Christmass Depression

I don't normally get depressed around Christmas. This year I am. I was to go to a lunch at the center today and had even made arragements for someone to make sure I was up it. They made 1 call to my cell which being in my shirt pocket didn't wake me. I woke about 5 and the regular phone had no problem getting two more calls. It had been by my head and the person who was to wake me does have a key.

I was quite upset at missing the dinner especially since I had done my best to make sure I would be able to go. I am seriously considering rethinking this friendship as in the last month it has cost me over $500. Trying to make sure she and her estranged daughter had a good Xmas. As a result I'm a bit behind on some bills.

I was invited to a dinner today now I guess. However since I can't count on being awake on time ( Medications, I don't sleep normal hours or wake easily ). I phoned the family who were out and as politely as I could explained I can't be sure I would wake in time for the 2pm dinner ( it's also about a mile walk we have no public transportation here and I think the few Taxis in town are off tomrrow..

I spent today fasting and will do the same tomorrow. I know Christmas isn't a normal time to fast but maybe I will get some kind of inspiration on just what to do.

I thought I was getting better but this is another slip back. Seems I now have a mild case of social anxiety on top of the other things. I'm on the verge of giving up hope and just arranging to live without going out at all. That means getting rid of both the cat and the dog. I am allergic to the cat and the dog has a bit pain along with the blindness. After close to 8 years now maybe it is time to quit trying to get better and hope for a miracle and just learn to live with the illness.

Going for a Record

I was just thinking and if this congestion that keeps getting the odd migraine thrown in goes on 2 more days it will be the record for being sick without going to hospital. Be it on my own, by ambulance, or after slipping into a coma.

Thing is I am not terribly sick. It's congestion, sinus and the odd migraine. Migraines that if not for the other would be taken care of by ibuprofen or tylenol 1.

The combination is what's wicked. This part will interest stella. For the first time sound caused me to cry from pain. Light had done it plenty of times. Most migraine sufferers can't take bright light. The Olympic torch went literally past my door yesterday or the day before. The cheers were loud enough I was in tears. I had thought at the time ( being sick has me sleeping very odd hours and a friend is taking out the dog making sure he and the cat are feed etc. So I thought the Santa Clause parade had been re-routed )

I'm invited to an X-mas dinner and some friends have asked me to join their family dinner on X-mas. The last time I was over to take something over because the husband was sick ( I can't remember with what but something prevented him walking or driving think it may have been a sprained ankle. His grandkids and son or son and law were there. I visited about a half hour and as I was leaving heard him say to his wife " that man is welcome anytime" and to the rest, Now that is how a gentleman behaves you can all learn from him ). The next time I saw the wife downtown she told me the story and apparently it made an impression because he had never used a person as an example before."

Funny how doing something that is nothing to you can come back to you multiplied in good ways. I've done one other minor favor for the family in the past year and have got a phone call every day since I first got sick with many expressions of hope you can make Xmas dinner.

Assuming I'm well in the next couple of days it brings me to what I what I wish to say. I had to be reminded ( almost have the whole story explained ) to recall the events. It goes with what to me is part of Karma. If you do something and take credit for it are you doing it for them or you. If you do something nice and five minutes later have forgotten about it and won't think of it again unless pushed to then you have done something selfless. From my point of view only the selfless acts count as good deeds or gook karma.

I don't worry about heaven or hell because I personally believe no matter what happens ( if anything in case if it's nothing who cares )that we will be judged fairly and as a result will get exactly what we deserve. So good or Evil, Saint or Sinner we earned it and when all is said and done. We get what should be coming to us.

Good Gnus Bad Gnus

The bad news first. Yesterday about 6pm my time I got hit with the worst migraine I have had in years, decades actually possibly 3 of them. It hit very sudden and unlike the effecting everything hit only my head ( right side as almost all ) made me extremely light sensitive and felt like a screwdriver eye. Not the kind with vodka either.

I could not sleep and finally took a double dose of anxiety meds on top of my strongest pain killers at 8am. I only woke an hour ago a few minutes after all the stores closed and walked the poor dog who had been in 22 hours. Naturally he didn't complain.

The Good news is the headache is now a dull remembrance and I will see what the weather does in an hour. As I had planned on getting some groceries I did get coffee and mint flavored hot chocolate. The rest of the eve I will be eating bachelor food. Hot dogs without buns. Steaks without vegetable pasta with mustard cause I don't ever buy enough meat or tomato sauce for the amount of pasta I buy Ramen and other guy stuff.

Unless the light sensitivity comes back I should be in ear shoot of my email announcer. So I can return email quickly.

Other wise keep up that weight loss plan by laughing your asses off.

PS in the next politically correct version of the Bible Samson will be killing Philistines with the Jaw bone of a Politician.

How to Use this Blog to Spot Reduce Your Rear

I have had lots of people comment that they have to be careful not to drink not liquids if reading my blog. Apparently keyboards don't like being spewed all over by laughter. However they say laughter is the best medicine. So what I am recommending is going back when bored and depressed and reading my dumbest articles.

In email the most comment is LMAO. So why not put that to good use. Reduce butt size by laughing it off. The Useless information diet. Laugh your ass off with just one read a day. Not to be used while drinking liquid unless you have a nose water proof keyboard.

Now I have to figure out how to work on other body parts. Also remember only a plastic surgeon can get away with picking someone else's nose.

Still Fighting the Congestion

I'm sure I have a graphic of someone sick. Unfortunately I have many more graphics that are just plain sick.

I suspect the cold meds combine with my regular meds to form stupid pills. At least they make me feel more stupid then normal. The combination could possibly be marketed as a means for women to find out what it feels like to think like a man. If they can figure out how to make a strong enough dose without being fatal. After all they figure females are roughly 10,000 years more evolved then males ( this last sentence is not a joke but I forget the source of the estimate, I do know it has something to do with handling pain and healing )

Old skills are all no problem but trying to help a friend with a new cell was a major problem. Maybe the problem is I'm not a teenager. I also normally read manuals cover to cover before doing anything. They aren't packing manuals with things anymore because people don't or can't read them. So I found the manual on the net and downloaded it. Awkward way of doing things but It has some advantages I can see. ( reading 110 pages is not something teens are keen to do ) one of the advantages is it makes the mp3 player part of the phone more idiot proof. You can't erase a song by accident. At least the file is a PDF so I can put it on a CD or DVD for her. Likely though the easiest way to do something is get me to do it. Faster than explaining things written in GEEK that I can speak Greek is still on my list of things to learn.

The Side Effects of Earning a LIving

Right now I have a chest and sinus cold. As often happens when I get even slightly sick by body switches back to thinking it's on shift work. Of my 29 years with the TTC 24 were on either night or afternoon shift. ( shifts don't rotate there ). So now my AM & PM as far as my body is concerned are more Odette's on the other side of the globe than my own.

In other words tonight I am more likely to answer an email right away rather than not till what is normally morning for me. Some friends are helping with minor errands like dog walking and trips to the drug store. I my self am watching old Elvis Presley movies. I don't know if the 1st movie I saw was Bambi or Love Me Tender. Since Elvis wasn't in Bambi I'm watching Love Me Tender. I also promised my mom a copy.

The title song is very romantic. Unless I try to sing it. Even without a cold my singing it would cause Dracula to drive a stake into his own heart rather than listen to the noise. You now one more way to kill a vampire have Sid try to sing it love songs. Mom is more diplomatic than Drac would be. She say's "Sidney I love you but shut up". I think mothers love their sons to prevent them drowning us at birth.

Over a Year of Wasting Electrons

Hard to believe but the day I wrote about the Magic show ( I still and probably never will remember it clearly ) was a year since I started wasting electrons with my my Ramblings. They have been fun, they have helped me meet interesting new people all over the globe. I have learned about all kinds of interesting subjects. Some terribly sad some nice. I have had the chance to say all kinds of stupid things. In the unlikely event I have ever said anything intelligent. Please tell me. I will do my best not to do it again.

To Odette I thank you for getting me into this and am sorry ready my idea of the perfect eulogy made you spit your coffee all over the keyboard. I should have some kind of warning that if something I write and it seems intelligent and sensible get ready for a punch line.

To Tracey thank you for increasing my vocabulary. Pillock and Prat are now firmly embedded therein.

To Kirst thanks for filling me in on so much about a part of the world we think we know but don't have the slightest idea about. Also for being a good friend when needed.

Also thanks to the rest of you for being educational. I still intend to complete that book though it has me running in several directions. I find to do what I wish I need to reference many more sources than I thought. The overall arrangement is more complicated then I would have dreamed as I am trying to do one that will be useful world wide. Mimi greatly expanded what I need to do for an area of the book just by mentioning earthquakes. ( it also brought up several areas I never mentioned but would be needed ). Seems the only disaster I can think of I know of no way to prepare for before or after is a Volcano. However the skills I intend to include would be useful just any wrath of God disaster is more difficult and that is one I can only think normal survival skills can't touch. If you can survive it and get to a safe distance then I can help. Even with the getting to a safe distance.

So thank you all.

I didn't mention R.S the A.A as I think he is right now working extremely deep cover with James Bond

Christmas questions

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping?

I used to be done by Labor day. The first Monday in September. This year I’m not really getting the chance to do any shopping. We have one small department store in town so unless you want everyone to get duplicates of every gift you need to travel to one of the cities around us. They average about 40 miles away and I don’t drive anymore. This year I was able to make one trip but time was limited and I am going to end up giving family cash. With this economy it’s probably a better choice anyway.

2. Tell me about one of your special traditions.

I normally had to work Christmas so I have none. Out of 29 years with the same company I had 4 Christmases off. We got it off if Christmas fell on our normal day off.

3. Are you a Black Friday shopper?

Black Friday is strictly a US thing. I wish we had something like it here. I was in Connecticut once on black Friday by chance and it was great. Here Boxing day the day after Xmas the sales start. Originally when people had one winter coat on dress coat etc. They would get often get a new one for Xmas. Boxing Day the last year’s ones if still good would be boxed up and donated to groups for the poor.

4. When do you put up your tree?

I no longer put up a tree since the dog is now blind. The cat having his own indoor toilet is bad enough.

5. Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?

I usually now spend Christmas home alone.

6. What is your funniest Christmas memory?

The year I gave my brother a game of bathroom battleship. It is meant to teach adult men to hit the bowl. My family is almost all male and even with a few thousand targets to sink by peeing at them they were all used by the end of the day.

7. What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?

Top 5 are Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Home Alone, Home Alone 2 Lost in New York and Batman Returns.

8. Do you do your own Christmas baking, what’s your favorite treat?

I don’t bake but I love shortbread.

9. Fake or Real Tree?

Don’t dare have either the dog only knows only how to real pee.

10. What day (as a mom) does the actual panic set in to get it all done?

Last few years my Mom has been to ill for anything special for Xmas.

11. Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

Normally I’m done shopping in September. Often I’m more surprised then the gift opener because I forgot what I had bought them.

12. What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?

Believe it or not the four brothers trying to out insult each other. Next to that which of us has the best true funny story. Last year my brother won hands down when 2 soldiers just returned from the middle east had been hunting on his property the week before thanksgiving. Hoping to surprise their families with Wild turkey. Good thing he was there as they had shot Turkey Vultures instead of turkeys.

13. What Christmas craft do you like the best?

I do crafts all year long. I guess what I like best is if one of my brothers gives me a new electronics project the more difficult the better.

14. Christmas music. Yes or No, and if yes what is your favorite song?

I may be warped but I love Weird Al Yankovich’s Christmas parody songs.

15. When do you plan to finish all your shopping?

I plan to start next years shopping the day after Christmas.

Minor Changes

The center I go to was to have a trip today it had to cancel. One of the staff members left rumour has it to go to a better job. In my view a darn good reason for changing jobs. I don't believe there are any more trips till after January. Most are short of funds in January and the holidays can be tiring for many.

I wish her all the best in whatever position she is now working in.

The Magic Show

First I almost did not go.

We all meet at the center to wait for the bus and within a minute of my getting there two people started to argue loudly. After perhaps a minute of this I stood and loud enough to drown them out. "Excuse me I didn't come to watch people fighting. I will not be able to attend under these circumstances. Please excuse me." I opened the door and left. I had to take a med to stop an oncoming panic attack as soon as I got home then the phone rang. Apparently as soon as I left the rest of the group let into the two of them and came close to throwing them out. This has been an on going problem and no one ever stood up to it before. As such fighting is strictly against the rules they came close to being banned. ( Also apparently I don't know if I am popular but I am very respected there ). The phone rang and I was asked to come back. I did as you can tell from the picture. I think it was a very good show but I can recall very little of it as having to take the panic meds on top of cold meds my memory of it is very poor. Normally something like that I would recall perfectly. I didn't get home till midnight and only just woke. The dog must have sensed I was not well and had not tried to wake me. I took him out for a quick pee ( it's very windy and well below zero ) I hope he's ok till morning.

I don't think getting me in the cage was hard. As for getting out. I had skipped lunch.

PS: No Tracey I only have a drink on 11 Nov, if the there is a toast to the queen at a formal dinner or at a wedding and at a wedding one glass will last for all the toasts as I only touch the drink to my lips.

Thunderclaps and Puppy Dogs

Okay at almost 11 and being a rescued dog Rocky may not fit the normal definition of Puppy. However people who meet him for the first time think he is a puppy because he has a great attitude to people. ( his only real bad habit is barks if you stop petting him, typical male ). He never was afraid of thunderclaps, they aren't the worst kind of clap that honor goes to one of King Lear's daughter's who was so evil they named a social disease after her. ( If anyone can twist a classical education I can, those who have read the play I bet a light just went on ). Rocky was never afraid of thunder. Not even when he went blind. Just a little while ago a quirk of timing changed that for the moment. As I was bringing him in from his walk and about to take off his lead. ( He has this need one for night with flashing led's ) thunder shook the whole building. I had to let him run up the stairs then unclip him upstairs. He is now in his room. ( Before he went blind he decided he wanted a room and dragged everything out of the bottom of my bedroom closet. He lets me hang clothes if they aren't long but it is his room ). Currently he is trading barks for thunderclaps. Don't know if Rocky or Zeus will win but bet Rocky is the more stubborn of the two.

As for mentioning an STD scientists have decided the old standbys and even HIV or AIDS are not the most difficult to live with. They have decided the hardest STD to live with is kids. ( all in humor of course )

Achmed the Telepathic Rooster

As many of you know I am on the sick side right now with bad congestion chest and sinus. In fact getting up ( in complete darkness when I have a reading light beside the bed duh ) I tripped over the now empty vaporizer, hand outstreched to break my fall hit the sock, pyjama etc drawer, my body twisted and the dresser fell on me. 3 lessons, turn on the darn light, close open drawers and don't put things like a vaporizer directly in my path out of the room.

Last night I was having some trouble keeping hydrated. Whenever I woke I forced myself ( and I had to force it I did not want to drink swallowing is not pleasant at the moment ). However if I had not I am sure I would be much worse today instead of slightly better. Especially my sinus area. I could almost feel it re-hydrating.

Thats not what todays blog is about. I woke perhaps five times in the night which let me keep forcing myself to drink water. Also I woke from a recurring dream. Each time I woke it was from dreaming a rooster was crowing good morning. My mom has chickens but no rooster. The only rooster I know of is Achmed. When he was sick we all tried to help him as much as we could. I know there is more to animals than we give them credit. ( and less to us than we take credit for ). My guess is he was trying to help me because I tried to help him. May be total hogwash but I'm giving him credit the slight improvement I feel. Amy and Steve are about 5,000 miles away so that is one powerful bird. So Steve your pet isn't Psycho he's Psychic. Thank him for me please