This and that
Just a weensy update to keep all our avid readers (cough, splutter) going over the weekend.
Boxes
Our boxes are here! Wave 3 of our possessions (what we brought with us, and what we air-freighted ahead are waves 1 & 2, respectively) are currently sitting in a warehouse in Dublin 12. A very nice man called Barry is sorting customs for us, and will even arrange delivery. Of course, we have to actually pay him for these services, but the customs things sounds boring and difficult, and the warehouse is out in the boonies, so paying them to sort it for us seems smarter.
Smells
Our short-term place smelled VERY strongly of off fish this morning. Burning 2 sticks of incense simultaneously wasn't even enough to keep the smell from whiffing at me. I'm always grateful for interviews, but today I was extra-grateful: a reason to escape the house besides the stench. I will NOT miss the smell at all.
New apartment
On Tuesday we'll get cable broadband and tv installed at our new place. (It's a special, cheap package - otherwise we'd lose the tv. While I am unemployed, 70 channels sounds good - but it's hardly necessary when I'm not watching it all day.) Sometime between 1 and 6. I hope. Fervently. Otherwise we'll have to trek back here to do anything - which means spending all day not in our new apartment for me while I job hunt.
More conveniently located near our new place: a cafe called Lemon Jelly, which sells chai - about 3 doors down; a sustainable living centre with a shop; many bars and restaurants; a very fancy-schmancy kitchen store; the same company's very fancy living-focused store. Oh, and apparently bits of the Old Dublin wall. I'm not sure exactly how significant this is, but I'll be researching it, so I'll let you know.
Weekend plans
This weekend, Lili wants to go to a knitting shop. Seriously. The man is crazy, but sweet. Very sweet, so let's indulge him. And after at least a year of resistance, I may actually cave and knit him a pair of socks. (It was the sock-knitting I was avoiding, not knitting for Lili.)
Complaints
Before I go, a small whinge/ warning re: antibiotics.
Now, let's be clear: I am all for antibiotics when they are necessary. Doctors are generally sensible, so if they offer them, I take them. I say generally, because the doctor in Naples, Florida who prescribed me the super-antibiotics (twice) that made me sicker than the suspected bronchitis was... well, less sensible.
Anyway, Lili's doctor prescribed us antibiotics as an anti-malarial treatment* for India. Goa was a very low risk zone, but it was especially important for me, because mosquitoes love me. LOVE me. One of Lili's friend's husbands got malaria, and it sounded very scary. And really, better safe than sorry, right?
So after weeks of antibiotics, my stomach and digestive system generally are not in a very good way. While I had the flu, I was too sick to notice the symptoms. But as soon as I started to get better, I noticed. And once I finally finished the course, I started on acidophilus to get my stomach all happy again.
But it was too little, too late. The gunky yeasts in my stomach had long since escaped and invaded my entire body, and were multiplying.
I won't say any more, not because it's gross to imagine yeast spores growing on your internal organs, but because it isn't actually interesting. If you're really interested, you can email me (sound of a very empty inbox).
And so I'm still taking the acidophilus, plus garlic when I remember. I'm also avoiding sugar in all forms, since that's what helps the yeasts to grow. So no fruit, sweet veges (corn, sweet potatoes, etc.), sugar, honey, or anything that's sweet, unless it's artificially sweetened. No alcohol.
Artificial sweetener is gross. I believe that in decent doses, it is probably carcinogenic, and it has a funny taste. So I generally avoid it. But yesterday I caved, and bought a (small) diet Coke with lime. It's a sad state of affairs when diet Coke is my fallback, no?
So anyway, antibiotics: avoid taking them for 6 weeks at a time unless you have to.
And that's all folks!
* Bear in mind that no treatment is 100% effective. If either of us get a fever for up to 2 years after we left India, we have to see a doctor and tell them we may have malaria. Because we might. It adds a certain fearfulness to any illness, no?
Boxes
Our boxes are here! Wave 3 of our possessions (what we brought with us, and what we air-freighted ahead are waves 1 & 2, respectively) are currently sitting in a warehouse in Dublin 12. A very nice man called Barry is sorting customs for us, and will even arrange delivery. Of course, we have to actually pay him for these services, but the customs things sounds boring and difficult, and the warehouse is out in the boonies, so paying them to sort it for us seems smarter.
Smells
Our short-term place smelled VERY strongly of off fish this morning. Burning 2 sticks of incense simultaneously wasn't even enough to keep the smell from whiffing at me. I'm always grateful for interviews, but today I was extra-grateful: a reason to escape the house besides the stench. I will NOT miss the smell at all.
New apartment
On Tuesday we'll get cable broadband and tv installed at our new place. (It's a special, cheap package - otherwise we'd lose the tv. While I am unemployed, 70 channels sounds good - but it's hardly necessary when I'm not watching it all day.) Sometime between 1 and 6. I hope. Fervently. Otherwise we'll have to trek back here to do anything - which means spending all day not in our new apartment for me while I job hunt.
More conveniently located near our new place: a cafe called Lemon Jelly, which sells chai - about 3 doors down; a sustainable living centre with a shop; many bars and restaurants; a very fancy-schmancy kitchen store; the same company's very fancy living-focused store. Oh, and apparently bits of the Old Dublin wall. I'm not sure exactly how significant this is, but I'll be researching it, so I'll let you know.
Weekend plans
This weekend, Lili wants to go to a knitting shop. Seriously. The man is crazy, but sweet. Very sweet, so let's indulge him. And after at least a year of resistance, I may actually cave and knit him a pair of socks. (It was the sock-knitting I was avoiding, not knitting for Lili.)
Complaints
Before I go, a small whinge/ warning re: antibiotics.
Now, let's be clear: I am all for antibiotics when they are necessary. Doctors are generally sensible, so if they offer them, I take them. I say generally, because the doctor in Naples, Florida who prescribed me the super-antibiotics (twice) that made me sicker than the suspected bronchitis was... well, less sensible.
Anyway, Lili's doctor prescribed us antibiotics as an anti-malarial treatment* for India. Goa was a very low risk zone, but it was especially important for me, because mosquitoes love me. LOVE me. One of Lili's friend's husbands got malaria, and it sounded very scary. And really, better safe than sorry, right?
So after weeks of antibiotics, my stomach and digestive system generally are not in a very good way. While I had the flu, I was too sick to notice the symptoms. But as soon as I started to get better, I noticed. And once I finally finished the course, I started on acidophilus to get my stomach all happy again.
But it was too little, too late. The gunky yeasts in my stomach had long since escaped and invaded my entire body, and were multiplying.
I won't say any more, not because it's gross to imagine yeast spores growing on your internal organs, but because it isn't actually interesting. If you're really interested, you can email me (sound of a very empty inbox).
And so I'm still taking the acidophilus, plus garlic when I remember. I'm also avoiding sugar in all forms, since that's what helps the yeasts to grow. So no fruit, sweet veges (corn, sweet potatoes, etc.), sugar, honey, or anything that's sweet, unless it's artificially sweetened. No alcohol.
Artificial sweetener is gross. I believe that in decent doses, it is probably carcinogenic, and it has a funny taste. So I generally avoid it. But yesterday I caved, and bought a (small) diet Coke with lime. It's a sad state of affairs when diet Coke is my fallback, no?
So anyway, antibiotics: avoid taking them for 6 weeks at a time unless you have to.
And that's all folks!
* Bear in mind that no treatment is 100% effective. If either of us get a fever for up to 2 years after we left India, we have to see a doctor and tell them we may have malaria. Because we might. It adds a certain fearfulness to any illness, no?
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