Not Christmas and Not New Years.

 Well, that's over.

Now to the next holiday, the New Year's Day.

I hope 2024 is going to be far better than 2023. 

But that's what I said in 2022.

So there is that.

We are in that limbo when it's no longer Xmas and not yet New Year's but nobody wants to go back to work. And being a Monday this year it had to be horrible to go back to work on Tuesday. I say everyone should just have off between Dec 25 through January 1. But I don't get to be dictator, that's trumps job.

Cooking for just the two of us is silly most days. We made a ham for Christmas because he kept telling me he wanted it. After I had a piece and Rick had two here we are with this big ole ham. I did make killer potatoes au gratin.  No veggies and no salad. It was a sad and pathetic holiday meal.

Rick is going to make split pea and ham soup which I love with that big ole ham bone. 

I made him ham and eggs this morning before we ventured off to PT. 

I am certain there will be ham in about everything. Quiche, casseroles etc.

I was thinking of this casserole with broccoli, rice, and ham. But again, there will be a lot and can I get some folks to come over and eat some food? A few weeks ago I brought in a pasta dish to therapy. OH were they excited. It was leftovers so I didn't think that was a big deal. I just made it like always and there was just too much. Then I had to bring a printout of the recipe for them on the next visit. But I was glad they liked it so much and I got rid of it.

When my dad had dementia he never wanted to eat. The doctor told my mom that something (I don't recall the proper term) in his brain that controlled hunger was not functioning or telling him he was full. Which would be great for someone to lose weight but this small man did not need that. So the doctor told her to just put food in front of him and he will probably eat it. And sure enough, if she asked if he was hungry he would say no. If she put a 1/2 sandwich on a plate in front of him he would wolf it down. Wild right? 

Well, it appears to me that is Rick's new brain. I mean a stroke is a head/brain injury as was my dad's Parkingson's dementia. Who's to say it's not similar? Rick always says he isn't hungry until I make him something then he will eat it. One day last week he said he was not hungry so I just made myself a 1/2 PB&J for lunch. Then he says, gee that looks good and he wants one. 

This is a far different man from before the stroke when the man could put down the food! He could eat a steak the size of something on the Flintstones, a brontosaurus-sized steak. Today he wants to share a small strip steak with me. It's weird and something I need to get used to.

My neighbor the hairdresser left us some goodies she makes each year for Xmas. I wish I could eat them. Rick gets upset that she always brings things I can't eat. I don't care. I told him it's not her issue, she probably doesn't remember and even if she did she should not have to make things I can eat. She had a tin of these pretzels that were peanut butter and chocolate. Rick said they were awesome. The other thing she made in this tin was a Chex Mix. I believe it's called Puppy Chow. A mix of chocolate, peanut butter, chex cereal, and powdered sugar. I like those and chex I can eat, but she put pretzels in hers so they are out for me. Oh well, I do not need them.

And speaking of eating. I have not been feeling well at all. I don't say anything to Rick because he's got enough on his plate but he's noticed. Lots of GI issues and then the swelling began. My face, my joints and I'm just feeling sick and extremely tired. I feel like I've been glutened. But I am so good at my diet and no one has been here to cook for me so I know all the food and I know I clean the butcher block if Rick's bread is on it before I use it, etc. So how can I have been glutened? Last night was the worst. I was so sick. I was nauseated and my tummy was a hot mess. Rick looked at me and said, "Have you been glutened?  You look so swollen and sick?"  I said, "You know I was thinking the same thing but how?"

Then as we were watching a movie he paused it and said, "Did you check your new medication?" 

OMG that's probably it!!

I went online and sure enough, it had gluten in it. I had to track down the manufacturer and then look up the ingredients. Sounds easy but took over an hour to track down. Needless to say, I stopped it today. My doctor is not in so I went back to my old meds for the same thing because I know that is better than not taking anything and I know they do not make me sick. 

Yes, the pharmacy knows that they should let me know but they don't give a rat's ass. Peanut allergy is just as lethal just faster. So then they care. 

An autoimmune disease they don't give a shit.

This will take me two weeks to get well now that I found the source. 

Rick keeps apologizing as if it's his fault. He knows how sick I've been the last 2 weeks and each day it was worse. But I just didn't believe it was gluten because damn it I am eating clean. But even in your medication, it can be in there as a filler. 

Wheat, barley, and rye will kill me. Or die from vomiting and diarrhea. 

Oh well, I will survive but it's so not good for me. Do you know having celiac gives you a very larger percentage of getting cancer? Yeah, it's a bear but it's not worth cheating. Had I known that my meds were making me sick I'd have had a piece of cake or pizza I told Rick as long as I was sick. But you know what? I still wouldn't have. In 2 weeks I should be able to see my knuckles again and not be so damn sick.  It's like the flu only with joint pain and GI issues to boot. This makes me so freakin' angry. 

Christmas evening we wanted to watch a light, frivolous type of movie where we could just not put much brain power into it. We took a walk after dinner in our Santa hats but it was 67 degrees and the hats were a bit too warm. TV was horrible and we were alone on this Xmas so it was quiet here. The movie we chose was perfect. 

It's called The Bank of Dave. (Netflix)

I read in Vanity Fair it is a true-ish story. The broad outlines of the story are true. The movie took some liberties with Def Leppard because the real Dave LOVES Def Leppard. This takes place in a small town north of London. The location is true to the real Dave. Nonetheless, it is a cute movie. 

It's amazing how we speak English but there are words and phrases they use that I have no friggin' idea of what the hell they were talking about. 

But I do like British humor or as they would write, humour. It's a cute movie and because it's true (or tru-ish as they say at the beginning) it was even more delightful.

The Vanity Fair article showed the real Dave and he looks so much like the man who played him in the movie. I love that the little man won! Could this happen in the US?  Doubtful.  

And lastly, I wanted to share my disgust with Bezos. Doesn't he have enough money for God's sake?  Now he is making us watch ads with all our prime videos starting next week unless we wish to pay another $2.99 mo. Now c'mon didn't he just raise the price of Amazon Prime a few months ago?  We have to rethink all of this. I have to streamline my streaming services. As more merge, it may be better for us, then again who knows.