phyncke

Hey all - so I was going to do the Snowflake Challenge but I am way behind on it and I got covid from my trip back east. I think I picked it up on the plane. I heard lots of people coughing on the plane so think I got it on the long flight back. No one in my family in New Hampshire was infected so I am thinking that is the likely explanation. I was pretty sick the first weekend and at first it seemed like a really bad cold. I did a couple of home tests and they came up negative but something told me to go to the city site and get an official test done and that one was positive. I am unsure about the accuracy of the home tests and the false negative thing. I could also have been testing too soon - that might have also been it. I felt pretty sick at first and truly exhausted. Covid is exhausting. I met with my PA at my doctor's office and she prescribed me the anti-viral PAXLOVID and that really kicked things into gear. Those are like horse pills and you take three of them at once, twice a day for five days but they really seem to work. It kicked the covid thing pretty well. I had some lingering tiredness but most of the symptoms are gone. I still get a slight runny nose but not too bad. I never lost my sense of taste which is ok with me.

I went back to the testing site this week and tested negative so I think I am in the clear now. So that is good.

One thing about covid - I thought I would be able to work with it but really could not do anything but be sick. I tried to read email and do things but quickly had to stop that - my brain was not functioning very well. The brain fog is totally real. I signed off work and took a week off using my sick time. We don't get covid time anymore so I had to use my sick bank. I have a lot built up from the pandemic so it was not a problem. I have a good amount of sick time. That it what it is for.
Covid does impair the brain. Just saying that. I could not read very much while I was sick with it and it was really limiting.

Anyways - I am feeling much better and that is what has been going on. I got covid. I am way behind on my Slashy Valentine story so that is problematic.

Hi all - my covid results are in. Those people in the labs are working during the holidays - bless them - totally. I am negative and do not have covid. I am super glad about that and that is my happy new year present to me. Covid negative. Yay! What a huge relief!

I had a very quiet new year here at the ranch. I got some great food from this local restaurant - Rick and Ann's and was going to eat a lot of that but my appetite is really down since I have been sick so I did not eat much really. Here is what was on my menu -

-stuffed mushrooms
-beef stew
-bread pudding with caramel sauce

It came cold and I had to heat it up here at home. I started with the mushrooms and they gave me 8 of those but I had 4 and did not want to eat too many. I followed the instructions and they came out perfect and were truly delicious. Nice tasty bites there. So those kind of filled me up so I was not that hungry anymore so when it was time for the stew - I did not eat that much and then did not get to the pudding at all. So I am saving most of this for the weekend. It was all delicious but I think my appetite is down from being sick and I am eating less. I hope to work on this over the next few days.

I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve and celebrated safely and in style or in your jammies (like I did). I was here snuggling with my cat, Bear. Happy New Year!

So I did the first covid text today with my friend, J****. She has a bunch of home tests from her work with the school district and we did that one and it came up negative. She says they are pretty accurate. Huge relief there. I have a test with the city scheduled for Wednesday and I am still going to get that one too - might as well do that too. Just to be sure. But good news on that.

I am still feeling my throat but this cold is not progressing at all - no more symptoms and not getting any worse. I am gargling with salty warm water and I went out and bought some lozenges. Throat is dry feeling but not really that sore. I have something but not much of something. I am just glad that it seems like it is not covid or the omnicron variant or anything like that.

Had some pizza for lunch and I can still taste so it is not delta either. So I am doing well.
That is my official report.

So that is the good news. So far not infected. Very glad about that.

Today is International Women's Day. I did not do anything for that. I did note it in my mind and saw that there were speeches in DC. I am reading on women's issues right now. I am reading a very interesting book on misogyny called - Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne. It is a philosophy book so I have to keep looking up things while I read it but the author uses examples from politics and major crimes to make her points. Things I remember. So it is interesting from that stand point. Not an easy read but very worthwhile. I do recommend it with warning - it is disturbing to read about this stuff and the examples are stark. I am looking forward to the climax of the book where she dissects the 2016 election and all of that. Should be really interesting to read that. 

Monday was a Monday. I got work done - got derailed a little bit by the Harry and Meghan interview from last night - and reading about the reactions to that. I have a little bit of a fascination with the royalty thing and what goes on there. I remember how I felt when I heard that they had left the royal family. Honestly I thought - good for them. I know we are getting this all second hand and who knows what is true. But they don't have to stay there and deal with that. Harry is the spare - not really in line for the throne so why not? If his wife is unhappy - why stay? And don't get me started with how brutal the UK press was on her. Brutal. My opinion - they did not have to stay so they didn't.  Not going to do a blow by blow on the interview. Just my two cents on that. 

I am doing some family work - my parents need some help so I am researching home health care providers in their area - NH. Looking at help that they can get in their home. They are pretty independent but could use some visits during the week to get some support. So seeing what there is. They are in a good area for it - so lots of options. I have created a spreadsheet that I am sharing with the siblings. I love spreadsheets. I am not the decision maker so it is not up to me. I think it is a group decision. So we all have access to the info. Love google sheets. 

This week - Saturday - I get my second dose of the vaccine. Very excited about that. A little worried I won't feel well from it but will see what happens with that. Some people have no effects from it. Hope I am in that category. I am going to prepare some meals so I am ready for that. And see how I do. That is about all I have - hope you are well and take good care. 

So earlier in the week - I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday - a friend of mine who shall remain J*** texted me to remind me to check MY TURN which is the California site for signing up for the covid19 vaccine. She is much more on things than I am and we had been checking daily and this day was the winner - appointments were available in our area for the vaccine. Jumped on that and got my appointment for today for the first vaccine and for March 13 for my second dose. Since I work in education - I am eligible.

I was nervous today going in for the vaccine - our vaccine site is the Oakland Coliseum - which is a big sporting event and concert place by the Oakland Airport. I left early for my 10:00 am appointment and drove down the 880. I had mapped out the directions, step by step, since I was not exactly sure how to get into the place. I did not really need my directions. There was tons of signage and directionals to get in there - it was clearly marked. So even I - who get lost - did not get lost.

Everything was marked by cones and there were lots of National Guard troops telling us how to drive in. This is a drive through site. I drove up to the first person - showed them my appointment email and they let me in. I got to the second checkpoint and had to show my appointment email and my driver's license and then they waved me through - telling me to drive slowly and careful. Basically, I just followed the car in front of me. I drove around all these cones and finally under a tent where they administered the vaccine. They asked me some screening questions - did I feel sick, had I had a vaccine in the last two weeks or any vaccines - was I allergic to anything - stuff like that. Then I got the jab and he told me my arm would be sore for a few days and they had me drive to a waiting area where a FEMA person watched you to see if you had any reaction to the vaccine. I had to wait 15 minutes before I could drive off home. I did not have any reaction in that time nor have I since. My arm is sore so they were right about that. They told me to move it a lot to keep it from getting stiff so I am doing that. I did feel a bit tired later so I took a short nap in the afternoon.

The whole experience was somewhat surreal and it really brought it home to me that the pandemic was a major thing since we have a site that large to administer the vaccine here - and there are sites like it all over the country. It was like being in a pandemic movie or something. The scale was just so large and they are vaccinating a lot of people. Surreal it was but I am glad they are doing it. It is going to take this kind of effort all over the country and the world to beat back covid19.

I got an email this week from my legislative rep that we got a bunch of vaccine in the East Bay, CA and that there should be appointments available so that happened in conjunction with me getting my appointment. So they are getting the word out and things seem to be moving.

I know that vaccine access is not the same all over the world but I hope it is getting better. I feel that vaccine access should be equitable. I hope that my government is working on that and helping with that. I would like them to.

Anyway. That is my vaccine report - Pfizer Dose 1 done.

So today I was brought to tears - in a good way - I was watching the Memorial Service for Those Who Have Passed from Covid on my television set and it brought me to tears. It was organized by our incoming President Biden and Vice President Harris. Finally, we could grieve as a country for all those we have lost in this pandemic - more than 400K people so far and there will be more before this is all over. Finally we can recognize what we have all been through. It was simply beautiful and meaningful and the right thing to do. I am hopeful that our country will be in better hands now. I am encouraged that things will get better. All of that flowed out of me today as we grieved together as a nation. Bottom line, I am hopeful and that made me cry too. It has been a while since I felt that way.

Finally, tomorrow is the inauguration. Looking forward to that. I will be watching.

So it is here - 2021. The longest year of our lives is finally over. Am I right? Did 2020 seem to go on forever? Time seemed to stretch a bit and just stopped at certain moments. I think time was playing with us there really. Well finally it is a new year so let's see what this one has in store. Let's get this going!

Today, I did stuff around here. I went for a good long walk first thing - started that out right. The walks are starting to feel good. The first part is a long incline so I get the body pumping and really work it. So I like the challenge of that. The whole round trip walk is about 3 miles so that is a good stretch. It takes me about an hour to do. Not too bad. Today I ran into some succulents on the route. There are some great gardens here in Berkeley, CA so I took a picture of some pretty succulents I saw today. Love these.



And then I came home - cooked a nice breakfast of pancakes and turkey bacon and then got to work on some of my own plants. I have some that I have been meaning to repot for a while so got that done today. A couple of succulents and a fern. I love how they look when they are finally in their new pot. Just so happy. Here is a pic of those. Yay!



So I am doing good today. Getting things done. I really like new year's with all its hope and promise and newness. A shiny new year - let's just see how it goes. I have noticed people are pretty optimistic on social media and things are looking better on there. I do think it will take a while for the pandemic to clear up here in the United States and they need to get on it with the vaccine distribution so we have some things to get going on - but hey - at least we have the vaccine and a new administration to get it out there. I am looking forward to the return of some competency to our government. That will take a while too - so patience will be important.

Anyhoo. Happy New Year to you and hope you are feeling the optimism.