Get Down with the Sickness

I'm finally getting over a horrid case of stomach flu, that I apparently caught from a friend while at a party last Sunday. Turns out her, her daughter, and her roommate all suffered through this the day prior. They thought it was just another 24hr stomach bug, however it's symptoms have been kicking my ass for the last 3 days. This has been one of the worse stomach bugs I've ever had. It started off with mild diarrhea, a queasy stomach, and a chill inducing fever. Next thing I knew I was running to the bathroom every 20 mins to either throw up or use the pot. Let me tell you how much I love the refreshing taste of stomach bile, or the soothing effects of having my digestive system power flushed Montezuma style. Money can't buy that kind of spa treatment! This has persisted for the last 3 days. I'm finally feeling better today and am back in the office, however I'm still not 100%. In an effort to kill this bug instead of passing it on to my friends I'm going to keep myself quarantined from them for another 48hrs. Hopefully Darci's constant decontamination efforts of the house will keep her protected. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Okay there are a few people, Hmmmm.... Maybe I should save a few saliva samples for future use?

A Healthier 2006

I've been smoke free since the 12/18. So that's a little over two weeks. Not that my intention was to quit, I just haven't been around smokers since then and I haven't had an uncontrollable urge. (For those who don't know I've been smoking for a long time, and in the last year I've cut back and now consider myself a social smoker. As I only smoke when around my smoker friends a couple times a week, amounting to approx ¼-½ pack/week). It's been a goal of mine to eventually quit completely, so I think I'm going to keep the good streak running and try to avoid smoking as much as possible. I'm not making any public claims to quitting, as I don't want the self appointed habit monitors. I'm just planning to cut back even more then I already have. This feeds into my goal to be healthier and get into better shape this winter. I suppose you could call it a new year's resolution, however it's been on my mind for far longer. I'm planning to cut back on the beer, eat healthier, start taking supplemental vitamins, do more physical activities, and start working out seriously.

Kitty Scratch

I came home from work today and was resting my arm on the back of the couch, when Darci's humongous cat tried to jump up onto the back of the couch. It didn't jump high enough, so he dug his claws into the couch in an attempt to pull himself up. However his claws missed the couch and instead they dug into my pinky finger. Unfortunately for me, my flesh isn't strong enough to hold up a 30lb cat. As a result I was severely wounded:

Feel free to send me your sympathies and buy me a drink next time we're out. Ouch! On a side note, you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to actually photograph your own hand. Every picture I took was either blurry or off center. 15 pics later I finally got a keeper.

I also mocked up this wanted poster to because it's funny. Although Darci doesn't really see the humor in it. Maybe that just makes it more funny?

Polyphasic Sleep

I recently ran across information on Polyphasic Sleep also known as Uberman's Sleep Schedule. This concept is very intriguing to me, and after doing some reading up on it, I think I might try it out. However some precautionary steps would have to be taken. (ie. diet, supplemental vitamins, exercise, behavior/health monitoring, etc.) I would have to quit smoking and severely limit my alcohol intake (things that I've been wanting to do for health reasons anyhow). I think this sleep schedule combined with a good diet & exercise routine could be very good for me. Most of you are unaware that I have a constant battle with sleeping issues. Reoccurring nights of insomnia, lucid dreaming, Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, and the always fun night terrors. I've read cases where switching to a polyphasic schedule has helped to cure these issues. So that is another interest in attempting this, but it also brings up extra monitoring concerns and further stresses on mental stability (often a factor when dealing with sleep deprivation).