LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Remember when I was blogging my nightly dream so I could jump start this blog? It worked so well that I don’t even have room to discuss the dream anymore. But last night’s was a doozy.

I have a job on a farm¹. It involves raking things and riding cows. So in this dream I ride a cow bareback around a racetrack. I could feel its bristly fur in my fingers and all I had to do to make it go faster was gently tap it with my ankles. That was one fast cow!

Once I was done, I went into my quarters and walked by displays of my jewelry². There was smoke coming out from a sweatshirt. Turns out my iPhone was plugged into the wall and inside the sweatshirt³. I put the fire out and my tooth hurt⁴ so I went to the dentist.

Who was an ex-boyfriend of mine. He told me I looked better now than I did when I was younger and that I was the loveliest person he’s ever known and why did I come back into his life a week before he was getting married?⁵. Me: “Because my tooth hurts.” Then he proceeded to create a filling for my tooth with copper wire.

After the filling I went back to riding my cow.

¹ Yesterday I was talking with a coworker about the local counties’ 4-H fairs.
² I’m considering opening an Etsy shop.
³ My 3GS gets REALLY warm when it charges.
⁴ My teeth have been sensitive lately.
⁵ Obviously, my subconscious is my biggest fan.

I used to be deathly afraid of needles. As a child, the offchance that I MIGHT get a shot would send me into nervous fits. As an adult, the fear persisted. When I had the pre-marital blood test that NJ required back in 1997 (and that they eliminated later that year, naturally) I shook and shook in anticipation.

Darn, my desk is junky.

If you HATE needles giving blood has to be the biggest way to get over it. (or pass out and die, whichever) First there’s the painful finger-pricky thing to test your iron. Then there are the tubes and bags and tape and you get to lie down for 20+ minute WITH IT ALL IN YOU. And watch other people get stuck the same way.

I’ve been giving blood for about 9 years now.

So today I sauntered into my local LabCorp for round 2 of Thyroid-related blood tests and I didn’t even flinch.

That wee cotton ball, that white wad of courage means “Hey, World! I got stuck today and I didn’t think twice about it!”

Sometimes I’m think I’m a Rock Star. Then I start to cry because I have to rip that tape off and…ow!!!!

***
Weight: 163. I stopped trying for a few weeks, and it shows. The weight’s been hovering between 162/163 since Easter. I’m back on track today though. I’m so close to getting under 160, but unfortunately I’m CONTENT with how I am now. That’s never a good thing. Maybe I need to try a swimsuit on.

Dream: I had a dream that I was on Dancing with the Stars and was paired with Maksim. We were dancing a Latin hip-shaking dance (I think a samba) and I got to grab his ass.

It was a fine ass. It was a good dream.

Happy Friday! Oh holy cow this Friday could NOT come at a better time. It’s been a week.

This week’s Friday Five topic is one near and dear to my heart: SLEEP. I love my sleep. I am a champion sleeper. I can sleep pretty much anywhere and through anything. It’s a gift!

Away we go!

1. How many hours’ sleep do you need in order to be at your best, and what’s the minimum you can get on a regular basis and still be functional?

To be my best, I’m an 8 hour girl. Used to be 10. But in order for me to get that 8 during the week, I have to be in bed by 10:30 and I’m usually wide awake at thet time, so I usually get about 6.5 hours.

The bare minimum I can have and be functional is 4 hours. I’ll be functional, but unhappy.

2. What’s your favorite sleeping position?

On my right side, with two artfully stacked pillows. I don’t like to be flat…ideally I’d be like this __/ but I don’t have bed pillows with enough gumption to get me to that angle. I sleep better on the sofa, if you can believe that.

3. What was the cause of your most recent difficulty sleeping?

Worry.

Sunday night I worried about getting back to work after furlough. Monday afternoon I received a call about some blood work I had done – my “thyroid” is “low” (that’s all I was told) and I have a followup appointment with my doctor this coming Monday. I don’t WANT to have a bum thyroid. I don’t WANT to have to start taking medicines to regulate it. I’m AFRAID to start mucking around with my body’s basic functions. I feel FINE. I AM fine. So I’ve been worried about that.

Also, I have two teachers in my life whom I care about greatly. One can’t find a teaching job and the other might be affected by the statewide cuts to school districts. I worry about both of them. I have a huge project I’m supposed to be working on at work that I can’t find the time to work on due to other things on my task list.

I am one writhing ball of worry right now, Mister Friday Five. It is a wonder and a marvel that I can actually converse with people right now.

4. When you can’t seem to drift off to sleep right away, what are some things you do to bring about sleep?

I love visualization. I imagine floating out of my window and down the nearby major road, looking down at all the little shops. I imagine being back here. I imagine the action-movie screenplay that’s in my head that I’ll never write because I have no idea how to write a screenplay. But it’s kick-butt.

5. When did you last doze off at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate place?

Days before I quit being a manager here (still the right decision) I had to go to our corporate office for a meeting. It was 2006 and I was dealing with the separation/divorce & the impending job change. The meeting was held in a large auditorium and I dozed off in my seat. One of my manager buddies woke me up. It was VERY embarrassing!

***

Wt: 164.0. Down 16.4 pounds.

Dream: I woke up to find a coworker in bed with me. I had no idea he was there, as he snuck in after I went to sleep and nothing happened. WM was not pleased. Nor was I.