I Need More Sleep

I am assuming it is sleep deprivation that is making me grumpy.  No, not grumpy...on edge.  Yes.  Extra sensitive, even more yes.

I have too many work people on my Face-place feed to make this next statement:

If YOU did not put the kettle to boil someone else did.  That someone is PROBABLY the person gathering her things to make tea.  DO NOT plant yourself in front of the kettle thinking you can take the boiling water BEFORE the person who filled and set the kettle to boil.  DO.NOT.

I almost got Mr. Furious on her.  Seriously, it's stupid, and yet (not the best quality, but if you're angry enough you don't see straight anyway):

YEP, need more sleep....

Guilt Post

It's been twice this month since, when commenting on someone else's blog post) I was asked to type in my blog address.  You know, this one, the one I last tried my hand at writing something, in May.  Granted it is still 2014.  And it was Summer (doesn't everyone take Summer off?) Yes, I'm making excuses.

But it was Summer.  And even the Seattle Times was calling it our "neverending" summer.  Because Monday?  Yes, TWO DAYS ago? I kid you not, it was 77 degrees.  Yes, October.  Yes, 77.  Not a type-o.  But then yesterday happened and I guess it's officially Fall now for the rest of the week.

I'd complain more but I haven't actually been leaving work during the hot and humid afternoons.  I've been staying far far FAR too late into the night as I've decided to do something super crazy pants...I've started taking an Accounting class.  Those of you know know me IRL are like, um, "Why? Isn't that what you like do already?"  And yes.  And the fact is (or so my transcripts tell me) I've never taken a business OR accounting class EVER and if I wanted to, oh I dunno, take the CPA exam - NOT THAT I AM, just, you know, in case, I have to have a million (maybe not /that/ many) accounting or business class credits in order to qualify for it.  It doesn't matter that I have multiple degrees, they don't care - okay, they want me to have a BA, but it doesn't matter in what, which is good.  What counts are the units.

I took one Economics class in College.  I'm still not sure if that counts.  If it does then I only need to take like 6 more classes and then the UW Accounting Certificate course...and then I'll be set.  At the rate I'm going it'll take me about... 6 years.  And I've committed to nothing except taking this one class.  I think my coworkers hoped it'd be a "gateway class" that will leave me wanting more.  As it is I am thisclose to signing up for next quarter because we are only using HALF the text book!  This means the other half will be used for the next class and damnit I didn't pay $303 to only use half a book! (Yep, $300 for a textbook, highway robbery.)  So instead I'll pay another $540 (OMG school is expensive) so that I can have been tortured for two whole quarters instead of one!  And by then I'll think, there is only one more course in the series...why not the third...

Okay, I guess I've committed myself to $2k worth of classes, damn you co-workers.

So yeah...this class is not my excuse for not visiting this site.  This is only week three.  But it already seems like I've always had to work until 10 PM.  It's been 17 years since I last took a class.  It's not quite like riding a bike.  Not when you're working 40+ hours a week.

And there's my alarm - yes, timed blogging.  But I think I got enough out for now.

Vacations for Everyone!

The good news is that the person covering for me did not dump everything she didn't get to back on my plate the moment I got back.

The bad news is that the temp, whose contract ended while I was out, did not do the work I assigned her while I was gone...and this wasn't found out until just now...days before our next set of deadlines.  Um, "yey."  (If you can read that in that small voice Cyril - form Archer uses?  Yeah, that's me right now...)

The really really bad news is that I am jet-lagged.  But for why you  might ask?  Because I've been living in THE FUTURE for the last three weeks.  And time travel is no joke.  Just ask my addled system that, though the sun is SHINING IN MY FACE, is utterly convinced it really is the middle of the night tomorrow.  This must be what it's like to go through a summer in the upper latitudes, you know, where the sun doesn't go down?  Yeah.  I understand now.  Not that I ever thought I needed to.

And yet!  I think everyone needs a multi-week vacation.  It is fantabulous!  The whole not being at work?  It takes a whole week for your body to just get used to not being at work!  It's that second week that you finally relax and remember what it feels like for your shoulders to NOT be stuck to the bottom of your earlobes!  It's week three that I started checking work emails...but only, you know, when there was both internet AND down time.  The two did not coincide very often.  Not complaining too much.

And where did I go?  Down under.  And I did not die!

Will I survive this jet lag thing though?  Still remains to be seen.  Must.Find.Caffeine.

The New Normal...

I wasn't due for a booster shot for another 2 or 3 years (I've already started to forget the date, such is my talent.  No really, I completely spaced that Valentine's Day is tomorrow about 20 minutes after ordering my mom's flowers.  It's not that I forget things - yey calendar reminders - it's just that dates are not my thing, it seems.  I know your birthday is sometime in February, or March, or July...and maybe have the date written down somewhere...but if I call or email you ON THE DAY OF, most likely it was serendipity unless I put a calendar reminder to call/email ON THE DAY.  This is the long-winded way of saying I'm sorry if I've missed your birthday this year, I guess.  Heh.  Where was I? Booster shots!) but apparently the last one was prior to PANDEMIC WHOOPING COUGH or whatever increase in worry there is this year, and my doctor disliked the idea of my catching Pertussis.

I too am anti-coughing my lungs out if at all possible, so unlike my avoidance of the flu shot - because I did come out and say, "No, thank you," when they offered, I told them to make it quick and not make me cry too much and just give me TDAP jab on Monday morning.

Insert your favorite curse phrase here.  That tiny little not-even-a-sting?  Barely noticed in the middle of jibby-jabbing with the nurse?  Holy unsuspected boomerang smack, Batman!  I was jolted awake at 3AM Tuesday morning when I rolled onto that shoulder.  And then!  Because it was so freaking sore! I couldn't use my arm to help me roll back off!  I lay there flopping and crying and cursing and generally wondering why I am so good at jolting myself awake in the middle of the night.  This is not a talent I need to cultivate.

It wasn't until after 10 AM that the 2nd dose of Advil finally kicked in enough for me to get dressed.  And it wore off promptly as I got to work.  I had a floppy dead arm because ANY MOVEMENT incited such awesome gobs of pain that yeah, I could even taste it.

The worst, of course, was involuntary or automatic gestures.  You know, like when you shrug your shoulders?  Or, as I found out, and now you will too, apparently, when I find that $3K in a 26 tabbed spreadsheet, along with the my "Yes!" cry of victory, I raise my arms in a Rocky Balboa Philadelphia Steps accomplishment.  This time though?  My cry of victory became a very loud dog-getting-hit-by-a-car whimper, and my left arm only came up a little past a shrug.  The pain was excruciating.

Yes, I know I am a wuss.

I'm just setting the scene here though because after days of no knitting and jolting myself awake and did I mention no knitting?  This morning I got up and started my daily routine and noticed that the pain in my left arm is now about equal to the constant one I feel in my right shoulder (since my bike accident of over 5 years ago - that date thing again) and realized I could totally handle the stinging ache because now, finally, it was at a level I was used to.

Let me rephrase that: The pain, if it so chose, could stop diminishing if it wanted/needed to because we'd reached my "normal."

This thought actually mad me happy for the first few minutes of realization.  You know, before I started wondering what the hell is wrong with me?  Why being in constant pain is something I consider normal.  And if that is the case?  Just how crazypants bad was this soreness (and my aforementioned wuss-ocity) if, with twinges aches and stiffness and lowered mobility, I'm considering myself "all better now?"

People, I am not even 40 yet.  I am so not going to age gracefully.  I hope they perfect the portable morphine drip when the time comes, that's all I'm saying.

There is Trouble In the Gypsy Village*

I took the weekend off.  I had no choice; had I ignored the balloon that my left ankle had become by Friday night, I might have severely injured and possibly incapacitated myself, again.  Seeing as I walk the .8 miles between me and work, and I really and truly can't take time off just now, this is just not an option.

So I joined the 61% of America and binged on not just "QI" (no spoilers, I'm only at Series 9, "I"), "Doctor Who" that I have seen (Season 1, all of "#9's" time),  but also my most recent guilty pleasure, worse than teenaged vampires in Virginia, so please keep this between you and me..."Family Guy" (season 8.  Yes it's horrid, like a train wreck though, I just can't stop watching.) while I kept my leg elevated and furiously knit away on one of two baby hats I needed to have done weeks ago.

I thought I was all better by late this afternoon, as the swelling was gone.  Not that that really means anything and I should know better but la la la, as it doesn't hurt (and it doesn't, this is what really makes this stink) it must be okay, right?  My ankle is not sprained, you see, nor strained.  Not even "bent funny."  The horrible swelling is how my posterior tibial tendonitis lets me know I've been bad.  Or walked too hard, or far, or something; some day I will know that triggers it.  The pain is on the tendon itself, way above the swelling on the inside/back of my shin.  Once triggered it is tender to the touch.  Very very tender.  Accidentally-brush-against-it-with-your-other-foot-while-you-are-sleeping-and-shock-yourself-awake, tender.  Sleeping the last few days?  A bit difficult.  Did I mention this all just sucks?

Anyhow, feeling a bit stir crazy, and getting low on milk, I went off to the store.  By the time I got back...yeah, you guessed it, my sock was threatening to cut off the circulation in my toes.

Grrr.

I know, I know,  I'm too much in a whiney/feel sorry for me mood.  I can't help it.  This was a rough week for me.

It started with jury duty.  I do feel awesome about fulfilling my civic duty.  I do, really, no sarcasm.  I really wish there was less sit-around-and-wait time.  But would it be government if there wasn't?  As this was the first jury duty of 2014, and they had a full docket (thank you "Night Court"), we had to be there the full two days required by the state of Washington to see if we'd be chosen for a jury.  Two very long whole days.  Two very long days where knitting needles (but any kind of crochet hook) were NOT ALLOWED.  Two very long whole days that ended with me going in to work afterwords so that I wouldn't fall too far behind.

I didn't get chosen for a jury.  I'm still torn about whether or not this was good thing.  I kinda wanted to see what it was all about from start to finish, but having gotten to the voir dire portion of the selection (I was one of 50 in my group), I realized that I couldn't be a part of the trial I'd been picked for pretty early on.  My oddball life experiences had me thinking too much...and a bit prejudiced against the system.  Oh, hi, is my Santa Cruz showing?  Working at a global non-profit whose mission is to make the world a better place does not help.  What about the horribleness of this world put the man who was on trial in these straits?  Why did he have no other options?  This is what I wanted answered before I used the logical side of my brain to take in all the information and decide if the State had proven their case.

But we were all excused before we got to this moment.  The accused (innocent until proven guilty), changed his plea.  So no closure.  Just lots of anxiety and questions, and turmoil.  And I was behind on work to boot.  So I spent the next three days working way too many hours and making my head and tummy and shoulders ache.  Because, talent!

By Friday I was exhausted, dehydrated, sore, irritated, and yeah, the ankle thing.  So swollen that walking up the hill home was difficult.  Okay, it doesn't hurt, but it does impede movement.  I should have been paying more attention as to why it was so hard to walk, even down the hall.  See, no excuse.  Except maybe the Cleopatra Syndrome.  You know, heh heh, living on denial?  (The Nile? Hee!  It's late, shoot me.)

And as I was just reminded it is a "school night,"  I need to try to get some sleep.  Ice packs, advil, and traumeel, all ready for me to take to work tomorrow.  Um, yey?


*According to "QI," this is what the direct translation of the Greek phrase they use for "I don't care." This is why you have to watch QI.  Well, and Stephen Fry.  And Alan Davies. And all the awesome comic and science-y guests (Brian Cox!) It's all on youtube.  Go look.