I Changed My Mind

I'd said I was going to re-read the Wool series by Hugh Howey once I'd finished Thrall, but as I was flipping through my Kindle last night, I found this book that I'd started and for some reason I'd set it aside after only three chapters. 

I decided to read it instead.  I went ahead and started over, since I was still so near the beginning, and quite frankly, I'm not too impressed so far.  Honestly, it reads like the store brand version of The Hunger Games. 

Let me know what you think.  The story is set in a typical post-apocalyptic world, in which 98% of the world's population was killed in a war.  The surviving 2% are divided into two groups:  the Elites --who live in opulence in a city called Olympus, and the Producers--who live in abject poverty in numbered districts -- each district producing a specific thing.  Our heroine lives in District 9, the agricultural district. 

Each year, the producers accrue points based on how hard they work, and on a day called Selection Day, the district which has the most points gets chosen to participate in a lottery, in which one person will be chosen to move to Olympus and become an Elite.  

This year, our heroine whose name, oh by the way, is Silverstasia Blackwood (how's that for a ridiculous name?) has just passed her seventeenth birthday (of course), and is eligible for the selection for the first time.  Miraculously, she is chosen, but refuses to go.  A couple of days later, the district commissioner comes back and tells her she has no choice, and basically takes her into custody and transports her to Olympus. 

That's as far as I've gotten, and I hope it gets better so far.  There are five books in the series, and I don't see myself paying full price for any of them.  Maybe they'll get put on a daily deal, because that's the only way I'm going to buy them. 

This is going to be short tonight, because I have me a case of the epizoodies.  I don't really feel that bad, just fatigued, with a bit of nausea, diarrhea, and a cough.  No fever or body aches or anything like that.  In fact, I wouldn't even have noticed it if so much stuff hadn't been been going around the plant:  flu, COVID, Strep -- you name it, someone probably has it.  It's a veritable primordial ooze of germs out there. 

Heck, they've got so many people out sick that they've started bringing back some of the ones they'd laid off last fall.  

Not really.  I'm pulling your leg.  I mean, they are bringing some workers back, but not because of people being out sick. I'm hoping that means work is picking up some.  Or maybe they're just replacing people who'd retired or quit....I don't really know. 

Speaking of retiring, Nick Satan has announced he is retiring.  That ought to shake things up in the SEC. 

I guess that's about it for today.  I'm going to go curl up in the recliner and watch some TV until time for bed.  

The Flu

I think I might have the flu.  

I mean, it all fits.  I'm not running fever, but I do feel feverish, and have chills and body aches.  Coughing, tight chest, dizzy spells, weak and shaky feeling, diarrhea.  Even the elevated blood pressure and heart rate is consistent with symptoms of flu. Add to that the fact that it's still hanging around after so long.  I usually get over the punies in just a day or two, but this is day 4 of this yuck. 

I'm definitely going to bring it up when I go to the doctor Wednesday, but if it is the flu, there's not much to do but wait it out.  I think it'd be too late at this point to even start Tamiflu, and I probably wouldn't get it anyway.  Last time I took it, I felt better...like...one day sooner, and to me, it just wasn't worth the cost.    

I'm just hoping I feel well enough to go to work tomorrow.  Eh, I'd probably push through anyway.  One of my friends suggested I might have had a panic attack, but I don't know if it was or not, since I've never had a panic attack before.  I'll bring that up too, just to make sure.  Still...that this has been hanging on so long lends me to believe that's not it.   

OK, moving right along, I didn't do much of anything this weekend but watch TV.  I'm kind of bummed that I got the PBS Passport, because I binged the entire third season of All Creatures Great And Small, and now I don't have any more episodes to watch.  I'd already finished Miss Scarlet And The Duke, so now what?  Hmmm.

All Creatures always finishes the season with a Christmas episode and once I got done with that, I was wishing it was still Christmas, so naturally I went to Prime and watched a cheesy Christmas movie.  It wasn't Hallmark or Great American Family, though.  At least I don't think it was, because it didn't have the Hallmark or Great American Family logo on the screen.  By the time that was over, it was almost time for the pre-game show, so I just went over to Hulu and watched that. 

Then I watched the football games -- except for the 4th quarter of the Eagles Vs. Giants game, because I fell asleep.  The cat was restless last night, maybe because it was raining.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep all that well.  So, here we are today, sick and sleepy....

While I was doing all that TV watching, I was also knitting.  I finished my first beanie for the Seaman's Church Ministry.  And here it is.

The pattern is from their site, and the yarn is Red Heart, but I don't remember the name of the colorway.  I've long since tossed the ball band.  It's basically the same as the beanies I've been knitting all this time, except for the longer 2" brim, instead of my standard 1 1/2" brim.   It also has this kind of crown decrease, which I've used before, but isn't my standard one. 

They said we could use other types of crown decreases, but I chose this one for this pattern just for variety.  I may use it more, because it looks pretty cool.  Very neat and tidy. 

Once I'd finished that hat, I dug out some more yarn and cast on another one, this time a watch cap.  The main difference with this one is that it's got a 4" brim, so it can be folded up for extra warmth.  

The website says we can use any color, but looking through my stash, it seems all I have are shades of blue, plus a few purples and grays.  I might just have to pick up a skein or two of neon colors next time I go into town.  

And finally, a little grosseness I discovered yesterday.  If you have weak stomach, this is your only grossness/TMI warning.

So, you know I've been having these bathroom issues these last 4-ish or so days.  Yesterday, I was in the hall bathroom tending to my business, and I noticed it smelled really bad -- as in it smelled as if I were pooping out something dead.  This was a real cause for concern for me.  Even after I finished my business, I kept smelling this...really gross smell.  I thought maybe I had a tumor or something.

A few moments later, I went into my craft/snake/computer room to get something out of my printer.  As soon as I opened the door, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Seems that Slider the Ball Python had upchucked his rat, which had been laying in the bottom of his tank decaying ever since.  

Ick.

Grabbing my snake feeding tongs and a couple of Walmart sacks, I grabbed the disgusting thing and carried it out into the woods.  I still need to thoroughly clean his tank, but it's time for that anyway.  I'll have to pick up some more aspen shavings -- maybe Wednesday when I get out of the doctor's office I can do that. 

At least the house doesn't stink so badly any more. 

Speaking of, don't let this little stinker fool you. She only looks sweet and innocent.

The Rest Of The Post

I've got a little good news, and a little less good news for you today. 

The good news is, I'm feeling much better after my bout with whatever it was I was up against Wednesday.  My blood pressure was down this morning (though I haven't taken it since I got home this afternoon), and even better, my heart rate is once again below 100.  That's a relief.  The pulse of 118 is what was really freaking me out about this whole thing.  In fact, I wrote the following after I posted yesterday's blog. 

Yeah, this is the rest of the stuff I wanted to talk about yesterday, but it just didn't seem appropriate on Miss Mary's tribute, so you get it today. 

I'm struggling here.  This whole week has been difficult and I'm not handling it well. 

Here's the thing.  After procrastinating for a decade, I finally get my doctor appointment made, and since then I've developed an unhealthy level of paranoia that I will have a heart attack and die before then.  After all these years, all the stuff I blew off...every little heart burny burp, every ache in my left shoulder, the sore chest muscles from both my job and my coughing fits, the least little twinge in my chest...suddenly I'm paranoid that they're all heart attacks.  

I can't relax enough to go to sleep, because what if I have a heart attack in the middle of the night and am not awake to call 911?  

The weirdest thing...I'm even afraid to eat.  Seriously.  I don't even know why, but I'm afraid to eat.  I've gotten the idea that somehow it'll trigger a ...you guessed it, a heart attack.  

I don't know where all this is coming from, because the nurse said that even though my heart rate and blood pressure are elevated, they're not in the rush to the emergency room range.  She said I'd be OK until next week.  Why can't I seem to accept that?  

Y'all, those who pray, please pray that my mind will be eased -- at least enough for me to sleep.  Thank you.  I don't ask much for myself, but I really need this. 

I also think that part of the reason I was flipping out so much is because I'd never really flipped out like this before.  It was kind of...well, freaking me out that I was freaking out so much.  I was thisclose to calling one of those online counselor things, but after typing it out like that, I felt much better -- both mentally and physically, and I was able to get a good night's sleep last night.  

The less good news is, I'm still not completely 100%.  I started the day feeling OK, but gradually got weaker, and shakier, and dizzier until I almost threw in the towel and came home.  I stuck it out, and perked up quite a bit after lunch. I'm pretty sure that that was the biggest part of why I still felt so off.  I hadn't really eaten much since Tuesday, and what I did eat went straight through me.  Eating a bit of lunch gave me enough energy to make it through the day and even go to the store afterwards.  

I didn't stay long -- at the store, I mean -- and didn't buy much, but I did pick up two quarts of the store brand version of Pedialyte -- which has helped even more -- aaaaand -- 

a bag of marbles to use as counterweights in my trebuchet.  Yay!  No more loose change!  I might even get it down and shoot it some this weekend, since we have the weekend off.  Nah, really, I plan on taking it easy and really getting over whatever I had.  

But I might be able to squeeze a trebuchet shot or two in somewhere...

In other, brighter, news, I ripped my hurricane hat back to the ribbing and am going to make the beanie pattern for the Seaman's Church Institute.  It wasn't that much, as I was only a couple of rounds in.  I had to add about 1/2 " to the ribbing, then it's just a regular beanie like the ones I've been knitting for ages.  

I think the next one I knit will be the watch cap pattern.  The biggest difference in that one is that it's an 84 stitch cast on and a 4" brim.  

And finally, I finished the second book I was reading. 

It was good, but not so good I'm going to rush to Amazon and buy the second one straight away.  But I would like to read it eventually.  

The next one I've started on is an old classic. 

I know I read it as a kid, but for the life of me, I can't remember anything about it, so it'll almost be like reading it again for the first time.

That being said, I'm off to bed...

Hah!  I made a rhyme!

Discretion

They say it's the better part of valor. 

I got up yesterday morning, and started getting ready for work.  Just a few minutes into it, I said to myself, "I just can't do this today."  I got out the old thermometer, and when I saw that 100.9 reading, I took the better part and called in sick.  I spent most of the day huddled under a blanket watching movies and napping. 

I felt a little better this morning, and my fever was down to 99.2, so I went on back to work.  Group Leader Theresa tried to rag on me saying I had missed the easiest day ever.  I told her, "You're lucky I'm here today."  Lots of people were saying, "Wow, you must have really been sick for you to miss work."  It's nice to know I was missed. 

On that note, I can show you some of what you missed Monday when I didn't post the post I was going to post before I got sick.  Oh, I'm not going to go through the whole thing.  It was a long tirade on how Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, only I spent more time working than resting. 

I won't tell you about the laundry, and changing my sheets, and spreading my Weed & Feed, and doing my taxes, and all the other stuff I did.  I will, however show you that I got those spider lily bulbs out of the bucket and into the ground. 

 That white fence is just to keep the dogs from stomping them into oblivion.  When the leaves die back, I'll pull it up so I can mow right up to the house.   When I finished planting those bulbs, I said, "I might as well pull those landscape timbers up while I'm here."

What you see here is the groove left in the weeds from where the timbers were.  Exciting, isn't it?

Here's something that is a little more exciting than grooves in the ground.  I had to run into town to buy kitty litter.  No, that's not the exciting part. 

While I was in the store, I went down the yarn aisle.  I was looking for some red, white, and blue variegated yarn for a KAL I'm participating in. 

KAL = Knit ALong, for those of you not in the knitting know.

I didn't find any, but look what followed me home.

I see another scarf in my future. 

Since I couldn't find the yarn I was looking for, I came home and dug through the box of yarn my MIL sent me a while back.  I came up with this.  

Now, I just need to figure out what I am going to knit with it. 

Not So Fast

I had a good post for you today.  Oh, you would have loved it.  It was a really clever way to tell you about all the stuff I did around the house yesterday.  I'd mentally composed it last night as I was laying in bed waiting to fall asleep.  I couldn't wait to get home from work today to post it for you.

Then life said, "Not so fast." 

I woke up this morning, sick as a dog.  I was thisclose to calling in sick --something I haven't done in about 5 years --and going back to bed.  But I didn't.  I kept thinking about my monthly attendance bonus, and how that was a lot of money to sleep off.  I remembered times past when I'd called in sic, then felt better in an hour -- blowing a day's pay for no good reason. 

I went to work, thinking maybe the same thing would happen today.  Thinking I would feel better as the day went on. I didn't.

If anything, I got worse.  I made it to the end of the work day, but I'm telling you, if I still feel this bad tomorrow, I'm staying in bed.  

I'm Back, Sort Of

This was one of those days.  There just wasn't enough coffee.  Not only did I drink all my coffee, I went down and stole Group Leader Fernando's coffee and drank it.  He stood there staring at me, shocked and incredulous as I drank his coffee.  "I need this," I pleaded.  "I need this." 

There's this flu that's been going around, and I think it finally got around to me.  This morning, I felt so bad that I almost called in sick to work.  But, I didn't want to lose my perfect attendance bonus, so I toughed it out and went anyway.  After lunch, I felt a little better, but I still don't feel great. 

That, combined with the fact that absolutely nothing of interest has happened has happened, is why I have had no blog posts for you this week.  Indeed, I haven't even knit, not one single stitch.   And it's raining again. 


In fact, the most interesting thing that has happened is that I stole Fernando's coffee this morning.

Which is why I told you about it. 

Hopefully, life will pick up soon and you will have thrilling and interesting blog posts to read.   But for now, this is all you get. 

Epizoodies

Sometime during the night, that I Think I'm Getting A Cold feeling morphed into a full fledged Oh Boy I'm Dying feeling.

OK, not literally dying, but I feel pretty bad.  I was thisclose to calling in sick this morning and crawling back into bed, but I toughed it out. 

Group Leader Fernando asked me if Good Becky or Bad Becky had come to work today.  I told neither of them came.  Unspeakably Evil Becky is here.

I tell you what, though, if I still feel this bad in the morning, Unspeakably Evil Becky is going to stay in bed.

In other news, my wonderful cousin, whom I absolutely adore, got a little overenthusiastic with the weed killer.  Final body count:

nine marigolds, my last Dahlia, and about half of my wildflower bed.   The good news is, my zinnias are still strong and healthy.

No WIPs This Wednesday

The plan was to come home from work and drag out all my WIPS and photograph them for this post. 

You know what they say about the best laid plans...yeah.

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, quickly followed by that I Think I'm Getting A Cold feeling, so I just didn't feel like tracking all the WIPs down and getting them out. 

So what you get is this:

This is an old pattern that one of Cody's babysitters gave me years and years ago.  I've always liked this dress.  I'm getting the urge to sew again, so I think I'm going to make it.  I might go tomorrow after work and look at material. 

It all depends on how I feel. 

Now, I think I'm going to go to bed.

Bad News

Ever have one of those days when you wish you were a little kid again, and you could crawl up into your daddy's lap and just know that no matter what, everything was going to be OK?  I seem to be having a lot of those here lately.

I got my lab results back from the doctor today.  I have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. 

Yeah.  No wonder I felt so bad. 

I have to keep taking my Doxycycline and go back to see Dr. Lee in two weeks.   I also have to go down to Jackson to see the infectious disease guy.  The lady at the doctor's office is going to set that one up for me.  I'm kind of irked, because she didn't even ask what day would be good for me to go.  I sure hope she doesn't set it up on the day when I already have several appointments scheduled.

That could really throw a wrench into my works. 

Sigh...

Updates

Despite the nausea which typically accompanies Doxycycline,  I am feeling much better now.  The fever is gone, and the soreness in my neck is nearly gone.  The rash is still stubbornly hanging on, but it's starting to fade just a little bit.  They still haven't gotten the blood test results back, but he said it'd take 4 to 5 days to get them.  No matter, as long as I'm getting well.

Since I didn't really feel like doing anything for several days, I watched a lot of Dr. Who, and did a lot of knitting.   The sock is coming along. 

I'm almost to the heel flap.  Just a couple more inches to go.

I also cast on a new hat with one of the yarns I bought the day Christi and I went shooting and shopping.

I didn't really think it would be making a spiral stripe like this.  I was hoping for a more variegated look.  This color is called Lotus.  Hmmm, I would have called it Fall Foliage, myself.  But they didn't ask me.

And the blanket is coming along, as well.

Kindly ignore my foot.  Thank you.

In better news, I'm taking 4 days off work week after next-- May 20-23.  That's a Monday through a Thursday.  I couldn't get the Friday off, or I would have taken the whole week.  Anyway, I've got my eye appointment and mammogram scheduled for Monday.  The rest of the week, I'm going to take a vacation. 

Well, it'll have to be a staycation, since I can't really afford to go anywhere.  I want to go up to the zoo on one of those days, and I want to try to get together with Christi and/or Amy another one of those days.  The third day, I don't know yet.  I'm sure I'll think of something.

I'm open to suggestions. 

I've Been Sick

It was Wednesday when I pulled the tick out of my head. 

I didn't think too much of it.  When you spend any time out of doors, and when you have dogs, you run into the occasional tick.  So, I just pulled it out and flushed it, like I'd done dozens of times before.

Thursday, I noticed a little tenderness behind my left ear.  By Friday evening, both sides of my neck and ears were swollen and tender, and I was running a fever.  It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and I finally began to wonder if it was related to that tick bite.

Saturday morning the rash appeared and I knew, so today I went to the doctor.

He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic, and drew blood to test for Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  The treatment will still be the same, but I expect if it's one of those, he'll have to report it to the CDC.

He told me to keep taking the antibiotic even if it wasn't one of those, because there's no telling what a tick could be carrying. 

So, that's where I've been the last few days. 

What's new with you?

WIP and TMI

Before I get to the TMI part-- and yes, I will give you fair warning before I get there-- let me first distract you with a lovely shot of a WIP. 

This is Ice Queen at the end of the first chart.  The yarn is Kidsilk Haze.  Apparently, it doesn't have a color name, but the number is 592. 

Now, on to the TMI.  This is your warning.  Stop reading now or don't holler TMI! at me. 



La la la la la la la....




If you're still here, I'm going to assume you want to hear the rest of the story.  Soooo away we go..

I went to my much dreaded gyno appointment this afternoon.  I'd managed to work myself into such a state that I was practically in tears driving to the clinic, and wishing I'd brought my teddy bear with me.  Once I got there and got things rolling, though, I was fine.  Emotionally, that is. 

After briefly berating me for not coming in since 2005, the doc checked me out and said that there's nothing physically wrong with me.  Fibroids aren't growing.  No sign of anything more serious.  He said that this kind of thing just happens sometimes, and it really isn't all that uncommon.  Basically, what had happened was --to put it into very simplistic terms-- my hormones gotten out of balance.  It was kind of like they'd gotten stuck in the "on" position. Thus all the bleeding. 

He gave me a prescription which will do something like a chemical D & C.  The medication will help my uterus slough off the rest of the retained lining, and the bleeding should stop within a week.  A couple of weeks after that, I should go back to having normal periods.  Or, given my age, I may never have another one.  I said I was just fine with that. 

My gynecologist reminds me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  He is very large, and always has red cheeks. 

But I digress...

The good news is, there is nothing really wrong with me.  And that's the important part.  Still, I hate to have a good nervous wreck go to waste. 

After my appointment, I went to Wal-Mart to get my prescription filled.  While I was there, I decided to get my oil changed, too.  Guess which one got done first?

If you said the oil change, you guessed right. 

Kind of a shame, that. 

Tuesday Topics and TMI

Yes, this post will contain what will be to many of you TMI. Don't worry, I'll give you fair warning before launching into said sensitive topic so that you can quit reading.

But first...

Group Leader Greg was standing behind Vanessa enthusiastically singing an old time gospel song about laying down his burdens "down by the waterside." Vanessa told him, "It's 'riverside', not 'waterside'".

"Oh, well, I messed up in church, then."



Beverly called me up Sunday afternoon. She teaches English as a second language to people who've immigrated here-- LEGALLY, I might add --and are studying for their citizenship. Anyway, a couple of her students are going back to China for an extended visit, and she wanted to give them a small gift. So I let her pick out two of my soldier hats to give them. While I was there, she asked me if I would knit an Ice Queen for the woman.  Naturally, I agreed to do it.  I was planning on knitting one for my sister for Christmas, and they work up pretty quickly.  It'll be pretty easy to do two. 

Yes, the Ice Queen is the new project I'd started on.  Nobody guessed it.

And now, here is your TMI warning.  I'm going to talk about some delicate female issues.  If you don't want to be a part of this, stop reading now.


(Imagine elevator music playing...)


OK.  Still here?  Good. 

Away we go...

I'd known for several months now that I was going through The Change.  I've had all the symptoms.  Well, here lately, my periods have gotten really irregular.  This latest one started August 4th. 

It hasn't stopped yet.  It will slow down a bit, and I think it's going to be over with, but then it'll crank back up.  I finally got to the point that I did something dreadful. 

I made a phone call. 

Not just any phone call.  I made a phone call to the gynecologist.  Yeah.  I got that desperate.  I'm going in tomorrow afternoon to see what's going on with this.  I"ll have to leave work early, but that's OK.  I just want this to stop. 

You know, most people are afraid to go to the doctor.  They're afraid he will find something wrong with them.  I'm afraid to go to the doctor, because I'm afraid he won't find anything wrong with me.  I'm afraid I'll get up into the office and the doctor (whichever one I go to, be it gyn or my regular doc) will say, "Ain't nothing wrong with you, you big hypochondriac!" 

This period has been going on 3 1/2 weeks, and I'm nervous now that it will stop before tomorrow afternoon.  Oh, well.  I'm overdue for my pap anyway. 

I'll let you know how things go.

Epizoodies

I haz them.

I'd been feeling really tired and just worn out all week, and I guess this morning it all caught up with me. I actually started getting ready for work, but when I dissolved into tears in front of the bathroom mirror because I just felt soo bad, I decided it was time to call in sick.

I still don't know what was wrong with me. I felt feverish, but didn't have a fever. No cough or congestion, either. I just didn't have any energy and I couldn't get warm. I had to get a blanket out of the closet because I was shivering.

I tried to knit a bit, but didn't have the strength to hold my arms up. So, I read the Kindle a lot, and watched some Netflixes. Finally, around 5 PM, I felt well enough to get up and make some bacon.

Because you know bacon makes everything better.

And besides, I'd already eaten all the chocolate in the house.

Ahem...

Just to give my meal some semblance of healthiness, I fried up some tofu in the bacon grease.

Yeah, that ought to do it.

But by 7:00 PM I was feeling poorly again, so I'm going to go back to bed now. I'll catch you later. Bleh...

It's My Turn

After every other living thing in this house has been either sick or injured, you knew it had to get around to me eventually. I've been coughing for two days, and this afternoon started running a fever. At last check it was 99.8. Cody said, "I didn't give you my flu, did I?"

I said, "I hope not, but it's a possibility."

That being said, there will be no post game post today. It's in me, I just don't have the energy to get it organized. Eh, most of you skip them anyway.

When It Rains

Last Tuesday, Cody got the flu

Last Thursday, Rylea got hit by a car

Today, when I came home from work, Jake was sick. I took him in to the vet and he has a respiratory infection. The doc gave him some medicine, but he's still just laying around.

I'm exhausted taking care of all my sick critters.

Sickness

Cody has the flu.

He woke up not feeling well this morning, and took his temperature. I was eating breakfast when he came into the room and said, "Mom, I've got 101.2 temperature." I said, "You go back to bed!"

I gave him some acetaminophen and settled him in on the couch watching DVDs. I went on to work, thinking that if he was still sick tomorrow morning, I'd take him to the doctor. However, that 101 got more and more worrisome, so as soon as the Dr.'s office opened, I called and made him an appointment, pausing to thank God that we still have quality health care in this country--though that seems to be about to change.

When I got came home from work to take him to the Dr, I checked his temp again, and it was 102.3, and that was after two doses of Acetaminophen. They did a flu test on him, but it came back negative. His Dr said that despite what the test said, he thinks it's the flu anyway. He told me that those tests have up to a 70% inaccuracy. He didn't test Cody for swine flu. He said that the CDC would not allow them to test at the office, and the local ER was only allowed to do three swine flu tests per week.

Dr said that those tests were mainly so the CDC could track swine flu, because the treatment is the same as it is for regular flu. If I really wanted to confirm H1N1, I would have to take him to LeBonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis.

The Doctor gave him some Tamiflu to help with the flu symptoms, and an antibiotic. The deaths that occur from flu aren't really from flu, but from secondary infections--thus the antibiotic as a precaution. He also said that since we caught it within the first 24 hours, Cody ought to bounce back pretty quickly.

Anyway, Cody'll be out of school all week, and he'll have to miss the band contest this weekend. He is majorly bummed about that. He loves being in the band and takes those contests very seriously. Not only that, tomorrow is his birthday, and he's going to be sick on his birthday. Poor baby.

Funny how life comes full circle. I had a serious case of the flu back during the first swine flu outbreak, back in the '70's. Now during the Great Outbreak of the 00's, my son has the flu.

Blah!

What I thought were allergies turned out to be a full fledged cold. I woke up this morning with my head feeling like it was about to explode and that familiar burning in my chest. Needless to say, I pretty much just laid around all day. I watched some DVDs and got caught up on some of my podcasts that I listen to.

And I got my bandwagon sock all the way down to the toe decreases. Right now, I'm waiting for mice to thaw so I can feed some of these snakes. As soon as they've et, I'm going to bed.

I'm going to post pictures of my snakes, so if you have a thing about them, stop reading here.

OK?

La

la

la

la

la

la

la

OK.

Scarlett:


Sunset:


Slider:



Blaze:


And the king, Onyx:


I don't have recent photos of Monty and Snow. I'll post them when I get some.

Epizoodies

I don't really know how to spell it, I just know I've got it.

So I'm going to bed early.

Really,

I am.

I'm not kidding.

I'm going to bed.

Right now.

Goodbye.


Still there?

I'm leaving this time.

I'm going to bed.

Goodbye.

Stop reading.

Seriously.

I'm going to bed.

Now.

Goodbye.

Why are you still here?

I said I was going to bed, and I mean it this time.

Really.

I mean it.

Goodbye.



Goodbye.


For real this time.

Goodbye.


*sheesh*

No Post Yesterday

I didn't post yesterday. I didn't do much of anything yesterday except alternate between laying in the bed and hanging over the toilet. This was no ordinary virus either, because I didn't ever feel nauseated. I think I may have had my first experience with food poisoning.

Whatever it was, my body reacted so violently to it, that not only could I not keep anything down, I couldn't even get anything down. Not even water. I'd try to sip some water and it would get about halfway down my throat and come right back up.

Finally, about 10:00 last night, I threw up some brown stuff, and it was over. I could feel my body stop fighting this, whatever it was. I went back to bed and was actually able to go to sleep.

About 1:00 AM, I woke up and went and got some water. I took a sip. It went down. I took a swallow. It stayed down. I drank about half the glass. Not too much, I told myself. I don't want to start this over again.

An hour later, since I'd kept the water down, I got up and got some applesauce. It stayed down as well. I woke up this morning feeling much better.

Still a bit sore and shaky, but much better than yesterday.

Kitty was glad mommy was sick. She got to sleep on the bed with me.