helenkacan: (Default)
( Dec. 25th, 2020 10:20 pm)
Oops. Sorry, I nodded off there - quite often today. Well, considering I had eggnog with sprinkles and a couple of shortbread cookies for brekkie, it's no wonder I had an extended nap in the afternoon, waking up shortly before our movie night was supposed to begin.

Last night, I watched this week's epi of Disco which was very weird and troubling. This morning, I opened my two gifts from SuM and S. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised they gave me two boxes of chocolates, each from a different ::adopts a snooty tone:: "chocolatier"; the second box is actually a dessert selection.

Anyway, I took my pills and joined then shortly after 7. They served pumpkin pie with whipped cream and tea. This movie was called "Holiday Season" with Drew Barrymore; it seemed to deal with the conflict extremely quickly so it could tie up all the ends in a big fake bow! Oh, well, at least the pie was really good.

Earlier in the day, I'd sent out oodles of emails to friends and chsen family. That was nice.

Anyway, I'm going to try to watch tonight's news if I can stay awake. Merry weird Christmas to all.
Gee, it's a good thing I didn't wait until tomorrow morning. Yes, LoL. So, I'd woken up really early but convinced myself to just stay in bed. When I finally got up, I was mostly devoid of pain. Aha, the little piggies of the universe finally got their acts together and also delivered on crisp, colourful vision. Yay.

Still, I took it easy in the morning, reading "Albatross" until I'd finished it. Terry Fallis once again left me with a smile on my face. He just exudes sunshine. After that, I had the rest of Brian's cookies for brekkie. Then, I got to work. I ended up just decorating one tree with two sets of lights (one clear, one multicolour, a long roll of translucent holiday ribbon, as well as a few other colourful items around the base.

I was unable to put up the sequinned wall hanging because I couldn't find the special hanger; OTOH, I thought my golden sleight was lost/misplaced, yet it was right in one of the storage boxes. Naturally, I blame the cats! I filled the sleigh with pine cones and set it on the fireplace and also hung my stocking. I still have to add a decorative bejewelled ribbon to the dining table and then I'm calling it done. Decorating while blind is always a challenge and I'm definitely avoiding wearing myself out - for a change.

So I need to climb in the shower now and hydrate. Tired little piggy.
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.
Well, I've been throwing many towels around for the last two days. At least, I did manage two almost decent sleeps. But, yesterday, I sat down to get a whole pile of paper ready for recycling. I was in my office chair, bending over the pile on the bed, fumbling blindly with the staple remover. And it seemed that the staples weren't standard, either. Sigh. So, not only an aching back, but also a couple of shredded nails.

More torso/gastric pain didn't help either. I think I'm going to have to stop getting my entrees at least and just stick to soups and desserts that don't disagree with me. I guess that'll be a conversation for next week. It's not a good time to be feeling sick when I eat.

At least I had some determined distractive TV that included a tiny shocker on Young Sheldon and two inventive epis of Dragons' Den. But my vision was crap all day yesterday, so I delayed watching ST:Disco until this morning where it did an excellent job against the pain. Then, tonight, there was MacGyver but there was too much shooting so I couldn't really tell what was going on. However, I had luscious, glorious vision All. Day. Long. Too bad I didn't have the patience to read my library book. Sigh again.

Anyway, it's almost time for pills and bed. Crossing my fingers for a good sleep.
Obviously, yesterday wasn't worth wasting any words on. If that weren't enough, searing pain woke me up around 4 and I was up for the rest of the night. Yes, I certainly AM cranky and grumpy! To make things worse, there was no N.C.I.S. because it's December and Rudolph just had to visit. Sigh.

Had some unscheduled conk-outs during the day, even when watching the news. Boo. I'm also peeved by unnecessary bureaucracy. I didn't realize my disabled parking permit had expired last September (eek!) so went on the provincial website to see what was required. If I'd actually received the renewal package, all I would have had to do was drop the signed form into the mailbox and - tada - all done. But, now, I have to d/l the form and supply copies of photo ID (which they already have on file, sheesh).

Anyway, I'm going to have some soothing rice and beans for a late dinner and then try to read more of my book. And hope for a much better night.
helenkacan: (Default)
( Nov. 28th, 2020 11:50 pm)
It's usually the right one, so I guess the left one is trying to catch up. But it's a trivial pain which suits all the trivialities of my day.

I ate, watched TV, read fanfic, caught up on FB, huddled in bed for warmth and am about to have cherry cobbler for my midnight snack before swallowing my pills. Obviously, with all the eyeball exercise, I had a decent vision day. Hope it'll continue.

Okay, let's dig into that yummy dessert.
So, I did something stupid last night. Taking my pills around midnight, I stayed up to watch the finale of Battle of the Blades; I didn't climb into bed until close to 3:30. Of course, the pills had worn off, so I had to take two more Robax. Only then did I - eventually - hit total amnesia. I woke once an hour after 10, then 11, and finally decided I needed to get up before 1 so I could eat and take my "morning" pills.

Managed to keep the pain at bay. But I'm booooooooored. I decided I want to order delivery of chocolates, but need to find out if the specialty cheese shop in Brian's neck of the woods does online deliveries. I hope so. I want to be super self-indulgent this year.

I was really puffed up about getting Final Jeopardy! correct. I am not familiar with the positioning of most countries in Africa, but guessed Uganda as the largest land-locked country. Kudos to my unconsciously-acquired memories.

Anyway, pills are calling me.
No, I'm not delusional, but I was anxious for my own personal Santa (aka church-John) to bring me nutritious goodies as well as "treats". He finally came today, bearing three bottles of Robax, one of Omega 3s, two litres of juice, a few boxes of granola bars … and ::swoons:: chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and another box of assorted candy. Now the trick will be to keep my paws off. But I'm still going to ask Brian to order chocolates for me, this time from a company in TO. I'd looked them up online yesterday and the rep for my meals provider vouched for them yesterday. Ah - networking through all nooks and crannies: gotta love it.

So Santa was being prudent when he entered the house wearing a mask, but removed it in my space. He said I should be okay against the virus in my private space. But-but-but I'm still lonely. Still, I enjoyed impressing him with the vibrant colours on my computer, so that was a big yay.

Another big yay was watching first-run programs on TV tonight, including this week's weepy epi of ST: Disco and Dragons' Den where one pitch involved two sleek guys who revealed their revolutionary swimsuit, the ::giggles:: brokini! Imagine a very tiny one shoulder strap caveman costume.

I engaged in a tiny bit of nostalgia when I went into FB. I didn't know an old (50 years ago) friend had sent me a friend request 7 weeks ago. We'd already reconnected 10 years ago but then he got skittish over FB rules and stopped posting. So I confirmed him. Anyway, the day is nearly over and I'm about to have soup before midnight. It seems to assist in a deeper sleep.
Sigh. Let's include the 3:25 a.m. silent screaming blues. Thankful that two more pills calmed the spasms and I slept until the alarm at 9:20.

In the early evening, I tried to connect to the special chocolate maker in Niagara so I could place an online order before Christmas. Um, getting a 404 Error response is not what I wanted to see. So I texted Brian. He replied that they appear to be going through some kind of restructuring. Arrgghh. I then tried to find chocolatiers in TO. Oh, sure, I can order online - but for curbside pickup only. Uh-huh. I tried some more sites but had trouble to read stuff on the screen. So, I'm giving up trying to order gifties (both for myself and others). I guess that was a hope too far.

Adding to my disappointment is that my vision kept leeching colour. Yesterday's bright yellow was now fuzzy white. Glossy black is not snowy charcoal. Sigh. It's the shortest duration of recreational use of atropine ever.

Anyway, I still watched my usual TV shows including tonight's retro N.C.I.S. with younger versions of Gibbs and Ducky featuring prominently. I was also delighted by a cooking video on Slog where the cook used Thanksgiving leftovers to create a soup with stuffing turning into dumplings, a salad with croutons being made from compressed stuffing, and the most outrageous was a sandwich with cranberry mayo, warmed breast meat, dark meat in gravy, mashed potatoes (perhaps another couple of ingredients), all between two hefty slices of bread. I was impressed!

Anyway, what will impress me the most is having my pills work tonight. ::begs the universe::
Starting with the 3:25 a.m. silent screaming (just how wide can I contort my mouth?), finally managing to sleep until around 11:30 when I found my eyesight non-existent (as in a blurry white blizzard. Sigh.

I'm also not looking forward to hearing the new Covid restrictions that will be announced tomorrow. I'd given up on returning to the nail salon as my big right toe is STILL growing in thickness but not in length; so I'm looking at going to a medical place that specializes in dealing with diabetic foot care, even though I'm not a diabetic. But, at least, they should be a better option than a nail salon. I now know where they are approximately, just need to know if they're accessible. I guess that'll be my project for tomorrow … along with hanging up my clothes. [You don't want to know. Trust me.]

Because of the blurry vision, there was no way I dared watch tonight's ST: Disco, so I managed with just Young Sheldon and Dragons' Den.

At least the best part of the day was waking up my mouth(!) with a new meal: sweet chili chicken with basmati rice and green beans. Mega delish!
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 didn't wake up - officially - until nearly noon. Pain-free, I might add, even though last night's SNL was a bust, with the repetition of the show following election day. Ho-hum. So I talked my pain levels to controllable parameters and then, thankfully, conked out.

So my meds schedule was off-kilter which is why I didn't provide a bottle of wine for the house dinner at 6. Before that, we had some excitement in the afternoon with lots of windstorms and power losses. Eek. Luckily, we weren't bereft for very long and the rest of the day could proceed.

So, dinner ended up being the special cheap soup mix in a slow cooker to which had been added stewing beef and parsnips. accompanied by thin crisp slices of garlic baguette, and Pepsi to replace the missing wine. After dinner, we had cookies and tea as we watched a pretty useless IMO movie, "Widows", on Netflix. ::rolls eyes:: S. asked if I'd be interested in "Aquaman". When I agreed, we had another date set for dinner and a movie for next Sunday night, as SuM will have another weekend off. Yay.

The best part of the evening is that either the Pepsi or the connectedness left me with wonderful vision. So I'm going to stay up a tiny bit, keeping my fingers crossed.
I've been busy all day long. Phoning, leaving voicemails, dictating text messages, composing individual emails - to Danny (who loved my dream), to someone I haven't seen or heard from at blind group for months (I'm worried about her), as well as a generic FB post and something personal to the distribution list of the blind group (ro which I've received lots of replies). My last email was to thank the admin of my meals supplier, thanking her and the generous dedicated people who work with her.

It's no wonder I'm exhausted now. I briefly compared today to past holidays, from hosting dinners at church for all of us orphans, to just attending, especially early this decade when I was already weaker. All that work. All that food. It seems overwhelming now. I didn't even feel like making my scalloped potatoes, despite the fact I found a conversion recipe so I could use my microwave instead of an oven. Just as well. I had soup really late and now I'm feeling pain - it seems to be building up, gathering strength,m but I'm trying to last the few minutes until midnight strikes. ::clenches fists::

Watched lots of TV when I wasn't at the computer. Going to stay up to watch the evening news - for better or worse. Nighty-night, all.
A different October surprise awakened me at 4:44 a.m. Yes, my muscles were screaming, so I indulged with a couple more muscle relaxants, fell back asleep (a miracle) and didn't wake up … until 1 p.m.! Naturally, after that, everything was very rushed.

SuM invited me to share dinner with S. and her at 6:30 before watching a fascinating biopic about Walter Mercado (sp?). She served cottage roll made in a slow cooker with the 99-cent bag of soup mix as well as carrot and onion. With it was a slice of yummy garlic bread.

Unfortunately, after the movie, I was a tiny bit sick. Sigh. So, I'm going to take my pills soon as well as the zucchini bread SuM made - and keep my fingers crossed.

The best surprise? My vision kept improving as the movie went along. So, right now, I'm seeing various shades of yellow against a jet black background. So, I'm going to read, read, read!
Step 1: buy a bottle of raspberry vodka;
Step 2: buy a bottle of curacao;
Step 3: mix above with ??? juice, various berries, and crushed ice.

Repeat!

And then revel in a lack of pain, spasms, or inefficient eyesight.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I had a divine late afternoon lunch on my fave patio with church-John. It was very warm but breezy with lots of sun. Just a perfect day. Well, except for where they processed my debit card against someone else's lunch. Then they reversed the charge. As c-J was handling the card, they gave him a second bill. He started entering the numbers before realizing it wasn't our bill either. Can you see my eyebrows rising to the ceiling? Anyway, we finally got the correct bill and paid it. We also received a gift card (that was nice so we can use it next time) as well as the manager's business card. C-J also took the paper menu with him so he can convince Brent and John to dine there.

So, speaking about church, it turns out I didn't surprise him at all with the revelation I would not be returning to church. I'll send them some money before Christmas. C-J feels no compulsion to return either, but is sad to have lost a vital social connection. I'm foreseeing there won't be any Thanksgiving or Christmas Day dinners for people without family - for the first time in decades.

Anyway, when I got home, I discovered by accident after turning on the TV that my vision was so amazing, making it the perfect ending to my day. Not wanting to tempt fate, I just took my pills (after skipping my 4 PM dose). Here's hoping for more good sleep (after nearly 8 hours last night).
9:33 may have been an acceptable time to wake up but that was it as far as pleasant numbers were concerned. I'm barely holding out for midnight and my pills, having experienced body chills and other pains throughout the day. Sigh. It's no wonder I spent most of the day in bed watching animation.

I couldn't even watch the evening news on my regular station as both it and the regional alternate were showing football. American football. As little George Pig would react, "Yuck!" So, instead I watched a local station I haven't watched in decades, not knowing any of the on-air faces and names. Still, there was news of a nearby mob gathering of hundreds of Covidiots, spouting the previously heard American garbage of government conspiracy, hoax, freedom, blah blah blah. How do I hate people like this - let me the ways.

My pain wasn't helped by the fact the chicken soup I had for dinner with a splash of white wine in it disagreed with me. Sigh. So, I may have to move up the pills in order to avoid a silent scream. My body is quivering in antici---PAtion. Okay, I just semi-cheered myself up. You know what the most irritating thing about the pain is? Yes, it improved my vision for a little while. Sigh.
The perils of ordering too much from a restaurant is the drudgery of eating leftovers. I still have my beef with noodles, an untouched second mango salad, and a whole container of rice. ::goes temporarily cross-eyed::

At least I had a wonderful coma-like sleep, with Ce-Ce by my side. I also resolved last night's discomfort by eating a lemon tart. Obviously, the citrus worked like a charm.

When spending time with the cats (and watching TV in SuM's living room), I was so pleased that the old man (Grumpy) jumped up onto the ottoman, then onto the couch next to me. So he got lots of attention from me.

Anyway, the pills are calling my name. My spine is screaming, so I may have to pull out the heating pad with massage feature sooner rather than later.
Tags:
… leaves me in insane gastric distress. Sigh. So, as a precaution, I didn't dare eat the green mango salad. Sigh, again.

At least I had a great sleep encouraged by the presence of Ce-Ce in my bed. Got to sleep in until after 8:30. The rest of te day was pitiful. At least I was so happy to watch the news and learn of the super-dramatic double overtime win by the Raptors last night. So, it's now a one-game do or die affair slated for tomorrow. Come on, We The North.

Emailed Brian about one possibility for attending a drive-in at an upcoming film festival beginning October 1. I couldn't see well enough to get the info myself.

Anyway, as I'm in so much pain to sit in front of the computer, I'd better take my pills early and go to bed. Super sigh.
… but I cannot haz reliable sight. Sigh.

I was floundering so badly through the day, it was pathetic. The font colours in my brain were displayed as pinkish white against aubergine. After Brian left, I restarted my computer, then dozed off watching TV. When I woke up (and woke Liblikas up), I'm seeing caramel against dark chocolate. That's a bit better and I've managed to find my library loans. Whew.

So, the weather was perfect for dining outside: cloudy, with temps slightly below 70. We had another huge Vietnamese/Thai feast delivered, plus I ordered extra for myself.

Brian also got close and personal with Ce-Ce. Even Grumpy jumped up on the couch - maybe because Brian was sitting on HIS towel!

In other positive news, I'd phoned my meals provider to thank them for the unexpected gift bag. I'll send them an email, too. Right now, though, I need to take my pills and lie down. With medicinal cat, lol.
Computer says no … even though it was a serious offering with a real cork. Sigh. In any case, I had nearly two glasses of it along with my Shepherd's Pie for lunch to celebrate the current end of cat-motherhood. LoL.

I also had the company of silly Ce-Ce who seems to have lost the habit of grooming me (finally) and now sleeps next to my calves. I had a huge surprise from Bast who wasn't on the first step for lunch. I found her on top of the kitchen counter when I came to gather the other two dishes. I'd never seen her jump up before.

And, then, after my own lunch, I had pain, so I slid into pain and semi-oblivion. S. texted they'd be home around 6, so I could conk out without repercussions. Later, I watched the news on TV and am all caught up on Peppa Pig.

Earlier, I'd written Brian a longish email about my wonky vision: how his vision hadn't been a catalyst for improvement but obviously leftover Thai the next day was! And, yes, more changes since earlier as bright if fuzzy yellow against black has dwindled to weak lemonade against dark but snowy sage. So I'm going to use what I have remaining to read.
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