Elayne Riggs' Journal (for Leah)

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

I'll be very happy when this bug is finally gone. In the meantime I have to be content with noticing when the pain isn't there and knowing this pain-free condition may soon be the norm, if I don't do anything stupid like, for instance, choking on a supplement when taking my evening pills. But I'm generally happy because our 2023 taxes are done, and I'm also caught up on current finances! We prepped pretty well this time, and it only took a couple of hours, and we celebrated by cringe-watching Finian's Rainbow with me ingesting a wee drab of strawberry Bailey's and that's about as Irish as either of us gets on what really should be called St. Catty's Day. In any case, I encourage you all to get happy, as these dancers did during the first year of the pandemic.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

I think Robin and I have now perfected the art of shopping at our local supermarket. Once again we were there and back in about an hour, including the drive, and are staying put for the rest of this lovely weekend, windows open and prepping for tomorrow's taxes. Rob's printed out receipts and I'm still trying to get my act together enough to catch up on current finances, let alone 2023, but this dang bug won't leave me alone. The shoulder and neck area is well enough to afford me an afternoon nap, although it's still cracking weirdly when I move my neck, but I was rudely awoken a few hours ago by a massive calf cramp that seemed to last at least a half a minute before it started to ease, so I guess I'll try again tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy some French and Saunders visiting the repair shop.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

Ah, hello range of motion, I've missed you! After coming down with sudden shivers between the bus and the house yesterday, I painfully tossed and turned last night for four hours, in a big ball of sweat, before getting up for half an hour then trying sleep again. And lo and behold, suddenly the pain lessened and I could actually move comfortably in bed before grabbing a few hours of unconsciousness. I don't think it was the naproxin. I haven't had any painkillers at all today, and my situation is immensely improved. Robin suspects the muscle pain may have been exacerbated by some sort of virus that attacked and magnified the weakest part of my muscles, and yesterday's chills and sweats were the virus finally exiting my body. I may never know, but the upshot is that I once again feel more like myself, with a few residual aches around the neck and shoulders but nothing I can't handle with more conventional cures like a heating pad, a shower, and more sleep. Although I won't be getting on a golf course any time soon:

Via Laughing Squid.


Thursday, March 14, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

This evening the neck pain got so bad that I went for the naproxin, which didn't seem to help appreciably. But I have figured out how to position my second pillow to better cradle my neck, so I'm hoping this means some relief tomorrow at last. Work was busy so I didn't have that much time to think about the pain, and my mood was definitely lightened by the weather, which seems springlike at last. So maybe mood affects pain? Is that a misconception? Here are a number of them, debunked:

Via Laughing Squid.


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

OMG, this neck pain. I hope I don't have to consult with my doctor, and that it starts to ease soon. I hate having to down the ibuprofen in order to just get on with my day, particularly in the office. If I didn't have so many meetings tomorrow I would have brought my laptop home with me. It didn't help that I had seat company on yesterday's express bus (my fault for getting out a bit early to catch a bus that was more crowded) and this morning's (a woman with a cane who really restricted my movement). Again I remind myself that This Too Shall Pass, which is not the same thing as an Insult and Passphrase Generator (via BoingBoing).

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

Lovely day today, although it started out a bit rough with Robin walking me to the bus stop so he could carry my laptop there and carry my extra jacket and hat back home. It went from feeling like the 30's all the way up to the 60's by lunch! I had a spur of the moment lunch with one of my partners, wandering through midtown east until she found an Asian restaurant that looked interesting, and I had ankimo for the first time in years (love it!). I do forget how many amazing restaurants there are around where I work! Did more than a full day's work by 5 so left a bit early (as I'd been there since 8 AM) to try and relax my neck muscles. Maybe the warmer weather will ease them. The winter coat and jacket have been taken from the coat closet and stored elsewhere, as I live in hope, and I now have two serviceable KPMG rain jackets, but I don't think I'll need anything more than a light sweater for the next couple of days. And possibly a mascot, but not one of these.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

Not too bad a day considering the lost sleep yesterday (between Daylight Savings Time and the Oscars), but I'm glad I was able to work from home. Even caught up on the finances, and got everything ready for the office tomorrow. Now if only this awful neck pain (which seems to be traveling, it's started hurting on the right side as well) would ease! At least the weather will start to warm up, finally, with less wind! Maybe I'll even spot a shiny unicorn... alas no, those are only in Providence...

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

With the slightly less cold weather my neck seems to have eased a bit, going from near-constant pain to a weird kind of cracking noise when I move it. I'm told that's still inflammation so I haven't completely abandoned the ibuprofen yet, but I'm trying to crack down, pun unintended. Liverpool and Man City ended in a draw, perhaps inevitably, and having just watched Wonka last night (like The Marvels, apparently another movie for which I'm pretty much the target audience) I was psyched for the Oscars this evening, which was okay overall. I mean, it certainly wasn't as bad as Scotland's Wonka experience, about more which here.

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

My neck is still pretty bad, but I remembered I had a travel neck pillow so I've been wearing that for much of the day. Fortunately our shopping went pretty quickly, even though we hit three stores, so we were home well before noon and I could relax and hit the ibuprofen for much of the day. even tried to get in a nap or two, knowing tomorrow will be shortened by Daylight Saving Time and the blossoming of goths in trees.

Friday, March 08, 2024

Silly Site o' the Day

What a relief to be able to work from home today! But I feel like I have a pinched nerve or some kind of strain in my neck. Probably not a surprise, given the weather this past week and the two schleppage days with my laptop and the five or so hours of driving in between those two days. Ibuprofen isn't helping that much, so I just took frequent breaks and keep reminding myself that this too shall pass. If not, maybe I can get a canine injury lawyer?