Diary 6/4/25
I awake early, around 5:30, because our air condition has kicked on and it’s blowing cold air down on me from the ceiling. (We recently switched out our diffusers and the new ones don’t diffuse as well so I get a stream of cold air right onto me and if the covers are down, it’s cold.) This is mildly annoying and it keeps me up for a while even as I add more covers.
I do finally drift off and reawaken a little before 8. I head downstairs, make tea and grab a piece of fruit. I take these to the living room couch. Normally I would go to our family room, but we recently had the floors redone and the furniture is moved out of there.
At this point, around 8:20, a migraine hits. It starts as a small blind spot in my vision that turns into an aura—a glimmering jagged line like a sideways lightning bolt cutting across my field of vision. It doesn’t hurt yet but it is the signal that I’m about to get a sharp headache. To head it off I run upstairs and take 4 (800 mg) of liquid tablet ibuprofen. That’s supposed to be the fastest acting version of the over-the-counter options. Then I close my eyes for a few minutes until the aura fades. I have these things occasionally—roughly 3 times a year—and I’ve tried a lot of different approaches, including medication that is supposed to head them off, but which makes me feel worse than the headache. The ibuprofen blast, if I get it in quickly enough, dulls the headache enough that I don’t have to just go to bed with the lights off and no noise. As I’ve gotten older, these attacks have become a little less intense. The day will be sluggish and less productive than I had hoped, and this diary won’t be the most detailed, but I can get by. I’ll just be tired. It’s frustrating, but it’s just a thing I have to deal with now and then. In some respects I’m fortunate it’s not more frequent or more debilitating, as some migraines are.
After resting, I head up to my office space and log on to a Zoom presentation—I have trouble getting on but eventually do, about ten minutes later than planned. Then the internet goes out—aargh. Not a great start to my day. I put the Zoom presentation on my phone and listen, taking a few notes and puttering at my desk. The presentations are good and engaging. They go until around 10:45.
After this session, I work on a couple of other projects, meanderingly. The internet is back. The headache is definitely there and I feel sluggish, so I lay on the couch near my desk and close my eyes for about ten minutes. Then back to the desk to keep noodling away at a few things, including this diary.
Around noon I head down for lunch, a green salad with bit of cold chicken on it. I surf the internet on my phone while I eat. Bad news, mostly, as usual. After lunch I clean up my dishes and head back upstairs to take a shower, which makes me feel less groggy. I dress—shorts, it’s hot—and drive in to the office. I walk from my car to the office. It’s hazy and I can tell the air is a bit thick with the smoke from Canadian wildfires. This is now a fairly common thing in summer. It’s happened several times in recent years.
In the office I meet with H. for a few minutes, to discuss his role in an upcoming project. I sit at my desk and finalize and submit a preliminary proposal. I also worked on a report. Boring stuff but good to get these things done and out of the way.
Around 3, I headed to my car. I had parked near the gym so I stopped in there to walk on treadmill for a little while. My original plan for the day included a lunchtime run, but with the migraine, which is mercifully fading a bit, I am not up for any significant exercise. Instead, I settle for a little walking on the treadmill so the day is not entirely sedentary. I do a mile. That’s as much as I feel like doing. The movement helps and I feel a little better. I have plans to meet R downtown at 4 for a beer and a catch-up chat at Savages. I had contemplated postponing to another day but decide to keep my plans. I’ll have a dull headache whether I go out or go home. I order a snack and a light beer. Both tasted good. J joined us and we chatted amiably about politics, work, local affairs. We’re all on the same page politically so there is no tension, just a lot of chagrin and head shaking about how bad things have become.
We break up a little past 5 and I’m back at home at 5:30. B had a couple little household tasks for me, which I do quickly. I pour a glass of seltzer and settle on couch. B is watching a replay of a tennis match from the French open, which I follow inattentively while browsing the internet. Then I catch up on this diary.
Around 6:30 we cook. B is making a spicy chicken bowl. I grill the chicken which has a hot sauce marinade. The bowls are good—chicken, quinoa, cabbage sweet potatoes, greens, honey mustard dressing.
We eat the bowls in the living room and then I stretch out on the couch. I’m almost dozing but rally to clean up the kitchen with the last bits of the day’s energy. After clean up, I’m back on the couch and watch a bit of the hockey playoffs—the first game of the finals. I do doze off a bit and when the game goes to overtime, I put it on record and head to bed. Tired. Tomorrow will be better.