Done last week (20150719Su - 26Sa)

[mdlbear]

Rough week. I made it through only with help from Emmy and her friends, who were able to do the lifting I needed. Drove to work Thursday and Friday. Got a fairly large amount of work done, including yesterday and today. I'm continuing to lose weight; not entirely clear whether that's due to anxiety or the fact that I've been skipping breakfast. Initially that was because of the back, but now I seem to have gotten used to it.

I'm like a cat. When something is going wrong my first instinct is to crawl off in a corner and hide. Doesn't work.

I suspect that the depression has been killing my ability to focus; now that I'm finally coming out of it I can see the damage it's done, and work to mitigate it. Hopefully.

It's very clear that what makes me vulnerable to QL muscle problems is my love of shoulder bags (and to a lesser extent any unbalanced load). I have switched to backpacks. I have two rolling backpacks, but neither is especially comfortable as a backpack; I'm using the Lenovo backpack I got from $A. On the other hand, my back continues to improve; the last couple of days it's been down to an easily-ignorable ache most of the time. Walking helps, standing hurts. Taking the bus Monday was marginal due to the rough ride; I should be ok now that the pain is down to a manageable level. I've gone from being unable to move without the cane, to finding it more of a hindrance most of the time.

Posted Curio: Memories, pictures, and resources last Sunday, partly in response to a request for links. The raw links are in the notes, slightly updated from what I posted.

0719Su
  * up 6ish; W=203.4, p=.2;
  % very pleased with the weight loss.  Yes, I know appetite loss is a symptom of
    depression.  
  % Very little, if any, pain this morning.
  % Note what makes me vulnerable to QL problems is my shoulder bags, and to a lesser
    extent any unbalanced load.  What sets it off is mostly twisting.
    -> Switch to backpack. 
    -> get and use a shopping trolley
  % 11:17 p=1-2
  % One of the things I miss the most is the jingle of the little bell and tag on his
    collar.  I keep listening for it, or hear a sound in another room and have to remind
    myself that it isn't him.
  @ Bria Fund Supporters for FIP Research
  @ Feline Infectious Peritonitis [pdf] f(Support FIP Research )
    " This ability of the virus to replicate to high levels in monocytes and macrophages
      is critical step to the development of FIP. FIPV are able to spread throughout the
      cat’s body, and are no longer localized in the intestinal tract and so are rarely
      shed into feces. Transmission of FIP from cat to cat is considered to be rare. " 
  @ Feline Infectious Peritonitis and Coronavirus Web Site the "official" link,
    catvirus.com, appears to be broken.
  * Finished  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    by Susan Cain.  Good read; useful.
  % moving slowly is also a symptom of depression.  Duh.
  * uploaded Curio album to steve/Images.
  @ posted mdlbear | Curio: Memories, pictures, and resources
  @ bought Kona's Fight: Tiny Kitten, Big Heart eBook: Deborah Jesson
  % made it through the day with nothing but one dose of aspirin in the morning.

0720Mo
  * up 6:30; W=203.4; 
  * 1:15 - 1g acetaminophen.  Dosage 1g/6-8 hours, max 4g/day
  * 5:30 650mg aspirin.  Dosage 650mg/4 hours max 4g/day
  ~ 9:30 next aspirin dose; would work for acetaminophen too.  merge with PM pill salad
  : Both cats tested positive for exposure to coronavirus.  Not surprising, and not really
    cause for concern at this time.
    
0721Tu
  * 7:00 wake j
  ~ 8:10 j to bus stop (8:20) (Emmy)
  ~ 10am dental (cleaning) -> attempting to reschedule
  * 10:45 Colleen - tube swap.  Take Emmy->Amber along for lifting.
  * 1:30 methocarbamol (500mg), aspirin (650mg)
  & out with N, G, g on errands that needed me.
    ... after which things proceeded to fall completely apart after the YD was 25 minutes
    late meeting j at the bus stop.  It is being Worked On.
    ... meanwhile, I still haven't spoken to Mom since two weeks ago.
  % I feel like my life is falling apart.  I feel like a total failure.  I look at E's
    flaws and see exactly where they come from:  me.

0722We
  * up 4:30; W=203.0; 
  * 7 wake j
  * needs to be at bus stop by 8:20
  * 4:50 be at bus stop to meet j
  * Reasonably productive, especially for a WFH day.  Between getting up at 4:30 and not
    spending 2 hours on the bus...

0723Th
  * up 6:15; W=203;
  * humira
  * 8-5 meeting in Nessie
  * 9:30 Anita Brown (phone)
    2-3 weeks.
  ~ 3pm dentist (cleaning) -> attempting to reschedule
  % back held up through the meeting thanks to my inflatable neck-roll pillow.
  % pain level went up at the very end of the evening; too much standing, I suspect.

0724Fr
  * up 6:15; W=202.2, p=1.5-2
  : Trantor's GPU keeps locking up.  I suspect the nouveau video driver.
  : Now using Cygnus, which has always been rock solid.  I may have to retire Trantor's
    motherboard. 
  * cleaned the .mp4 file out of steve/Images (moved to /mm/video for now) with bfg
    It's cute, but doesn't belong under git control.
  @ BFG Repo-Cleaner by rtyley

0725Sa
  * up 4:30; p-0-1.5;
  * WFH set up test environment, did some refactoring.  Which, it turned out, had already
    been done elsewhere.
  * "apt-get install nvidia-current" on Trantor :P  The bug is marked as fixed, but
    apparently not in 14.04.  I've run into this before.
  * Pay bills: Amex.  One just barely in time.
  * call Union Bank about debit card expiration and lack of replacement card
    -> valid _through_ 8/15, so the correct expiration date is 9/15. :P
    Well, at least I went through all the mail.
  ~ call JimmyZ again -> left message
  ~ Call UW Shoreline Clinic -> will call back
  * reschedule Dr. Chopra ->0817Mo

Comments

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds like a nasty hard time, despite the wonderful help. :/

I'm holding my thumbs for you.

[mdlbear]

Thanks.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

I once saw someone mention that rolling luggage backpacks aren't great as backpacks and they're not great as rolling luggage either. :) I only use mine when going on trips (as it fits very nicely in the overhead luggage bin), but I do generally have to agree that they're not great as backpacks.

[mdlbear]

True, unfortunately. I'm tempted to get a vest.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

A vest is a terrible piece of rolling luggage, just to warn you. :)