Blergh

[avevale_intelligencer]

For some days now I have been aware of an ache in my right ear. I have tentatively put this down to a visit from pbristow's glamorous female friend with the vaguely Swedish-sounding name (I was going to put in a link to the post but I can't find it) and I had confirmation recently when I sneezed and something in there went CRACKLE. Does air really pass through one's ears when one sneezes?

This has led me to an epiphany of sorts about something my Mum used to do when I was less big. I had in recent years been thinking vaguely censorious thoughts at her, because what I remembered was her wrapping the end of a matchstick in cotton wool, dipping it in liquid paraffin (which apparently is not the same as the liquid that is called paraffin, but I'm not sure how) and DIGGING ABOUT in my ears to get the wax out, which I've heard since is not a very clever thing to do due to the lack of user-serviceable parts inside the casing. I suddenly realised, just yesterday, that she wasn't doing that at all, she was using the cotton wool to get the liquid paraffin INSIDE the ear and then collecting the wax thus softened as it tried to leave the building. So I have begun doing the same, using the modern cotton bud on a stick and a bottle of l. p. that looks as if it was made in 1965 (but that I know isn't that old, it's just the style of packaging) and I think there has been some easement. I shall continue.

In other news, as part of my treatment for depression/CFS, I am making a list of things I do, with particular emphasis on things that give me pleasure or a sense of achievement. Of the latter, in the past week, there have been some few. I managed to get all the dishes washed on Wednesday before the cleaners came. No, really, stop laughing, that is the level of achievement I'm at. On Friday I replaced a pendant light fitting in the living room, discovered that as far as most shops are concerned 150w light bulbs (which the Countess needs to see properly, and for which there is no low-energy equivalent) don't exist any more, and sourced some on the Net. And on Sunday I bought and fitted a replacement for our shower curtain rod, which had finally abandoned the horizontal as jejune and passé and embraced a new career as a gentle slope. (I only put one drill hole in the completely wrong place, too. Yay me.)

I've also made an effort to get our benefits sorted out again, having let mine lapse because I couldn't bear the thought of filling in a form with more than four pages. In making the three or four phone calls I had to in order to achieve what used to be done in one, I find myself shocked at the quiet efficiency with which what used to be a reasonably workable welfare system (not brilliant, and I know people had problems with it, but by gods it worked) has been completely dismantled. Example. When I started at the Benefits Agency every office had its quota of visiting officers, who could be tasked to go out and help people fill in forms if they were having difficulty. Then they were hived off into a separate organisation working in the same office, then they were moved to other offices, and now, if one of the people I spoke to yesterday can be believed, they don't exist any more. And the same thing has happened to many other necessary parts of the organisation. By the time they get round to the privatisation, there won't be a single person in the country who knows enough about what's going on to stop them, or even see what's happening.

Seriously. I am having second thoughts about the argument that goes "the government could never cover up UFOs, they aren't competent enough to cover up their own mistakes." What has happened to our benefit system, under successive Conservative and "new" Labour administrations, is evidence that when the government really wants to do something (get rid of the welfare state), it operates with a cold, clinical efficiency that is truly scary. The things that don't get covered up are just put out there to distract us. American friends, take note.

As far as things that give me pleasure are concerned, though, I've definitely been taking the easy options, ploughing through Settlers missions like a big ploughy thing rather than writing or doing music. This must change. I shall talk to the therapist about it today and see if she has any ideas. At least I remembered to book the hopper service so I don't have to drive there and worry about parking.

So, that's where I am. Where are you today?

Comments

<i>Where are you today?</i>

[soren-nyrond.livejournal.com]

At work. As usual. Though (tell it not to Beloved), I got 2 levels of skills traiend over breakfast & a run to rens to sell some stuff (& buy a T2 drone for myself)

[(Anonymous)]

We have stocked up a little on 150w bulbs, which are being phased out quite quickly. The living room clearly needs a 150w bulb; so our plan is to replace the central fitting with one that takes 4-6 100w bulbs. That should do the trick in terms of providing adequate light, but I am not sure that it will have the effect they're looking for.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

I hate energy efficient light bulbs, which also seem to be light-efficient. You need about five of the damn things to get the same quality of illumination you get from one decent 100W bulb. I may post a rant some time.

Apparently, they also pose problems for safe disposal, as they contain mercury.

What you say about the welfare state is very scary indeed.

Ears - I have quite a history of ear trouble, so you have my sympathy. The doc in Bradford, and then the one in Switzerland, used from time to time to syringe my ears (after a few days on wax-softening stuff), which was, well, wonderful. It feels like getting the entire inside of one's head spring cleaned. I am most disappointed that the doc here disapproves of the practice. Killjoy. Is this perverse of me, I wonder?

Depression - setting achievable goals is such a good thing to do. And I'm on the same achievement level as you - washing up counts as medal-worthy. Cleaning the loos is truly heroic! Writing, however, currently presents something of the order of climbing the Himalayas in flip-flops. We will both get there eventually.

*hugs*

Oh, where am I? About to give the baby some milk and persuade her to nap, then I have to fit a stair gate. The first one I bought is not right for our exceedingly oddly-proportioned house. *grumps*

[gingicat]

And I'm on the same achievement level as you - washing up counts as medal-worthy. Cleaning the loos is truly heroic! Writing, however, currently presents something of the order of climbing the Himalayas in flip-flops. We will both get there eventually.

I love this wording. (Also, me too.)

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I'm at around the same level as you (and smallship1 on the depression stakes. I'm just about managing to keep myself at work and earning a living, but it's an uphill struggle and getting harder every day.

[gingicat]

I'm having similar benefits issues; must go over to the Transitional Assistance offices today.

The things that don't get covered up are just put out there to distract us.

Yup. Which doesn't mean that things like gay marriage aren't important - if they weren't important, they wouldn't make good distractions.

Feel better, dear one.

[madfilkentist]

The notion that any government could ever be efficient about getting rid of the welfare state makes me laugh wildly (under my breath, since I'm at work).

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Oh, they are doing very well at that. Seriously. smallship1 hit the nail on the head, there.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's nice to have confirmation from someone who's still in the fray (and I don't know how you're doing it, but seriously, you have my admiration).

[aunty_marion]

Now do you believe me when I rant about my troubles with benefits? *g*

Achievements today: been out and bought two new knitting needle size gauges and another pair of 2mm needles, which I appear to be unaccountably short of. This entailed a walk down Holloway Road, bus back to Tufnell Park and walk home from there, which according to the pedometer was about 8000 paces. Go me? I'd have liked to do some washing, but until the caretaker can get round to rodding the front drain, I can't run the machine for fear of being flooded in.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Have I ever disbelieved you when you rant about your troubles with benefits? We saw it, every day.

[hurdle1gal.livejournal.com]

Where am I?

My cubicle as usually, trying to do more writing for my thesis while trying not to freeze (the A/C is whacked due to some steam pipeline work that is going on outside of my building, so I'm not the only one who is suffering).

However, I'm happy with the amount of motivation I've felt in the last 24 hours (including coming up with ideas when I was asleep this morning). So far, I've written five complete chapters, totaling about 70 pages (three of those chapters are currently off being edited by my advisor). I'm about a third of the way done with the sixth chapter, which I feel I can get another third done today due to other things I need to get done to prepare some appendices...

On the side, I've been rereading the journal I wrote when I was in Kenya in January 2007. Wow, I can't believe some of the commentary I noted! I need to think about writing them in here... I'm not sure.

Interesting enough, my fiance P was born with incomplete eardrums in both ears. He's had numerous surgeries (the last one when he was 23, so about 6 years ago). His hearing is better, but I find it amazing how with incomplete hearing he majored in music performance for the trumpet when he went to college the first time. But due to him having the ear surgeries, he needs to go in and get his ears cleaned by a doctor (he can't use Q-tips and his ears can't clean themselves the same way normal ears do by pushing the wax to the outer ear lobes). But he's told me of how much better he can hear after these cleanings (about once a year I think).

Hope you have a good day, Zander!

[howeird]

Ears: Hydrogen peroxide (that stuff the idiots in British Anti-Terrorism want us to believe can blow up planes) will melt ear wax. It's what is used in the clinics here. Lie on your side, pour a few cc's into your ear, wait 20 minutes and flush with lukewarm water. It bubbles a lot in there as it works, a very strange sensation especially for a musician.

Welfare: Here in the colonies, welfare is organized in such a way that only the people who were brought up in the system can figure out how to get anything out of it. But they are legion. The thought of welfare hiring people to help those in need fill out the forms would cause Washington DC to ROFL for days.

Light: We have 150 watt equivalent fluorescent lamps here, I just put one in the bedroom fixture. Once it warms up it gives off about as much light as a 75 watt incandescent. :-( When I need real light, I use fluorescent shop lamps in pairs or quartets (long tubes). The more surface area the lamp has, the more light escapes.

Things done: Yay! Idle hands are the Devil's playground, and all that. Washing dishes is a chore I leave to a machine, so I applaud your tenacity in climbing that Everest.

What I'm Up To: Today is election day in California. It is not the Hilary/Barak one, we're already been there, done that, got the T-shirt and the DVD. This one is for primaries for city and county councils, local budget issues and statewide "initiatives" (ballot measures submitted by petition). I am not registered in any party, so the only people I get to vote on are running for the one non-partisan country judge seat. There is a local school bond measure, and two opposing "eminent domain" statewide measures. I shall vote on my way to work. Tonight I may go to one of two lectures, or I may sort old clothes to donate to charity.

[billroper]

We have kits at the drugstores here which contain an ear wax softener and a big rubber bulb. You drip in the softener and lie down for a while (so it doesn't all come out, as it once did when they looked at this problem for me in the ER -- long story), then fill the bulb with lukewarm water and flush repeatedly until the built up wax comes out.

This doesn't work as well as Dr. Bob's monster ear syringe (which looks like something out of Girl Genius), but it does the job.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

"pbristow's glamorous female friend with the vaguely Swedish-sounding name"

Ah, the delightful Miss Waxxy Bildupp! Such a shame we had to part company... I felt such a *huge* sense of loss... =:o\

The post you were searching for is here: http://pbristow.livejournal.com/405683.html

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Oh, and: "Does air really pass through one's ears when one sneezes?"

You'd better hope so, otherwise your eardrums would be splattered over the walls! The pressure pulse from a sneeze is *huge*. Fortunately we have a little by-pass tube that protects the eardrum against excessive pressure differences between the inside and the out. (It's also dead handy for administering poison to a sleeping enemy...)

[jahura.livejournal.com]

On the southwestern coast of North America fifty or so miles inland from shore.