Saturday, January 26, 2008

mid-afternoon

Banned Candy is Delicious!

We went shopping for paper towels today, and returned home with a few packs of banned Ice Breakers Pacs.  Okay, they’re not banned, but Hershey’s has been told to stop making them because they “allegedly” look too much like packages of drugs.  I think it’s silly.  They’re obviously candy and the little bag that they’re in melts in your mouth...like those candies in the foreign foods aisle at the grocery store that have the rice paper wrapper that melts in your mouth.  I think they’re Chinese...or are they Japanese?  I don’t remember, but I really like them.  We did buy some extra Ice Breaker Pacs in case we could sell them for vastly inflated prices on eBay.  I was curious enough that I had to open one of the packages.  We only found orange, so we can only rate the flavor of them...and I find them to be delicious.  I’m sad that they’re not going to make them anymore, now that I’ve found them.  I know I’d love the mint ones even more.

Here’s a picture of the bad bad candy.  Because the candy has forced me into a life of drugs, I immediately went to my bathroom counter and took some eyedroppers full of Oxyfast.  Mmm, mmm, good, the life o’ drugs.  Okay, not really.  The Oxyfast doesn’t taste very good and I wouldn’t recommend it.  It’s very very expensive and I’m not all that impressed with the results, even though I’m also wearing a Fentanyl patch.  I guess that means I should tell you about our new Fibro doctor, since he’s the one who has prescribed the new meds for us.  He’s trying to get us both on Lyrica - my insurance company wouldn’t pay for my Lyrica without prior authorization, which of course, I didn’t know about.  I’m hoping I can get my money back, because I wanted to get the meds.  I had a trial week, plus a couple sample bottles that last another few days (the dosage is higher than I’ve had previously - it’s the dosage recommended for Fibro patients) and I felt so much better when I was taking it (I took a week or so off when the samples ran out) that I paid for the $130 prescription.

Whoops, I promised the picture, huh?

I’m writing a letter to Hershey’s complaining about them halting the production of the Ice Breakers Pacs.  They’re not really made for kids, and as an adult, I think I can handle having mints in my possession that might bear a resemblance to heroin or cocaine or whatever they say they look like.  They’re tasty and they aren’t drugs, so that’s all that should matter.

Friday, January 25, 2008

terribly early in the morning

I’m Alive!

...and I can breathe, and I’m no longer going through Puffs w/ Lotion at an alarming rate.  It was truly the world’s most disgusting cold.  I learned how to use a Neti Pot (not nearly as gross as you’d think, and it worked really well to clear out my sinuses, and it was only $10 at Walgreens) and how to blow my nose.  Okay, not really learned, but I have a huge aversion to nose blowing.  I don’t like the sound.  I don’t like the feeling.  I just don’t like blowing my nose.  And frankly, I don’t like you blowing your nose either.  You know, if we’re going to be honest and stuff here.  However, this cold required copious nose blowing.  I zipped through a small box of Puffs w/ Lotion, but then decided I didn’t want to keep going through the wussy little boxes, so I upgraded to the big box.  Finished that one off today.  But today...it only required one nose blow, which made me so very very happy.

I appreciate that you guys, my loyal pals, were concerned about me.  I just felt so crappy and tired that I mostly laid in bed reading or sleeping...or sat at my computer in a daze, reading The Huffington Post’s entertainment section.  Plus, I kept up a bit on the election news.  I’m sad that running a successful campaign for POTUS requires millions and millions of dollars.  That is not how we’ll get the best people to lead us.  It’s too bad that Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson had to drop out.  I don’t particularly like what’s left.  Of the three front-runners, there’s no one who thrills me.  I would gladly vote for Elizabeth Edwards, but unfortunately she’s not the Edwards running.  I think she would be a terrific president.  I will vote for the Democratic candidate, but I hope that Hillary (I think she might win) or Barack will pick Bill Richardson as a running mate.  He’s the only one with real experience.  If Michael Bloomberg enters the race and has a good chance of being elected, instead of being a spoiler, I might consider voting for an Independent.  If Mike Huckabee is elected, I promise you that I will do everything that I can to move to Canada.  He’s a very charming and witty wingnut, and I think that if he’s elected (hey, people voted for Bush...TWICE, ugh - they should all send out apologies to the rest of us with their yearly holiday letters), the country will keep pushing their religious “values” on the rest of us, and being gay, that’s a frightening prospect.  Anyway, I was sick and didn’t do much of anything.  I didn’t even watch any tv, except for hockey and the football playoffs last weekend.

I’m still in the final throes of the cold, as it’s one of those colds that doesn’t want to let its claws out of you, so you get better in baby steps.  I’ll write more later today or tomorrow about something hopefully more interesting than my phlegm.  Although, it’s now coming out in neon colors, so it’s hard to beat that for fascinating, but I’ll try.

Monday, January 14, 2008

mid-morning

I Miss My Tastebuds

This cold stinks, man.  I haven’t been able to taste anything for two days now and it’s driving me crazy.  All I can discern is spicy, sweet, salty, etc.  On one hand, it’s good because I can’t taste any of the crappy cold meds I’m taking, but on the other hand, I miss tasting food.  Okay, fine, I can’t breathe and I have a horrible phlegmy cough, but it’s not fair that the joys of Gatorade and matzo ball soup have been taken from me.  I protest!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

early evening

Omigawd, I am so very sick

I think I fought off Leigh-Ann’s cold, only to get one from someone else last week.  Ugh, this is the most disgusting cold I’ve ever had.  My head is just full of gunk.  It’s so gross.  Also, I hate blowing my nose.  I don’t know why, I just do.  So, this is like Chinese Water Torture to me.  Also, absolutely no sense of taste anymore.  It’s so depressing.  I had to go to the store to get some dog food and some cold junk and it was crowded & awful.  I put a bottle of hand sanitizer in my pocket and constantly used it because I didn’t want to contaminate anyone else.  I’m so happy to be home in my pjs & slippers.  2008 is having a very inauspicious start.  I’d hoped for much better.  I hope the new year is treating you much better.  I’d only wish this horrid cold on my worst enemy.  Actually, I’d like to make a list…

Oh yeah, and because we’re all treated like criminals because of meth heads, I couldn’t get the proper medication to clear out my sinuses because the pharmacy changed their hours and closed before I got to the store.  Thanks useless laws, now I have to suffer until tomorrow, while the meth heads are now getting their drugs from Mexico.  How ironic, their supply hasn’t dried up, but those of us who are sick can’t get our meds unless we keep banker’s hours (oldtime bankers, not these silly new bankers who are open at all hours).  Me and my very very stuffed up head & nose are quite unhappy about this.  I couldn’t buy Mucinex D, only DM, the one that doesn’t have Sudafed in it.  My usual Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold just didn’t do the trick this time.  Perhap it’s time for me to try Leigh-Ann’s ooky neti pot.  I want to be able to breathe, dammit.  And taste food!

Monday, January 07, 2008

late evening

Sickness & Exhaustion Permeates Our Residence

We went out “partying” on Leigh-Ann’s birthday for sushi dinner.  We topped off the night with Ilona’s arrest by a parking lot ninja (pictures soon to follow), but she charmed her way out of it with the old “I’ve got children waiting for me at home” expression.  Okay, no wait, she didn’t.  They didn’t care.  Also, no arrest, but that would’ve been way more exciting than a shiny yellow boot strapped to her front tire because she accidentally parked in a mall management spot (on a Saturday night, when no management person in their right mind would’ve been at the mall...not to mention, they really don’t get such great parking spaces either, because my legal space was much closer than Ilona’s), which cost $40 to have removed.  We did make a quick trip to the grocery store afterwards for some pet food and some dog water.  Yes, our little dogs get bottled water, don’t yours?  Okay, Phoenix gets it so we don’t ever have to pay for bladder stone surgery again, but still...spring water for the dogs.  Anyway, to help end the night on a cheery note, after the three of us gave up every last dollar we had (they only take cash, the jerks!) to get Ilona’s car out of car jail, I found a $20 bill on the floor at the grocery store, and there wasn’t anyone around for me to ask if they dropped it, so I claimed it.  I felt deserving.

Leigh-Ann woke up the next day (yesterday) very sick.  In fact, she didn’t really exactly wake up until late late last night for a little bit.  Luckily, I learned how to take care of all the pets while she was gone, so I made myself useful and took care of everyone.  The birds got a little more junk food than they normally get, but I’m sure they got more nutrition than I did.  Well, I did eat carrots & Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk dressing, so my eyesight won’t suffer.  But anyway, she’s been suffering from a nasty cold, which we thought was better, but has gotten worse, and I’m suffering from mental & physical exhaustion.  Well, mostly my back is killing me.  Cricket’s injured back means that she has to be carried up & down the stairs these days.  My back has said “Ow!”

New Year’s resolutions and pictures & details from Ilona’s Really Terrible Very Bad Parking Night.  A tantalizing teaser.