h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah, a peaceful Wednesday evening at home, what a perfect time to post a bit to my journal...

Today was one of "those" days at work- anything that could possibly go wrong did. The server crashed three times, the phone mail went out for an hour, and I had to call clients with requests for extensions on 21 orders- all of which had deliveries scheduled for- TODAY! Argh!! If it's this bad already, I fear for what May will be like. I may have to reschedule my birthday. And I am afraid there will be massive layoffs like last year.. I hope and pray I will be one of the keepers! For the time being, I'm bracing myself for the inevitable slough of April Fool's pranks tomorrow, with such a bunch of freaks and nutters for co-workers, it's bound to be interesting, to say the least!

I'd ordered myself some books for my birthday gift to myself, they arrived a LOT sooner than I'd expected them to, with free shipping and all. I got "The Origin of Species", one of my old favorites, a Moliere collection, "The Meaning of Everything" (about the history and compilation of the OED), and that one "The Emporer and the Linguist". I also relented and invested in hard, leatherbound collector's editions of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", having worn out numerous paperbacks of each. Should I wait to read them till after my birthday, or should I just go for it? Not that I've much free time for reading these days, mind.

I'm not feeling too guilty or nervous about that purchase, one Saturday shift should cover it...

At the moment, I'm listening (the TV's in the living room and my computer's in my "bedroom") to Spongebob Squarepants, but I'm thinking of putting on some really relaxing music in a few and chilling out with this glass of wine and some lovely incense I got at that nifty shop near my work. Speaking of relaxing music, has anyone heard Josh Groban? One of my managers listens to him at high volume in the early morning hours, beautiful operatic stuff, when there's only four of us there yet, and he's got a gorgeous voice. Maybe I should get a CD of his to chill out to of an evening here and there?

Okay, I think I've rambled on enough. Sorry that the most exciting things I have to share these days are work-related adventures, and recent acquisitions of books, movies, music, or "objects de arte", but such is life. Aside from that, I'm coping pretty well with my fibro, thanks to my good friends Xanax and Darvocet (which I've not taken this evening, on account of the wine, and yes, I *know* the contraindications of propoxyphene, and there's no worries, okay?), the seasonal depression has passed, and I'm in prettygood spirits overall, excepting a bit of work and exhaustion-induced lethargy. Stil, I don't mind feeling exhausted with good reason. It's the generalized anxiety and "blahs" that annoy me. That, and my apparent lack of will power enough to stick to a diet and lose some of this weight. I'd feel a lot more confident if I could feel pretty again.

Well, that's it for now, no more mindless chatter and whining from me for the time being. Hi and lots of love to everyone, and for all of my artistically gifted friends here, please post more links to your stuff for me, or send it by email to [email protected] (not worried about spam, I get tons already, what's a bit more?) Seeing what you've done always makes me feel good, aesthetically speaking, and makes me feel special for being in on your "secret".

Toodles for now, I'll see you on the flip side!

What is it with these months passing? But never mind months, we're a quarter of the way through 2004! How the heck did that happen?

I keep reading the title as ;
a moth has passed you by
then I think of the first butterfly I saw today.
It has happened a half a dozen times I bet!
My mind is stuck.....
At least it is a pleasant scene I'm stuck on!

Abbi, That's a cool thing to get stuck thinking about - butterflies!

I think you should start reading the books before your birthday!!

I am still feeling tired, but have lost more weight, maybe the two are connected?!

Interesting way of sorting out your pain, be careful, but have done similar things myself!

*thinks I am missing something by not knowing Sponge Bob*

Great reading list PC.
One of these days I shall have my artwork scanned so I can post a link to it

Sadly, I found the Groban CD to be quite a let-down -- any one song is quite nice, but listening to them altogether was way too much for me. I've decided that he's one of those people who I love to hear on the radio, but that's about it.

As of late, I've been listening to a lot of the Bobs (I Brow Club, in particular) and Liz Phair (the new one) -- just finished the move, and those were the two CDs I left unpacked to see me through.

Hope you're enjoying those books!

Hiya Abbi, JEllen, Kaz, Hellbound, and Mikey! Good to see you all, thanks for stopping!

I can't wait till we get to see some butterflies here. They are so beautiful, I used to have a nice book on them but I think it's either in storage now or else long gone. Abbi, that was brilliant, "another MOTH has passed me by", I used that in my diary today, the one that Kaz got for me.

Thanks for your input about the Groban CD. For now I know I can listen to it at work every morning, so no need to get it. I'll think on it a while.

As for the books, hopefully I'll finish the one I'm on now and can start one of those new ones at the weekend. I'll let you all know how I like them, in case anyone's interested in reading one of them.

My stupid allergies are really getting to me today, my sinuses are so inflamed and I'm all stuffy and swollen. Grrr! Sore knees and neck I can handle, but this is driving me batty.

Hope you're all keeping well, and I'm looking forward to seeing some, if not all, of you over this weekend. I'm working Saturday but the rest of the weekend is for relaxing and play, and probably a good deal of moping in bed and moaning about my stuffy head.

Oh, and I think that losing weight and being tired are probably connected. I seem to remember being a bit tired myself when I lost all that weight a few years back. Still, you seem to be eating healthily and getting proper nutrition, Kaz, maybe some vitamins would be good, but I think you're doing great and I am SO very proud of you!!

Hi PCandy

only walked 1.6 miles yesterday so no surprises I am back upto 88 kilos. Out for a walk now though. Still proud of me?

Of course I am still proud of you! I'm proud because you keep on trying even when you don't see the results you want right away, even when you experience setbacks. That takes a lot of guts and is something I really admire.

However, I also sympathize with how frustrated you feel sometimes, especially when you've lost weight and then some of it sneaks back on. I know what that is like, it feels really shitty.

But I will be proud of you no matter what!

Oooooh! There is an ice cream truck parked in the alley across the street from my house! Should I be naughty? Yes, I think I should!

Anyway, I'm heading off for a bath and then to crawl into bed, in case I miss anyone. Gotta try to lick this bug once and for all. I'll see you all on the flip side!

PS- I will heading to bed *after* I've had my ice cream, anyway!

Kaz if you are doing what you need to ( or not)stop weighing youself as much the number is not the goal the lifestyle is You are doing youself a great deal of good no matter what any numbers tell you any walking is better than none.

PC sorry to here you have a bug rather than allergies. You must feel miserable. I hope it is over before the weekend is.

When allergy season does come to you -- have you ever tried Nasalcrom? It is better than the steroid sprays or the Zicam(sp?) for colds that kills your sense of smell. Better than pills that affect your whole system also IF it works for you. It used to be prescription primarily for children but it's now over the counter and does work for some adults. The wonderful thing is it comes into play before the antihistimine step. It is a mast cell inhibitor- very safe.

Kaz, please don't punish yourself with not getting immediate results - for one thing it'll trigger your stress, which will prove counter-productive; it'll exhaust you so you can't do so much.

I can't count the number of times I've worried myself sick about not achieving something to the extent that I can't even get some of the way. There's a ridiculous social demand to get where you're expected to be so fast that it does serious damage to your health in the process. Please don't internalise that demand, it's balls; just one of the myriad examples of society's *institutional abuse*. You have to dictate your own pace.

Small steps Now I'd better zip it before I go into one about media intolerance.

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all of your well-wishes. Today's been the worst so far, but I've got my appetite back so I think I'm on the mend. Had a nice long nap this afternoon, and a hot bath. I'll be feeling myself again soon, I'm sure.

Abbi, I've hear of Nasalcrom before but never tired it. I'm funny about medications, even over the counter ones. I don't like to take them unless I'm really desperate, I prefer to take a more natural approach. Today I bummed a decongestant and a couple of aspirin off my roommate, so I could have a good sleep.

This afternoon I spent alternately snoozing and watching the TV. Caught a bit of Spngebob (Kaz, it's a silly cartoon, quite popular, which I get a huge kick out of. I'll find a link and post it for you), and TV Land has a weekend long marathon of Green Acres (silly old sitcom from the '60s about a lawyer from Mew York City and his socialite wife to move to a farm way out in the sticks. There's a whole bunch of goobers, and a "talking" pig who enjoys watching TV. Good and silly!). My roommate and I ordered in a big veggie pizza and some fried calamari- naughty, I know, but it's bound to make me feel better, so I'll allow it today.

Hope everyone's doing okay and enjoying the weekend. Kaz, did you and Moonglum do any walking today? If not, I hope you're relaxing and having fun with those adorable gerbils!

Abbi, I'd meant (and completely got off course) to say I would like to try some Nasalcrom sometime, especially if it doesn't affect the whole system, *and* comes into play before the antihistimine step. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

Aha, 87 kilos again!! It seems as though I don't just lose a kilo and it stays off, there seems to be a week or two where it boings up and down until it is finally off for good, and then I move down to the next kilo!

It is frustrating though, but I shall get there, my clothes are fiiting a little better already!

Hows you PCandy? Fought off that bug? I hope you enjoy your day off.

Thanks, Kaz! I am feeling a LOT better, just kind of sleepy. At least I can breathe and my head's stopped pounding. Not doing much today, but I'm having a nice time doing it!

I've noticed that most noticeable weight loss usually follows a period of fluctuation. Sometimes, when you're getting lots of exercise, you'll actually see your weight increase at first, although you might be getting thinner. Muscle is dennser than fat, so it takes up less space but weighs more. Your clothes fitting better is definitely a good sign! Keep up the good work!

Not doing much can be brilliant, I have been waking up relaxed lately, which is so unusual I just lie there for hours. I don't want to get up and destroy it! It is happening more and more though, I maybe getting more relaxed!!!!!