Well something is seriously wrong with the timing here, because that post was on Sunday, and you'd finished........now it is Thursday......what on earth [and I use the term advisedly as I see your space scene in the background] have you been doing!
Cheers!
I guess I haven't been posting fast enough for her!
Well, let me try this in a format I haven't used in quite a while. Since finishing HP7, here is my...
Life
- Soccer Camp for Marley
- Washing Marley's soccer clothes every night
- Dealing with very tired Marley's mood swings
- Reading another Neil Gaiman book: Anansi Boys
- Watching Dead Like Me, Season One, Disc Two
- A Trip to Sam's Club during which I purchased approximately a gazillion gallons of beverages
- A Play date with Sheila and her kids at their house
- Complete malfunctioning of schedule on Wednesday combined with a very hot day and extreme tiredness due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea)
- Desperation at unsuccessful OSA treatment (CPAP therapy) leading to desperate measures.
- Success! OSA desperate measures (which might be a wee exaggeration) leads to two full nights of treatment!
- Watching Damages on FX. Wow! Glenn Close amazes me and looks fabulous. IMDB'd the actress who play Ellen, Rose Byrne, as she looks very familiar. Oh yes! She was great in I Capture the Castle.
- My son informing me that hates me and is never going to respect me. Never. Ever. He means it. (He's fifteen. Need I say more?)
the Universe
The world wide web is a fascinating place. It is a virtual metropolis with a business district (such as finance and computer sites), a shopping mall (Amazon.com anyone?), suburban neighborhoods (Mommyblogger Heights, Political Pundit Point, etc.) and that part of town, the seedy area that you try to ignore: Spam Alley.
Every couple of days I have to make a trip to that seedy part of my internet town. Important things find their way there such as legitimate emails with attachments and my Netflix notifications. You can always find what you expect to find: promises of sex and money. In the last few days and weeks, I've noticed a steady stream of Spam directed to appeal to to a different need: friendship.
Fake emails from Blue Mountain, Hallmark and other e-card companies arrive, probably 5 - 10 a day. You've received an e-greeting from a "Friend," a "Neighbor," a "Family Member." My favorite? You've received an e-greeting from a "Worshipper." I have to admit to being curious about that one. Is it a fellow believer in Christ or my own personal worshipper, my status as Mary, Queen of the Universe made official when I wasn't looking?
Ultimately, any one of these Spam emails is designed to play on a person's desire to fill a hole in their soul, a hole which will be filled "if only." If only I can have incredible sex, if only I can get rich quick, if only I had someone who cared about me enough to send me an e-card. These if onlys are sad to me--not because I'm above them, but because I understand them.
(For an enlightening lesson on scammers who use the internet, check out this post by Snoskred. I read it right after hearing about two or three people who've fallen prey to this kind of scheme.)
Everything
I promised over a year ago to post a picture of me wearing my CPAP mask. After all, I showed pictures of me all wired up for my sleep study, why not show me in the mask. Well, I just never got around to it and it is one thing to show yourself wired up from head to toe, it is another (at least in my mind) to show a picture of yourself with something up your nose! Since I am so excited about my CPAP miracle from the last two days, I'm going to throw vanity and caution to the wind and show you a picture of me in my nighttime face garb AND explain the miracle desperate measure.
Are you ready?
Really?
(Why do I feel the same as I might if I were about to bungee jump off a bridge?)
Okay, one, two three... JUMP!
And the miracle measure? This is it:
Two little pieces of medical tape strategically placed on the side straps. Two. little. pieces. Somehow, these little wonders keep me from taking off the mask and turning off the alarm in my sleep. Go figure. Either way, I'm thrilled and hope that my good sleep continues.If you've got oodles of spare time on your hands are are interested in reading Mary-LUE's Saga of Sleep Apnea, click here, here and here.
So, what about you guys? What have you been up to?
17 comments:
Oh, I can't imagine sleeping wearing that--unless of course, I couldn't sleep or breathe without it. It's all relative, isn't it? Hope you get some good rest.
Well thank you. So now I have your full inventory available to me, I'm tempted to say 'is that all!' [but that would be mean!]
You certainly keep up a cracking pace.
As for the fashion statement, I don't know if that colour suits me very well, but I'm always willing to take advice. If you say the contraption is required nightly attire for Americans, then who am I, poor foreigner that I am, to doubt you.
I assume you buy them from Macy's lingerie department?
Cheers and sweet dreams
I remember being 15 and being that way, and I SOOOO regret talking to my parents that way. I feel awful when I think about the attitude and BS I gave them. Thank goodness they are forgiving. Hang in there with him! Glad you are getting better sleep now. It doesn't look bad....it looks productive!
Wow! I'm glad that contraption is helping you. I just got a new bed and I find I have to sleep on my back instead of my side to avoid getting a serious neck cramp. I'm giving the bed until Tuesday morning.
Yesterday, my five year old declared, "I can't live anymore!" She's soooo bored. I thought I had a few more years to bone up on this parenting gig.
Hey! I am in the same room with you at Blogher... the one about exclusion/inclusion. Great question you asked... I think thats the kind of thing everyone would want to ask but didn't want to be the person to say it! :D
Oh boy--I'm not sure I could sleep with that. Do you have to lie on your back with it (I'm a side sleeper).
I'm glad you're getting some relief, though.
The first time I got one of those "Ecard from a friend" spams, I opened it and it erased three years of emails from my harddrive.
:(
That mask looks SO uncomfortable. It looks like you can't open your mouth with it on! And yet it helps you breath - so it must be a blessing.
Fresh post! Fresh post! Fresh post!
I honor and respect you for that photo and for talking about your CPAP. My mother uses one. My friend's husband. They are not big fans by any stretch of it in and of itself, but they are committed to the benefits. It is so important. I think people don't understand the risks and dangers in arrested breathing. Way to go, you!
As for what your son said...oy knife to the heart. I will always love and respect you. :)
You're a busy woman. I know and understand, but I miss the Mary-LUE posts. :)
P.S. Your street and area names for the blogosphere? PRICELES. A good photoshop person should make a map!
Huh. That looks comfy. Glad it helps you breathe and sleep, though!
Your 15 year old hates you. Yeah. That's original of him. But I suppose you shouldn't tell him that...
How pathetic am I? I never even get SPAM from greeting card sites, let alone actual cards.
Everyone,
The mask is comfortable once you get used to it. The reason I wear one with "nasal pillows" is because the one that goes over your whole nose completely freaked me out (I'm claustrophobic).
It has taken some getting used to and Beck, you're right, you can't open your mouth. At least, you can, but air blows out your mouth and defeats the purpose of the air holding open your airway so you can breathe. Plus, you get the world's worst dry mouth.
There are some "side effects" such as headaches from the dry sinuses, but I can tell a difference when I'm getting a lot of time on it. It is definitely worth the hassle.
Julie, thanks... I've been thinking about doing a post on sleep disorders. It really is a huge problem. The numbers are amazing.
And my boy? Well, he is having a particularly rough time with a recent parental edict. Hopefully, the current level of intensity will pass. Soon.
I'm getting my very own laptop! I just ordered it and I'm hoping between the CPAP therapy improving and having my own computer, my posting will pick back up.
Well that was THURSDAY and now it's MONDAY - do we have a cycle!
Cheers
Hi Mary! Sounds like you've been really busy.
I love your analogy of the internet. It's very true. Thankfully, in general I don't get much spam and I think my email does a good job of filtering real from fake.
Yes, I hated my parents from about 15-19. After 19 a lot changed in me and my relationship with them.
You look oh-so-functional in your picture ;-) My step-dad uses a cpap but it covers his whole nose. I know he can tell a big difference between using it and not.
If you want to know what I've been up to I just posted to my site recently.
Your analysis on spammers tying into our need for personal contact is spot on. I think it is the key to Facebook's popularity.
Glad to hear your sleep is improving, and am impressed with your Star Trek worthy head gear.
Back to Marley's all-pink ensemble for soccer: my girlfriend and I were lamenting that at some point girls stop wearing bright fun colours they love, and fall into the trap of beigedom. They stop dressing for themselves, but dress for others (namely boys) - and isn't that sad. I hope Marley wears here pink for years. With pride.
So much to comment on! Where do I start?
I just have to comment on your sleep contraption. I hope it works well for you. Me personally, if I'm not sleeping well, nothing else goes well in my world.
I love your description of the 'net in the first paragraph under "the Universe."
What is nicki mann referring to up there in the comments?
Brave photos, lady.
And he really loves you, but 15 yr olds translate "Gee Mom, I do love you but I'm very frustrated at the authority that you have over me" to "I hate you". Hang in there. I've known lots of teenagers, and yours is a good kid.
you know mine is 13 and i sooooo understand, sigh ... my sister in law describes it as a very slow pulling bandage that produce a ton of tears ~ these sons of ours ... but they apparently come back, eventually :) i hold on to that ...
glad you are sleeping :)
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