Sometimes you can be too tolerating

I think that my tolerance for sertraline has worsened and 150mg isn't enough... If I up the dosage to 200mg I have nothing left to rise if it's not enough and that means yet another month of side effects with new medication.

It may be said that it is not possible to grow tolerance for depression medication, but I have proved claims of non-tolerance-growing medication bollocks before so this wouldn't be anything new. (Around 2003 I was prescribed with sleeping medication to which it should have been impossible to grow tolerance: I got on the highest allowed dose in two weeks and after that it just didn't help anymore...)

It's just very annoying.

Naisten 10

I spent yesterday in Helsinki with my mother, sister and two of my three aunts. The whole bunch, excluding myself (I excluded myself because when the admissions were my asthma wasn't in good enough condition), participated a sporting even called Naisten 10 (i.e. Women's 10). Basically the event is open for every woman for "small" fee and the purpose is to either run, jog, walk or Nordic walk ten kilometres in predefined route in Helsinki.

And I had my camera with me, of course! Though I didn't took that many pictures as I was using my mother's video camera for the most of the time.
Anyway, few pictures from summery Helsinki.

(My mother is on the left, and the other ladies are my aunts (two out of three) - face blurred because I don't have their permission to publish their picture. *grin*)

 
 
 

Somehow it feels that cross stitch gods are against me at the moment. Every time I intend to stitch TSS' second part something comes to disturb me. Regardless, I am having fun with it and love how it looks.

The Great Outdoors

Yes, more kitty pictures! They just are enjoying the summer (in here summer is when average temperature is over 10° C...) and showing it.

 
(The latter one is great example of Her Highnesses ears before and after the blood ear last spring.)

And now I should be going to shower, I have to be out of the door ten past nine!

Waist/ hip ratio

I measured myself yesterday for statistical purposes and while I was at it I calculated my waist/hip ratio. It's better than it used to be and someone who's considered severely obese it's probably something most people wouldn't believe. My ratio 0,77... "appears to be within a healthy range." based on one calculator I used to double check the ratio.

While at it I found this from Wikipedia:

Women with a low waist-hip ratio have been shown in studies to be smarter and have smarter offspring. Using data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, William Lassek at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Steven Gaulin of the University of California, Santa Barbara, found a child's performance in cognition tests was linked to their mother's waist-hip ratio, a proxy for how much fat she stores on her hips.

Back to peddling.

Exchanges and stuff

I had decided to have an exchange break, but, as usual, my big mouth got me into trouble and I went and suggested to my co-staff members at EMS that it would be nice to have a staff exchange - as there hasn't been any during the time I have been on the Dark Side (that's from September 27th, 2006).
Of course it was organized as we don't have anything better to do with our time.

I was thinking of the item I am going to stitch to my partner and changed my original idea and went with something completely different, which was actually inspired by Leena... I am not going to reveal any details, Leena may guess it though.

Talking of EMS forum... one of the factors that have limited my stitching etc. time lately has been the fact that I was having a quick course of vBulletin features and administration and during that month I actually did two jobs on the forum (the promotion was kept secret from everyone until my training period was over): Super Moderator's and Administrator's.

Sometimes I am not quite sure how sane I actually am, but apparently I am sucker for power... Ok, not really. That forum has given me quite much during the three years I have been hanging there and in its way this is being able to give it back.
And in a way I enjoy that tech support/ customer service role we admins have. It's also very likely that my work load hasn't increased in general as many of my former duties were transferred to others when my promotion became official - occasional board upgrades are another story altogether regarding work load, but they are not that frequent.

Elliptical

I have used it almost a week now and even though my weight hasn't decreased (that may be starvation, I haven't been eating much lately) my biceps have grown ridiculously (if they stay that big I can soon go and brag to bodybuilders ), my arms have lost some fat and I am losing my butt (the muscles are becoming rounder, but the fat is currently slowly flowing downwards, which is not a pretty sight *grin*)! O_o

Well, it has been only six days and I have only used it about 20 minutes per day in the easiest tension. Now that I am used to it, I will lengthen the sessions and start interval training. Let's see how that affects.

SAT epilogue

The goal is met!

The colours remind me of Mexico, for some odd reason.
At first I wasn't quite sure do I like the floss choice, but now that the first part is stitched I am very pleased with my choice. It's good in many ways, one of them being having two completely different colour schemes of the same design.

And... I managed to add some stitches to Loy Krathong after several months!
This is how it looked when I started, this is how it looks now:

Kitty pics and SAT prologue

 

That's their old scratching pole, but I redraped it one day as they had managed to mutilate the old carpet quite badly - and I had suitable carpet for the purpose (it was saved from trash a while ago, as I am into recycling and saving money).

SAT

My goal for this month is to finish the monochromatic version of the first part of the Spanish Sampler MSAL so I can be a good MSAL organiser and start the second part. :)
This is what I have now:

If I get this done before the weekend is over I will put some stitches to Loy Krathong.

SII, I love you!

I checked my info from SII's site (yes, they have online service too, works with online banking PINs): Chronic asthma bronchiale, the decision has been made yesterday and the document has been mailed to me today.

This means... I get special reimbursement for my asthma medication! (Note that SII knows about my cats, as my GP did mention it in the documentation.)

Yes, I am still alive

I haven't been stitching much as I have used my time by getting know the latest version of certain forum software, and then I have been rearranging my apartment etc. while trying not to exhaust myself completely, but I have finally started the monochromatic version of the Spanish Sampler - it's about time, the second part comes out tomorrow!

I am using Vikki Clayton's Grasses silk and 30 count black linen from Violarium.

Early birthday

My sister popped by yesterday and brought me my elliptical!
Yesterday's exercise made me very tired for some reason, but today I feel quite good even though I had longer session today and I even found some muscles I have never felt before.

Sugars

I saw my GP today and he decided to control my blood sugars, which means that I need to give blood sample weekly and as it is a test that requires fasting I will spend quite some time waiting my turn in the lab weekly basis as I have to go there in the morning and that is the busiest time in there...

Apparently my GP is worried about the inconsistency of my sugar levels.

Stress induced hypertension anyone?

I upped the sertraline to 150 mg/d and all the sudden my systolic pressure has decreased almost 40 units from what is was at its worst and diastolic has gone down 15 units.
My blood pressure is still slightly elevated, even though it seems to me that it's dropping fast: yesterday I measured 146/86, today it was 135/85.

On other health related good news I have been able to lower my daily cortisone dose without any problems in breathing front, so things are getting better - and my GP can think what he wants about my cats.

The biscornu has landed!

I heard that Barbara has received her monochromatic biscornu, and loved it, so yet another stitchy picture!

Info:

• Design: Yet another unnamed, unpublished design (I need to figure out how I want to publish it)
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs
• Fabric: 32 count hand-dyed Belfast linen by Silkweaver
• Floss: Dinky Dyes' 'Turquoise' silk
• Other: Iridescent blue bead in the middle

Bah, humbug! Part II

I heard that my partner in France received her humbugs today (and loved them!) so I can provide you, finally, some more stitchy pictures!

The idea of the exchange was to stitch same design on same colour(s) on light and dark fabric and use humbug finish.

Info:

• Design: Nameless at current
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria
• Fabrics: 32 count hand-dyed opalescent Jobelan. Sky blue from Silkweaver, graphite grey from my own dye pots.
• Floss: DMC 550

This is the "series starter" I talked of. I am not just sure will I work on this next or the another series-of-sorts I have in my to-do pile... decisions, decisions!

The Magical Mojo Rejuvenator™

My stitching mojo has also suffered from my neurotransmitter dysfunction, and I had been thinking few days that I should stitch something small from someone else to get my mojo going... I started this shortly before going to sleep yesterday and had a happy dance about half an hour ago and I can feel my mojo waking up!

Info:

• Design: Biscornu Chatelin
• Fabric: 32 count Mushroom Lugana
• Floss: Vixen Red by Needle Necessities

While finishing this little cutie I realised that I haven't done the goal check for last month yet! Well, it is not only thing I have forgot so...
I happened to claim when these were published that I don't have a stitched model of either one. Guess what I found from my hard drive today?

I model stitched it for Leena and took a picture of it before I sent it... and happily forgot the whole thing!

Plans

I have played with one thought regarding my home for few days.
As I seem to spend most of my time in one room, and seem to prefer to sleep in that same room (I have lately slept on the living room floor (I like hard surfaces, I may have mentioned)), and it's not good for an asthmatic to have bookshelves in their sleeping quarters (because books gather dust (I haven't noticed such a thing, only the shelves themselves gather dust in this house)).

Now, the plan is that I move out from the bedroom and make it my library/ craft room/ office which would mean that I move the big bookshelf, my sewing table and my bureau to the bedroom and my futon to living room.
The benefits of this setting would be more room, less dust and easier cleaning in living quarters. In addition to that I am able to sleep longer than 5 am during summer months - the living room windows are facing west, unlike the bedroom window which heads to east, which means that my bedroom is hot as hell during summer months.

I still need to figure out what I do with the desktop or do I simply leave it in the living room even it's fans are not that silent - though its humming is just background noise.

Good mail day!

I received most gorgeous, sunshiny biscornu from Edda who was my partner in the monochromatic biscornu exchange at FlossMoms' forum!

It couldn't have chosen better day to arrive: I met Mrs. Lemonar$e the employement councellor today and as usual (this was the second time when I met her) she was as poisonous as ever - and to make it even better the sun went to hiding and now it is all dark. *sigh*

But here is some sun to my day!

The design is Papillon Creations' Tiny Little Quaker and I absolutely love it in orange!
Edda also added some nice goodies: piece of Kiwi Illusions' hand-dyed 'Bourbon' Jazlyn and skein of Ozark Sampler's 'Citrus Cooler' hand-dyed floss.

Thank you Edda!

And, I bought a leaflet and a magazine from Cristin's stash sale the other day and they arrived today! I paid only two biscornu designs of mine in exchange (she didn't want to do trades - officially, but as the designs were files they don't take any room *grin* Smart lady ) for both and the postages so it was very cheap shopping for me and I can say that these are well worth the money!

And to make it even better... guess who managed to send the humbugs today? Yes, me! Woohoo!

Bah, humbug!

Not really.

I received the most beautiful butterfly humbugs from Melissa in Friday, but as I have been wasted last two days - after cleaning like crazy for two days - I haven't had energy to blog about them.

Beautiful, aren't they?! The humbugs hang on my monitor and the card is on display - I think I need to find a frame for it to protect it from my crazy cats.

I am still finishing my two, and am dreadfully late. Luckily the exchange organizer understands about the situation as she knows that I haven't been well and have the medication adjustment going on.

Otherwise our weekend went mostly like this:

 

EQ/ SQ

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EQ	: 23
SQ	: 70
Brain Type	: Systemizing

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