Jo over at Dreamwidth put together a list of daily questions for 2023 again  😀 Here’s my answers to the rest of the July questions.

17 – Tattoo Day: Do you have any tattoos? If yes, how many, what and where are they? If you don’t, would you ever consider getting one? Is yes, where on your body would it be, and what would you likely get tattooed? If no, why not?

Nope. Sometimes I entertain the idea of getting a small, delicate flower tattoo on my wrist. But whenever I think about it being forever for all purposes and practises, I think I won’t want to watch the same thing the rest of my life.

18 – World Listening Day: Rather than simply listening to other people talk, World Listening Day was created to draw attention to the way humans need to be listening to the world around us, including environmental awareness, soundscapes and acoustic ecology. What does the world around you sound like right now?

The fan is on. My backdoor is open because to get some fresh air in, and there’s some playing children sounds coming in from the yard. And also some metal work sounds from whatever is being done in the next apartment block or the childcare facility. They’ve been working there for about two weeks now, starting around 6.30am. There’s metal works sounds, and truck sounds, and other bizarre sounds but no people sounds and it’s all so weird. I think it’s the childcare facility, I’ve been trying to look while waiting for the bus but the trucks etc. move around so much that I’m ot sure whether it’s the apartment building or the childcare facility that’s having something done. Or it could also be the City doing municipal maintenance, upgrading or something.

19 – Daiquiri Day: Do you drink daiquiris, or any other cocktails? Do you make your own at home or are they something you reserve for an evening out at a restaurant or other social event?

I don’t drink alcohol. All of them cocktails, with alcohol or not, cost more money than I want to spend on what is basically juice or soda. Honestly though – I would like to try a fancy mocktail some time! It’d have to be a special special occasion though! Like getting permanent disability, retiring or winning millions in the lotto. Something good that happens only once in a life time! Continue reading

This week’s questions over at thefridayfive 

It’s summer here, so I’m answering for summer!

1. How’s your summer (winter) going so far?

The con side – my sleep disappeared somewhere in mid-March when it got bright and sunny out. Have been sleeping poorly, or not at all, ever since despite having blackout curtains both in my bedroom and living room. Can’t wait for the dark fall so I can sleep again!

Otherwise summer’s been okay so far. We’ve only had one heat wave so far which lasted about 1,5 weeks. That time was hard but otherwise the weather’s been how I like it – not too hot in shade, a fresh breeze even if there’s no clouds and sun is shining but also often half-cloudy. Fingers crossed it’ll continue like this!

2. Have you made any special summer (winter) plans?

Nope. Other than enjoy as many and as much summer foods as I can.

Other thing I’d like to do is visit Mom a little more. I don’t do it as often as I used to because I don’t have a car anymore, and the bus trip and the time visiting easily amounts to so much that I often end up with a migraine attack once I’m back home. And I’m also tired a lot because of being in pain a lot. The summer before last was too hot to go anywhere (three months of unrelenting heatwave which is not normal for Finland). And Mom and her SO have been getting tired easier too the last few years (age and illnesses that required doctor’s appointments a lot last year) so that too. But now both of them are through their operations, have recupareted and feeling better. So maybe I could visit a few times over the summer this year. I WhatsApp and talk on the phone a lot with Mom, but it’d be great to see her in person too!

3. What are your traditional activities in summer (winter)?

Hiding from the sun and the heat.

4. Are there special summer (winter) foods or drinks you’re enjoying?

I eat obscene amounts of ice cream and ice lollies. Also lots of strawberries as-is with cream, or with ice cream, or with whipped cream and mud cake (the last one is a special treat). Also make some rhubarb pies and rhubarb soup to be had cold.

5. What is one thing you need to do this summer (winter)?

There’s nothing I “need” to do that I know of as I write this… but your never know with the bureacracy of being chronic illness patient on unemployment. KELA or TE-toimisto might want to decide to want something at any time!

Otherwise, I’d like to buy garden scissors with those long handles where you can cut crass and other growths with them while standing up. But they’re pretty expensive for my budget so I’m not sure if I can talk myself into using some of my tax return for that purpose. Either way, I should cut the growth. It’s not crass, other bigger stuff that I don’t know the name of, the sort of things you’d find in a meadow more like because it used to meadow where these houses were built. I just hate cutting with my current scissors, because I hate kneeling/crawling in the ground because I can’t get back up on my feet easily and so I don’t do it and so my tiny little backyard (about 1 meter + 2 meters) is overgrown. It’s just that this overgrowing has started to bother me the last couple of years, and now I think when the backyard is cut, it looks so neat and tidy. Before I didn’t care. Now I sort of do. But you have to cut it so often that I don’t do it because I have to get on my knees every time.

Yesterday’s questions over at thefridayfive 

1. When was the last time you had a proper checkup?

Regular checkups aren’t really a thing here for most people (expensive if going to private health care, or very hard to get appointments if using public health care) unless they have some sort of reason to get them done. Except for dental work – that check up is recommended for every two years, I think. Most people only go when there’s a problem.

I get them done yearly or more often because of my various chronic illnesses, but mostly all the labs relate to the chronic illnesses in one way or another. I don’t get things done for the heck of it.

As someone who has Crohn’s Disease, I usually have one comprehensive checkup once a year now that things are pretty stable, and basic bloodwork/liver related safety labs every three months due the medications I’m taking for the Crohn’s. All Crohn’s related is done by gastro specialists in the hospital. I’m also colonoscopied every 3-4 years. All these are also done more often if my symptoms *or* lab results indicate it as necessary. At one point I had a lot of blood drawn every month, and a colonoscopy once a year. That wasn’t fun!

I also have Type 2 Diabetes, a history of anemia and iron defiency and hypothyroidism which are all also controlled at least once a year by my GP at a health center. These checkups are also done more often if necessary, and usually include things like vitamin levels once a year.

I can also get the labs scheduled out of order pretty easily if I’m feeling off and poorly, or I’m worried about my iron levels/anemia. I think it’s because of my medical history (Crohn’s can cause all sorts of side symptoms and nutrient deficiencies), and repeated anemia/iron deficiency as an example.

2. When did your car have a proper checkup or do you just take it in when something breaks?

I don’t have a car. But cars must be checked by lisenced car checker every year in order to be permitted to be driven.

3. Do you regularly get your heating/air conditioning checked?

We don’t have air conditioning, and heating checkups are done by the apartment building complex level at regular intervals. Sometimes heating is re-adjusted in all individual apartments, or single ones as necessary. But it’s a thing that the apartment building complext maintenance handles, and if there’s a problem with it, I’ll just let them know and they’ll take it from there.

4. Are you more inclined to take better care of others than yourself?

I don’t know. Probably. I don’t have to take care of others a lot.

5. Be honest, how are you feeling today?

Not great. Kinda sweaty and lingeringly uncomfortable from migraine and stomach pain, and weather being just a little bit too warm at times today even though it’s the first good day after about 1,5 weeks of a heatwave. Uncertain whether my period started or not because of Nexplanon and slight bleeding in the afternoon but which maybe seems to have stopped since then (the hope is no periods, so bleeding is disappointing).

1 – Second Half of the Year Day: How would you rate the first half of this year? Are there things you could change going forward to make the second half of the year better?

I’d rate it as okay-ish? Maybe? Compared to the previous decade+? It’s firmly not good but also as firmly not bad.

I’m disappointed that I haven’t made more wallpapers in Photoshop – one one (1) as I write this on July 1, 2023, and that only in April and only because it was embarrasing not have done at least one!

As always, not being so poor and not being so chronically in pain (chronic migraine and Crohn’s Disease make a sad combination) would make the second half of the year better. But it’s very unlikely to happen – I never win in Lotto, can’t work and both me and my doctors figure that my illnesses as about as good as we can get them. So better won’t happen. I’ll be glad of the okay-ish that front, and hope it’ll continue!

I always want to do more physical creative things, like paint. I never do as much as I’d like. Too lazy, or just can’t muster the energy. I could paint more with alcohol inks, or watercolors, or acrylics and that would make rest of the year a lot better! It’s just starting is always so hard! So I’m hoping the second half will be better in that regard 🙂 Continue reading