Wow, December 10th already. Things are finally winding down and I think I might even be able to relax soon. Medical and dental appointments are done for the year. All of the home maintenance/repairs/improvements I was working on are finished. The budget has been adjusted for next year, and Thanksgiving (and Christmas) are done (for my family). Student loans have been paid in full! Today my son and I got rid of all of the boxes we’d acquired from gift purchases and did some deep cleaning. The gutters were cleaned on Friday and they always leave a huge mess, so yesterday I cleaned the kitchen window box and patio. Today I made a big batch of refried beans to put in the freezer and vacuumed.
Tech Rambling
I don’t think follow.it sent out an email after my last post. It was last week. I have my own email set up as a subscriber so I can test the functionality, and I never got an email after last week’s post. I don’t know why.
Speaking of email– I haven’t been getting notifications from the Gmail app on my phone, and I found out it was because I was logged into it on my computer. But here’s the thing– it doesn’t matter if the computer is asleep or even has the browser open. It can be asleep and have the browser shut down. As long as you are logged in somewhere other than your phone, you won’t get notifications. Well, I don’t, anyway. Maybe it’s just me (it usually is).
My Weekend
I bought a new office chair because the one I was using was 8 years old and the fake leather was peeling off and the seat cushion was all worn out. It was also getting wobbly, despite re-tightening the screws. So when I was shopping for a new one, I made sure not to get the fake leather stuff. It was supposed to be delivered Tuesday, but it came last night (Saturday). It was a huge box, so I kinda had to deal with it right away. This morning I put the thing together, then took the old one apart so I could put it in the dumpster, piece by piece, so as not to get in trouble with the HOA.
All in all, it was a pretty busy weekend. I had intended to relax, but didn’t get a chance to until about 3:00pm each day. I did do one thing for myself, and that was take a trip to a dispensary. It was my first time going into one, and I had to admit that it was and ask for help. It was a “Hi, I haven’t smoked weed for over 20 years so have no idea what I’m doing” kind of conversation, and I told the nice lady behind the counter that I wanted something very mellow to help with chronic pain and insomnia. Yay, degenerative disc disease and menopause! She said they get quite a few older people in there (presumably looking for the same relief).
I mean, I don’t tell people I’ve been doing this– but I’ve been self-medicating on the bad nights with 3 ibuprofen and 2 Benadryl, chased by a whiskey sour. It leaves me feeling like my kidneys are going to shrivel up and die, my liver is going to pickle, and extremely groggy and sleepy in the morning. But I sleep.
My First Trip to A Dispensary
Anyway, I went in and was immediately overcome by the smell; but it was such a good smell. It did make my throat dry and scratchy, so I kept coughing. I reassured the nice lady that I’m not sick, told her what kind of effect I was looking for, and said that I’d like some “gummies” (since my stepmom uses them, I knew what word to use). She took out two different kinds and explained them and their dosages to me, as well as their prices. I decided on two different kinds of “Drops” brand that are pretty low dose and Indica. One has 200mg CBD, which is the one I’ll use for sleep. The other one is pretty much the same thing, but a different flavor, strain, and no CBD. I’ll use that one recreationally, on weekends.
I have 5 days off coming up because I’m taking the 21st and 22nd off rather than the week between Christmas and New Year. This time last year was so awful, my plan is to get up early and catch the sunrise on the 21st, then just relax the rest of the time. I might actually get back into writing the memoir. I want to work out, go for walks, swim, do yoga, and read. I want to do all the relaxing things. And now that I can have a fire in my fireplace again, I’ll have fires as well. So I thought I’d try out the gummies this weekend and see how they make me feel, and I might go grab some more for my time off. I may get something with Sativa for the daytime.
My First Experience with Edibles
I did take the one without CBD (the watermelon one) yesterday afternoon and this afternoon. It’s pretty nice. I also tried the one with CBD (blackberry) right before bed. I went to bed too late last night to really see if it helps with a full night’s sleep, so tonight I’ll take another one and go to bed earlier.
Something I have noticed is that I feel calmer, more relaxed, and with a general overall feeling of well-being. I don’t feel stoned at all because it’s such a low dose, it’s not like bong hits or smoking a pipe. It’s very subtle. I’m also not getting the crazy blood sugar fluctuations I’ve been noticing lately. If I don’t eat sugar or it’s been too long since my last meal– I get all jittery and light-headed, even sometimes nauseous. Then I do eat sugar– and if it’s too much, I feel gross and jittery again, but in a different way. After taking the edible, I can eat as much or as little as I want and I don’t feel jittery, light-headed, or gross. It’s as if it’s regulating my blood sugar somehow.
It seems to take about 90 minutes for it to take effect for me, and it lasts for around 4 hours. It should be safe for me to do around 6:30pm for sleep and have it worn off by the time I go to work in the morning.
New Fireplace Panels
I had my fireplace redone, sort of. The exterior wood paneling still has an old style from the 70s and it’s not a new firebox. I had all of the refractory panels replaced. He took out the back panel (cracked), the floor (not visibly damaged, but very old), and both side panels (warped). The whole thing was a mess. I didn’t get any “before” photos, but I snapped a couple while he was working.
The metal pieces are the (presumably) 44-year-old side panels. The crumbled chunks are the floor and back refractory panel. The floor also was likely 44 years old, but the refractory panel was only 8 years old. I did learn throughout this process that the back panel was probably cracked due to too-large and too-hot fires, combined with a log falling onto it. He suggested I burn smaller fires, such as a fire log from the store or just a small fire with 1-2 pieces of wood and never throw a piece in, but gently place it with the grabbers I have. The chimney sweep guy from last month also recommended a smaller grate than the one I had at the time to prevent damage to the side panels. This repair guy recommend getting a “fireback.” I had never heard of a fireback before, but he explained it and I found one that would fit my tiny fireplace. It reflects heat back out and protects that back panel from cracking. I got one that’s 1/2″ thick and made of steel.
This is the finished paneling with the new grate I’d already bought. I wish I could have had the curtains replaced with new ones as well, but I didn’t think to ask. He did say that this fireplace is so old, the company who made it is no longer in business. No companies in existence manufacture parts for these, so the panels had to be custom cut. This cost me $860.
Here it is all finished with the new grate, ash tray and fireback. And a clean chimney flue! All together this cost me $1,495, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing the entire thing. That would run me anywhere between $5k and $10k, minimum. As long as it keeps passing inspections, I’m good with not getting a new one until it doesn’t. Same goes for the hearth and the wood paneling above it. I’m not having any of that redone until/unless the entire fireplace needs to be replaced.
Anyhow, that’s about all I had. I’m keeping up OK with the winter self care, although I’ve been so busy catching up on housework and Internet errands late at night, I haven’t been going to the gym or going swimming. But I think I’m done for now, at least until tax time and open enrollment. Then begins the spring cycle of life admin-ing, dental and medical appointments, oil changes, etc., etc… so I’ll be busy getting all of that done to have my summer free.
I think it will be a nice, relaxing break for me just before Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. I’ll have the ability to have a small fire each night. I do have a fully stocked liquor shelf, fully stocked wine rack, and enough firewood for each of those nights. I do want to visit the dispensary one more time and get something with Sativa and maybe another for sleep. I’ll also get a few more fire logs, plenty of BellaVitano cheese, and just pamper myself until 2024 arrives. Then it’s back to business, but I think 2024 might actually be a good even-numbered year for me. Typically my odd-numbered years are the best, and even-numbered are quite a bit more challenging. The only recent exception I can recall is 2018; that was a decent year. I think 2024 will also be decent.
Maybe I’ll even do a “best of” for 2023 on NYE, [myName] style. Best song I heard, best book I read, best TV show, best movie… and best experience! It has been a very good year, all things considered.