A blog about my life with rheumatoid arthritis and all that goes along with it. The ups and downs. The highs and lows. The laughter and the tears. Sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?!
Saturday, June 30, 2018
MRI
Friday, June 29, 2018
INDIGO GIRLS CONCERT
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
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Corn on the cob
- zucchini
- apricots
- spinach
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
MOVIES
- Fist Fight
- Paddington 2
- The BFG
- Florence Foster Jenkins
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
DOG WALKER GONE
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
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, June 24, 2018
GAY PRIDE
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
- 3 zucchini
- cantalope
- 2 grapefruit
- 2 oranges
- Green Beans
- Tomatoes
- Carrots
- 3 ears of corn
Until tomorrow...
Thursday, June 14, 2018
SHINGLES ZOSTER SHOT
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
WORKING AT HOME
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
Monday, June 11, 2018
ANTHONY BOURDAIN
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
Then I cooked some food for dinner: roasted curry cauliflower and Quinoa, Corn, lima bean salad.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, June 9, 2018
ABANDONED CART
Until tomorrow...
Friday, June 8, 2018
WARRIORS WON
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
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
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
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
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 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
Until tomorrow...
Friday, June 1, 2018
CAR AND ICE CREAM
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...