RAIN! DIRT!

Summer in the desert: Hot. Windy. Dry…And wet?

In short: Fires. Yup. The state is on fire, mostly thanks to the local Forest Service’s incompetence and mismanagement. But that is a rant for another day. But that does mean hefty smoke in some areas and a giant hope that monsoon season shows up soon. And it is supposed to—this weekend in fact. Even if I have to wipe off muddy paws, I’m happy to do it, and maybe even frolic in the drips if I get the urge (though probably not nekkid). It can’t come too soon for my liking.

Yesterday at work I got to play in DIRT! Yes, you read that right. I got to take care of our much-neglected houseplants, including my poor hibiscus that needed over half the bag of dirt to get it back up to where it needed to be. That bush (tree?) is my baby. It is the reason I have the small cozy office instead of the huge sterile one. That and the prolific philodendron keep me company in my cave.

In other news, I have mostly recovered from COVID-19. Just some slight taste changes, more joint pain, and a pretty hefty dose of fatigue. I escaped pretty darn well compared to others. Working is difficult for the last half of the day. I had to take my 15 minute break yesterday afternoon for a (alarm set) nap. I can’t wait for that to get better, though with how much I need naps in general I am not sure how long that is going to take. But breaks are awesome and I can get in 10 minutes of sleep out of those 15 and that is enough to tide me over till I get back to the house. Dear naps: I love you. Be patient with me.

Scared *&^%less

Of what, you ask? Nothing much. Just words on a page. My own words on a page.  And sharing those words with other people. At the urging of a couple friends, I am once again looking into publishing my first book. I already paid to have it professionally edited (and that was pricy), so I have a head's up on some other competition. But it is a genre-bender. Cyber-punk meets Urban-fantasy--for those who know RPGs, this is where Shadowrun fits best. And that is a problem since when I tried before, nobody wanted to touch it. I even went directly to Shadowrun, knowing that there would have to be major overhauls of the story. They don't want unpublished writers.

Damn. I sure could use this button.

BUT

The Shadowrun people do often have openings for short stories and blurbs for their sourcebooks that I might qualify for and keep my writing going in that genre. After a good schooling in the current Shadowrun system and intricacies. Then there is the 2,000-word writing example hook to be submitted for review.

AND

The second book is ready for reading, and almost ready for professional editing. I have more tweaking that needs to happen, but that is what is keeping me focused for now. This one is a Young Adult Fantasy (that could be just simply lumped into Swords and Sorcery Fantasy) that is far from the first one on topic and characters. I have yet to find where I can market this one to.

Until something I reach out for magically works, I will just have to keep prodding agents and corporations until someone gets tired of me asking for attention.

Sneaksy. Very Sneaksy.

Cough? Got it, but that is to be expected. Sniffles? Same. But there is one effect that snuck up on me three days into COVID-19: the dreaded taste and smell loss. "So what?" I hear you ask. Food I can get around by texture and basic flavors of sweet/salty and the like, but there is one major drawback: 

I. Can't. Taste. Tea.

I live on tea during the week. One might call me a tea snob at times. I very carefully made up my morning brew yesterday and finally took a sip once it was cool enough. And could only detect the bitter tannins. *sniffle* And it may be a couple months before it fixes itself. *sob*

So I'm mostly back to normal routine, if not at 100% since I am REALLY tired and foggy all the time. Keeping my thoughts together is difficult. Heck, even something simple like a blog post takes it out of me.

I could take the lack of taste as a signal to eat less, but I am well aware how to eat for texture rather than tastes when necessary. And eat I have. Still up at 220, despite the complete lack of exercise, so I guess that is something. Mom is cleared for her new restrictive keto diet, so it could be an interesting next couple months as we settle into the rhythm of things. I get to do a modified version since one of my med's side effects are directly linked to salt balance in my body. That will be the hard part--maintaining a deficit of calories on a high-fat diet. She's being monitored closely. Me less so since there really isn't much to test for outside of the previously mentioned med balance. Now I get to decide if I am going to measure out my foods again, knowing full well that it works for me. It is a pain, but it may keep me from going overboard on the various nutrient balances. It will work. 

Poor Dad has no idea what he is in for. I'm going to try to cook so that he isn't feeling deprived--low sugar spaghetti sauce with squash for mom, a little pasta for me, and a lot of pasta for Dad. Taters are out, but pot roast with the rest of the veggies is fine. Make taters for Dad and mom and I get the onions and carrots and shrooms. May have to do chicken and rice/chicken soup for all of us on occasion as well.

But I'm rambling and desperately need a nap. A nap that I probably won't get today. So it goes.

Vaccinated... Yet...

Vulnerable. Well, more than vulnerable. I have indeed contracted COVID-19, though I can't figure out from where. I've been careful to wear my mask when near strangers, though less good about sanitizing my hands and not touching my eyes. Obviously, I missed something along the line. But that can happen, as in this case.

So this is the sequence of events for me:

Headache,-->headache, muscle aches from hell, tiredness--> exhaustion, fever, cough-->tiredness, sneezes, occasional coughs

I'm not sure what the next couple days will be like, but if today is any indication, I should be up to almost normal tomorrow. 

It made it through three shots. My body reaaaally wanted to invite the invader in. I am not amused. But I should be good to go for at least a few months without really worrying about it. Gotta see more upsides, like it could have been so much worse!

But, my appetite is back after a short hiatus. And that has led to me overcompensating by eating everything in sight. Meh. It could have been so much worse.

It is that time.

I think we passed spring already. Summer is here.

Complete with 90 degree days and full-bloom roses! Thank heavens that I have a window AC unit in my office or I would be a sweaty mess come 3pm. That rose? From work. The gardener gave me a choice of which one I wanted and I went with the big open one instead of the young one. I wanted instant floral gratification. So my little hedgehog has a hat.

I haven't managed to gain any more weight over the last one/two weeks, though not for lack of trying with how I have been eating! Time to get back to at least being mindful of when I am hungry, even if I immediately give in to the hunger/horrible munchies.

In other news, it is a good thing that I have copies of all my important documents stashed either in my house or in the safety deposit box. Yesterday I...um...threw away my driver's license. Yup. In the trash with the little paper holder banks use to give you your money in. I grabbed the cash but not the card. And the trash can was empty when I went back to try and snag it. So I drove the 90 minutes home to get the data I needed to buy a new license, then yesterday picked up my passport just to be safe if people get persnickety about accepting the printed-out temporary license.

All that means that I had to work today (and am taking my break) instead of yesterday--with an awesome boss who let me get what needed done finished on my normal day in the office. But on that note, time to get back to business!

Getting Political and Sensical

Let's just get this out here while I'm on a rant. 

I can't be compelled by the law to give blood to a dying person, even if my special blood is needed for their special body. My organs can't be harvested to save other people's lives without my prior consent, families' desires be damned..

So why is it that I (the general "I", not me. That would take some serious work.) could be legally compelled to carry another person/being without my consent?  Even if that person would die due to my actions/inactions? 

Would I get an abortion electively? No. But I am only me. I don't hold it against other people who wish to do so since that is their choice for their bodies. This is about autonomy, pure and simple. When live uteri have less legal standing than blood and DEAD organs, we have a problem. A big problem. AND I AM LIVID! Heck, a donated uterus could have more rights than that same uterus in another person! 

But there's my rant. Opinionate from here so should you choose.

My Dear Green Sheep

One of the sheep in the Golias flock needed brewing equipment for a foray into mead brewing. I have stuff. He needed stuff. My repayment? A sip of each one he makes. Good trade. I think we both win with that agreement. The brewing gear hasn't been used in years, but it doesn't get old (other than a little brittle for some of the plastics), so I am happy to share. For one of my flock, almost anything.

In other news of my fellow sheep, I got to spend a nice time out with friends last night and catching up. Raunchy replies and suggestive talk galore. It. Was. Awesome. And should happen more often if I can kick myself off of my hermit arse. I love having friends that I can taunt mercilessly with little chance of overstepping my own or others' boundaries. I can flirt without intent and lay it on thick. Since flirt is the default mode for me, I have to watch it because I have no intent to follow through. With these friends (and others in this core circle of teasing) it is a nice escape from the prim and proper façade I have to keep up at work most of the time. I feel at ease and just...well...home.

And on a final note: dear New Mexico, you are jumping ahead of yourself. As the days inch ever so closely to 90F it seems that spring has come and gone over a couple weeks. Whereas we were asking for coats and sweatpants for our men at work we are now looking for scrubs and shorts! But that's the high desert for you--pushing 90 during the days and still in the 40s for lows. Luckily today and tomorrow are not going to be scorchers, but still, it is far too close to summer for me.

Thanks to the early summer and lack of water over the winter (such as it was) is that the fires that have been ravaging the state have finally hit me close to home. No, not trying to burn me out, it just took out my much-beloved camping site south of me. Completely torched. *sigh* But that is a small inconvenience in comparison to those losing their property and livelihood. I just hope we have some rain, or at least no wind for a while.