I went from Friday where I just had irritation into severe coughing and 103 degree fever. Now, I've finally lost the fever and remain with the cough. And when I say cough, I don't mean a little "ahem". I mean real gutwrenching, phlegm shooting, throat graiting thing that one night actually forced me to nearly throw up although since I hadn't actually eaten anything substantial it came out mearly as dry heaves and mucus, which is all the more painful and grotesque. 

I also couldn't eat anything due to the fact that my throat was so irritated.  I still can't manage to swallow anything acidic, and even plain water really creates a sting unless I use a lot of throat spray right before it.  It even hurt to talk for a while, and so I was telling people to just leave me alone, and I put my cell phone on silence (and thus got 11 missed calls, which I only noticed early this morning).  Everybody wants me when I'm down and out, I guess. 

So the thing now is whether I should return tomorrow or not, since my fever is completely gone.  My doctor says I've got a virus that's going around that will last at least two weeks.  A virus could be a cold.  Anyway, I think I will let Monique know exactly how I'm doing and that I really am still coughing violently and not let her believe that this is some everyday cough that I'm talking about.  And I will ask if she still wants me around the clients this way.  If yes, I'll go.  If not, I'll stay. 

My mother has also contracted the same viral infection.  We were given a number of natural remedies by her doctor (who is an M.D. but happens to favor naturopathic medicine), along with some antibiotics from Doctors on Duty.  One problem is that one of the remedies is actually made of an animal product.  It says something like "calf thymus", which makes me think it's from a calf?  The box got dropped into the cat's water dish, but the packets are still useable since they are enclosed in plastic.  We were going to phone the doctor and ask if there is a more vegetarian-friendly formula we could try. 

Well, I'm thinking I should hit the hay even though I'm not tired, since I didn't really do much today except go to the doctor and try (unsuccessfully) to get this pigsty in some kinda presentable shape. 

P.S.  My hair feels all greasy at the bottom.  Should I try a new shampoo or clean more thoroughly?  Sorry, just thinking out loud (or rather in type).

My throat feels scratchy and like I need to cough, but then when I cough, my whole chest and throat feel on fire and very irritated. Then I sometimes start to feel nauseous. I hardly ever get sick, so when I do, I take notice. I wonder if it's from the Detox Tea that I took, or if it's because I've had irregular sleeping patterns. Or that I've been working a lot of hours recently. Or a combination of the factors.

I hope I get better by tomorrow, because my client there can't be left alone (requires 24 hour care), and I would have to find someone to fill my shifts.

Blah.

Earlier, I was feeling cold and like my hair was standing up on the back of my neck. Now, I feel too hot. Dammit being sick.

Yay!  I finally passed.  Now, I could be a substitute teacher if I wanted.  But I already have a job.  I'll stick with this for a while until I get tired of it or find something better.  Next step is to take the CSET, the multiple subject version.  The next test is next month, but I won't be ready.  I: will try to find a class or some way to prepare.  The tutoring thing won't work for everything, because he just does math.  I need to do other things.  The test has three sections.  I forget what they are at the moment.  I have a study book.  There really is only one made for this test.  It's supposed to be the harder one of the two teaching tests.  I'm going to see if there are any prep courses at CSUMB or something and if I get get into them for the upcoming exams. 

Yay.

burp.

burp.

burp.

I'm going to try this diet.  It looks good, except that I don't drink wine.  Maybe I should start! LOL.

I don't think WeightWatchers was working.  I'm thinking of doing eDiets.  I'm not sure why either is better.  I just think WeightWatchers stopped working.  Or maybe I did.  Or maybe nothing works. 

But I'm going to give it a try.  My mother set me up with a nutritionist from Energia. Her name is Linda Ingbar, and I'm scheduled to see her on Tuesday, January 10th.  She seems to use the EatRight4YourType nutrition plan, and so she wants me to get a do-it-yourself blood type testing kit at Whole Foods in the vitamins and nutrition center.

I hope something will work someday.  I'm so tired of being close to 200 lbs.  I feel like a blimp, when anyone who knew me growing up knew that I was always average or skinnier-than-average.  People say I'm still attractive, but I'd rather be healthier and I'd rather not feel forced into eating junk food with my client or anyone else.  I'd like to politely decline while I eat my whole wheat bread sandwiches with organic sprouts and tofu. :-)

Yeah.  My mom wants me to take her to the store soon.  I just had some brown rice for lunch.  Mmmmm. 

So, I spent the last day of 2005 looking after a disabled boy at his apartment as he looked at girly pictures, watched movie and ate pizza and Hot Pockets while I just sat around as his "staff". I left about 9:30 pm last night. Then, I thought I was going to have to work today, but my other client (the one in Marina) said she didn't want me to drive in the rain on New Year's and she was afraid I'd get in an accident. So I got the day off today. That was nice. I'm going back to work tomorrow, but not until 2:00 pm.

I intended to call all the people I hadn't called yet in my family. Sandy called, but he didn't call back later, I think. I also wanted to call Daniel, Beatrice & Wally, Ethel, Amy and other people in my mom's family. But that didn't happen. I just ended up sleeping all day 'cause I was so tired. I'm planning to catch up tomorrow before work. Calling people on holidays is a nice thing to do.

People always say the end of one thing is the beginning of another. I had made some New Year's Resolutions on the weightloss bulletin board on www.3fatchicks.com .  Let me see if I can remember any of them.

1. Stick to a weightloss plan and don't let special occasions ruin my momentum. 
2. Become a cleaner, neater person.
3. Spend less money in the coming year.
4. Become more organized.  (I think I always say this every year, and it doesn't ever happen.)

hmm, I thought there were more, but I could be wrong.  If I can think of more, I'll post them later.  Normally, I like to have at least five.

Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone here in LiveJournal land.  I hope you all have a smooth transition into 2006.

That's how long I have until the new year.

I worked today from 8:45 am to 9:15 pm. It's been a long day. I'm not sure where I'm working tomorrow. I should call early in the morning. I normally go to church. I'm not going to work until I've done that. There is probably only one church service tomorrow and a special one. We missed church on Christmas Day, but we made it Christmas Eve.

I'm so tired. People say I should ask to have at least one day off a week from my boss. That would be nice.

I feel like collapsing into my bed and never getting up for 1 million years. Or something. I always say that.

I ate a lot of junk today. Tofutti ice cream bars, Chinese vegetables (which would have been fine if I had asked them to hold the white sauce), half a bag of pretzels, a small piece of one of Brett's (my client's) cookies.

I'm a goof. A goof. Ball.

Brett has a MySpace and looks at girls and PlayBoy.com all day long while drinking Mountain Dew and watching hundreds and hundreds of cable movie channels. That's all he does all day. And he is one of those guys with a super high metabolism who is scrawny like a stick but eats all the junk food he wants. He like ham and cheese Hot Pockets for lunch. And he ate four pieces of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I don't eat pizza. And I think he may have had whole milk. I'm not sure.

Well... now it's one hour and 14 minutes. I feel like going to bed right now. But I'm not. I'm not supposed to. That would be against the rules. Maybe I'll watch some Nick at Nite for a while. They've been showing the Cosby Show. Before they were showing Roseanne non-stop for about three days. Now it's the Cosby Show. I think I'd like to meet Theo. He is cute and a psychology major. And likes children. Nice boy.

Well. Good night. Happy New Year. Before it finally happens. One hour, twelve minutes left.

I'm up early. I think I'm gonna sleep another 14 mins.

z z z.

"Take a breath

Count to three

Come with me... to a world of pure imagination

What you'll see will defy... explanation!"

I heard that on NPR (public radio) in the 2005 year review of interviews on "All Things Considered".

I'm such a nerd.

Tomorrow I'm starting with a new client. More training. All the way in Salinas. Good thing I'm moving to Salinas. It's with a BOY. He can't talk and he's in a wheelchair. And he drools sometimes. He is literate, unlike my other client. I saw him last week at the Christmas staff party. He is younger, and he seems pleasant.

I have to be at work at 9:00 am tomorrow. So up at 6 or 7 am, because it takes some time to get ready and a half hour to get out to Marina. I'm meeting Monique and then she's gonna show me how to ge to the man's apartment.

I'm working on Saturday also, unless I manage to request a day off.

Heidi: I don't have your phone number. I'd like to call you, but I'm working all the time. Please send it to me via e-mail or call my home number. Your mother has it. Get it from her. We need to talk.

So I haven't called most of my relatives yet. I was planning on doing it tomorrow morning. I know it's late to do that, but I ended up not going to church today and sleeping much of it because I didn't get to sleep until about 3 or 4 am last night. Then I slept most of the beginning of the day, we had Un-Turkey as a mid-day holiday meal and then we guzzled up the last drops of Martinelli's and R.W. Knudsen cider before watching the animated version (not Peter Jackson) of Return of the King.

I hope those of you who were expecting a call (joypuff2001) are not upset that we didn't do a lot of calling out this year.  It was just a sleepy day, and we plan to get it done by the end of next week, around New Year's time.  Uncle Sandy called, however.  We told him about my new job and finishing school and my mom talked to him about some other things she wanted to tell him about.  He sent us some CD's this year, holiday CD's.

So, my apologies to those who were expecting a call and didn't receive one.  I'm truly sorry, and I'll catch up tomorrow (assuming you're not at work) or leave a message if necessary. 

I miss all those extended family members who aren't with me this  holiday season and those who have departed who will no longer be with us except in our hearts and memories. 

God bless us, Everyone!


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By the time I have finished writing this entry, it will finally be Christmas Day 2005. And then what will happen? Where's Santa, eh?

Church was fun. They did a fully participatory reenactment of the nativity story, but there were only two wise persons, because they lacked one red robe.

Today is my last day eating non-vegan fare. I always say it. This time, I mean it. It's gonna be one of my New Year's Resolutions (real ones, not silly quizlet ones!)

I get an actual couple days off from work. Marvelous. Although I've invited my client to come to church with us tomorrow evening at the UUCMP, but that's just as a friendly gesture since her mother wasn't feeling well enough to cook and her brother lives all the way in Pennsylvania.

I've been having random boughts of sleeplessness again. Sometimes I just don't feel like going to sleep. Then I'm tired for a few hours as a result. Then it just subsides and it goes away. It's not good, I tell you! Not to need sleep! Like an automaton or an android! Really! Oh, but whatever. It's all okay. I'm not tired now, am I?

I've been cheating on my veganism and my WeightWatchers plan recently. I haven't really told my coworkers and people at work that I prefer things without dairy, and I've just been going along to get along recently. I'm not sure why. Maybe I don't want to seem odd. Maybe I don't want to explain the complicated subject of animal rights to my client who can't even understand Kosher laws of Judaism although she professes to follow that faith. I need to be more strict, just say I'm not interested. Maybe say I'm on a diet or I don't enjoy stuff like that. I've started logging on fitday.com again.  My calorie levels are alright.  I could go lower and start strictly calorie counting.  I've just been following Core althought not as religiously.  I had regular pasta with probably too much olive oil at California Pizza Kitchen yesterday.  I'd never eaten there and didn't realize they served things other than pizza.  It was tasty.  I liked their split pea soup, and it's totally vegan.  '

I'm thinking of starting working out at Curves.  There's a place here in the valley and also one in Marina across from where I work.  I could go to either one.  I hope it's not too  much like the disaster I had at the Slender Lady place in the Crossroads Shopping Center.  We bought a year long membership, and we didn't end up using the whole thing but couldn't get our of our contract.  Huge waste of $$$!  And that's something I'll be lacking since I just purchased a car and the down payment was high.

Okay, well.  I'm starting to feel tired.  Imagine that.  I don't have to be up early tomorrow and yet I feel like going to sleep.  Crazy, crazy, crazy, I tell you!

I got a Ford Focus, 2003, LX.  I paid a large down payment to offset some problems with my credit.  But that means there's less left to pay in the long run and very low monthly payments.  I plan to pay the rest off as soon as I can. 

And, I just ate a whole mango from Trader Joe's as a midnight snack.  I was gonna eat it for breakfast, but  I couldn't wait.  It was very juicy and sweet.  I love mangos.

I've looked high and low and it's taken me a while. Tomorrow morning I'm calling some local dealerships. I'm hoping the lack of a male won't make me seem a "pushover". I have done my homework and looked up the Blue Book prices and plan to start well below the sticker price.  I'd like to bring someone with me when I make the final decision, though.  And I know the importance of taking used cars to independent mechanics.

I found an awesome looking VW Jetta that's in Santa Cruz, but I'm not sure it's an automatic.  I'd have to get it brought out here, but it's PURPLE and would look awesome.  I've also found some other more ordinary cars: Hondas, Fords, Hyundais...

I think I'll be able to afford it after a while.  I got my first and second paycheck.  First one was only ar $269 'cause I didn't work that many hours.  Next was about $560, which adds up to a decent monthly figure.  Anyway, with that along with my other income, I think I'll be able to finance something nice.  I could always just get an apartment and save up some money for a car... and just buy a nicer, newer car later on down the line.  I could get one of the Priuses or maybe even one of those new Honda Civic Hybrids. 

Or I could save money on commuting and get the car now, pay it in full or in only a few installments and then... I could drive to work, save some money and move to an apartment later.  Even with a car, the commute to Marina is about a half hour.  It's not that bad, but it's a dark road late at night.  Over the grade in the rain and all that stuff. 

I'll find a way.  I'll call about the things I found in the morning and I'll go see which works for me.  I think I feel comfortable bargaining, since I've looked up the Blue Book prices, and I hope they'll get past the fact that I'm a younger woman if I come across like I know what I'm doing.  I'll also set a price above which I won't go, and I'll stick to it... let them know I have other options.