Soon

My new laptop has arrived! I need to get it (and my new wireless router) set up and soon I will be blogging from the comfort of my couch. Ah, the good old days.

That's how it all started, you know. Sitting on the sofa, wirelessly connected to the internet. Nearly four years ago.

Yeah, this blog has been suffering. Look at that goddam tagline - I've had it up there all year! Give me some suggestions, folks. What should I list as my new tagline in 2008?

In other news ...

... I took on a new temporary roommate. It's not nearly as much fun as when Phil was here. We're both being quiet and respectful of each other, but I don't want to be quiet and respectful in my house. I want to do whatever the bleep I want to do. I need to tell myself that it is a means to an end. Her rent is helping pay for the new laptop. And it's only temporary. But still. She can't leave soon enough.

... my friend's daughter is out of the hospital! She still has a long, difficult road to recovery, but she's out and she was able to celebrate Christmas at home. Yippee!

... I had a two hour lunch with a friend on Monday. Her family stories make my life look a piece of cake. It's all about perspective.

... I am one of two people in the office this week. And I honestly did put in a long, full day of work.

... Did I tell you the high blood pressure was back? Yeah. Genetics is kicking my ass.

Love, Love, Love

Send me some comment love. Didn't win the jackpot last week and the Mega Millions jackpot is now $346 MILLION DOLLARS. That's $346 MILLION DOLLARS!

John was a bit late last week but I'll consider it an early display of affection for this week. (Should you choose, however, to leave even more comment love, then you just might be in for a bigger share of el jackpot.) Even Scooterdeb came out of hiding to share some love, so come on, y'all, leave a little love!

And now for something completely different.

I went to another funeral over the weekend. One of the ladies who belongs to my women's group died last week. She was 51 years old. She had a stroke at home over the weekend, and her son found her on Sunday when he came over for their weekly Sunday dinner. No one knows how long she had been down. They got her to the hospital and she seemed to be doing well, although one side was paralyzed. Then, suddenly on Wednesday, she died. We're guessing from a second, massive stroke.

This just freaked me (and a lot of other single women) out. I know that sudden illnesses such as this can strike at any time and at any age, but 51 years old? Makes me believe that I totally did the right thing when I took some time off after losing my job.

Live life to the fullest and take advantage of every day, because you never know if it will be your last.

Things Change

Despite the forecast, the sun was out. The clouds were whisking their way across the sky, but Rich and I thought maybe it would be a nice day after all. Five minutes later, it was pouring. And five minutes after that, sun again.

It's going to be one of those days.

I have been sleeping very well since my procedure on Wednesday. I started the blood pressure medication (at half dose) and so far no side effects. We'll see what happens when I go full power starting tomorrow. Since it is a diuretic, I may be going to the bathroom more frequently. But since I have to get up from my desk and walk there and back, I'll be getting more exercise. Bonus! In all seriousness, I do need to get more exercise. And I have no reason for not doing so, only excuses.

I was chatting with Julie and Susan Friday night. You should have heard us. A bunch of 40-something women talking about sleep patterns and hot flashes and night sweats and I realized that I was becoming one of those women. You know the kind - the ones who are going through menopause and all you hear about are the hot flashes and the night sweats etc. Now, I'm not going through menopause - not yet. But I remember about 10 years ago when I first joined my women's group and there was this one woman who talked about perimenopause all the time.

It may have already begun.

Sick Day

I really thought I would be able to go to work after my doctor's appointment this morning. Turns out things were a bit more complicated than I realized.

The good news is that ultimately I underwent a different procedure and I think we'll get some conclusive results on this last round of tests. The bad news is that my blood pressure was through the roof. They wouldn't allow me to leave until they had secured an appointment with my primary care physician. Starting tomorrow, I will be on blood pressure medication.

I am officially old.

I didn't want to have to be on medication, but I've been screwing around with the blood pressure for two years now, and while it seemed to have come back down, it's up again and I certainly haven't done anything (like exercise) to bring it down. Maybe the meds are just what I need.

All I know is that I took one of those stupid "Real Age" tests the other day, and after saying that yes, I did have high blood pressure, my real age suddenly jumped several years. If going on the medication will keep me around a few years longer, then so be it.

But just to make myself feel better about the whole thing, I came home and booked another cruise.