Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Well, it's been a busy week. Getting ready for the Alkathon has taken up a lot of my time. I've washed a lot of toys, finished off the program, started cooking the 3-bean soup for the New Year's Day potluck and taken care of other details as well. It's always bout the details it seems. Anyway, I am psyched and ready to go.

I woke up this morning fully expecting to see a load of snow on the ground, but the inclement weather has not settled in yet. Here's hoping it stays away for a bit longer!!! There's still some set up to do and the banner to get done. Yup! Them details are certainly a bear!!! LOL

Yesterday I put on about 4 or 5 miles walking. Not bad at all. I started out trying to walk to Price Chopper in Putnam from the house so I could catch the NECTD bus. I was at Dunkin Donuts on Woodstock Avenue at 9:45 AM. Not close enough to make the 9:55 bus to Danielson. When what should appear but a friend on her way into Danielson asking me if I was exercising or if would like a ride somewhere. That was too KEWL! I do so enjoy life's pleasant little surprises!

I walked from United Services to QVCC after my appointment. I love that walk for some reason. It's not especially long but I find Rock Avenue a peaceful venue. Then again, I also like walking to meetings. It reminds me that I am still willing to go to any length. That is a reality that I need to keep close to me. That is one of my positives!

After the meeting (it was a good meeting) I headed over towards downtown and ended up getting a ride to the club for a bit. Well, I was gonna go a-visiting but that didn't work out so I hung out at the library, checked by emails and made myself busy. I've always loved the library...since I was a kid. It was my little hide out. It was a safe place...still is.

Went shopping with Carrie, her grandmother and the girls for a bit. It is so funny to see Kimmy in action. She wants to wear boys clothes which drives grandma crazy. Reminds me of all the go-rounds I had with my mom bout the very same thing. Carrie says she was the same way when she was a kid. I guess history does have a way of repeating itself. Anyway, Carrie and I drifted off with Kimmy to the boys' section while Grandma and Robin scoured the girls' section for clothes. A good time was had by all!!! LOL

I had called my friend from Woodstock about a ride home from the meeting, but he had other plans. I was winging it at that point, but I wanted to make the Danielson meeting so I went figuring it would all work out. Lo and behold, he was there as his plans had fallen through so I had a ride back to Woodstock. It's true what they say, "If you can get to a meeting, you can always get a ride home from a meeting." I don't think faith isn't about all that religious stuff, it's just believing that the universe is unfolding as it should. With a day like yesterday, how could I believe any differently?

So, it's time to stir the soup and start on the rest of my day. Have a good one today and a better one tomorrow. Till we meet again as we trudge the road of happy destiny, be well my friends.

ALLERGIES! ARGH!

Yuppers these eyes are an allergy thang! That's what my doctor tells me. Well, aint that dandy and all. I guess it just figures. Last Monday I saw her and she put me on Singulair and now this. She suggested I try some over the counter Claritan but I think not.

I will continue to sleep on two pillows instead of one and use the ice pack. I found those suggestions online. They seemed to help a bit but the itchiness and the tenderness around the eyes is still an issue. I'm dealing with it...not liking it especially...but dealing with it.

I was on Claritan about two years ago or so maybe. One night I woke up about 3 AM in the middle of the very worst anxiety/panic/holy crap attack I ever had. I haven't had anything like that happen since I have been off of it. The jittery was bad enough, but that anxiety attack in the middle of the night was intolerable. I am not going to go that route again unless it is absolutely necessary.

I am still breathing. It is not NECESSARY yet. LOL

On the brighter side, today I walked and walked and walked. YEEHAW! I took the NECTD bus to Dayville and got off at Killingly Commons. I did a bit of window shopping and then headed across the street to the doctor's. Then I took the bus to Danielson and walked around downtown for a while. Next I was off to Putnam and I walked from Price Chopper up to St. Phillip's for the Alkathon meeting. Keep in mind, I did all this walking with a 25-30 lb. back pack on my back. I had grabbed all the books for the meeting and taken them with me so I would have them for this evening. Well, let me tell you, walking in snow with a heavy backpack is quite the workout if you want my opinion.

I came home and took a lovely shower with lots and lots of hot water. Oh the steam is wonderful. It's not just me, the doctor says it will help keep my sinsues happy and clear. The idea of easier breathing is very appealing these days. Go figure, huh?

I am going to be going to my dad's for our annual Christmas supper tomorrow night. We always do our holiday thing separate from the holiday. That works out well. I will be doing the Pomfret meeting and then going to help my sponsor prepare for her Christmas Eve Open House. I won't actually make the open house as I go to Joan's on Christmas Eve. It's a family tradition, one which I rather enjoy. It's about the only time I get to see Georgie, Lena, Phil, Annie and their kids. Holiday traditions with family is nice.

Then I will do the 11 PM mass at Trinity in Brooklyn. There's something about the late night mass that I really like, maybe it is the karma of the thing. (LOL)

I am planning on getting down to the club on Christmas Day. I will bring the banner for the Alkathon so we can work on it there. Saturday was the day to get the thing done but the weather did not cooperate. Thank goodness for plan B.

Carrie's grandmother called and Sue called. Carrie is among the missing according to them. I don't agree with someone from the rooms telling a non-AA whether someone was at a meeting or not...and helping them by tracking down folks from other meetings to see if she was there is over the top.

It is what is. Whether she was where she said she was gonna be and whether she is where others think she is supposed to be is not something that I want to be dragged into. I really don't need the drama (like anyone really needs drama) in my life. So I was very curt during that phone conversation which ended very quickly.

Well, my Singulair is making me rather tired. I think that I shall grab my ice pack, go rest on my two pillows and then drift off to sleep all comfy cozy in my nice soft bed. Ahhhh! Good night all!

The "EYES" have it...

I just don't know what IT is!

I was okay around 5 am when I woke up with a bladder call. Then, when I woke up again aroudn 8 am, the 'bags' under my eyes were SWOLLEN. I mean, they feel weird and all. I called my pharmacist to make sure I wasn't having a reaction to the Singulair. Apparently, I am all set on that front.

I took a 3+ hour nap today. I almost never feel tired enough to actually hit the hay in the middle of the day. I don't do those 20 minute power naps. I need hours of sleep once I am in that mode.

I woke up tired and applied the heating pad. I've been getting muscle spasms again and I can feel them right on the edge. It's odd. My muscle spasms are usually a night thing, not a waking thing yet, here they are. My hip is killing me...from the inside out. Today it seems the groin area of my hip is soooo painful. OWIES!

I got up about 4:30 and started supper. I felt okay to begin as I started cooking. It's sitting in front of me, even as I type but my stomach isn't feeling 100% now. I've got that 'almost queasy' feeling. ICK! I want to go and hit my bed yet again. My head feels full and I keep having these spastic coughing jags.

My eyes are feeling real itchy right now and my cheeks are starting to get that itchy feeling as well. I know something is definitely up. And that would be something besides the yellow stuff I keep blowing out of my nose and hack up regularly.

I have a vague recollection of having had this eye thing before. I can't remember the who, what, when, where or why's of it though. I'm not sure if it is related to my upper respiratory stuff or not. But, it would be nice to be able to take a nice deep breath. It would be nice if my eyes and face stopped itching. It would be nice if my stomach stopped doing flip flops. Lots of things would be welcomed right now.

I just came across this...

I just came across this article on the BBC. A gentleman at church just went through the effort to estblish a playground for handicap children as his youngest daughter has some physical challenges. I had read the article about that in the paper a bit ago. If I didn't know them (Nate and Nora) I might not have bothered to read this. If I hadn't read this, you might not be reading this now either. Take the time to check this out. It's is very neat!!

BBC NEWS
Accessible toys help disabled

By Geoff Adams-Spink
Age & disability correspondent, BBC News website

As the Christmas rush goes into top gear for the final week of shopping, spare a thought for those who have a disabled child to buy for: many of the hi-tech toys available are unsuitable - or at least they were until now.

AbilityNet - a charity whose mission is to make technology accessible to people with all sorts of disabilities - has launched a range of toys suitable for children whose motor skills and dexterity are limited.

They range from a collection of soft toys that sing songs and move in time to the music to a head-mounted controller for games consoles and battery-powered cars and boats.

There is also a range of arcade-style computer games that can be played using a single key or an external switch.

Inclusive Christmas

AbilityNet has formed a partnership with Excitim Ltd - a company that uses technology originally created to help a young boy who was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident.

The Dream-Products range is being marketed through the charity's website, and it uses any money it makes to subsidise its free services for disabled people.

"For many children, play options are severely limited by their condition," said AbilityNet's development director, David Banes.

"Play is critical to the social, psychological and educational development of our young people, as well as their well-being and self confidence."

Mr Banes - a former special school headteacher - says that he hopes the toys will create "a truly inclusive Christmas for disabled youngsters".

The soft toys - which cost just under £40 - are brought to life by using an external switch.

Mastering consoles

For children who are non-verbal, switches are likely to play an important role in their ability to interact with the world around them.

So establishing a link between cause and effect at an early age is crucial to a child's development.

At the Willow Dene special school in south-east London, the children in the nursery class use switches for a variety of activities - interacting with a computer, operating a fan or a lamp and animating a toy in a group storytelling session.

Assistant-headteacher, Claire Barnes, says that the soft toys are a welcome addition.

"At this level, a lot of the children are developing an understanding of cause and effect...and that's a really key part of learning to communicate," she told the BBC.

"They [the soft toys] are fantastic - they really motivate the children...almost all of them can gain something from the responses the toys make when they hit the switch."

Older disabled children have often found computer and console games difficult to master because several buttons have to be operated simultaneously.

Barrie Ellis from Billericay in Essex runs a website called oneswitch.org.uk that is a resource for developers of one-switch games and those looking for new titles.

He says that, all too often, games publishers adopt a "one size fits all" approach.

"It is a fairly common problem that a lot of game developers don't give a lot of consideration to," he said.

"But there are certainly a lot of alternatives out there now."

One-switch PC titles include Frogger, Whacka Monty Mole (which should appeal to those who like hitting things) and an "on rails" space shoot-em-up called Aurikon.

Mr Ellis also believes that, with a bit of imagination and perhaps some help from friends or family, games consoles also lend themselves to use with a switch interface.

"You can play as a team - you could have one person using the traditional joypad controller while another person uses a switch."

Fancy headgear

The Dream Gamer incorporates tilt switches into a baseball cap to provide a joystick-type interface for the Playstation. With the right adapter, it can also be used with other consoles.

And the same concept is behind the Dream Racer: a tilt of the head - up, down, left or right - will operate a remote-controlled model car or boat.

At around £160 for the Dream Racer (depending on which radio-controlled model is chosen) and £120 for the Dream Gamer, these are certainly not cheap options.

But for disabled children who have had to watch as friends and siblings enjoy the fun, there is now an alternative.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/7783486.stm

Published: 2008/12/17 09:56:23 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

UNCLE!!!

Last night was gawd-awful! After my long, hot, soothing bath...ahhhh....I hopped into bed to cough and spit my way through the night. I'd love to lay down to sleep, but I doubt sleep is possible as I am coughing spastically with little reprieve. My ribs hurt, my hips hurt, my lower back hurts, my right shoulder hurts like hell, my head hurts and sometimes my face even hurts! AND MY EARS WON'T STOP ITCHING!!! I am going nucking futs with that! I can't stand it! OHMIGAWD!!!

The good news is that the twitching in my airway seems to be pretty much gone. The bad news is that my rescue inhaler, which was providing some relief, is now useless. Then there is the phlegm coming up in living color yellow. ICK!

I spent an hour in the shower this morning and all I managed to do, besides stand there to allow the gloriously hot, soothing water to pour all over me, is wash my hair...oh, and cough and cough and cough.

Ordinarily I would throw myself at the mercy of the nearest couch and veg out in front of the television, but even on a good day, sitting on the couch makes me cough and cough and cough. The cats sit there. Those damn allergies! Somehow, since I already have these breathing issues I can't help but think that the couch would be almost a suicide maneuver at this point.

Now, for my next amazing feat, I shall put my sneakers on, aching lower back and all. Film at eleven...you just have to figure out where! LMAO

YET AGAIN!!!

It started getting bad again last night. I should have known. Between going to the auction in a car with smokers and sitting behind the ladies at church yesterday who apparently feel the need to dive into a 55 gallon drum of perfume before going out in public...well, my breathing is rather impaired right now. Not to mention my ears are soooooooo freaking itchy I want to scream. I thought perhaps I was sick or something but my 97.5 F temperature doesn't really say sick to me. Besides, the twitching in my throat is responding quite nicely to my rescue inhaler. UGH! Well, it responds quite nicely for a little while and then I am back to square one way before I am supposed to take another dose of it.

I feel like I just can't cough like I used to do. I noticed that right after the surgery cause I was having these same symptoms two days after I got home. Back then I chocked it up to those stitches and the healing process. I still can't cough the way I used to but it was a deep, hacking, bronchitis cough back then. Now it just seems when something triggers this I just can't breathe for days till it gets better on its own though the runny nose just hasn't ever gone completely away since September. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! I am going to call my doctor tomorrow. I had to use my rescue inhaler last night and all day today so tonight I will sleep with the fool thing in my pocket so I don't have to grope in the dark for it.

I could use another dose of my inhaler, but I just took my last puffs at around 8 PM. That is only 2 hours ago. The twitching (some kind of spasm?) is back and in full swing. My throat hurts from my nonproductive, spasmodic coughing. I got to get another hobby, fer sure.

I am running my bath water, even as I type. My shower this morning felt soo wonderful. Of course, it always does. My poor aching joints don't move until I loosen them up with hot water. This morning I was breathing much easier after the steam infected my lungs but I wasn't 100% even with that. I want to sit, relax and maybe listen to some music. I feel exhausted from trying to get enough oxygen to keep my lungs happy. I'm pretty sure this is not good.

On the lighter side of things...the Xmas party at the club went off as planned. Lots of food, folks and fun. The kids had a good time. My little buddy Trevor wasn't too sure about sitting on Santa's lap so I offered to sit on one knee while he sat on the other. He managed to quit squirming till mom and grandma got some pics of us. I had a good time even if I did manage to provide fodder for future blackmail attempts. LMAO Truth be told, if I can get some copies of them, I may post those pics here and beat them to the punch line. So, keep an eye out...you just never know with me!!!

THREE SURPISE DAYS IN A ROW!!!

Let's recap...Thursday I was gonna do a couple of meetings and then do the NORML support group at the hospital. Well, the weather wasn't especially cooperative so after the morning meeting I did a couple of errands instead of the second meeting. THEN, Thursday night there was no support group at DKH. I had told Loren at church about it. He and I were the only two who showed up. There was no cancellation notice that I was aware of so we sat and chatted for a bit.

Friday, I was gonna to Mrs. Gunderson do some cleaning but Carrie's dad ended up at UMASS so we spent the day up there. Her grandmother was worried sick and really didn't need to be alone. Carrie wasn't sure what to do. After Gregg stabilized I made a billion calls (seemed like I did) from the hospital so I could get to the auction to get the items for the party on Sunday. Well, Linda, Cathie and I ended up at the auction...and a GOOD TIME was had by all. They had never been there. Emily picked me up at the club to get me back home. The strategics of it all was absolutely amazing. It all worked out but I still have no idea how that came to be.

This morning I was going to do the meeting at DKH but Jeanne's father called. He was stranded at Westover Air Force Base. He had taken a flight there last night and his brother was iced in up north. Sooo...I head there this morning instead of to my meeting. It was a bit tricky...my directions were to the Westover Airport, not the base. Fortunately, they are something of the nature of siamese twins in a military-parred-down-and-turned-over-to-municipality-kinda-way. Mission accomplished though I did get lost for a bit on the way home which caused a 20 minute delay. Oh well. All's well that ends well. Her dad made it to the wedding! VERY KEWL!!!

And, a lovely wedding it was. The ceremony was beautiful with so many family and friends to join in the joy! The music, the readings, the whole kit'n'caboodle was just fabulous. It really all did come together wonderfully. I'm so glad for them. They were just beaming and glowing. It was a delight to be a witness to that!

I'm bringing Beth and Jeanne to Warwick tonight. They decided that instead of getting up early to hit the airport they would spend the night in Warwick so they could be relaxed and refreshed for their flight. I still don't know what time I will be doing that. It all depends on when they get back from the church. I came home bout an hour ago. I needed to get out of the crowds. There was a lot of perfume around. thought of surgically implanting my rescue inhaler is very enticing at this point. Besides, I still have the headache I woke up with this morning. Less noise seemed like a winning idea.

The temperatures are dropping which is kind of a bummer. I was just gonna leave my skirt on for the ride but I may switch to something warmer like long johns and pants...LOL. I am going to pick up the color books and crayons, probably on my way back from dropping them off so I will be out even later...and later is colder in dropping temperatures. It's an interesting turn of events. Before I couldn't wait to get out of my dress clothes and now I rather enjoy being well-dressed. The times they are a-changing!

I made some rice crispy treats for tomorrow's Xmas party. They are chilling even as I type. I shall gather up the kids' Xmas movies (Charlie Brown & Frosty...cause I wanna see them!), Santa's bag and the other miscellaneous so I am ready for tomorrow.

Loren is having an open house which starts just before the club party. I am going to go there for a bit. He told me he has a couple of couches that he can offer me when I move. I thought I would scope them out and see if they would fit the apartment I am hoping to move into. He even offered his truck to help me move whatever I have to move. That is so sweet of him.

So, after church I will stop at the club, finish getting everything ready and then dash off to the open house for a bit with time to get back to Danielson before Santa arrives. Busy? You bet your butt I am!!! It feels good.

If tomorrow doesn't turn out the way I planned, I won't be exactly surprised. I seem to be on a run of changed plans lately but going with the flow seems to be working for me. Change is good...and to know that is to live it! Right before the holidays, schedules seem to change again and again and again. That's just par for the course. Today I'm okay with that.