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The week before the MLK holiday, I woke up with what I thought was a scratch on my right side, just a little under my boob. My nails were getting long and when they do, they tend to start snagging, so I thought I’d just scratched myself. During the course of the week, I would put both Neosporin and Cortisone-10 on it to try and make it go away. At one point, I had taken 3 Aleve Liqui-gels and the pain had gone away.
Momentarily.
When I’d gotten to my parents’ house that Sunday and went to bed that night, I could see the “scratch” in a better light.
Only to realize that, yeah, thaaaaat’s definitely not a scratch.
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After checking Google University, I realized it was probably shingles. I had already planned to take the MLK holiday (it’s one of many holidays I don’t get at my Corp Hell Job. Blasphemy!), so I got up early in the morning, like I was going to work, and went to Urgent Care. Where the doctor on duty confirmed rather quickly that it was indeed shingles. She said it looked like it was already starting to scab over and prescribed Valtrex and Salonpas Lidocaine patch for the pain.
“Be sure to wash your clothes in hot water, don’t use the same washcloth, and follow-up with your primary to get the vaccine”, she said.
And I was all,
Wish I’d gone to Urgent Care sooner or else I would’ve been doing that.
When I went to pick up the script, the female pharmacy doc leaned against the half-door all casual-like and said, “Just so you know, these are horse pills.”
I said,
And she’s all, “Uh, yeah. So be warned.”
“There’s no way I can crush these?”
“You can, but there’s plastic coating to make them go down easier.”
I bought the lido patches but went back to Google University to find something more natural.
Which turned out to be Emuaid Max (although I paid half this price) and Zorvion (I ended up having to order this). For the most part, the affected area was contained to that small patch under my boob. A constellation of blisters appeared on my stomach; two on my back on each shoulder blade; two on my face that looked like pimples (thank-full); and possibly a few on my scalp, but I have yet to buzz my head to find out. My scalp was itchy, but I don’t know if it was from blisters or new hair growth. And I could feel bumps on my head but couldn’t tell if it was shingles “bumps” or razor bumps.
On a scale of 1-10, my pain level hovered around 5.5-6. So, it wasn’t unbearable, just extremely annoying. I’m a side-sleeper and not being able to sleep on my right side was hell. It hurt to bend over at the waist and God forbid I accidentally bump it against something. The lido patches were okay, but the combo of the patch and Aleve helped with the pain.
It could’ve been worse.
I completely get that after seeing pics. I think what helped are the supplements I’ve been taking, as well as the smoothie diet (breakfast and lunch) and WFPB (whole food, plant-based) dinner I started on the MLK holiday. Additionally, I had four colonics in a row (THAT post is coming) and my naturopathic doc prescribed L-Lysine. So, roughly three weeks later, the rando blisters are gone and the main patch is scabbing up nicely (if slowly).
Sooooo, as you may (or may not) know, shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Which I contracted later in life. I was in my early 20s and going to community college. I nearly missed my final sociology exam because of it. But as a person ages, their immune system begins to weaken, and my doc said that shingles are usually a stress response. That totally made sense to me.
I can definitely confirm that my immune system was a little weak in the latter part of last year, but I’m gonna give you two guesses for the stress factors.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I am not a caregiver. This unwanted role was thrust upon me and I just want out. During my 3-month hiatus, I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that I will never be able to enjoy having my own place until both of my parents pass. That post is in draft mode still, but the TL;DR of it is that it’s an inevitable reality I’m trying to wrap my head around.
And doing a shit job of it.
On top of all that…
My supervisor was let go last month and now me and two other female coworkers have to report Ashley2
AKA Bitch Barbie
There’s a quote out there by Maya Angelou:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
That’s not the full quote, of course, but this plastic Mattel doll showed her true colors when she started a year or so ago. Like this email from Aug 2024:
Good afternoon XX,
Can you tell me where/how you saw or determined that XX should own this account and get credit for this call-in sale that you took?
I see XX was a member of a business plan, Bastrop County Employees. If they’re in Bastrop – that person should have gotten MSP rate as well – not hotdeals that you gave him.
I see he called, and you accidentally hung up on him, then called him back a couple minutes later. I don’t see any activity from XX prior to you taking the call in.
This is not the first time I have noticed that you have taken a payment, and afterward XX has made the account his. I need to know why you’re doing that.
Luckily, she CC’d my old supervisor on this, so I let him handle it because this bitch was gonna a see side of me that none of these white people are ready to see. #Don’tMakeMeGetBlackonYouIt’sSoNotPretty
And this IM interaction with other coworkers that one of them shared with me in July 2024:
Not ignoring. Just, y’know, WORKING!!!
Now, it seems like she’s trying to backpedal and be all nicey-nicey by sending a “Checking in and Getting to Know You All Better” email shortly after we were given the news about my supe being let go:
Good evening team,
I hope this message finds you all doing well!
I know that transitioning from having your manager just a few floors away—where you could pop in for a quick chat—has probably felt a little odd, with me being remote. I want to assure you that I'm here to support you in any way that I can. My virtual door is always open, and I encourage you to reach out if you need anything, whether it’s work-related or just a question or concern you might have. I keep my calendar up-to-date and you can always connect with me on Teams, whenever you need.
I truly want you all to feel heard, supported, and comfortable in your roles, so if there's anything you're struggling with, or anything you need from me, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
I also thought it would be fun to share a little more about myself personally, and I’d love to learn more about each of you, too! If you’re comfortable with it, feel free to share your birthday, a few things you enjoy, or fun little details about yourself (like your favorite candy or your go-to coffee spot). Here’s a little bit about me to get started:
I have two kids: a daughter who is 22 and a son who’s about to turn 13 in a couple of weeks. My daughter lives in the nearest “big” city, which is 90 miles away from us.
I live in a VERY rural area (our town has a population of 12k and we’re considered the ‘big’ city in the county!). I like to tell my big-city friends that the nearest Starbucks is 90 miles away!
I am a transplant from Seattle, and while I don’t have family locally (aside from my kids), I try to visit my father in St. Louis every few months. I’m an only child.
My birthday is November 2nd, which was great as a kid (Halloween parties!), but now that I’m older, I’m more of a summertime fan!
My son has a golden retriever named Ruffles.
On the work side of things, I want you to know that I truly value work/life balance, and I’m here to make sure you have the flexibility you need. Your PTO is there for you to use! Take it when you need it, no need to justify or even tell me why, its none of my business, so long as HR policy is followed – even last minute request will not upset me in any way. Just let me know if there’s something time-sensitive we need to account for, and we’ll figure it out together.
A quick note on my schedule: I’ll be traveling to PHX each quarter for a few days—Tuesdays through Thursdays. Because of my location, I’ll be flying in on Monday and back out on Friday. I’d love to meet with each of you during my trip next month, and I’ll send calendar invites for some one-on-ones, so please feel free to accept them or suggest another time if the slot I select isn’t great for you. I’m looking forward to connecting in person!
Also, when we have remote calls/meetings, there’s absolutely no pressure to have your video on. I think it’s a little silly to ask people to share video just for the sake of it, and I’m happy with a simple voice call and screen-sharing if the need arises.
A couple of asks to help me better understand how I can support you:
Please share a brief list of what a typical day in your role looks like. I want to make sure I have a full understanding of your responsibilities, and while I believe I know what you each do, I’m sure I don’t have the full picture. If you do something weekly or monthly, be sure to include that as well as regular daily tasks.
Please reply to this email (or send a separate one) with your birthday month and day, and a few of your favorite things, like treats or coffee. I love celebrating my team’s birthdays and want to make sure I acknowledge you all!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know each of you better. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything at all—I’m here to support you!
But I was thinking,
It’s too late for that, be-yotch. I provided a high-level overview (read: short bullet list) of my duties and the only personal thing I had to divulge—teeth gritted the whole time I was typing—was being a co-caregiver and that I would need to attend certain doctors’ appt with my Dad.
Needless to say, I’m actively looking for another job. The problem is I honestly don’t know what I want to do.
In the Corp Hell Job Sector, that is.
If I could walk off the job today and make money writing full time right now, I’d give the Universal Finger with both hands and never look back.
Alas, that’s not in the cards. Yet.
All I know is that I’d prefer to work remote, have comparable pay to my current job, with little to no phone contact with the public.
Proofreading? Love doing that shit.
Data entry? That was my jam back in the day.
Entry level at a nonprofit? I’d be open since I have a BA degree in NP Mgmt.
If I were to jump on that stupid trend of coming up with a Word of the Year, it would be Self-Care.
I suck at this.
Truly.
Sometimes, self-care involves Maryanne Adventures3 . But since Sis and I are co-caregivers, we can’t really go anywhere together much anymore. Our social lives now revolve around asking my Dad first to make sure he can handle being on his own with Mom for 4 hours (or however long we’re going to be gone).
Sometimes self-care is taking a bath with bath bombs from Lush.
Sometimes self-care is reading in bed all weekend with my PJ’s on.
Sometimes, on the rarest of occasions, self-care involves half-naked men. I think I need to do this one more often. 🤪
Most of the time, self-care means going to the movies by myself. I’m cool with that, but clearly, I need to do more.
Clearly.
I’ll commit to doing something worth writing about at least once a month.
There.
I have to do it.
It’s out in the world.
I write short and steamy interracial romance novellas under the name Evolet Yvaine. If you like stories that will make your panties wet, I invite you to become a member of the Wet Panty Society and join me on my writing journey. It comes with perks! (in addition to other… perky things)
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Several years ago, I had the MUTHA of all strep throats. My throat was so inflamed that it hurt to swallow. A few times, I felt like I was choking and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to breathe. Because of that, I now find it hard to take pills larger than a birth control pill. I haven’t taken birth control pills in decades, but you’ve seen them, right? They’re small as fuck. I tell my doc and nutritionist that if they prescribe supplements, it’s going to have to be powder, liquid or chewable.
My sister has a friend named Maryanne and she’s ALWAYS finding interesting stuff to check out, whether it be a restaurant, an event, or a networking thing. Her unofficial motto is, “I can’t guarantee a good time, but I can guarantee it’ll be interesting.”
Glad the shingles are mild. I’m avoiding the vaccine. Hubby had it and had wicked side effects.
I’d give your boss another chance. She’s trying to make up for having a stupid first day. Strike two and she’s out.
Your parents are sooo lucky to have you and sis. Major mitzvah. 🙏👏
I swear the little patch I had on the back of my thigh STILL hurts like a month or more later.