You are currently browsing the daily archive for September 15, 2021.
What’s top of my mind: Blood work. This morning before work I go get my seasonal blood draw to check on the lipids, glucose, and whatever else The Good Doctor wants to look at. The last batch of blood work was not good. I told TGD this was the results of twelve months of at-home indolent living. Let me ‘work on this’ prior to changing any meds. He agreed, so I am on tenterhooks to see if I did enough to reverse this trend. I will find out next week at the appointment how it went.
Where I’ve been: On the floor. I’ve neglected my stretches done before bedtime, and it shows. My lower back is sending out cranky messages to be more mindful to keep doing this nightly ritual. Stretching feels marvelous, yet it remains challenging to do regularly as when I think about doing some this is just when I would rather just get into bed with a book. My favorite position is butt up against the wall, legs up, with arms out back. Lovely.
Where I’m going: Trader Joes. About this time of year I go to Trader Joe’s (ugh) to get a cannister of his Pumpkin Spiced Coffee for the MESA office. Years ago I did this as a joke, which turned into an annual event, now looked forward to by the office staff. I feel like an autumnal Easter Bunny. I do not like Trader Joes as the aisles are quite cramped and loaded with “Scottsdale matrons” on cellphones. Oh the pain. **
What I’m watching: 50 tips for cooking by Gordon Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay (on The Tube of Yous) knows his onions and he provides sage advice on cooking, doing so while hopping about and talking faster than he chops his onions. One of his tips made me sit up: Mr. Ramsay adds olive oil to the boiling water for pasta to prevent the noodles from sticking. I thought this was a no-no. He mentions chopping garlic with a pinch of salt added to make the process easier. Mr. Ramsay speaks as fast as he moves, so I have to keep backing up the video to catch what is whizzing by. Do you add olive oil to the boiling pasta?
What I’m reading: ‘Clozapine and the risk of neutropenia’. Clozapine is a medication quite extraordinary that it helps in cases of refractory bipolar depression and schizophrenia. Unfortunately the wonder drug comes with a risk of neutropenia, which means the white blood cells can drop low, making folks prone to infection. Before one prescribes the stuff, patients have to be registered with at the Clozapine website and they require frequent blood draws. The Captains of Clozapine recently decided to upgrade the protocol, so if I want to prescribe the stuff I have to read the updates and take the refresher test etc. It is all rawther tedious, and there is a part of me that wants to say ‘screw it’ and tell any patients wanting and willing to try it, they must go find another shrink.
What I’m listening to: Nobuo Uematsu. My dental hygienist, whom Someone would describe as a ‘bouncy type”, recommended to me the music of this composer, so I am checking it out on The Tube of Yous. So far so good; I like his work.
What I’m eating: McDonalds. Normally I don’t eat this sort of rubbish, but going to Mickey Ds is my traditional post-fast blood draw happy meal. After fasting for nearly 36 hours I am ready to eat snake. Two Egg McMuffin is my drug of choice, which I eat with relish. If I wait long enough to get to the office, I douse’m in hot sauce.
Who needs a good slap: The folks at Medscape. Medscape is supposed to be a reliable source for all news medical. Lately the headlines in their oh-so-frequent emails are alarmist sensational types normally associates with click bait. Indeed, to go to the links one is immediately faced with pop-ups about medications. Medscape also sends me frequent invitations to take surveys, promising Amazon gift-cards if I do so. I have yet to get through one of these surveys before I lose interest or I am disqualified.
I give Medscape 3 slaps (on a 1-5 scale).
What I’m planning: Spiced Apple Bourbon. Every year about now I make a concoction on the stove consisting of cut apples, apple juice, some water, a cinnamon stick, and some spices. After boiling, I let it cool and then poor it into a glass jar along with a vanilla bean and a good amount of bourbon*. I put it in the fridge for a few days, shaking the jar from time to time to mix it all. Then it is all put through a strainer. The spice-infused bourbon is poured over ice and topped with ginger ale. It tastes like autumn.
What’s making me smile: Funny this W is always the hardest for me to figure out. What is making me smile these days? I suppose Mythical Beasts Maps are what’s making me smile. Brother #2 send these from time to time. Each is of a country with its local legends and cryptids. Most of the time I don’t know them, and I have fun researching what they are and their stories. Here’s the latest one, from France:
*For this I do use rubbish-type bourbon. There is no point in using fancy-pants quality stuff for this recipe.
**I sort of cheat by making the office coffee using cheap stuff with an added teaspoon of pumpkin spice to the grounds. This would work but clever-dicks at the office have noticed the lack of Mr. Joe’s tin, so they know I am up to no good.
Spo-Reflections 