Federer lost to Canas again! I can't believe it, even though I saw it with my own 2 eyes, live on tv. What's up Roger? What's wrong? What's happened to your mojo? Dude, you seriously need to get it back.
My boy Nadal has another shot at winning another big tourney(as far as point standings go) so I'm not as heart-broken as I sound going on and on about Federer losing. But the man is like one of the best players in history so it's very surprising, is all. At least tonight's match was more of a match than the last time he played Canas in the Pacific Life open - none of his shots were working that day.
In other sports news, the West Indies played Australia today in Cricket World Cup. Those Aussies are so damn good at their cricket. I don't know how our boys (Windies) are going to beat 300+ runs in 50 overs for 6 - this probably means nothing to you if you don't understand cricket. Let's just say that Windies don't usually score that many runs in 50 overs. Luckily, the match was delayed due to rain and is to be cont'd tomorrow I think. Else those Aussie boys would probably still be scoring runs now. I probably wouldn't even be following the cricket if it weren't for a couple co-workers from India and Pakistan who are really into cricket. So I feel honor-bound to keep up on the results at least. They are both really bummed b/c both India and Pakistan got eliminated in the early rounds. And by Ireland and Bangladesh no less. Not a crack on Bangladeshis, but really who even knew that Ireland played cricket seriously enough to be in the world cup. World Cup cricket has a round-robin format much like world cup soccer(football) does. Each group (A-D) had 2 strong teams and 2 weaker teams. Pakistan and India are generally considered to have strong cricket sides so it's a shame really for them not to be in the super 8's. Ok, enough cricket.
April is coming which means now I can also watch baseball and my beloved Jeter(don't be jealous of Nadal) and the Yankees.
April also means Spring...Easter...my B'day. All good things. This year I don't want to do anything too big for my b'day. I was thinking of maybe just going out to the karaoke bar that weekend. Of course, that'll be Easter weekend and I'm singing for Easter(in choir on Sun) so I may not want to have too wild a night before. I was also thinking of maybe just having a few people over for cake and ice-cream. Then I thought about how small me place is and how much seating room I have (4-5 with a push, anyone else on the floor).
I think a few peeps will be out of town or with their families so maybe I will do that and it'll only be 4-5 friends. That'd be cool. I'm even thinking of baking the cake(s) myself. Of course I still have 2 weeks to bail on this idea. I just don't want to do what I did last year. It was good but not only did I have to pay for my dinner myself(on my b'day) all fine, didn't really expect them to pay for me. But I also had to chip in $12 bucks more b/c someone didn't put enough in - I feel bad stiffing the waiter on their tip from a table with 8 people, that's just wrong. I was a little upset by that. Maybe who ever didn't put enough in didn't realize. Maybe. So no big dinner out with people. If I do decide to do dinner I don't want so many people there that I have to make a reservation. No more than 3 or 4 incl me. That's why I was thinking more along the lines of cake/ice cream. Sure to cost less than $55 dollars.
I think that the people who live downstairs have a washing machine in their apt. At least it sounds like they do. So not fair as I have to go out to the laundromat but that's another story. They can't seem to find any other time to do laundry but at midnight or 1am. WTF? They are home all damn day. Or at least when I leave they are here, I come home for lunch on occasion, they are here. I get home early, still here. So why the hell must they do laundry so late at night? Another thing they do late at night is move shit around - I hear stuff dragging and lots of footsteps. Even though I'm in the upstairs apt, I hear all this. Why? My guess...they suck and are trying to get on my last nerve. Well, maybe they are not trying to annoy intentionally. How can I be sure though.
I better get to bed. I feel crappy, congested and like I'm about to wheeze (even after taking my emergency inhaler). This is not good. I'm taking too much medication to feel like this. I've been having trouble sleeping off and on. So much so that I forgot to set my alarm and overslept one morning - got to work at 9:45am, so not good. To offset that I've been making an effort to get to bed earlier so I can get more sleep/rest. I woke up a few times last couple nights. It might be my asthma meds that's contributing to this. So I thought to keep myself up a little longer in the hope that I would sleep till my alarm goes off. Then I end up staying up too late. No win situation. All this not sleeping enough is not helping my asthma either. Also have not been to the gym in 3 weeks, not been to boxing in 2 months maybe. Can't remember. Not good. I've got to get back into the groove. I've actually only put on a pound or 2 since. This is good. My muscles are slowly wasting away though. I can feel myself becoming more sluggish every day. We've been having relatively nice weather and I have been going out for walks about 2x a week so that's something. Got to get back into regular routine. After all, my gym membership is not free. I was watching the show Workout (on Bravo) and I'm envious of all their in shape bodies. They measured their body fat and the trainers had 10-18% body fat. Imagine. My body fat is closer to my age, not really where I want to be. Got to do something more. More than just wishing for it. Something proactive.
Not tonight though - time for bed now.
Tuesday, March 27
Sunday, March 18
now i know
I think I finally figured out why C never called me even though he seemed keen, interested and said he would - even though I erased my profile from yahoo, I still get occasional emails about matches based on basic search criteria. Well, guess who was on there tonight. I checked out his profile after seeing his pic. I must confess that I made a new profile so I could actually read what was in his (they don't let you open profiles after a while until you create one of your own).
He's looking for a woman 20-24 who's not Black. He had all the other criteria checked in the ethnicity category except Black. Very telling. Usually I look at this section in a guy's profile first, no point reading and getting excited about some guy who doesn't date/is not interested in Black women (for whatever reason).
Not only am I Black, I'm also older than 24. 2 strikes in his book surely. So now I know. Am I happier with this knowledge? NOT at all. I guess it's better to know though. So glad I never called him after he promised to call me. How embarrasing would that be...to be chasing after a guy who's not interested in you at all, not really, not in a romantic way in any event.
He's looking for a woman 20-24 who's not Black. He had all the other criteria checked in the ethnicity category except Black. Very telling. Usually I look at this section in a guy's profile first, no point reading and getting excited about some guy who doesn't date/is not interested in Black women (for whatever reason).
Not only am I Black, I'm also older than 24. 2 strikes in his book surely. So now I know. Am I happier with this knowledge? NOT at all. I guess it's better to know though. So glad I never called him after he promised to call me. How embarrasing would that be...to be chasing after a guy who's not interested in you at all, not really, not in a romantic way in any event.
Saturday, March 17
Rafa...Rafa...Rafa(can you hear me shouting)
He's done it and in dominant fashion as well. My boy Rafa has beat Roddick today 6-4, 6-3. I'm so hoping that Murray beats Djokovic later tonight. I want a Nadal vs Murray match-up for the men's final. This is a big win for Nadal. He needed this. I can't wait for tomorrow match.
S confessed to getting me an early bday pressie - Nadal calendar. Perfect timing S.
S confessed to getting me an early bday pressie - Nadal calendar. Perfect timing S.
Friday, March 16
just call me...fanatic...T_E_A_D_A
I went to see T.e.a.d.a/Danu in concert last night. Cost of ticket $20. I didn't get lost on the way surprisingly considering that I hadn't been there before. The show started off in true Celtic fashion with a local pipe and drum band, complete with tartans, highland bagpipes and tall socks. I love bagpipes.
Then T.e.a.d.a followed. Tristan was his usual dreamy self, he introduced all their songs and gave a little background about the composer of it/where it originated. My only regret is that I didn't bring their CD with me. They were signing. I could have had Tristan(and the other lads) sign my CD. I guess I just have to go to the next show they play here. That'll be in September and I can't wait.
It was even better for me than when I saw them at Christmas b/c I actually recognized most of the songs they played this time. Their album is #1 in Ireland. Yet these guys are so down to earth. I spoke to 3 of them. Oisin, Sean and of course the lovely Tristan. You can see them in this video. The music sounds a bit 'tinny' in the video link. You can get a better idea of their sound (and the way they sound live) from their site when you click link for individual songs. Sean plays bouzouki/banjo and guitar, Oisin's on fiddle, the wonderful Tristan on bodhran(a type of drum), Damian on flute. The guy on button accordion in the video is Paul. Him I've yet to see. Both this time and the last time I saw T.e.a.d.a, they had Tommy Martin instead playing Irish bagpipes/tin whistle. He is also a brilliant musician. I would have bought his CD last night but didn't have enough cash on me. Next time. Even though I didn't have their CD and wasn't buying another, that didn't stop me from going over for a chat with "the lads". "The lads" is how Muireen from Danu referred to T.e.a.d.a. I'm going to start saying that all the time now - the lads :)
I wondered whether Tristan watered the bodhran he plays from the same water that he drinks from. Just before he starts playing, he pours a little water on it, rubs it in, then keeps a mean beat on it. So I asked him, and in his lovely, Irish lilt, he told me, "no, never, it's sacred...has it's own water bottle". And he smiled. And I may have giggled and said something inane. No matter. I mean it's not like I could really envision having a relationship with a musician...who lives in a different country...who travels all year with his band. If I could though, Tristan would be the one.
I also chatted with Sean and asked him to help me pronounce the name of their latest CD Inne Amarach(yesterday, tomorrow). He said I was close, and that the accent on the 'e' in inne and the first 'a' in amarach is called a "fada" and gives it a long vowel sound. Maybe he was just being kind and I butchered it trying to say it. Oh well. I also asked Oisin how to say his name and its something like 'o-sheen'. I tried and am sure I didn't quite say it right either. At least Tristan's name was easy. Can't be butchering the name of the love of my life now can I :)
As for the show, it was great, the music was so beautifully played. It almost breaks your heart but then it mends again at the end. This is what I get from most of the Celtic music I listen to.
Danu followed after and they were really great as well. They sing as well as have instrumental songs and they have a slightly different feel from T.e.a.d.a(who mostly do instrumental pieces) but still enjoyable. They were funny, made random jokes about each other throughout their set. Very fun. A fun fact: both of the fiddlers from each band are named Oisin. I wonder if you have to take up the fiddle if you are named Oisin. Coincidence?
They all came out for one encore performance...together. It was really cool. I don't know if this is the norm or not since I've not been to many concerts and the ones I have been to have only 1 band/musician playing. They played like they were used to all playing together - sign of great musicians.
I'm so pleased that I went, in spite of the fact that I had to go alone b/c S was out of town and Z said it was too much money. Never mind the fact that Z wanted to go out on a bar crawl with M&D tomorrow for St. Paddy's. When I said that I wasn't interested in standing out in the cold and drinking, not much drinking since I'd be driving. She suggested we could get a cab. Yeah, a cab, plus drinks, then food. More than $20 in addition to the discomfort and hassle. I'm not in the mood for that. Not my idea of a good time. At least not anymore(methinks I might be getting old(er). I think my $20 was more than well spent to see a couple bands whose CDs I own and whose music I enjoy. I know, I know, people should spend their money on whatever they like. I'd just prefer a more honest response, like "I'm just not in the mood for Irish music" or "not really interested in seeing them again". More than adequate and easier to believe than "too much money".
I've celebrated St, Paddy's my way, so staying in tomorrow(with all the snow we have and that's to come), not a problem at all.
The man I eventually end up with will have to like/love Celtic music also b/c I don't want to have to go to things like this by myself forever. It's always more fun if you have someone to share it with.
Then T.e.a.d.a followed. Tristan was his usual dreamy self, he introduced all their songs and gave a little background about the composer of it/where it originated. My only regret is that I didn't bring their CD with me. They were signing. I could have had Tristan(and the other lads) sign my CD. I guess I just have to go to the next show they play here. That'll be in September and I can't wait.
It was even better for me than when I saw them at Christmas b/c I actually recognized most of the songs they played this time. Their album is #1 in Ireland. Yet these guys are so down to earth. I spoke to 3 of them. Oisin, Sean and of course the lovely Tristan. You can see them in this video. The music sounds a bit 'tinny' in the video link. You can get a better idea of their sound (and the way they sound live) from their site when you click link for individual songs. Sean plays bouzouki/banjo and guitar, Oisin's on fiddle, the wonderful Tristan on bodhran(a type of drum), Damian on flute. The guy on button accordion in the video is Paul. Him I've yet to see. Both this time and the last time I saw T.e.a.d.a, they had Tommy Martin instead playing Irish bagpipes/tin whistle. He is also a brilliant musician. I would have bought his CD last night but didn't have enough cash on me. Next time. Even though I didn't have their CD and wasn't buying another, that didn't stop me from going over for a chat with "the lads". "The lads" is how Muireen from Danu referred to T.e.a.d.a. I'm going to start saying that all the time now - the lads :)
I wondered whether Tristan watered the bodhran he plays from the same water that he drinks from. Just before he starts playing, he pours a little water on it, rubs it in, then keeps a mean beat on it. So I asked him, and in his lovely, Irish lilt, he told me, "no, never, it's sacred...has it's own water bottle". And he smiled. And I may have giggled and said something inane. No matter. I mean it's not like I could really envision having a relationship with a musician...who lives in a different country...who travels all year with his band. If I could though, Tristan would be the one.
I also chatted with Sean and asked him to help me pronounce the name of their latest CD Inne Amarach(yesterday, tomorrow). He said I was close, and that the accent on the 'e' in inne and the first 'a' in amarach is called a "fada" and gives it a long vowel sound. Maybe he was just being kind and I butchered it trying to say it. Oh well. I also asked Oisin how to say his name and its something like 'o-sheen'. I tried and am sure I didn't quite say it right either. At least Tristan's name was easy. Can't be butchering the name of the love of my life now can I :)
As for the show, it was great, the music was so beautifully played. It almost breaks your heart but then it mends again at the end. This is what I get from most of the Celtic music I listen to.
Danu followed after and they were really great as well. They sing as well as have instrumental songs and they have a slightly different feel from T.e.a.d.a(who mostly do instrumental pieces) but still enjoyable. They were funny, made random jokes about each other throughout their set. Very fun. A fun fact: both of the fiddlers from each band are named Oisin. I wonder if you have to take up the fiddle if you are named Oisin. Coincidence?
They all came out for one encore performance...together. It was really cool. I don't know if this is the norm or not since I've not been to many concerts and the ones I have been to have only 1 band/musician playing. They played like they were used to all playing together - sign of great musicians.
I'm so pleased that I went, in spite of the fact that I had to go alone b/c S was out of town and Z said it was too much money. Never mind the fact that Z wanted to go out on a bar crawl with M&D tomorrow for St. Paddy's. When I said that I wasn't interested in standing out in the cold and drinking, not much drinking since I'd be driving. She suggested we could get a cab. Yeah, a cab, plus drinks, then food. More than $20 in addition to the discomfort and hassle. I'm not in the mood for that. Not my idea of a good time. At least not anymore(methinks I might be getting old(er). I think my $20 was more than well spent to see a couple bands whose CDs I own and whose music I enjoy. I know, I know, people should spend their money on whatever they like. I'd just prefer a more honest response, like "I'm just not in the mood for Irish music" or "not really interested in seeing them again". More than adequate and easier to believe than "too much money".
I've celebrated St, Paddy's my way, so staying in tomorrow(with all the snow we have and that's to come), not a problem at all.
The man I eventually end up with will have to like/love Celtic music also b/c I don't want to have to go to things like this by myself forever. It's always more fun if you have someone to share it with.
just call me...fanatic...tennis
Got a great surprise today. A Rafael Nadal calendar. It's beautiful, he's beautiful and so manly. I love Nadal (I'm sure that comes as a shock ;). If his name means nothing to you, you must not follow men's pro tennis. If not, now's the time to start peeps :). Pacific Life Open aka Indian Wells tourney in CA. Worth a lot of points and all the top seeds compete. Federer:the man the legend - I feel like saying that everytime I say his name) is out, outed by a nobody, Canas. Well, not a complete nobody but he has been out of the game for nearly 2yrs. Federer has been no.1 for so long, can anyone even remember who held the crown before him. I can't. As it stands in world rankings, Federer's #1. Nadal's #2. Roddick's #3. i have to back my boy Nadal and I hope he has a great game. i will be watching tomorrow on espn2.
I added the Tennis channel to my cable lineup (it only cost me ~$2 more/mth). It's been great, being able to watch all the early rounds. plus they have several informational shorts about players and tennis in general. it's pretty cool.
He's set for a semifinal match-up with S's fav Roddick. We are both very excited. I have no idea who sent me this calendar. There was no card inside, no note. The outside envelope has the name of the company it came from only. I've narrowed it down to 1 or 2 people who know me and how much I love Rafa, who would send me a random pressie. I'm not all that fond of surprises usu but this was a great one.
I added the Tennis channel to my cable lineup (it only cost me ~$2 more/mth). It's been great, being able to watch all the early rounds. plus they have several informational shorts about players and tennis in general. it's pretty cool.
He's set for a semifinal match-up with S's fav Roddick. We are both very excited. I have no idea who sent me this calendar. There was no card inside, no note. The outside envelope has the name of the company it came from only. I've narrowed it down to 1 or 2 people who know me and how much I love Rafa, who would send me a random pressie. I'm not all that fond of surprises usu but this was a great one.
in other news
I left work at 2:30 today b/c the snow was just starting to cover the roads. I was only the 2nd person to leave from my lab. They are all looking for the 'best employee' ever awards. Not me, I'm into something different. Like the "being able to get home safely b/c I left before the roads became too congested and even more slick and dangerous" award. I'd barely gone 3 miles, was waiting at the light that's just out of the industrial park where I work - I saw a co-worker's car do a 360° spin as she was trying to take the ramp on the right. I was at the light waiting to turn left. 5secs before she was there, I could see her car approaching in my rear-view mirror...I was thinking of reversing and turning right instead. So glad I didn't b/c she would have slammed into me. Luckily for her, me, and who knows who else...no one was in front of/directly behind her. Also the ramp is a full one next to the lane. So she avoided slamming into on-coming traffic and after a couple secs after her spin, she turned around and drove off.
When I left work, the parking lot was still full of cars. The snow is not supposed to get any better. I'm glad I left when I did b/c the roads weren't great but they would only get worse as the afternoon wore on. i stopped at the grocery for supplies on my way home and now i'm all cosy and don't have to worry about cars losing control and slamming into mine (my constant fear when I have to drive in snow).
When I left work, the parking lot was still full of cars. The snow is not supposed to get any better. I'm glad I left when I did b/c the roads weren't great but they would only get worse as the afternoon wore on. i stopped at the grocery for supplies on my way home and now i'm all cosy and don't have to worry about cars losing control and slamming into mine (my constant fear when I have to drive in snow).
hello world
My pc is finally fixed. No thanks to dell support. I had to do a second system wipe (this I suspect was my fault, sorta. I would actually like to blame the guys from PC World but I really only have myself to blame. Why? I suspect the recurring error loop that I couldn't get out of was due to a batch editor file I downloaded b/c I imagined myself a pc expert after reading a few PC World magazines - they claimed that zone alarm tended to create huge unnecessary files and that they had a fix for it. Well, it erased something essential for zone alarm anti virus to be able to run and this resulted in recurring errors. At first I tried to do a system restore to a previous data point. it wasn't far enough b/c after 5min, the same thing kept happening.After 2nd wipe/return to factory settings, followed by downloading/installing all 79 microsoft updates, reinstalling zone alarm anti virus, my system seems to finally be at peace again.
Of course my system no longer contains the 12GB of music I had on it - from CDs and iTunes. They are currently on my iPod. I emailed apple support to ask if they a way for me to connect them without deleting everything still on the iPod. They suggested that I change my automatic updater to manual updates. Well, I have to connect the iPod to see that screen. I don't move at superhuman speed so I don't think I can change to manual updates before it erases everything. I'm just going to have to try it and hope for the best.
Of course my system no longer contains the 12GB of music I had on it - from CDs and iTunes. They are currently on my iPod. I emailed apple support to ask if they a way for me to connect them without deleting everything still on the iPod. They suggested that I change my automatic updater to manual updates. Well, I have to connect the iPod to see that screen. I don't move at superhuman speed so I don't think I can change to manual updates before it erases everything. I'm just going to have to try it and hope for the best.
Sunday, March 11
high hopes
Just got off the phone with my family. After 2 days, I seem to be ok on the new Foradil medicine. My sis barely recognized my voice when I answered - I sound so much better than I have in weeks and it's only been a couple days. I have high hopes for this medicine.
Saturday, March 10
software
Finally, I can check my yahoo mail again. Haven't been able to login for 3mths. Also haven't been able to join netflix or do anything cool I wanted to. Why? Mainly b/c of Mcafee. I've gotten rid of it(most of it, stick have some digging to do to remove all the pesky files that didn't uninstall when I told it to).
I've gotten zone alarm antivirus instead. Also downloaded anitspyware and antimalware apps. Borrowed pc magazines from the library and have learned a whole lot of what I can/should have installed if I don't have a whole security suite. I decided to pay for my antivirus/firewall and get the other stuff from freeware - mostly from c-net download.com and pcworld.
No more annoying alerts from mcafee asking me to allow every single cookie it encountered. You know that Mac ad where the pc and mac dudes are talking and the MIB guy is behind the pc guy saying "...cancel or allow" for everything? Just like that but not as funny. This is why yahoo stopped working. I tried to fix it. I went into all the settings (both in mcafee and firefox/IE 7) to allow all cookies, nothing worked.
My pc if mostly free of mcafee now. It took up so much space and resources. More than zonelabs plus the 4 other freeware apps I've installed. It's great!
I've gotten zone alarm antivirus instead. Also downloaded anitspyware and antimalware apps. Borrowed pc magazines from the library and have learned a whole lot of what I can/should have installed if I don't have a whole security suite. I decided to pay for my antivirus/firewall and get the other stuff from freeware - mostly from c-net download.com and pcworld.
No more annoying alerts from mcafee asking me to allow every single cookie it encountered. You know that Mac ad where the pc and mac dudes are talking and the MIB guy is behind the pc guy saying "...cancel or allow" for everything? Just like that but not as funny. This is why yahoo stopped working. I tried to fix it. I went into all the settings (both in mcafee and firefox/IE 7) to allow all cookies, nothing worked.
My pc if mostly free of mcafee now. It took up so much space and resources. More than zonelabs plus the 4 other freeware apps I've installed. It's great!
Dinner & movie
I'm really due for a break, for things to start going well. I feel more positive now than I did at the start of this week. That's a good sign.
Went to dinner / movie last night with my usual group. This helped improve my outlook.
For dinner, I picked a grilled Ahi tuna sandwich with fries. It was delicious and it only cost $17 incl tip for my share. I had hot tea, no alcohol (this always ramps up the bill). The tuna was a little rarer than I would normally have it if I cooked it myself but was still good. The fries were thick-cut, crispy on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. Perfect. I also had tastes of everyone else's entres. All really good food at reasonable prices.
I hate it when we go out to eat and I realize I've spent $30 or more on mediocre food. So I went in tonight thinking about the cost and ordering to suit. The restaurant was empty except for us and 2 other tables. The food was so good, I don't know why it wasn't packed with patrons. The bread they brought out before out dinner was warmed in the oven first. Warmed bread is rarely done these days and always a real treat for me. Maybe it was the time - we got there after our movie around 9:30pm. They had live jazz which at first weirded me out. I got there first and a couple amateurs were "singing karaoke-style" I use this term very generously. By the time the others got there, they'd stopped thank God. The band was a little too loud. I prefer it to be background rather than so loud it feels like a concert.
We saw Zodiac which for some reason I've been calling 'vertigo' all week. Some kind of brain glitch...with the week I've had I guess it's excusable. It was a bit gory in parts but interesting all the way through. Wasn't bored and I think the ending was done well.
Went to dinner / movie last night with my usual group. This helped improve my outlook.
For dinner, I picked a grilled Ahi tuna sandwich with fries. It was delicious and it only cost $17 incl tip for my share. I had hot tea, no alcohol (this always ramps up the bill). The tuna was a little rarer than I would normally have it if I cooked it myself but was still good. The fries were thick-cut, crispy on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. Perfect. I also had tastes of everyone else's entres. All really good food at reasonable prices.
I hate it when we go out to eat and I realize I've spent $30 or more on mediocre food. So I went in tonight thinking about the cost and ordering to suit. The restaurant was empty except for us and 2 other tables. The food was so good, I don't know why it wasn't packed with patrons. The bread they brought out before out dinner was warmed in the oven first. Warmed bread is rarely done these days and always a real treat for me. Maybe it was the time - we got there after our movie around 9:30pm. They had live jazz which at first weirded me out. I got there first and a couple amateurs were "singing karaoke-style" I use this term very generously. By the time the others got there, they'd stopped thank God. The band was a little too loud. I prefer it to be background rather than so loud it feels like a concert.
We saw Zodiac which for some reason I've been calling 'vertigo' all week. Some kind of brain glitch...with the week I've had I guess it's excusable. It was a bit gory in parts but interesting all the way through. Wasn't bored and I think the ending was done well.
Hell week cont'd - health issues
Friday 9am
With all this stuff going on, I'm also really busy at work this week and have worked late days almost every day for the last 2 weeks. This is in spite of the fact that I feel like crap. I have felt worse. So I finally call my allergist's office to schedule an appt. I have to wait for the nurse to call me back so I can explain about the side-effects I had from the Advair and that I stopped taking it and went back on Flovent. So she gives me a 3pm appt. I had a reaction which I had to quench before leaving b/c it's one that goes bad if you leave it too long after it's completed. I don't realize all this until 2:30pm. By the time I take care of it, it's 2:50. I'm a little panicked b/c it usu takes 20min to get to my doc if there's no traffic. Luckily there wasn't much traffic and I got there at 3:05pm, not too bad.
Apparently, other people have been having problems with the new advair inhalers as well. Their problems seem to be due to some malfunction of their inhalers - it's delivering more than it should. I don't think that's my issue. I didn't notice anything unusual about it. I've been using inhalers for more than half my life, I'd notice. The inhalers need cleaning more frequently now since they changed to non-CFC propellants. I'm all for saving the environment but the new propellants "HFA" are crap imho and don't work as well as the good-ole CFCs. Pity they damage the environment so have to be phased out. I'm glad my albuterol inhalers don't have HFA propellant yet.
So I explain it all again to my doc and she agrees that I have a problem with the salmeterol in advair. So no more adavir for me. She asked about Singulair - no good either, had an allergic reaction last time I tried it. So no singulair either. She said I needed another medication in addition to the flovent b/c on it's own, it doesn't seem to be enough. What's left? Foradil-another long-acting bronchodilator(LAB). Now I know why they don't prescribe this first. It's a pain. For one, the capsules have to be refrigerated but not frozen.
Then it's a whole process to take it. I do a google search(b/c I must with all my Rx's) and the first link talk about people dying in a large clinical study from it. My hope is that I won't be as sensitive to it as I am to the other LABs I've taken like salmeterol.
With all this stuff going on, I'm also really busy at work this week and have worked late days almost every day for the last 2 weeks. This is in spite of the fact that I feel like crap. I have felt worse. So I finally call my allergist's office to schedule an appt. I have to wait for the nurse to call me back so I can explain about the side-effects I had from the Advair and that I stopped taking it and went back on Flovent. So she gives me a 3pm appt. I had a reaction which I had to quench before leaving b/c it's one that goes bad if you leave it too long after it's completed. I don't realize all this until 2:30pm. By the time I take care of it, it's 2:50. I'm a little panicked b/c it usu takes 20min to get to my doc if there's no traffic. Luckily there wasn't much traffic and I got there at 3:05pm, not too bad.
Apparently, other people have been having problems with the new advair inhalers as well. Their problems seem to be due to some malfunction of their inhalers - it's delivering more than it should. I don't think that's my issue. I didn't notice anything unusual about it. I've been using inhalers for more than half my life, I'd notice. The inhalers need cleaning more frequently now since they changed to non-CFC propellants. I'm all for saving the environment but the new propellants "HFA" are crap imho and don't work as well as the good-ole CFCs. Pity they damage the environment so have to be phased out. I'm glad my albuterol inhalers don't have HFA propellant yet.
So I explain it all again to my doc and she agrees that I have a problem with the salmeterol in advair. So no more adavir for me. She asked about Singulair - no good either, had an allergic reaction last time I tried it. So no singulair either. She said I needed another medication in addition to the flovent b/c on it's own, it doesn't seem to be enough. What's left? Foradil-another long-acting bronchodilator(LAB). Now I know why they don't prescribe this first. It's a pain. For one, the capsules have to be refrigerated but not frozen.
Then it's a whole process to take it. I do a google search(b/c I must with all my Rx's) and the first link talk about people dying in a large clinical study from it. My hope is that I won't be as sensitive to it as I am to the other LABs I've taken like salmeterol.
Hell week...plumbing issues
This has been a really rough week. Even though I knew it had to start getting better at some point, I just couldn't see it. Now things seem to be on the rise. Maybe it was the lunar eclipse that caused it - the last 2 weeks have been really shitty so maybe not.
Sat 4th March
I call my landlord b/c my bath rm sink had some kind of water pressure problem, water was just trickling out. So he tells me he'll come with a plumber Mon night. some of the pipe connections were still iron pipes which tend to get clogged with gunk(his words).
Sun
He comes by and does something with it b/c when I get back from choir/errands, the water pressure seems normal i.e. I can actually wash my hands in less than 3min.
So I think, maybe I was mistaken and he came today to fix it. Wrong.
Monday 6:30pm
I get a call on my cell while I'm still at work telling me that he and the plumber have arrived and are going to take care of things...
8:00pm - I get home to find them both still in my bath rm "fixing". They don't leave until 10:30pm and there is a mysterious leak in the new elbow joint they've put in that they can't seem to fix. It's a small, slow leak so they put a bucket under it and tell me that maybe the joint will 'swell' in a couple days and it'll stop. The floor under the sink/toilet has been removed and the dank, smelly wood underneath exposed. it reeks in there. Plus they must've knocked the toilet roll off in water and put it back b/c it has gurbby marks on it and also that swollen, frilly look at one end that tissue/paper towls get if you drop one end in water. What kills me is that they put it back. it's a good thing I always put my glasses on before goin to the loo b/c I could have used (shudders to think) that on my person. How Gross is that? So I've left it there for them to futz around with and have opened a new roll which I hide in the closet before I leave.
11:30pm - banging on my back door (accessible only by my downstairs neighbor or landlord, it my downstairs neighbor telling me he has a flood in his kitchen and he thinks it's coming from me. I have no water on any of my floors so this seems uinlikely to me. He asks to come in and look for himself. I let him (b/c I just want to get to sleep). He looks and can't find the source, not in my bathrm...not under my kitchen sink. He tells me he thinks "they broke a pipe in the wall and that he's
"turned off the water". I'm exhausted and nothing he says really means anything to me - I just need to sleep.
Tuesday 6:30am
Time to get ready for work - then it dawns on me...no water. So I call my landlord and ask him what to do, I have to get ready for work. He tells me to go out the back and knock on my neighbor back door then ask him to turn it on so I can get ready. I do this - nothing, no response. So I have to put on my coat/socks/shoes and go out the front...into the 3°F morning cold to bang on their front door. Part of the conversation goes like this:
6:45
Me: Can you turn the water on for 10-15min I need to get ready for work
Surly Neighbor: NO, I won't. It's flooded in there and there's enough damage.
Me: I need to shower/brush my teeth/have to go to work, just give me 10min.
Surly Neighbor: Nope, not going to turn it on
Me: (desperate now)can you turn it on for 3min so I can fill a couple buckets at least?
Surly Neighbor: get your buckets ready
So I dash back upstairs and simultaneously fill a couple buckets with hot water from the shower, 2 containers in the kitchen sink and brush my teeth. Then the water was gone. I had enough to bathe but didn't have time to regulate the water so it was much hotter than I normally bathe with - near scalding but better than no water or cold water I guess.
7:30am Landlord calls me to tell me to leave my back door open for my Surly Neighbor, b/c he's going to put in a shut-off for the hot water. whatever, needed to leave soon for work So I left it unlocked.
8pm I get home and find them about to leave - they've done a temp fix: put in a shut off and I have cold water but no hot water b/c that's what's causing the leaking downstairs.
Wednesday 6:30am
I boil water for my bath which is ok b/c at least it's a nice temperature, not too hot or cold.
I received several calls during the day from my landlord telling me of their plans to go in and do a permanent fix...they had to replace the piping/elbow joints from my apt to the pipes leading downstairs.
Another call @ 6pm - He informs me that they noticed another leak - when he turned on the tap in the kitchen, it was leaking from it's drain onto the bath rm floor under the sink. He says, "if you don't mind, could you not use the kitchen sink at all, we're going to come back Thur and try to put a temporary fix in." If I don't mind? If I don't mind? Not like I have a real choice.
A couple friends at work who I told offered me use of their spare rooms for as long as I needed. So I decided to go home, get an overnight bag to stay at T's for the night. Her husband was away for the week on business so I didn't feel too bad about imposing.
7pm - I get home, they've just started working. So I get my stuff and go over to T's. We get pizza, watch Idol. I slept really well all things considered.
Thursday
Got up at 6:30am and was actually ready to go @7:10am. Walk out to my car, guess what's on my windshield? A parking ticket written at 2am! A $50 parking ticket. So I look around and there's no sign posted anywhere near me on my side of the street. There is one on the opposite side of the street that is completely obscured except for the number 9. That's the only thing on it not erased. I just take it in and drive to work. The closest sign is maybe 150ft away. NO where near the house where I was parked. So I'm going to protest this ticket. It wasn't posted close enough. As I drove off I finally saw a sign at the intersection of the street and the main road "no parking mon-fri 12am-9am. It says this on both sides of the street. On a dead-end street. T was pretty upset and even offered to go halfs on the ticket-she felt so bad. I refused of course-not really her fault. She said they'd lived there 3 yrs and have people visit and park on the street and have never known anyone to get a ticket before. She'd never even noticed the "no parking" signs.
My consolation is that 2 other cars parked there also had tickets. The last time I got a parking ticket for parking on the wrong side in front my building, none of the other cars around me had tickets. That pissed me off. It was posted every 3 or 4 houses so I couldn't really say I didn't see the signs even though I didn't until after the fact.
6pm I call my landlord and ask if I can use the sink, he says they need another day so no using the kitchen sink yet. Not great but doable, not like I planned to cook anything Thurs night. Had grilled bacon/tomato/cheese sandwiches. They were really good.
Sat 4th March
I call my landlord b/c my bath rm sink had some kind of water pressure problem, water was just trickling out. So he tells me he'll come with a plumber Mon night. some of the pipe connections were still iron pipes which tend to get clogged with gunk(his words).
Sun
He comes by and does something with it b/c when I get back from choir/errands, the water pressure seems normal i.e. I can actually wash my hands in less than 3min.
So I think, maybe I was mistaken and he came today to fix it. Wrong.
Monday 6:30pm
I get a call on my cell while I'm still at work telling me that he and the plumber have arrived and are going to take care of things...
8:00pm - I get home to find them both still in my bath rm "fixing". They don't leave until 10:30pm and there is a mysterious leak in the new elbow joint they've put in that they can't seem to fix. It's a small, slow leak so they put a bucket under it and tell me that maybe the joint will 'swell' in a couple days and it'll stop. The floor under the sink/toilet has been removed and the dank, smelly wood underneath exposed. it reeks in there. Plus they must've knocked the toilet roll off in water and put it back b/c it has gurbby marks on it and also that swollen, frilly look at one end that tissue/paper towls get if you drop one end in water. What kills me is that they put it back. it's a good thing I always put my glasses on before goin to the loo b/c I could have used (shudders to think) that on my person. How Gross is that? So I've left it there for them to futz around with and have opened a new roll which I hide in the closet before I leave.
11:30pm - banging on my back door (accessible only by my downstairs neighbor or landlord, it my downstairs neighbor telling me he has a flood in his kitchen and he thinks it's coming from me. I have no water on any of my floors so this seems uinlikely to me. He asks to come in and look for himself. I let him (b/c I just want to get to sleep). He looks and can't find the source, not in my bathrm...not under my kitchen sink. He tells me he thinks "they broke a pipe in the wall and that he's
"turned off the water". I'm exhausted and nothing he says really means anything to me - I just need to sleep.
Tuesday 6:30am
Time to get ready for work - then it dawns on me...no water. So I call my landlord and ask him what to do, I have to get ready for work. He tells me to go out the back and knock on my neighbor back door then ask him to turn it on so I can get ready. I do this - nothing, no response. So I have to put on my coat/socks/shoes and go out the front...into the 3°F morning cold to bang on their front door. Part of the conversation goes like this:
6:45
Me: Can you turn the water on for 10-15min I need to get ready for work
Surly Neighbor: NO, I won't. It's flooded in there and there's enough damage.
Me: I need to shower/brush my teeth/have to go to work, just give me 10min.
Surly Neighbor: Nope, not going to turn it on
Me: (desperate now)can you turn it on for 3min so I can fill a couple buckets at least?
Surly Neighbor: get your buckets ready
So I dash back upstairs and simultaneously fill a couple buckets with hot water from the shower, 2 containers in the kitchen sink and brush my teeth. Then the water was gone. I had enough to bathe but didn't have time to regulate the water so it was much hotter than I normally bathe with - near scalding but better than no water or cold water I guess.
7:30am Landlord calls me to tell me to leave my back door open for my Surly Neighbor, b/c he's going to put in a shut-off for the hot water. whatever, needed to leave soon for work So I left it unlocked.
8pm I get home and find them about to leave - they've done a temp fix: put in a shut off and I have cold water but no hot water b/c that's what's causing the leaking downstairs.
Wednesday 6:30am
I boil water for my bath which is ok b/c at least it's a nice temperature, not too hot or cold.
I received several calls during the day from my landlord telling me of their plans to go in and do a permanent fix...they had to replace the piping/elbow joints from my apt to the pipes leading downstairs.
Another call @ 6pm - He informs me that they noticed another leak - when he turned on the tap in the kitchen, it was leaking from it's drain onto the bath rm floor under the sink. He says, "if you don't mind, could you not use the kitchen sink at all, we're going to come back Thur and try to put a temporary fix in." If I don't mind? If I don't mind? Not like I have a real choice.
A couple friends at work who I told offered me use of their spare rooms for as long as I needed. So I decided to go home, get an overnight bag to stay at T's for the night. Her husband was away for the week on business so I didn't feel too bad about imposing.
7pm - I get home, they've just started working. So I get my stuff and go over to T's. We get pizza, watch Idol. I slept really well all things considered.
Thursday
Got up at 6:30am and was actually ready to go @7:10am. Walk out to my car, guess what's on my windshield? A parking ticket written at 2am! A $50 parking ticket. So I look around and there's no sign posted anywhere near me on my side of the street. There is one on the opposite side of the street that is completely obscured except for the number 9. That's the only thing on it not erased. I just take it in and drive to work. The closest sign is maybe 150ft away. NO where near the house where I was parked. So I'm going to protest this ticket. It wasn't posted close enough. As I drove off I finally saw a sign at the intersection of the street and the main road "no parking mon-fri 12am-9am. It says this on both sides of the street. On a dead-end street. T was pretty upset and even offered to go halfs on the ticket-she felt so bad. I refused of course-not really her fault. She said they'd lived there 3 yrs and have people visit and park on the street and have never known anyone to get a ticket before. She'd never even noticed the "no parking" signs.
My consolation is that 2 other cars parked there also had tickets. The last time I got a parking ticket for parking on the wrong side in front my building, none of the other cars around me had tickets. That pissed me off. It was posted every 3 or 4 houses so I couldn't really say I didn't see the signs even though I didn't until after the fact.
6pm I call my landlord and ask if I can use the sink, he says they need another day so no using the kitchen sink yet. Not great but doable, not like I planned to cook anything Thurs night. Had grilled bacon/tomato/cheese sandwiches. They were really good.
Sunday, March 4
How Normal Am I?
| You Are 40% Normal |
 While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself |
I just had to know...this also made me laugh :)
How Irish Am I?
| You're 55% Irish |
 You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland. (And if you're not, you should be!) |
This result made me laugh. Well, I have been to Ireland and I even have an Irish last name(well it's actually Scottish but close enough) so maybe not so farfetched as it seems :)
blog personality
| Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP) |
 Your personality type is playful, charming, open minded, and energetic. Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 5% of all men You are Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. |
What exactly does "sensing" mean? What? Like an instrument? I like the idea of being unique though.
not so invisible
Just when I thought that I was practically invisible...my (relatively new) cubicle is next to 3 other women who work on same project and talk mostly to each other, sometimes over and around me. It kinda makes me feel left out. Invisible. They don't know me so I don't blame them for not really including me in their conversations - most of which I don't have much interest in since mostly it's about their house/kids/husband.
Anyhoo, remember my funny calendar, I put it up at work and when it was March 1st I was so busy, I forgot to change it from February. As I sat down for lunch, they said, aren't you going to change it, we've been dying to see what it says for March? So I changed it and they weren't disappointed b/c it was really funny:
You're just jealous...because the voices only talk to me...
One even took a pic on her phone and said she was sending it to all her friends to make them laugh. It makes me smile every time I see it so why not share the joy? They also said that they couldn't wait for the next month to come around.
Kinda nice not be invisible.
Anyhoo, remember my funny calendar, I put it up at work and when it was March 1st I was so busy, I forgot to change it from February. As I sat down for lunch, they said, aren't you going to change it, we've been dying to see what it says for March? So I changed it and they weren't disappointed b/c it was really funny:
You're just jealous...because the voices only talk to me...
One even took a pic on her phone and said she was sending it to all her friends to make them laugh. It makes me smile every time I see it so why not share the joy? They also said that they couldn't wait for the next month to come around.
Kinda nice not be invisible.
Saturday, March 3
when will it stop
I'm off advair for good. I'm never taking it again. After being on it for 4 days, I had tremors in my hands for most of the next two days. The 4th day - muscle spasms and severe cramps in my hands and feet. I had a difficult time getting to sleep that night b/c my toes kept twisting and sticking in that cramped position for minutes at a time and I just couldn't find a position that they didn't hurt. After about an hr of this it subsided a bit. So I stopped taking it. Since I stopped taking it - no more muscle spasms or cramps. I'm convinced that the advair is the cause specifically the salmeterol component of it. I've gone back on flovent. Haven't been to my doc since. I've had a hectic week at work, then with the snow and ice, just haven't had time to deal with it. To try to convince them that no, I'm not crazy...yes, the medication is causing this...no, I'm not making up the side effects...they are printed on the info packet listed as rarely occurring....rarely does not mean impossible. I also don't want them to put me on prednisone. I really do think I need antibiotics now. It seems like I've had this cold (infection?) for a month now. I don't think the asthma drugs are enough to take care of it. Only thing left now is for me to convince them of this.
I've started having nosebleeds again, not big ones yet. Usually when I try to blow my nose, blood clots come out. To take the allergy meds (rhinocort) I'm supposed to blow my nose first,then spray in each nostril. Haven't been able to take it all week b/c every time I blow...blood. My nasal passages are just really irritated so I have to give them a break.
I finally called my landlord about the unshoveled state of the sidewalk. He came over today and took care of it. He said that he's paid a couple kids who live on the street to do it but they've not touched it. Neither has the lazy man who lives next door in my building. My landlord also said he wished I'd told him sooner b/c I shouldn't have had to do it myself. Apparently I'm the only one who noticed and who can't a)walk on ice, or b)through 6 or more inches of packed snow or c) has a phone.
Whatever, dude.
I almost fell about 5 times trying to get to my car this morning. Last night I sanded our walkway and a bit of the driveway next door so I could get out to the street/my car. This morning, I went out to find that my moronic neighbor parked their stupid SUV right in front of the walkway. So I had no place to pass. All where I sanded...useless to me with their stupid car in the way. On the other side, ice sheets. I ended up squeezing past their stupid car and inching then jumping over the ice sheets on their unsanded/salted part of the sidewalk.
I'm officially tired of winter now.
I had to get my yearly inspection done before the end of Feb. I got a recommendation for a garage and went there on Mon evening ~520pm. My original appt was for 5pm but there was a lot of traffic and I didn't get out of work as early as I thought I would. Anyway, they didn't fuss. My inspection cost $269. Why? I needed new front tires. Apparently they were too 'bald' to pass inspection. The mechanic told me "I don't know how you use these tires last week in the snow, I don't know" Even his wife who handled my invoice said "I have never seen such bald tires." So I got new tires. Luckily I had my card and money in my account. She then said " now you can be safe out there". They're a cute middle-aged Russian couple. He told me "I could put these tires or these ones - the first are like sneakers and the others are like boots...I think you need the boots" I said "give me the boots then"
Yeah - obviously I need heavy duty tires if I could drive them down so low without noticing. They're all season and I did notice a difference in the feel of my car since I got them. At least there good now and I will pay attention to them more than I did before(meaning, I will actually look at them from time to time :)
Made to the gym once this week. Have not been feeling great and have also been a lazy bum. Got to get back on track though.
I brought this poinsettia plant home -they used a lot of them to decorate the church I go to and the Sunday before Ash Wed, they told us to take as many home as we liked b/c they had to move all the decorations for the Lenten season. So I brought one home. It's pretty. Since then I've noticed black flies randomly flying around. I kept wondering where the hell they were coming from. I also noticed a weird moldy smell whenever I sat at he computer. Today I found out that the smell, flies and poinsettia...all connected. Ack! I took a closer look and found maybe 6-7 flies flying around in the pot and there was also mold growing on the top of the soil where the dead leaves had fallen. So I bundled it all up in a trash bag and put it outside my back door. No trash pickup till Tues so I'll get rid of it then. I was very grossed out by this.
I've started having nosebleeds again, not big ones yet. Usually when I try to blow my nose, blood clots come out. To take the allergy meds (rhinocort) I'm supposed to blow my nose first,then spray in each nostril. Haven't been able to take it all week b/c every time I blow...blood. My nasal passages are just really irritated so I have to give them a break.
I finally called my landlord about the unshoveled state of the sidewalk. He came over today and took care of it. He said that he's paid a couple kids who live on the street to do it but they've not touched it. Neither has the lazy man who lives next door in my building. My landlord also said he wished I'd told him sooner b/c I shouldn't have had to do it myself. Apparently I'm the only one who noticed and who can't a)walk on ice, or b)through 6 or more inches of packed snow or c) has a phone.
Whatever, dude.
I almost fell about 5 times trying to get to my car this morning. Last night I sanded our walkway and a bit of the driveway next door so I could get out to the street/my car. This morning, I went out to find that my moronic neighbor parked their stupid SUV right in front of the walkway. So I had no place to pass. All where I sanded...useless to me with their stupid car in the way. On the other side, ice sheets. I ended up squeezing past their stupid car and inching then jumping over the ice sheets on their unsanded/salted part of the sidewalk.
I'm officially tired of winter now.
I had to get my yearly inspection done before the end of Feb. I got a recommendation for a garage and went there on Mon evening ~520pm. My original appt was for 5pm but there was a lot of traffic and I didn't get out of work as early as I thought I would. Anyway, they didn't fuss. My inspection cost $269. Why? I needed new front tires. Apparently they were too 'bald' to pass inspection. The mechanic told me "I don't know how you use these tires last week in the snow, I don't know" Even his wife who handled my invoice said "I have never seen such bald tires." So I got new tires. Luckily I had my card and money in my account. She then said " now you can be safe out there". They're a cute middle-aged Russian couple. He told me "I could put these tires or these ones - the first are like sneakers and the others are like boots...I think you need the boots" I said "give me the boots then"
Yeah - obviously I need heavy duty tires if I could drive them down so low without noticing. They're all season and I did notice a difference in the feel of my car since I got them. At least there good now and I will pay attention to them more than I did before(meaning, I will actually look at them from time to time :)
Made to the gym once this week. Have not been feeling great and have also been a lazy bum. Got to get back on track though.
I brought this poinsettia plant home -they used a lot of them to decorate the church I go to and the Sunday before Ash Wed, they told us to take as many home as we liked b/c they had to move all the decorations for the Lenten season. So I brought one home. It's pretty. Since then I've noticed black flies randomly flying around. I kept wondering where the hell they were coming from. I also noticed a weird moldy smell whenever I sat at he computer. Today I found out that the smell, flies and poinsettia...all connected. Ack! I took a closer look and found maybe 6-7 flies flying around in the pot and there was also mold growing on the top of the soil where the dead leaves had fallen. So I bundled it all up in a trash bag and put it outside my back door. No trash pickup till Tues so I'll get rid of it then. I was very grossed out by this.
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