My battery power is at about 73 percent

Normalcy has almost returned.

I still have a bit of a cough. You know, that cough that lingers for weeks after all the other symptoms have long since left the body.

That doesn't mean I got much done this weekend.

I was actually pretty lazy.

The energy level is just starting to return. I still get tired quickly by simple things.

But I did manage to sweep and mop the floor in the living room/dining area yesterday. That was my big achievement, complete with moving the furniture and cleaning under everything.

I feel a bit guilty that I have not cooked anything in days.

Adding water to Trader Joe's miso soup mix does not count.

Manfriend came over Saturday after I got off work and grilled some veggies and a steak and made artichokes.

It was nice that he took on most of the cooking chores that night.

He doesn't cook much, but he can work the grill just fine.



Sunday I had stamping (that is my card contribution above) and, before I got sick, had signed up to bring the main dish for the lunch part of the gathering.

I was thinking Thursday that I might be too sick or tired to go, or at least too sick or tired to be responsible for making the main course.

But I decided to just do something easy.

I made the mushroom-sage bread pudding that I made as a dinner side dish a couple of weeks ago. But this time, to make it more of a meal, I added diced ham to the mushrooms and onions while I was cooking them.

I did most of the chopping Saturday night and stuck everything in the fridge.

Sunday morning, I cooked the mushrooms, onions and ham. Then I mixed the milk and eggs and put it all together and baked it. It went pretty fast having it all chopped ahead of time.

Seems like it was a hit. Most people went back for seconds.

But when I got home that afternoon, I was exhausted.

Basically I sat and stanped for 4 hours. But I was just beat.

So I napped.

Then we went out for dinner.



This week I will work six days (Mon-Sun) to cover for someone who is helping with Oscar pages.

So I sure hope the energy level is up by then.

Sudafed, I take it all back...

So I saw the doctor yesterday.
I have bronchitis and a sinus infection.
She gave me three kinds of drugs.
I am just sitting here waiting for them to kick in.
There is something for the congestion, some antibiotics and some cough syrup with codeine. But that one is only for right before bed.
And I think I know why.
I had some CRAZY dreams last night.
And it was a weird sleep pattern, too.
I woke up several times, but the short periods of sleep felt long. I would fall asleep and wake up an hour later, but it felt like it was hours later.
And I wish I could remember all the dreams.
I have never really been able to have that dream recall.
I just remember thinking, as I was drifting in and out, that the dreams were wild.
Anyway, I am home again today.
I have been working since I was 17 and I have never taken two sick days in a row.
Oh yeah, and thank goodness for health insurance. I paid $20 for my co-pay and $36 total for my drugs.
I don't use it often, but when I need it, I am glad it is there. The lady in line in front of me had no insurance and was paying more than $100 for one prescription.
Yikes!

Sudafed? I laugh in the face of Sudafed!

Man, I just cannot seem to shake this cold-flu thing I have had since last week.
I first started feeling puny, as my mom would say, last Wednesday.
It started with chills and nausea that turned my stomach upside down and inside out. I had to leave work early and head for the safety of my bed.
Thursday started with fever, body aches and a massive headache.
Finally, by Friday, I thought I was coming out of it, even though I could not get warm.
Then Saturday I was blessed with a sore throat and the start of a hacking cough.
Sunday brought congestion, a wetter and more disgusting version of the cough.
By Monday I was completely miserable and spent most of the day on the couch.
I even slept with a box of tissues on the pillow next to me.
Today: cough and congestion; sneezing and sniffling.
Through it all I have been exhausted. Just bone-tired. Some of that I attribute to the illness, some to the fact that work has been a beast lately.

It was bad. And I knew that if I did not peel myself off the couch at some point Monday, I would really feel worse in the long run.

So I forced myself to get up. I thought maybe if I moved a little I would generate some energy within myself.

And for the first couple of hours it worked.

I made dinner. The manfriend was even brave enough to come over and share it with me. Baked salmon with dill and lemon juice, sauteed baby zucchini and a mushroom-sage bread pudding that I made up from memories of a great restaurant dish I have had a couple times.

It was great. It was a lovely dinner. I like to make a nice dinner on my faux Sunday night. It feels like a good way to cap the weekend and a good way to head into the new week.

But soon after eating, my eyes started to itch and the sneezing kicked in with a vengeance. I had been sitting too long. The energy was gone.

Poor manfriend. I think he gave me this illness, because he was feeling puny last week (though never as bad as I have had it). But I do hope that I do not pass back this horrid mutation of it that I seem to have.

Anyway, I am off to have another cup of tea and some wheat toast.

Then, yes, I have to try to work up enough energy to go to work. As long as they don't expect me to be pretty today, I might make it through the shift.

Yeah, it is beautiful here today

I am currently sitting outside with my new computer.

I love this. I just got done adding a wine find to All That and She Cooks, Too.

And I am doing it while enjoying the spring-like temperatures and sunny blue sky.

Some days I do feel so fortunate to live where I live.

Short story, long story

The short story for my blog absence this week: Work has been kicking my booty.
The long story for my blog absence this week: Work has been kicking my booty and I got a little sick in addition to that. Plus my Internet connection at home was down for a couple days.

But here I am, just back for a quick post before I have to get ready for work.

I got the Internet fixed, obviously. I also got a new computer. I finally upgraded and, at the same time, went wireless. So I have a new HP Pavilion something or other with a 17-inch screen.

Of course, the beauty of a laptop is that it can be truly portable. So I got the wireless router, too.

That will make it possible to play Scrabulous, um, I mean blog, right from the comfort of my own sofa.

I still have the old 'puter hooked up, too. It will be a good place to do my photo stuff and be a sort of holding area for stuff. I want the laptop to stay quick and clutter-free as much as possible.

Mostly I am just enjoying my new toy.

Buut now I must put the toy away and got get ready for work. It's finally my Friday.

My friend Pamela (we have known each other since junior high) will be here tomorrow for a quick visit.

I am looking forward to girl talk and Chinese takeout for dinner.

I shouuld be back to the kitchen and back to some sort of activity by Monday.

In the meantime, enjoy the weekend. I know I will once mine starts.

Something fishy

I whipped up a VERY easy dinner last night of fish baked in garlic-herb sauce.
It tasted awesome, and really was quite simple.
Now that my week is starting, it is most likely going to be leftovers from the freezer and maybe some simple pastas.
But I like to finish off my weekend with a good, home-cooked meal.
The fish in garlic-cream sauce served with a simple steamed broccolini and some cubed, quick-sauteed potatoes was the perfect thing for my Monday night "Sunday" dinner.

Squander... hmm, Q is good for 10 points...

I've been squandering my time this morning drinking tea and playing Scrabulous.
OK, I also did a load of laundry.
And on the way to work, I will stop by my polling place to take part in Super Tuesday before heading to work for what I am sure will be a very unsuper Monday (for me anyway).
I wish I could stay home and play Scrabulous all day.
And it is not like I don't have some chores to do around here.
My friend Pamela will be visiting this weekend and I need to get the guest room in guest-worthy condition.
Right now it is a bit cluttered with all the stuff and nonsense I need to find a place for but cannot. So there is a bit too much furniture in the room. Plus a lot of my card-making stuff. Plus a giant box for a giant TV that manfriend brought over so we could watch the game in style. (I am not going to remind him that his TV is here. Maybe he will forget and I can continue to watch HGTV in giant-screen mode.)
Anyway, you get the idea.
I am a slacker at heart.
Yep. When I go to work, I have no problem working hard and doing what needs to be done to meet my deadlines.
Because meeting deadlines means going home.
And going home means the chance to do nothing more than try to figure out how I can get a Q, V and Z all in the same word when I don't actually have any vowels.
Ahhhhh... Scrabulous, you are a wicked temptress.