Health, Budget, Zig's 30th, Rabbit, Daisies, Halloween!
So I eventually got to the doctor, maybe 5 weeks after onset of crapness. He knew all about restless legs, and prescribed me a drug called Lyrica, which makes my nerve endings not care about my legs complaining, thus meaning my sleep is not disrupted and I get get down to theta and delta instead of just REM and back up again over and over. I've been having fabulous sleep these last few weeks, and life is a bit more normal. I'm still trying to keep socialising down a bit, as part of me still feels overloaded. But, you know me, I end up socialising anyway! A little less socialising than "normal" though.
My credit card debt was high before I went to Europe years ago, and went even higher while over there for 5 weeks. Since then, I have paid it off to about the level it was before I went gallivanting, but for the last year or so the total has remained about the same. I'm kinda sick of the debt, so I've starting budgeting a heap more strictly than before. Strict budgeting was depressing me quite a lot before (as normal), but I've hit a good groove these last couple weeks. Buying lunch and dinner all the time, plus often a pie for breakfast, was a big part of the budget spenditure. Now, if Zig doesn't cook dinner and has already eaten, I go home and eat nachos for dinner instead of buying take-out, it works out to about $3-$4 for the meal. I've been eating healthier lunches, which is cheaper than buying it everyday. Food during work is a tin of salmon, small tub of yoghurt, baby mesculan salad (the packet lasts a week), an apple, and mandarins from my bro's tree. Plus 2-3 pots of herbal tea. Breakfast has been oatmeal made with rice milk (to reduce dairy intake) and some honey on top. Other budget cuts include not spending as much going out and about, and reconsidering my urge to go to shows (such as The Cat Empire playing soon which I would love to see) against my desire to get rid of this debt. I still feel frustrated to some extent, I feel like I should see greater rewards sooner if I'm restricting myself so much, however I KNOW that I'm getting somewhere and I just have to keep believing it too. Part of me despairs when recurring costs like chiropracter and health tablets are a constant drain, and other costs are coming up such as birthdays and my Halloween party and then Xmas! Plus I'm to see an allergist specialist at end of September that won't be cheap. That's no excuse not to keep trying though, still better to keep the spenditure down so that the costs don't make the card total go up higher than otherwise.
Zig's 30th birthday party in July was good to begin with, then was upsetting, then ended alright again. Basically, the first ever fight happened at one of our parties. The people who started it were not normal attendees, and are not welcome back again. I feel terrible for my friend who turned up 20 minutes before shit happened, and copped the worst of it. However the guy who punched him despite Zig standing in the middle playing mediator? that guy broke his hand. So my friend, Zig, and I feel a little bit better that he didn't get away with it. Wish it had happened at Halloween or even just a normal birthday party, not at Zig's 30th. Nevertheless, it happened and is now as resolved as it gets. Still heartsore over it when memory occurs - after getting to sleep that night I had terrible dreams before waking that shook me badly.
In lighter news, we've had a stray rabbit in the backyard off and on for weeks. It's a big white fat one, with one ear up and one ear flopped. I discovered he had a taste for lavender only after my three little plants in pots got eaten to within an inch of life. They are now planted in the garden (finally, after months!) with little triangular fence fortresses made out of the fridge shelves which Zig pulled out of the beer fridges to make room for fermenter kegs. We also discovered why the rabbit seemed to like the cat, and the cat seemed to dislike the rabbit. After noticing the rabbit always going towards the back of the cat, Zig experimented by holding the cat still. The rabbit went behind the cat...and then hopped _onto_ the cat. The cat was not amused and swiped at the rabbit. Hasn't stopped the rabbit still going for him, or the cat teasing the rabbit by sitting on a chair out of reach with a paw ready to claw. Two Mondays ago, so Zig told me, he saw a lady in the front yard peering into the back at the rabbit. He asked if she wanted it back and she said yes and expressed concern that Zig wouldn't be able to catch it. He caught it the next day simply by picking it up (animals always seem to be at ease with Zig). So he took it down the road to where it lived and gave the box with the rabbit in it to the girl there. He told me so that night when I was home, and mused that perhaps we should then take down the lavender fortresses. I told him better to leave them just in case. Just as well, since the rabbit was back again in the morning! Zig said that he wasn't going to bother catching it again, since they couldn't be bothered making things good to keep rabbits in. They haven't come back and asked for the rabbit again yet either. Rabbit doesn't hang around quite as much as before though, which I'm sure the cat is happy about!
There's yellow dandelion daisies blooming on the roadside. I don't care what the weather does, those yellow dandelion daisies always mean Spring is here to me. When I see them, I get nostalgic for Bindoon. I grew up on a hobby farm in Bindoon, and the long driveway had masses of yellow down the sides in Spring, it was so glorious! Seeing the daisies makes me think that perhaps it's time to take a roadtrip to Bindoon someday soon.
Now, if you've read this far, then you will get advance notice of my Halloween party this year! This year's theme is Masquerade, so time to get masks organised and brush up on your mysterious air. It will be a week earlier than when other Halloween parties may be - it is on Saturday 23rd October. The usual deal applies: at Zig and I's house, dinner and beer provided, a few of your friends are welcome with you if you let me know for catering and courtesy purposes.
My credit card debt was high before I went to Europe years ago, and went even higher while over there for 5 weeks. Since then, I have paid it off to about the level it was before I went gallivanting, but for the last year or so the total has remained about the same. I'm kinda sick of the debt, so I've starting budgeting a heap more strictly than before. Strict budgeting was depressing me quite a lot before (as normal), but I've hit a good groove these last couple weeks. Buying lunch and dinner all the time, plus often a pie for breakfast, was a big part of the budget spenditure. Now, if Zig doesn't cook dinner and has already eaten, I go home and eat nachos for dinner instead of buying take-out, it works out to about $3-$4 for the meal. I've been eating healthier lunches, which is cheaper than buying it everyday. Food during work is a tin of salmon, small tub of yoghurt, baby mesculan salad (the packet lasts a week), an apple, and mandarins from my bro's tree. Plus 2-3 pots of herbal tea. Breakfast has been oatmeal made with rice milk (to reduce dairy intake) and some honey on top. Other budget cuts include not spending as much going out and about, and reconsidering my urge to go to shows (such as The Cat Empire playing soon which I would love to see) against my desire to get rid of this debt. I still feel frustrated to some extent, I feel like I should see greater rewards sooner if I'm restricting myself so much, however I KNOW that I'm getting somewhere and I just have to keep believing it too. Part of me despairs when recurring costs like chiropracter and health tablets are a constant drain, and other costs are coming up such as birthdays and my Halloween party and then Xmas! Plus I'm to see an allergist specialist at end of September that won't be cheap. That's no excuse not to keep trying though, still better to keep the spenditure down so that the costs don't make the card total go up higher than otherwise.
Zig's 30th birthday party in July was good to begin with, then was upsetting, then ended alright again. Basically, the first ever fight happened at one of our parties. The people who started it were not normal attendees, and are not welcome back again. I feel terrible for my friend who turned up 20 minutes before shit happened, and copped the worst of it. However the guy who punched him despite Zig standing in the middle playing mediator? that guy broke his hand. So my friend, Zig, and I feel a little bit better that he didn't get away with it. Wish it had happened at Halloween or even just a normal birthday party, not at Zig's 30th. Nevertheless, it happened and is now as resolved as it gets. Still heartsore over it when memory occurs - after getting to sleep that night I had terrible dreams before waking that shook me badly.
In lighter news, we've had a stray rabbit in the backyard off and on for weeks. It's a big white fat one, with one ear up and one ear flopped. I discovered he had a taste for lavender only after my three little plants in pots got eaten to within an inch of life. They are now planted in the garden (finally, after months!) with little triangular fence fortresses made out of the fridge shelves which Zig pulled out of the beer fridges to make room for fermenter kegs. We also discovered why the rabbit seemed to like the cat, and the cat seemed to dislike the rabbit. After noticing the rabbit always going towards the back of the cat, Zig experimented by holding the cat still. The rabbit went behind the cat...and then hopped _onto_ the cat. The cat was not amused and swiped at the rabbit. Hasn't stopped the rabbit still going for him, or the cat teasing the rabbit by sitting on a chair out of reach with a paw ready to claw. Two Mondays ago, so Zig told me, he saw a lady in the front yard peering into the back at the rabbit. He asked if she wanted it back and she said yes and expressed concern that Zig wouldn't be able to catch it. He caught it the next day simply by picking it up (animals always seem to be at ease with Zig). So he took it down the road to where it lived and gave the box with the rabbit in it to the girl there. He told me so that night when I was home, and mused that perhaps we should then take down the lavender fortresses. I told him better to leave them just in case. Just as well, since the rabbit was back again in the morning! Zig said that he wasn't going to bother catching it again, since they couldn't be bothered making things good to keep rabbits in. They haven't come back and asked for the rabbit again yet either. Rabbit doesn't hang around quite as much as before though, which I'm sure the cat is happy about!
There's yellow dandelion daisies blooming on the roadside. I don't care what the weather does, those yellow dandelion daisies always mean Spring is here to me. When I see them, I get nostalgic for Bindoon. I grew up on a hobby farm in Bindoon, and the long driveway had masses of yellow down the sides in Spring, it was so glorious! Seeing the daisies makes me think that perhaps it's time to take a roadtrip to Bindoon someday soon.
Now, if you've read this far, then you will get advance notice of my Halloween party this year! This year's theme is Masquerade, so time to get masks organised and brush up on your mysterious air. It will be a week earlier than when other Halloween parties may be - it is on Saturday 23rd October. The usual deal applies: at Zig and I's house, dinner and beer provided, a few of your friends are welcome with you if you let me know for catering and courtesy purposes.