 | Archive - December 2007 Goodbye, 2007Posted Dec-31-07 05:51:39 PST What a year. I started 2007 full of hope, and satisfaction. My life was improving. What were once pipe dreams were moving into the realm of reality. Finally, adjusting to being disabled; incorporating the reality of a wheelchair-bound future. Seeing the potential good in my life that had gone so terribly astray from the plans of my youth. Finding a niche for the now. Owning my own home so that I would finally have the security of knowing that I would always have a roof over my head. Clearing up the shreds of my credit rating, ravaged by years of only having Social Security as an income. Finally, almost at the top of the mountain. Believing that touching the sky, and soaring with the eagles, are so close, so very close. Very soon, I would be at the top, with my arms held wide, embracing the world, and feeling the joy that I heard others speak of, but had not yet experienced. I had heard that the view from the peak is breath-taking. I'm ending 2007 without knowing whether or not that is true. Early in 2007, I experienced a new physical pain. I thought it was related to my nerve damage. But, it was not. A passive, physical flaw, not related to my nerve damage, flared into an active illness. Tests, and scans; being poked, and prodded. Numerous courses of antibiotics seemed to soothe, and fix the problem. The problem was quieted, but not fixed. Excruciating pain, and a fever, lead to a trip to the hospital emergency room, and admittance to the hospital, with surgeons hovering over me, ready to operate. The coin was tossed. Heads, IV antibiotics and hospitalization, and then I could go home. Tails, major surgery, the risks of which outweighed the certain death sentence of not having surgery. It took days for the coin to land. Finally, the coin landed - on heads. I whined, demanded, and plead with my doctor to let me go home. After five days, I was reluctantly released from the hospital. I was no longer at Death's door, but I was still in Death's zip code. Good enough for me. Home. I love being Home. A relative, and I, had been living together for a couple of years. Our individual incomes were barely enough to scrape by; combined, our incomes meant a much better quality of life for both of us. I spent weeks resting, and recuperating, eager to get back on the path up the mountain. The peak of the mountain was so close. Then, the pain flared up again. My temperature was climbing. My stance on the mountain was shaky. In early May, I went for outpatient surgery to determine whether or not I had to have major surgery. If the problem had grown to its previous level, there was no option but to have surgery. I left home, scared; worried; and nervous. The results of the outpatient surgery - the flare up was minor, the pain exacerbated because I was not completely healed from the major flare up. I went home with another course of antibiotics, and a big smile on my face. I was still almost at the mountain top! That was the last time I experienced great joy in 2007. While I was getting the outpatient surgery, the relative I lived with had taken almost all of my money, and left many nasty surprises for me around the house. They had planned to take the money for months, and had waited until I was most vulnerable to rob me, and run. I had been played. They had played me all the way. I called the police, but what my relative had done was amoral, not illegal. I had wrongly trusted my relative. Oh, how they must laugh at how great a fool I was to trust them. When I had my back to them, they shoved me down. The known, welcomed, future was gone. I lay crumpled at the bottom of the mountain, battered, cold in the shadows, unable to move, too tired to try. It had all been for nothing. I felt numb; cold; stupid; and naive for having trusted someone, that someone. I don't remember everything from the first two or three weeks afterward. I was at a crossroad. Go left, or right. Sink, or swim. I knew what was at the end of one path, the well lit path. A downward spiral, leading to further despair, and an early death from stress and depression. I did not know what lay down the other path. That path was dark and silent, not giving away any of its secrets. Which way to go? A small spark was left in my soul; a small bit of myself remained from the emotional devastation. Damn it! I am not going to go quietly! I am not going to sink into the quicksand, and silently slip away! I will survive! Somehow, someway. I will not accept less! I chose to go down the dark, silent path. I don't know where it will lead. I'm moving slowly, feeling my way along. As 2007 ends, I am still at the bottom of the mountain. I don't look up at the peak anymore. I try not to think about it. The pain of being so close to the top is too fresh. I'm not trying to climb the mountain. I have to re-build my life, yet again. I end 2007 with a new scar on my pysche, from a deep betrayal of trust. I end 2007 understanding that I may spend the rest of my life renting, never knowing the security of owning my own home. I end 2007 knowing that, in the not too distant future, I will have to leave this house I've lived in for 14 years - My Home - and rent an apartment, because I cannot afford the expense of living here alone. I end 2007 afraid for my cats - because there aren't many places for rent that allow 3 cats. I end 2007 afraid for myself - because I have no idea what awaits me in the future. Sometimes, the fear darkens the light of my soul. I shiver in the darkness, weeping. But, a small bit of hope sparks within me. I use that spark to light my way on this unknown path. The light is dim. I cannot see what is next. It is almost 2008. Will I face the new year bravely? Will I climb the mountain in the new year? Will everything be alright in the new year? I do not know the answers to any of these questions. I only know that when 2008 comes, I will still be here. And for now, that is enough. Happy New Year to you all. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-30-07 07:05:25 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family
members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating
illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of
positive
healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those
already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
Feeling Much Better, Thank You AllPosted Dec-30-07 06:43:14 PST
For your concern, well wishes, and positive energy and prayer. I'm feeling so much better, I'm going to make myself breakfast. I mean actually cook something. My usual breakfast involves the re-heating of whatever is available. Today, I shall cook! To music. Yes, music...that's the ticket! I'm leaning towards bag pipe music. Or, maybe opera. Or, maybe Usher. Yes, my taste in music is eclectic. I like listening to Missy Elliott, and Barry Manilow. I will shimmy and shake to the Temptations, and to Hossam Ramzy. Journey; Korn; Ray Charles; Evanescence; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Loreena Mckennitt; the Black Eyed Peas; and more - I like listening to them all. The only commonality of my music collection is me. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, and I can't read a lick of music. I've never analyzed my taste in music. If I like the sound, I get the CD. Right now, I like the sound of food. Must eat. That sounds like a good idea. I think it sounds like you will have a great day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-29-07 03:37:29 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family
members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating
illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of
positive
healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those
already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
It Was a 24 Hour Flu Bug, I ThinkPosted Dec-29-07 03:33:53 PST I'm pretty sure it was a 24 bug. I think I feel better. I'm not sure, because I'm still rocking and rolling - and sleeping and babbling - from the residual Tylenol Cold med in my system. I'm going to take it slow today, i.e., do nothing. Sticking with the ratty robe/schlepping around the house routine. Even if the flu is done with me, there is usually collateral damage from having the flu. I want to be sure not to get a chest cold, walking pneumonia, or bronchitis - little nasties that often take advantage of my weaken defenses after a bout with the flu. Well, there's another antibody floating around my system. My understanding is that every time I catch the flu, it is different from other flu bugs I've had in the past, triggering a new immunogen in my system. It must be getting crowded, with all the immunogens floating around, doing crossword puzzles, just waiting for the same strain of flu to try and invade my system. I used the word "immunogen" in a sentence. I may not have used it correctly, but I used it none the less. I must be doing better. I hope that everyone has a better day than yesterday, and an even better day tomorrow. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-28-07 04:07:01 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family
members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating
illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of
positive
healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those
already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
Argh, The FluPosted Dec-28-07 03:50:49 PST Or, a flu bug. Made its presence known to me yesterday afternoon. I was minding my own business, when, wham! Sneezing, congestion - all the symtoms from a cold med commercial. Ugh. I'm pretty sure it is the flu. Colds normally come at me a little bit at a time. The flu just drops on me, seemingly out of nowhere. No worries. This isn't the worse flu bug I've had. That would be the flu bug I had about 3 years ago. I felt so bad, I was writing out my last will and testament with cough syrup onto a Kleenex, because I was sure that anything that made me feel that bad was going to kill me. This bug has me schlepping aroung the house in a ratty robe, looking and feeling yucky. Thanks to Tylenol Cold, I will (hopefully) sleep through most of this flu bug. I'm going to go have a swig of cough syrup with a coffee chaser (I'm sick, I'm not dead - gots to have my coffee); possibly hallucinate; and go lay down. I hope that everyone stays healthy, and well, today. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Buckling Down...Posted Dec-27-07 05:54:38 PST My resolve. Which, after my holiday food binge, is the only thing I can buckle. My resolve took a holiday break. I tracked it down, and drug it back home, determined to wrestle my resolve into a semblance of positive action. Now, I am back on course, and ready to excel in all things BeadDance! Man, that sounds good. Truth is, my resolve has been sitting on a chair, watching TV, and eating potato chips. Usually, I would get my resolve to scoot over, so that I could watch TV too. But now, my resolve and I are brushing potato chip crumbs from our laps, and greeting the new day with enthusiasm, and greasy fingers. A brave new world awaits us! I'm getting myself back into some sort of routine. Not a rut, but a concrete agenda. I find that I am most comfortable, and productive, when I have a sense of order to my life. Getting up; brushing my teeth while the coffee is brewing; drink coffee while doing some mental challenges in order to spark my brains cells from dormant to active mode; these things give my life a sense of order. After that, tranquility and control turn to anarchy, as I spend the rest of the day reacting, instead of initializing and creating. Now, I will add additional tasks to my routine. What tasks? I dunno. Cut me some slack, here. I haven't finished my coffee yet. Hopefully, this is more than just my doing a preemptive New Year's resolution strike. I don't like doing New Year's resolutions. I find that they depress me. I don't like starting a new year with a list of things I have yet to accomplish. I can do that the rest of the year. On New Year's Day, I like to go over the list of things I have accomplished. Makes me feel good. So, starting today, I will add something to my routine, because my resolve and I are feeling kind of feisty. I'm going to figure out what to add, and add it, before my resolve has a chance to slink back to watching TV. There's a Dirty Jobs marathon on the Discovery Channel today. If my resolve gets wind of that, I'll never pry it away from the TV. I hope you will have a fun, and feisty day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Food HangoverPosted Dec-26-07 04:22:22 PST I went to sleep last night, stuffed with holiday food. I woke up this morning with a food hangover. I feel so stuffed, as though I will never feel hunger again. I'm bouncing between wanting to do about 8 hours of exercise, or scooting Bear over from his spot in front of the heater, laying down there myself, and going to sleep. I hope that everyone had a great day yesterday. I'm going to have more coffee, and wander around aimlessly until I'm more awake. Have a lovely day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- A Bright, Beautiful Good Morning to YouPosted Dec-24-07 06:21:38 PST I'm back from my last trip out, this year. Yes, it is that time of the year! When I'm frequently saying "my last [fill in the blank] this year." So dramatic. I just came back from the grocery store. I didn't need any groceries. I went back because all of the overnight stockers were gone the last time I went to the store, and I couldn't give them the holiday cards I made for them. I'm happy to report that all of the stockers were still at the store this morning. Giving them cards was great fun! I received - and gave - lots of hugs, handshakes, and laughter. What a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Since I was at the grocery store, I did buy a few things. Mainly non-essentials. Like pizza (the breakfast of champions); tangerines (yummy little bits of orange-y goodness); and aerosol whipped cream. I am currently sipping on a mocha latte. Fancy name for coffee, milk, and Hershey's chocolate syrup. All topped off with a 3 inch high pile of whipped cream. Life is good. I have the makings for tomorrow's meal. I haven't done much to transform the makings into a meal, though. I'll do that today. Much seasoning; mixing; and baking yet to do. I normally do not like to cook, but I don't mind doing the cooking today. I have Athena, Mad Martigan, and Bear. I have a roof over my head. There's food for my stomach; coffee and water for my thirst; and enough money left to make next month's rent. All in all, it is a beautiful holiday season for me. I hope it is a beautiful time for you, and yours. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-23-07 05:51:40 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family
members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating
illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of
positive
healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those
already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
Hair TodayPosted Dec-23-07 05:49:10 PST Today is when I have to do something with my hair. Above and beyond the day-to-day comb and style. I was trying to decide between it being Perm day or Color day. I decided it is Perm day. I do a home perm, periodically, in an attempt to chemically beat my hair into submission. Usually, my victory is short-lived. Typically, a week or so after a perm, my hair reasserts its defiance. During the time my hair is subdued, I usually wear it in a pony-tail, using a banana comb. I think banana combs are up there with the home computer, and fabric softener sheets (who else remembers waiting for the rinse cycle to add fabric softener - ugh), as being Great Inventions. A quick click of a banana comb, and the most unruly hair is restrained. Very cool. I also color my hair. When I was in my late 20s, I started having a few gray hairs. Having very dark hair, the grays stood out. I colored the grays for fun, rather than to hide them. For a while, I colored my gray hairs purple (my favorite color). Later, I colored my gray hairs auburn. My very dark brown hair with a sprinkling of auburn (the auburn hair dye was only changed the color of my gray hairs) - I liked the look, and kept it for a long time. The mega-stress of being disabled sent my hair into gray overdrive. Some people say that stress doesn't affect hair color. I only know what my hair does. The more I am stressed, the more gray in my hair; the less I am stressed, the less gray in my hair. I thought that the majority of my hair turning gray was cool. I pictured myself looking very chic, with an amazing, silver mane reflecting light so intensely that people would have to squint to look at me. I was thinking that I would look excessively cool, like Storm from the X-Men comics, with a silver-white head of hair, and matching eyebrows and eyelashes. I decided I would get a black, leather outfit to complete the look. I couldn't wait for my hair to finish its transformation from dark black-brown to a crown of silver glory! When the transformation of my hair was complete, I looked like...Albert Einstein's crazy sister that was only mentioned in a whisper. My hair didn't go silver, or even gray. My hair follicles were colorless; translucent. When the light hit my wild head of hair at a certain angle, my hair disappeared. Bummer. An added insult is that the only hair that did turn white is a single eyelash. Ah, phooey. So, I started coloring my hair in an attempt to get my pre-translucent color. There was a lot of trial and error before I found the right combination of colors. I spent many a week as a Goth Princess (too black for me); a Bozo the Clown look alike (too red for me); and just weird (too unnaturally brown, period). So, now I color my hair, except for a stripe of gray/translucent at the peak of my brow - I call it my skunk stripe. The skunk-stripe, and my single while eyelash, don't qualify me as having the Storm, from the X-Men comics, look. I'm less Storm, and more Light Breeze. So, until someone makes a home perm that also colors hair (are you listening, you inventor folks?), I perm my hair, then a week later I color my hair. Then, for a few days, I have perfect hair. Then it starts going downhill. After about two months, when I just can't stand my hair's appearance anymore, the cycle begins again. Today is the day I begin the cycle again, with a home perm. Maybe I'll get my photo taken during the 3 or 4 day period when the perm and color are in perfect harmony. I hope you all have a perfectly harmonious day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-22-07 05:46:38 PST Updated Dec-22-07 06:27:41 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family
members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating
illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of
positive
healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those
already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
Has Anyone Seen My Stamina?Posted Dec-22-07 05:44:40 PST I've looked, but my stamina is gone. The only way I know to lure my stamina back is with the combined bait of exercise and rest. Thing is, the mix has to be just right. Too much exercise, and my stamina becomes a tease, coming back to me for a short while only to suddenly disappear. Too much rest, and my stamina will refuse to even consider coming back to me, leaving me feeling wiped out after the least bit of effort. Stamina is such a prima donna. I would love to thumb my nose at my stamina, but my stamina knows that sooner or later, I will be begging it to come back. Like any monopoly, my stamina knows I have no recourse but to play by its terms. Before becoming disabled, striking the right balance of rest, and exercise, to keep my stamina happy was easy. There were only two things to balance - rest and exercise. Since being disabled, stress and chronic pain have joined to mix. Juggling rest and exercise was easy. Juggling rest, exercise, stress, and chronic pain is a skill I have not yet mastered. So, my stamina stays away from me, jeering at me when I sleep to much; sneering at me when I exercise too little; scoffing at me when I get too stressed; and sighing at me when I hurt too much to sleep or exercise. Stamina is so finicky. I tried to hold on to my stamina after becoming disabled, but I slowly lost my hold. My stamina slipped away. I tried to drag it back to me, but failed. So, now I will continue to hone my juggling skills, until I can keep the mix just right, and lure my stamina back to me. Once I get it back, I have to watch it constantly, so it doesn't wander off again. Stamina is so high maintenance. I will soon be off to do some exercise. I hope you exercise your right to have a great day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- No, Really, I Was Just Saying HelloPosted Dec-18-07 06:40:47 PST "I'm married." A number of men have made this statement to me. I am not surprise to hear this statement when I ask these men out on a date; flirt with them; or have on full war paint and a killer outfit (I clean up pretty well). Usually, I get this statement pretty much out of the blue. It is possible that those men have enormous egos, and think that every woman wants them, but I doubt it. It is possible that my charm, grace, electricfiying feminity, and irresistible sex appeal may be the reason. Based on the number of times I get called "sir" to my face, I doubt it. So, why do men, so very often, tell me that they are married? I think the reason is that they assume that if I speak to them, I am on the prowl for a man. I haven't been "on the prowl" for a man since high school. After high school, living my life dropped finding a mate into the serendipity category - if it happens, it happens. I have had many, platonic, male friends throughout my life. Since I chose my friends based on who they are as a person, I consider anything else about them to be extraneous, including their gender. When I have posed the question of why men tell me they're married, many folks told me that men and women cannot form platonic relationships. That statement belies my experience. Either men and women can form platonic relationships, or every man I've had as a platonic friend was seething inside from my universal sex appeal. Right. That statement makes me laugh so hard, I can barely type. Sure, I'm appealing to some men, but every man I've ever interacted with? Trust me when I tell you - no. Maybe it is another aspect of the Nature vs. Nuture question. Are men and women genetically programmed to interact only to find a mate, and rebuke those deemed unsuitable? Or, are we taught that men and women only interact for mating purposes? I think that the latter reason is true. In the past, physical prowness was a necessity for survival, as opposed to a chance to have one's picture on a box of Wheaties, or shill sport drinks. Today, being smarter is working harder, and intelligence is not gender specific. I think that, for the most part, people know this. But, still there are many that believe, and teach, that gender interaction is for one thing, and one thing only - mating. Many of us reshape, or shed, the teachings of the past based on our experiences. We learn that what was believed to be true in the past is not guaranteed to be true in the present. We strive to re-program our thoughts and actions, to reflect our lives in the here and now. If we were taught that men and women only interact for one reason, like any habit, it can be hard to shake that belief. The end result? I have men telling me, out of the blue, that they are married. Societal interaction is not a series of double entendres. A "hello" is usually just a "hello". There is no hidden meaning with my wishing you a fabulous day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Living Life Disabled - Mailing & Phone ListsPosted Dec-17-07 06:26:51 PST
Once I won the fight for my Social Security disability benefits (with the aide of an attorney, and a 7 month delay) I found myself part of a new world of mailing and phone lists. Although I became permanently disabled in my very late thirties, I started receiving calls and junk mail from AARP; and offers, schemes, and scams relating to retirement communities and whatnot. Social Security + Medicare = being over 65 to these companies. I welcomed the calls from AARP. Being on a very limited income, the idea of receiving oodles of discounts appealed to me. However, AARP stopped calling me after a couple of conversations. I'd get a call, agree to sign up with AARP (I could almost feel the excitement from the other end of the phone line - yippee! We landed one!), and then be told that I was too young to qualify for AARP. I told them that they called me; I didn't call them. So, they must want me to sign up. They could not get off of the phone with me fast enough. I haven't gotten anything from AARP in years. The surge of "I must be over 65" calls and junk mail eased off, until the Medicare prescription coverage program began. Medicare, and/or Social Security, must be putting my business on the street for me to get all of these solicitations. Prescription coverage companies were climbing over each other to get me to sign up. The volume of telephone calls, and junk mail, didn't surprise me. What surprised me was the way some of the companies operated. Many of the companies assumed that since I qualified for Medicare, I was elderly, infirm, and could easily be taken advantage of with a little sweet talk. I don't have the most cheery view of what people are capable of doing to each other, but I was still appalled and repulsed by many companies' tactics. One prescription coverage company particularly chapped my hide. When I called for additional information, the customer service rep told me that I had to talk to someone else. Strange, but okay. The person they transferred me to - let's call him, Thejerk - proceeded to give a speel about why I had to sign up with that company right then. I only needed one question answered, and I politely let Thejerk know this fact. Thejerk then proceeded to lie about pretty much everything relating to Medicare prescription drug coverage. Only their company would accept me. I only had a day to choose my prescription drug coverage (I had over a month!). Other prescription drug coverages would rip me off; steal my life savings; and kidnap my pets. Okay, not the last part, but you get the idea. Our confrontation - er, conversation - ended when I hung the phone up on his...ah, ear. With this company, if someone wasn't already willing to sign up, they were sent to a closer. Thejerk was a closer, there to get someone signed up at all costs. I reported the company, and Thejerk, to Medicare. Thankfully, many people reported the company to Medicare. The company garnered Medicare's ire, and some unwelcomed news coverage. Yes! Scam artists can wear expensive suits to board meetings; have IPOs; and have respected spokespeople. I didn't learn these things after becoming disabled. These things try to come into my world more often since I became disabled. I still get the junk mail, and the telephone calls, from companies assuming I am over 65. But, now I grill a lot of them, so if the company is bogus, I can do a small part in keeping someone else from being ripped off. Living life disabled. I hope you are living good, and have a great day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Prayer/Positive Healing ThoughtsPosted Dec-16-07 07:18:36 PST Updated Dec-17-07 05:14:20 PST This blog post is in support of bloggers, their family members, or their friends, who are having issues with debilitating illnesses or injuries. If you know of more folks in need of positive healing thoughts, blessings, prayers or wishes, or changes for those already listed, please let me know. Some bloggers may periodically display pink ears, or bunny ears, to show support for those on the list, or for others who are in need of positive assistance, as a reminder that they are not alone. At this time, please send positive, and healing, thoughts and prayers to:
An Adventure Free Trip to the Pharmacy!Posted Dec-16-07 05:50:54 PST I went to the pharmacy yesterday morning. As opposed to my last trip to the pharmacy (see my I Don't Think I Look Like a Criminal blog entry) this trip went smoothly. My return trip on paratransit was scheduled for two and a half hours after I was dropped off. Even moving as slowly as I do, I would have a two hour wait before my ride back home. The driver on my trip to the pharmacy was chatty, and I told him I was in no hurry to be dropped off, what with the long wait for the return trip. I'd rather be sitting on the paratransit, riding all over town, than standing at the pharmacy for a couple of hours. I've told other drivers this before, but this driver actually listened to me. So, I rode around on the paratransit while the driver picked up three other people, and dropped them off. Perfection! I wasn't in a hurry, and the three other people were in a hurry. They had appointments for dialysis. Also lovely was that the driver asked if we, the
paratransit passengers, wanted the heater on the bus running. Often, riding on the paratransit
bus is like a trip through the 6th circle of Hell, with the heat set on super-nova. None of
us did, and the heat was turned off. Yes! Once I was done at the pharmacy, my ride back home was early, so I had a wait time of about 45 seconds. Beauty! Just an all around good trip out. Once home, I was flushed with euphoria over a smooth trip out, and became a whirlwind of energy, doing housework at the speed of sound! Nah. I was still tired from not sleeping well the past few days, and I gave into the Sleepy Side of the Force. I napped. And I napped. And I napped. I awoke one time to find my cat, Martigan, staring at me with an expression that said he was impressed that I could out-nap a cat. And, I still slept through the night. I feel much more alert this morning than I have in recent mornings. This morning, unlike the past few mornings, I did not try to: turn on the television with the cell phone; put ground coffee in the coffee maker without the basket; or need a cheat sheet to remember my name. Last night was the first with a below freezing temperature this season. Everything is coated with a rime of frost. Just lovely. You all have a lovely day today. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- Good Morning to YouPosted Dec-14-07 06:03:24 PST I woke up at around 2:00 this morning, and I couldn't fall back asleep. I was wide awake. Not my usual sleep pattern. Martigan, one of my cats, tried to get me to go back to sleep. He laid across the top of my pillow - becoming sort of a cat hat - and kept patting my head with one paw, while he was half asleep. Athena tried to stay awake because I was awake, but she failed and fell back asleep. Bear? Bear was camped out in front of the heater, and oblivious to all. I stayed in bed, and I fell back asleep around 4:00 AM, and woke up around 6:00 AM. Now, I feel groggy and sluggish. I am drinking coffee, but I'm still not really awake. I'm going to take a ginseng, to help knock the mental cobwebs away. Everyone have a great day. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- It's Time for Time ManagementPosted Dec-13-07 05:58:38 PST Updated Dec-13-07 05:59:22 PST I used to have time management skills. I'm not sure if they are dozing, or extinct. Whether by revival, or inception, it's time for me to re-introduce time management into my life. I checked out some web sites with time management tips. The most striking thing is that the information is similar from all the sources, and similar to what I already know about time mangement. Don't procrastinate - d'uh. Prioritize - of course. Make to do lists - yes, yes. Okay, no new fangled method for managing my time. Dang. I've been working on not procrastinating since before I was born. I was born a few weeks after my expected due date, and I been a few weeks late on some things ever since. I have made strides with not procrastinating. Now, when I'm procrastinating, I say to myself, "You're procrastinating." Baby steps. My prioritization skills have improved. I'm still refining my priority categories. I've changed my priority criteria from "Wanna - Don't Wanna" to "Need to - Don't need to". Excellent. World domination cannot be far off. I have to do lists on paper. I have to do lists in electronic organizers. I have to do lists floating around in the ether of the internet. I have imaginary to do lists. I have to do lists I have yet to do. Is there a sub-category of time management dealing with the time management of making to do lists? I haven't decided if time management is my new best friend - we'll be doing each other's nails and hair while we talk about men; or if time management is my new mentor - trying to get me to live up to my potential no matter how much it hurts. Maybe one of these days I manage to have enough time to figure it out. I hope you all manage to find time to have a great day. Anyone wondering where my avatar is - it is everywhere, except on my main blog page. eBay is doing maintenance and it seems that the appearance of my avatar on my main blog page is one of those "certain eBay site features [that] may be intermittently unavailable or slow" mentioned in the system status announcement. I'll blog at 'cha later. B- |
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