Hail yes!

Finally, we finally got some relief from the excruciatingly dry season I have been enjoying this spring and early summer. I wasn't sure that we were going to get anything even though something was forecast for today I didn't believe there was going to be much chance. I was just focused on getting through the day without having to poop, which I did, get through the day that is without pooping and to have a pretty good lunch with my buddy Dwayne from the old days. There was wind but that is sort of naturally more it seems like and there were clouds not so much in the early morning but towards the noon time and later the clouds begin to build by the time we had finished our lunch date in the park across from my building the clouds began to form and to masses and bunch up and soon a storm was unfolding. The storm with droplets of rain at first then with more wind and then there was hell large pieces of hail falling the size of my thumb. I don't think I've been in hail that significant before. These white pellets of ice actually stung my hands when it hit them and made my feet Jump Around. I chose not to wear shoes today. The meteorological event lasted probably only a half an hour, so not a lot of precipitation happened but enough that I'm sure everybody got a good drink cooled off the Earth a little bit and for a small amount of time into the local drought. We may have some more precipitation tomorrow and that would be nice but I'm not going to hold my breath by any means.

I finally got the courage and opened up the mailing box that my new book arrived in a couple days ago. I did something I hardly ever do is that on a whim I ordered something that for me was relatively expensive. I ordered a book that I had seen and the new book section at the library. It looked interesting enough that I wanted to read it but didn't want to go through the hassle of going through the library system to do so- - I do this from time to time. Anyway I opened up the volume and sure enough it's a fairly academic volume. Is a book titled yuppies. It's kind of a tracing of the history and background of this upper middle class young people that permeated this great country for about the 30s and forward. I spent I don't know how many minutes trying to read this thing and I only got about six or six pages into the introduction. The subject matter does impress me and I'm kind of looking forward to that I don't know if I have the ability to sit through the whole thing and read the whole volume but I think I probably will get a good part of the volume red if not all of it but it won't be fun reading it per se. I went to the library upstairs picked out a paper back that I can use to get through the nights with and that's all I really wanted

Wednesday's work

I made it through the night without a blowout thank goodness. I was a little frightened that my bowels might not go when I did the transfer over to my chair but they held together real well until my caregiver got here and gave me the suppositories and I did my job. I think I did a good amount and I should be okay till Friday but then again I thought that on Monday only to have Mama's anxiety on Tuesday. I'm feeling great right now but we'll see what happens through the night and tomorrow. I have a lunch date with one of my buddies and hopefully I can keep my poop together long enough to at least get through this event. Ideally I would just like my calling to go back the way it used to be a few weeks ago. But we'll see tomorrow and see what the Day brings. I was so anxious to get out and see something besides the local apartment that I jumped on the bus not long after my caregiver left and went to find one of my Credit Union branch and get some change and some quarters. My caregiver was really great about showing up when I needed her this last weekend and not really worried too much about me paying for her time. I usually feel 20 bucks is enough for this kind of service. She only took $10 and that's okay too keep your employees happy and they'll always be happy for you. I was able to do my arm bike for my 60 minutes today that brings me to 180 now so I only have 20 more minutes to go to get my 200 by the end of the week.

Seems like every summer I have to figure out the thermostat and how to turn it low enough to lower the temperature in the apartment but not bottom out. I'm not really sure how to work the convenience so I just pushed numbers up to 77 and then not long afterwards I realized that I was freezing! Somehow I finally figured out how to turn on the air conditioner and that's exactly what I did not want to happen. Though I have learned that bringing the temperature down a little bit can make a big difference on how one spends their days. I continue to like to be outside on the patio under one of the umbrella tables. I had to go out today and bring down the umbrella because of possible and really severe winds tonight as a cold front is beginning to move into the area. The temperatures are going to drop significantly the weather person even said there would be possible need to bring in our cover up tender plants because it might get cold enough to freeze which is kind of mind-blowing. The other person's even forecasting snow in the mountains and freezing to some of the delicate plants one might have in their Gardens.

 

Tuesday's test

I swear this bowel uncertainty is getting really old. I really thought I was settling down but today as I was getting ready to go to my doctor's appointment all the sudden I got a tremendous urge that I'm going to poop and I've been trying to mitigate the issue as much as I could. Fortunately, nothing's really happened yet but just have that Sensation that any second if I hit something the wrong way bump wise in the chair or something it's going to let go and I'm going to have a poop-a-rama. I'm not even that concerned about it anymore it's happened so often but it's certainly allows me not to do anything. That sounds pretty awkward since wise but I'm not going to fix it. I ended up calling and canceling my appointment which is okay by me. The appointment is with my urologist and it was a follow-up appointment from about 6 months ago if I remember right. I rescheduled till next week and hopefully I can get this whole thing settled down but it doesn't really seem to be happening too much. It's now 10:15 in the evening- - I've made it through the day now I just have to be careful that I wrap myself up in pads and stuff that so if I let go during the night the poop will be limited just to the pads that I have surrounding me. I have a senior diaper that I wish I could wear better that I can put on myself better I guess I should say. I can just sort of reach back and kind of put it in the right place to hope for the best. So far the senior diapers have worked fairly well I've been kind of surprised. It's not like I was going to do anything horrendous or big time today anyway and I missed it because of the uncertainty but it's just the idea especially if I have to travel on public transit and should have a problem in the middle of a bus trip how am I going to ride that one out? I guess the answer is you just have to and people give you a wide berth I guess. I know I've pooped before on the bus but nothing horrendous not to the point where people could tell I had just dumped a major load. And luckily I wasn't a large enough load that this odor was anywhere except right on top of me. The driver probably realized when he went to unstrap me but I don't think anybody else did still it's freaky and something I do not want to have to deal with if I don't have to. As it is now I have a lunch appointment on Thursday. Luckily we'll just be going to the park next to the complex where I live and hopefully it'll be in the middle of the day and I won't have to poop at that point. Luckily the first time having lunch with has spent a lifetime in Rehabilitation services so it won't freak him out too much still I'd rather not have to go through that experience..

 

Monday's moans

I'm feeling much better today than I did yesterday. Melissa came last night around 10:30 cleaned me up- - actually I wasn't in too bad a shape not as much as I anticipated but we did put me on the toilet let me do some more and then clean me up and threw me to bed. I really appreciate her acoming over and doing the work so graciously. She really is a good caregiver. Anyway, did some more clean out this morning and so I'm feeling a lot better now at least I'm not feeling urgent like I have been all weekend. I sort of fortified my diet with yogurt and cheese hopefully that'll have some other effect on solidifying some of my bowel movement. And if not I'll just live one day at a time hope for the good days and get through the bad days. I kind of have everything out under control- as much as anyone can control chaos- - it's makes me feel that I can do something if I need or want to. I almost went over to the market today and picked up some more flavor packets for my water but couldn't build the energy up to do that as well as the Heat of the day was pretty warm. I did my bike work out and I enjoyed listening to some NPR while I was doing the workouts. I watched a couple hours of Netflix or Disney Plus. Was able to read a little bit out on the patio General relaxation. Perhaps the most productive thing I did today was actually fill out the paperwork for my certification here at the apartment complex that dreaded document that must be filled out yearly which allows me to live here. Actually while I was sitting out reading the support coordinator walked by and indicated that she would help me fill the documentation out if I needed help. So I went back in and saw what I could do on my own which was basically all of it. Jennifer looked it over when I handed it in and said it was okay. Stuff ed the prettiest work that comes in and I'm sure but it's enough to keep me housed for another year sometimes that's all I need.

I'm a little sleepy tonight just because I worked out for one and secondly when Melissa left last night turned off all the lights except the one in my room against the wall that I keep on all day. It's slipped my mention when she left actually I called her back to turn off the kitchen lights she forgot that. Luckily my chair was blocking the lap mostly so it didn't really bother my sleep that much but did was somehow getting in bed last night I didn't do a good job or Melissa placed me in bed with the patient lift anyway I woke and my leg was hanging off the side of the bed this is never a good thing. I finally was able to get my leg back on the bed and finish my transfer well actually I didn't do that I just went ahead and raise the bed as high as it would go and finished the transfer which my leg was already down everything worked out pretty decent I was surprised. Whatever that made for a weird day. Tomorrow there's no assist meeting but I have the Urology appointment. It's just a checkup I think I should be okay. Somewhere along the line last month somebody gave me a bottle to urinate in and I don't know if it was these guys it makes sense that it would be but I don't remember it as such. I can't find it anywhere. I'll just have to wear a loose clothes tomorrow…

Sum,Sum, Summertime

 It's officially summer, today is solstice the turning point goodbye spring hello summer and all that good stuff. I wish I could have enjoyed the day more however I felt poopy all day in fact I think I just did a number in my pants. I'm sort of waiting for Melissa to get here clean me up hopefully. Or maybe I'll just wrap myself up and just go to bed and do everything in the morning I don't know what's going on but something is. In the old days I could go a year 2 years without an accident now it's having every couple weeks I don't know it's because of accepted it's going to happen and so it's happening or I'm losing the ability to hold my poop from one unloading to the next. I pooped on Friday morning it's really decent but last night I was feeling a little anxious and I was pleased to get through the night and please to get through this morning's breakfast with Mark and Jasmine. Spent the rest of the day in the apartment hold up in case the worst happened. So I watched movies and that was about it.

I have called Melissa and hopefully she's on her way over clean me up if not I'll wrap myself up and pads try to sleep through the night will clean up in the morning. That's in fact what I would like to do but I've already called her I don't know how much more I'm going to do before tomorrow if any. It was a hot day today and it was pretty warm by the time I met the kids over at the restaurant. A little bit later than 8:00 probably close to 9:00 actually. We had a really good discussion. Mark had a lot of passion to put into what he was saying to the point I had to calm him down once or twice cuz I thought he was talking too loud and driving to people in the booth next to us a little crazy. I knew noticed I was getting the fish eye look for one of the guys that, through no fault of Their Own, we're getting quite an earful of what and how Mark thinks. Mark was able to tone down once I've called it to his attention I think you feel a little bad if not embarrassed. We finally got out of there went on a separate ways Jasmine had issues going on with the educational process. Nursing schools really difficult for her it seems like just so much work so little time. I think this is going to be very very challenging for the girl. I'll try to support her as best as I can. I think she'll make it I think she has enough tenacity to stick through to it she certainly smart enough it just has to go through the issues of doing what they ask. Academia can be such a pain in the ass.

Regarding what seems to be changes in my bowel movements and accidents and surprises I just have to be patient and very self forgiving and realize that this is going to be the next part of my life. Certainly have to accept a lot of things that are in Pleasant in the aging process. I really begin to think that's what it's all about as far as getting so fed up with this life you're willing to go to the next just because it's such are so demanding to live on all levels of pain and inconvenience…

Springs end

It's late on the last day of spring, Saturday night, summer heat is already on the wind is blowing my windows open and I'm worried about staying up too late because I'm getting up early in the morning to have breakfast with the kids- - hopefully. I'm a little worried that I might have a bowel movement during the night. My schedule seems to be messed up somehow totally bums me out but anyway I've squandered away another perfectly good day. Will not totally squandered. Last night I lost the use of my television / cable or whatever it is. I could not get to my Marvel movies or even local programming something indeed had changed so I do what I always do as I called my son mark who I think is the technical genius and had him drop over this morning early. I know that he has a lot going on his Saturdays especially in the mornings so I was really pleased that he is willing to take a few minutes to come over here and look at my problem. I knew it would take a few minutes that was all then he can go on and do whatever else but he wanted to do. But we got the TV working are my connection my cable connection found out that I had pushed a connector against the wall in back of my TV system I'm kind of crushed the plug. As usual Mark was able to get the things going again and I'm back online happy as a clam with Disney plus and other programming options. Mark made a suggestion that we go over half coffee yet my little coffee shop across the street. I thought that was a fabulous idea because as you the constant reader knows that I often go over to the coffee shop and just sit by myself and watch everybody else communicate and socialize. Today I will be able to give that illusion as well I was excited. He got over to the coffee shop settled in and then one of the servers are the guys working behind the bar recognize mark they were old friends from another period of time. They started conversation that lasted for the next 45 minutes totally amazing. We were just yammering away at my table. I had my own little group and it was kind of fun even though I was definitely the third man out. These two definitely had a history and they're renewing it. That was kind of it for the day actually for me anyway I went back to the apartment watched something on the flat screen. I went back to the market and got a couple more fried chicken breasts that I want to use in stir fry and other things that I need chicken meat for. I've got these interesting little packs of noodles that if you add chicken to them it makes it a real meal. That's kind of exciting. Back at the apartment I did I washed some dishes try to sweep up a little bit I really made a mess with Cheerios this last week. For a day I did little in I'm pretty tired looking forward to sleep provided I don't you know..

 

Baclofen backup

The night is coming on and there are clouds in the sky. Dark clouds spread across parts of the sky with blue showing through. If I was extremely lucky there would be Rumblings and Thunder and a case of a lightning flashes but these are dry clouds and for what the weather woman says if there is any moisture in these guys the moisture is evaporated long before it hits the ground. In fact we're on high alert fearing anything like Sparks or lightning that could burst grass or trees into instant fires add to that the occasional wind gusts and we're in serious trouble here along Wasatch Front- - actually not so much the Wasatch Front as the Wasatch Back and other places in the Utah area. We're about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule this kind of weather comes later on in July but not this year. I just got back from the market and it's nice and hot outside at 9:00 p.m.

I had not planned on running to the market tonight but I got an announcement on my cell phone that my medications/ prescription was ready. This was a little shocking because before the last two days I've been trying to get my physician to update my prescription so the drug test could fill out my order for Baclofen. Even as late as tonight or 5:30 I called to see if I could find anybody in the pharmacy in the personal answer it indicated that there was nothing there to show that I needed a prescription filled. It was only later in the evening while watching the news that I got a ping on my cell phone telling me that my prescription has been filled and was waiting for me to pick it up. I did not want any other issues to come up, even though they probably would not I'm just gun shy at this point, so I figured it'd be worthy hassle of suiting up and heading over to the market. I'm glad that I did. However, I was not in any real stress just because I have a small bottle next to my bed that may have 30 or 40 Baclofen tablets inside. I've had this little bottle for years in case I need baclofen during the night for spasms and such but also works quite well as an emergency backup system. I feel quite fortunate that the guys at the pharmacy didn't get the holiday off but either way I would have been okay I had a backup system.

My next challenge is tomorrow when I have to call Xfinity to find out why my Disney Plus and other Services have been cut off. My computer is saying I've got a bad connection and the only thing I can think of is somehow I may have pulled a wireless or something. I was hoping my son would be by tonight and he could monkey around in the back and find a problem and hopefully fix it he's very good at that kind of stuff. I can actually get to the subscriptions that I want the hard way the wrong way. It's very difficult and then frustrating. Perhaps it's just as well I can spend more time reading the new novel I picked up the other day from the library plus a brand new book came in the mail so I'm totally excited and have stuff to read an d things to keep me entertained besides the flat screen …

No coffee for me!

 I hope again about 3:45 a.m. and I really felt like I needed to use the restroom. Usually when I'm in this quandary I try to force myself back to sleep regardless of the urgency. Sometimes it works sometimes it does but I know I didn't want to try to stay awake till 9ish or 9:30 when the coffee group is supposed to assemble. Well I did something this morning that I haven't done in months and that was cath myself in bed! This is a bit of a challenge it was a big challenge with my bed wouldn't lift the upper half up but now it does. Trying to cast myself in bed still a trial but this morning around 3:30 a.m. I decided if I didn't try it or use the catheter I would be sorry at some point in time during the day. Luckily I had everything assembled before I went to bed not knowing for sure if I would need some of the materials. I use some of the slippery stuff on the end of a catheter roll over to my side and then insert the catheter up my penis and into the bladder I guess. And that's what I did this morning took me a minute to figure things out but using the top of the bed to lift me up and the middle of the bed I also used which raises the midsection in the lower section up which is great because it puts everything right where I can reach. Like I said it's still a bit of a challenge find that need to be whole while laying down and feeling like you need to go to the bathroom immediately. I was surprised but I felt that I was finished with the void I was amazed to see that it was almost 800 ml which is really quite a bit to void out this early in the morning as well as doing it in bed where just one move could drown me. When I was finished I pulled the catheter out and put it back and in its place.  I used to do this maneuver quite a bit once or twice a week but not for at least a year now. With the void I basically went back to sleep or tried to. I think I slept for about 90 minutes following the void experience. This rarely happens and I was kind of excited. I don't know if I'll have this opportunity again if indeed it's an opportunity. But I sure like to know what I can still do.

Today is Thursday and that's the dedicated reader knows it's coffee social day. That day when coffee is made and everyone sits around the table trying to be interested in everybody else. It's not a mandatory thing so people are there just because they're really interested in the concept. We don't have a lot of folks but those that do sort of look forward to it and I'm becoming one of those. This morning after I finish dressing I rolled on down to the room and it was dark deathly dark. No coffee social today not this week. It's not a big deal certainly not the end of the world but you know seniors don't like to have things pulled on them and they hate to have the routine messed up you know?

Beach crew

Another very early wake up. Last night I had a nice issue with pooping the bed! Fortunately, it wasn't a large movement very small in fact and I was able to mitigate much of the issue by extra sheet savers or pads. My stomach was growly and upset when I went to bed I thought that the bad thing would be the best thing and would not be an issue until this morning when I'd be able to get on the toilet with my caregiver got here. Still it's just a freak out every time something like this happens and sadly it seems to be more and more frequent or maybe I'm not as Vigilant as I used to be and realize the cleanup is just a cleanup and not the end of the world. Just the same Lissy, wonderful about the whole thing and just jumped right in and cleaned everything up. Still there's something like this that takes the wind out of your sales for the whole day at least it does for me. For one I'm always famished but gunshot to eat anything. In fact I'm a big believer in bananas as far as beginning to firm up the bowel again and I'm out. Well I had one banana very underneath some papers on the table which I consumed- - the bananas not the paper. Then I actually went across the street to the market and got a bunch of bananas just so I have enough to continue the process. I also had nice helpings of cheddar cheese and crackers has anything else I thought might clogged me up. I even thought about ordering the cheese pizza but I don't need that many calories. Hopefully tomorrow things will have settled down a bit.

The temperature today was also in the upper 90s and that's just great by me even though it does have an impact on my ability to be clearly focused. I did take the the opportunity to go out and read on the patio again under a umbrella table. That was sort of fun. I just have to deal with folks stopping by and visiting or wanting to. I usually entertain the individual and engage in some banter of communication. I'm trying to finish my paper back soon as possible. The book I ordered yesterday I found that I didn't use an active card so the sale was denied. I only found out this afternoon and that was because I was a little concerned because the book had not come yet and they really went out of their way to stress that it would be here today. So I tried another card and hopefully this card will not be denied and I will have the book by this weekend- - Maybe. I really miss the summer swim. This came up during the family reunion this weekend when the kids were talking about how I used to swim at the bridge at span a small canal in South Boise. It was a great place to swim and many of the people in my part of the neighborhood swam there in the afternoons. I was pretty young at the time so there are a lot of older folks there teenagers as we called them anyone from 14 to 21 or 22. Many days hot like today everyone just hung around the bridge drove over the railing- - in my case they would throw me over the railing- - and we totally cool down to come out of the water down by the beach and get started all over again till one got too hot. I swam her everyday before my accident and after maybe a year after the accident after I got home I continue to swim there with the help of a beach crew the number of volunteers that would throw me over the side of the rail and then Beach me which is pulling me out of the water putting me in my wheelchair push me back up onto the the bridge. I miss those days I wish I had a beach crew...

 

Hot Town Summer in the city

What's today's get hotter I'm finding that I'm being less and less comfortable which is very rare. I'm kind of afraid this is the new me I'm becoming. I fear it's the age thing and I'm aging like everybody else and I guess that's a good thing but it sure is weird. This morning I think I woke up around 4:00 and never really did get back to sleep I had to pee but I've not been peeing very much the last couple nights months in the overnight hours. I didn't have my equipment ready and then reach for me too utilize so I just basically tried to lay there quietly and and rest and try to consciousness. I was also dealing with the fact that it was Tuesday and I do have a meeting today in Salt Lake so I didn't want to lose my advantage time wise by going back to sleep maybe sleeping through my time to get up. And again but I feel strange is that even with all this as far as waking up very early I did manage to get to my meeting fairly functional as well as get back home and do my arm bike. I count the day of success if I do at least two things which I think are fairly significant. Today it was my assist meeting and doing my arm bike for an hour.

Another weird thing which I think might be secondary to aging is my problem with dressing myself. Now I just have to build into everything significant more amount of time. Today I never really did get my shorts totally over my right hip. I'm finding this part of my dressing more and more difficult I'm also finding that something is happening to me and I think I'm going out of my chair. This is difficult for me to say by growing out of my chair I think I'm getting so fat that my chair seems to be shrinking on me! I wish that were not the case. This difference in size seems to be affecting everything from crossing my legs and putting my shorts on and my shoes two working my arm bike and not having my body mass get in the way of my arm crank. There's going to come a time I think relatively soon that I'm not going to be able to dress myself anymore. I thought about asking my caregiver how much she would charge just to come around and trust me daily. I could probably do it but it's really going to be a hit on my wealth as I know it. The mass of my wealth is not much but it's all I've got. As far as my shoes go I have just about one the left shoe out the right she was still fairly intact but I think it's time to get another pair I just have a hard time finding shoes with straps as opposed to laces. These kinds of shoes used to be everywhere not anymore. I have seen some shoes online but then it's that whole thing of buying them online and then if they don't work out you have to send it back and that's where I fall down on a lot of my purchases. The process just intimidates me too much. I wish I had somebody in charge of sending things back but certainly make my life much easier. Finally, I'm getting a second wind I didn't think I was going to get one this afternoon or evening shouldn't last long however plan to go to bed relatively early… the talk is cheap...

Monday at the movies

It's 8:24 in the evening I'm sitting here like a fool waiting for a second wind of a pill me through the rest of the evening. I somehow don't think that's going to happen but at least now I have gotten off base and I'm getting words down on the screen. For me it's been a perfectly beautiful day for a Monday. I didn't have any commitments to do today for any that had to be done immediately. So, after my Monday routine and a couple half attempts at breakfast I checked the movie listings and was surprised pleasantly to see that for the movies I've been waiting for his family arrived. Something called Disclosure, latest offer by Steven Spielberg. I pretty much feel that you can't go wrong with the Spielberg film. I think it was around 10:30 this morning and I saw that the movie would not begin well actually we would start seating at 12:00 with the real movie to start around 12:30. So I had some time to kill so I looked around for something I could smuggle into the movie so I didn't have to purchase anything and then Godly price. I can't remember if I told you that I often get food from food boxes donated by the local food bank and are the LDS Church. One of the items that seems to constantly show up in the Box that I don't really use that much is it Cheerios knockoff called something like Tostitos or toasty oats. I think flavor-wise though identical I really like them for breakfast hard to have with milk just because they're toasted through and through and so they'll keep their crunch through most of the meal. I've never smuggled them into a movie house before so I don't have to buy movie candy but today I thought I'd give it a shot. I went through my plastic boxes and found a sandwich bag filled it with Tostitos and hung it on my power chair. I rarely mind waiting for the bus but in this kind of weather it's ideal. If I were to gripe about anything it would be the lack of shade especially during the noon day. I found a little shade offered by a telephone pole lowered my head back in my chair and kind of rested till the bus came.

I can't believe I caved in and bought a hot dog and a drink at the movie place. I really did believe I was going to do nothing but use the Tostitos to Crunch on during the movie. The dog and the drink came to like 15 bucks or something here about. I just block the price and wandered over to the drink facility to put a lid on the straw in my drink. I got the fruit punch which I like. It's tasty and it's red. Perhaps the saddest part of the whole deal is that I didn't even check to see if I could have gotten the hot dog or the drink through my accumulation of movie points. You know, those incentive points you get each time you go to the movies? Since I don't really purchase my tickets the old fat anyway I don't know if I'm gathering points but I do know I've asked them a couple times and I have had enough points to get a drink or the food item. I have to admit I did enjoy my hot dog it was hot the only problem was that they don't put the condiments on the Beast. They don't have easy mustard ketchup stuff like that you have to tear off the top and squeeze the stuff out. If I had my hands perhaps that wouldn't be a big deal but I don't so I just have to use my teeth to make little holes in the top and squeeze it out. Too much bother to pull the hot dog out open it up squeeze the condiments down the meat so now I just take a bite and suck off some mustard repeat the process till it's all done. I would enjoy the other two items sweet relish and ketchup but I'm happy with just the mustard if that's all I can get…

 

Reunion finish- Flag Day

÷÷I wish I could respond by saying that I really did pull out the work for Flag Day, today! But really I actually forgot today was flag day except that few minutes ago I started thinking about Flag Day then realized it probably was today and when I checked voila it is Flag Day. It's actually just an observance it's not a holiday which is kind of surprising but a long time ago Congress decided that it wouldn't be a holiday just a little observance day. Kind of makes me feel bad for the day but not too bad. This morning we had to going away breakfast for my brother's family who all actually showed up for the reunion. We knocked the time back an hour so admit at 9:00 rather than 8:00 had some really great discussion and sent the guys on their way. Some are going to Idaho so I'm going to Washington State and I think there was another state there one of them was going to but I can't remember where maybe just another place in Idaho. It was great to see everyone and great to have an extension of their Union from yesterday to this morning everybody gone. I was back in my apartment why 10:30 and quite relieved that this event was the biggest thing I had to do today and now I was just looking forward to kicking back and relaxing for a good part of the rest of the day. I cut the watermelon in my brother brought me the other day, I cut the watermelon today it was okay not as sweet as I thought it would be but not mushy or anything either it was a nice watermelon. I think I will have Lissy aka Melissa cut off a couple pieces tomorrow for me to enjoy throughout the hot day. I have an assist meeting on Tuesday of course and then on Thursday I believe I have another doctor's appointment but it might be later in the month. I'm just looking forward to enjoying the rest of this month, the national holiday and the rest of the summer.

One of the best things about this morning's breakfast was being the first to the restaurant and letting them know that there is going to be a party of 13 people coming for breakfast. She usually just myself, my son and granddaughter and her boyfriend. Just the four of us. But today we got to take one of the long tables are a number of short smaller tables and end and request them for our party. There is a large family of Southeast Islanders who meet almost every Sunday for breakfast and some kind of religious service back there at the restaurant. Actually when they left that's when they reserve the tables wiped them all down and set them for us that was kind of cool. My party was kind of late getting there so I was getting a little bit worried that the restaurant people would be sort of vexed at me for taking up all their valuable tables. But there's a bunch of other tables that were open scattered around the facility so I don't think they were too worried that seem like they're happy to avoid me with the tables that they would need to feed all of our party. I truly missed them as they left go their various destinations there are a lot of little bits of small talk hugging and wishing everybody safe conditions and Godspeed and unsaid but definitely in the air looking forward to the next family reunion ellipsis

A

Family reunion day 2

Another hot and exhausting day of the family reunion weekend. Remember last night it was quite late by the time I finally rolled into my apartment and by the time I got to bed it was past 1:00 a.m. it took me that long to just get ready for bed. I just kept to think of things I needed to do and have to get done before the new day. I slept in till about 6:13 a.m. very rarely do I sleep that long and I think mainly just because I went to bed an hour or two later than I usually do. I only read half a page before I clocked out for the night. I really didn't have a deadline to look at this morning so I kind of dialed a little bit getting dressed it took me a while. I got the word finally that lunch would be around 12:00 and to meet over at Carl's Place again. I did okay I think I traveled faster then I did the other day same way with my return trip.

It was a lunch of cold cuts sandwich Carl had a bunch of sandwiches made for us to dine on it was a great treat with chips and something to drink I guess I didn't have anything to drink. Everyone got together pretty well. More Paul's kids showed up at this particular get together. Mine never did sadly but that's okay we are a weird group, this family of mine. I don't think it was 90° out there today probably in the high 80s not too bad. I hung out at the event until oh later in the day at least 3:30 4:00 till they finally decided to make the break and head out. It was it was a good time to leave things were getting a little weird particularly how different members of the family perceived what was going on as a family at that point in time in the late 50s early 60s. , '70s. Who really is how what perceives what's going on around them is our history kids to be then it all looks different when you get together with other folks and try to compare the comparisons aren't nearly as cut and dry as you think at least inside my mind. I'm so glad I didn't see the atrocities that seem to be happening in my family during that period of time. Very few have a great idea or example of what went on it's all bits and pieces put together like the blind men and the Elephant. It was good to get home and relax a little bit. I'm stuffed that was stuffed I'm still stuffed which is not a good thing. I wish I had a way to go to the toilet. Tomorrow we're meeting a hour later than I usually go to breakfast on Sundays 9:00 at dees. I just hope I make it through the night without an accident... 

Reunion!

I got in from the bus about a half an hour ago it took me forever to get back from Carl's house to mine. The 217 just seem to take forever to get to my bus stop at the transit hub. I should have just drove my chair home on the streets a little bit home about a half hour or 45 minutes sooner than I did. I was pleased however that I was able to make the trip over to Carl's for the staging area for the reunion dinner when we all walked down to Chuck-A-Rama. I'm surprised I acted a civilized as I did. I woke up this morning around 3:00 a.m. as always managed to get back to sleep till about 4:30 and then laid around till 6:00 getting up then. I was a little worried that the lack of sleep but it didn't seem to really bother me a lot during the afternoon and evening but getting to that point I was a little growly bear it seemed like. I was just too tired I felt but somewhere along the line I got a second wind which says last me all day even now I'm just barely getting tired. Well barely might be an understatement the vicissitudes of the day are now beginning to way upon my shoulders.

Today started innocuously enough. I think I woke up first around 4:00 a.m.       so I threw myself back onto the pillow and somewhere along the line I think I did fall asleep for a few minutes here and there. There is that individual in a dream who plays a fairly large role I can't remember what it is. I always recognize it when I see it. I really wasn't too excited about the reunion thing but figured I'd better make a presentation at least a showing so the folks will feel that they got something out of the event hopefully more than 100 bucks they put into it. I was pleasantly surprised when Melissa watching my door a little after 8:00 a.m. she's usually a lot later than that. I think it kind of agree with her that we're not really doing the time thing is good as we should. Hopefully we'll get on top of it but today was early and that was good because I was ready to go through my process and get ready rather like to eat and then head over to my brother's place. It took a few tries but I finally got going but I was still immensely tired. But strangely a miracle happened somewhere between 8:00 and 9:30 when I suddenly got a second wind. I felt calm and actually excited to do the correct thing. To put on my good shorts, tightened my shoes tighter than usual basically turn me loose. Grabbed a few items to eat and then went and caught the 217 over to the Community College which I took the big bus over to the Community College Transit Center there's a quite and sleepy morning with all these devices. I started the list of the new items I'm going to need the next time I go for a one of the markets. I got shorts that are 44 in what round. I went out laid in the  sun of the reason was to take weight off my butt and the other one was just too see if I could get some more sleep when were the other. I've ordered the white vest when it came in which took me into Murray Central. I can't tell if the  staff that check you out to leave the store really know what they're talking about especially when it comes to clothes. But eventually other members of the crew showed up that was kind of fun. I'm exhausted. When I look back and try to read over what I've written so far I can tell that I'm still exhausted. However I will quickly try to get to the 500 words to let you guys have a rest. I heard through the grapevine that it was going to be 6:30 that they wanted to have dinner that's a long time. There is also a lot of talk regarding Ai and how it might be used in the writing area. All very interesting but I was getting pretty tired. I'm sorry this is so disjointed I think that gives you the best picture of how I'm operating at this very moment..

Sore butt Thursday

My butt hurts today. The pain is coming from the area that Melissa indicates that I have a minor issue with. It's hard to say what the pain really is Melissa says I have a scratch back there which I very well could have but I wanted to be very careful with it cuz I certainly don't want it evolving into something larger and more detrimental. So what I've been doing a large part of the day is trying to get my chair back to the point where it's taking the weight off my butt basically laying down in my chair. Luckily it's that time of the week now that I've don't have to go anywhere most of my running around has been done for the week. At least for today. Tomorrow of course I've got the relatives and the beginning of the reunion and the dinner over at Chuck-A-Rama. Carl came over today with the repair to cooking box he made me that I broke the handle on. He also brought me a watermelon or actually I asked him to pick one up but he wouldn't let me pay for it but I didn't fight very much for it either. I really like visiting with Carl because he's such an anchor to the Past the old family. I'm hoping that by taking a little care of my rear end today I'll be able to do the next couple days okay. You know it's really weird? Is that I'm sure we had a reunion last year but Carl swears up and down we didn't and when I sit down and really really think about it maybe we didn't but I thought sure that we did I know I suffered as if we did.

One of the things that my brother and I talked about how he was here was how would have the little brothers have become quite aggressive it's quite amazing if you ask me. He seems to be very angry. He actually was angry at Carl earlier when there was a possibility that this reunion might be canceled and it seems that the other brother had already spent $400 on renting motels in other type of things for the trip. And he was upset and angry that he'd be out the money and Carl actually paid I'm off with his own money Carl's money. That's just too strange makes me want to skip the reunion myself my family is getting quite frightening in the old days I guess I'm part of that but still I don't need any added stress and I already dealing within my life I didn't given time. There are members that don't even show up to the reunions anymore not necessarily for these reasons but other reasons as well we're a family falling apart. I'm really surprised that we've been able to hold together as long as we have it's been a strong illusion that my mother crafted. I dare say we will not be together much longer but I could be wrong one never knows.

  

Wistful Wednesday

 I knew it was going to be a somewhat challenging day from the onset I knew that I would have to take the bus over to the hospital system to get to my doctor's appointment. What was challenges that I set the appointment for 10:15 a.m. thinking that I would have enough time after my shower this morning. Yesterday trying to be a bit proactive I asked Melissa if she could show up earlier and she did she came in a little after 7:00 a.m. and we got too busy and got my stuff done and I was basically out the door in time to catch the bus to get over to the hospital. So it wasn't like it was traumatic or anything it was just a busy day. I knew that the hospital visit would be fairly low level just because of just a checkup but I was feeling good anyway. The doctor I had actually he's a resident and it was his last day seeing me. His first name is Boomer and I thought that was so cool I still think it's cool. I never did ask him but the Boomer name came from or how I'm sure there's a good story there. This was the major point of the day for me I just need to get back home and relax a little bit and get over my trip. I still had to turn my arm bike and blog and journal. I even made a fairly decent dinner I thought. I stopped at the market on the way home but actually bought corn on the cob. So I had corn on the cob I sliced part of the ham steak I bought a while back and cooked yesterday before yesterday. It was a pretty nice little dinner actually. There's a cold front breezing through the area today so it hasn't been that warm I only got up to about 79 ° today but along with that is some significant winds. And even now the front more or less is gone through but there's a lot of wins in the back and it's really blowing the trees outside my window. It's kind of nice listening to the trees in the Wind. It's really decent for sleeping but you want to be somewhat bundled up. Now that the doctor's appointment is finished it's downhill for the rest of the week except for the reunion. Each day is closer and I get a little bit more nervous but I think it's going to be okay I'm just worried about traipsing back and forth so much. Some of that is also going to be coming home in the dark which also it's not a big deal but it's still a bit worrisome.

This is kind of way unrelated to today's blog but I think my tablet is possessed if not haunted. Something is strange I don't know what it is it's something that's running underneath the regular images on the laptop. From time to time I get bits and pieces of conversations or comments or something from something else going on underneath my regular screen. It's a woman's voice and it's nothing weird or scary or anything it's just sounds like a narrative of some sort of commercial event going on. I wish I could figure out how to get to different levels of the screen. I know that Marc Anthony can do that but I don't know how to excavate my system..

Free day Follies

 Free day! By free day I mean no meeting at assist inc., I didn't go into the City so I was just able to stay home and enjoy the apartment. I didn't make a production but I have an eye in the slab of pork that I have in my refrigerator sometimes really a slab of ham beside this day would be a good date bring it out Friday and have it for breakfast or at least part of it. The breakfast was a limited production as I have indicated earlier but it was good I fried up the whole slab of ham cut it into sections cooked two eggs and had a nice little breakfast which I ate half and the rest for dinner. Aside from breakfast I didn't do much today of anything. There was a strong wind blew during the night and then say it was a little bit cooler but overcast most of the day a good day for staying inside though I did go out and read a little bit. The temperature wasn't freezing though it wasn't necessarily Pleasant either. Later on in the afternoon the sun did come out and warm things up makes a difference a big difference too have the Sun not impeded with atmospheric clouds. At some point during the morning or just afternoon I did take a couple of coffee cups that I've collected and went over and got some real coffee to drink on to the rest of the day. I tried to actually run some water through the ground today and it made a dark colored clear liquid that kind of tasted like coffee but but the flavor missed mark. Interesting one of the guys here at the building Jimmy an older guy much older than me but very nice an old Union fellow he's over there drinking coffee with a crew of folks and when Jimmy saw me he reached out and grabbed me and made me come back and sit with them which I did. We visited for an extended period of time I was quite impressed. I don't know if they'll be a forever crew but there is certainly a nice to sit around a for a while but it kind of got old. I wanted to get back to the apartment. Call my brother at one point I called and left a message. Carl wanted to talk about yep coming reunion for this weekend. I guess things are in place now pretty much we just now have to see it through the reunion. Perhaps the high point of my day was my brother Carl coming over and retrieving the baking utensil he made for me a few months ago maybe years ago that I'd somehow broken the handle. He came over to pick up the material or the piece and was gone again just back quickly. I don't plan to see that piece come back for some time. He's a very good busy tonight.

I've been in some limited pain today with my butt feet in pain. I don't know for sure what the issue is my skin seems to be doing fairly well. However I do fear there might be some issues arising. I transferred from the bed to the chair I tore off the Band-Aid that Melissa put on yesterday. I spent a good part of the day trying to be off my butt by sitting back in my chair or leaning back in my chair. Hasn't made me look very good but it's hopefully somewhat useful. For the most part I think I've been somewhat incommunicado all day. Seems like I've almost gone through another bottle of the lotion which I need to get another ready cuz I'm putting it on my butt quite often. I'm going to try to get to bed a little early tonight. I doubt if I'll be able to accomplish this already it's almost 9:00 p.m.. I must get up early tomorrow. I've visited with Melissa she's willing to come in 7:30ish or even a little bit earlier which would be good for me because I need to be at the bus stop to get to the doctor's office by a little before 10:00 a.m.. I don't ddxdddd111 any problems but just to be safe I'm having more to come over early.  

Reunion.. soon!

 I believe I've rehearsed this more than once on this blog but I'm a stifled writer. At least I like to think of myself as a writer but sad as it is I haven't really written anything besides this blog for a number of years and that's a shame and it's a little frightening because I sense my time is running out. I don't mean I'm going to drop dead tomorrow- - but I might - - I'm just saying if I don't do something soon I'll leave this earth/planet whatever without anything written at least recently. A week ago or so I was with my son and his quasi wife and it came up that I had written a number of items she was impressed. I wasn't too impressed but it was certainly nice getting the stroke so having somebody impressed that I was or have written in the past. I didn't even bring up the fact that I was published as far as that's concerned which is a big deal for people who like to write or think that they like to write. So, having said this and to reiterate my contempt for AI and silly people who tend to use AI I must confess I'm beginning to consider the possibility of using AI to write. I know that leaves a bad taste immediately in the mouth as well as me doing a fast drop on everybody's opinion poll but today I was thinking. The thing about AI and folks are used AI saying that they've written stuff and it was really AI is that is doing all the work. I know when I first considered the whole Ai and the writing and what was being written as original or whatever from the brain of the artificial was it actually writing it all? So what if I did use AI and I wrote something say a short story and basically AI wrote it but it was my idea and it was my thought process that got the whole thing started. And what if I took the final product or the product that was produced and then truly added more stuff that was me. Since the AI wrote the basic part of the document and is based on me and then I rewrite it all me then quite possibly I could assume that it was my document. I don't have a problem with sharing the work with the AI whoever it is or what it is but it was certainly be something written. I haven't done anything yet but it might be fun to play around with the whole concept a little.

I was across the street at the market this afternoon and so I didn't pay much attention to what was going on in my backpack and when I got home I noticed that my older brother had called me. So this evening I called him back and he informed me that everything was go for the family reunion this coming Friday and Saturday and possibly Sunday. I assured it might be able to make it and that I was planning on it. He let me know everything was in place there is food and his backyard was ready to assume the family who shows up. I am looking forward more than anything else to the reunion being over and getting on with the rest of the summer for me. That's really sad but true. Some of the older folks brothers and sisters I'm looking forward to seeing cuz I don't know how much longer I'll be able to interact with them as living beings. These guys are way older than me and I'm old. Some of us is not all of us don't have much time left and take advantage of each time to be together…

Hankerings

Do you ever get in a specific food kind of mood? You know that feeling when there's just only one thing that will satisfy a craving that you might have, that you didn't even know that you had until that's all that's on your mind. That sort of happened to me this afternoon. My granddaughter came over this morning following me eating at the restaurant for breakfast. She didn't meet at the restaurant her dad and I met for breakfast. It was just us. We had a good conversation and enjoy the time that we had together. But Jasmine was focused on fixing the door or changing the decorations on the door for the next month or holiday or whatever. She didn't really want to do breakfast as much as she just wanted to do the door and get it done. She's in the middle of major studies right now with summer school a couple of classes that are kind of hardcore science oriented classes so she's studying every single minute she can get. I was really quite surprised that she was so funny coming over and changing my door out for the new season.

This afternoon I got kind of a second wind and after it's been left in the apartment was pretty clean I started to get in the hankering for an apple pie. It's been a while since I've done the pie and it's sort of a real challenge for me because you have to stick the pie into the preheated oven which is at 200°. The oven is hot because you wanted to preheat it so I also have to deal with a gush of heat coming out of the oven triggering a fire alarm. Luckily today I did not have to deal with overactive fire alarm. So I went to the market across the street from where I live. Our Market has a very limited supply of frozen fries I was kind of surprised. They're all a high end frozen food operation. The price are on sale for $7.88. That still seems a bit High but I purchased the confession anyway- - I had a hankering. I don't know what I was thinking of when I grabbed the pie but after I got the pie home and started looking at it I realized I'd made a mistake. The part that I got I can't remember what it's called right now but it was Apple but it didn't have any pie crust on top they had this stuff that you sprinkled onto the pie itself after it was cooked and then cook the whole shebang again for 10 minutes. I still can remember that this house operation this store had two or three different kinds of pies to choose from no longer is that the case. After a quick stop at the Dollar Store for some box milk I came straight home. I quickly drop the box of the pie in it when I was trying to make sure the oven was cleaned out sufficient to hold a pie. I have started using the Pie as a utility closet or a closet for frying pans and all kinds of paraphernalia for cooking. Anyway, I eventually was able to get the pie up off the floor and onto the cooking box my brother made. It was a challenge but I got everything into the heated stove I was really surprised that's able to pull that off. I cook the pie for 60 minutes like I was told then opened up the oven scatter the stuff that you sprinkle on top and put it back in for another 10 minutes. Like I said this was not what I thought that I had gotten I want to just the old time pie you know apple pie with crusty top that's very tasty when you eat it with the pie itself. The Pie special name but I can't think of it right now but it's a fancy Dancy pie more than I expected and more than I do. I finally got it out of the oven after cool down for about an hour but it cool down for another hour before I cut out a piece. I couldn't find my pie device anywhere. You know that handheld instrument that looks like a triangle with a attachment on top that you used to scoot the pie from hot surfaces back to the countertop or table. I was proud of myself I cook the pie without anything even let it sit for the 2 hours afterwards it's cool down that it could be handled safely I just had the first piece out of the pie. I would much rather have had the pie with the pie crust on top but that didn't happen but I enjoyed the pie that I did have and now I just have to pace myself not to each not to eat too much at one time. The Pirates great as was the dinner. I watched part of a Marvel movie as I finished the regular meal. The pie was wonderful

Hot June Saturday night

 It's that time of year when I really notice that the hours of daylight are quite long. When you have long hours of daylight mixed with above average temperatures I get somewhat excited. These are the days that I live for just hot summer days and today is quite a windy day because a low pressure systems coming in. There's something about a Summer Wind that I just love. We used to have this clothes line out back of our house when we lived on the farm in South Boise. It was a four-wire clothesline and sometimes my Mom would actually fill up all of the lines with wash. What's important in that on days like today there would be billowing sheets shirts and cut offs and shorts and all kinds of other pieces of clothing that were put out right after the washing machines finish the last cycle. In less than a half an hour they would all be dry, every article of clothing. It would be that hot kind of dry that you get pulling things out of the dryer especially in the winter time when you just push the heated garment or cloth into your face and you feel the warmth permeate your face. I'm wearing shoes today usually though this time of year I hardly ever wear shoes especially growing up. After a certain point in the summer shoes came off at least for wearing around the farm. I wore shoes only doing my chores and going to church when I had to actually work clothes. Other than that I was barefoot John.

The temperature moves past 90° today and that is the second or third day in the last couple that we've had temperature about 90 °. Why that's important to me is that it reminds me of the days in Boise when I was growing up that once you got this much heat for this period of time you know that the cold water that's irrigation canal that we swam in but finally be warm enough to tolerate for an extended period of time. In the summer we usually had time to ourselves once we got whatever chores and projects my dad would have us do completed or complete as much as we were going to do them. That would mean hanging out at the bridge where we would swim probably from 1:00 to 4:00 and try to be home before my dad got there from work and make it look like we have been doing a lot more work then we did. I don't know how moral istic this was it's just how we lived Our Lives at least How I Live mine. I've often felt that my particular lifestyle is different than most people's. I guess that's good a little bit intimidating. But acceptable to me and I guess that's what matters most in my life at any given time. I do keep a close eye out to make sure that I'm following Norms complete enough that I don't look too far out of control. This evening I'm just enjoying the hot Breeze and memories of days gone by…

Fried dinner Friday

The days are now hot and plentiful and yes I'm joyful in the coming of Summer. I'm a little Disturbed just because the weather person tonight said that cool weather is coming next week down to 67°. I guess I don't mind that dip in temperature if it's Company by rain and possible Thunder. There was a weather or a rain cartoon on the Wither board she was working off of so maybe that would be okay to deal with that law temperature for one day or so till the low pressure system moves out. I'm really becoming quite involved in this whole weather thing huh and the mainly just because I want to see the good weather I want to see when it's going to be here so I can plan accordingly. And really, it's no big deal cuz today was a perfect day I could have gone out and done something but I elected to stay in and enjoy the heat of the day inside I did go out and read a little bit or try to this morning late this morning but eventually came inside for a hung out pretty much for the rest of the day. The only productive thing I really did was actually use the hamburger that I purchased a couple weeks ago it's been in the refrigerator but it's been sealed in this little sealed plastic. I actually took time chopped up all the ingredients I needed the green pepper the onion and two pieces of white bread. I didn't make a meatloaf though it really could have been a meatloaf very easily. I chose to make burgers and that was my dinner one of those burgers and a spoonful of the potato salad I purchased last week. I have really enjoyed the potato salad last couple of meals but I'm down to the last big spoonful when it'll be gone soon. I don't know if I need another container I'm sure it's fattening but it sure is good. I like actually preparing a little meal that's got two or three different entries whether it's breakfast with a couple of boiled eggs and toast in a couple scoops of my concoction or dinner with potato salad and whatever meat product I may have access to whether it's spam, a steak, or hamburger patties. It's actually a real meal I'm kind of pleased with myself. I probably need to work harder to bring more about green products for my meal like broccoli or lettuce or green beans. I should focus on putting together a green bean casserole one of these first nights or days or whatever. Sadly I must admit that having a day low-key not going anywhere certainly does not do anything for the battery I'm basically at 100%, but I'm going to charge up anyway when I go to bed just so I'll be topped off by tomorrow in case I do go anywhere. It's Friday morning and I could go to the coffee shop but I got to be careful with that new person who's shopping around to hang out with me. I don't really need that kind of companionship that really makes me kind of persnickety but such is life such is me…

Thrilless Thursday

 I don't know what's happening to me but I feel just totally exhausted and all that I've really done today has spent time visiting with my cause I son-in-law and grandson just about regular stuff I did attend the coffee group our complex has every Thursday morning usually and that wasn't really specific. But basically the big event was visiting with my Sil and maybe even getting up. I woke up feeling a little bit groggy later than usual. I knew I didn't have to do anything until 9:30 a.m. maybe that's why I slept in harder than usual but it what's after 6:00 a.m. when I woke up and finally getting up around 7:00 it took all I could do to get dressed. In fact for the first time this summer I went without shoes not because I wanted to so much as I didn't want to go through the work of trying to lift my legs up high enough too put my shoes on. I usually put my shoes on during the process when I put my shorts on and I did have one shoe on my foot but kicked it off when I was trying to put on shorts on my other leg and that leg just would not come up and finally it generated a spasm on my right leg which kicked off the shoe at work diligently to put on. I said to myself that's it I'm not going to worry about the shoe anymore I'm going shoeless today. I basically got away with it because no one said anything all day about not having shoes on it's kind of odd though. Usually after an event like this I give a little paranoid about losing my ability to be independent but I'm just not going to worry about that much anymore unless it really happens. But for the time being if I can Bluff My Way Through the situation that's the way I'm going.

I quite enjoyed my time with Gabe and Asher, the guys that came over to visit me today. We basically just sat outside the building and visited for one or two hours it was nice time spent in the Sun or the shade from the Sun. Gabe is volunteered to help me clean up the apartment a little bit which I desperately need to do it's kind of getting out of hand. If nothing else I would like to find the surface of my kitchen table which is buried underneath a bunch of Chaos and entropy. A quite enjoy visiting with these two parts of the family that I've been somewhat isolated from the last couple years. I'm amazed to see how much Asher has grown in that time period and delighted to see his ability to take images of aircraft and his seemingly ability to develop a niche in this particular genre of Imaging. He has begun to make a name for himself which is kind of exciting. I just appreciate that taking time to visit with me and even volunteering to assist me cleaning my apartment..

Birthday dinner

 Just in from what turned out to be a very long or at least seemed  very long. Today is Mark Anthony's birthday he was born 50 years ago today and for some reason it's just really impresses me to the other kids Shelly and Charlie had birthdays last of the month too and they seem to be important than they are and were but Mark Anthony was the first. And 50 years, half a century and all that other stuff that goes along with the 50th birthday just give us a pause and we have to process it a little bit differently than all the others I'm sure they will have the pause as well when they hit 50 we'll see Shelly's not too far behind. Of course it's a weekday that means everyone's going to be at school or at work and we didn't have the time for the celebration till in the evening tonight being 6:30 at the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse. The old house is not too far from where I live and I believe that's why it was chosen because it's so accessible by bus.

I know this is going to be the sound a bit I also how common the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse is. By calling I mean how middle middle class place is. Focus is low income well not low income lower middle class at least. The place is still pretty darn expensive if you ask me I felt a little uncomfortable ordering what I did with the full expectation of being part of not all of the cost of my own dinner. I just at the prices it has I guess it's the high-end place for a lot of these folks to utilize. And they really all get dressed up in their own Mind's Eye and what dressing up is comes off looking somewhat cheap and somewhat frightening like I said this is going to make me sound the latest and I'm not. I have no place to talk. But the short skirts the hi nylons and I could go on and on makes the place look fairly cheap. Looks like a cattle show it really is people lined up to get in have to wait for your tables and that's all crowded people yelling people building into each other. It really is to see who can get in and dinner and out the fastest at least that's their point of view probably not the diners. I had a pretty decent steak sirloin not a fancy one by any choice but very good relatively tender tasty mashed potatoes and gravy was a little weird but I enjoyed them and I sort of had a salad along with it. I must say it was a little bit strange having all the family together for this celebration but we made it and we were very nice to each other I was impressed. It was fun having everyone together even though we're quite a part in a lot of ways.

Once we were finished for dinner changed somewhere to parent they wanted us to move on to relinquish our table for some other dining group. We were at a conundrum nobody had a lighter it's like the Quasi candles that we had for the cake. We asked management for a lighter than we found out that we were not allowed to have lit candles on the cake and that settled that issue. We didn't have cake it was carefully placed back in its little box and taking somewhere else to wear I don't know if Mark is going t awa ao have cake tonight or not I hope so. Just in from what turned out to be a very long or at least seemed  very long. Today is Mark Anthony's birthday he was born 50 years ago today and for some reason it's just really impresses me to the other kids Shelly and Charlie had birthdays last of the month too and they seem to be important than they are and were but Mark Anthony was the first. And 50 years, half a century and all that other stuff that goes along with the 50th birthday just give us a pause and we have to process it a little bit differently than all the others I'm sure they will have the pause as well when they hit 50 we'll see Shelly's not too far behind. Of course it's a weekday that means everyone's going to be at school or at work and we didn't have the time for the celebration till in the evening tonight being 6:30 at the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse. The old house is not too far from where I live and I believe that's why it was chosen because it's so accessible by bus.

Bus Bridge rant

 

We've talked about it in the past how much I dislike change in my everyday life my everyday world. So today was a major challenge to me ability to accept change on a moment's notice. I should not have been so surprised because I knew it was coming I just didn't know what form it was going to be in and what shape is going to take but I've been notified I can't remember how if it was over email or Bulletin or pages on the note bored outside of the TRAX station- - you know where they pin up documents that are important enough to publish and everyone doesn't necessarily have a computer or email so they still do postings. Anyway they dedicated that for the next couple weeks over the summer in June they'll start working on parts of the track system -- the train I take back and forth from my apartment to the assist meeting downtown across the library. They indicated they'll do they call a bus Bridge from one point to another point and allow you to get on your way. These guys talk like it's going to be real simple just park the train get off the train get on the bus and simply go to where they're not building anymore and get back on the train and off you go. Well this morning was not the case. We got off the train I don't know I must have been around 21st South maybe a little bit more south than that. And they were using people who I think were either UTA scabs or folks they just pulled off of the Department of Employment/ list I don't know. But they were okay more or less a little smelly here and there little messy here and there barely literate I don't know if that's a fair description but it's what it felt like this morning. Then they hurted us from the Train across a bunch of parking lots it seemed like and finally onto a bus that barely worked in fact the driver had to keep opening and shutting the door so everything would be okay I guess the door has to be closed a certain way are the bus won't go. So the driver spent how long trying to get that those doors to shut properly. Then we had to go many more stops than they indicated to get to the ballpark station and from there they hearded us back on the train and we should have got back to our original spot but it was really messed up- nobody knew what they were doing it was so chaotic that instead of going back on the train I elected to go up to State Street and caught that regular bus I went all the way up on the regular bus system to Murray station and take the bus home from there. I really don't want to do that again. So in two weeks if they're still working on the track system I'm going to take the State Street bus Inn and the State Street bus back that's all is to it…

New June

I got the kids letters done this afternoon. I did not work on the letters all day but the letters were certainly on my mind all day. I found that I had to write one last letter that I missed the spaced off. So I was able to dictate that and finally get that one printed then all the letters into their various envelopes some getting cash others not all getting stamped that's for sure. This is not heavy duty work by any means but it's work it has to be done and have to be focused enough to stick to it till you can get them completed and down to the post box and dumped for tomorrow's mail. Like I said earlier I would like to have been able to have done that yesterday so that the letters would have gone out today or better yet like to have had him mailed on Friday but that didn't happen of course. But I'm done it's off my mind now for a while at least until the end of June couldn't be looking at another holiday weekend.

The biggest project of my day, after getting showered and taken care of and dressed, was suiting up and heading out for the bus stop. Over the weekend my check came from the state they called the renters rebate check and this year I got about $330! That's a very healthy shot in the arm I could actually retire my debt at the credit union with that much money. However, I'm just not strong enough to spend $300 of unspecified money on a clear and rational debt. I deposited the whole thing except for 30 bucks into the regular account. I would have liked to have really taken the whole check and cash and then hid it in my apartment somewhere but I'm trying to stop being so irrational and not trusting the institutions that everybody else does. I just have to stop feeling so strongly that I have to pay cash and use my plastic a lot more not necessarily to charge stuff but to pay for stuff rather than real cash or currency. 

I didn't have anything really else to do this morning so I grabbed my hat and ran to the bus stop. I went up to the Community College Transit point and got on the 47 which would take me around the corner to 2700 West or I could get to my credit union where I keep my cash and get accounts. I really thought this was the best thing to do plus it would get me out and on the bus system. Today the credit union was celebrating the consumers there were trays of cookies and cans of soda. That was kind of nice Mountain America has always been a good group to work with I've enjoyed my time with their credit union. Price neglected to put through my mind process that it was the first of June or the first of the month so everybody in their duck was at the credit union actually I didn't see a duck but I saw a couple dogs. Well they don't come right out and say it but this branch is a Spanish-speaking branch. Oh they certainly have enough white folks on staff Plus I'm sure all the Spanish speaking folks on staff are also checked out with the English speakers needed to conduct business. It's sad but I was pretty tired by this point in the morning. I hadn't slept well the night before and gotten up early. I made my deposit got some cash to run on and put it in my wallet. The teller that I worked with was definitely Spanish speaking it took us awhile to finish my transaction because she kept breaking into Spanish and right Spanish is not very good at all. I just have the basics down. I could get by if I had to just a Spanish speaking universe I would not be my first choice. But we got through. I was so impressed with myself I went over to the market and got a couple pieces of fried chicken the leg and a wing. I grabbed a can of soda when I was at the bank so I went to the parking lot sat in the Sun and had a cute little lunch. I'm sure I looked pathetic like an orphan or a character from Charles Dickens..

Computer frustration

 I have been struggling all day and that's okay. I think I pretty much got the problem fixed that I was struggling with but I had to end up calling my son to help me with the computer problem I was having. It's Sunday morning so of course we did breakfast it was a little late getting started but finally my son and the two kids showed up. We had a good breakfast it was enjoyable we did not linger as we usually do we had things to do Mark Anthony had to do some music stuff and I had to get the kid Letters Out. I really wanted to get them out today but that's not going to happen partially because of the problem I was struggling with. It always seems to happen and I can never figure out on my own how to resolve the problem. I don't know it's just me but printers intimidate the hell out of me. So of course today I finally get to the point where I'm going to do the printing. I wanted to get the envelopes printed first and then the letters themselves I guess it didn't really matter but that's how it felt to me the best way to go about the problem and of course I could not get the printer to work. I just randomly started pressing anything it said printer on it and going through the process that I've done in the past eventually allowing me to print what I was trying to print. This situation never got to that point I ended up printing two letters or two envelopes and that was it. But I keep going through the process so the little printer on the screen on my computer kept showing up every time I'd print so I knew that a print command was being stored somewhere. I thought at one time I just print through them that didn't happen finally in my frustration I called my son Marc Anthony who really knows how to really work on these printers. I'd seen him in the morning remember and I knew that he was going to be somewhat busy today but I gave him a call anyway and he said he had and he did. It didn't take him long to resolve the problem and soon I had envelopes printed. I'll see what the print the letters themselves because they were on this tablet and somehow this tablet can tie into the printer independently of the computer system that alleviates a lot of stress. I also realized I still have one letter I need to write. It's a little disheartening but it'll be good when I'm finished.

I used to be fairly smart when it came to working on computers. I was never brilliant but I was somewhat functional and actually assisted other individuals less functional than I. Of course I always had somebody I would go to who knew a lot more than I did there at the office. But I could usually work out the problem if it wasn't too significant. But as the system seem to get more and more complicated so was my stress levels. Now I know enough not to even try to play like I understand what's going on with my computer. I'll still give it a shot to see if I can inadvertently hit the right keys in the right sequences to get the job done but I'm glad I have someone to call on when I need to.

Saturday surfing

 I didn't sleep well last night I woke up very early having to pee and I haven't had that sensation for the longest time. It's weird now that I think about it how I would often try to pee in the middle of the night either into a can or when I started using my catheter trying to cast myself at night which I could do but was still very irks something to have to wake up from a dead sleep to pee and then be very careful so you didn't spill or back gush water onto the mattress. I went through a lot of work this morning in order to try to relieve the pressure- which I did but by that point in time it was getting close to 5:30 and I try to be up by 6:00 a.m. and I struggled too much so I was totally awake at that Of time. I laid in bed until 6:00 a.m. then got myself up. Still a little bit worried about my butt and hopefully everything's okay I probably sat on it way too long today but what else could I do? I'm doing okay though it was raining when I got up dark clouds it's coming down pretty well actually I did get dressed took me a couple hours but I did it then cruise to cross the street and went to the coffee shop. I ran into Michelle there she wanted to talk this is the person that lives right now with her family and Utah County and is forced to go to church and everything it's pretty freaked out about that but she did try to live with her kids in Tennessee which didn't work out at all and then she came back this was her first time back to the coffee shop. We visited for a while then I took off back to the apartment and that was pretty much it for the day actually. I did work on kid letters and I tried to do some work in the kitchen tried to clean it up a little bit. I did cook or heat up or whatever you do with the noodles the package of Asian noodles that I got at the market just on them yesterday. There's not as many noodles as I would like but it did make a nice little meal I ate half and I saved the other half for tomorrow. I figure if I have half of the noodles tomorrow and then supplement the rest of the little fish that they're in with some of the rice I've cooked we'll make a nice little Asian meal for the evening or midday whichever ends up being. I'm not sure I can't remember what I paid for it but it was okay it was nice it was all made I didn't have to do a whole lot to bring it to meal status. The clouds moved on out by mid-afternoon patches of clouds remained here and there and there seems to be a possible bit of rain that may fall later on this evening I'll be surprised. The rain should be moving out though by tomorrow so I should be okay going over to the breakfast have spoken with Mark he will be there at breakfast I don't know if the other kids will be or not. Hopefully I'll get to bed soon and get better sleep tonight then yesterday…

Something red

My buddy Dwayne got the hamburgers for lunch they also brought me a bottle of Mountain Dew red. He was worried that I would not be drinking it however I love Mountain Dew red.           

I seriously had difficult time getting out of bed this morning, not necessarily physically you know pulling myself out of bed or up and then transferring to my chair it was just trying to shake the sleep out of my brain and to have the motivation to get up and slide into my chair. Luckily this is a day that Melissa will be here to shower me and everything else so I had to get going I had to get the coffee made so that she would have hot coffee when she gets here. I make that a thing I do every day that she's here I believe in keeping my staff happy. Showers and stuff is uneventful I appreciate it that she swept the floors up in the kitchen and the TV room every little bit helps. The high point of my day was or is the ones I shared with my good buddy Dwayne. I met him at the park across from our building. The weather this morning was beautiful in the afternoon pretty much. Had clouds and some feisty winds but it was warm so that made it all worthwhile. We found a table under the Pavilion at the park sure that we're three young adolescents males Rambling On and On but we kept ourselves and they pretty much kept to them. Dwayne picked up hamburgers asked what I wanted and I said I wanted to McDonald's cheeseburger. The first line burger they've got with cheese on it I'd rather have just a regular burger but it seems too much for them to deal with as well as Dwayne interestingly he ended up getting Burgers from someplace else Something Something In and Out. The burgers are okay they're cold by the time he got here but that's all right fries were still kind of warm but they were cooling off quickly that's all right. For beverage Dwayne brought me a Red Mountain Dew which I thought was just perfect . He knows me well enough that I like anything red . I enjoyed the time with Dwayne. We don't talk about anything in particular just Ramble On usually about politics and how bad the local Administration is then just random things hold me and talk about. We did a good 2 hours together and he moved on and so did I back to the apartments.7

The storm they've been forecasting all week finally begin moving in this afternoon. The clouds begin to Bunch up and the wind picked up as the low pressure system moved in. Temperature stayed warm even with the clouds moving in it for right now anyway. I wanted to make sure I had something on hand in case the rain tomorrow was more than they expected so I do the fast run over to the market next door picked up a few things you know burritos frozen, chips, celery a stock the bottle of V8 things you need to do to get through a rainstorm and a weekend. The rain supposed to move out Sunday afternoon and warm up again next week. I'm counting on the rain tomorrow morning to keep me focused on getting the Letters Out.

Q

Thursday thoughts

I finally got both charging cables to work and was able to charge my cell phone as well as my writing tablet to the maximum levels! I really thought my tablet was toast, I had dropped the tablet one too many times. I'm really quite surprised that the trailer to the screen on my tablet is not as traumatic. I've used this piece a long time and it hardly ever kept it as pristine as I was able to do that one but time ran out and the tablet slipped off my lap and landed just right and now I've got these feathers cracks all over my screen. I can still see good enough to write between the crack lines and I guess if I really was into Tick Tock or the other video channels I would be more upset. Thank goodness I am not. I just want to have something to write on and it looks like there's going to be a little more time on this particular document writer.

There's no coffee social this morning at the apartment complex. I can't remember what excuse the older Hispanic ladies used to not have the function oh I remember. Non-profit housing Corp, is the outfit that runs this apartment operation I'm in. They had their annual meeting today the news are common room which is big and spacious it looks nice and of course we were displaced and nobody really cared that much anyway I did I thought we should have had it someplace else but they didn't. So I was basically left on my own as We Know. The day was nice I wanted to make good use of the time and I did need to get change monetary change so I would have $10 bills to send my grandkids that still got money or get money. That means I would have to do a trip to the credit union. The credit union trip was uneventful I caught the bus outside my apartment got off at the transit hub picked up the 47 westbound get me off at the credit union. I got cash then came back home as soon as possible. This still took all the rest of the morning I got home just a little bit before lunch time. I'm still semi committed to using my cache in the closet. I've got the huge amount of Mormon chili the last couple months and I focused on eating some of that. Makes a great lunch with soda crackers. Following lunch I read a little bit out in the Wind came back and did a half an hour on my arm bike to make my 200 minutes for the week. I'll be getting to develop some issues with the arm bike I'm not sure how to correct them. I've called their home number before but never have gotten any real solution. I was involved in a little bit last five and came back into the apartment to watch the news. I slowed down a little bit now, the sun is done it's worse on me I need to be drinking more liquids. I've been riding today's blog on the tablet seems to be doing just fine. I think I might need to start looking at another writing device. I'm exhausted, I think I do not have my sea legs ready yet for the Heat that's going to be summer. It's almost Friday which means it's almost the weekend again.

Coffee Talk

Somehow, miraculously, I was able to get the cable plug into work and actually charge up my tablet almost to 100%. I got up to 85% I decided I would take it off the charger and use it to write my blog entry for the evening. Still I think it's pretty weird that it's taken me like almost 18 hours to charge this thing to the 85% level. I still have to figure out another way to charge this piece of equipment or maybe it's time to let this thing go and get another one. Sadly, these cheap little tablets are beginning to pile up like cordwood around my apartment. Had lunch with a good friend today well not lunch we had coffee and she mentioned that I should take my tablet into that program I work for assistive technology Foundation and see what they can do as far as either fixing it or finding me a worthy replacement had and affordable price. This is actually a great idea and I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it sooner since I'm on this part of directors and I also think that's where I this tablet came from. That was a number of years ago but still not an excuse.

We had our coffee today at Starbucks. It's a little trendy I agree, and that's not the term I want to use but I can't remember what the term is, but it's quiet enough not very many people were there during the times that we were. They don't bug us to buy more stuff we usually get that one beverage or a treat or both I had a muffin and a latte it really does sound bourgeois.

It's hard to believe that it's the end of May June will be just a couple days away and of course that means kid letters have to go out soon if I'm going to keep myself rule of trying to get these letters out by the first of each month. I keep telling myself it's not that big of a deal but somehow I must keep true to the form of out by the 1st or as close to it as I can every month. It also means I've got to run to the Credit Union pull out cash for those kids that still get cash every month. It gives me purpose and I like that it's almost as good as a job as far as having something to do and a reason to propel yourself out of bed every morning. I'm pretty pleased with myself even with meeting with Lori for coffee I still have been able to get in by our arm bike workout and I even got ccxthe clothes back from the dryers folded as well as hung up. That's touching a lot of bases in one day and that's pretty decent for me all things considered. All that things get a little bit out of hand tonight after I got home from coffee. I watched a little news and I and had a meager dinner the Ritz crackers and soup. I even had a small ice cream sandwich for dessert it was a pretty good day.