Week 1 of the two weeks of hell down...

I've been busy nearly every day this week.  I've been sick, too. 

I can, however, definitively state that the Armour seems to be working slightly better than the Tirosint, which was infinitely better than the levothyroxine.  I'm betting I should have been on a T3 supplement as well as the standard T4 all along.  And if the endocrinologist wants to take me back off it and put me back on the synthetic, I'm going to request the T3 supplementation.  Don't ask me why I seem to need it--I don't know.  Unless the CFS is messing with the way I metabolize the T4 into T3, I shouldn't.  Most don't need the extra, but I seem to. 

No, I don't have more physical energy or stamina.  I'm guessing that's going to not be an option for me for a long time, if it ever comes back.

I am, however, able to sleep better,* and I have significantly less brain fog than usual.

Funny thing is that I'd planned on postponing that visit.  Because it wasn't until this time last week that we'd even been able to get a plumber to respond and schedule us.  I wasn't sure when we'd be able to get one in to do the work we needed, so I was planning to postpone my Tuesday appointment until after we'd gotten everything else done.  But Odysseus finally got through, and got scheduled, and told me to not reschedule because the plumber would be out on Monday for the estimate, and Friday for the work.  

So, yeah--not postponing my doctor's visit that I'd nearly decided to do was well worth the extra exhaustion this week. 

Plumber's here again, today.  He's running a line for the propane to come in for the heater that's going in next week.  The propane company will be out to set the tank on Tuesday of next week, and the heater itself will be installed on Friday.

And this is after my imp's doctor's visit, which also can't be postponed.  And next week is going to be rough, between that and the other things lined up.  However, after next week, the big things should be done until Christmas. 



But I'm going to be utterly wiped out by the end of it.  I'm damn near there, already.

I'm just thankful that, currently, the forecast has the winter storm hitting to our south.  We shouldn't be getting much more than a dusting of snow if anything, rather than freezing rain, sleet, and snow. 

*Thyroid issues also cause sleep problems.  Y'know how it feels when you're too tired to sleep?  Yeah, that.  

random

I really hate bumping a fingertip into something and having a fingernail snap.  It's been nearly three years, and they still can't get the thyroid dose right.  Maybe going to the natural thyroid replacement may work for me.  I certainly hope it does.

What's with all the whinging soy-boys, whining/crooning songs on rock radio?  I mean, belt those fuckers out, children!  Take a lesson from one of the women of rock: Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, for instance.  Pretty sure she has more balls than a lot of those soyboys who think whining lyrics is going to get them tail.  Pretty sure she gets more groupies, too. 

As far as I can tell, the local public school district has done ONE THING to try to prevent another hit-and-run-by-a-semi accident on our busy road.  No, they've not changed how the bus stopping for pickup happens.  They put up signs.  Signs that should have been there all along, alerting traffic that buses stop along this road.  One going each way.  There's no speed enforcement (and some of these assholes tear through here heading toward seventy or more), the bus doesn't actually pull into the trailer park, and only pulls into the duplex/quadplex/apartment parking lots across the road to turn around.  The children aren't considered because it's not the ones that matter to the city council and/or school board living out here.

We have a winter storm watch for this weekend.  We're either getting freezing rain/sleet/snow mix, or just snow.  I'd rather have snow, if I must put up with any of it.*

The Christmas tree goes up tonight. 

Imp is still using my pen for spelling practice.  The pencil I got for him to use at school "doesn't work."  In other words, he doesn't know how to use it properly, and can't figure out what went wrong with it so he can fix it.  Granted, he is only ten, but I do remember being a bit more competent with mechanical pencils at that age.  I'll try sending pencil grips and see if that might help a bit. 

If the mail was running normally today, I'd have had two packages on my front porch, rather than just one.  Because both were turned over to the local USPS for delivery late yesterday, but only one delivered today (probably because of the contract they have with Amazon Prime).  When that second one arrives, I have...three?  Yes, three people left to get Christmas presents for that won't be getting something perishable. 

Not that I blame the shippers.  But I don't recall the USPS taking an unscheduled day off for Regan's funeral. 

No, I'm not in the best of moods today.  But some of these things have been building, and the rest...just...dropped.  All at once. 

*I'd rather not have to deal with winter precip yet at all.  But that's not something I have a choice about.

Discoveries

So, my imp has been having a hard time at school.  Impulse control is shot, and he's still having a hard time with writing (even though the spelling issue has been dealt with--two copies of his spelling list every day from Saturday through Thursday did the trick).  Until recently.  I found something that has helped, at least a little. 

Last week, he begged to use one of my pens he hadn't used before: my TWSBI Eco.  It's got one of the fattest grip sections of any of my writing utensils.  It's actually a little bit bigger than a Sharpie marker. 

And...his handwriting improved.  MARKEDLY improved. 

That pen has been living on my nightstand for more than a year.  Odysseus got it for me for my birthday two years ago (limited edition color of lime green, so it's hard to lose), and it's a comfy pen to write with.  However, since it's a piston fill pen (and a relatively inexpensive one), it does tend to spit up when dropped or jostled a lot.  So, since I love it, and won't retire it, it's been my journalling pen for a good long time.  I had it inked with Noodler's X-Feather, since my journal has pretty bad paper. 

I grabbed it last Tuesday to stick in my pen case, just in case the title company wanted black ink for the paperwork (they wanted blue).  It was still out when it was time for the imp to do his spelling copy.  And he asked to use it. 
 
It made a difference.  A big difference.  His handwriting is neater, more legible, and smaller than usual when using that pen. 

I considered that it might be just using a new pen, but no.  Repeated experimentation confirmed results. 

He said it was just easier to use the fatter pen, and he'd use the boring black ink if he had to, but he wanted to use that pen.  And could I get one for him, please?

It does cost more than I am willing to spend on him for a pen, at this point: a TWSBI Eco costs around $28-$30, depending on where you order from (and shipping costs may or may not figure into that, depending on where you order from).  I know there are knock-offs, but I'm not certain of the quality or size comparisons between those and my pen.  I am, however, willing to keep that one on my desk for him to use for his spelling copy, since he loves my fountain pens. 

As for pencils...those are still problematic, still a little skinny.  I went to Walmart this morning, and got a pack of grips, and a pack of mechanical pencils (that includes two Bic Velocity pencils--really fat ones).  We'll see if the fatter pencils or pencil grips help with his neatness and control. 

...and done.

Closing the sale of the old house, that is. 

It's done.  The papers have been signed, and money has been deposited.

It's done.  The utilities are closed out (final bills are in the mail), and the insurance policy is closed. 

It's done.  Property tax for the portion of the year we owned the house has been paid. 

Everything is done with the place.  It's off my list of worries. 

Now. 

On to beta-reading and finishing my own work.  Because the stuff for this place (and doctors' visits) are still coming up, but won't start until next week.

Musings

I had to run in to Walmart for dog food, this morning.  I dropped the kids off (to much whining about a lack of time to play in the gym), then headed over to the one four miles away (instead of five).  As I got there, I had to brake to avoid hitting the guy in a wheelchair getting out of a pretty nice and well-maintained Chevy Malibu.  I maneuvered carefully around him and parked to get in the store because it's fucking thirty degrees, with a light breeze that had teeth to it.  I looked back, and the guy in the wheelchair had maneuvered toward the intersection. 

I went ahead and went in, and passed a sign begging people to apply to Walmart.  Starting pay being offered?  $11/hr, minimum. 

I went to go get cat food (they were out of what my cats need to be eating), then around to the other end of the previous aisle to get dog food. 

There was a Mexican couple with a pair of very small girls throwing tantrums.  Little ones looked very tired (mitigating circumstance), and quit the poor behavior immediately when their mama gave them a *look* that I recognized from my childhood.  And that my kids recognize and immediately react to. 

After that, the children were incredibly well behaved.  Whiny, but well behaved. 

The couple were very clearly married, going by their body language and unspoken teamwork. 

Neither spoke English at all.  Nor did they understand it. 

The man's clothes showed definite signs of hard work. 

If they're not here legally, I hope they can get a good job and get the paperwork done properly to stay.  Because they were clearly here to work for a better life, and were trying harder than a lot of  American parents I've seen with small children at Walmart. 

I paid for my dog food and left.  Wind had picked up, and was a bit more vicious with the teeth than it had been when I'd gone in the store.  And I left. 

The guy in the wheelchair was sitting inside the painted lines just outside the concrete barrier that separates the right turn lane from the lane to go straight.  Had a cardboard sign: "Homeless, anything helps, everybody needs help sometimes." 

Yep, the guy who'd gotten out of the nice Malibu.  Which didn't have anything indicating he was living in the car.  Nor did it have rental stickers anywhere.  It did have handicapped tags. 

Anybody remember the stats on the annual income for beggars?   I do.  It averages out to between $40,000 and $90,000 per year, depending on the area where the individual's begging, and their visual appeal/visible disability.  With no taxes coming out.  Even the low end is more than my household makes per year, and I sincerely doubt he was making toward the low end, missing a leg. 

Help.  Walmart's hiring.  Even if you don't want to work at Walmart, there are other places hiring.  Even hiring amputees.  There is training available for anyone who wants to work. 

Help.  Sure.  He didn't want help.

He wanted suckers who can't or won't think for themselves, and let themselves be led around by the feelz and the guilt ingrained by the class-warfare-touting socialist/communist Left.  

I really would prefer...

...for the cold to have waited a bit longer.

We had SNOW yesterday.  More than predicted.  Initial prediction was a dusting to an inch.  That kept creeping up.  The prediction Saturday night was that we'd get 2-4", and that it wouldn't stick.  It was also predicted that we'd get light snow, just that it'd be wet and heavy and big flakes.

Woke up yesterday morning to HEAVY snow.  Small flakes.  Coming down fast, occasionally sideways, and fast and thick enough to build up.  Yeah, the ground was warm enough (at first) that it was melting from underneath, but we still had more than 2" accumulate.  And stick. 

The town got, overall, around 4"+.  Some parts got 6" or more.

The kids didn't have school.

Today, we woke up to low teens.  I let the dog out at 6:25, checked to see if the kids' school would be starting on time (there were a few in the area that started late because of melt and refreeze on the roads), then got the kids up and breakfast started.  I had the imp feed the dog inside (no, she didn't eat all of her breakfast), then let her out for a poo break when I ran the kids in to school.  Figured I'd get her back in right after I got home.

The imp's car door (rear passenger) was frozen shut.  I had trouble yanking it open, and only managed what the imp failed to do because I was able to stand on the far side of the ice patch right below the car and yank hard.

The car's dash thermometer read 17 degrees when we left.

It takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on traffic, to get the kids in to school, let off at the gym entrance, then get home.  It was the long end this morning, because I didn't want to risk a loss of traction when I was trying to get into a normal sized gap of traffic.

And the dog...wasn't ready to come in.  Usually, when I ask if she wants in, she nopes over to the far corner of the yard and dances by the gate, as far from the back door as she can get. 

Not this morning.  There's still a solid 2" of snow in the back yard, with a crust of ice over the top where we got freezing fog yesterday evening.

The dog dashed over to the opposite corner of the patio, and danced. 

I gave her ten more minutes while I did a couple things, then tried again.  She was willing to come in, that time, but only stayed in the house for about an hour.

Yes, I have since tried to get her in the house.  No, she has not been willing to come in.  She hasn't even stayed on the patio, on the straw bale or her insulated bed out of the wind.  Instead, she's been making snow-plow circuits* of the yard, barking at everything.  No, it isn't yet above freezing.  It's not supposed to get above freezing today.

We're still running the heat pump.  With as high-efficiency plug-in heaters as we can get to supplement.  Because the propane company's due out on Thursday to tell us what size tank we'll need for a 30,000 BTU heater that's going in the fireplace early next month.

So, yeah, I'd prefer for the global warming to take a break and let us get back to the normal-for-the-area 40s and 50s for early/mid November.  This shit's not supposed to hit us in SW MO until late December/January.

*Scotty-dog snow-plow: bury nose under snow until it's touching the ground, then run around like a maniac, flinging snow in all directions.

Mistakes were made

Some by me. 

Friday nights are pizza/movie nights.  Always.  We get a take-n-bake pizza, then put in a DVD of something for the kids so Odysseus and I can have some peace going into the weekend.  My pizzas are gluten-free crusts acquired ahead of time, then topped.  And those...aren't cheap.  At.  All. 

I mean, yeah, I do try to make my own.  When I can.  When I haven't used up my energy doing other things like shopping, cleaning, child-wrangling (homework time can be an utter bitch).  But sometimes, I have to fall back on crusts.

And my Walmart has stopped carrying the Udi's crusts.  They do carry another gluten free crust, a Mama Mary's brand.*  I got a package.  One was fine.  Not good, by any means, but edible.

Last week's...wasn't.  Last week's was contaminated with wheat flour (it wasn't good enough for an "oops--we put a regular crust in the package, instead of a gf crust). 

I spent Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday really suffering for it. Last night wasn't great, but I was able to sleep mostly comfortably.  The only thing buggering my sleep last night was worries about yesterday's election. 

Yes, I voted.  Despite feeling really horrible, and having no energy because of wrangling a very unwilling monster through doing most of his homework, I voted.  I voted nearly straight libertarian...and we still managed to boot Claire McCaskel out of office (the asshole voted in isn't any better, sadly).  We got an amendment to the state constitution passed to permit marijuana to be used for medical purposes.  We even passed the one that taxed it at 4% rather than 15%.  We also managed to defeat a 2 cent per gallon increase in fuel sales tax. 

Sadly, that's where the good news ends. 

We passed an amendment aimed at "keeping out of state money out of Missouri elections" which includes a nasty rider that puts a "non-partisan individual"--not a committee, by my reading--in charge of gerrymandering.  This is not good.  The money part is, but the gerrymandering thing is a definite poison pill that's going to fuck us in the short and long term.

We also, sadly, passed a MASSIVE minimum wage hike. 

Which means EVERYTHING is about to become more expensive.  And jobs?  Yeah, unskilled work is going to go bye-bye.  No more jobs for teens for us!  They're just not worth $12.60/hr (where they might be worth taking a chance at $7.65).

I think one of the biggest mistakes this country ever made was passing universal suffrage.  Because the idiots were out in force, yesterday.  And there were about 1.5 million voters in MO that need to be institutionalized in group homes and sheltered workshops instead of being allowed to vote, judging by those two things. 

Another mistake I've made is not getting my imp in to see his doctor sooner.  I'd noticed his behavior (and his grades) starting to spiral downward.  I should have got him in last month--he's gained weight, so I think his meds need to be adjusted.  I didn't.  I've been frustrated, his teacher's been frustrated, and he's been...really unable to control himself.  I've got him an appointment for tomorrow morning. 

It doesn't excuse the poor behavior, but it does explain it.  And I feel guilty because I've dropped a rather important ball in my juggling. 

This week has been stupid-busy.  Next week will be a little better, but not a whole lot, and I still feel like I'm forgetting something...

...and the week after Thanksgiving, we have a tentatively scheduled closing on the old house.  Keep your fingers crossed and send up a prayer that nothing FUBARs this attempt at a sale, please. 

*Udi's only makes gluten free products.  They don't work with wheat at all anywhere in their manufacturing.  Mama Mary's...does.  They do regular (if bad) crusts as well as the gluten free ones.  I'm not surprised this happened, just painfully disappointed.