Being sensible with a bit of help...

Two things that I have been thankful for about the Fitbit.  First, it sent me an email telling me that my battery was low and it was nearing time for a charge.  Such a helpful thing for the cognitively challenged.  Second, it is forgiving if you forget to put it in sleep monitoring mode.  Yes, I forgot.

Last night, I fell asleep just after eight on the couch.  I awoke long enough to take Amos out and to take my last medication dose and then made my way upstairs.  Around two in the morning, when fetching fresh icepacks, I realized I never set it to sleep mode.  So, I did.  This morning, when I got up, I clicked on the app to see how my sleep was and discovered that I could change the time period.  When I set it back to as near as when I thought I had fallen asleep, the deep blue of being zonked out appeared and the whole of my sleeping was visually displayed for me.

It is a good thing to be forgiven your mistakes.
To be have it acknowledged that you can make mistakes.
Even by technology.

I have been a bit surprised at how helpful I have found the Fitbit to be.  I mean, I am a slug after all.  However, I am not a fan of water and so struggle with drinking enough.  With dysautonomia and its vagaries upon your blood pressure, drinking enough water is vital.  I log every 8 ounces and have this odd sure of peer pressure from the app when it is later in the day and I am no where near 48 ounces (my minimalist goal for water).  Since using the Fitbit, I have become much more consistent in reaching that goal.

Plus, it really is a bit of a boost to will power. I mean, I set up a custom food entry for four Rolos (a "serving" is 7).  I think four is a sufficient number of Rolos if you eat them slowly and savor the sweetness.  Now, if you are just plowing your way through them, the square of that number could be the result.  Entering all the food I am eating in the app means that I have to admit to myself (and ultimately my GP, who asked to be able to go through the data) any time I lean more toward plowing than restraint when it comes to the consumption of Rolos.  In short, I am now a veritable model of restraint.

Another aid has been looking at my steps.  You see, when I go too much over my goal of 5,000, I feel worse and have more roller coaster moments.  By that I mean that I have done too much for me that day, been vertical too much.  So, I decided that errand running and housework days were not days to go for my (torturous) walk.  And I find myself trying to pace what I do throughout the day so as to spread out my labor more evenly during the time I am awake.  Because, really, I like to pretend that I am still the same Energizer Bunny when it comes to taking care of things and doing projects as I used to be.  However, I am not.

Today is a bit different, because it is raining.  And, frankly, after doing it twice, I have decided that I am not a walk-in-the-rain sort of person.  Neither is Amos.  In fact, he feels rather strongly about not walking when it is raining.  So, cooking the last of my planned freezer meals was good in that it had me up and moving.  However, I will not be near the goal of 5,000 steps today because of the rain.  I briefly considered trying to walk in circles on the first floor, but decided that was not such a good idea. I trip on my floor a lot.  And there is no stop light myopically pulling me to the half-way point or the thought of the GREEN chair pulling me home.

In any case, I have data that shows the overall caloric consistency in what I consume, my sleep quantity and quality, my water consumption, and my level of activity.  The latter, I think, is the most important because sometimes I get these ... lectures ... about not being active when I can.  I keep trying to tell my doctors that, with a three level house, it is impossible to not be active if you are single, the only one to do everything that living takes.  And cooking almost everything that you consume takes a lot of work, especially if your freezer is in the basement!

Mostly, the Fitbit is a good companion for the chronically ill hermit.  If left up to Amos, he and I would spend all our waking hours curled up together (with a baby or three) in the GREEN chair.  And it is a really great companion for the chronically ill hermit with ever increasing memory problems.

That cream I was thawing out for the Pasta alla Vodka?  It was actually buttermilk!  Actually, I don't mind it being thawed, because I divided the amount and put it back in the freezer.  I had two portions in one, portions meaning the standard amount I've been using in recipes.  I had a container of new cream in the refrigerator, so I used that instead.  Only five servings went into my freezer, because I also forgot to take out a main meal for today from the freezer last night.

After calling myself all kinds of silly, I did open the sewing machine box and put it on my dining room table.  I then watched some of the videos.  That is, until I got to this one:





This just got me all despairing and discombobulated even though several times the woman said there would be a close-up video later.  I mean, the pace is entirely too quick for this lame brain.  And the pressure of all that following of directions as you move the thread this way and that just crushed me.  All thoughts of winding a bobbin as my goal for the day went flying out the window.

I did appreciate that, in two of the videos, she stressed the need to use the plastic version of the class 15 bobbin.  She pointed out that a lot of folk like the metal ones, but that the metal ones weigh more.  This is a computerized sewing machine that was crafted and calibrated for plastic bobbins.  Just because you have a preference for something else, doesn't mean that using it would be good.  There's a sort of life lesson in that.

After reading how many people suggested the use of the metal bobbins, those are the kind I bought when I fetched thread.  So, a return trip is in order for me.  It is good that the machine comes with four bobbins to start.  I mean, if ever I stop quivering over this single video I can at least get the machine threaded.

For now, at least, the new normal for me is giving into the call of sleep.  I think I would rather, if going to be sleeping 12 hours or so, have it from 2:00 to 2:00 instead of the more recent 8:00 to 8:00.  The latter makes for long, lonely days.  However, I have gotten to enjoy the rainbows in the living room cast by the sun filtering through the beveled glass windows.  You have to be an early riser to see them.  Usually, I am not.

I do wish the plague of exhaustion would end.  But at least the freezer has been replenished.  And all the 2015 checking account register data entered.  And ... and the sewing machine unpacked.

I'm off to give into the inevitable in a sensible manner.  Pajamas.  Ice packs.  My bed.  Falling asleep whilst essentially sitting up on the couch makes for a sore body.  I'd rather limit my aches and ails wherever I can.