With that intro, you may be sure that I did little decorating, other than putting the summer flowers into storage and removing the lovely scarves from the bathroom door. Well, there's always tomorrow.

First, I had to be dressed to wait for my food delivery because I was expecting my surprise gift bag. Oh, it certainly contained surprises. I'll post separately of the contents. The delivery volunteer was even wearing a hat - I presume Santa's as I couldn't see, and she was definitely jovial.

After that, I had to wait for Brian to arrive with his delivery of goodies. I had the phone turned off, but managed to intercept a call from my former group's co-leader who was calling to wish me a happy Christmas. And then Brian showed up. He's so silly. He threw in items from his pantry, as well as a "sliced" loaf of round bread, four bagels, cookies, and his special Newfie snowballs.

After he left, I had to send my thank you email to the meals administrator, thanking her for her thoughtfulness in a year when it must have been much more difficult to secure donations on behalf of all of their clients.

I'd changed my mind about having a movie night tonight, so joined SuM and S. at 7, bringing treats with me. We exchanged gifties, nibbled on Brian's baked goods, and drank peppermint tea while watching "Ma Raimey's Black Bottom". After the sugar rush (the cookies had been my supper), I bonelessly returned to my space, to relax and watch TV.

I'm so ready to slide into bed, with not only decorating but also all my planned emails to friends. ::waves hand languidly:: Nighty-night.
Surprise! Today was just such a day, as I woke up with grotesquely reduced vision. For a laugh, ask me how I was able to type emails. Or, better not.

The only good thing was having a conversation with my former co-leader of the disbanded blind group. She was having her own version of extra blindness today and sent an email to our mutual product supplier - to the old, no-longer-in-use gmail address of my current group. So I called her. We shared our individual tales of woe. Yet, even with her own problems, she said that - if she could drive - she'd be over to my place to help me with my physical problems. What a sweetheart. Though I have to reveal that she's from hardy stock: older than I am but with no mobility issues. Lucky.

Anyway, now that I've checked in here, I can check out of my body temporarily, Returning to bed and cartoons.
helenkacan: (Default)
( Dec. 16th, 2020 11:33 pm)
Not just the mind, but also the vision. It's not fair that I'm getting a one-on/one-off sleep routine. Last night was definitely OFF, as I went to bed after midnight but was up at 3:39. The only good thing was excellent vision. I'd set the alarm for 9 - which was a cruel joke. So I read for a wee bit. We had blind book club this morning and spent the time discussing our first-ever play, Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Even for a short play, we could have devoted separate meetings to each of the three acts. The discussion was all over the map, as we brought our individual backgrounds (two Greek/Macedonian, two Chinese, one Filipina, one from ?/South American and me).

After that I dropped off into a nap. And that was the most engaged part of my day. I need bed. Stat. Even with the TV on, I can't distract the pain away. Sigh.
That's what constituted my Friday through Sunday. Nothing was predictable, so I suffered levels of pain ranging from extreme to tolerable and rarely reduced to non-existent. I threw up on Friday morning. For the record, I almost never do. My vision was mostly lousy, though I was able to appreciate this week's ST: Disco on Friday morning, absolutely loved it (including Tilly's "look" in the Mirror universe) and S. really appreciated having someone with whom she could discuss everything! But, then my vision tanked, so all the shows that followed (NacGyver, Dragons' Den, and other regular far suffered. I still have a few more first-run shows to watch, but it's too depressing to be in a snowy fog.

The highlight of Friday night was the blind group's Town Hall regarding concerns specific to our community, followed by a celebration with stories and music. I didn't get a chance to tell my story because I can't figure out how to unmute myself. Sigh.

Today's highlight was getting a pretend visit from a fake Santa. SuM called out that I had to pretend she had a fake beard on. It turned out one of the boxes of goodies ordered only on Thursday was delivered. On a Sunday morning! I was so very impressed.

Another constant this weekend was unscheduled naps which were wonderful in my winter cocoon. Anyway, I'm getting close to pill-taking and bed-time. Yay!
HPCP;ATE. lots and lots of glorious chocolate! So, Brian and I agreed that he would phone me at 5:30 p.m. Early on, I allowed (uh, begged) him to possess my computer, because my vision had colour but was very fuzzy. So he took over and we went through two sites, one in TO and my original fave in Niagara. Because I wanted everything(!), that's what I'm getting. I'll just have to wait for the free delivery.

After that, he fixed one of my issues with my Office suite. After that, I mentioned my expired parking permit. Instead of dealing with it on my computer, he said he'd d/l it and fill it out with me over the phone, then print it and mail it to me. Whew, that's a load off my mind. He's also planning to make a - sigh - contactless delivery of baked goods (by him, natch). Then we'll look at each other longingly - him outside and me inside through the window - hoping for when we'll be able to get together and travel once again. We got off the phone at exactly 8.

I had some other lovely news earlier. The blind group's secretary phoned me and said there's a $50K grant that's being disbursed to people affected by the pandemic. She remembered that I'd lost the use of my magnification software, so I should apply to get a bland new version. Hmmm.

Then, in the evening, one of the group's members earned from the Prez that the wee winter survival kits were my idea, so she sent me a lovely thank you. I replied to her, saying there are a lot of cases of paying it forward in our community and that I hope it continues.

In other non-news, I slept well (until 9:30) but was in pain for most of the day. Sigh. Watched some TV including news and am about to watch Young Sheldon. And, finally, it's almost time for pills, so I'm grateful for that.
And THIS is why I watch the news every day. I'm trying to catch up on my recordings, so I was really surprised to see yesterday's recording still there. But, I just remembered I couldn't watch because of my Zoom meeting. So what's the what> Apparently, we had another meteor burst through the atmosphere Monday evening. And, Chuck Yaeger (who definitely had The Right Stuff) is no longer bound by physical limitations. Maybe I should reread his book.

Otherwise, I continued to wear myself out, this time with a dizzying load of laundry. And, then, I hit the bed. You know I'm tired when I doze off during Jeopardy! I'll watch the recording tomorrow ::fingers crossed::

Otherwise, I was busy and delighted to be answering emails of praise to the blind group. Well, not entirely delighted as my vision was crap today. Yes, yes, I know I can't have everything - as I acknowledge a good night's sleep and diminution of pain. As long as I'm patting myself on the back, I also provided a character reference for SuM this morning.

And, now, I deserve something sweet as I finish watching tonight's news. Nighty-night.
More than eight hours of sleep in a delightfully cozy, cheerful bed did me a world of good. Mind you, I still had to stretch my boundaries, finishing off the steam cleaning of mf the bathroom and then doing a small load of laundry. I think I've definitely determined that pushing the machine and inhaling steam improves my vision.

As the day wore on, the pain returned, so I spent much of the two-hour Executive Zoom call in discomfort. Good thing it was audio only. At least I was happy to hear how pleased our members have been receiving their winter treats and our other efforts to their benefit. Just makes me really grateful for belonging to such a group and being able to contribute.

Anyway, I'm fading quickly. Trying to watch a titch of TV before bed. Earlier, I'd watched yesterday's repeat of Bull that was heartbreaking - about a respected member of society who'd overcome his unfortunate upbringing by paying it forward - establishing a summer camp for at-risk youth. The only problem is that he ended up putting them at risk - from his increasing sexual advances. The ultimate proof (after "He said" vs the only "He said" the team was able to secure) was found in cameras stolen from the man's house which still contained film of some of his improprieties. Taking their existence as probable cause, the authorities carried out a raid and found current evidence that he was still seducing assaulting 13-year old foster children.

Okay, I'm yawning and my fingers are getting all fumbly. Nighty-night, all.
All of yesterday's positivity? Gone, dissipated and spread on the wind until only a faint memory remains. The pain hit around 3:30. Lather, Rinse, Repeat - namely take pills, climb into bed and hope. It took forever. I still had sight in the middle of the night but that too leeched away. I finally got some sleep around 7. I had a granola bar and my pills for brekkie, dragging myself back to bed after 1:45. Imagine my shock to wake up at 6:45. It had taken that long for my body to harness all of the pills' essence and allow me to rest.

Spent the evening watching all of my daytime shows. Right now I need some healing, distracting of Peppa Pig. Let's hope it works.

Finally, I was surprised to receive my first Kissymas card. It wasn't from any of my church friends, but instead from the secretary of the blind group. With my vision AWOL, I can't tell what's happening. Hoping for vision tomorrow. Nighty-night.
As did waking up at my more usual time of 9:50. Also, no pain, so the little piggies of the universe did a very good job.

I read a little, did a tiny bit of work for the blind group, had the luxury of a two-hour nap around 1, watched my usual TV shows and am about to cue Bull to play.

And that's a wrap.
It's about that I enjoyed a day from start to finish, beginning with waking up at 9 to my new alarm ringtone (the original TOS Trek theme was a gentle attention grabber). Then I got my meals order in and got ready for monthly blind book club. Didn't have time to eat, so I just had my pills and some miniature chocolates.

Though I hadn't read the book (Tangled Vines), I enjoyed listening to my friends discussing it. After the meeting ended before noon, I was then free to have real food. The meal I chose was chicken rosé pasta. I don't know why, but I'm really sensitive to salt right now and that's how I reacted to the sauce. Sodium from the wine?

Took it easy in the afternoon. As I'd woken up with wonderful vision, I borrowed our book for December and also noticed my app was suggesting the latest book by Terry Fallis. So I borrowed it, too.

As it was no-new-TV Wednesday, I just watched my regular shows. Now I'm going to squeeze some more reading out of my visual acuity before heading to bed. So much joy from reading today!
I'm ending the day on a high, with tears in my eyes from all the feels after watching tonight's ST:Disco. It's as if there's a direct conduit right to my heart. In any case, it's a lot better way to be expressing feelings, because that's not where I was in the middle of the night.

Let's backtrack to 3:19 a.m., still unable to fall asleep because of fluttering pain. Considering how much love my hands are stroking over my torso, you'd think I would have whittled a new waistline. Yeah, sure. I finally gave in, took two more pills and finally conked out. So my lucky streak ended at 4 nights. Sigh.

I also had two good memories from the news, one hearing the Dominion Carilloneur playing the Jeopardy! theme on the Parliament Hill bells in Ottawa in honour of Alex Trebek; the second was learning about a (I believe) 97-year old vet who was unable to be present at yesterday's ceremonies. She recalled how she'd joined the Women's Naval Service in England and became a codebreaker. She was very proud of her official codebreaker brooch.

I managed to have almost a good day, shucking off the pain, with the help of heat. And doing stuff for the blind group. And, naturally, being sucked into a gorgeously emotional world of the future. There was also a hilarious epi of Young Sheldon to enjoy. I may still watch some more TV, as my vision is all happy, bright, and vivid.
… which remarkably began with another amnesiac sleep and waking up without pain. Four days! Unfortunately, I was tardy in delaying having brekkie and taking my pills until noon which then allowed a micro opening for pain to attack my torso. Sigh. Back to bed, blondie.

I joined the blind group's Zoom observance of Remembrance Day but, no, I did NOT stand for a majestic instrumental rendition of the National Anthem or a sung version of "In Flanders Field" or the two minutes of silence. I was still flat on my back.

Our Prez hosted the gathering with about 20 of us on the line. There were some other touching musical numbers that included one by a popular blind songwriter in TO. Despite my intention to get more involved, I refrained from getting into the discussion. But it did feel good to be connected.

After we adjourned, I watched the news and there were many, many touching stories about observances in the city. So, yeah, I did get more misty-eyed.

Just waiting to take my pills and hope they kick in pronto.
helenkacan: (Default)
( Nov. 10th, 2020 11:30 pm)
I'm definitely not looking a gift horse in the mouth. For whatever miraculous alignment of the earth and other planets, I enjoyed three consecutive nights of amnesiac sleep, waking up each morning with NO pain and also mostly free from it during the day. I'll bet you can hear my sigh of extreme relief.

I was also energized tonight by the blind group's executive meeting that dragged on for two hours and twenty-two minutes - until the host (our prez) got kicked out by Zoom problems. Oops. Anyway, it appears that one of my ideas was well received so I was a happy camper.

Now I'm just tired. I'm catching up on TV and shouldn't stay up too late.
Thankfully, two more pills helped and I slept all the way to 7:44. Alas, the morning pills felt disinclined to kick in, so I had to rely on the power of imagination and glorious symphonic music as I watched last night's epi of ST: Disco. I loved the whole Trill thing. I also watched last night's Battle of the Blades even though I didn't really have enough sight to watch figure skating. Sigh. Tonight I watched another compelling rerun epi of Bull though hearing Christmas music was jarring. As is knowing the Ho-Ho season will soon be upon us. I don't want to think about it. Helping me was the fact we're in the middle of another mini heat wave with temps around 70 every day.

I also distracted myself with a couple hours of work for blind group. I just have one thing hanging over my head for the morning.

Okay, back to watching pain-crunching TV.
I just didn't GAF. Not only to posting here on a daily basis, even if only to record my mood, pain levels, or visual acuity. But, this time, I also ignored all my blind group responsibilities for several days. But consider the provocation-cum-catalyst: day after night (the dark hours were especially brutal) dealing with pain that defied being wrangled by stupid pills. It's no wonder I metaphorically pulled the covers over my head.

But, today, even with fluctuating pain levels, I put out a few fires at the blind group. Have been watching TV news (but only at 6) about the madness happening south of the border. Sigh. I was thrilled to have a new season of Young Sheldon to watch tonight. Just awwww. I'll watch the other Thursday stuff tomorrow.

Keeping my fingers crossed for an almost-normal night tonight.
Oh, I really appreciated getting a bit more than two hours of sleep before waking up with searing pain at 4:30 a.m. Definitely a night on which to swallow two more Robax. Only then was I able to sleep all the way to 8:15.

But the pain was a constant companion during the day as I alternated between bed and computer where I actually had a lot to do for the blind group. Otherwise, I just watched endless TV which did little to distract me from the pain. It was only around 9 p.m. when my torso began to feel human again. I'd also replied to church-John's email, bt only after I could type without writhing.

It's such an odd Halloween. There were some marvellous reinterpretations shown during the news. One City Councillor arranged for a drive-through treats distribution of packages that contained not only candy but also a Covide survival kit. I don't know what SuM and S. did … but I didn't hear the doorbell ring even once.

Anyway, I think I need some cookies to cheer me up. And then better sleepn than last night.
Well, I'm currently in my satin and lace nightie while "attending" the bling group's Halloween Zoom party. We began with listening to a radio play adaptation of "Frankenstein" and their our DJ played music while people chatted. I'm still waiting for The Monster Mash. I'm trying to be patient.

Spent most of the day in bed as my body was going haywire. Church-John sent me an email that he was going to enjoy having my special parking permit until he returns it.

The best part of last night was having exquisite vision. At midnight. So I stayed up to watch Discovery and really enjoyed it. This morning I watched Battle of the Blades even though my vision had devolved to crap. Easy come, easy go.

Anyway, time to get back to the party.
Well, it was only one book and, technically, it was the morning, but the blind group's book club was exactly what the doctor ordered. Considering the chaos south of the border, the month's selection - "Up and Down" by Canadian Terry Fallis - really turned up the heat on stereotypical (definitely not nice) facets of some Americans.

Unfortunately, the analgesic benefits from the discussion wore off quickly and I was generally groaning for the rest of the day. The only good thing was that my sight lasted for most of the day. OTOH, if I'm in pain, I can't sit at the desk and do stuff. Sigh.

Managed to consume just the boring daily TV fare. Good thing there'll be something new tomorrow evening. And, now, it's time for me to hit the bottles … pill bottles, that is.
a) I'm in pain;
b) I can't see;
c) My computer is being ridiculous;
d) All of the above.

Today was just more of the same, though at least I can see some colour tonight. But I had to restart Liblikas twice this morning. Stubborn child.

I finally got around to emailing church-John about my supplement needs. The hilarious thing is that I put "drugs" in the subject line and nosey Google suggested I change it or send via the private route! Uh-huh.

Had to catch up on blind group stuff because of yesterday's problems. Ended up watching two days' worth of news on TV. More than enough.

Now I'm back to dealing with screaming pain. Time for pills. Hear my loud sigh of relief.
Horrid. And confusing. But the vision was … amazing! So, even though I'd woken up at 6:11 yesterday, today had to be worse as I opened my eyes at 5:11. Sigh.

The good thing about having vision so early in the morning is that I turned to read my FB on my phone. That was how I found out about the new direction taken by Star Wars Trek Discovery. As S. had recorded it, I ended up watching, sitting at the end of my bed. After that, I watched SNL. It was only after 9 when I addressed the issue of eating and pill taking. Perhaps I shouldn't have delayed. Sigh again.

I was delighted to find a thank you email from the Prez of the blind group for my charitable donation. Aww, shucks. But the pain made it impossible for me to sit in front of the computer so I was prevented from sending out the thank you emails on my plate. I'll try tomorrow.

Considering how much pain I was in, I certainly gave my spasming belly a lot of love. And still nodded off while watching tonight's news. Obviously, laundry was the last thing on my mind. Perhaps tomorrow?
.

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