Helenka, Queen of Outer Space

First, the cats. So, when I got settled down in bed last night, Diva was behind me on "pillow mountain" and leaning over and ... uh ... licking my hair. Uh, Diva dear, why are you licking the hair that received a blast of hairspray yesterday morning? IIRC, hairspray and perfume all have a terrible-tasting residue. Yuck. Yes, silly cat.

This morning, she kept patting my face and I was ignoring her while trying to sleep. When I finally opened my eyes, I discovered just why she was trying to wake me up. I'd slept all the way to 12:03 p.m. Whoa! But, then, it's pretty plain that I needed all that sleep. So, poor kitties had their eating schedule all confuddled. Sorry, kitties.

In the early afternoon, I finally got around to doing a wee bit of laundry. I'm especially pleased with one long sundress I bought that apparently just needs some airing out, so I don't need to wash it as frequently (not like the stuff that's worn once and gets tossed in the laundry bag). So I might try to find more outfits made of the material.

In the evening, I watched a whole lot of recorded tv, including a couple epis of Castle (and there are still two more to go), as well as the finale of the (singing in the workplace) Choirs competition on TVO (a repeat from last December) from Ely Cathedral. The finalists were a fire station, the company that is in charge of the ferry between Dover and Calais, and Citibank in London. While watching (and especially listening), I was transported all those decades ago (yep, 45 years ago), remembering especially when my voice was broadcast over the speakers outside for noonday passersby (and my first lover - ahhh), as I sang from within the Planetarium, and also when I sang in some pretty impressive chapels and churches. Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Anyway, it was a delightful show. I loved the concept of co-workers singing together, especially when someone who's not a bigwig ends up having a particularly lovely voice. I think it helps break down some of the artificial divisions within the workplace.

Well, I think I'm going back to watching some more Castle. And hoping for more cooperative kitty sleeping tonight. ::crosses fingers::

Look no farther. I've been in EXCRUCIATING pain since this afternoon, conveniently after I'd washed my hair and did a light load of laundry. So, I've been swearing continuously (and - politely - under my breath ... don't want to scare anybody). To make things even worse, I have ONE !@#$%^& painkiller left (and my normal dosage is two) for tomorrow morning. Uh ... if it didn't make me feel better no matter what, I'd probably be staying home from church. But, this way, I get to hand church-John my handy bag of empty supplement bottles as well as a shopping list. Only about $250 worth. But the refills should last me three months.

Despite the pain, I managed to fold my linens (it wasn't pretty, but it got done) and put away the storage tote. And, naturally, I swore some more. Ooh, that rhymed! And I also tried on my diagonally slashed black & white dress to see how much it needed to be shortened, as our Repair Café person will be at church tomorrow. I also watched an old epi of Castle that I couldn't even remember watching before. It was weird. Or was that the pain clogging my brain?

I guess I'd better think about trying to sleep. For once I don't mind the heat generated against my spine by my office chair. It's ... soothing. And so far it's staved off my wanting to cry.

So ... another morning affected by cooler temperatures. Not only did I wake up cold, half of me had twisted the sheets and uncovered a foot here and other bits there. Very disconcerting. Once again, I'd been in the middle of some upheaval in my dreams, but there was nothing which I could remember - even faintly. Oh, well.

Had a long wait for my meals as they've temporarily changed the schedule ... so I won't be so eager next week. Had another Castle epi rewatch, where the boys manage to go to Atlantic City - on a case. In the evening, SuM and I got together. I contributed my bottle of bourbon, ginger ale, my bourbon tarts and rocky road cookies. SuM provided ice cream and mini cinnamon rolls (like two-bite brownies in size). I asked her about "The Silent Giant", saying I couldn't see what was available, but she said she had her heart set on "Love & Friendship" (which I have yet to look up on Imdb), a Austenish period piece, simply because Kate Beckinsale played the lead role of Lady Susan. Considering what a huge manipulator Lady Susan ended up being, I mocked SuM for her choice! It was a little difficult to get into the movie because it just seemed to start in the middle of nowhere, thematically, and we had to catch clues everywhere. Anyway, it was free, so yay for that.

I'm looking forward to my own movie excursion tomorrow. So I'm going to give myself a cheerful pat on the shoulder, then look for next week's choice. Perhaps "Florence Foster Jenkins" though I might need earplugs!

Hmm. Why does "they" sound suspiciously like the leader of my new blind group? Well, it was fun, even though I left without having any fruit or popsicles (popsicles!!!) for dessert ... and then sat on a hard bench waiting for my ride. It was THIRTY-TWO minutes late (add an extra 19 minutes for my being there early). Not only that, the driver had to drop off another client TWO highways away. Oh, yes, we just love /sarcasm driving on the highway. But I'm now home, safe and sound ... and hot again. Thank goodness there's a fresh bottle of Perrier in the fridge.

So, IIRC, there were only 7 of us there, but then the host's place isn't very big (though he has two bedrooms) and there were two guide dogs (but he led his into the bedroom). We had tortilla and corn chips (with guacamole, quesadilla and salsa), three types of pizza (meat lovers, veggie lovers with extra spinach, and chicken pollo) along with 'tater salad and chicken caesar salad. I had a Coke to wash my food down. Really wish I could have had dessert. Sigh. Wonderful range of conversations around me. It turns out the guy who lives fairly close to me was a graduate of the same private boys' school as my first lover. Small world, eh?

I'd enjoyed being able to sleep in until 9:22 and had a fairly lazy day, watching last night's Castle before jumping in the shower. And, then, promptly got so hot again I had to put one of my chilled neck wraps on to lower my body temperature. Sigh.

Anyway, I need to cool off again and then get some s-l-e-e-p. That was hilarious, to hear people spelling certain words, so that the dogs wouldn't understand! Right now, all I want is some painkillers to go directly to my knees, having had to haul myself up into the front seat of the mini-van was so not fun.

It was SO hot that I woke up at ::shrieks:: 4:15 a.m. Decided NOT to try to get any more sleep and just read stories until the online booking system was live at 5:00. Naturally, as I'd done it first thing, I got both of my rides. Whew.

After that, I did manage to slide back into bed and slept until 10:15, even against the unpleasant backdrop of whining and barking dogs. Hmmm. I guess I must have been so tired that I could sleep through nearly anything. ::shudders::

This was one of my laziest days. I watched the Castle I'd recorded last night and was relieved to have my confusions from 9-10 seasons ago put to rest. Yes, yes, as if THAT were so important to my daily life. ::rolls eyes::

In the evening, I treated myself to a can of tonic water, as I believe the quinine in it helps with muscle weakness. Hey, I'm willing to try anything, though just wish this unrelenting heat would break. I'm not really sleepy, but in too much pain to sit at my computer. So bed it is. Sigh.

I'm miserable. My spine is screaming. So all I can do is watch the hours trudge by. The only excitement tonight was having a power failure. Oh, great. /sarcasm. My computer hasn't fully recovered (IE won't restart) and neither has the TV (can't access recorded material, so I couldn't watch any recorded programs. Guess I should feel lucky I'd watched another Castle oldie in the afternoon.

Church-John got tagged on FB and I'm envious. It seems that, after he dropped me off at home yesterday afternoon, he had a wee rest before going out to dinner at Byzantium - an elegant gay resto whose last day in operation was apparently last night. After the space is refurbished, TO's LGBT bookstore is taking over the space that will include a bar, gallery, etc. Even though the last time I was there was over a decade ago (sigh), I'll miss the martinis and the ambiance as I witness yet another end of an era.

So, perhaps a titch of hyperbole? In any case, I was thrilled to be up-and-at'em very efficiently this morning. It wasn't hot or humid and was overcast, so I was out 20 minutes before my ride, wearing my new paisley sundress under my black tunic, using the shortened hem portion as a scarf. Very elegant. I really just wanted to sit outside but the bus foiled me by pulling up a couple of minutes earlier. Still, I didn't mind arriving at church at 9:00 a.m. I didn't mind sitting outside, luxuriating in the breeze while listening to invigorating music. At the end of the earlier service, I greeted Sam (our Reverend-Elect) who would be presiding AND preaching today. Before the start of the next service, I had a date tussle with church-John regarding him helping me out. I finally chose Thursday and he agreed. Then the worship coordinator approached me, saying he'd noted my self-exclusion for today's service because of logistics but asked whether I could help out in a pinch because he was short of volunteers on a long holiday weekend. I gently explained not only the logistical problem but also my pain levels which I can work through when I psyche myself up on the first and third Sundays each month. I feel it was my being selfish in this regard that made Communion go longer so that we actually got a chance to sing my second-fave hymn "When Peace Like A River". And I really DID sing it, with croaks in my voice and all. But it was powerfully healing. There were other super-fab examples of music today including a male soloist singing a mashup of "Don't Know How To Love Him" from JC Superstar and "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line! I was also thrilled my fave cellist was back from his trip to South Africa. I welcomed him back and complimented his embellishments to one hymn especially.

I had plenty of time after the service to relax outdoors but ended up being driven indoors when spitting turned into actual rain. Hey, you weren't forecast! Unfortunately, my ride did not show up, so I had to call and complain. Consequently, I didn't get home until shortly after 2. Eeeeeek! I was pleased to see that SuM had replaced the light bulb in the laundry room but had only righted my bathroom door but NOT reinserted the hinge-pin. Uh, SuM, do you think the hinge will remain unified on hope alone? ::rolls eyes::

I quickly settled down to write my review. I was blocked for a while, even as I was dealing with hunger and sleepiness. I finally produced my review at 4:11. What a relief. I decided to rewatch my recorded epis of Castle but kept nodding off. Sigh. Same thing with the news. I kept dozing through cartoons and finally got out of bed around 9 as I was cold. Good thing I have my comforter handy. Anyway, I feel myself slipping away, so had better post this, take my meds and slide into sleeeeeeepy-land.

Uh ... oops. And, as luck would have it, it happened after SuM left on her one week vacay. ::scratches head:: How on earth did I get the long pin to leap out of its housing? It's a mystery. Well, it was too hot to ponder today, but I'll try to fix it in the next couple of days. Luckily, it was the lower hinge.

Because of the continuing heat, I was especially listless, so spent most of the day in bed, napping for a while and half-heartedly watching a couple of old epis of Castle.

Grumpy must have been listless, too, as he didn't appear for his late lunch. Luckily, he was present for dinner roll call, lol. Diva spent some angelic (and not so) time with me. I hope she'll settle down for our sleepover. Anyway, I need to turn the lights off because they're bothering me even on a subconscious level - as they're not incandescent. Sigh. Night night, all.

Uh ... no medical reference, just the acronym of Aggravation, Confusion, and - worst of all - Laundry.

Woke up around 7:30 which was acceptable. Goofed around in the morning, also wondering just how late SuM was going to sleep in. We have "rules" for laundry where we normally don't do it before noon. As it was around 12:15, I decided to start. Luckily (no kidding), I had very little. So I started and was aghast when the water flow REFUSED to cut off and overflowed the machine. Arrgghh. Also yuck, because the floor was wet. So, I decided to find SuM. I went to the stairs leading to her bedroom. The door was open, so I gingerly called her name. No reply. Then I looked in the driveway. Huh. No car. So I wondered what she might be up to that she would have left home before 7:30 a.m.

I returned, despondent, to the laundry room and fiddled around with the settings, to see if I could engage the washing mode. Before that, I used a container to remove as much water as possible. But, no matter what I did with the dial, more water kept rushing in. I was so not a happy camper. So, I removed all the wet items and got ready to - yes, you guessed it - do laundry by hand. Obviously, the washing was minimal though at least the clothes had sat in soapy water for a while. I did my capelet, velour top, two nighties, jumper, two pillowcases, and undies. There was sweat dripping from my face over the exertion, especially when trying to squeeze water out. Then I dried things in two batches, hoping it wouldn't take as long as I dreaded to dry the dripping clothes. Sigh.

After that, I was so exhausted and ouchy I went to bed. Which is why I missed SuM's phone call. In her voicemail, she said she was going out after work (WORK? She went to work???) and asked me to let the cats in and to feed them. After that, I finally figured out how to delete entries in my phone log. Remember, I blind! Imagine my surprise when SuM came home shortly thereafter. She'd decided NOT to stay out, especially as she had work tomorrow, too. What a relief for me. She managed to get the water to drain and said it was a repeat of a problem she'd encountered before. Whew. Anyway, I'd managed and am now wearing my cozy velour on a cool evening after having relaxed by watching yet another old epi of Castle.

As my hair still smells of the chemicals in the dye, I cut two inches off the bottom and used dry shampoo and am about to use a curling iron to try to tame the straw. Sigh. Have decided to wear my crystal and black jewellery tomorrow and possibly fishnets under my soft black dress. I decided against wearing anything colourful because I'd like my medal to stand out. Had a back-and-forth text with church-John this morning. I think he's mildly mocking me for being excited about tomorrow, especially regarding our special lunch. Well, duh!

The first totally amazing thing is that - after going to bed at 1:58 - I slept ALL the way to 12:22. I know I grabbed the comforter for extra warmth at some pre-dawn hour. And at least the extra sleep infused my bones (especially in my calves) with some strength. It also seemed that the heat wave broke for a little while in the early afternoon. I could tell while I was playing gatekeeper for one of the cats (Ce-Ce, who else?).

Late in the evening, SuM popped in to ask a favour on short notice. She's going away tomorrow morning and will return on Sunday afternoon. That means ... kitty sleepover! I know Diva has been missing me, but it's just too hot to be around fuzzy, furry beasties.

Along with my usual game shows, watched yet another old epi of Castle. Now I'm going online to hunt for a so-far non-existent fridge. Hey, it's a cool (and cool) thought!