personal

Good news and bad news!

- had my yearly routine control for Crohn's Disease in the hospital last week

- my calpro (faecal calprotectin) is somewhat elevated, so looks like I have inflammation in the bowel. But my symptoms have been stable for a couple of years now (better than ever before). No change in medication is deemed warranted right now, but it's coming up on 3 years since my last coloscopy. So a new coloscopy is scheduled for September/October. Not yay, but needs must.

- iron levels are bad again. They're giving me another iron infusion, a bigger dose this time, on next Monday. I got the first one last March, in May the ferritin was 80 and now it was low again, only 23. I can't take iron tablets anymore; I've been taking them practically 20 years for about 10 months every year, and my ferritin kept lowering. The iron tablets as well as the liquid version also started to cause worse diarrhea. It took a few years of me pushing and talking about the low ferritin and my symptoms but finally last year and now, I didn't even have to ask for a iron infusion - it was offered to me! This is good!

- learned that much more research has been done in the recent years in much more IBD patients because IBD is becoming so common, and that the danger of colon cancer in Crohn's Disease patients isn't as high as previously thought. Only two times more likely than in a healthy individual of same age. And actually the chances of doctors catching it quickly are much better because of the regular colonoscopies people with Crohn's Disease have to go through. He said that the chances of me dying from colon cancer is practically zero because everything suspicious seen in a colonoscopy is biopsied and removed so cancer won't have a chance to develop and spread. The doctor said that if I die from colon cancer, it'll be because they the doctors and the hospital have royally fucked up. So that was new information!

- in bad news, my right inner thigh started to hurt on Sunday :/ It's been "feeling" for about a year, but not actually hurting until now. The bad thing is that the pain is exactly like my Mom described her pain before she underwent the hip replacement surgery a few years ago. Good thing is, there's a chance that it's Crohn's Disease related - apparently, often the big joints in the lower extremities can start to hurt when there's active inflammation which I have right now. I had a bad bout of Crohn's symptoms on Monday, the day after the thigh started to hurt. Anyway, if it is related to Crohn's, it's my understanding that there's no physical damage on the joint? And that proper medication for the Crohn's Disease can make it go away. Or that it might just go away on its own - I think I saw somewhere that it might go away in six weeks if it's Crohn's related?

But. I'm obese. And being obese is a risk factor for actual hip arthritis. Age is as well, but I'm only turning 49 this year and it's my understanding that's quite young? I also have Diabetes and autoimmune disease which are both risk factors so who knows why. I haven't yet contacted health care about this - I want to get the iron infusion done first, which is on Monday. I also want to see if it hurts all the time, and what activities make it worse and if any make it better. Because they are going to ask about that anyway. But my inner front right thigh has been hurting all the time since Sunday, most of the time I can walk normally but more or less in pain. Sometimes after sleeping, I limp a little for a bit because the pain is so bad. Ibuprofen helps, but doesn't remove the pain completely. Only time it doesn't hurt is when I'm sitting on my couch, and in some positions on the bed after a while. I've started to do the exercises I found online for hip arthritis.

This is again just what has been happening the last 14 years - whenever things settle down, or even have gotten better, some fucking new health problem crops up. My body is really just rotting away, isn't it? If this thigh thing turns out to be not related to Crohn's Disease and is permanent - I just might throw a tantrum like a two year old....

Also, got my 5th COVID-19 vaccine last week - the bivalent one! :-D 

Today's questions at thefridayfive@DW

1. What’s the last thing you got in the mail?

The letter on Monday from the hospital detailing the time for the iron infusion next week, and the approximate date I need to go get routine Crohn's Disease blood work done in May.

I don't get much mail anymore - most bills and official letters come via electronic mail or electronic bills. I rarely subscribe to magazines because I usually can't afford it/rather use the money for something else. I used to often subscribe/get a gift subscription to a certain computer magazine but its contents were "redesigned" and "renewed" right into stuff that didn't interest me (game reviews, camera usage tutorials etc.). So once that magazine was unexisting as far as I'm concerned, I usually only get bills and official letters and occupational and union magazines and most of those have gone mostly or all online now.

In addition, I have a "no ads and no free distribution leaflets/magazines" label on my mailbox to stop junk mail. So I can go an entire week with only "wow! such-empty" for my mailbox :D

2. What’s the last thing you sent in the mail?

I can't remember! I used to have to send unemployment and social benefits application forms monthly but that was more than a decade ago; now I almost never have to send anything in the mail anymore - everything's done online. The last time I sent anything in the mail was probably five years or more ago.

3. How many unread emails are in your inbox right now?

I have four e-mails in active use. My real name e-mail which I use for all real life official things (online orders, library, bank, social benefits etc.) currently has 4 unread e-mails. My fandom one has technically 1 unread e-mail but it's one I sent myself from the mobile Tumblr app - a link to a Tumblr post with links to Sansan fanfics so I can check them out on my laptop - so, in reality there's 0 unread e-mails on that account. And my webmaster e-mail and Oded Fehr fanfic archive e-mail both have 0 undread.

I usually clear my inboxes as the e-mails come in, or within a an hour or two. Except when I'm sleeping, and even after that, it's usually quick work.

4. What is your most recent text message about?

The library sent an automated text that one of the books I had put on hold is ready to be picked up.

5. Do you have a favorite postage stamp design?

Nope. I don't even know what the current ones are. I don't buy stamps anymore because I never need them. On the extremely rare occasion I do, the letter or package is always too heavy for regular stamps so that I have to go to the post office to get the correct weight and postage amount needed and they print the postage stamp so it's been a boring computer printout for ages now for me.

I have seen some Star Trek stamps around, and I like those, but I'm not sure whether they are/were real or just fannish mockups.

And answers to this week's questions over at f.riday.com.

1. When did you last put honey on or in something?

I'm not sure; it was either when I baked bread rolls, or in Rooibos tea. It's been a while either way!

2. How do you handle a bad mood?

I try to watch a comedy that always makes me laugh (examples: The Golden Girls, Soap, Get Smart!), or putter around with my watercolors. If my head can handle it, listen to music. Anything that feels like might distract me.

3. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character do you most identify with?

I hardly remember these... The only character I remember is Winnie-the-Pooh and I don't have any kind of special connection to the that character or stories. I remember liking them but that's about it.

4. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character would you best get along with?

See the answer to #3.

5. What’s your favorite way to do nothing?

Just simply to sit and chat about whatever (no heavy stuff or at least not much and not for long) with with my Mom in her garden in the summer when the weather is just right, or my best friend in a cafe or at my place. It's so rare to just be able to sit and chat without having to do something and just enjoy being together.

Answers to this week's questions at Livejournal.

1.You’ve been home from vacation for a week now, what still needs to get done?

I don't go on trips enough to have for this questions to apply to me in any true way - I've never been on a vacation trip, truly. Simply because the two trips I've taken as an adult were when I was unemployed so they didn't feel like a vacation and also don't count as one because I still had all the same job hunting duties during the trip as normally. I'd had to have cut my 5-day trip short if an employer had wanted to interview me during that time or something, but luckily that didn't happen so I could enjoy London for all five days.

I suppose I might have some articles of clothing I wore on the trip in need of a wash still if I hadn't run a washer cycle for that type of clothing yet since coming back, but that's about the only thing I can think of.

2. Have you detected any signs of Spring/Fall yet?

Days have started to get brighter earlier and for longer. Otherwise it's the normal, slushy winter weather here.

3. How often do you check the batteries in your smoke alarm?

Not often enough! I try to do it a couple of times a year. The sound is so awful that I can't bring myself to do it more often because my head rings for a while after and might trigger a migraine attack.

4. How is your weekend looking?

Just my normal at home. Quiet. Planning on watching season 2 of Soap which is a comedy tv series I adore. I got my 5th COVID-19 vaccine shot on Friday; this was the bivalent vaccine which is by a different company than the previous four I've been given, so there might be more or different side effects than before. Writing this on Saturday... so far only a sore jab spot and some headache that may be vaccine related or just my normal chronic migraine related. ButI'm planning on taking it easy just in case for the weekend.

5. What could really stand to be replaced in your home right now?

The couch and the fridge.

Jo over at Dreamwidth put together a list of daily questions for 2023 again  🙂 Here’s my answers to February 17-28  questions.

17 – My Way Day: the day where you are encouraged to do whatever you want, however you want. Have you ever treated yourself to a day like this? What did you do?

I do this a lot, in many small ways as long as it doesn't require spending extra money. I try to give myself a chance to be creative whenever I feel like it, it makes me feel better and I just like the creative process itself.

Back when I was still working and could afford it, I used to go to a lunch restaurant (so not a restaurant restaurant - these are a little cheaper and have a more limited menu than a proper restaurant) and enjoy my favorite steak (leaf steak) once every week or every other week. I can't afford to go to a restaurant now that I don't work (can't justify spending so much on a single meal even if I could *technically* afford it) and I miss being able to give myself that little treat.

18 – Battery Day: How many things in your house are unusable without batteries? (If they don't run on mains power.)

Five.. I think. Phone, tablet, magnefying glass, food scale, human scale.

19 – World Whale Day: Have you ever been whale watching? Tell us about it.

Nope, we don't have whales here and I would have to go far abroad to see them.

20 – Love Your Pet Day: Do you have pets? Tell us about them – cats, dogs, other species? How many?

Not now, but my Mom had a Beagle in 1994-2004. Caro the Beagle was only pet my family has ever had. I LOVED that dog, she was so loving and playful and sweet and totally nuts when the mood took her. I had just moved to my own apartment when Mom got her, and I went with her and her SO to collect the puppy. I'd go over to Mom's every week, and when Mom couldn't take care of Caro because they went on a 24 hour cruise or travelled abroad for a holiday for a week or two, I was the one who did. I was around so much and Caro was over at my place so much that Caro probably thought of me as part of her pack :D We had to put her down when she was 10 because of a liver tumor, and I still feel her loss. Even though it's been almost 20 years now.

21 – International Mother Language Day: What is your native language? How many languages do you speak fluently or near-fluently? How many languages besides your native language have you studied?

My native language is Finnish. I'm fluent in Finnish and English. I read English language novels a lot, and don't need subtitles for movies or tv shows (as long as the actors don't mumble as they do a lot these days).

I studied Swedish for many years in school because it's mandatory here in Finland (don't get me started on that) but I can't read or speak it and my vocabulary is too small to be able to follow news or tv shows in Swedish and in general I never "got" Swedish the way I did with English - like a switch had been turned on. I only understood tenses when we learned them in English - previously I couldn't wrap my head around them at all in Swedish. I started watching Swedish thriller tv shows about 15 years a go, and my ear has gotten much better and I understand spoken Swedish more now but still can't make do without subtitles.

I also studied French for two years in school, but I can't speak or read it beyond very few basic sentences. We never advanced to things like tenses in French (I don't know why).

22 – World Yoga Day: Do you do yoga? How do you benefit from it?

Nope.

23 – Digital Learning Day: What are the benefits of digital learning compared to other methods of learning? What are the disadvantages?

It's easy to find how to do instructions on the internet for so many things.

I've no experience about digital learning in official capacity such as school, but for me personally, it'd be hard to retain information if I had to type up notes in class. I can't concentrate on what is being talked about when I'm typing and I don't remember information as well when I type it. Hand writing notes down is where it's at for me. I also think digital learning probably tends to forget people who learn with other methods such as doing, or listening and assumes that everyone is good to go with a computer for learning stuff.

24 – International I Hate Coriander Day: Do you love or hate coriander? If you don't like it, what don't you like about it?

I don't have an opinion on it. I don't think it's a huge thing here - at least I extremely rarely use recipes that call for it, and don't see that many recipe needing it around but that could just be the type of food I like.

25 – Real Bread Week: Real bread refers to any type of bread that has been made without the use of processing aids or any other additives and includes any type of additive-free bread (e.g. pita, paratha, tortilla, oatcakes, roti, bagels, etc.). Do you, or have you ever, made bread? Do you use a bread maker? If you always buy rather than make bread, do you look for bread that at least claims to be additive-free, made from organic flour, etc.?

I make bread a lot! And bread rolls even more. Bread in some form is one of the baked goods I make most often. I grew up making bread rolls - we used to make them every week or every other week when I was a kid so it's always been common for me to make them regularly.

I also buy bread, and while I'm particular about the types of bread (not too white, not too dark and must be in paper bag because all the breads in plastic bags are too soft and mushy) I buy, I'm not usually able to choose based on those features listed in the question. I buy what's available typical shops - organic, additive-free is usually made in smallish specialty bakeries and are expensive and usually no sold in grocery stores. So I can buy them only a few times a year because of the price and because I have to got out of my way to go to a bakery (they're few and far apart). I'd love to be able to buy from bakeries more often, especially this one delicious ruislimppu (rye bread) that I love but it's double the price of the ruislimppu in the typical shops which is okay tasting too.

26 – Carpe Diem Day: Are you good at seizing the day? If not, what holds you back?

No, I'm not. Fear of taking a chance because in my lived in experience, all the chances and changes come with financial instability and long uncertainty and delays in payments and I have to pay the rent, food and my meds every month. So I avoid rocking the boat because it just leads to stress.

Also just in general I don't like unexpected things/surprises and I don't like changing my plans on the fly. That may be because a lot of the time when it's needed or happens to me, it's a bad thing or at least causes temporary stress even if the end result is neutral or positive, so I associate those things with being bad and don't like having to change my plans.

27 – Pokemon Day: Are you or is anybody in your family a Pokemon fanatic?

Nope and nope. I at least sort of know what Pokemon is but I don't see the point, but my dearest people care even less.

28 – Tooth Fairy Day: Did the tooth fairy visit you whenever one of your baby teeth fell out? If you have children, did/do you have the tooth fairy visit them when they lose teeth? Why or why not?

I don't think so... I remember I got like one Finnish markka whenever I lost a baby tooth at first from Mom and Dad. For being brave because it was scary, losing a tooth. After a while of that and having a couple of loose baby teeth pulled out with a piece of string by Mom or Dad, I also started doing it myself. I remember because there was this one very loose tooth one day at school that just would.not.come.out on its own and it irritated me no end because my tongue kept going to it. By the time the school day was over, I was highly frustrated and didn't want to wait for another 3 hours for Dad to come home so he could pull it off. I knew how it was done having been subject to it many times already so I did it myself. And then I was very proud of myself!

Answers to today's questions at thefridayfive@DW

1. What's your favorite fruit or vegetable to look at?

I don't have a favorite of those to look at.... but I love beautifully staged photographs of fresh strawberries! Always makes want to have some!

2. What's your favorite juice?

Freshly squeezed orange juice.

3. What fruit tree would you like to have in your yard?

None really because it'd produce too much fruit for me to use them all, and make for work. My Mom has one apple tree (she's always eaten lots of apples, so when she moved somewhere with a backyard where she could plant an apple tree, she immediately got one) and it makes so much fruit that in addition to giving me lots of apples, her and her SO eating lots and lots of them just as-is, making dozens of pies with them, she also has to make jam just to use them all up! I'm grateful - her apple jam is by far the best jam I've ever tasted and has put me off all the store bought jams now, but having a fruit tree is an awful lot of work IMO and I don't care for fruit anywhere close enough to want to do that.

4. What vegetable name do you think makes the best nickname?

In English - pumpkin. In Finnish - none. The Finnish words aren't nicknamey to me.

5. What fruits and vegetables would your personal "fruit hat" contain?

Apple, pineapple, orange, banana, grapes, strawberries

Jo over at Dreamwidth put together a list of daily questions for 2023 again  🙂 Here’s my answers to February 1-16  questions.

1 – Serpent Day: How do you feel about snakes? Would you ever keep a snake as a pet?

They freak me out. No, never ever. I also wouldn't be able to live with someone who did have them as pets - I'd never be able to sleep or relax because I'd be sure the snake(s) has escaped it's containment.

2 – Optimist Day: Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

I used to be an optimist but unemployment and particulally ever since getting chronically ill I've become more pessimist (or a realist) as far as my own life goes. I still have hope for society and people in general though, just not much for my own personal circumstances.

3 – Take a Cruise Day: Have you ever been on a cruise? If not, would you want to? Cruise ships cause major environmental damage: a large cruise ship can have a carbon footprint greater than 12,000 cars, while passengers on an Antarctic cruise can produce as much CO2 emissions on a seven-day voyage as the average European in an entire year. The industry is a major producer of waste, with the total amount of rubbish produced by a large cruise ship exceeding a ton per day. And let us not forget that they are also essentially floating germ/virus labs (even before Covid). So do you still want to take a cruise?

I'm not interested in cruises - the entertainment on them is not something I ame interested in (getting drunk, dancing, loud music, big crowds). In fact about the only thing worse than a cruise for me is a beach holiday.

The only cruises I've been on are the 24 hour ones from my home town to Stockholm - these we made when I was a kid. We used to do a day cruise to Marienhamnor a 24 hour cruise to Stockholm every year during some school holiday with my family and sometimes my best friend would come with us too. That's really common type cruise here - from Turku or Helsinki to Stockholm and back. Takes about 24 hours.

As an adult the only cruise I've gone one on was one that included a visit to Visby for the day in the summer and then a ship back. This was I think night on the ship + day in Visby + night back on the ship. That was a really great trip and Visby was absolutely beautiful!

The only cruise I'd be interested in is on my own/someone rich's private, huge yacht. I'd be able to spend the time as I wish, instead being forced to endure crowds of hundreds/housands of people in a tight space and just like read in my own peace in a lounge or listen to music I like.

4 – Ice cream For Breakfast Day: Have you ever eaten ice cream for breakfast (or for any other meal)?

I don't think I've had ice cream for breakfast! Sometimes for dinner yes, particularly if it's a heat wavy summer day. Usually I'd make a shake of it: ice cream, a banana or strawberries, chocolate sauce or vanilla sauce, and milk.

5 – World Nutella Day: Do you like Nutella? How often to you eat Nutella?

It's okay. I don't really like it because it's so sweet. I buy maybe one bottle every two or more years? One bottle lasts me a year or so. Usually I buy a bottle because I need it for baking and then eat the remainders over the next several months.

6 – Chopsticks Day: Can you eat with chopsticks? If yes, how often do you use them?

Nope and never.

7 – World Ballet Day: Have you ever been to a ballet performance? If not, is this something that might interest you? Have you ever had ballet lessons?

As a kid we went with school - it was (is?) part of the general study program about culture. And as an adult, I think I was once in my very early 20s when my Mom wanted to see... Swan Lake? but didn't want to go alone. I don't care for ballet - I only enjoy the Dance of the Cygnets dance from Swan Lake, everything else bores me.

8 – World Opera Day: Are you an opera buff?

There are one or two pieces that I like such as E lucevan le stelle from Tosca as performed by Roberto Alagna, but no, I'm not. I do like a lot of classical music, but prefer to have no singing.

9 – Read in the Bathtub Day: Do you read in the bath? Have you ever been reading in the bath and dropped your book into the water?

I haven't had a bathtub since I moved into my own home 20+ years ago, but we had one in my childhood home. I used to read for hours in the bath! It was one of my favorite things to do! My Mom or Dad usually had to tell me enough already after like three hours LOL I never dropped a book in the water. I read library books so I was really careful with them! It almost happened a few times, a book slipping from my hand but luckily I always caught it in time.

10 – Umbrella Day: Umbrella or raincoat? Do you carry an umbrella or raincoat “just in case” if the weather looks doubtful, or do you take your chances? What types of umbrellas do you like? Do you keep umbrellas in different places, e.g. one at work, one in your car (if you have a car), to avoid being caught by unexpected rain?

I carry an umbrella pretty much year around in my backpack (which I take everywhere). Rain is very common in Finland all year round, and I use busses (I don't own a car) so being stuck in rain waiting for a bus isn't a rare occurrence. I use travel umbrellas because they'll fit into whatever bag I'm carrying so they practical. But I'd really love to use one of those bigger, taller umbrellas with "J" handles sometimes. It's just not practical because they don't fit into any beg ever and are the most unpractical thing to carry around when you don't know if you'll need one or not.

11 – Make a Friend Day: How easy is it for you to make friends? Do you have many casual friends, or just one or two close friends?

It's always been hard. I usually have just one or two close friends, and the rest are really acquitances interested in some thing that I am too.

12 – World Marriage Day: In your opinion, is marriage an outdated institution or has it stood the test of time? Should we seek to preserve it, or might there be a better alternative for committed couples?

I have no opinion on marriage. If I were in a relationship, I can't imagine getting married would be important to me in and of itself. It's my understanding if you have kids with your SO, then it might be better to get married because of some legal things with the kids and finances related to the kids if the other parent dies suddenly. Most of my friends aren't married even if they've been together for maybe decades, and my Mom and her SO (both in their 80s) have been together and engaged for three decades now; they only got engaged because them not being married but living together really bothered by Grandma. So they got engaged as an compromise to appease my Grandma. And my Mom's best friend has never always been single/never married, so I grew up with not-being-married being just as normal and un-remarked on by people as being-married so I never grew into the mindset that marriage is the default expectation.

13 – Clean Out Your Computer Day: When was the last time you cleaned out your fans and dusted off your motherboard? Have you looked at your graphics card to see if its cooling fan and fins are clean? For that matter, when did you last clean out or even opened the case? Or have you ever cleaned out your computer or had someone clean it out for you?

I only have a laptop, and most of that isn't possible to do without special tools to open the back of the laptop so I'm guessing regular people aren't supposed to do that. I do dust what bits I can open a couple of times a year as well as the fan outlet, and wipe the screen and keyboard weekly or more of then if needed. Back when I had desktops, I did open them up sometimes to dust things and install new cd-rom or hard drives and such.

14 – Organ Donor Day: Are you signed up/registered to be an organ donor? Do you regularly or occasionally donate blood?

I am a registered organ donor, although what with my illnesses, I'm not sure if they can use my organs because of the diseases I have. I'm unable to donate blood - I'm anemic and iron deficient even without doing it. Just for the hell of it, I've tried doing the "Can you donate blood" test which ask a lot of questions to determine if you can, and I can't get past the second page without getting four reasons already to disqualify me.

15 – World Hippo Day: How much do you know about hippos? Have you seen one outside a zoo?

Not much/nothing! And nope - I'm not even sure I've seen them in zoos, I can't remember. Whatever I learned about them in school, I've long since forgotten because it's not information I've ever needed.

16 – Innovation Day: Are you the creative sort who can easily come up with new innovations, or are you better at following-up with developing other people's ideas?

I don't know! Physical stuff - I never had the chance to do anything of the sort at work (temp jobs) because if there were need to invent new things, it was the permanent employees who did that. And library work doesn't really do that, anyway. And the permanent employees did the brain storming if it were a show or an exhibition or something. The closest I can think of is back when making internet pages was done with html from scratch. I thought myself html and css; I was usually able to cobble together what I wanted with research and trial & error.

I've sometimes wondered what the boys were taught back in school while the girls had dressmaking, knitting etc. lessons. The boys had woodworks, iron works like welding etc. I've many times thought that being taught how to drill holes in walls etc. and learning tools like drills would've been much more useful to me than knitting or making a blouse - I've never needed to do the latter, but have several times needed to ask my Mom's SO to drill a whole in the wall. I don't even own a drill because he loved to do all that stuff and is good at it but he's getting old now. I guess in the 80s the society thought every woman would always have a husband/brother/father around to do stuff like that. I hope the schools teach girls these things too nowadays but I don't know if they do.

Answers to today's questions at thefridayfive @ Dreamwidth.

1. Mysteries. Do you sleuth alongside Nancy Drew or Miss Marple? Fan of Nero Wolfe?

Oh yes! Mysteries/detective stories/crime thrillers are one of my favorite genre both to read and watch on TV. I always try to guess who's the guilty one or what is going on and I'm pretty good at it after having read and watched for so long.

2. Plan on making a batch of chili? Have a top secret recipe to share?

Does this mean like chili con carne..? I don't really like chili even the mild one is too hot and spicy for me so nope, no plans. I googled and apparently chili con carne is made with beans - I don't eat beans but I do make a similar food except I use rice or macaroni or other pasta instead of beans. And no chili. But I'm not planning on making that one either in near future.

The next time actually I'll cook something it'll probably be pannulasagne which is an easy & quick version of lasagne. It's made in the frying pan and takes about 30 minutes according to the recipes I've seen. I only discovered pannulasagne last week, haven't had a chance to make it yet but can't wait to try it out!

3. Does your car or did a family car have a name?

Nope!

4. Did you walk to school with your friends? Take a school bus?

Grades 1-6 I walked to school, often with my best friend but not always because we were on different classes (on the same grade) so our schedules didn't always match. Grades 7-9 same thing, but school bus. If my best friend had a different schedule, I preferred to go it alone because the pupils on my same class whom I considered school friends lived in a different direction and the ones who went my way, I didn't care about. I rather was alone after being in a class with 20-40 noisy acquaintances the whole day and I'd had my fill of it. I'm more of an introvert so the alone time was usually welcome after school days.

5. Ever have someone carry your books home from school?

Not the way this ask means, I think? As a romantic thing?

Not school books (because those I carried on my back in a backpack), but shopping bags sometimes. I did the shopping in the city center in the good shop which had the good bread, meats and cheeses because my best friend and I always went to a second hand bookshop on Fridays after school to buy comics - the bookshop also got newly released ones from the US) and the then I'd do the bread/meat/cheese shopping on the way home from the bookshop because it was on the way. My best friend a few times carried my shopping a lot of the way but only when I needed help - like that time when I had hurt the fingers of my left hand and it hurt to carry or even just hold things with it, or when I needed my good hand free to do something with it. I returned the favor whenever she needed help obviously. But mostly we carried our own stuff.

Answers to this week's questions over at thefridayfive @ LJ.

1. Who would you like to be able to get into contact with?

There's no-one in particular I can think of that I'd like to get into contact with and can't.

2. How do you make yourself go to sleep when you can’t seem to get to sleep?

If it's a real bad insomnia night nothing can help except time and being awake long enough. Melatonin doesn't work if it's serious, and I can't use sleeping pills.

3. What language(s) do you wish you could speak?

I'd really love to be fluent in French! Both speaking and reading, but especially fluent enough in reading to comfortably be able to read novels in French.

4. What is it about people that confused you the most?

How is it that we are so good at deceiving ourselves so well and ignoring things we don't like to hear? That confuses me.

5. What major company do you despise the most?

I don't despise any company, major or minor. Some I don't like much or think are making stupid decisions but despise is too strong a word. I don't have strong enough feelings about companies one way or another.

Answers to this week's questions over at f.riday.com

1. What keeps you up at night?

Sometimes it's pain, sometimes restless legs and sometimes it's Crohn's Disease symptoms but mostly I have no idea! I just can't fall into sleep, or can't stay asleep and keep waking up every hour or two from light, poor sleep. Insomnia sucks.

2. How well do you operate on insufficient sleep?

Not very well. It feels like everything is difficult because I'm exhausted already when I wake up. Even every little thing takes a lot out of me. Luckily (I guess - I don't know how I could work even part-time) I don't work so I can do things at my own space and I make do.

3. Under what conditions do you get your best sleep?

These days it's either when I've over worked myself during the day, or when I've been awake for 32+ hours in one run. Then I get the kind of normal, good sleep I used to have before all these illnesses.

4. What unusual places have you slept in?

Hospital, a tent while camping in a camping area, and in a train sleeping car when I was a little kid and we went to a holiday in Moscow back in early 1980s. Sleeping in the sleep car was exciting! So not unusual places at all.

5. What’s a good song about dreams or dreaming?

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This by Eurythmics and Enter Sandman by Metallica are the ones that come to mind.... donno how good they are about specifically dreaming, but I do like both songs a lot!