(slightly) dizzy broad

I am dizzy, still or again. I'm getting very tired of this; it's been noticeable, on and off, throughout this whole trip (which eliminates the idea that it has something to do with Taiwan air pollution). One problem is that I seem to have had a whole smorgasbord of different types of vertigo: this doesn't seem to be the BPPV one because it's ont strictly tied to tilting my head. It's not about low blood sugar, because food doesn't make a difference. There is nothing much wrong with my ear/nose/throat system that I can tell, except that my sinuses are still adjusting to a much drier climate. It's not anything awful like a brain tumor or aneurism (opinion of the doctor I went to in Taipei) because it doesn't come with headache or nausea.

Earlier in this trip it felt like it *might* be related to my eyes' continuing dislike of focusing together - it feels less like that now, but is still possible. It does seem sensitive to motion - I notice it more when walking than when sitting, more at higher speeds in a car. It doesn't really seem to be impairing my balance at all. It also doesn't seem to give me any problems with driving, but I only have to drive on sidestreets here, no highways. I'm still avoiding highway driving, especially Taiwan highway driving, but that's no great problem for my remaining time there. (Being a passenger seems to be OK, but those two episodes of waves of dizziness while driving on the highway in November and January were kind of scary.)

The Taiwanese ENT and opthalmologist, didn't have any answers, and when I had a carotid artery scan as part of my annual physical it didn't find any problems (a recommendation from the opthalmologist because the carotid brings blood and oxygen to the retina, so since it was one of the tests available I had it done). I've been hearing lately about peopel having viruses causing vertigo, but I have no fever or other symptoms, and this has been hitting me on and off since November. If it's not better in a few weeks, maybe I'll go see if Dutch doctors have any more ideas. It's more of an annoyance than a disability, since it hasn't actually stopped me from doing anything (even the highway driving was more of a worry than an actual problem) but it is annoying and I'm ready for it to stop already.

On another topic: one weirdness that can occur when you work at the same place as your spouse, is when you are invited to a dinner pretty much just as "significant other" but someone sends you a meeting notice for it.

ETA: Ted theorizes that under-hydration is a factor in this. He may be right - it seems to be a good guess anytime I'm feeling less than great for no apparent reason - but it isn't the only factor because I get dizzy even when well hydrated. Just a bit less so. Also, it seems to be more an internal feeling than any external manifestation - not only do I not fall down, but I don't notice it at all in moments of distraction, including while crawling around on the floor just now lowering my desk. (Desks that can be lowered without help from the Facilities department, using only an Allen wrench that stores in a little hole built into one leg = good design!)

looking forward

It's 15:30 and the first of my colleagues has just left work for the day, which reminds me of one more thing I look forward to about moving here: flextime. The Taiwan office doesn't have any, and I've had it in US jobs (either officially or de facto) for so long that being required to stay until a certain time just feels like I'm not being treated as a professional. (It's particularly annoying when you've worked long overtime hours earlier in the week.) The colleague who just left comes in at 6 or 6:30; I'm wondering if I could do a less formal schedule and just come in late (and stay late) on Tuesdays, which are market days in the Centrum. From what I know, that's the best place to buy fresh meat, fish and produce here. There's one on Saturdays on the norht side of town, so if I can't flex that way I'm not totally out of luck, but the Saturday market is farther away and I'm sure it's more crowded.

I have also been enjoying the cafeteria here (for values of "enjoying" meaning "not actively dissatisfied with" - it is still a company cafeteria, after all). They have cold sandwiches and hot panini-style ones daily (both premade), two hot platters (meat and vegetarian), often something like sausage rolls or krokets, and two kinds of pre-plated salads. There are also several types of bread, cold cuts and cheese, a salad bar that's fresh if not extensive, and thick and thin soups, so even if nothing looks good I don't go hungry. In contrast, the Taiwan cafeteria has a choice of two platters, each with an odd (to Western eyes) combination of a couple meats, some vegetables, and rice. For instance, there might be meatballs, a bit of breaded fish with sauce, overcooked cabbage, rice, and bits of seaweed tied in knots (don't know what those are called). Or spaghetti with meat sauce plus clammy french fries, and similar vegetables. The plates are filled and handed out by cafeteria ladies; it is possible to ask for more of one thing and less of another, but that's tricky if you don't speak Chinese - they're a bit back in the kitchen area. So the caf here is definitely enjoyable, by contrast.

I haven't been good about working out, but all the walking I do here is appearing to have an effect, or else the trousers I wore yesterday have stretched out. But they're lined flannel, and even if the flannel stretched, I doubt the lining would.

Also, clean air! I can see through it! And they have heat inside when it's cold outside. En nederlands is zo veel makkelijker dan Chinees! (Vindication: I ran that last sentence through dictionary.com's translator, and the only thing they'd phrased differently was that I had "zo veel" as one word.)

On the down side, I think Ted's first trip here is three weeks after I move :( Might be a little less, if I'm lucky.