Small Heads and File Cabinets

Hour upon hour day upon day I didn't mean for my blog to be a examination of the minutia of my life but to a degree that's what it is. Like I said I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I still enjoy my comments about life's whips and scorns And outrageous fortunes and truly I like those Posts best but I guess like anything is the minutia that holds our universe together.

I was somewhat surprised (not really all that surprised is my brother does such quick and competent work) I got a call this morning indicating that he had built the coaster box for my new file cabinet to set in. My brother does such great work that always blows me away. Anyway, coffee klatch was uneventful except for I remember to take down my new tape measure so I can have one of the ladies wrap it around my head, skull to get an accurate measurement of circumference so that I can, with confidence, order headgear. I found in my life that good bad or indifferent my head is bigger than many. Sadly, when trying to buy hats at the hat store or wherever every item I try on seems to be small for a microcephalic. I cannot believe my head is that abnormally large but it might be sadly. Anyway, I had Helen do the job it seems like my head is almost 2 feet around! Can that be? 23 . 7/8 inches. My new shirt came in yesterday(Seriously, the day after I ordered it!). The shirts seem to fit, will check again after we wash, but so far so good. Holding my breath, armed with the new information of head circumference and plan to start ordering hats and caps and other headgear for the winter and style in general. When you're bald you have no option but to hide your lack of hair with a cool and trending cap. I have not ordered the caps yet but I did order a set of cooking utensils for pastry cooking, specifically I'm looking at items I can use for baking soda biscuits, cakes and possibly pie crusts. I can't eat hardly any of this but I can cook and sometimes that's fun enough look where I have a neighbor who consume anything I can make the seems happy to do it.

My brother with hand power drill in tow along with manufactured castor box fits the casters from the bottom drawer of my new file cabinet and proceeded to drill them into the wooden box. Zip zip times for and with a little bit of lifting and setting my new cabinet was ready for borders. Last week when we were cleaning out the boxes which came over from the house I threw away a lot of hanging folders for my files, in the file cabinet drawer. I thought have to manufacture those wireframes to hang the files off of but my brother showed me how the hanging file folders will fit perfectly in the drawer, I'm ready to go. I would start working on the project this afternoon I didn't have to go down south for bookclub. Most likely now filling the hanging files with files will be a weekend project for sure.

So the sense this interest line as far as this blog goes regarding the monolith at the door and what it turned out to be. Maybe with some cajoling/guilt I might get Mark Anthony over here this weekend sometime and assist me in catching up on my filing…

Sound Of Music With Apologies to R and H

First off just to put everybody's mind ease as I know you're all perched on the edge your chairs just waiting for the news but my rear end looked significantly better this morning when my home health person looked at it, per my request,The open portions of loan did not look nearly as bad as it had yesterday we went ahead, regardless and applied the “new skin” and I felt significantly better all day though I am still maintain a fairly significant regimen of weight reduction options primarily leaning the chair back reducing pressure on the buttocks.I think I'll be okay for the trip out the library tomorrow, Thursday for bookclub.

I just don't know, I think I really am getting out of control with this whole Amazon prime thing. My rationale is that I spent money on Amazon prime why not take advantage of everything it has to offer? So, today I was getting ready to work out on my arm bike and was looking for some music to listen to while I pumped. I knew Amazon had some sort of a music option I've used it often non-very minimally. So, I dialed in Amazon prime music and got one song of the group I wanted to listen to (The Sandpipers) Specifically, Come Saturday Morning a song which a bit on my mind all morning. I've been contemplating a memory of a Saturday morning I spent with my good friend Henry at Boise State University. We took Henry's golf cart off-campus drove up to me and fifth market and got some cream cheese, hard crust French bread (which the market was famous for) then drove off to enjoy the day. Of course the only much play one song and then you have to enroll in their program which is $7.95 a monthWhich at first almost intimidating to the point that I closed The window but then I thought, hey, I can afford $7.95 a month For unlimited use of their music. Why not? I'm worth it. I spent the rest of the day off and on listening to the Sandpipers. Again, the point here is not that I'm spending a major part of the day listing to music from the old days was the fact that I engaged in another service from Amazon, eight dollars a month for music! How decadent is that? I'm sure I can afford this much for my entertainment which kind makes me feel guilty but it's time.

I literally have access to millions of songs if I knew what they were. I can build play lists, is that the term? I did this little bit when I said the other house and setting up what I was thinking would be playlists for working out. Pretty interesting concept, very self-absorbed but still I can do it in all manners of the phrase. So I wonder how much longer I can go before I start getting into trouble. I'm not looking for trouble really it's just that I kind of feel in the back of the mind I'm pulling the stops out and begin to go free reign on spending because I can. That's not adult is it? I don't plan to be irresponsible, a way to frighten of life for that, but I might just play “spend down”, trying to get ready for when I have the big one and I have to go into long-term care if I'm lucky enough to survive or unlucky to survive however one interprets quality of life after a major cerebral incident or neurological incident or whatever that will force me on the Medicaid, if Medicaid still exists at that point, and I have to live on a significant or insignificant amount of money per month since the state or whoever takes all my money to pay for my living arrangements and health supports but trading all my independence and freedom to living a nursing home/long-term care environment.

Butt Wound

Thank goodness there is not a Assist meeting today. I felt my but last night it felt pretty ragged. It'd been sore, kind of, during the day but I put on bag balm and the regular stuff with hopes that during the night the issue would lighten but this morning skin did feel a bit more supple but there is definitely something going on. I decided I would no longer be frightened or intimidated by the skin breakdown so I reached around with my cell phone and did a click and actually got a good visual. There is definitely skin breakdown and I'm going to have to take some steps. I can just kick myself, yesterday when Annette was here doing my morning routine I even mention the fact that I wanted the “extra skin” applied but I was already dressed and in my chair when I remembered That I was going to have my butt look at and dressed. She offered to sling me back up in the body left but I just said “no” I was stupid. I should've had her do the job.

Today am going to lay low maybe even go back to bed if I feel the need. Luckily, the power chair with its lean back function can give me is much weight reduction on the affected area is laying down (this is what I like to believe anyway). If I lay my chair back and then kind of turn on my side I should be okay. I really want to spend some time outside in the sun today because the warm days of this year are surly and swiftly going away. I am really fostering the belief that if I am fairly cautious in how I sit on my wounds today and then have Annette tomorrow apply the dressing I hope I will be okay by Thursday to go out to bookclub. I'm really going to have to take care of myself. I woke this morning early is always but I was worrying about Larry Orr and how it sounds like he's getting close to the end of the road that bums me out terribly. And I can see how easy that can be which is made me focus on my own care and how I take care of myself. A person who has some basic rudimentary skills and self maintenance should not die from decubitus sores. I mean I have, thankfully, the ability to throw myself to bed and get myself up. I can take care of myself the question is will I? That's so stupid if I don't but I just hate to be down. I can heal this wound I don't think Larry can come back from where he's going.There are a host of reasons why I miss having Dianne in my life in one of those reasons is that she does such a great job of healing on me. She knows how to apply the second skin and how to keep me going.I guess I should've put this warning at the beginning of the website like I did the nude website but I'm posting this picture of my but anyway just to show the abrasion/pressure sore they seem to be fostering. So if any of you have the extra energy said the blessing my way to can't hurt by the way have a great day…

Wading In To The.Pool

I will not call it an addiction, yet but I think I'm going to have to watch myself closely to be sure that I do not become addicted, addicted to that knock on the door and the surprise but not surprise of an item recently ordered off of Amazon.com. I'm not new to Amazon by any means in fact I have the embarrassing acknowledgment that I in fact belong to Prime that portion of the Amazon Kingdom for those who pay just a little bit more and enjoy a select service from everything from purchasing without having to pay postage the Amazon video and audio. Movies and music and everything else you might desire for just $100 and some change a year. I consider myself, still a bit of a newbie, but I'm not. I'm quite old but I've never really use the service for anything really significant. Oh, I like the movies I can rent or purchase, and I use it as my mainstay for low cost books, pens and some art supplies but really pretty penny-ante all things considered.

I've been doing a lot of exploring the last couple of weeks especially as I'm looking down the barrel of another winter possibly snow by this Wednesday. I'm seriously considering ordering a sixpack of spam or corned beef or other food products which could magically show up at my door prevented me from having to head out into the winter cold and ice. I haven't done it yet but I'm seriously considering. I'm looking for a tape measure to wrap around my head to get a fairly accurate measure of how big my head is so that I might be able to purchase some caps. I really held off or doing anything like clothing just because I have such a hard time buying close and then being heartbroken when I can't wear them. I'm just afraid of doing this online than having to go through that whole scenario of three wrapping the things and send them back to the seller. Dianne was excellent at this and I should take a lead she's done very well enough) Department of Amazon and a sundry sales opportunities.

Both things they are changing, no longer will I be dancing around the perimeter of the Amazon pool. Remember last week as I was beginning my new beginning to clean up my apartment. I don't have an adequate filing system. I left I cabinets I had at the house when I moved out. I've been trying to get by on folding folders file folder type things you know accordion type folders. I did get one of those plastic tote file boxes which is been really difficult to really use as any kind of a filing system. I just need to get the real thing which I did last week. I went to Amazon looked around and then waded into the pool. I found the two drawer file cabinet that has wheels/casters. I'm sure, however, I will have to have help with putting the casters on the file cabinet if I choose to use the casters still going to have to wrangle the box out of the box. I was hoping the order would come earlier in the day and I could call my brother who could come over and help me with setting up the file system but that didn't happen. When I went back and read the email from Amazon it said it had up to 8 PM to deliver the product and that wandered in around 5:45 PM, I heard the muffled knock (I think these guys and be horrified if somebody really answer the door when they delivered something) if you minutes ago looked out and there was another monolith blocking my door. I know what to do I will drag the box inside the apartment and let it set tell I get someone to help me extricate my new two drawer file cabinet

My Man Godfrey

Kind of suffering between my home health aide whose just great at volunteering assistance housekeeping on sitting on the toilet and my regular housekeeper, who used to be my home health aide, who was involved in a vehicular accident a week ago and no longer has a vehicle and I think she had some bodily damage as well which she sort kind of refuses to admit to but she's on the bus and she missed Saturday but might come tomorrow. I guess the point that I'm getting to is that the house/apartment is getting out of control kind of so I are spending the sporting picking up here in adjusting their and kind of enjoying my apartment even with its chaos and entropy. When I got rid of the van I had to produce the title which put me into a search frenzy and in that frenzy I opened up the portfolio of my art class and pulled out all the sketches I had done. And of course the sketches of just remained on the chair and then on the floor. I tried not to run over them back and forth in my days of living but I couldn't stand it anymore and this morning I grabbed my longest and best books and scooped the sketches up off the floor And found the place behind the new bookcase we moved in last week. That helped a lot.

I could not help but once again wander through the sketches and remember with fondness all the work I produced this summer in my drawing class. I think I kind a love that class. I mean is kind of pathetic the work that I produced is really primitive even childlike but I can't help but have warm feelings every time I look at my sketches and think like a little kid in the fourth grade “I did that!” I wish I could throw the things away but I can't this point after all the my first renderings from a real art class. Anyway, as I was wandering through the stack it came upon this image Godfrey. Godfrey was an African dude who sat across the class for me and the only reason I ended up drawing him was because the day that we paired up to do portraits he came in late and since all the other kids at paired up I was only one left and he got stuck with me and I got lucky enough to get stuck with him. This is the first and only time I really had communication with Godfrey and it wasn't much but I really enjoyed the time I spent with him during the portrait class. There's no way that this rendering that I did resembles him in any way except for the generic human features as a nose, mouth ears and chin. I doubt that you could look at this image then picking out in class if you had to find who sat for the portrait. But even that portrait of Godfrey is too precious and my pathetic little eyes to toss out not yet anyway. Maybe when I get to drawing more again like a replaceable something a little more acceptable to the eyes…

Morning Of The Waking Dread

It's 4:38 a.m. on Saturday morning I wish I were asleep. I've already been awake probably 30 minutes I'm trying not to look at the clock but it's another early morning for this very quickly becoming geriatric dude is now part of the waking dread. Doomed to walk those hours of consciousness between 4:38 AM and 11:15 PM if I'm lucky. Sometimes I feel like a zombie powered my chair through the hours of the day. I wish I could take a nap, and I probably could if I want to work that hard but it's just not convenient like able-bodied geriatrics who could just lay down at a moments notice, have to sleep and wake up in time for cocktails. There's a number of folk in this building I understand are doing that well not waking up for cocktails for say but taking naps through the day as part of the regimen to live through the day. Irene for instance almost 80 something but extremely active, Irene is the associate support person here in the complex. When the main person leaves to go shopping or out to dinner are something Irene takes over. Irene is a super clean freak but she's nice about it just never ever wants point a finger at me and I need a lot of fingers pointed at me. But she wakes up at 3:30 AM and she says she cannot get back to sleep and then she takes off to do whatever she does during the day which is quite a lot. This person really impresses me. She does lay down I think every once in a while through the day. A lot of the people at coffee talk about heading back to bed when copies over with for the first of a couple naps they will take during the day. I envy that I really do. However I sort of think if I were able-bodied I probably wouldn't nap all that much but who knows?

I'm kind of excited. Yesterday Dianne and I went out to our old Mexican/American restaurant. I don't think we've been back since the divorce. And I was taken aback when we went inside and David one of the owners of the establishment came up and shook my hand and he began to scold me for not coming in I couldn't believe it. I love David so this is not a big deal still got me thinking about all those people in our lives that we affect when we make major decisions in our lives. Dianne I had a great time we talked a lot and we talked a long time. We started our lunch at about 1130 I think we finished about 1:30 PM. We could've gone longer but I had to get to a bus stop. In the part of town where our restaurant is at the bus comes only once an hour and yesterday was much cooler than I anticipated and I didn't want to be hanging out in the wind on State Street for more than an hour. I don't know when Dianne and I will go out again but I think we well. We have two more restaurants to visit that we haven't for years one of them is the Shanghai—midcity roughly—and the other one Is Market St Grill, a high-end restaurant we used to frequent quite often when we would go to the tabernacle in downtown Salt Lake on Sunday mornings. It was a fun place for us anyway with lots of memories that are good. I don't know the staff would think we are that much fun but they pretty much left us alone. The market Street staff didn't quite know what to do with us.

What really weirds me out about being part of the waking dread is that I don't feel too bad as I go to my day even waking up at 3:30 AM. Granted, I feel much better if I can sleep till even six or 630 and sometimes even 7 AM but that's rare. But try go to bed fairly early, for me 10 PM I really lucky but rarely do I make it to bed before 1130. Lesson is I'm okay get up when I wake up and enjoy the day…

Come Boss!

I met my ex-wife and best friend today for lunch over at one of our favorite restaurants, a little American Mex place in A – frame building we probably been going to for almost 30 years. However, as great as the afternoon was that is not what this blog is about today. The restaurant is in our old neighborhood which means I take the bus and train to get there. But I got on the bus this morning a grand and curlyhaired South Sea Islander driver said, “what's up Boss, where are we going today?” I was intrigued because at the next bus ride the driver almost said the same thing. When I first noticed this interesting salutation I thought it was kind of cute but then I began to realize in many ways the drivers I think are serious when they address me as “boss” . It's as if these guys are recognizing the fact that everybody on the bus pays his salary and they are respectful on that level. I mean, I don't really believe these guys are kowtowing to the bus riders but still it's kind of interesting to me anyway. I kind of like it.

As the diver fastened me down to the bus I begin pondering about the term boss and now I used it in my life. I was intrigued as a kid when we moved out to the farm that we had actually a cow by the name of “Boss” a great big brown and white Guernsey. I'd never thought about her name but she was the oldest of our little heard in fact she was the boss of our little heard. In the mornings, and evenings, before milking you actually sing out from the corral by the milk barn “come boss, come boss are co-boss, co boss”. And forever the cows were in the morning are in the afternoon, many times at the far end of the pasture, Boss would shake her head and begin wandering up towards the barn. Boss was the boss and the other cows knew this. She led the way I never really noticed that until I thought about it today. There were seven or eight cows over that period of time that I milked but never any more than five at one time. Big old lumbering beasts that you had the love if you pent as much time with them as I did anyway. For the most part these beasts were docile and just wanted to be milked, treated fairly and have enough grain and paid to be happy in the place to sleep that was warm and dry.

Open The Pod Bay Doors, HAL…

I've written about Annette my home health provider before and how professional and how helpful she is to me as she goes about providing my services in the morning. She actually does housecleaning while I'm sitting on the toilet waiting to run through my bowel program. Yesterday it went a step further in that she came back to the apartment later on that afternoon and voluntarily provided me two hours of housekeeping services! How great is that? How lucky am I?! Well in this flurry of cleaning we attacked the pile in my bedroom and one of the things in that pile was a huge (for me it's huge anyway) flatscreen television That one of the folks at the apartment complex where I live gave me more than a year ago. Probably now more like two years ago. Anyway, I never got around to having the flatscreen installed anywhere in my apartment. Possibly because the flatscreen is old technology, I'm sure that's one of the reasons my friend Janet was giving the flatscreen away. It's I don't know how many generations old it is but is quite thick compared to flat screens now days. I also couldn't figure out where to install it at and I didn't really have the drive/energy to try to find the right mounting hardware and find a volunteer support to make the installation. So it's just sat there against the wall, in its box mocking me and pulling in all kinds of debris around it, sheet protectors, Clothes I've grown out of, kangaroo bags and list goes on. I'm sure there's some sort of scientific description of how things get attached to things just by being there closest thing I can think of is “nature abhors a vacuum”

You might also remember that my brother Carl was going to pick up the vacuum at Walmart can bring it over this afternoon which he did. So I was fortunate to have Carl and Annette both working on my apartment in different ways a lot got done. I actually culled a lot of Pieces of clothing send them either to a trash bag are a bag headed for the thrift store. My brother was going to take the big screen to the thrift store then remember he didn't have his pickup truck and would do it today. Anyway, the boxed flatscreen was left standing at the foot of my bed like the monolith in 2001 a space Odyssey but it was a short monolith not reaching the top of the foot of the bed and of course I knocked it over when I got into bed. It took a little bit of finagling and a lot of work but this morning I managed to push the monolith/flatscreen away from the doorway into the middle of the room where I could get around my power chair. I couldn't shake the scene from 2001 a space Odyssey alluded to earlier. This would be great fodder in making up parody of this great film may be having a mix of 2001 a space Odyssey and Scrooged. Regardless of the parity whether it is A monolith for little people or a monolithic caricature of Christmas Passed I still have to get my coffee first thing and that's all there is to it…

Hump Day

The seasons have turned, we had the killer frost a couple nights ago, the trees are starting to change in the morning to cold and the wind blowing is uncomfortable. The seasonal change, the coolness, puts me in a definite different frame of mind. I like the briskness of the atmosphere but I sure miss the heat of summer. I dug down found my black watchcap which I enjoyed wearing all day and I found this great piece of clothing that was made specifically for people who use wheelchairs. This is another testament to how much my last wife looked out for me. She actually ordered this garment for me that is open at the back but you never know because when you wear it, in a wheelchair your back is of course not seen so it's easy to put on its warm and comfortable. I would wear it when Dianne first got it for me as I thought looked dorky now I think it's efficient and great. Dianne thanks again appreciate your forethought when you ordered this for me. I am sorry I did not wear this piece of clothing earlier. I'm still looking for my hoodie, my heavy hoodie I can't imagine where I have placed it. I hope I have not lost it to see after I went through the efforts of getting someone to sew up the giant rip that I subjected the garment to where it got its arms caught in my wheels of my power chair.

I was so surprised and pleased When my home health person volunteered to come back this afternoon to help me clean up my apartment… For free! For the record, I did offer to pay her a meager wage but she refused. I'd almost forgotten her promise to return this afternoon when she knocked on the door and started working. We got a lot accomplished and I'm excited. We took on some major projects and are still working on some more stickier problems that were moving right along. This certainly helps with my regular cleaning person being out of the picture for a little while. I'm feeling blessed. While we were cleaning my brother, Carl showed up with the new vacuum cleaner I had him purchase so that he would have a way to transport the device to the apartment. I'm glad that I did not try to do this on my own because there is a bit of mechanic even need to be done to make this new vacuum cleaner functional. It works and we've vacuum the floors twice. I'm exhausted however it's been a long day. Following my morning routine I had to shag ass over to an amount health care for my semiannual meeting with my physiatrist. The meeting was good and I think I'll be able to get some good supports for physical therapy and some other items I need medically speaking. The rest of the day was working on the apartment and spends more money all of which wears me out I'm looking forward to spending some bedtime kind of early tonight…

Apache-Brain Worm

Don't you just hate those brain worms? You know the little bits of information that invade your head for one reason or another and went done/infected it's hard to get it out of your system? I've noticed more and more recently the use of great pieces of music more and more by the advertisement industry in making commercials. And I think it's crazy using all the good music bits and snatches to just tease and and titillate the brains here for the music. It wouldn't be so bad perhaps if they played a good piece of the song or even if they had to identify what the song was but the just render a few bars and then leave the person hanging as to what the piece of music was/is.

It seems to me that blood pressure medications, cardiac arrest medication, insomnia, sleep aids and even probably erectile dysfunction, though I have not heard the music there yet but I can only just imagine what they would use. For me the last couple weeks I was getting a snippet of music a piece that I used to love but I couldn't get enough of the music in the commercial tenant down just what the piece was. The commercial ran during the evening news block it seems to be it was during the national broadcast.

It seems immoral to use some of the music for the capitalistic ventures they hawk But I guess after a piece of music lasts so long in the universal songbook it becomes available for anyone to use I guess. It still feels really clammy to hear good pieces of music being used to represent bad causes. This of course was pretty interesting last presidential go round when one of the Republican type candidates tried to use a 60s icon piece of music that I cannot remember that the performer – – if I remember correctly – – pretty much took his music back but I'm glad that he did. That does not happen often enough. For me like I said every evening during the 5 o'clock news block some commercial would come on and just a few stanzas of this song with intrigue me almost freaked me out and begin to twist inside my head begging to be identified. You know when you just trying to reach out and grab something and it just evades your grasp, you know if you just here a few more bars are stanzas you'd be able to put a name, history and the memory for such a piece. I don't know what it was but for me all the sudden I kind of remembered a steel guitar or electric guitar and instrumental of the 60s. So I came to the identification in a roundabout procedure by remembering instrumental type groups and of course then I found the piece. It's not like I knew the name will actually I didn't know the name but I didn't know the name if you know what I mean. I knew it when I sought written out, the name of the music, or I thought that I did that once I got a list of all the music the group produced I was able to listen to you two versions of each piece of music until I found the one I wanted.

In 1964 I was in junior high, what a great time of life. I took the bus and to school everyday and right next to the school was the Hornets Nest, a great little hamburger joint the kind you don't have any more. Every morning I would stop in the Nest before going to class and get a maple bar in the Cherry Coke and in the background the Ventures would most likely be playing on the jukebox and for a while it seemed every morning at the exact same time a piece by the Ventures was playing called Apache. Turn to describe this piece not quite rock 'n roll not quite Western no vocal just guitars almost ethereal in a western sort of away all you can really say was it was the ventures and you wanderlust after a big asked carburetor musclecar…

Cutco For ever

I hope I am not becoming one of those parents that whine all the time about how their children never visit them or pay them enough attention. I am actually really pretty lucky that way. Shelley calls me probably once or twice a month when she's on the road between workstations and we get to speak for quite a while which is really kind of cool and then Mark Anthony, while he does not come on a regular basis becomes regularly if that makes sense and he always comes if I need direct assistance for immediate assistance. The fact is he's busy and I know that sounds very “cat in the cradle like” but it's true because regular job then he's got his burgeoning little music business which is cool too. However, if two weeks or so goes by that I don't see him then I notice I call him using is something that needs done around my apartment. Yesterday it was to straighten up my CPU which the furnace guys nearly tipped over when they came to replace my filters earlier in the month. I had other things possibly which could of used attention right now but I'm okay.

I have to say two of my kids are entrepreneurs or at least showed signs of entrepreneurship I think mostly of a way to make cash are spendable income. Mark Anthony was in band during school/high school and of course sold candy bars in such and of course his parents who are likely targets. Later on after high school graduation Mark became involved with the Cutco Group, kind of a high-end door-to-door sales program. Cutco, is a high-end cutlery operation. I think if they were famous for anything it would be the Cutco knives and the Cutco guarantee that being when she bought these (in my definition very expensive) utensils they would be sharpened and replaced for the life of that artifact no questions asked. That means if I found the Cutco utensil at a thrift store I could send that utensil `Cutco Central and they would replace it no questions asked. I've never done that but I thought about it quite a bit lately just for something to do. As a budding salesperson you want to support your child in their efforts and so you feel like you must purchase something from their stock of items.

So on the given evening Mark came over, dressed in his salesman outfit, and gave us the presentation which is pretty good. He practiced and it sounded fairly professional for a first time presentation. He then quoted the price for the least expensive items (which I of course was going to purchase) and found the price over $100! It was almost $200 for four steak knives and I think a spatula and a larger knife paring knife or some sort! I was shocked Dianne was not and we purchased the items and I am not sure what ever happened to those knives.

Mark Anthony has asked about those knives every once in a while and seems shocked But I no longer know what happened to those cutting devices. I don't have them and I don't know if Dianne has them. We can get new knives to replace them but we've never done that. I can't think Mark is offended that we didn't treat his knives better. That is why I was kind surprised yesterday when Mark Anthony came over to give me a hand with the CPU and pick up a few things on the floor that he presented me with the famous Cutco shears. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't figure out why he was giving me the scissors. But almost felt like an ancient Asian sword master presenting someone with a highly valued Samurai sword. Accepted the scissors, the felt heavy and valuable and something not parted with easily. I don't know how long Mark Anthony has had these and why he has chosen to bestow them on me. Just out of curiosity I found that Cutco, of course, has its own website now and I could see the cost for these kind of shears was like $177! That's a lot of money for a pair scissors but I will cherish these cutting devices and just maybe they'll return to Mark at some point in time down the line… I am a proud owner…

CYMA

I think I wrote about Gail, my cleaning person, who used to be my home health provider. She's post 70 and she's still trying to survive in the workplace. She provides two hours of cleaning at my apartment every week. Two charges be $15 an hour which is less expensive than anybody else I could engage but at the same time she is getting up there in age so I'm purchasing her time and I appreciate what she does and she does an adequate job. The problem now is that last week she had a rather severe automobile accident. Thank goodness she's not in the hospital which is banged up pretty bad and her vehicle was totaled. She has no transportation an early form of work at this point is cleaning people's homes and she has no transportation I don't know how much longer she can continue doing that plus concerned about residual accident situation. She's fallen down a couple times and I don't know how steady she is. She's got major bills, I think she recently got this new vehicle I know it cost her a lot. I don't know how she's going to do this however she did allude to being in communication with one of the local ambulance chasers that you see advertised. So hopefully she was not cited for the accident and that she might get a little renumeration for her lost vehicle.

So, what do I do now? Fortunately my current home health person is great Annette actually does a lot of light cleaning while I'm processing through my our team that could be anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes and for an apartment my size that's not too bad. Sweep the floors, mop and wax if I purchased some wax. She vacuums the front room and the bedroom which are actually pretty small. She always makes my bed and even starts my wash once a week. I go down and collect the wash when it's done but she actually gets me wash started and then froze the wash from the machine to the dryer. So between Annette and Gail I am actually live in a pretty shipshape home. Well what got me writing this tonight was that typically Gail comes on Friday afternoon and so my apartment looks pretty good until Monday when Annette does her thing. I actively noticed this evening that the apartment really does need some attention. So I spent the afternoon washing dishes and I plan to sweep the floor before tomorrow. Mark Anthony was over and picked up the floor in the front of the apartment. I should be okay by tomorrow morning early. The only thing it causes me some concern is that Friday as Annette and myself visited she kind of mentioned she was planning some outing the next couple weeks. It's too soon to beat I'm going to do concerned but I'm just wondering what I'm going to do when Annette moves on I know it's going to happen change is the only constant and maybe that's what I've got to accept I'll always be in the process of training my next healthcare person…

Van Gone

Russ and me sitting in front of my van for the last time

I said goodbye to my van today. As you know I've had my van with me for the past couple of years parked in the back lot of my apartment complex. You can't keep the vehicle back there if it's derelict my van was not derelict. Probably this last summer, once again, my van stepped up and passed safety emissions inspection and got licensed I didn't ensure the vehicle after a certain point because it was just a waste of money. I can't drive and there's no one really to drive me without a lot of planning which really hasn't happened enough to make ownership of this vehicle justifiable.

I was really quite pleased when Dianne contacted me to see if I would consider letting the vehicle go to her contractor. I don't know how the knowledge that I had a van came around or about that somehow she must've told him that she would see what I would say. The van is a great vehicle actually. The vans got some dings and other issues that would've really made it difficult for me to, in good faith and disclosure sell the vehicle. So when Dianne advised me that I could give this vehicle away to someone who could quite honestly use it I was overjoyed. I was not going to have to worry about the vehicle over another winter and then have to relicense again next summer. Granted, I got to feel the van was my friend. I know, the vehicle was an inanimate object – – will not inanimate the van actually got around better than I do. And even though the vehicle was cold steel and plastic I love sitting by the vehicle in the summer spring and fall and read my books and leaned back in touch the back of my head to the side of the van.

It's just an inanimate object, I understand this, but I was pleased to meet the new “parents”. She works at a bank and has for like 27 years and he is a private contractor someone who comes in and works On your house to do the things you cannot do our why not do. Like hang doors, but in plywood make things better than they were, honestly. This contractor needs a vehicle. I could tell by his reaction to meeting the van that he will treat the van right. The contractor knows what he's doing he knows how to keep the van going, he knows how to repair this and that. He totally appreciated everything about the van that we showed him particularly the wheelchair lift and some of the other things inside the van. They are a cute couple. They said they would even keep the lifted the van to transport me when we want to get together for lunch or dinner or whatever. I don't know if I truly believe this is certainly nice of them to say and I think they really believe that themselves. However, in all reality, work vehicles get messy very quickly especially if you're busy. But we'll see I'm just pleased that the van is going to a good home and well drive out the remainder of its days provided a happy service to a happy couple…

Van Go

I still own a 1992 Chevrolet wheelchair van. I've had for at least 10 years probably longer. I used to drive you know then I gave up my license and then I had my stenosis. When I gave up my license I was and I thought was a strong marital relationship. Dianne drove me everywhere anyway and I probably shouldn't have been driving as far as my physical abilities go actually were going. I've always had a love-hate relationship with driving. It's nice to have a vehicle and nice to drive from point a to point B under your own power but owning a vehicle is a lot of expense and a lot of responsibility. I was quite shocked when during the divorce Dianne pretty much forced the vehicle on me. I didn't know that she hated the van. She drove around in it considers a big old truck and she didn't like it. You know it is a big old truck. I kind of like having a van just kind of. Having a vehicle like the van is not worth it for me at this time in my life. I do not drive and hence I must have someone else drive me when I use the van this means that I don't start the vehicle and off and drive around to keep the battery charged. I was even ensuring the vehicle up until about three or four months ago and decided to stop. This was after I had the vehicle registered for this year.

So for the last two years, since I've been here at the apartment complex the vehicle is basically sat out in the parking lot. I like to go out, on good days, warm days, sit by my van and read. I don't know what it is but the van reminds me of being married and living on Utahna drive in Murray. I kind of felt like the old van is my friend is my friend. The van is kind of a anchor to my reality. Actually tried to sell the vehicle more than once the last couple years—it just irks me that the vehicle sits there and drains my resources even a little especially the insurance that really wears on me – – I could never find any real serious individuals plus I felt guilty because even though the vehicles in pretty good shape there are some major issues that I feel need to be considered. It's time to let it go.

As we wander out of summer summer I made to the decision to get rid of the vehicle sometime this winter are before winter. Was even considering just calling the local public radio station and have them come out and pick it up: donation. My housekeeper, a dear 70+-year-old woman is someone who I feel strongly about she's just a survivor. The trouble is with my friend the housekeeper nothing goes right for her that seems and last week got into a vehicular accident in total out her vehicle. I was really pondering giving her the van but I don't think that would have helped her because I think she did some pretty significant damage to her self and I don't know if she should be driving and I don't know if she could be driving my van because it is a big old truck and I can see how load be difficult for her to commandeer. Funny however though, Dianne make contact with me yesterday I believe about giving the vehicle to a contractor she has working for her putting in the new burglar proof door. I think this is a great idea and I can't wait to sign the vehicle over to this worker guy. The vandal make a great work vehicle for a guy Who is a contractor. What a perfect way for my van to live out the remainder of its little life driving around the works bought to work spot carrying the things that this guy needs to earn a living. I will know the vans gone to a better place and I will not have to have the albatross hanging around my neck anymore…

Premier Week!

Is unbelievable how quickly Thursday rolls around there for a week!Today is packed, I have appointments all through the day however they are evenly space I should not have a problem with making them. Of course it's Thursday which means it's the coffee group at 9:30 AM at 12 noon I have A T Council, then later on at 4 PM I have bookclub. A T Council should not go beyond 2 o'clock at 230 which would make right the time I would need to get down to South Jordan library for bookclub.

I'm so pleased I was able to get the chair running again yesterday morning. Looking over my schedule for today it doesn't really look like a lot but it is when you consider having to make all of these meetings in a power chair using public transit. I'm actually writing this in the morning before my coffee group just so I'll have it finished by this evening so I can enjoy some of the new Thursday programming on the channel that I watch. Again I know that sounds quaint but it's true I just love the new television season. Maybe it's because the old days the new season was spectacular sometimes it would last two weeks it seemed like. The beginning of new shows the networks would be running. Completely new thought processes science-fiction I can hardly wait. They would start advertising early in the summer about the new season starts showing snippets and previews of oncoming venues for the fall. It was interesting to see television progress from not only new programming they actually went through that whole “Movie of the week” then they had a movie of the specific day like “Monday night at the movies” “Sunday night movies” and even “Saturday night at the movies”. There is even a moment when, if I remember correctly, there is a movie for every night of the week shared between the different networks. Even our home, come the new fall schedule by 7 PM dinner would be finished, the cows milked, the equipment washed and dishes put away in the whole family coming together like the opening of the Simpsons cartoon, on the couch. Actually the kid to be on the floor lying prone with the heads propped up on their hands lovingly gazing at the blue warm screen promising and evenings delight. Dad would already be dozing, mom would I started her iron-rite, iron or with spray bottle in hand feeding the family is close into the hot padded drum getting ready for the following Sunday.

It's altogether different now in this age of Streaming, video discs, and small many seasons splattered throughout the year. The one major fall kickoff season like they used to have no longer exists just kind of sad but in this new world, brave New World where you get anything usually the second that you want if you want it bad enough to pay for it one way or the other. The let loose whole seasons at one shot where you can binge away the whole weekend for 20 or more 48 minute episodes! It really is truly amazing. Still however I look forward to that time when the sun goes down earlier and dinner is finished and I turned my attention to the warm blue glow emitting from my flatscreen sitting above my work desk and remembering wonderful new moments with a peacock spreading its multicolored tailfeathers as if a blessing over the new television season enjoy everyone the networks new offering…

Out Damned Spot!

 Is probably too good to be true but I was not too bummed out about the fact that a portion of my power chair stopped working yesterday afternoon once I got home from taking my chair in for repairs were they switched out the electric harness which sorts out impulses from my joystick to different segments of my foot box. I actually remained in my chair while the technician worked on my electrical system and I could see how intricate that portion of the chair is and how a lot can go wrong. The technician took great pains to make sure that all the wires and connections and everything else involved was protected as best as he could. Keep in mind however that a person like myself is constantly raising and lowering all aspects of this chair whether it's the foot box, the seat-back, the seating area, and on and on and if not protected correctly a lot of these connections could be cramped and broken and obviously that's what happened on my way home somehow from the wheelchair shop. This could've been a major frustration but was not however  because I knew I could get around my apartment well  enough to get by until  I could saddle up and take the trip back to the wheelchair shop the next morning.

It was on the trip back to the shop this morning that I was quite taken aback am still trying to figure out what exactly happened. Even though I had to go back out to the shop which is really quite a long trip on public transit the day was warm, the sun was out and a perfect day for traveling even with bunged up chair. I was traveling after 9 AM which means that the morning rush, but there is, was passed. The buses are pretty much running empty except for the occasional mother out with the child in the stroller using up the precious wheelchair spaces allocated on public transit. So I was kind of intrigued when the driver brought me on board and got me and my chair secured down in the bus. He then stepped out of the bus and had a bottle of water or softened or something which he poured over his hands, obviously washing them from having touched my chair. Really reminded me of Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the whole Jesus Christ affair – – not that I am implying I'm anywhere near the stature of that individual but still washing your hands after touching me. I thought perhaps I was overreacting but I was still curious so many deposited me at the South Jordan station after I got off the bus I hung around and sure enough he once again went through his procedure of dousing his hands from a water bottle and washing up. Now seriously am I overreacting? Perhaps (givingshed his hands the driver the benefit of the doubt) he himself possibly has the flu or cold or something and was afraid of contaminating me woud not the driver then have washed his hands before coming in contact with me?. Strange behavior indeed, Just saying…

Interesting Days

What an interesting day – – I love days that are interesting especially at this point in my life. I have to admit most of my days are interesting granted some days or more packed with things and items to experience than others but no less interesting. Thankfully my life is not boring, I don't know how that could be but I hear many reports that life can be boring but a tragedy and experience for that benighted individual.

Yesterday I got the most interesting message on Facebook early the popped up on Facebook as I was turning my equipment off last night. It said something about to expect a box from Amazon to be delivered tomorrow (which is actually today). That message was right next to an image of my friend Dennis D,From my Boise days. I thought perhaps it was just a coincidence. I thought maybe Dennis had sent me a comment on one of my posts and that comment showed up exactly at the same time that Amazon is notifying me dated be delivering a package the next day.

I was tired when I came in from my travels today. I had my volunteer duty with the local Assist, Inc. board responsibility and then I had to go all the way down to the end of the valley to my wheelchair repair shop to have my new harness installed, that electrical device that directs commands from the joystick to the servos at the far end of my chair operating my foot plates. The trip is a difficult trip from downtown Salt Lake to the end of Redwood Road. One train ride and hooking up with a bus route southbound for a bunch of blocks and then having to roll up your four Salt Lake blocks to the shop and then keep myself and the technician working on my chair entertained as he makes the transition to the new harness. Everything seemed to be working fine when I left after about an hour and a half of lying back in my chair while the technician did his job. The only problem I had was the time I got home I was noticing one part of my chair, the foot box would not deploy entirely. It's relatively important because not only does the procedure allow the foot box to lower but also talk in allowing me to get closer to things I need to get closer to like my arm bike. I can get by but there is definitely a problem with the new harness. So tomorrow I'm headed back early on to get this rectified before lunch date with the writers Guild.

When I got back from my track there is a box in front of my door from Amazon! And the return address which is also my address but had instead of my name the name of my friend Dennis in its place. The box is light weight but large. I needed to get to the bathroom so I charged into my apartment leaving the box outside my door. After dinner I decided I better bring a box in which I did and cut the tape opened the box to find my very own blue basket! It was the exact same basket as my Walmart basket which now I can take back and leave forever using my brand-new blue basket! Thanks Dennis is the best…

Domino's Yeah a!

I had a board meeting this afternoon. The board meeting today was for Utah Assistive Technology Program advisory board. This advisory board is one of my better board meetings they actually serve us lunch! One of a few that still do. Seem like in the old days the state of Utah (no one gets paid to be on a state board) but often participants would enjoy a meal and usually a hot meal often catered. Many times in the last couple of years the meals have dwindled to potato bars and cold sandwiches. That's okay because I service on these boards was not to get fed as much as two Garner time I could use to take off when I was working. Because so many of these board meetings took place over lunch.Today I was pleased that she chose to service pizza One of my favorite pizza vendors Domino's. Now a lot of people I know don't like Domino's but I think they're the best. I should've had just one piece but I had to do now was more that I needed but it's just so good. I didn't even wait around after the meeting looking pathetic hoping they would send some of a two or three pizzas they had left over. I will gladly taken half a pizza home wrapped up in plastic to eat for the remainder of the week.

I'm sure if you did some research into this blog you would see that I've referenced this board for, the board over the Utah assistive technology foundation program. I was part of this board because of my state job, the call center for disability questions many of which were regarding Assistive technology and you might remember my office close to the used equipment webpage. So I've always been part of anything going on statewide assistive technology I also carry credibility since I use so much A T in my life. But we spent a large part of the meeting today on a couple of questions that probably would not of been asked had my position not been eradicated. One of our members was raising the question of why there was no organized system/process for an individual to receive information on getting services for we represent. I guess it's a valid question but that the that he did know more of the process. He is actually of the child with a disability. The individuals right however the system that exists now for consumer to try to get a piece of equipment is quite punitive Defeats many consumers who need the services desperately.

We must spent three quarters of the meeting discussing this issue and now we are having a follow-up meeting to further discuss this particular issue. Hopefully, we will hold an other individuals in the community we should also be involved with providing advocacy and information to people of low income who need assistive technology. I was just pleased and somewhat vindicated that very service that I provided information on is still so desperately needed yet the state all their wisdom to the system away that best method the need. However, the process of reinventing the wheel sure gets old.

It Works! It Really Really Works!

I was worried. The other day when I did my morning roll through of the community room to see if it been any treats or anything left behind on the sharing shelf I was startled and intrigued to see a very nice slow cooker sitting there on the shelf. It was much smaller than the unit I purchased earlier this year when I broke the other. The other crockpot was just too large even though I still haven't I can't figure out how to use it unless someone is to borrow it for a family function or something. But this unit is exactly what I had in mind and what I needed for me anyway, a single person cooking for myself. Other than a little dust around the lead crockpot looks in perfect condition.

Yesterday, you'll remember the guilt that I had of taking the blue Walmart basket home with me and I was going to take it back to the market. I did that and while I was there I did some more shopping and sure enough when it was time to go ahead number of items in my Big Blue basket and I couldn't let it go. One of the items I got was a $13 roast which I guess a certain like to a half pounds. Think the cost like four dollars odd sense a pound. With the cooler weather, clouds and intermittent rain and fall starting tomorrow I figured why not do a roast. I found one named Chuck. I brought Chuck home and threw them in the refrigerator. I promise myself today I would cook Chuck up-right.

I really should've started much earlier today. I don't think I was intimidated about the whole process think of just tired. Somewhere during the night I dropped my cell phone and did not know that I had. And through the deep hours of the night I started getting pings from people sent me information Or messages or texts. I got one about 3 AM and never really got back to sleep. But by lunchtime I had retrieved enough energy to consider the roast. I figured I would have enough time if I started somewhere around 12 or 1 PM and let the peace of meat cook all afternoon. Getting ready for the cook took me longer than I anticipated prepping the vegetables: peeling potatoes, carrots the dicing both of them up into bite-size bits along with onions and a smattering of other vegetables I had the need to use which would be just right for a roast. Then, I put everything in the crockpot put the lid on and plugged the pot in. Now for the were a part, I had a plug-in for 10 or 20 minutes and when I checked on the outside of the pot it was still pretty cold and I've looked inside still felt pretty cold. I was worried that perhaps the plug-in didn't work either the plug-in of the crockpot or the power strip I have in that corner the kitchen for everything. On the other devices I have plugged into the power trip are getting power so I figure maybe the pot doesn't work so for a test I corrected on the high and one out in did a few things and came back and sure enough, the outside of the crockpot was hot to the touch– – It seemed to work at least “Hi” function did. I turned the crockpot down to “Low” And when outside the afternoon sun and read for a couple hours.

The outside of the crockpot is hot to the touch which is good. However the meat seems still fairly tough which is okay I understand it's only been about five hours really want to cook at a good eight hours and I'm still considering such. I'm using a bag to clean up should not be too difficult.

Interestingly my home health person indicated that I tend to worry too much, this is not the first time I had heard this and I wonder if that's the case are that I'm just a bit histrionic and talk about the possible problems I think I might be having just a little too much either way the crockpot works and having roast all week!

No Tea-Ball For You!

I just cannot predict how a days good to go. I was feeling a little bit guilty for not doing enough lately, you know just kicking back enjoyed the cooler weather and the clouds and binging Amazon prime. But today I was kind of interested in going out and doing just a little bit of shopping. Earlier in the week I actually went foraging and found some alfalfa to make tea. Then of course I don't have teabags are even a T-ball or tea-ball what ever. Remember yesterday I was totally guilt ridden about the blue lap basket from Walmart? Well I decided that I would return the basket and maybe go across the street and check out the dollar store at Family All A Dollar and see if they had tea making materials. Sometimes, I'm amazed at what these Dollar stores carry. Anyway, regardless the situation I would have to go up to 5400 S. meaning I would catch the bus. I know I could actually drive my chair up there but I really am trying to be a little proactive and force myself to wait for the bus and not put the trauma on my chair. I really want this vehicle the last as long as I can make it last.

I was so pleased going to my cache of clothes and actually finding a longsleeved T shirt maybe even a sweatshirt that was long enough to cover my belly and heavy enough to keep me warm as I travel on the tarmac. The sun shining bright today perfect day for a black shirt.I consulted the app I have For the transit authority And saw I had about 20 minutes before the next bus. I played a little on my favorite videogame to observe the time been off I went. As I said a bit chilly but a bright day to be out Cruising the city . I waited patiently at the light waiting for the light to change. I counted down the seconds on the Adjacent street crossing my Five, four, three, two, oneThe light changes and I look up and see my light go from “is one” to the flashing walking guy. I even looked and didn't see the vehicle so I started out across the street and all of a sudden I did look up in the opposite direction, which I thought was totally safe, and there was the SUV bearing down on me. Not fast but fast enough. I was like a deer in headlights. I tried to push my chair to its maximum speed but in my confusion I hit the wrong button stopped all forward motion (very similar to what I feel happened When I broke my neck) the SUV was still coming and I knew I was a goner, game over, tits up...But not today! But it was a close one today that's for sure. I maybe even screened or yelled and I think that's what may have got the guys attention to stop. One thing that's different is that usually the event doesn't really bother me but today I can tell I had a major adrenaline pump. It took me a good part of the afternoon to To work the adrenaline out of my system I think. Today was a close one closer than most, But I'm here for another day…

Lap Basket Blues

It is said confession is good for the soul and it seems all I do on this blog is confess, confess, confess. I can start out by confessing I have become quite addicted to Walmart grocery and department store. There is one just a few blocks up the street from my apartment complex, the market is a bit out of the way so I really haven't gone there a lot to do shopping until the last couple weeks. They have a smaller competitor just a half a block from the apartments which I've tended to support but that's changing. Maybe it's the bananas that just weren't green enough or the grapes which just weren't firm enough or maybe it's because they don't have seven bone roasts are commonly called by me anyway blade roasts. I didn't even like blade roasts for the longest time preferring to get roasts that were tied up with strings. But for some reason, maybe it was because I couldn't find the seven bone roasts anymore at my local store that I began to desire them. Now Walmart grocery seems to me huge but more than that I'm impressed with the quality of their produce. I like getting my bananas green allowing them to ripen over the week and not be black by the time Friday and Saturday rollaround. I like their butcher shop and the quality of the meats. And even though I do not eat bread anymore like I used to I do like to is see what they offer through their artesian bread is just beautiful stuff. Though I do not buy a lot of their department store stuff I love rolling through their appliance sections and some of their clothing offerings are also intriguing to me. They even have a McDonald's.

Many times in riding route 54I get off at the intersection of 5400 S. and Redwood Road across the street from Walmart. This makes it kind of easy to – over to Walmart for a quick pick up of items needed. Trouble is I end up being covered in double bagged groceries. Just awkward and often rubs on the wheels in the doorways trying to get on the bus for the ride home. Walmart has beautiful large lap baskets. Just noticed them in the last couple of weeks. The baskets are so large I can get everything that I need in the basket with no bags hanging over the side of the chair. So on a whim last week I just had the checker put my eye is back in the basket when I went through. She looked at me a little odd and said you know that's can set off the alarm when it goes through the door and I looked at her and nodded my head in agreement. She didn't say I couldn't have the basket just that it set off an alarm. I figured I would just – through the doorway and out the alarm go off. This is what I did. I rationalized that this was not a theft because I would bring the basket back and shop again. Which I've done three times and each time the checker tells me the alarm will go off. I don't know why perhaps I have angels working on my side are other but an alarm does not go off no one's drug me back into the store. Now though my conscience is beginning to play on me. I hate to give up my blue basket from Walmart but perhaps it's best. The baskets are great their huge there exactly what I need for my shopping needs. I can certainly go through the pathetic dance of offering to purchase a basket or maybe find out where I can purchase a basket not necessarily a Walmart basket but the baskets are certainly big, certainly beautiful and they are certainly handy for me to use…

Senior Center Avoidance Syndrome

This is my senior center the Taylorsville senior center. I'm fortunate in that this center is actually directly across the driveway from my building's front door. It's just a quick sprint at the number for setting on my power chair and I'm there, how lucky is that?

I'm so pleased to have established fairly normal conversations with my ex – Dianne. Dianne is great And I've missed our conversations. Anyway, Dianne still lucid Murray and she takes advantage of the senior center in that area. Actually she goes to another senior center that has a great swimming pool. And she uses some of the classes that use the swimming pool which is been great. I guess the point I'm getting to is that Dianne loves her senior center when it really offers a great deal for her.I am kind of envious. As we have visited Dianne has informed me how great her center is and so I've been trying to rethink how I can use my center and make my center Great!

This morning after Thursday coffee I figured I would head down to the mailroom And check out what was being offered at the senior center for lunch. There is a menu stuck up on the bulletin board in the mailroom and truthfully menus also sent out every month with a calendar of events at the senior center but I usually trash mine so he wants to well I think what are they having today at the senior center? And now check out what they have. In all honesty I checked it out a couple times especially on birthdays when I first became a resident here at Plymouth View. When you move in you get a free lunch and then much a registered at your senior center every birthday the issue you a free lunch ticket. Now seriously in all honesty I have gone to about four lunches and none of them have been remotely appetizing. And seriously, I Am somebody who is always loved institutional food. I thought the best part of my rehabilitation was the food that I got from the rehab center. I rolled around the building again and saw the exercise area were know the machines are wheelchair accessible, I didn't see any programs that I could really utilize. Then everybody which is so old looking like typical old people I know that sounds elitist but it's the way that I see it. What happened the day which was strange to me was when I use my identification card (you have to use your ID card every time you go to the building and then choose what area that you want to go to whether it's social, lunch, recreational activities, library etc.) on purpose I did not choose any section hit cancel on the way out in this actually brought the director of the organization out to see if I needed help, she thought I was confused but I didn't know which one to hit.I took this is my signed a leave and I left going out into the morning sun feeling like I just escaped something terrible. I guess the senior centers are great Giving folks a place to gather, socialize eat one meal a day and just go on existing. I don't think I'm there yet between family and social networks and computer ties seem to be doing very well thank you. However I do wish my senior center was better…

Tap On …Tap Off

I was so excited today when I checked the mail. My replacement pass was here finally, actually the waiting wasn't too bad since I requested the replacement just last Thursday. By transit pass is my key to life really I don't know what I would do if I didn't have the pass. The pass allows me on all Utah transit Authority vehicles except the Flex Trans it's a bit of a buy off but I don't mind since that's what I thought for my entire career and independent living. The Authority thinks there being so smart.

I'm sure somewhere in my posts I've gone over this issue to some degree but in short when Utah Transit Authority first implemented their flex trans concept (door-to-door service) the authority really thought no one would take advantage of it. Of course, I had to fight the whole issue because of the separate but equal and removing a population from the main flow. Long story short I was right everybody wants to ride and the authorities initial decision kind of backfired on them and had to figure out a way to get folks with disabilities off of the paratransit system which is Flex Trans and back onto the mainline service. I'm glad they did this but it was a bit of a double-edged sword for me because I was one of the few people and chairs that was riding the service at the time. Little by little people over the years have found the service and now there's chairs everywhere couple times a year I have to wait for the next bus because all the wheelchair stations are full. Usually I don't mind that is a real pain in the butt. So now I'm a regular rider and that's good. The service keeps changing on is however and last couple years the system is gone to a “tap On an tap off”. Where before we just had to show the driver a bus pass to get on the new system now was all electronic just had touched they farebox card reader when the and or the bus and when we exited the bus. I didn't realize there was a electronic component to the card itself and I should've been smart enough to realize there was. Last week after I lost my bus pass and it was returned to the UTA lost and found and I collected it the following day the past no longer worked. The reader would no longer pick it up when I tapped on the machine. Whatever I did our happened to the bus pass after I lost it broke the card. I didn't even notice the card had been cracked but when the card is cracked it breaks the electronic something or other on the card and no longer is read by big brother. Actually, for the most part I don't think drivers really even cared. As long as I showed that the card they seemed happy. I can gone on this way probably forever but I want to be totally whole so I called and got a new card sent to me looks just like the old card except for the cracked down the middle. I want to fit in want to be like the other kids I wanted the machine to sing out every time I touched it with my card that showed that I was a part of that system… How pathetic is that?

Alfalfa Tea and Me

It's kind of cool today even though the sun has finally broken through the clouds there is a cool wind blowing. The temperatures only gotten up to the 60s again that's not bad but today am wearing a longsleeved shirt and my shorts drinking lots of water/fluids trying to get on top of what I think is a kidney/bladder infection. I think it's a holdover from the stuff I had last week that I went into the Doc in a box. He gave me an injection of something plus oral medication to take for I think it was a week. He also said something about the start me off with this and then when he gets the results back from the culture you then let me know. At some point afterwards a day or so I got a call on my cell phone indicating that I need to contact the clinic. I think I was on the road at the time and I spaced off the call, the phone number and the clinic. I'm sure, at least I hope I'm sure, that is just a generic overview of the infection that I had and reinforce the need to take the regimen all the way to the end. But this morning and that posts leap consciousness I begin to wandering Perhaps there was something crucial in that information I should of got.

I of course threw away the paperwork with the medication (I was kind of thinking if I had that then I can go back to the clinic for more information I still may do that depending on how I'm dealing with this stuff I've got going right now. My next immediate course of action is to get over to the market one of them probably Walmart and see what they have in the area of alfalfa tea. I should just seek out a herbalist shop and purchase some of their tea. I could actually go foraging and find a plant growing somewhere but then I don't think you can do much with the plant bought still green you have to curate first if I make tea anyway. I'm a true believer in alfalfa tee. I have certainly written about the “drug” (?) Enough over the years I've noticed. It was a staple in my family as I've written before the always had a mess curing on one of the sheds roof through the summer and then it would be processed in the tea during and for the winter. At this point if nothing more than superstitious behavior I need to get some alfalfa tea.

So, I'm going to continue my liquid ingestion I will call it liquid therapy for the remainder of today and tomorrow and then tomorrow Forge for alfalfa somewhere, I know it's out there. Tomorrow's Wednesday, unbelievable, if I don't feel better by Thursday and for sure by Friday then it's back to dock in a box but also I have a appointment with my provider sometime next week I think maybe all hold off till then just to see what happens…