Was it part of a dream?

This recent Friday evening, snuggled down into bed around midnight after watching too many Instagram videos before shutting down my cellphone and letting sleep take me. It’s a terrible habit but sometimes watching Yorkie doggies or parrots making cute dances are just what I need before sleeping.

I was having a pretty decent sleep and was in the middle of one of those very clear dreams which I tend to have when I could have sworn my doorbell rang. It was enough to dredge me out from my dream but sounded a bit far – which could be due to my fan blowing on the right side of my bed. I need it or else this mess of hair makes me sweat. My brain slowly became fully awake but when I opened my eyes, I realized it was pretty dark. One hand patted around on the empty side of my bed, found my cellphone and brought it up to my eyes. It was 6:04am. On a Saturday.

What in the blue snot? I turned off the fan next to me and laid there, listening in case the soft bell-like sound of my doorbell went off again. Stayed prone for a good three or four minutes, listening and hearing nothing more but the quiet rush of my breathing. Nothing more. My brain was now more awake and alert than it should be on a day off. Was it part of my dream or had the doorbell actually been rung? I was not leaving my bedsheets but could not go back to sleep. Wound up getting up around thirty minutes later.

In my case, I do not own a camera connected to my doorbell so I could not see outwards to give me any confirmation. Eventually, I may venture that way. The mystery remains.

Cleaning home

During the weekends, I will take a day (let’s not lie, sometimes it takes a few hours within Saturday and Sunday) to go through and clean house. As a single woman, living alone and owning a three bedroom home, it takes quite a bit of time to go through and clean up. Dust is my constant foe – it gets onto everything.

I don’t use the spare bedroom nor the spare bathroom but there is heavy usage of my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining and living room so there is still plenty to clean up and maintain. The garage can just eff off.. I only go in and out of there because there are critters hiding in all manner of places that I am not about to deal with, thank you very much.

I used to have the energy to go full blast for an entire day and then crash for the second day but lately I’m splitting it up because between all the laundry, grocery shopping for the week and cleaning up there… well, I need some lazy time in between.

Accidental cord pull

I am within hospitals constantly for work and this means that when the urge to go potty comes, I will, of course, use the restrooms there. Most of these bathrooms have that emergency button and a cord to pull is someone is in there and requires assistance.

One day I had my earbuds in, listening to my music in one ear and emptying my bladder. Once I was done, I heard some frantic knocking and concerned voices. Apparently at one moment during my act, I had accidentally pulled the cord enough to trigger the nurse’s station and there were medical professionals trying to determine if they needed to enter the bathroom to help. It would have been wonderful if I had had an actual problem which required their help but honestly all I was trying to do was… not get the door opened on me while my pants were still down. Yikes. They don’t automatically do that, thank goodness, but that screams in the back of your mind while you’re loudly letting them know that you’re actually okay.

Quirky bears, unicorns and butterflies… on my feet

I was always curious about colorful socks and only recently have begun stocking up on the ones I wear for work. Previously I would buy black crew cut socks to wear while working but with the advent of better priced socks, I have splurged and gotten several. For quite some time, I would really find it difficult to spend $12 on a single pair of socks even if they had dragons flying amongst dark blue skies with trees. Okay – I did give in, purchasing that pair and really liking them but it’s not something I could do often.

I searched online and finally found their website. I found two different sock selling sites and each offered great specials on them! They’re listed below. Both offered lovely colorful, quirky socks at prices I could spend a bit less on and still enjoy (one will throw specials down to $4 a pair and the other has specials at $5 a pair). Now I have unicorns, bears, butterflies and even sprinkles on colorful socks which make it fun to pop my toesies into.

https://www.sockittome.com/

https://sockfly.com/

The single navy colored sock

Living alone means no one but me touches that clothes that goes in and out of my wash. I have done terrible laundry (yes, I have washed darks clothes with light clothes *gasp*) and good laundry (using the gentler heating cycle to *hopefully* make my clothes last longer.

An odd thing happened recently which still perplexes me. I sorted my undies, shirts and pants and there was a single navy blue sock left over. I don’t recall ever purchasing navy socks and my last ex left the scene over seven years ago plus he did not leave anything here so I am pretty sure it is not his.

Where did this sock come from? If I find its companion, I will be even more perplexed. For now I own a solitary navy blue sock which I cannot explain.

Oh butter, butter

I use butter on a nearly daily basis. A tap of butter goes onto each side of my waffles because I cook them in a mini round cast iron pan. A tap of butter goes into the pan right before I cook my eggs or egg whites – depending upon which I am having. Something about that richly yellow unsalted stick of solid fat brings out the deliciousness of corn, breads and so many meals. I will not tolerate anything which is not made from the cream of cow’s milk – but I am a food snob in that way. I have not made my own homemade butter though it truly is simple – a lot of work, but simple. There are many well made store ready brands available so I will burn that energy elsewhere – like in buttering a fresh pancake before drowning it in maple syrup. Yum.

Wearing socks to bed

I am an odd sleeper. I love the cold feel around me as I drift off to sleep but will cuddle down into my bedspread until only a small spot is allowing the blowing breeze from my fans to get through. If the room is too warm, I sweat. If the room is too cold, I bundle up more. Am like Goldilocks in always trying to find that sweet spot of chill for sleeping. It’s said that the best temperature for sleeping is between 65 to 70 degrees but I won’t allow my AC to dip below 73 degrees F.

One thing I have begun doing is wearing a pair of cotton socks on my feet as I lay down for the night. Have done research on the subject: During waking hours, human body temperature2  sits at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and can vary up to half a degree during the day. Lower body temperatures usually precede sleepiness, and evidence suggests that utilizing socks or other foot warming methods may lower your core body temperature and help you fall asleep faster.

It actually works! Now there are several early mornings where I am half awake/asleep where I use my toes to pry off the socks and nestle back into the realm of resting more but during the evening, I am wearing socks. Only socks because I prefer to sleep nekkid. LOL

I dreamt of math

I dreamt of math, I should say, I had a nightmare with math. Was in a classroom, taking a test with other students and each time I looked at the paper, there was this algebraic complex math equation which I could simply not figure out and each time I looked up from the book, it seemed as if the equation changed so it confused me even more.

I’m pretty good with numbers (really helped when I was a bank teller and had to use a lot of basic addition and subtraction) until you start throwing in imaginary numbers and sometimes fractions throw a loop. There was a lot taught in school which I have never required again in my grown life – algebra being one. It’s understood that there are many studies we take in elementary all the way through high school which we shall never need again but the process of learning is what is the part which prepares many of us for adulthood. It just sucks when your brain digs in deep into those old memories and brings back the level of anxiety remembering that frustration. Thanks brain.

The realm between sleep and being awake

It happens to me quite a bit and usually more often during the weekends or days I am not awakening to an alarm. Right before you fully awake up, your brain can linger in that open space of nothing for a few seconds when you are coming back into the realm of reality. For me, it’s a quiet and peaceful space where I do not feel my body yet but my brain is soothing back into the now. A small wave of awakening happens and then I realize I am laying down, eyes still closed and breathing in deeper to waken up. The sensations of my limbs, body laying on the bed all come back in a soft rush and then I am fully awake – or at least my senses are back online. It’s an interesting sensation when experienced.

That nasal expulsion

We’ve all done it: laughed or snorted or done something that makes a good blowing of air to rush out of your nose and something else goes along for the ride. It could be a wet mess or an actual nasal bogie which if it happens in front of company can be embarrassing. Often times my nose is not overly wet when it happens so it can catch me very much by surprise. I am extremely grateful that it has also not made physical contact on anyone standing near me because that alone would make me wish to jump off the planet. Eew.