A Mix Of The Old And New Normal (or Waiting To See What Future Union Meetings Will Be Like)

Posted on February 21, 2023 | Comments Off on A Mix Of The Old And New Normal (or Waiting To See What Future Union Meetings Will Be Like)

Ever since things shut down, all the union meetings and events I’ve participated in have been virtual. I have been in virtual committee meetings and attended a virtual convention. There was no question for a long time that was the way we needed to do things in order to keep people safe. And for union committee meetings, I actually liked the virtual format because I never could attend in person, and being on the phone while most people are in the same room isn’t the best option. So having everyone on Zoom made it more of an equal playing field for all and I have felt much more connected to the meetings and not just feel like I’m listening in my own little world. Of course, I miss going to the local board meetings as an observer while everything has been virtual, but I knew that those meetings would likely return to being at the union headquarters again and I would be able to go in the future.

And recently, things have been starting to open up again. The union headquarters opened and there are some new guidelines for going to things there in person. It was pretty simple for me to do because it was registering through an app to include my vaccination information. There haven’t been any things in person yet for me to attend, but I’m excited to see what will be coming back and what I can be a part of again.

For some reason, when the announcement of the headquarters opening up came out, I didn’t think much about the committee meetings since I’d never attended them in person. But when I was in a recent committee meeting, someone asked the chair when we would be going back to meeting in person so we didn’t always have to be on Zoom.

That idea seemed to get a mixed reaction from others in the committee. Some of us have been happy with these virtual meetings. Not only does it allow those of us who have to work at the same time to attend, but people who don’t live close by also don’t have to worry about a commute to and from the meeting. The chair talked about how they were happy not spending over an hour each way to get to the meeting so they were fine keeping things on Zoom for now. I believe there will be a poll going out soon so everyone can have a say in what we would like to see, but I think that Zoom will always be an option because how many of us don’t have the time or ability to get to the headquarters for meetings and everyone seems to agree that Zoom is much better than just being on the phone.

It’s interesting how I really am excited to have some things back in person but I want to keep other things the way they’ve been the past few years. I still don’t go out in big crowds that often, but I also crave being social because I was isolated for so long. I don’t think everything will ever go back to how they were before, but things slowly have been going back and it’s been a mix of the old and new normal for a while. And I’m sure that as time goes on, more things will be back to the old way. But at the same time, I think we will never really be back to the old way things were and some things will always be either the new normal or a hybrid.

As long as I can continue to be involved with the union, I’m ok with things changing back to how they are or staying the way they’ve been. I think now more than ever, people recognize how some people want to be able to participate but don’t have the same ability to be in person as everyone else. So hopefully there will continue to be some accommodations or better options for everyone.

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Default ThumbnailMissing Some Union Meetings (or Even Virtual Meetings Don’t Guarantee I Can Go) Default ThumbnailGetting More Union Meetings In (or I’m Grateful These Are Done On Zoom) Default ThumbnailMore Virtual Union Meetings (or Hopefully We Will Be Back To In-Person Meetings Soon) Default ThumbnailMaking Sure I Make It To Union Meetings (or Sometimes I Can’t Help My Schedule) Default ThumbnailMore Virtual Union Meetings (or It’s Funny I Wrote About This Not Long Ago) Default ThumbnailLots Of Virtual Meetings (or Virtual Union Meetings)

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Getting Back To Working Out (or Recovering And Going Easy)

Posted on February 20, 2023 | 1 comment

After having to take the week before off of working out, I knew going back this past week wouldn’t be a week I could go all out. Whenever I’ve had to take time off, I’ve noticed that it takes a week or two to get back to my routine and not feel too weak. I was still recovering from the cold I had, which added to my weakness, so I was just very cautious. But I also was so happy to be back to working out because I missed it and craved the feeling I get from a good workout.

I was a bit nervous on Monday because I didn’t know how I’d do back in class. I still had some swelling in my throat, so I wasn’t always fully catching my breath. So I knew that I had to be very aware of how I was feeling and take breaks when I needed to even if I wanted to keep going.

For cardio, we had one long block. We started with a 30-second push pace and a 30-second base pace. We continued the pattern of the push and base pace matching, but each time they were increased by 15 seconds. We ended with a 75-second push pace and a 75-second base pace before having a 30-second all-out to end the block. I did ok at the beginning of the block, but toward the end, I was taking a lot more breaks to catch my breath and make sure I was still doing ok. The swelling in my throat also made it tough to drink water, so that was another reason I needed to keep taking breaks.

On the rower, for the first 3 minutes, we matched cardio with the push and base paces. Then we had stroke drills with medicine ball work for the rest of the block. We had 20 strokes on the rower and then squats with front presses and lunges. I didn’t use the medicine ball for the lunges, which I never do, but I did the squats with it and that didn’t feel too hard so I was happy that I seemed to be easing into workouts better than expected for the rower.

And on the floor, it was another long single block but there were 2 mini-blocks in it. The first mini-block was all mini-band work. We had torso rotations, scissor kick crunches, and toe taps. I did take a lot of rest during this, but at least I was seated for this first mini-block so it was easy to rest. The second mini-block was harder, but somehow I think I did better with it. We had skier swings, lunges, single-arm snatches, and standing wood choppers. I was going a lot lighter with the weights than normal, but I was very happy with how I did.

I was doing better on Tuesday, but I still was not fully recovered from my cold. But I was ready to keep going and see what I could get done in the workout. And it was a tough day, even if I was feeling 100%.

For cardio and the rower, we had the same thing on each. We had 3 blocks that were all timed distance challenges. We had a 3-minute challenge, a 6.5-minute challenge, and another 3-minute challenge. It was a lot to do, especially on the rower. But I knew that I could just do as much as I could and take a break when I needed to do so. I’m glad that I was breathing a little easier and I didn’t feel as much pain when drinking water because that helped a lot.

The floor work was a bit crazy and I had to do a bunch of modifications to make it work, but I did it. We started with 3 rounds of doing walkouts to plank pops for 30 seconds and butt kicks for 30 seconds. I did the walkouts but I didn’t do the plank work and I tried to do the butt kicks without jumping and found a way to make it work. The second block had 20 reps for each exercise. We had squat jacks, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, in-and-out hops, speed skaters, and burpees. I modified when I could, but I mainly just went slowly with each exercise and didn’t worry about rushing through them. And for the last block, we had 3 rounds of 30 seconds of squat jacks to knees to elbows and 30 seconds of squat jumps. Again, I took out any jumping elements and just went slowly with each exercise. I think if I was feeling great I still would have been exhausted after this class so I didn’t feel bad about how tired I was when I left.

I finally felt pretty normal by Wednesday, but I knew I still needed to keep easing myself back into things.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block was rounds of a push pace or a base pace for 1 minute each with a 30-second all-out at the end. The second block was rounds of a 30-second push pace with an incline followed by a 90-second base pace without an incline and another 30-second all-out at the end. The incline/higher resistance work was something I hadn’t done earlier in the week so it was another challenge for me to ease into. But I just kept things a bit lighter than normal and they were only 30 seconds each so that helped.

On the rower, the first block had rounds of a 200-meter row followed by a good morning using the medicine ball. Normally, a 200-meter row is a good distance for me to do, but I was getting tired quickly on the rower so I couldn’t quite push myself the way I wanted to. It’s hard when my mind is telling you one thing and my body is saying something else. But I knew I had to listen to my body. The second block had rounds of a 30-second all-out row with calf raises after each row, so that block went a little better for me and I was able to get very close to what I can normally do in a 30-second row.

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks that each had 3 exercises. We had single-arm high rows, shoulder presses to stands, and squats in the first block. And we had single-arm chest presses, deadlifts, and pullovers in the second block. I used a bunch of different weights for the floor so some of the exercises were with weights I normally use and some were with slightly lighter weights.

I’m glad I was feeling like myself for the end of the week because it allowed me to really try hard for Thursday’s workout. I did notice a few times where I needed to rest more than normal, but I think that was much more about a few lasting symptoms of my cold than me needing to work back up to my normal in my workouts.

For cardio, we started with a 90-second push pace, a 1-minute base pace, and a 30-second all-out. After a recovery, we did the push and all-out again without the base pace. We had that same pattern again but with a 1-minute push pace. And we ended cardio with an extra 30-second all-out at the very end of the block.

On the rower, the first block was focused on stroke drills. We did 15 strokes on the rower and then halos with a medicine ball. I usually do pretty well on stroke drills, and I was very happy with the distance I was getting each time. The second block had us doing 150-meter rows as quickly as possible and then rainbows with a medicine ball between each row. I wasn’t as good at the speed rows, but I know I never really am.

And on the floor, we had 1 block with 3 mini-blocks in it. And for each mini-block, we were supposed to do the exercises 3 times before moving on to the next one. We had lateral lunges and regular lunges, balance bicep curls and single-arm rows on the straps, and crunch hold over under and plank work. I did a few modifications such as doing bird dogs instead of the plank work, but I really tried my best to do as much as I could even if it was pushing me a bit more than I normally would. And I was very proud at the end of the workout with how I did.

Overall, this past week of workouts was a lot better than I expected after returning from being sick. I did have to ease myself into things a bit and I know that if I hadn’t been sick I could have done more, but this was a much easier easing in than I thought it would be and I think that shows how far I’ve come recently in my workouts. I can recover from time off faster and that’s a big deal! I never like taking time off, but how this past week went made me feel a bit better about possibly having to do that in the future. I know I can come back after being gone, and this past week really proved it to me.

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Default ThumbnailFinishing Up My 2022 Workouts (or I Think I Really Ended The Year On A Great Note!) Default ThumbnailJust A Normal And Good Workout Week (or Using My Workouts To Get Out My Stress) Default ThumbnailWorking Out While Sore (or Still Recovering From My Weekend) Default ThumbnailThe Week I Expected (or Just Doing What I Can) Default ThumbnailAnother Round Of Thanksgiving Workouts (or Still Keeping Up With My Regular Schedule) Default ThumbnailStill Working On Getting Better (or Starting To See My Normal Again)

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Reorganizing My Space (or Enjoying The Possibilities I Have)

Posted on February 17, 2023 | Comments Off on Reorganizing My Space (or Enjoying The Possibilities I Have)

When I was living at my old place, I felt like I didn’t change my furniture that often because most of the things I owned fit a very specific space and I couldn’t imagine anything else fitting there. The only real changes I can remember making were getting a new couch and tv stand. But for both of those things, I was replacing something from my place before that didn’t really fit into the tiny house I was living in at that point. But when I was moving out of that place and into my condo, I did end up getting rid of quite a few things, and many of them I had for over a decade.

I’ve slowly been upgrading things in my current place. Some of the new things I got were things I had when I moved, like my new bed. Others were things that took a bit of time to find, like my couch. And there are also some things that I am saving up for and will eventually get but I’m not in a rush to buy them. I want to make sure that I get the right things and not waste my money, so it’s taken time to find the things I want.

One of my more recent upgrades was to get a new tv and tv stand. I first set up my new tv on my old tv stand since that was the easier project. And over this past weekend, my friend Pamela came over to help me build the tv stand. I was excited to build it since the box was huge and heavy and it was taking up a lot of room in my entryway. The project ended up being harder than expected and there were a few steps that we just couldn’t figure out how to make work. So my dad is going to help me when my parents are here soon. But at least I got most of it built and it’s looking pretty good so far. The cables are a mess for now since I’m waiting until it’s done being built before organizing it, but it’s so much better than my old setup.

But after building it, I had to find a place to put my old tv stand while I work on selling it. I also need to sell my old tv but that is easier to store away for now. I had a few options for where I can put stuff, but I ended up putting the old tv stand in my office for now since the wall where I will eventually have a bookcase murphy bed is still empty. And since I put that in that room a few days ago, it’s made me wonder if I should keep it there for a while since I won’t be getting the murphy bed any time soon. I probably won’t do that since I want to sell things while I can, but it’s interesting to plan for different options that I hadn’t considered before. I’m not used to being able to have multiple options for furniture and it’s kind of fun to imagine what I can do with different things.

I’ve been so used to having to be set into a specific layout and now I feel like my mind has been opened a bit more to what I can pick with the other things I want to buy. I have been looking for new nightstands and a dresser for my room, but I’ve been looking at a lot of the same things over and over again. And now I’m expanding my search a bit more and have had some more interesting and creative ideas of what I could do. Since I don’t need to buy new things immediately and can just keep using what I have for now, I have the freedom to consider more options and I think my search might take a bit longer now that I have started looking at some different possibilities for how I can reorganize my room with new things.

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Default ThumbnailCleaning Up And Giving Things Away (or Finding More Space In My House) Default ThumbnailRecognizing Some Weird Habits (or Continuing To Work On Being Used To My New Space) Default ThumbnailBusy Building New Things (or At Least Some Of This Was Easy) Default ThumbnailTaking Advantage Of Having Extra Space (or My First Overnight Guest In My Condo) Default ThumbnailIt Doesn’t Take Much To Upgrade A Space (or A Multi-Day Furniture Build) Default ThumbnailA Bookcase Makeover (or A Free Upgrade To My Space)

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Another Virtual Therapy Appointment (or Preparing For Potential Changes)

Posted on February 16, 2023 | Comments Off on Another Virtual Therapy Appointment (or Preparing For Potential Changes)

My therapy appointments have been every 6 months for a long time and ever since the pandemic, they have also been virtual appointments. I did some virtual appointments before the pandemic, but they weren’t every appointment because there was a rule that you had to be seen in person every so often. I’ve been grateful they have been video appointments that I can do from home because that makes them very easy to fit into my work day. I just take my lunch break when my appointment happens so I don’t have to worry about much. If I had to drive in and wait for my appointment time, I might still be able to fit it into a lunch break, but it would be harder to do. So keeping them virtual has worked out perfectly for me.

Because of the timing of when these appointments switched to being every 6 months, my appointments are now around my birthday and half-birthday. And the one this month just happened to fall on Valentine’s Day. I found that kind of funny, but I also didn’t mind having my appointment then since I knew it would be a pretty routine check-in.

And for the most part, it was very routine. My therapist made sure that I was still doing ok in general and I did let her know I was getting over a cold so if I sounded down it was because of that and not my mood. She confirmed I was doing ok on my current dosage of the medication I have been taking for years, which I am. And we discussed the new medication I’ve been taking and how it’s been working for me. She’s happy that I’m seeing success with it but was frustrated for me about the medication shortage. But she agreed that there’s not really anything I can do other than to be patient and pick up my refill as soon as it is available.

After my check-in, my therapist gave me a heads up that the medication she prescribes me might have a shortage soon. For some reason, of all the medications that do similar things, all the doctors at the hospital are switching their patients to the one that I am taking. So there will be a higher demand for it than there was before. We discussed what this shortage could mean for me, but hopefully it won’t affect too much if it happens. And if I have to go a week or so without my medication, I would be able to start back at the same dosage I’m already on and I wouldn’t have to worry about starting at a low dosage and working back up. I won’t need to order my refill for another month or so, so there is a chance there won’t be a shortage when I have my refill in. But she wanted to make sure I knew so I could be prepared.

And she also gave me a heads up that I may have to go to occasional in-person appointments again. My next appointment in August will be virtual, but the one in about a year might have to be in the office. She’s not sure if that will be necessary because the policy is about making sure patients see a doctor in person at least once a year, and I do see other doctors in person on a regular basis. So I might not have to go in for therapy. And a year is a long time from now, so a lot of policies could change in that time. But just like with the medication shortage, she wanted me to be prepared for this potential change and not have it seem sudden or surprise me. I really appreciated that.

That was about it for my therapy appointment. It was simple and easy, just like it’s been for a while now. And I guess I’ll just have to see if I’m affected by this other medication shortage in the next few months and if in the future I’m back to going to in-person appointments again. But maybe nothing will change and my appointment in 6 months will be another boring and routine check-in, which sounds perfect to me!

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Default ThumbnailA Super Easy Therapy Appointment (or Just Doing A Check-In) Default ThumbnailSome More Virtual Therapy (or Trying Another Medication) Default ThumbnailAn Easy Therapist Check-In (or Virtual Appointments Make Things Easier) Default ThumbnailAnother Quick Therapy Appointment (or Video Appointments Make Things Easy) Default ThumbnailA Super Fast Therapy Appointment (or Having Therapy On An Insanely Stressful Day) Default ThumbnailAnother Virtual Doctor Appointment (or Planning Some Next Steps)

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Another Medication Shortage (or I’m Feeling More Calm This Time)

Posted on February 15, 2023 | 1 comment

I’ve recently dealt with a few different medication shortages. I understand if I’m taking something that a lot of other people are taking, this can happen. I don’t understand why the manufacturer didn’t plan for something like this because they should have realized when a medication is approved for something that affects so many people that they would have increased interest. But there are a lot of things about the medical community that I don’t understand and that I believe are done more about profit than healthcare.

Every time I’ve had a medication shortage, it does get resolved in one way or another. Sometimes it means I have to miss a week or so of medication and sometimes the medication is back in stock before I run out so I just have to pick it up at the last minute but I’m not missing a dosage. There’s nothing I can do to change the situation. I order a refill as soon as I can (which is usually a week before I run out) and I pick up my medication when it’s available. Sometimes it’s on time and sometimes it’s not. But I don’t stockpile or do anything else that could make a shortage worse. I just take things as planned.

With my injectable medication, the first time I had experienced a shortage things stressed me out. In the end, my dosage was increased early so I could get a refill sooner, and that brought some other issues for me but in the end, I’m glad that’s how it worked out. But not knowing what was going to happen made me worry and I didn’t know how my body might react when I missed a dose, especially since it was a new medication for me. I don’t know exactly how I reacted since when I started it up again, my dosage was higher and those side effects were intense.

The next shortage I had with that medication ended up not affecting anything because I was able to pick it up right before my next dose was supposed to be so I never missed anything. I was a bit worried about what would happen if I had to take another week off, but I’m glad I didn’t have to experience that. I had no idea how long the shortage would take since all I could find out was that it was out of stock, so it was a big relief when I got the text alert that it was ready for me to pick up and I could go that same day.

I ordered my next refill this past weekend because I knew my last injection with my current pen would be on Monday this week. Originally, the system said it would be available to pick up mid-week, but then I got an alert that they are experiencing another shortage. I have no idea if this shortage will be resolved before I am supposed to take my next dose on Monday or if I’ll end up missing a week again. But for whatever reason, I’m feeling much more relaxed about the situation this time.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been noticing the medication working more and more. I’m not experiencing as many side effects which is nice too. Even though it is working, I’m not worried about maybe missing a dose. I know that I will pick things back up as soon as I can if I can’t take it this coming Monday and I don’t have any reason to believe that it won’t continue to work. Maybe the stress in the past was because I wasn’t experiencing all of the positive outcomes yet and the stress was also about worrying if this was the right thing for me to take or not. But now, I know I’m doing the right thing and that I will just continue doing it as soon as I’m able to.

I hope that this shortage isn’t something I have to deal with every time I get a refill, but I know it might be like this for a while. The company that makes it hasn’t really increased how much they can make and more and more people are being prescribed this. Fortunately, it’s not a medication that anyone needs to stay alive, but it is something that helps so much and it’s unfortunate when you don’t have that help, even if it’s temporary. But all I can do is continue to try my best with the other things I have been doing and know that as soon as I can get my refill I’ll be back on track with things again.

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Default ThumbnailAnother Medication Shortage (or I’ll Just Have To Wait It Out Again) Default ThumbnailBack To A Medication Routine (or Getting Some More Side Effects) Default ThumbnailI Guess I’m Taking Some Popular Medications (or I’m Not Sure What This Will Mean) Default ThumbnailA Few Weeks With The New Medication (or I’m Hoping I Continue To See Progress) Default ThumbnailMy Medication Routines (or Feeling Like An Old Lady) Default ThumbnailSome More Virtual Therapy (or Trying Another Medication)

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Celebrating The Love In My Life Today (or There Is More Than Just Romantic Love)

Posted on February 14, 2023 | Comments Off on Celebrating The Love In My Life Today (or There Is More Than Just Romantic Love)

I haven’t always enjoyed Valentine’s Day. It can be tough when you are in school and never have a boyfriend or someone who likes you. Even as an adult, there can be so much out there implying that if you are single there is something wrong with you. I’ve never had a significant other on Valentine’s Day, and this year is no different. I’ve had random dates that happen to be on February 14th, but they aren’t necessarily Valentine’s dates. And I guess there is still a chance for that to happen this year, but I’m okay not doing anything special tonight.

But just because I don’t have a boyfriend or someone I’m seriously dating this year doesn’t mean that my life is lacking love. I have spent several years realizing that love and relationships go beyond just the romantic ones. I really hate when a guy asks me on a date about my longest relationship, but I’m always tempted to ask if it has to be a romantic one. I’ve maintained platonic friendship relationships for decades before. I think that should count for something. And in the same way, the love I have from friends and family counts as me being loved.

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the same, but when I’m having low moments and wondering if I’m unloveable, I have to remember that there have been people who have loved me for a long time and that proves that I’m worthy of being loved. I am so lucky to have amazing people in my life who are so willing to help me out when I need it and that is showing love. When I was sick and needed cold medicine but didn’t feel safe to drive, my friend didn’t hesitate to help me out and she even went to 4 stores to find me what I needed. When I needed someone to drive me to a medical thing, I’ve always found a friend who would take me and even wait if the procedure took a bit of time. Even with things that I wasn’t going to ask my friends to help me with, like moving, I had so many people offer to help if I didn’t want to hire a moving truck.

When bad things have happened, I can call so many different people and have a sympathetic ear. I might not reach out as much as I should, but I also know that if I did reach out that there are people who love me and would do whatever they could for me. And I would do the exact same thing for them. I’ve always told friends that they could call me any time day or night if they need me, and I know I have the same ability to call them. Some of these friends don’t live close to me, so I can’t necessarily rely on them if I need help in person, but I still know they are there for me.

I do still want romantic love in my life and that is still something I’m actively looking for, but I don’t believe that my life is lacking love. I might not have every type of love right now, but I’m not missing love in general. And I’m choosing to celebrate all the love that I do have in my life today because it is important to recognize any love you are lucky enough to have. And I hope that if next Valentine’s Day I am in a relationship, I still remember to celebrate other types of love. All love is always important to have and celebrate, not just on Valentine’s Day. But this is a good remember to take some time and reflect on that because I know I don’t appreciate all the love I have as much as I should.

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Default ThumbnailI Do Enjoy Valentine’s Day (or Celebrating All Love In My Life) Default ThumbnailEnjoying Valentine’s Day (or Celebrating The Love I Do Have In My Life) Default ThumbnailCelebrating My Friendship Love (or I Don’t Hate Valentine’s Day) Default ThumbnailSo Many Birthdays and Anniversaries! (or A Month Of Celebrating And Remembering) Default ThumbnailChristmas Hangout With My Birthday Twin (or Witnessing A Real-Life Romantic Comedy) Default ThumbnailBaby Shower Fun (or I Love Celebrating My Friends)

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Posted in Celebrations, Dating, Fun Stuff

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A Non-Workout Week Recap (or I Hated Taking Time Off)

Posted on February 13, 2023 | 1 comment

After my last workout recap, I was really hoping I would have a good workout week this past week. What I didn’t expect was having to take the entire week off from working out due to being sick. I knew over the weekend that I had a bit of a cold, but I didn’t think it would it would affect my entire week. And maybe if it had been a normal cold, I only would have needed to take one or two days off.

I knew pretty early on Sunday that I would need to take Monday off. I was dealing with a lot of issues with my cold and I knew that showing up when I was coughing that much wouldn’t be a polite thing to do to everyone else. I also knew that I could use extra sleep so sleeping in would be nice.

By Monday night, I was feeling better except for my throat. And because of the swelling in my throat, the pain was really intense and I didn’t feel like I could fully catch my breath. Exercising when you can’t catch your breath isn’t a smart thing to do so I figured I would take another day off. Unfortunately, that continued to be the pattern through the rest of the week.

My throat was starting to get a little better by Thursday, but it was still not great and I knew that I just had to keep taking the week off. I debated going in on days I normally take off, but I decided against that since even by the weekend I wasn’t fully recovered. I don’t want to make any of my symptoms last longer than they have to, so resting was the smartest plan. I could have worked out at home or even at the little gym my condo building has, but I decided to focus on rest and recovery. I did do some stretching workouts, but that’s as intense as I got this past week.

I really hate taking time off from working out. I still am shocked that I say that, but it’s true. It’s become such a part of my routine and I can feel it when I need to work out now. It’s not just about getting to my workout goals each month or year, I really crave working out now. And having to take time off when I could convince myself maybe I should go is tough. When I took the week off because of my foot, that was different. This time, I had to be smart and mature and know that this was the best choice for me.

As I’m writing this, I fully plan on going back this week. I’m still not 100%, but I’m doing significantly better. And I know I’ll need to ease back into things no matter what so going easy this week will be good for a few reasons. There are studies that show that working out can help you get over a cold, but I knew that I needed to wait until it was a bit safer for me to work out. I did get to miss what should be the worse of my pain and nausea by having this past week off, but I know that could continue into this week as well. So I might be dealing with that besides everything else I have. But I know I can handle it because I’ve done that before.

Hopefully, I won’t need to take more time off from working out anytime soon. I know I did the best thing for myself, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I want to get back to my normal and somewhat crazy routine and I hope that happens this week!

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Default ThumbnailNot My Normal Workout Recap (or At Least I Was Feeling Ok During The Week) Default ThumbnailI Hate Having A Hard Workout Week (or Not My Usual Workout Recap) Default ThumbnailNot My Usual Workout Recap Post (or I Survived A Bad Week) Default ThumbnailShort and Sweet Workout Week (or Taking It A Bit Easy) Default ThumbnailNot The Workout Week I Expected (or I’m Craving My Workouts) Default ThumbnailNot The Workout Week I Was Expecting (or At Least I Made It To My Workouts)

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An Evening At Urgent Care (or I’m Ready To Not Be Sick)

Posted on February 10, 2023 | 1 comment

Usually when I am sick with a cold, I have a somewhat predictable pattern of how things go. It starts with a weird scratchy throat that feels more like I can’t quench a thirst than a sore throat. Then I have the typical symptoms of a cold for a few days. And finally, I start to get better. And when I’m getting better, I usually don’t have a regression of symptoms other than congestion. It can take longer for me to get over some colds than others, but I normally can tell when I’m starting to get better and am over the hump.

But this cold that I’ve been dealing with for over a week hasn’t been following the pattern that I’m used to. My sore throat was different before I had cold symptoms, so I didn’t think at first that I was getting sick. Most of my cold symptoms were gone on Tuesday, but my sore throat was getting worse every day. I was struggling to swallow anything and even drinking water was extremely painful. And I was starting to not be able to breathe as deeply as normal because my throat was really swollen. I also started to lose my voice, which was really odd. I knew this wasn’t what a normal cold is like for me, so I told myself that if I wasn’t better a week after the symptoms started, I would go to the doctor.

That one-week mark was on Wednesday and I kept calling to try to get in to see a doctor. But there were no appointments until next week, so if I wanted to try to see what was going on sooner, I had to go to urgent care. I know that going to urgent care is for stuff like what I was dealing with, but I would have preferred an appointment. But I didn’t really have an option so I went in after work on Wednesday and prepared to be there for a while.

It was pretty crowded when I got there, but I was seen about 2 hours after I arrived (a sore throat isn’t the most urgent thing in urgent care so I knew there would be a wait). I explained the timeline of my symptoms and how I thought I had a cold over the weekend but that what I was experiencing at that point didn’t feel like a cold. I knew it was very unlikely it could be strep since I don’t have tonsils, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something that needed to be treated.

The doctor I saw was very nice and he understood my concerns. And he agreed that it was the right move for me to come in just to confirm that I was doing all the right stuff to get better. I didn’t get another Covid test since I had taken a few at home and my symptoms weren’t really what you would expect with Covid. He checked my ears to make sure I didn’t have an ear infection and then ran a rapid strep test even though he knew it probably couldn’t be that. But I appreciated he wanted to confirm since some people can still get strep after having their tonsils out. But as expected, it wasn’t strep and it wasn’t anything else that I was checked for.

My diagnosis: I likely had a cold over the weekend (as I assumed) and my sore throat and laryngitis were due to inflammation in my throat and vocal cords. The inflammation could be just from the cold or I could have had another random issue at the same time such as allergies. But all my remaining issues were due to inflammation so I needed to make sure I resolved that. I was prescribed two different anti-inflammatory medications (basically Advil and Tylenol) and was told that it might take 3-5 days before I’m better.

When I went to the pharmacy, I also picked up a few over-the-counter items. I have used the throat numbing spray before when I had a sore throat, and I really should have thought about getting it when things were bad earlier in the week. But at least I got it while I was there so I had something that I knew would take some of the pain away.

I’m still dealing with a pretty sore throat and I still don’t have a voice, but I do feel a lot better than I did when I went to the hospital. I can tell some of the inflammation has gone down but I also know I have a few more days to go before I probably will be better. But to have any relief from the pain I’ve been experiencing over the past week is nice. And hopefully, by the start of next week, I’ll be feeling better and can finally get back to my normal routine again.

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Half-Birthday Time (or Only 6 Months Left In My 30s)

Posted on February 9, 2023 | 1 comment

I’ve been celebrating my half-birthday for as long as I can remember. And I really doubt I will ever age out of celebrating it. I know it can seem like a childish thing to recognize, but I like having a bit of a checkpoint for myself. I do this with annual goals, but this also sets a separate checkpoint for myself when I’m halfway through an age. I don’t necessarily set goals for what I want to accomplish by each age, but it still gives me a chance to check in with myself and see how things have been going for me.

When I was younger, I definitely had ideas of where I wanted to be by certain ages. I had a bit of a tough time letting that idea go, but I think as I was getting closer to turning 30, I realized that those hopes I had for what would happen in my life just weren’t realistic for what was going on in my life. I remember being in high school and thinking I’d be married by 28 at the oldest. I’m glad I didn’t stick with that too much because the guys I dated in my 20s would not have made good husbands.

I think because so many of the ideas I had for my life were things that I expected to happen in my 20s, I really struggled with the idea of turning 30 for a while. It got easier as I got closer to that birthday, but I remember struggling with turning 28 and 29 as well because 30 was looming ahead and I was nowhere I expected to be in my life. It’s tough when you have all these ideas and expectations and none of them are happening by the random deadlines you set in your mind. It almost feels like you missed out on life or will never accomplish those ideas. And yes, some of the things that I thought I would do in my 20s are now things that I don’t necessarily want for my life, but I also have relaxed a lot more with the idea of things needing to happen by a certain age.

And I think because I have relaxed with those ideas, I’m not scared to turn 40 in 6 months. I’m actually excited about that birthday. It is a milestone birthday and I have no idea what exactly my life will be like in 6 months, but it’s still something big that I will celebrate even if it’s just on my own. I also think that aging doesn’t scare me as much as it used to. I have a lot of friends who are older than me, and I can get an idea of what my future holds. Turning 40 now is very different from turning 40 in past generations. And even though there is still a stigma with aging, I think that most people accept that 40 isn’t old anymore and that you can still have a lot of life to live after 40.

I’m going to enjoy the last 6 months of my 30s. Honestly, my 30s have been so much better than my 20s. It hasn’t all been easy, but I have been able to enjoy my life so much more in my 30s. I haven’t cared as much about what others think, so that allows me to live more freely. I have gained confidence that I never imagined I could have when I was younger. I don’t want to say I’m totally confident in my body and how I look, but I feel more in control of my appearance and I appreciate things in my body that I didn’t before such as my strength. I might do some things to feel younger like dye my hair, but that doesn’t mean I’m not proud of who I’ve become in my 30s.

If the last 6 months of my 30s are anything like the last 9 1/2 years, I’m sure they will be filled with a lot of awesome things. I know that there may be some heartache and pain, but I expect to finish out my 30s even more excited to turn 40 and see what my 40s will bring!

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Default ThumbnailIt’s My Birthday! (or Starting Off My Last Year In My 30s) Default ThumbnailHalf Birthday (or Reflecting On The Past 6 Months) Default ThumbnailA Milestone Birthday (or I Have A Feeling 35 Will Be Awesome) Default Thumbnail6 Months In (or I Want To Hope We Aren’t Doing This For 6 More Months) Default ThumbnailIt’s My Birthday! (or This Is 36) Default ThumbnailGoodbye 31 (or Hello 32!)

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Getting Behind On Things To Do (or I Know I Needed To Rest)

Posted on February 8, 2023 | Comments Off on Getting Behind On Things To Do (or I Know I Needed To Rest)

I don’t think anyone has fun when they are sick, at least as an adult. When you are a kid, you get to stay home from school and most of us got to watch fun daytime tv. But as an adult, I think I mainly just worry about things I’m not doing while I’m not feeling well.

I’ve been sick for almost a week now. And while I’m still grateful it’s not something worse, having a bad cold really makes you not able to do a lot. I’m still working, although I know I’m not working as quickly as I normally do because of how I feel. But beyond working, I’m really slacking off on things that I know need to be done and it’s starting to pile up.

I’m glad there are a lot of things that make life easier when I’m not able to do as much. I’ve been getting groceries delivered and the stuff I have gotten are all things I can make quickly. I don’t like to just have microwavable meals, but that’s been a lot of my diet this past week. I don’t always feel like eating when I’m sick, so having something quick and easy to make helps when I do feel hungry. Since I didn’t feel like I could drive over this past weekend, getting stuff delivered really helped me get what I needed and make sure I wasn’t getting delivery food that I didn’t need. And I’m so happy that a friend was able to go to CVS for me to get cold medicine since that wasn’t something I could get through my grocery delivery but was something I really needed.

But I also have had to accept that other things just needed to be put off. I haven’t really cleaned since I started feeling sick other than putting dishes in the dishwasher. I know I need to do more cleaning than just that, but the fatigue from this cold has really hit me hard. Even making my bed makes me tired. Nothing is too gross or horrible, but my place isn’t up to my normal standard of cleanliness. I’ll get to cleaning again soon enough, but for now, I have to be ok with how things are until I have the energy to do more.

Besides not doing the regular cleaning that I do in a week, I also haven’t organized things that I’ve had delivered in the past week. I got both my new tv stand and my new tv, but they are both still in their boxes near my front door. I want to get those together so I can get those boxes out of my house, but just like with cleaning, I haven’t had the energy to do it. I’m hoping that by this weekend I’ll be feeling more like myself and I can finally get those accomplished.

I also had a list of things to do before my parents are here soon because my dad and I will be working on some projects. I had planned to do those errands this past weekend and only realized yesterday that I never got to do them and I have to make sure I get them done this weekend so that my dad and I can check all our projects off of the list we have.

I know I’ve had some bad colds in the past, but I think this one has been one of the worst ones I can remember. If I’m not feeling better soon, I am going to go to the doctor to make sure it’s nothing worse or something that I need medication to get over. But I really do feel like it’s just a cold and it’s a lot more severe than what I’m used to. And that’s why I’m ok with being behind on what I know I should be doing. Getting rest is so important when you are trying to get better. And that’s what my focus has been this past week and everything else just has to take a backseat.

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