Work has been super hectic. I think there may be a plot to kill me with a combination of stress and exhaustion. I’ve accrued roughly 4 weeks of vacation time that I need to take by the end of the year, but I have no time to take it- they’re keeping me too busy. I had serious thoughts about taking off all of December, but I think that might make my boss’s head explode. Which would be fine, except then I’d have to deal with the customers and I don’t want that at all.
My apartment community is getting new siding, windows, and sliding doors. Mostly this is awesome- my apartment's windows and door are already done, and they are much quieter. I like this. The downside is threefold: First, they start working at 8 am which sucks ass if you're trying to sleep in because you worked a 16 hour day, came home and consumed a buttload of caffeine without thinking about it, and subsequently didn't get to sleep until almost 3 am. Second, a few of the Latino workers say things as I pass by that include "mi amore" and "perrito," but I don't understand the rest. I hope they're saying nice things. And third, sometimes navigating to and from my front door requires more coordination than I am capable of (especially first thing in the morning). It is fortunate that I am lithe and have good balance- I've had to carry a furious, squirming pug over boxes of new siding and piles of old siding, around scaffolding, and under ladders. The guys are pretty good about trying to clear a path for me, but sometimes getting home involves movements reminiscent of interpretive dance.
Last weekend was deliciously lazy, but sometimes sleeping very late means forgetting to take my meds. It was placebo week for the most important pill, and with my guard down I plumb forgot about the Zoloft. For three days. Oops. On the bright side, it lead to an interesting Sunday. What follows is an exerpt of my thoughts on that day:
My face tingles.
Lolol!!1! Wait, why am I laughing?
I can't stop moving.
It's hot in here.
Pacing is good.
I'm cold.
I should knit something.
I can't think straight! What's wrong with my brain!
Why is it so bright out? Fuck off, sun!
Why can't I remember yesterday?
I'm so hungry! Eat all the things!
What was that noise!?
I can't stop moving. Why can't I stop moving?
It's hot in here.
Must pace more. More!
My neck hurts. What if I have meningitis!?!?
I can't sleep.
I'm should go to infomercial art school!
I think my face just crawled away.
I still can't sleep.
I feel dizzy.
Maybe I should knit a t-shirt for this little Dracula guy.
And that's what Zoloft withdrawal feels like! I was pretty freaked out until I realized what was going on, but by Monday morning I felt normal again. It was then that I also realized that I may have had a slightly manic episode on Saturday. My memory is pretty crappy, but at some point I decided that I needed to strip little tins, apply a toner resist, salt-water etch them, and then copper plate them. My fun with science was super cool for a few hours, but then I got bored (classic Amanda) when I realized I needed a stronger paint stripper, and even unpainted tins have some sort of clear coating on them (I presume to make them rust-proof). I really do need some sort of supervision...
The giant bottle of copper sulfate pool cleaner
The first lid with the toner resist
Two nine volt batteries, wired together
The first lid in the electrified salt water solution, after about 5 minutes
And after a couple of hours
Front to back, these are the etched lid, copper plated lid, and an untouched lid
Basically nothing worked very well because the lids were coated. I figured that out afterward. The best part of the whole thing was the look on the guy's face at the pool supply store when I tried to explain what I was going to do. Anyhow, next time I try this I'm going to need some very strong paint stripper and I think a bigger battery- I drained those two nine volts pretty quick.
I had one more fun experiment to tell you about, but I think it should have it's own post. Stay tuned.
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