Alien Spouse

On Returning to Work After a Short Illness.

When you've been out of the office because of a short illness, it's likely you are going to go back in before you are really at full strength. So you really are hoping that the first few days will involve coasting on some simple jobs, the work equivalent of a soft-boiled egg with soldiers, or tomato soup with cheese-on-toast. The reality, however, is invariably an assualt of hard-to-digest 3 course meals of to do lists, spreadsheets and un-read e-mail.

sigh.

On top of that, there is inavariably some piece of office politics that just makes you want to beat your head against a wall (hmmm, maybe that would have helped clear my sinuses - note to self for next time).

Spicy, Delicious and Invigorating.

Today I took the day off because I'd had, oh about 3 hours of sleep last, thanks to my sinuses. I was exhausted and weepy this morning, so I would have been neither use nor ornament in the office.

Nothing seemed to be helping, until I tried covering my lunch in hot sauce. After that I could breathe again! Oh, Hot Sauce - you are a special new friend!

Doc C is cooking pasta for dinner, I hope he doesn't take offence when I cover mine in Tabasco.

House of Half Recovered.

Mum called today to check how we were because I hadn't updated the blog, sorry about that! I wasn't trying to leave you on a cliff-hanger there!

Anyway, Doc C went to hospital yesterday afternoon, after going white as a sheet and generally scaring the hell out of me. He'd already been given some tramadol, so he could still feel the pain but he just didn't really mind that much. This apparently was what stopped him from screaming, so I'm really quite grateful to the urgent care doctor he saw on Friday.

At the hospital he had a whole bunch of tests, and they eventually decided he must have already passed the stone, so he came home. Woot!

Meanwhile, I stayed at home, because my sinuses are still swollen and I'm breathing through my mouth, so it seemed like a bad idea to expose me to more germs. This meant I spent the afternoon watching a reality TV show marathon, because all the episodes blend into one after a while and it feels like you've only been on the sofa for an hour instead of four or five. Don't worry though, I kept it classy; it was about a tattoo parlor in NYC, no bickering over-privileged "housewives" for me thanks! (I'm a reality snob, but I'm very idiosyncratic in my prejudices - Jersey Shore = under no circumstances; Bethany Getting Married = hell yeah, despite her former housewife status)

Oh, by the way, I'm having ridiculously complicated nightmares (teeth falling out, exams I've forgotten to revise for, horrible murders etc etc) whilst I'm ill, whereas Doc C's painkillers are an opiate so he's been having lovely dreams. Apparently for the past two nights in a row now he's had the same dream, where he is professing his undying love to me. How sweet is he?

House of Sickness.

Oh, today SUCKS!

My head cold has moved up to my sinuses, and settled in. I went to see my doctor this morning and, whilst it's probably not strep throat (which I think translates to tonsillitis, but I'm not sure), she is having some tests run on a throat swab; on the other hand my sinuses are very inflamed, so I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself.

Doc C had been getting some twinges in his back, which really started to centralise around his kidney today. He went to see his doctor this afternoon (whilst I was at back in bed with lots of water and my loyal cat nurses), and they found blood in his urine. This means he has another damn kidney stone. He was given a long lasting pain killer injection whilst he was there, and a prescription for some more in pill form. All he can do now is drink a LOT of water, and hope it passes without being too excruciating. So basically we are just hoping he doesn't end up curled upon the floor in the fetal position in the next few days. Yay.

So last weekend we were living it up in Vegas, and this weekend we are probably going to be housebound in a make-shift cottage hospital monitoring each others' symptoms. sigh.

Stuffy.

I think I'm getting a head cold. Gah.

Hydration.

Clearly whilst on the flight back from Las Vegas I didn't drink enough water, which you would have thought would hit me yesterday but it was actually this morning I woke up with a headache and a raging thirst, so clearly I had dropped below acceptable water levels. Doc C got up to feed the cats, then he brought me a bottle of Perrier water and the iPad, so I could e-mail in to work as de-hydrated.

I stayed in bed until about ten, and got to work at eleven thirty (a mere three and a half hours late). I brought with me a large coffee (Don't tell me the coffee is a diuretic, I know that, I still needed the caffeine), a litre of water and half a litre of Gatorade which Doc made me to make sure I got my electrolytes.

With all of that, I should have been able to swim home.

Light Bruises.

This morning I had laser treatment on the scars from my mole removals this summer, the worst part about it was having to get to the dermatologist's office for 7 in the morning - The treatment itself took about five minutes and wasn't too painful. The doctor described it as being flicked with a rubber band repeatedly, and that's fairly accurate. Apparently the scars will be darker for about a week, because the laser bruises the area but then, once the bruising goes down, the scars should be less visible and less sensitive. Yay!

Afterwards Doc C asked what colour the laser was, and I said red; Doc said "Oh no!", because this must mean that my dermatologist is a Sith Lord. Once again I am reminded that I married an intelligent and articulate man who, none the less, remains totally unable to pass up an opportunity for a Star Wars reference.

Rose-Coloured Spectacles.

I have been most remiss in sharing my new specs with you - Mainly because I haven't worn any make-up in the past couple of weeks, and these do look particularly good with a nice bit of eyeliner. Today I decided to just snap a photo and then edit the hell out of it in Picnik; which is why the frames are pin-sharp and the rest of the image is super soft-focus! Pores? My skin doesn't have pores!

As you can see the new glasses are slightly cat's eye, which Doc C thinks brings out my cheekbones (love that man), and they have a tiger grey exterior with a clear pink interior. That sounds like a car, but you see what I mean right? The outside of the frame is one colour (well, it's sort of marbled really) whilst the inside is another; so there are hints of that inside colour as I move my head and the angle changes.

As you can see here:

Again with the Picnik soft-focus, which I am especially grateful for here. It took me forever to get the angle right on this one, so you could see more of the edge of the glasses and less of the bags under my eyes - I didn't sleep very well last night.

Please feel free to reassure me that these are stylishly fun, without being wacky. I'm still a touch self-conscious about them.

Glasses-A-GoGo.

I picked up my new glasses and I love them!

They are angular cat's eyes in a striped grey, with a pink interior. To me they are reminiscent of fish, in a good way, but this particular colour-way is called "grey tiger/pink". Doc C helped me to choose them, and he assures me they are interesting and fun, but not wacky. I do not want wacky. The plan now is that I can still use my older glasses (the lenses are only a little bit stronger in the new specs), so I have a choice of facial accessories depending on my mood/outfit/social obligations.

I also dropped off my favourite pair of shades to have prescription lenses fitted, so I'll actually be able to wear them again! Yay for shades!

Early Morning False Alarm.

Ugh, I've been half asleep all day! Doc C woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling sufficiently unwell enough to warrant a quick jaunt into town to reacquaint ourselves with the emergency room's waiting area. As it happened he felt better once we'd got there, so we turned round and drove the eerily empty roads home again.

I was, not surprisingly, late for work this morning, and I'm prepared to bet I was not really very bright-eyed or bushy tailed. Still, Doc seems fine today and I'm far too pleased about that to be cross with him for waking me up on a school night.

My Eyes! My Eyes!

I had my eyes tested this weekend, because I noticed that my right eye felt quite scratchy after work sometimes. It turns out that my eyes are a bit dry, so I have to put warm compresses on them and use eye-drops especially if I've been staring at a computer screen a lot (So... That's pretty much every week day then). Well, if it's optician's orders, I think I can handle lying on the sofa with a warm flannel across my eyes, sipping a martini and listening to a vintage radio drama for half an hour or so in the evening.

I also tried on some new frames, I want to keep my current frames but I'd like some variety in my face furniture. I'm thinking about a subtle cat's eye, something a bit more sixties mod that would look good with lashings of eyeliner (my new favourite make-up technique).  Basically, I asked if the assistant helping me watched "Criminal Minds" and requested Garcia glasses, and after a quick google image search she was off to the races with that idea! I tried on loads, but as it was just after I'd had the drops put in to dilate my pupils, it got increasingly difficult to actually see them. Doc C came over to help, but it's not really the same. Anyway, I have to wait until next month before I get new glasses so the shortlist was noted down and I can try them on again when I'm in full control of my ability to focus.

 

After the eyeware fashion show, my irises were fully dilated, so the optician could see into my eyeballs. Which is SO weird, but I was expecting it this time, so, the minute I sat in the chair, I asked the optician if I could have the images of the backs of my eyes, because how cool is that? They look like alien planets, don't they?

Also - I SEE YOU!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Shot of Perspective.

Today I found myself getting a little overwhelmed and tearful because of a spreadsheet.

To be specific, it wasn't actually the whole spreadsheet, it was that the person who had filled in the information had left a column blank right in the middle, and so when I used the sort function it shuffled some but not all of the data. This wouldn't be a huge deal normallyThe reason this was a problem was because I didn't know that had happened, and I've been working with flawed information for a week. I think I've fixed all of the issues, but it was very frustrating, and now I need to have my work proof read before I carry on.

Meanwhile, a student came into the office who I know by sight, but I don't know her name or anything else about her. Well, I didn't know anything about her, until she came into the office today panicking about a course she was being charged twice for. This was a problem because her husband committed suicide a few months ago, and so she's been trying to complete her degree, whilst looking after her kids and coping with the financial maelstrom a sudden death can create. She has hit the limit of things with which she can cope, and I had no idea there was a thing wrong because she is always friendly, polite and smiling. 

And so now I'm thinking that a frustrating spreadsheet issue is actually be a walk in the park. Ok, on this particular spreadsheet walk (stay with me here), I may have stepped in something nasty but it can be cleaned up and everything will be fine.

Busy Morning.

This morning was pretty much laid out for me - I simply had to make alterations to next semester's schedule; essentially tailoring a skeleton timetable to fit the requirements of the registrar whilst trying to accommodate the preferences of the faculty. This is not as much fun as it sounds.

I was about two hours into the data splurge when one of the professors ran in to my office to tell me a student had fallen on the stairs and might have broken her ankle. The tricky part then was to report the accident to campus police and then the emergency services just based on those few words.

Is the patient conscious? I think so,because she was able to say her ankle felt broken. Is there any bleeding? That wasn't mentioned at all, and I think it would have been if there were any blood, so probably not. How old is the patient? Errrr.... It's a student, so, late teens to early twenties is statistically a good bet. Is the patient male or female? The professor said she, so female. It turned out that I had been right on all of that - The patient was a woman who had her 24th birthday last week, and she was both conscious and not bleeding. I'm like Sherlock Holmes!

I was waiting outside when the paramedics arrived, and I took them to the stairwell to accident site and I stayed to help if I could. They were great, and soon had her splinted and in the back of ambulance. I went back to my office, and pulled up her records for the accident report, and I also e-mailed her so hopefully I'll hear if she's ok. Fingers crossed!

Self Motivation.

There are days when you feel like you made a real effort, damn it, and no-one seems to have noticed; so then you start to wonder why you bothered. These are the times when I seriously consider carrying a small banner saying something along the lines of:

"I forced myself to get up today, &, whilst I don't expect a medal for that, I would like to feel like it was worth it. Please be nice to me."

It needs to be a bit more succinct, but equally it's hard to get across that exact set of sentiments in less than 140 characters.

Of course sometimes you have to just accept that your sacrifice may be the more noble for being unremarked, and simply make sure you have something you really like for lunch.  I had one job which got to the point that I was buying Wagon Wheels at lunch to put in my desk drawer, and then I only allowed myself to eat it if I came into work the next morning. The weirdest part about that? I don't particularly like Wagon Wheels (they are large cardboardy discs of biscuit, sandwiched with marshmallow and then coated in cheap milk chocolate), and had never before, or indeed since, eaten Wagon Wheels, so I have no idea why that motivated me.

Also, even though my sinusy head cold thing is much better my period started today. Ha bloody ha Universe! There's nothing quite like feeling like you are on the mend from one thing, only to immediately to find something totally different is attacking your midriff. sigh.

 

Stupid Head Cold Thingy.

Today I stayed at home and drank a lot of warm drinks, mostly ginger tea but also hot water with fresh lemon and a squeeze of honey it.

I think I feel better, but then I thought that on Friday and spent my weekend paying for it! We met Randy and Laura for brunch on Sunday, and I was only slightly more chatty than you average Romero zombie; most of the time I'd mis-heard what people were saying anyway, so in the end I just focussed on eating my potatoes.

Today I lay on the sofa with Edith and read, and also watched two delightfully cheesy sci-fi movies that TiVo had randomly taped. I didn't realise that it was the first and the third of a trilogy until quite a way into the latter, but I honestly don't think it made too much difference to my enjoyment. There were random explosions and occasional witty banter, and that was good enough for me!

Now I'm making a big stew pot of lentil soup with as many vegetables as I could throw in it. It's also ot garlic and ginger in it, so I feel positive this will have me operating at full power in no time. I expect I'll go to work tomorrow, my general rule of thumb wih head colds is as soon as you can breathe with your mouth closed again, then you are passably fit for human interaction.

Trying Something New.

It should be bloody illegal to feel ill at the weekend! Stupid bloody head cold!

Today Doc C and I went for a walk, so that I didn't feel totally sedentary, then we went to the supermarket and I got Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold (lemon), Alka-Seltzer Plus Night (lemon), lemon-and-honey throat lozenges, ginger tea, a bag of lemons and a neti pot.

I'd never used a neti pot before, but it felt like a really god idea to try irrigating my nose with a mild saline solution. I won't lie it's a weird feeling to pour warm water through your nose, but it really did help me to breathe more easily for a little while at least. I'm defitely going to do it again when I get ready to go to bed this evening, having a stuffy nose makes it so difficult to sleep.

Ugh. I hate having a cold.

Plans for the Weekend.

I went to work today, because I was feeling a fair bit better and I knew that there was work to be done on next semester's schedule. I feel very noble, particularly as since I got home this evening my sore throat seems to be bent on developing into a full-on head cold.

On a more positive note Doc C also picked up a large stack of brown paper parcels from the post office; books I'd requested from Goodreads.

So this weekend will probably be spent curled up with a book, as I sit in front of the fire with a never-ending mug of tea.

Unexpected Side Effect.

I feel better this evening, my throat is not as sore as it was and my ears have stopped aching in sympathy; plus I sound far less croaky and Dalek-like. I think the key is plenty of warm drinks through out the day, and if one of those drinks happens to be an early evening Hot Toddy, that is very beneficial too.

Before I went to bed last night I took a dose of liquid Nyquil, last time I took Nyquil it was in caplet form and I didn't like it - but I'd forgotten that apparently. In the middle of night I woke up, just like last time, but this time I had a new sensation and the only way I can describe it is that it felt like my face was strobing. It was just a wave-like feeling radiating out from the tip of my nose, and it was not pleasant. So I'm not doing that again. Please remind me if I seem like I might have forgotten that again!

Wednesday.

I came early with a sore throat and now I have a hot toddy buzz. That is all.

Mmm... Garlicky...

I have finally got the hang of baked aubergine (it's a very American dish, so it's usually called "eggplant parmesan" - I just can't do it myself), thanks to Sophie Dahl's first cookbook, and Doc C even likes this version where as he could never see the point of this particular meal before.

One of the best parts of making this is that it's really delicious with home-made garlic bread, and that's a treat we've not had for a while. It isn't that we're totally eschewing carbs, but equally we aren't training for any marathons in the near future, so there's absolutely no need to carb-load on pasta AND bread.

So garlick bread is back in the meal plan! Hoorah! I use a loaf of fresh French bread baked that morning at our amazing local bakery, and that bread is delicious in itself, so it's hugely tempting to eat the whole baguette in one meal - but I've been freezing half, which is hugely restrained, don't you think?

Weekend Status Report.

The Good: I am reading Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" and loving it. It's sort of a murder mystery with academic overtones, but whodunnit is never any sort of a puzzle. It's gripping.

The Bad: The weather this weekend has been really humid and sticky, my least favourite kind of weather personally. I cannot wait for Autumn proper to kick in with some nice crisp mornings.

The Ugly: The cream that the dermatologist prescribed causes a rash to flare up on my chest, and so it suddenly feels as though every single t-shirt I own has a scoop neck to it which hits me in just exactly the wrong spot. Yesterday I discovered that wearing a scoop neck backwards creates a boatneck at the front which conceals and protects the itchy bumpiness. This will look intentional with most of my tops; the exception being henleys, so if you should happen to notice that I have a row of buttons down my back, can we just pretend it's a new fashion trend from Europe or something?

The Fabulous: Monday is Labour Day, it's like Bank Holiday Weekend, and I have finally treated myself to a copy of "Portal 2" so I intend to be spending several hours of my day off in my pajamas playing that, with occasional breaks for coffee and toast.

The Week in Review.

The Good : Doc C is having the best week ever, professionally speaking, and has got papers accepted by two of the top journals in his field. My husband is a philosophical rock star.

The Bad : Nancy Wake-Cat was named after the WWII heroine Nancy Wake, and I was very sorry to read about her death at 98 this week. The White Mouse was an incredible woman. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/08/nancy-wake-white-mouse-gestapo)

The Ugly : Following my minor surgery for further mole removal I've posted a photo of my potential scars on Flickr! Yay!

Recouperating.

Stupid stitches. I wasn't able to get much sleep last night, the problem was that if I slept on my left side it put pressure on the stitches, but sleeping on my right wasn't an awful lot better. In the end I discovered that hugging a pillow gave me some support, but I didn't realise that until about 9 o'clock this morning.

Considering I was really tired and, after reading the possible side effects of the pain killers I'd been prescribed, I decided to stay at home today. Edith kept a close eye on me, and we watched "Inception".

More Mole Removals.

So you know when is a really daft time to decide to do a month long fitness challenge? When you have minor surgery scheduled that requires you not to do anything for at least two days slap bang in the middle of that month. My instruction sheet actually says two weeks, but I checked with the doctor who performed the procedure and he said that because my surgery site is at the top of my left breast I can still Zumba as long as I wear a supportive sports bra! Yay!

Anyway, it was all fine. I took my valium, well it was actually tamazepam, with breakfast and was considerably more relaxed about the whole thing then Doc C was. He has been taking a lot of interest in my remaining moles since my last visit to the dermatologist, and asked me to get another one on my shoulder checked out too. So that one has been taken too! I'm not going to have any moles left at this rate!

Before getting out the scalpels for the main event the doctor drew me a picture to explain exactly what the procedure was, and the picture looked a bit like a knitting pattern that requires short rows. There almost definately will be some pink scarring because I am so damn pale, but the plan was to give me a curved scar line rather than a big blotch. Should I feel the scarring is too bad then they will give me some laser treatment to fade it. Or I could get another tattoo to cover it up, that's an interesting option, right?

I was a model patient (the doctor really said that!), and it was all very quick; so after we left the clinic I insisted Doc C take me out for early lunch before coming home to sleep off the tamazepam on the sofa. Right now I feel fine, if a bit itchy, but, once the local anaesthsia fully wears off, then it is going to hurt so I've got some over-the-counter pain killers and, if those don't work, then I've got some prescription meds too.

All in all I'd say it was fine, but not exactly my idea of a fun way to spend a morning and I don't really want to do that again any time soon.

I Don't Like Mondays.

It was a really hectic Monday, which I half-anticipated, but when I found myself quite glad that tomorrow I am having minor surgery and therefore will not be going into the office... Well, I think you will agree THAT is a hell of a Monday.

Half Awake.

This is, I think, the first summer when I haven't taken a week or two off, and that, combined with it being blatantly too warm, is really hitting me hard - in other words I am sodding knackered!

Yesterday I felt very tired and headachey, and I tried to just push through it, but even after a shower and breakfast I felt no better; so I called in sick (well, e-mailed) put in ear plugs, and promptly went back to sleep for 5 hours. Today I went in, and somehow dragged my carcass through the day but I am very tired now.

I am still dressed for some sort of exercise though, some pilates and at least 20 minutes of Zumba will get my blood circulating and maybe then I'll feel less sluggish. It's worth a go, right? Besides, I am determined to lose ten more pounds, and sitting around just isn't going to accomplish that goal.

More's the pity.

Four Pairs of Jeans - Breaking My Previous Personal Best!

Almost exactly two years ago, give or take a fortnight, I posted this picture:

This is a photograph of may wearing three pairs of jeans at once, because I had gone down so many sizes that it was now possible for me to layer denim over my hips and still get all of the buttons done up - Oh, and breath still!

I felt it was time to attempt a new personal best record, and can now truthfully say that I can wear four pairs of jeans at once. Should I ever be asked that.

The second pair of jeans in the more recent picture is the foundation pair of jeans glimpsed in the earlier photo. I don't remember if any of the other jeans were involved in both experiments.

There is no photo manipulation techniques employed, and I wasn't wearing any type of corset. I will admit to being very careful with my posture though, because my tummy still does have some fat on it and that fat will try to spill over the top of jeans if I slouch. The easiest fix for this is not to slouch.

And, of course, this is my new Facebook profile picture, I enjoy peer approval as much as the next girl.

Boo-Boo Kitty.

After getting moles removed last week I've had to apply a cream to them twice a day and cover them all with plasters because they are taking ages to heal and still sort of look like cigarette burns. Which is just lovely.

I decided to get some Hello Kitty plasters for the odd thing (it wasn't ever a mole, I think it was a cat scratch that just never seemed to heal properly) on my chest. This needed prettifying because, as it's just above the neckline on most of my t-shirts, it's also the only removal site that can actually be seen when I'm fully dressed. 

Today the dermatologist's office called and it turns out that the weird chest thing was in fact "the wimpiest form of skin cancer", which is I believe a medical term. I'll have to go back in a couple of weeks and have further treatment, which actually sounds like nothing more than a really thorough exfoliation. Not too big a deal.

However the mole that was on my left breast was displastic, which isn't a huge deal but it's still better to make sure they get all of it (the one on my back was also displastic, but they got all of that one last time). So whilst I'm in for exfoliation, they'll also need to take a bigger section of that one, which will then require stitches.

The nurse who was scheduling my appointment asked if I was likely to feel anxious, and if so would I like a valium to take an hour before the appointment?

Oh, go on then. And I'm bloody well taking the day off work as well.

Mole Drive-By.

I had an appointment booked to have my moles checked at the dermatologists at 7:40 this morning, which was clearly ridiculous, but all the more so when I woke up with a headache. I dragged myself out of bed to get ready and we actually got there on time, but I warned Doc that I'd probably just want to go home afterwards.

I'm used to doctor's looking at my moles, and usually they really aren't that interested in them. I've had a few removed before, but only when I have really insisted on it because the moles were annoying in some way. Well, that's at home in England; here in the US they whip moles off you as soon as look at them. I mean the doctor wasn't particularly worried about any of the moles as far as I could tell, but thought they may as well be tested, so I had four taken off this morning, and I hadn't expected that at all! I don't think the moles were expecting it either! I definitely wanted to come home after that, because one mole had been right underneath the elasticated waistband of the skirt I was wearing, and two other were exactly below my bra straps. I just wanted to come home and feel sorry for myself in a nice loose fitting nighty.

So that's what I did.

'Zuasted.

Today I had an hour long Pilates class, then I came home and did a 45 minute intermediate level Zumba routine.

Usually I'd do one or the other, but I'm working towards two Zumba trophies this week, and my weight seems to have plateaued. I'm definitely getting slimmer, my clothes tell me so, I just wish the stupid scales would chime in!

Keeping Things Clean.

When I came into work this morning there were several different types of cleaning product on my desk, including an anti-bacterial spray! Woot! I had actually requested them as part of our annual budget spend-down, but don't worry I haven't gone totally OCD about cleaning. It's more that when I was told how the sinks in the loos are cleaned around here... Well... It's just not my idea of "cleaning", let's leave it at that... So I asked if we could get something that I could liberally spray around to make it less likely I'll catch a flesh eating bug.

So now in the mornings I have a new routine - take the post to the collection point and disinfect the ladies' toilets on the way back. The men may borrow the disenfectant to spray around their toilet facilities if they ask nicely.

I don't particularly like the distinct bleachy smell that the cleaner gives off, but I'd rather have that then e.coli.

Migraine Avoidance Techniques.

Today I sat quietly at home, read a couple of chapters of a nice soothing murder mystery and drank mug after mug of tea.

I successfully avoided getting another headache that made my teeth feel like they were throbbing, and I'm celebrating by introducing Doc C to Russian horror sci-fi.

Movies and Migraines.

I was having such a nice day, we went out for lunch and then saw "X Men First Class" (which was just freaking great. Loved it.) but after the movie I had a headache. We got home and I lay on the sofa watching another film on DVD, "Tunes of Glory" (1960), which was very good; perhaps, in retrospect, watching a movie heavy on the bagpipes when you have a headache was not the best of ideas.

As I was watching the film my head started to feel like it had a really tight band round it and I felt queasy. I was determined to watch the whole film, but about five minutes before the end I stopped the disk so I could go to bed for a couple of hours because it had gone from a headache to a migraine. Which really freaked Doc out, but once I woke up again I didn't feel queasy anymore and I watched the end of "Tunes of Glory".

And I'll be going back to bed shortly, with more pain killers.

Food and Exercise.

Pilates classes started again this evening, we're signed up for ten classes in the equipment room and we'll be starting our mat classes on Tuesday. I'll still be Zumba dancing three times a week and I am being extra vigilant about my calorie counting.

As well as counting the calories I'm also trying to keep my starchy foods under control, I don't mean I'm not eating carbs at all, but if one meal is bread based then the next can't be pasta based. There are a lot of salads going on, and I'm becoming increasingly fond of chick peas. This evening I made a warm chick pea, cherry tomato and spinach salad, with garlic and balsamic vinegar.

So by the end of summer I should have toned up my core, and dropped some of my excess body fat. That is the plan, let's just hope it works.

Eye Shadow Tester

I had another delivery of make-up from Sephora today, I'm experimenting with my day-to-day look. Today was sort of thirties-slash-sixties so it was all about the red lip with my new bob; tomorrow I'm thinking a really bright eyeshadow with a clear lipgloss.

After work I get changed out of my office clothes and take off my make-up before doing some sort of exercise (at least that's what I'm supposed to do, it doesn't always happen. Mostly, but not 100% always.) This evening I kicked gladiator arse for twenty minutes, then I zumba'd for 25 and then I flopped sweatily onto the old yoga mat I keep for just such a purpose. Doc always retreats to the study when I'm exercising, so when it was all quiet he came back out. He came over to congratulate me on my 3 gold stars for beating Giselle, and then he asked "Did you put fresh eye make-up on before you worked out?"

Well yes, actually, I did.

One of the things I ordered was an eye make-up primer, which I was somewhat sceptical about, so I decided to put it through it's paces. I put the primer on my right eye lid, but not on my left, and then I applied stripes of the lime and black eyeshadow on both eyes.
Once I'd finished jumping around like a hyperactive flea, I compared the two eyes and the left eye had practically no lime green left where as the right was still glowing. Clearly the primer works! Hurrah!

Dance 'till You Can't Dance No More.

Doc C and I have started watching "So You Think You Can Dance", which is sort of like "Pop Idol" except with dancing and it's hosted by Cat Deeley instead of Ant and Dec. The dancing is amazing.

After that I did a 45 minute Zumba routine. There was no Cat Deeley, and the dancing was probably less impressive.

I may not win a ticket to Vegas but I am having fun whilst literally dancing my arse (and tummy) off, and no one but the cats are watching so that's fine realty.

Third Day of the Weekend.

Today I did a zumba routine, cleaned both bathrooms, battled gladiators (and won! Roar!), washed three loads of laundry, played petanque with Doc C, read half a book, "walked" the cats, and helped to recapture the cats after they both escaped in separate prison breaks.

Not bad considering it was the first day we've felt the need to turn the ceiling fan on, because it was the first warm summer day and I do not do well in heat.

All in all, an memorable Memorial Day -slash- Bank Holiday Monday.

Veggies for Dinner.

I am determined to lose some weight this summer, so you may expect me to obsess about food slightly. Mainly I want to try new recipes for vegetables, and cut down on pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. All the nice starchy bits that I love.

This morning I ate a waffle with fruit for breakfast, so I didn't want anything really starchy for dinner. Doc, however, really wanted risotto. So I made Doc C a lemon risotto and myself a cup of quinoa, I sautéed vegetables to put on top of them both. This time I cooked the quinoa in vegetable stock, and that added a lot of flavour. Doc C didn't like it last time I made it, but he tried some of mine this evening and was pleasantly surprised.

Next: Roasted cauliflower.

Veggies for Dinner.

I am determined to lose some weight this summer, so you may expect me to obsess about food slightly.

I ate a waffle with fruit for breakfast this morning, so I didn't want anything really starchy for dinner. Doc, however, really wanted risotto. So I made Doc C a lemon risotto and myself a cup of quinoa, I sautéed vegetables to put on top of them both. This time I cooked the quinoa in vegetable stock, and that added a lot of flavour. Doc C didn't like it last time I made it, but he tried some of mine this evening and was pleasantly surprised.

Further Virtual Fisticuffs.

I am on a gladiatorial roll! I took out another opponent, but now I'm up against the big boss for the level and she is a very tough customer. I barely even scratched her before being knocked out, three times in a row. Yikes.

The main point of the exercise was to get some cardio (after 30 minutes of pilates. I was very focussed this evening!), so I didn't take the defeat to heart.

This time. But I'll be victorious, eventually.

Further Napping.

Yesterday I slept a lot during the day, so I took a Midol PM before I went to bed to make sure I slept through through night as well.

That would probably have been a good idea if I'd gone to bed slightly earlier, but as it was I don't think it had worn off by the time I went to work. So I was basically a zombie behind a desk all morning, I was awake but it felt like the air was really dragging at me as I walked and I really couldn't process information at a sensible speed.

Doc C picked me up at lunch time and I came home. It will surprise no-one to hear I then slept for 3 hours.

Women's Trouble.

Being a woman sometimes is not much fun, this morning I had to call (well, e-mail) in sick with period pains. And then I slept until 12. I got up had a shower, made some porridge and a spinach smoothie and settled in to watch some trashy television. Edith joined me and acted as a hot water bottle for me, which was very thoughtful of her.

Doc C was at a seminar all day, but he texted me to check how I was through out the day and came home at 4. He made me a cup of tea, and then I went back to bed for three hours. I had loads of very vivid dreams, and as ever they had really complicated plots and very odd bathrooms (eccentric plumbing is one of the ways I know I'm asleep, I have no idea why that would be).

So today has been mostly really weird dreams and cheesy TV. Woot.

Cold Snap Saps.

It's been cold and rainy all day, and that sudden change in weather has made me really tired. I mean it's only just gone 9 and I've already brushed my teeth and got into bed.

Admittedly I have commandeered Doc's iPad (he was given it by his department, but only after I convinced him to actually accept the thing) to watch "RuPaul's Drag U".

Still tomorrow will be warmer, apparently, and then maybe I'll find some energy.

Halfway Back

I had a haircut booked for today, and Doc C had been scouring Urban Spoon to find a new restaurant to have lunch at. He found a menu that we both liked the sound of and he reserved us a table. This then seemed like exactly the sort of Saturday out to be wearing a flirty polka dot dress with cherry earrings and eyeliner.

As we were leaving Doc took a painkiller, and after about an hour on the road he said he was feeling really unwell; so I called to postpone my haircut until next Saturday (which Ananda were lovely about, so they will get cupcakes as a thank you). Then we drove back home again, and I changed out of my dress and took off my make up.Doc spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find somewhere he was comfortable so he could get the sleep he missed last night, thanks to his back, the raging storm and our insane cats.

Doc's back is particularly bad at the moment, and he's fairly certain a nerve is getting pinched because he can't feel one of his finger tips. He made some jokes about it being a zombie finger, but I was much happier after he called a chiropractor to get an appointment for next week.

Cold Comforts.

I am feeling a lot better, but this is one tenacious cold and I'm still feeling stuffy.

I have prescribed myself TV detective dramas, hot-honey-lemon-and-ginger and some Montezuma's Giant Chocolate buttons.

Wednesday Day : Wednesday Evening.

First day back at work, after a fortnight's holiday and two sick days; I had 230 unread e-mails in my in-box, I kept thinking it was Monday instead of Wednesday and I'm still battling the last of my cold, so I am totally exhausted.

When I got home this evening I played some Little Big Planet, Doc C made me a blue cheese pizza and now we're watching the DVD box-set of "Mad Men" (season one). Fabulous.

A Cure for Colds - Hot Drinks and Good Books.

Today I still felt awful, so I stayed at home to drink hot drinks, take DayQuil (We've run out of the gel capsules, so now I'm onto the syrup and it is disgusting) and read. I am feeling so much better this evening, so I should be able to go to work tomorrow.

For the book portion of the cold cure I've been reading my way through Jaclyn Moriarty's Ashbury High series. I bought the fourth, "Dreaming of Amelia" (American Title: The Ghosts of Ashbury High) in England and read that in a day and a half, yesterday I read the second in the series "Finding Cassie Crazy" and today I'm powering through "Becoming Bindy Mackenzie" (American Title: The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie). I've read the first one in the series "Feeling Sorry for Celia" so many times that I didn't need to re-visit it, but the others have only been read once and were perfect for a sick day entertainment; absorbing, witty and with just enough substance. Perfect. I have always particularly loved young adult novels from Aussie and Kiwi writers, such as Margaret Mahy, John Marsden and Ruth Park, and I think Jaclyn Moriarty does them proud.

The other essential part of the cure for colds is to have a cat that adores you, and doesn't move more than three feet away from you all day. Edith has been very diligent in this respect, and is clearly living up to her name sake Edith Cavell's nursing legacy.

Funny Face - But Not in an Audrey Hepburn Way.

This morning my alarm went off at it's pre-determined time, so I got out of bed and walked the short distance to the bathroom. It was there, Gentle Reader, that I turned on a light and looked into a mirror to discover that there was a tissue stuck to my nose. Not just a small scrap of paper, perhaps torn off in my sleep, but a complete sheet of crumpled tissue (plus lotion).

This was not a good look for me.

I did briefly consider showing Doc C, because it was funny and I generally will go for the laugh if I see an opening for one; then it struck me that that might be considered almost the definition of that evocative phrase "letting yourself go", so I didn't.

It was further compelling evidence that I was definitely suffering from a really bad cold, and I e-mailed the office to explain matters. I feel awful taking a sick day when I've just had two weeks of holiday time, but really this is a horrible horrible lurgey and I don't want to spread the germs amongst my colleagues. One thing about living in the mountains is that the germs up here tend to be quite hardy, and I really don't want to add to their arsenal of snot. Instead I shall stay at home today breathing in the steam from an apparently bottomless mug of hot honey, lemon and ginger.

Back with a Cold.

My very least favourite of my souvenirs of the trip to England is this stinking head cold. I must have used pure will-power to keep it subdued for the last few days of my visit and the flight home, because I just didn't have time to be ill. The worst part of the journey was the landing in Charlotte, because as the air pressure changed I couldn't get my right ear to pop, no matter how much I chewed gum or yawned. The pressure in my ear felt wrong, until I blew my nose - but then it didn't pop, it squeaked. That can't be good, can it? 

Fortunately Doc C was his usual thoughtful self and had brought me some cold medicine to take in the car, so I was able to take that as soon as I got to the car. By the time I got home I wasn't too bad, but I was totally exhausted. When I woke up this morning I couldn't breathe out of my nose, so I'm having to mouth breathe, which is never a good look and doesn't seem to be helping my sore throat either.

The only member of the household who is loving this is Edith, because I am curled up on the sofa with a blanket and she is lounging around on me. This is Edith's idea of a particularly good Sunday.

Sunday in Norfolk.

Today was a quiet Sunday at home, mainly because both Stu and Ruby were under the weather. Stu being human made it easier to ascertain his symptoms, and suggest that taking a paracetomol and resting were the best things to do. It's trickier with Ruby because she can't explain what's not feeling right, so it is purely our observing that she is off her food, not washing and very lethargic. Tomorrow morning we will take Ruby to the vets, so I'll hopefully know more then.

Mum and I are both feeling fine so far (knock on wood - because that would be bloody annoying wouldn't it?), so we baked cheese scones, lemon & poppyseed muffins and peanut butter biscuits. Then we played Scrabble, and I finished making Maude's hair.