BIKSS and I are in our 50s. We met in 1988 but it took us 24 years before hooking up in 2012. We moved into a DD/lg dynamic a year later. In April 2015 some shit hit the fan. We took some time off but eventually found a new us.
I used to live alone except for a few shifting years when my folks moved in then out, then after dad passed on, mum moved in again. Now that she too has passed, it's just me, one carer whom I've decided to keep on, and my tenant.
He lives with his family. This is us.
Don't panic. Not me. My sister. She's got the Covid. It's her second time. There's an antiviral drug that can be administered within 5 days of showing symptoms, but it's only available at what we call polyclinics - sort of centralised government huge-ass clinic complexes. BUT according to the boss they're running low on stock (he has friends who are still in the public health system) and they're only giving it to the really old and frail.
So since she's neither of the two, it's unlikely that she'll be a good candidate to receive the drug. I told her to stay home and save herself a trip to the megaclinic.
She's not in too bad a shape. A bit of cough and feeling slightly lightheaded, as one does with the flu.
I on the other hand have developed that annoying post-nasal-drip cough again. It was bugging me in December and with a week's Dymista it went away. Well. It's back. I blame the fried snacks. Now whenever I eat something I cough. BUT it doesn't start till about 5 mins into the meal. So I've been stuffing my face as quickly as possible to get thru all my food before it hits. Not too difficult since I'm a pretty fast eater in general.
And EdX had a discount code for me in my inbox today so I decided to get back to my course. I have one last module to go before getting my cert in lifestyle medicine in chronic disease management - it's back to "school" for me.
Just in time too cos BIKSS is away on a work trip next week. We'll miss his birthday so I think we're "celebrating" tomorrow. If celebrate is what you can call a visit to the physiotherapist (for him) and an audiometry test (for me) before we get to the business of getting some yummy grub!
Here are today's chips - Raw diamond chips. Cos I really shouldn't be snacking on potato ones!
I had a scratchy throat on Sunday night. I thought it might have been too many crispy snacks.
By Monday night I started feeling feverish. After getting home from the council-member meeting where one of the assistants very kindly went ahead and wrote an appeal letter for my application to get a second live in caregiver, I sensed something was not right. My temp was up to 38.6°C and every muscle in my body was aching.
Antigen test was negative.
Tuesday morning I couldn't move. Took some paracetamol and serrazyme for the throat, went back to sleep, fever yoyo-ing up and down. Test still negative. Skipped work.
By Tuesday night the cough had set in. But bodyaches were gone.
This morning my test finally came back positive. Throat is fine. Muscles are fine. No more fever. Just this annoying cough.
I'm required to stay home for 3 days in isolation then after that once I test negative or after day 7 I'm free to leave the house again, whichever is sooner.
Alright, Covid, you've won this round. And so, this is where it's at.
I also came across this thing called the Adversity Quotient recently. I think I must be developing LOTS of it in recent years.
You can check out your Adversity Response Profile HERE
First, I know I haven't been around lately. I blame this weird weather we're having (hot hot hot then massive stormy rains!) and the accompanying hot flushes throughout the day, whether or not I'm sitting in the AC.
I've been feeling out of sorts so I haven't been interested in turning the lappy on much.
I also have had a weird pain in my lower back and hip / groin area. The doc thinks it might be a hip flexor issue - iliopsoas (ee-lio-so-as) tendinitis, he thinks.
I have caved and finally made an appointment with the physio guy he recommended a couple months back (for the shoulder) and I've been given a slot this Wednesday. Let's hope the dude can sort out my aches. My boss says just tell him EVERYTHING that's been hurting (whether or not the pain is still present) and let him decide what to deal with first, cos it could be that I'm overcompensating for one ache thereby causing another part of me to develop pains. I *have* been wondering about that possibility myself.
So last night we went to a place in the middle of nowhere to grab dinner. It was quiet, empty, and the discount app had a 60% off mains offer.
Why not right?
The food tasted like it came out of my own kitchen - that is, not rich, not salty, and rather plain tasting. Which is great, in my opinion. I'm used to a blander taste and eating out can sometimes be challenging and overwhelming to my tastebuds.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't BAD. It just wasn't as overstimulating on my tongue as I usually find restaurant food to be. LOL
Empty and quiet - perfect!
Chicken salad with thousand island dressing. How old school is that!
The pan-seared salmon was pretty much perfect. We both agreed that even tho it was a tad lacking in flavour (I think that's why they serve a gravy on the side) the fish was done in a way that came as close to perfect as I'd ever had it.
Lambshank - again, creamy, not salty, but still flavourful enough for me. The butter rice was delish but I wasn't keen on the potatoes.
After dinner we drove home because my shoes were killing my toes and I needed rescueing. I'm not one to ask my boyfriends to do stuff for me, in fact BIKSS is well aware that I'm more of an "It's ok, I can handle it myself" kinda gal. But when we got to my carpark I asked him if he could do me a favour - Could you run up and get my grey shoes please? They're sitting outside the house so you'll see them when you get to my door. He chortled and took my shoes up with him to swap them for the comfier slip-ons.
After that we went to explore a stretch of new cafes near the nursing home where dad was. Currently there is a no-alcohol-after-1030pm rule in bars and restaurants here. So pubs and such will close at 1030, but eateries can continue to operate as long as they stop serving alcohol. This is to prevent people from hanging out and drinking and chatting and getting rowdy so as to help with the Covid situation.
In the last 2 years a LOT of dessert places have popped up, presumably because people need SOMEwhere to hang out. And since liquor is no longer an option I guess they're turning to sugar instead.
We ended up at this gelato place and gave their waffle a go.
It looked ok, until you got to the centre of the circle. It was dense. More like bread pudding than waffle. And I don't know about you but NO waffle should be bread pudding consistency. I like my bread pudding bread pudding-y. But I'll have my waffle fluffy please.
That's the cross section of the waffle. It was way too mushy and wet for my liking.
That wasn't the only issue. The waitress was just stuck up or grouchy or whatever. I must have thanked her 3 times during our visit - when she brought the drinks, and again when she served us the waffle and later on, some warm water. And each time she just turned around and walked away.
Earlier on I asked the guy about their tea, and he must have thought she heard me asking the question cos he turned to her and all he said was "The berry tea, do you know?"
SHE clearly didn't hear me so she had no clue what he was on about. But instead of asking me what it was that I wanted to know, she scowled back at him and said curtly "What she say?"
It was then that I decided to repeat myself. Is there actual black tea in your berry tea? Or is it a herbal infusion, do you know?
She replied "Infusion." Then looked away and went back to her coffee press.
It was NOT an infusion, it turns out. There was tea in there. I could smell it. BIKSS said he would drink it after he was done with his coffee. How the man sleeps with so much caffeine at 9pm I don't know. I'd be awake till 5!
I was pissed at her and decided we were never going back there again.
There was another gelato place a few doors down, one we walked past earlier but decided not to enter cos the staff looked "unfriendly" according to BIKSS. That'll teach us. On the way back to the car I popped in to have a look at the menu and ended up having a quick chat with the lady at the counter. She was friendly, explained their menu to me, and showed me the selection of teas they have. They also have a no-caffeine drink section (I saw chocolate milk type things) which I was satisfied with.
I promised we would come back to try their waffles another time!
And I'm pretty sure that time will be sooner rather than later :D
In other things food related (but not us related), I came across this video and had to share it. I mean, NO GAG REFLEX, y'all. Think about that for a second.
There's also this video which made me feel sick watching... that was a lot of food.
In local news, the PM made an announcement last Thursday that come Tuesday the 29th of March we will be allowed to wander outdoors without masks. This means in malls and buses etc masks will still be mandatory, but with the hotter weather we're getting at least I can wait at the bus stop or walk along the corridors without half my face trapping heat!
Having said that, I'm pretty certain if I'm walking past someone or if the train/bus stops are full of people I'm likely still going to keep my mask on. Better safe than sorry, you know?
The no-alcohol-after-1030pm rule is also going to be lifted, and groups of up to 10 people will be allowed for dine-ins, up from 5.
Things may finally be getting better.
Today's chip pic ~ have you ever tried Royce's Chocolate Covered Potato Chips? They are delicious!
P/S - Mum had such a good day today (which means I had a good day too!). We danced to Patti Page songs this morning - ok, more like she wiggled her hips and moved around in small circles. We were holding hands and I took the opportunity to get her to move her arms up and down and around. All day today she wanted to listen to music (instead of watching telly) so we did. She tapped her hands against the armrest, tray table and whatever else was within reach, and I stuck some rice and barley in two empty bottles for her to use as shakers. She fiddled with them off and on. And this evening during a particularly upbeat Jim Reeves number she moved her feet along with me as I stood beside her and tapped in time to the music. There might be something to this whole music therapy for dementia patients lark. Here's a video ~
BIKSS has come down with a fuzzy throat and he's feeling under the weather again. The fact that we're seeing 10k plus new cases daily isn't helping everyone's morale. So far he is still negative.
Hospital beds are getting snatched up by the thousands each day. We're headed for a crisis if you ask me, but everyone is so casual about the omicorn variant it's scary to think it could blow up even bigger than it has.
Mum has officially gotten 'discharged' with a memo sent by the health ministry. My caregiver will have to wait till tomorrow before she is officially allowed to leave the house.
They still have to both test negative before entering the hospital tomorrow afternoon if they are to attend mum's physio session.
I'll have to call them and update them when I know the results of their a.r.t. I am also supposed to have a kid coming in for lesson tomorrow afternoon. I've told the mum I will update her as well. I don't want to expose anyone to this. Getting sick is one thing, passing it to 10, 50, 100 people is another.
👄👄👄👄👄
Tomorrow is also Valentine's Day. Obviously no one here is going on a date. It'll be crowded, expensive and risky.
Not to mention I don't think either of us should be meeting the other until everyone is Covid-free, we are a.r.t negative for at least 2 weeks, and neither of us is feeling sick-ish.
That leaves us with, um, maybe a date in March. LOL. We'll celebrate it along with his birthday that was a week and a half ago.
But aside from Valentine's Day there is also Galentine's Day. It's celebrated on the 13th of Feb so I guess this is me wishing all my blogging gal pals HAPPY GALENTINE'S DAY.
"The best thing about Galentine’s Day is that it was created by a fictional character: Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation. In 2010, the second season of Parks and Rec included an episode called “Galentine’s Day,” in which Leslie gathers a group of her closest gal pals for a brunch full of waffles and love."
I mean, gal pal love and waffles??? I'm in!
But what if you wanna hang with a guy pal, or if you're a guy and well, "galentine" isn't for you? Don't fret. There's always Palentine's Day. It is also celebrated on the 13th of Feb so I'm wishing my NON-gal blogger pals HAPPY PALENTINE'S DAY!
👄👄👄👄👄
I've been sitting on these for a bit, I guess I should share them or else they'll just get mouldy by the time I get round to it.
(And if you, like me, enjoy music-related things, try Byrdle - it's like Wordle but with a choral theme.)
Heh. Heh heh. I really liked this one. 👆
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH BOTH OF THESE. Reading the news makes me irritable. The amount of stupid in the world is mind-blowing. I realise I should be used to it by now. But it still surprises me.
👄👄👄👄👄
Mum has been hooked on magic-related TV shows. It's a good thing we found something she enjoys so as to kill the time she has to be stuck indoors. She has watched the reboot of Charmed (3 seasons) and is currently going thru Merlin (from 2008). I enjoyed it when I watched it a decade ago, so I'm glad she's also finding it entertaining. There are 5 seasons so she'll have plenty to distract her.
Meanwhile I'm on season 2 of A Discovery of Witches. I like the premise, I don't like the main actress - I think she's over acting and doesn't seem to be doing justice to Matthew Goode who plays the character opposite her. (And she has the worst American accent. I get that she's Australian, but seriously.) I DO like Matthew Goode - yeah yeah, that tall lanky type. My friend thinks he'd make a good Bond. I think he'd make a good bonk. But only if he smells nice. The problem with LOOKING at eye candy is that I worry (unnecessarily so, but still I worry) that they'll end up not smelling good.
Can I just say again how I love that BIKSS always smells good? Mmmmmm. Nothing beats that clean, crisp scent of laundry detergent and fabric softener LOL. Dettol is good too. And so is bleach. I think I have a sickness.
But back to TV. You can watch the trailer HERE or click on the video below-
And while looking for that trailer I decided that I shall give Scandal a go. Why not right? I mean, I should be doing my module videos on Understanding Dementia but TV is so much more exciting.
Ok that's not entirely true. I am enjoying what I call my dementia videos. If basic brain anatomy is something you're interested in, maybe you will too.
You can read more about it here. It's another MOOC in the same series as the one I did last year on Preventing Dementia. I told my caregiver about it and she has also signed up! It'll be good for her to have this under her belt, I think. Practical knowledge is always a plus, but more importantly she'll have an additional qualification for future employment opportunities.
Oh, and speaking of caregiver, mum slept thru the night again last night. We are happy that her new medication schedule is working well. Most nights she gets up maybe once, sometimes twice, but some nights she manages to sleep right through. My caregiver jokingly addressed me as "Doc" the whole morning. She also thinks our geriatrician is a quack and that I've managed (with the help of my boss) to do a better job at solving mum's sleep issues.
...babysitting the two C+ patients and making sure they're ok, I have been catching up on my movie watching. What else am I supposed to do cooped up in my room all afternoon right?
(Shoutout to the team who's doing an awesome job calling me 3 times a day to check in on mum. Also, our system is pretty thorough I will say - talk about putting taxpayers' money to good use! Over the last 3 days I :
-got an SMS about mum's positive result,
-had to fill in a form listing all the people living in the same house,
-got a follow-up call from one of the health ministry people checking on mum's symptoms and asking about pre-existing medical conditions and informing me of the appeal he would submit on my behalf for mum to stay home instead of being moved to a hospital / treatment facility for closer monitoring since that's what I wanted given her almost non-existent symptoms PLUS the fact that she has dementia / delirium etc.,
-managed to get a home-recovery agent on the line real quick when I needed to check on whether my caregiver had to fill in the same form cos I had already been named on mum's form,
-received a close-contact alert SMS informing me I should stay vigilant, and I am to do an antigen test at home and submit that result within the next 2 hours, and also that I have to take a test each morning (and be negative!) before leaving the house for the next 7 days - those results do not have to be reported,
-received an SMS that our stay home appeal has been approved and that mum should fill up an electronic Letter of Undertaking stating that we have opted for home recovery instead of going to a hospital / treatment facility, failing which an ambulance will be despatched to our registered address to convey the patient to more suitable medically-equipped premises,
-got a whatsapp message from the Tele-med service provider giving us details of how to contact them should we need more medication or a virtual medical consult,
-got a call from said Tele-med doctor in the evening checking up on mum, checking up on how I'm monitoring mum, and advising me to keep an eye on heart rate (not above 100), O2 (not below 95) and to call an ambulance immediately if she experiences breathlessness or chest pains,
-received another SMS informing us we could collect free a.r.t. kits from vending machines located around the estate so as to administer home tests (for the patients, not for me) beginning on day 4 onwards, and if at any point before or on day 7 a negative test is had, then quarantine is deemed lifted and that test result should be submitted. If not, then it is officially lifted anyway regardless of test result on day 8.
I. Am. Impressed.)
But back to my point - movies. (Title links take you to official trailers on Youtube.)
So far, Solo - A Star Wars Story - Not bad. Way better than the last 3 in the main Star Wars franchise. Dragon mama was a surprise - I didn't know anything about the movie.
The last of which I also just watched. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (IX). Horrid chemistry. Overacting. Bad guy turned good. Pfft. They really should have just quit while they were ahead - which for me means after Return of the Jedi.
Change of Habit - Elvis anyone? And a young Mary Tyler Moore. What's there not to love? I can't say I love the music in the film, but it was SO lovely to watch an old Elvis film. I remember watching them on TV as a kid.
And now I'm on An American in Paris. I'm not a huge fan of Gershwin, and I don't particularly enjoy his brand of jazz, but dammit he's good. I'm more impressed with Oscar Levant's killer piano skills tho. He's wild!
That's the abbreviation we use in the clinic for Covid-positive cases.
And now I have two. I was on the way to work this morning when mum's caregiver tested positive with our home antigen rapid test (a.r.t.) kit. I rang my boss who told me to get the caregiver to take herself and mum to the doctor, and tell them this and that and eventually he just said, "Why don't you just go back and take them to the clinic? You need to inform the doc of your mum's condition, their living arrangements etc. And if the caregiver is positive and mum is negative then she will be shipped off to a care facility so you'll have to stay with mum anyway. If mum is also positive they might BOTH be shipped out to a treatment facility (cos mum is considered an at-risk patient due to her age and other pre-existing conditions), in which case I will try and get them transferred to our hospital." (The clinic I work for is part of a group that runs a hospital too.)
So I came home, took them both to the nearest swab-available GP for confirmation (who will then alert the health authorities and they will become part of the country's official count lol) where they both tested positive.
BUT since they're showing very mild (caregiver) / almost no (mum) symptoms, they were sent back and are under what is called the Home Recovery Protocol - stay isolated if possible, do not leave the house, test at home with the a.r.t. kits again on days 5, 6, and 7, and if the test is negative on any of those days, they're ok to escape quarantine resume normal activities. If not, then by day 8 (next Monday) they are free to leave the house regardless of test result as they would have been deemed non-contagious by then.
I tested negative today and will be allowed to go about my normal business as long as my a.r.t. comes out negative each morning.
They have run of the living room, kitchen and bathroom / WC (I only have one WC and bath anyway) so I shall be masking up while at home except when I'm hiding out in my own room where I have decided to spend my time except for pees, poops and showers. Oh, and food.
Needless to say, this means that I shall not be meeting BIKSS for at least a week, so I guess we're going to have to postpone his birthday day-out and celebration again. I jokingly said to him when he came down with his tummy bug that we'll celebrate it in March. It looks like that might not be too far from the truth after all.
I also contacted all the relatives who came to visit over the CNY holiday and informed them to be vigilant. I sent some a.r.t. kits over to my aunts and uncles for them to conduct their own tests but I'm assuming the cousins (who are younger and gainfully employed) will be able to sort themselves out. The health ministry has distributed these kits to every household too so everyone has access to at least 2 kits but I thought I would just send extras in case they had already used up their government-issued ones.
And now, TV. Because I'm not doing anything else today. Mum's taking a week off physio. I'm taking a week off piano classes. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning cos tomorrow's a.r.t will determine if I go to work or not.
Today's chip pic is chocolate ~ cos that's what I need right now.
It wasn't the greatest of dinner dates. I was in a state. Suffice it to say the mother situation isn't helping the stay-home-cos-Covid thing, and the Covid thing isn't helping the mother's-got-dementia situation. Plus once in a while the BIKSS' situation thing upsets my mood. So there I was, getting into the car and chancing upon some information that irritated me. I am also likely to be PMS-ing. Plus the year end cool seems to be eluding us this year. Temperatures are still at an all time high of 35°C. It's quite annoying. And that's putting it mildly.
So anyway, we went and had dinner.
Parmesan wings. The spicy dip was very spicy.
A side salad that was surprisingly delicious. They do a good dressing.
Fish and chips. I don't like big chips. I like shoestring fries. But these were edible.
The batter on the fish was crispy and at least cooked through.
I can't believe how many times I've eaten this sort of battered fish where
the inside portions were still uncooked!
After that we went to pick up some chips and oat milk mocha from the plant-mama who had an excess of stock. And then I came home and slept. It seems sleeping is the only thing I find reasonably acceptable these days. I won't even say it's enjoyable. Just least likely to cause any grief since I'm unconscious.
This morning the caregiver's PCR test came out negative so that's SOME good news. She had a scratchy throat and a contact of hers whom she met last Thursday turned out positive, so that was weighing on my mind too.
The mother keeps alluding to going home. I don't know where she thinks home is cos she can't name the location nor describe what it looks like. She mentions the people at home waiting for her. But can't say who those people are specifically. I've about given up trying to convince her that her home is here. Wait. I haven't about given up. I have given up. Now I just say, ok, when you're well you can go but for now your meds and plasters are here so you'll just be staying here for a while more. And then 2 minutes later she says something again. Rinse and repeat.
I want my life to be more than just rinse and repeat. With mum. With BIKSS. With Covid. Measures ease. Measures tighten. We can dine out. We can't dine out. We can have visitors. We can't have visitors.
Dealing with the mother's dementia is way more exhausting than when I was dealing with my late father's.
Today I took a day off work to bake. At least the keto fruit cakes turned out looking decent.
IN comparison, the day before we went for a walk, and after the walk BIKSS came up to collect his plants which I deemed ready for his work desk. Given that the ZZ is such a slow grower, I was surprised to see that a little shoot had already begun poking out of the soil.
On the way up I asked him if he wanted a quickie. He said yes. So we did. That was what... the first time we had sex in months, I think. 3 months? Possibly. I am finding the current state of affairs to be extremely ridiculous.
My mood pic today ~ I gave my hearts from Tab for a Cause to Give Directly. This was the response page. At least SOMEONE's benefiting from SOMETHING today. Pfft. Hopefully the next time I write something here my mood'll be better. Cause right now the only thing that's floating around in my brain is "What's the Fucking Point of all this?"
What else did I do this week? I taught the far-away kids twice this week. They're the boss's kids. Usually when I see them he's still at work (I work half days and come home at lunch, and then on some afternoons, lessons).
But since I had an extra class with them on a Saturday, he was home and upstairs in his study... halfway thru lessons he traipsed down to to the kitchen so he gave me a "hey" and semi wave as he walked across my line of sight. I gave him only the "hey" arm-raise back as I was mid-sentence, talking to the kid, but figured I would chat with him properly after.
After lessons I headed up to his study to say Hi, and see to his plants (he wanted plants, I gave him plants, he plonked them in the master bathroom, and then said, come look at your plant babehs so I went and looked at them). Well, I looked at them the week before; the wife didn't have a problem. Admittedly she was out, but I did say when I brought the plants over that the boss said I should check if they needed watering so it's not news to her, I don't think. The littlest boy took me up to where they were, I watered one of them and texted her to let her know that I had done so. I also told her don't worry about the plants cos I would continue to check in on them when I come round for class, and that I was headed out now. She seemed fine.
Anyway, all this was to say that it was pretty awkward. I don't think my boss knows how to interact with me OUTSIDE of where-we-work. I'm (and BIKSS is too) pretty certain that the wife being present has something to do with it.
I think the bottom line is he is willing to go to extra lengths / make concessions for me (that's a story for another time) which he might not do for just anyone else. And I think he thinks if he were to be too friendly his wife might raise an eyebrow.
And now I'm wondering if she's thinking "Who's this person who buys him supplements (he asks me to - I don't just feed him with pills or nothing) and has managed to worm herself into our home where she's earned the trust of our children, and is now privy to my bathroom and everything in it because my idiot husband has given her access so she can check on the / "her" plants?"
BIKSS says probably not. But who knows right? Men think funny. And overcompensate. And then they start looking suspicious. Which is funny cos that's what they wanted to avoid in the first place innit?
Anyway. I'm probably NEVER going to go over on a Saturday again. I think it's just better for everyone all round.
--------
I started baking my fruit cakes today. And aside from the lowcarb / keto versions I want to try, I'm actually already done with all the regular sugar ones.
I was pleasantly surprised when I ripped open the foil loaf tins and found that a pack contained not 5 but 10 pieces. Guess the sales guy got that mixed up. So now I had 30 instead of 15. LOL. I only needed 10 but got an extra pack just in case.
Then I realised that I had almost a full packet of brown sugar in my larder, which meant I now had extra sugar too, as I bought what I would need for the bake based on having zero existing stock. Hm. I might be able to bake more cakes without having to buy too much more stuff, what with the extra loaf tins.
Now usually the batter I get at the end of a mix fills 3 tins, but for some reason today's mix gave me 4! Hah. So now I'm going to end up with extra loaves anyway, and won't need to go out and buy more stuff to bake extra cakes.
I felt like I was on that hill where the 5 loaves and 2 fish ended up feeding the thousands.
---------
I discovered a website called Tab for a Cause as I was listening to an old episode of Dear Hank and John (you can find it on most platforms where you get your others podcasts) which I find absolutely hilarious.
And yes, it does really give money to charities. It's all legit. And it costs you absolutely nothing. If you have the extension on your browser, each time you open a new tab you collect a heart. And then when you've got a good number of them, you can send your hearts to a charity and they get money from it. It really is that easy.
And I think that's pretty much all the rest-of-the-news from this side of the world.
Have a good week ahead everyone. It's December. The year's almost over. And Covid is STILL raging on. Argh. For now we're still Omicron-free. But who knows how long THAT will last. We're supposed to be re-opening, slowly and cautiously, with groups of 5 being allowed to dine together (up from 2) but the PM has now announced that they're watching this stupid variant closely and further easing of restrictions may be delayed. Pfft.
My mood pic today ~ (they sell these ornaments on Amazon, fyi)
Those of us here who've had our 2nd jab at least 6 months ago have received our SMS to book a booster shot.
Mum got hers while she was in hospital so they arranged to let her have it there. She had a slight fever but was fine by the second day.
I had my shot this afternoon. The first 2 were Pfizer, but I decided to opt for the Moderna one for my booster, as studies point to it being a bit more long lasting.
So far I'm fine, there hasn't been any side effects, but I am feeling a tad drowsy.
Perhaps I shall go lie down for a bit.
Later tonight I've arranged for BIKSS to transport me to a couple of places to collect a commode and walking frame for the mum.
I don't want to necessarily get new ones as these are not expected to be long-run equipment that she'll need, so it's a good thing that I'm getting them free!
BIKSS had an early finish so he came to get me at 4. We dropped off a box of home made granola bars at the plant-mama's house, then he asked if I needed to do / buy / sort out anything else.
Nope, said I. Nothing.
Where shall we go? Is there anything you'd like to do?
Hm. Nope.
It was too early for dinner.
Hm.
The problem with living in these Covid times is that everything is closed, or attendance at places has to be pre-booked, or cafe / restaurant visits are capped at 60 mins. We also do NOT want to just pop into crowded malls / shops if we don't have to, cos what's the point of extra risk right?
So I said let's go see some plants.
Which we did. There's a well known area with a stretch of nurseries, and I mean a LONG stretch - some of them have been around for decades, like since before I was born even, about 12km from my house. We drove over there and spent about an hour and a bit walking around. We managed to visit two of them, and then I got hungry so we went to dinner.
I didn't take any pictures, but we intend to go back and visit the others... so I'll probably take pics then.
Dinner was at a place we hadn't been to before even tho we've both seen it in our discount app... so we decided to give it a go.
It was simple, no frills, tasted good, and I couldn't complain.
Fried Chicken (Karaage) - crispy, hot, yummy.
Mushroom salad - warm mushroom, cool veggies, the type of lettuce I like.
Crispy salmon with salad and fries. That's what the menu said, and that's what we got!
Red velvet waffle with a scoop of ice cream. I was hesitant to eat it. The waffle looked weird and out of shape. It didn't have the typical buttermilk waffle scent. I doubted its ability to satisfy.
But I was wrong.
It was different. Interesting. Had a flavour but I don't know what of. The texture in the middle was a bit soggy but not like a soggy waffle, more like a bread pudding.
BIKSS tried some and had the same reaction.
I probably won't go back for another, but this one didn't exactly upset me either, despite how it looked.
On the way home we walked past a bakery that sold a very very old, hardly-seen-anymore glutinous flour cakey-biscuit thing that's usually eaten during the mooncake festival. It's called a moonlight biscuit (月光餅) - and this is how it's made -
There's another version here but this one has Chinese text and it's different in that she steams the biscuits at the end. The ingredients are listed in English in the info box below the video if you're curious.
The one I got has a sprinkling of sugared cinnamon powder in the centre of the biscuit.
And in plant news - there's fruit on the orange jasmine!
We turn 56 today and it's a holiday, but there's not going to be any big parade. Instead they're having a ceremonial one whatever that means and I suppose we'll all just watch it on TV.
We should all just have one man parades.... LOL
There WILL be a "party" on the 21st, and I'm not sure if they're actually going to have people in a crowded space shouting and screaming in the heat - but I'm certain I don't want to be there.
We've reached 70% full vaccination. I suppose the government is glad they met their target - their plan was 2/3 of the population by August. Counting those who have received at least one dose, that number goes up to about 80%.
The plan is that by September we'll be 80% fully vaccinated.
This is good news for relaxing of measures.
I know that our case numbers are pretty low in comparison to other countries, particularly our immediate neighbours, but that's cos seemingly extreme measures were put in place to prevent widespread infection - evidently it's working. (To date approx 65k cases in total, 41 deaths, and about 2k active cases currently)
We test whole blocks of residents if there are at least 3 positive cases in the block; quarantine orders are issued for anyone who has come into close contact (15 mins at 1.5m or less) with a confirmed case and that means keeping any kids at home (so they don't spread it in school) until a second negative swab test result for the person in quarantine; and not allowing dining-in at all eateries, AT ALL - not even outdoor ones. This means we get LOTS of changes and updates every week or two, and that's probably the thing that annoys me the most. But I suppose the plan has been to keep everyone away from everyone else as much as possible until the majority have been vaccinated.
Now that we've reached that point, it seems we can carry on with life again, somewhat, but I'm certain there will be new challenges and a different trend will emerge, one that will need reactionary measures again. Only this time the parameters will look very different, I suspect.
They've taken off the "possible exposure alert" on our tracing app since they made the announcement to relax the rules. And we are left wondering if this is the next step in their move to "living with Covid as an endemic instead of pandemic" as previously announced.
Of course this means that maybe just maybe I'll be able to sneak BIKSS in again for some nookie. The last time we had sex was on the 4th of June. I looked. Cos I write down EVERYTHING.
That's 2 months and then some.
We'll also be able to eat out again. HURRAY. Time to use that voucher.
Honestly, I think being NOT on dates regularly has given me some separation anxiety and I think I've coped by just shutting out and becoming numb in the relationship department. I still enjoy the texts and chats when we DO walk but I'm not craving intimacy. Which is a bit alarming. Oh well. Let's see what happens moving forward. (It could be Covid lockdown's fault, but it could also just be my hormones.)
Speaking of - my hormones have all gone haywire - the last time I had a period was on the 12th of June. Thankfully the hot flashes have stopped and I'm sleeping thru the night again.
The irony tho. No period. But no sex. But also, no cums. Not many in any case. I've probably had 3 cums in the last 2 months. The libido has Covid. It's in some serious need of resuscitation I think.
While my hormones seem to be less problematic these days, relatively speaking, the MSK pains (musculoskeletal) have gotten more pronounced. It could be the crazy long / fast walks I've been doing (I try going faster when I'm walking solo), it could also be the uphill / downhill walk I did with financial guru/accountant friend last Wed, but I think it's made worse by the let's-push-mum TOO FAR in her wheelchair outings when I take her out solo on our caregiver's day off.
So I went and did some research on Kinesiology tape and did a simple tape up for knee to see if it will help. So far, it's not too bad and I can at least squat to pee without pain LOL.
In a nutshell -
When the tape is applied to your body, it recoils slightly, gently lifting your skin. It is believed that this helps to create a microscopic space between your skin and the tissues underneath it.
Some physical therapists think the tape changes the information your sensory nervous system is sending about pain and compression in your body.
[Our tissues] ...contain sensory receptors that feel pain, temperature, and touch. Those receptors all contribute to proprioception—your brain’s sense of where your body is and what it’s doing. Kinesiology taping creates a lift that unloads the underlying tissues. Decompressing those tissues can change the signals going to the brain.
I don't know if any of it is actually working, but I AM aware of the tape around my knee, and perhaps that's messing with the pain signals after all.
There's a specific way to tape for injury so it's not like you just plaster it over the painful spot.
Youtube has LOTS of how-to videos.
I'm going to research how to tape my 5th metatarsal next - or cuboid bone. It's been a bit achey and I suspect I may have a syndrome / stress reaction. I thought it was my ankle but it didn't seem to fit the classic ankle sprain (ATFL) descriptions.
ATFL
The pain I have seems to be on the TOP of the foot. I might ask the boss about getting an X-ray when I go back to work after the holiday.
(my.clevelandclinic.org)
In other medical updates, Mum's next geri appointment is on the 24th. They shifted it from the 10th. Probably because there were some cases in the medical centre at the hospital and they were trying to keep people away as much as possible.
I hope this time the doctor gives her something for her anxiety.
I'm nagging BIKSS cos he still hasn't gone and booked his medical appointment. He's checking with his insurance to see what they will or won't cover.
He also had the sniffles last Thursday and had to do another swab. His third so far.
Thankfully, I've had none.
And on that note I shall sign off with today's slightly optimistic mood pic ~ Is it finally safe to come out now?
Just before our most recent Covid lockdown (they're not calling it a lockdown, but really, it IS) we went for dinner at one of our favourite places which serves a great warm avocado spinach salad.
The only problem was they had run out of spinach, didn't tell us, and then brought a horrid mesclun salad instead. I. Don't. Do. Mesclun. Mainly because I don't do rocket / arugula. Or endives.
I was annoyed because the "spinach" is named in the salad. I mean, if you run out of the thing that the menu NAMES, TELL THE CUSTOMER for fuck's sake.
In the end I had to ask them to substitute with cucumbers and romaine. It was just barely tolerable.
Our chicken cordon bleu looked terrible. It was a slice of turkey ham on a slab of black pepper chicken with some cheese melted over the top. Despite the fact it's supposed to be stuffed, and if I thought the restaurant wanted to exercise some artistic licence and serve it with a twist (altho that's not really an excuse either), they DESCRIBED IT as "stuffed" on their menu.
I wrote to the proprietor (whom we've met on a number of occasions) and eventually he got back to me, offering a $50 voucher for our next meal and apologising profusely, saying that he's gone and investigated and has taken steps to fix the problem.
I suppose that's not bad, but BIKSS doesn't want to go back to that outlet cos the manager will likely be pissed at me for making a complaint and spit in my plate or some such thing. LOL. He's thinking perhaps we should go to one of their other restaurants. Perhaps the one with the Halal Chinese fusion cuisine.
I think that might be wise.
Once the no dining-in restriction is lifted, that is.
