So I met with the sleep merchant this morning and went over the stats recorded by my CPAP machine. According to the machine I've been sleeping better than I thought. Could have fooled me, but it does indicate that I've been making slow but discernible progress over the past week.
I didn't have to ask the salesman to let me try the machine longer, he was approaching it from the assumption that I would. Makes sense, of course. He wants me to buy the machine and will do anything he can to make it work for me.
The most positive result of the session was that he gave me a different face mask, one that is made of a soft plastic instead of the firm frame of the original mask. This will, I hope, allow me to turn on my side without dislodging the mask. It also fits more snuggly making for a more secure seal. If I get used to it enough I may even wind up rolling over without waking up.
I can dream.
But it is definitely sleeping on my back that is making it hard for me to go to sleep. If I can get used to that, or even better manage to alternate with sleeping on my side, I may yet manage to sleep through the entire night.
I choose to remain positive, although it is still taking a conscious effort.
In other news my mortgage pre-approval assessment came back and it's ... well, it's not as bad as I was fearing but it ain't great. I'm hampering myself greatly by wanting to live in the neighborhoods I want to live it. But... it's what I want.
There are places available in my price range close to where I live, but they tend to be in basements with a squinty view of the alley. One place I've seen so far has a lovely view and is within a few blocks of both 17th Ave and 4th Street SW, perfect for those walks to the pub or coffee shop. Sadly it's a studio suite that has about half the room of my apartment. Hell, it's pretty much the size of my living room with a kitchenette against one wall.
There are places that are technically out of my price range but have been on the market for a long time. It has been suggested by people more knowledgeable than myself (aka Scott) that I might be able to grab one with a low offer.
The other half of that equation, though, is the condo fees and taxes. I have to be able to budget to afford both, and any repairs / upgrades of my own. So even if I could talk someone down in price because their place isn't selling I have to be able to keep the place once I'm in it.
Things I'll likely have to give up:
Heated underground parking. By Sagan it has been a blessing this winter. It was even nice in the summer, keeping the car cool on those very few days when it was sunny and warm outside. But that luxury will simply price a place out of my range. Still nice to have, though.
The super cool view off a huge balcony. But that is a small thing, really. I never could much appreciate it in winter and didn't take enough time to enjoy it in the summer. Again, still a nice thing to have.
Honestly, if they were to turn this building condo I'd buy my current place in a heartbeat... assuming I could afford it.
Actually I can't really afford it now, so I definitely couldn't afford to buy it.
In other news work continues to be crazy busy in equal heaping measures. On the plus side the new guy is picking up the slack beautifully. He's no miss M but he's picked up a hell of a lot more a hell of a lot faster than anyone expected.
Now we just have to avoid burning him out.
I'm still sorting through my old journal entries. I've got just over a hundred to sift through now and I'm edging back into the previous century. It's kind of become my "knitting in front of the TV" activity. Some nights I'm amazed at how many I've sorted through. It gets easy, though, when a lot of them are memes that aren't worth keeping. The trash folder is bursting at nearly 150 entries already. Clearing it out should free up a ton of space in the database.
I didn't have to ask the salesman to let me try the machine longer, he was approaching it from the assumption that I would. Makes sense, of course. He wants me to buy the machine and will do anything he can to make it work for me.
The most positive result of the session was that he gave me a different face mask, one that is made of a soft plastic instead of the firm frame of the original mask. This will, I hope, allow me to turn on my side without dislodging the mask. It also fits more snuggly making for a more secure seal. If I get used to it enough I may even wind up rolling over without waking up.
I can dream.
But it is definitely sleeping on my back that is making it hard for me to go to sleep. If I can get used to that, or even better manage to alternate with sleeping on my side, I may yet manage to sleep through the entire night.
I choose to remain positive, although it is still taking a conscious effort.
In other news my mortgage pre-approval assessment came back and it's ... well, it's not as bad as I was fearing but it ain't great. I'm hampering myself greatly by wanting to live in the neighborhoods I want to live it. But... it's what I want.
There are places available in my price range close to where I live, but they tend to be in basements with a squinty view of the alley. One place I've seen so far has a lovely view and is within a few blocks of both 17th Ave and 4th Street SW, perfect for those walks to the pub or coffee shop. Sadly it's a studio suite that has about half the room of my apartment. Hell, it's pretty much the size of my living room with a kitchenette against one wall.
There are places that are technically out of my price range but have been on the market for a long time. It has been suggested by people more knowledgeable than myself (aka Scott) that I might be able to grab one with a low offer.
The other half of that equation, though, is the condo fees and taxes. I have to be able to budget to afford both, and any repairs / upgrades of my own. So even if I could talk someone down in price because their place isn't selling I have to be able to keep the place once I'm in it.
Things I'll likely have to give up:
Heated underground parking. By Sagan it has been a blessing this winter. It was even nice in the summer, keeping the car cool on those very few days when it was sunny and warm outside. But that luxury will simply price a place out of my range. Still nice to have, though.
The super cool view off a huge balcony. But that is a small thing, really. I never could much appreciate it in winter and didn't take enough time to enjoy it in the summer. Again, still a nice thing to have.
Honestly, if they were to turn this building condo I'd buy my current place in a heartbeat... assuming I could afford it.
Actually I can't really afford it now, so I definitely couldn't afford to buy it.
In other news work continues to be crazy busy in equal heaping measures. On the plus side the new guy is picking up the slack beautifully. He's no miss M but he's picked up a hell of a lot more a hell of a lot faster than anyone expected.
Now we just have to avoid burning him out.
I'm still sorting through my old journal entries. I've got just over a hundred to sift through now and I'm edging back into the previous century. It's kind of become my "knitting in front of the TV" activity. Some nights I'm amazed at how many I've sorted through. It gets easy, though, when a lot of them are memes that aren't worth keeping. The trash folder is bursting at nearly 150 entries already. Clearing it out should free up a ton of space in the database.