Vaccinated

I am happy to report that I have no no ill effects from the Covid vaccine I got this morning. Not even a soreness at the injection site.

So I am now legal to go forth and never wear a mask again.

That's funny!   

Ten Days of Vacation

Today is the first day of Ten Days off. I have a lot I want to get done while I'm on vacation but I also want to have some fun as well. I'm taking it kind of easy for the weekend and then will go crazy starting Monday.

There is a possible glitch to my Monday plans. I'm getting my second Covid vaccine at 8:10 on Monday. If I end up like Susan, I'm going to feel like crap for a day. I'm not planning on feeling like crap and I am scheduling some things to do, but I'll put them off if I have to.   

Cold Showers and Ear Worms

I wake up with an ear worm every morning. Today, it was "To Feel My Love", written by Bob Dillon but covered by a lot of artists including Billy Joel and Adele.

Yesterday, it was the Smokey the Bear song. 

"With a Ranger Hat and shovel and a pair of dungarees, you can find him in the forest always sniffin' at the breeze. People stop and pay attention when he tells them to beware. Cuz' everybody knows that he's the fire prevention bear."

I'm old school so it is Smokey THEE Bear. I don't go for any of that Smokey Bear Wokeness.

It is official now. The Cold Shower Start is part of my morning routine. I've been doing it since the first of the year. My original intent was to bring a little discomfort into my otherwise comfortable existence. And it does do that. I kind of shudder every time I get in the shower and reach for the handle. But there's something else I've come to realize it brings me. A sense of exhilaration. It is exhilarating to stand under that cold stream and endure it. Especially while singing the Smokey the Bear song.   

Burnt

I worked in the yard yesterday and got quite a bit done. I was trying to get as much accomplished as I could because the forecast for today was not promising. Cloudy and windy while yesterday was warm and sunny and really quite awesome.

Unfortunately, they totally blew the forecast. Today was equally as nice. Even when the clouds started blowing in about 4:00, they were thin and wispy and it was still nice and warm out. We walked over to the Hub and had a couple of beers. While there, we learned more about the wrong forecast. There was a wind storm coming. Which never happened.

One thing that did happen to me was a sun burn. I didn't even know it until I combed my hair this morning. My head lit up when the tines of my comb hit my scalp.

I have to remember to wear a hat when I'm out there.   

Cold Shower Challenge

I have been continuing the ritual of stepping into a cold shower every morning, until today. For some reason, I didn't want to do it this morning.

I got to thinking about the reasons to do it. To bring a little discomfort to my life. To show me I can be tough. Those reasons didn't resonate with me this morning.

I'll probably continue the ritual tomorrow because it is a small thing, the discomfort does not last long and it does feel good to face it and overcome it. 

But again, it's a small thing.

NCAA Hangover

I have not killed myself. However, it's safe to say that things did not go our way last night. 

Gonzaga's storied season hit a brick wall called Baylor. They out played the Zags at every turn. They shot better, they rebounded better, they hits the three pointers. It was humbling.

So that means that it is time to move on and ring in the Spring.

I'm moping the front porch...something I tried to do Saturday but got sidetracked by the slow running kitchen drain.

I took care of that problem this morning by opening my door to the Roto-Rooter man. He had it cleared in an hour...or about $221.00 plus tax.

While I am mopping, I am also enjoying a beer. It's a nice day out there and just perfect for a mop. And a beer.    

G.U. Reckoning Day

Tonight is the night. Gonzaga's perfect season comes down to this final game with Baylor.

I feel butterflies in my stomach like no other game I have watched. If they win, it's the climax to an amazing, historic season. If they lose, it will be tremendously disappointing. I will feel a deep sense of loss and want to kill myself. 

In any case, we are off to a local drinking establishment to watch the game, cheer wildly and celebrate or drive into a bridge abutment.

If this blog entry ends here...

  

The Long National Lentmare

 Susan and I got up at seven this morning and had a beer. Lent is over and we needed a beer. I'll have another later. I'm not sure how much good Lent did for me this year in relation to weight loss. Of course, weight loss is not the reason to observe Lent but it's a nice by-product.

I started at 230 pounds and weighed in this morning at 221. I got as low as 216. I would have liked to get to 210. I'm going to continue to observe to No Sugar, No Grain Keto diet, but not as strictly. 

The Gonzaga University basketball team made it into the NCAA Championship game last night. They beat UCLA by three points at the buzzer in a nail biter of a game. The lead changed several times and the Zags never held a commanding lead.

The win came at the end of the first overtime when UCLA was down by two and had the ball with seconds left. They made their shot, tying the game at 90. Gonzaga now had 2.4 seconds to make a basket. It was passed to Jalen Suggs who put up a shot from nearly half court that drained into the basket.

The bar were we watched the game erupted. It was really amazing. I should also mention that the place where we watched was not even close to observing any Covid restrictions. Every table was full even though they are supposed to be at 50% capacity.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I think the restrictions have been too severe and really capricious. It was nice to see the place full and having a good night of business. Because of the severity and capriciousness, I'm not naming the establishment. 

Sleep Study

Just before 9:00PM last night, I pulled into the Valley parking lot of Aspen Sleep Center. My new doctor thought it would be a good idea to see how I am sleeping. He had asked if I snore or ever stopped  breathing when I sleep. I told him that Susan has never said anything and I always wake up rested.

So I checked in with this technician named Chris. He took me to a comfortable little bedroom and explained what was going to happen. He hooked me up to a bunch of electrical leads...many more than they would place on you for an EKG. So, with this gathering of octopus leads, I was immediately set up for a comfortable, restful evening.

Once prepared, he left the room and let me prepare to go to sleep. I watched a little TV and then shut down a little after ten.

I felt like it took me forever to fall asleep but Chris woke me up about 1:00 and told me I had stopped breathing several times. Which means of course that I have Sleep Apnea. It occurred enough times that their protocol allowed for him to place a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) mask on me. It only covered my nose but it was still a bit uncomfortable and definitely unusual for me.

It created a weird pressure whenever I opened my mouth. It almost felt like I couldn't get a breath. Sometimes the pressure would build in my mouth and then air would slip gently through my lips. It was a very weird experience. One that I suspect is now in my future. 

I continued to doze throughout the night. 

When Chris woke me up at 5:30, he said the CPAP mask had worked. He wouldn't give me any results. He said that had to come from my Doctor...which would happen within se7en days.

Even though I didn't think I slept very well, I felt rested when I got up.

So I used the shower in the nicely appointed bathroom in the room, stole their extra soap and shampoo packets and got ready for work.

I still had a good hour to kill before work started so I got some nutritious breakfast at Carl's Jr.

Doesn't it sound like a Good Friday?! That's a little religious joke there!