health, wellbeing

Everybody wants to talk about their health. And here’s where it all happens.

The Stranger In the Woods, or ode to Glenn

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I just finished a book that was given to me by the staff at Flexibility called The Stranger In the Woods by Michael Finkel.  What’s weird is that it took until the third-last chapter to draw a comparison between the character in the book, Chris, and my brother, Glenn.

They both escaped society and all its absurdities, couldn’t co-exist with people around, somehow found meaning in solitude, excluded the trappings of modern life from his own.

“He’s done some research; hypothermia, he believes, is a painless way to die.  “It’s the only thing that will make me free.”  (Page 182)  Glenn organized his things immediately around him in such as way that showed he knew exactly what he was doing – planned completely.

“Yeah, the brilliant man,” says Knight, “the brilliant man went to find contentment, and he did.  The brilliant man wishes he weren’t so stupid to do illegal things to find contentment.”  (Page 183)  My brother grew & sold pot as part of his income.  And, yes, he was brilliant, and he was trying to find contentment somehow.

I could go on, but I won’t.  The book is done.  Perhaps this is why Elma chose this book.  Thank you, Elma.  I get it.

last day of classes, mice, magazines, & banjos

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As the title of this journal entry states, today is the last day of classes for this term.  I did my final exams for STS-2260 Statistics / Applied Research I and EDD-2268 Architectural Design II.  The goofy thing is that I think I did much better in my weaker subject, Stats, than I did in the one that gets my blood going, Architecture.  But we shall see.  My other two classes – ENF-2250 Fluid Mechanics and EDD-2255 Process Design I.

I got a subscription at the suggestion of my Architecture prof – Fine Homebuilding.  I haven’t gotten my first issue yet, but they did offer a free two-week online subscription.  Nice, except that I can’t print, can’t store it for later, and can’t get past page 32 of the issue.  I also asked my prof about a magazine I read ages ago called Architectural Digest.  His idea is that it isn’t what it used to be but is still an interesting read about various architecture of well-to-do folk around the world.  But I’m more interested in ideas and such that will help me in the ordinary-folk architectural world.

I’m finding it hard to play the banjo and use a normal (i.e. cheap) mouse.  Why?  Ages ago, on my 16th birthday, I guy hit me and Ron Ripley while we were crossing the street on our bicycles.  His leg was broken and fingertip torn off, and my hand was broken.  To this day, my right ring finger bends somewhat toward my middle finger when curled.  I got a new mouse – the CAD Mouse from 3D Connexion – and even put racing stripes on it, allowing me to speed up my Revit, CAD, & Inventor use.  If only putting racing stripes on my banjo would help me play faster and better.

Sundry things:

Tomorrow I’m getting an oil change for my little Kia, pulling the forms off our experimental concrete blocks, and giving blood.

calm after the storm

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Things are settling down now.  I’ve been on my ulcer meds for about two weeks.  Only one somewhat nasty attack during that time.  I’m happy for that.  The doc said the third time I get this there’d be some major s*** to deal with.  I’m hoping this is not the case.

There’s a kind of calm these days.  I can feel it about here and there.  Instructors are not as go-go-go as in the past, no work stress to deal with, no wondering how Father is doing, Mom is doing better these days (made gravy for Sunday’s turkey dinner), Floyd has no issues to speak of, friends (most) are understanding of the various things that have gone down, and the yearly Hell is gone (Pete knows all about this).  Calm before the storm?  No, after.  Feels good.  (Knock on wood.)

I’m not as behind in classes as I was.  I’m actually ahead in one but behind in another.  The rest are good.

I fixed my stereo.  …  Ha!  They don’t call them stereos anymore, do they?  My home entertainment system.

The fan had been making noise, so I cut it out with some metal snips.  In the process, I ended up destroying it.  I just wanted to squirt some WD40 into it.  So much for that.  So I duct-taped a computer fan with a limiter to it.  It seems to work just fine.  A bit overkill, but it is quieter than before.

My little Fujitsu also developed a problem.  A ribbon cable controlling the power supply broke.  I ordered a new used one online and put it in.  It took some monkeying, but it’s working now.  It’s now 12 years old, so it doesn’t compete with today’s computers, but it does make a good background music player.  “Ghibli” on “Study jazz” on YouTube.  Kevin introduced this to me during our final week of last term’s studying.  Look it up – unless you’re allergic to jazz.

home from hospital

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I’m back home. Everything is good. They did an EKG, blood test, urine test. Nothing wrong. Apparently I had an “angry stomach”. Stress, coffee, bourbon, age, etc. all factors in what happened.

So what happened? It started just before breakfast, right after coffee. It escalated to a slow, painful walk to school. It culminated in vomiting, visiting the school nurse, calling Floyd to bring me to the hospital (with more vomiting along the way), and a painful wait at triage.

Then seemingly miraculously, it evaporated to a calm, settling, restful wait for the doc. By the time she arrived, the only pain was from the stomach muscle workout.

Now back home resting in a warm bed … soon. As soon as I put the heating pad on the bed.

By the way – Mom is coming back home from hospital this afternoon. Read her blog under same title but different URL.

in hospital for ulcer

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I’m in hospital now waiting in bed for a doctor. Got sick on my way too classes at college. Strong upper abdominal pain. I asked Randy and Crystal to look after my stuff and went to the nurse’s station. Closed. I vomited a few times in a restroom then went at 8 to see the nurse. No triage there, just a nurse. Couldn’t do much. I called Floyd, got my stuff from class, met Floyd outside. I vomited again on our way here. An attendant met me, took me by wheelchair to emergency admitting. Half hour later they put my in bed. Now waiting for doctor. Floyd is visiting Mom upstairs.

ear update

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Dang, this ear.  I went to the walk-in clinic again this morning, a week after my last time.  The infection is gone.  “Don’t take this anymore,” the doc said, referring to the antibiotics.  Instead, my Eustachian tube is plugged causing a buildup of inner ear fluids.

Now I’m on Sterile Saline Nasal Mist spray, Phlegm and Mucous Relief (acetaminophen 500mg, dextromethorphan hydrobromide 15mg, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 30mg, and guaifenesin 100mg), and Cough & Chest Congestion syrup (dextromethorphan hydrobromide 15mg again, and guaifenesin 100mg again).

Gotta have my dextromethorphan hydrobromide and guaifenesin!  Tastes like crap.  But it’s not all bad.  I’m also chewing gum and eating corn chips, both of which have in the past allowed my Eustachian tube to drain properly.

The bizarre side effect, if you can call it that, of having this Eustachian tube plugged is that sound in the right ear appears to be a bit more than one note higher in pitch than the left (normal) ear.  So, in effect, I’m hearing two different pitches of sound at once.  So much for playing guitar.  Plug the bad ear, and music sounds normal.  Plug the good one, and everything is raised by one note.  I thought I was losing my mind.  The nurse didn’t think so.  He says this is pretty normal for tinnitus.

So that’s what I have.  Tinnitus.  Or is it?  Tinnitus is not really a disease but rather a symptom of whatever ailment that is causing it.

One good thing has come of this.  I’ve learned how to spell Tinnitus and Eustachian.