Category: Personal

Yesterday’s questions over at thefridayfive 

1. When was the last time you had a proper checkup?

Regular checkups aren’t really a thing here for most people (expensive if going to private health care, or very hard to get appointments if using public health care) unless they have some sort of reason to get them done. Except for dental work – that check up is recommended for every two years, I think. Most people only go when there’s a problem.

I get them done yearly or more often because of my various chronic illnesses, but mostly all the labs relate to the chronic illnesses in one way or another. I don’t get things done for the heck of it.

As someone who has Crohn’s Disease, I usually have one comprehensive checkup once a year now that things are pretty stable, and basic bloodwork/liver related safety labs every three months due the medications I’m taking for the Crohn’s. All Crohn’s related is done by gastro specialists in the hospital. I’m also colonoscopied every 3-4 years. All these are also done more often if my symptoms *or* lab results indicate it as necessary. At one point I had a lot of blood drawn every month, and a colonoscopy once a year. That wasn’t fun!

I also have Type 2 Diabetes, a history of anemia and iron defiency and hypothyroidism which are all also controlled at least once a year by my GP at a health center. These checkups are also done more often if necessary, and usually include things like vitamin levels once a year.

I can also get the labs scheduled out of order pretty easily if I’m feeling off and poorly, or I’m worried about my iron levels/anemia. I think it’s because of my medical history (Crohn’s can cause all sorts of side symptoms and nutrient deficiencies), and repeated anemia/iron deficiency as an example.

2. When did your car have a proper checkup or do you just take it in when something breaks?

I don’t have a car. But cars must be checked by lisenced car checker every year in order to be permitted to be driven.

3. Do you regularly get your heating/air conditioning checked?

We don’t have air conditioning, and heating checkups are done by the apartment building complex level at regular intervals. Sometimes heating is re-adjusted in all individual apartments, or single ones as necessary. But it’s a thing that the apartment building complext maintenance handles, and if there’s a problem with it, I’ll just let them know and they’ll take it from there.

4. Are you more inclined to take better care of others than yourself?

I don’t know. Probably. I don’t have to take care of others a lot.

5. Be honest, how are you feeling today?

Not great. Kinda sweaty and lingeringly uncomfortable from migraine and stomach pain, and weather being just a little bit too warm at times today even though it’s the first good day after about 1,5 weeks of a heatwave. Uncertain whether my period started or not because of Nexplanon and slight bleeding in the afternoon but which maybe seems to have stopped since then (the hope is no periods, so bleeding is disappointing).

1 – Second Half of the Year Day: How would you rate the first half of this year? Are there things you could change going forward to make the second half of the year better?

I’d rate it as okay-ish? Maybe? Compared to the previous decade+? It’s firmly not good but also as firmly not bad.

I’m disappointed that I haven’t made more wallpapers in Photoshop – one one (1) as I write this on July 1, 2023, and that only in April and only because it was embarrasing not have done at least one!

As always, not being so poor and not being so chronically in pain (chronic migraine and Crohn’s Disease make a sad combination) would make the second half of the year better. But it’s very unlikely to happen – I never win in Lotto, can’t work and both me and my doctors figure that my illnesses as about as good as we can get them. So better won’t happen. I’ll be glad of the okay-ish that front, and hope it’ll continue!

I always want to do more physical creative things, like paint. I never do as much as I’d like. Too lazy, or just can’t muster the energy. I could paint more with alcohol inks, or watercolors, or acrylics and that would make rest of the year a lot better! It’s just starting is always so hard! So I’m hoping the second half will be better in that regard 🙂 Continue reading Jo’s Daily Questions – July 1-16, 2023

thefridayfive@DW

1. Can you diagram a sentence?

I used to be able to, but not sure now. We did this a lot in school but that was in the 1980s and I haven’t done it since. I think I could if I reminded myself of all the appropriate terms.

2. What word do you always spell wrong, no matter what?

Not always, but half the time I switch “c” and “s” in “decision”. It’s the bane of my existence.

I can also mix up “z” and “s”, and whether it should be “o” or “u” or “ou”.

I’m also convinced that the word “iriscandent” exists – never mind I can’t find it in any dictionary I’ve checked online and that google, duckduckgo etc. try to insist that I mean “iridescent” actually.

3. What word always looks like it’s spelled wrong to you but isn’t?

I can’t think of one.

4. Do you have any little memory games when it comes to similar words, like principle and principal?

Nope, I don’t need to. They’re all very clearly separate words. I read somewhere that native speakers are more likely to do this mistake, and I’m not a native English speaker. I usually see a new word written first, or see it written and hear it pronounced simultaneously – so in my mind there’s always a clear delineation between similar sounding and/or looking English words right from the start. We were also taught in depth the pronunciation rules of the English language and I think that also helps with this.

5. Was grammar something you enjoyed or detested in school?

Learning my mother tongue’s (Finnish) grammar was neutral, I wouldn’t say I loved it but I didn’t mind. I thought it was necessary. But I’ve always loved reading and writing so I’m predisposed to like learning grammar. As for the English grammar… I loved it. I loved everything about learning English. I was good at both Finnish and English grammar.