Tim In a Nutshell

It’s time for live blogging! I’ll chronicle the night of Trick or Treaters all night long.

Note: For those reading this through RSS readers, it might not mark the post as new when I update it. If you want to keep up to date, swing on by and keep hitting that reload!

5:16 pm - Computer is setup, dogs are fed, can see people getting prepped outside, but no candy yet. It’s in the wife’s car, so have to wait till she gets home to officially open for the night!

5:40 pm - Wife is home with FOOD! (for me) and candy (For Me! OK, for trick or treaters too)

6:13 pm - In a repeat of last year, the light wasn’t on! I gave it a stern talking to and it assured me it would stay on this time.

6:17 pm - First visitors of the night! A fairy, a bride, and Harry Potter! Ulric gave them a greeting of champions when they arrived.

6:26 pm - New York Yankees and Michigan fans, along with a mini vampire DOG OF DEATH!!! (From it being a well known fact any pets put into a costume automatically want to kill you out of embarrassment. That or the dog was dressed like a vampire. )

6:29 pm - Not Halloween related, but there was a commercial of a puppy running in a field with the text saying it was a “Political Ad Break” I would beg to differ, the cats are planning an attack ad in response!

6:39 pm - Vampire, skeleton, and a wagon made up like Herbie the Love Bug. Mad props for the Herbie! (Ulric bark count upon their arrival, 3)

7:00 pm - Slow night so far, but means more candy for me! Also notes for costumes for next year, Mr Clean or a Superfan.

7:05 pm - A pop tart and an elf! (Ulric’s Bark Rating: 11)

7:27 pm - Yugio, a witch, a baby in a pumpkin outfit, and a queen! (Ulric “Barky Bark” Schaab’s # of greetings: 19)

7:41 pm - A gaggle of uncostumed teenagers. Save one, she was in a weird baby getup.

7:45 pm - A ghost and a princess. Also Ulric has decided to go as a broken Home Security System this year!

7:47 pm-Count Chocula, a Pirate, and the Pope! I am a bit disappointed the Pope was not trying to kill or exorcise the Count. He’s a vampire for heaven’s sake!

8:15 pm- That’s it for the night! A slower year than last, but I get more candy now! Good night and Happy Halloween!

I’m back to being a bus commuter. The trip now is about 2-3 times longer than at my old job, but it is relaxing. The end result is more time traveling with the benefit now of having a fairly solid I-can’t-work-any-later-than-this time.

With the extra time comes a need for something to do. I have a few podcasts I listen to, but they only run about an hour each. The podcasts only last for a single one way trip and I have only enough to last about half the week. I have 5 hours or so of time to fill up. Reading is a possibility, but reading on a moving vehicle can result in a sick feeling I would like to avoid.

So what I would like from my readers our there are some podcast or audiobook options. I am pondering getting an Audible subscription again, so anything off of Audible.com would be an option.

A few temptations today. I normally have some breakfast with cheese on it. Today, I had to sadly peel the cheese off of em before eating.

Dairy free today, and breathing clear. Maybe there is a connection.

In an attempt to be a bit healthier and to be able to breath better, I am starting my first 2 week trial. It will be a two week trial to see how it works. At the end of the test, I’ll see if it’s something I want to keep doing.

This one is going to be hard. No dairy. Here are my rules:

1. No direct dairy, cheese, milk, ice cream, etc
2. Butter is OK if it is part of the recipe, not spread on things

Not too complex. I’ve already got some soy milk to replace milk and it tastes pretty good. Day one has been smooth and dairy free. I don’t feel majorly different, but I am able to breath a bit better today. There are some mixed reports that dairy can cause excess or thickened mucus production. Some folks say that is the case, some say it has no affect. This trial will see if it works for me.

The benefits for me if this works will be better sleep. I am having problems being able to breath clearly at night thus resulting in me not being able to sleep well. My wonderful nasal pathways did not follow the general plan to be an appropriate size for someone of my build/size. Even a little bit of nasal blockage makes it damn hard to breath, the passage is rather small. The goal is to reduce the mucus, make it easier to breath, and to hopefully be able to sleep better.

Now I could just try to use decongestants to get by to breath easier. I have tried that, and the side effects unfortunately are not worth it. Pseudoephedrine works to clear the nose, but it gives my face muscle spasms that just feel wrong. It also make me sleepless. The over-the-counter alternative phenylephrine doesn’t work for me. Nasal sprays are not meant for long term use and make the blockage much much worse after it wears off. What is left is a quest to find the source and fix the issue. The dairy free test is an attempt to find the source.

More updates as they come!

It sucks being sick. It’s nowhere near fun to have a migraine, fever, huge congestion, and general feelings of crappiness. But what really takes the cake for me, and makes no sense, is that what is most annoying right now is that my eyes hurt. If I move my eyes in any direction, they don’t hurt. If I try to move my eyes to look far to the left, right, up, down, any direction, and it hurts like hell. It feels like I pulled my eye muscles somehow. It sucks.

Today marks our 3 year anniversary! While our marriage has been anything from normal from how we met and married to the current health challenges we face today, it’s been a fun ride. Here’s to many more and good health to follow!

Back after a fun father’s day weekend! Had a great time down in Illinois, ate way too much food, had good times with the family, and the dogs had a great time too.

Ulric is getting tons better around people. Dad and Dina were able to pet him. L and I are able to pet him without him shrinking away from us. Big score there! He sat on my lap for a while on the drive home, and he was comfy and even took a nap there. He’s progressing nicely.

And a belated birthday to my friend 11frogs!