Germs

Today is not as warm as yesterday, but it is the warm before the storm, there's a wind blowing but it's from the South and significant clouds are coming in. Tonight a week storms passing through but it looks grim and dim outside. Temperature in the mid-60s mice enough to head out without a jacket but I did wear my black stocking watch cap feeling like Bronson.¹ I was feeling pretty lucky when I noted the time. I only had a few minutes to get out my busstop if I was going to make this cycle. That was okay I thought because I would take myself out to lunch at the Arctic Circle which is right next to my busstop. It Saturday the 217 is on is on one half hour headways rather than 15 minute headways during the week. But to my surprise my buses running late enough is able to catch the bus on out to my market.

I'm still surprised at how few people use the public transit system here but enough folks to make me a little cautious. I didn't think about the pandemic much when I first got on the bus (not that that would make a big difference) but as soon as the driver opened the door to deploy the lift to bring me on board I noticed that she coughed. Any other season or time I would not thought this a big deal – – and I really don't even now – – but all the sudden I wished I had worn my facemask. I have facemasks, I think I've talked about that before, nice blue medical looking things. I didn't want look like a jerk too much but then last night I watched “Outbreak”a great film starring little bit man guy Dustin Hoffman. This of course is all about heavy-duty big time pandemic viruses. I'll see if I can dig up a copy of the Andromeda Strain. Some be another one to scare this not out of me. Either way I didn't have my mask so I pulled my sweatshirt up over my nose for the rest of the trip to my destination. I doubt that really had much of an impact on saving me from the pandemic other than making me look like I was a bank robber.

My destination was the dollar store. I guess this falls under the definition of guilty pleasures. I'm just amazed at what I can get a dollar apiece. However I noticed again one way to stop pandemics is to close down the dollar stores. Poor people must be who really spread this stuff. I noticed a lot of sniffing sniveling going on in the dollar store. Lots of people mingling getting in each other's ways of being nice about it as they contaminate each other and most likely me. Still think it's kind of weird. On the way home there is another power chair, as big as mine, at the bus stop. I was a little dismayed but then I was determined I was not going to let this put me off. The lady and the other power chair asked me if I was good at turning around I told her no but I'm pretty darn good at backing on the bus which is a bit of a unique skill set. So I told her to get on the bus first and get situated and tie down that I would back on which I did. I did so with such pizzazz that I almost got an ovation that would've been funny. I just smiled and do good a bow as one can in a power chairin disease infested tube heading north on Redwood Road on a Saturday night…

1Then Came Bronson

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Getting Ready For The Weekend…

I just returned from my Friday shopping. I like to think I go shopping on Friday and get everything I need for the coming week but in actuality I think I'm just doing recreational shopping. Because, I know I'm going to probably return to the market on Saturday/tomorrow because it's somewhere to go somewhere to spend my money on something I can justify. I mean after all one can always justify food in my right?

Today I actually formed the list. The usual suspects were on it bananas, coffee, one can of evaporated milk, jalapeno peppers (pickled) grapes, cottage cheese and some more exotic items this week dark silk coffee, paper bowls and the grapes were a dollar more pound than they were last week but I got pound and a half and also this week I impulsed and got two dollars worth of yogurts at three yogurts for a dollar. I don't eat a lot of yogurt, I should eat more I guess, but I like having yogurts, around in the back of the fridge, lurking. Sometimes, when I want a real treat I will go to the back of the fridge and see who's there and who wants to be part of my life. Luckily, the guy at the smoked ribs and brisket counter was not around. I was weak today I may have purchased a whole pound of smoked brisket. Right now, the smoked brisket's they have on the weekends are my weakness. The ribs I am not too worried about, I can pass them up no problem but the brisket is a different matter. She I really enjoy this facet of my market you have the sky cut Ms. Ribs up every weekend. I used to think he was part of the market to kind of asthmatic is also an independent smoked meat vendor of some sort. He usually has his sacrificial rack of ribs and brisket available cutting up into small sample size which fits into a good size paper cup with the toothpick. Nothing like samples. I try not to be obvious below one of those local culture folks that live for the free samples? I've never purchased a whole pound of the smoked brisket and it's hard to justify my little head for $13. What really must be pass them up is being cognizant of the amount of fat I would ingest sucking down this succulent meat. However, I am one day going to either purchase a pound or the whole brisket. This guy has these smoked brisket's stacked like cordwood in the little heat box which displays the succulents to the folks walking by. Luckily, I think the amount of calories this would force on my body the three pass this up every week but one of these days I'm sure I will weaken.

It's Friday and I got out of there spending less than 40 bucks which is really not too bad. I even got sour cream which is I had no justification for except for some potatoes that I've yet to be cooked. I don't know what got into me except that it's Friday night and shopping at the market is my pathetic form of recreation.…

Public-Service

This is my busstop and it looks kind of clean but it could be cleaner. I'm going to try to volunteer the place it up every day a little bit holies police

I like to call the Utah Transit Authority a little big shop as far as what the yard what they do. I'm quite frankly amazed at what they do and how big their operation is I always have been. I know in the past briefly I've written about my career as far as it transit specialist for people with disabilities. That's a pretty broad title but it's basically my job was to work with transit authority to make sure they offer the same transit opportunities to people disabilities as to be able-bodied public. Over the years I attended many many board meetings and specialized meetings and I still make it a point to write the transit systems much as I can. I was more than pleased when I moved into my current apartment complex to see how well I was connected with bus stops and bus routes in my locale. As I indicated earlier over the years I have really utilized the transit system but not as much as the last three or four years since I've lived here at Plymouth view Apartments.

At 4795 South Redwood Rd. there is a very nice Utah transit Authority bus stop. Redwood Road for this part of Redwood Road's route 217. The bus stop just outside the South West parking area of our complex opens up directly to that bus stop. There's a gate there which I passed through to get to the bus stop and it's all very convenient. I just love it actually. The bus stop itself is kind of huge. It's covered house of my seating area and it is even lighted. The shrubbery on both sides as well as gravel and the garbage can/receptacle. Oddly enough it seems flat people have a hard time finding or using these conveniences ergo there's always garbage, soft drink cups, plastic bags from markets plastic containers of used soft drink etc. etc. I'm not trying to infer that the Authority does not keep their bus stops maintained they do they do a really good job but people being people it's hard to keep up. Now I'm not really a nice guy and I'm not that community minded but I'm willing to take on a bit of responsibility of keeping that facility little bit cleaner. I live right here I can go out there daily and sweep and collect garbage. I just don't have any tools to do that with all I need is a stick with the jabber on it may be a broom and a 5 gallon bucket or something with the garbage in.

Spent so long since I've worked directly with UTA my contacts of gotten slimmer and slimmer. However I did make the call this morning and of course got sucked into their maelstrom of information systems. I figure that would happen but it always is quite a shock. Like I said for a little operation I mean the Utah market/Salt Lake market is relatively small compared to LA or NYC but large and the respect of layer upon layer of bureaucratic levels of “service”. I wish it wasn't so but it is and that is just the way that it is. I was shuttled from one office to the next describing my need in my desire and finally ended up at an office that takes these comments shuffles on to the right person in their agency or program will get back to me in 10 to 12 working days. I figured as much. Next I'm going to go through the apartment complex Utah Nonprofit Housing to see what they can do. I've even brought this up to some of the people in the apartment complex who shown some interest in helping was such a project. My overall goal is to get more folks riding the system and enjoying public transit…

What's The SKINny?

In an effort to not focus on a possible wound on my rear end which surfaced this morning during my shower trying to find anything to write about that will take my mind off of skin breakdown. Well actually maybe that's what I do need to write about: skin breakdown.

Irresponsibly, I have not a blog review to see how much of what I've written about skin breakdown and more specifically my skin breakdown. In fact I was not going to write about skin breakdown is going to write about bread and making bread. But it's looking like decubitus is winning out for blog of the day. Don't fret because I still want to write about bread maybe not so much my history of making bread but the concept of making bread in respect to a new podcast I found today.

Skin breakdown are decubitus ulcers is one of the most horrific and terrifying events person with spinal cord injury can endure. I don't mean to sound melodramatic about the whole issue but for me that's how I feel. I have come to the sad realization of the site age my skin becomes more and more at risk. And butt skin is perhaps the most risky of all. Skin breakdown on the rear end is probably negatively impacted the entire time a person is sitting erect and putting pressure on that would. Other typical places for the wounds of decubitus include elbows and knees and ankles/heels anyplace were those pressure placed on the skin especially the buttocks. Even pressure as innocent as laying in bed. We knew that my skin was in jeopardy Monday when we applied new dressings to my rear end. I was feeling my butt getting tender and we applied a new dressing them. Annette indicated that the skin was “angry” and put on the new dressing after some vigorous washing of the area. This morning when she checked the dressing the ends of rolled up which I figured was putting extreme pressure on the skin but the rest of the dressing was still fairly securely attached. I think will be pulled the dressing of skint good skin was pulled off with it resulted in a pinprick wound. We applied the new dressing with the hopes of checking on Friday to see new growth. I of course am hypersensitive to that area now and feel that anything I do is going to irritate that area. So, since I'm up in my power chair trying to be as horizontals like can be first long as I can be taking the weight off my buttocks as I can short of going to bed.

I congeal myself I telling my mind that I've done pretty good I've gone a significant amount of time without serious wounds. I tried to ameliorate the seriousness or potentiality crisis by saying to myself “look, worst-case scenario you just go to bed for a couple weeks”. The sounds easy but I would go crazy especially if this is during the summer months. There is no good time to be bedbound however, that's what I go do that's what I got a do. I should look to DD who is a great example of someone who is being quite heroic regarding having to be bound to bed for a period of time as she begins her knee replacement therapies in the next couple weeks. She will have to be down in bed for I don't know how long but she suddenly take it like a champ especially since she has to do this all alone. Even I, can no longer access the house I could've helped her. I wish you had some support. I just have to go to bed (if that's what it's going to take). Getting up only to use the restroom and possibly grab some meals or whatever and maybe do my arm bike – – I'm doing 40 – 30 minute sessions now. The first three days the week is 40 minutes followed by three days of 30 minutes adding up to almost 200 minutes of our time which I think is important to maintain even at the cost of skin irritation.

Skin breakdown is just a new level of issues I we worried about. DD and her knee replacements, coronavirus and its impact on the world economy which means its impact on me in my economy especially things like catheters, wheelchairs under the else disability to say nothing of what would happen if the electric gridwere to go down. All my electrical would be in jeopardy: desktop, laptop and various handheld devices. Power of first the bed in a wheelchair and then I can worry about everything else. Maybe that's enough for today and go out and read in the sun. The still snow on the ground but the temperatures up in the upper 40s down with lots of sunshine and ability to work on my tan…

What – Me Worry?

I really hate being a poor citizen but today's super Tuesday and I'm not voting that the conscious not voting muscle much out of character or protest just apathy or perhaps anger to some degree. Not even listed to NPR and I dread listing to any local news broadcast, today, because it's all go to be super Tuesday stuff and election stuff and stuff about coronavirus. I think all of it all the reporting of these issues have got my fatigue to the point of not caring. I firstly also thinkable confused as far as registered to vote and mail and vote and all that kind of stuff.

Perhaps my apathy for the electoral process is coming for the aspect that I'm not impressed with any of the possibilities course with the exception of Bernie but even then I'm not all that hot for Bernie. I guess I don't believe in any of them especially the slick Dick's. The major money guys. And basically just talking about the Democrats that whole races because such a joke and I would talk about the shit show the Republicans are throwing. Sad as it is I don't think the Dems have a chance and I think this jerk of a president is going to take the White House again.

I guess I could default to the whole Mormon, biblical prophesy of “in the last days the governments will fail the Constitution will hang by a thread and GA's will be asked to take over what's left of the American government and restore the government and therefore the country. But so great to have something to fall back on blame wise and really does reduce the stress when you're able to convince your mind that it's “all in God's hands” and it is just the way things are supposed to happen. Still, somewhere in the back of my brain and not foggy cloudy area where all can do is reach out with their hand and grabbed for the rod to hold onto. I've got so many clouds and fog that I can't even find the rod and loan reaching out to grab onto it.

I really have the impression this is just a movie. That's how it feels like watching this whole pandemic thing unwind. I really should not have done it that yesterday I dug out my old copy of 12 monkeys (I think I wrote about this either yesterday or day before so could've been day before) and watched. And seriously the film is not about pandemic except for it is about a giant pandemic that nearly wipes out the earth but most of it is just about events that sort lead up to that event that's just the very beginning of the pandemic it doesn't really show how it unfolds. We're watching/I am watching/how this whole thing is unfolding. It's textbook is exactly what you would think would happen if they did a pandemic exercise. The only problem is this seems to be real-life and hardball. Granted, everybody says this virus is a lightweight version and even if it does go pandemic's not going to have that big of an impact perhaps. And perhaps that's great if you are young, physically strong and able to isolate yourself to some degree. I am old with a major disability and living with and in senior living apartments there are people all around me. I try to isolate and stay apart but in the end you have to be out and about sooner or later. And then I guess I slip into the pessimistic if not realistic scenario of why fight is going to come live life to the end as full as you can have faith what will be will be… Four MI full of generalities and just a cliché or two…

Sunday Roast

Today is a dark and cold Monday I mean what can one expect after yesterday's snowfall. I start getting antsy for spring about this time every year I have to remind myself that technically speaking we are still in the last of the winter season. We have almost 3 more weeks before the official start of spring however this coming Sunday will begin daylight savings time. I don't know if I'm a big fan of daylight savings time one where the other but I like the change the abrupt extension of daylight hours at the end of the day on change day. Mornings you don't see that much of a change early on but that'll come to. Perhaps I would not feel so melancholy if the summer out. I can deal with a lot that the sun is out. Now however it's just gray, some black and a lot of white for the snowstorm still.

I don't know why I'm so excited. Perhaps it's because my meeting tomorrow morning has been put off till next week and my book club on Thursday is canceled because of other issues going on with Gov.'s Council. Essentially that frees up my week. Already however I have Thursday plugged in DD is coming over and were going to cook shrimp.. DD has a lot of shrimp and it will make a fun doing I'm sure. Also, warm weather is slated for the end of the week, at least warmer weather than were having now. So I have much to look forward to a week to enjoy my power chair, my apartment, my family, my friends and my life!

I cooked yesterday. Couple weeks ago I picked two tri-tip roasts. A cooked one about two weeks ago and I put it in the crockpot which is something I love to do but right now I'm more interested in producing a piece of meat that is slice-able. Want to be able to cut roast beef thin enough for sandwiches. What I end up getting is a piece of meat that is great the taste but sort of falls apart. It's great roast for like possibly tacos, just generally roast beef gravy and mashed potatoes. It's good I sure enjoy it but it's not what I've been shooting for. The roast this weekend I elected use a bag. I was surprised to find I had numerous roasting bags but knows closing our cinching tools – – you know like a Ziploc device that will cinch the bag shut. I ended up using a clothes pin and it worked! I cooked it at 325° but I think I overcooked it. The meat only had to get to 145° inside but when I finally tested the roast it was like 160 280°. The meat was not falling apart but it wasn't holding together as well as I would have liked.. I pulled off enough for great roast beef potato and broccoli dinner which was yummy. I of course refrigerated everything maybe today the middle slice better if not I will certainly enjoy what I turned out. I really was kind of bummed because I was looking forward to utilizing the juices which collects in the bag, from the cooking, the mix with a bottle of beef gravy I picked up at the market. That was not to be since I lost all the gravy was trying to port into a container. I should've tried to harvest the gravy as soon as I took the roast out but I left the gravy in the bag to set for a number of hours and tried to collect the drippings late in the evening just before I got ready for bed. Mistake!

Totally enjoyed the day. A wonderful Sunday with lots of snow, cooking and DVDs…

Guilty Pleasures

This the first day of March and it's snowing out a perfect day to be in the apartment watching Harry Potter and thinking about my day and my month. I still have letters to write and I still have changed to get which I cannot do until tomorrow so today will be one of writing and cooking and trying to stay out of trouble.

As I mentioned I'm exercising the guilty pleasure by watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the first in the series. I should be doing something more productive with my time but as I said it's March 1 and snowing. I'm just now reading this same volume, the first of a series of Potter books. I've never really read them but luckily we are reading the Sorcerers Stone in Book Club. I'm really quite amazed at how faithfully the film seems to capture the book. Of course I've seen the films before after all I do have kids and grandkids and nephews and nieces. One of my nephews is totally a Harry Potter aficionado. My kids of course were very Potter fans as well especially my daughter. But I just sort of attended to the movies when they were on but I've never really seriously followed them until now. Last night I took myself out to the market mainly for something to do on a Saturday night – – I know that sounds pathetic but things are as they are. Luckily for me there is something called the Gray Whale which is almost a counterculture market but they have lots of CDs and DVDs and a fairly good selection of books but it's all music oriented more or less. I like to spend time at the Gray Whale. Luckily Harry Potter has been a bit of a phenomenon so there's lots of copies of the movie and their relatively cheap. I got this one for $5.98! It hard to write the copy from Amazon that would've been about the same price but now I have my own copy. I think I'll do the rest of the movies in the same way. As I indicated this is a guilty pleasure. I love to escape into these movies however because the movies are their own little universe almost like the Marvel universe but in a different way.

Speaking of guilty pleasures I need to move some furniture around so I can get into my DVD collection. I'm almost certain I have a copy of 12 Monkees.I know the movie almost has no relevance to what's happening today with the corona virus. The only similarity is the virus becomes pandemic . The Corona is acting the same way it's really weird to watch and becoming quite frightening. The virus itself is terrifying but even more so is the fact that the effect the virus is having on world industry might be even more terrifying everything from pharmaceuticals to plastics might be impacted. As I've written about before I began saving my catheters just in case. Even if I were to get a major bladder infection at least be able to cure the bladder infection and still pee. I'm not even trying to think about the fact that my home health person/agency services mainly seniors as well as people with disabilities overall targets for the virus. And could I get the virus in contact with them? Even here at the apartment complex. Mainly seniors and if something happens here would it spread through the whole facility? If I dwell on these for any given space of time my anxiety level begins to rise. Up until then I've got to keep faith living each day to the next and believing there's going to be a joyous/wonderful spring…

Leap Day

It's Leap Day that really holds no significant bearing or meaning except for the fact that we got married a bunch of years ago but we only counted leap days because we got married on 29 February.. We did not plan for this to happen we had be out of our apartments, respectively, by the end of the month that you're just happen to be a leap year. Sadly (as the dedicated reader knows ) we are no longer married but I felt I had to at least acknowledge the day so I texted DD this morning I wished her happy un anniversary and DD responded the same. We even placed the call afterwards visited briefly. It was a good call and we both laughed and went on our way. Don't think we dare push it past that point. I think for both thankful, I know that I am, to be friends and possibly best friends. I don't think anyone knows me as well Dianne and the same for her. What kind of on our own here twist in the wind. I think we both know that we know each other and meet each other and are for each other right now. I don't know if it'll always be this way that seems right for the time being.

I rode the bus today. Today was actually warm almost 60° even though it was overcast as a storm is coming in. I was anxious to use by new black basket so I was back to the dollar store. I really like that place I bought a ton it seems like a lot of stuff , stupid stuff. Spicy peanuts, pork rinds, barbecue chips, two different kinds of peanuts, M and M almonds. Not one item that I really needed. When I was done I amassed a bill of $17.95! Wow. It seems like such a deal. I was into a podcast yesterday about how dollar stores carry brand items made especially for dollar stores. These audits are just a shade smaller then the items that go to regular markets. These items are for poor people the kind of folks I go to the dollar stores typically. That is so funny but it's true once I started thinking about it. But Dana my person a couple years ago wannabes go to antibacterial soap ie. Dial I bought a couple of the soaps they had there at the dollar store and truly the bar of soap was significantly smaller but quite usable and you know in the end of the soap washes down to just shards. So, even if the bar soap is smaller I think I did a deal. I'm still digesting this information about how giant markets cater to low-income folks by offering them dollar stores and the like. What a sick society.

Later on in the afternoon my friend Lori talked me into meeting. The village in on the corner. I really don't like to Village Inn but it's an easy place to get to for everyone. I drank the coffee (overpriced) but that was all I could bring myself to eat anything else which is okay because I went to the dollar store and got an apartment full of junk…

Cheesy Peesy

I woke this morning thinking about macaroni and cheese for some reason. Macaroni and cheese is not

on my list of super favorite foods. However, I must note that many times when I've dreaded the meal macaroni and cheese I've been pleasantly surprised at how well I enjoyed that entrée. Up until I married Dianne my only experience with macaroni cheese I've been through Kraft macaroni and cheese. : Anthony/little Mark was growing up mac & cheese was a staple of his diet. I could always get little Mark to Wolf down a bowl mac & cheese. However, I was impressed with Dianne always who wentout-of-her-way to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. I was impressed. I was so used to making the dish from the box but never realized people probably made mac & cheese from ingredients in their closets probably forever. I never realized they just take the stuff, mixing together and voilà you have a dinner!

I'm in that weird cycle from waking up each morning somewhere between 2 AM 3:35 AM. This is also the day that I have home health come in for shower and toileting. Needless to say I get too excited to go back to sleep. So this morning I was fixated on macaroni and cheese and particularly on how I could “jazz” up the traditional dish elbow macaroni and melted cheese. I just start thinking of all the different ways I could excite this – for my own palette. First. You have to prepare the macaroni which is to be elbow macaroni most likely. After you prepared the macaroni I have a pretty broad canvas waiting to be filled. I could use bread crumbs but most likely I would default to soda crackers ground-up or even ran through my Cuisinart now that I am going to start using machine more than ever. For that matter i can even use potato chips if I have them. But these are just the basics what if I were to take a couple of tablespoons of my sliced jalapeno peppers and throw them in the mac & cheese? If I'm going that route maybe even the green pepper or red pepper or even pimento. These tangy and colorful ingredients but only work give this traditional comfort food pizzazz but some beauty as well. I was even thinking olives could also give personality to the dish. Now, had even gone area of protein best kind of thinking of what about some spam chunks, slices of spam diced up for that matter you could use regular ham if you are a rich person. It would elevate the complete dining experience from a side dish to a casserole status.

I don't know how long it is going to take me to sneak up on this idea of building a better macaroni and cheese dinner/casserole. Now I'm thinking about it what if I use hamburger? Would it still be macaroni and cheese already cheeseburger knockoff? Either way I'll bet it would be tasty. Think of all the different kinds of chips one could use to produce the crunch factor. Luckily, I already have my dinner planned for this evening. I am still working on the meatloaf I created earlier this week about me of his better every day. I'm going to do it however it won't be as creative as Dianne would do but just a few of jalapeno peppers just think of the wonders of taste I could create…

Catheter Bouquets

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Hallelujah! I checked this morning and was delighted to see the state has come through with the monthly check for my retirement. It's not like I'm coasting on pennies even though it feels that way sometimes. I'm actually doing fairly well says that I wish I felt more secure especially once my levels in the bank accounts reviewing falling below certain levels are my credit card debt creeps upward. I don't know if the whole China thing or the virus thing or the presidential thing but I began to think of alternatives to lifestyles which might be changing. Case in point I get approximately 180 catheters a month that's just about six catheters of a day. If I'm being honest I could probably get by with four catheters of the province that extra cushion I like to think that I have. Traditionally, I throw the catheters away after I use them. I've never seen anything anywhere it says to throw a catheters after one use unless you interpret the “disposable” indicator on the front of the catheter boxes. Again, I think I've mentioned before somewhere in this blog and talk about my friends the paraplegics and how they instructed me that catheters on even broken until about six or seven uses and I'm gullible enough to believe the paras. Once a step back from the situation I kind of got what they meant. It's really remarkably stupid to use these things once and throw them away just because they're “dirty”.

The medical supply group that I purchased my catheters from or should I stipulate where my insurance purchased my catheters from charges my insurance company just about thousand dollars a month for the catheters. That's $12,000 a year, and I know there's some kind of sweetheart deal worked out between the medical supply company and the insurance group and I'm just a middle guy. Now, the money aside (and that really is a whole lot of money) what happens if somehow the current economy goes bust? I don't know how. But somehow I can just see these catheters which are nothing but plastic could stop being made if what's happening in the Middle East and the Far East continue to go on unabated by who knows what. A couple years ago when asked about the house. I actually started saving the catheters I got about 100 or so which looks like a bunch of catheters when they're not all wrapped up in their little plastic paper and plastic houses. I just couldn't figure out why I would need to keep them so I threw them away. Now, I wish I had not. But starting this week I'm saving my catheters again. Used once, I'm renting them out and put them in my will catheter drawer. I'm going to say them indefinitely and hope to high Honda that nothing ever happens that plastics stop flowing. I figure if I had a couple hundred even 1000 catheters I would be safe. Until whatever happens with our bizarre economy

You know, It's In The Mail

Thank goodness it was only a cleaning. I noticed last week when cleaning my desk that I had a dental appointment for Wednesday the 26^th but there was no year attached to the date. I kind of figured it was last year's notification which just got lost on the piles of debris. Then earlier this week I got the recorded call letting me know that I had an appointment at 11 PM on Wednesday the 26^th. I honestly do not remember making this appointment.

Oddly enough yesterday I was notified that I had an opportunity to model for photographs for the agency I used to work with Utah Disability Developmental Council or UDDC. I was notified that they needed to update their cache of images for brochures, newsletters, PSA's etc. did pretty much used all the photos they had collected over the years and then they realized that very few of those images had signed releases and really couldn't be used. I did not have a problem with that and when they told me there might be some cash involved I was doubly ready for the adventure. So when the space of 48 hours my usually calm and boring Wednesdays almost became overfilled. My dance card is full.

Just a cleaning. The main chair at my dentist's office was full with ongoing oral surgery. This meant I would have to use the dental chair/room of last resort at the far end of the building. I of course had no problem with this and neither did the dental hygienist but it is tight quarters and we had to make sure that she would be able to get around my head do the work which the little finagling we're able to pull off. I was pleased to find that I didn't have any cavities. I didn't have to go any further than just today's operation of cleaning. I got my questions answered the tooth I have in the back which bleeds periodically and the teeth I have that are sensitive are sensitive because there are pockets of space between these teeth are food accumulates but since now I'm flossing daily as well as brushing I'm looking good. This is the first time I've had such positive results. I left the building a happy fellow.

Luckily, I made contact once good with Avery to find out if in fact she was able to find a vehicle to come fetch me. She had not and would not because there are not any Uber type options for people powered wheelchairs like mine. This of course leaves mainline transit. I was thinking this photo shoot would be done at the U DDC downtown office but no, the shoot took place in a place called Inn between. As near as I can tell this is long-term care or independent living options for DD folk as well as seniors. It's kind of up on the east side of Salt Lake 1100 E. and 1266 S. a long ways away. Luckily Avery did the footwork and found a bus route that takes me almost to the property and that's what I took. Two bus transfers and a lot of anxiety that made the trip in just over an hour. I have to admit I was kind of impressed with myself.

I was kind of impressed watching the photo shoot in the photographers do their job. They use before the number of shots probably around 20 images were taken. I supposedly was an employer doing an interview of prospective employee with a developmental disability. That this great software which allowed another photographer to look, evaluate/adjudicate the images as they were taken. Less than three or four minutes my portion of the operation was done and I was just in the way. I was profusely thanked for making it to the shoot and said the check was in the mail we shall see…

Kathy Dragoo and Lanie Too

You know it's kind of funny but I think many thought the Internet and programs like Facebook is going to open up secondary options at friendships long-lost in the curtains of time. It's kind of funny. I'm always shocked at how old I am not so much of how old I am in the way that I feel it's foul volume in the way that I look. I look like a almost 70-year-old codger. And I see my colleagues, friends former classmates looking like me and their respective rights. Of course, you can always see the kernel of the individual you once knew and perhaps crushed on. I'm kind of fortunate that I currently in contact with a couple of goals old relationships. It's kind of strange.

I believe I've mentioned Elaine before. She was one of my bona fide, actual girlfriends. She and I were in this kind of long-distance relationship I had my accident. I lived at one part of town and she lived in the other and we met each other weekly at the Saturday night dance. Search “Saturday night dance” in this blog world to see references to that particular phenomenon and what it played my life. At 15 I didn't have either the resources or focus to really be in a long-term relationship. The kind of felt good to have someone to dance with the whole night and someone to give a good night kiss to when you're 15 years old. We even kept the relationship going for some time after the accident. Elaine actually becoming a volunteer at the rehabilitation center I rehabbed at. Elaine was great.

Elaine must now be 66 or 67 years old. Like me she's put on some weight like me she's has gotten older however unlike me she's managed to stay married to her first husband. I envy her that.Periodically, we communicate via text. It's fun and we sometimes dance around those severed wires that seem to be still sparking the some degree. At this point it's just kind of fun remembering what was and what could've been.

The other person who wanted to my mind the other morning was the first real live girlfriend I ever had. Her name was Cathy Dragoo at you sat on the back of the bus and somehow I ended up sitting next to her one night or afternoon going home from school this must've been the seventh grade. I became totally infatuated with her and to this day I cannot imagine what she saw in me. Somehow, I do not even rememberbut I was able to get my hands ona St. Christopher medal and give it to her which she were probably. I was a Mormon, I had no idea about St. Christopher except for that is what you give a girl you want to go steady that's all I remember now of that quick lived relationship.

I look at my face in the mirror and wonder who that is looking back…

Ghost School

I was in junior high last night in my dream, good old EJS(East Junior High). Just walking around checking things out wish I could remember what the dream was about. The dream was not a bad dream just a dream of remembrance. I was pulled out of that dream around 5 AM when I got pinged with a text message. I was blessed in that the dream lingered or at least the feeling the dream produced lingered for some time. I of course begin to ruminate on the dream and the fact that the place for the dream took place to longer exists. I could get all Stephen King I guess, that East junior high still exists in the dreamland state where all the memories good and bad still exist. I still kind of hate the fact that the building is gone completely.

To the East of East junior high, directly east of the building was a one-story building called the Fieldhouse. I spent a lot of time in the Fieldhouse since that was where the wrestling team worked out all through the late autumn and early winter of the school year. I don't know that the Fieldhouse was used for anything other than a wrestling house but that's all I remember. There were a number of mat rooms and of course dressing rooms and showers. We usually worked out from 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock. I'm sure those who really wanted to could stay later at work out but that was never be. My dad often would stop by the Fieldhouse on the way home from work and pick me up. I had to be home to help with milking the cows and other chores. All through wrestling season the Fieldhouse bank of sweat and adolescent males. In the large mat room one giant mat had been made of placing numerous 4' x 6' mats together and covering them all with a mat cover. One of the coaches favorite exercises was having everybody lift the mat cover up off the mat's and then five or six people get under the mat cover and then the back cover was brought down and those not under the mat cover sit on the mat ceiling the edges of the mat. Those under the mat then, at the sound of the whistle, we do back to back sit outs and switch maneuvers for five minutes. That was dreadful the got so hot and dank under the cover I sometimes thought I was going to pass out. We often did that on Wednesday nights before weigh-in on Thursday afternoon getting ready for the wrestling matches the following Friday. You can lose a couple pounds in one night of working underneath the mat cover.

In my dream I wanted the halls but did not run into anybody, the school was empty except for me. I wandered around the library then down to the cafeteria then even down the back stairs to the boys locker room. I think I was at the ghost school, the only remains of the actual East junior high that still exist. My grade school is gone and my junior high is gone. Luckily high school and university still exist and I guess so do I

Dinner and a Movie

Don't you just love it when you go to bed and your house is cleaner than when you got up? The kind of happened today not by design but just by the way things happen sometimes. Earlier in the week by vast Dianne come over today for Sunday dinner. I had a pound of hamburger and I thought meatloaf would be a great way to use this hamburger. Then as I was checking out my freezer Friday or Saturday I noticed I had a pound of turkey burger/ground turkey which I need to use. There was freezer crystals forming on the ground turkey so it need to be used quickly too. I've used ground turkey before in my meatloaf and was rather quite impressed by the way the meatloaf turned out. However, did not want to spring something like this on Dianne so, last night I texted her about the turkey option and she was open to that twist in my meatloaf mania.

The consistent reader will remember that I did not have my cleaning person coming this week. However, the apartment is holding up on its own very well. I did spend a little time picking up here and cleaning there, making my bed to greatly increase the illusion of cleanliness. It certainly did not have the effect of a Annette visit but just the same the apartment was not chaos. We've decided to have any cooking are home movie viewing events during the hours of daylight sense Dianne has night vision issues when driving. So Dianne came shortly before noon today and we got on the project of assembling a massive meatloaf. I try to keep the table in the kitchen as clean as possible so that we would have working area. I processed green pepper and onion. We had a small bag of processed pepper onion and garlic from earlier in the week when we are playing around with the Cuisinart. It all went into the mixing bowl. I have a massive mixer: KitchenAid. I love this machine for a host of reasons. I think of how this mixer for about 30 years and it's never failed me. I've used it for cookies, bread and meatloaf. It's a heavy bugger about is going to try to have it on the table when Dianne got here achieved quickly swept the mixer off the floor and put it on the table. We dump the meat into the mixing bowl followed quickly by the bread, onions, green peppers. Mix mix mix adding two eggs and then plopped the mixed goop into a good-sized pan.

Dianne brought over a bag of frozen vegetables (look like stirfry). I found baking soda biscuits in the freezer about five of them which cooked up just fine. Oh I forgot, a month or so ago I got this block of frozen mashed potatoes from the food bank. I haven't really known what to do with them but decided they would use them just to see and free up space in the freezer. About two hours later we had a fantastic meatloaf dinner even savory beef gravy. The meatloaf was huge but perfect as was the company. We both were stuffed which was good because I didn't bake a cake (but I did find a can of chocolate icing which is eluded me for about a year). Now I need to make a cake. I ordered the movie Yesterday a film I saw a earlier this year about alternate history and the Beatles. Dianne loves the Beatles and effort should love the film and she did. Dianne did the dishes and clean up the kitchen. The place was cleaner than when she got here earlier today. A nice day, a huge cooking day but lots of fun. Like I said when you the cake even if it's poison…!

Watch Rewind Watch Again

I find myself watching movies that I have enjoyed over and over again I don't know how healthy this is but I enjoy this behavior and the feelings of comfort this affords. Yesterday as I was bopping around prime video I noticed Wargames: 1983 was listed. I don't know why I was so taken with this film came out maybe it was the whole doomsday/Armageddon concept of the world nuke itself into oblivion by mistake. W G 1983 is reminiscent of a number of films of that time. Dr. Strangelove (a little earlier) for example. Really like the adolescent aspect and the kid just hacking around getting into “the big boys” sandbox.

I've never really thought the film was that intense source kind surprised when during the evening as I slept I found myself in a long version of the film. I was not myself in the film just watching and feeling a lot of the feelings the characters must have had. I don't know why but I focused on two minor characters who always thought were somewhat interesting but never really considered and that was Malvin and Jim, the two computer programmers David Litman visits to ask a question. These two guys are perfect for their roles. I totally new people like this during that period of my life just as computers are coming online all over the country. Malvin, the complete nerd probably suffering from some sort of developmental disability and then the slobby Jim the disheveled person in charge seem to know the answers to the questions and for some reason watched after Malvin. I've thought about these guys often on each time I watch the film but only during my sleep cycle last night that I really focus on these two. This morning as I was focusing on my dream I wondered why no one did a serial of these two. I thought it would be great to see a movie that these two starred in like a sequel to wargames not necessarily like wargames but the life of two seemingly different mindsets trapped into computer programming in the early 1980s so much interesting stuff was coming down with no apparent oversight. So of course this morning I did some research and found a couple of YouTube videos in a number of articles examining how realistic the movie Wargames actually was.

Interestingly, there really was no oversight to fairly sophisticated (for the time) systems and operations in use by both the military and other sensitive government and academic operations. It really was the wild wild West. And kids were hacking systems fairly regularly. Now in the light of day, hours removed from my morning thoughts the plight of Malvin and Jim do not seem to interest me as much. I found out the two folks who played the roles to each other for just that brief time they work together on this film. I still think that would've been interesting to see these two have their own film together or maybe even a TV series sort like “Odd Couple meets the Big Bang theory”. Maybe have answered my own question. The IT crowd and the Big Bang theory are just those kinds of shows.maybe I'll just lost the little revelry treating these two characters as long-lost friends… “Would you like a nice game of chess”

Personal Control

I've had more expenses this month than I anticipated and that's cool. I'm just going down on my account quicker than usual. I'm going to make it to the end of the month that's no problem, especially this month since it's February and that's a short month. Hopefully, March will be less threatening. Luckily, February is also the birthday month for me and I was sent cash which I'm trying to live off now till the end of the month which I'm anticipating the next Friday. I usually get my federal money couple days before the first, so you see, I'll be okay.

Luckily my home health person is also my cleaning person who usually comes in on Fridays for two hours is not coming in this Friday, today. Up until last month I paid her with cash. I always made a big deal of either going to the market or to the bank or to a cash machine at my community college just on the street to get the cash. I don't remember quite if it was a heavy snow are the illness that I came down with or both which stimulated me into using our writing a check. Annette said it didn't matter to her she was just divided to have the extra cash coming in. I was pleased not having to run out to get cash but, when I did run out to get cash I knew exactly what I was dealing with regarding my account. I noticed yesterday when I was checking my balances that Annette had been holding onto the checks for a couple weeks then put the checks through all once. And no, I'm not living that close to the edge but it did bring my balances down to a point where I can't feel nervous. Like I said it would be okay, I just have to not spend till the end of the month. Luckily, as I said earlier, I decided not to have Annette come and work two hours today. Fortunately, she is been contracted by a wealthy family to watch their senior member who has dementia for major blocks of time throughout the day. This is good money for Annette and I don't have to feel too guilty for requesting a break. We both feel pretty comfortable in the status of the apartment. I've been working very hard on trying to keep the place picked up, Dianne is also been very helpful in organizing and cleaning parts of the apartment and then with Annette vacuuming three times a week when she's here to do my regulars morning routine place looks fairly good. She will be back on track next week.

Today was beautiful at least in appearances, lots of sunshine. However, being out in the atmosphere was a bit of a challenge. I wore my nylon life preserver. I jumped the bus and went up to the dollar store. I got some craft crackers, an organizer for my countertop in the kitchen bottled water and some cookies all for under five bucks what a deal? I'm going to be okay all you have to do is get to the end of the month, February, a short month I can do this…

Hey! Thanks For Asking

The day is cold and brisk as I head out from my meeting over at Utah non profit housing. I hadn't really planned on making a trip into the city today in fact at this particular time I was kind of expecting to be catching the 217 Southbound to the library for bookclub. However, at coffee this morning sitting next to my friend Pat who is also on the Board of Directors for Utah nonprofit housing Corporation, same as me that today is the quarterly board meeting. I've been on the board for many years I take this job relatively seriously and they have good refreshments usually healthy stuff like fresh fruit, bottled water chips and dips and even those little bitty baby candy bars. I didn't know about the meeting and found out later about management's been operating under a defunct email address at least a decade old. I called the office and indeed there is a board meeting today and I gave the secretary my working Gmail address. Hopefully, I will not get sucker punched again.

Even with the sun trying as hard as it could temperature was cold and brisk. Dressed in my blue jacket and stocking I made it to the bus stop just minutes before the 47 pulled in. I felt fortunate in that I only had to wait four minutes once I got to the bus stop. I was glad to see the 47 make the turn on Redwood Road on 4700 S. I was quite relieved the driver looked a little bizarre someplace between a Rastafarian and the bus driver on The Simpsons. I should do was doing about a relegated The Simpsons to antiquity. I know better than to try to insert my will upon the driver by suggesting that they use the least amount of restraints possible to tie me down. I'm really trying to do the driver a favor and cut their time in the transition point in making me safe, and the eyes of the organization, to ride. So, I just sit there trying to be as compliant as possible as whoever the driver is leans over me and reaches this and reaches that to secure my chair from harm and danger which could be caused by the bus. Today, I was treated extra special, and my estimation when the driver asked me throughout my two fasten the cross chest belt.this is a built just as it sounds that fastens from one side across your chest to be other side. This is just another piece of fiction that will, I'm sure let the transit authority off the hook in case of the worst possible case outcome, I glance up and say “No, I'm okay”. I think the drivers visibly pleased that he doesn't have to fasten this last restraint. It turns and heads back to the drivers seat and then I is a fit of almost forgetfulness shout “no problem, and hey, thanks for asking”. I hope the guy just become a smart ass is it not. I really appreciate the guy taking the effort to ask me what I wanted as opposed to what he wanted. After all, I really don't enjoy these drivers hanging all over me fastening the safety belts. And few but appreciated cases I've been able to get away with just one restraint. Granted this is usually a driver who would rather not have to be on his bus at all anyway I could care less what management says and plans to restrain me as little as possible without realizing that's the best possible outcome for me on any given day to ride with as few restraints as possible

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my dad's birthday, if he were alive he would be 110! This dad, the dad that I'm writing about is the dad who adopted me. That's right he adopted me. No questions asked (not that I could have answered anyway since I was probably one-year-old on the adoption took place) still that's just the kind of guy he was. I am so lucky to have had him as my dad. I really didn't think much about this until this last year or so following the revelation of my birth family.

For some reason, I don't know if it's, or was the fact that my dad's birthday was coming up and really for the first time that I can recall I was not sure what the actual day was. I've always known exactly the date of my dad's birthday. But this year the date, the actual date was kind of sketchy. I'm still beginning to know my birth family. And for the most part I think the good folk. I'm still not sure about my birth father and I think that's what got me thinking so much about my adoptive dad. I won't say that my birth parent/father was a scoundrel but he certainly had bizarre form of family. Essentially he would send my mother away to deliver the kid and give it up each time she got pregnant. I sort of sense for my older brother, the oldest male in the family and kind of the only one that was a keeper my birth dad's/donor eyes.

Once again I cannot stress enough how blessed I feel that I landed in my adoptive family from the top down parents and brothers and sisters I'm just one lucky duck. I didn't intend this to be a mushy gushy posting and it will not be except for how overwhelmed I am thinking about my parents/adoptive parents probably the only parents I count. They didn't have to pull me in but they did. Like I said, I've been thinking a lot about families that are just thrown together by Biologics. You seem to have no choice over your kin. You wake up and you're stuck with who you got. For some reason I've never thought about this until this week and I don't know why. Being adoptive kid means I'm special, someone really wanted me or a baby at the time that I came around. I was really want to not just have. This posting is to celebrate my adoptive father's birthday, the guy who included me with all the other kids. He got me my first car when I need one did the adaptations needed for a person with a disability to drive. He fixed my cars when they wouldn't work in the cold dark winter nights when you find out that the card doesn't work. He fixed carburetors the starter motors he kept me going. It drove me to sorry like dances slept in the car to the dance was over then drive me home. He watched me wrestle in junior high from behind the bleachers. He was late getting to the match because he had to work late, he always had to work late. I don't think you really understood me or I him but we got along pretty good. My dad is one of the biggest reasons I stuck it through college. I got my degree for him though I never really said so. Anyway dad happy birthday wherever you are… Hundred and 10 years keep on trucking…

Just Gimme Something To Do

My once weekly then biweekly and now whenever we generate enough interest meeting was called off this morning. Hopefully, looks like will have a full meeting next Tuesday. I really don't mind that much except for at least a pretty big hole in my day that I've got to figure out what to do with. It's sad that I don't have anything going. Today was pretty enough almost warm enough when I went out and jumped on the bus anyway just to go down between the college who hang out there for an hour or so. I wander through the bookstore. I always enjoy college/university bookstores. Great place for art supplies and of course mechanical pencils which I seem to have need to have all the time.

So Thursday, of course I have my coffee group in the morning of then bookclub in the afternoons. Thank God for Thursday's. Need to find a gig of some sort not so much for money (that would be nice however) but for time and self-esteem. It's nice to have somewhere to go. For some reason this last week I've been seeing twitter and Facebook postings regarding 211. As you faithful readers will remember I did a stint with 211 5 to 8 years ago when I was finishing off my career with the state. I don't know how much I liked 211 is an organization but I sure like the people at my pod or group. I am kind of amazed at how many of the folks are still at 211 in one facet or another. Sadly, 211 has still not provided an operator to answer questions on disability – – this of course was supposed to been the project I was involved with and bringing that expertise to the 211 operators – – I don't think 211 management will ever get this base covered. I think that they would not demand so much of me to fit into their group I would even propose volunteering my time, again not so much as to make sure 211 had its priorities covered as much as having a place for dual Mark to go to a couple times a week.

Having written all this, like the dog who catches the car is chasing was the dog to do with the car? Would I really want to be chained to a headset answering calls to which there are no real solutions or answers for. My strong skill set was to work with individuals and families of people with disabilities to try to think outside the box and to try to find solutions that were atypical. I don't know if I still have that skill set the spoon so long since I've used my skills however on the bright/dark side the resources that once were out there have totally minimized their availability. I'm afraid, that's what I would end up doing is being the operator to inform his poor callers there was nothing left for them. Again, having just written that I always thinks there's some kind of a solution maybe that's what makes me special I refused to accept the status quo at least in the disability poor section and I have the ability to inform the person there is no other option and figure out how they are going to punt. But I feel like Capt. Willard in the opening scenes from Apocalypse Now where he makes the statement every day he gets further and further from the action…

Headphones, Petula Clark, Corned Beef and Cabbage…

I'm pleased. Two hours ago there's a knock on my door and of course (silly me I always think someone is there waiting to come in) so I shout, as I always do, “come in!” no one comes in and then I remember my headset was supposed to arrive this afternoon. And sure enough I go to the door open a crack and there is the blue-and-white shipping envelope from Amazon. I'm sure there's some place in the country the Amazon rep waits for the door to be answered but not here. They knock on the door, like somebody really wants to see me, then must sprint out of the building as fast as their delivery legs can take them. They drop the package and run. I'm still amazed that it's been less than 24 hours from ordering my headset to it showing up, outside my door, on a federal holiday.

Part of me wants to drop everything I'm doing drag the package in, open and plug-in but, the more sensible side of me says wait. There is no hurry the package will be there in an hour or two. You don't want to the package to think this is your first time. Let the package cooled feels for a minute or two. I flip on the news and become terrified for a minute as I watched the people in the southern portion of United States get flooded out. Like an idiot, I try to put myself in their shoes, the second that I do that I terrify myself. What would I do? If the floodwaters hit here? Then I start perseverating what would happen if the great earthquake to happen this very second? I mean I watch all these natural disasters around this country in the world and wonder why I'm so lucky to live where I do. I mean when the big one hits everything I mean the land this post liquefy from 13^th East West. I'm sure the fact that I live in a three-story building and I'm on the bottom means the building is going to pancake right on top of me the only thing I can pray for that happens fast and I'm not trapped sitting in my power chair totally immobilized. It took me a few minutes to a few commercials to get past that bout “stinking thinking”. I'm not sure if I'm totally passed that point even yet but at least I can function.

With dread I opened the package and sure enough there was my headset. I just knew I was going be sorry when I tried to plug it in something was not going to work y'all know me and buyers remorse. But, I plugged in and sure enough it's working like a champ. I'm totally pleased. It's really taken everything I've said perfectly so much better than before. On top of that, I can actually listen to audio through my computer through the headphones. This is a treat to some degree. I can to get spooked being cut off from my surroundings. I listened to my game that I play a couple songs from the Petula Clark, especially Downtown, I love that song in the time before 1966 motorcycle wreck which changed my life…

High point of my day not the headphones but Dianne dropped off corned beef and cabbage for the treat I'm in for…

Just Speak Into The Microphone…

I'm just astounded. As much as I use Amazon to shop I just cannot get over how efficient service seems to me. Now, the last two or three things I purchased on Amazon actually arrived the next day. This afternoon Mark Anthony was over helping me out was questions I've generated regarding my microphone system for my speech to text operating systems.

I've talked a little bit about the speech to text I prefer to use. DragonDictate is the software I use. I've gone into some depth on other postings but suffice it to say I like Dragon except I've been getting frustrated with the software or perhaps the microphone system I've been trying to use. Over the past number of months maybe year I've noticed the accuracy of my dictating get worse and worse. Part of this side blamed on the loss of my hard drive a few months ago. But once I got the new hard drive and reinstall the software not I went but becoming more frustrated. I was getting the sensation that the computer wasn't even listening to me or could hear me. Actually, since I have an action cam on my computer screen microphone on the cam as been doing the bulk of the recording. I am kind of surprised how few headset microphones are offered anymore a place like Best Buy or other computer type retail outlets. With all kinds of things on the Internet of course which is well and good if you know what you're looking for but I need help so I contacted Mark Anthony and asked him to stop by which he did today. Not surprisingly, he was quick to see that the headset I'm using is broken. The microphone system seems to be nonfunctioning which leaves only the action of them microphone.

The action camera phones basically okay except it since about 4 feet away from my mouth and I know the little guy tries really hard but you can only do so much. I find myself screaming out the camera and frustration when it can't seem to pick up the words I'm trying to say and ends up sticking on all kinds of words which it thinks is the right solution. So, with Mark Anthony here we are able to isolate the problem and then go straight to Amazon is able to purchase a low-priced head-set. I know, they get what you pay for and I should've just bit the bullet and ordered the headset would like 40+ bucks. I could even do it no problem but I'm too cheap I went for the $27 headset which I covered with my birthday gift from Shelley. The best part was that the little notation at the bottom of the screen indicated the headset would be in tomorrow afternoon sometime! I try to hate Amazon but,how can you hate that kind of service?

Even with tomorrow being a national holiday my new headset will show up at my door. I was really hoping this headset will really help dictation in my peace of mind. Feeling a little chagrined at this moment since I finally have any issues tonight with my dictation. Still I have the money in my account for my birthday gifts and I really feel I need to dictation assistance. And best of all I get a new box on the outside my door sometime tomorrow but I'm going to open up like a fourth grader at his birthday party…

Mean Girls

I have a new neighbor will actually she's been living over there now couple of months so that past the new phase. I think she is significantly older than I but she still takes care of herself very well and drives and gets things done that she needs to have done. Let's call her Benie and like everybody Benie just wants to fit and be part of the crowd.

Last year we got a new resident who is quite British. Of course, and someone like this caused quite a stir to the more traditional folks we have at this living facility. From the very start Angela (not her real name, the real name is been changed to protect me). Angela the person from Great Britain began whipping things up around here. She established the first Friday lunch. That is a lunch she makes for anybody who wishes to go on the first Friday of every month. I went to the first and decided it was not for me – – English food is just too bland. Angela promptly took over any movie night here at the apartments. They used to do movies but Angela instituted British comedy series which really just to droll for me. Of course the rest of the residents loved entertainment. Bennie had made suggestions but seem to fall on deaf ears (no pun intended). Bennie was hurt and confused for being ignored.

This week at the “Coffee social” out of the blue Angela started talking about the ham, frozen ham, taking up space in the refrigerator in the common area. Everyone to that weird looking each other like what is going on? Angela was talking about should be happy to prepare the ham but did not have the time or the energy to prepare the rest of the meal. Or she would prepare the rest of the meal if someone would cook to him. Everyone still bewildered kept looking at each other trying to figure out what was going on. Some folks started throwing out options which could be considered like ham and bean soup, ham and scalloped potatoes, ham and eggs and even ham sandwiches. I throughout Green eggs's nobody appreciated the literary footnote I interjected. And then in Angela fashion she scooped up her Apple tablet and was gone. We all just looked at each other then slowly begin testing a reality by quizzing each other as to what had just happened.

I was sorry that Bennie had her feelings hurt by the girls the coffee social. I tried to explain to her, how I have always felt strong sophomoric condition which envelops this facility. Whether I was accepted or not into this group is not really that much of an impact on me. I've rarely been part of the “group” and certainly not going to start looking for membership now. I don't know if Bennie took my counseling to heart. I don't know how much she needs to be included. I suspect she gets along without being part of the “in crowd” just fine. After all she was brought up Wyoming on a cattle ranch some sort were her only social network were cows, bulls and steers. I'm sure Bennie will get along just fine…