The Return of Mr. CPAP

I think it was May 22nd. The last time I used my CPAP machine before breaking it down and packing it up to take to Florida. I didn’t use it at all on the vacation. I didn’t even take it out of the case. When we got home I had a nasty head cold and the thought of sneezing into the CPAP machine’s mask was gross enough to stop me from setting it up and using it.

On the 19th of June I used it. The next four nights I tried to use it, but had to shut if off after a couple of hours. I’m not sure why. I was still coughing up phlegm quite often and I just couldn’t find a way to be comfortable with the mask on and it kept waking me up. From June 24th on, I didn’t use it at all.

Then last night, July 1st. I used it again and it went pretty well. The questions I have now are these:

Do I need to use it anymore?

Is it doing anything for me?

Sleep apnea doesn’t really seem to be an issue anymore. At least I am not snoring at 100 decibels and waking my wife up every night. I was hoping that when I checked the sleep stats my Apple Watch collected last night it would show me that my percentage of restful vs light sleep would be higher. It wasn’t. At least not compared to the previous few nights’ worth of numbers.

So… am I wasting my time with this thing? Am I putting that huge alien face hugger over my nuggin’ for nothing?

I’ll use it for a few more days and see how the numbers look. If, after a week or so, the restful sleep percentage doesn’t go up, or I just don’t feel as rested come the morning, then I’ll talk to my doctor about maybe returning the machine and moving on with my life.

Healthcare… am I right?

Squirrels Suck

I moved the squirrel baffle higher up on the bird feeder pole. Let’s hope that stops the little bastards from getting to the bird feeders. I’ve seen a squirrel get past the baffle four times, but I have never actually caught them in the act to see how they are getting around it. I am hoping it was just too close to the ground and they could somehow jump over it. We’ll see.

I Feel Like a Wrung Out Dish Rag

Hey Americans. How we doing today? Specifically the Americans who are not a part of the maga cult or the republican pro-dictatorship/anti-Constitution camp.

I feel like I was hit by a train. I feel like I was run over by a steam roller. I feel like a wrung out dish rag.

248 years was a pretty good run, I guess.

I’m not going to hang my flag on the 4th of July. What’s the point? I’m not going to buy sparklers and be all happy and celebratory like I wrote about yesterday. What’s the point? I’ll just treat Thursday like a vacation day rather than a holiday. I’ll probably still have a cook out or something but other than that? Why bother. If the supreme court no longer considers the US to be a thing then why the fuck should we?

The US Monarchy

I promise you all that earlier today when I wrote something about this year’s 4th of July being the last authentic 4th of July the United States will ever celebrate, I was referring to the 50/50 chance that a fascist will again be elected president in November, and how that fascist has actually stated publicly that he will act as a dictator.

That’s what I was talking about. There’s a good chance that the wrong person will win the presidential election this year and put an end to the country that declared itself independent from England on July 4, 1776 and has thus celebrated independence day on that date every year that followed.

I did not somehow, magically know that the supreme court of the united states (lower case letters on purpose as I don’t capitalize offices held by fascists whether elected or appointed) would rule that the president of the united states is above the law and therefore can do anything that he pleases without any sort of check or balance against the office. I didn’t realize that they were going to issue a ruling that in effect declares the president of the united states king, and thus declaring that our democratic republic is at an end and the entire Constitution is invalid. I really thought we were going to get one more happy 4th of July before the rug would be rudely pulled out from under us. I didn’t see the future where our society would be ended on July 1st.

Sorry about that.

Free Agents

Happy NHL Free Agency Day. The free agent signing window opened earlier today and the Bruins have landed a couple of pretty decent names. Elias Lindholm might be our new top line center. We’ll have to see how things shake out at training camp, but it’s possible. He has a 40 goal season in his past, though not last season. Nikita Zadorov is a defenseman who seems to have a bit of a reputation for punishing hits. If that’s how he plays he’s going to be a fan favorite around here. Bruins fans love big hitters.

They are both western conference guys so I don’t really know much about them. They both look good on paper, and they both also cost quite a bit of money. We just have to make sure there is enough salary cap space left to sign Jeremey Swayman to what we all have to assume is going to be a huge pay raise.

On the flip side of the free agency coin, we’ve lost Jake DeBrusk to Vancouver, and Pat (we hardly knew ye) Maroon to the Blackhawks. Those are the only departures I’ve found in the various live blogs I’ve been constantly refreshing throughout my lunch break.

Come on, General Manager Don Sweeny, we need more signings… especially Swayman. Let’s go.

Blue Sky

Remember yesterday and the day before when I posted little blurbs about how crappy the weather was? Today is Monday and we’re back to work so…

305/365 - July 1st
305/365

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: Hey mother nature… bite me.

July

Welcome to July, my friends. Summer is in full swing. Time to start worrying about the weather turning cold and frosty.

That’s sarcasm… or is it.

Man, the time is flying.

I don’t have any plans for the 4th of July. I have to visit my father for a bit, but other than that and the happy fact that I have the day off, the only thing on my radar is the start of the 50 songs in 90 days songwriting challenge.

You know what I want to do? It’s silly… but I want to buy some sparklers. Not fireworks. I have no interest in actual fireworks. Sparklers. I want to sit on the patio in the back yard and light up a few sparklers.

It could very well be the last 4th of July the United States gets to celebrate authentically. We very well could be a fascist dictatorship a year from now. We should do something to mark the last go around.

Also… sparklers are fun.