Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog

Now I understand why the amount keeps going up every month on my Average Pay Plan...it is computed every month based on the previous 12 months. It confused me because a while back there was a sharp jump in monthly charge and then it keeps increasing incrementally each month. And, it doesn't work like Average Pay Plan that I had with AEP or Gas service. Where the average is only computed once a year.

I suppose I like this, especially for an electric bill. I should expect that there won't be any future sharp increase in the future to reflect a cumulative error in year over year consumption, or from rate increases introduced along the way.

With Gas bill, my average pay has stayed fixed, but I know there's going to be many months where I won't have to pay coming up...because I've amassed a huge credit. Last winter wasn't as cold as the previous winter (no icepocalypse for one), and there were more opportunities to lower thermostat, and generally keep it lower all the time. Plus I suspect they had assumed gas prices were going to be higher than they actually turned out.

With Electric, thermostat is ranging from 78 - 82F. And, that's pretty much the limit. Takes too longer to recover if the temperature range is any higher (makes me think I might need to investigate if A/C unit that came with condo is undersized, and if there is any benefit of a newer, more efficient?, unit....perhaps something to look at after my tax refund next year....assuming I don't pre-spend it on anything else). Plus there's the added cost of from CPAP, and not just the machine... the added cost of things to help me tolerate the machine and related devices. The water distiller is likely consuming more than just the power it consumes directly...

With Electric there was for a short time where I had a credit balance, but now summer is in full swing and last month a new record in monthly charge (though not new peak in usage.) And, summer has hardly begun.

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I have been meaning to get a Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack for some time, as a backup power solution for my CPAP. That's the intended primary use. Though I'm sure I'd find other emergency applications for it....

While Amazon/Prime would be a cheaper faster way to get it...if I was doing cash out of pocket spending....since its ~$150+tax right now, and I've seen ~13x+tax. But, pulling the trigger on actually getting despite having been hit by a bunch of power outages recently....has been a problem. Other priorities and belt tightening.

Today, I saw that the 20% off shopAMEX promotion was going on again. So, I popped over for a look. And, saw that I had enough points to get a 600HD from a shopAMEX merchant. Now the price of the unit is much higher than Amazon.com, and there is a charge for standard delivery of it...so more expensive and slower. But, since its points it has a different feel to it.

While the 600HD was the first thing I checked via shopAMEX, it wasn't the thing that I was going to purchase at first. I remembered that I'm still looking for a new dresser to solve the disintegration of my old one and the piles of clean laundry cluttering up my bedroom floor. But, there weren't any suitable dressers available for the amount of points that I had left (and I didn't want to get an advance on points). Even though this means that I'll have to buy a dresser for much more...and the procrastination on it could mean I won't get one until next year....

So, not finding a suitable dresser under my points threshold....I went ahead and pulled the trigger on getting the Powerpack 600HD.

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I went to another Penguicon, at Penguicon 6 I had earned whuffies which I used to get a shirt for that con and registration to the next one. At Penguicon 7.0, I earned just enough whuffies to get registration to Penguicon 2010 (I had purchased a shirt). At first I hadn't decided if I would go for Penguicon again...but once I started earning whuffies, I needed to find some reason that I was earning them...and eventually settled on getting registration to come again next year.

Anyways....Penguicon 7.0 was also my first trip anywhere since I started CPAP. I survived, in fact I miss it. Since I slept better in the hotel room than I do at home. I always thought I did in previous travels, now even more so with CPAP. I would wake feeling refreshed (and not needing coffee), and I could make it most of the day before getting tired. Now that I'm back...the not totally awake and needing coffee in the morning is back.

I decided to leave the 'do not disturb' sign out all the time, and not have housekeeping poking around. It also took the pressure off in using my hotel room for more than just sleeping at night and during the con. So, no more going out for breakfast and then coming back to use the bathroom, and worrying that housekeeping is going to come barging in or skip me...or be in my room and prevent me from using the bathroom.

I was worried about running out of shampoo, but turned out to have ample for the 4 nights.

For some reason I swear my machine was quieter in the hotel room, perhaps its because the night stand was open in the bottom from just the front, and I put the machine in there. So the machine's noise was shielded much better. The IKEA night stand I have at home is open front and back....and not as low. Don't know if this is something I'll look at addressing should I ever get around to rearranging my bedroom.

There were other improvements....like I didn't fall asleep on the 3+ hour shuttle ride to the airport....though I found it really boring, and I was kind of all annoyed about the fact that I reserved the trip on April 4th...but RoadRunner lost my reservation and then the driver seemed annoyed that I was holding up his departure. But, the shuttle arrived ahead of schedule at the airport.

Then the RoadRunner trip coming home came in slow....because before the scheduled pickup, it dumped a couple quarts of oil and was continuing to leak. Before we left Kansas City it had to stop and have 3 quarts added to it. There was no stop in Lawrence, so then stopped in Topeka at the RoadRunner office there, so that the engine could be shut off some some more poking around under the hood.... Then one of the passengers (a backup driver for RoadRunner), as we were coming up to the Manhattan, KS turn off from I70, had the nerve to suggest that since I was the only passenger going there...that the driver should skip going to Manhattan so that he could make sure that he gets to Junction City.

Things also got really noisy, took on a guy in Topeka who was blasting tunes on his PSP (the passenger/backup driver pretended to poke at the PSP from behind, I just had to put up with it)....and then there were 3 small children in the back, who now awake (having slept through everything else) were adding to the noise level in the shuttle.

Wonder when I'll be able to plan American Eagle flights out of Manhattan?

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There's currently a promotion of 20% for using my American Express Reward Points at shopAMEX.

Now, I've been accumulating points since I've been a member of the reward program. I don't recall how long that has been, but it has been slow work to build up to where I'm at.

Now, there was some (bedroom) furniture items that I've been thinking of getting...and because of the current promotion, I found myself browsing for said items on shopAMEX.

And, found that I could get a two of those items using my points. And, the 20% probably the only reason I would consider using my points for purchasing something this way.

So, the items I ordered were a new dresser (my old one is falling in on itself) and a new headboard.

Shortly afterwards, I get an email saying that the order for the dresser (with Wal-Mart.com) was rejected. And, no immediate refund of my points. So, I couldn't go and order from somewhere else....at least not right away.

The later, I got an email from account security about a possible fraud charge from Wal-Mart.com for the dollar amount of the order that I was ordering with points.

I called and said that I didn't use my card at Wal-Mart.com, though it was flagged as suspicious because they tried to charge the same amount twice. Discussing this further, I was then put in contact with shopAMEX to try to resolve the mess that Wal-Mart had caused.

Apparently, the way things work, is the points are turned into cash and credited to my account. And, the reward vendor then charges their order against the card. I was told that since Wal-Mart had rejected my order, I could take the cash value of the reward and use it towards the purchase of the item somewhere else.

Not really feeling things, and the dresser piece was kind of an impulse of get it while I'm at it .... I opted to have my points refunded. I still have until April 10th to take advantage of the 20% deal, so I could try again later. Or I could go somewhere entirely different and get the dresser.

The one that I went with was based on points left over after the headboard...so if not tied to using my points, I might go with something different. In fact, I have been thinking of other changes to the bedroom....though some sort of dresser is still called for.

Hmmm....

Well, among the packages that UPS brought today....was the replacement (refurbished) Firmness Controller for my Select Number 5000 bed.

I got the bed in October of 2004...so its over 5 years old. Though this is my 3rd refurbished Firmness Controller....it was just September that I had gotten one. Hopefully this'll be the 3rd time's a charm.

I did find myself checking out new beds the other day....did notice on the Select Number site that it seems my model of bed can only be ordered with wireless remotes now. I had chosen wired remotes when I bought the bed. Wonder if that's saying something....

Still no luck on that reason to need to buy a dual chambered Select Number bed....

This night was not too different from last night. Other then a slight rearrangement of stuff around my bed (due to the introduction of a PowerSource 400 and another Night Stand, so now my CPAP machine is completely on the night stand and the hose comes straight off the back instead of deflecting off my alarm clock (CPAP was as far forward without its feet being off the stand, and the alarm clock was as far back the same...and in opposite corners)....now the alarm clock has moved to the other night stand. Might help me from turning it off before I'm completely awake. Though I think the CPAP will have a bigger effect on stopping that from happening. The main changes would be that I washed the nasal pillow using baby shampoo instead of dish soap and the humidifier was filled with distilled water.

Didn't notice any difference humidifier wise, though didn't really expect to. Still have it set lower than I would like to avoid rain-out. According to the tracking number, my order containing the cover was processed yesterday in Nashua, NH....so probably no chance of priority mail getting it to my box today. So, it'll have to wait until next Saturday's trip to my box to get it. Of course, if they had sent it to the shipping address I had specified on the order....I'd have it much sooner. Perhaps I'll have to explore other measures for rain-out prevention in the meantime....

But, I did notice the change to baby shampoo....sadly there was hint of baby shampoo smell instead, when I first put on my mask. Guess I need to work on my cleaning technique. In the morning there was still that smell after the mask was removed, and nose is sore again....wonder if I should give the next size down another try.

I did get up once during the night....got a sip of water while I was up, but not because I had to.

I also did dream last night, don't know if that was good or bad....I guess I was hungry....

I had sent an email to customer support at Select Comfort at 12:32 am (12/30)....

This afternoon (1/2) I got a reply that a replacement wired pump is coming by UPS within the next 10 business days.

Which is probably good, because it has stopped working again.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Winsome-Wood-Table-Night-Natural/dp/B000NPSHUC

I've been meaning to get a proper night stand for the other side of my bed for some time...but it wasn't until I became pressed for space due to the addition of a CPAP machine, that I got around to actually buying one.

So, now that I was rushed...I opted to order one online from Amazon.com, that was Amazon Prime eligible (so I could get it quickly) and that was affordable and appeared functional and somewhat attractive.

Well, this night stand turned out to be somewhat flimsier than I had expected, but I probably would've known if I had taken the time to read the reviews on the different options that I was considering. OTOH, there was only one other choice fitting the constraints and it was quite a big more expensive... though it was rated 3.5 stars from two reviews (versus 2.5 stars from 10 reviews).

The other problem with it was that the predrilled holes for the magnetic catch were too close together (so it was use one and not the other)...and the supplied screws popped out the other through the front....so I had to leave the catch loose.

Otherwise, it'll do.

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Last night was my first night with the heated humidifier....it was kind of mixed night.

It went on so well, that I wasn't sure it was even working. Other than that I would've had difficulty breathing with the CPAP off, it certainly didn't feel like it was on the same way before the humidifier. Guess the lack of cold dry against the inside of my nose confused me.

So, I spent the first part of the night feeling for the air flow, and then wondering if I was feeling the right air flow. Didn't need ramp (at this stage). However, there was more noise from things last night...I guess its just the added sound of the air going through the humidifier now. Though it might also be that I put the machine in a different spot, due to its added size.

But, this time I was up twice during the night.....rolling over and nearly drowning is kind of a problem. I had ordered a HoseBuddy, to help with getting tangled up in the hose during the night. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of the headboard for my bed a couple of months ago.... I think I debated getting a hose cover, trying to pad my order to be over $99....which I do have one coming. But, it probably won't arrive until after this weekend, so it would mean I have to wait until the 10th to get it from the UPS Store.

Going back to sleep after the near drowning was harder....did feel the need to use ramp once.

Then when I woke up there was a 'new' smell inside my nose. Though later when I was cleaning things, I noticed a lingering smell....guess its a 'feature' of the dish soap I'm using. Guess I'll add baby shampoo or something to my (mental) shopping list. Hopefully I'll remember while grocery shopping hungry....

The fit was a little off, because I was using the medium nasal pillow...it fit okay when I tried it at the Home Medical place, but I guess laying down and moving about in bed...it doesn't fit as well. Guess the large nasal pillow is what I'll stick with using for now.

I recalled a dream from last night....the annoying kind. I dreamed that I had woken up because my nose had water in it, and that I had pulled off the mask and turned off the CPAP and....then I woke up to find that I needed to actually do what I had just dreamed.

Tried a different cushion. Didn't like it....makes different contact with my face that bothered me. RT has suggested the medium nasal pillow might be the right size for me (rather than the large that was prescribed). Think I'll try that one tonight.

Also my head was wet this morning....apparently I was sweating a bit...and the mask/pillow arrangement kept things damp.

Still rough adjusting to the pressure when I first put it on, but when I wake it just feels natural. How I sleep has changed. Though right now instead of getting up half a dozen times through the night to use the bathroom...I do all those trips during the first hour of getting into bed, but I sleep through the night. And, now no more dreaming.....

I picked up the humidifier this morning. Not sure if I can find distilled water to use in it for the first couple of nights.

Meanwhile, I had left the Select Comfort pump unplugged all day...and after I plugged it back in last night, it eventually came to life and I was able to get more air into my mattress.

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