Wal-Mart Creeper, it's deliciously cold, the ick has arrived, and my therapist is amazeballs!

Art by Nene Thomas

Because of my therapist advocating for me by leaving a rather terse and testy message for my soon to be ex-doctor, I finally have my depression medication again. My doctor left a lame excuse on my voice mail saying that the pharmacy had sent her a message stating that I wasn't taking my meds properly-which is utter bullshit- and that's what some of the "mixup" was. 

We had our first snow here this morning. I missed it because it was at 6 am and I was still sleeping. It also melted away before I got up. Still, it was nice and cold today and its wonderfully cold right now. We have a log burning in the fireplace, and the space heater running. Amanda is making me a cup of Gypsy Cold Care tea because I'm coming down with something and haven't been feeling very well the last day or so. 

We went to the store tonight to buy some wood for the fire place and to grab something for dinner because I didn't feel up to cooking. We ended up with more than we went for but at the same time, we were just having fun perusing the store, and we found a few treats. However, while we were taking our time and enjoying ourselves, there was an older man following us. He started in the grocery section and we kept running into him all along the way. We were both polite and didn't really mind talking to him, but there was something about him that kind of set off warning bells in my head. I still remained polite because I also got the sense that most people don't pay this guy any attention least of all women, and that he might be awkward and lonely. 

Amanda and I kind of tried to shake him by going into the women's clothing section, which didn't work because he just walked back and forth in front of the check out looking at stuff. So we said screw it and headed for check out where he, of course, followed us. Well, I had an issue with a card and had to deal with that, so we cancelled our order, moved out of the way, while I dealt with my card. He checked out and while I was on the phone, he asked Amanda if she was single. She said no, that she was taken and when he asked about me, she said the same. Being that we aren't that far from Idaho, she didn't tell him that we are together- to which I told her later, when she was filling me in on this, that was probably for the best so he wouldn't get his feelings hurt thinking it was just some lame excuse. He apparently told her that he wasn't trying to be weird, he just has a thing for big beautiful women, which is really sweet. However, he stopped at McDonald's (yes, our Wal-mart has a McDonald's in it) and while we were getting our groceries out of our cart, he gobbled down his hamburger and began to follow us out. A bit weirded out we too hurried to get to our car, put our groceries in, and then we sat in the car with it on so it just looked like we were defogging the windows enough to drive. He got to his truck and was there a for a few minutes and finally left. But, because Amanda and I were a little unsettled, I went the opposite way and took a longer route to get home, just to be safe. 

I realized today that when ever I begin to feel sick, I want soup- usually vegetable beef with barely- and potato salad. If I didn't have butternut squash to use up within the next day or so, I would make homemade chicken noodle soup in the crock pot.

Lastly, in the spirit of colder temperatures, it is finally time to sit my butt down and make some quilts. Amanda and I are going to take some time and pick out which fabrics from what I have, and which pattern we want to use. She's going to put to work in helping me cut out the block or pieces, and we will go from there. This first one will be a nice spooky one. I also want to get as thick and squishy of batting as I can afford so it is nice and warm. 

Post Christmas blues, failed plasma donation, and whatever else comes out.

My sewing machine

Over all I had a decent Christmas. There wasn't any family drama, it was quiet, and no one bothered me. I also made a nice dinner and promptly crashed on the sofa after eating it. I was so exhausted despite having made most of the food the night prior. Bonus: just about everything I got this year, is not only fun but useful!

That being said, one of the things I received was the sewing machine to the left. I have a sewing machine that was given to me by my Grandma but we can't make it work. So, Skoora bought me a replacement and it looks... like a challenge. I've never had one that was digital and from peeking at the manual today, I'm going to have at least a day of examination before I actually sewing anything on it. That's not a problem though, it just has to be within the net few days because I have to sew Skoora's reversible tote bag together. I finished the embroidery for both sides.

As to why I am feeling the post Christmas blues, well, I ran out of depression meds. I am also out of muscle relaxers and heart burn meds. *face palm* I haven't been in the best of moods today and it also didn't help that I awoke with a screaming migraine. (As it turns out, I am going to have to fluff this new pillow every night to get it just right as well.) My head hurt so terribly earlier that I blacked out my room and lay down with a cold, wet wash cloth on my forehead. I fell asleep but it didn't really help. I also didn't manage to get anything accomplished today except entering upcoming doctor's appointments into my new yearly planner.

this was only the first day

Skoora and I went to BioLife Plasma tonight to donate. I haven't been back since they blew out my vein on the 4th of July. The pic to the left was what my arm looked like when I got home. The next day, it looked so much worse and I decided that I was done donating plasma. Every time I've gone they've left bruises on me. I am worried about potential blood clots and infections. A nurse at my doctor's office actually told me she doesn't like them because the 'phlebotomists' there aren't really phlebotomists and that she had a guy come in from that place who got a staph infection due to a nurse not changing gloves between patients. Whether or not that is true or isn't, it still makes me a bit nervous.

However, Skoora is going to Boston for another residency for a couple of weeks and she doesn't get paid until after she is there. I need to have some money for gas and whatever medicine I need to pick up while she is gone. So she picked me up from home after she got off work and we drive all the way to BioLife to donate tonight only to find out that neither of us could. We have to have a physical. Being that I haven't had my depression meds today, I still have a migraine, and I was afraid that I would be able to donate because when I have a migraine my blood pressure goes up and they won't let me donate if it is too high, that just remembering how badly they blew my vein last time make me want to cry, AND we'd just basically wasted gas getting there, I was a bit pissed. I tried really hard not to show it though.

On to semi-happier things, last night, after I awoke from my nap on the sofa, I decided to look at kitchen items. It was too late to call my parents and try to do a google hang out with them being that it was after 10 pm here and after 12 am there, they live in the Midwest where as I live in the Pacific Northwest.

Anyway, I looked mainly at Wal-mart.com for baking dishes, silverware, and dishes. I made the mistake of giving our dishes away to one of my cousins before we moved up here. I wanted to do something nice for said cousin and Skoora and I were planning to get a nice set when we moved into our own place again. Two years later, we still don't have our own place and we still don't have any plates and I'm pretty sure my Mom confiscated my silverware. (Half of our things are still in my parent's basement and since I'm not there to use them, I don't mind my Mom having them. Far better she get some use out of them than they collect dust).  Actually, my Mom's been into my stuff more than that because she's borrowing my wall sconces and as much as I don't mind, it kind of makes me want to cry (not because of her).

And here is where I will log off because I don't really want to get into any of that.