More sad times

My cat Winnie died just before Christmas. Apparently, he had cancer but we didn't catch it until it was too late. He was my best friend since I was a teenager - over 15 years at this point - and was the nicest, friendliest cat. As soon as you would pet him, he would start purring ferociously. He was a big orange fluff ball. He loved being picked up and sat on laps, and could stay there for a long time. He never bit or scratched intentionally, and he was a joy in my life. Now he is gone. I miss him greatly. R.I.P. Winnie.

Bandaid times

It started with itchy, dry skin, the skin on my fingers. At my work, I use my hands a lot to place and replace objects, so it makes sense that it would get chafed. The simple solution that worked was just putting bandaids on the affected areas on the days that I work, and letting the skin breathe when I don't have work.

But then, I got into a bike accident. Nothing major, but on the first icy day of the year, I was biking back home from work when I took a corner a little too rapidly and my bike slipped on the road and I fell. It was a quiet residential street, but there was an SUV right at the intersection. The driver got out to see if I was okay, and thankfully I was - just a couple big bruises on my thighs and a scraped knee. It was almost 9pm, and the lady was super kind to offer me a lift home, but I was only a block away and was able to walk so I thanked her for the offer and went on my way.

A few days after the bike accident, someone in my house tested positive for COVID, and I become sick barely a day after that with milder symptoms than my housemate - just a slight fever, runny nose, sore throat and sore muscles. It was annoying, but I'm glad I'm mostly okay now.

2023 is coming to a close already. Time really does seem to go faster when you grow older.