The growth
Two weeks into the moustache-growing contest. I HATE IT.
June 29, 2007
April 17, 2007
Good and Bad
The good news: Despite a low occasional ache in a back tooth, my dentist says I have no cavities! This is the first time in my life a dentist has EVER told me that! Woo!
The bad news: Something is causing an ache in my back tooth. It could be stress, it could be the chin strap I wear while I sleep (for the CPAP machine) making me clench or grind... The dentist ground down the high points of the tooth a bit just in case. I do have an 11-year-old filling back there, but they say it's in good shape.
Still! No cavities! Let's eat sugar and celebrate!
April 12, 2007
Ick
Okay, so I'm at this comedy show last night, and there are these two street-style comedians wandering around warming up the audience.
One lady is going around 'preparing people to be recorded for television', smearing lipstick up faces, taking coats (and then auctioning them off) and the like. All very funny.
And then she sits me down, tells me I look fine, except my shows. For which she proceeds to get down on her hands and knees and SPIT-POLISH THEM.
For real. Ptui! Wipe wipe.
Eeeugh.
April 10, 2007
Where You Can Find Me
I am on Facebook. I find it's simplicity and lack of horrible, horrible ads pleases me.
I also have a page on MySpace. I built it just for this thing that was happening over at zefrank and left it. I am amused by all the Friend Spam I get there. Crappy bands sometimes, but mostly girls wanting to advertise their naked pictures on other websites.
March 14, 2007
Prayers Needed
My friend Connie was back in surgery for the third time last night up in Edmonton. We're told that everything that can be done has been done and now it's up to her.
The next 24-48 hours will make the difference, so please send whatever prayers/positive energy/good mojo you can spare Northwards to her, her family and Colin.
March 09, 2007
Plague-Ridden
Day two of being sick. Better than yesterday (which leaves me hopeful for tomorrow) but trying to get ready for work left me sweating and shaking so gave up. Need more recovery time apparently.
Grumble grumble.
March 08, 2007
Sick Day
Down with cold. Quality content returns when I'm well again.
March 02, 2007
Tops and Tops
Was hungry after my swim this morning so got the special at the cafeteria downstairs. Egg, bacon and cheese on a sesame bun with hash browns. Mmm.
Weird thing is that when I picked up the sandwich I noticed that the cafeteria guy made the sandwich with two sesame bun tops. Which is good, because I'm all about the sesame, but I can't help thinking about the poor sap after me stuck with two bottoms.
Heh. Two bottoms.
February 22, 2007
Sleep Update
Couple of weeks ago, I brought home a sleep study machine once again, to analyze how I'm doing with my CPAP machine.
The results are very positive! As compared to last time, where they figured I stop breathing some 80 times an hour, it's down to an average of 3.5, which is well below what they call 'low'. Also, my oxygen saturation is much, much improved.
So the therapy is working. I'm not cured, of course. There is no cure, and there's only a chance that it might go away, once I get back down to my fighting weight. So once I get back down around 200 pounds, I can get retested and see if it's made any difference.
I still have insomnia issues, and I'm welcome to come back to the clinic to try to deal with those once my life settles down a bit (more on this another day), but the doctor was pretty much unconcerned with it, so long as I am functional the next day.
But yeah, it's working. I feel much like a new person -- all energized and alert. I still have to work on the habits formed during the length of my apnea, but I'm a step in the right direction.
February 06, 2007
Identity Theft
So Lisa sends me an email saying that a letter has arrived from Telus, asking me if I want to to switch plans on my Pay & Talk phone.
I call Telus and verify that, other than my name and address, there is nothing on the account that matches my information. So someone bought a cell phone and gave them my name and address. There's no big risk -- my credit card isn't attached to it or anything, but it's very weird. Now I have to go into a Telus store with the letter and some ID and have it deactivated.
This is weird.
January 17, 2007
Buzz
My coworker told me I should try what she normally drinks in the morning at work. Something called a 'double-shot Americano'.
I'm completely wired.
(eye twitch. eye twitch.)
January 13, 2007
Woo hoo!
Why is this is the coolest receipt ever?
Because of this:
Jedi lightsaber training is awesome.
January 09, 2007
Writer Wanted
Our copywriter at work is moving off to a new position, and, to ensure that I don't have to do all the grunt work myself, I am putting the call out for a new writer to join our team.
The posting isn't up yet (I'll link it when it is) but the job entails writing copy for websites and newsletters. The various tasks could include:
- writing marketing copy based on product and service briefs
- writing technical support copy based on customer needs and feedback
- writing entertainment copy for our On Demand movie features
- writing feature stories for our customer portal
- writing articles for our corporate and customer newsletters
- editing copy written by others
- designing and consulting on information architecture for new and existing web information, both external and internal
If you have skills in any of the above, let me know and I'll send the posting your way when it's ready. Or watch this space and I'll link it up then. If you have any questions, send them my way as well.
December 20, 2006
The Worst
Her family is taking her off life support today.
December 15, 2006
Puts my bad day in perspective
We just got word that one of our creative staff, who sits maybe ten feet from me, was hit by a car this morning. We're all a bit messed up about it.
She's a lovely, sweet girl. She's got my prayers.
December 14, 2006
Like A Fish. A Big Fat Fish
Went swimming this morning before work.
Finally, I got around to using that YMCA pass that had been languishing in my wallet. I got up, had breakfast, went to the gym, swam, showered and went to work. It felt great.
I think I've finally started to confront my procrastination. I had been letting myself find reasons not to go for a swim. I didn't have a decent kit to carry all the toiletries that I would need to work out then go to work. I didn't have good swim goggles and didn't want to fuss with my contacts at the gym.
So last night as I'm heading home, I pulled out all the little things that I've been letting stop me and took a good hard look at them. Then I went to the store.
Bought a new kit and a bunch of bottles for shampoo, et cetera. Bought cool new swim goggles -- the kind that actually keep the water out. Got everything I needed. Then I went home and packed the kit -- filled the bottles, sorted through my crap to find what I would actually need. When I was done, I was ready.
There was nothing standing in the way of my going for an early morning swim, except me.
I didn't swim a marathon or anything -- a combination of time and fitness allowed me to complete only eight lengths of the pool, but it was still more exercise than I've got in months. And if I can keep going, if I can fight through or get rid of all the little objections I put in front of myself...I know I can. I just have to do.
December 04, 2006
Bushy-Tailed
Someone just asked me how it was going with the CPAP machine and I was about to shrug my shoulders when I realized that I haven't had any caffeine in over 24 hours and I'm not asleep on my keyboard.
This is new.
November 30, 2006
Soup
The cafeteria in my office building is random. Some specials are good (their roast beef is awesome) and some not so good (the mushroom bacon burger that contains neither mushrooms or bacon). Their soups are generally on the bad side. Last month they served me a cream of mushroom soup whose mushrooms had been somehow chopped into a fine mist, rather than any size large enough to actually chew.
So I stopped getting their soups. But today was beef barley, and how can you screw up beef barley?
It's like eating a big bowl of beef gravy with barley in it.
Second Night
Better than last night, that's for sure.
I sat and watched Battlestar Galactica DVDs for an hour before bed with the CPAP machine on, just to acclimatize a bit more to it before sleep. The idea being that I could get used to it quicker with a distraction, rather than sit there and focus on my breathing in the dark all night.
Seems to have worked. I still needed an hour to fall asleep, but this was an hour of "hm, relax" than "BREATHE. BREATHE. BREATHE."
I woke up once in the middle of the night and I was breathing normally into the mask. What a big relief. Went back to sleep.
Still not exactly the Waters Of The Ganges cure that CPAP enthusiasts make it out to be yet, but at least I can sleep with it. Everything else comes from there.
Oh, and I had a Lung Function Test yesterday just to make sure there wasn't anything else causing the apnea. That was fun.
"Okay, breathe normal into the tube. Breathe normal.... normal... BIG BREATH IN! BIGGER! BIGGER! NOW OUT! FAST! MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE! ARE YOU FAINTING YET? MORE! MORE!"
My lungs are just fine. I have a reduced 'expiratory reserve volume', which is the amount left in your lungs after a normal exhale, likely due to my size. Eh.
And the little tiny waif of a technician who took the test kept remarking how normally it takes someone of twice my girth to have my level of apnea. Well, I guess it's good to be an overachiever in some areas.
November 29, 2006
First Night
Last night was my first night with a CPAP machine
It was awful.
Okay, so how it works is it continually pumps air into your nose, keeping all the air passages open. The feeling is like blowing up a well-stretched balloon. Breathing in is fine, but I had to consciously push against the air pressure to breathe out.
So I put the thing on just past 11, and spent the next hour or so trying to get used to it. It's physical presence wasn't too bad -- there were some problems with it leaking if I lay on my side, but that was about it. (They gave me a 'hose cozy', a felt cover for the air hose, so it was more comfortable to sleep with.)
But I spent the whole time focusing on my breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Every time I started to nod off, I'd catch myself suddenly taking in a huge gasp of air, like I had been breathing too shallow.
I think I finally fell asleep around 12:30 or so, and work up around 1 o'clock, clawing the mask off my face. I think (it's all jumbled) that I felt I was suffocating. I tried to put it back on but I was so tired and, honestly, freaked out that I just couldn't.
I've already spoken with the sleep therapist. He wants me to try it again tonight, maybe try to watch a bit of TV while wearing it to help get accustomed to it. He's booked me an appointment tomorrow afternoon just in case, where he can adjust the machine if it isn't much better tonight.
I'm disillusioned and a little afraid about trying it again. There's not a lot of solutions left if this doesn't work.
November 28, 2006
Safety Feature
Discovered a new warning light on the dashboard this morning. To the best I can figure, it's designed to come on and warn you that your tires currently have no traction and you are sliding.
Gosh, thanks.
November 02, 2006
Priority Check
The parking lot right beside where I work has no convenient gate to my building. You can either go the long way around to a break in the fence, or you can step up and through a railing to a driveway that's about two feet higher than the parking lot. Like this:
I didn't duck low enough today and my basckpack caught on the upper bar of the railing. I stumbled, cracking my left ankle against the lower bar, scraping my right knee and landing on my hands.
But I somehow managed to set my Tim Horton's coffee down without spilling any.
I know what's important.
October 12, 2006
My Hole
A few months ago, I introduced my co-workers to a little hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant. Since then, they've been referring to it as 'Phil's hole'. Which leads to conversations like today:
Female co-worker: Mmm. Phil's hole was so good today.
Me: I'm glad you enjoyed my hole.
Yeah. It's like we're back in junior high school.
Fading Fast
He's had close calls before, but I think this may be it for our guinea pig Idaho. He's been fading quickly for the last couple of days and can't even be tempted by a yoghurt treat. Lisa's been syringing him water to keep him comfortable, but even that seems too much for him.
You know us: we have no problems paying for treatments for our babies, but Idaho is about seven and a half years old which is old old old for a guinea pig. Anything that might be done for him would only delay the inevitable. So if he's still around by the time we get home tonight, we'll be taking him to the vet to say goodbye.
He's the last of the half dozen or so piggies we've had come through our house and the first that was born in our care. He's lived his entire life under our roof and has always been friendly and comfortable with people. He's a good piggie.
I'll miss him so much.
September 20, 2006
SOASB
Here's a T-shirt design I did by request for a friend in one of my PBEM games.
August 23, 2006
Verdict
In the words of my doctor, "Nothing losing some weight and getting some exercise wouldn't fix."
Thyroid - good
Kidneys - good
Sugars - good
Blood Pressure - good
Cholesterol - a little high, not enough to medicate
Good Cholesterol - a little low
Bad Cholesterol - a little high
Liver - Not as good. Basically the fat around it is squeezing it and I have 'liver sweats'. Losing thirty will fix that right up.
All in all, not too bad. Still need to lose weight and eat more fibre. In celebration I bought cinnamon buns. With extra icing.
August 22, 2006
Doctor
I must admit I'm a little worried about my annual physical today. Beyond the testing to find the source of my sweating (if it's more than just being out of shape, it could be thyroid problems, diabetes, fun stuff like that) we have all the problems that run in the family. Diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer...
If the worst he has to tell me is that I'm overweight and out of shape, I'll consider myself lucky.
August 16, 2006
Like-a-Look
July 18, 2006
Snork
I'd like to thank everyone on the C-Train this morning for not laughing when I snorted myself awake in my seat.
I need more sleep. Last night was bad. but I've done a couple sessions on the exercise bike this last week so I'm feeling better about myself.
April 30, 2006
One Year
It's one year ago today we got married! Yay!
I love my wife!
April 18, 2006
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet, lovely Lisa!
April 12, 2006
Singalong!
Those of you who were coming with us to Karaoke on Thursday, please let us know for sure. We're going early to watch the hockey game and save some seats, so need a general idea who all is coming.
January 25, 2006
ICK! ICK!
Okay, so the doctor today told me that the wart was coming along fine. Basically it was a big scab under a single layer of skin, and it was time to start 'picking at it'.
So I have. The think skin split in a complete circle around the scab itself, which had already pulled way at the edges from the new skin below. So when it came off (in a single piece) what I was left with was a circle of smooth, shiny new skin slightly smaller than my pinky nail with a scabby unhealed portion right in the center. It looks so bizarre! Like a Wintergreen Certs, but skin colored with a scabby mint center.
I don't know if the wart is gone. The scabby area is in the dead center of the new skin, and the wart was a little off-center on the actual blister. I won't really be able to tell until it all heals up.
Wish I had my camera here. I know you all are dying for a picture.
In other doctor news, he's given me some more lorazepam, although I should mimize it's use (while being smart about when I actually need it). I'll be taking the melatonin daily, which should increase its effectiveness.
Beyond that, I've got a bit of eczema on my ankles and that twitch in my lip went away.
I'm such a HANDSOME man!
January 24, 2006
Gross Physical Update
So the blister on my finger appears to have turned into a scab covered by a layer of skin. At some point I'm expecting the skin to break and the whole thing to peel off, but right now it just looks like some gross melanoma.
I'm heading back to the doctor tomorrow. The trial prescription of lorazepam I got only has about two doses left -- it seems that two pills is what it takes to knock me out enough to be able to get past the snoring and I only had 12 pills to start with.
Still getting through. Last night was weird -- Lisa didn't really start snoring until four in the morning, which is really too late to take anything, but I got through okay.
It seems I'm more stressed about it than I thought. Lisa tells me I've been vocalizing distress at night without realizing it, so she'll wake up to hear me whimpering or whining as I'm dozing. It's really bugging her out and making this far harder on her than I want it to be. It's not her fault after all. It's not like she chose this or anything.
Oh, and the appointment to see the specialist? May. Tomorrow I'm going to see if the doc can find another specialist sooner.
November 23, 2005
Sing Along With Shuffledog
Hey all! We're going to Woody's Taphouse in Braeside tomorrow for an evening of drinking heavily and singing badly at Karaoke! We'll be there from 8-9pm until they kick us out! Anyone want in?
November 04, 2005
And
How the hell did November sneak up on me? Holy crap!
Passing Along the Info
The stress level is getting to us both pretty bad. We're coping, but it's close.
Car is still dead. We've been looking at getting a new car, but a lot depends on the strike ending or Lisa finding some job that she can do while still picketing.
We're in serious people withdrawl. Too depressed to be outgoing, and no vehicle to go anywhere. Don't want to spend the weekend home again, but options are few.
Ugh, this sounds too depressing. I should post it on LiveJournal.
Okay, three things that made me happy so far today.
- Samantha. She just wants to be near us at all times.
- The original BBC Hitchhiker's Guide radio show on MP3. Makes for great C-Train listening. I giggled out loud.
- My feet don't hurt. That pain I've had for months has finally faded away. Must be the new shoes.
October 26, 2005
Wednesdays Suck
Looks like it's likely the head gasket in the car, both internal and external. Something like $1000 to fix. They'll still testing so there's a chance we'll get lucky.
Swamped at work and losing ground. Utterly broke. Feeling ill. And our little Idaho didn't eat anything all day yesterday. Our seven-year piggie may be fading.
I hate today.
Again with the car
Had to take the car to the mechanic again this morning. Was stalling out and the temperature gauge was all over the map. Grumble. We cannot afford more car repairs at this time.
October 04, 2005
Good Dog
Just got word from my folks that Nikko, the dog they've had since around the time I moved out passed away yesterday.
Nikko was, in every way, a very good dog.
September 22, 2005
Hello Nephew!
Morgan Henry Loeb
Welcome to our family!
September 14, 2005
Writing Exercise
Want a good writing exercise? Write yourself a two paragraph movie review. Then, re-write it three times, using entirely different styles.
Fluffy box copy! Film snob! Generic acceptable-by-everyone-and-offend-no-one! Bitter lesbian extremist!
(Maybe not the last one.)
My brain hurts.
September 12, 2005
Salary Review
Woo! A raise! Slightly above average increase!
RRRR RRRR RRRR RR. RR. rrrr. rr. . . . rr. . .
So we're driving home Friday from Connie and Colin's house. As we were planning on going to the funeral Saturday morning, we figured it would be a good idea to fill the tank then, rather than fuss around in the morning. We gas up at Safeway (getting 7 cents off -- only 107.9! Woo! Grumble).
And the car won't start. Won't even turn over for God's sake. Turning the ignition to Accessories works fine but the moment we try to turn her over, it's dead battery time.
A boost manages to get things started and we trundle on home, and call Dad to pop by Saturday to take a look.
So much for the funeral. Sigh.
Dad comes over. Car won't start, even when boosted. Dad tests the battery and finds that something, somewhere is draining the battery. Even when the car isn't running, the power is draining away somewhere.
We run out, buy a tow cable and haul the car across the road to the mechanic. Wow. Being towed in a car with no power steering or brakes in the pouring rain is FUN.
So this morning the mechanics take a look. Seems there is a short in one of the batteries cells. The battery itself is shorting out the battery. I didn't even know that was possible.
Ugh. That's waaaaay too much money we've spent on the car in the last month. And we'll still need to do the fuel pump sometime in the next six months.
September 08, 2005
More Breakage
Is everyone having car problems these days? Sheesh...
We pulled into the garage Sunday after visiting the Crossroads Market, and suddenly huge gouts of white steam are pouring out of the engine. Fluid is dripping out the bottom of the engine -- engine coolant. Again.
I tracked it down. Pinhole break in a high-pressure coolant hose spraying fluid directly onto the distributor and all over the engine block. Lovely.
Dad and I took a look last night at replacing it ourselves, but after a lot of fussing, we realized that if this hose is busted, then the other coolant hoses are likely going as well.
Screw it. Dropped it off at Certigard this morning and they phoned back with a quote. If we just replace the one hose (and the fan belt, which I noticed was badly cracked) it would come to $260. But, yes, all the other hoses need replacement immediately. So $450 plus taxes.
Ugh.
Luckily, things are looking up. Lisa is still on strike, but she has a very positive looking part-time job interview next week, and some other financial possibilities have come to light. We should be able to squeak through.
August 11, 2005
The Car Runs
So I stayed home from work this morning to help Dad put a new radiator into the car (Thanks Ralf for suggesting we do it ourselves -- saved us 300 bucks). We thought it'd take only a couple hours but around one o'clock Lisa popped into the garage and mentioned I was a little extra late for work.
(Only got into the office around 3. Technically I'd have to work until 11 to work off the time. Sigh.)
Dad was still finishing up when I left, but he called to say it's running fine. Yay!
I tell you, it's like engines aren't actually designed to be worked on. I mean seriously, why have a metal bolt tucked in where you only have about an inch of movement for the wrench? My hands will never be the same.
Still, I feel all manly and shit, having actually worked with my hands for a change. On an engine no less.
August 10, 2005
Geek Cred
I've kinda stopped posting quizzes, mostly because they all seem kinda random these days, but this one seems right on...
| The Deviant Geek You answered 78% of the questions as a geek truly would. |
You're a geek and you know it. You've got all sorts of fringe hobbies and socially unacceptable tendencies. Chances are, whenever possible, you hate to be grouped with other people and sometimes go out of your way just to be different. You're smart too. You're more willing to depend on your own So what's it all mean? You may be considered by some to be |
 |
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The True Geek Test written by ambientred on Ok Cupid |
August 09, 2005
Extra Irony with Irony Sauce
Okay, so you know Lisa works for the company I call 'Amalgamated WeOwnEverything Corp.' and that her union has been on strike for a couple weeks. I mentioned in a What I Saw entry that the company has been giving freebies to the folks who have crossed the picket line. They've also been giving some of these to the managers and non-union folks in the building, likely as thanks for the extra work they've had to put in.
You might also know that I work for a company I shall call the 'KeepItInTheFamily Conglomerate', which is a direct competitor to Amalgamated WeOwnEverything.
So a friend of ours, who is a manager at WeOwnEverything (thus not one of the striking bargaining units), drops by late to my birthday party this weekend. Inside the card he gives me a gift card for a local high-priced eatery. Seems one of the Big Bosses was handing these out at the company.
So a present that came out of the pocket of the Big Boss at WeOwnEverything and was intended for non-union employees and scabs was given by a WeOwnEverything manager to a striking worker and her husband who works for their biggest local competition.
I think the irony is worth more than the gift card itself.
Thanks WeOwnEverything Big Boss!
August 05, 2005
Another Idea
Forget the fireplace. I want a media engine capable for storing 2.4 Terabytes of data. Woo!