November in a nutshell, continued.

I arrive at the church, and it's very churchy- all gray stone and stained glass windows. My brother and his wife were married in this church in 2005; I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. This made my mood even darker as I stepped inside and went into the pastor's office.

My brother had told me earlier not to mention to the pastor that I'm an atheist, or he would try to convert me for at least two hours. The man was only a few years older than me; his office was filled with books, a playstation, and Marines memorabilia. Apparently, he had been a sniper or sharpshooter or some thing. I sat down in to a surprisingly comfortable leather loveseat just inside the door, and quietly listened while he and my brother discussed what needed to be discussed. I looked around the room, and noticed one brightly-colored book with the title "The Gay Agenda: What You Must Know!" (It may have been this one). Apparently being an atheist is not the only issue the man would have had with me. Still, I was a guest, so I remained silent, and polite.
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I'd rather not go through that again.

I also put up our tree:



And there you have it. November in a nutshell.

Sleepy, sleepy

The mask I had been using with my CPAP machine was getting harder and harder to seal at night- more and more often, I'd wake up with air blasting out of the mask into my eyes. The sleep folks ordered me a new mask, and I've been using it since Thursday.

It's the FlexiFit 432 Full Face Mask!

It's bigger than the old one, more comfortable in some ways because it has much more cushioning (although it still hurts my nose at first!) and fits much more snugly. It should- putting the damn thing on is like a gateway to bondage.

The instructions were fairly simple to follow, I suppose. There were also some written instructions, with odd gaps here and there where it was like words had been left out, usually numbers. Following the instructions, I managed to get the mask on. It was then I learned that the instructions didn't say anything about how to get the damn thing off! Turns out there's a small strap that is supposed to disengage the strap latch when it's pulled, only it doesn't work very well. This makes it really difficult to go to the bathroom at night, because unlike the old mask, this mask does not have the quick disconnect attachment for the air hose, so the entire mask has to be removed when I get out of bed.

Considering I get out of bed three or more times per night to go to the bathroom or to let the cat in or out, this is going to be a nuisance.

I really can't do anything about the kitty except try to ignore him. As for my excessive nocturnal urination (of which my doctor is aware and we're trying to treat) the best plan I could come up with was to get a portable urinal to keep by my bed, so I don't have to undo my many straps at night.

I feel really, really old.

Tired

It is surprisingly difficult to return to my normal weekend routine.