Blow It Out Your Nose!

I am sick of this! I do not see anyway I could have this "cold" for two weeks now. I think there is something else... maybe some sort of allergy(s) going on worse than my usual bout. My nose has been running/clogged, and the sneezing! I hate sneezing. I go through several in a row, uncontrollable, then a brief 30 second respite that leaves you "feeling" a sneeze coming on, and then WHAM Three or four more. My OTC allergy meds (Benedryl equivalent) is not working. OTC med (Claritin type) not working. Nasal spray, cold meds - neither of them work. I don't know what to do to get relief short of a trip to the doc to be examined, and told there really probably nothing they can do. I don't know that, I just feel that way. Knowing me, I'll stick it out a couple more weeks before I finally just get pissed enough to go to the doc again.

I don't want it to come to that though. I don't want to see how my weight is doing. I feel like I have been slacking quite a bit on the watching what I eat. I know I need to do better at the amount. I know I need to get more exercise. Yes, I have been out walking, doing the final bits of Christmas shopping; but not every day, or in any way that could be called consistent. Sigh. And the holidays are coming up, and my favorite time of the year, because frankly, I love all the food and candy... in amounts that are not good for me.

The daughter is due home Monday for an overnight and an ortho appt Tuesday morning. Then back to Tucson until Saturday, which starts their break for the holidays. Tuesday is that damn Jury shit I got to do. I hope when I call Monday evening, my group will be excluded. Crossing fingers, saying prayers to any deity... burnt offerings on the corners - whatever it takes. True, my name gets tossed back in the "random name selection" progress, but that could reprieve me for several years.

Saturday. I know the kids and Wife will be doing stuff around the house to try to get it more ready for the holiday. I haven't decided, but I will prolly end up on WoW making that last level to 85 (be first in guild to do so). I had some salsa and chips yesterday, but I think the salsa was too old - I have the unwanted and undesirable digestive condition that makes my most important exercise of running to the bathroom before shitting my pants the only thing I will do much of today. Sigh. Not turning out to be a wonderful month so far...

Get on out of here. I know I am running for the door right after I hit enter.

PeacE

She Ain't No Spring Chicken

Happy Birthday to my Wife!

My Wife is now officially the same age as I am. That makes me glad. There are those three months of the year between our birthdays where she likes to tease me about being older than her. I usually don't mind, because she is not that far behind.

This morning we let her open one of her gifts before she left. A pair of Isotoner gloves for the "chilly" mornings here. Of course, she wasn't real surprised. She had mentioned to me a few days ago she wanted to go to the store to look for a pair of gloves, and I told her to wait until after her birthday. Another reason I gave that one to her this morning. I am not real original with gift ideas....except the ones I can't afford maybe... and even then I still am not great.

Today I hope to get some running around done. Have a couple store in mind to hit for those last gifts on my list to get. Not looking forward to it, but it will be good exercise again, and actually accomplishing something. Also gives me a chance to get out and get some clothes for that damn possible Jury Duty.

PeacE

A Day to Last in Infamy

Or something like that. December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. I am better at remembering bits of history than I am the more life-threatening ones ... like the 8th being my Wife's birthday. It's amazing the way some people use little tricks to remember things. Today helps me for tomorrow. I figure, Pearl Harbor was hell that day. I know I would probably end up in Hell, or maybe just wish I was, if I forgot the Wife's birthday. Kind of goes hand in hand sort of, maybe.

No, the Wife isn't as bad as all that. She can't be to still be with me. But either way, it is truly how I remember her birthday.

Last night was not as fun as I had hoped, but still enjoyed it. World of Warcraft had a new expansion to the game released at midnight last night. I took the 2 older boys with me to pick up our 2 copies. We had gotten there about 10, and I paid for them. Didn't need to be back until just before 12, so we went back home. When we did arrive back, there was only about 40 people there, just standing around - no lines. By midnight, there was maybe 60-70. We were about 30 people back from the front. The first so many people in line received free posters (of the game expansion called "Cataclysm") so we were hoping to be close enough for one. Turns out we weren't. However, my faith that there are still nice people out in the world came true. One gentleman, in his mid-20's, comes out with the game in one hand, the poster in the other and hollered out, "This is the last poster! I don't want it! Who does?" Everyone pretty much shuffled their feet, and didn't say nothing. My younger son raised his hand and waved it. The gentleman comes over, and hands it to my son, whose eyes just get really big with surprise and excitement. I looked at the guy and told him thank you very much, and he said no problem. He was glad to give it away to someone that got excited over it. And then he left. Didn't ask for nothing for a limited edition poster... way cool. We went on to get our games and headed home, where the boys were sent to bed (it was late and they still have school today). I stayed up and loaded the new stuff for each account, and played until about 5:30am. A reason I am running a bit later today.

One week until Jury Duty. I still hate that I may have to go, let alone be picked for service. Guess I will find out the night before if I actually even have to show up. I hope not. It's a bitch to park downtown without walking several miles (I am exaggerating a bit, but not by much). I had to reschedule my cleaning at the dentist to another day because of this.... really upsets my schedule.

Okay, Wife's birthday presents wrapped up and hidden. Birthday wrapping paper hidden. No tale-tell signs of anything out of the ordinary. Using that phrase (tale-tell) reminds me so much of Edgar Allen Poe.....

Only have a couple last presents to pick up.. that I have to make special stops for. Now I just have to motivate myself, to do that tomorrow, because it isn't happening today.

PeacE

Back to a Normal Week

Well, I hope it is more of a normal week that is. I am still trying to shake the last bits of this damn cold. The worst of is is over (I hope) and now it is just the matter of getting my nasal congestion to stop... and the runny nose. Don't understand how both can occur simultaneously, but it manages to do so. This morning so far, it is not as bad as the previous week. I get the added bonus of extra exercise this morning, as I am "running" for the bathroom quite a bit as well. If the nose stops. something else has to take its place I guess.

This weekend leaves me feeling like quite a bit go accomplished. Saturday the oldest son and I went out and got some more Christmas shopping done. I believe I only need to pick up an item or two to complete what I consider my portion of gifts. Even got the Wife's birthday stuff as well. Now all I got to worry about is wrapping it all up.

Oldest son has his Christmas concert tonight at school. Then later on, like 10pm or so, the boys and I will head up to GameStop and get our World of Warcraft expansion packs as they are released tonight.

So has anyone else finished their holiday shopping already?

PeacE

Getting ready to Head Out

Yawn! It's Saturday morning, and I am awake, though the Wife is still abed. She deserves to sleep in a bit I do believe. Whenever she arises, and wakens up, we are going to sit down and figure out what Christmas presents we have gotten, who we still need to get, etc etc. Then, I have the feeling I will be headed out today to try to get some done, plus her birthday which is this week. The oldest son talked about maybe going out with me today as we "exercise" by walking the stores.

For any of you World of Warcraft fans out there, the new expansion "Cataclysm" comes out midnight Monday. I have two copies reserved at our local GameStop. The boys are excited, especially since I said I would take them at midnight to pick them up. They think is it is great, I am more, will they be grouchy and hard to get up for school in the morning?

Not much else planned for this weekend except some more shopping. I am still trying to shake this cold, but I feel better today, though am a bit clogged up yet. Popped another OTC cold "remedy" pill this morning with my regular aspirin, and waiting to see if it will make any difference.

So Jury Duty... some of you have had good experiences, some bad. I think this makes like the 6th time I have been summoned since I turned 18 and registered to vote. Only once have I actually sat in the jury box, though I was dismissed by the attorneys. Each time otherwise, I have spent the day sitting there until they release us, or be released by the judge as they would not need me as an extra. I am glad I have my Kindle now, so I will have reading material, without having to worry about needing extra books. I do need to get out shopping this week for some pants though.

Okay, I am out of here to get the day started. Have a good weekend!

PeacE

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

I was awakened early this morning. Not by the alarm clock. Not by the kids. Not even by the police because I passed out in a parking lot (that's a story for another time). No, this morning, an hour before my usual "wake up" time, I woke myself. With what I thought was screaming. Needless to say, I had a very disturbing dream. I couldn't go back to sleep, unlike most previous times this has happened (the startled awake from a dream - not the actual dream, which does differ from what I remember of previous ones). I am not going into details of what the dream was... so get over that already. Good news is, once the Wife was up (at the regular time mind you) I asked and discovered if I had yelled, she never noticed.

So I know she is sleeping better at nights now; since I started on that CPAP machine, I think we both have been getting better sleep, and more of it. Though the past few nights I have been waking up more during the night. I think it is because this damn cold I have, and the clogged nasal passages are preventing the machine from helping as well as it should. I was hoping to be over the final stages of it by this morning, but here I sit typing, wiping or blowing my nose seemingly every paragraph. We aren't counting sneezes - though I just jinxed myself by mentioning them.

The Wife and I are going to sit down tomorrow and attempt to make a list for those we would like to get gifts for, that we have not already. Then I suppose I will spend part of next week doing some more shopping. I know the week after that, I have that damn Jury Duty. Not happy about that. It should be if you register to vote you DON'T have to perform this service. That would encourage more people to register, let alone actually vote, in my opinion. I just hope I don't get picked so I can go home. Be my luck I'll actually have to be on a jury panel this time. I am soooo not looking forward to it. I need to get out and purchase some pants just for it as well. I have no non-denim type pants to wear - it has been near 11 years since I was required to wear anything more than denim for work.

Well, nothing else going on. I am headed over to Hoosierboy's to see if he has his Friday Five up. Come and play!

PeacE

The Cat Got My ...

I was a good friend yesterday. My friend lives a few miles west of me, and the place she had told me to take the cat was basically in-between our homes. I figured no big deal. Pick up the cat around 8am, have it there by 8:30 no problem. Except in my life, nothing goes right at times. I was running late by about 10-15 minutes. Still no major issue. I was to drop Sammy (the cat) off between 8:30 and 9. They just didn't open until 8:30.

I get to her house, see the pet carrier, the free spay voucher, and the other paper listing the places she could go. I see Sammy and call to her, and she comes up rubbing my ankles. Gently I eased her up into my arms, and moved to the carrier. As lowered to my knees and extended Sammy in my arms to the opening of the carrier, disaster struck. Suddenly, she wanted to have nothing to do with me or the carrier. In about 5 seconds flat, she was in the carrier with the door shut, mewing like mad, and I was on my knees thinking what he hell got her flipped out like that. Then I felt it. Sammy in her attempted effort of freeing herself from my hands prior to her entry to the carrier, got in some good claw licks. My left hand across the back of the knuckle of the first digit has a nice scratch about an inch long, bleeding. the palm side of my thumb, from just above the base, across the bend, and right into the meat of the print area, is the worse one. It's dripping red, and hurts like a .... well, you can imagine. The other hand got a couple minor scratches that weren't leaking rivers.

I stick the thumb in my mouth to keep from dripping blood on the carpet, and grab the "Locations" paper. I see an address highlighted, and think to myself that can't be right. I go thru all the other addresses. The one highlighted is where I am supposed to go. Instead of being 39th AVENUE, it was 39th STREET - meaning in Phoenix, about the difference of almost 10 miles, back past my house and to the East side of town. I call my friend, and she had misread the direction of the street and thought it was our side of town. I still had to take the cat, because she had it scheduled there, and the voucher had to be used before 12/1. I grab the stuff and the carrier and start on my way. Mind you, it is 8:30 by now, and still have morning rush hour going on. I got there at 9:10, luckily they didn't mind me being a few minutes over the limit they had gave. I called my friend and let her know the best way to get there after work.

Needless to say, my thumb hurts still this morning. Every time I bend it, put pressure on it, I get a nice little pain to remember Sammy by. Imagine trying to do things without your thumb, then I am happy that I am right handed.

Still fighting the cold, though I think I may have a winning edge happening. The worst of it is the nasal congestion, then runny nose, back to congestion seemingly changing every 30 secs, or a combination of both. My nose is tender from blowing it so much, and wiping the runnies from it. What's weird, is if I lay down for like 15-20 minutes, it clears up a bit - or if I walk around 5-10 minutes. But as soon as I sit - BOOM! It's back to being filed up. Driving me crazy.

We had a freeze warning yesterday in Phoenix until 9am. Seems we got a freak low pressure cell and the temps dropped into the 20's at night. But the good news it will warm back up to the 70's (daytime) by Friday again!

PeacE