sylvar

I've been having a rough night. I'm guessing it was food poisoning from dinner, given the timing. (I ate around 11am and then again around 6pm.)

Geek that I am, though, I'm pleased to see the beginnings of a good site at http://atlanta.digitalhealthdepartment.com/dekalb/, and am hoping for RSS feeds of the latest inspections.

EDIT: I went back to bed at 6am after a very relaxing bath and managed to sleep until 9:30am. I'm feeling better now -- more hungry than queasy, though I'm taking it slow.

EDIT again: 11am and I'm only queasy when I'm trying to move anywhere or stand up. Feeling a bit disoriented, but must make my 1:30pm appointment for this month's meds. I might try to make a homemade sports drink for lytes.

Three things I accomplished today:

• Had a healthy breakfast (Kashi and light soymilk)
• Found a better solution to a potential loss of data
• Threw out the old bed in preparation for receiving the new one tomorrow (the mattress is on the floor)

Three things that made me happy today:

• Floatpoint (rich, poignant, and easy-to-play interactive fiction; WELL worth installing the small program that runs it.  First time I've ever misted up while playing a game.)
• Being asked for permission to be quoted in an Information Today NewsBreak article (forthcoming) about the issue I mentioned here (I said "sure, though I'm not speaking for my employer, so 'systems librarian and blogger Ben Ostrowsky' would be most accurate")
  
• Informing the executive director that my blog would be quoted -- and getting quiet applause, a thumbs-up, and "I think you put it very well."

I couldn't refill my prescription using the automated system because it was "too early" to do so. Since I have a 5-day supply left, I called the pharmacy to check what was going on.

"Oh yeah," the guy said, "that's because it's already been refilled. Come by anytime and pick it up."

The woman at the drive-through, who wore a beautiful Creamsicle-plaid headscarf, said the refill was requested July 2nd. That was the day we were coming back from Sylacauga, and I don't remember calling it in. It's just a mystery...

I've been using Pria CarbSelect bars recently -- they're tasty, high in protein, and I found a great deal on them at Costco. Now BzzAgent is going to be sending me some Atkins Advantage bars so I can try 'em out. I wonder if I'll be addicted to Pria by that time.

I have a hard time believing that something called "Chocolate Decadence" or "Creamy Cinnamon Bun" can be good for you, but I'm willing to give it a try. I expect to have extras, so if anyone else wants to try one, let me know.

I went to the USF gym tonight and got acquainted with the rules. No denim, only closed-toe shoes, use the towels (they provide 'em), and if you want a treadmill or arc trainer downstairs, you sign up for timeslots.

I spent 25 minutes on the arc trainer, which really gave my legs a workout. It's sort of like an elliptical trainer, only it's approximately the bottom half of the ellipse, back and forth.

Then I went to the locker room and had a shower. This was the first time I've ever actually showered nude in a public shower with no curtains. (The sole concession to modesty was a wall with a fairly narrow doorway separating the benches and hooks from the wet zone.)

Serious replies only, since I lack context to identify humor: was I within social norms? I can't judge by reactions since I didn't see anyone while I was nude. I'm going to get a lock for the temporary use of a locker for my gear, so in what order do most people stash, undress, and shower? Are people going to think I'm rude if I disrobe entirely at the locker, wrap a towel around my waist, leave it hanging on a hook, and shower nude, then reverse the process? I'm much more concerned with not offending people than with the idea that someone might look at my body and like it a lot or dislike it a lot.

I'm happy that for the first time in my life I feel comfortable enough in my skin to take off my clothes and not care very much if any strangers were looking. I don't think any guys at my high school actually used the showers during the normal phys ed period. (mattyo3000, you went to the same school -- what do you remember? cardinalximinez, you went to high school at the same time in the same county -- what do you remember?)

Hmm. Now I need some smaller workout shorts -- the ones I've been using are about to stop staying up with an iPod on the waistband. And I need a padlock, too...

Not bad for a week when I was mostly too sick to work out. And that's the 25-pound mark.

Jeff Conaway as Kenickie	Jeff Conaway as Zack Allen

I just finished watching Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star. I don't know who recommended it to me, but it was pretty good. If you can't stand David Spade, just watch the credits -- they're hilarious.

In other news, I'm sick. Haven't been in the office all week. Fever of 102.7 F earlier tonight. I slept all day and I'll probably do the same tomorrow. This sucks.

Click the thumbnail for more details, including what's what and where to find that lovely little dish.

I've played more Monopoly this weekend than I ever thought I would. It's not really all that much fun, but Jodi likes it, so I play it. And besides, it's marginally more difficult to play than Uno and Skip-Bo. The Geevers are playing Taboo now (and arguing about whether "CD" is a valid answer for "compact disc"). This is the game-playingest family I've ever seen.

I've got a variety of presents in the car. One mom gave my disease a bunch of presents; the other mom gave me candy and oatmeal creme pies (and corn chips, which goes to prove that it was the standard stocking stuffer assortment). I'm not sure which is more depressing. I've been walking, though -- three or four miles a day, generally.

Sudoku is probably going to force my brain into the sort of zone it used to fall into, the sort of glassy-eyed concentration that Fischer operates in, the Csikszentmihalyian flow that used to accompany my math-competition days. Or it might not. I can see myself abandoning language to operate at the level of pictures. To my surprise, I've realized that I do think in pictures, at least more than I thought I did. I seem to have some things in common with Aspies, though whether that list includes the obvious would be a matter of speculation.

I thought this would be the year I finally got the menorah right, but it turns out that I was supposed to light the first candle after sundown on Christmas. Screw it. I'll try again next year.

The pharmacist said that I probably don't have anything that would care about antibiotics, so I've got some DayQuil and NyQuil, and I'm going to make sure I fall asleep right after dinner. WIth any luck I'll get enough rest to feel better before I have to go get my congested ears blown out on a plane.

Fortunately, I've only missed today's first session. It was one I really wanted to go to, though. I'll have to see if it's being repeated later.