Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

11:25 and the counter has reached 615. That's nine numbers in 90 minutes, or 10 minutes per number. With 41 more numbers to go, I'd guess I have another 410 minutes to wait, or 6 hours and 50 minutes. I shouldn't have brought lunch. I should have brought lunch and dinner. My back is already killing me. I hope I don't end up lying on this stinking floor. I shouldn't have brought lunch & dinner. I should have brought lunch & dinner and a chair to sit in. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

12:04 and I've snagged a proper chair! My back is very happy. The LED is now saying 623 which is 17 numbers in 123 minutes or about 7¼ minutes per number. Or only 3:52 more to wait.

Phone is discharging fast so will stop playing games on it and go back to the book. I was a fool not to bring my big power bank with me, but it's too late to worry about that now.

[Netfoot]

1:27 PM. We've got to 636 and I only have 20 more to wait. At 7.2 minutes per number it will be another 2:24 minutes. That should take me til 3:51 which would be exactly 6 hours.

But we run into another problem if it takes longer than anticipated. They close for the day at 4:30 and probably stop doing any work an hour before then. So I might spend the day here and get sent home to come back tomorrow and start all over again.

Fingers crossed. 

[Netfoot]

Moving apace! 650 on the board and it's only 2:17 PM. 

ETA: 654 at 2:30 and I am excited! But I should prepare for them to tell me that I've waited in the wrong queue or something and that I have to do it all over again tomorrow. 

48 numbers in 281 minutes. That would indicate a wait if only 10-12 more minutes!

Edited November 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

At 2:48 the number jumped from 654 to 659. I was like "WTF?!??" and went in to ask what had happened. "You missed your turn. You will have to pull another number!"

I spoke a few words in a particular voice and the clerk said "I, uh, will try to help you!"

So, I got my appointment to see the doctor. It's for the 4th of March.

Next time you hear some idiot talking about Universal Health Care, remember this: Universal Health Care excels at taking months, sometimes years, before they provide you with the care you need. And if you die in the mean time? Well, that solves the problem, doesn't it?

Edited November 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

How do they figure you missed your turn if they never called your number? That is infuriating!

Edited November 6, 2023 by b4pjoe

[Spunkygal]

The 4th of …… March?! Almost four months from now? Oh hell. 

[Netfoot]

12 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

The 4th of …… March?! Almost four months from now? Oh hell. 

Well, I met with him on 15th May and he promised to call me with a date for the biopsy. After waiting months, I called him at his office and asked him what was the holdup.

He said:

1. You should not call me at the office, you should get an appointment to see me at QEH
2. You lie! I never promised to call you!

So I have made an appointment to see him at QEH as instructed. He only wasted 10ish months during which the cancer has been growing and spreading, but hey! Not his  problem, right?

Gotta go collect my laundry. Taking Mo and a cricket bat.

[andidante]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

So, I got my appointment to see the doctor. It's for the 4th of March.

Next time you hear some idiot talking about Universal Health Care, remember this: Universal Health Care excels at taking months, sometimes years, before they provide you with the care you need. And if you die in the mean time? Well, that solves the problem, doesn't it?

You have GOT to be kidding me! I am so sorry! I can't even imagine...

Can Dr. Kristi help with this at all????

Edited November 7, 2023 by andidante

[Netfoot]

13 hours ago, andidante said:

Can Dr. Kristi help with this at all????

No. If a doctor works a certain amount per week at the hospital, they have hospital credentials. Sr. Dr. K does not work at the hospital so she can not take any direct action. She can contact a colleague and ask them to do something to help, but the guy who is responsible for the 10 month delay in treatment is someone she reached out to last time. So there is nothing more she can do.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Glory Box by Portishead. Great. Beth Gibbons's vocals can be so tremulous and scared-sounding, and some squawky guitar backing plus some vinyl 33 RPM scratches can set you in a very different frame of mind.

On the way home from QEH I stopped to get a prescription for my eye. Dr. Gabby has recommended drops. Of If there is no improvement in one week I go to an ophthalmologist or  another opt-sonmething-ist. I guess I can easily go back to QEH and make an appointment to see one. Funnily enough, my eye has not troubled me since I got the prescription, but I will still go and fill it tomorrow.

Went to pick up my laundry. Made the mistake to take Mo with me. Because the car was already parked outside the gate, I put Mo on the lead to cover the three foot journey from gate to car. The gate opened and Mo pulled his head out of his collar and lead me a merry chase all over the neighborhood. It took a good 10 minutes chasing on foot and with the van before I was able to sink my fingers into his fur and hump him to the car.

Dinner was tuna sandwiches. Didn't enjoy them much but I wasn't hungry anyway.

Tomorrow is the first Tuesday of the month. I think I will take Mo for a short drive and see if the ladies still erect a book-tent. (I'm pretty sure they do.) I can get the eye drops on the same journey. I think I reached page 81 or 82 while waiting at the hospital today. I read a few more pages just now, but I'm feeling tired (again) and have put the book down. Mo just arrived on bed so I will lock up and blowout the candles.

It's been dry today for a change. Puppy isn't drying off on the bedclothes. He's wriggling around on his back, making snarly noises and (now) digging a hole through the pillows. Ok, he's now satisfied with his nest and has settled into it so I will go lock up.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

When I got up this morning, there was no internet. Sometimes my computer disconnects from the router and I have to unload the device driver and reload it before I can bring up networking again. However, the phone also had no internet via my wifi and the computer was able to connect to the router itself. So seeing as there was nothing wrong with the equipment... I tried to double-check that the bill had been paid - issued on the 8th, due on the 21st, paid on the 18th, so that isn't the problem. (But it's amazing how difficult it is to get anything done when you are offline!) I walked over to the mall and went to the Telco office. Island wide. And since my hardline telephone is on the same fiber-to-my-door as the internet... Internet connectivity was restored around 1:30 PM.

I bought the eye drops. They cost more than all my other meds for the month, our together. And of course, the eye has not given me a moments trouble ever since I saw the sawbones.

I also took Mo to see the book-tent ladies. They were pleased to see him but since it poured with rain this morning (with occasional but epic thunder & lightning thrown on) it wasn't practical for them to spend much time fussing over him. Instead they huddled under their rather fine tent and worked to keep their books dry. I actually bought one, despite the fact that I only went there to buy dogfood and eye drops, and the dogfood only if the price was as low as elsewhere - which it was.

Watched two movies this afternoon. One was called The Last Rifleman and starred Pierce Brosnan. It's based on the true story of a 92 year old who broke out of the retirement home to attend the 75th reunion of his WW-II regiment in Normandie. The other movie was called The Great Escaper starring Michael Caine and was based upon the exact same event! There was sufficient "artistic license" taken to make the two movies different enough that there was no real feeling of rewatching the same story. The only thing is, having seen one director's idea of the truth followed by separate director's idea of the truth, I would really like to know what the actual truth is!

It dried up by late afternoon and Mo and I did our Garden Patrol with dry feet. There is a funny red light flickering upon a utility pole near my house. It was there last night, too. Can't figure out what it is and I can't see much in the dark. But it doesn't look like high-voltage arcing. I've seen that time enough and it doesn't look like this.

Also bought a new bottle of talcum powder. Only, it seems you can't actually get talcum powder any more. It's all that "corn starch" rubbish (ie: flour) and the last thing I want happening in my shorts on a hot day is a cake getting baked! But as I've said for years: "You don't get to buy what you want. You have to settle for what ever crap they decide to sell you!"

Listening to Maria Muldaur. Never was a fan but I like this song: Midnight At The Oasis. You won't be too surprised to hear this song is 50 years old.

I have a birthday coming up, and it amuses me to consider that I am ⅔ of a century old. In fact, I passed that milestone in mid July. I wonder what I was doing on that date?

Mo was here a while ago, trying to fashion a nest out of my legs. The legs weren't cooperating, unfortunately, so he gave up and departed. He's probably sleeping in the floor in the passage. But when I switch the lights off, I expect him to join me in very short order.

Woke up this morning with a very urgent need to pee. And there was considerable pain. Not from meeting itself, but my low, left side back hurt like the devil. Bad enough I had difficulty getting into the bathroom. The pain ceased after the bladder was emptied.

Have to go job-hunting tomorrow. Trouble is, it will be a pretty difficult task, given the economic landscape. Most companies are trying to downsize, not take on more staff. And there are also lots of people waiting to grab up any job that is going.

Anyway, the rain has started to fall and there is a heavenly grumble in the distant sky. So I am going to lock up and go into full snuggle mode with my Mr. Snuggles.

I feel like I had more to tell but I can't remember what, now. So I guess it couldn't have been important.

[Ancaster]

On 11/6/2023 at 12:57 PM, Spunkygal said:

The 4th of …… March?! Almost four months from now? Oh hell. 

I have a Long Covid related appointment in December that was the first available date when I made it back in July.

@Netfoot  You mentioned Ian Rankin a while ago.  Have you read any Val McDermid?  Another gritty, dark, Scottish crime writer who I enjoy.

Also, I want to see The Great Escaper but it hasn't opened in The States yet.  🙁

Edited November 8, 2023 by Ancaster

[Netfoot]

6 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Have you read any Val McDermid?

I'm not sure. The name does not ring a bell, but I may have picked one up and read it at some stage. I've briefly googled but none of the book titles are ringing any particularly loud bells either. Some seem familiar, but many have common phrases for a title which perhaps resonate with the story, but make a positive ID of the book difficult. I've also read the blurb of a few of these recognizable titles but agtain, no flash of memory.

So possibly, but perhaps not. I will keep the name in mind and if I see one on sale somewhere I will pick it up and give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I have a birthday coming up, and it amuses me to consider that I am ⅔ of a century old. In fact, I passed that milestone in mid July. I wonder what I was doing on that date?

I have looked back, and on my ⅔ Century day, I was broke, had no telephone or internet, and was getting threatened by the bank and the electric company. The sales at Brighton were essentially zero, and life looked bleak.

Now I have no job, I wonder how long it will be before I'm back in the same position?

[Netfoot]

Renewing my driver's license. It expires this month. It's now 11:44. Been here about 5 minutes trying to get this page to load via their ultra-slow public wifi.

My number is 23. They are currently on 89. The place is about 90% full. Mo is in the car. I'm not staying here for any huge length of time because I don't want to leave Mozie in the car for long.

Sometimes this place is a nightmare with hours of lining up. Or, you might be in and out in 2 minutes. At least they have seats!

ETA: Woah! Just jumped to 92! I'm guessing that 90 & 91 just "missed their turn."

Edited November 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's 12:59 and the number is 17. 

I just popped out again and checked on Mo. I've been checking on him and he is doing OK but I bought a icy drink from a street vendor ("five-finger ginger & lemon") and diluted it with water to give him a cool drink to enjoy. He drank his fill and I left the remainder in a cup in a cup-holder he can easily help himself from. 

I hope this process is quick (once I reach the head of the queue) but fear I may have to spend some time getting my photo taken for the new license.

After 70, I will only be able to get my license for one year at a time and will have to provide a doctor's certificate saying that I'm fit to drive. I think I will renew for two years and when I'm 69 I will try for three. 

Here I am talking as if I expect to reach 69, far less into my 70s....

Edited November 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

13:30 and it's done!

Except for the actual printing of the new card. I'm the only person in here so hopefully not too long a process. Checked Mo again, he's fine. S A bit sorry I brought him given that he's spent so long in the car, but it can't be helped now.

Tried getting a two-year renewal and the guy said "One, three or five!" A three year is only $75 so I said "I should have asked for five!" His response: "No, because of your age." So they have that loophole covered. Not really surprised, nut but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

13:43 and Mo & I are heading home!

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

13:30 and it's done!

Except for the actual printing of the new card. I'm the only person in here so hopefully not too long a process. Checked Mo again, he's fine. S bit sorry I brought him given that he's spent so long in the car, but it can't be helped now.

Tried getting a two-year renewal and the guy said "One, three or five!" A three year is only $75 so I said "I should have asked for five!" His response: "No, because of your age." So they have that loophole covered. Not really surprised, nut I thought I'd give it a shot.

That's too bad - like you said though, worth a try, and at least it's done for this year.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Ancaster

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

That's too bad - like you said though, worth a try, and at least it's done for this year.

I signed up for three years. 

Your driver's licence expires on the last day of your birth-month of the year you're paid up to. My birthday is next week so I had to get it done before the end of this month. Having renewed for three, I will have to renew again in November of 2026. At which time I will be allowed to renew for only one year at a time and only with a certificate from the doctor saying I am fit to drive.

Getting the certificate isn't difficult. It isn't like you have to pass any tests. Your doctor simply has to affirm that they believe your age hasn't impaired your ability to drive. I don't think I'd have any difficulty today, but three years from now, who knows? 

[Netfoot]

The thing about queueing for extended periods is that it ruins a whole day. I spent essentially five hours in QEH earlier this week, and when my turn came it took about 2 minutes. Today was nothing like as bad - the time was shorter (around 2 hours) and there were chairs for me to sit on. But even though I had to wait to process my request then wait for the card to be printed I spent less than 2 minutes at the counters. 

But whether it's two hours or five, it is so frustrating you don't want to do anything else afterwards!

In both cases I was dealing with government and in both cases the process could have been streamlined. Their computer could have identified that my license was due for renewal, sent me an email with a link to payment methods and once the license was paid for, they could have sent it to me in the mail. Similarly, I could have made a request to go to the clinic at QEH via an online process and been given a date & time without my having left home.

Why don't they do it that way? Because a small army of clerks and cashiers, etc, would no longer be needed. Unemployment would rise, and this would not look good to the electorate.

So instead, I had to waste seven hours this week, and if you think about it, dozens of other people had to do the same.

Anyway, I came home and cooked a pot of rice with tuna, black beans and pak choy. Tasted good but the pot was quite full and there was a good portion left in the bowl when I put it on the floor. Dinner then, was PB&J on stale white.

Listening to an instrumental piece called La Femme D'Argent by a duo from Versailles called Air. It's one of two French artists I listen to from time to time, the other being Rinôçérôse, another duet, this time based in Montpellier.

Mo was just here but he spotted an empty Ensure bottle on the bedside table and promptly stole it and scurried off. He is well fed tonight, having had his own breakfast, a share of my rice at lunch, the votes cores of two Gala apples I ate this afternoon and at least two bites from each of my PB&Js tonight, plus his own dinner. To tell you the truth I don't feel much like food these days. Sometimes I get hungry and would happily eat a nice meal or even a simple one assuming it tasted OK, but just can't be bothered to cook one. I think this feeling is one that many feel and cater to by relying on fast food joints. But I can't be spending money on fast food at this stage.

Anyway, it is not too late but I will try and get a chapter of my book in before turning out the lights. You need to have a paperback in your back pocket when you get in a queue at a government office. 

Look who's back! And looking out the window, of course.....

Edited November 9, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

As our Garden Patrol came to an end, Mo stopped, looked over his shoulder for a few seconds, and turned around. We did our patrol twice tonight, for some reason. I don't know why, but that's OK. 

Listening to Pale September from Fiona Apple's album Tidal. Funnily enough, first time I heard this album, I hated every single moment of it! But following the advice of some sage on the internet to "Listen to music you don't like for 15 minutes each day," I listened to it several times and suddenly found that I liked what I was hearing. It has become a favourite and I am so glad I followed the advice of that sage because of that. I can't say I am a huge FA fan. I know very little of her. All I can remember is hearing that she suffered from some strange eating disorder. She could only eat food that colour-coordinated with the clothes she was wearing. Or something equally unlikely. Don't remember where I heard this. It might very well be bullshit.

Had a huge bowl of spaghetti for dinner. With a simple sauce of corned beef, onions and pak choy, with garlic powder.bthevsauce was not particularly saucy. Could have added red beans (or black) as well as tomato sauce. But chose to stir the pasta with the dryish sauce and melt butter over it all before sticking in my fork. I didn't even leave any for Mo to try. After all, he ate half my lunch of Eclipse biscuits with cheese & cucumber followed by more crackers with PB&J. I even had a Gala apple for a bedtime snack and after drinking half my water straight out of the glass, he then demanded his share of the apple. The trouble is, there is nothing he doesn't eat. Raw cucumber, carrot and even pak choy stems. Hell, he loves raw potato! And he has a huge sweet tooth. So he is very fond of apple, banana, mango - anything with a sweet taste. I gave him the core of the apple which he ate in its entirety. Even the seeds and the toenail bits.

It has been a variable day. Rainy and dry in parts. We've been getting a lot of this, if not pouring with rain with tremendous flashes of lightning and huge claps of thunder. Not sure what tomorrow will be like. I'm hoping for dry, but cloudy and therefore cooler. It's been hot but nothing like August/September. I hope I never experience anything like that ever again. Not without industrial strength A/C and a large glass of cool fruit juice. (I almost said a lime daiquiri but then I remembered I don't drink any more.)

The house is locked up and Mo is bogarting my pillows and washing his feet. I will read for a while then douse the lights and get some sleep.

Oh yeah - that flickery red light is still on the utility pole near our house. I should really go have a look in daylight but I never remember in the morning..

Edited November 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The Rain Song by Led Zeppelin from Houses Of The Holy. This song had recently grown in my affection and I love it. Sometimes a band gets a reputation for a particular sound and when they produce something else, there is often criticism. This song doesn't (in my opinion) confirm to the casual listeners expectation of LZ. Another example from a different album & band: Paranoid by Black Sabbath. Ozzy Osbourne. I.mran, I mean, you know what you're going to get, right? And then you get Planet Caravan which is definitely what you were expecting.

(Continuing...)

Went job hunting today and it was a difficult and unusual pursuit. But I handed out my Abbreviated CV (on paper and as a PDF as preferred) and honestly I'm not confident anyone will call me back. Companies are all looking to shed staff these days, not take on more. But I will keep going.

Not feeling very well tonight. My eyes were troubling me enough that I opened the bottle of eye drops and applied as instructed. My eyes immediately felt 10 times worse and started streaming tears! My nose (which had been running slightly all day) really started running, and I can taste the medicine in the back of my throat. Which doesn't help the sore throat and cough I'm developing. All of this made difficult by the fact that I'm having trouble blowing my nose due to some unusual mechanism that sometimes prevents me from exhaling through my nose.

Another Saturday approaches and I'm not sure if I should try Brighton market tomorrow. I went to collect my last paycheque this afternoon, and as I was going past the building where you go for new ID cards, I popped in to ask about the procedure. Three minutes later I came out with the job done and a date (24th) to come back and pick up my freshly printed card!

Then, down the highway driving into a sky getting blacker by the minute to deposit my pay in the bank. After that I wanted to buy a new cylinder of gas for the stove but the Rubis station at Wildey I usually buy gas from was closed a month or two ago for renovations and currently looks like a bomb hit it. So I went to Kendal Hill Rubis. Only, they demanded cash and I'd just deposited my cash in the bank! Never mind, we will get gas for the stove when we get gas for the car. The stove still burns, but I think it's getting pretty low by now.

With a very gloomy sky overhead, I then went next door to Popular supermarket to buy a liter of milk. The express line was 35 people long so I put the milk back on the shelf and decided to risk the run down to PriceLo for milk. Made it in time to get home just as the skies opened. Went inside and made a cup of coffee which I drank while brooding about the fact that I forgot to go to the pharmacy at PriceLo. 

So didn't get much really achieved today. Unexpectedly got the jump on getting a new ID card and got my pay in the bank. But failed to get a cylinder of gas or my monthly prescription. And with the weather definitely on the damp side, the sky still very stormy looking and my head, face, eyes, sinuses and throat feeling like I drank muriatic acid by mistake, I don't know that I want to get out of bed at 5:00 tomorrow and go to Brighton Market. 

Mo has just joined me and is lying right behind me. He is playing some game which involves lots of snarling and wriggling. Now he is lying quietly with his head in my armpit...

I'm so glad this little boy came to live with me. I don't think I could keep it together without his antics and pranks to distract me.

Anyway, I'm not feeling at my best and my eyes are burning so I think I will stop surfing the net on this phone and kill the lights. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I definitely wasn't going to Brighton this morning! Except Mo woke me at 5:15 and I figured what the hell!

It was wet. The car park guy said "Don't go back any more! There is a sea of mud behind you! Park right there!" I went in and it was damp. Alison said many vendors called to cancel. I did get to talk to Mark who I was hoping to see. A few other friends as well. But the rain kept falling in showers and I decided not to stay to the end. 

There was someone parked directly in front of me! I had to reverse into the "sea of mud" and promptly got stuck. Car park guy directed me to turn down-slope which is the opposite direction to where I wanted to go, but he pointed out a gap in the bushes that lead to the lower road, and with a push from his shoulder to get me going, away I went.

Stopped at the gas station and bought that cylinder of gas for the stove, because I stopped at the ATM to get cash. Home now, with my eyes still running. Going to put drops in it again now, and hope it doesn't set them burning again.

Thinking about sausages for lunch. Maybe in bread. I guess that would make them hotdogs?

[andidante]

10 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Stopped at the gas station and bought that cylinder of gas for the stove, because I stopped at the ATM to get cash. Home now, with my eyes still running. Going to put drops in it again now, and hope it doesn't set them burning again.

Thinking about sausages for lunch. Maybe in bread. I guess that would make them hotdogs?

I wonder if you should ask the doctor for different drops? That does not seem to be the way they should work!

[Browncoat]

Yeah, I don't think I'd use those drops again.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Yeah, I don't think I'd use those drops again.

I did try them again and no discomfort this time, so I guess...??

Had fried sausage and a super-thin omelette with sausage in bread. A sausage & egg dog with onion? I did cook an extra sausage for Mo. And he got some of the egg too. FYI: sausage, egg and fried onion in a salt bread with mayo? A slippery mess. A number of skewers to hold it together would have worked, but the eating would have tricky, with the careful extraction of skewers in just the right order so as to keep the sandwich together without skewering my tongue or something daft.

I think with the off-and-on heavy showers, I may retire to bed this afternoon and read/nap a little. Maybe Mo will join me for a cuddle now and again. I may also have a cup of tea. Either before, during or after bed. Or before, during and after bed.

Going to fill the kettle now!

[b4pjoe]

If you have an infection in your eyes drops probably will burn the first time you use them because there is an infection. And not having them burn on the second dose indicates that the first dose was working.

[Netfoot]

The driveway was dry-ish when Mo & I did our Garden Patrol. But the grass itself was beaded with moisture. Dew? Raindrops? Not sure. All I know is that despite there being no puddles, my shoes came back soaking wet.

I used the drops again, and it caused no burning, but my eyes still hurt. The drops are not soothing so I hope they are for healing! One thing they do bring about is an enormous quantity of tears & weeping. It's been several hours and my right eye in particular (which now troubles me more than the left) is still running. I'm also suffering from a very runny nose, to the extent that I've brought a roll of paper towels to bed with me. So, runny nose, weepy eyes, sore throat and a cough that may only be occasional but sandpapers my throat each time.

Listening to S.Y.M.M. by Manic Street Preachers. The title stands for 'South Yorkshire Mass Murderer' and laments the death of nearly 100 football fans, caused by overcrowding in the stands, after the cops opened additional gates into the stadium. An inquiry which concluded nobody was to blame has been widely described as a cover-up.

Mo was here a moment ago, leaning up on me and yawning.

I hope that is a sign he will sleep through the night. He normally wakes me between 1:30 and 2:00 each morning to be let out. I let him in again at crack o' dawn when I get up for a pee. But it would be nice to sleep through without being awoken by his loud barking in my ear. I fondly remember Dotty, who would wake me if necessary by sitting by the bed and saying "r-ruff!" in an incredibly quiet voice. Highly effective, and no threat to my eardrums at all! Unlike Mo.

My eyes are weepy, my nose is runny, my throat is sore... The only good thing is the headache had not started yet. I say "yet" because I'm willing to bet.....

Ok, so I think I should try and find a spot, a position to lie I which is relatively comfortable, and from which I can switch off the lights. I have nothing to treat the cough & cold symptoms with so tomorrow I will go out and buy Histal tablets and suck down a few. And the sooner that happens, the better for me. And the sooner I get to sleep the sooner that happens...

[Netfoot]

My eyes are troubling me again, and my nose is very runny which increases the overall discomfort. I just found a Histal and took it; hoping it eases the runny nose a bit. Spent all day doing virtually nothing because I'm overall too sicky-sicky to lift a finger. 

5omorrow I was to resume my job-hunting efforts by visiting potential employers and at the least leaving a CV with them. I don't know that this will happen. No sense making yourself presentable and introducing yourself to people when you are honking into a tissue every 9 seconds and your eyes are streaming like an old garden tap!

But I have to go at least as far as the pharmacy to renew my prescriptions and while I'm at it, I'll buy a bunch more Histal. 

Uneventful Garden Patrol tonight. Some breeze blowing and it feels like we might get rain in the night. It rained in the night last night and I had to pull the window down so it wouldn't wet Mo and I. There has not been any rain to speak of today but there is a smell of rain on the air and a certain feeling of damp and chill as well.

Listening to Sweet Lorraine by Uriah Heep. This band was big when I was a kid but can't say I've heard anything of them since. Let me Google... Hmm. Seems they are still performing but the lineup had changed over and over, so only lead guitarist Mick Box remains from the original five. I remember a story about Box describing a live performance by the band during which he supposedly played so hard he made himself physically ill. I'd have suspected hard drugs as the cause, but what do I know? I also remember the distinctive artwork for their Demons & Wizards album cover, and how surprised I was to discover semi pornographic imagery concealed therein.

I think it must be some sort of flu but it is quite unpleasant and has come at a very inconvenient time.

I don't know where Mo is. He usually follows me to bed fairly soon after I go in, even if he soon goes out again. I have a small (32g) bag of salted peanuts here which I'm waiting to share with him but if he doesn't come soon, he just might lose his share.

My phone just froze solid and rebooted itself but this message was recovered afterwards, all barring about 3-4 words. I've had long rants completely disappear without trace so I am well pleased to have this message saved. Of course, you may think it unfortunate that these ramblings we're not wiped from digital reality so you wouldn't have to deal with it!

Well, I think I will go out and lock up. If Mo chooses to join me, we will share these nuts. Otherwise I will bogart them all.  Sleep might be better than the sniff/sob experience I'm living right now. 

When I was younger, I was fairly stoic about illness and the treatment thereof. But after the experience I had at QEH when I got all the skin grafts and the 27 months of occupational therapy that followed, I've become a very difficult patient. I don't want to be stuck with needles. What ever painkiller the doctor prescribes, I wand double doses. Feeling ill is no fun at all. It makes me miserable and cranky. Even something as mild as a cold or a headache and I react like it's bubonic plague!

Yes. Door, peanuts, lights, sleep.

[Spunkygal]

I hope the Histal works. Just get some rest and maybe make some soup!

[Netfoot]

It did rain during the night and I had to close the window. Mo insisted on being let out at about 1:30 and I let him in again around 4:30. He was very snuggly and loving while he was inside.

Went to the pharmacy as early as possible, and the glare made me almost blind. My eyes are super sensitive to light and so I came home, l took a Histal and went to bed. Mo may have visited but if so, I was not aware of his presence since I slept solidly. Alarm for lunchtime meds just woke me. I will take the meds and prolly go back to bed. Maybe I will cook lunch. Depends how I feel when I get up. Which I guess I will do now...

Edited November 13, 2023 by Netfoot

[Browncoat]

It seems like you're having an adverse reaction to the eye drops.  Your eyes should feel better after the drops, not worse!  

[Netfoot]

Bread & butter for lunch. Still feeling crook. The drops don't irritate my eyes or make them worse, but they don't seem to be helping much. Adding extra liquid to eyes that are streaming all day just make them worse from that perspective, but drops of plain old water would as well.

Wild Rodriguez by War. This off their album "Peace Sign". I quote that album title because the album actually has no textual name it just has a large peace sign on the cover and so people call it that.

There are a couple such albums that have only unofficial names. Another example is "Led Zeppelin IV" which is actually untitled. 

Was planning to have pasta with minced beef & beans (black or red as the fancy struck me). Possibly some pak choy, some cucumber, definitely some onion, and some tomato sauce, with garlic powder.... But had a cup of tea instead. Hungry but not able to cook. This ticked Mo off. He gets stroppy when he comes for "his share" of my dinner, only to find out I'm not eating anything. I suspect I've spoiled him just a little bit. 

Managed to finish my book. Probably a good thing since reading is hard with my eyes constantly weeping. Hell, watching videos on the computer is hard enough. 

I usually shower each night before bed, as well as any time circumstances dictate, such as when I'm feeling grubby. But when I have any sort of cold, cough or flu I avoid the shower if at all possible. I think if you are all sniffly, it doesn't help to drench yourself with water any more than absolutely necessary. But tonight it seems that there was an excess of grubb so I was forced to have a shower. I feel much cleaner and fresher now, but also somehow sicker. Probably psychosomatic. 

Anyway, it's after midnight and I want to go to sleep. So I'll end here and go lock up before I sack out. My phone is almost out of juice anyway...

[Netfoot]

In bed. Had another shower tonight - didn't feel all that stinky but I like taking a shower before bed. 

Had another uneventful day. Did cook my rigatoni with minced beef, onion, tomato sauce & black beans, and seasoned it with garlic and oregano. Had half for lunch and half for dinner.

Mo had a can of cat food over his chow. Here's how that happened. When I have the cash to buy groceries, I like to buy him a treat. It might be a pair of pig-ears or a tin of meaty Purina or similar. A few weeks ago I accidentally bought a tin of cat food. (It had a label nearly identical to the dog food of the same brand.) I reconned it wouldn't be bad for him but I did my research and discovered that while an extended diet of cat food would not be a great idea, one tin would be fine. So I put it over his usual chow and he polished it right off.

Mo does eat pretty much anything. When cooking I have to slip him pieces of raw cucumber, carrot, pak choy (stems), even raw potato. He has a sweet tooth for pastries, bread & jam, and honestly, I don't think I've ever offered him anything he did not accept and eat. With his lithe form, I'd suspect he was being under-fed but if that were so, he would not walk away from his bowl and leave food behind - which he frequently does do, returning later when he gets hungry to finish it off. 

My eyes are no better. I think tomorrow will be a week I've been using the drops. Dr. Gabby did say that if there was no improvement in a week I'd have to go to an eye specialist. Of course, since I can't afford one, I'll have to go line up at QEH again, and get an appointment to see one. Next March, probably.

Mo is looking out the window again. He spent much of the day in the gloom of the passage, sleeping on the cool tiles. This so he will be wide awake to prowl around all night. Wait, now he has decided to cuddle up with me...

No, he's back at the window again.

Anyway, tomorrow is a landmark day of sorts for me as it's my birthday. I never make a fuss about it and virtually nobody remembers as a result, which suits me fine. In fact, I would guess that the only person who is going to remember is my niece Rob who lives in Canada. I used to see her and her family (three brothers, two kids and one husband) once a year or so, right up until CV19 and subsequently *nomics has made traveling very difficult. 

Apart from two aching feet, a bad knee, painful hips, a rotting kidney, shoulders that twinge, and s pair of eyes that have battery acid in them, I have now developed the mother of all stiff necks. And when I went outside today to give Mo some peanut butter (with the last of his steroids concealed within) I stepped into direct sunlight and it was like being blinded by an arc welder. I don't know how to deal with this. I don't own any dark glasses. I wonder if I could make something like snow glasses by taping a sheet of thin card across my specs and cutting a fine slit in it? May experiment tomorrow. But in the mean time, I have a ghost of an idea how Count dracula feels when the rising sun catches him outside his coffin.

Maybe it's just time I got into mine!

Anyway, it's after midnight and Mo is still looking out the window. No, he has curled up in my armpit again and is giving me a wonderful view of the beautiful whiskers on the back of his ears... No he's back at the window. So as I was saying, time for me to kill the lights and get some sleep.

With the aid of the sun he had developed some gorgeous red-blonde streaking in his Mohican.

PS: i) Yes, his Mohican needs brushing.

ii) Don't make a fuss about my birthday tomorrow. It only embarrassed me.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Silky ear-whiskers!

Edited November 15, 2023 by Netfoot

[Mr. Sparkle]

I'm going to say Happy Birthday anyway! 

[b4pjoe]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

I'm going to say Happy Birthday anyway! 

Me too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[Spunkygal]

Same here! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NETFOOT! 

[andidante]

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a good day. 

[Notabug]

Happy birthday, Netfoot!

You should know by now not to tell us what not to do!

[Browncoat]

Happy Birthday, Netfoot!  

[Netfoot]

Hmph. Last time I tell youse guys anyfink!

Diana Ross sings Endless Love with a male accompanist who sounds very much like Lionel Richie! How would I find out for sure, one way or the other? Googling... Yes, it is Lionel Richie, and apparently he wrote the song, his first single after leaving The Commodores. Maybe it should be Lionel Richie sings Endless Love, accompanied by Diana Ross?

Mo was just here and I released the clasp on his collar to give his neck a goof ruffle. He immediately got very agitated and I had to put the collar back on again immediately. He doesn't like you to take his collar off and if you do you have to immediately put it where he can get it so he knows you are not stealing it. I used to take Buddy's and Dotty's collars off from time to time and let them sleep without them. During lockdown Bud didn't wear his collar for 56 days! I doubt Mo could get to sleep at all without his collar being in place.

He is currently sitting on my left arm, and largely blocking my view of my phone which I am holding in my left hand.

Eyes feeling slightly better. They do still weep sometimes and they do still burn sometimes but maybe not so much as before? Of course they weep copiously when I put the drops in. 

Made a thin stew or thick soup with vegetables and added some corned beef. Potato, carrot, cucumber, red beans, garlic powder and a little pepper. Could have added some pak choy but forgot about it. Served with a knob of red butter, the stew really didn't need anything else - it was quite tasty and more than sufficient. I left a generous amount in the bowl for Mo. I almost scoffed the lot, it was that good! But in the end I let my boy enjoy some too.

Otherwise didn't do much but watch movies. While watching The Hunger Games II I spotted a familiar looking face. Checking with IMDb I confirmed that it was indeed Alan Ritchson who plays the part of Jack Reacher in the TV series. (Season 2 starts 15th December, I think.) Playing the part of one of the other tributes.

Well, I've started reading a Terry Pratchett novel called The Truth about the introduction of the printing press to the city of Ankh-Morpork, rapidly followed by first one and then a second newspaper. I like Pratchett's ludicrous antics and goings on in Ankh-Morpork and the surrounding countryside. So I am going to sign off now, read a chapter and then try to get to sleep. 

[Netfoot]

Just in case you think this no longer happens.....

And I still have not recovered it!

[Netfoot]

Woke this morning to find the rain howling down... and a soaking wet dog surfing along the length of my body - from feet to head - drying off. After about six passes, he thankfully went away and left me in peace.

For about 90 seconds! Then he was back, soaking wet again. More daddy-surfing before he finally left me in peace.

For another 90 seconds! Then he was back! And I was again subjected to wet-dog abuse! Then he departed once more.

For another 90 seconds! But this time the rain had stopped and I was up and looking for my other Croc. Photos above followed. This required going out into the weak, watery, early-morning sunlight and having my eyes seared as a result.

The missing shoe has now been recovered. My method was to catch the thieving little Monster, tuck him under one arm, and collecting the Croc while he was not free to intervene. 

Looks like SpaceX will attempt a Starship launch tomorrow...

Edited November 16, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

An observation on mayonnaise.

When you have spooned the last of the mayo out of the jar, the jar is not really empty. Because there is residual mayo still sticking to the inside of the jar. By carefully scraping with a spoon, you can extract more mayo from the jar! This process of scraping the jar until it is empty leaves fine, white lines of mayo between the scrape lines. But of course, those white lines are also mayo. So a second scraping can extract even more mayo from the jar, leaving even finer white lines between scrape lines. And once again, those finer lines are mayo. And additional scraping can deliver more mayo from the supposedly empty jar.

Taken to the limit, the conclusion is obvious: you can not empty a mayo jar! There will always be more mayo to be extracted!

The real reason people discard "empty" mayo jars is not because they are really empty. It is because the people are too lazy to extract the remaining mayo!

And this principle can be applied to every type of food and every type of container.

Now, you may think this is bull, but I offer the following clear, unequivocal evidence:

Mo knows that this packet of Eclipse Biscuits (crackers) is not, as it may appear, empty. Therefore he has rescued it from the trash so he can extract more biscuit/cracker for his enjoyment!

[Netfoot]

It's howling down again. We had the two hottest months in recorded history, and now it seems we are having the wettest.  Last time I saw Mo he was snuggled up in bed and I would join him except I have a few things to do...

[Netfoot]

Another do-nothing day.

Had crackers for lunch and another vegetable & corned beef stew for dinner. Potatoes, broccoli, carrot, onion, pak choy, black beans and corned beef. Very similar to yesterday but with broccoli & pak choy replacing the cucumber.

Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Dury had the look of a thug and the manner of a true gentleman. His death was announced on XFM radio by none other than Bob Geldof in 1998 and members of the public called in to express their dismay and sorrow at the news. One of these callers was Dury himself! It seems someone hoaxed Geldof and Dury felt he had to humorously reassure listeners that he was not in fact "dearly departed" after all.

Mo is here with me, snoozing in/on a nest he made from the top sheet. Oh, wait! He has abandoned his nest and is now kicking me in the butt, wriggling around on his back and making strange noises if I don't rub his tummy. Annnnnd now he's gone. I was about to say I was going to lock the door and get to sleep but now I will wait for his return. 

No sign of rain detected on Garden Patrol. In fact, the concrete walkway on the North side of the house which was under an inch of water this morning during the Croc Recovery Exercise is now dry. Or at least only very slightly damp. But downpours in the night are not entirely ruled out and tomorrow? Who knows?

Anyway, I think I will actually get out of bed and go make myself a cup of tea. When I've polished that off, I will return to bed and commune with Mr. Pratchett and his fictitious Ankh-Moporkian characters. Maybe I can find a YT video I've not already watched while I drink my tea.

[Netfoot]

I think my eyes are marginally better! Still painful moments but less so than before? Maybe? Dunno. Will keep going and decide later.

Set off on Garden Patrol but Mo was immediately distracted by his food bowl. I carried on without him until I got to the far end of the garden. Then I extinguished my torch and stood in deep shadow to wait. Pretty soon Mozie-Pozie came rushing around the corner. Not spotting me immediately he came to a screeching halt and looked anxiously from one patch of shadow to the other. It didn't take him long to find me, and he came like a ticket rocket to join me for the remainder of the patrol. I let him lead and he examined everything to make sure all was in order (it usually is) and went to the gate to look out for possible threats on the approach. This usually indicates he's done patrolling for now.

Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye. Not much you can say, is there? The Prince of Motown sings one of his best known and most successful tracks.

Crackers for (with peanut butter) and s simple bowl of rice for dinner: pigeon peas, carrot and onion with corned beef and spiced with garlic. 

Little rain if any - I can't actually recall any rainfall today but that doesn't mean anything. It is dry outside but not parched. 

Starship didn't launch this morning, due to an issue with a grid-fin actuator, but that was to have been corrected today and the launch had to be postponed but now it is scheduled to go tomorrow morning. Really looking forward to it. I'm in two minds about the new hot-staging plan. 

Mo keeps wandering in and out. I will read for a little while and then have a shower, lock up and zonk out.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Netfoot