Health
Here's where a lot of things went down and yet not much happened.
I had my dental cleaning. Evidently I have a new hygienist, which is fine. My normal dentist wasn't there, but I did get an exam from the other dentist whom I've seen before. Not having dental insurance for a big cleaning and X-Ray visit like this was expensive. Over $200 out of pocket. Plus I had to push off any further work because I still don't have insurance.
The next day I saw my primary neurologist, Dr. W. He was as happy as me about the improvement in migraines. He suggested no changes at the moment, to just keep going and see how things improve or continue. He'll see me in a year which is huge. He also prepped me for the next step which is to start whittling down the medications. While my migraine treatment might include ALL of the medications I'm on, it's unlikely. More probable is that some of the medications are doing nothing except giving me side effects. My first two choices would be the 'non traditional' treatments. Low dose Naltrexone and Namenda. But that's a decision for next year. YAY!
The following day I saw my general practitioner for an annual wellness visit. And for the first time in several years it was just that... a wellness visit. No complaints. He ordered the basic labs and I was able to get those done that same day. Only one issue came up in the labs and that was some minor blood in my urine. Understand, I take MANY medications that can cause that so it's not a real item of concern, but to play it safe he ordered an ultrasound of my kidneys and bladder.
I was able to get the ultrasound scheduled for first thing this past Monday and it went fine. The only thing of note there was that a student was present and did the exam (followed by the official tech doing it again). As she escorted me out I made sure to let the student know that I was a nurse and that I thought she did a fine job from both the patient's perspective and from a medical professional's perspective. She seemed really happy to hear that.
Finally, I saw my mental health NP this week. I admitted that my anxiety was getting worse with all the drama around my job search. She offered to up my Paxil, but I told her that I believed this was more situational anxiety and that I'd rather not change my medication for something that will hopefully be settled sooner rather than later by getting a job. She was agreeable but wanted to see me sooner rather than later to check in so I'll see her in a couple months.
So, as I said, a lot of goings on, but not much happening health wise. I don't even have any complaints really. My anxiety is higher than normal, but that's the job search. My depression is up, but again that's the job search and feeling like a failure. Both of these are manageable with the tools that my mental health NP and my therapist have given me.
The weather is getting colder so we're keeping the house cooler. I think the temp is set at 67 most of the day, down to 60 at night. Before, that wouldn't have bothered me. I'd revel in that temperature. Now? Now, it's JUST a bit chilly. Thankfully I can be like all the normies and put on a sweatshirt to keep warm and I just happen to have one made for the department of corrections. It's like four sizes too big, but it's great for a 'wear around the house' item.
Finances
I've done it. I've crossed that line. When I next run my finances at the end of this month, I won't have enough available in my checking account to account for the next two weeks worth of bills. Obviously there is no hope of getting a job and getting paid before then, so I have to cash in my 401K. It's currently sitting at just over $26,000. At its most minimal, giving as much as I can to taxes so I don't get hit next year, I should get $10,000. But I don't think I'm going to put 'extra' in. I'm going to let it put the minimums in and then take the rest. I need it as a back stop that will last as long as it can.
That's on my agenda for today.
Family/Friends
The trip down to Dallas was good. I think the shorter trips work better as the time feels more precious. I'm not just some dude hanging out, I'm a visitor. We didn't do anything special but it was still a lovely trip that I'm glad I took. I'll add that I believe the route through Arkansas is better than the route through Oklahoma. From the interstate to A & J's house via Arkansas takes about 45 minutes of 'back roads' and state highways. It's fine. The reverse trip, through Oklahoma, is close to 3 hours of back roads and state highways. It's long enough that I actually have to make a pit stop during it. I can avoid it by taking the interstates but it's so far out of the way that it adds almost an hour to my overall trip.
Mom is still plugging along. She's planning on cooking a full Thanksgiving again and already has a Turkey breast and thighs (no reason to make a full on Turkey for just the three of us). I'm hoping she'll just make the frozen pumpkin pie that she bought for desert and doesn't try to add on any of her cakes or personally made pies.
B is still dealing with his anxiety. His doctor just prescribed him Klonopin for anxiety attacks which she admitted puts her past her comfort zone. She's directing B to a mental health specialist to manage his depression and anxiety. B doesn't exactly get along with most medical professionals and I know that personal relationship is the most important thing that he needs, so I suggested my NP. When I sat down with her, she admitted that she'd rather not treat family members as it can be a conflict, but that she'd do so if need be. She did offer someone else to try first though. I passed the numbers on to B and haven't heard back yet how it's going. I'll ask him this weekend.
Entertainment
I talked previously about really enjoying the animated super hero show on Amazon Prime, Invincible. A new season of that starts in March which I'm excited about. Well, there's a video game that is in a similar world. A world of super heroes where you play Robert, or Mecha Man when you have your Mech Suit on. After his Mech Suit gets destroyed, he gets hired as a dispatcher for other superheroes and even has to mentor them since the members on his team are all former villains working in a special program.
It's from a lot of the Tell Tale Games team plus they worked with Critical Role. It has great voice acting, great story, and great animation. It's put out in 8 'episodes' and they all fit together for an over arching story as well as work alone. And it really runs the gamut on emotions as it had me laughing out loud on plenty of occasions and crying openly at least once. My only complaint about it is that it's just too short. I could go for another 8 episodes right now! The game is called Dispatch and I couldn't recommend it higher!
I finished the Dirty Harry movies. I agree with the general consensus that they get worse as they go along. The last two are eighties movies made in the seventies style. They just don't fit.
I got A to watch A House Made of Dynamite and like me, he was hurt by the ending. Not that its a bad ending, it just leaves you hanging with no promise whatsoever of any resolution. I think that works perfectly for the movie they're telling, as it's not about the nuclear war that's going to occur, it's about how the individuals deal with the information and actions occurring leading up to a ICBM assumed nuclear attack on an American city. I still highly recommend it.
I never got around to choosing a next series to watch. I did start re-watching Star Trek Picard. It's funny, the first season that I thought of as slow feels just fine now. The second season which I loved at the time, is just dragging.
New Tech
I got the leather skin on my Pixel 10 Pro Fold and it makes all the difference in the world. It's great. I'll still write something up about it, but the short of it... it's a good solid replacement for the Pixel Fold but nothing 'amazingly better' than the Pixel Fold.
Writing
I'm still plugging along on You're Not The Boss Of Me. I'm right at the point where Paris is going to give head to Darnell but I might not get to it today.
I had another idea for a story that might really work, but I'll write another post about that so I can think it out fully.
Michigan Football
Michigan is... meh. They're still winning games but they barely beat Purdue and Northwestern the past couple weeks. They only have Maryland and Ohio State left. I think I saw that they're 13.5 point favorites against Maryland which means they should win easily. I'm sure on paper they should lose handily to Ohio State... but that was true last year too. I'll believe Michigan will lose to Ohio State when they do so and not before. And if Michigan does beat Ohio State they're almost assuredly going into the playoff as they'd have a 10-2 record with a win over the number one team in the country.
Coaching Carousel season is going forward. Va Tech just hired James Franklin and I think that's a good hire for both of them. Everybody seems to want Lane Kiffen as their next coach including both Florida and LSU. Of course Ole Miss would like to RETAIN him as their coach as well. That would still leave a LOT of coach openings. Someone is going to be disappointed. Maybe a lot of someones.
Computer Issues
Still all good here. If there isn't an issue to talk about next time, I'll eliminate this section.
Job Search
I'm still waiting to hear back about an interview for the supervisor position at the Prison Hospital. That seems like a high chance of hire as I have a recommendation from a supervisor currently working there, an acting HUM that used to work for me, and of course years of experience in that very job. Today, or more likely tomorrow, I'll add some applications to the federal prison and look into the jails. That is if I don't get an interview.
Car Shopping
We can finally put this to rest. B got the Edge inspected (it was fine, just needs an alignment) and we got the extended service plan on it. There are four levels of coverage from the very basics of the power train, to practically bumper to bumper. We got the one just above the powertrain to make sure that the entire powertrain was covered. Basically, it's covered to run, not work perfectly. It's coverage goes for 60,000 miles and/or 5 years.
Oh, and I don't know if it will stick or not but I think she told me her name. I think the B's Edge is named Betty. As in 'Black Betty'.
Keyboard
They keyboard search is done. DONE I SAY!!!
I have the Logitech G915X TKL working wirelessly (lasts almost a week between charges) and the number pad from KeyChron. I even found some blue key caps that work for the Logitech. They're good quality keycaps but they have two issues. 1st, they only cover teh letters and numbers. No shift or control or alt or enter or backspace or delete or arrow keys. Not a biggies as I like the two tone look. The other problem is the amount of light they let through. They let through distinctly less light than the ones that come with the Logitech.
But that issue is easy to take care of. I set the lighting system up so that the blue keys are one color while the black keys are another. Even the number pad is blue, though it doesn't have shine through keys.
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