Share
Too sick to be bored.
March 10th, 2010
MintyNinja blogged yesterday about being “Sick and Bored.” I thought about doing a similar drawn self portrait, but after not showering for a grand total of four days, it would be far too ugly to show the world.
I’ve been far too sick to be bored.
This is a strange thing for me, who always has something on the go. I’ve been home for the past 3 days solid, except for Monday morning’s doctor visit and the Tuesday 1am visit to the emergency room when I was having a hard time breathing and too feverish to make any sense.
I’ve had a bit of a sore throat for a week now, but it got worse on Saturday, then again on Sunday when I lost much of my voice. By Monday morning, I was in agony. The strep test results aren’t back yet, but I’m guessing that’s what I’ve got. I know I had a +100 deg fever for nearly all of Monday. Because we were at the hospital until 6am on Tuesday, I spent most of Tuesday day sleeping. I can’t eat anything solid. I tried a piece of cantaloupe yesterday and nearly cried. My throat and cheeks and neck are puffed up like a chipmunk’s. And I’ve been living on liquids; chicken broth, hot water with honey, pureed carrots with broth, pureed apples.
I’m on Day 3 of the antibiotics and also 3 solid days of Tylenol 3 and advil. Together. As soon as either pain med starts to wear off, I’m in agony again. As soon as I cough, I want to cry.
I have never ever been this sick in my life.
Although Sandra’s been sick too, she hasn’t been nearly as bad off as me. She’s gotten me tea, heated the water, cooked soup after soup after soup. Ran to the store for more frozen yogurt. Ran out and bought a thermometer to check my temperature. Even so, our house is a disaster zone from both of us being too weak and sick to do much of anything.
I think the fact that I’m noticing that means today I’m a little better.
The doctor said that I need to stay home all week so I don’t make anyone else sick at work. I have a note to prove it. And to be honest, it’s a good plan.
See, I’m not bored yet. After three days of sitting on the couch and laying in bed, I don’t even have the energy to start a new book after finishing Rachael’s How to Knit a Love Song (delightful, btw!).
I’m hoping to be bored tomorrow, or maybe later today. I am tired of being this sick. I’ve missed out on the prettiest Toronto weather so far this year. Even my dogs are getting sick of me, and wish I’d just take them to the park.
The T3 is kicking in again so I’m going to go back to bed. I had some yogurt and hot water for breakfast. I miss coffee, but it hurts my throat too much from the acid. I haven’t had coffee since SATURDAY. I feel like I’m on some kind of perverse cleanse. Honey in hot water. Clear broth. Yogurt. Bah.
I’m wearing sweat pants at work
January 27th, 2010
With a banana republic merino cardigan that’s three sizes too big for me.
Today hasn’t been all that smooth. It started out fine. I woke, some time around 6:20, with a dog’s face on my neck, tucked in for snuggles. I got out of bed and enjoyed a lovely half cup of freshly brewed coffee. I checked the internets and decided to go for a run shortly after Sandra left for work.
That, my friends, is where everything went wrong.
The run itself was lovely. -5C with snow lightly falling. Little wind, except on Argyle on the way back. I did an easy 5km around Trinity Bellwoods and decided I wasn’t done. I pushed on for another 1.5km, enjoying the feel of going just a little bit faster, a little bit further.
I remember being exceptionally proud of myself, for not only running outside in January, but being quite comfortable running outside in January. See, my first few winter runs were either overdressed or underdressed, but I think I’ve finally figured it out. Running tights + sweat pants + l/s tech shirt + running jacket, a hat, and lightweight gloves. Perfect layers that can be unzipped and vented, or kept closed on days like today, with wind chills nearing -15C.
Remember this. My outfit will become kind of ironic later on.
I eventually made my way back to the house, fumbling in my usually-zipped jacket pocket to find the spare key.
No key.
Wait, that’s impossible. I’d zipped it in there before I started. It’s a new jacket – there are no holes. I checked the pockets again, then checked inside the pants pocket just in case.
No key.
It must have fallen out at some point along the route. I was locked out of my house. In the middle of January. With snow, lightly falling. Wearing basically indoors clothing.
I thought that maybe – maybe – I’d forgotten to lock the back door the last time I’d let the dogs in. After all, I had been expecting to be back inside, getting ready for work, before doing the final walk through on the house.
Our house doesn’t exactly have an alley, but it has a path that stretches from the street to our backyard. I jogged around the block, and that cold sweat felt absolutely awesome in the chilly breeze. I fiddled a little with our back gate. Totally stuck. Completely stuck.
So, I decided to climb over it.
Not my finest moment. But not the worst moment of the day to come. I made it, and nearly avoided several fresh batches of dog poo.
Unfortunately, I’d been safe earlier, and properly locked the back door.
Back over the fence again. I sat on the front deck for a few minutes, debating what to do next. I had my iPod Touch with me, so I fired off a couple of Twitter DMs to get someone to phone Sandra to phone our dog-sitter. Maybe April could come by with her key? And let me in, so I could get warm, shower, and finally get ready for work?
I check the time. It’s 9:15. I’ll be late, but not terribly so, all things considered.
Just then, my iPod battery dies. No way to get a return message, or know if anyone got ahold of Sandra.
I walked down to the Drake. It’s three long blocks facing the wind, and I was now coated with several layers of ice where my sweat had frozen. I stumbled inside and told a short version of my story to the gal at the desk. She looked me up top to bottom. I was wearing my green ear flap hat, my pink shirt, and my yellow jacket. I looked like a frozen rainbow. She laughed a little, mostly in sympathy, and showed me the phone and gave me a glass of water.
I have never been more grateful for a phone, so of course, I immediately asked her for another favor – to look up a few locksmith numbers.
Within seconds of the first conversation, I realized the locksmith plan was not going to pan out. Not only did I not have any money on me, I didn’t have any ID either. My wallet, like my keys, were safe inside on the foyer bookshelf. The locksmith snickered a little when I explained, then eventually agreed to come open the door. In two hours.
I took a deep breath. Two hours. During which time I do what? Sit like a lump on the couch in the Drake’s lobby? Bum a cup of coffee and some food and twiddle my thumbs?
After a second (really, what were my options?) I agreed. At which point he told me that the fee would be $150. Fine, I said.
“And it’s cash only. No debit. No credit card.”
I thought about asking if he’d wait for me to run to the closest ATM – six blocks or so – and return with the cash, but then decided it wasn’t worth the cost or the wait.
Since I hadn’t tried retracing my steps yet, I decided to take another run to the park and back, following the same route. The key may have just been one, but it had a red shiny tag on it, and maybe I’d be able to spot it on the sidewalk or along the road.
3.62 incredibly cold kilometers later, I was back at the house, still key-less.
I stepped over the city guys working on the water pipes outside our house and went up to the door. There was a tag hanging from the doorknob, and I’d hoped it was April, or some other offer of help.
Instead, it was an “Advanced Warning” notice from the City, letting me know – quite helpfully – that our water would be disconnected beginning at 10am on the 27th.
It was the 27th. And it was well after 10am. And that notice had not been there at 9:15. I spun around on my heels and shouted, “Hey! Is my water turned off right now?”
A large surly man raised his head from the ditch and said, “We knocked. You weren’t home.”
“That’s because I was out running 10km. I need to shower. How am I supposed to shower with no water? Not to mention the total lack of ‘Advanced’ Notice. 20 minutes is NOT Advanced.”
I may have continued for a few paragraphs. About common courtesy, the disruption to my work day. At some point, he stopped listening and just went to work, and I remembered that even if there was piping hot water just inside, I still had no keys to get in.
At this point, my day actually improved a little. I couldn’t do anything about anything. I couldn’t shower. I couldn’t change. I couldn’t get my TTC pass so I could take the bus. But what I could do was head back to the Drake again. It was warm there, and the very helpful and sweet desk clerk might have another idea.
When I came into the lobby, she greeted me with a cup of coffee and mentioned that April had just phoned for me. Perfect! She also mentioned that if I needed bus fare, she could spot me the $3. She’d been locked out before, and she knew how much it sucked.
I phoned April and we chatted for a few minutes. She couldn’t come for 45 minutes or so, and I decided to just get on the streetcar and head to work.
Remember, for a second, what I’m wearing. Sweatpants. Bright yellow jacket. Bright pink top. Bright green ear flap hat. And also, let’s remember that I work for the Ontario Government in Cabinet Office. While I generally wear jeans to work, it’s not a sweatpant kind of place.
When I got to the building, I had to check in with security. Obviously, my official badge was also at home. He looked me up and down once, then twice. I spelled my name for him and assured him that I worked in the building. Room 4610, to be precise.
He squinted at the screen and then back at me.
“Can you take off the funny hat, miss?”
I should have said yes immediately. All I could think of was that I had showered the morning before, had slept on my hair, and without brushing it, had shoved it into the funny hat so I could go for a nice little run with minimal fuss.
Basically, I looked like crap. Frozen, sweaty, crap.
My hesitation must have spoke volumes. “Oh, it’s got to be you. I can tell. Here’s your badge.”
Once safely upstairs, my coworkers were nice enough to not openly mock or laugh. Ten minutes later, I’d changed into backup clothing and shoes; an old pair of black uggs, my sweatpants, a black tee and this too-big maroon cardigan. Not exactly chic or work appropriate, but a step up from the tech gear. My hair got shoved into a serviceable pony tail. I washed my face and generally freshened up. And then went about my day.
I used to be the kind of person this never happened to. I was organized to a fault. In fact, just yesterday, I was explaining my beloved Eagle Creek Packing Cube system, and how I love that I can keep track of everything I need when I travel. And yet, something about 2010 is making me fear for my brain. That maybe I’ve lost that part of myself that has helped me function all these years.
I’m forgetting plans. I’m forgetting tasks. And now I’m losing keys.
The whole thing could have been prevented so many ways. Stashing a backup key somewhere hidden outside. Securing the key to my necklace. Running with a $20. Buying an iPhone so I can have the phone AND my Nike+ when I run.
Or just not being stupid.
On the good side, I managed to get in a 10k before work this morning. On the downside, I got to work just before 11. I inconvenienced at least five people plus my dogs, who probably wanted another trip to the bathroom before I left for work. I walked around the office in totally unflattering and unprofessional attire. Getting home from work will involve borrowing more money for the streetcar and braving the elements in well ventilated running gear.
But despite it all, I am laughing quite hardily at myself for this gaffe. It’s such a noob mistake, to lock oneself out.
And I’m really going to enjoy that shower when I get home tonight.
Hey Apple – here’s what I want in a tablet
January 20th, 2010
I’m sure you’ve seen several a bucket full of rumors about the Jan 27 Apple announcement of some kind of tablet device. 10 inch screen? 7 inch screen? Included Wi-Fi subscription? (US only, I’m sure) Is it just a larger iPod Touch? An iPhone? A whole new way to have fun? Does it come with a magical unicorn?
You know I’m an Apple fan. My first programming experience was a Logic class on an Apple IIc when I was in grade 3. And you know I’m going to drool over this tablet, whatever it turns out to be.
For me to drop $1000 on this, many things would have to happen. (Sandra would have to have a full time job, for one!) But mainly, it would have to be able to function as my primary computer for 90% of what I do. Maybe not photoshop or pattern production, but certainly everything else; surfing, emailing, listening to music, tracking my runs and my ww points, blogging, uploading photos to flickr, updating my ravelry, etc. And I’d really, really, REALLY love it if I could use it as an eBook reader as well.
Just cause I can, here’s my own (very reasonable) wishlist for the first generation iSlate:
Integrated WiFi and 3G
Probability: High
I want a device that can get online anywhere. Granted, this is going to be a little more complex in Canada. I’m already paying Rogers for my blackberry and my home internet. I’d love to share a data plan between multiple devices, an idea that’s not that far from reality.
Mostly, though, I want the 3G connection to either be free (like the Kindle) – highly unlikely – or optional. Can I get the tablet and just have it connect via WiFi? Can I then start paying for 3G without a hardware upgrade?
Functional Dock with Keyboard and Mouse
Probability: Medium/High
A keyboard – an actual keyboard – is a bit of a must for someone who writes as much as I do. (Code, patterns, blog entries, even fiction.) While I’m pretty adept on my blackberry, I’ve never really adjusted to any speed with the iPhone’s keystroke model. I want a real keyboard as an option for times when I need to do a lot of wordsmithing.
Hear me out on this one. Docking the tablet would take down it’s portability, for sure. But what if the dock could work like a laptop, with the tablet as the screen? I’d be able to use it around the house, or take it with me if I needed more writing ability. Having a dock that allows the tablet to be propped upright, much like the iPod docs, would make it a better system for home multimedia as well.
Speakers – decent ones
Probability: Medium
I’m sure some kind of speaker will be included. There’s already one on the iPod Touch, but the quality and amplification leaves a lot to be desired. From a bigger device, I’d expect bigger sound.
USB – Just One Port Please
Probability: ?
I haven’t seen many rumours around the ports available on the tablet, but I’m really hoping for a single usb port with device support. I want an easy way to get files onto – and off of – the tablet. I want to sync my iPod. And upload photos.
eReader Functionality
Probability: High
Apple’s dumb if they don’t use their highly successful iTunes model to electronically distribute books and periodicals. What they need to make it competitive is a great user experience for reading the material, though. And I’m betting that – if they wanted – they could do it better than the Kindle or the Nook.
My Media – Everywhere
Probability: ?
Now that I’ve got the AppleTv up and running to serve up movies and tvs from iTunes, I really want all my stuff everywhere. That may be more of an AppleTv request than a tablet one, to be clear. Why can’t it function as a server that broadcasts to every one of my iTunes instances? This could work with the eReader concept too. Imagine if I could use my tablet to read in bed at night, then pick up my iPod on the bus the next day and be able to start from the same page?
I don’t know. It’s not much of a list, really. The USB port is probably the only feature not super likely, although maybe not. It would be great to be able to connect and charge existing devices.
Mostly though, I want Apple to totally surprise me next week. I want this tablet to redefine portable computing the way the iPod did portable music. I’m ready for it. And you know I’ll be watching closely next Wednesday to see what we can expect from Apple’s “newest creation.”