April 18th & 19th

Yesterday and today were tough for so many of you.  It was a 2-day news cycle of ick.  Several of you wrote or texted about awful stuff that happened with your loved ones today.  One of you is a Southwest flight attendant (more on that later).  My super hard-working, dedicated, smart and funny sister went out on an (introverted) limb and ran for a position on the local Education Association Board...and lost, and perhaps due to people not completing ballots correctly.  Oh, and as she notes, the other day was Tax Day as well. 😝

We paid off Chris' car last month, and this apparently dropped our credit scores 30 points, because we no longer have a "good mix of accounts."  Credit Sesame recommends getting a car, education, or other loan to remedy this.  Yeah, HARD PASS.  (I mean, our credit is still in the high 700s, so this  truly a First World Problem.)

At any rate, I'm summoning our Patron Saint of Horribleness, here she is: The Duchess of Cornwall, everyone, Camilla Parker Bowles!

So here's how I ate.  And in advance, I will say "Sudafed is one hell of a drug.  I see now why you have to show your license to buy some."

Wednesday

• Breakfast was Sudafed.  Turns out Sudafed is an appetite suppressant, and lots of people on the internet use it for weight loss.  Sudafed makes me feel stupid, so I can't imagine doing this for any length of time, but okay.  Also, I'm no medical professional, but prolonged use seems like...not a good idea?
• Lunch was rotisserie chicken and saffron rice.
• Dinner was applesauce.
• Exercise was nonexistent.  (I didn't think 400 calories + exercise would be the best idea)
• Programming note: I stayed home from work.  I felt awful.

Thursday

• Breakfast was pumpernickel toast w/ lox and cream cheese, plus half a cup of coffee with cream.  And Sudafed.
• Lunch was a Greek yogurt.  At 4 p.m.
• Dinner was 5 pieces of tuna sushi wrapped in avocado.
• Exercise was this super chill yoga video.
• Programming note: I went to work and mostly stayed in my office, and whined at the CFO through the wall that my face hurt.

So I promised we'd come back to my flight attendant friend who works for Southwest.  She is one badass lady, and reading her Facebook posts make me realize how incredibly tough it is to be a flight attendant.  This friend used to work the overnight shift in a busy ER as a nurse, and says that the FA job is harder.  

So here's a PSA from her about the oxygen masks that I know I found useful and hope you do too:

Please listen to the Safety Demos! Your Flight Attendants primary role is your safety. Seconds count in an emergency, your life & the lives of others depend on knowing what to do in urgent & unexpected situations. 

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T USE YOUR AIRLINE OXYGEN MASK PROPERLY? 

Passengers who don’t get the oxygen they need are at risk of passing out from hypoxia. This is a condition in which low amounts of oxygen in the body’s tissues can rapidly lead to symptoms like dizziness, vision problems, mental confusion, and even unconsciousness, brain damage and death. 

If you don’t use your oxygen mask properly ― by not covering your nose, for instance ― you increase your risk of hypoxia. Having it only cover your mouth is kind of like scuba diving in the air. You have to remind yourself to breathe through your mouth in order to get enough oxygen until the plane gets down to that level at which you don’t need the mask. 

In the event of a depressurization of the cabin, all the air gets sucked out of the airplane. If you have your mouth or nose open, the air is being sucked out, and you won’t be able to breathe because all the air is going away from you, that is why you need to wear the mask over your nose and mouth. 

The risk of hypoxia is also why safety demonstrations instruct passengers to secure their own oxygen masks before helping others. You can pass out from a deprivation of oxygen. Your vision becomes blurry and your judgment becomes cloudy. So you won’t be able or conscious to help someone else if you don’t put your mask on first.

Thanks, Kara!  And also thanks to you, I know that ordering a hot chocolate on a short flight is obnoxious and I'll never do it.

Just say no.

So Camilla-esque headlines may have dominated the news cycle, but one of the things I've found really helpful during this stressful work year is to keep a gratitude journal.  

Here's what I'm grateful for this week:

• I'm grateful for all of the times I can breathe out of both nostrils, even though I don't appreciate it when I can breathe regularly.
• I'm super grateful to the person that created Sudafed, which is probably an unnamed scientist at Pfizer.
• I'm mega grateful for my Sudafed-procuring husband, who is also my sleep-deprived husband due to my coughing and nose blowing.  I'm sorry and I love you.
• I am and have been grateful for quite some time that I have a strong relationship with my sister, and that we have complementary skills.
• I'm grateful that my job has a "don't come to work when you're sick" philosophy, and I think the person that instilled that in them (i.e. me) has amazing hair. ;)
• I am grateful that there's never been a major incident on any flight I have ever flown on, and grateful to the people who work crazy schedules and subject themselves to the insanity of the general public to make the rest of us safe.
• I'm grateful that we're able to afford reliable transportation without being in debt, and even more grateful to my parents and grandparents for teaching me from an early age to be responsible with money.
• I'm grateful for Camilla Parker Bowles and her collection of hideous hats because they bring me joy.