HAPPI DIDNT GET THE RIGHT DOSAGE OF MEDICINE

I got up this morning and Happi had to go pee bright and early.  Unfortunately she peed blood.  I was freaked out.  I called the doctor's office first thing when it opened.  They told me that the antibiotics she was given were not strong enough, she needed double the amount.  I went home and gave her the right amount.  She is not peeing as much but is still peeing blood.

If she is still peeing blood tomorrow I am to call the doctor.  Poor baby is so uncomfortable.

I stayed home almost all day to monitor her progress. 

Until tomorrow...

HAPPI BACK IN THE ER

I had to take Happi to the ER tonight.  She began peeing and could not stop.  I think it is a urinary tract infection.  She has had UTIs before so I am pretty sure she has one again.  The ER could not get a urine sample so they could not verify.  We got some antibiotics and came home.  I gave her the antibiotic and some pain pills and we went to bed.  I had some work to do and she went to sleep.  She was exhausted.

Until tomorrow...

AVENGERS: iNFINITY WARS

I went to see Avengers: Infinity Wars today.  I went the Movie Club.  That includes my friends H and M.  We have a group of folks that go to the movies together. 

H decided to buy us all lanyards and pins for the movies we see together.  Here is the lanyard so far:

A pin for Thor: Ragnarok and a pin for Avengers: Infinity Wars. 





The movie was great!  I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie.  The 2hr and 40 min went by really fast.


Until tomorrow...

TROUBLES GETTING TO THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

This morning I went to the garage to drive to my clients and the lights in my car came on but the car would not start.  I thought I left the door ajar.  With a convertible it is more common since the air pressure with the cloth roof.  I was annoyed since I was already late.  I slept in a bit because of my sore side.

I called AAA and they took almost an hour to come and charge the battery.  The car got started and I got to my clients.  I was only working until 12:45 since I had a doctor's appointment to look at my neck/arm.  I arrived and parked my car in the parking garage. 

I came out at 12:45 and the lights came on in the car as well as the radio.  But alas, the car would not start.  I called AAA and the doctor's office.  I was annoyed that this happened again when the first AAA guy said he tested the battery and said it was fine.  I ate my lunch in a stifling car since I didn't have enough power to lower the windows but enough power to make the ding go off if I left the door ajar.

While I was waiting a very nice woman security guard came by looking for where she parked her car.  I helped her look and she said she would give me a jump when she found her car.  She came back once she found it and jumped me.  I called and canceled the AAA and called my doctor's office and said I would be able to make a later appointment.

I very carefully drove my car to the dealership where my friend works (I was so afraid the car would stall and I would not get it started again. Isn't it funny you never think about your car stalling unless you have one of these situations?) and left it there to get fixed.  While it is there he is going to do all the things my "car husband" needs to do like put air in the tires, change the oil, put in fluids, etc.  I got a taxi to my doctor's office and made the appointment

 My doctor checked out my neck/arm and said I had a pinched nerve.  He thinks when Happi jumped and hit my chin, I saw it coming and tensed and it caused my neck/back to get a pinched nerve.  He gave me some anti-inflammatories and pain killers.  I should be able to sleep.  I did get some sleep last night from some Advil PM and complete exhaustion.  I should be good as new in a few weeks.

Until tomorrow...

SORE SIDE

I couldn't sleep all night. My left side is killing me. I could only lay on my back all night so basically I could not sleep.

Yesterday I was carrying Happi into the backseat of the car when she jumped out of my arms and hit my chin.  I was not in pain right away. I think I was more worried about Happi. She was fine.

I fell asleep last night sitting up and I was not in much pain. Then I woke up at 2am and laid down. That is when the pain set in.  I could not sleep on either side without searing pain. 

This morning I called the doctor to see if I should go to the ER or if my doctor could see me. I have an appt tomorrow afternoon.

Until tomorrow...

ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Tonight I went to my graduate school 35th anniversary with my friend H.  It was an interesting event.  I saw some people I haven't seen in awhile.  No one from my class but some other people.  It took me a long time to graduate since I wrote a thesis instead of taking the test. 

I got home and had about 2.5 hours of work to look forward to.  The thrill of working for myself.

Until tomorrow...

PEARL COUSCOUS SALAD

I made Pearl Couscous Salad.  It is SO good.  I had the recipe for a long time but never made it.  It has couscous and lentils and veggies and raisins and cranberries.  Yum!

It makes enough to give me a side dish for almost all week.  It would also be great for a picnic or potluck.

Until tomorrow...

CARDIOLOGIST APPOINTMENT

I went to the cardiologist today to get a check up.  She gave me the results of the heart monitor I wore a few weeks ago.  Most of the results were what she would expect of someone with Atrial Tachycardia (AT).  One episode was not normal for someone with AT.  She seemed concerned about it.  She called it something I could not catch but as she explained it with AT my heart flutters or races in the upper chamber.  I have had it forever.  I am used to it and the cardiologist says it isn't dangerous (at least right now).

The heart monitor showed something different on March 28 at 2pm.  I had an episode that I marked on the heart monitor where I was sitting at a desk on a conference call.  I don't remember it feeling any different but she said it was very different.  The heart flutter or racing was in the lower chamber.  I think she said it was Supraventricular tachycardia but I could be wrong.  We had a long discussion about what to do.  She wanted to put me on medication and I asked if that was necessary.  She said she would be putting me on medicine to make the palpitations feel better.  I said they don't bother me, I am used to them.  She said it would be purely for my comfort.  I would rather not take medicine for comfort.  She seemed more concerned about the one episode so I said what would make you feel better about that.  She said a stress test.  So I am getting a stress test in a few weeks.  I am excited to do this.  I feel like I should train for it.  I don't know what goes into a stress test.

Once I pass the stress test, I can see her in 6 months.

Oh, I got my state tax refund today.  $47 Woo Hoo!!!  What will I do with it?

Until tomorrow...

AMAZON ECHO

Okay I did it.  I got another Amazon echo.  I do not have an open concept house.  What I have learned is that Echo's do not work very well in old homes that have defined rooms.  The Echo can not hear you from one room to another without yelling.  I did get an Echo remote but I have had nothing but problems with that.  The first one died.  The second one stopped working and I had to go through a long reset up process but it was out of order for some time while I figured it all out.

I got my last Echo during the huge sale in November.  I have been waiting for the Dot to go on sale and it did this week.  I got a white Dot to go in the kitchen.  Now I moved the one echo to the living room and the dot to the kitchen.  I had the echo in the living room but had to have the volume so loud to hear it in the kitchen and had to go into the dining room to turn it down.  It was becoming annoying and since the Dot went on sale, it was worth the cost to just get another one.

I love having the Dot set a timer for me, tell me my calendar in the morning, play music when I am cooking and Amazon is adding more things all the time.  For my birthday my brother's family bought me the Echo buttons so I can play games with the Echo.  I had a friend over and it was fun.  We played a trivia game, a music game where the Echo played a song and we had to guess the title and singer, and we played an anagram game.  It was more fun than I expected.

I don't use the echos as much as I could but it takes retraining your brain to remember to use it.  I tend to pick up my phone, turn it on, and look at my calendar on my phone instead of asking the echo.  The echo is much easier, I just forget to do it.

Until tomorrow...

OFFICE CLEAN UP PART 2

I had my taskrabbit assistant come by today to help me finish cleaning up my office.  I wish I had taken a before photo of the office.  It had become the dumping ground for years.  Not only only the paperwork from my clients but when I got my foster child I moved all the miscellaneous stuff from his room into my office with no place to put it.  So it just got dumped.

My assistant came in today to help me go through piles of client papers, go through boxes of stuff and clean off my desk.  We recycled, organized, filed, threw out and put away mounds of stuff.  This is what it looks like now:

I can actually sit on my chair and sit at my desk.  I can walk on the floor without boxes everywhere.  It was worth having someone come in and make me do it.  I actually want to be in my office again.

Until tomorrow...

EMBARRASSMENT

Today I got home too late and poor Happi had peed on the floor.  She looked very embarrassed.  Isn't it interesting how a dog will look so embarrassed when they pee on the floor even when it is your fault because you didn't get home in time.  I felt horrible for her.  It was all my fault.  Poor baby.

I have to leave my client's office earlier because I get caught in traffic if I stay too late, especially on a Friday.  Everyone trying to leave town makes for horrible traffic.

Until tomorrow...

LUNCH WITH A FRIEND AFTER MY DR APPOINTMENT

Today I had my RA doctor appointment.  My hands and feet have been bothering me but not as much as the fatigue.  I told the doctor and he has a new plan for my treatment.  I am to cut my Plaquenil in half for two weeks.  Then I am to stop taking it altogether.  Then after a few weeks I am to see how I feel.  If I feel worse, I am to call him.  If I feel the same, I wait until my appointment with him.   This is a test to see if the medicine is working anymore.

A few months ago the doctor increased the dose from one pill to two.  It didn't seem to help.  Now we are going the other way to see what happens.  If I feel worse, I am going to be put on a stronger medicine.  It will not be Enbrel or Methotrexate.  Been there, done that.

I also went in to get my feet and hands x-rayed.  I had them x-rayed three years ago and now we can see if there has been any degeneration.  In those three years I have been off the Enbrel.

After this fun morning experience, I met my friend M for lunch.  We met for pizza.  Unfortunately there was a confusion in the ordering of the pizza and we got the wrong pizza.  It had onions and garlic on it and I could not eat it.  The manager had them make us another pizza but it was not the fancy pizza we wanted but it was still good.  It was nice to catch up on a sunny afternoon.

Until tomorrow...

VEGGIE AND FRUIT BOX #3

I got my veggie and fruit box today.  I really planned my box this time.  Last time I didn't plan the ingredients of the box very well and I felt like I didn't get my money's worth and I ran out of food early.

This time here is what I got:

• Carrots
• Beets
• Blueberries
• Kiwi
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Tomatoes

I am excited to grill the asparagus since the sun is going to be shining this weekend.  I just love kiwis and I got them for the third time.  I also love how fresh the beets are.  Now that I know how to cook them so effortlessly, I eat them all the time.  Delicious food.

Until tomorrow...

PAJAMAS AND WORK

Did you know today was Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day?  Do you know anyone who would wear their pajamas to work?  Do you know any workplace who would let you wear your pajamas to work?  In this day of #metoo, do you think wearing pajamas to work is a good thing?  a bad thing?

Sometimes I wear my pajamas to work but I work for myself and I sometimes work at home.  I don't take a shower some days and don't get out of my pajamas.  I would not advise this for people who have to leave their homes.

Until tomorrow...

EMANCIPATION DAY

A bit of education today.  Maybe you were wondering why taxes were not due on April 16th this year like I was.  Here's why:

What is Emancipation Day?  According to Wikipedia, Emancipation Day is a holiday in Washington DC to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act, which president Abraham Lincoln signed on April 16, 1862.  April 16th is a legal holiday in Washington, DC. The observance of Emancipation Day is the reason the deadline for taxes is extended to April 17th in 2018.

According to Wikipedia:

Formal slavery was legal until 1865 in most of the area that is now the United States. Many slaves were of African origin and many slave owners were of European descent, although some other groups also had slaves. By 1860, there were about four million slaves in the United States. On April 16, 1862, Abraham Lincoln, who was the US president at the time, signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, which freed more than 3000 slaves in the District of Columbia. However, slavery did not officially end in the rest of the United States until after the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 until 1865.

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution formally ended slavery in the US. It was proposed on January 31, 1865, and ratified by 30 of the then 36 states in the same year. However, it was only ratified in Mississippi in 1995. Slavery and the racial divisions, upon which it was based, have had and continue to have huge implications for individuals and American society as a whole.

There is the answer to why taxes are not due on April 16th this year.  There is a local holiday in Washington, DC.

Until tomorrow...

SUN FATIGUE

I was stupid yesterday.  I was outside in the sun for too long without sunscreen or a hat or sunglasses or any covering.  The sun makes me so fatigued.  I am so tired today.  I could barely get off the couch.  I kept saying to myself that at the end of this show, I will get up and do something.  Then I would fall asleep and be useless.

I need to talk to the doctor about this.  I have googled it and there are a ton of folks with RA who say they have the same thing.  I am not the only person who has terrible fatigue after being in direct sunlight.

Until tomorrow...

THE DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM

Today I took my friend's foster kid to The Presidio and to The Disney Family Museum.  The Disney Family Museum is less about the animation and the movies and more about Walt and his family.  It shows how he became an animator and creator of movies.  It also tells the story of how he created Disneyland.  There is a diorama of Disneyland from back in the day.

Then we had a picnic and went to see the Warming Hut and viewed the Golden Gate Bridge. It was such a clear and sunny day.

I should really bring the dogs down to have a picnic and go for a walk.

Until tomorrow...

ANIMATED MOVIES

I just love watching animated movies.  I have many of them on DVD and the newer ones digitally.  I find myself popping one in when I am doing things like my taxes or some mindless work.  I have seen them all so I don't need to pay much attention so they end up being like background noise, especially since many of them have musical components.

I have everything from the old ones like Bambi and Dumbo to the newest ones like Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3.  I have some early Disney ones that are fun to watch.

I think about how much work it takes to make an animated movie.  The drawing, music and voices.  The work to put it all together.  It is all magic.

Until tomorrow...

DRIVING

I was driving down the road today and a person pulled their car out of a parking lot in front of me.  She was pulling out without looking and I beeped at her.  She then looked at me and beeped at me!  I went around her and she just stared at me.  I think she forgot the rule that when you are entering crossing traffic it is look left then right then left again to make sure no one is coming.

There was no accident thank goodness.  Just some slight irritation.

Until tomorrow...

CURTAIN

I found a curtain in my bathroom that has a stain.  It took me a while to figure out why it had a stain.  It is a large stain.  After a long investigation, I figured out that during a particularly strong windy rain storm, some water must have leaked in through the window and pooled in the curtain.  It then left a stain when it dried.

I have no idea how to clean it or how to get the stain out.  I also have no idea how the water got in but that can be the only answer.

Until tomorrow...

PARKING RED ZONE

Today I came home from work and went to park in my garage.  Alas, someone was parked in my red zone.  I have a red zone that makes it so I can park in my garage.  If people park in the red zone, I can't get in my garage because my house is on an angle.

Well, there was a car parked in the red zone.  I called the city to have it towed.  The guy showed up 40 minutes later.  He ran the plates and it turned out it was someone who lived on my block in an apartment building.  Against my better judgement, I listened to my nice side and agreed to have him ticket the car and go and get the owner to move it.  Big mistake.

I thought I was being nice considering I could ticket and tow it.  I usually do that.  Get it gone so I can get my car in or out.  Not this time.

He goes and gets the girl and she takes her time coming out.  She comes out and says I will move it.  I say Please don't park here again.  She says Why so threatening?  (In my head I say, this is not threatening...)  I said I just asked you not to park it here again or next time I will tow it.  She said I don't know what more I can say.  I am not sure what was said next but she finally moved the car.  The Parking Enforcement guy was there the whole time.

I put my car in the garage and went inside.  The doorbell rang and some guy was standing there.  It was her boyfriend (I figured out).  He proceeded to read me the riot act about how I ruined his girlfriends day.  I said what about how she ruined my evening?  He said he was listening to the whole thing (I didn't see him outside so I doubt it).  He wanted to know why I could not park somewhere else.  I said this is my driveway and garage.  This is my home and where I park.  He questioned whether I can get in the garage with her car in the red zone.  I said he could take that up with Parking Enforcement, many have already.  (He will lose.)  He wanted to know why she could not just stay parking there and why she had to move her car.  He wanted to know why only 1/2 of the curb is painted red.  (that is because I pay to have my part of the curb painted red at the cost $320 each time it gets painted. My neighbor doesn't need his part of the curb painted so he doesn't want to pay $320.)  It is hard to explain to a screaming guy a complicated situation.  When he started calling me rude and incredulous (does he know what that means?) I closed the door on him.  I don't put up with name calling.

Okay I was annoyed.  I was also annoyed that she was acting like it was my problem.  Why couldn't I just park somewhere else?  Why couldn't I just get over it?  Why couldn't I just squeeze my car in the driveway?  Why am I making a deal about this?  How dare I give her a ticket?  How dare I threaten her.  

Lesson learned.  I thought I was being nice this time since they live in the neighborhood by letting the Parking Enforcement guy go get them and let them move the car.  Well, I won't do that again.  I am going back to my regular Ticket & Tow.  That way I don't have to see them or deal with them.  They come to get their car and it is gone.  They see the red zone and they figure it out. Nothing is worth this drama.

Until tomorrow... 

HOT

It was actually hot today. I went out at lunchtime in just a shirt. Some people were out in short sleeved shirts. It was just that hot and sunny out.

I look at the weather map and can not believe it is cold and snowing all over the country.  It is mid April!

I don't think it will be quite so hot tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

SEEDY COLE SLAW

Tonight I made Seedy Coleslaw.  It didn't turn out as good as I thought it would.  It is still good but not as good.  It looks pretty.

I will be eating coleslaw for the whole week!

Until tomorrow...

TARGET SHOPPING

I finally went to Target.  I live where there are few box stores so when I need to shop at one, I have o drive to it.  I wait until I have a long list and then I make a trip to Target. 

I went today and bought the usual: paper products, garbage bags, dishwasher soap, soap refills, and some personal products like deodorant and toothpaste.  Of course who can go to Target without walking around and checking things out?  I looked at the clothes and bought a biking jacket.  All my biking jackets are either blue or purple or grey so I wanted one in another color.  I got this one in a sort of red color.  I wear them all the time so I wanted another one. 

It was fun to do a little shopping today.

I came home and watched the movie McFarland USA.  It was really much better than I thought it would.

Until tomorrow...

VEGGIE BOX 2

I got my veggie box. I love my veggie box delivery. This time I am planning on making seedy Cole slaw.  Then I have to think of something else to make with the rest of the cabbage. 

This time I got:
* Cabbage
* Red cabbage
* Red beets
* Kiwi
* Tomatoes
* Carrots
* Kumquats

They also threw in celery for free.

 

Until tomorrow...

HORRIBLE WEATHER COMING

We are expecting a giant storm tonight.  They are calling it an Atmospheric River.

Atmospheric Rivers are long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.

 When the weather comes from Hawaii it is called the Pineapple Express.  The weather folks are saying it will be very humid and rainy for the next couple of days.  We will feel like we are in Florida.

Until tomorrow...

THEATRE

Last night I went to see a wonderful play. It was a drama written by the author about his parents experiences during and after the Vietnam war. His parents escaped the war, came to America and fell in love.

It was funny and heart felt. It was great.

Until tomorrow...

DENTIST

Today I went to the dentist to get my 6 month check up.  During my last check up my new dental office offered me a "dental plan" for people who do not have dental insurance. I pay a set price and it covers two cleanings plus x-rays plus 20% off any other dental work for one year. So I went in today and it cost me nothing today.

I also got a clean bill of dental health.

Until tomorrow...

ANT INVASION

For about a week and a half I have had an ant invasion.  I can't figure out where they are coming from or what they want.  They are not going for water.  They are not somewhere where there is food or isn't food anymore.  I put nutmeg on all the openings (ants hate nutmeg) because I won't use pesticides.  I only see an ant or two.  I kill them and then I see more.  It drives me crazy. 

I clean, I vacuum, I sweep, I wipe.  They are still there.  Then finally the other day, they are gone.  Not an ant to be found.  Yippee!

Until tomorrow...

EASTER IN THE PARK

I was planning on spending Easter at home with Happi and Lucky doing some work when I got a text from a friend asking if I wanted to go to the park.  Every year there is a big festival in the park for Easter.  I said Yes!  I packed up and made some lunch and off we went.

The park was packed. We found a spot and staked our claim. We had food and drink and good company.  We watched the entertainment. When it started to get cool we packed up and went home.

It was a nice way to spend Easter.

Until tomorrow...