Saturday, June 30, 2018

MRI

This morning I went for my annual breast MRI.  I have to get checked every year to make sure I do not have breast cancer.
I got to the hospital and the tech put in my IV. Seconds later my vein blew. The tech put in another IV. I went to get the MRI and when I laid down the IV kinked. IV number 2 shot. While I was face down in the MRI machine they put another IV in my other arm.  They started the test. About 4/5 of the way through I started to get sick.  I think all that time with the IVs and the lack of fresh air made me sick.  I could not finish.

Until tomorrow...

Friday, June 29, 2018

INDIGO GIRLS CONCERT

Today my friends H and S and I went to see the Indigo Girls in concert.  Yes, I have seen them many times in concert.  I like them and they are fun to see live.

This concert was at an outdoor venue that was a bit high-end.  There was an eclectic group of people there and that was fun for people watching.

The concert was good and they played the songs everyone likes.  We had good seats and it was fun to look at the stars while they sang.

Until tomorrow...

Thursday, June 28, 2018

VEGGIE AND FRUIT DELIVERY #7

This box contained:
  • Watermelon
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Heirloom tomatoes
  • Corn on the cob
  • zucchini
  • apricots
  • spinach
 Yum!

Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

MOVIES

I have been seeing a lot of movies lately.  Not in the theater but at home.  Some good some not so good.

  • Fist Fight
  • Paddington 2
  • The BFG
  • Florence Foster Jenkins
I just needed to watch some movies especially since there is no good TV on this summer.

Until tomorrow...

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

DOG WALKER GONE

My dog walker is gone for the summer.  She is having a baby!  She is having a baby girl.  She had to stop walking dogs in her 8th month.

Now we have our back up dog walker C.  He is great.  Lucky loves him.  Partly because he gives chicken snacks and partly because he takes her to the beach.  She loves the beach.

Until tomorrow...

Monday, June 25, 2018

HAPPI BACK ON MEDS

Happi is back on antibiotics.  She started to get a urinary tract infection again.  The doctor says to keep her on the meds for a month this time.  Poor old gal is having a tough time.

Until tomorrow...

Sunday, June 24, 2018

GAY PRIDE

Today was Gay Pride.  I walked in the Pride Parade.  It was hotter than I expected since the weather people were saying it was going to be in the 60's.  It was easily 80 degrees. It was a fun walk and it moved really fast.  I got in line at 10 am.  We kicked off at 10:45 and I was done by 11:30.  Easy!

I met up with my friend M for a few minutes and then I came home to eat, drink some water and take a bath.  Then I sat outside  in the nice breeze for a while and talked to folks from the East Coast.

It was almost like taking a hike on asphalt.

Until tomorrow...

Saturday, June 23, 2018

BEST PINK SATURDAY EVER!

Okay, my Pink Saturday started out slow.  (Pink Saturday is the day before the Gay Pride Celebration and the day after the Trans March) I got up and went to the supermarket.  I cleaned up the house a bit.  At 2:45 I walked up a hill to my friend's Pink Saturday party.  I always get invited and I always attend even though I hardly know anyone. 

First I need to tell you today was HOT.  I mean blazing hot.  90 degree hot.  I know you think peeshaw that isn't hot but for the north west that is HOT.  We have no air conditioners and no insulation.  I have a flat roof that just sucks up that heat. 

I walked up the hill to the party and I was sweating.  I was also wearing a feather boa (that I bought with my friend S) and it was sticking to my neck making me hotter.  I got to the party and there was no where to cool off.  Most of the shady parts were already taken and I hate being up against someone I don't know in the heat.  So I said my hellos and hugged and kissed and hung around for a few minutes and left.  With all those people there, I will not be missed.

Early in the morning I bought movie tickets to a movie I wanted to see mostly because my neighbor was the editor.  He is a really good film editor and I see all his stuff.  His last movie was on the short list for the Oscars.  I bought the ticket on the off chance that the party was a bust, I could go to the movie.

I walked down and got my ticket and got in line.  The movie was fantastic.  It was called Tonga Leitis in Waiting.  It might get picked up by HBO if you are interested.   It is the story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga Leitis, an intrepid group of transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in the South Pacific Kingdom.  It was funny, interesting, and educational.  I loved it.  I can't say that about most documentaries.  I was not bored for one minute.  Before the movie started the women came out and danced for us.

After the movie I came home.  I could not stay for the Q&A because the dogs had been couped up for too long in the heat.  I fed them and let them out.  I was eating my dinner when I heard this ruckus outside.  It was the group from the movie!  Joey Mataele and the Tonga Leitis and their family.  A huge Tonga group.  I put down my dinner and went outside to tell them how much I enjoyed the movie and Joey had already gone into my neighbor's house.  Remember I said my neighbor was the editor of the movie; he had invited them over after the movie. 

I don't think he was ready for an entire Tonga clan to arrive on his doorstep.  He had chips and salsa on the table.  He scrambled and make some pizza and pasta in a hurry.  I brought over some cookies.  There were easily 40 people in his house. 

The leitis sang and danced and there was music.  It was so much fun.  It sure beat watching Luke Cage!  They were all so gracious.  Joey was so sweet to me.  Welcomed me like she had known me forever. 

It was such a fun day.  Party, movie, party.  Wow!  Now tomorrow I am marching in Gay Pride.  I better get to bed.

Until tomorrow...

Friday, June 22, 2018

EYE DOCTOR UPDATE

I went to the eye doctor for a check-up today. This morning my eye itched horribly. Of course I am not supposed to scratch it so it was torture.

The doctor said the infection looked better. She was happy about that. I still have a bump where the infection is located and I need to continue the antibiotics and the hot packs on my eye.

But there is a new symptom. I have allergic conjunctivitis. It is not like conjunctivitis (pink eye) and is not contagious. It is caused by contact with particles like pollen or mold that your body is sensitized to.  Symptoms may vary from very mild to severe. Itching is the most common symptom from eye allergies. Other symptoms often include stinging, tearing, burning and gritty eyes. The conjunctiva (the thin membrane covering the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelids) will be pink and bloodshot. The area around the color of the eyes can swell causing tiny blisters on the surface of the eye (limbal follicles). These blisters can become cuts in your eyes and once again I can get an infection. So I need to be careful.

So I now have drops to put in my eyes to stop the itching and to wet my eyes. I am also stopping the use of the gel medicine since I think it was drying my eyes out.

Overall a good report with a slight surprise. I have another appointment in two weeks to check in.

I went down to get my t-shirt to wear for Pride. Then I met up with H and M. We are having a heatwave so of course ice cream was a must!

Until tomorrow...

Thursday, June 21, 2018

LOSS OF ELECTRICITY

The power went out today while I was not home. It went out for just over one hour. I could tell by some of the clocks that reset to 12:00.  The most annoying part is now I have to go around and reset all the clocks that plug in.  The microwave, toaster, phone, lights, hot water, etc. It usually takes me about 20-30 min. I haven't done everything yet, I am pacing myself.

I guess I should not complain. My neighbors didn't get their electricity back on until 11:30pm. That was 8 hours! They said they went out to dinner.  I didn't have cable so I could not watch any network TV shows. I watched a Netflix show instead.

My eye is red and tired tonight.

Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

BIRTHDAY

Have you ever had someone's birthday come around and you would swear they are X years old and then you do the math and you find out, oh no, they are Z years old?

I did this today. It is my bird Sunshine's birthday. If you had asked me how old he was I would have said six years old. Boy, was I wrong! Sunny is nine years old. Goodness! I miscalculated that birthday by a long way.

Happy birthday Sunny!

My eye is feeling better but is itching more.

Until tomorrow...

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

EYE INFECTION

I went to the eye doctor this morning and I have an eye infection. I have two things going on:

Blepharitis is an inflamed and swollen eyelid.

Chalazion, pronounced sha-LAY-zee-on, is a cyst-like bump in the upper or lower eyelid caused by inflammation due to a blocked meibomian gland. It may look a bit like a stye. While a stye involves a bacterial infection from a blocked oil gland, a chalazion has no infectious element and may take much longer to resolve.

So I have antibiotics to take twice a day and a cream to put on my eye twice a day.  Plus hot compresses on my eye.

It hurts a lot when I blink or touch my eye. It is painful and itches on the inside by my nose. The doctor is worried and I have to go back to get checked to make sure it is getting better in two days.

I am just happy it is going to get better.

Until tomorrow...

Monday, June 18, 2018

SWOLLEN EYE

Yesterday my eye was bothering me. Like I had something in or it was super dry. It isn't odd for me to feel like this, especially after watching three movies in 24 hours.

I have Sjogrens disease which causes me to have extremely dry eyes. Like I have no tears in my eyes.  I have gritty eyes quite frequently. I hate using fake tears because it makes my eyes feel gummy. 

Today it felt like I had a knife in my eye every time I blinked. After a day of work, I looked at my eye and my upper lid was swollen.  I put hot compresses on my eye to try to stop the swelling. 

I called the doctor and made an appointment for tomorrow morning to have it looked at.  If I can see, I will drive otherwise I will take a cab. 

I am sure it is nothing important. I have had blocked tear ducts before. They are uncomfortable and annoying but not fatal.

Until tomorrow...

Sunday, June 17, 2018

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Just want to wish Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.

I made a dish for dinner.  I had a large burrito for lunch so I am not too hungry.  I had to cook these vegetables before they went bad, so I found this recipe.  Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Skillet Saute.  It is really tasty.

I had a a yellow squash that needed to be used so I substituted it for the zucchini.  It makes the dish look very yellow!

It is very tasty and I love anything with a bunch of fresh corn.

Until tomorrow...

Saturday, June 16, 2018

TRIFECTA OF MOVIES

I saw a trifecta of movies in the last 24 hours.  I saw The Man in the Orange Shirt last night.  It was really good.  Showed the difference in gay life between now and 60-70 years ago.

Then I saw Fun in Boys Shorts.  It is a collection of short films.  I liked most of them.   My favorites were Femme, Don't F**k with England, Matt & Dan Sex Notes, Routine, Manivald and High Rocks.  I know that is most of them but this year I liked more than last year. 

Then later in the day I went to see Incredibles 2.  I LOVED IT!  It was SO worth the 14 year wait.  I hope they make an Incredibles 3.

Until tomorrow...

Friday, June 15, 2018

VEGGIE AND FRUIT DELIVERY #6

I got my box for the next two weeks.  I got:

  • 3 zucchini
  • cantalope
  • 2 grapefruit
  • 2 oranges
  • Green Beans
  • Tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • 3 ears of corn
I have to plan something to make.  The corn looks fresh.  It all looks fresh.
 

Until tomorrow... 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

SHINGLES ZOSTER SHOT

A few days ago I called my primary doctor to ask about getting the new zoster shot. The old shot was a live vaccine so I am not allowed to get it because I am immune compromised. 

Now they have this new zoster shot that is not a live vaccine. My RA doctor wanted me to get it so I could go on this new RA medicine Xeljanz. Unfortunately Xeljanz gives you a higher chance of getting shingles. I do not want shingles.

A few days ago my primary doc said no he didn't want me to get the new shot. It was too risky since it was a New Shot. 

Tonight he called to say that after talking to my RA doc they agreed that the benefits of getting the new shot outweigh the dangers. I asked what the dangers were. I was told that I may get a sore arm.  Okay, I can put up with a sore arm.  Heck, I can barely walk some days. 

Now my primary doc has to get two vials of the shot because I have to have one now and another in 8 weeks. Then I can start taking Xeljanz. 

Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

WORKING AT HOME

I have been working at a client's office for 7 months and at the end of this month is the end of my agreement.  I was sort of looking forward to having a break.  I have not taken a sick day and even though I took a long weekend, I worked other days that week.  I feel like I have not had a day off in seven months.  I kind of need a couple of days off. 

Today they called me in to ask me to stay a month or two longer.  Of course I said yes.  But I said I would if I could work at home most of the time.  That way I don't have to pay for commuting, parking, dog sitting and all the time to commute.  I can roll out of bed and work in my pajamas.  The weather is going to be great, who wouldn't want to work at home? 

Until tomorrow...

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

PLANNING FOR PINK SATURDAY

Each year I get invited to a Pink Saturday party. Each year I have nothing to wear. I own absolutely nothing pink.  I have one shirt that I bought as a joke like 10 years ago the says "Girls just wanna have fun".  It has shiny lettering and cutsy little puffy sleeves. Not like me at all. 

This year I already bought a pink boa. Tonight I went on Amazon to buy a pink shirt. 

You are probably asking why I am going to this length? If you show up with no pink on, you either have to leave or put on one of the community pink items.  I am sick of wearing community pink items. I want to wear my own pink items once a year. 

I will take a photo when I dress up. 

Until tomorrow...

Monday, June 11, 2018

ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Friday was a tough day for me.  I woke up to hear that Anthony Bourdain had committed suicide.  For some reason it hit me hard.  I watch his show pretty religiously so maybe I feel in some way I know him.  A few years ago a dear friend took her life and it hit me rather hard.  When I heard about Anthony Bourdain, it just brought those feelings back.  I could not stop crying and feeling a bit of malaise. 

I tried so hard to get out of the funk.  I finally left my client's office and came home.  I ate some bad food and watched a funny movie.  That helped.  I played with my dogs. That helped more. Then I fell asleep.  That really helped. 

If you feel like you are in crisis or have thoughts of suicide, please call 1-800-273-8255.  Talking can help.

Until tomorrow...

Sunday, June 10, 2018

BACKYARD

Today was such a nice day.  I was supposed to go to an outdoor event but after going food shopping, I decided  to sit in my backyard with the dogs and eat lunch and read a book.  Is it weird to skip something fun because you like sitting in your backyard, eating lunch and reading a book with your dogs at your feet?  I find my backyard relaxing.  In fact it was so relaxing I fell asleep while reading my book. 

Then I cooked some food for dinner: roasted curry cauliflower and Quinoa, Corn, lima bean salad.

Until tomorrow...

Saturday, June 9, 2018

ABANDONED CART

I went for a long walk today.  I had a bunch of errands to do and I decided it was such a nice day, I would walk to most of them.  I walked to the post office to pick up my mail, pharmacy to pick up a prescription for me, library to drop off some DVDs, and then to the veterinary office to pick up Happi's medicine.  I decided to take the bus home.  While I was waiting for the bus, I saw some 20 somethings (drunk) riding a motorized cart from a store.  It was going slow and finally they abandoned it at the bus stop.  I had some time before my bus arrived so I called two local supermarkets to see if it belonged to them but it did not.  I am not sure why they would steal a motorized cart from a store but I guess they thought it would be fun.  I don't think the person who needed that motorized cart would think it was too funny.

Until tomorrow...

Friday, June 8, 2018

WARRIORS WON

The Warriors won!  So exciting. 

Today I was leaving my clients office and I walked by a group of Warrior fans all decked out in their gear, a group of guys dressed up in costumes for Comi-con, and a group of protesters with signs.  Just another Friday.

Until tomorrow...

Thursday, June 7, 2018

CONCERT BY JONATHAN RICHMAN

First, I got the notice from Google that someone tried to hack my Gmail account.  How annoying.  Actually they tried to hack both my gmail accounts.  I got the Alert someone tried to get into your gmail accounts change your password immediately.  Last time I got this email it was because I was out of town and I went in my own gmail email and it set off the alert.  At least I think that is what happened. Or maybe someone where I was tried to hack my accounts.  Who knows?  Anyway, I rushed to change my email passwords to some super long password I will never remember.  Ugh.

I have a neighbor who moved away but is still a friend.  He is a famous musician.  Jonathan Richman.   He was super popular in the 70's and he seems to be pretty popular now.  He was the guitar player in the movie Something about Mary but he hates being remembered by that.  He played tonight and he was great.  I try to see him about once a year.  I saw him last December.  I usually get to see him and his wife.  We catch up.  Sometimes they bring their dog Dexter.  I miss Dexter.  He used to live next door.

Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

BASKETBALL

Tonight was the Warriors vs. Cavaliers game number 3.  The Warriors are up by three.  The Cavaliers are not too happy that they can't seem to win a game in this playoff round. 

It was a good game and the ending was nail biting.  One more game to go and when the Warriors win, it will be over.

Until tomorrow...

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

ELECTION DAY

Today is election day in many places across the country.  It is where I live.  The ballot is 4 double sided large pages.  I am not sure I have ever seen so many things to vote for.  It took me one hour to make my choices and to be honest, I didn't do a very good job of reviewing the issues. There were two things that I didn't understand and just skipped.  I felt I didn't know enough to vote on it. 

I used a very interesting method of voting in my crunch-time voting method.  I looked at who supported an issue and if I supported them, I was more apt to support the issue/person.  It didn't mean I would automatically vote for it, I would just look at it in a different light.  Then if I saw another person/organization that supported the issue, then I would probably vote for it.  I know not a good way to vote but there were local issues, state issues and people to vote for like judges.  How would I know if a person would make a good judge?  Anyway for this election with little time, this is the way I did it. 

Until tomorrow...

Monday, June 4, 2018

NUTRITIONIST

I saw my nutritionist today.  I go to my nutritionist every three months.  I started going when I first got RA to eat healthy for auto immune diseases. 

Then I kept going to lose the weight I gained from the RA drugs.  I gained 60 pounds so I had a lot to loose.  It took a long time. Many years.

Then I kept going when I became vegan and lost the last bit of the weight.  I wanted to make sure I was eating well.

Now I am going because I gained some of the weight back with the thyroid issue.  Now that I have increased the thyroid medication I should lose the weight but it is not falling off.

We talked about what I can do to lose weight the way I did previously.  I did it before by eating measured food sizes five times a day. 

I am going to try this method again and see what happens.  I am already feeling more energy with the increased medication.

Until tomorrow...

Sunday, June 3, 2018

LIBRARY DVD

I have been renting DVDs from the library.  I have been renting audiobooks for some time and just recently I found out I could rent DVDs and bluerays also.  They have the latest movies and only sometimes I have to wait a week or so.  I am thinking of canceling my 1 DVD rental per month from Netflix.  I get the one DVD from Netflix because I like to see the latest movies as soon as they come out and I don't want to pay for each movie on Comcast.  On Netflix I can see many movies a month for my $5.00 or whatever it costs.

I am giving it a few more weeks of trial with the library.  I have been a bit annoyed because they have been repaving the parking lot for 2 months and that makes checking or returning anything from the library a pain in the butt.  When there is a parking lot, I can drive up when they are closed and return items in the slot.  This makes the checking out process super easy.

On the way back from the library I gave myself a treat and stopped by the ice cream store again and I got a double scoop of vegan ice cream and chocolate sorbet.  Yum!

Until tomorrow...

Saturday, June 2, 2018

LOUNGING IN THE BACKYARD

Today was a wonderful day.  I made myself a lunch and took my magazine and iced tea and went out back.  I sat in the backyard with Happi and Lucky laying at my feet.  It was sunny and the slight breeze was flowing through the trees.  I moved my really comfortable chair over to the shade so I could read my book and relax.  I wish I had a way to hang a hammock.  That would have made this day perfect.

Until tomorrow...

Friday, June 1, 2018

CAR AND ICE CREAM

I took my car to the shop today.  Of course on the way to the shop the tick tick ticking didn't happen.  Naturally.  Luckily my car husband found the problem.  It was a metal plate under the car that came loose and was making a ticking.  I think he also tightened up a bunch of other loose things because nothing else seems to be rattling.  He also fixed my drivers seat that was loose.  It feels so not loose.

Once I dropped off the car, I went to the car rental place.  There were two people working and one trainee.  It was moving slow.  I sat down to be patient.  We have all had a first day.  All of a sudden the lady who came in after me disappeared.  I went to see where she went and she was in a rental car.  I was pissed off.  Then she had them set up her bluetooth, show her how to use all aspects of the car (windows, mirror, trunk, radio, etc.) which I understand but I was there first.

The guy in charge says to me "we will get to you next."  I said I was here first I should have been dealt with first.  He went to spoke to the girls and they said what I suspected, the woman bullied her way in front of me.  They finished with her and rushed over to me to apologize and offer me an upgrade.  I said I don't need an upgrade, I am going literally 5 miles.  Just give me the little car and get me out of here I am late.  I left my house at 8:15 am and it was 10 am when I got the rental car.  It was ridiculous.

When I picked up my car, I didn't even think of saying anything but a new manager was there and I asked how my service was. I told her and she credited me.  That made me feel better.

My car is fixed and working good.

My Primary doctor says no to the shingles/zoster vaccine.  It is too new and he worries I will have a problem with it considering my history.

I met my friend for an ice cream benefit for a bike trip.  We got ice cream and the profits went to the bike nonprofit.  Delicious!

Happy Gay Pride Month!!

Until tomorrow...