Soooo??? How was the new bed???

[susandennis]

It was good.  I think I'm going to like it a lot.  My old mattress was a pillow top and this one is taut - like bounce a quarter taut.  The old mattress was covered coils, this one is dense, solid and heavy.  I like the new mattress way better.  It just feels better, richer (although that could be a factor of the mega bucks it cost!).  But, the most interesting thing is the elevation.

I've been sleeping, or tying to, on a foam wedge for elevation. It has been pretty uncomfortable.  Last night I cranked the head of the bed up about the same amount as the wedge provided and it was a difference of night and day.  I can sleep on my side comfortably and still be elevated and so breathe more easily.  And this was the main point of the whole thing.

My COPD will get worse and breathing will get more and more difficult.  Lying flat brings on several different problems that make breathing easily difficult.  Elevating my chest makes it all easier. Now I have a bed I can crank up to sitting position if I need to.

The massage thing is weird. It goes for 30 minutes.  By the time I went to bed last night, my back was aching - too much sitting, furniture moving and bedroom rearranging.  I lay down flat on the bed and turned the massage on high.  It really did feel nice and after about 15 minutes my back had totally forgotten to bitch.  At 25 minutes I was really ready for it to be done.  I need to fiddle with the remote and figure out how to make the massage quit when I'm done with it.

And, except for the rail at the end of the bed, it looks like a regular, normal bed. I think I can just change the way I place the duvet to cover that rail. Or make a cover for it.  Maybe that's the way to go.

Bottom line, it's good.  And I think as I get used to it, it will get gooder.  And I don't have to deal with that store any more!

---

Today Chef Anita comes.  And not a minute too soon.  She comes once a month but because of the holidays and then my trip to Las Vegas, we skipped January.  I was happy to put the money to other uses but oh how sick I am of my own cooking.  I hate to cook so my own meals are whatever I can slap together from stuff in the freezer that will heat up without my having to fuck with it much.  This works perfectly about once a week.  But every night for week after week, it's torture.  Tonight my tongue will have a party at the dinner table and I am soooo ready.  Anita costs me, depending on the grocery bill between $300-350 a month.  This is more than I would spend in groceries (but not that much more).  She makes me 8 dinners but, because her portions are big, I've gotten her to break it up into more dishes so usually when she's done, I'll have at least 12 and sometimes 15 whole dinners plus, often, leftovers for lunch.

Plus, she's fun to have around and she leaves my kitchen spotless!

---

I'll be swimming when the pool opens at 11 and that's it for today... at least so far.

Comments

[rsc.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to like it a lot.

Considering the amount of money and hassle it cost you, you kind of have to, right?

Seriously, it sounds great. Glad it's working for you.

[susandennis]

You are right. And I thought about that a lot. What a pickle I would be in if I hated it. That's why I'm kind of being careful about easing into loving it. Although, you are also right, there's not much of an alternative so good thing it was good.

[tbass.livejournal.com]

I've actually thought of doing the personal chef thing eventually (being one, not having one) You're the first person I know that actually has one though.

[susandennis]

Chef Anita is my third. The first was mean and did not agree with my eating choices and could not grasp the concept of no choices (she later left the biz). The second was just too unorganized. And he kept depending on me to come up with the menu on my own. I think he left the biz, too. Anita's been cooking for me for 3 years and she's fabulous. She used to come twice a month but when I retired we moved to once a month and I would not give that up for anything.

It's a tough tough job, tho. Feel free to ask me anything you are curious about.

[tbass.livejournal.com]

The main thing I need to learn about is how most people find the personal chefs? Craigslist? Facebook? I have seen some social networking sites for this sort of stuff but much like the other very specific social networking sites, nobody seems to really use them.

I work in a restaurant now but I've thought about trying to start doing this to make a little extra money.

[susandennis]

I googled personal chefs and found http://www.pugetsoundpersonalchefs.com/ and then went 'shopping'. That's how I came up with Anita. "Anita Hardy, A Bushel and a Peck Personal Chef Service" (The first one I found via an LJ friend of a friend. )

[tbass.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thanks!

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a fantastic bed.
I am so glad that it has worked well for you.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

Yay for the new bed!

[babsbuni.livejournal.com]

Hooray for the new bed!

Just to give you a heads-up. I'll be coming back to Seattle the first week in March. I'll be flying in the afternoon of Sunday, March 2. Would you like to have dinner? You pick the place!

[susandennis]

Sounds great to me. I'll come pick you up - just tell me where and what time.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

I am glad the bed is a good thing--you deserve to have a good night's sleep after what you went through to get it.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Having Chef Anita and the bed have proven to been terrific decisions indeed!