Faint

Monstermustdie passed out yesterday and had a laceration above his eye from landing on his wire frame glasses. 

They did the usual tests in the emergency room but found no reason for the blackout,  which scared everyone in the room at Splashworks.  

We have no idea why it happened. One minute, he was standing behind me while everyone was talking at work on Tuesday, where we had an event that lead to a short work-day and a visit from him while I was there. Then he did a face-plant on the floor. The EMS and the emergency room doctors found nothing really wrong with him. His blood pressure was low but not too low. His potassium was low. He was sweating and nauseous. Thankfully, no damage was done by the fall other than the cut on his face made by his glasses.

Easter 2021

 It's been an interesting Easter weekend again. 

I was off work from my temp job for Good Friday. K and I decided to hang out and bake Spring Quiche together. Then MonsterMustDie wanted to go to IKEA in Charlotte and K had plans to look there for things to go in their new house too so, since we're all podmates, we went together. MonsterMustDie was anxious the entire day but stuck it out for us and said he would only go shopping by himself in the future. K and I wanted to look at furniture and necessary objects while he just wanted to grab more solar lights for the backyard and leave. Once we got back from IKEA, MonsterMustDie stayed in High Point while K and I went to Greensboro to do some final grocery shopping and start the cooking at her house. She wanted to get the entire thing cooked that night and I was enjoying the kitchen hangout. Our husbands joined us in the kitchen and we ordered shwarma dinner takeout while the quiche baked. The plan was for me and to join them for lunch the next day to eat quiche and I'd bring a big chunk of it home to MonsterMustDie. He had enough socializing to last the week and wanted to relax at home. 

K texted me on Saturday morning to say she was taking her husband to the emergency room at Duke in Durham, a hospital she trusted. They were at ReStore to buy a beautiful desk they'd been looking at that was marked down when he had a spell of tinging numbness on his left side and felt suddenly off balance. As it turns out, he's been having similar, milder things like that happening for the last 6 months but when he had the worst one yet while they were out shopping, he had to admit it had been happening to her.  Saturday was off. He was kept overnight for multiple tests and observation. I truly believe the rest of the weekend would be spent quietly at home, staying in touch with K on his condition. We offered to check on their house, "fill and empty the dog" as they refer to it, and whatever else she needed. We all worried that Bob was in danger of having a stroke. She decided to come home rather than spend the night in a hospital chair and go back in the morning. 

Sunday morning, the hospital in Durham released Bob. They came home to Greensboro. He claimed to be rested and feeling well and they both wanted to have an Easter dinner with the beautiful untouched quiche in their fridge and roasted lamb and Spring vegetables. They needed that. Both of us came to their house at 5PM and had a celebratory dinner with them and their former next-door neighbors, all of us in various stages of vaccination - ok, I'm the only person with only one shot so far and they're all complete in their vaccinations - and enjoyed our first social gathering in over a year.  

Now, it's Monday morning and I am receiving my second Pfizer vaccine shot today at 10:00 AM. Then I plan to go to work. Hopefully, I will feel well enough to work tomorrow too but I'll just have to wait to see how I feel once the final vaccine shot sets in. 

Well, that was a surprise

We were watching videos of local law enforcement officers in Atlanta being completely unapologetic about racist, anti-Asian remarks they made and I was bemoaning that conservative news programs were referring to the spas where the murders of the 8 women took place as massage parlors. I really expected him to be just as appalled with journalists taking cheap shots at the victims but I got just the opposite reaction from him. 

MonsterMustDie, rather than agreeing with my sentiment, insisted that all spas are brothels and he would not back down on that statement. In his mind, that includes spas that I've been to with friends because he insists all spas have other activities going on in back.  

 I guess this is why men never have any interest in spa days. He says they're all, at the very least, jack-shacks. If that is the majority belief, that all of the women who were killed were prostitutes, no one is going to see much wrong with what happened. 

bad brain

I walked into the den last night and saw Monstermustdie watching a StarWars movie he had just seen last Friday. He had no memory of watching it five days ago. At first,  I didn't think much of it because he has a habit of repeatedly watching the same movies or anime series over and over but I asked him why he wasn't watching the next chapter of the series and he insisted he had not seen it before. 

My health is not great these days

Friday,  February 5th started with a migraine headache that had me in bed for 36 hours. 

Based on the advice of friends, I had my third Covid19 test on February 8th. That test came out negative, just like all the tests prior that we've both had. the healthcare worker who administered the test agreed with my friends that the headache the weekend before could have been Covid... but it wasn't after all, I am happy to know. I think the headache was just caused by a combination of stress, dehydation, and the antibiotics I had just been on for a UTI. Antibiotics do trigger headaches for me some times. I'd still prefer the pain of a paralyzing migraine any time instead of a UTI. 

Friday, February 13 I woke up with UTI symptoms again. Then, the power went out at 7:30 AM. I was saved by friends  - I remembered I still had some extra antibiotics for the UTI, given to me by a fantastic friend who had extra and sent them to me. The power stayed off all day but our pod-mates in Greensboro who still had electricity at their house and invited us - and the cat- to stay there until the power was restored. Fortunately it was back by the end of the day. We went home after dinner to a warm home.  

 Last week, MonsterMustDie got his second Covid19 vaccine shot. At least one of us has health insurance and is now vaccinated.

MonsterMustDie seems to be loosing his mind lately. Last Saturday, he was more inebriated than I've seen him in a long time, nodding off during our saturday Zoom with friends. His speech was slurred. I don't know what motivated him to get so wasted that day but I went to bed that night while he stayed on the couch with the beer he wanted to finish, just staring into space. He was back in his right mind the next day with no hangover, apparently. 

Today, MonsterMustDie is back to having memory problems. He is repeating the same questions over and over and he can't use the TV remote. I don't know if that is early signs of dementia or too much alcohol again. Probably a little of both, unfortunately. I really wish I knew how to take care of him when he fails. I don't know anything about these things and we don't really have a local support network here - we have two very good friends who live in Greensboro and that's it other than some of John's former work friends. He seems to be fading but he can't see it in himself. 

There are good days and bad days. There are some very strange behaviors that he's into now. I found out recently that he still has a bunch of old electronics in his car that he told me he took to recycling months ago. He lied. He's just taken all the trash out of the house and is keeping it in his car now. He's drinking a lot more now. He is impossible to talk to about any of this. He just gets angry and shuts me down and I am not able to argue. 

I think I need a vacation.

post-holidays

I went back to work at my temp job this morning. Most of the day so far for me has been searching for lost or missing files to update and refine under proper titles. It's an extremely slow process across the network. 

Yesterday was spent pacing around the house and snacking. I couldn't make myself go out into the cold, dreich weather outside to escape the house for a while. There was nothing I really needed and nowhere to go so I couldn't find enough motivation to step out. The weather is 10-day forecast is mostly the same. 

One thing I hope accomplish soon,  now that holidays are past,  is to get a plumber to fix whatever is dysfunctional in the kitchen at Casa WereMonster. The new sink drains at a snail's pace. We still can't use the new disposal unit and the new dishwasher has to be closely monitored because water backs up into the sink. Monstermustdie is useless for overseeing work on the house other than being there to let people in and calling me when it's time to pay for it. Thankfully,  things are very casual and close by where I'm working at the moment. 

New Year 2021

We spent New Years eve with Bob & Karen here at Casa WereMonater. I started cooking mince pies that I finished today.  I also made onion dip from scratch that was quite good. Looks like I might stick with that method next time. 

Monstermustdie made Hopping John and greens for dinner today. 

My first try at baking mince pies

dinner with pomegranate juice & Hopping John 

sharing too much?

 Worried that my workplace is running out of luck health-wise. Two weeks ago the girlfriend of the son of my nearest coworker had her entire family test positive for Covid after Thanksgiving. My coworker and his wife both got tested and came out negative.

But this week at work, someone thought it would be a great idea for a holiday potluck tomorrow and as I was leaving tonight, one of the production workers exiting with me said she was on her way to a funeral immediately after work. None of the production people downstair wear masks or practice social distancing. I think I'm going to have to shower with disinfectant and burn all my clothing when I get home from work tomorrow.

Adventures in Online Retail Therapy

 I am isolated here in High Point, North Carolina but that's actually not an unusual feeling for me here. These quarantine times make the experience common for more people. The shops are too packed with people unmasked who refuse to believe Covid19 is more than a common cold. Outside, the only signs of life are large construction projects taking place on the roads that promise good transportation in the future. 

Sometimes I get too anxious or depressed and I give in to the temptation of online shopping, the traditional entertainment of the women of my people, people who no longer speak or write to me anymore. My friends - my chosen family - are still there and still constant and I am thankful every day for them. 

This week I gave into temptation and purchased the NPR wine club package. The box of wine arrived today and it looks like a year's worth of vino. It's a lot of wine, all with labels that mention NPR and various shows they have. The box they came in had a Virgin logo on it. It's probably good that I didn't know they were the source or I might not have purchased it. I love you, Richard Branson, but Virgin Wines is not your best project. Still, I will remain open minded and sample everything over the course of the following months before judging them. 

on the mend

 I am finally feeling better today. The oddest thing sticking around is a sore head. Not a headache but a head that is actually sore around my temples, jaws, and forehead. It's a weird sensation like I've been in a fight. Otherwise, things are good - I'm eating and drinking again. I'm especially glad to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee and a solid lunch. Yesterday evening, MonsterMustDie picked up a light dinner at Little Tokoyo of salad, miso soup, and a handroll, which was a very satisfying. I actually saved the yet-undressed salad for lunch today -I added the ginger dressing and put a chopped fried chicken tender on top for a very filling meal. 

It's sunny now. I should probably go outside to move my body and get things flowing. 

double plus unwell today

 I had the first of two shingles vaccinations as well as a flu vaccine a couple of months ago with very few side effects other than lethargy for a few days. Last Tuesday I got the second of the two-part shingles vaccine and it kicked my ass. By Wednesday afternoon, I had to leave work early. I took a hot soak and put myself to bed for the rest of the day. I had really strange dreams of my body and the pain it was in being in layers and sections like a digital file. I've spent most of today in bed with an incredible headache and inability to eat. Even my teeth hurt. I hope I'm on the upswing tomorrow. 

kitchen renovation is proceeding

We just had a new countertop installed this afternoon. After they left, I saw the new range hood we installed yesterday now has a dent in it.

Yesterday,  Monstermustdie pulled out the small cabinet in the kitchen and discovered a long-hiddn electrical outlet behind it. He says he will cut an opening inside the cabinet to access it. 

You should see how the decided to install our new sink.

The least he could do

 Today is demolition day for the old countertop and tile in the bathroom. The stone company is scheduled to install the new countertop on Thursday. I am paying for all of this with my savings. All of it. The contractor doing the demo work today is supposed to be here between 8:30 and 9:30 AM.  

At 9:00 AM, I see a white truck back up the driveway and call to MonsterMustDie that the contractor is here. As it turns out, this is not the contractor. It is a man from the City Of High Point who tells MonsterMustDie that our house is scheduled for disconnection of water and electricity by High Point Utilities today. 

His circus. His Monkeys. 

It was a pretty good Tuesday

They delivered the new dishwasher and took the old one away. The new dishwasher is sitting in the middle of our kitchen now, waiting to be installed with a new water filter system, stainless steel sink and disposal unit after we have the new countertop in.  

Tuesday, MonsterMustDie and I went to the Greensboro Arboretum park and had a very good walk and look around most of the park. I was scoping areas for a picnic later. There are just a few tables with benches in a shady area behind the office at the entrance but there are several grassy lawns where people are allowed to spread out blankets and lounge. The park looks good with new plantings and freshly mowed grass and the weather is just beginning to cool before fall sets in. 

After the park, we stopped into Target CVS where, at the urging of MonsterMustDie, I finally got my first ever flu shot and the first part of the shingles vaccine. Mission accomplished. 

When I got home, there were two packages for me - one in the mail from California and one on my doorstep from Atlanta. Both of them contained surprise delights from women I love. 

Wednesday, I spent the day with no energy but otherwise feeling fine with no tenderness where I had the injections. The lethargy was the only vague symptom of the shots and that might have just been my crazy sleep parterns for all I know. 

Thursday, I was back to my usual spinning around the house bored and trying to avoid  impulse buying online or driving my car too much before I take it in for its regular maintenance, which is due now. I have to mind the upkeep on that for my splendid Kia warranty.  

Now I need to create a purpose for myself today. The news is filled with 9-11 memorials this morning which is, ironically, a welcome reprieve from too much political madness.