I had Covid once before I was diagnosed with cancer. It gave me a horrible, very distinct Covid headache. After starting cancer treatments, I have had Covid twice, and both times have been very grateful for Paxlovid, which at least stopped the Covid headache, if it did nothing else. I understand that it might not be for everybody, but it dropped my misery level from about a 10 to maybe a 6 or 7. For me, it is totally worth it.

Requesting thoughts and prayers. The alternating cycles of hope and discouragement as dh looks for a job and goes through submitting applications and doing interviews are rough. If things don't happen in a certain amount of time, we may have to consider moving. I can deal well with cancer because once treatment is done, things will be more or less normal. Moving from a place which I have patently ridiculous emotional ties to, well, I don't know. I'm pretty sure I can't be stoic about it.

I did pattern practice last night with the family, as class was cancelled due to weather. Hopefully, there will be TKD class this evening.

TKD class last night. Belt testing is coming up in a few weeks. The instructor said that over the next two weeks, they'll start handing out sign up sheets to those students they believe are ready. The instructor must have felt I was ready for belt testing because she had me do my pattern in front of the class all by myself. I can also brag that my whole family were among the first to get their sheets for testing.

For a quick moment, I saw the title as "Basement fishing," which did not sound like a good thing, but I was nonetheless intrigued.

Yesterday, I got on the treadmill for 25 minutes. TKD class was cancelled this evening due to weather. I should be able to get some pattern practice in, and maybe stretching. I woke up with a migraine this morning, so won't be pushing myself, though I am thankful meds have made the rest of the day tolerable.

I went with dh to a few yoga classes, and was surprised at how brutal they were. Perhaps it was more an indication of my lack of fitness than an objective assessment of the class, lol, but surprising none the less.

Late to the party, I know, but I employed a similar tactic when diagnosed with breast cancer, using grateful instead of glad. I was grateful I had symptoms, because I had somehow never gotten around to getting a mammogram. Grateful that I was diagnosed in less than 5 days of noticing a symptom. That it happened at the end of the school year instead of in the middle. That is was type II instead of type III or IV. That the effects of chemo could have been a lot worse. That people were willing to send over dinner and watch the kids while I had treatments. Not that cancer is great - I certainly don't recommend it, but dealing with treatment and all is better than the alternative, iykwim.

I am pleasantly surprised we are getting some snow, as the reports generally indicated we wouldn't get any. Lightly falling, it is beautiful. It started probably an hour ago, but doesn't look like it will last long according to the radar.

Yesterday I practiced my pattern and lifted weights. I will probably not do much this weekend, as we will be getting ourselves ready for board game day tomorrow.

Just finished TKD class. I ran across the idea of bringing a small notebook so I can write down the things I need to practice more at home. I was so proud of myself that I remembered and tonight, nothing we did was particularly tricky for me. 😕

Yesterday, I did pattern practice and lifted weights. Today I was on the treadmill for 25 minutes.

I spent most of the day doing lesson planning for the next week. I did do some pattern practice and am building up my confidence with that.

Friday I practiced my new pattern, and was able to get through it without any coaching, which makes me feel accomplished. I might even be ready for belt testing in February. Today I went for a 20 minute walk.

Got on the treadmill for 25 minutes this afternoon, as the day has been cold and wet.

In other news, the dishwasher has stopped working. Sigh. But, I suppose the way to look at it is we all get to work together getting them done.

I am so happy to report ds is back to himself! He had a stomach bug for a week this past Easter, and wasn't able to participate in any of the festivities. It would have been a heavy blow for him to be sick at Christmas. Now crossing the fingers that the rest of us don't get sick. 🤞

Don't over water it, but don't forget to water it. We managed to keep one alive since last year. I think part of it had to do with Dh getting sick of seeing it and put it outside this summer, where we mostly forgot about it. I don't think they are crazy about lots of direct sun. But I have killed many in my lifetime, so I might not be the best person to take advice from.

I read an article a year or two ago about the history of public restrooms for women. It started around 1900 with department stores having like an anteroom/lounge sort of thing before the actual bathroom, I think because they thought women couldn't handle hours of shopping on their feet or something? I'll add a link if I can track it down. ETA: It might have been this article. There's a lot of copy pasta out there. My memory is not so good, but it's the general gist.

You, too @saraha,

Dh and I were going to go to my appointment today and then do last minute shopping. But ds10 came in from playing in the snow, and said he didn't feel good. He's thrown up twice now. The good news is he's being a little bossy and enjoying being waited on, so fingers crossed this sickness will be short lived. Definitely a "this is what's happening now" moment.

Ugh. The other reason I'm stressed is that at the family cookie party, there was tension between ds10 and his cousin, who is 8. When he is good, he is very, very good, but when he is bad, he can be horrid. He can be a button pusher, and he and the cousin have a negative feedback loop. Sil, mother of said cousin, insists it is all ds's fault. She has announced she gave her daughter authorization to be physically aggressive towards ds. The cousin probably weighs more than ds, and manipulates her mother with crocodile tears all the time. Sil fancies herself as a nurturing encourager, except when push comes to shove, in which case, pushing and shoving is ok. The hypocrisy of this galls me. My mama bear hackles are up.

I am grateful. I am grateful. I am grateful. And I am stressed, stressed, stressed. Last week, the kids had an appointment for dental cleaning. Dd8 was found to have three cavities. I explained our situation to the receptionist, that if at all possible, could she get her in before the end of the year. Yesterday, there was a cancellation, so I took dd to the dentist to get fillings. Very grateful for that very nice lady who got us in on the old insurance. My mom texted yesterday to say she's a little better, but wants another 3 way call with my sister, for I don't know why. That's happening tonight. Today, I had plans to visit with someone, and they are out the window. After being referred to a pulminologist in April, they only called me a couple of weeks ago to schedule something in January. Again, I explained our situation, and they were able to get me in this afternoon. So, very grateful for that receptionist. I thought maybe I could change my visit to something earlier today, but dd8 just came in from sledding with burdock at the roots of her long, super curly hair. So, the rest of my morning will be trying to figure out how to get the burdock out of her hair. And then dd13 had a cold starting around Thanksgiving, and is still coughing. So we got an appointment for her immediately after my appointment. Tomorrow, I get to have another visit with another doctor and get my monthly shot and blood draw from my port. Hopefully, my port will work right away, if not, I will get to sit there for an hour while the medicine works on the clot that clogs this up. I think I am down to about two threads. I really hope there are no new surprises this week.

I got on the treadmill for 20 minutes, as it has been cold and rainy all day.

You have a delicious to do list!