Another person close to the household was in the hospital, for a bad bleeding incident (cause medically speculated but not specifically known) but I think is getting out today.

Ack.

And meanwhile my knee is improving but it was pretty bad for a few days. I got some additional parts for my knee brace, which combined with a lot of rest did make a difference. I blame having to overuse the thing regularly.

Not half as miserable as I expected to be. The blowing trick I do with the ears to pop them does it on ground or off.

It is my belated realization that yes, I actually do need a humidifier.

This air is dry enough that when my nose is too clogged to breathe through, my throat dries out within three breaths. My nose is nearing that nasty state.

As a stopgap measure, I have the small crockpot running with a load of water. To prime it, a freshly microwave-heated two-cup measure of boiling water.

My disturbing dream from this morning that didn't get described in the morning walking-to-work posting? Some kind of illness involving Darkside.

Assorted prayers for Darkside's dad's health and continued improvement would probably be appreciated. (Yes, what is wrong is a Known Thing; no, I'm not sharing it in public; yes, we're concerned; no, I have not commenced with making casseroles, because I have not the transportation to get there.)

So. Yeah. Scary dreams.

The night of the 12th/early morning the 13th, I had nasty PMS, which complicated an otherwise straightforward instance of sleep dep, allergies, and dehydration.

Note that allergies make it difficult for me to breathe. Note that difficulty breathing and dehydration both cause me to have panic attacks. Sleep deprivation makes any bad mood that I have that much worse. PMS puts me on a hair-trigger and makes me that much more likely to snap at people.

In the middle of all this, I experienced computer difficulties.

Figment only noticed me snapping at him once.

Figment probably deserves a medal or something. (Either that, or I've gotten a lot better at leaving my internal state internal, and not betraying bad internal states by being unpleasant externally. Or both.)

It had better be PMS, at least. If I was that irritable and it wasn't PMS, there's a problem that needs fixing.