I was starting to worry about my furnace, too, but it finally kicked on! Phew.

Thanksgiving is a quiet day off for me, after the Christmas Carol marathon. The most I do is some kind of homemade root vegetable soup. I guess I should decide on a recipe so I can have the ingredients on hand.

My initial stress response after the 2016 election was to exercise and take self-defense classes. The stress eating didn't kick in until about a year ago but I think I've made up for the delay and managed to gain 12 lbs. I've recently started trying to at least stop that trend. I've been snacking on apples this week!

In my building, the apartment with the thermostat clearly stays warmer than mine. 64° indoors is too cold for me when I'm not doing physical work so I've got the space heater going.

I must have a new neighbor. Someone down the hall was practicing the bassoon this evening. Even scales and etudes are fun on a bassoon!

Given how much sugary stress eating I've dine in the last some-odd months AND the not-hideously-high score I got on my most recent A1c test, I am guessing being in nigh unto constant anxiety attack mode for weeks on end burns more calories than I expected.

Anyway, I think the Celexa is going to be ok. And I got myself to a therapist on Friday. It'll be nice to relearn how to function on a level of moderate stress.

You don't have your own thermostat, aurelia? That sounds horrid!

Carmelizarkon is definitely a planet and not a pie tastiness.

Steam radiators. The landlord controls the heat.

Has the landlord 'bled' the radiators lately?

My old (118yo) house has forced-hot-water radiators, and air condenses out of the hot water water and eventually builds up enough pressure in the radiators that they're only half-full of hot water. There's a cute little key that opens the relief valve on each radiator and you'll get a gratifyingly loud hiss if the pressure is a problem.

(I know you're a Very Handy Person, aurelia, so forgive me if you've already tried this, but it might not be an area that you've ever investigated.)

As far as Thanksgiving desserts go, these cranberry bars might work. [link]

I just went on a Christmas tree ornament buying spree. Not sure if it was the relief over last week's results making me feel hopeful or if it's my reaction to the remaining stress being "I will holiday the hell out of the remainder of the year and I will like it! Possibly a bit of both.

Anyway, I've been working toward a sort of bird-themed Christmas tree for the past several years, one or two birds at a time. This year I upped the pace a bit and got a few four-bird sets from Target (seriously, how adorable are these? [link] [link] and a couple of Hallmark "beauty of birds" ornaments off of eBay. Which may be as basic bourgeoisie as humanly possible, but also pretty so I'm gonna just own it and go on with my life.

Of course, now I'm sitting here with my inner Puritan all, "You bought things you don't come close to needing, you wasteful spendthrift! You'll die in a gutter and you'll deserve it!" Seriously, Cotton Mather can take a short walk off a long pier.

I'm really looking forward to getting the tree up the day after Thanksgiving and sitting in a wash of colorful light every evening for the next month.

Now I want calling cards with my name and Very Handy Person.

Our radiators each have an air vent [link] . If one starts to drip or get gurgly I call the landlord to replace it. We've been through that dance several times over the years. Since my bedroom closet has a cool breeze from it when open I think it has something to do with (a lack of) insulation around the water pipes (that closet backs up to the business end of the bathroom).

Here's a thing I don't know since I've been lucky enough to avoid navigating the health care system much. I'm supposed to schedule a MRI on my ankle. Do I just schedule it with the imaging center and they will contact the insurance company before the test, or do I need to contact the insurance company to make sure they won't try to deny it after the fact?

Chances are your insurance company will require a pre-authorization. If your doctor's the one who's said you need an MRI, their office should contact the insurance company to get that process started.

Yep, this is per my doctor.