Hey guys! scattershot ~ma everywhere. I've been reading as much as I can, and skimming where I can't. Shir, I hope your mom gets better super quick. Hil, I hope you get relief soon. What a terrible cough.

I've had a headache since thanksgiving. It's making me a little mean, also whiny. Everything's my fault because I can't shake off a blasted headache.

Nick turned 26 this year!! I don't mind my age, but he's not supposed to grow up like this!

Plei! I need your help (or anyone else's who knows haircolor). Many years ago, I colored my hair with this gorgeous dark, dark brown with a purpley-red tone. It had a definite purplish cast to the color. I want that color again, but it was discontinued after, and I don't even remember the name or anything. Is making me go spare. The closest I can find on the shelf is Garnier dark cherry. Is there a way I can mix up something like that from the shelves? I don't know where to start, so you'd have to talk me through it in words of one syllable, on account of the stupid seems to live here now. I'm not in a hurry or anything. I have to save up the energy to get the stuff and then do it, but I think I need a boost of something.

The description sounds like the old Egyptian Plum which is now simply burgundy brown. It's a semi-permanent color. And there are detailed instructions in the box.

Hiiiiiii, Deena!

Hiiii, Cass! Thank you so much. I'll try that one, then, and see what happens.

I'm reading Seanan McGuire's One Salt Sea with Greg. I don't usually read "with" someone, and we keep reading ahead of one another, and then wanting to talk about something that happened.

Deena! Mwah! Now for sleepy times.

Deeeeena!!! Hey love.

Had Puppy Boy texting me about a non-emergency issue when I was trying to sleep last night, and woke up to a text from another crew member that she'll be out sick. Which means I'm down to three, since one is taking the week off to do grad school prep. And another wants to work in the warehouse this week. Uh, no.

IOW, I am not ready for this week.

eta just had another one text in sick. I'm left with Puppy Boy and Sullen Girl for today. Awesome.

All that sleeping yesterday might have been my body finally fighting off whatever this is. After I woke up this morning, I was awake for an hour before I started coughing, and driving into work, I was able to sing along with an entire song on the radio without coughing. (It was "Wonderwall," which has long pauses every five words or so, so I didn't have to take any deep breaths. I have a feeling I would not have been able to get through a more difficult song.)

At the doctor, waiting for a solution to my sudden allergy to everything. I kind of hope a freaking steroid is in my future, just to get this under control. I'm not thrilled at the prospect of steroids, because they wreak merry hell on my immune system, and I already took 10 days of prednisone in July, but I am having a bad reaction right now. Tight chest, itchy watery eyes, and my face feels sunburned (though it isn't any redder than normal). Histamine is running amok and this will not stand!

I think I might yell that last sentence at my doctor when he comes in. I think he'd appreciate it.

Update: I did, in fact, proclaim (not yell) to my doctor that histamine is running amok and it will not stand! He did appreciate it.

Basically, my allergies went nuclear, so I have a bunch of new drugs to hammer them. No steroids for now, unless there's no improvement by the end of the week.

Stoopid overreacting body. Be more chill!

Lots of ear~ma for your mom and some peace~ma for you, Shir.

A bit of histimine-blocking~ma for you, Teppy.

And a bit of hope-you-are-right-about-the-cough-being-on-its-way-out~ma for Hil.

Hey, Deena, always good to see your font.

A bit of histimine-blocking~ma for you, Teppy.

My doctor actually added Pepcid to my handful o' drugs, because Pepcid is a histamine-2 blocker. Most antihistamines (benadryl, claritin, etc.) block histamine-1, which causes the classic "head-based" symptoms (sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.).

Histamine-2 is primarily a stomach acid thing, EXCEPT it also has a huge effect on skin rash/sensitivity. Therefore, I'm taking Pepcid twice a day until this all sorts out.

(He also told me to take Claritin twice a day, and I got all flustered and said, "But you're only supposed to take it once a day!" He just looked at me for a minute and then laughed, and asked, "What do you do for a living, again?" I said, "Shut up." He asked, "How many ibuprofen do you take when you have a headache?" Again, I said, "shut up." He said "Seriously, Claritin twice a day won't kill you, and if it does, you can mention me by name with your last breath." He is an awesome doctor.)