The Lyse Lair

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:25:24 GMT

Trying out a new program

Adventures in Medicine

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:21:51 GMT

So, I had an appointment with my Neurologist on Tuesday. He was extremely pleased at the six month record that has been set so far do not going to the ER due to migraines. But it wouldn't be an adventure if it were just a "Let's keep it up and see you in six months", now, would it?
Dr. Daniel was a bit concerned about the lack of appetite. I explained that my appetite was dodgy even *before* the Topimax. I truly am making an effort to watch it. I wanted to continue to try it my way. He wanted to try Ensure. We compromised on a daily vitamin regime. (Gah. More pills.)
The only misunderstanding we seem to have had was with the Toredol. At the start of the year, he wrote me a script for 20 with on refill. During the visit, I asked if he could add 10 to it, bringing the total up to 60 instead of 40. (Heat does bad things to my head.) He seemed concerned about the increased amount and questioned me about my usage but agreed. I stopped at Rite-Aid tonight to pick them up and was rather shocked at the price increase in just a few months. Thankfully, the pharmasist signed me up for the stores prescription card that saved me about 13-15 dollars. Then I looked at the bottle and realized the doctor's concern. :) The prescription is for 60 with refills - instead of 30 with refills.
If I were a doctor, I would have been concerned about a request for a 20 to 60 pill increase, too!! And I got it, that part kinda boggles me.

Cross your fingers

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:04:43 GMT

Here's hoping that Topamax works better for me than it did for Lil. Although, I will cheerfully admit to being a huge wuss and willing to take a bit of wonkiness if it will decrease the migraines.

Yippee

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:12:55 GMT

Went to the neurologist yesterday. Kinda nervous because I wanted to change my meds all around to see if I could get better results. Turned out to be a non issue since he also wanted to try for better results. I'm going to use his preventative and he's going to try to get approval from the VA for me to use a different med than Imitrex for the migraines themselves. *And* he gave me a prescription for Toredol - so ER visits should be cut back.

12/10/08

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:41:55 GMT

Here is a pic of the new scarf! Nice, thick and made in less than 24 hours. Go me!

Two addictions in one

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:47:38 GMT

So, found out a nifty little fact the other day. When you register your Starbucks card? You get two hours of free AT&T wifi at Starbucks stores as long as the card has had activity in the past 30 day - reloading or using.

Yeah, so guess where I am writing up this little blurb? And the first two guesses do not count.

I am waiting for Freddies to open - as is the usual case when I hang out here. The cheap so called "universal" remote that I bought? Yeah. Works if all I want to do is power up the player and press play. Any other things, like using the menus!, are a no go. So, waiting to get in to the electronics department. Hell, I may just price out a new DVD player. Hmmm. Shiny.

And I have started what may prove to be an ugly trend at work. LOLWars. When I left, an hour after the day crew showed up, we were close to 70 emails of the kittehs. And they were still going strong when I left. I wonder how long we are going to be able to get away with it before we draw down the ire of the IT dept and the big bosses,

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:56:55 GMT

Dear Ankle,

I know that we have had our ups and downs. I have dislocated you and fractured you many a time. However, I also try to baby you whenever possible in apology.

That being said - just what new monkey games are you up to? For twenty minutes, every time I take a step you stab me with an icepick. But then you stop. For an hour or so, no pain at all. Then suddenly, you bring the icepick back.

Are you in some plot with the Spine? Don't trust the Spine. She is a bitch and lies. Filthy, filthy lies. Listening her will only lead to heartache - trust me.

Phones and such

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:51:31 GMT

Having a couple of friends without their cells for the last week has made me really think about the changes in communications in just the last 15 years.
It used to be that if you weren't home, then you were out of touch. People would have to leave a message (if you had a machine or voicemail) and wait. And wait. And wait.
Then cell phone increased in popularity and decreased in price. People started to get them - but it was a slow intergration. Now, you could get ahold of someone at the store and tell them to buy milk.
Over a decade, the number of cell phones just kept increasing. It got to the point that people with them outnumbered those without. If you told someone that you didn't have a cell, they woukd be surprised. The number of people with landlines began to decrease for the first time.
Then SMS began to increase in useage. You could communicate with some from just about anywhere without actually using the phone function. Wonderful for short blurbs and questions. Also very nice way to stay in touch for times that you were too emotional to deal with actually speaking. It allowed you to think a bit more about what you were saying to a person.
And, of course, now phones allow you to do a lot more than stay in touch. You can go online, read a book, keep track of bank accounts and shoppong lists. In fact, I would be surprised if I actually used more than 3 percent of my time with my "phone" to talk to someone.
In 15 years, we have gone from not having cells (unless you were loaded) to using them daily for a wide range of tasks that have little to do with actually speaking to someone. If our phone is dead or missing, we feel like we are missing a limb.
I am still trying to decide whether this is a good thing or not - but I do know that I am not planning on being without my phone anytime soon.
(Oh, and yes, you can even make posts from it *grin*)

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:54:23 GMT

Is there anything more cozy and comforting than having a kitty curled up on your ankles and purring her fool head off?

Random Stuff

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:26:41 GMT

Okay - throughout the night, I kept a notepad open and would jot things down in it as they occurred to me. Some have to do with work, some have to do with things that I ran across during the night online.

A nine percent abandoned call level? Bad. Really. No, I swear.

When I ask for you verify the phone number, yes, I do mean the number for the store. Do you really think that I am going to ask for you to verify your home phone for a service call for the gas station? Idiot.

Dude - you are throwing a tantrum because the service agent was not at your site within the 4 hour goal for emergency calls. Okay. Fine. Whatever. Demanding that we print out the last months worth of calls for this site and fax them to you? A waste of my time, paper and ink. All the calls? On this wonderful program that YOU HAVE ACCESS TO!!!!!!!! Cocknugget. (BTW, I looked at the tech notes while printing off - considering the high number of nuisance calls, I wouldn't be busting my ass to get there is a rush, either. Boy. Wolf. Cry.)

People - stores have not ruined your day be not having a specific item. And if they have - you seriously need to reevaluate your priorities. The only time that I can sort of see a day being completely "ruined" by a store is a pharmacy running out a medication.

And if your entire holiday can be thusly ruined as well? Well, you lead an amazingly empty and shallow life.

Seems some parents are angry with the advertising agencies. They want the media to stop advertising items to their kids for the holidays since the parents cannot afford to buy them everything that they are asking for. Wait - you would normally buy them everything that they want anyway? And really, have you never heard of a simple little work - "NO"? Going through life without ever being told "no" and never having to actually wait or work for something could be one of the contributing factors to the idea that a store being out of Peppermint Mocha Creamer can utterly *ruin* your day.
Yay! I has a penguin toy for the McDonald's Happy Meal. He talks! I like the "Just smile and wave boys".

Uh oh

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:43:08 GMT

Yay - I'm a chick!

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:06:22 GMT

So, went to the GenderAnalyzer and plugged in my blog. According to them, there is a 92% chance that i am a woman.

Really? Ya think?! *snort* Bravo.

Food List

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:57:20 GMT

Got this from Lil.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. ~~Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
So - it would seem that I am a bit of a food whore.

Really now

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:12:05 GMT

The worst part about having to shift your schedule around to accommodate a day seminar? Trying to get to sleep the next day so that you aren't going into the graveyard shift already drained. Need a nap - need a nap - need a nap.....

I was chatting with Karel and pointed out that all of my main gadgets are tiny and green. My Centro is a small smartphone compared to a lot out there and it is white with green keys. My Asus is not even 9 by 6 inches and green and white. And the recent Ipod nano 3rd Gen is tiny and - you guessed it - green and white.

I am kinda convinced that the secret to happiness is tiny, cute shinies.

In my day...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:25:41 GMT

"In my day" - what the hell does that even mean? I you are alive, aren't these still "your days"? Where is the cut off from "my day" to "his day"? What if you share a day?

Shut up - realize that times change, I am not going to cater to your entitlement issues and go do it yourself. gah.

Uhh...stuff

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:36:56 GMT

Well, it has been a while since I posted anything. So, here's stuff.

First, can I just say "Thank the gods" for A/C? The last couple of days have been stupidly hot and just not okay. Who the hell decided to have this whole "Summer" thing anyway? What a dumb idea.

Work has been mostly fine. There are few people that are driving me batty - but that probably happens anywhere and everywhere. Is it really so very difficult to read the instructions that appear for the calls that are written? It gives you the information right there in the call. I could understand if it were something completely out of the blue or such, but for calls that we get about 10-20 of a day? Seriously, people - knock your brain into first gear and get on with it.

Outside of work? Well, I have a very boring life. I go to work, play on the computer and watch tv. Occasionally, I go over to Lil's. Or the ER. Way too many trips to the ER, really. Thank heavens that my medical is completely covered. Even if I got the insurance from work, I don't even want to think about how much I would have to pay in co-pays. And luckily, I don't get a lot of grief from the staff there since I am not looking for narcotics. I would like to say that I am stunned at how many stories I have heard about people abusing the ER for drugs, but sadly I am losing faith in a lot of the population anyway. Considering that my medical problems are not going to go away, I would really rather not be 60 and have a tolerance for all pain meds available. Yes, Vicodin may be a happy thing at times, but seriously - don't need it every day.

Other than that, not much I can think of right now to update. Probably will have more after The Roadtrip with Lil. Or should I say, Thelma. *grin*

Heads up

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:46:39 GMT

Why does my head hate me so? I have had a low level migraine for about a week now. It's starting to drive me nuts.

Eeep

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:02:10 GMT

Lil is forever telling me that I work too much. And I usually respond with an eye-roll and "Whatever". But this weekend I think that she may have a point.

During a 39 hour period (3pm Saturday to 6am Monday) - I was working for 30 hours of it.

Crap. I hate when she's right.

Not my fault

Sat, 03 May 2008 05:50:55 GMT

You take the bus to work. That's not uncommon. The bus gets you here most of time with only one or two minutes to spare. That's a little annoying, but whatever - you're here.

But when you wander in ten minutes late on a night that you and I are the only ones on the floor? That is completely unacceptable. And then to announce "Sorry I'm late, but I don't control the bus"? Are you *trying* to make my head explode?!

Take an earlier frikken bus! It might get you here *gasp* early - but you are a big boy. You can handle it.

Holy tamale!

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:39:43 GMT

Well, I finally got fed up with having only part of one kitchen cabinet to work with when it came to shopping.

I went to Freddies (with Dustin in tow) and picked up two module organizers. Which Dustin not only lugged around for me, but also assembled for me. Gods, that boy rocks. Seriously.

Then, later Andrea (who also rocks for helping her Auntie out) went with me to the grocery store. 95% of the items in there were purchased then. Not bad for less than $200!

Of course, this means I no longer have an excuse to not to cook.

Hey Bizkit!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:08:58 GMT

I haven't updated in forever - hope you are still out there keeping an eye on the thing. How do I get ahold if you?

Gas stations

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:45:18 GMT

Everyone wants to bitch about gas prices and the big companies right now. However, you might want to at least consider the expenae that is being caused by your fellow customers (and co-bitchees).

I just finished dealing with the work orders from *one* technician from *one* service agent for *one* day. Out of the calls that he dealt with on that day - ten(!) of them were directly a result of damage done to pumps by the customers. These ten calls were generated by just two stations. That is not even considering damage done to buildings and other equipment - this technician only repaired the gas equipment.

How much money are stations all over having to pay because drivers can't be arsed to remember to remove the nozzle before driving away. Or someone thinking it's funny to pull a sink off the wall in the restroom (it happens - depressingly often). Or to commit any other random and casual bit of vandalism?

(Was jusy tlod os a station that had an angry customer literally pick up the register and *throw* it. That's gonna cost to replace at 2:30am on Sunday. Not to mention lost revenue until it is replaced.)

When people steal from a store, the prices go up. When people drive recklessly, insurance goes up. Well, gee. When people regularly destroy property, gas prices might go up, too.

3/8/08

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:43:15 GMT

Well, I suppose the point is to make them easier to hide?

*snicker*

That is all.

Geekgasm

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:14:32 GMT

I took the plunge into smartphone ownership - finally. Yesterday I went and bought myself the cutest little white Centro, with green keys. I am abolutely loving it.

I splurged and included a 4 gig card. So now, the only differences between the Centro and the Lifedrive is that one has a phone and the other has Wi-fi. Now I don't have to carry two different devices with me and I still have all my entertainment. Actually more, since the web on the Lifedrive was limited to areas with Wi-fi.

As for some of the critics out there...you guys are either idiots, have not actually used the Centro or are running some seriously esoteric programs. Maybe a combination.

Yes, the keyboard is tiny. The whole phone is pretty small. But the keys have good grip to prevent you fingers from sliding all over. And as a woman with both smaller hands and wrist damage, I really appreciate being able to type one-handed without pain.

The only other consistant thing I read from people that were complaining about the phone was the OS is old. Years old. How many people are still using XP? The system works and works well. Programs load up quickly and there is a ton of third party software available.

All in all? I loves me my Centro. In fact, this entry was written on it.

Sleep

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:42:20 GMT

I really hate hate hate insomnia. I have now been awake going on 35 hours and finally broke down and took something to try to get me to go to sleep. I really want to. As near as I can tell, my body wants to. It's my dumb brain that is keeping up awake.

Stupid brain.