Jerzei Collie's journal

I was looking at past DreamWidth and LiveJournal entries and was surprised by how much has changed. Back in May 2018, I was still working at KRCC, I had had just begun applying to work for various delivery companies and my mom was still alive. Ten years ago, I used my tax refund to buy the laptop I'm currently using. Fifteen years ago, I was a news writer for the local office of Metro Networks in addition to working at KRCC, and I was looking forward to a Halloween singles cruise later that year.

I'm brewing a pot of coffee at the moment. I wanted to finish off the pitcher of "Purple Rain" vodka lemonade tonight, but I'll save half of it for the end of Doggy Radio. The pitcher had more servings left than I expected!

Today is the 10th birthday of The Rabbit Hole with Romeo Rabbit. Today would have been my mom's 81st birthday.

I did some DoorDash deliveries for two hours. I surpassed my weekly earnings goal!

I drank three glasses of water during FoxTrot, but I definitely should have had at least three more. During the night, I had a couple of margaritas, then drank some water and partial-suited for about 20 minutes. I managed to get around 2.5 hours of sleep at home afterward. I woke up with a light hangover and dry-heaved for a few minutes before drinking some more water.

NOTE TO SELF: Only accept a maximum of two DoorDash deliveries at a time. I actually got four deliveries in a short time while I was in Castle Rock Sunday night. While I made a healthy amount of money for them, I was fairly stressed and most of the food was not delivered on schedule. I should really get a good rest after Doggy Radio later.

Over the weekend, my dad said he would put $500 in my account to get new tires for my car. He had previously said each family member would get a bit extra this Christmas due to my mom's passing.

Saturday's weather forecast states thunderstorms could begin during the late afternoon. My mom's funeral service is at 2:00, with the burial afterward. I'm hoping the rain won't start (or be heavy) until afterward. Some of my out-of-state family members and some Air Force cadets my family sponsored will be arriving this weekend.

I ordered a bottle of Poo-Pourri and a new shower curtain yesterday. The cheap shower curtain I currently have is torn and barely hanging onto the curtain rod. I also ordered a new cell phone so I can finally use a cell network with better coverage. I found my current cell phone (Samsung Galaxy S4) has trouble getting a signal in some parts of the state where I've done deliveries. The new phone will be a Galaxy S9, and I'll be able to use Verizon's network instead of Sprint.

My dad called me a few minutes ago to say my mom has passed away. She was diagnosed with ALS in late-2003 and had been bedridden since 2006 following a bout with pneumonia. While I am sad that she is gone, I'm also thankful she isn't suffering any more. 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My sleep schedule is still a little wacky, but it's getting closer to normal. I slept for about 5 hours Wednesday morning, then took a 2.5-hour nap in the early evening.

Either my TV or the TV remote is acting up. I thought the remote just needed new batteries, but it still didn't work after replacing them. Pressing the power/volume buttons on the TV itself didn't work, either. My TV is a cheap brand that's been discontinued, and the remote programming codes for the brand don't work with my DirecTV remote. I hope I don't have to replace the TV anytime soon. It's still in good shape despite the remote issue.

EDIT: The remote will work if I hold it around a foot away from the TV. Of course, that kind of defeats the purpose of having a remote.

Last week's calorie average: 1,838.6
Days above 2,000 calories: 2 (2,180 and 2,190)

My dad contacted me Sunday to say Mom is in the hospital. She has been living with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) since 2003 and bedridden since 2006. Dad says Mom was diagnosed with two infections recently and was given antibiotics. Dad will let me know if there's any change in her condition.

One idea I had for a self-employment opportunity may not be possible. I had taken candy-making classes as a kid and enjoyed learning how to make different types of chocolates. I'm still doing research on the various steps I need to take, but it looks like this venture won't be going anywhere.

My mother experienced a similar problem years ago. She was terrific at making and decorating cakes for friends and family, and she briefly had a home-based cake business. She was forced to give it up after the government told her she needed a license and could not bake the cakes in her home kitchen.

Oh, well, with my diet going so well, I don't know if I'd want all that candy in my home tempting me. It's hard coming up with self-employment ideas that don't involve tons of red tape.

I just realized my high school reunion in July is being held on the same day as my mom's 70th birthday. It's on a Saturday, so I'm hoping any planned celebration will happen on either Friday (when I normally have dinner with my parents) or Sunday (when my brother's family dines with them.) I'd hate to miss either event. It's hard to believe it's been 4-5 years since Mom was diagnosed with ALS.

Saturday morning on NPR's "Weekend Edition," Annoying Music Show host Jim Nayder is going to play some weird, funny and, yes, annoying Valentine's Day songs.

With today being my mom's birthday, I don't know if I'll be able to make the Primerica training meeting tonight. I really should go, but with my mom having ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease, I don't want to miss out on any special events with her.

I've washed my hands twice since coming home, but the left one still smells like gasoline. I had some "splash back" while filling up my car. Speaking of gas, I bought the Big Bell Box Meal at Taco Bell for lunch.