Mandatory Easy Taking

I had a rotten night's sleep. Toffee wanted to be super close to me, and I couldn't roll over, couldn't stretch my legs. If I did manage to roll over, my right shoulder and upper back just screamed and rebelled. I drank a lot of water when I got home, so I had to pee a lot. Getting out of bed was a challenge. The bed is low. So I had to hold on to something to pull myself up. 

I went into the guest room at about 4am. Toffee came with, and I love her so much but fucking hell, dog... give me an inch of space. She rested her chin on my left knee and I almost screamed. 

At 8am I messaged my team and said I was going to continue to sleep. Unsetting the alarm fully I just let my body decided when it was time to get up. And at about 9:30 we needed to get up to pee. Mission accomplished - a little extra rest. 

My coworkers asked me why I have not gone to urgent care. I kind of feel like it'd be a pointless waste of time. Nothing is broken, well, maybe my last 2 toes on my right foot but they can't really DO anything with that. You just have to ride that out. The back, elbows, forearm, shoulder, knees all will eventually stop hurting. 

The only thing I would want is something stronger than Tylenol to take, and they don't just give out tramadol for bumps and bruises. 

Your girl's gonna tough it out. 

Geoff made pancakes this morning and had three small ones left over so I helped myself to them. Probably should have skipped them, but they looked so perfect and good. I went to work and got somethings done but felt so tired I tapped out and took a 2 hour nap. Geoff grilled dinner for us (thank you buddy) and I spent the evening just relaxing. 

Expect my fitbit stats to be super low for the next few days. Doug took Toffee for a walk even though it was so hot because she was demanding it. I did an indoor walk for just 10 minutes at a slow pace before dinner. Just enough. 

No picture, more tomorrow.

digits

exercise: 10/12 hours. Skipped 9am hour, slept through 4pm. took an indoor 10 min. walk while Doug took Toffee for a stroll, .45 mi. 4500+ steps by bedtime.

blood glucose:
10:45am: 111
4:30pm: 86
10:30pm: 140 

food & meds:
10:45am: phentermine+jardiance
10:45am: 3 chocolate chip pancakes (small. geoff leftovers from his breakfast)
2pm: met+glip
5pm: entenmann's chocolate donut
6:30pm: 2 big steak tips, a lot of salad, bleu cheese
8pm: ramekin of mixed nuts 
10pm: met+glip

Just Say Hello To The Ground

Was the universe mad at me for the amount of lecturing I gave my mother about falling? 

Maybe.

This morning I woke up on the early side of things. C and her other house guest B and the painter were all downstairs. I could hear talking, the dogs were barking a little. Nothing disruptive. It was actually very nice to just be in bed listening to the life of camp. But I had to pee. 

I got up, went to the bathroom, picked up the laptop and phone and started down the stairs. 

C's cabin has some steps that go down, a little landing, a couple more steps, another landing, and then 7 steps down to the main floor. There is a big window at the turn and I was taken by how beautiful the sunlight was through the trees. 

And I missed the step going from landing 1 to landing 2. Completely missed it. Hence, here comes the fall. 

I think I hit the wall, but somehow pivoted 90 degrees so my back was facing the stairs going down. I then started the down descent. Flat on my back, head first, facing the ceiling. I can clearly see the ceiling in my memory. 

Though I probably could have grabbed a baluster on the staircase railing, I didn't. I was holding the laptop to my chest, protecting it from getting wrecked. By the time I realized I should be trying to stop myself, I was already downstairs, at the foot of the stairs, on my back. 

C and B both were at me in a second telling me not to move, and then to move things slowly. Both arms, both legs, lift my head, okay. Nothing broken nothing bleeding. I laid there for a while, kind of stunned and not sure of what the hell just happened. They got me a pillow. C made me coffee (priorities!) Hoover dog (the English Bulldog) came and sat on me. Ginny the Frenchie came to sniff my eyeballs and brought me a toy. 

I slowly got up, my right knee was uncooperative for a while, unwilling to support my weight, so I sat on the bottom step and waited for it to be willing. I could feel where all the bruises were going to be: back of my right arm and hand, both knees, right shoulder, my right foot, my entire back and butt. My last two toes hurt the most. Don't toes always hurt the most? 

Shaken up a bit I got to the couch. Ice packs pulled out of the freezer, wrapped in towels, pressed against important spots. C got some first aid stuff out, and covered up my skinned knee with neosporin and placed bandages over the spots where I dragged the knee across the wall. 

Well cared for, coffee in hand, making jokes, the way we do. 

Not the way I thought I'd start the day. I knew C was off to work, B had a doctor's appointment, it was early enough that I thought I'd walk to the mailbox and back and knock the exercise out of the park before it got too hot. Nope. 

I was actually disappointed C did not take a picture of me on the floor, with the two dogs basically all over me but she was somewhat traumatized by what just happened. So she got a shot of me on the couch after she doctored me up. 

I want everyone to know that I kept that laptop perfectly safe. Priorities! 

Resuming normalcy, I did work, and enjoyed the interior of the house. Porch life wasn't happening because it was already so hot. B's three schnauzers came to sit in the living room with me, very sweet. 

Jess and I were going to meet for lunch but C had the car key in her purse. Oops. Instead, Jess came here and chilled with me for an hour. I miss them already. 

C got me to the airport early, forever thankful for the ride. Because I hurt so much, and my fitbit was just about dead, I had no desire to walk laps in the airport. So I had some late-ish lunch at the Sam Adams bar, a quesadilla and a couple beers hit the spot and headed to my gate. Uneventful half empty flight, such a relief. 

Doug was stuck in traffic but eventually made it to me and picked me up. We went to dinner and talked about how poorly behaved my mom was and how extra his Aunt is being, he had to have a severe come to Jesus lecture with her while we sat in the parking lot before we came home. 

Essentially she is not listening to him. What else is new. And he kind of laid down the law with her very bluntly and clearly about some of the nonsense she's pulling. She's supposed to be putting her name on a list for the senior housing but she's hired a realtor to help her find a house out in western Virginia (oh no. please no). 

Happy to get home, and my dog lost her mind when she saw me. I'm so sore, hoping for a good night's sleep. I have one tramadol from a medical procedure a few years ago which may still be good and I will probably take it. See how I feel tomorrow and if I need to go to the doctor. Ugh. 

Pictures from the airport, and digits below. 

digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. No walk today, Fitbit died around 8pm, so missed the last hour of the day. 6k steps by bedtime.

blood glucose:
7:45am: 106
n/a pm: on the plane
10pm: 208 (retesting since met+glip at the same time)

food & meds:
7:45am: phentermine+jardiance
1:30pm: peanut butter & crackers
3:30pm: met+glip; chicken quesadilla, guacamole, 2 beers 
8pm: cheeseburger, a couple fries, 1 beer
10pm: met+glip

Hang out, do nothing, do some things, do nothing

Saturday

We goofed off this morning and eventually made our way to mom's. We took pictures of the shed, and evaluated some things that need done around the yard. We took pictures of neighbor sheds and no one called the cops on us for trespassing and being creepy. 

Mom asked us to do some yard work and we decided we'd do it Sunday when we came back. Lin was also supposed to give her a pedicure because her feet are totally ratchet. 

We opted to postpone that until Sunday as well. We went to the hotel pool and had an absolute blast. The water was kind of cold, but once a body is in the water it is lovely. 

After pool we got cleaned up to go down to the bar. There was a Celebration of Life for someone happening, and I think the requisite attire for attending was Red Sox clothing and hats. We talked to the man who was best man at the wedding, he saw us looking at the photo board and came over to say "A hell of a man he was. What a great friend."

We didn't know the decedent, but happily engaged in chat with the guy. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. May his memory be a blessing.

At the bar, we drank a lot of wine. I drank too much wine on an empty stomach. Really dumb idea. We asked the bartender for chicken fingers like the night before and he said the fryer was not working. We could have pizza? With hindsight, we should have ordered some but I said "eh. I'll eat cheese and crackers and nuts when we go back to the room."

At the bar we met some nice people, we sang along to the songs. We watched people dancing inside and outside. And we shut the place down. I stumbled to the room while Linda continued to chat with folks, and I basically thought I was going to die. I did end up finishing 1500 steps to get to 10k. So you can be proud of me.

Finally did eat some cheese and crackers. Took my blood sugar and was pleasantly surprised it was not 900. 

Lin came to the room and gave me a back rub. She's very good at locating knots and working them. If it didn't start to hurt her hands so much she'd make an excellent massage therapist or kinesthesiologist (If I spelled that right?) 

Sleep. Sleep was very welcome. Sleep. 

Sunday

I hate having a hangover. Regretted that last glass of wine, regretted not ordering dinner, regretted my life.

 We checked out of the hotel and headed to mom's. We stopped for Gatorade zero (honestly, the greatest creation ever for hangover relief and altitude sickness!) and some milk for her coffee.

Way too hot to do yard work, and it had just rained so using the leaf blower on things that were patted down and damp would be twice the amount of work. Using a rake would be death for me. So I let he know I wasn't going to do it. She was alright with that.

Lin wanted mom to take a shower, it's probably been months since she has. She washes her hair in the kitchen sink and thinks that is sufficient bathing. She agreed on Saturday that she'd shower when we got there on Sunday. She reneged and just wanted Linda to do the pedicure. 

Linda said it is pointless to fight with her, resigned to just do the pedi. Mom has a friend who comes to check on her and do light housework, and this woman will have screaming fights with mom when mom isn't doing what she's supposed to do, like eat. Or bathe. Or do her laundry. Basically anything that D tells her she needs to do.

It is frustrating yes but having actual screaming fights with each other and then not speak to each other for a while is not the best. Just. Let the old bag be like she is because she's not going to change. She is just not going to change.

She told us that she fell down this morning. "Thank goodness the bed was right there because I fell back on it." 

Um.

What happens when you fall outside the bathroom door, where there isn't a bed to catch you and you break both your wrists because you tried to stop your fall? Or you fall in the living room and the couch isn't right there to catch you, and you hit your head on the corner of the coffee table?

She has a walker. She needs to keep it right by her bedside for first thing in the morning or middle of the night times when she gets a little dizzy. She needs to sit up in bed, put her feet down, and wait a minute before standing up.

She has a safety alert medallion but she refuses to wear it. She said the button is too hard to press (it is not, she just wants to argue about it). When we talk to her about this, and tell her she really needs to start wearing it for the love of God, she sticks out her tongue or rolls her eyes and makes faces, or, gives us the finger. 

Fucking juvenile behavior there, lady. 

I told her, you tell us these things and crow and beam, like you are proud of yourself for falling and getting back up. And yes, you should be proud for getting back up. That's great. You got back up. But holy shit one day you will not be able to. If you have had a fight with D and she's mad at you and isn't coming to check on you, how long will you be on the floor in the hall or kitchen or bleeding out in the living room. Please stop being this way. Please stop being so stubborn. 

"My father was stubborn," she tells me.

That's nice. 

He's been dead since before I was born. Don't be like him. Just try and do the minimum required work to stay safe and healthy. Bathe, so you don't get some sort of bacteria on your skin and then bump your hand on something, break the skin, and end up with an infection. Or a UTI because you ain't cleaned your choochie for a long time. Wear the Blip Blip (our affectionate name for it) even if you never, ever, ever need it. 

And yes, word for word, we've both said all of these things to her. All of them. And we get the derisive facial expressions and single finger salute in return. 

She is one fall away from breaking another hip, or her wrists, and ... that's it. 

Anyway. 

Linda started the pedicure a little before 2pm. We joked that she needed a Brillo pad for the bottoms of the feet, and a hazmat suit. We joke, but seriously, she's a saint for doing this and I love her. 

I organized my stuff and made sure my laptop was fully charged for tomorrow (I forgot my charger so I used Linda's). I resigned myself to begin the trip north, having accomplished nothing really big on this visit. 

Except for fun pool time with my sister. That was the highlight. And I'll cherish that as the best part of the time here. 

Jess asked me to stop at their place and let Dijon out since they were in Rhode Island for fun with their friends. I got to the house just before 5, and it was too hot for a good walk so we just toodled about the yard. I needed to check into my flight, so I sat on the couch with the pup and cuddled for a bit. 

Southwest check in done, dog time complete, off to C's house. 

Another good friend of ours was visiting her, and it was nice to see her and her beautiful dog. C and I then went out for Chinese food, got caught up on the last 3 days. Mom, my cousin, her mom, a house she's got an apartment in that is being redone, ripped to the studs and rebuilt. 

It felt good to talk to someone who didn't make faces at me or give me the finger. What a relief. 

I noticed that I only had 4500 steps so far for the day so she suggested a walk. She came with me and we covered a lot of ground in the camp in 37 minutes. Further than I think I would have gone by myself. Dark, quiet, some cottages occupied but most not. Some kids on bikes and dog walkers. A glass of wine and then bed. 

Tomorrow I think it is lunch with Jess. Then off to C's job so she can drive me to the airport, and then home. 

I wish I got more done around mom's but it was hot and difficult. Happy to be heading home. 

Digits below. 

Saturday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. 18 minute beach walk, .82 miles. end of night finisher, 10 min/.42 miles 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
9am: 111
5pm: 175
11pm: 25

food & meds:
9am: phentermine+jardiance
1:30pm: met+glip; fried chicken sandwich w/fries and coleslaw
wine at the pool

Times become a blur...
no dinner (big mistake) 
wine at the bar listening to the band, some Korean dry rub BBQ ribs
met+glip
11pm: cheese and crackers

Sunday digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. Missed 7pm because we were eating dinner. Good walk with C, 37 min/1.71 miles; 9000+ steps by bedtime (could not force myself to do the last 1000 steps. so tired!)

blood glucose:
9am: 110
6xpm: 99
10:30pm: 188

food & meds:
9am: phentermine+jardiance
3pm: met+glip; 5 crackers
7pm: chinese food, General Tso's chicken, dumplings, spicy green beans, scorpion bowl for 2 shared w/C. 
10pm: Met+glip

Surprise!

(Friday's entry - internet at hotel was flaky so posting at mom's on Saturday) 

Lin and I stayed up drinking wine and looking at houses until after 2am. 

8am came so soon. Let's just say that. A little coffee, a walk outside, gets the body going. At 9am it was already so hot, and I didn't want to work outside so I stayed put in the hotel and did my tasks. Lin went to mom's and I drove to her restaurant to surprise her. 

I got in there a few minutes early and yeah, she was surprised. It got a lot of laughs from the regulars around the bar and the bartender, everyone. 

We sat at her corner of the bar. She's lost more weight, she seems a bit vacant sometimes. Her little restaurant isn't closing, it turns out. Which is great. Getting the lowdown from the bartender was a relief. They'll remodel and do things overnight. So she'll be able to keep coming. Thing is, she'll probably hate the menu and complain about the food and never go back. 

She got a tuna boat (New England, shout out, if you know you know... ) and only ate about half of it before I started giving her shit for not eating. She got mouthy with me. She's not hungry. 

You need to eat even if you are not hungry, please. 

We finished up, came back to the house. I had two meetings, one went great and one started but we decided to reschedule for Tuesday. We headed back to the hotel and the place was hopping. A wedding party, some guy playing blues guitar with a harmonica player and they were just not good but they drew in a big crowd. 

The night was lovely, we sat outside and decided to order from the little restaurant at the hotel. Not a wide variety of choices but the chicken fingers were good, and the fries too plentiful but tasty. 

Both of us were ready for bed at 10. Compared to Thursday night when we stayed up forever. 

Saturday's plan is hang out with mom, and basically attempt to either get in the pool or take a decent walk.

Some pictures, and digits below. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. no real exercise, did a 15 min walk all around the hotel .71 miles; 8500+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8am: 94
n/a at mom's
10pm: 175

food & meds:
8am: phentermine+jardiance
9am: piece of apple danish
1:30pm: scallops, green beans, coleslaw; metformin (no glip, missing from my bag)
7pm: glip ( solo ) Mixed nuts
8:30pm: chicken tenders and some french fries, wine w/diet cranberry
10pm: met+glip

Porch Life to Beach Life

I got to sleep after 2am, C's little Frenchie slept with me. She's my favorite little gargoyle. She's hilarious because she likes to nest between my legs, not behind my knees. 

Yellow room - so comfy. Happy to have been rescued and brought upstairs. So happy C came downstairs and rescued me and I didn't have to think about where I'd poop at 4am.  

Because seriously, I was thinking about where was I going to poop if I indeed had to poop.

At around 7am, Ginny got up when the Big Dog came into the bedroom to check on me. I put her down on the floor, went to the bathroom, got back in bed until a little after 9. 

Coffee and conversation on the porch with the ladies. Porch life is so nice. Even in the heat.

C's houseguest is a realtor, so we talked a lot about houses, and mortgages. Jess and I checked in with each other to arrange lunch. Linda had hit the road and sent her estimated arrival time to Plymouth.  

We had lunch with Jess, and then C and I spent another few hours just chatting and it was lovely. Repeatedly I thought "I should go and meet up with Linda now." But. Porch life and C. 

I watched hummingbirds at the feeders, too fast to photograph, but so lovely. And C's plant table is always a favorite to visit. 

Around 6:30pm, I figured it was time to go. My sister had been to mom's and surprised her. Tomorrow we surprise her with me showing up. Should be delightful. 

I got to the hotel around 8:45. We went to the front desk to ask when the restaurant here closes, and the guy says 10pm. Kitchen closes at 9:45. Score. 

Lies.

They close at 9. so we missed out on getting a meal. Neither of us wanted to door dash or grub hub. In fact, I looked up grub hub and only Wendys, BK, and Taco bell deliver here so we ate nuts, ate the last of my crackers from C (thank you!) and drank wine. 

We tried to log into the wifi and it didn't work. While silently cursing everything my sister went to the front desk to report the problem and they rebooted the router and it worked. Okay. Yay. We can work in the morning now. Hurrah. 

Lin took this shot of the sunset before I got here and I had to share it. Digits below. 

digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. 10 min. walk around the hotel area, .46 miles. I could have done more but. 8k steps by bedtime; 

blood glucose:
9:15am: 130
n/a - too late for reading and then in the car 
11am: 144

food & meds:
9:15am: phentermine+jardiance
11:45: Triscuit & cheddah 
12:30pm: met+glip
2pm: big giant salad w/goat cheese fritters and grilled chicken
9pm: nuts, 4 peanut butter crackers (restaurant was closed for the night at 9pm) 
wine+diet cranberry juice
11:15pm: met+glip

Late Flight to Porch Life

(This is Wednesday's entry)

Because every single flight to New England in June on a Wednesday night is booked, unless you want to pay for the Business Class seats (which are not any different than the other seats on Southwest) I booked the last flight out tonight. 

I didn't want to impose on Doug for tomorrow, when he's working and I'm not, to have him schlep me to the airport. I know he would, I just didn't want to do that imposition. 

If my flight is canceled tonight, he'll have to come back and get me. There's no flight to be bumped to until the following day. 

I have all day tomorrow to play with. This was my intention. Get up there, late side of things sure, and then have all day for coffee and chill with C on the porch with Porch Life and Dogs. It's been too stinking long. 

Honestly I think I haven't been up there since last year's Guster fest in Portland. Is that true? What's wrong with me. 

Doug went to his aunt's house today to help with whatever he can/could. Allegedly, they have to be out of their condo tomorrow. They have nowhere to go. They have not thought this out very well. His cousin called him on Sunday and wanted to know if he has a video camera or if his cel phone takes good video. He wouldn't tell Doug why he needed it, super cagey, absolutely on brand. 

Doug's cousin is all "I don't know" about where he's going to go, and his aunt said she's not taking him with her anywhere, he's on his own. Exceptionally dysfunctional for so many years and now I guess that's just what you do. You pack up and leave your 55 year old on-the-spectrum son and do whatever. 

I asked him before he left, "you are going to be home in time to take me to the airport, aren't you?" He said yes. 

I worked pretty hard all day, lots of meetings and little tasks. It started pouring with thunder and lightning at 2pm and again at 6pm. I do have to say I'm so proud of Toffee because none of it bothers her. 

I worked through my lunch because I stupidly set up a meeting with a station at noon, and it went forever. So I did a half hour of indoor walking (since it was pouring, oh, and 90 degrees with 90% humidity) and started to pack. I started to actually pack on Sunday night but had laundry and other things that needed to be done, so got it all finished up, zipped up, and out onto the couch. I decided not to check a bag but take my small red LL Bean bag as a carry on, 

Doug got home in time to eat dinner and take me to the airport, made it in plenty of time even with all the thunder and lightning. Got two glasses of wine at the bar and headed into the gate. 

On time, on time, on time, amazing. Then, bad news. No crew was available to fly us. Our onboarding and departure were put on stand by... 

We left after 10:30, a full hour later, when the crew finally arrived. I was so worried they'd time-out and not be able to leave at all.

Part of me wanted to go home. I had all day Thursday to futz with and fly, but ... here we were. 

We finally got off the ground, landed at 11:59 pm. Jess was there to get me and we stopped for gas, and went to C's. 

Coming onto the porch, I set my bag down and the door into the house was locked (oh no). C's got a house guest here for most of the summer and it seems she forgot that I was coming. Her 3 dogs were barking a lot, and I thought for sure she'd come out to see what was happening but she did not. 

That's okay - I was alright sleeping on the porch if need be. It was well after 1am, I peed at the airport, I could make it through the night no problem.

But oh no, what if I have to poop? Hmmm. 

I tested my blood, I opened my bag to get a t-shirt and shorts. C came downstairs to let her dogs out and was surprised to see me. 

Surprise! 

She saved me, we went upstairs, I got the Frenchie and we got in bed. Hurrah. 

I did cave and get a cinnabon, because sitting there for almost 2 hours with the gorgeous stench wafting at me. Didn't impact my blood sugar too badly in the end. 

On the way to the airport, Mister Sun made a Rainbow.

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. 1/2 hour indoor walk between meetings, 1.61 miles; 10k+ steps by end of day, with a jump start on Thursday with the steps after midnight. 

blood glucose:
9am: 98
5pm: 89
1am: 153

food & meds:
9am: phentermine+jardiance
11:15am: chicken salad w/walnuts & grapes
1:45pm: met+glip
5:30pm: granola bar w/pb and chocolate
6pm: full sugar yogurt w/another granola bar 
9:30pm:met+glip; cinnabon

A quickie trip

I have been talking for months about going up to see mom. I was supposed to go at Christmas and couldn't get out of my own way. And then all of a sudden, it's June. 

The logistics about getting to her are complicated. For this trip, I'm flying to NH to spend the night with C, borrow a car (renting a car is more than the flight), and then fly home on Monday night after spending the day on Sunday with Jess and their friend Catie, and heading back to C for some quality fellowship. 

Driving is a lot, it can be 10 hours. And I don't like going alone, and I worry about a car breaking down somewhere in the swamps of Jersey. 

I've procrastinated, delayed, and had a lot of other things happening on the weekend. But now we have reason.

Mom's favorite watering hole (where she doesn't get watered but we do) is closing. Horribly sad fact, this local foodrinkery was sold and the new owners are going to refactor it and reopen it. It probably won't be the same in any way and we don't know if any of the staff are going to be hired back. It's probably going to be some sort of fancy gastropub that this part of town does not need, and it may fail miserably. They'll stop serving the scallops that I love. The bar pie pizzas that we adore will be gone. And let's not even talk about the chicken parm.

Initially rumors were that it was going to close June 20th. Then June 30. No one is quite sure. The staff aren't even sure when their last day is the last thing I heard.

Linda and I talked about it and we decided we just had to go visit. 

The staff at this restaurant have kept a keen eye on my parents for many years, and since dad passed away (coming up on 2 years now) they've reached out if mom isn't doing well, isn't eating, isn't showing up. 

It's kind of like if my mom was active in a church, the church ladies would make sure she's eating or help her if she needs something like a ride to the doctor or an errand run. She doesn't go to church but for sure she's been lucky to find her community in these folks. 

We love them, we respect them, and we'll miss them. Until we know where they end up.

Linda and I were joking about "where's she going to eat now?" but the joke isn't really a joke. It's an actual concern. She does not cook, she'll exist on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Sara Lee bread, coffee, and Lemon Loaf from Shaws. 

She won't starve to death, I'm sure of it. But she's losing her church, her community. It's bigger than just a restaurant closing. This is her connection to the outside world. This is a reason to leave the house three days a week.

I'll get the scallops. Of course I will. 

Digits below.

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. Two walks. Doug & I took Toffee for a walk (humid, hot, stupid, ugh) 35 min/1.48miles. Then to make sure I got 10k, another walk, 30 min/1.11 miles; 11k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8:15am: 123
5pm: 117
11:30pm: 97

food & meds:
8:15am: phentermine+jardiance
12:30pm: met+glip
1:15pm: BLT salad w/mixed field greens instead of plain L.
6:30pm: 2 nice sausages w/coleslaw
white wine
8pm-9:30pm: a bunch of cashews
10pm: met+glip

just the digits today

Did not realize it was so late. Doug and I looked at houses online for a long time and then it was 11:30. Fell short of 10k steps, even with 2 decent walks. 

And because we were looking at houses, I forgot to take my after dinner met+glip. oops. So distracted. 

A real entry tomorrow! Digits below.

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. 2 walks. one inside between meetings, 15 min, .72 miles. And a solo walk in the rain, dog did not want to go out and I didn't want to go to the gym. Should have... I wouldn't have missed 10k. 20 min/1.02 mi. 8500+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
9:15am: 149
5pm: 117
11:30pm: 133

food & meds:
9:15am: phentermine+jardiance
10:45am: english muffin w/pb
2pm: met+glip
2:45pm: chobani zero sugar w/one granola bar crushed up
6pm: piece of chicken parm w/small amount of penne pasta
8:30pm: ramekin of cashews
11:30pm: met+glip

Missing them already

We had a lazy start to the day, and knowing how long it takes to get back up to where they live, I gently encouraged Jess' departure without shoving them out the door. 

Would you like an egg mcmuffin before you leave?
We should take the dogs for a walk together .... before you leave. 
We're just standing in the front yard talking,  your stuff is in the car, maybe....?? you should leave?

I know their feelings - it is a long fucking drive. We would often feel like "oh man... do we have to?" when leaving Doug's parents' for the 12 hour ride WITH SMALL CHILDREN back in the day. The procrastination is strong. Very difficult to get motivated to undertake the task. 

More now that I am older, I'm ready to get on the road and mad if we're an hour later than our imagined departure. I thought Jess would leave by 9 but it was close to noon when they departed.

Before they left, our neighbor brought the Meg over again and they played so hard. It was 20 degrees cooler today than yesterday, so the dogs had all their energy and it was awesome. Meg got a little overwhelmed because Dijon kept barking at her, and she didn't know what to do. And Toffee just wanted to tackle and rawr rough play. So R didn't stay too too long but just enough. 

We drove to Baltimore to get my card from the restaurant where it has been hanging out for a week. Then we went to Monument City Brewing since we were in Baltimore. When in Rome. 

We brought Toffee and she was so good. SO GOOD! so many people came by to pat her and say hello. Other dogs came into the brewery - and she whined and grumbled some but settled down nicely after a bit. What a relief. I think getting all that energy out with Meg and Dijon in the yard was a good idea.

The trip home was a bit wacky. Baltimore has a lot of one way streets and if you don't listen to your wife, or, if the GPS says "In one thousand feet" but you turn in 30 feet because you're super bad at measuring, you end up all sorts of turned around. And there was a baseball game at Camden Yards today, so, ha. We ended up going all around the Casino area, way out of the area we wanted to be. Eventually we made it home, Doug took a monster nap. I went to the gym. 

No one was at the gym, and I loved it. 

Market for some salad stuff and macaroni salad, and things to plan for this week... and then I grilled dinner. 

Jess texted me at about 10-ish saying they'd made it to Massachusetts, ETA to their bed was 11:30. My mom always demands we call and let her know when we make it home when we travel. "I worry."

And I get it.

I worry too. 

Digits below some dog pictures. 50 shots taken today and I only have one good one of the two of them together. Dijon is blurry in both shots because she wouldn't quite stay still. 

Thank God for digital photography. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. Two walks, one with jess and dogs, 17 min/.73 miles and then treadmill, 21 min/1.05 miles 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
9:30am: 163
5pm: 147
10:30pm: 164

food & meds:
9:30am: phentermine, jardiance
10:45am: brekkie sammitch, egg bacon cheese on english muffin
2:30pm: met+glip
2 beers at brewery
6:45pm: steak tips, lettuce/tomato salad, a little macaroni salad
2 more beers
9pm: met+glip

Conveyor Belt Sushi Night

We did a lot of hanging around today. We talked about running up to Baltimore for my credit card (left at the restaurant last Sunday) but I remembered today was Pride March Baltimore + No Kings protest. Lots of road closures, I didn't think we'd get near the place.

We'll go tomorrow. Someone other than me will hopefully drive. I'll run in and retrieve my card. Boom. Like. That. 

Doug and Jess both went to nap so I went to the gym. I too wished to nap but I didn't want to waste the time I could be getting steps. No one was at the gym, so that was super nice. I had the power of the playlist and a solid jog and fast walk for 30 whole minutes. 

I didn't stop at the market to get anything for dinner. I got home and the temp had dropped a bit, so Doug and Jess were out in the yard with the dogs. We decided to go to the Uzu Revolving Sushi joint where we did Doug's birthday this year. 

Doug and Jess sat right by the conveyor belt, and yoinked plate after plate. Jess would offer me things but ... no eel thank you .Oh, I only like scallops if they are cooked. So i stuck to some sashimi with salmon or shrimp, and little rolls with avocado, rice, cucumber, seaweed. 

My blood sugar hates me tonight as a result. Stupid rice. I love you. 

We had a nice night out. Geoff again babysat dogs for us. He was not interested in sushi, and he is working in the morning so he didn't want to be out late. Late for him is 8pm on work nights. 

Jess heads home tomorrow and I'm missing them already. Dijon and Toffee had a blast together. Looking forward to next visit. 

Now to plan our trip for operation rescue Cap One card in Charm City. 

Digits below. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.   Treadmill, 30 min/1.74 miles; 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
9:30am: 144
5pm: 148
10:30pm: 261* (see timing of meds+dinner

food & meds:
9:30am: phentermine, jardiance
1pm: zero sugar yogurt w/ granola bar
2pm: met+glip
8pm: sushi. lots of little rolls but more importantly, lots of rice. Miso soup. 3 gyoza, 2 beers
9:30pm: met+glip

A Night at the Theatre!

I worked this morning, then went to the doctors for some blood work. Jess had brought us some steak tips from Market Basket because of course, no one in Maryland knows what those are!! We've been here for so many years, and ... dying without them. Bless them for freezing them and driving them down in the cooler. 

Meg Dog from up the street came to visit and we had a raucous romp with three dogs for five minutes. Then they were beat. It was so hot, well over 90. A breeze was helping though, so we had a nice visit and some wine.  I grilled a pack of steak tips so we could eat before leaving for the show. 

Jess wanted to see the Folger Shakespeare Company performance of Twelfth Night, and it's been a while since I've seen some Shakespeare. Last time was The Tempest and it was a great steampunk interpretation with real magic acts designed by Teller of Penn & Teller. 

We took the metro into town and walked from Union Station. Jess said they thought there was a closer Metro station but it's on a different line and the amount of time we'd spend changing trains was dumb. So it was a good fast walk (we were almost late). 

This interpretation bordered on a bit more S&M and they leaned super hard into the Trans themes with Viola dressing as a man and becoming Cesario, and the concepts of moving in and out of different worlds from gender to poor/wealthy folks. 

There was original music, cover songs woven in, and kind of a Prince or Adam Ant vibe (Sebastian had the Prince icon on his T-shirt) Feste the Fool was fantastic. Malvolio reminded me a little of a much taller Tom Holland in a way. Duke Orsino is played by a woman and they were spectacular.  

And they had fantastic "twins" in the actors of Viola and Sebastian. They had a real unique closeness in appearance, which makes the play make so much more sense. 

While we were watching the play phones in the audience went off with an emergency alert. Flash flood warnings! My phone was all the way silenced, but I saw the screen turn on in my purse. 

When the play finished, we headed out and it was obvious that it rained, but it was over. Walk back to Union so another good walk, but a little shorter somehow, and not as fast. 

Back home, dehydrated, wiped out, blisters on my feet from wearing shoes I had not broken in and walking 2 miles in them. It's bed time. Digits below and more shenanigans tomorrow!

digits

exercise: 10/12 hours.   Missed 3pm but not sure how? Missed 8pm because theatre! 2 walks, from Union Station to Shakespeare 28 min/1.15 mi. From Shakespeare to Union Station 24 min/.96 mi. 12k+ steps by midnight

blood glucose:
7am: 89
5pm: 141
11:45pm: 144

food & meds:
7am: phentermine, jardiance
11:30am: bowl of mac & cheese w/hamburger and salsa
noon: met+glip
2:30pm: chobani zero sugar yogurt w/ a granola bar crushed in it
5:30pm: 2 big steak tips over a nice salad, bleu cheese, scoop of potato salad
white wine
2 small pieces of cheesecake (one plain, one blueberry)
9pm: met+glip

A day of three cheeseburgers and two dogs

For lunch today, I was in a rush and pulled a plastic bag out of the fridge that had 2 left over cheeseburgers from the other night. Microwave, eat. 

After work, Doug had gone to the market and got grillables. Burgers, of course. So I had another burger for dinner, weirdly enough. I didn't make a salad or do anything good, just. Burgers. 

It reminded me of the Simpsons episode where Milhouse's dad says he doesn't like the idea of Milhouse having two spaghetti meals in one day. And I had to laugh.

Jess arrived a little before 7, which was a good timeWhen Jess got here, the dogs got bitey and growley with each other right out the gate. I was worried about that. Toffee was super welcoming when Dahlia came here, and she plays so well with others, but wow. This introduction was rough. 

So we leashed them up, and took them out to walk. 

Toffee was very interested in sniffing all of Dijon, Di was interested in sniffing all of my neighborhood. No more biting but definitely some pushing and shoving. We hung out in the yard while Doug grilled and they ran around and had fun. 

Inside, they settled down and we ate our burgers. There was a little jelly girl time when someone was on a couch next to a human, and someone else wanted to be next to that human. A lot of ice cubes were eaten. 

And then, all out crazy time dog face fight tug-o-war wackiness kicked in. For hours. Reminiscent of the Dahlia Days, it was crazy town in here. And I loved it. 

I told Doug I missed it, he said he didn't miss it but he was happy it was happening and they were getting along so well. 

11:15pm, Toffee is on the floor, Dijon is next to me on the couch wiped out. 

Truly a ton of joy. 

So happy. Happy to have the Jess here, the dog here, the family all together. Looking forward to this good weekend.

Digits below. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  3 short walks. First, 15 min. indoor walk, .73 miles. Then Jess arrived and we took the dogs for a walk together, 19 min/.72 mi. Finally, pokemon walk, 12min/.51 miles. 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8am: 125
5pm: 121
11:45pm: 72

food & meds:
8:15am: phentermine, jardiance
12:30pm: met+glip
1:15pm: 2 left over cheeseburgers w/no buns
7pm: cheeseburger w/a lil'bit of potato salad
8:30pm: ramekin of mixed nuts, met+glip
white wine + diet ginger ale 

Happy Pride

On Sunday, we were riding the Metro to DC and a large group of women got on the train. It was World Pride DC Weekend, and they were obviously in town celebrating. Rainbow fans, little cute face temporary tattoos, T-shirts, and a closeness only a certain fellowship can conjure. 

Happily headed to wherever their next destination was, and happily chatting and laughing together. And it made me very happy to see such happiness.

At the next stop, a very large man got on the train and he began a diatribe. 

"To all the Homos and Lesbos on this train," he yelled. "How the hell did you get on this planet?" 

A hush fell over the train car, just for a second. And all the girls started back to talking and laughing. Louder. Ignoring him.

I could not hear more of what the guy said, he was far enough away, and was yelling and ranting but his hate could not match the strength of the loudness of a Metro Car. A drag queen, partially done up but obviously planning to complete her getup once she got to her destination, engaged with him. With smiles, and love, and no fighting back. The guy was belligerent and the queen composed. Like a Queen should be.

Turning to the two girls sitting behind me, I said "oh I am so sorry about this in my city. He's a jerk." They laughed and said they'd heard stuff like this all weekend. They asked what wonderful thing were we doing that day. We told them about Hen's rock concert and they thought it was delightful. I invited them to come see. But.  They were off to meet up with some friends at a brewery. I asked which one, and let them know DC has a GREAT gay owned/veteran owned brewery in NOMA, and it is one of my top two faves in DC.

They were super excited to hear about that, and one girl got her phone out to look it up and make note of it. 

Before I got off the train, I turned around again and said, "I love you. Just know that. I'm an old Cis-het privileged white lady who if that guy stepped up to you, I'd stand between you and him. I've done it before. I'll do it again. Please have fun. Please enjoy the day. Happy Pride."

They all beamed and smiled and said "Happy Pride to you too!" 

It seemed kind of funny to be wished Happy Pride, but I'll be honest. I'll take it, as an ally to those who recognize when someone is on their side. We can share it. 

I don't like co-opting anything like Pride because it doesn't belong to me. I see a lot of kids that grew up with my kids, online, doing Pride things and I know for a fact, ain't none of them queer. Right? They go along to "support" but also, I know they go to just party and festivus with friends. 

I have always felt differently. Pride does not belong to me. I don't go to the parades, I don't go to festivities. I feel like "you go on with your super gay selves, you friends, and have fun. I'll be over here."

But okay. Those kids from home, they ally. They flex their friendship and their support. Something I have always felt I'm not entitled to do, really. I'll leave that to the younger kids, and I'll watch quietly from the sidelines and step in in very different ways. But for a moment, it was gifted to me by these oh so beautiful humans on a loud Metro train on a Sunday afternoon.

And, since I didn't challenge that guy, I will say.... 

How did the homos and lesbos on that train get onto this earth? The very same way you did, sir. And you have no MORE rights on this planet because you are straight, or gendered the way you think you should be. They have no LESS rights than you do because you are the one who is not queer. 

The Grace of God all of us got here. Or if you don't buy that, an egg got fertilized by a sperm and science started happening, and someone carried to term that science experiment to become a human (you) and they got here. We all got here, we are here. That's how it happened. 

Digits are below.

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  Treadmill walk/jog. 21 min/1.24 miles. 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8am: 135
5:30pm: 151
10:45pm: 112

food & meds:
8am: phentermine, jardiance
10am: met+glip
11:30am: english muffin w/pb and some bonnie mamans cherry preserves
3pm: 2 baby bell cheeses
6:30pm: pork medallions w/ sweet potatoes and a nice sauce a la Geoff (very very good!)
8:30pm: met+glip
8:30pm: cashews
9:30pm: triscuits + dill dip
white wine+diet ginger ale

Wat Doin? I Halp!

My sister and I will often text or FB message each other with a simple "Wat Doin?" It comes from an old meme on teh interwebz, pictured below. 

Wat doin? I halp. 

No dog. You ... are not halping. 

So that's usually a cue for one of us is looking to chat with the other, and catch up or whatnot. 

Today, I needed to grab something for dinner, and of course Planet Fitness is next to the market. Geoff had gone shopping this morning but only bought stuff for a dinner he wanted to make that has a lot of pre-prep work.... and I knew I would not have time to do it today. So. We'll make that for tomorrow. 

"Did you happen to, I don't know, buy anything other than just the stuff you needed for your recipe?"

Of course, he only bought what he needed for his recipe. I told him hey, we'll save that for tomorrow. I'll get something else. 

I got to the gym and got a text from Linda that just said "Wat" 

Of course. 

Wat Doin?

I sent back this selfie of me at the gym, and said "I'll call ya after." 

It was good to catch up, we haven't had a chance to talk since before we left for Colorado. Lots to share. Great to chat. I called her while I was on line at the market. I swear. Lidl is great but they only ever have 2 registers open, 90 people in line, and I spend more time waiting to check out than I do picking up things. 

Got home and got dinner going, Geoff and I talked about what would need pre-prepped for tomorrow for his recipe (there's tea that has to be brewed? what? um okay) and we got to eat dinner before 8pm. 

At the gym, I did 25 min. on the treadmill and cut it there, because I wanted to get to the market, get the stuff, get home. I should have pushed it another 5. 

So I felt somewhat back on my bullshit being there, doing the walking/jogging, at sea level. Yay. 

After dinner, I did a bunch of helpdesk work. I had a 90 minute meeting/training thing with a client today and told her I'd just do the web layout stuff she needed, because to have her just do it would be torture. She's all set but I am going to set up another training with her soon. Maybe not this week. 

Tomorrow is Jess' 33rd birthday. How the fuck. Honestly. How do I have a 33 yr old human. They are coming down Thursday and I cannot wait. 

I also have to admit, my body is on Mountain Time. I'm super wide awake at the time of this writing (11:15pm) and I have to go to bed. Buuuuuut I'm not tired. And then, in the morning when the alarm goes off at 8am, I'm hitting snooze. Over and over. Like I don't got no job or some shit. 

It takes me until 11 or so to feel human. 

Your girl is a mountain time girl. 

Alright. Digits. Below. Yay. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. Treadmill yaaaassss. 25 min/1.42 miles; 10k+ steps by bedtime. 

blood glucose:
9:15am: 137
4:30pm: 91
11pm:  124

food & meds:
9:30am: phentermine, jardiance
11am: large bowl of plain greek yogurt w/ 2 granola bars crushed up, and blueberries
12:30pm: Met+glip
6:30pm: small bowl of penne pasta w/meat sauce and 2 small pieces of garlic bread
8:45pm: met+glip
white wine with diet ginger ale

A day of rock shows in DC and Baltimore

Sorry missed out on posting a journal entry last night. We got home at midnight, and went to bed at 2am. Long day! 

Here is the Sunday recap. 

MS and I were met by our friend D from Philly and we went into DC for Hen's rockshow. He wasn't as on point/task as the last time I saw him perform with School of Rock but he was into it. All that matters. He was very surprised to see us there, and maybe that was a distraction. But we loved it. 

His band was a Funk band, so they played a lot of really cool interesting things. A lot of things with lyrics that I don't think tweens and teens should sing, but.... hey. It's music. And the musicians have grown and evolved and changed. I've seen a few of these kids perform before, and they were just so good. I want to be these kids when I grow up. 

I have NO idea what Hen was going for here with his look, but, holy shit he was hilarious. 

MS, D, and I bailed before the last 2 songs so we could get up to my house, D could grab his car (since he lives in Philly, leaving from Baltimore with the car was smarter than leaving from Baltimore to my house 1/2 hour south, to go back north). MS and I grabbed my car and we headed to a meetup that I set up. Only a few people came to this one. That's okay. We had a couple core friends, and two new intros to our team. 

We were hanging out upstairs, and my friend was at the bar downstairs. He called me and said "get your ass down here NOW!" 

When M says something like that, I know it is good. 

I stopped at the bar and asked what's up. He said "Did you invite Brian to the meetup? He's outside looking confused." 

Oh shit.

Brian, of course, is the drummer. I went out and said "Hey B." 

He replied, "Hey C." 

So weird when you have a thing verbally with like, a bona fide rock star but. For years if we talk on email, he's B. I am C. This is Brian. This is where we are as fan to rockstar, or perhaps even friend to friend?

I asked if he wanted to come up and hang out with some fans, usually the band knows about meet ups, but they do not come. 

"I'm waiting for my wife to park the car and come here," he said. "It's our son's birthday. We're having dinner before the show but parking is tough here." 

Yes. Yes it is. I drove around forever until we found a spot. 

He has twin sons.

So soak that comment in for a minute. "It's my son's birthday." Single son. His twins were born on two different days.

As a super fan, you know this. 

I asked which son, and he told me. The other son's birthday was the day before. I thought it was so fucking sweet that they were taking just this one out for his birthday and I hoped the day before they took the other one out for his. I bet they did. 

After chatting for a bit, Brian noticed an open parking spot across the street and told me he was going to go stand in it and call his wife to come and park. Genius. I went back upstairs. 

What was really funny was I didn't tell anyone else what I went downstairs for until I went upstairs. It was not a send 10 people running downstairs to say hi to B at top speed moment. 

Some folks went down to say hi to B as he and his wife and son were getting put at their table. My friend MS had brought a bag with her and she had a BUNCH of whoopie pies from Maine. She handed me one and said "I feel weird going back down, bothering them, but can you give his son a whoopie pie for his birthday?" 

I said "He has twins, so maybe two? One for each?" she handed me a second one. I went downstairs. 

I walked up to the table, respectfully, said hi to Mrs. B. And I handed the birthday boy a whoopie pie. I explained that someone upstairs didn't want to come down and be disruptive but. I have no problem being disruptive. Here. Happy Birthday. We love you. 

He was thrilled. 

I handed the second one to Brian. 

"Oh, I'm off sugar," he says. Oh no, honey. 

"This is for your other child celebrating their birthday, not for YOU, ya dingus!" I said.

"Oh, so you weren't thinking fondly of ME."

"No. I was not. It's for your KID, please give him this. But yes I think fondly on you but I know you are not on the sugars (another weird thing to know is that B and I have talked about Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in the past). Not for you, but for the other kid.  Happy birthday everyone. 

Oy.

The look on his face when I told him it was for the other child was HILARIOUS. 

When we were done upstairs with our dinner and our fellowship we came down, and B and his family were still there so several folks stopped to talk to him. 

I just said "hey, don't suck tonight, okay?" 

His wife thought that was very funny.

At the show Fastball started (we pretty much skipped them), Guster next, and Barenaked Ladies performed.  This is an annual thing BNL does for the Last Summer On Earth tour, and the last time I went to a LSOE tour was Ben Folds 5, Guster, and BNL 2013 was that year, and the Tanglewood show was Brian's 40th birthday. 

Now, long time readers (all 3 of you) know that I truly love Barenaked Ladies. When Steven Page left the band in 2009-ish, I was so sad. I love Steven. I love him as a solo artist. And I kind of felt the band lost a lot when he left but hell if those motherfuckers didn't keep making music. Hell yeah. Also, I'm super infatuated with Ed Robertson so .... I'll take it! 

and BNL introduced me to Guster. Look where we are today with my obsessive fandom?

I've only seen BNL once or twice since 2009. I've seen Steven solo or with his trio once or twice since. 

My adoration and respect for them as artists will always exist. 

BNL on Sunday night were just amazing. Absolutely amazing. Most of the people in attendance were there for BNL. Not for Fastball or Guster. There were some Guster fans, and those of us there to cheer for Guster were very into them. 

At one point, Ryan Miller leaves the stage and comes out into the audience, and he comes right up to the guy who was at our meet up, who we've never met (Tim) and just starts singing with him and hugging on him.

I recorded the whole moment as my new acquaintance was just all of a sudden living his best Fan Life. When it was over, and Ryan was back on stage he came screaming over to us freaking out that this happened. 

After so many years of being a fan, he finally got this moment with the band. 

So happy for him. 

The show was great. Encore was BNL bringing Fastball and Guster back out on stage to sing the "Canadian National Anthem," which of course is Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69." 

Hilarious to see Luke Reynolds absolutely crushing the keyboards for this one. 

Here are a couple pictures from the show. We had great seats but I was exceptionally in the moment and paying attention to it all. 

BNL can still crush it, without Steven. And Steven crushes it with his new friends. And I'm super okay with that all. Nothing changes or alters my love for them at all.

Sunday digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. Missed 9am for sleeping in. walking to metro in DC, 10 min/.39 miles; 11k+ steps by midnight (bedtime came at 2am)

blood glucose:
10am: 124
n/a: didn't take mid afternoon reading
11pm:  175 (checked again at 2am after snack and meds, 124)

food & meds:
10am: phentermine, jardiance
didn't track food times, but had an english muffin w/pb and low sugar jelly before going to DC
noon: met+glip
4pm: slices of ham & havarti
6pm: 3 meatballs w/ sauce at little italy in B'more
11:45pm: met+glip; mixed nuts; white wine

Monday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  2 walks. First in the house while dinner was cooking, 20 min/1.13 miles. then a pokemon walk, 15 min/.6 mile. 

blood glucose:
9am: 134
5pm: 104
11:45pm:  136

food & meds:
10am: phentermine, jardiance
noon: met+glip
12:30pm: blt salad
6pm: 3 frozen burritos buried in cheese w/salsa on top;
8pm: met+glip
through the evening: trail mix, white wine+diet ginger ale

It's The Altitude. Leadville to Denver to Home

The entire time we were in Colorado we kept making jokes about our own mental mistakes. Doug said something was somewhere and I said no it is not. It is here... and he said "It's the altitude." 

He also said "be sure to put me in a nice home" after making a big mistake. 

Personally, my mental capacities were okay but I did feel dizzy. A lot. This is not helpful when you're on a cliff. Thankfully no injury befell me. I tripped twice during the trip, thankful for a bush that caught my fall before I landed on my face or shattered my knees. 

We left Leadville at 10am since we had to check out of the tiny house. The altitude was seriously impacting Doug, and I had a horrible night's sleep thanks to muscle spasms in my shoulder like restless leg syndrome. Is there restless shoulder syndrome? 

Stopping at Circle K for coffee, neither of us were hungry, we started our drive to Denver. Our flight was scheduled for 4:30pm, and I'm glad we left when we did. We hit traffic between Idaho Springs and Denver. Hours. Hours of waiting. Millions of cars. Three lanes reduced to two lanes reduced to one lane. 

Absolutely maddening to come up to the end of the lane restrictions and not even see one guy working. Thanks. Thanks a lot. 

We stopped for lunch at 1pm, and we re-organized our bags, getting our carry-on situation TSA safe, and all of our treasures like the antique things and the marble tucked into the big suitcases. 

Our flight was uneventful. On time, but delayed then on time and delayed again. We did finally leave on time. Weather was touch and go for a bit. Glad we were able to get off the ground and back home. 

Toffee lost her mind when we came in. As we predicted. So happy to see her. And I'll be honest, we had probably one of the best vacations we've ever had but coming home to her was the best part of it all.

My friend MS came this morning, she drove down from Maine so we can go see BNL/Guster in Baltimore tomorrow. When I reminded him last night that she was coming, Doug said he didn't remember me ever telling him. Thing is, I did. I know I did. Because when we were making our trip plans I told him I wanted to be home Friday so she could come Saturday (I thought it would be Saturday Night) and we'd go to the concert Sunday, and she'd head home Monday morning. 

She likes to leave Maine in the middle of the night, a lot less traffic to deal with but this time of year, a lot more construction.  

I didn't house clean too much since honestly, I got less than 5 hours of sleep and I was surprised when she told me she'd be arriving between 10 and 11. Like I said, I presumed she'd be coming around maybe dinner time. So having a full day to spend together was nice. She brought us gifts as thanks for hosting. Always a classy move.

Doug went to Aldi and she went too, because she'd never been to one and wanted to check it out. Such fun. I walked the dog while they were out. I didn't get my 12 hours of 250 in, missed the 8pm one because we were sitting around outside chatting after eating dinner. 

And I didn't go take a good long long walk, not going to hit 10k today. Resigned to that fact. But we'll get it tomorrow for sure. 

MS took this pic of Doug at the back patio. She wanted him to pose with the Bissell Brothers' On the Ocean beer from last year's fest.

Digits below. Good day today with an even better one to look forward to tomorrow. 

Friday digits

exercise: 6/12 hours. Somewhat impacted by losing 3 hours of time in the airport+time travel. 10 min. walk around the airport before the flight (I procrastinated, could have done a lot more!) half mile total. 7600+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8am: 90
n/apm: no afternoon reading, on the plane
11pm (ET):  135

food & meds:
8am: phentermine, jardiance
can't really remember times that I ate, but at 1pm we had lunch at Cafe Rio. Burrito w/steak, guac, sour cream, black beans, cheese.
1pm: met+glip
airplane snacks
10pm: mixed nuts while waiting for luggage. Met+glip
11pm: triscuits+peanut butter

Saturday digits

exercise: 11/12 hours. Missed 8pm because we were sitting chatting at the picnic table. Took Toffee for a nice but short walk due to the heat, 15 min/.65 mi. 7500+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
9am: 131
5pm: 102
11pm:  112

food & meds:
9am: phentermine, jardiance
1pm: turkey, provolone, lettuce in low carb wrap. met+glip
5:30pm: some mixed nuts
6:30pm: met+glip; cheeseburger over mixed greens salad, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing, small scoop of potato salad
white wine

home

 Our flight was pretty great. I don't have the energy to do an actual entry so that'll wait until tomorrow. It is midnight, my brain thinks it is 10pm. Ha Ha Ha, brain. Go to bed. If you can. 

More later.

Up in the Clouds, Leadville

This morning, I went to see one of my clients because heck, we were in their town! I hadn't planned on seeing anyone but then had second thoughts. I found out we drove through Paonia and I could have stopped there but I just wasn't thinking of work people. 

I was so happy to reach out to them and ask to come by. We had a lovely visit, Doug stayed at the hotel. He didn't want to meet people and his belly has been feeling super bloated the past few days so he needed some alone time. 

After my visit, I came back and he had us fully packed up. We went out to late breakfast. I had been thinking of having lunch in Aspen with another client's office but Doug was hungry, and we obey Doug's tummy when it wants something. 

In Carbondale, C had recommended a spot so we headed right there to the Village Smithy. Fantastic. Amazing. Delicious. And my breakfast came with a side of 3 larger than silver dollar but smaller than "normal" pancakes. 

I did not have regrets.

I have not had pancakes in so long, and these were perfection. I only ate half my egg/bacon/spinach quesadilla and none of my hash browns as a result, it was too much food. 

We walked around Carbondale a little bit until it started to rain. Hitting the road again, we headed to Aspen. I met up with my colleagues and had a longer visit there than I expected I would. They were just so friendly and the engineer wanted to show me all their Audio to IP equipment he's been installing. I have no idea what that is or how it works, but he's super pumped about it and proud of the work. 

Also, they had a dog. In the office. She's 6 months old. And I love her. 

Leaving Aspen, we headed up to Independence Pass. We stopped at a couple lookie lou spots, and it started to snow. Real, serious, amazing snow. Independence Pass was full of cars that made it up there and I don't know, thought they'd wait out the snow. It wasn't sticking to the road, the air temperature was a little too warm, and we kept going. I would have loved to have stopped, looked at the Independence Ghost Town on the way up, but people were driving like idiots and we wanted off that ride. 

Down and down back into Teller county, to Rte 24 where you either turn left to Leadville or right to beautiful Buena Vista. This area was familiar to us. No more snow, 15 degrees warmer, and raining hard off and on. 

We got to Leadville where Doug had rented us a tiny house. 

No one is there to check you in, you just have the code to the lock emailed to you and you go in. And you just leave by 10am. They are very strict about that.

There are a dozen of these really super cute units, and we are staying in the Dragonfly house. It has a loft up over the bathroom, and Doug climbed up to take a nap. He was pretty wiped. I checked us into our flight for tomorrow and took a short walk. Short being the operative term. I feel like I've gotten used to the altitude say at about 7k ft up. But at this over 10k height ... wow. This is a bit much. And Doug is super feeling it. 

I came back from my tiny walk to the tiny house, and I also took a nap. Woke up in time to do steps. Doug had a hell of a time getting down out of the loft, which was both hilarious and nerve wracking. He could have fallen 6 feet down or slipped and landed on both feet, jamming his knees and heels. 

It also took all my willpower NOT to grab my camera and record him trying to get down. I would not like someone doing that to me, so. I exercised restraint. We decided no. We would not be sleeping up there. Luckily the little couch in the living room folds out to what appears to be a decently sized bed, if not a bit super firm. I think when you make the reservation at the Tiny House Leadville, they should ask how big you are and you should be honest. There are other units that are unoccupied, that look as if they have different sized sleeping spots. 

We slept in a loft in Florence at the hot springs, and it was perfect. Easy up and down (the only thing I didn't like was it had no hand rail on the open/exposed side but that seems to be the style?) 

Anyway. Dinner time.

Doug wanted to go to the Silver Dollar Saloon, and it was around the corner. Easy walk. But their kitchen was closed. 

We had one beer and looked at all the amazing things. Very historic location, but we were hungry. The bartender recommended a spot across the street so we headed to the Tennessee Pass Cafe. The food was good, the beer was all local, and it hit the spot. 

Back to the tiny house, quietude, slow internet that does not like images but seems to be doing okay with just writing this entry. 

Tomorrow we check out of here and head back to Denver. And home. Doug said he's ready to go home, and is thankful we planned it this way to have Saturday and Sunday home before we have to work. 

Digits, below. Here's the inside of the tiny house. From the couch to the bathroom door, 18 steps. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  two short walks, one for about 3 min./.19 mi just to stretch my legs and get light headed; another for about 11 min/.29 mi go go to dinner. 10k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:
8:30am: 134
5pm: 80
10:30pm:  138

food & meds:
8:30am: phentermine, jardiance
11am: 1/2 breakfast quesadilla, 3 pancakes
12pm: Met+glip
5pm: the other half of my breakfast quesadilla
8pm: hot bacon salad w/ cup of beer cheese soup. 2 beers
9pm: met+glip