Today is a milestone

About a year ago, someone figured out that I have sleep apnea. It is considered complex, meaning there are two causes. One is an obstruction (from being overweight, oh joy) and the other cause is called 'central' as in central nervous system. That is most likely caused by being on pain meds. When I went in for my first sleep test, I had 87 events per hour. I think, over 20 is considered bad so mine is really bad.
In the past year I've been going to a sleep specialist about once a month trying to get me to be able to sleep with a cpap machine that blows air into your nose/mouth to keep you breathing. It's noisy, it leaks air and is fairly uncomfortable. We've tried around six different masks, oxygen, no oxygen, different pressures, etc. This morning I woke up around 9:30 (I usually sleep until the dogs wake me up), later than usual. To my surprise, I still had the mask on. For the first time ever, I slept the entire night with the cpap running. It's a miracle!

Creating a non-profit

I started doing the paperwork to create the non-profit when I came across something called a CDP (Congressional District Program). It's kind of like an umbrella non-profit. So, instead of creating your own non-profit, you apply for a project under the CDP. They do all of your administrative work, bookkeeping, taxes, etc. You do lose a little control - you have to go to them for all of your expenditures. But, it is supposed to be cheaper and faster than creating your own npo.

So, I called SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) to schedule an appointment with one of their advisors. I think I need alot of advice for what I'm doing. I have an appointment Thursday. I think I'll reserve comment on the impression they made on the phone. (Can you say geezer alert?) Wait, wait, I said I wouldn't comment. To all of my geezer friends and family out there, I apologize.

By the way, I'm in the market for a laptop, probably used/refurbished. If anyone knows of anyone who is upgrading and wants to donate their old one.

Inauguration Day

I took this picture when Obama was in Las Cruces last Veterans Day. No one knew he was coming to this park (right by our house) so there were hardly any people there. I shook his hand and took alot of photos, including these guys in the brush with the guns. It was pretty cool.

The Olive Branch (A.S.S.)

In Southern New Mexico, we have a terrible problem with homeless animals. The 'kill' rate at our local animal shelter is 70% because they don't have enough space to house all the animals that come in. There is a private no-kill shelter but it's very small and they have to turn away most animals that are not considered adoptable.

So, this is my idea. I want to create a non-profit called the Olive Branch Animal Shelter and Sanctuary. My plan is to raise money to buy some land (maybe 10 acres?) and build a shelter that will take in as many animals as we can. I have high goals. I want staff (a vet, trainer, adoption manager, etc.).

The other part of the idea is to use the chocolate business (www.sarashealthychocolate.com) to help fund the shelter. I will also seek grants and donations but I'm hoping people will see that eating chocolate can be a great way to help give these animals a better life!

Of course, the success of this project hinges on my being able to physically do this. Some days, I think I can. Some days, I can't. That's probably worthy of another posting.

Off to bed...

Sleeping Beau....well, sleeping anyway

Slept all day yesterday, all night last night and was well on my way this morning. The whole time I'm thinking, 'What was I thinking? I don't have the energy to do a blog. Nimrod.'. Another project started, not completed. And this one, quite publicly.

My whole life, I've tried to figure out what to do with myself. After high school, I went to college because it seemed like the smart thing to do. Back then, my parents were willing and able to pay for it so it wasn't a struggle financially. I went for two years, dropped out for a year, went back for a year, the whole time taking courses, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. It finally seemed like a waste of my parents money so I quit after the third year. Before long, I was bored and unemployable so I enrolled in a local tech school and got my degree in data processing. Then I got a job at Mutual (well, it was my third job after graduating but that's another story). So, I'm working at Mutual and I loved/hated my job. I wanted to do something else (like culinary school) but I was hooked on the paycheck. And the vacation time I had earned. So I stayed.

Trying to be brief...I started at Mutual in 1985. I started having pain in my neck in '86 or '87. It spread and got worse. It was so bad in 1995 that I thought I was going to have to quit. I didn't think I could sit at a computer anymore. But we did some things, made some changes (ergonomic) and it got better. Then again in 2001, the pain got really bad. This time it didn't get better. The pain was all through my torso, my hips, legs, feet, pretty much from the neck down. Then in 2003, the fatigue hit me. I had worked a bunch of overtime over a couple of weeks (we were in crisis mode at work). It took about a year before the fatigue got any better.

So, August of 2006, I had been on pain meds since December of 2001. I was exhausted. After 21+ years at Mutual, and 34 years in Omaha, I quit my job and moved to New Mexico. Now what?

By now, I'm 49 years old and I still don't know what I want to do. I had lost interest in cooking a few years back. I enjoy interior design but I don't have the energy or strength to do any of the work myself. I guess I could go to design school. I've dabbled in energy psychology (www.emofree.com), I considered buying an anti-cellulite machine, I got into a nutritional supplement distributorship.

When I found the chocolate company www.sarashealthychocolate.com (or rather, it found me), I was pretty excited. I love the products (way better than nutritional supplements) and I thought it was a great opportunity to build a business. But something still wasn't right. On the one hand, I'm still struggling with the pain and the fatigue and even though this is a great opportunity for people to make money and possibly improve their health with these products, it wasn't enough to make me jump out of bed in the morning and feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. And I guess that's what I was looking for.

And now I think I've found it. After 51 years (or 31, if you give me a 20 year start), I think I've found something rewarding that will make the world a better place. Something that is so me, it's not even funny. To be continued....

The Daily Click

I know I've sent this out in an email but I think this is really important. You can take less than a minute while going through your emails to click over to this website and click on the big purple box to donate to The Animal Rescue Site. It's free to you, sponsored by advertising. So, go to this link and on the left hand side, you'll see 'Daily Click Reminders'. If you sign up there, you'll receive a daily reminder email to click to donate. Literally, it takes me a few seconds to do while I'm going through my email. They're animals! They need us to take care of them.

The Animal Rescue Site

I have a dream

I had this dream last night, and I have dreams like this occasionally, where the people in the dream are not 'real' people. In other words, they're not people I know in real life. I don't know if they're creations of my imagination? Or people from another realm? Or just who in the heck they are.

I'm wondering if others have dreams like this?

Welcome to my blog

I've wanted a way to try and keep in touch with everyone and I think I'm going to try this. It was quick and easy to setup. So, here goes....

It's January 7, 2009. Barry and I have been in Las Cruces for a little over 2 years. He's been in Phoenix since last April, going to school at UTI. He will finish in July which seems, not too far away. We are both ready for him to come home.

I'm working on my first ever tiling project - the laundry room counter and backsplash. It's been quite a learning process. But fun. I'm hoping it turns out well and I will move on to the nichos and arches in other parts of the house. I have another major project I'm wanting to tackle (biggest thing I've ever done) but it will have to wait until I have more energy. I will write more about that later.

Let me hear from you! I feel like I'm on alot of people's shitlists or something!