Because of course it was

 I woke up and the internet was down because of course it was. I did the usual things, and concluded that it was a problem upstream of us, then flailed around a bit more and found a screen saying our internet had been suspended. 

I figure either someone had concluded we're Russian spies, or Ken hadn't paid the internet bill. I called Ken and we puzzled over it and eventually he called me back and said a credit card had expired and our internet provider had done a few months of no-pays then decided to just shut it off. Because the internet is run by idiots. 

I said No problem, that I'd had someone tell me at the bank to renew my driver's license because there's no reminder for that either, and these things happen. The internet was supposed to come back up "by tomorrow morning" and here it is, up, a bit after 2AM. 

I'd considered going to FedEx Kinko's and asking to use their wifi (I'm well known and liked there, and I believe it's to use their computers that they charge for) and then decided it was too damn hot to lug my laptop around, and took one box I had packed up to the post office, then went up to Dai Thanh Market. 

I'm glad I got to do this because I got to see the aftermath of what must have been a highly entertaining car accident. There was a Prius, upside-down. That must have been cool to see happen. The usual crash crew was out, lots of blinking lights, traffic snarled up because everyone's just got to have a look, and even a few of the derelict bums who hang out by the skeezy liquor store there were standing on the sidewalk, spectating. 

I got some things, then rode back to H Mart and got some other things, then got back here. I still don't feel well, and decided I didn't want to hang out inside anywhere,while I sniffle and cough and so on. I'd just wait for the internet to re-appear. 

It cooled down by midnight or so, and I did lots of little tasks like removed the seasoning packets from a 5-pack of Sapporo Ichiban ramen and put the noodles out for the bums. I also cleaned a package of crawfish I'd bought, leaving the shells out under the one ivy plant against the back wall that looked dead long ago, and is coming back due to "gifts" like this from myself. This factors in.... 

I was peacefully sitting here, finishing up "Sons And Lovers" by D.H. Lawrence when I heard a sound outside. It sounded like the kind of creaking and clicking sounds emitted by a bum's bike, and/or a bum poking around. So I looked out through the open door and there was the dog that seems to be owned by someone in the end unit. By the number of cars, I think there are about a dozen people living in there, and one of 'em has a large dog that is usually either inside or chained up outside. When chained up outside, the dog barks. A lot. 

So I saw this dog poking around in the crawfish shells and general area, and thought, Oh, no biggie. But the dog apparently didn't like my ... existing ... and started to come after me. I just shut the door and watched the video feed as the guy I see most often with the dog ran to retrieve it. I'd not have left the shells out if I thought the dog was running around loose .... it's not a smart thing to do because it's not just shrimp shells dogs like. They also find human shit to be quite delectable, and with the bums around here, I can't guarantee it isn't lurking in the leaves under the ivy. 

So I'm getting over this cold or whatever it is. I'm also getting serious about being on the low-carb diet. Amazingly, my headache hasn't been a thing.  I feel high blood pressure is going to be something for me to watch out for - I still haven't put new batteries in the blood pressure checker but at least I think about it quite a lot lately. 

But there's more: I asked Ken to check my blood sugar a while back, like a few years back, and his little device showed what Ken declared to be "100, that's perfect!" well, that's not perfect. That's actually a bit high. It probably should have been more like 70 or 80. 

But it gets worse. There's a guy on YouTube who does lectures on low-carb eating, he's the guy who always makes sure you know he was an Olympian (I actually checked and his palmares are very solid) and he confirmed a sneaky little theory of mine. It turns out measuring blood sugar isn't a good way to monitor your diabetes, because your body can be putting out heroic levels of insulin, like 12X even 15X normal, with your blood sugar only going up a bit. This could be why people often "crash" into diabetes so abruptly. They do things like wake up blind, are found lying in the road in a diabetic coma, etc. The blood sugar tests have the advantage, though, of being a lot easier to do than measuring insulin level, and one has to know that slightly high blood sugar may be accompanied by 10X normal insulin level and you're really not "slightly unhealthy" but doing a delicate and dangerous balancing act. 

So I guess I'm worried about my liver, pancreas, and kidneys. All three of which can be saved by a low-carb diet. Include no more headaches and it's a deal. 

The big meal of the day/night was Indomie "Penang White Curry" ramen without the noodles and without the hokey coffee creamer, instead I put in some real coconut milk. With veggies like garlic, gobo, ginger, leek, etc. I'm coming to really like gobo. It's got tons of fiber and an interesting taste that goes with just about everything. It's far better than carrot for a low-carb curry. And a half and half mix of crawfish and small shrimp. The crawfish were really nice considering they were no doubt the cheap ones grown in China.