I'm here, on a Friday, with more things I've ef-'d up:
1. Damn gluten.
I'm so careful - or so I thought. We eat at restaurants on occasion, so- crap shoot? I mix my own trail-mix adjacent snack: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and low sugar dark chocolate.
Before buying them at Costco, I was getting pumpkin seeds in a clear container at the grocery store. Just noticed: 'manufactured in a facility . . . wheat'. Since ditching those seeds, my swallowing / sleeping has improved. The bad taste - not so much. Stay tuned
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| Remember this 'gas appliance' sticker? My kids stuck it on my back unbeknownst to me when the dryer was delivered days before Christmas 2020. |
File this under lies I tell myself when I'm too busy to address anything
The dryer was broken, for months? Or several weeks. I attributed it to extreme temps. It was taking forever to dry the clothes in Dec/Jan. Coach uses a ladder to to reach the vent on the second floor. I insisted there was too much lint. Denial.
Coach finally suggested we get it serviced. $300 later, it's fixed.
3. Sprayed by puke, but still smiling.
Thursday scene from my laundry room. A doll got puke-sprayed when the 9 month old I babysit for projectiled. She has reflux or something and sometimes she blows chunks (prior to eating solids, it was liquid).
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| Sprayed, but smiling. |
Later, I laughed at the smiling doll on the laundry room floor on the pillow that was also soiled.
4. DMV hell. Did I tell you my dad gave us his '04 Rendez Vous, with 150K miles on it? I went to the DMV to switch the title into my name.
Me (calling DMV): I've tried to do this online several times (almost apologetically, because I felt like I was wasting his time - assuming I could do it online).
Guy: Yeah, I know. It's confusing, because it looks like you can do it online - but you can't.
Huh, maybe someone should fix that.
I scheduled an appt. Drove there on a Saturday . . . my mom's name was on the title too. I'd failed to ger her signature. I had to come back another time.
I drove home while listening to The Age of Innocence, deciding that the one hour round trip wasn't a total waste. Reg shared this DMV video and I died. Highly recommend.
5. Ouch! (no pictures of this one - you're welcome)
Twice recently, a ripped contact lens tore completely in two when I tried to remove it. I got a piece of it. The other chunk hid in the side of my eye. No amount of side-eyeing could force that thing out.
Scraping around for a lens remnant falls into the die-from-squeamishness fear that I suffer from. Eventually I managed to get it out without having to go to the ER.
*****
What have you ef'd up recently?
At least you figured out where the wheat was coming from- win! Cleaning out dryer lint - win- that stuff is so flammable- and it'll be ready for the new dryer- another win. You figured out what you needed to do with DMV- win!
ReplyDeleteAnd call the manufacturer- contacts shouldn't do that. Flood the eye with saline before you take it out- it might help. You can't blame yourself for something out of your control. And you persevered and got the contact out despite being sensitive to such things- win!
You know, most people would run screaming from the vomit and not smile- so win!
Hang in there!
mbmom11 - Well, I'm not 100% sure that was 'it'. Maybe I got some when I went out to dinner. Maybe I get some from the pumpkin seeds? I didn't get a new dryer, but I love my dryer and the fact that it's back in business is a good thing. Well, I think the contact lens thing is a me problem. Would you still be my friend if I admitted that I sometimes re-wear my daily wear lenses? Thank goodness Curly was there and willing to poke around in my eye.
DeleteOoooh, it's SO annoying when food items have sneaky ingredients in them. That happens to me all the time. I have a sensitivity to onion and garlic, and often they're hidden in the ingredients as "spices". Well, which spices do you mean, food manufacturers? I also have a sensitivity to soy, and it makes me happy that it now gets listed separately as an allergen. What's the deal with your contact lenses ripping in half? I didn't know that could even happen, and it sounds terrible. I laughed so hard at the gas appliance sticker!
ReplyDeleteMichelle G.
Michelle G. - I agree. And I'm also someone who usually avoids foods that say 'also manufactured in a plant with wheat', but when it's pumpkin seeds? It just wasn't on my radar. Ugh. I still wonder if that was it, or if it was something more - like going to dinner, etc. The contact lens issue might be because I rewear my daily wear contacts sometimes. But after this, the THIRD time the lens ripped in my eye and I couldn't find the other piece, I'm not rewearing them again. The appliance sticker was a hoot. Tell me I live with teenagers without telling me.
DeleteYour dryer was only 5 years old and stopped functioning? That is typical for appliances these days and is a crime. I wore hard contacts for years until hormone changes after pregnancy and I developed a dry eye problem. I tried so hard to get used to the soft lenses but just couldn't handle their flimsiness and the issue you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteBijoux - I agree - they don't make 'em like they used to. I cringe at the name 'hard contacts' but I suppose it's all what you're used to.
DeleteGAHHH! The contact story. I've never had that exact thing happen, but just recently a lens got "lost" in my eye. Somehow I put it in wrong, I think it folded up just as I was going for the eyeball, and it slid... somewhere. Somewhere in my eye, and I couldn't find it. I went through the whole day like that, then went to bed (still knowing the contact was lost in my eye) and when I woke up the next morning it just kind of popped out, innocently, as if it hadn't been hiding for 24 hours. Grr. Contacts are becoming more and more of a pain- I can see why people wear glasses.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are REALLY sensitive to gluten. I guess the good news is, there's a reasonable explanation for the symptoms you've been having. The bad news is gluten apparently is sneakily hiding everywhere. Hope you can figure out the metallic taste- restaurant food is probably a crap shoot like you said. But it's not like you're eating out all the time. Well, glad the other symptoms have subsided.
Jenny - That story freaks me out. I imagine the contact lens fragment would've popped out during the night, but I don't think I would've been able to go to sleep with it in there. You know it took me 4 years just to get contact lenses, squeamish city over here. so I cannot deal with weird issues that involve looking into the corners of my eye. Gag.
DeleteThe thing is, I'm not 100% sure the gluten was coming from the seeds. Who even knows? I'm swallowing fine again which is great. I wonder if I'm ingesting it somewhere else and if the pumpkin seeds are getting the blame for no reason.
We had a washer only last five years after our previous one lasted about 25. When I first had contacts as a teenager and had to use that sterilizer thing daily I didn't get one in completely before closing the cover and it clipped the contact -- was too afraid to say anything so wore it like that for quite a while. Now I have daily wear :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - I remember that sterilizer thing - I about burned my eyeball out once in college. Shrieking in pain trying to get the damn thing out. Thank goodness we don't have to plug a unit into the wall anymore. Gosh, remember that?
DeleteWe got a dryer in 2020… don’t let my dryer hear yours.
ReplyDeleteMike had something similar happen with his contact lens when he was in the hospital in January. Not fun.
Sounds like you’ve had a week similar to mine. I woke up this morning after a good night’s sleep and still felt tired.
Kari - Ha, I'll tell my dryer not to send out any negative vibes to your dryer. I wish I'd gotten the surgery to fix my eyesight. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I found I was in the age range, but I think you have to be awake for it, and well, that might not end well.
DeleteI very much miss wearing contacts, but not that side of it. I once put both contacts in the same eye. That was such a screw-up, and an expensive one at the time. Now my eyes are too dry, so I have to wear glasses for everything but up-close stuff like reading. Will I ever get bifocals? No, I absolutely will not. I am far too vain.
ReplyDeleteMy dear friend has an extreme gluten sensitivity like yours. She can't even touch things with gluten or she reacts. I know from her how hard it can be; reading labels can only get you so far.
Nance - I think this was before you and I were blog friends, but when we went to New Haven, MI for a weekend a few years back, Coach had the same contact case as me. The bathroom was tiny. He and I went for a walk and I worried I was going blind because I had my contacts in, but I couldn't see anything. Everything was blurry. I came home and tossed the lens in the toilet and got out a new one. Um, I'd been wearing his lenses. He came into the bathroom to put his in and they weren't in his case. Oops.
DeleteReading labels can only get you so far - you nailed it. I do a lot of baking - with gluten and I wash my hands, but I never have considered that touching gluten could be problematic for me.
The puke covered doll is quite the hoot! I hope finding the culprit in your trail mix will solve your problems. Glad you were able to get the dryer fixed. Seems like whenever I have an issue like that the fix is more than the appliance is worth.
ReplyDeleteBeth - That doll looked like she was taking one for the team and not at all sad about it, esp the way I happened to lay her on the pillow in the laundry room. I felt like after I paid $300 for the dryer, I should've looked to see how much it would've been to replace it. Coach was like IT WAS PROBABLY A THOUSAND. Not even convinced if the trail mix pumpkin seeds was the root of the problem. Who knows?
DeleteI have never worn contacts, nor glasses for that matter (except for reading) but your contact story made me cringe. That’s crazy how quickly our large appliances give up the ghost these days. At least the dryer is running. That DMV video is hilarious. I hate to tell you that it used to be like that in Canada years ago but (in Ontario at least) our service centres are pretty efficient now.
ReplyDeletePat - I so wish I never had to wear glasses or contacts. I did reading glasses for a while, but I now do two different contacts so I can read. That DMV video is so spot on. I have noticed a shift at the DMV and since I was there twice in the span of a few weeks, I know things. They now do appointments online. New, bigger facilities. Maybe a shift towards a better experience. I don't think it can get worse.
DeleteOK, that contact story has made me even more determined not to get contacts. I had a try at the optometrist a few years ago and just nope. My stuff up was forgetting mixing up the date we were going out with friends. They called me from the restaurant wanting to know if we were coming.
ReplyDeleteMelissa - I hate glasses so much, but fainted the first time I tried contacts in 8th grade, so I forced myself to get over being grossed out when I was a senior in high school. That doesn't mean that getting a piece out of my eye is doable though. Oof, I hope you were able to scramble and meet them at the restaurant.
DeleteI have contacts, but have never had that happen. However, I have put two in at one time on accident and not realized it and then later one was kind of on the side and was hard to remove/figure out. I still would rather have contacts than glasses 100%!
ReplyDeleteKyria - I am team CONTACTS all.day.long. I am so grouchy on a day when I have to wear my glasses. I can't workout with them on, when it rains - or when it's cold and they fog up, just - NO.
DeleteOMG. So many crappy things to deal with!
ReplyDeleteI remember having issues with contacts----I'm lucky I can see anything with the amount of time I accidentally put them in while they still have the CHEMICAL cleaners on them. I think I might have ripped one or two as well. Contact Hell.
The DMV video made me laugh so hard. Why is this such a universal thing?
The puke. OMG. I shouldn't have looked at the photo!
Suz - I remember when we used to have to plug our contact lenses into the wall and fry them - and then I put them in by mistake when they hadn't ever heated up and that chemical - that was no joke next level pain.
DeleteThe DMV video - Reg shared it with me. How do the kids find these things? It was so accurate, I was dying. Now that I've been there twice in a month, I know things - like they now take appointments and the facility is larger and new and there are more areas designated to deal with separate issues, so maybe things will improve.
I still have to do something with the carpet aside from the water I used to get the puke up. Can it wait till summer when I can get the carpet cleaned?
I have effed up SO! MANY! THINGS!! The gluten mistake really sucks-- I hope the effects are short lived.
ReplyDeleteSarah - So many things - tell me about it. I just messed up a flight when I booked it (Pm vs AM - and that's not the first time, so why wasn't I more careful?). the gluten thing is frustrating, because I'm not totally sure what it was. Maybe the seeds?
DeleteOh goodness, the contacts! Sounds like your eyes are dry and it’s trying to stick. Maybe put some wetting drops in before removing them. I used to have these dreams where I was trying to put a huge contact in my eye, like the size of a piece of letter paper or something. I would be folding and folding and it would wrap around my entire eyeball. So gross. I haven’t had that dream in years. Knock on wood I don’t have it tonight!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad your dryer is fixed, what was wrong?
I’m glad the gluten thing is figured out. I hope the metallic taste is a remnant and that it goes away SOON on its own.
Julie - I hope you didn't have that terrible dream after my post. Yikes, that is a hilarious scenario. glad it was just a dream.
Deletethe dryer guy told me what was wrong, but do I remember? No, I do not. I know the belt was almost broken, but wasn't - so maybe he replaced that and then some other stuff.
Well, I'm not convinced the gluten thing is figured out. Maybe? I'm guessing I'll have to steer clear of those pumpkin seeds for awhile and then have my blood retested. Then maybe I'll know more.