It's raining again!

I got up this morning, saw it was raining, had my breakfast downstairs, and went back to bed.

Why sleep more, you ask?  Well, because I'm pretty sure my rampant allergies have now become a full-on sinus infection.  I can hardly breath for the coughs choking me, and getting all the way upstairs to my room takes the wind out of me.

I was planning on going either to the Open Air Museum in Arnhem or to Volendam today, but it's raining in both places, as well as here in Rotterdam.  The Open Air museum will cost me 14,95 Euros, along with the more than thirty-eight Euros for train fair.

Turns out, I'd have to take a train to Purmerend Overwhere, and then a taxi (yikes!) to Volendam.  The train ride alone (both directions, total) will take 35,40 Euros, and I have no idea how much the taxi would cost both ways.

So, I could pretty much go to one or the other--not both--since I have only about 100 Euros left.  Tomorrow, I'm definitely going to the Arboretum Trompenberg and having lunch, even if I have to slog through the rain with that silly umbrella.  Today, I might walk up to the market on the corner for some cough syrup or some Dutch equivalent of DayQuil.  Don't really need Sudafed, because the moisture in the air is doing a good job of draining my sinuses as it is.  Too bad it's not this wet and rainy in Maryland.  (Just kidding!)

Checking something. . . . Perhaps if I bike the last leg to Volendam?

. . . It would take 34 minutes, one way, by bicycle.  But both trips together would still cost me nearly 80 Euros.  Bah.

Arnhem or Volendam?  Volendam or Arnhem?  I can't decide.  And it will have to be either tomorrow after lunch or I'd have to get back before the walking tour of Rotterdam on Wednesday.

I'll decide later.

Update

Well, it seems my luck in the Magic league has run out--I've been stuck at 3½ points for the last two weeks. Either I make a silly mistake in the last game of a match which makes me lose, or I just get a bad draw. It also doesn't help that I didn't play against a lot of people for most of the last couple weeks. But I'll do better this week--I hope.

I started working on a pair of scissors on the forge the Saturday after my last post. I was right about the hammer and gloves thing, plus the metal kept sliding out of the pliers I was using to hold it. But, with help from Gene and Andy (another Havenite), I got a good part of the way through the project. The unfinished scissors are even now sitting on my shelf in the Haven's back room.

I found last time that the weight of the hammer, plus the thickness of the handle, the vibrations from hitting the metal, and the extra bulk of the poorly-fit gloves made my hand cramp up extremely fast. I can't stop the vibrations, and may not be able to find a lighter hammer which will actually work, but I do have a plan to (hopefully) help with the other two problems. Before I do more work on the forge, I'm going to buy my own gloves (so that they'll fit), and a hammer. I will cut a portion of the handle off from around it, so that there's less to get my hand around when I'm swinging it.

I've missed my allergy shots the last couple times--last week, I simply forgot to take the exit onto 15-North before I passed it on my way home, and didn't feel like fighting through traffic to get back to the exit, much less to the allergist's office. Yesterday, I stayed home because of stomach issues, and had an appointment at my regular doctor's office at 4pm. I'll go next week though.

The mortgage loan approval process is slightly frustrating. We managed to get all of the information that the Wells Fargo people asked for together, and Anna faxed it to them. Only, it got faxed to a machine which was on the fritz, so they're missing pages. They figured out which pages it was, and Anna sent them along. Now, they're asking for paperwork that we're all pretty sure was already sent to them. I hope this process doesn't go on too much longer.

I can now officially say that I have seen every single episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The last "book" especially was totally awesome! The last (four-part) episode was mind boggling, and the perfect ending. I also bought the DVDs. I didn't know until I saw the listing on Amazon that Avatar had been nominated for an Emmy. It wasn't surprising though--the show rocks!

New Year's and Stuff

For New Year's Eve, Dad, Mom, Jason and I went down to Grandma's. We did the usual stuff, had the usual snacks, and definitely had the salad after the ball dropped.

I've been uber-congested the last week or two. It got so bad yesterday that I got lightheaded from lack of oxygen whenever I blew my nose!

Yesterday I also missed the turn onto the 15 North exit so that I could go to the allergist's office for my shots. It was just after 5 p.m. and would've taken me twice as long to get to 15 via Ballenger Creek Pike as it usually takes to get from Jefferson Street to the allergist's. So I decided to just go home and get my shots after work today instead.

Later this evening, I'm taking Kimba to Outback for dinner. More on that after.

Last night, I had an interesting dream. I don't remember all of it, but I do remember that it was very The Devil Wears Prada. I even had an Anne Hathaway look-alike ('cause it definitely wasn't her in the dream) to show me the ropes. The boss, however, was nicer, even though he was very absent-minded. His name was something like Sir Quentin Quigley. I'm not sure if that was it exactly, but there were definitely Q's, and he was definitely a Sir for some reason.

In the dream, I was immediately set to work asking for donations for something I've forgotten since I woke up. I think there was an accident, or somebody was sick with some terminal illness (the boss was a philanthropist instead of a high fashion magazine editor). When I started out, I was doing fine, then the boss said, "Darcy, call my (here, it was either wife or mother-in-law, I can't remember which) and tell her . . ." then he started to stammer and be forgetful, and finished with, "the thing!"

The weird part is, my Anne Hathaway look-alike always knew what his cryptic forget-a-grams meant! Eventually (I was "working" in that office for three dream-days) I actually asked her for a crib sheet. She made it, and gave it to me on the morning of the third "day," but I didn't use it before I woke up. After that first morning, I pretty much sat there staring at the phone, trying to remember what I was doing. And Sir Quentin (if that was his name) actually complemented me on what a great job I was doing!

Weird dream.

A Weekend

Friday was Anna's birthday, so I ditched the Haven to have dinner at Mom & Dad's. First, I went home to pack for the weekend though--no sense in going home Friday just to come back Saturday, after all. I didn't get my stuff back upstairs from the living room though, so I'll have to do that tonight.

I got to Mom & Dad's, then we did birthday stuff like having dinner (breakfast stuff) and Anna opening her presents. She got a pretty nice haul, and I can't remember it all, so I'm not going to list any of it except for the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map.

Saturday morning, I had a doctor's appointment at 9, so I woke up around 8. I went to the doctor, and she said that it was probably just a really bad sprain, but I should get an x-ray just in case. She also said that, if it is just a sprain, then I should keep doing what I'd been doing to help it heal--with more walking on it now--plus take 600mg of Ibuprofen twice a day even if it doesn't hurt much, since Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory medication and will help keep the swelling down. That's one $20 co-pay down the drain.

So, I went to the FMH center at Rose Hill (off of Oppossumtown Pike) and got my x-ray--another $30 co-pay down the drain. That was my last $50, which I was hoping to spend on a haircut and about $30-worth of essentials like food (I don't need much at the moment, and can get by on what I have, but would've liked to get some variety). Oh well.

The radiologist was going to call the doctor (who would then call me) within a couple of hours if they found any abnormalities--read: fractures--in my x-rays, so since I didn't get a phone call all day Saturday, I figure it's not broken. Thank goodness.

Not much else happened the rest of Saturday, but yesterday I woke up around 10 or so and Anna and I watched some TV before she, Kayla and I went with Kimba to her volleyball game. Every Sunday afternoon, Kimba plays volleyball at the old armory downtown with some friends from high school and such.

As we were getting ready to leave, Kimba says to me, "After victory ice cream, we're going to Master Cuts to get you a haircut, which I'm paying for." I had already been planning on getting a haircut eventually, but since it wasn't a priority and I'd just spent my last $50 the day before, I figured it would be at least another week (I get paid this Friday) before I got that haircut.

She was all like, "It is too a priority," and made me get the haircut yesterday anyway--and even bought me some Paul Mitchell shampoo and conditioner, which is expensive stuff, especially when you consider that I haven't even come close to running out of the last shampoo and conditioner I bought yet. I'm not going to just stop using my current stuff--that would be wasteful--but once I run out, I'll use the Paul Mitchell stuff. I don't know if I'll be able to afford to buy more of it after that's gone though--brand-name salon products are insanely priced!

I'm currently using the Dove Go Fresh Therapy Cool Moisture Shampoo (25.4 fl. oz. Cucumber & Green Tea Scent--$7.99) and the Dove Go Fresh Therapy Cool Moisture Conditioner (same amount, also in Cucumber & Green Tea Scent--also $7.99). The Paul Mitchell stuff Kimba got for me was the Lavender Mint Moisturizing stuff (10.14 fl. oz. each of the shampoo and conditioner), and they cost Kimba something like $12 or $13 each! That's almost twice as much cost for less than half the product! It's ridiculous! I can barely afford to buy shampoo and conditioner at the rates (volume and price) I do right now, so I like to get as much as I can in one bottle, and it lasts longer.

Don't get me wrong--I like the haircut a lot, so I'm not complaining about that, and I'm grateful to Kimba for paying for the haircut and the shampoo/conditioner. I just don't think it's necessary to buy such overly-expensive shampoo and conditioner when there are probably generic brands (or at least less-expensive name brands) that would do the job just as well.

I don't know how to find those inexpensive yet effective brands, which is why I've been switching brands after every bottle to try and undo the damage that one does with the next while I try to find a good one--it's a vicious cycle. The people at salons are definitely not going to recommend any such products like that though. It's their job to sell the expensive stuff that's in their inventory, not recommend stuff that customers can buy elsewhere for half the cost and twice the volume.

Anyway, enough about hair care. I shall now briefly summarize my plan for the next few days.

Today I will be going to the allergist after work for my shots, and then I will go home and clean up the mess I made in the living room, since stairs are now nowhere near the problem they were a week ago, and I can confidently say that the extra weight of whatever I need to carry won't hurt any more than if I weren't carrying it.

Then, I will probably either read, watch TV (or a movie), or possibly do some writing while I do some laundry.

Tomorrow, I will go to the Haven after work (yay, school's out!) and have Gene catch me up on the Friday night D&D game, since I've missed the last two sessions. If I haven't done my laundry by the time I get home from the Haven tomorrow, I will do it then.

I have no idea what I'm going to do from Wednesday on, other than the usual stuff.

Hot Diggity Dog!

So, last weekend was pretty boring. I managed to record Monsters, Inc. I also tried to record The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but it looks like it either got preempted, or I had set the timer for the wrong channel, because I only got three hours of shows like The Family Guy or The Simpsons. No matter. It's supposed to be showing again this coming Sunday, so I'll get it then.

Sunday, we had coldcut sandwiches for dinner at Mom & Dad's. Yum! Kayla actually had two sandwiches, which is an accomplishment, considering she doesn't eat much besides candy.

Yesterday was pretty normal. After work, it was so hot outside, and I knew I had to fill up the car soon, but it was just too hot. I didn't even go to Dr. M's office for my allergy shots.

Today I had my 2-year review at work. I totally got an awesome raise! Once I make the switch to my new bank, I'm going to have the direct deposit do $100 to my new savings account, and the rest to my checking account. I figure I should be able to visit Heather in Arizona, at least, by next Valentine's Day.

I was pretty bored this evening, after I finished figuring out my new estimated budget (I'll probably have even more than I figured on--it's a pretty conservative estimate). So, I decided to check out the neighborhood pool. I put on my favorite swimsuit, which is technically too small, but my other swimsuit has shoulder straps and could've fallen off easier. Then, I went swimming for about half an hour. After that, I walked back to my place, carrying my shoes, jeans and shirt and with a towel over my shoulders. I wasn't about the put my clothes back on over the bathing suit--I'd've been sweating like a pig before I'd walked a block!

When I got back, I was bored, so I thought I might play some piano. The angle was all wrong, because I had to stand up to play, so I got frustrated from the forced slowness of my playing. Then I realized, "Hey! I just got a raise! I think I'll buy myself a bench to celebrate!" So, I looked up some benches online, called the Music & Arts Center to make sure they had some, and went. I got a bench, a sustain pedal ('cause it doesn't sound like a real piano without one), and a music light. The light needs three triple-A batteries though, and I only have two. Maybe I'll go to Wal-Mart and get some.

The Art of the Marathon Nap

Other than having Dad's pizza on Sunday for Anna's birthday dinner, the last week has been pretty boring. I haven't done anymore recording or re-recording of anything, audio or video.

I managed to get up the motivation to make scrambled eggs with toast (with grape jelly) last night for dinner though--that was yummy, and a far cry more interesting to eat than cereal for the second time that day. I'm out of ketchup though, so I had to eat the eggs plain.

I was online talking to Heather on AIM 6.0 for about an hour, then she signed off--I think her computer died again, or she got kicked off or something, 'cause she didn't say 'bye or anything.

Anyway, around 6:30, I was really tired. I seriously could not keep my eyes open. So, I closed the laptop (didn't close any programs or turn it off though), put my glasses away, and turned over in the bed with the bedroom light still on.

I was out like a light for about five hours.

At about 11:30, I woke up, got my pajamas on (yes, I'd been sleeping in my jeans and t-shirt), used the facilities, put my dirty dishes in the sink, turned out the bedroom light, and went back to sleep.

I woke up again at 7:30 this morning, when my alarm went off.

It looks like the only thing I really needed was one of my Marathon Naps, but it couldn't be forced--I had to take it at a time when my body would let, or rather force, me to take it.

I feel so much better than I have the last few weeks! I mean, sure, I'd been sleeping in on Saturdays and Sundays, and I'd even gone to bed an hour or two earlier than usual more than a few nights a week, but it just wasn't working. I think it was a combination of sleeping too much when I didn't need it and my allergies starting to get worse (but not nearly as bad as they were around the same time last year, thank goodness) as the grass pollen season wore on.