I'm a happy bunny.

Despite bloodshot eyes that make me look like I have a drinking problem and a nagging cough like a seasoned smoker. The remnants of that nasty cold and sinus infection just don't want to vacate the premises. Infected eyes and a hacking cough do not a pretty picture make. :-\

Despite the hot flashes a gazillion times a day, and always around 4 a.m. that wake me. A bit of online (okay, a lot) research has led to the purchase of wild yam gel (no, that is not a dessert) to attempt alleviation of this hormonal hell. =P

I'm happy for a number of reasons.

I've got a very nice (and yes, funny!) man in my life. I'm enjoying the way things are going.

I have started going to the gym and am determined to get rid of the central pudge that has invaded my clothing. It's been years since I worked out in a gym regularly but it feels like it was just yesterday, only I don't last too long at it yet.

The weather is warm and sunny and beautiful. Hopefully the mowing of the lawn in the next day or so will be the final time this year. But on an even brighter note, the Cosmos that grace my front garden are blooming mightily, swaying a good three feet tall in the autumn gusts, pretty purple heads bobbing in the breeze. It will take a hard frost to kill them. I'm wanting that to be a long ways off.

My bank account is slowly creeping in the upwards direction, so all the overtime I have been putting in at work is starting to show. I'll continue that trend indefinitely because I want some other accounts to creep downwards.

I now have the tools and accessories required to make my computer desk tidy and much more user friendly. Too bad they don't always make them that way to start with. But I have the ability to make it so myself... so I will. There are holes to be drilled, grommets to fit and cables to run. And a couple of cat-proof barriers to devise to keep curious kitty toes away from all thing electrical that do not need any messing with!

All in all... life is good!

Drivin'

Been spending time with the New Beau.

Sometimes it's like living in a Seinfeld episode... he used to do stand up comedy (for years) and you can imagine the fodder for one liners that real life gives his fertile imagination!

Does he drive me nuts at times?

Absolutely!

But he also can make me laugh so hard my face gets all red and my eyes run. Which he gets a real kick out of, so it happens a lot.

We are having a blast!

On bended knee

My left knee has been giving me quite a bit of grief over the past few years, with the pain escalating to the point where I was referred to a Sports Medicine doctor a few months ago.

I used to run, you see. And I loved to run. I would only do about 3 miles at a time, perhaps 4 - 5 times a week. Nothing major. Just long enough to give me quads of steel and the ability to eat anything I wanted.

I ran for years. Being able to get into the 'zone' within minutes of starting my run was fabulous!! Anyone who has experienced the 'runner's high' will know what I am talking about. When the endorphins flow, all is right in the universe and you simply float over the ground, striding effortlessly. It is a wondrous thing to feel!

But about eight years ago, my left knee started to get sore. Not all the time. Even now, it is not all the time. But eventually it caused me to quit running. That just aggravated it way too much.

Over time, it has progressed to great difficulty getting up from a squat, and going down stairs can often be quite painful... to the point where I end up hopping down on one leg! Not too graceful or safe! It has also taken to aching horribly at night. Sometimes I lie in bed, waiting impatiently for the drugs to kick in so I can sleep. No matter what position I have my leg in, there are times when nothing but drugs eases the pain.

So I had an MRI done about three weeks ago, and today was the day I got to see the SM doc and get the results... and the prognosis. I wasn't too keen on having arthroscopic surgery, but if that was what was need to end the pain, I'd do it!

Turns out I have a condition called ChondroMalacia Patellae (also known as CMP). This means the kneecap is not properly aligned and rubs on the end of the femur (thigh bone), causing great irritation to the normally smooth and slippery cartilage.

I apparently have the same condition in both knees but the right one rarely gives me trouble. It does make a rather horrible crunching noise when I am going up the stairs, although that doesn't hurt. I'm sure it is just a matter of time before it starts voicing it's displeasure as well.

So the plan now is to wear braces on my knees that keep the kneecap aligned properly and to get some physiotherapy to strengthen the internal thigh muscles to pull the kneecap back into place.

The SM doc said that even a 1.5 degree change will make a huge difference in how my knee feels. It will, however, be a lifelong endeavour to keep the muscles in shape and the miscreant caps in better alignment.

Time to give my physio guy a call...

Along the same vein...

No, I am not shooting up illicit drugs or having IV therapy... just the (almost) same shit as the last post, only a different day.

The cold has morphed into a wicked sinus infection, with eye, ear and throat involvement as well as the sinuses, so I popped in to see my doctor. His opinion concurred with mine and I am now in receipt of a sample bottle of steroid nasal spray and prescription antibiotics. And a note to take today and tomorrow off work. Can't argue with that as my head still feels like it is going to explode whenever I cough, but at least the coughing part is greatly reduced.

And the steroid stuff seems to work pretty quickly, as my nasal passages are already feeling somewhat less congested. Here's hoping to a fast resolution, now that I have forked out major bucks for this stuff!

Nothing like having puffy red eyes that make you look like you've been on a bender for a few days... How attractive. NOT!

My beau rang me up this morning as I was getting ready to walk the dog. When I told him of my puffy and goopy eyes, he offered to drive with me to the doctor's, thinking my vision was affected. Isn't that sweet!? It was not necessary, and I knew he had things he needed to do, so I told him I really appreciated his offer, but it wasn't necessary. He even asked me if I was being stubborn! No, I said... I ask for help if I need it. Just being realistic.

So the sicko saga continues, the new beau story also continues, and just for your enjoyment, here is Lila hogging the dog's new blanket...


And Lila looking rather legless...

The Nasty and the Very Nice

The past 5 days have seen virus particles invading my body, spreading havoc throughout my sinuses and my lungs.

It all started Wednesday evening while I was at work. I started feeling a little tight in the chest. The occasional cough sprang up but nothing major. I figured I'd caught the Nasty Cold that one of my coworkers was suffering from. He'd not been in since Monday but I'd seen him sniffling and sneezing, wiping futilely at his reddened nose, looking rather bedraggled on that day.

Thursday morning saw me awaken with plugged sinuses, a very tight chest and a horrible barking cough that made my head feel like it was exploding with each hack.

I'd been mowed down by a Very Nasty Bug.

I called in sick for work.

I spent the day napping off and on, which is something that I rarely do. I swear I slept more during the day that I had during the night. On the advice of a couple of friends, I picked up some Cold FX along with the cold medication. I had Nyquil on hand for sleeping.... But I still felt like things were worsening.

And I was right. Friday was even worse, with feverish periods scattered through the almost constant coughing and trying to hork up chunks of lung tissue. Well, not literally, but I am sure you know what I mean.

Every time I lay down, I could feel all that gooey mucus shift from one side of my sinuses to the other. The sneezing began as well. The coughing continued but it just wasn't loosening up. The only time anything came out was first thing in the morning.

I called in sick to work for Friday's shift as well.

The guy I've been seeing came over Friday evening. Brave man... He brought a movie and we had KFC for supper. Despite me being such a sicko, he still wanted to spend time with me.

I thought that was Very Nice... and a very good sign that things are developing well... because I wanted to spend time with him as well.

Saturday, I couldn't control the coughing at all so I had to pick up some cough syrup. I had already taken the cold pills that I had bought a couple days before, but was coughing so badly that I took a swig of the syrup when I got back to my truck. Needless to say, the double dosing on some of the ingredients made me feel like I'd had one drink too many! I had to drive home very carefully! Didn't want to get pulled over for impaired driving, or get into an accident. But the cough suppressant seemed to be working.

Needless to say, I missed work that day as well.

The last time I missed three days' work in a row, I'd had surgery on my hand and was off for 8 weeks!

Today, during the day at least, the cough was much improved and seemed to have loosened up a fair bit. I actually feel better. My sinuses are now mostly just annoyingly runny. The cough has been only occasional during the day, although as the evening has progressed, it has gotten worse. I seem to run that way whenever I have a chest cold... evening is always worse for coughing. Maybe because I am getting tired? I don't know.

The downside is that now my voice is down a sporadic and rather husky squeak. Earlier in the day, as it was fading, I could have made a killing on one of those 1-900 numbers with a sexy husky bedroom voice. Now, you can barely hear me. And I've just noticed the glands in my neck are somewhat enlarged... *sigh*

On the upside, I don't have a sore throat at all.

Again my new beau wanted to spend time with me, so I went to his place for the afternoon and evening, where we watched the local football team trounce their arch rivals rather soundly. He let me watch some equestrian stuff after that was over, so I got to catch the last round of the CN Nations Cup in Calgary (one of the biggest show jumping events of the year with $1 million in prizes). I don't know much about football and he doesn't know much about horses, so we both learned some new stuff today. He even fed me pizza for supper and we watched a movie in the evening.

But as the evening wore on, my stamina was dying out, and I had to call it a night earlier than either of us would have liked. But it's going well... it's been four weeks now... and I am pleased. No hang ups, no fears, no weirdness coming out. He seems like a very normal, well adjusted man who is happy to get to know me.

And that is Very Nice Indeed!

Eight

Tagged by Map, I have finally gotten around to answering these eight questions.

1. Why did you start blogging?
I once dated a man who blogged. So it's all his fault! Looked like fun and once I started, well, I just never quit.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, with no restrictions on cost, where would it be, and why?
Everywhere!!! There is so much to see and experience on this planet. I could spend a lifetime looking at stuff in other places.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influence on your life? If so, what?
Ah yes... That would be Mr. Watson, from Grade 6, in a tiny school on a little Air Force base in the middle of Nowhere, Quebec. He was an Englishman and taught us geography, english, social sciences and anything else. He'd read books aloud to the class, using a different voice for each character and never screwed it up. I loved that man!!!! Instilled a very healthy sense of curiosity in all of us. We even drew a map of the world on sheets of paper taped together and laid out on the classroom floor, with countries coloured, mountain ranges marked and cities labelled.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?
Celebrities do nothing for me, but if I could attend one of Map's gigs, with that certain famous Blogger in attendance, sharing stories and drink, that would make my day!

5. Toilet paper - over or under?
Used to be under but with the arrival of Lila last year, it is now over. Under means the entire roll is shredded on the floor. Over means she ignores it. Don't ask me why!

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.
Say 'no' to several people that I didn't say no to..... and should have.

7. Tell us about your pets, if any.
I've had a veritable zoo in my life starting at the age of seven.... Currently have Lila, the mental cat who never stops, Pips aka That Damn Cat, and Zoë the slobberdog.

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town?
Medium city... population about 700,000. Still has a small town attitude for the most part, which means it's a nice place to live. Except for the weather, that is. Winter is much too long!!

I'm not going to tag anyone with these questions but if you want, feel free to answer your own eight!

It's a start

I had emailed him in July, when I first read his profile. I liked what he said, as it was not about things he did in his spare time, but how he saw the world and what he knew about relationships thus far. And the humour interjected throughout. It made me smile.

But at that time, although we had a nice little email conversation, he informed me that he was allergic to cats and there it ended.

Until about three weeks ago, just after the incident with the runaway train stalker boy. He emailed me... asking how it was going for me online, stating all he had met so far were liars, needy women and financial disasters. Oh... and was there a pill for cat allergies?

That made me laugh! I had just gone through the whole scenario with Needy Man.... so I told him about that. We had a great chuckle and began an email conversation, which lead to a series of phone conversations, which evolved into a 'meet and greet' that wound up to be an eight hour day spent together.

We have since seen each other a number of times and talk on the phone every day. And just last night, we both agreed it was time to hide our profiles on the dating site and see where this journey will lead.

And so it begins...