And so, I have finally come to face the fact that, despite not being able to do anything about it until after March 1, my loving wife and I will likely abandon our free (as in cost free, not easy-and-free) web sites until we can migrate to a better domain host and have the domains redirected.

This site will remain up and running for the time being -- until I have a chance to change the host, of course -- and when I have it someplace where I can use blog software I like and do things I want to do and have some control over when my posts go up and all that other BS, I'll start using darcknyt.com again.

In the meantime, I might register another domain name (I'm thinkin' my author name), and go that route, but I don't know. It ain't cheap. And it ain't all that easy. (Though, I may just be dumb. Heh.)

For this being the last time I post here (because this blog editor sucks huevos de toro and while it initially seems nice it's very limiting), I'll ask you once again to update your RSS feeds to come to my Wordpress page for now. Or don't. I won't blame you if you don't want to; it was only 22 days ago I asked you to come here. Now I'm abandoning ship...AGAIN. Probably got old back then, huh?

If I see you back there, great. I'll let everyone know there when darcknyt.com is pointed someplace I can tolerate. Until then, I'll see you in the funnies.

God bless.
-JDT-

Since before I can remember, I've been using Primatene Mist inhaler to control my asthma symptoms. It was an inexpensive, over-the-counter treatment for bronchial asthma symptoms, often providing immediate relief (in as little as 15 seconds) by delivering a small dose of epinephrine directly to the bronchial passages.

The inhaler, commonly referred to as a "rescue inhaler," has been just that for me on many occasions in my life. I've carried it with me day in and day out, right in my right front pants pocket, for more years than I have recall for. When I'm out of breath and strained after strenuous physical exertion, I still reach for it when my lungs don't seem to be able to pull in air for themselves. It's never failed me. In fact, the times it didn't work were because I had something much more serious wrong with me and those times usually involved hospitalization.

Now, because the FDA and EPA have decided the miniscule amount of CFCs used in Primatene Mist somehow pose an environmental threat, I can't get the only rescue inhaler I've ever used, the only one I've ever needed, and one that is simply epinephrine -- the very drug with which I'm injected when asthma forces a trip to the emergency room.

Because my health insurance hasn't been great for the last couple of decades of my life, I've never had a prescription inhaler. Most of them use ridiculously expensive and pointless drugs with side effects; drugs like prednisone, a steroid. Instead, the FDA's head of Pulmonary Allergy and Rheumatology Products division now states, in a condescending and infuriating lack of concern for those of us who actually have asthma, that we require a diagnosis. (The one I got from my late family doctor is now null and void.)

I'm so angry about this I can even articulate it. I'm so upset, because now I have to try and make an appointment with a doctor (I don't even have one), and be seen, HOPE the person speaks English and is competent, and I am once again diagnosed with asthma, so I have the privilege of paying prices I can't afford for medicines I don't need to treat a disease I've managed without any help from the so-called healthcare "professionals" for more than 20 years.

I'll run out of my Primatene Mist soon, and after that I have no answers, no solutions to something which wasn't even a problem just a month ago. I probably should have stocked up on the product when I last had the chance, but it's expensive and I couldn't buy a lot of it. When I tried to get a few bottles to spare, I quickly discovered it was gone from the shelves. I guess a lot of other asthma suffers had the same idea but beat me to it.

I guess I'll do what all the other people who can't afford prescription drugs do in this situation, and burden the healthcare system with visits to the emergency room I can't pay for, and having drugs prescribed and paid for by tax payers, since I can't afford them.

_How many keyboards do you own? Per computer, I mean.

I’ll bet I’ve gotcha beat, unless you’re a computer geek who builds their own PCs. Or you might be someone with a weird fetish, and that’s sort of where I am.

See, I have only one computer at home, and one at work. I haven’t got a desktop in one room and a laptop in another. I don’t have servers and back-ups and all that. I have one computer, and it’s a laptop, so it has the built-in keyboard. But I don’t use the built-in keyboard.

Initially, I thought I was a wireless guy. I figured wireless would be the best option for me based on layout and space on my desk. But after I bought my first wireless keyboard I quickly discovered something.

I like very specific things in a keyboard.

Matter of fact, I liked the one I was using at work much better than my wireless one. So, I went to an electronics store to buy a different keyboard. I returned my initial purchase and found one which was, in price and theory at least, higher end.

But I didn’t like it. Not at all. It was too small, didn’t feel right, had no features other than the standard 104-key sets, and I hated typing with it. It had to go, post-haste.

So I took that one back too. And that began a quest for the right keyboard for me which, by all indications, is still going on today.

I’ve tried keyboards which are ergonomic which caused me physical problems (wtf?). I tried wired keyboards just like the one I used at work and it didn’t offer the same feel (wth?). I tried keyboards with bells and whistles and found I liked those – programmable keys for launching programs or controlling my media player rule. But I can’t seem to find the right combination of features, comfort, quiet and shape and size. (Yeah, size matters; you got a problem with that?)

I like a wrist rest at the bottom of the keyboard. I like the media control features. One of the keyboards I bought has an eject button for the CD player on my computer, and HEY! That’s awesome! I guess I can live without that one, but it’s a definite plus.

At work, I do everything from instructional procedure documents to ASP programming. I’m on my keyboard all day long, every day. At home, I’m a wannabe writer and have authored technical non-fiction books for money. Believe me, I use my keyboard. My computer isn’t one that only surfs the web. My keyboards aren’t only for typing in search strings, status updates and URLs. No, I beat those keys day in and day out. I need my keyboard to be responsive, quiet and durable.

I’m not a light-touch typist either. I’ve gotten better over the years, but I’m old enough I learned to type on a manual typewriter in high school. When computer keyboards became the norm for my typing, I had the big, armored IBM PC/AT keyboards to use. (Actually, to be brutally honest, I had the IBM XT keyboards first.) I used the Commodore C-64 and its keyboard along the way too. So I’m used to tough, tactile-feedback rich experiences on the keys.

Before my computer died in 2010, I was using a fairly noisy clattering keyboard that came with my computer. It had some features for flavor, but the actual typing experience was good, if too loud. When I got my replacement laptop a few months later, it had an “island-style” keyboard (or, if you’re a bit older, it has “Chiclet-style” keys), and it’s actually a pretty nice keyboard. I sort of like it. And because it’s a big laptop (17.3”), it’s pretty much a full-size keyboard. Again, a good typing experience.

So I really didn’t think about keyboards until I got a new laptop (also with an island-style keyboard) and decided to go wireless. That’s what started this whole mess. The hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours spent trying to find just the right combination of size/shape, features, typing/tactile experience, and durability (that one’s key).

Most of the keyboards I thought I’d like are no longer manufactured. For instance, Logitech made a really great keyboard/mouse set called the MX Cordless Duo. New back in 2003. Now, available on Amazon.com but for $120.00, and that’s simply too big an owwie for me right now. (and too big of one or my wife ever, methinks.) And when it dies – and it surely will – how will I replace it then? By then, it will be harder to find than it is now.

And so, there is the dilemma.

My dilemma, anyway.

How can I find the perfect keyboard for me? I’ve considered wired and wireless, I’ve looked at gaming keyboards and general use keyboards. I’ve looked at multimedia keyboards and even a handheld-remote keyboard replacement (though I didn’t actually try that one).

If all those I find to fit my requirements are extinct or rare and old, soon to be extinct, what am I going to do?

And this is just at home. Imagine what I’m going through at work, where I don’t even have the luxury of experimenting? (Not that I do at home anymore. My wife’s curtailed my keyboarding, for my own good.)

I’m sure eventually I’ll find just the right keyboard for me. Somewhere out there is the right keyboard. I know it. I can feel it. I just don’t know where to look, or even how to look.

So, how many keyboards do you own, per computer? I’m up to five, but have purchased six.

Pretty sick, huh?

Friday's here, finally. I didn't think I'd make it, to be honest. My back pain has been horrible and with the wonky weather changes we've been having, I've been fighting sinusitis MMA/UFC style.But, on the upside, in the evening I've been doing some writing. Not a lot, mind, but some. I've pounded out about 500 words a night, after doing all my other evening things and settling in with dinner, the kids and my back-killing chair. I manage about 500 words after changing clothes, doing a quick workout, eating, and addressing my online life. Like answering email and checking out my blog comments and crap like that.

While I'm not likely to set the world on fire at 500 words a night, I'm kind of proud of myself. I've managed to get away from Netflix for most weeknights and just do some writing instead. I have a laptop, doggone it, so I may try writing somewhere else for a while. I'll miss my big, beautiful monitor, but at least I'll have the ability to concentrate on writing. As it is now, I fidget, write, cry out, fidget, write, cry out...it's not wonderful.

You know what else? My Wordpress blog is going nuts. The pageviews per day have hit almost 300, and I haven't posted a thing there since January 2. I couldn't get 300 pageviews a day no matter what I did until I started using the word "sandwich" in my blog posts. And having pictures of a sandwich? Well!

So, without even trying, I've upped the popularity of my blog. Nice, eh?

I'm still discovering all the great and awesome things I can't do with this website/blog, like include the "Read more" break. It offers it as an element to include, but I can't get it to work right. And I just tried to include a picture with a paragraph here, but that didn't work either. I can use a standard web page as my blog and do it just fine, but that's more difficult. Using their "blog" page as a blog leaves me with few, if any, formatting and image insertion options. What they offer doesn't seem to work. I can't see myself continuing here from now until March this way. This is ridiculous. My wife has already abandoned her domain and when she blogs now, which isn't as often as she used to, it's on her Wordpress blog instead.

On the upside, it's Friday and I don't have to think about this crap all weekend. I have to get some writing done, and my keyboard addiction is killing me (because my keyboard at home sucks and I can't find one I'm happy with), but other than those things, it's going to be too cold and too snowy to do anything so we'll just sock in at home and brace for the eight inches of snow we're supposed to get today. Oh, and I'll be at war with my sinuses, of course.

So what about you? Any plans for the weekend?

-JDT-

Off the top, I have to say something to all my writer friends who adopted stances regarding self-ePublishing which I berated and belittled.

I'm sorry. I chose language which isn't conducive to dialog and probably shut a lot of doors doing that. I didn't mean to personally accost anyone, and if I hurt your feelings I apologize for doing so.

That being said, I don't understand the attitude of writers who don't want to be popular with readers, but only with gatekeepers. Which are there to keep you OUT of the industry, by the bye. And I won't retract anything in principle I said, but I will say if the language I used included words which felt like an ad hominem attack on you, I'm sorry.

If I said I think writers who need "validation" from gatekeepers are stupid, I'm sorry, especially if that felt like I did everything but include your name. Rather, I mean I think the need for validation from that particular crowd is stupid, but you, the writer who has that attitude -- well, you're not stupid. No more than I am. Let's face it, we all do stupid things, but we're not blanket stupid. Stupid is a strong word and makes a lot of people angry, quick. Most of the time, when the word "stupid" is bandied about, what people hear -- even if it's not what you said exactly -- is "you're stupid!"

(Aside: I'm not denying I said that. I'm saying under most circumstances, even if that's NOT what was said, that's what most people are going to come away with.)

So, I spoke with a writer friend and she got pretty excited when this came up. My first instinct was to defend my position and pummel her some more but you know what? That wouldn't have been productive and it certainly isn't going to change her mind. So I decided to try and hear what she had to say about it. I won't ever see it her way, but maybe I can sort of identify with her position in an analogous way. So I did that; I found an analogy she liked and to which I could relate.

So, if I hurt your feelings by saying something you felt was targeted at you -- and I can assure you without reservation or deception I didn't target anyone who has ever read my blog -- I'm sorry.

/apology
/disclaimer

Meanwhile, my back issues keep moving. My new bed doesn't help. My car doesn't do me any favors either. My back is pretty much in agony most of the time. And because I don't really know what else to do, I'm caught debating whether to go see a chiropractor, or getting a new computer chair. Really, I should do both, but I need two computer chairs, not one, and because of that, I'm considering putting off the chiropractor. At least for a while.

Anybody know where I can find a couple million dollars laying around?

I learned a few other things lately too. I love writing software. I paid for a ton of it. I have three different novel-specific writing programs, and each of them was in the $40-99 range. You know which one I like best? Microsoft Word. I paid $12.95 plus shipping for it through my company. *Sigh* I guess I'll never learn.

I'm not going to stop using my software, though. Not by a long shot. Maybe I'll give a tutorial on how to use Word as a planning software tool. But I'll need someone else to write the tutorial on how to back up my writing online, 'cause brother, I suck at that, big time.

That's it for me, I'm out. How's it by y'all?

-JDT-

Well! An exciting weekend of NFL action!

Um...let's see. If you're not an NFL fan, you might want to abandon ship at this point. You don't have to, of course, and I'd enjoy having you around, but I don't have anything else to talk about. Seriously. No one cares about my writing ('cept my lovin' lady), but I'll append it to the bottom of the post just in case.

Still here?

Okay, so, what did you think? I had a roller coaster weekend emotionally. My team, the New England Patriots, won in a big way, so you'd think I'd be happy, right?

Not so much.

Deep in my heart, I was hoping Tim Tebow -- much maligned and vilified Tim Tebow -- would pull off some sort of miracle and win that game. Oh, to watch his detractors squirm and froth over that! How fun that would have been!

I didn't realize how much I wanted him to win until my loving spouse pointed it out to me. She spotted it right away, I guess, but here I thought I was sittin' pretty on that game. I thought, "Hey, I have no downside here. I mean, if Tebow wins, BOO-YA, and everyone has to shut up about him. And if he loses, BOO-YA, my team goes on to the championship game! I can't lose!"

Oh, but I was wrong. Seriously wrong. See, I've always been one to pull for underdogs. (Well...not always, I guess.) Usually, I love it when my team routs another. Love it, love it, love it. And I love to rub it in people's faces. Been doing that since the early '80s, and I have to say, it's addicting. But in this case, I like the boy -- Tim Tebow -- a lot more than I like my team. I didn't understand that prior to the 45-10 shellacking my team put on them. I felt like I, personally, had been mired in the BOO-YA of it all.

In effect, I responded emotionally like my team had lost. So here I am, despondent over the Patriots's victory and wondering why I couldn't get any joy from it. None.

Go figure.

But the other game on Saturday -- the San Francisco 49'ers and the New Orleans Saints -- was a shoot-out, old-school style! Wow! The last two minutes of that game were as exciting as any I'd ever seen before! Amazing! And, when coupled with the fact the 49'ers won and they're my former favorite team (long story, but there's still a heart-line there, trust me), I was overjoyed. HA!

The Saints are an interesting story. There weren't much of a team for a long, long time. Before the NFL realigned itself to its modern configuration, the Saints and 49'ers were both NFC West teams. That means they played twice a year. The Saints hardly ever won those exchanges. For a long, dark time, the Saints -- known as the "Ain'ts" in my day ('cause they Ain't Won Nothin') -- were like having a bye week with a win added to the record. (Those, by the way, were my face-rubbing days of 49'er dominance in football.) Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49'ers have won a total of five (5) Super Bowls.

Then, in 2006, that all changed. A new coach took the team to the NFC championship game, where he narrowly lost to the Bears. They'd picked up Drew Brees after the San Diego Chargers let him go, and he subsequently has become one of the most feared quarterbacks in the NFL for accuracy and arm strength. They'd drafted Reggie Bush, a highly regarding and versatile athlete from the University of Southern California. (He's not so highly regarded now, and plays for another team altogether.) They collected quite a bit of talent and became a perennially good football team.

In 2009, they went on to the Super Bowl for the first time in team history, and they beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17, overcoming what many people believe(d) to be the most talented and intelligent quarterback in NFL history, Peyton Manning. (I have a different opinion, but I'm just a fan.)

In 2010 and 2011, they didn't make it to the Super Bowl. But this season (2011), they made it to the playoffs and lost to the 49'ers, as I said earlier. But you know what? The fans of the Saints, on every sports site I visited on the Internet, were talking like their team had five Super Bowls, and the 49'ers were the recent attendees to the dance. It made me laugh to see how many "fans" of this team (with their stupid-a$$ "who dat?" slogan/chant/idiocy) have absolutely no knowledge of recent football history whatsoever. None.

So they make a$$es of themselves, and frankly, their team, but being such complete idiots and arrogant jerks. In the end, though, they're going to be watching the Super Bowl on TV, just like me.

So, the Patriots win (big f**king whoop) and the 49'ers win (huzzah) on Saturday. Sunday? Wow.

Sunday, I couldn't catch a break. I wanted the Green Bay Packers to beat and humiliate the New York Giants soooo bad, and yet...guh. The Packers choked in the clutch and dropped the game at home 37-20. The Giants -- who I absolutely despise, and only hate the Pittsburgh Steelers and a couple of divisional rivals more -- advance to play the 49'ers in San Francisco for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

And before that, knowing the stupid Patriots suck on defense and my old high school team can score on them, I was hoping the Houston Texans -- making their first playoff appearance in team history (2001) -- would manage to pull of the upset of the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. Alas, not to be. The Ravens managed to produce just enough offense on a couple of key mistakes by the Texans to win the game, 20-13. Daggnabit!

So, the Patriots face a team with a powerful running game and the second best defense in the NFL (the Texans have the best defense, arguably). The Patriots have one of the most powerful passing offensive units in football (I think second or third ranked this year) but nothing to speak of for a rushing game. So now, Baltimore comes to town ready to end the "Tom Brady Mission" and you know what? I think they will. I believe the Ravens will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl again, because the old adage, "Defenses win Championships" still applies in post-season play. Three of the four remaining teams have mediocre offenses but outstanding defenses. One of these things is not like the others and will be odd-man out this coming weekend.

If you're an NFL fan, you realize everything I just wrote is targeted to at least include some who aren't football fans. But if you are a fan, what are your picks for the championship games? What did you think of the games?

As for writing -- well, I did some. Not a lot, mind you, but some is better than none. I discovered again how beneficial an outline or story map is. Last time I did any writing, I actually did it in my outline, mapping out the entire second act so I'd be able to get through that largest portion of the book. Funny thing; when I actually use the outline, writing is a snap. I already know what I have to cover, so I can focus on making the scenes the best they can be.

So, onward. My back is still killing me, and I've had a lot of trouble sleeping lately, but I'm doing the best I can.

How was your weekend?

-JDT-

Well.

My beautiful wife and I found a host we really like. They had everything we wanted and would permit us to both have our domains under a single account, saving us something like $100 a year for two domains. They offered Wordpress software as a one-click installation (along with other blogging solutions like b2evolution, Joomla, yada yada). They offer 24/7 support. They weren't terribly expensive. And they're based in the US, which makes access on my time better and easier. And they offered a free transfer of one domain while only charging $12 for the other to be transferred, and that includes renewing the registration next year for that second domain name.

Sounded great. I loved it. I was all-in, and so was Fal. So I called 'em up, ordered my service, and went to get my domain transferred.

That's where everything came to a screeching halt and my face hit the windshield. Metaphorically, of course.

See, once you register a domain name, you can't transfer the name to a new registrant for sixty (60) days. SIXTY. That's two full months.

I'm not sure how this works when you buy a domain name directly through someone like GoDaddy, or Register.com, but when you buy it through the provider you're using as your host, you can't move it for sixty days. Two f**king months.

So.

Here I am, stuck with this host for another sixty days. I can't do jack sh!t until March 1, 2012, at which time I have to request the EPP codes from the provider to give to my OTHER, chosen host (whichI had to call to have my newly-created account canceled post-haste), so they can transfer the domain for me. Not. Good.

I wasn't happy to say the least. Not at all. I felt like I'd been tricked by both providers, frankly. This provider should have told us we'd be stuck for sixty days during the purchase process. Nothing like that came up which I can recall (but I can't say it didn't come up, just that I didn't see it come up). And the second provider, when I told them during the process and before giving my credit card information, should have told me they can't have the domain transferred for sixty days. That would be a year-priced purchase where in I only get to use it for ten months. Nuh-uh.

Luckily, another terrific feature of that second host is the ability to cancel in full for ninety (90) days, versus thirty for most other places -- and there wasn't any pro-rating either. Full money back (probably less some weird charge, but not pro-rated for use). So I should be okay there.

Should be.

I guess time will show.

You'd think, after almost fifty years of life on Earth, I'd be smarter. I always feel like an idjit when something like this happens. And I'm humiliated about not doing better research before I even started the process. Being impulsive didn't cost me much this time -- only the ability to jump hosts for a couple months and having to tolerate a sh!tty website and provider for a while -- but it has in the past.

So I guess my intellect should be called into question.

What are your weekend plans? Anything exciting?

-JDT-

UPDATE: Oh, and MORE good news. I just found out I can't thread my replies any deeper than three in the comments thread. So not only can I not edit the comments to put my responses in, I have to tolerate not being able to reply to someone's reply. Niiiice.

On the upside, however, I did find out how to turn off the email notifications of comments. So I have to check back to see if someone's responded, but I guess that's preferable to getting emails telling me about my own godd@mned responses. *Sigh*

I couldn't be any worse at keeping up with my blog lately. Sorry, guys.

Not that you care, but it's been a PITA to update it. By the time I remember to do it, it's either late morning or early afternoon. You know, like now. Not being able to write my posts in WLW and schedule them ahead of time is killing my blogging. Killing it!

And it's not like I could even turn to a new desktop blogging client. Nothing will work with this set up. I have no idea why this hosts wants you sitting on their site editor, but it seems that is in fact the case.

Not to mention, standard Windows and PC computer conventions don't work either. Like, trying to use the CTRL+I key combination to italicize text. Nope, not happening. I have to go to the toolbar they provide -- which sucks eggs -- and manually highlight the word to italicize. Not convenient. Not fun. NOT intuitive.

Oh, and I haven't figured out -- or had the time to do so -- how to link back to all my buds. Grr.

So, I'm pretty well decided to dump this host. Let's face it, Wordpress makes a very nice bit of blogging software and it's compatible with most hosts, so I may just sign up for this host's paid services -- which include the ability to install Wordpress software -- and convert that way. Or I might go with recommendations from my bud Bryce Beattie and use Host Monster, which includes Wordpress already installed (I thought; might be wrong about that).

Other folks have used and recommend GoDaddy, but that's not my personal choice. Still, anything is going to be better than this. For a blind, dumb moment, I even considered moving to Blogger. (Nope. I regained my senses just in time.)

In the end, I have no choice but to commit to something better because this isn't cutting it.

/whine

-JDT-

Well, the first non-holiday weekend of 2012 is in the hopper, y'all. It's a full five-day week for me, and I've got a lot on my plate. But because this LAME host won't allow scheduled posts for my new and about-to-be-discarded blog, I have to push this out between my tasks at work or else start posting on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights and hope you all don't see it until Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Or I guess I can give up blogging. Meh.

Well, Tim Tebow pulled another rabbit out of his hat and won the game, defeated the HATED Pittsburgh Steelers (hated by me, anyway) on the very first play of the very first overtime game under the NFL's new overtime scoring rules. But it was all for naught, because with one big and well-placed throw (Tim had several of those during the game, btw, and his detractors can now happily sit down, shut up and eat crow), the game ended on one of the sudden-death conditions.

On a personal note, I'm so happy for Tim. I love that boy. And I hope he goes into Foxboro, Massachusetts next Saturday and whoops Tom Brady and the New England Patriots but good. I'd love to see Tim Tebow take the Denver Broncos all the way to the Super Bowl and win it all.

On a practical note, though, the Cinderella story is likely to encounter an unceremonious end next week. The Pittsburgh Steelers's vaunted defense may not have stopped Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas, but the stout Broncos defense will have a hard time dealing with Tom Brady and the prolific Patriots offense. The Steelers (or, as I saw them called last night after their loss, the "Stoolers" -- HA!) aren't built to run up a high-score. The Patriots are, and did last time the two teams met. Of course, everyone seems to forget the Broncos also had lessons they learned from the shellacking they took a few weeks back. And they have game film, too. So the Patriots won't be able to just waltz onto the field and do the same things they did last time.

It should be an interesting game. I have no downside here. If the Broncos win, the Tim Tebow story continues. Yay! If the Patriots win, well -- my favorite team goes on to the next round of the playoffs, yay! (They're probably going to lose and even if they DO make the Super Bowl, they're likely to lose that game, because the NFC teams in the playoffs are all very powerful teams. More powerful than the AFC teams, IMO.) So either way, YAY!

Still, I'd love to see Tebow do this thing. I'd LOVE it. I always love me some underdog. Unless it's a team I really hate. Heh.

I have some programming stuff at work I have to get done this week. If you're the praying type, any prayers you can offer would be awesome and welcome. Thank you.

Oh, and I didn't write or read anything, but I did see two decent movies. I'll do reviews on those this week, unless you guys really don't care. Let me know in comments, please, so I don't waste my time if you don't want to read it.

Um...that's it, I guess. How was your weekend?

God bless,
-JDT-

Wow, this isn't working out at ALL.For some reason, I had the same issues sleeping on Wednesday night I had on Monday night. Fell asleep for a couple of hours, woke up and could never go back to sleep.

I have NO CLUE what the issue might be. Last night, to try and help my failing body out, I went to be around 7:30PM again (just like on Tuesday night). This time, however, my rumbling gut woke me up at about 3:00AM, so I had to eat something. Afterward, I managed to fall back to sleep for a couple of hours. While I'm doing a lot better today, I could've used a couple hours more. (Who couldn't though?)

I'm deeply concerned about this, because both Tuesday and last night I used fairly big doses of ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen to assist with my sleep and back pain. (It worked.) But I can't continue to do that. Heck, I'm failing in so many areas already I don't need to add the liver or kidneys to the list. But whatever is causing my biological rhythms to be so out of whack needs addressing somehow. I wish I could say what it is, but I'll be darned if I know.

I wish I could drink warm milk or liquor like a normal person, but the fact is, I don't need to wake up either drunk or hung over for work (that certainly isn't going to help my career along), and I'm lactose intolerant (I think), so I'm left with few options. I've tried the soothing herbal teas and hippy crap like supplements to help, but nothing works. Not really. The Valerian tea seemed to come closest but I've been very forgetful about it. Maybe it's time to go back to it.

Besides that, things seem to be going pretty well. Thankfully, things at work were calm during my brain-dead days. I have a few challenges to overcome (don't I always) in the next few weeks, but I think overall things are doing all right. Heck, I may even get to write some this weekend.

How's it by you? Plans for the weekend?

-JDT-