Tag: sleep

Everyone Deserves A Roof

On By Michel McDonaldIn CharityLeave a comment

I was browsing this website which features a concept design for building a little trailer home for a bicycle and one of the commenters linked this.

Everyone Deserves A Roof aka EDAR

This is meant specifically for the homeless in Los Angeles who cannot or will not go to one of the homeless shelters.  Cannot because they don’t have enough cots or will not because they are too proud or whatever reason they might have.

It’s a cart during the day that you can roll around to collect your cans and bottles for recycling or maybe even perhaps to store your belongings in then at night it’s a tent to sleep in.  If you do decide to go to the shelter you can sleep in your EDAR and have privacy instead of sleeping on a cot with everyone else.

When I was kicked out of the house by my mother when I was 17 I was homeless.  I was living place to place for short periods of time until the person I was staying with no longer wanted me there.  Eventually I had to go to a shelter in Simi Valley and stayed there for many months until the program ended for the summer.  By then I was back on my feet and renting a room in the home of a Vietnamese family.

So when I hear about something like this it makes me happy that there is something to help the homeless during the time they cannot go to the shelters.  But the issue is, where can you set it up and sleep in it without the cops opening the flap up and telling you to move somewhere else?

This is a good thing for homeless people in my opinion.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCtn_F4JCig

http://www.thenewsroom.com/mash/swf/cube.swf?a=V3571840&m=905116

Chia Pet Status

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

This morning I went to look at the Scooby Doo Chia Pet and noticed that it’s still just seeds.  My laptop with the time-lapse software with my webcam has been taking a picture every minute over the last 24 hours and nothing has happened.  The seeds aren’t sprouting yet.  I figured that if they aren’t even going to start sprouting yet then maybe now is a good time to reset everything.

Yesterday I messed up the camera angle and I think I fixed it so it was at the right angle again but I wasn’t 100% sure.  So turning it off and deleting all the pictures was ok.  I turned it back on but instead of 1 picture every minute I figured 1 picture every hour would be fine.  Maybe I might change that to every 10 minutes though which means I might have to shut it down and start over again lol.  That’s ok, it’s all still just seeds anyway.

Ok I went and stopped it and changed it to 5 minutes (300 seconds) instead of every  60 minutes.  I figured maybe 10 minutes was still too long that 5 minutes would be good because a lot can happen in 10 minutes.  I mean as far as movement, the growth might move toward the sun in 10 minutes and it might look funny.

So it’s back on starting now lol.  The video is going to be too long anyway if it’s every minute and I don’t want it to be a 20 minute video in time-lapse.  I did a video of me sleeping with time-lapse and it ended up being 17 minutes and that was just from 6 hours of sleep too but then again it was taking a picture every second so there you go.  But this video is going to be going on for 1 week.  I’m pretty sure every 1 minute is going to make it a very long and boring video.

Well whatever it is I will make it about 5 minutes so it will go really fast lol.  I’m going to work on the other video today that I made yesterday while I was spreading the seeds.  I will get that on YouTube (and here) A.S.A.P.

So anyway, see you in a week with the progress.

Our Cat Is Dying

On By Michel McDonaldIn Animals, PetsLeave a comment

Our cat Shanaynay is dying.  She isn’t walking normal, in fact she is staggering and I saw her getting out of her litter box, she fell out onto her butt.  She has litter stuck to her butt and her tail and it’s already hardened and she gets mad at me when I try to help her get it off.  Her meow isn’t as pronounced as before, meaning it’s shallow.  She has to take deep breaths.  Also she is so skinny now, you can feel her bones when you touch her.  She isn’t eating at all.  I recall refilling her food bowl days ago and she has barely even touched it.

I just saw her drinking some water so at least she’s able to drink.  We can’t afford to have her put to sleep so all we can do is wait and keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t fall off the table (like a coffee table, she sleeps on it) or falls out of her litter box (which I moved closer to where she sleeps).

My Aunt Louise bought our cat this little thing that it’s like a tube with a hole cut on the side and it’s carpeted, you know what I mean.  Anyway, I put that next to the table where she is sleeping right now so she can use it as a step to get on and off the table.

She is a 14-year-old cat.  Well, 14 1/2.  Darrin got her when she was 8 or 9 weeks old and since we didn’t know her exact birthdate I estimated that it would’ve been some time in October so I decided that her birthday should be on Halloween 1994.  So considering that she is so old we have been expecting this to happen for quite some time.  Even though it’s been expected, it doesn’t make it easy.

Anyway, I will add to this post if she passes today.

Big Brother Deleted

On By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

I’ve deleted all my past Big Brother posts from Big Brother 9 and 10.  They aren’t relevant anymore.  I’m probably not going to be able to watch Big Brother 11 this summer because of my new sleeping schedule for the bike rides at 4am because I’m probably going to be going to sleep at 8pm lol.

I might end up recording Big Brother the nights they are on and then just record After Dark from 12am to 3am every night.  Who knows.  I might not like the new house guests and just not watch it at all.  I’ll know after the first couple of episodes.

I do want to watch it but at the same time I have other summer shows that I watch so I’m gonna need to be able to record those too.  But no matter what I decide to do, I’m probably not going to blog about it this time around.

Awake Too Early

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I woke up at around 4:15am this morning.  I tried going back to sleep but it was a no go.  It’s now 1 hour later and I’m wide awake.  I think this is a good thing though.  I’m going to use this opportunity to get my body used to waking up early for summer bike riding.

It’s not hot outside yet (even though my bedroom is hot) but I can see on this weeks forecast that it’s going to be in the 100’s this week.  99° today, 103° tomorrow, 101° on Monday then Tuesday and Wednesday are like 93° and 94°.

Right now it’s a nice 63° out but this is the perfect time to go riding.  Today however is not a riding day.  No, instead I’m going to take the bus this morning to the bike store to get some new pedals.  While I’m there I’m going to see how much it would cost for a rack and if they have the grocery bags, if not then that’s fine, I will just get them from Nashbar.  I may just get the rack from nashbar too if they are the same price as Snider’s.

While I’m out I’m going to see if the thrift store has any bike shorts.  I doubt it but you never know.  But I do need some other shorts to go on my ride with.  I have 3 pairs of shorts that fit me but they all have their faults.  One pair rubs against my knees, another pair is too light (it’s beige) and get dirty fast and the 3rd pair is just too freakishly big and will only stay on with a belt.

We have like maybe 10 more pairs of shorts but they fit me like 10 years ago (some 2 years ago) so they are obviously too small.  I will eventually fit back into them as I lose weight but for now I have no options.  I need to find at least 3 pair of black shorts that fit me that I can wear on the bike that aren’t too long, aren’t too wide and aren’t too white lol.

UGH!  I’m starving so I’m gonna go get breakfast, make some coffee and start my day.  I’m thinking about just buying the things I need on nashbars website instead of going to the bike store.  Although, I still need pedals before tomorrow when I plan on riding again.

Hunger Pangs

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, FoodLeave a comment

Yesterday and today were Chips days off so I didn’t ride the bike the entire weekend.  I thought my body was getting used to the new diet or the new portions, in fact it was doing pretty good.  So I was a little confused today when I had my slim fast shake at 11:45am, I was really getting hungry.  But then at 1:45pm the hunger pangs came back with a vengeance.

For the last couple of weeks that I’ve been on the slim fast and measuring my portions my hunger pangs haven’t been bothering me so I don’t know why today.

I decided that I couldn’t wait until 6pm to eat so I just ate an energy bar, a Tiger’s Milk bar.  But then Darrin said hey let’s go to the store and get some steak for dinner to BBQ.  So we went and even got some salad stuff and a can of beans because what’s a BBQ without beans and salad?

Unfortunately he couldn’t wait for 6pm since he didn’t even eat any lunch so we ate at 3pm lol.  Which was ok for my stomach I guess but then when 6pm came around I started getting hungry again grrrr.  And now, it’s just turning 11pm and guess what?

Well, I gotta take an ambien anyway to get me to sleep, I can’t sleep without it because the BiPap mask keeps me awake so I gotta take a pill to be able to fall asleep with that thing.  The Ambien doesn’t really work without food so I’ll eat a banana, that should work.

I’m out of cereal so tomorrow morning I’m going to just have a slim fast shake.  I wanted to limit myself to 1 shake per day or if I had a very light dinner then just add the shake.  If you haven’t noticed, Slim Fast is expensive lol.  So that’s ok, I can actually have a shake for breakfast and then later tomorrow buy some more Raisin Bran cereal for breakfast the next day.

T-Minus 9 Hours

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

Hehe I’m counting down the time before I go out on the bike.  I’m really excited about finally being able to ride my bike again.  I really hope that I don’t have any problems with the wheel.

If everything is ok then great.  But whether it goes bad or is all good I’m going to still return the wheel to the bike shop and see if they have the correct wheel.  If not then I’ll see if they have the correct tire to go with that wheel.  I just don’t want to have any issues with it. But I want to be positive about it and hope that it all goes well.

You know when it’s going to be Christmas in the morning or you know that your parents are going to take you to Disneyland in the morning so you can’t go to sleep because that’s all you can think about?  That’s how I feel right now.  I took an ambien because I know I won’t be able to sleep.  Then again I have ADHD anyway so I know that I won’t be able to sleep lol.  But you know, I’m real excited.

I am not so excited that I’m going to wear all my biking gear and clothes with shoes to bed so I can just wake up and run out the back door and not have to worry about putting on my helmet and backpack and sunglasses because they are already on.  No, I’m not THAT excited.  Just regular excited.

That last paragraph was for Sue who tried to make fun of me and I was a douche nozzle to her.  So there you go Sue.  I really hope you got a kick out of it.

Can’t Sleep

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I have to take Ambien to help me sleep because I have ADHD really bad.  If I don’t take a sleeping pill I’m up all night.  I’m a real bad insomniac.  I would love to be able to just lay down and bam I’m asleep but I can only do that when I’m so exhausted from lack of sleep lol.

I also have Sleep Apnea which means I gotta wear a mask on my face which forces air into my lungs through my nose and that’s also why I need ambien.  Believe me, if you were me you would not say jack shit about drug abuse by taking ambien because wearing that mask and having the air forced into your lungs doesn’t make falling asleep easy.  I’ve had it for a few years too and I still can’t sleep without a sleeping pill.

My problem though is that I think I’m becoming immune to the effects of the ambien which is why I lay in bed for 2 hours with my eyes closed but brain still open for business.

Well, my first ambien I took was only half a pill (for this very reason) so I’ve already taken the other half and now I’m ready to get back in bed.

Until tomorrow…

Steve Wilkos Show

On By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

The episode of Steve Wilkos show called “He beat me in my sleep” was just on and it was about this young, very young couple who are 18 and 19 years old with a 1-year-old baby.  The boyfriend admitted to beating his girlfriend in her sleep because he was mad at her.  What?  What the hell was he mad at for?  Did she pull the covers off of him?  Did she snore too loud?  What could possibly make this guy beat his girlfriend while she slept?  She ended up going to the hospital with a black eye, split lip, concussion, bruises all over.  And yet she didn’t leave him.

At the beginning of the episode, the girlfriend told a story of how he beats their 1-year-old son.  One morning the 1-year-old threw the hair brush into the toilet and he got beat for that.  He’s a frickin’ 1 year old douche bag!  That’s what 1 year old’s do, they throw things.  They don’t even know they are doing it.

He said that he beats his baby or spanks his baby to teach him but a 1-year-old isn’t going to remember any lesson about anything because he’s ONE!

In the first segment, the girlfriend was asked by Steve, if he doesn’t pass his lie detector test are you going to leave him and she said I suppose I have to but then at the very end of their half of the show he gave her a choice.  Either walk through the door that her abusive boyfriend walked through or go through this other door and have a lifetime of friendship and help with me and she walked through the door to go to her boyfriend.  What the hell did she even go on the show for?  What a complete waste of time for Steve, for the audience, for me…  And what lesson is being learned here?  Because I’ll bet you anything that as soon as they left and went back to the hotel or wherever, he beat her for bringing him on the show.’

You know, this guy totally reminds me of my step-dad when I was a baby.  He met my mom when I was 18 months old and basically moved in right away, they didn’t even know each other and he moved in.  He assumed the role of dad to me and my sister and of course with the dad role that meant child beater role too.  He would beat me in front of my aunts, uncles and grandparents to show dominance.  To show who the alpha male was.  He was trying to show them how tough he was and all he showed was how much of a coward he was.  And these times he would beat me in front of other people, my aunt told me that I was just sitting there, not doing anything.  I totally didn’t deserve that but he did it anyway to me.

I am so sick of coward men beating women and children but what I’m mostly sick of are women who stay with these men because they are not just hurting themselves, they are also hurting their young children who don’t deserve to be involved in that abuse.  That is when I say that not only is that guy a coward but that girl is a coward as well and their child should be taken away from them and put into foster care.  He would be better off with another family.

Huge Anticipation

On By Michel McDonaldIn Food, HalloweenLeave a comment

My body must have been very excited about Halloween today because I woke up at 1am but luckily was able to go back to sleep.  Then I woke up again at 4am but was not able to go back to sleep.  Around 5am I went to the ATM machine to get a $20 to give to the milk man.  I was lucky that Darrin insisted on going with me because when I went to the ATM a thug looking guy was walking towards me but when he saw Darrin he went in another direction.

At 6:20am I left to go to the grocery store to buy some coffee and some candy bars for the neighbors kids, they are 5 for $2.00 right now so that was a good deal.  I didn’t want to buy a big bag because I’m not going to pass out candy to the kids who don’t wear costumes and the kids who don’t even live in our neighborhood.  So I just bought 5 candy bars for our neighbors kids Devan, Dougie, Beth and Gracie and the 5th one will go to Karens nephew if he is with them, he’s been spending a lot of time there so maybe he will be trick or treating with them.

After I left Albertson’s I went over to McDonald’s and bought us some breakfast.  Sorry Sue, they didn’t have any Monopoly tickets lol.

8am came and Ghost Hunters finally came on and I’m going to watch that the entire day WOOHOO!