Day 55-Governor Newsom reinstates the mask mandate in California

I made stir-fry, pork-fried rice tonight…

2/8/22. Tuesday 

I’m up at 6:00, but I put on a podcast and go back to sleep.

8:00 – L. leaves for a long day at Otis.

9:00-9:30 – Awake and I go downstairs to greet the dog. She’s awake at the foot of the stairs and wagging her tail so we go straight to the backyard. I note that she pooped in front of the door (sigh). I stand around on the patio, waiting for the dog to finish her business. Return inside and turkey for her and I make a cup of coffee for me.

-Kitchen duty and I trim and dead-head L.’s most recent flower arrangement that she received from T.  I’ve been known to clean up bouquets for weeks so L. and I can have fresh flowers for as long as possible.

9:30-10:00 – Trigger Alert: Today’s food choices might make you vomit.

-I eat a donut and read Floating Feathers

10:30-11:15 – I have more of L.’s BBC leftovers and do some light research involving Ukraine’s relationship with Russia.  Russia has begun amassing more and more troops at Ukraine’s border and I’m concerned…I listen to The Daily and read articles on the USSR, Ukraine, NATO, and the UN.

11:15-11:45 – Bullet journal and I listen to the Best of Both Worlds

11:45-12:00 – In accordance with my Curated Closet project, I try on a few more items and discard.

12:00-1:10 – Shower. Lotion. Light make-up. I put on rust-colored leggings, a cardigan (buttoned), brown boots, and my plaid page-boy hat. I listen to What a Day and What Next.

1:10-2:00 – Driving to Encino.  I eat chips along the way and listen to Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report.

2:00-2:30 – I arrive early for my botox/juviderm appointment, park in a neighborhood, and read Floating Feathers.

2:30-3:00 – Report to my botox appointment and “Abel”, my nurse practitioner, says I look “very London today.”  Maybe I should re-think this outfit…I need botox for my crows feet and juviderm for my lip lines, but the lip lines don’t require a full vial of juviderm so this would be a waste of money. Abel suggests injecting botox into my lip lines instead, but warns I’ll have problems using a straw and drinking liquids because I won’t be able to feel my upper lip. This should only last for a few days. I say, “Lets do it!” The cost savings is significant and the appointment is much shorter – botox hurts way less then juviderm.

Spoiler Alert: For the rest of the month I will have difficulty drinking and eating anything. Food and water will routinely  fall/dribble out of my mouth, because I can’t feel my upper lip. I imagine stroke victims feel the same way… Would I get botox injections in my lip again? Yes!  In a heart beat.  I saved around $1000! I just can’t eat in public for 30 days… 

3:00-4:00 – Driving.  I eat a donut and Girl Scout Thin Mints.  Writing this sentence makes me want to puke. I listen to True Crime Garage.

4:00-4:45 – I take the dog for a walk.  Can I just say that I’m over this dog-walking thing?  The dog is horrible on leash, running and pulling me everywhere – she won’t heel – and she poops every time we go out, which means I have to pick up a steaming pile of dog shit and carry it around.  I can’t make friends with my neighbors and their dogs because she turns into Cujo, snarling and lunging at them while I hold her back and try to have a conversation. I’m sick of walking her…but she likes it… I listen to Maintenance Phase.

4:45-6:00 – I’m exhausted.  Long Covid?  Or just bad food choices? I force myself to clean out my car. I wipe the inside down, vacuum the interior and floor mats, and put my seat covers in the washing machine.

6:00-10:00 – I unload and load the dishwasher, then cut up L.’s remaining cucumber and add to two pre-made spinach salads I prepared earlier [with tomatoes, cheese, and boiled eggs]. After, I make a stir-fry pork and rice recipe.  This is a labor-intensive dish.  I have to break down a red bell pepper, garlic clove, onion, broccoli, cook the pork, heat the rice,  steam the vegetables, and “graze” the food along the way . I finish the dish, freeze a portion for the future, and leave the rest for L.  After, I wash all the dishes, clean the kitchen, and ready my coffee for tomorrow. I binge-listen to Wild Boys. When I finish with that, I switch to Maintenance Phase.

10:30-11:00 – I’m so exhausted I can’t function.  What is wrong with me? Long Covid?  I text L. and ask her to lock up and set the alarm when she gets home. Nighttime routine. Bed.