Archive for backpain
November 23, 2010 at 6:54 pm · Filed under backpain, bedtime, Cup a Soup, glasses, specsavers, Tyke, walks
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Because I may need new glasses in the near future, I went to the Specsavers website and had a look at what was available in frames at a reasonable price. They have a really neat feature. You can choose an image of a face that closely matches yours, or download your own image, and try out frames on it to see how they look and in the color of your choice too.
It’s a fun thing to do and you can get real serious about it, though there are a lot of frames to choose from and you do get a bit confused after a while. It does give you an idea of what sort of frame you ought to be looking for and what colors look good. I know for sure now that the glasses I have are the wrong ones for me and that I need to get another pair.
But like I said, that’s in the future when I have the money for them. It’s fun to look around and fantasize about them. It keeps you busy and off the streets. You know how much I hang out on street corners making a nuisance of myself.
I have a sharp pain in my upper back where that curve is and I know I’m going to have to take a painkiller for it. Otherwise my muscles are going to tighten up and I will be in even more trouble. I’m trying to sit up as straight as I possibly can, but it requires a lot of effort. Slumping behind the computer is probably what got me into this problem. Walking with Tyke makes it worse when he pulls at the leash.
It’s not nice when your body lets you down. Age is probably a contributor. Things wear out. I imagine my worn out spine trying to stand up straight after all these years and not quite making it. God, that makes me sound like somebody’s old great grandmother, bent over with a cane, constantly looking at the ground slightly ahead of her. It’s actually because of a mild form of scoliosis that my back hurts. I’ve taken a painkiller and I hope it works soon.
I’ve taken Tyke for his last walk for the day and he’s sound asleep now underneath the dining table. It’s time that his new pillow arrives, because he picks odd places to sleep in. Not the most comfortable ones. Hopefully it will get here by tomorrow. It’s strange that it wasn’t delivered at the same time with his toys, but I did order it on a different day, so maybe that was too complicated for them.
I’ve just had a big bowl of Cup a Soup. I mixed three pouches of asparagus flavor in a bowl of hot water and it was very thick and nice and warm. It’s done my stomach a world of good. I feel full and comfortable now. It was better than a cup of hot chocolate and that’s saying a lot. I’ve still got a couple of other flavors left, under which broccoli and leek. Cup a Soup is a good invention. I wish I had thought of it. Hey, I should be a spokeswoman for them and for Specsavers too.
I’m tired even though I slept so well last night. I could go to bed right now and fall asleep, but I won’t do that because it’s way to early for that. I will go and put my pajamas on so I will at least be at that stage.
Have a good evening, you all.
Ciao,
Nora
August 8, 2010 at 3:32 am · Filed under backpain, coffee, computer, dishes, laundry, moods, playing with Tyke, rain, Saturday, sleep, Sunday, the apartment, Tyke
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I don’t really drink that much coffee. I’ve been up for two hours and am just now drinking my second cup. I get so busy doing other things, that very often I end up drinking my coffee cold and I have to throw out the last bit of it. So this myth about me being a great coffee drinker has to end right now. I love coffee, but don’t actually drink that much of it. I usually drink milk and juice after I’ve had my coffee in the morning and just once in a while have a cup in the evening. I’m always afraid that it will keep me up. It does make me awfully cheerful if I need cheering up, so it is good for that, but lately I’ve been in a good enough mood without having to resort to it. If I’m depressed, I drink more of it. I use it as a mood altering drug and try to artificially fix my humor with it. It works for a while anyway, so I drink more cups of it. It helps me think straight, but I don’t drink pots of it. There is a limit to how much coffee I drink and I mustn’t exaggerate it.
It rained during the night and when I let Tyke out for a piddle he came in fast enough again. He hadn’t quite counted on getting wet. It was very pleasant to stand by the back door and listen to the rain fall down. It was a little cold too and I was not dressed for it. At least it has cooled off a little bit in the apartment, but some of the summer heat is still trapped in here regardless of the top windows being open. The sun does shine on the living room windows every afternoon and heats it up in here again. It never gets below 23C, day or night, even when it’s cooler outside.
I had a very quiet day yesterday, which is befitting for a Saturday, a day on which nothing special usually happens. It is a day off, just like Sunday, and as a rule I have nothing big planned. I watched a lot of cultural programs on television, as that seems to be the day for it. I spent a lot of time bonding with Tyke. He does need his share of attention and likes nothing better than to be petted and cuddled and played with. He lets me know if he suffers from a shortage of this.
I went to bed early with my book and read for a long while before I fell asleep. I have clean sheets on the bed so it is an extra pleasure to be there. The mattress is very good and I never wake up with a backache, which I sometimes did in the old bed. I’m sure it’s a great healer for my back when I have problems like I did just recently. Those have cleared up as if by magic, but I’m sure it’s also because I’m limiting my time behind the computer. I have it off all day and don’t feel compelled to turn it on and check every email and write yet another blog post. I’m not obsessively drawn to it right now. I find it isn’t necessary at all to have the computer on all day. I just waste energy if I do and that’s not even just metaphorically speaking.
Today I will do laundry and clean up the kitchen. I’m always cleaning up the kitchen and doing laundry. As soon as I have one load, I turn on the washing machine. As soon as I have enough dishes, I’m doing those too. The kitchen counter top is not that big and things do get in the way. I would love to have a kitchen twice the size instead of this little cubbyhole. It really is a one person space. A cat and a dog are just allowable if they don’t move around too much.
It is raining again and it sounds very cozy when you’re sitting inside nice and dry. Rain is the nicest sound to fall asleep to, which is what I’m going to do shortly. I’m more than ready to seek some more sleep in my hopefully warm bed. More rain is predicted for today, so it will be a day spent indoors staying as dry as possible.
Have a nice day. Enjoy your Sunday.
Ciao,
Nora
July 22, 2010 at 5:22 pm · Filed under allergies, backpain, chores, computer, hairdo, laundry, make up, moods, nap, senseo, sleep, thriller, Tyke, walks
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It seems that exercise is the best thing for a backache. I have been taking Tyke for longer walks today and as a result my back is hurting less and I have not taken any pain medication. Walking, not any huge distances, seems to loosen up my muscles and realign my upper body.
On the other hand, sitting behind the computer freezes me up and causes me to have pain after a while. So I have to limit my time behind it, but I definitely feel better today than I did yesterday. That certainly makes me feel good. And not taking the pain medication does too.
It’s nice when a problem is solved so simply and quite by accident. I just kept walking this morning because it felt good and it was nice and cool outside. I had no reason to take a short cut and go home. Tyke enjoyed himself and I was fine.
The day has gone by amazingly fast, although I did take a nap on the sofa. That was necessary for my good mood. I felt my good humor slipping just a little bit and knew it was due to a shortage of sleep. When I woke up, everything was in fine working condition again.
The nicest thing is that I never have to worry about what my hair looks like after a nap. It’s always in place and indestructible. All I really ever have to do is rub a hand over it to get the wee hairs on the side into the right direction. It’s the easiest hairdo I’ve ever had. I don’t know if it’s the most flattering haircut I’ve ever had, I’m sure there are more feminine, but I’m beyond those things, just like I’m beyond make up. I wore some make up the other day, just to see what it was like, but I wiped it off in a very short amount of time. I felt like a Jezebel and hardly recognized myself. I’m so used to my face without it now.
I ran a bottle of vinegar through the Senseo machine. It was in bad need of it and I had neglected to do it on time. I don’t know why. I had the vinegar in the kitchen cupboard and all I had to do was apply it. It’s not as if it is the hardest job in the world. I seem to have a hard time doing things that are basically very uncomplicated. In my mind I remember them as being very bothersome, when in reality they are not at all.
I have a kick start problem. I need a good kick in the rear end sometimes. There’s no one here to give me one.
I’ve started a new Inspector Linley thriller called “Careless in Red.” I just started reading it, so I can’t say much about it yet, but it’s a hardbound book and it’s hard to read in bed. I have to lay it down beside my pillow and lean my head on one hand to read it. That’s how I fall asleep and I have a very sore wrist when I wake up in that position later in the night. With my sleepy head, I’m only aware of great discomfort and I try to get out of it as soon as I can, but seem unable to. I can’t move my arm and my head and am stuck in that position and all I can think is what pain I’m in and why am I and why can’t I do anything about it? It takes a while for the reality of the situation to sink in and for me to figure out which movements I have to make to get out of it.
I wore my watch for one day only, but that was long enough to give me an allergic reaction to the metal band. I don’t know what it is made of, but there must be some metal in it that I don’t tolerate. I have a rash around my left wrist that itches something awful. I have to try and not scratch it, but it’s hard not to. It feels so good when it itches. Actually, I’d rather not wear a watch. It does feel confining and I only roughly need to know what time it is. I’ll depend on the goodness of other people who wear one when I’m out and about.
I’ve got to stop sitting here now. I have to hang up the next load of laundry, because the first load is dry. One of these days I’ll get it all done.
Have a good evening.
Ciao,
Nora
July 22, 2010 at 3:55 am · Filed under backpain, early morning, fruit juice, love, milk, photographs, the children, Tyke, walks, weather
>I’ve done some more searching for Tyke’s photographs, but I’m still not able to find them. I can’t take a new one of him now, because it is dark and I don’t want to use the flash because it gives him red eyes. I’ll take some later today when there’s enough daylight in the apartment. Besides, he is sound asleep on the sofa and I don’t want to disturb his beauty sleep.
He’s truly beautiful and I’m in love with him. I still can’t take my eyes off him, although I’m used to how he looks now. Imagine being enamored with your own dog. It’s such a pleasure that I truly enjoy. I’ve never had a boyfriend as nice.
I can cuddle Tyke all day long and not get enough of it. He doesn’t wear me out like people do. He’s like having a little kid. They’re the best kind of people to have around, especially if they are your own. I guess Tyke is just like my child and he allows me to feel unadulterated feelings of love and he gives them in return too. People really do get attached to their pets.
I take pain medication every 6 hours or so. Sometimes I don’t wait quite that long and I’m forced to take it sooner. It does help and takes away the worst of the pain and that is a great relief. It makes the difference between being comfortable enough or not. The worst of the pain is in the top half of my back where I have a mild form of scoliosis. It spreads to my shoulders and is very exhausting.
I try to remember to sit up as straight as possible when I sit behind the computer and to not slouch. I push my back against the back of the chair and sit with both buns firmly planted in the seat. Subconsciously, you take on a different position, probably to get more comfortable, although in the long run that doesn’t work out. I have keep returning to the proper way to sit and realign my body. It really helps if I keep my hips straight under my spine and line everything up, including my shoulders and my head.
It’s starting to be morning. I have been up a good deal of the night. The rain that was promised yesterday and last night never materialized. We did have lots of clouds move in, but nothing came of it. It’s going to be cloudy again today, but no rain is forecast. It’s supposed to be a cooler day today, but they said that yesterday too and it was warm enough and humid.
Despite my backache, I’m going to take Tyke for a walk in a while in the coolness of the early morning air. The day is best at dawn. His Majesty does need his outing and I can stand the fresh air too. It will be nice after sitting here all this time behind the computer screen, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. First I’m going to have a tall glass of milk to quench my thirst and do something healthy. When I come back I’ll have a tall glass of multi vitamin juice. It’s the simple things in life that you have to reward yourself with.
Have a good day.
Ciao,
Nora
July 21, 2010 at 1:29 pm · Filed under backpain, photographs, the Exfactor, Tyke
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I just got finished transferring my before and after pictures of Tyke from the camera to the computer and all went well, I thought, until I went to look for them and could not find them anywhere. They have disappeared. I have searched high and low, but I don’t know what happened to them.
This has never happened to me before. Suffice it to say that I am pretty disgusted and not in the mood to take another picture of Tyke if that’s the way the system is going to work today. Somewhere along the line something went wrong and I’ll have to figure out what it was. I’m not amused in the least.
Now, you will have to use your imagination. So, picture an extremely curly haired, fluffy, over sized, barrel chested, ragamuffin of a dog in which you hardly recognize the shape of him anymore. Everything is big because of all the hair, including the paws.
Then imagine a smooth, slender, fine boned, short haired, elegant dog, who doesn’t look like Tyke, but answers to the name.
I’ve spent two hours this afternoon doing nothing but looking at him in amazement and trying to come to grips with the fact that this is my dog. We’ve also spent a lot of time bonding with each other, as that was very necessary after his big adventure at the trim salon. So, I looked at him in amazement and he kept putting his paw on my hand so I wouldn’t forget to pet him. That’s what we have been doing.
I walked him over to the trim salon this morning and it was quite a distance. It took me 40 minutes to get there, it was a little further away than I had thought. By the time I came home again, I was a wreck. I had pain in my back in three places and had to sit down and not move anymore. I realized that I would not be able to get up in an other hour and make the long walk back.
First I took a paracetamol with codeine for the pain. My back is my big weakness because it’s so crooked and things always have a tendency to go wrong with it when I exert myself. Then I called the Exfactor and asked him if he could go and get Tyke back for me. Luckily, he said yes and came right over. I gave him the money and instructions on how to get there (just beyond the church and the sex shop, beside the bakery) and he went on his way.
He was back a lot quicker than I could have been, because he takes bigger steps and is in much better condition and walks twice as fast. He had quite a surprise for me at the end of the leash when he came back. Tyke couldn’t get into the apartment fast enough. It was like he was being chased by the devil. He must have thought that I had abandoned him forever. That’s why we’re doing all this bonding.
You’ll have to excuse me. I want to tell you more, but my back is really hurting a lot. I just took another pain pill. I can’t sit behind the computer anymore. I’m going to have to shut it off and lie down.
I’ll be back tomorrow.
Ciao,
Nora.
June 11, 2010 at 12:50 am · Filed under backpain, crazy scale, depression, nap, personal helper, shoes, sleep, Tyke
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I took a three hour nap this evening and now, of course, I find myself wide awake, so the planning may not have been all that great. Regardless, I needed it, as I was feeling quite down and out and could think of no better solution than to go to sleep. It did make me feel better and I was in much better shape when I woke up. Now I’ve had one cup of coffee and one glass of milk and I’m about to have another one for the sake of my thirst. I don’t quite know what to do, as a long night stretches out ahead of me and I don’t feel tired now and I won’t go to bed for awhile.
I’ve got an ache in my upper back from sitting improperly behind the computer and I’m now making an effort to sit especially straight with my body upright, so I won’t slouch. This is causing the muscles in my back to ache, but it’s better than getting an ache from sitting bent over sideways. You do develop bad habits when bent over the keyboard. I imagine it’s just a cramp that’s gotten a hold of me and I’ve just taken a painkiller so I can sit here comfortably. It will take awhile for it to work. In the meantime I’m figuring out the most comfortable ways to sit.
I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to write about my depression, because there seems to be some misunderstanding about how I should tackle it. I will just mention it casually in passing now and then and not dwell on it too much, although I have a great desire to write about it and that is one thing that this blog is all about. So, I’m feeling stifled., that’s true, and I don’t know if that is just. If I don’t follow up on suggestions, people will say I ignore good advice. If I say I’m not capable of it, they will say that I boycott my own process at getting better.
My high tops are comfortable, except in the places where my toes are already sore from my other shoes. That’s mostly on my right foot on my big toe and my little toe. They must have been pinched a lot and now I’m finding out. Still, I can walk in them fairly well and I took Tyke for a longer walk yesterday afternoon. It was overcast and 23C and not all that unpleasant to walk in. We’ll go for another long walk today with the personal helper who will be here in the morning. I was making a list for her with future goals that seem unattainable right now and that will have to be put on hold. I can’t, in this frame of mind, attempt any more than I’m doing and that’s enough. I don’t want to add anything to it.
I go from being wide awake to being half asleep. I think in a little while I will have to go to bed. I want to stay up, but I think it is impossible. Sleep will force me to the bedroom. The good thing about being awake during the night is that I don’t feel half as mad as I do during the day.
Ciao,
Nora
March 27, 2010 at 1:44 pm · Filed under backpain, coffee, depression, emails, medicines, neighbors, rituals, sensibility, sisters, Tyke, weather, withdrawal
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I’m working on my second cup of coffee and it is very necessary, as I had to get up out of bed after not enough sleep to let out the dog and take my medicines. Bleary eyed and slightly in a stupor, I turned on the computer to see what was there in my in box and started the difficult process of answering my emails. I always hope I make sense when I do that after I’ve just gotten up. It may actually not be the right time, but that’s the order in which I do things. Rituals even maintain your bad habits.
I’m such a nutty woman, sitting here when I should be getting back to bed for some more sleep, but then I never claimed to have much sense. I act like and pretend that I do, but I never come right out and claimed it. I have about as much common sense as a hedgehog. It does roll itself into an impregnable ball when threatened, so that is a good characteristic, but you can also play football with it and that is less good. Of course, you do have to have sturdy shoe wear.
Well, I used what little common sense I do have and went back to bed and slept for a few more hours. That really was the smartest thing to do, that logic didn’t even escape me, thick skulled as I am. Hmmm… I see a theme developing here, I’m trying to get a message across. Could it be that I’m trying to tell you that I assert a lot, but in reality know very little? Something along those lines.
The first thing I did when I got up, was get dressed and not linger in my bathrobe like I did yesterday. That was a good thing too, because when I went outside to pick up Tyke’s turds, my neighbor was out there and I never know what mode of attack he is going to use on me. Today it was friendly, thank goodness, but I do feel better facing him with my clothes on. He’s an old man who likes to complain and makes me nervous about going outside. His wife eggs him on from the background. There’s always some tree or bush or cat to complain about and I get a sore stomach just thinking about it, so let’s drop that subject.
I’ve been sitting crooked in the desk chair again, leaning to the right at an odd angle, and as a result I have a sore ribcage. I lean into the armrest and it cuts right underneath my ribs, causing me to sort of get stuck there and having to remove myself with some effort. It happens without me being aware of it, suddenly I’m in that position. Yesterday I put a pillow on that side and it helped. It prevented me from leaning over. What I really need to do is spend less time in this chair and in a minute, I’m going to take Tyke for a walk.
The sun is shining, but it’s only 11C, so not very warm. I’m wearing my cold weather clothes plus my scarf. I’ll see you in a bit.
We ran into a bit of freshly rotated soil that had fertilizer added and raked into it. Tyke thought he had died and gone to heaven. He rolled around in it like it was the best smelling perfume ever. Every time I thought he was done, he started up again. Luckily, it was dry and flaky, so nothing really got stuck to his fur, except some of the smell. It was so funny, I had never seen a dog do that before. I hope he doesn’t do that when we run into cow dung or something. I wouldn’t put it past him. I can just see us out in the fields in the countryside and Tyke in a big heap of cow shit. I think I better stay in town with him.
We also ran into my sister and her friend. This car stopped and a very handsome man with sunglasses on said “ciao” to me. I couldn’t figure out at first who it was. I thought I was going to be pestered by a bunch of foreigners. Then I saw my sister and the pieces fell into place. I had to laugh at myself for being so silly that I automatically assumed handsome foreigners would pester me. That shows you what an attitude I have about myself.
I think I’m having withdrawal symptoms, as I’m totally not happy at the moment and I’m just pretending that I am. If not that, I’m having a shortage of sleep problem. I feel depressed and I’m going to lie down on the sofa.
Ciao,
Nora
March 7, 2010 at 10:14 pm · Filed under alcohol, backpain, bedroom, computer, Gandhi, late night, marijuana, medication, memories, obsession, sleep, sofa, television, the Exfactor, tiredness, Tyke
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I have little moments that I cave in and I’m so tired that I could fall asleep in my desk chair, but a while later it clears up and I’m fit as a fiddle again. I’m finding it very difficult to walk away from the computer and keep looking for excuses to sit here and play with it a little while longer and there’s always something I can do, even if it just means changing the wallpaper on my flat screen and looking to see how much space I have on my hard drive. I’ve run AdAware and CCleaner and got rid of a bunch of stuff that took up needless space, so that made me feel better. And so I sit here and do all sorts of little things that amount to not very much, but it keeps me happy. Tomorrow I have to be normal again. It’s a rule that I have made up. On the weekend I’m allowed to be this obsessed with the computer, but tomorrow I have to be back to normal. And I do need to get a good night’s sleep. At least what is a good night’s sleep for me and as far as Tyke will allow it with his antics.
I feel like I’ve been in the Twilight Zone this weekend and unreachable for the world around me, although the world was not aware of that, because nobody reached out and touched me and I did walk the dog when it was time to. The poor animal didn’t suffer too much neglect, except that I didn’t cuddle him very much, stuck as I was behind the keyboard. I think my obsession is coming to an end now and I hope I don’t become obsessed like this with anything else for a while, because I don’t think it is healthy, athough many of you have told me that you are the same way when you have a new toy.
All I have left to do is install the programs for my digital camera and the printer and I’ll let the Exfactor do that tomorrow. Those will be good jobs for him to do and I can take a step back and relax about it. I will not be so overly involved with my nose on top of things. That’s how I imagine it anyway. I’m ready for a more hands off approach. It’s really funny how you disappear into a project and lose track of everything around you just about and you don’t focus on anything else but that.
It wll be wonderful to go to bed in a little while and try to read my book and hopefully fall asleep quickly and soundly and sleep at least for a couple of hours without interruption. I will take as many of Tyke’s toys to the bedroom with me, so he won’t be bored in the middle of the night. He does have a way of looking for mischief around 2 o’clock in the morning. If he can keep himself occupied, I will sleep through it. Unless he starts molesting Gandhi.
I think I will have a glass of hot milk. I don’t have any honey, but I don’t think that’s necessarily an ingredient needed to fall asleep with. I would have some Bailey’s Irish Cream, but I’m all out of that and I’m not about to go out an buy a bottle of it. I’d rather receive that as a gift on a special occasion and I may have to drop some heavy hints here and there. Isn’t there a holiday coming up that would be cause for it? Isn’t there a saint named Irene? I’m not a catholic, but I’m willing to ignore such minor details in exchange for a bottle of that good stuff. With my luck, though, I’d become addicted to it and have to go to AlAnon and do a 12 step program.
It would be nice to smoke a joint right now and become totally mellow, because I always sleep so well when I do amd wake up completely refreshed. I don’t want you to get the idea that I do that a lot. As a matter of fact, it’s been a few years, but sometimes I dream that I do, so I guess I have a hunkering for it. I only need to take a few drags for it to take effect and I feel great. The only problem is that I get the munchies and want to eat anything and everything and that is kind of hard when you have a gastric band. But one of these days I’m going to smoke a joint again in the company of someone I trust and get very relaxed. It’s the nicest feeling I know. It’s better than getting tipsy. I heartily recommend it. It’s too bad the coffee shop two streets over closed. Now I would have to go all the way downtown.
All this talk about alcohol and drugs make me sound like a junkie. And I have my own official drugs that I’m trying to get off of. I’m doing really well on my reduced dose of antipsychotics. I notice no ill effects, unless being obsessed with my computer is an ill effect, but like I said, I think I’m over it by now. I’m actually feeling very calm now and completely back to normal, whatever normal is. I just wish I felt a little bit more sleepy than I do, because I seem to have gotten my second wind. I must not give into that and proceed with my nighttime ritual as if I’m very tired and ready to go to sleep. Once I have my pajamas on and I’m in bed things will change and I will realize how tired I am.
I do have a backache from sitting in this chair behind the computer all day. It’s right in the middle of my nack where that weak spot is. Right where my back is crooked. I would like to wear a corset to straighten out my back so it would never hurt again and I would have the correct posture, but I suppose I’m too old for that. I’m beyond repair. It would help, of course, if I paid attention to how I sat in the chair and didn’t slump like I’ve a tendency to do. Perhaps it would help if I put a pillow behind my back to force me to sit straighter. I will try that tomorrow when I won’t be sitting here all day. I think it might be interesting to take an X-ray of that spot in my back and see how my discs are lined up there. At least I’m never kealed over to the left anymore. That problem seemed to have resolved itself and I think a lot of that had to do with my emotional state of being.
It seems to be impossible to stop writing. I want to bring this to an end, but am reluctant to and keep thinking of things to write about. I am postponing bedtime because I’m afraid that I will lie awake and will not be able to go to sleep. I’m also undecided if I should sleep in my bed or on the sofa with the TV turned down low, which also seems to work well and keeps Tyke happy. I think I’m not so very fond of sleeping in my bed, for whatever reason. On the sofa it has a less official character and it doesn’t seem as if I’m down for the count and have to put in a long night that I can’t make come true. I always wake up and am bothered by the claustrophobic feel of my bedroom, even though I sleep with the door open. I would like for the sofa to be a bit more comfortable and I suppose that this will be the criteria for my next one. How comfortable does it sleep? It has to be a wide sofa to lie on comfortably.
When I was a little kid, and I was sick, my mother made a bed for me out of the Morris chair. Of course I was little then and fit on it and it was very cozy and right by the stove to keep me warm. I thought that was the best thing about being sick. The back of the chair folded down completely and I could lie down flat with pillows under my head. She put a sheet over the cushions and a blanket over me and I felt like a princess. I have something like a Morris chair myself now and it is my favorite chair in the apartment. It folds down completely too, though I’m too big to lie down on it. I bought it at Ikea and the minute I saw it I knew I had to have it. Nostalgia.
I’m starting to yawm. That’s always a good sign. Pretty soon a certain kind of weariness should fall over me. I think I will go put on my pajamas now and take my medicines. Then I will have my glass of hot milk. There may only be repeats of the news on TV and text television, but that’s okay. I don’t need anything exciting. I’m curious to see how long I will sleep. I’m hoping for at least 4 hours. That would be nice. Luckily, there’s always the computer.
Have a good night, you all.
Ciao,
Nora
January 6, 2010 at 7:39 pm · Filed under backpain, cappuccinos, card swap, food, hair, house cleaning, house plants, mail, pajamas, post, sisters, sleep, SPN, tobacco shop
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I seem to do well on little sleep today. After I wrote my post very early this morning, I did all the dishes and dried them and put them away and cleaned up the kitchen. Then I cleaned up the living room and swept that floor and the kitchen floor. I changed the cat litter box and put down new newspaper under it for those accidents that are bound to happen. I dusted also, but I see I have to do it again, because of floating around dog and cat hair. That’s what happens when you have black furniture. I watered the plants and threw away the dead roses and then I washed my hair and put in the henna based conditioner and let it sit in my hair for 5 minutes so it would really pick up the color. After all of that, I had breakfast and went to bed for two hours and slept.
When I got up I had a leisurely cup of coffee and a cigarette or two and then got dressed and walked the dog. After that it was time to go to my SPN and I walked over the icy sidewalks to get there and it took me 25 minutes without breaking my neck. It was very treacherous. My SPN and I had cappuccinos which we only do on very special occasions. Normally we drink regular coffee or tea, but sometimes she sneaks in a special treat. We’re working on my agoraphobia and it’s going to take a few sessions.
On the way home I bought some cards for the card swap and I stopped by the tobacconist for my supply of tobacco. When I finally made it home, my face was so cold that I had trouble speaking and I had a runny nose. I made myself a hot cup of coffee and thawed out. Then I went to my sister who I hadn’t seen since she had come back from Italy and we had cappuccinos and looked at all the photos she took and she told me with great enthusiasm about the art exhibitions she had been to in Milan. She had bought another mug for me and I’m getting quite a nice collection now. We’re going grocery shopping first thing tomorrow morning when the store opens at 8 am. She sent me home with homemade pea soup.
When I got home I opened all the mail and none of it was bad, so that was a relief. I made a little stack of the important things and put the rest with the recyclable paper stack. Then I turned on the computer and answered all my emails and that is what I have been doing ever since. I do have a small ache in the middle of my back, but that’s from sitting here too long in the wrong position, so I’m making it a point to sit properly now. I wish I had a harness to tie me to the chair so I would not start to slump.
In a little while I’m going to eat and then I’m going to put my pajamas on and go to bed. It’s been a long enough day for me and I’m ready for it to end. I’ve got a good book and a cozy bedroom. I’ve forgotten to take the Christmas decorations off the lighted branches, so in the bedroom it is still festive. I wonder when I’ll get around to doing that?
Okay people, this was just a short report on my day. As you can see, it went well, considering I had so little sleep. Maybe I’ll do that again tonight. Hunger forces me to end this post now.
Have a great evening.
Ciao,
Nora
January 3, 2010 at 8:44 pm · Filed under anxiety, backpain, cats, grocery shopping, Jesker, medication, post office, psychiatrist, sleep, snow, SPN, supermarket, the Exfactor
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The snow is still here and it is now -6C. That’s not that very cold, of course, as winters go, but it is cold enough for me and I’m glad I’m sitting inside with my warm sweater on. It’s going to be freezing for the next few days, although I don’t think there’s going to be more snow. It isn’t forecast anyway. Underneath the snow the streets are icy, so great care needs to be taken when crossing them.
I went back to bed this morning and slept a few more hours. I think that’s because of the medication I take and the fact that maybe I just need more sleep than the average person. I do think that the medication makes me sleepy, though, but I think that’s a small price to pay for sanity. If that’s all it does to me, then I’m not concerned. I don’t notice me being depressed. The only thing I’m battling with now is this anxiety about going places.
The Exfactor came here this afternoon and went to the store for me. Much to our disappointment, he found out that all the supermarkets were closed and that only the smaller convenience store at the train station was open and he was only able to buy me milk and coffee. Well, that was something anyway and I sure appreciated his effort, especially considering the weather.
I was out of cat food, but I did have one brand of dried dog food that the cats like and I gave them that to eat and they were happy with it. I was out of treats for the dog that he always gets when we get home from our walks or when he’s done a piddle out back, but I had some other very good semi-dried dog food, very chewy and delicious, and I took a handful of that and fed it to him. Well, he loved it so much, that when it was gone, he went to the bag and wanted more of it, so I put some in a little bowl and hand fed him until he had enough of it. So you see, it all depends on how you present the food and he liked it as long as I gave it to him personally. Talk about getting his nutrients in.
Luckily, I had some porridge left and made myself a big bowl of that and now I’m full until tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow I have to go to my SPN and my psychiatrist. I will do this, because those are two of the things I am the least scared of doing. I know that I’m going to a safe place. Now the supermarket and the little post office are right on the way. So on my way home, I can stop by there and mail some packages and do my groceries. That’s the plan, anyway. I should be able to do this, since I’m out on my bike already and I barely have to make a detour. I just have to turn left sooner than I normally would. So far, this is not putting the fear of God in my heart and I think I will pull it off, but it is at the actual moment of departure that I will know the real answer. In a little while, I will hang the shopping bag with the packages on my handle bars and I will put my shopping list in my purse.
And you know what the best thing is? Very soon after that, I get to go to bed! Yup, that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m sitting here with a pain in the middle of my back and I won’t feel that when I’m lying down. I will put my warm flannel pajamas on and be snug and comfortable under my duvet. What do you mean, a sexy negligee? No such thing for me! It’s warmth and comfort that I want. If Prince Charming comes along, I’ll consider wearing a tiara.
Have a nice evening, everyone. I’m going to find a snack.
Ciao,
Nora
Another Splendid Day 