The week before Christmas
Dec. 22nd, 2024 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kathleen_dailey1. Spouse and I had our second Shingrix shots on Thursday. Fortunately, people had warned me about the horrible side effects of the second dose, and even though I thought they might be exaggerating I made the appointments for a time when we had no commitments for the next three days. (The pharmacist who administered the shots said cheerfully, "I've heard that the side effects of the second dose are really, REALLY bad!") Let me tell you, no one was exaggerating. Spouse was pretty much unaffected except for pain at the injection site, but I was bashed into the ground for three days with every debilitating and disgusting symptom one could imagine. Today, finally, I'm able to stand up, move around, and keep some food where it's supposed to be. No one has been able to tell me why the second dose should be so much worse than the first. One more medical conundrum to add to my long, long list.
2. This year we'll be on our own at Christmas for the first time in a long time. The three people we usually spend the day with are, respectively, in India and then Italy until April; in Sarasota until March; and at a Buddhist retreat until mid-January. After all the stressful experiences of 2024, I don't really mind the prospect of a quiet holiday. We need some decompression time.
3. My former neighbours have had to make arrangements for holiday cat care now that there's no equivalent of Auntie Kathy at the other end of the hall. They're boarding their two cranky old girls with a boarding service, and we all have our fingers crossed that it works out. No one will ever dance attendance on them the way their humans and I do--separate feedings three times a day, specialized litterbox maintenance, custom playtime routines at zoomie time, etc.--but if they come home untraumatized I think we'll count it a win.
4. It's miserably cold here in Toronto right now, but the sunshine is brilliant. I think a short walk to the (nearest but not the best) grocery store is on the cards after lunch, by which time it's supposed to warm up to minus 9 Celsius.
5. I'm going to miss What We Do in the Shadows. It's true that the show had pretty much run its course in terms of storytelling, but nonetheless I've grown oddly attached to the characters and especially the setting (and the set dressing--if an Emmy is awarded to set dressers, the WWDITS team should win it).
6. Because I was so sick post-Shingrix, I haven't yet watched the finale of Lower Decks. I hope that by tonight my attention span will be back to normal. Sigh, that's another show I'm going to miss.
2. This year we'll be on our own at Christmas for the first time in a long time. The three people we usually spend the day with are, respectively, in India and then Italy until April; in Sarasota until March; and at a Buddhist retreat until mid-January. After all the stressful experiences of 2024, I don't really mind the prospect of a quiet holiday. We need some decompression time.
3. My former neighbours have had to make arrangements for holiday cat care now that there's no equivalent of Auntie Kathy at the other end of the hall. They're boarding their two cranky old girls with a boarding service, and we all have our fingers crossed that it works out. No one will ever dance attendance on them the way their humans and I do--separate feedings three times a day, specialized litterbox maintenance, custom playtime routines at zoomie time, etc.--but if they come home untraumatized I think we'll count it a win.
4. It's miserably cold here in Toronto right now, but the sunshine is brilliant. I think a short walk to the (nearest but not the best) grocery store is on the cards after lunch, by which time it's supposed to warm up to minus 9 Celsius.
5. I'm going to miss What We Do in the Shadows. It's true that the show had pretty much run its course in terms of storytelling, but nonetheless I've grown oddly attached to the characters and especially the setting (and the set dressing--if an Emmy is awarded to set dressers, the WWDITS team should win it).
6. Because I was so sick post-Shingrix, I haven't yet watched the finale of Lower Decks. I hope that by tonight my attention span will be back to normal. Sigh, that's another show I'm going to miss.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-22 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-22 07:23 pm (UTC)It wasn't bad--it was cold, but the streets were un-slippy and the sun was lovely.