Baby it's cold outside.

Brrrrr!!

I spent the afternoon in the car because the sun was out and the car was pretty warm.  In fact, I took my hat and gloves off and wore my mitts.  But I was under my wool throw.  Pretty comfortable.

But the sun goes down about 4:30 these days and it got bitterly cold after that.  The wind picked up and was rocking the car so I moved shop into the college.  Zach and I had soup and sandwiches (brought from home) in the commons and kicked back and killed an hour or so.  He left to go to class and I stayed put for a while, then took the cooler and stuff back out to the car and brought back the ds and some sodas but just as I got all sprawled out in the booth, a woman came in and started laying tests out on the tables so I left because she said they were going to be testing the rest of the evening.

There are a couple of comfortable chairs in the foyer area so I camped out there and played games for 4 hours while waiting for Zach.  And talked to one of the maintenance staff.  She always is so friendly to me but I'm sure she's been curious that for 3 semesters she's been seeing me enter the building to visit the bathroom and head back out to the parking lot several times a day, a few days a week.  Now she knows why.  I don't think I'll sit out in the car anymore.  It's just too cold.

I can't speak highly enough about Moraine Park Technical College.  I've only had experiences on two of the campuses, but if I had had a college like this when I got out of the Navy the first time, I never would have gone back in.  The one I tried to go to wasn't really a quality education.  But maybe tech schools weren't back then.  I know now, though, that Zach is getting a great education.  Sure, some of his teachers aren't his favorites, but that's life.

I am looking forward to an easy schedule next week.  I do plan on getting some clearing out done while Tom is gone.  It's the only time I can get by with it.  He's been known to go through the trash if he suspects there is something in there he doesn't want thrown out.  I've seen him pull stuff out and take it upstairs.  After a safe amount of time, the stuff goes back to the trash but he has forgotten it by then.

He was supposed to leave tomorrow morning from work but his niece can't leave until evening so he's going to try to sleep.  I think he expects me to wake him up but I won't be here so he's on his own.

I just found out last night that HBO and Cinemax are part of our package.  I checked to see of we were paying extra but we don't seem to be so I guess I'll watch it from time to time.  I found out by accident when I punched the wrong numbers in the remote.  I thought it was a fluke until I checked the bill.  And of course there was nothing on I wanted to watch.

I finished Buffy the sixth season.  I so want to own that.  Once More with Feeling is one of my favorite episodes.  But Wall-E is out and I want to get that for Zach for Christmas.  Prince Caspian is coming out very soon but I think only one dvd for Christmas.  It will still be around and maybe I can get it in January.  I prefer the wide screen editions and those go fast so I might have to settle for full screen.  But maybe the price will go down as well.

Or we can wait for a long time until it really goes down in price.

But I'm still getting Wall-E for Christmas for Zach.  He's lamenting his childhood.  Now that he's a man, he doesn't get toys anymore.  And his paycheck goes into the bank for his college so he's not spending any money on himself.  So maybe just one thing that's not practical.

I'm tired and haven't gotten any knitting done today so I'm off to watch stuff I've taped this week and knit until I fall asleep.  I'm going to try to sleep in tomorrow but it's so hard when Tom comes in and plays catch on the bed with Professor or plays tug-of-war and gets him growling or bangs doors and dishes and turns the tv on loud.  I never treated him that way whenever he would sleep downstairs in the living room instead of going up to his room and life had to come to a halt because we didn't want to wake him up.

I think that speaks a lot of what exactly he feels for me.

Not a lot.

Well, off to make up the bed and enjoy what's left of tonight.

She actually talks about knitting

I got a few emails answered but my inbox is so cluttered that I need to clear it out before I can find just who I need to respond to.  Much like my mind.

Now that I'm into the Vanna's Choice skein more, I'm liking it more.  No more knots and I love the way it feels.  Barbara mentioned that she used a smaller size needle with great results and she was right.  I got gauge by going down one needle size but I don't think Charlotte will be as warm as she was wanting to be.  My plan is to make two and stitch them together for double thickness.  And reversible.  I just hope I have enough yarn since she's going to be paying for that as well.

I need to make myself a cowl now because the weather is definitely cold and I need more layers. I'm even considering leg warmers because when my jeans ride up my legs the car seat is mighty cold.  It being leather (used car) and all.  And I have to finish Zach's sweater before Christmas. So why am I not getting anything done?

One reason is the parking lot is too dark for knitting.  Another is Zach wants to listen to Half-Blood Prince with me so I can't listen while he's not there.  I might have to get Artemis Fowl to listen to when he's in class and work on things that don't require a lot of attention.  Or light.

Zach got out of class way early tonight so I've got a chance to watch that documentary about the Bible and finish up Buffy, season 6, and work on the chulo.  I'm also working on snakes for my windows.  It's mindless knitting on dpns and doesn't require a great job on it but I do need to start stuffing it before long.  If I can find my bag of batting.  I'm not sure where it is.

I'm off to make up the futon and curl up under the blankets and knit.

TTFN

Mostly Tuesday

I started the C'hulo last night for Charlotte but my gauge was off so I had to frog it.  I think if I drop down one needle size it will be enough.  The circumference was almost right but just a tad too big. One needle size smaller will also make it denser and that means warmer.

I'm using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice and it's the first time I've used it.  She specified acrylic because wool makes her itch and I do like the feel of Vanna's Choice.  Not much color selection at Stuff Mart though.  But I'm highly disappointed in it.  I haven't even gotten into the skein yet and already I've had to cut out two knots.  I've always liked Lion Brand yarn and never had this problem before so I'm going to assume this is just a fluke.  But still, I've already paid for the yarn and need to get it done by Sunday so I've no time to email them and complain and get any satisfaction.  I haven't heard anything really negative about VC before...aside from the fact that it's acrylic, so I'm going to go on faith, I guess.

I didn't sleep as well last night.  Isn't that the way it always goes?  Once you brag about something it will fall apart as soon as possible.  Still, I did get more sleep than I usually do and I intend to sleep late tomorrow because of a late night at Fond du Lac.  I might get a nap in tonight while waiting for Zach.  It's pretty dark in the parking lot and unless I get right next to a security light I can't do anything beside play Zach's DS.  Which is also okay.

Not much brewing here.  I haven't gotten dressed yet and am feeling still just as fatigued as I always do but not much pain today.  Yesterday I ended up taking a pain pill during the day though.  I don't normally do that but I was so achy.  I don't know if the snow had anything to do with it.  Or the cold.  

Well, off to get dressed and get started on the C'hulo again.  I taped Mission Impossible (the old series) last night so I want to watch it.  And I also taped Monarch of the Glen.  I'm diappointed that BBCA doesn't have anything on worth watching since we got it back on our channel line up. But at least we have PBS.  I think when our two years is up on this cable package, I might just cancel the phone and the cable again.  I'll be working by then and won't have a lot of time to watch anyway.  But I need to get a couple of coupons for the digital receiver before February though.  At least we can pick up PBS and I can watch some shows online.  Others I get from the library.

The more money I can save, the sooner I get rid of all this debt and then I'll have options I don't have now.

TTFN

There are things that make me happy after all

I'm in a better mood today.  I've been getting a lot of sleep and gas is under $2 a gallon right now. It really doesn't take much to make me happy after all.

I got a commission to knit a hat for a woman at church.  She'll pay me for both the yarn and my time.  I can't charge her because it's not an original pattern but if she wants to give me a buck or two for my time, I ain't complainin'.

It snowed today and snow makes me happy, too.  Shoveling...not so much...but I love the way snow looks when it's coming down.  Fortunately it didn't stick so there is no shoveling today.

Zach registered for his classes for next semester and is going to go for a dual degree (if I didn't already mention it) and fortunately will have the money for tuition, fees and books by the time he needs them.  And if he can continue to work the hours he's been getting (not much...about 10 a week) he'll still have the money for the fall semester and will only owe us for the first year. And it's not like we're going to charge him interest.

Again...makes me happy.

On the sleep front, since I switched to the futon (which is a PITA to make up and put back together) I've been sleeping so much better.  And when night comes, I'm sleepy again.  Not like it has been with lots of waking up, waking up stiff and sore from being in the same position and napping during the day so not getting sleepy at night.  Now I can barely stay awake until 11 p.m.

Before it would be 1 or 2 a.m before I even began to get sleepy.

And my weight is stable.  Not a great weight but I'm not gaining.  In fact, I think I've lost 2 pounds.  Two solid pounds.  So I don't need to do anything except add some activity.  And when I can get through this fatigue cycle (and they do come and go) then I can get some serious work done on the house.  I plan on doing some closet emptying while Tom is gone hunting.  Between Freecycle, the thrift store and the trash can, I might make some progress.  And even find my slippers.  I hope.

I so appreciate the comments.  They give me a such a lift.  I try not to whine too much because I've got people in my life who are supposed to love me but can only criticize me when I need a shoulder to cry on.  Except for Zach but I try not to go to him with marital problems.  Or financial problems.  Although he's not deaf and can hear it when I get my daily dose of whatever the crime of the day is.

I will try in the future not to complain too much though.

I washed a load of clothes today intending to hang them out because it was briskly windy out there and I thought in spite of the cold temps they would still dry but they didn't get done before we had to leave for Zach's class and since it's been snowing off and on, I don't think it will work to hang them out.  Tomorrow looks good but I think I will just hang them on the racks and hangars instead.  It takes a couple of days for them to dry but there's nothing there I need tomorrow so it's okay.

Saving money makes me happy, too.

I bought a London broil roast a couple of weeks ago at the store.  It wasn't on sale but the price was lower than most of the other meats and I'm getting tired of just hamburger and chicken.  I got a small one, about $7, and cut it into three pieces.  So far I've made beef and noodles and beef and rice.  Today we're having pot roast with potatoes and carrots.  I'll make some chicken broth rice for Zach since he can't stomach potatoes, except french fries.  So three meals for a bit over $7.  And that's one of my more expensive meals.

I can get three meals out of a chicken and I buy the family packs of ground meat and divide them up to half pound packages.  I can do this.  I need to stop panicking so much.

And I might start on the beaded scarf kit I won from Joan a while back.  I'm so nervous about starting lace, especially beaded lace.  And if anyone has some spare hugs or prayers or energy could you send them her way?  It doesn't sound like chemo is being very effective.  And that makes me sad, of course.

I really shouldn't let these pity parties happen too often, although I think it's okay for people to have them once in a while.  I really don't have things as bad as some others do.  And I need to remember that.  

So thanks for all the love you've sent my way.  I'm going to try to fight through this depression and let my outlook be brighter.  And maybe even get busy and answer my email.

Love you guys.

TTFN

Fibromyalgia sucks

Darned fibromyalgia.

I had one good day and decided to rearrange the living room and my bedroom (which is supposed to be the living room.)  We've had the cable guys over twice in the past month and each time they had to move the bed out of the way to get to the cable outlet.  It has been embarrassing to see the looks on their faces.

A bedroom in the living room?

Mortifying is more the word.  I was fighting back tears the last time the cable guy was here.

So while I had a good day, I moved furniture.  And disassembled furniture.  And cleaned.

The house looks like a house again.  The living room is a living room again and the dining room is pretty close to being one again.  I didn't bring the dining table up from the basement yet.  I just have a card table up for now.

It looks really good and Tom liked it, which kind of surprised me since he hates change.

I'm sleeping on the futon which is a PITA to make up but oh, so comfortable.  I actually can stretch out my legs now.  I couldn't in the twin bed because of pets sleeping at the foot of the bed and curled up under the covers next to me.  I slept like a rock.

Unfortunately, now I'm in such pain.  I'm saving my tramadol for tonight but I've taken tylenol and some ibuprofen for the arthritis that has flared up.  I might have to call the rheumatologist to get my medication refilled if it keeps up.

So I'm moving very, very slowly. 

Zach's class is later tonight and only a consultation so we won't be there long but tomorrow is all day.  And we have to stop eating out because now I'm paying for heating I just can't afford it.

Although I did buy a vcr/dvd combo today.  The vcr I got on Freecycle didn't work.  It kept eating the tapes and since the shift of furniture put the vcr and tv in the dining room for taping purposes I don't have one to watch in the living room/bedroom anymore.  It wasn't expensive but a mess to set up.  They don't make them to run off of cable anymore.  This one had to be set up from the cable box and doesn't change channels.  You can't watch one channel and tape another anymore.  So putting it on the cable box made the most sense since you can't tape on channel and watch another there either.

But now that it's set up it's great.

I know...not so frugal.  But I've been doing without a vcr for that tv (the one with the digital/expanded package) for a long time.  And since I don't get vacations or days off or even birthday or Christmas presents, I felt like it was a good investment for me.

Plus, the old vcr is now a tuner for my little tv that only got a few channels before.  I try not to throw anything away here.

But it is really time now to get down to tightwadding for sure.  And no eating out is a start.  Plus, cooking more from scratch.  I did have to crank the heat up a bit today.  I've been keeping it at 55 because we've been either gone a lot or busy but it's rainy today and that kind of cold seeps into your bones.  So it's up to 60.  I'll put it down to 48 when I go to bed since I use so many covers and have pets to keep me warm.

I started knitting a cowl for me.  I've got some Lion Brand wool left over and it will match my hat and gloves.  I was going to use my handspun dorset but I need to figure out the gauge.  I think it's spun out to a dk weight so it will require smaller needles to get a tighter knit.  It's a bit scratchy, too, but would be okay for a cowl, I think.  Zach will need one, too, so he gets the dorset.

Time to go eat supper and maybe some more tylenol.  It hurts just sitting, too.  I'm going to take a hot water bottle tonight and curl up under a blanket in the back seat while I wait.  I'm so tired of this pain.

And depression?  It's part and parcel of the fibromyalgia and believe me, it's like wearing weighted clothes.  I drag myself through life wondering if this is all there is.

TTFN

She gets a bit ranty today

Yes, the furnace is on. It was 55 degrees F this morning and with an overcast sky (and a few snow flakes coming down) I knew it wasn't going to warm up at all today so I bit the bullet and cranked the thermostat up to a roaring 60 degrees. I'm pretty comfortable, to tell you the truth. No cold hands, but the dog is under two blankets.

I finished a scarf and started a hat yesterday. It's my own pattern but I don't have it written down as yet. When I do I'll post it here, but I want to finish the hat first. I'm ready to start the sleeves on Zach's sweater and maybe get a bit done on the red sweater I'm knitting for me. I have a pair of slippers to make for my great-niece. My mom has requested them. She and Daddy babysit Rylee most days and Mom is concerned about her catching cold because she doesn't wear shoes at their house. I expressed my concern about the slippers being slick on the bottom. Rylee isn't 3 yet, but Mom & Dad have carpet throughout the house aside from the kitchen so it should be okay. She's requested pink and I do have pink in abundance.

I managed to spin a bit Wednesday. It's like riding a bicycle. But I do need to do it every day or I'll never be able to move on to a different type of roving. Or learn to dye. Or get to knit this up.

Zach has a class presentation in a couple of weeks where he has to teach a task in a 15 minute time slot. I suggested knitting so I had to go buy about 10 more sets of straight knitting needles. I have 11 sets but I mostly knit with circulars because they're easier on my shoulders. I found a value package at Stuff Mart that didn't break the bank and I have tons of yarn in my stash that he can use. He's going to teach the cast on, knit stitch and bind off. He figures just a couple of rows is all they'll have time for. A couple of people are really interested in learning, including some of his male classmates.

They don't have to actually succeed in learning. This is about presentation more than it is about being able to teach something in fifteen minutes. But I think there is enough time to learn the knit stich and a simple long tail cast on. I think the bind off might be a bit trickier but if these kids can learn to tear a computer apart, they can learn to slip one stitch over another.

I don't like to get into politics on this blog because that's one of the areas of my life that is very private. But I do want to talk about the hysteria that is rampant among some of the more fundamentalist Christian groups out there. One blog in particular, which I will not point to here because I don't want to give her any more attention than is necessary, believes that witchcraft in Kenya is responsible for Obama's win. Others claim that Obama is really Muslim and will soon begin turning our nation into another Iraq. That he's not really a citizen of this country, that he is the last president we will ever have because he'll single-handedly destroy our democracy.

This is one of the reasons I left fundamentalism behind. The fear-mongering, the false-witness-bearing, and the vile hatred for things that don't fit into their little cubicle of I-and-I-alone-ness. Should you point out to them that they are breaking one of the commandments about bearing false witness, they would smugly deny it since they really do believe it's all true.

Hysteria, however, is a two-way street and I saw as many Democrats terrified of McCain, or more accurately, Sarah Palin.

Doesn't anyone try to understand the other side anymore? People can come to different conclusions and not be the enemy.

I can't begin to express my outrage, though, over the states that are going to try to deny gays the right to enjoy the same rights as straight people do. Especially California, who actually removed rights that were already in place. I'm pretty sure this is going to bite them in the backside though because this has now become a civil rights issue, whereas before it was a states' rights issue. This whole thing will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before it's all over.

Enough said.

I'm off to knit a while before I go pick Zach up from work. I do have a ton of things I could be doing but Tom is asleep upstairs and Zach is gone so I'm going to just kick back.

Although I will have to dig through the closet to look for my hat and gloves. I got caught at Stuff Mart yesterday in just a sweater and it was snowing furiously when I came out. I was pretty darned cold, let me tell you.

TTFN

That darn computer...

was out again. For two days. Apparently a splitter that was put in over a year ago was put in backwards. I can't figure out why it's been working for a year but they replaced some old cables anyway so we should be good to go for a while anyway.

I hate it when anyone comes into my home though because it's so shabby. I've got my bedroom in the living room (and had to move my bed out of the way for the cable guy and there was really no room to move it.), the carpet is gone and the wood floors are in bad shape. The rugs I've got are really shabby. The curtains are falling apart. Sigh. One of these days...

Surprisingly nothing new is going on in the meantime. I'm working on a scarf, a prayer shawl, and plan to get back to work on my sweater and Zach's.

It's been unseasonally warm the past few days which is great except I've got flannel sheets on my bed so I've had to use the fan at night. And I've slept so well because I don't hear Tom's noises. But I can't justify using the fan all winter just so I can sleep.

Zach had Tuesday and Wednesday off from school so I've been taking it easy. Not quite like having a day off because I've got all this to do later and then some, but it's been great not to have a hectic schedule.

And the problem with the car was lack of power steering fluid. Fortunately the auto shop didn't charge us anything. But we know for sure now that the problem isn't in the power steering pump but in the rack and pinion steering and it's nothing to worry about.

I'm off to work on my bedroom and get some of the furniture out of it so I can move my bed if I need to.

TTFN

It's a good thing I'm not a homicidal maniac

I finished the cowl last night. I didn't go as many repeats as the pattern called for because I thought 5 pattern repeats was long enough. Any more and it bunched up too much under the chin. It still fits up over the head enough to wear as a hood. Besides, I wanted to use the rest of the Cascade to make the Dashing mitts from Knitty. I know they are men's but I like the pattern so I made them in the small size using a size 6 needle instead of a 7. They fit me fine so I'm sure they will fit whoever gets them. When I finish them, I'll get a picture.

Nobody in my family reads this blog anyway so it's not like I'm giving anything away.

Aside from Zach and Stephen, that is.

While I was doing 3 loads of laundry, rearranging Zach's bedroom while he was at work because his bed was blocking the heating vent (an arrangement that works well in summer though.) And cleaning the kitchen.

Today I've got more laundry to do and finish winterizing the windows. I had to redo one window because I had left a little slide thing open so it was pointless to have plastic on the windows when they were partially open. I've got to caulk the windows outside because I can't find the outdoor plastic and they don't seem to have it at StuffMart and anyway I'm broke this payday because I had three huge bills due tomorrow.

The back hallway has a split where the addition is (the former owner did a lot of bad modifications on this house and the addition doesn't quite meet and has no foundation but is built on top of the patio so no insulation.) and I have to figure out a way to stuff that shut. Then I found a separation on the heating vent in Zach's room and cold air is just pouring in from it.

Yeah...these are my days off. I really know how to party, don't I?

And Wisconsin decided to replace our license plates this year so we didn't get tags. And we also didn't get the plates yet. So I'm sure to get stopped sometime soon. I sure hope the registration which says I can just use these plates until they come in works when that happens. I can't afford a fine on top of everything else that is falling down all around me.

In the meantime, I noticed that it is already November 2, which means Christmas packages need to be mailed off in a couple of weeks and I'm not really ready for that yet. So while I'm not panicking just yet, it's not too far around the corner. I think I'll just save everything up and while Zach is on Christmas break, I'll have one myself. Maybe it will be a nervous breakdown or just a complete break with reality. Either way it will be the only way I get a vacation.

I'm off to get the windows done and put the clothes in the dryer. Yes, I'm wussing out and not drying them on the line. I just can't fit it into my timeline today. Then, when the sun goes down, I'm going to crawl into bed and knit until I collapse. One bright shining moment in my life though: I got a vcr through Freecycle so I can tape things on BBCA and Flix now. I rarely leave my room anymore at night and can't stay up long enough to watch anything on those channels anyway.

Oh, and I am working on changing my attitude. It's not easy though.

TTFN

Has someone speeded up time?

I can't believe the week is gone already. I don't know what's going on while I'm trying to just hang on but it seems to be going on without me.

I will stop the rollercoaster long enough to vote though.

I've been working on a cowl for a gift using the Cascade 220 that Zach was knitting with last year. Not sure who for, but then Tom's family still hasn't drawn names yet. I'm kind of hoping they don't.

I ended up giving away a shell and wave shawl that I knitted for my daughter's miscarriage to the sister-in-law from hell who emailed me to say she didn't need the "scarf" but it was a nice thought anyway.

I'm breathing. I'm breathing. I'm calming down and breathing.

We're not exchanging gifts on my side of the family but I'm giving some socks and small knitted items to my sisters and my parents. My older sister is single and while she gets gifts from her two kids and her grandkids, she doesn't get much each year. It was hard for me to keep my mouth shut when she was lamenting to me last year considering all I got the entire year was a Pirates of the Caribbean calendar. But I understand where she's coming from. Exchanging names means she gets a gift card from someone who doesn't know what to buy her when she just wants someone to care enough to know what to get her. I totally get that.

I'm saving the last Heroes dvd for the weekend. Tonight is Ghost Hunters live (which I will tape instead of Ghost Whisperers which I can watch online unless I can talk Zach into taping on his vcr.)

Tom will be leaving pretty soon to go up north to his brother's cabin. So my weekend is going to be spent doing all the things I didn't have time to do all week.

Plus, I've got to finish winterizing the house, start emptying out closets and work on finding the basement floor.

And figuring out how we can be more frugal. I spent a bit more on meat this time because I've been monitoring my blood sugar and protein at every meal is pretty much mandatory for me. Plant protein just doesn't seem to keep it level the way animal protein does. Believe me, I wish it did. But I'm through with hamburger casseroles. I've been cooking those nearly every night for years and there is only so many ways you can do those. If I have to eat another one, I think I'll choke.

So I'm trying to figure out other ways to have meat as a part of the meal but not the main event. It should be a challenge.

I was surprised, though, at the grocery bill. In spite of including my $30 prescription for Aromasin, it was under what the normal bill was. And I bought a lot of meat. Enough for two weeks. And I got everything on the list as well.

Zach and I have decided to stop eating out though. You can only eat so much on the value menus and even with his discount at McSnacky's it still adds up. Plus we're sick of the food as well. So I guess for Thursdays, I'll have to cook extra on Wednesdays. I'm thinking a pot of soup in the crock pot would work.

I need to get back to spinning again. One of the reasons I haven't is the mess it makes. It sheds worse than both pets put together. But I still love it.

Well, the work isn't doing itself so I must away and get it done so I can enjoy Ghost Hunters and my mini-bonfire tonight.

Have a happy Samhain, Halloween or whatever.

TTFN

Weekend blur

The weekend went by in a blur with me wondering why nothing seemed to get done in spite of feeling busy the whole time. Saturday night, as usual, was mostly sleepless. I had to go to church because I had altar guild and didn't want to claim lack of sleep once again. Besides, I really need church.

I tried to take a nap while Zach was at work but Professor was going nuts because the man across the street was out in his driveway with his little girl. Doing absolutely nothing. How he could hear them over the high winds stirring up the leaves the city leaf-guy didn't pick up when he picked up everyone else's leaves, I can't imagine, but he did.

So I gave up and decided to just try to catch up on email instead. Apparently I lost track of time because Zach had to call me to pick him up.

Is there anything I can do right anymore?

No, he wasn't upset with me but I was upset with myself.

I ended up struggling to stay awake to fix supper for Tom and when I put it in the oven told him to take it out when it was done and went to bed at 6:30 p.m. I really thought I would get an hour or so of sleep and then be up until 1 or 2 a.m. but I managed to sleep straight through to 6:38 a.m.

I got my cholesterol medicine yesterday and the co-pay is $50. So all that money I "saved" by switching my prescriptions to StuffMart is gone because of this. I'm going to call the doctor before my next prescription is due and ask her to prescribe something less expensive. My old cholesterol med was proven ineffective so there is no point in going back on that one.

I feel so skeptical about the pharmaceutical industry these days.

And insurance companies.

I need to schedule my mammogram pretty soon. It was due this month so I'm not really late on it. I have to make sure I've got a year and a day in between them but it's not like they really pay for them anyway. They take it out of my deductible, which means I pay for it. And it's not like hospitals really take payments anymore.

I had to buy a new glucometer yesterday as well. While the insurance still won't pay for the test strips, these are half the cost of the other ones but the initial outlay was a bite out of this paycheck.

I just can't catch a break.

On a positive note, I am loving Heroes. One of the benefits of not catching this stuff in real time is I don't have to wait a week in between episodes. This is really great and will definitely go on my favorites list.

I know I've been doing a lot of knitting but I've also been doing a lot of frogging as well. I didn't like the way the Irish Hiking Scarf was looking. It was too stiff in spite of using larger needles so I think I want to go with a lace pattern. When I get the time I'll look through my bin of magazines and patterns and see what I've got. Then there is always the internet world of free patterns.

Zach has a Halloween party at school today in Beaver Dam and then school tonight at Fond du Lac so I won't have a lot of time to get things done here. I got two windows winterized but have two more to go down here and three upstairs. Tom will be out of town this weekend so I can get up there to get some things done in addition to finding more winter clothes in the attic. I need to invade the foyer closet and find all the hats and gloves. I have my fingerless mitts but I haven't dug a hat out yet and it's been a bit nippy the past two days. It will warm up later in the week but for now I need a bit of warmth.

And still no furnace on. I might make it to November 1st. I know I won't make it to Thanksgiving though. A day or two of cold weather is tolerable. Weeks of it, not so much. Plus we do need to stay healthy.

We went to a birthday party yesterday with a family we used to be close to. Zach is like a big brother to the boys so the birthday boy was really wanting him to be there. It was good to see them again. The daughter just got engaged to a Norwegian boy. Well, he's 22, but to me that's still boy. They'll be getting married in Norway and for a wedding present I want to knit her a sweater. I gave her knitted socks for her birthday and she loved them so I want to get her something pretty and feminine but warm. I have until July so I have the time. Unless I procrastinate or something.

Not that I would ever do that.

Well, I need to get ready to go. Haven't had breakfast yet although my blood sugar was under 100 today. Yes!!

I still need to work on losing weight but eating more protein has helped my blood sugar come down. I really tried vegetarian but I just can't get as much protein in and the carbs were raising my levels way too much.

Maybe something like the South Beach diet. Which I'm not prepared for right now but I can do a modified version of it that's not quite so expensive.

Off to get ready for Zach's party.

TTFN