Helenka, Queen of Outer Space

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Normally, waking up at 11:11 would be fabulous, but not this time. Yesterday, I was silently screaming with pain at 3:25. You know the drill: I took two more pills and fell unconscious. This morning, the screaming time was 2:20. If it weren't for the pain, both during the night and repeated during the day, I'd thought of making an appointment for a pedi at the mall for Thursday. Well, screw those plans when I can barely sit in a chair. Sigh. So I spent a lot of time in bed. Yesterday, my fave TV was the season opener of Bull which was done through the lens of Bull in a Covid nightmare. Tonight, it was the season premiere of N.C.I.S. which was just weird - mostly because I couldn't see much of the screen.

So what made me happy today (considering how I can't predict when pain will incapacitate me from leaving home)? It was learning that Baby Yoda is now on the ISS, thanks to a Japanese astronaut with a sense of humour. Yay!

I don't know if I have the stamina to stay up more than 12 hours. I guess I'll find out soon.

A tale of two days.
Yesterday, I woke up at 9:11. Today, I managed to sleep all the way to 10:24.

Yesterday was a wasted day as far as my vision was concerned. Everything was leeched of colour and glaring so that, when I wanted to watch Battle of the Blades, I couldn't even see the skaters. That made me sad, because one of the pairs had the guy doing a death spiral - a lot harder for a guy to do because of the different centre of gravity, let along being kept in place by the strength of his female partner. But at least I got to hear the judges describe it and be impressed.

Today, I regained my colour perception, so was able to read - hey even fanfic is terrific after a rotten day of nothing.

But, right now, the pain is overwhelming me, so I'm going to stay up to see if watching SNL really live may alleviate some of it - along with the appropriate pills. ::crosses fingers::