Family and Life Updates

[boltnrun]

1 hour ago, Seraphim said:

It is ok it is the safest option. Get better . 

Thanks. I just feel like when I make a commitment to do something I should honor it.

The blood draw is Friday. Once that's done and my doctor gets the results I'm sure she'll give me a game plan. Whether it's managing with diet and supplements or adding medication. 

[boltnrun]

I forgot my glasses when I went grocery shopping. I thought the label on some things I bought said 2 grams total sugar. It actually said 14!! My eyes are really bad if I mistook 14 for 2. Although in my defense the print on many labels is so tiny and faint.

So I have to give these away to the unhoused man who stays a couple of blocks over. They're perishable so not sure if that's feasible but I can try. 

[Batya33]

2 hours ago, boltnrun said:

I forgot my glasses when I went grocery shopping. I thought the label on some things I bought said 2 grams total sugar. It actually said 14!! My eyes are really bad if I mistook 14 for 2. Although in my defense the print on many labels is so tiny and faint.

So I have to give these away to the unhoused man who stays a couple of blocks over. They're perishable so not sure if that's feasible but I can try. 

Why not just return? At my supermarket chain it's totally fine to return a product you didn't like or bought by mistake -I do that very very sparingly but I have.

[boltnrun]

4 minutes ago, Batya33 said:

Why not just return? At my supermarket chain it's totally fine to return a product you didn't like or bought by mistake -I do that very very sparingly but I have.

It's an hour round trip to the store. It's not worth it for about $4. Plus I think the unhoused man would appreciate them. 

[Batya33]

28 minutes ago, boltnrun said:

It's an hour round trip to the store. It's not worth it for about $4. Plus I think the unhoused man would appreciate them. 

I see.  My market are a 10-20 minute walk and now my main one is also my son's new bus stop so I stop in most days after drop off.

[Seraphim]

Yeah most things are horrendous amounts of sugar sadly . 

[boltnrun]

12 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Yeah most things are horrendous amounts of sugar sadly . 

Even pickles! Although I dislike sweet pickles. I only like dill.

I'm going to have to order some Weetabix from Amazon. I can't find a store that carries it. 

[Seraphim]

Anything prepared unfortunately such a pain in the …. Food wise my life has sucked for 4 years . I try to go day by day because if I had to think of the next 30 years like this I would cry. 

[boltnrun]

I usually cook from fresh so it has mostly been snacks and desserts that I buy prepared. The biggest change has been eliminating desserts. 

Last night I baked some salmon and steamed some spinach and that was dinner. It was good, too! Tonight it's a chicken and vegetable bowl with some pinto beans. I don't need to completely eliminate carbs yet as I don't have an official diagnosis. So I'm just being sparing. 

I expect my grocery bill to be lower as I am not longer buying desserts or protein bars (expensive). 

[Seraphim]

Yeah I was never really a dessert person because my mom never encouraged it when we were young . I do however love love love chips. They are the death of me . 

[boltnrun]

I got an email in the middle of the night telling me oh, sorry, the lab is closed this week, you need to reschedule! My appointment was for tomorrow. And they just now are telling me??? I presume they had a Covid outbreak or something. The next available appointment isn't until December 6th. So another 2 1/2 weeks. Great. 

[Seraphim]

That is so aggravating! 

[Batya33]

3 hours ago, boltnrun said:

I got an email in the middle of the night telling me oh, sorry, the lab is closed this week, you need to reschedule! My appointment was for tomorrow. And they just now are telling me??? I presume they had a Covid outbreak or something. The next available appointment isn't until December 6th. So another 2 1/2 weeks. Great. 

Ugh I hate that for you!!

[boltnrun]

I called the doctor's office to let them know I can't get an appointment until early December. And the rude woman on the phone interrupted me constantly (seems to be a theme at that office) and then told me I should just go to the lab as a walk-in and hang around hoping they can fit me in. Um, some of us have jobs and we can't just go hang out at a lab all day. We have schedules and work to get done. She was very condescending.

Once this is all resolved I will change to a different doctor. I pay good money for my insurance and I won't be treated like a stupid inconvenience when I'm paying for this service. 

[Batya33]

5 hours ago, boltnrun said:

I called the doctor's office to let them know I can't get an appointment until early December. And the rude woman on the phone interrupted me constantly (seems to be a theme at that office) and then told me I should just go to the lab as a walk-in and hang around hoping they can fit me in. Um, some of us have jobs and we can't just go hang out at a lab all day. We have schedules and work to get done. She was very condescending.

Once this is all resolved I will change to a different doctor. I pay good money for my insurance and I won't be treated like a stupid inconvenience when I'm paying for this service. 

I cannot stand when people make suggestions like that.

[boltnrun]

We've been very busy at work. Everyone is trying to close out this year's business because most of them are taking a lot of time off. Everyone in my department except for me and the new hire are taking ALL of next week off. Thankfully it's only three working days or I'd go nuts with nothing to do. I'm tempted to go into the office one day next week just to enjoy the peace and quiet. And traffic would likely be lighter.

Oh, so the point I was trying to make is I can't just go stand around at the lab all day with my thumb up my butt. I have a lot of work to do and pretty much only tomorrow to get it all done. And that rude woman said "Well, that's up to you". No it's not, dingleberry. 

Geez, I keep trying to go for walks and I can barely last 30 minutes. I used to walk for well over an hour but now I'm gassed 15 minutes in. I was going to do a 5k but I wouldn't make it in my current condition. 

[Batya33]

Yes in my office -not corporate - most kids have off for the whole week (our son has asynchronous assignments Monday-Tues and typically we close early Wednesday.  I have work next Monday but already put in for Tues-Wed off.  Of course you shouldn't go and hang around a lab! I'm sorry you're so tired!

[boltnrun]

I packed away most of my summer clothes. Although it's supposed to be 80 degrees next week. In late November. But climate change concerns are a hoax 🙄 And now I'm really tired. Any sort of physical exertion wears me out. Very discouraging.

I'm still considering going into the office in Tuesday. It'll be super quiet. BUT...I have a lot of things I'd like to get done and I can't do them if I go into the office. 

[boltnrun]

And I got a crap ton of work done today. I got one project done that required 560 individual pieces of data entry in addition to eight revisions of existing setups. Also a bunch of other assignments because everyone's clearing their inboxes as they won't be in next week. Along with that I did a load of laundry and packed away summer clothes and hung up winter clothes. Very productive day.

This weekend I plan to rearrange my kitchen cabinets. I have a lot of storage for such a tiny apartment but in order to fit everything I have to rearrange. Big project. 

[Batya33]

2 hours ago, boltnrun said:

And I got a crap ton of work done today. I got one project done that required 560 individual pieces of data entry in addition to eight revisions of existing setups. Also a bunch of other assignments because everyone's clearing their inboxes as they won't be in next week. Along with that I did a load of laundry and packed away summer clothes and hung up winter clothes. Very productive day.

This weekend I plan to rearrange my kitchen cabinets. I have a lot of storage for such a tiny apartment but in order to fit everything I have to rearrange. Big project. 

Wow!!! 

[boltnrun]

So, these are my feelings about Thanksgiving.  I don't buy into the "Oh, this holiday is to celebrate the peaceful union of Native and European people in the 'New World'!  Isn't it lovely???"  Nope.  The Native peoples were forcefully invaded and had their land taken from them in violent fashion.  And of course they defended themselves and their land!  If someone broke into my home you better believe I wouldn't hesitate to use deadly force to defend myself.  That goes triple if my kids were with me.

But I've reframed it in my mind as an opportunity to gather with my immediate family and express my love and appreciation for them and for the good things I've been fortunate to have in my life.  

That being said, I really would prefer to not go to my brother's home for the holiday.  It's just a lot of hassle.  But I do want to see him and his kids and I know he wants me there so I'll go.  I won't be with my kids until the next day, but when I lived 300 miles away I got used to either working on all holidays or spending them alone so it doesn't bother me to sit at home, eat a roasted turkey breast and watch football.  But I'll go to make my brother happy.

[Seraphim]

In Canada it is about thanks for a bountiful harvest or year. The Indigenous peoples of Canada did have festivals for Autumn and I am sure we adopted them . But here it isn’t about a narrative between the two peoples . 

[boltnrun]

OK!  I rearranged my kitchen cabinets (and Rearranged by Limp Bizkit was playing, so how appropriate!).  I now have much more space to use as a pantry.  I also got some things to give to my brother such as a box of powdered sugar, some hot cocoa packets and some Ovaltine (which I JUST bought before I got my initial blood test results).  So I feel good about that!

I want to get a lot of holiday shopping done today.  And I'm hoping to get grocery shopping done, but we'll see if that happens.  If not today then tomorrow early morning.

[boltnrun]

Another really productive day.  I bought nine holiday gifts.  Whew!  I went to a retail collective that sells fair trade items from impoverished countries so I feel good about shopping there.  Then I went to a major retailer (ugh) to get some other gifts.  I don't like shopping at major retailers but at least this one has been having financial difficulties and is less obnoxious than others (see: Walmart 🤢) so while it's not ideal it's not as bad as it could be.  Maybe?  Anyway, after that I went grocery shopping.  The damn store was a damn zoo but I'm so glad I got it out of the way!  Today I can just watch football and clean my apartment from top to bottom without having to go out super early to grocery shop. I was exhausted after I got back.  Just relaxed during the evening.  Stayed up late to watch F1 although I fell asleep several times during the race!

[boltnrun]

Urgh.  I am desperately trying to find cereal bars or protein bars that are either sugar free or very low sugar, but they also have to be free of peanuts and tree nuts.  Every one I find is either full of nuts or claims to have "lower sugar" which actually means "only" 12 grams of sugar per serving.  They also should be dairy free but I can live with that.  But I will die if I eat nuts or peanuts.  The world is not made for people with severe dietary restrictions.  Sad face.