Ohs Hit

It took me five minutes to clean off the stairs. Funny how something that seemed daunting last night was so easy. And Bella’s diarrhea seems to be gone, so I’ll call and cancel the appointment. Someone at work wanted to meet with me this morning, so that will work out well. I’m going to lie down for a half-hour.

I spoke too soon about Bella’s diarrhea. I got a sample. Tried to lie down, but the dogs were restless, until I got up, and then they closed their eyes. Snots :)

Oliver and Lily are chasing each other. A quiet, peaceful workplace. NOT!

I took Bella to the vet. They said that the fecal sample that I provided was too small, so they would do a rectal exam—and found normal poop. It had to have been Bella with the diarrhea though because she was the only one in the room with me. They’re running tests out of an abundance of caution. Bella put her front paws at the front desk to say, “Good-bye”. Everyone ooohed at her.

I signed Bella up for an obedience class at PetSmart on Sundays.

I had my appointment with my psychiatrist. We're just going to keep on keeping on with my meds, etc. She still will be available despite the changes at OSF.

Bella is still Giardia- and other parasites-free.

I moved my COVID and flu shot to next week because I'm not going anywhere soon. I really want a nap after work. Slept until 11 PM. I had a face full of dog kisses. The cats are like, “What’s with you? Feed us!” Fed the critters and gave Gracie her meds. Now I need to eat. Gracie: "I really want your food." Me: "Forget it, Gracie. I get to eat too." Gracie: "But I REALLY want your food." Etc.

I'm going back to bed.

Got up at a little before 6 AM to roll the recycling bin out. Went back to sleep. Overslept and woke up at 8:30.

Bella is having diarrhea, but I don't know when I can get her to the vet. Tomorrow is problematic. Well, I have an appointment for her at 11 tomorrow. I'll have to drop her back and then go to my doctor's appointment. I feel like I’m living in a nightmare.

Had a case of the shakes after my shower. Food helped.

I'm trying Chronometer that bill_schubert mentioned. But I know why I've gained weight; eating lots of dessert. I need to get myself to eat fruit for dessert. Okay, I saved some recipes for low-cal desserts. Maybe I should focus on that first, and then the meals.

Man, I'm tired. My sleep consultation isn't until December too. I guess that I'll keep dragging myself along.

Picked up my groceries. Ran in to pick up some of my “cheap” makeup (I wear the cheap stuff for running errands and the expensive stuff when I go out of town, but you could argue that it should be the other way around) and some desserts.

Bought some books about determination because I could use a jump-start.

Brought groceries in. Damn, my back hurts. Ate and fed the critters. Started laundry.

I’m mulling over joining Planet Fitness because it’s nearby. I’m trying to decide on my membership. Do I want access to massage chairs and red-light booth? Yes, I joined, including the massage chair. It would be better to have meetings with a personal trainer, but I don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good. I'm more likely to drag my butt five minutes away. And it's 24 hours.

My back still hurts. It's kind of pathetic that bringing the groceries in messes me up (see above), but there it is. I need to get the rest of my (non-perishable) groceries off of the back stairs, but I want to lie down and stretch out my back. I'll get up early to clear the stairs.

Oh great. Oliver is attacking Lily. Probably displaced aggression from Gracie biting him. I think that I need to talk to a behaviorist. Bella is very patient with Gracie. Gracie chews on her, and she tolerates it.

Woke up at 7 AM. I’m tired. I'm working now and Gracie is asleep on the futon upstairs. She's getting big! I think that I need to nap during lunch and pick up Gracie's meds in the afternoon. No, I have a meeting at 1 that I don't want to oversleep. But I don't want to be late for the meeting, so I think that I'll go in the afternoon (done). Decisive, I'm not!

I'm explaining to Gracie that when the cats hiss at her, it does NOT mean that they like her! She is not convinced.

I think that I found a cruise that I want to take. It's on Norwegian, and it goes to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands, and British Virgin Islands. It leaves from Miami. It has a sailing date of November 9th, so I would have my birthday on the ship. Hmm, if I want a "solo studio," I should book it.

I'm wearing my "My dog thinks I'm cool" t-shirt and new jeans. My shopping is paying off.

Damn, the people at Carle (new health provider) are really on the ball. I was contacted about my scan and my sleep study already. (I’ll call back after my last meeting. Done.)

I canceled BistroMD, though one order slipped through and is coming this weekend. I need to get the kitchen in order to cook.

Crud. Rain alert (though the plants could use it). I won’t be able to get the boxes to recycle out. I'm going to gather stuff and get up early to put it by the curb.

I found the cruise on Vacations to Go's Web site. (They offer discount cruises.) Booked the cruise. Booked my flights. Changed my bus times. Booked a hotel for overnight in Miami.

Now I'm going to gather the recycling and get to sleep.

The doggos finally settled down. Sleep time. Bella is resting her head against Gracie’s leg.

Woke up at 4 AM to use the washroom. I hope that isn’t a harbinger of things to come. Woke up with my alarm at 7 AM. Got a sample from Gracie.

Can't stop yawning.

Hmm. There's a Southern Caribbean cruise on Holland America out of Fort Lauderdale in November. Do I want to see Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao? Do I want to see the US Virgin Islands? Do I want to go on a transatlantic repositioning cruise? If I did that, though, I'd want to spend some time in Portugal. Does anyone have a strong feeling whether I should go to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, or The Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) and the US Virgin Islands? (My dad said that I have a lot going on and maybe I should stay home. But I'd like some beach time.) Or I could go to St. Lucia. Hmm, Virgin Cruises has a cruise over Thanksgiving that stops at a lot of the places that I’d like to see, but it’s kind of a party boat.

Dropped Gracie's sample at the vet. Fingers crossed....

My work laptop is steadily biting the dust. I can't see my second monitor.

Had a doctor's appointment with my doctor's Physician Assistant. She was very sharp and helpful. She wants me to get a lung cancer screening because of my smoking history and my mom's history of lung cancer. She did a referral to a sleep clinic. Otherwise, I'll see them again in April.

Gracie still has Giardia but it’s “much improved“. The vet wants to do another round of meds to knock it out. Meanwhile, I need to figure out when to take vacation this fall.

Hell. I was bringing some boxes in and Oliver got outside. Gracie got out and was biting him, and he ran back into the house. I got Gracie in and shut the door. I’m shaking. And Oliver scratched me.

I'm gathering the garbage, but I need a break. It's hot upstairs. At least I don't need to get up early tomorrow.