Catching up

Quick catchup post from things happening over these past 3 months.  

I'm still working the temp job processing/scanning termed employees records.  I've been there six months already and have taken on some new responsibilities relative to garnishments and processing some of the forms sent by the courts or social service agencies for parents required to provide medical insurance for their dependent children.  I enjoy the work, the commute is less than 20 minutes, the pay is good, and there may be potential to become a permanent employee, if not in that department, perhaps in another.  Several permanent employees have started out as temps, so who knows? 

Winslow is still as spunky and energetic as always.  He is mellowing just a bit as he will be 2 years old next month.  That is hard to imagine.  Updated pictures coming soon.

I got vaccinated.  I was late to the party of doing so and its a party I really didn't want to go to.  I am not an anti-vaxxer or a conspiracy theorist.  I wanted to be sure I knew what was going into my body, what the effects may or may not be, and the efficacy of it.  I reluctantly got it because it was mandated at my place of work.  If anyone was going to remain working in-house as opposed to remotely, they had to be vaccinated by a certain date.  I did a lot of thinking about it and praying about it and came to the conclusion that I wanted to remain employed there (for reasons above) and chances are if I went some place else to work, it could be mandated there as well to be vaccinated.  I wouldn't be considered for a booster shot anytime soon and the jury is still out whether I would get one or not. So far, the company has not required anything than the initial 1 Johnson and Johnson shot or the 2 shots from Pfizer or Moderna.  We lost a temp whose husband did not want her to get the vaccine and she had to quit her job the weekend before the mandate took effect.  I had to show proof of my vaccine to my supervisor to be eligible to keep entering the building. There is a huge sign on the door that says only vaccinated people may enter the building. We are still required to wear face masks while not sitting at our desks and walking around the building.  Ironically the temp who quit, her husband was required a month later to get the vaccine for his work and he got it.  She did find a job to do at home which worked out better for her with having still school age children.  My supervisor refuses to get the shot, but is able to work from home.  Because of it and because of them limiting the other permanent employees from coming into the office except for maybe once a week if they can work at home, that is why I have been given extra responsibilities there.  I'll take it as it helps me to learn more and be more marketable perhaps down the road and I've been working in office since May 2020, first at the unemployment office and now here, so working out and about does not bother me.  

Both son and DIL got Covid; son in September; DIL in October.  She didn't catch it from him (it was a good month after his case) and neither of the kids have gotten sick.  We saw both son and DIL a week before their respective outbreaks and we didn't get sick.  Son had a more "severe" case than DIL.  He had lots of chills and shakes, cough, congestion and body aches.  DIL had mainly body aches, cough, nose congestion.  Both temporarily lost the sense of taste and smell.  Both made complete recoveries and did the mandatory quarantining they had to do for their employers.  Several people where son worked got sick about the same time; they are not sure how they contacted the virus.  DIL thinks she got it from going out with friends at a loud, noisy bar with lots of young people.  

End of August, hubby went in for a routine checkup at the doctor's and found out that his blood pressure was literally through the roof.  First reading was close to 225/number he can't remember; 2nd reading was 198/100.  Why they didn't hospitalize him, I don't know (or at least send him to the emergency room).  Those were stroke numbers! In August our hospitals were not overwhelmed with Covid cases so I don't think that was the reason they didn't send him to the hospital. They recommended weight loss, a low salt diet (the DASH diet), and for him to monitor his blood pressure for 2 weeks and then let them know the numbers. I was livid at them for their almost cavalier approach to a really seriously high blood pressure.  But, we reduced sodium significantly in our diet almost down to less than 500 mg of sodium a day (recommended under 2300 mg daily).  His downfall was he liked Campbell soups for lunch (VERY HIGH SODIUM) and our downfall together was Lean Cuisine TV dinners (high sodium).  All those were cut out.  We basically reinvented what we ate.  The good result.  His blood pressure within a week went down to very acceptable numbers; even lower than average numbers.  The benefits.  I've lost 18 pounds so far; he's lost 25 pounds.  I'll gain a few pounds back over Christmas as I know I'll indulge a bit but we'll get back on track in January which is our reset month.  We have loosened a bit of how much sodium we will eat occasionally.  For instance, we went to San Diego over Thanksgiving and ate out for all the meals, not really choosing carefully the most healthiest item on the menu.  But upon our return, when checking his blood pressure, it was still in the normal range.  He just knows he can't go back to the high sodium foods eaten in the past on a consistent regular basis.  

I think that catches me up on all the major things that happened here in the Valley of the Sun over the past 3 months.