Quarantine and Writer’s Block

| marandarussell

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I’m having one of those days where I just don’t know what to write. Nothing good comes to mind. I don’t really want to share art or poetry today, but I don’t feel like I have much else to share lol. I guess I could write about a few mundane things going on in my quarantined life right now…

  • One of my poor kitties has a huge hematoma (blood-filled cyst) on his ear. We already took him to the vet and they gave him a shot and some medicine, hoping it would shrink, but so far, nothing has effected it. If it doesn’t change by next week, they will have to do surgery to remove it and his ear will always be disfigured. I feel bad for him. His poor ear is flopped over from the weight of the hematoma and he looks like he is in discomfort from it 😦
  • My husband is a teacher and he is trying to figure out how to do the whole homeschooling online with his students thing. You wouldn’t believe how many problems he and the school district have run into trying to get Google classrooms up and running! My poor husband has been frustrated, irritable, and sometimes almost enraged by the technical issues he keeps facing. I feel bad for him and wish I could help, but I can’t. It kind of makes home a less fun place to be sometimes!
  • I really miss being able to decompress by going out shopping. Even if I didn’t buy anything, it was fun and got me out of the house. I miss it. I guess I could still go to Walmart or Meijer or whatever, but I feel that would be unwise unless I really need to go there for groceries or other essentials. I don’t want to contribute to the overloading of our healthcare system if I can avoid it.
  • Watching the news is so depressing, I’ve kind of been avoiding it more lately. I’m usually one of those people who is up to speed on all things happening in the news, but right now it just makes me feel helpless and sad, especially for the poor doctors, nurses, and other emergency and healthcare employees on the front lines of Covid 19.

Poetry – Tip Her

| marandarussell

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(The following slightly risque poem was inspired by a passage from Ulysses by James Joyce, which turned out to be a lot dirtier (and nonsensical) than I thought it would be lol.)

Stop. Knocking.
Silly man!
Want women by the score?
Quit throwing flowers
at their feet
and singing sappy
songs outside
in your feathered cap.
Gifts? Words? Music?
No.
Tip her.
Tap her.
Top her.

Park Outing Photos

| marandarussell

Since Ohio is under a shelter in place order right now, we aren’t allowed to go many places. The grocery store, the pharmacy, and local parks as long as there aren’t too many people already there (and yes, park rangers are turning people away after they reach a certain limit). Anyhow, my husband and I went to a nearby park and I took a few fun pics:

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Ohio Coronavirus Lockdown – How I’m Coping

| marandarussell

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Here in Ohio we are now in an official lockdown, where only essential business is allowed to be out and about. I don’t have any official business, so I’m stuck at home lol. Being home all the time does start to get to you after a little bit. You don’t realize how much even small things, like being able to go to a restaurant, sit down, and eat affect your mood until you can no longer do them.

On the positive side, I am trying to stay busy. Today I did some cleaning and organizing around the house and it felt REALLY good. I would definitely recommend it to others stuck at home. Doing stuff like that makes you feel like you are accomplishing something, and it feels great to look around afterwards and see the change your cleaning up has made.

I’ve also been reading some, doing a lot of social media gazing, watching tik tok dances (a guilty pleasure of mine), doing puzzle books, and I took a few paid product review jobs through Upwork, just for something to do and to make a few extra dollars. So far I’ve signed on to review several supplements/vitamins (I loved the hemp gummies!), books, wrinkle reducing masks, a nail decorating kit, and a kebob maker. Hey, I get lots of free stuff that way too!

So how are you all doing? Are you under quarantine? If so, what are you doing to stay busy? Are you having any trouble with depression or anxiety? I know I have at times.

My LetsGetChecked Hormone Test Results!

| marandarussell

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As I told you guys in a previous post, I partnered with LetsGetChecked.com, an online business that makes medical testing at home convenient and easy. They offer a wide range of tests, everything from sexual health tests to male/female specific testing, and wellness tests (all privacy guaranteed).

As I do with any business I promote, I used their service myself to make sure it was a good deal. I decided to do their female hormone test, as I have suspected for a while that I might be going into early menopause. The test did show an abnormality, but not in the way I was expecting at all! I figured if anything, my levels might be low, but I was wrong.

The test measures 4 biomarkers – Lutenising Hormone, Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Prolactin, and Estradio. Three of the levels were normal, but my Prolactin level was actually pretty high. Quite a bit over the average level. Normally this level is high during pregnancy and after birth (neither apply to me lol). Prolactin can also be high due to various health issues and medicine side effects.

Since one of the health issues that can make Prolactin levels high is hypothyroidism (which I do have a history of), I definitely need to see my doctor and have that looked into. If it isn’t that or one of the other health problems, it is likely my medicine – probably the psych meds from what I read online after researching my test results.

High Prolactin levels can cause the menstrual symptoms I attributed to early menopause (skipping or irregular periods, irritability, acne, hot flashes, night sweats, etc.), so this might be the answer I was looking for, even if it is unexpected. I am really glad I had it checked!

If you decide to try out one of the tests on LetsGetChecked.com, please use the code marandarussell20 for 20% off your purchase! 

Childhood Dreams Realized

| marandarussell

You know one awesome aspect of being an adult who collects toys? You can make your childhood dreams come true by buying yourself the toys you wanted most while a kid but never got for one reason or another.

One doll I desperately wanted as a little kid was a Kid Sister doll. For some reason, it just wasn’t meant to be way back then, but I have one now! Just bought this little beauty on Ebay – a rare splurge for myself!

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Were there any toys you wanted badly as a kid but never got? If you came across it today would you be tempted to get it for yourself?