Coffee shop capers

  I am so glad I have the coffee shop right next door to my apartment. If I didn't have that I would certainly look pathetic as far as my weekends go. As long as I've got the apartment next to the coffee shop I always have something to tell people when they ask me what I did over the weekend and it seems like being present at the coffee shop on Saturday satisfies the assumption that I hold value as an human being. They don't want to hear about who I talk to just that I was involved in doing something productive. This actually makes me sound somewhat pathetic but not really. I enjoy showing up and having the the coffee guys fill my order without me even having to let them know what I want. This morning I actually stopped by the table by the door which has all the fixings to make your coffee a little bit more enjoyable you know like the cream and the sugars and the creamers and all that kind of stuff and I pick up two packs of pink sugar substitute stuff- I should know what it's called but I can't remember it right now - - which I will hand to the kid behind the counter to help with my coffee what I need to remember is too also let the kid know that I need to have some sort of white stuff put in my coffee you know milk, creamer, half and half whatever. Takes the edge off the coffee. I usually have Italian Roast when it's available but today I went with French roast. It's not like I really know the difference except for I do like Italian flavor-wise. They don't have Italian every time I'm there so I default the French which is just as good in so many ways.

Once I pay for my coffee I Wander over to a table that is open and then they will bring my coffee over when it's done. Then I just sit back and watch Folks at the table sit in the hammer away. It's the same people every week the same people said at the same long table. I once asked why this was the case and it's one of the folks told me that they all used to work together and I've had coffee together as a group for years if not decades. Is there a raggedy and frizzly group but they seem to get along well telling the same jokes every week or talking about the same experiences every week or in general just getting politically verbal. It's pretty interesting. I like to be invisible as possible sometimes I even right down thier comments to use in my own writing when I need to have some sort of dialogue and what I'm writing about. I think it makes the whole process sound a bit more authentic. Then, all of a sudden, as if On Cue everyone begins to stand up and say their goodbyes and head out into the morning. It's almost an hour exactly. Not far away from where this group was sitting is another long table of folks drinking coffee and in 10 minutes they get up and leave and what was the really busy little morning is now somewhat quiet and lonely. I take that as my cue to leave. I still have 3/4 of a cup of coffee which I'll take home and nurse for the rest of the day if not weekend. I like Saturday mornings at the coffee shop it's too bad I look so pathetically alone …

Friday's finish

 I think I briefly mentioned this before but across the street from our apartment complexes they Taylorsville Senior Center and it's like kind of a full service operation for seniors of course. One of the things they offer is a lunch a hot lunch every day except the weekend and quite frankly their food isn't all that good except for a few items which I find difficult for anyone to mess up too significantly. But over the last couple of months I've been paying more attention to the menu which is published monthly and we keep a menu tacked up in the laundry area on it's bulletin board. When something seems unusually appetizing shows up I try to keep track and then take the meal on. I noticed last week that friday, today the meal was going to be meatloaf! I love meatloaf and I suppose there's probably wasted mess it up but overall I'd take that risk. I think the menu stated it would be meatloaf, whipped potatoes and gravy and whatever green thing they chose to service the seniors with. So I stuck it on my agenda that I was going to go to the senior Friday lunch for meatloaf. Excite me these days but a possible meatloaf lunch was one of those that did and I just sort of hung around the apartments all morning waiting for 11:15 which is the one they start serving at the senior center.

I was actually in the process of putting my black watch cap on and putting rubber bands on my long sleeves to hold them up when I hear a knock on the door. I wasn't sure but I was almost sure who it was. Earlier this week when I met Kelly who was the occupational therapist Aid she indicated she would be coming sometime this week to see my strategies to get it and out of bed as well as possible address. I kind of thought today was the day but I wasn't really sure all I knew was that I was going to see her before she left for a week's vacation which I knew would be next week so finally the day had to be the day and of course. I yelled come in and it was Kelly the occupational therapist associate class assistant. She apologize for being late she had some issues with some of her other clients earlier and was just getting free of a long-term patience earlier on. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was on my way out for lunch. I guess I could have done that and got my meatloaf but it didn't seem right Kelly had really had a bad morning and was openly excited to be here to work with me it's kind of Spooks me. I tucked my desire for a meatloaf lunch to the back of my mind knowing that I was not going to get done in time to get a lunch. That's okay not a big deal. I just kept my mouth shut and acted like I totally remembered today was the day that we are going to exhibit by disability lifestyle. Of course Kelly is enamored with me things I do so many incredible independent items. That's okay with me I always like a little hero worship so rare anymore. It's difficult for me to transfer from my chair to my bed but I'm fully clothed. Immediately I took my shoes off and saddled up to the bed. I explained to Kelly about how close I had to be to the bed how I worked the mattress down and pulled the arm off of my chair so I can transfer over. Then I did show her how I hung up on the trapeze and how I used it to pull myself over till I lost balance and hit the bed. She was impressed I was impressed that I was able to do the transfer with my clothes on it was a little difficult to hang around the bed and that's even more difficult to transfer back Kelly helped with that actually tugging on my shorts to help plus me over to the bed. She was excited though and told me to keep on doing what I was doing because I was doing great sometimes that's just good to hear…

Busy days

It was a semi busy Thursday and that's okay. I spent a good part of the day in the apartment just because it look like it was cold and yucky outside but when I went out check it out it was not too bad at all. In fact I even went over to the market to pick up a few things. Did they start out as usual at 6:00 a.m. when I finally decide to get up. I've been watching the clock for almost an hour when I woke up around 5:00 a.m. and I just couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't really have anything to do this morning except social coffee until I was contacted by the wounds care specialist. She was worked into my schedule yesterday when the other individual looked at me and looked at my leg and indicated I needed to have a wound care specialist look at it take care of it and I was impressed this morning when I got the text that she was coming over. I was able to fit her in before the coffee group which kind of impressed me. The wound care specialist was kind of a plain change she knew what she was doing but she wasn't too impressed with my wound and gave it some basic dressing I think she was less impressed with the fact that I didn't have a bunch of stuff ready at hand- - but I thought that she would provide- - to work on my wounds. Basically I've been using Melissa skill set and going after my wound with a lot of hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol we had the couple of other cleansing articles but not like what she was looking at are looking for so that was kind of strange. Now I want to get those items in so I'll have a good storage part of those benefits in case I have more wounds.

The coffee group was pretty much the same as always maybe four or five of the regular folks that just keep showing up couple of folks will stop by and get a cup of coffee but not really become part of the group and a lot of the old group just do not show up anymore. I have a sneaky suspicion that a lot of it is just plain bigotry by some of my friends here at the facility. I think a lot of these guys stop coming when a large portion of the Hispanic residents started showing up for coffee social which I think is just totally bizarre and weird. I cannot believe that these folks are that shallow but that seems to be the case. So I guess we will live by on our five regular folks until the disband the coffee group all together. I don't know if that will happen I don't know how much management relies on the benefit that coffee social renders are Grant makeup as far as a way to reach out to seniors and to increase their socialization. That is pretty clinical but I also sure that's pretty much the way that it is.

Perhaps the best part of my day was when I got a text from my granddaughter indicating that she and her boyfriend were coming over to visit since they hadn't really been at the breakfast for the last couple months. It seems that Jasmine had cooked a couple of banana breads I'm wanted to bring me over a couple of loaves. She made Mini banana bread rolls and I got two regular and two Walnut covered l o a v e s they were quite good. Jasmine and I did a lot of visiting while Jackson as usual worked on cleaning up the apartment he mopped and swept the floors and picked up a bunch of other stuff around the apartment which is really appreciated. We talked a lot enjoy each other's company and finally I sent them on their way and I was going to enjoy banana bread and fried chicken from the market …

More spring Blues

 It was another long cold, dark wet and somewhat windy day to be out in the elements and I was. I had a follow-up appointment at the medical center that I really needed to be to buy 10:50 a.m. this morning which meant that I was going to have to make sure my home health person got here earlier than usual so they can have all my materials and stuff done and out the door in time to catch the bus for the trip over to the Intermountain Healthcare facility which is actually relatively close. Melissa did get here about an hour earlier than usual and that helped a lot got the business done got dressed and threw on my stocking cap in my jacket and hit the road. I was not in too much discomfort but it was relatively unpleasant. I even put on my jacket halfway. Fortunately this appointment was just a follow-up appointment and it went smoothly though they did pull blood to check my medication levels and stuff to see if I needed to have more. I did grab lunch at the hospital cafeteria- I've always loved hospital food. Today I got sauerkraut dog with onion rings. This was kind of a mistake but not a bad one entirely they used good hot dogs.

X 

The trip home is uneventful was able to get into the apartment turn on the heater and start relaxing. My occupational therapist aide came later on she was running late but it was a good meeting and she provided a number of exercises that I would need to be doing which might help me increase my ability to be independent . Before I would have written OT suggestions as just silly things like shrugging my shoulders, turning my head one way then turning my head again the other way as much as I could the reason my hands over my head like I'm raising an imaginary barbell and other similar exercises there was a bunch of them she gave me a hand out with these written on that I need to be doing daily now. Like I said there is the time I would have seen this and just laughed the whole thing off as a scam almost but now I have a much more open mind and I think these things, if done appropriately, correctly could make a difference especially in the area of developing better body core strengthening as well as some balance things and other options she wants to get into as we go along. I'll be meeting with her again I believe on Friday where we will look at how I get in and out of bed and such that should be really interesting. I usually do this naked I've tried to do this with clothes on and it doesn't work very good but it should give the OT something to consider now. This person is quite sincere about these exercises and I will do them for my own benefit then hopefully that'll be enough. The OT was impressed with my arm bike as well as my Rickshaw out on the patio except for it's sort of been taken over by one of the backup chairs. And she was impressed with my backup chairs. I think she's going to be okay I think the whole OT thing is going to be really productive for me and making myself better than i was…

Tuesday chills

It was cold this morning rolling out the door but it was spring cold not winter cold which makes it big difference I suppose. I chose just to wear long sleeves a stocking cap and jacket that I can throw across my shoulders if the temperatures get too cold. I was kind of counting down the Sun but that wasn't an issue for today lots of clouds fortunately very little moisture in the fall of rain there has been a little bit of wind I could spend the last couple of days. We are certainly being thrown back to the very beginning of Spring versus the nearest summer like spring whether we've been having a late. I did the usual run around after the meeting. Over to the credit union then over to Taco Time enjoying all my regular items particularly the soft shell taco that I had for lunch. Of course it was probably more calories than I should have ingested but I was appreciative of being able to go out at least play like I was going to work. I took the bus all the way home as opposed to going over a couple streets for the train. I'm sure by taking the bus that added 45 minutes to an hour to my travel time but that's okay but waiting was chilly. I'm thankful for the wrap I carried. It was certainly not a blanket that's acting like what to a certain degree she kept the coldest of the breezes away from my neck and cheeks. I was totally glad to be alone when I finally rolled in the door. I went right over and turned on the heater and got ready to start by arm bike workout. I still had significant amount of time before my 3:00 show started on NPR. I got myself situated I should have taken time off to you know hit the toilet but I didn't, this kind of came back to haunt me during my pump but I got through the 30 minutes without issue. That's 60 Minutes this week so far quite a long ways away from the 200 I would like to have gotten in but if I can just get a hundred minutes in this week I will be happy.

I did take time to fill out the electronic information sheet that the physician wanted me to do before the appointment tomorrow morning. I hate these things I don't know why we have to do it every single time we go to the doctor's office. I guess at least it's electronic and that's not nearly as painful as it would be if you had to do paper pencil. I really think that it doesn't matter at all. If I showed up and complained about having a problem trying to figure it out they'd say oh that's okay no problem we'll get it. So it's kind of a joke but I filled it out anyway it's set to go. I just I'm counting that Melissa will get here early I'll get the business done and be able to take off for the bus. I'm sure I have more than enough time to get over to the doctor's office on the third floor. I think it's just a checkup that I'm going for I sure hope so I hate it when they get all serious and fatal on me. Let's just hope for the best.

Workout

 I'm exhausted tonight. I worked out for the first time in about 3 or 4 weeks on my arm bike. I stopped turning the bike when I did something to my arm like sprained my muscles or tore him or something like that caused a lot of bruising and such remember? Anyways I kind of been putting off the complete arm bike routine. To be honest I think I was kind of scared / spooked about getting back in the physical regime not really sure how healed I am. I have not seen the doctor or even the physical therapist for that matter. That's kind of hoping I would but maybe on Wednesday when I see the doc for a checkup that I'm going to maybe I can bounce something off of him or her and I'll figure things out maybe. That's kind of hoping my OT would be on top of it since you sounded so Dynamic when we visited earlier last week. So, I only did 30 minutes because I didn't really want to push myself I kind of want to ease myself back into my routine. It may be a couple weeks before I'm back to 200 minutes a week and today I did 30 minutes on the 1st level or the level of which I think is the hardest because it's got all the hard minutes on it that I know it's hard to explain. So hopefully maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get some time to be on the bike again but I'm not sure. I called this evening or this afternoon and indeed we're going to have a meeting tomorrow so I'll be going into Salt Lake early on not getting back till middle of the afternoon. If I don't dowdle anything as soon as the meeting's over which will be 12:00 p.m. I'm sure I can deadhead it back to the apartment in time to do my workout if that's really important to me. I don't know if I'll be able to make 100 minutes this week I still have time since I have 30 minutes behind me already two more days of 30 minutes each and then just 10 more minutes would give me the hundred minutes.

I must admit it felt good to get back into the arm bike push against resistance if that makes sense at all. It hurt my left side a little bit not too much however so I couldn't tell whether it was residual from the trauma that my arm had are the fact it was weak from none working out it's hard to tell. I was worried that 30 minutes wouldn't be enough to have an impact on me but I think I'm wrong there since I am feeling pretty tired right now as it's almost bedtime should be nice if it's going to assist with some sleep. Today was a very blustery warm day and it's the last warm day we're going to have and sometime it sounds like. I mean it's not going to get cold but it's going to get back into the 50s which will feel cold to me so I'll be back in long sleeves and find my stocking cap. I mean I don't plan to look like old man winter I'm certainly not going to look like a beach bum either. Hopefully the sun will be out and that'll make the difference as I cruise around the train station and the other place is going to my meeting. Interesting to note the train will not take me to the library as usual. The city / county is infinite wisdom is working on tracks remodeling right now so the red line which is the line I use will stop at the courthouse which means they'll do a bus Bridge they say I'm not sure exactly how close that will give you to the library but if I'm early enough I'm sure I'll be just fine.

Sunday blustery Sunday

 Today was perfectly beautiful with a perfect sunrise on an almost summer like day. I wanted to be sure that I was on time this morning for breakfast with Mark Anthony over at the restaurant so I worked on getting up at 5:30 as opposed to 6:00 a.m.. I'm totally glad that I did because I was using almost every minute of that early time getting ready. As much as I hate to admit it I'm losing my ability to dress myself readily. There's a time when I could cross my legs easily and put on the clothes even the shoes I would not today it took me I'll bet you had 20 minutes to get my right leg up over my left so I can put my shorts on. The left leg wasn't so bad I was able to get that up pretty easily but the right leg that's the bugger I've got to figure out another way to start the legs or the pants on my leg. And again, they'll come a time when I can't do any of it and we'll have to see what we do then. But for now I'm basically able to get things taken care of one way or the other at least so I'm presentable, enough when I have to be out in public. I totally enjoy the time with Marc Anthony as we spoke about all things that's going on in his life and I certainly gave him a rundown of what my life's like right now as well. The granddaughter did not join us this week. It's been 2 or 3 weeks now and I kind of miss her look forward to the time that we can be back together again. I did receive an email/ message or whatever that she wants to get together sometime this week. My evenings are generally free so hopefully we'll see something we can get together on this week sometime. The other thing I'm seeming to have a bit of a issue with these days is my ability to catherize. They used to be fairly simple but now I'm having some challenges as far as c a t h i n g myself once I'm dressed. Today I actually had to not only take off the straps right undid my top button as well so I was able to find my dick and be able to stick the catheter inside. I really didn't want to go through that but effort just to pee but I guess that's the way it's going to be. I also have that cloud with the silver lining- - which I'm hoping for - - in that maybe we'll figure something out with the occupational therapy I might be getting shortly. One of the things I need to do tomorrow first off is to figure out how to get my voicemails. I know I kind of did that last week but I couldn't tell you how I did it it just happened and of course I don't have my password I'm going to have to find another one or build another one which drives me crazy. People like to leave me messages so I better figure out how to get those messages on timely manner especially when I'm dealing with medical appointments and things of that nature. Other than that my day was kind of quiet except for the loud wind blowing that went on today as the cold front moves forward. Things are settled down now in the evening the wind blue and blue this afternoon temperatures are up in the '80s so even though it was uncomfortable to some degree dealing with the Wind I sure enjoyed the warmer temperatures.

Savoring Saturday

I wonder if it's more noble to leave the apartment get on a bus and go to a theater to watch a movie which is not too dissimilar from any of the movies I can get on either Netflix or Disney Plus. The process of actually leaving the apartment however to go to the movie house seems to make the event much more wholesome then slinking around the apartment eating whatever you get your hands on and watching the movie on your flat screen. Perhaps it's because you have to get dressed for one and in some cases dressed up nice but not for me today I just wore one shoe to give anyone who cares at all the illusion that there is something wrong with my foot so I didn't have a shoe on but since I went to the problem and effort to put it on one shoe it must be okay. All I know is that they did not turn me away behind there no shoes no shirt no service sign. There were more folks than usual at the movies today I assume because it's Saturday, the weekend, and since it was an early movie 12: 50 p.m. not a whole lot of people were in the movie mood yet and probably wouldn't be because the day was so nice. The temperature is in the upper 80s very rare for this early in May. So I figured people were outside at the park or washing the car or missing in the garden enjoying the direct sun rays. I found the movie that I chose to watch today somewhat boring which kind of surprised me since the first movie was really good I thought. But like most sequels they never match up to the original another lesson I'm learning. The first edition is usually the best.

I came out after the evening news to read a little bit out on the patio I was also curious to see if the people I challenge last night to charge their vehicles, scooters, and I was going to go across the street with them to the market. These guys just hover around the intersections have never crossed the streets they're too frightened. They're afraid they will not have enough power to cross the street. I told them that I would cross the street with him tonight to go to the market if they would charge their vehicles up over the evening. Of course the one little guy who just wants to talk shows up and he didn't plug his chair in or scooter and the other lady with the scooter didn't show up at all. I basically ignored the Asian guy will call Bing till he finally left. I didn't figure these guys were going to go but I said I would wait not take them and that's what I did I just dumped them and went over to the market myself got a few riddles for the remainder of the weekend. Grapes, spicy V8, green bananas and a couple other incidentals. It was a pretty busy day…

2 hours lost!

 Remember I said something about finishing a book that I've been reading for about 2 weeks yesterday I think for the day before? Anyway, I was now done with this book and I was going to go back and finish the other book I was in the middle of reading or actually 3/4 of the way through but I was able to get this other book. Went out to read this evening in the evening warmth- - it's been very warm all day almost into the 90s. I don't know how many months I've been reading the Satanic Verses but it's been three or four for me it's a difficult book and like I said I'm in the last quarter of the book now and I just want to finish it and get it off of my reading list. So I went to the back or I usually read during the day and was reading are trying to when I was surrounded by power scooters. Two of the folks that use power scooters descended upon me and start asking me all kinds of silly questions pretty much about power. I've been talking these two for some time they've never really crossed the street from our apartment complex over to the market which is almost literally next door across the street. They are too afraid they're Vehicles will not make it across the street which is totally ridiculous. I really didn't want to visit with these people anyway and social constraint didn't allow me to slam my shut and roll away. I started out being nice and trying to be supportive, they both kept giving me these week excuses and I started getting pissed. Anyway, I finally shut my book realized that was not going to get anything more red tonight at least until bedtime and essentially challenged the two to come with me and we would go on a jump around the area just to show him that they're chart their power scooters were still charged and they could go anywhere they wanted to especially across the street. This event took two of my hours the evening they couldn't believe it. In the end we went totally around this Park which is just next to our building but it's a great distance when you go all the way around it way more than crossing the street which should show them that they have enough power in there batteries of their of their vehicles to do the job they want. I wanted to just drag him across the street tonight and get it over with since I've already lost my two hours but they were too afraid. I've challenged them now to charge the vehicles all night long to see if they will take the challenge tomorrow afternoon or evening and see if then they will cross the street. I kind of don't think they will and I'm going to wash my hands of them if they don't time is just way too short and I don't have much time and these two burgers have less time than I do. I better be careful cuz after having written this for sure I will get ran over tomorrow sure thing crossing the street..

Late afternoon coffee

 I had coffee with my good friend LB today and went on and on about how I need to stop wasting my life in front of the flat screen and semi declaring that I will stop watching as much as I have been and then just realized I killed a whole hour watching my favorite Thursday night situation comedies. That I can say that I really liked the other one that's just front of and it's right after the 6:00 news so it's just as easy to watch the first sitcom as it goes into the second and both are season finale. I don't know why I bother because I think I basically slept through the one situation comedy that I like best. I don't know if it's the comedy so much as it's throwback to Thursday night viewing that I used to really enjoy especially from the late '70s '80s and 90s. I can't believe how much I enjoyed watching those Thursday night offerings. Everything from Seinfeld to Hill Street Blues. Not only was it good television but it was the ushering in of Friday and the weekend. The flat screen is off now and I'm enjoying the quietness of my apartment and feeling I'm doing something by updating the blog and my journal even though the creativity is somewhat minimal at best.

 I really enjoyed Hill Street Blues primarily because it showed a work situation that I would have loved to been part of. It was a gritty City operation. The precinct was watched over by a strict but fair boss one that I would love to have had at that particular time in my life. Everybody did their job some better than others but they all showed up at roll call ready to do there jobs. I kind of miss that. I'm sure if I really wanted to go back and revisit those old shows I could find them somewhere on the internet even if I had to rent them I could but my need for nostalgia, thank goodness, it's not that great. It's bad enough that I waste time on netflix, Prime and Disney Plus. These old series would just add another level of time consuming nothingness to my mortal existence that I should be doing more with not less. We had a great conversation with fairly decent coffee at least it was hot, at least mine was to start. We talked about where we were at on our creative universes, the political mess that we're existed in right now in the problems that people with disabilities are going to be facing probably very shortly as the current political Administration continues to route federally fun to support systems people with disabilities in their communities. I wouldn't say we've given up hope but I would say we are realistic ass too what issues might come our way. I really feel people with disabilities are looking at some major problems if and when the Giant Federal support systems get their legs cut off funding wise. We weren't depressed- at least I wasn't when we were finished. Just hopeful that we'd be able to meet again before too long and before any giant Federal hammers fall on us...

 

Special attention

Yesterday I spent at least an hour doing something that drives me crazy which is trying to set up another account so I can read the voicemails which have been left on my cell phone. I know it's not the cell phones part or even the megalith entity that developed the piece of technology which drives me crazy. It's just that you got to have a password you got to have a this you got to have that in order to access the voicemails which have been left for you by individuals who couldn't get a hold of you when your phone rang. Granted I'm using that close enough to the phone when it does ring to grab it and then answer the phone so I guess that's what the person's going to do is leave a message and I suppose that's the way it is for doctor's offices and or other places of business that work directly with you and have to make contact with you or think they're making contact with you at any given time. I usually get around 10 messages on my cell phone and that doesn't bother me as much as when it's something I think I need to be aware of like the appointment that happened today which was my occupational therapist calling to set up an appointment to come out and visit. The phone call came in this morning and I was lucky enough to hold of her before she went out on her visits for the day and set up an appointment to stop by my apartment just before lunch. No I'm caught in a quandary do I tell you about my aversion to getting passwords or my time with Sarah the occupational therapist. I guess I'll save my rent on cell phone passwords and messages for another day- probably sooner than later.

I was impressed that she worked me into her schedule today. She's young and still a believer in the system to the point where she sold me that I too could believe in the system at least for now. She listened to me for some time gave me her points of ideas and then show extreme excitement to be working with me the next couple of days and weeks on strengthening parts of my body that I use for daily living like transferring and such as well as other options that might be good for me and also to work with me on getting a new power chair very much quicker than later which is totally bizarre. She was aware of how bad and how painful look for me to be in my chair and that she would talk to the people in charge of how and when the chairs will be ordered and make sure that I start getting some preferential treatment. Like I said we'll see what happens but right now I want to believe in her a lot she's the kind of person who moves mountains because she doesn't know any better…

Rethinking the movies

 The low pressure system continues to roll around this area bringing damp weather and cold temperatures. Even though we were having this kind of weather I was getting a little tired of being in the apartment all the time and specially today since I didn't have to go down to Salt Lake to go to my regular meeting not until next week. So I sort of felt I was in the middle of a vacation day and I've been promising myself to get back out on the road as soon as I could in this old power chair of mine but it's the one that's been worked on and batteries are really good it looks like it feels like and so I decided later on in the morning I would take off and check the movies out. I actually took a jacket with me just so I can wrap it around my head if I got too cold and I wasn't sure what was going to go on inside the bus because at this point in time all the buses are all the drivers turn their air conditioning on even though it's freezing outside. The same holds true with the movie house many of the people who run the theaters things that summer and so they have their air conditioning systems on too which makes enjoying the movie a real challenge. So, I took the jacket with me in case things got chilly are more chilly than they already are.

I got to the area where the theater is at and there's a Starbucks very close I usually go in there and check out my cell phone to find out what movies are playing and what times they will start. I didn't have time to enjoy a brew seeing that one of the movies I was considering was starting exactly at that point in time or at least started seating which means another 20 minutes will pass before the movie actually starts. They have this giant pile of previews they wander through. So I took off run over to the movie house and got my seat for the movies was fortunate to even find out that I had a free popcorn by the amount of points that I've acquired over the last couple of months. I really wanted to see two movies that looked pretty good they seem somewhat espionage like spy type shows which I think I would really like but I end up caving into a Marvel offering. Something about the new Avengers the Thunderbolts. Now I was kind of disappointed in the whole movie it wasn't as bad as a couple of the other Marvel movies have been but clearly was not of the same caliber and I'm not sure what Marvel's trying to do. I keep an eye on the different information things on the internet to see what other people are saying about the movie I get the impression there's not a lot of other people that are all that happy with it either. I got through the movie and my popcorn and by that time I need to go to the bathroom so I didn't want to try to wrestle my dick out there at the theater decide to go home I was ready. I was just a little sad it seems the movies, for me, are beginning to lose their appeal

Cinco de Mayo peekaboo

 The cold weather, clouds and Rain returned today along the Wasatch Front taking away the hot wonderful calm sky and days that have enjoyed the last couple. That's okay it won't last long it's just the coming and going of the seasons. Of course, I didn't do much during the day. I wasn't really going to go out I didn't have anywhere to go so I just laid low watched movies and cleaned up a little here and there swept the floor off and on tried to be not totally useless. But really not a whole lot going on right now. Each day I'm feeling a little bit more comfortable with my return to chair I still don't feel at home in it as I did before at least I thought that I felt at home in that chair or this chair. I do enjoy the elevator function I've used it a couple times and I just forget how nice that is be able to reach things up high and place things up high. The giant blister or boil on my leg continues to sit there. Melissa put a new dressing on it this morning we decided not to Lance it at this point to see if it would burst on his own accord next couple days as I get in and out of bed and such. My legs are sure taking a beating these days though they look pretty grim. The cool weather is predicted for tomorrow as well however I think I'm going to be going out since I got a text from Lori Brock who wants to do coffee tomorrow afternoon. I don't know if we'll be running into any rain to speak up but the temperature still be cool but I can always throw something over my shoulders I mean that's not really super cold. Hopefully, an adventure to the coffee shop is an Adventure just the same whether it's across the street or down to Starbucks. This is going to be a short one tonight just because I don't have any thoughts or feelings about anything in particular right this very minute. I'm sure as soon as I close out this entry that all kinds of things will flood into my head.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened to me today was I was waiting as I usually do on Monday mornings around my table, nude, waiting for my caregiver to get here for my morning routine. I was doing my puzzles and drinking some coffee I hear a tap tap tap on the door and then the doors opens and then comes Tim the little Vietnamese lady who has a very interesting relationship with me here at the building. Nothing weird or anything. I think she knows that I'm naked here in the morning she's always talking about me being naked all the time. But then she freaks out when I start talking to her about it. But today she knocks the door opens sees that I'm sort of naked and backs away but then she's got something she wants to give me which is a plate full of lasagna which is great! Something for dinner I don't have to think about. I took the plate and she zipped away and that was that. I just wonder but she really thought about everything especially me

Springtime Sunday

 I did it! I was worried that I was going to have issues transferring into my old chair that I just got back from the shop this morning. This would be the first morning since I got the chair that I transfer by myself. I know that sounds weird but it just seems that everything is such a challenge these days that nothing works the way that it used to. And I am so freaked out at how different my chair feels now that I'm having to relearn everything it seems like it's almost defeating. Happily however I was able to make the transfer and even later get my shorts on though it was very difficult and challenging but I was able to get my shorts on and one shoe and my shirt so I was presentable by the time it was to go to breakfast. So I guess it was a good morning even though my goal was to get up at 5:30 as opposed to the usual 6:00 a.m. just because I wanted to make sure I had this extra time frame and it served me well. It was good having breakfast with Mark this morning the kids didn't make it but that's all right I think I kind of wear them out to a certain degree anyway. They can only take the old man and small degrees I totally understand that. Sadly, today was not as warm as yesterday and I guess that's okay but I sure enjoyed being out yesterday's Heat. Today the clouds moved in and we did have some good rain in the evening but there was Sunshine off and on during the day but I elected finally just to go in and spend the rest of the day watching my old favorite Marvel movies which I ended up doing to my enjoyment. Later on in the day I ended up visiting with Shelly on the phone which was good to have visited with both my kids today and certainly made me appreciate the Sunday evening.

I think we're in the middle of a low pressure system now and I don't have a lot of faith for the upcoming week as far as warm weather and getting out and doing anything of any value. Luckily I don't have to go into the office this week as far as assist, ink goes so I plan to lay low hang around the area and enjoy the apartments as much as I possibly can. Weather may be just inclement enough that I can use my movie card and take in some walk-in theater movies. That would be one way to get through a stormy afternoon particularly now that I'm in a chair that I trust the batteries to be there for some time as opposed to what I was in. Maybe this would be a good week to also increase my liquid level fluid levels. Oh that's another issue as well. I seem to have more difficulty in trying to catheterize myself in the chair, when I'm dressed then before I had the repairs done. I do not know why this would be certainly seems to be the case. I'm trying not to let any of this get me down but it's sometimes a bit of a battle. I just got off the phone with Michelle and we will talk about issues we're having as far as Aging in place and being able to do what we once did a lot easier.

The power chair Blues

 

I am really trying to not fall into a deep depression as far as dealing with the power chair that I just got back from the shop. It's the weirdest thing that's the same chair I know it's the same chair but it feels entirely different and I don't know why. It feels much smaller and I can't seem to get comfortable in it at all. I feel I've got to lock myself tie myself built myself into the chair so I don't fall out. In short it's kind of scaring me to death on how I can live in this chair independently.

This morning I was kind of excited getting up in fact it wasn't the excitement I don't know what happened I think it was a spasm but when I went to transfer over to my chair my leg spasmed out and I ended up in a real bad transfer with my legs hanging off what did me into the chair which was a good thing cuz I wasn't falling out but I could barely get to the controls and it took me a good 20 minutes to extricate myself from the chair and twist myself around and get my legs back into the foot box and finally took my chair back so I could totally get it back into my chair. With all that in mind I did get dressed but I did have to have my care person come over and bandage up a major blister that I got on my leg I don't know how except for I think it was when I have my legs bound up the strap sometimes is a little too tight which I think might have caused the friction that caused the blister a big water blister. Plus I had her coming over essentially to put me into my new chair or my repair chair. That was when I started getting my first inclination at something didn't seem to be quite right. Now I'm in the chair and I don't know what I'm going to do. I think my transfer into the bed will be okay little concerned about tomorrow morning early and how I'm going to be able to dress myself. I hoping this will pass and I'll be able to just get back into my regular method of living but I just don't know anymore that's going to happen. It just seems like something's happening to me and I don't like it not one little bit. Luckily I had little problems when I went to the market to pick up a few things for the weekend. It was a nice trip out and was glad to be able to get the things I needed. I was able to use the elevator function for the first time since I got the chair back- - quite frankly I forgot I had the elevator function until I had to put the groceries away. The weather has been perfect for today very warm almost in the 80s. I spent time out in the sunshine till I couldn't stand the Heat and moved into the apartment watched a movie or two nothing new just the age old Marvels that I continue to watch. And that's good keeps me going …

Probability storm moves on

Maybe things are looking up. Maybe I'm through this probability storm I've been suffering with the last 2 or 3 weeks. My arm is much better I can pull weight on it now I can lift myself up in the trapeze if I'm very careful and not move my arm any bizarre way. I can tell the wrong move would send me back a couple of squares and trying to heal my arm all over again. Hopefully my doc will call and they'll be able to have me come in and he can look at my arm as well and give me some information and actually I'm hoping to get some feedback from physical therapy when and if they call back and set up an appointment. Yesterday I did go to the dentist which I reported on yesterday afternoon or evening. So I'll be transferring into my chair tomorrow at some point that's okay I'm in no hurry I've made it this far. So I don't jinx myself but maybe just maybe this storm is over for now. My butt still is a little tender and changed my dressings this morning and my PCA indicated that I had no skin breakdown so I'm just hoping for the best.

I even did a good deed today. I try to do good deeds whenever I can it's a good form of insurance as far as karma goes. But there is this lady I can't believe how many people at this facility- - like me old people and many of them have scooters and they just roam around this property here. They're all afraid to cross the street and granted there is a major thoroughfare just adjacent to our building but there's more than adequate crosswalks with good lights but the people here don't trust the traffic lights I don't think. So I promise this one lady who has expressed to me that she would like to go to the market and to the dollar store but it was afraid to and I volunteered that I would help her cross the street so that she would get a feel for how easy it is. We were going to do this yesterday but I got caught up into a meeting I had to go to in the afternoon with the social work person here. I was surprised at how long the interview was and I couldn't find this person after afterwards. So I saw this person again this morning and asked if she still wanted to do cross the street and she indicated she did. I was surprised at how easy it was to cross the street with her. She really did seem somewhat surprised at how easy it was. We went to the Dollar Store got a few things and then she treated me to an ice cream at the food market right next to the dollar store. The question now is that well she continue this behavior on her own. I hope she will I hope this wasn't just a ruse to hang out with me there could be stranger things in life LOL

Front tooth fix

 

Been a very long day. I woke up at 3:28 a.m. roughly and I don't think I got back to sleep. I think I was a little anxious regarding my dental appointment this morning at 9:00 a.m. I wanted to make sure I was dressed and ready to go to the doctor's office. I stayed in bed till 6:00 a.m. as usual the transfer was relatively straightforward I wouldn't say easy but it's been less painful than say last week when there was so much drama with the arm. The muscle system seems to be healing itself I don't know if that's good or bad I haven't seen a physician yet about it. I've been waiting for them to call me with when my appointment should be. I can use my arm more and more I have to be careful and how I do so that I don't destroy any weeks of healing that's gone on sometimes I get close and catch myself the last moment.

I was pretty much ready for the appointment by 8:00. I wish I had said that I would take the earlier time but finally around 8:30 I rolled over to the office and hang out there for a while before going in and getting set up for the Dental intervention. It was great seeing everybody and even interesting was that hit Alan's son is now a full-fledged DDS and is practicing with his dad at the facility he even did a little work on me as far as doing the Novocaine. He's got a good hand and a good skill set I think he'll be a great dentist. They both work well together too that's always good to see kind of jealous admire that they're doing this. Some interesting they're talking about either moving to another building are adding on to that building they're in now which I would rather they do. They are at such a convenient spot. Interesting I was talking with Janet this afternoon and she indicated that she started to go to these guys just because she gave up her vehicle and decided that it's easier just to walk across the street then to have to go all the way back to where her dentist is which is quite a ways away. And I believe that I think that's the way to do it supports your neighborhood businesses. I probably was under the light for more than 45 minutes this morning. They did a rebuild of that what was left of the tooth in the front and they indicated that also that we should seriously consider capping it but that's going to be more than a thousand bucks. I told them I'd want to go ahead and Patch it up for now and then start thinking about going the crown in a year or so. As it was the work today cost like $265 bucks but they were able to put the tooth back together and I'll be able to use it for another extended period of time. Plus I've got to go back and tune for some other dental work major cavities that I've been wondering about. The day was pretty warm I was able to spend significant amount of time out in the elements there was a bit of a breeze plus my butt was hurting quite a bit I sure hope I'm not done any major skin breakdown I'll have to see about changing out the the cushion tomorrow.