Living ~400lbs

Author: Living 400lbs

  • Site updates today

    Mostly small things:

  • September 1, 2008

    That’s when I started this blog. At the time I was in my (early) forties, married, owned a home, and worked in software testing. Now I’m definitely in my fifties. I’m still married. We have a different home. I retired from the software grind. Instead of busing or driving to an office building, I’ve been…

  • Yes, I’m rearranging

    It’s been years since I changed how the site looks. Hang in there.

  • OMG

    I just realized I still have a LiveJournal. Wow.

  • Quote of the Day

    Hospitals are not neutral spaces for fat or queer people. Frequently they are places of immense judgment and mockery. Despite efforts to change, healthcare offices for many are reminders of what kinds of bodies and sexualities are most comfortably in tune with dominant patterns of social life. Like every other fat and/or queer person I…

  • On Hold

    Some doctors send me a post card asking me to make an appointment. Others send me a text message, or has a robocall tell me it’s time to make an appointment. So now I’m on hold waiting to make an ob/gyn appointment. I’ve got a sleep doc appointment for next week, presumably to check I’m…

  • QOTD

    From a profile of author Octavia Butler, regarding her death: “What happened with Octavia didn’t need to happen,” [Leslie] Howle continued. “Despite being the incredibly powerful person she was, she did not assert herself with her doctor. Even today, doctors discount women of a certain age and women of color. Some of it’s racism, some…

  • Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving yesterday was turkey roasted in a bag; stuffing with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and cashews; green bean casserole; followed by apple crisp. Fridge is full, but it’s not like we emptied it beforehand. Today I had a blueberry muffin with coffee. Around 11 I heated a bowl of leftover veggie curry, then around 2 a…

  • Medical Crap

    Nothing like a call from the service-that-provides-CPAP-supplies saying “Hey, your insurance said you’re not covered” on a Monday. I have checked websites and made calls; yes we have insurance for the next year. Then called back about CPAP supplies and also sleep doc appointment. I wish the US didn’t insist on letting everyone involved in…

  • Books I’ve been enjoying

    The Unkept Woman and A Rogue’s Company, by Allison Montclair. A mystery series set in post-WWII London, featuring two women who opened a matchmaking service. (First book is actually The Right Sort.) Lilith’s Brood aka the Xenogenesis trilogy, by Octavia Butler. Lilth awakens after the war that destroyed most of humanity. Someone has rescued Lilth…

  • Hello Tuesday!

    If you’re in the US, please vote if you’re eligible. Living in all-mail-voting Washington State, I was able to return my ballot last week and confirm my ballot was accepted without a problem. Non-US folks, hopefully US folks will become less obsessed with our own politics soon. Instead of finding a polling place, today I…

  • Still around.

    Still fat. Still married. Still in the Seattle area. Still doing treadmill 3 days a week, usually, despite general bleahs. Starting another round of seeing doctors – I ended up with yearly visits to a couple specialists in the fall, so every year it’s oh right I have to deal with that. If you follow…

  • Exercise & Such

    When I last posted about this, I had switched from trying to do 10+ minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week to 2 or 3 5-minute sessions. That was in July. Since then I have changed to 6, 7, and now 8 minute sessions. Continue to do 2 or 3 sessions, 3 days a…

  • Check the manufacturer’s info

    When I got my compression stockings I thought I did a good job learning about them. We went over measuring for them, finding ones that would stay up (silicone “beads” on the tops help) and hand wash only. Then I read the manufacturer’s Frequently Asked Questions and found they ARE machine-washable! D’oh…. I will be…

  • I don’t care about gas prices

    The more the news mentions gas prices, the more I realize I’m weird because I don’t. Why? I used to commute about 15 miles a day to the office. My minivan is modified with a ramp and space for my mobility scooter, but it’s also a plug-in hybrid. On a full charge I get 33…

  • Why Do I Need To Eat Every Day?

    Yes, I know it’s because I’m human and we operate best if we eat with a certain amount of “eat multiple times a day” and “eat a variety of foods”. But it’s frustrating me at the moment, and I’m venting, so deal. I know my pandemic experience has been a really good one. We have…

  • Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig

    Amazon link: Zero Fail I found this a compelling book that details serious mistakes in Secret Service management and culture. In many ways the failures of described are human failures of the “I haven’t had a day off in weeks, why not go out to the bar? Why not bring a person I’m attracted to back…