To Fox or not to Fox

Fire Fox Boys
Welcome to the Blog scene James and Mark—pretty cool. I look forward to seeing and reading your efforts. Shelly has a couple entries into hear poetry blog. I am sorry James I lost your blog address so email me your blog address. We almost got networked last night. Mark was over for four hours yesterday and we nearly got the computers to recognize one another. I am sure it’s just a twickle here or there and we’ll be up and running…then to the next step, which will be “nuking” the hard drive. I have so many hijacking viruses(?) pathetic and uncomfortable; NO ONE believes you when you tell them the icon on your desktop to an adult website just showed up and won’t go away no matter what you do. So it’s time to sanitize the drive and start over. I AM ready kiss off Internet Explorer an Netscape just down load Firefox and be done with it. I need to get back control over my system.

Holding off Chaos

It takes so much energy to hold off chaos. I know I have been been setting back the chaos all day. We started at 9:30 this morning by doing tyh4 dishes and ninety minutes after that we started on the bedroom.. The bedroom has been slipping in to chaos for the past six months. It is just so hard as one season slips into the next. One set of clothes is brought in from the shed thinking the other set will go out and the past season remains but is not used. Last season's get buried with washes of clothes never getting hung because there is not room because the former season's continue to take up space, throw in a couple of holidays—especially Christmas with gift clothes which add to th cycle of chaos, a couple of trips to the Shopko, Sears, or Target and soon you have chaos so grand you feel you, the human organism is getting crowed out by the garments. But today something moved us. Today, went o the bedroom following the dishes and we took on the chaos and brought order to the room. The reigning in has taken four hours maybe more but we have just about brought our order to the chaos of the clothes. Maybe next weekend chaos management be shorter.

“Shields Up” Family Reunion Ahead “Shields Up” Family Reunion Ahead“Shields Up” Family Reunion Ahead

I got the email this week. It official: THERE WILL BE A FAMILY REUNION THIS SUMMER! I thought I was off the hook for a couple of years because we just had a reunion last year. In the past it has taken the fam about 5 years to recover enough to consider another but now two reunions in a row and looks like more to come. Actually the older of the kids(there were ten of us) still are but counting spouses and extended families we are a whole lot more. All are getting to that age when they are looking to settle things or wax nostalgic enough to actually put up with the stress and trauma of getting everyone together. Already I see the stress clouds forming on the horizon. The first issue is the food. I was called by my sister after the soon after the email arrived. She has volunteered to coordinate the event. In that discussion she lets slip that there will be no cooking of food! It seems the brother, who did the cooking last year spent the whole time cooking. I think it was his “escape hatch” a noble calling which kept him of the discussion. No such luck this year—he will be part of the discussion and enjoy it. We will be dining on the best the Colonel, Ware mart or Target has to offer: deli potato salad, fried chicken, jello, par if, and soda. I am seriously considering bring my hibachi and cooking real food. Of course, I was duly threatened when I verbalized the threat.

I was so looking forward to Spring.

Friday-Payday

Last Light for Friday. Finally. The inversion has moved out—the only thing good about the inversion after the first of the year is: when the sun finally does return you notice the hours of light are getting longer…did I say that right? you know, it’s dark when I leave for work, inversion or no inversion. When we have an inversion for a couple of weeks and you leave the house roughly, the same time each day, it’s just dark. But, when finally, the inversion does move on and I crash out my front door in my power chair I see the first streaks of dawn: DAYLIGHT! Now, each day I leave it’s lighter and lighter and then it’s Spring.

So not only is it a Friday but it is also a payday and there are hints of Spring in the air. It does not get much better then this for the working Gimp. I wish all of you out there happy Friday and Happy Payday. It’s been almost a week now since Cinnamon passed. Dianne and I are still sort of mourning but moving on. We are at that weird stage where you still expect to see her everytime you turn the corner, or when you come home at night or you turn the corner to the bed room and you swear you saw the tip of her tail just slip out of the corner of you vision. I went through this when Sheelan died. I swear I saw Sheelan everywhere. Sheelan was this cute little crip chick who worked at the same independent living center I did. She died of ARDS a while ago now. She used a big old power chair for mobility she was pretty cool. So, I know these weird events are just part of mourning process. Life moves on.

My Buddy Marv 

Thursday Thursday

< >Rain and sleet and some snow and more forecast for this day. I brought in the van today—I know I am so week but it’s Thursday , I am supposed to go to a meeting this afternoon but now I don’t know. My partner called a few minutes ago to inform me she was not coming in today. She was actually going to work only half a day any way. My meeting is not till 3:30 this afternoon—I will ask Angela if she can watch the phones for the last 90 minutes of the day. If Angela cannot then I’ll miss the meeting. This afternoon’s meeting is the Utah Housing Coalition, fairly important meeting for Access Utah Network from a visibility standpoint. I have never been satisfied with the amount of attention these folks have focused on issues of disability housing along the Wasatch Front and the State of Utah. But, I feel, one has to be there or one does not have a voice.

I spent some great time with Marv F. from Logan. I always forget how great a guy he is. I always come away from a meeting with Marv uplifted if not inspired. He is on the verge of having some time to focus on doing some creative writing and I would really like Marv to consider writing some fiction. I would be very intrigued with what he might come up with.

With the rain, perhaps this inversion is ready to move on—still cloudy though and the sleet is cold and wet but I know Spring is coming.

Oh Nooooooo!

Ohnooooooo!

I was really hoping the sun would breakthrough today, but not yet…but I know it’s coming this inversion cannot, will not last for ever! One of the guys I ride the train with is under going neuro-surgery this morning for brain cancer. This is the worst, I would think; but, I have been impressed how well this guy is taking everything. I hope when my time comes I handle things as good as this guy. I just met him, riding the train, I mean that’s what happens riding the train. You see someone over, and over, every day and soon you’re talking, and then becoming and then caring and soon you have a friend, even if you did not start out with this in mind it just happens. This guy is named Don, I mean I know him a little, like I said he is on my train, but he is a nice enough guy. I have to get him a book, a specific book, I have to go out and find him the first book in the Turtledove series WORLD WAR . I told Don about the series once and he seemed intrigued…I just have to find out the results of his surgery to see if he will need “talking books “ or will be able to make do with just the regular books. Neurosurgery can mess a person up so bad.

No word back from the MDs office yet. The doctor’s office has my work number but have left two messages on the machine at home to call them for the results. So, I just called and now Susan the main nurse is out on family emergency and sounds like other staff are gone as well. So I don’t know if I’ll get the results today. I am probably dieing. I do have a weird sensation in my chest…OH Noooooooooooo!

Thanks Gabe!

Gabe and Ani on a Snow Day Helping me dig out
Good old Gabe saved our butts again. The last couple of days there has been an ominous sitting of water in the hallway behind the fridge. The fridge is a side-by-side fridge and freeze, with water dispenser and auto icemaker. Something is leaking behind the fridge and is impossible to get at without moving the whole unit out. We have been placing towels down and it has been soaking through pretty fast—mind you the water is seeping out onto the hard wood flooring in the hall way so this has to stop. So the only option I to get under the house and turn the water off at the source. So we called on Gabe—he came over with Ani and he had the water turned off in ten minutes. Thanks Gabe. What really irks me is that because I use a wheelchair for mobility and have no hands to speak of, I am a quad from a motorcycle wreck years ago. If I was able bodied I could do all this stuff but I cannot. Dianne does what she can and when she can but really has to do a lot of stuff that I would do in other realities. It’s the way of livening “independent” with disability. You grab what you can who you can- and it’s usually neighbors or family. It’s how you have to get by if you’re a guy in a chair.

Cinnamon about three years ago 

Monday AM traumas

The inversion holds but a low pressure is trying to push itself into the area, perhaps by midweek or the weekend.I just have to be patient this too hall pass. I am zooming! Today was really the first day to test the endurance of the new batteries, but they worked like champs. I left the van in the drive way and rode the chair up to the trax station. Monday mornings are traumatic enough; add to that trauma a death in the family over the weekend i.e. Cinnamon and I was up late not matter what, and that translates to getting out the door. I have to admit I did OK, the train operator saw me cross the tracks and actually held up the train till I could get to the ramp up and in by doing that I was put back on schedule. http://www.accessut.org/ and go to “Salesbank. Or just click the hotlink. Cinnamon died yesterdays so did Johnny Carson. I think I liked Cinnamon a whole lot more.

Inversion

I forget how drab Salt Lake valley becomes once the inversion sets in. Again no sun, dark skies and cool temps. What's really weird is that a person can drive thirty miles in any direction and you drive right out into a bright clear and warmer day. We will not do that not today though. Cinnamon, our dog of 13 years broke her front leg last night jumping on to the bed. Cin had been having a rough go of it past couple of months. Her bone have calcified pretty bad and she was limping every where she went., She seemed happy though, wagged her tail, not s much as usual, but all in all she seemed glad to be round. After we quieted her down though you could tell the front leg was indeed broke. This morning she could not even do her ADLs. We had to do something. We elected put her down. ?A hard decision but the only one for Cinnamon. I was surprised at how efficient and straightforward the event went. Emotional but OK. We went to our pet smart who did the deed for $109.00. What was really interesting was the way the dealt with us...just like a mortuary. Hushed voices, staff was very supportive and they had a special exit so we would not have to go back out in front all the people at the store with all their live and healthy animals. I thought was hokey at first but after going through the event I appreciated the exit. The DMV was great, took time to explain how and what was happening to Cinnamon as she was going through the injections and dying. The process was swift and painless for Cin. Gabe went with us and we appreciated that. Gabe was great. Ani has spent the night and was with us this morning when we decided to let Cinnamon go. Bridget stayed at the house with Ani while we drove to Pet Smart. Ani took the event very well for a 5 year old. So it's done. Cinnamon is in a happier place, all the cars and cats she can case, roast beef every meal and dog treats given out by little boys and girls who never has a friend as good as Cinnamon in their lives.

Saturday Night

Saturday night, and I wanted to get a couple of thoughts down before I finished this day. I made it to Jamies OK. He drew blood for PSA and a urine sample but he did not seem too concerned. I even got the script for the new power wheelchair. I must now convince the insurance folks of my need. OH! I also had enough time to stop at the battery place and get two new batteries. The batteries are great I had gobs of power all day. I felt invincible as I shopped and ran errands.

<>Dianne brought Auni home to spend the night when she came back from her Dr’s appointment and the two of them have been goofing off ever sense. I washed some dishes, spoke with Shelly a moment. I have also been reading my current novel Moonfall, Jack McDevitt. This is a great read. I recommend the novel to anyone who wants great SCIENCE in their science fiction. Mc Devitt is great in that he not only speculates the “"What if"” He then actually writes about “he what if” like he knows what will actually happen if something sciency actually happened like a giant comet were to smash into the moon. I wish I read faster. —It takes me so long to read a book compared to other folks. I do eventually get through the books and I do enjoy the exercise. Oh by the way, Michelle Au is pregnant!

Dipping Back Into the Medical Model

Friday! I have worked a couple of hours over this week so I can leave the office a couple of hours early so I can go see Jamie, my MD, to get the hallowed signature and support letter needed to see if I can get my insurances to cover the cost of a NEW power wheelchair. This is always a trip, to see if Jamie will do it or not. I am sure he will! He always has just scripted out what ever I thought I needed to live as independently as possible. My Doc is Jamie Longee and he is the best, not intimidating, lets the consumer call the shots, a GP, but has an interest in Spinal cord Injury(SCI). I am beginning to have medical issues secondary to the aging process which I feel might be specific to SCI and quite frankly scare the snot of bringing the issues up even to Jamie. I just do not want to have to go back into the medical environment, no poking, no sticking, no cutting no rehab! BUT, I am experiencing discomfort more and more from sitting to urination. I realize that as I age I’ll have to be seen for these issues and that is that. I can always say "“no”" to anything suggested and see where I go from there.

I hope I have enough time, before my appointment, to get the batteries. I want to see if they will install them too but I doubt if that will happen. If I can just pick up the batteries today. I may be able to corner someone over the weekend to actually install the batteries.

Please Pass the Piroshki

The meeting with the Sister City program was interesting but late and long. The meeting place had been changed and I did not get the email. I actually got to the original designated place and even downloaded before finding out the meeting place had changed. I finally got to the new place Europa just before the meeting time. I am just amazed at how many Russian deli s and restaurants are popping up in the Salt Lake City area. I got in and made the general introductions right on time. There was about twenty people there throughout the evening most being Russian. We started right in on dinner. I was intrigued at how bland this food was. When I was at university Professor Skirmatz made the class a number of meals and I found her food quite tasty compared with last night’s fare. I shall keep an open mind however. What was fun was using my rusty Russian language skills. I am still quite a novice but the ability to even try with real live speakers is very reinforcing. I am at least looking at my grammar again. Who knows where this will wind up.

There look to be three Utah Cities in the Russian sister-City program. Salt Lake, West Jordan and Tooele; each having there own cities. The ROTARY is a big player with this project too. I am sure there will be more to come. The meeting went on for some time--I did not even get out till 9:30 or so...A long day for the Old Guy.

Inversions and Russian-My Long Day

<>The inversions are back for Salt Lake City. We live is a Valley and when the high pressure moves is the cold settles in the vales and then gets capped by warmer air on top and the breathable air begins to stagnate, add to thousands and thousands of auto coming in and leaving work each day and you get Salt Lake City Black Air (SLCBA). You can see it, literally! Say if an inversion were to start on Monday and by Monday night’s drive home you could see the layer of sludge air beginning to sit on the city. If the inversion continues Tuesday is darker and breathing alerts are issued by Wednesday and everyone is praying for wind movement or precipitation by Thursday. I think you can see some of this if you go to the DOT website I have linked and access some of the cams on the map—you’ll find this interesting.

I feel guilty because I drove my van in today. I usually use public transit (UTA). So, today I have done my part to add to the City’s particulate levels. But I have a meeting this evening with the delegation from Salt Lake’s Russian sister city. This will start at 7:00 and go for who knows how long. This is my first meeting with the folks and I’ll advise how the meeting goes. I am the crip representtive. I suppose I represent the Salt Lake City Crips reaching across the world to our sister Russian City Crips in Izhevsk. This should be an interesting evening. I even drug out my old Russian Grammar…

Just Get The Wet Ones!

The answer came to me in the middle of the night, not a blinding flash just the answer--"Just get the wet ones!" When I was calling round for batteries yesterday, one of the battery house I talked to indicated they had a wet, deep cycle battery which cost $50.00. Then he told me the battery was the kind which had to be maintained like vehicle batteries-in other words every so often you have to open the battery up and add water if needed or check the density and you could never take the batteries with you on an air flight...The batteries I have been pricing are group 24, deep cycle, sealed gel cell batteries. These are the only battery for flying. Well, when the battery tech indicated the type of batteries the $50 buckers were "Wet batteries" I deep sixed the idea and kept trying to figure out a way to get the gell cells without breaking the bank.

I must have been mulling round the issue in my unconscious and realized that I hardly ever travel by air and if I do I never take my Jazzy. I have made the appointment to see Jamie( my doc) and if all goes well I will be ordering a new Jazzy very shortly , so I would not be using the "wet" batteries very long anyway. The major downside is if I ever turned my Jazzy over-- and it's been down once or twice--I could get acid burns but I really doubt this is a possibility...FLASH--so get the $50.00 cores and get the camera !!! I am going to make the call later this morning.

It's a Tuesday/Monday( when a week starts after a holiday--you get the first day of the week feeling on the second day of the week-- just a bit of temporal confusion

It’s Extortion!!

I have been on the phone all morning. I thought since I had the day Off I should do something productive with my time. Get then needed batteries for my power chair. I called and called and found the batteries ranged anywhere $170.00 to 350.00 EACH!! Unbelievable! I am even considering lying in wait at the local Independent Living Center and pulling the plug on some unspecting crip as the exit the place and then remove his or her batteries—I mean these guys got them on Medicaid anyway—hey get replaced but then I would be as bad as the durable medical equipment vendors. So, alas, I am going to try to go through the system and see what I can do.

<> I have been told that if I got a prescription from my MD that I might be able to get a new power chair. I have decided to go this route. I called and made an appointment with my Doc for this Friday to get the script for new chair and discuss with the pain issues I have had this past weekend. So keep your fingers crossed. The chair I have now is a Jazzy 1120—it’s an older model of power chair. I got the chair used a few years ago when the chair popped up on my used equipment website. If I were to get a new chair it would be under warranty for a while and I’d have a dependable ride. The chair really saves me all kinds of money not having to drive my van all the way into work each day. I have figured the chair saves me at least $80.00 a month in gasoline alone.

So from now till I can get another chair or new batteries I am going to drive me van to the Trax stop and from there trax into work and charge the battery all day and return. I do not know what else to do. If anyone has access to a set of Group 24 deep cycle, gel cell batteries let me know.

Sunday Morning Back Pains

Typical! I slept poorly during the night--problems taking a leak. I just could not go. I finally did get some sleep but woke with pain and bloated feelings...probably third stage renal failure. Dianne suggested I might be experiencing enlarged PROSTATE!!...I think Dianne might be right. Great! Probably cancer!!! So this is just one more thing to have checked out. God, I love the aging process. I will be lucky to see sixty. So, this week I must make arrangements to get off work and start the testing process. I am sure this is the end my friend. I'll keep you posted.

It's a holiday weekend for me so I am still trying to have some fun. I am cooking today. I am making lasagna . Dianne has run to the store to get a couple of ingreedents I did not have here at the house so I am catching up on the blog till her returrn. A quiet , cloudy day in Murray--really too cold to go outside. I am starting to read a novel MOONFALL and looks like it will be a good read.

Dianne is back now, we have mixed the rest of the lasagna and it is cooking it's last 10 minutes. Bridget , the daughter, came over and she and Dianne in the sauna. Hopefully everything will be done soon and we can eat. I am hungery.

I love sunday nights on a holiday weekend I know I have another day to enjoy and I intend to. Every one have great MLK day!!!

It Never Fails!

Last night when I got home from work I had a letter from Mack. Dr Mack Gift is the director of the Utah Mental Health Association. I have done Mack's web page for a number of years now and i had just billed him a week or so agao. There was a check in the envelope what was very cool. A couple of hundred. I had sort of been thinking that when this mony came I would invest in a new digital camera. The one I have now is a fossil a one meg a pixil. The camera has served me will but it is time to of up and I was really hoping I could. But, as you have read in earlier posts I really do need to get new batteris for my Jazzy. Odd as it is the money in the check $270.00 I just a little more then I need for the new wheelchair batteries. If I buy them from a battery house andn have someone I know istall them then I would have enough...if i have the evil DME (durable medical equipment) vendor do the operation ithe istallastion will cost more then $300.00!!! Piss me off. So, instead of getting th new camera I eel I must make the adult, responsible dcision and replace the batteries. I almost ran out of juice again today when I went shopping. I can get by for a while longer but I feel the time is coming when the current (no pun) batteries will not hold a charge at all. So maybe next billings I can move up in my picture taking.

Well, it's saturday night and Dianne is at her Doc ppointment and I need to put some hamburgers together--then I might burn a couple of CD's if I have the time or energy.

Back at the office

I just could not get the hours to come out right. So, I elected to come in the a.m. for couple of hours. That way I can leave with a clear conscience and even give the State an hour or so. I wish I were not so weird that way. I did take the afternoon yesterday off. I stopped at Magic Rest and they load tested my batteries and there seems to be nothing wrong with the chair or the batteries. I guess the batteries are just old and not holding a charge, plus the fact I drive the hell out of the chair, it's freezing and I weigh a ton--so maybe I just need to stop boobing bite the bullet and invest in two new batteries. I can afford it $230.00. This is the price if I buy the batteries from a battery house and have a brother or neighbor install the batteries...otherwise it will cost me $300.00 or more (see yesterdays or maybe fore posting regarding the screwing of America’s disabled. So I am sitting here at my desk with my power wheelchair plugged in so I have enough juice o make the train for my 11:00 meeting. I noticed I had a flat tire on my van last night when a slow leak. I had Dianne fill up the tire and I drove the van into work and dropped it off at the Firestone and should be ready when I am done at DDS. I am off after the meeting about 1:30 so maybe I'll get the batteries today and have them installed over the holiday weekend.

69 Hours and Counting

<>It’s Thursday, a short day for me. I calculated my hours and I am sitting on 69 hours for this pay period ! I figure I can put in 5 hours today then with my meeting at Disability Determination Services tomorrow I’ll have my 80 hours in this period. I will just leave from home for the meeting tomorrow, counting transportation I will not even have to come into the office unless I am needed but Cecilia has the office covered; there for I am free after tomorrow’s meeting. Meeting time is always due-able compared to desk-time.

I have to go down to Magic Rest today after work. Remember the issue of losing all the power in my chair last week? I am going in to have my batteries load-tested. I realized these are new batteries, I Just bought them last September they shouldn’t be downloading this fast. My controller is clicking madly too and I am hoping these two items are not related, either way I know the experience is going to cost me. I am praying the issue is with the batteries and they still will be warranted (?) . I also found out yesterday when I called to set up my appointment, with Magic Rest, that the batteries were only 35 amp rather then the 75 amps I thought the batteries were. So I wonder how much of a jerk I need to be to make sure I get my needs met. You know the hard part about being a crip I not being able to do the physical thing I used to be able to do but getting screwed every time I turned around which forces me to be in continual asshole mode—I just hate that.

Something very Scifi

The weirdest thing happened last night as I was waiting for the train home. I usually catch the train out of town at the Galivan Center in Downtown Salt Lake City. Well, I had just powered up to the Station and my train just pulled out. I have to wait another 20 minutes before the next train comes. There is a great bookstore right across from the Trax stop called Sam Weller’s Zion Book Store. Sam Weller’s put in a coffee bar over Christmas and it looks out onto the Trax stop. The weather had tuned cold by the afternoon (still no damn snow!) I can sit there in the warm, coffee aroma(ed) bookstore and keep track of the time. Here is the weird part. I noticed the electronic announcement board (where the digital clock is located and train arrivals are announced) went dark…these never go dark. I thought this was pretty weird so left the bookstore and went back onto the Trax stop so as not to miss my train. I noticed by the time I got to the top of my ramp that the displays were back on. When I looked closer I was blown away because they read “1:35 am January 1, 2095’. I looked round at the other passengers to see if they thought was strange but no one seemed to notice! About two minutes pass then all of the sudden the display changed to read “5:33 pm --January 11, 2005”. The universe was back to normal. I am trying to get hold of the Authority (Utah Transit Authority) to see if they can explain this to me but as yet to no avail. I am sure there is a really great explanation for this glitch I just thought it odd.

I have a choice!

It’s so great being a crip in the wealthiest country on Earth! This morning I woke to rain, lots of rain with the possibility of the rain turning over to snow before I return tonight from work on Trax. Last night the rain was just a drizzle nt bad and I was surprised when Dianne showed up with the van and picked me up… That’s my point the big decision I had this morning was to take or not to take the van in to the Trax station. I really hate taking the Van in to the Trax station or even work for that matter. Driving the van is such a hassle: it require at least two transfers, plus the terrifying ride up the lift to the van—I just know that is the way I die. Or some reason I am going to end up driving my Jazzy off the lift in the up position and I’ll be dead and the end of the story. I digress, the point is I have a choice and I still bitch how pathetic is that? So I drove the van and I feel fine.

Read me! 

Let Gramps Powerchair go-

One of the things I do for a living is manage an Information and Referral line for people with disabilities. We have a number of pages with this website and perhaps the most valuable, in my estimation, is the Salesbank: a place where people, who have used equipment, can list the product for sale, trade or donation. This seems like a great website and program until one realizes that the people are left after the person with a disability dies try to get as much money as possible from the equipment left behind. What happen they list a power wheelchair for (usually) thousands of dollars and no one can afford the product. This issue is complicated by the fact that durable medical vendors-folks who sell this equipment refuse the take anything back once the product has been sold. I know of numerous accounts when the product was ordered for someone who was on life support and died before the item got to them leaving the family with new equipment, which must be sold as used. So the family cuts the price in half so the family is now offering the equipment for 2,000–3,000 dollars still keeping the item way out of reach of the common person or family let alone one which is experiencing disability. I envision the item will sit in the garage of the basement for a couple of years and eventually be sent the way of the local salvation army pick-up or worse, the dump.

Today I have had two calls for power wheelchairs from people with disabilities with little or no funding needing to get some form of mobility preferably sooner then later. Common people most of this equipment was purchased with second party payer money—their insurance or some government program bought the equipment. Let it go- gramps would have wanted it that way!!

Waiting for the Storm

<>
The promised storm never arrived! I was hoping to wake this morning to inches of snow but alas no snow, just warm temperatures. ` Actually that's OK. Once I accept there will not be the snow for me and my` wheelchair to contend with I am happy. The clouds are hanging low on the great Wasatch Range and after yesterday's challenges and trauma I have elected to stay in and I am cooking. I de-boned the ham, froze several packages of the red meat to use for sandwiches and other meals and place what was left of the bone into a vat of water with garlic, onions and carrots and the3 house smells great. Dianne cleaned house and brought in a load of wood for the fire place; perhaps if the fabled storm does arrive we can have a fire with our ham and beans tonight. Ahuni called from the cabin a couple of hours and go and she and her parents may join us for dinner too. The great table in the front--room has been cleared we'd have ample room. Dianne is working online with the desktop and I am hold up in my writing lair with the laptop. I still have to put together scalloped potatoes.

Shelly called and we had a great conversation--how can one ever be bored with quantum mechanics? We set up a blog for her but she does not feel committed to it yet...I think she will be though--poems and pondering--this is my Shelly.

It's not yet three in the afternoon so I feel I am still in the weekend---three PM on Sunday seems to be the hour of change for me. I start at that time thinking seriously of Monday and making what I call "Monday noises", getting the back pack filled with what I think I am going to need the coming week, finding my shoes, scarf and gloves, books, wallet and transit pass and putting everything by the front door. I hate Monday morning chaos.

I fall there for I am.

It’s another in between day, warm ands windy. More snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow so I figured I had better get my errand done while I could get round Ok. I had a number of things which would have necessited me getting in and out of my power wheelchair. I figured if I just drove to the train station and jump the train into the city this would be the least amount transfers. So I filled the van up and drove to the station and trained into downtown Salt Lake. I banked, went to the library, bought some Cat 5e cable and came on home.

<>You know every day is an adventure and today was no exception. The adventure really did not come until I was on my way home. The day had been windy with more sun the clouds but by afternoon things had began to reverse, more cloud had moved in and the wind took on a cold bite. I had not really powered my chair too bad but I could tell I was draining by batteries much quicker then I had anticipated. (I am going to have to invest in new batteries very soon it seems) By the time I had reached my home station my power warning lights were flashing. In fact I had to have some one push me up the ramp at the 2100 South Station. I figured I could make it to my van when I got to the 6400 South Station, after all it’s all down hill from the train to where I have my van parked. I had just gotten down the ramp and crossed the tracks and was heading toward my van, the last red light was frantically flashing, and my forward motion had <>Slowed to a crawl, I really thought I was OK…I may have to have some push me up onto my lift but I felt I was going to make it. But then my front castor hit something and my forward motion seized and I flew out of the chair and I was on the concrete. I had not belted in and had my arms fill with books, back pack etc and I just bit it. I laid there on the pavement for what seemed along time. A couple of old ladies wandered over and asked what they could do—there was no way they were going to lift me up. I just laid there looking at the world passing by wondering if I was going to freeze to death…but no today. Luckily a couple of UTA guys happen up and threw me back into my chair. I was messed up but I was OK. I had these guys follow me the rest of the way to my van to make sure I got in OK—then I drove home.

First time this year, each year I note I fall a few more times then I did the year before.

Four times last year, no broken bones…It’s just the second week in January.

Friday in Between Day

I should feel better that the weeken is finally here but I am just moderately excited. There is snow called for tomorrow and Sunday and the snow fell all day yesterday; meaning the wind which is forcast for today will be dangerously cold. The sun is out though and I can feel each day stretch a little longer it's time of sunlight. I can stand a little cold for more sun and each day getting closer to Spring. However, I did bundle and Trax( local term for taking the train into work. My power chair worked fine, charged up nd ready I just plowed upto the station.

I was a bit vexed on getting into work--I am usually the first in the office --and I had a call waiting and sure enough it was Cecilia and she has sick kids and is not coming in today. This is not a prob except I was going to take off the afternoon for hours I put in overtime on Monday night before Advisory Board. Oh well I just have to pace myself. It should be quiet in the back here today.

You might notice different sized fonts today. I am still getting into this blog thing and I am trying to find myself and how i want to write but I am finding the experience so far helpful at least orienting me to writing something which might be read each day.

Currently reading: Picoverse, Robert Metzger...intertaining read dabbling in just enough hard science to keep me interested. I shall have to explore more Metzger

Circles in the Snow

Snow fell during the night, not a lot but enough to make patterns as I wander toward my train stop. I catch the train early, a little after six in th a.m. I use a huge power chair, a Jazzy 1120. I travel about 6 blocks on the back streets of Murray Utah. I seem to be the only soul up and out in the snow at the time and i often make great patterns in people's driveways and out in the street. I spend most of my time in the street--cars don't use sidewalks-why should I ? The snow was falling --not too hard just hard enough to make you feel alive. There are three stop lights on the way to my train stop. It's so wierd stopping at a light in the middle of the night, no one else is round just you and the snow--I feel like a line from a Robert Frost Poem. I look both ways and run the light.