Third time's the charm & vacuum cleaners

So I failed the 2nd pre-op.  My blood sugars were very much improved but still not good enough for surgery, so it's postponed again.  Which means retirement is also delayed by months for this and another medical reason.  I got put on some new meds/regiment (2nd day) and things are already looking great.  I'm still in the experimental phase, testing to see what it does for me.  Unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit bloated even though I only ate two meals today (late breakfast & early dinner).

I've also found my energy.  I had 1-800-GOT-JUNK out again to clean out the last 1/3 of that side of the garage from Mom's rat poop stuff (no-brainer stuff).  Then I was looking at the wall.  Dammit, I have to paint the wall before I put more crap in front of it.  I was Facetime-ing my brother afterward, he noticed my new energy level.  I think it was a big weight off my shoulders.  It has given me room to stage donations and get more space in my living room.

Yesterday, I went to Sam's to get snacks that would work with the new regiment and something drew me to the vacuum aisle.  OMG, I really don't want another vacuum cleaner but the ones I have got issues.  I have a 10 year old Dyson which I love but Mom did dementia things with her diaper.  One of the caregivers tried to clean it up with my (then $300) vacuum.  Now Dysons are $600-800.  The roller head is clogged and I can't take it apart to un-clog it, I've tried.  As a vacuum, it still works great for dusting, I just can't do carpet without the roller head.  I loved that roller head because the roller is meant to come off so that you can remove the hair that wraps around it.

For the last couple years, I've been using the vacuum I inherited from Auntie, which is a Kirby.  I think her first one lasted 3 decades, she just wanted a new one and got a great trade-in value. OMG this tiny lady was pushing this big, heavy vacuum that probably weighs as much as she did.  But it's too heavy to carry upstairs, she didn't have an upstairs.  Besides, somewhere in my garage are vacuum bags which I refuse to buy until I find and use those.  I forgot to look at the roller to see if it has long hair wrapped around it.

I did it.  I bought another damn vacuum.  This one is a Shark.  It's "lightweight" (not light enough), has powerful suction, is deafeningly loud (hate that), and is supposedly self-cleaning as it relates to hair.  I do get a little hair wrap, but mostly the hair is sucked up into the dust cup (love that) and the roller is also removable if it requires more intervention.  I think I have to buy ear protection like they use for gardening equipment, it's that loud.  Oh, and it is great on floors.  I don't think I'll have to sweep my kitchen anymore.  I hope to get vinyl/wood flooring within a couple years and this vacuum will be a good supplement to the robot vacuum I'll get at that time.  So I burned lots of calories today putting the Shark to the test.  Very happy with the cleaning results.  But when I go to hard floors, the Kirby will be obsolete in my house.

Happy Chinese New Year

I've actually taken yesterday & today off to attend my cousin's wedding.  It would have been over a 3-hour drive home so I slept at her house last night and drove home this morning.  I was tired from the drive so I took a nap, thinking I'd be refreshed to use the rest of the day to tackle some probate stuff.  I slept a bit long in an awkward position, now I've got a kink in my neck.

Anyway, I haven't felt much like working since Jan 1.  I need time to work on probate.  The lawyer's office isn't as helpful as the one I had for my auntie's probate.  So I'm not motivated enough to push the pace after a long 8-1/2 hours at the office.  (Right, boo hoo for me, LOL -- it's sarcasm.)  OMG, my brother, 18 months younger than me retired from his job on Dec 31.  Yea, I'm jealous on top of not wanting to work.

I had told myself that if my boss (VP Engineering) retired, I would too.  But then he didn't come back after the holidays, and last week we got the news that he had passed.  He was a mentor and a gentleman.  He diverted alot of the company toxicity off of me.  Unfortunately, the other reason I'm still there is healthcare insurance.  I was planning to have cataract surgery this past Monday but I didn't pass my pre-op appointment so it's postponed to March.  Damn, now I have to hang on until April follow-up appointments are done.  My bro is so lucky to have a pension and 75% of his healthcare insurance covered.  That's why he can retire and I can't yet. 

I swear that is my last excuse.  By the way, by "retire" I mean I'll quit the company.  When I settle things in my house and with probate, I'll take on freelance work to keep busy and maybe pay the insurance premiums.