Amazon is starting another promo before New Year's Eve: Refill your Amazon gift card balance with $100 and qualify for a free $5:
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=gc_lp_img_rldpro?_encoding=UTF8&node=12516105011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=5572KQCRAQPSSFV5M1GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2363980342&pf_rd_i=2238192011
(You can also find the link on the Amazon front page. You are required to hit a button on the page before refilling to qualify.)
Nice that Amazon is regaling us with a little something even if its only $5. Seriously though. Amazon's the one company I've stuck with for so long and actually appreciate despite a few bad buys.
Looks like this year's about ready to come to a close. In my opinion, it was an overall shitty year and I will elaborate on that sometime. Still recovering here.
Regards,
Black Hat
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
I Dropped $30 On Meds Today
I followed through with yesterday's post and decided to get checked-up on infections that may have stemmed from my cold. Ended up getting prescribed pills for my infected sinus (headaches started up yesterday), tablets for nasal congestion and drops for my nasty, crusty eye that also developed last night.
I don't have pictures for that, but imagine my surprise waking up at 2 in the morning for the fourth day in a row with my left eye glued shut. For hours before hitting the sack, it was very badly irritated. Imagine as I'm sure you've all experienced at some point in your life that eye lash that got stuck under your eyelid having invisibility and teleportation powers. That was exactly what it was like for me as I searched for it at the edge of my insanity. I never confirmed whether or not there'd actually been a rogue eyelash, but in hindsight, it was probably the infection. Come 5 am, I wake up again both my eyes are glued shut and now the seals on them are slimy and mucus-like.
So after getting the drops, I lay in bed wondering how I was going to go about administering them. I've never used eyedrops in my life outside the optometrist. Not even after getting a bottle for free from a check up when I was 15 or 16. The doctor gave 'them to me because I had pulled an all-nighter and caught no more than 2 hours of z's. My eyes must've looked really bloodshot and red that day. I still remember my vision constantly defocusing during the examination.
I'm still hoping for a speedy recovery (at this point, I wonder if speedy is even relevant) before the new year.
Regards,
Black Hat
I don't have pictures for that, but imagine my surprise waking up at 2 in the morning for the fourth day in a row with my left eye glued shut. For hours before hitting the sack, it was very badly irritated. Imagine as I'm sure you've all experienced at some point in your life that eye lash that got stuck under your eyelid having invisibility and teleportation powers. That was exactly what it was like for me as I searched for it at the edge of my insanity. I never confirmed whether or not there'd actually been a rogue eyelash, but in hindsight, it was probably the infection. Come 5 am, I wake up again both my eyes are glued shut and now the seals on them are slimy and mucus-like.
So after getting the drops, I lay in bed wondering how I was going to go about administering them. I've never used eyedrops in my life outside the optometrist. Not even after getting a bottle for free from a check up when I was 15 or 16. The doctor gave 'them to me because I had pulled an all-nighter and caught no more than 2 hours of z's. My eyes must've looked really bloodshot and red that day. I still remember my vision constantly defocusing during the examination.
I'm still hoping for a speedy recovery (at this point, I wonder if speedy is even relevant) before the new year.
Regards,
Black Hat
Monday, December 28, 2015
This head cold has effectively ruined my holiday
I woke up at 2 am this morning (as I have for the past four days) to a completely pressure-blocked left ear and throbbing pain inside of it among other symptoms of this illness that has ruined every day since Christmas eve. Actually, my ear had been backed up since I got back from Morongo, with the drive back home on intensifying it. A hot shower upon return seemed to do just the trick. My right ear would feel fantastic for the next 12 hours but the same can't be said of my left. Before bed (Around 11, with this sickness, I could barely keep my eyes open after) my left ear started acting up again and I prescribed that it would be fine with a good night's rest. I was wrong.
So how did I assess the situation at 2 in the morning? First I heated up a mug of water and drank it. It helped clear my stuffed nose and ease my coughing, but had no effects on my ears. I head back to bed. Come 4 am, I wake up again this time with pain in my blocked left ear. I decided to whip out my iPad and do some research. Here is one of the articles I found:
www.md-health.com/Pressure-In-Ear.html
I derived my own solution that seemed to work from the suggestions written in the article. At 4, I heated another mug of water. This time my throat and nasal cavities weren't as clogged up with mucus. I inhaled the steam from the water which cleared up my blocked nose, and then I turned my head to the side with the affected ear facing down and plopped it over the mouth of the cup. And I waited. I heard the telltale crackle in my ear and lifted my head and yawned a bit. It cleared a little. I repeated the steps again and again until finally, my left ear was more or less crystal clear! This however still left the biting pain in the middle of my ear which I had no choice but to assess during the day.
My diagnosis? Based on bits and pieces of information I gathered over the internet, I believe it had to do with mucus buildup. I had been hacking and sniffling all night. The article mentions something about diluting mucus to relieve pressure in the ears.
Mind you, I doubt that the general population suffers from a pressure backed ear from the cold but I've suffered from ear problems since childhood (I can hear crackling most of the time when I swallow or yawn and I'm constantly having to do so to clear my ears) and based on the article, I believe that I have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. I'll save the story for another time, but I certainly didn't have the problem when I was born. I developed the issue in second or third grade. It's never been severe enough to disrupt my day to day life (even in my first year of college where I was catching colds left and right) but this holiday was the exception.
I'm doing slightly better now, except for the fact that my right ear is starting to act up and my throat is still very raw. Mucus continues to build up and I have chill spells. My appointment to see a doctor is still set for tomorrow to check for an ear infection. I've also canceled my RSVP to a friend's New Year's Eve party.
I hope I've done my duty to inform those of you who are in situations similar to mine and hope for a speedy recovery.
Regards,
Black Hat Lex
So how did I assess the situation at 2 in the morning? First I heated up a mug of water and drank it. It helped clear my stuffed nose and ease my coughing, but had no effects on my ears. I head back to bed. Come 4 am, I wake up again this time with pain in my blocked left ear. I decided to whip out my iPad and do some research. Here is one of the articles I found:
www.md-health.com/Pressure-In-Ear.html
I derived my own solution that seemed to work from the suggestions written in the article. At 4, I heated another mug of water. This time my throat and nasal cavities weren't as clogged up with mucus. I inhaled the steam from the water which cleared up my blocked nose, and then I turned my head to the side with the affected ear facing down and plopped it over the mouth of the cup. And I waited. I heard the telltale crackle in my ear and lifted my head and yawned a bit. It cleared a little. I repeated the steps again and again until finally, my left ear was more or less crystal clear! This however still left the biting pain in the middle of my ear which I had no choice but to assess during the day.
My diagnosis? Based on bits and pieces of information I gathered over the internet, I believe it had to do with mucus buildup. I had been hacking and sniffling all night. The article mentions something about diluting mucus to relieve pressure in the ears.
Mind you, I doubt that the general population suffers from a pressure backed ear from the cold but I've suffered from ear problems since childhood (I can hear crackling most of the time when I swallow or yawn and I'm constantly having to do so to clear my ears) and based on the article, I believe that I have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. I'll save the story for another time, but I certainly didn't have the problem when I was born. I developed the issue in second or third grade. It's never been severe enough to disrupt my day to day life (even in my first year of college where I was catching colds left and right) but this holiday was the exception.
I'm doing slightly better now, except for the fact that my right ear is starting to act up and my throat is still very raw. Mucus continues to build up and I have chill spells. My appointment to see a doctor is still set for tomorrow to check for an ear infection. I've also canceled my RSVP to a friend's New Year's Eve party.
I hope I've done my duty to inform those of you who are in situations similar to mine and hope for a speedy recovery.
Regards,
Black Hat Lex
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Why are Applebee's steaks so small? (Applebee marketing ploy!)
...is what I wondered aloud to my family after I got my Grilled Onion Sirloin with Stout Sauce. Clearly, I am no meat aficionado, but as your average every-man who dines out occasionally, I expected much more out of a $16 entree.
Here's the reality:
Now compare it to this ad of the same dish on Applebee's website (screen capped on 12/26/2015):
Clearly, the reality doesn't meet the expectations. Also, notice the pricing is inaccurate as of 12/26/2015. In all honestly, I'm sure if they plopped the sirloin they served me tonight on a scale, it would more or less weigh out the 7 oz. as promised. But the marketing ploy is obvious. Even the steak on the menu looked larger. It's definitely the onion slice they used in the model if you can believe that the potato chunks are one to one with the actual thing.
Personally I'm ashamed to have fallen for such an obvious marketing ploy but I'd only eaten at Applebee's twice before. I don't think I will be going back. Fortunately, I managed to dodge a bullet with the appetizers. Let's just say several months back, a couple pals and I ordered mozzarella sticks at a Dave & Busters and among the the four of us, they didn't last long. Glad I didn't burn the $9 at Applebee's.
Aside from the sirloin setback, my experience was mostly positive. The chicken quesadillas were fantastic as was the guac. The gravy that my entree was doused in my pretty good as well. My last gripe is that I left feeling filled, but not filled to satisfaction. Is it that wrong to want to pig out once in a while?
- B. H. Lex
Here's the reality:
Now compare it to this ad of the same dish on Applebee's website (screen capped on 12/26/2015):
Clearly, the reality doesn't meet the expectations. Also, notice the pricing is inaccurate as of 12/26/2015. In all honestly, I'm sure if they plopped the sirloin they served me tonight on a scale, it would more or less weigh out the 7 oz. as promised. But the marketing ploy is obvious. Even the steak on the menu looked larger. It's definitely the onion slice they used in the model if you can believe that the potato chunks are one to one with the actual thing.
Personally I'm ashamed to have fallen for such an obvious marketing ploy but I'd only eaten at Applebee's twice before. I don't think I will be going back. Fortunately, I managed to dodge a bullet with the appetizers. Let's just say several months back, a couple pals and I ordered mozzarella sticks at a Dave & Busters and among the the four of us, they didn't last long. Glad I didn't burn the $9 at Applebee's.
Aside from the sirloin setback, my experience was mostly positive. The chicken quesadillas were fantastic as was the guac. The gravy that my entree was doused in my pretty good as well. My last gripe is that I left feeling filled, but not filled to satisfaction. Is it that wrong to want to pig out once in a while?
- B. H. Lex
Friday, December 25, 2015
It's Christmas and I've been sick all day.
Had a rough night... on and off fevers and sweating followed by terrible hallucinations that I was lost in the Himalayas which kept morphing so I couldn't find my way out. Trippy, I know. Had a Christmas lunch out with family which I bit the bullet and tried to stomach as much food as I possibly could (I wasn't doing too well when I got up. I was feeling nauseous and had head pains). Came back and took a 4 hour nap which seemed to do the trick. Temperature continues to average 100°F but I refuse to take Tylenol (Haven't injected a pill in over 7 years, I intend on keeping it that way). As long as I'm not on the verge of death, I think can trust my body can handle illness just fine.
Oh and I also happened to nap through the entire Steam rogue caching debacle that happened shortly after lunch. Apparently a whole bunch of personal data ended up on different people's steam clients...
http://kotaku.com/steam-goes-nuts-offers-access-to-other-peoples-account-1749718979
...thankfully I don't link my payment methods and my $0.14 steam wallet balance is still intact.
I ended up missing my Insurgency game session with MacMillan, and Big Mac ended up putting a hole in his left hand. That's pretty much how my Christmas went this year.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Oh and I also happened to nap through the entire Steam rogue caching debacle that happened shortly after lunch. Apparently a whole bunch of personal data ended up on different people's steam clients...
http://kotaku.com/steam-goes-nuts-offers-access-to-other-peoples-account-1749718979
...thankfully I don't link my payment methods and my $0.14 steam wallet balance is still intact.
I ended up missing my Insurgency game session with MacMillan, and Big Mac ended up putting a hole in his left hand. That's pretty much how my Christmas went this year.
Merry Christmas everyone.
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