a bathing suit, the only one I could find to fit me was very, very bright, shall we say even neon, pink. So I always feel like a giant pink blobbie in the pool. But today I decided to not focus on that at all, and just go have fun. Anyway, I'm glad I did.

After that, I came in and got a shower. I'd gotten a late start to my morning; I'd slept till 10:30 am, which is almost unheard of these days, but what can I say, it's been a difficult week. I went into the pool about 11:30. After my shower, I found I had a voice message; a friend was out of medicine and the pharmacy was going to close in less than half an hour. I dressed quickly, called the pharmacy to let them know I was coming, and then booked it all the way across town, hitting just three red lights, and arriving with two minutes to spare. Then I stopped by Kroger for drinks and something to eat, and when I got back to the car and sat down, the inside seam of my capris tore all to hell, about five inches down, even though the capris are not tight, but comfortable. I went on to my friends' house, delivered the medicine, and visited for awhile, watching videos on YouTube. Then we went for the grocery run, stopping by my house first so I wouldn't be out in public with torn pants. When we got back and had put away the groceries, YKWIA and I watched Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, which was fun. Now I'm home, and I need to work on the game notes. (Yes, I left them till the last minute again.) But all in all, it's been a good day, and fairly productive.

Awww....

Well, drat

The one day that I'm off from work so there aren't lots of adults and kids swarming the pool and horseplaying, and I might be able to take a luxurious bout in the pool, it is closed. Later today we're supposed to get some thunderstorms, and tomorrow, too, and anyway the evenings tend to be a little rough for my desire to float and relax in the pool. I went to get a drink from the laundry room and check out the pool, and the sign saying it was closed was up. One of my neighbours came up in trunks and was apparently very disappointed, as he stood there for several minutes and then retreated to another building's doorway to watch. I guess he was going to meet someone there. Oh, well, at least I hadn't gotten into my suit, etc. But I am disappointed. Once I have my surgery, I won't be able to get in at all for a little while, and this was the first real attempt I had made this year.

Agenda for today

1. Get up. (This took longer than it really should have, but it was nice to sleep in.)
2. Get some food in me. (Tortillas and cheese for brunch.)
3. Take my meds. (The potassium refused to go down. It dissolved in my mouth in a nasty manner.)
4. Listen to the end of Rick Dees' countdown. (He's not as good as Casey Kasem, and I hate when they change the songs as an advertisement for his show, but still....)
5. Water flowers inside and out. (My prayer plant is not only growing like a weed, it's blooming, a lovely purple (the flowers are tiny, but still....) Not bad for nearly killing it early on.)
6. Add water to fish tanks.
7. Work on the game notes. (Yay, finished!)
8. Get a haircut. (Decided not to for now.)
9. Read a book I've started, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe. (This switches between the 17th-century and and 1990s Massachusetts, a mystery involving witchcraft then and now. I'm not far into it, but it has potential, and I'm enjoying the writing so far.)
10. Watch The Book Thief, which I have out from Netflix. (See review on next entry.)
11. Celebrate the solstice.
12. Generally relax. (This I've had no trouble doing, as I didn't have any caffeine until after 6 pm and I really dragged in bed back and forth throughout the day.)

Wow

Today I was energised, alert, and had a really pleasant day. For one thing, my blood sugar was near-normal all day. In fact, before lunch, it was 101. Even two hours after lunch, it was 121. That's very good. I'm still a little high in the mornings, but I suddenly realised this morning when updating my medication list that I'm supposed to take two metformin a day, and so I'm supposed to take an evening dose as well. That should help with the morning highs. But even so, it wasn't nearly as high as usual. And although I know part of it is water weight, I've lost 12 lbs since Thursday. Really. I was really productive today, and so much clearer mentally. When I got home, the first thing I did was change into my swimsuit and go to the pool, where I did exercises (I didn't really attempt to swim, exactly, nor did I float about, as there was a young girl splashing all over the place). But I did some good exercises and got my joints moving. That's what counts.

Tonight I have a quiet evening at home. I have a few things to do around the house. One of my co-workers really wants me to watch 'Downton Abbey', as she has finished season 3 and she's afraid she'll let something slip since I'm only five episodes into season 1. :) I think tonight I will watch some of that, and also start 'The Big Bang Theory' from the beginning. I might work on the game notes a bit, too, and get them squared away.

I do have a headache (I have almost all day), but I think that's because of the rain that's due tomorrow, and maybe because my blood sugar is lower than it has been, too. I'm resisting taking ibuprofen because Thursday is our blood drive at work and I don't want to have to have them mark it for having had aspirin/NSAIDs exposure. I do think I'll listen to some music for just a bit and rest my eyes, hopefully without actually going to sleep. I'll set several alarms. :)

Triumph of the pink blobbie

I did not go to the Y tonight, but I did go to my complex pool, despite my neon pink swimsuit and my blobbie-shaped body. And you know what? It was great. There actually were no other people at the pool (several people went to the laundry room, and of course I walked back to my apartment later, and there was no sense putting anything over the suit as I was still wet). But I forgot how absolutely freeing the water can be. I floated, I did some exercises, I swam (such as it is). I got some good exercise in and enjoyed myself thoroughly. I was in for about 40 minutes and burned between 500-640 calories or so, according to my fitness applications for leisurely swimming. :) I definitely have to do this more often, both here at the apartments (the pool will be open through Labour Day weekend) and at the YMCA. Yay for the pink blobbie. And when I looked in the mirror, I didn't seem quite as huge as I was afraid I'd look. The suit has rauching, a bit of a skirt, and a lot of bosom support. It worked out pretty well.

Ah, home--and a holiday tomorrow

So, I made it home, despite witnessing a near-accident that could have been very bad. A huge, rusting old motor home failed to yield as it turned onto New Circle Road from Richmond Road, and the cars coming from the other side had the green light. A yellow car nearly got forced into the hill that anchors the overpass, and they were side-by-side for several seconds, before the yellow car managed to get ahead of the mobile home. There were at least seven cars behind them, too, so it could have led to a very bad pileup. Fortunately I was on Richmond Road, stopped in traffic, and was in no danger, but it was still a little scary.

There's no telling yet whether Fourth of July will be great or fizzle. The weather forecast isn't looking good. I'll call security at work tomorrow afternoon to see if a decision has been made about the fireworks. If they're rained out, they'll be postponed to Sunday night, when I may or may not be able to go. But even if the festival and fireworks fizzle due to rain, there are plenty of things I can do inside as well. Besides the festival and fireworks, here are a few things I'd like to do over the next few days:

1. Go to the YMCA. Once would be at least a good start. More than once would be ideal.
2. See Despicable Me 2. I do love the Minions, and now they have a girl Minion and anti-Minions.
3. Watch 'Downton Abbey' episodes, at least through season one.
4. Watch 'Grimm' on Amazon Prime through the Roku box. I have season two recorded on the DVR, but haven't seen many from season one, either.
5. Maybe get into the complex pool, if the weather cooperates.

Plus, there are things to do around the house, including hand-washable laundry, dishes, the dining table needs to be excavated, and a few little things to upkeep the place and make sure I'm not getting messy.

My plan, at this moment, is to have a quiet night at home. In honour of the anniversary of his birth, I got a Kindle version of a Franz Kafka collection, which includes all of his stories, including 'The Metamorphosis', but not including the novels, such as The Trial. I might read some of that tonight. There are many I haven't read before.

Okay, let me put up my plate and flatware. I had some corn on the cob from the farmer's market, and it was very nummy.

So glad the weekend's here

I'm up briefly. I fell asleep by about 9 pm, mainly because the week has been long and tiring, although I have gotten plenty of rest, really. The afternoon was odd, as I went by the pharmacy, got one friend's medicine, delivered it, came home, another friend called asking if I could bring over food, so I did (Texas Roadhouse salmon!), but the other friend wasn't home yet, so of course when I got over there with the food he called and said he was getting off in a half an hour, pretty late at work, and of course, it would take a long time to get home on the bus, so I went ahead and ate with my other friend, got the other afterwards, and then he ate while we spent some time in their library at the computer talking. Meanwhile another friend texted me as he didn't hear from me last night (I fell asleep so early). So much running about was to be had, but friendships are doing better. Yay!

I'm getting a farmer's tan on my arms, especially where I'm driving this summer. I really must learn to put on sunscreen even when I'm not 'out' in the sun. I'm quite pink, even on the back of my neck (since I no longer have hair to cover it), and that's all from just driving about.

Tomorrow, the plan is to get up, get my rent from the bank and some money for the farmer's market, go to said farmer's market (really, this time; it will at least be less muggy and cooler), and maybe go to our pool at the complex for a little while (assuming I can get sunscreen on my back). Tomorrow afternoon there's a big grocery run with a friend and game notes to do. Sunday is the game.

I'm looking forward to the short week next week. I plan to go to our downtown Fourth of July festival as usual on Thursday, and then go to the fireworks at the Idle Hour Golf Course. I'm lucky that because I work right across the street, I can go see it from the front lawn and park with my badge in the hospital parking lot. Yay! I hopefully will be able to take Friday off as well, as it will be dreadfully slow at work that day otherwise. A four-day weekend sounds lovely. Too bad my friend A couldn't swing it; we could have gone somewhere, maybe. I also want to see the movie 'Despicable Me 2'. I loved the first one, and I'm looking forward to seeing the sequel. That's coming out next weekend. I think I still have a free admission ticket for Cinemark that was given to us as an employee gift last year (well, we had two, but I used one last year for Hunger Games. Speaking of that, in one weekend in November, Catching Fire, the 50th Anniversary 'Doctor Who' programme, and the return of 'Sherlock' all happen, although I'm not sure if that's just on the other side of the pond or here as well. :) That'll be a busy weekend if the dates are the same for here!

Okay, I think I'll go on back to sleep so I can get up early and get some things done. Have a good night!

Bully for her

Breast cancer survivor can now swim topless in Seattle's public pools

Jodi Jaecks, the 47-year-old breast cancer survivor who made local headlines this week for wanting to swim topless at a Seattle-area pool, had tried many things to soothe the nerve pain she suffered following a double mastectomy and chemotherapy last year.
Drugs, physical therapy and specific pain treatments all failed to ease the burning caused by chest-wall nerves that are over-stimulated by the trauma of surgery. So when the facilitator of a breast cancer support group suggested she try swimming, Jaecks jumped on the idea.
"Water sounded soothing," she says.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find a women's swimsuit that didn't irritate her pain further. She asked authorities for the ability to swim topless; she has neither breasts nor nipples. At first they cited the idea that it would not work in a family-pool situation. Then a local paper printed a picture of her nude from the waist up, and the authorities relented, with a promise of reviewing other requests on a case-by-case basis for now, but perhaps eventually opening it up to all breast care survivors.

I understand nerve pain a bit. There are times when my feet are burning and painful, and I have to take my shoes off because I can't handle anything on them. Even the slightest touch is awful. But I can discreetly take off my shoes in public, especially if I keep them under my desk. It's a little different dealing with the chest nerves, and in her case medicine did not work. Anyway, I'm glad she got to swim after all.

I ventured into the pool

During a dodgeball game, I might add. Fortunately they kept it on the shallow side. Unfortunately, I don't feel confident enough about my swimming ability to try doing laps on the deeper side (although in truth it's not too deep, it's not like it's an Olympic-style pool, but anyway, deeper than me--if I can't feel my toes on the bottom, I'm a little hesitant, which comes from nearly drowning at least twice). But I did put my feet in for a bit to get used to the temperature and then slid in, keeping close to the edge, and stayed in for awhile. Not bad for someone with body image issues. But no one shouted, 'Look at that fat woman! She looks like a beached whale! Agh, the expanse of white!', for which I'm grateful. In the eight years I've been here, I think that may have been the first or second time I've gotten in by myself (I had someone and their toddler over as guests once.)

So now I'm back inside and getting ready to do game notes. Hope your Saturday is going well.

I'm glad this had a happy ending

Arabian show horse rescued after swimming three miles into the ocean

William, a 7-year-old grey stallion, had been part of a photo shoot with other horses. Frightened, he bolted into the surf.

He started to swim. And swim. And swim until he was nearly three miles offshore, headed for oil rigs.

On land, a team of four from the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, Carpenteria-Summerland Fire Water Rescue, and California State Parks set out to find the horse, whose official name is Air of Temptation. His owner, Mindy Peters, told Huffington Post that he had never been swimming in his life.

I think he's had enough swimming for a lifetime. Poor thing. This caught my eye this morning when I was reading the news. This is one lucky horse. Granted, horses can swim, but not normally for such long distances. I wonder if he horse-paddled? [Sorry, couldn't resist.]

Awwww...

Uni-flipper turtle gets it straight with swimsuit

Allison the sea turtle, a presumed victim of a shark attack, has only one flipper. Most sea turtles in that condition are euthanised, as it is difficult for them to surface for air and they wind up swimming around in circles. But a neoprene suit with a carbon-fibre fin that acts like a rudder is helping Allison swim well again. It's sort of a turtle orthotic; it doesn't replace the fins like a prosthetic would, but it does aid the turtle in swimming by providing stability.

Don't you love feel-good animal stories?

Ew

Lake amoeba can kill swimmers

It sounds like science fiction, but it's true: Killer amoebas living in lakes can enter the body through the nose and attack the brain, where they feed until you die.

Though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it is known to have killed six boys and young men in the United States this year; over the decade ending in 2004, the yearly average was 2.3.

The jump in cases has health officials concerned.

Someone once brought me a clay masque from New Zealand and said that she'd gone to the hot springs it came from but you coudn't put your head underwater because of this same amoeba (yeah, that makes you want to use a product from there, doesn't it?) I had no idea they lived in the US--mostly the South--as well. I've swum in one lake in my life. I don't think I'll be returning to the water any time soon--just give me a pool. I don't want my brain eaten by amoebas, even if it is really, really rare.

That's up there with the faceless man who was infected by a fungus, who in order to save him they had to remove his eyes and most of his nasal area. (Don't watch this if you're squeamish. Just imagine living without a face. And although it's extremely rare, you never know when that statistic will be you.) YKWIA showed me this on months ago.