Seismic Twitch

I’ve already had a nap, too. Not only that, but as a family we loaded up the car with the recycling (milk bottles, tin cans and paper) and took it out to the bins. We also went to the drug store and got me some Sudafed. Well, it’s actually the store brand, but it’s essentially the same thing with a lower price tag. Now we wait to see if my ears will unplug in the next few days of taking it. My cold is getting better. My voice gives out if it’s dry (and that’s the definition of the winter air here), my Eustachian tubes are plugged up making me deaf and I blow my nose less often than yesterday. So things are improving.

My work schedule is going to be a bit wonky for a while. I’m going to be working 12 to 8 pm Monday to Wednesday and 8 am to 4 pm Thursday and Friday. This is to accommodate another staff who is training for a job elsewhere. When she goes someone will take over her job and I’ll be back at switching days and evenings. I can live with sleeping in three days a week.

Another change that will likely happen is that I’ll not be working Friday evenings (it’s a short shift of only 4 hours) because they want to hire someone casual but still give a few hours a week to her. That will mean she’ll get that shift and the Sunday 4-midnight shift. It’ll guarantee hours and we’ll have someone on-call in case someone else is sick.

I won’t be going to Drumheller Penitentiary nor to Bowden Institution as we’ve gone over budget for the recruitment trips. That’s ok though. There’s always next year for that. I’m still going to Edmonton and Grand Cache later in the month. And now that I have pseudo-Sudafed I’m all set, ear-wise.

Tomorrow is our day of rest and recreation. I’m thinking of watching Redwall and/or murder and mayhem while beading. This will mean that I’ll be offline for the day.

Such excitement. I know you’re on the edge of your seats.

What have I been up to? Oddly enough, a fair bit. This is a long entry so get yourself a cup of tea. I’ll wait.

I got some seed beads to work on Bran’s handfast outfit thing I’m making for him. It’s like a priest’s stole but made of beads instead of embroidered cloth. I’m sure it’ll be quite a bit heavier too. Anyway, I picked up lovely red beads and some blue that are drop dead beautiful. It’ll all look really nice when I’m done.

Yesterday was a day of dishes and laundry. I got ALL the dishes done, the stove and counter tops all wiped off and thought about sweeping the floor. Yes, I thought about sweeping the floor. Alas, my back, after standing at the sink to do load after load of dishes, was in no fit shape to wield a broom. Some witch I am, right?

While I was doing that Bran and Boy were hip deep in laundry. Really, we hadn’t done all the laundry in a few weeks, just a couple 0h-I-Have-No-Shirts/Pants/Underwear loads that just did the necessities. It’s still not done yet, there are 3 more loads to go, but they made excellent progress in that. Not only did they do that, but I got the folding nearly done as well.

Boy also dried dishes and pumped up the bike tires. He was an enormous help to us. I just thought I’d put that out there as sometimes he feels under-/unappreciated. Without him the work would’ve taken much longer if it got completed at all.

Then today was an excellent workout. I did a full 20 minutes on the elliptical machine. I didn’t stop to drink water and when I drank I didn’t spill all over myself. I really have to get a bottle with a built in straw. It saves me the embarrassment of looking like a totally uncoordinated slob. I’m only a partially uncoordinated slob.

We also did work on our arms on the weights. I was in the Captain’s Chair and managed to get to 5 leg lifts before my shoulders gave out and I started drooping. We also did weight assisted chin ups (two different kinds) and dips. Then we worked on pecs on two machines and the other of my favourite machines but I don’t remember what it works.

Then it was home to shower (eventually I did) and get ready to go out for sushi with friends. It was wonderful connecting with them again. They’re both good people with good hearts and fabulous senses of humour.

My shower was satisfying. This past week I’ve been dealing with a bit of an emotional dip. Ok, so more than a dip. I tanked earlier in the week and I haven’t recovered from it yet. So my mood is low. So showering is something that fell somewhat by the wayside. It’s hard to be motivated to do anything and getting out of bed to get to work was a major accomplishment. Let’s just say that personal hygiene has been taking a hit.

Anyway, I did shower today. My legs are freshly shorn and moisturized. My hair is fly-away clean (as only curly hair can be) and I smell fresh. I’m hoping to hit the shower at least every second day as a part of trying to lift the mood. We’ll see how that works.

This week has been somewhat distressing as well because of a co-worker/friend’s circumstances. Anyone who has friended me on Facebook will have seen my status thingie about that. She and her hubby went to Edmonton where he could have heart surgery. He has a congenital heart defect and it needed some work. They spent twice as long in surgery as they planned (11 hours) then, because of bleeding and other complications, he had to go back into surgery the next day. He’s currently in critical condition on life support. Though he’s making small improvements there’s the spectre of him not making it. They’re a young couple with two young children. I’ve been sending Reiki left, right, and centre and hoping for the best. I hate it that there’s virtually nothing else I can do in terms of helping.

This added to the general lowness of my mood and had me in tears on Friday night. I don’t usually cry unless there’s some impetus, like a movie or someone hurting my feelings. Just sitting and being weepy isn’t something I normally do. It’s also not a good thing considering that I’m on anti-depressants. This leads me to think that perhaps my dosage needs to be elevated. However, I can’t do that without seeing a physician and my doctor scarpered (see previous post about that) so I don’t have a doctor right now.

Earlier tonight I was called in to work because the person who was to work the 8-12 shift didn’t show up. I got out of the house and was on the way when I got the call that she’d finally turned up. So instead Bran and I headed off the the drug store (pharmacy/apothecary/chemist’s) for cinnamon, antihistamine and junk for Boy and I. We also got a squirt container of liquid soap for the kitchen. The old soap squirt container we had was a long-ago Christmas present from Boy when he was in elementary school. It never did squirt right and recently wouldn’t squirt at all. Thanks to the antihistamines I’ll have less vertigo related nausea when I’m doing things like ab crunches and such. Gotta love being allergic to your pet.

Speaking of pets…Bran managed to do some grooming of her today (or was it yesterday?) and got a kitten. She’s also lost a little bit of body fat thanks to the food she’s been on the past while (older cat/indoor cat). This means that she can take care of her own “intimate” grooming. Of course she has to stop and do it while I’m walking behind her…on my way to the bathroom…first thing in the morning when my bladder is screaming to be emptied. Yeah, she’s such a cat.

When we were leaving to take me to do the work that I didn’t end up doing tonight, I was confused. Somewhere, thanks to the housework we did yesterday, I lost the entire day. I thought today was Saturday and I wasn’t going to work a 4 hour shift, but an entire 12 hour shift.

Oh, one thing about yesterday. I got a pair of ear buds to replace the ones that I lost the rubber thing to. These are Sony buds for sports. They have soft over-the-ear holders and are sound eliminators. They came with a hard case that makes it more difficult to lose bits. They should last a nice long time. They’re quite comfortable to wear and muffle outside noise nicely. Since I won’t be wearing them for outside exercise they’re be quite useful.

I also figured out a way to go on the jogging outings with my gym partner. You see, because of sciatica I can’t jog. It’s what makes standing still for long periods of time painful (remember how dishes made my back blow out? That’s why). The compression of the disc onto the sciatic nerve is the reason jogging (which would cause further compression) isn’t a good idea. However, I have roller blades. So long as I manage to move forward and not land on my butt, I can go along while he runs. He also has a pair of blades so we could zoom along together. Cool, right?

That’s about it. Now I have to label this entry. It’s going to be a long list. Try and pick out the one thing in the labels that I didn’t mention in the entry.

Today I came to the rescue of my family. That’s right. Without me, both Bran and Boy would’ve missed classes. Boy turned his alarm off at (get this!) 6:58 and returned to bed until 7. He got up 2 minutes before his alarm was due, turned it off and went to bed for 2 minutes!!!! Oy! Bran just turned his off.

My alarm went off at 8 am. I set it so that I could get more reading done for school. Lucky for them that I did. Bran drove Boy to school after I gave Boy $5 to get some lunch because there was not time to make some. Not long after getting home from ferrying Boy to school (and Boy wasn’t late – thanks to me), Bran packed up and went off to school. Yes, also thanks to me, he was able to be at school early to give him a bit of time to do more of his readings.

I got up and read…and read…and read…and read comics…and read.

Bran got home about noon, about 15 minutes before I was going to head off to school on the bus. I asked for a ride because I wanted to get more reading done. Bran very graciously drove me to school. Aside from school reading, I didn’t want to take the bus. I found, after class, I should’ve worn a coat rather than just my shrug.

Once I was back home Bran and I contemplated supper. He made it (yummy!) and we all ate. We just finished Frosties from Wendy’s. Bran got all larges knowing that I never eat a whole one and he gets my leftovers. That seems to make him happy.

Ta-Ra

The reason that we got the flag for the radio antenna was because we were having such trouble finding it in a parking lot. To be honest, I doubt it’ll work well for me because I’m short and any automobile such as a minivan, truck or van will block any sign of the flag, but that’s what we got it for. Now I’ll be able to find our car…providing that there’s nothing parked around it, and providing I can remember the direction the car is parked in relative to my position.

I don’t really feel like doing an entry. I have to do research for my paper that’s due Thursday and I have an assignment to do for the other class. Thanks for keeping me company again VUBOQ. Getting out of class early totally rocks.

Ta-Ra

It’s another “don’t do a whole lot” day. I was up at 5 am because my mouth hurt. So I got up and took some ibuprofen. Boy and Bran went off and delivered papers, came back home and after that (not right away though) Boy went off to school. Hmmm…I wonder if he remembered to make himself something for lunch. He’s doing a project at school that will be keeping him busy through the lunch hour and therefore he can’t come home.

Sometime after he left I did adware scans and such then Bran and I laid down for naps. It felt good to get that snooze time with him. After we got up he heated up some lentil soup for me and made himself oatmeal. It’s his favourite meal. I don’t mind oatmeal, but twice a day is a bit much for me. Sometimes it’s not enough for him.

We got the statements from Revenue Canada so tomorrow we’re going to take them down to the public housing people and that will finalize the application process. I have to go to the Women’s Centre. We were going to go today, but it’s quite a flat, rainy day and I’d rather stay home. I’ll be sweeping stuff off my desk sometime today and we’ll move Boy’s computer and stuff to my desk. This means that we’ll be able to get rid of another piece of furniture…Boy’s desk.

That covers today. I can’t see anything else happening. The tv is on Court TV and the trial of Phil Specter for the murder of Lana Clarkson. They’re not doing life testimony but there are a lot of interviews of court experts. Perhaps the court is on a lunch break considering that it’s only 1:10 there right now. It’s got a lot in common with the Gulf War coverage with military pundits, their maps and rehearsed interviews with Colin Powell.

So to end today’s entry, here is a picture of father and son. Ladies and gentlement, I give you Bran and Boy.

I love saying that. My family. I never get tired of saying that. After last summer it’s certainly not something that I’m ever taking for granted again. Time with my family has been precious. When Boy is away I get to missing him. Since the time when Boy was young and he’d sleep over at a friend’s house both Bran and I would eagerly await his return to make the house right again. It’s even more so now. So in a fuzzy picture taken while we waited for the bus and were goofing around in Place Riel here is Boy’s internet debut. It’s fuzzy because we were goofing off and I ust snapped a picture.

Earler we’d been out to Dairy Queen to get some ice cream. I had an Oreo mint Blizzard. However, since we went right after supper I wasn’t able to finish it even though it was the smallest size they make. Boy had some of it and then tossed the rest out. It’s a waste and I dislike wasting food, but there wasn’t any choice.

Then I went to the Bowl to take pictures of the tepees that were set up in front of the College Building. Here’s a few of the photos that I took.

It’s been raining here for a couple of days. While the rain is nice to have and it’s cool outside and damp and my sinuses are happy, there are some in this world for whom rain is definitely a bad thing. Case en point:

When it rains hard enough or for long enough, earthworms come up and crawl onto the sidewalk to get away from the water in the soil. It’s either that or they’ll drown in the mud. I don’t know that they fare any better on the sidewalk, but that’s where I found this one.

Here’s the last one. It’s Bran and me. We still see eye to eye.

I’ve set up a Flickr account with my knitting pictures on it. It seems fairly easy. I’ll probably upload all my pictures from the Imageshack.us site so that I have them in two spots. That reminds me. I should download them to my computer as well since that’s the only place many of them are since my old computer kacked it.

Right now Bloggers being a shit because it’s not letting me add a Flickr thing to my elements. In fact, it’s not letting me do anything with elements right now. Bummer.

No stats class…ever?

Boy just asked me about WYSIWYG format for doing up a web page. I gave him a quick demonstration of how things work with Word, a simple form of the WYSIWYG format. It’s something that he’s used himself when making up little research papers and assignments for school. He’s funny, he called it “professional help.” Isn’t he sweet? Anyway, an internet friend is creating a guild page for him.

I didn’t drag my sorry ass out of bed until about an hour ago. Alas, I have my last final tomorrow morning at 9 am. So that means that I have to study. Right now I’m printing out the PowerPoint class notes off the class site and then I’m going to turn the TV to music (though I’d much rather watch the First 48 marathon on A&E.

Let’s see, what else is there going on…Nothing. A big, fat nothing. I finished Boy’s toque last night and he’s very happy with it. Because of the cabling the toque is a great deal of stretchiness. This means that he’s able to wear it over his headset while he plays WoW and chats with his fellow guild members.

I was going to do an expanded review of the play we saw last night, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. The over-enunciated t’s is still irking me. Another thing I found rather irritating was the squeak to the main actresses voice when she would make exclamations. She’d hit this high note that dogs would find distressing. The final irritation was hard heeled shoes on a hollow wood stage floor. It made hearing some of the actors a bit of a challenge when they were walking across the stage. Amazingly, there were many times when the character who played the “detective sergeant” spoke toward the back of the set. I thought that was a no-no because then the voice carried away from the audience. Oh well.

The next play we’ll probably all go to is Harvey (in February) and Boy wants to see No Sex Please, We’re British that plays in March. I really liked James Stuart’s acting in the film version of Harvey so I’m not sure I want to have that sullied with a stage presentation that might not (and probably wont) live up to the quality of James Stuart. While I do try to cut the troupe some slack because they’re volunteer amateurs, there are a few limits to my largesse.

Well, the computer has finished sending the print jobs into the printer buffer. Of course, the printer can’t quite keep up with the buffer, so I figure that I have about 5 more minutes to waste before I have to go downstairs and pick up the papers that will be recycled after tomorrow.

Oh, I must have done well on my Anthropology final, I passed the class with a 70%. One down, lots more to go.