Blog

The day started with me waking at 5 and finding breakfast, yogurt, and a banana with liberal coffee made in the French press. I then cleaned up, shaved, and dressed in my Jupiter Disco T-shirt and my blue cloth pants. My belt is pulled to the newest holes and barely holds on my pants. I am still losing inches and some weight. I finish, and then my colon decides it needs attention. I finish all of this just as Matt V arrives at 6. We move his red Prius into Air Volvo’s place in my driveway, and Matt takes over the piloting. We set navigation to Redwood City and head south in Air Volvo.

While traveling, we talked about gaming items. We are both DMs, and we play and run games for each other. We talked about the 5E version of Dungeons and Dragons and the upcoming enhancements coming in 5.1 (most known for correcting the once-popular ranger class, which was less well-received in 5E). We also talked about some history. The time seemed to go by fast. Matt V and I have known each other for decades, but we seldom have taken the time to chat. We are busy playing. It was nice.

At noon, we stopped in Redding, California, and we refilled Air Volvo. We stopped at KFC and had the special two chicken legs plus a side and a biscuit for 2.99. I had three legs, and Matt V got all the carbo-loaded mashed potatoes and biscuits. I had a side of coleslaw.

We have no issues and no close calls until we reach California. Some unusually aggressive drivers came close to scraping the paint, but Matt avoided any issues. We arrived in Redwood City about 4 (16:00) and soon found a Best Western with free breakfast and a nice room with two beds. Matt was surprised by how nice the room was. I find Best Western useful on trips like this with their free breakfast, clean rooms, and lack of price grubbing. We got a slight discount for seniors, and Matt is a former military member.

We have a tire warning for Air Volvo. I will reset it when I have a chance. The tires all look good and are solid. The temperature change usually triggers this, so we will just monitor it.

Once that was settled, Matt let me rest for forty minutes while he got some missing items. Across the street, we have a grocery store with a South American vibe and some Mexican food joints, too. It’s an excellent area.

Next, we headed to dinner at Harry’s Hofbrau House, which I had spotted on the way and Matt V had seen in his research. The rotisserie-cooked turkey leg with the usual Thanksgiving fixings for $12 looked like an excellent choice. Matt also wanted to try the Santa Slay stout beer–he loved it. I had a Spaten Lager. Dinner was, and we were told some of the best food in Red Woodcity, excellent and old school. I did not finish the starch-heavy potatoes and stuffing as the steroids are already playing havoc with my sugar levels. I had warm red cabbage and a cold pea salad with my meal. We also spoke to a local guy who looked great and was 68. Matt and I talked about some weight-loss options, and he told us about some memory-helping drugs he is talking about that he feels helped him. I added comments about walking but mostly listened. I had to turn to the right to hear him as he was on my left side, which is now profoundly deaf.

He told us there was a concert at the square in the old town. We all headed out. We moved Air Volvo and found a coin-pay parking spot. Matt V had coins and paid fifty cents to prevent a ticket. It was a few blocks from the party. The local bars and restaurants were busy. The crowd was not overwhelmingly large, but it was well-behaved and enough to fill the streets. We reached the music, and the Reggie band started to play again, and the streets were full of folks sitting in chairs enjoying the evening. We found Ghostwood and got some more drinks, wine for me, and beer for Matt.

We enjoyed the evening and the feeling. It was an excellent ending to our day. We rolled down the windows, killed the AC, and enjoyed the night air as we were Air Volvo brought back us to the Best Western.

I got some Tylenol and broke the ten-minute limit on walking. I was tired, and my feet were sore. I took more than 4,000 steps today!

Soon, I will be showering and getting ready for bed. I have to take steroids and anti-virals to try to stop the Bell’s Pasley and soon reverse it. It is not getting worse.

Thanks for reading!

I rose after 7 with what seemed like endless hydration-proving events. I think I did get enough sleep and continue to read a book. My left eye dries out, and I need some eye drops for it and likely other items. I may have to tape it shut at night (it goes across the top eyelid, not over both). I get going and have a banana and yogurt for breakfast with liberal coffee, of course, made in my French press. I also do the two easy PT exercises I have, Dan sent the rest again (missing?!), and I will now do the six exercises tonight.

Tomorrow at 6AM, Matt and I will take Air Volvo to California, where I will attend Natasha (nee Smith) and Jason Kramer’s wedding at a winery in the San Jose area. The weather will be cool and dry. We will make it there in one day. We both plan to be back on Monday.

This means I started to pack and soon discovered I could just hand the suit in the car and throw the other clothing in a suitcase. I will also take my usual red Nike bag and my laptop in that too. I keep all my cables and pills in that bag when traveling.

I do the dishes and laundry. Lunch is just a can of chicken noodle soup. Rather plain.

I ordered an Uber, and a man appeared in an excellent black Model 3 Tesla. It is comfortable, and all the information on the screens is interesting. It tracks all the other things on the road and traffic lights. It even displays cones for the construction on 209th. I am fascinated. The driver rents it. He says it is cheaper in the long run because he does not have to care for the Tesla, and he always gets a clean, newish one.

While it is work, and I suspect it gets boring after a while, I would love to do this for a while: rent a newish car and drive people around for money all day. We talked about travel, and he suggested that Columbia would be a good choice for me. The flights are cheap. I checked and a week in July including hotel and flight for one person (cheap) is about $1,000. Very inexpensive! So tempting!

My tour of a cool Model 3 Tesla came to an end; I paid, tipped, and gave five stars. I found the doctor’s office and then waited nearly thirty minutes past my appointment time. The NP took out my stitches (not enjoyable but not terrible) and identified I had Bell’s Palsey on the left side of my face. Treatments were identified, and the prescriptions were filled at the hospital pharmacy. I also need some special PT as my flying feeling with my eyes closed is a sign of needing to rework my balance. However, the NP thought I might already be working it out or would soon and that I could pass on special PT if I had worked out the issues by then.

I learned that the impacted nerve for my face was the one that was a challenge in the surgery, and not all of the tumor could be removed from it without destroying the nerve and leaving me without a working left side of my face. Also, they tested all the work, and the nerves were still working when Doc G was done. Thus, it is likely the problems can be addressed with drugs. Excellent.

The pharmacy took some time to understand the Rx, and I waited an hour. It took them three tries for me to get the eye drops and eye gel. The over-the-counter items always seem to do this. Finally, I got everything and called Matt V, who said he would take me home. Traffic was heavy in the Beaverton area as it was Thursday, which is always a busy day. It took Matt V a while to reach me, and the trip home required a few replanning moments to get out of choaked streets. Matt delivered me and then returned with my iPhone, which I left on the floor of his car (oops). Leta called me, and Matt saw that he had my phone. Thanks, Matt V!

Next, I took Air Volvo, driving by myself now, and got it washed and gassed up. I also went to Safeway and bought cookies, pretzels, and other things to munch. I loaded them in the back seat. I had previously unloaded the games, umbrellas, winter traction devices, winter coat, and the extra safety kit.

I next made tacos. I had put out the frozen ground beef earlier, and now it was just cold, not frozen. I fried that in a non-stick pan (thanks, Steve) while putting shredded cheese in the taco shells on a sheet covered with foil and sprayed (you have to spray it). I added the usual pack of reduced-salt taco spices, stirred, and cooked it for a while. I then added half a jar of mild salsa and cooked some more. I spoon the spiced meat into the tacos and bake them. They are wonderfully greasy, spicy, and cheesy. I have too many. Some of the drugs make you hungry, and that part is working. Actually, for the first time in a while, I eat well.

I packed some more and finally got to this blog. Mariah has been updating her blog, so I have read that tonight. Thanks for reading.

Again, I should have taken some photos!

Theme music for today: Over the Rainbow

Wednesday started with me having trouble sleeping, and I am not sure how much sleep I actually got. I was up and down with over-hydration all night. I rose feeling well at 7ish and soon did the dishes and wrote the blog. I had just yogurt for breakfast. The recycling and trash were a large pile now, and I decided it would be a good test to take all that out. I stopped at the trash bag as it was nearly my limit of lifting: no more than ten pounds. I wrote the blog and more coffee. Soon, I was nauseated and showed some unsteadiness. I also broke out in a sweat; I had turned up the heat and still had my heavy robe on.

I cleaned up and dressed and then laid down on my bed and read. It was going to be a dull, slow day. I did sleep some. The day was disappearing. I put on Black Sails to have something to do as I continued to rest. Dondrea and I agreed to pass on gaming at the church for Wednesday night. The cough, while much reduced, was still there, and my inhaler was helping, meaning it was a reaction to pollen and not something from the surgery. My lungs are clear.

The incision on my belly was still red and unhappy but seemed to be calming. I think it is hitting my belt when I sit. I will watch it and try not to aggravate it.

I spent the rest of a lovely day inside, trying to rest and not get worse. I slowly improved, with the nausea first leaving, the cough fading, and finally, the unsteady feeling gone. I did two sets of my PT exercises, and I am waiting for the new set to be delivered. I will stick to laundry and dishes for the next few weeks!

Corwin has agreed to move out at the end of June. Our agreement was for him to stay for a short time to get back on his feet and help me. It is time, especially with him now owning his truck (he is paying me back by making payments of $200 each month—the first one has already been received), and it is working better than ever (change transmission fluid!). It is time for Corwin to find more of his life.

Yesterday (Tuesday’s blog), I forgot to mention that Physical Therapy came. My vitals were my usual, and soon, we did six exercises, and I felt better after doing them. PT is happy with my progress and believes they can help me build strength while being safe. I am still officially homebound and will get PT for some time.

I was still tired and decided not to make something or find a can of soup. Air Volvo, with me as the pilot, took us to the Aloha Food Carts behind Walgreens. There, I had my regular veggie curries at the Bombay Chaat House. Corwin found a burrito. It was excellent to get out. I piloted us back to the Volvo Cave, and that was about my limit on Wednesday.

I missed Z and the church folks as I saw the clock hit the usual time we played on Wednesday. Instead, I binged Black Sails. While the American wording and accents and the constant use of f**k instead of something more imaginative make me want to abandon this show, the story got better. It even included some nautical stuff that was even accurate. The special effects and acting showing a knockdown were impressive and got my attention. I all but shouted when I saw it coming. Quite excellent. It was the first time I could not stop watching.

At 10, I went to my room, showered, and climbed into bed. My left eye does not close properly, and this is part of the healing process, as inflammation causes some control problems. I put a damp towel over the eye for a while, and that helped. Sometimes, the issue changes eyes! I read for a while, but the left eye started to sting. I turned off the light, and when I could clear my mind, I slept.

I will try to remember to take pictures today! Thanks for reading.

 

It was another dull day, but I need a few of those. I slept with a few breaks and then rose about 9, oversleeping for me. I was up at 4ish to take some painkillers, was back resting after 5, and then woke after 9. Corwin had done the dishes so I could just make liberal coffee using my French Press. I found some Greek-style yogurt in the frig, likely bought by my sister, and had that for breakfast.

The cough is still there, a bit improved, but it still harrases me. The incision in my belly is still showing red and hot, and it appears unhappy, but there is no break or drainage, so no panic. I have no fever, just a cough. The one in my head is fine and healing well. I have an appointment on Thursday.

I wrote the blog, and the morning vanished in a poof of writing and texts to Dondrea and Mariah. I am waiting for the new VW bus to be available. It seems to be what I want for a retirement vehicle, as I want something I can sleep or camp in. I want the two-motor version, which will not be released until next year. I am waiting, but I want to test drive one soon to see if I would want to drive it. So when the new bus is available, I will try to get a test drive.

I baked four chicken quarters (from Whole Foods’s meat case) with salt and pepper. I steamed some broccoli and microwaved a potato, dressing it up with butter and salsa for lunch. My potassium is still low, and doc says to eat more veggies. I also have a banana. I put the extra in the frig in a glass container (thanks, Glenda and Gene). I put away one-quarter of the leftovers for my lunch on Wednesday. Later, Corwin had two quarters and said the chicken was excellent and tasty, some of his best. Sea salt and fresh ground pepper on both sides, cook on bone-side up for thirty minutes, turn, and cook for twenty more at 350F. This was my top oven, so it was just plain baked, not convection air.

Corwin returned from his dishwashing and cooking job at the local Hawaiian-style food joint. I found the heat gun for him, which I used on the electronic. Soon, he used the heat to melt the lock-tite on the transmission plug and could now remove it. He could remove the drain, too (not without effort). Soon, what little transmission fluid remained was gone.

I boarded Air Volvo, and with Corwin monitoring me, I drove Air Volvo to the auto supply store and then to ACE Hardware to get a few washers. The plug was hard to get, but we got some help. The damaged one was replaced, but the drain plug was not found. Corwin needed, at least, to replace the damaged fill plug, and we found washers at ACE to help seal the plugs. Corwin was then able to finish the fill and sealing without difficulty.

After I decided I had driven enough, Corwin took us to dinner to celebrate. The 649 was doing trivia tonight, so we were outside. I had a red ale, and we shared lime pork nachos and a hummus plate. Corwin also had tacos. It was cold outside, and soon, it was time to return home. I got to say ‘hello’ to Natalia and Crystal. They were happy I was well enough to visit.

I flew Air Volvo home and spent the rest of the night watching some Black Sails (not Dark Sails, which was the name I thought it was). The strange and often predictable plots, the anachronistic language and culture, and the American accents make me lose interest. I also hate to burn a day away, so it may not be the show. I would rather code, write, paint, build a model, or learn something than watch a show. But it is time to slow down for a bit, so I will try to enjoy the show.

I went to bed late (having started to read and losing track of time) and was washed and in bed by midnight. The iced tea did not help me sleep. It was hard to fall asleep, and I repeatedly woke up to remove excessive iced tea.

Thanks for reading.

Monday was the second one since the surgery on Monday, 20 May. It was a dull day, and I planned to rest and do minimal things to build up some reserve. Also, a cough has started, which means taking it easy. So, I spent the day watching NetFlix’s award-winning Black Sails, which is now free. This is a rewrite of the history of Nassau and pirates with the usual naked, perfect bodies, plenty of sex, and complex relationships you see in these cable shows. In this case, the ships and battles look real and better than some movies. I can’t say I can recommend it, but for binging, it works.

HR and the leave people say they are finding the undo button for my paycheck. I should soon get paid the missing amounts, and the next checks will return to normal. I have enough cash in my checking account to handle the mishap, so I will just wait for them to fix all of this. I am hopeful this will be fixed soon.

The day was wet, and I stayed inside all day except to get the mail. I did my laundry and put it away. I was going to do the dishes this morning, but Corwin got them done last night. My new printer arrived. The old HP that was cheap years ago has finally reached a point where it can no longer be updated. I finally canceled the Instant Ink program that has me pay by use with unused going to the next month. I liked the program because of my sudden usage when printing rules, books, writing, and so on, and then I had almost nothing for months. I was never out of ink for years.

I will install the new $150 Epson EcoTank on Tuesday.

I rose at 7, me sleeping through most of the night with only one hydration event. Today was the first day without Linda (my sister), and I would even be alone for much of the day and night. I was (and am) steady on my feet, and I no longer get light-headed when I am tired. However, when my eyes close, I can feel the room turning. My brain is still trying to understand the signals, and if I sit in the comfy chair and close my eyes, I can feel the chair slowly spinning to the right. This does not happen when in bed, just when reclining. It is quite interesting and a bit fun to close your eyes and feel like you are floating and spinning. At least I got something for my hearing loss. I can fly!

Aside: In the shower, when it was rebuilt after the water leak and thinking Susie would need it, it has many handholds and a seat. I use the hand holds before closing my eyes to wash my hair and try to be sitting. I keep my eyes open now when using the towel on my head; otherwise, I will sway.

And that takes us to today’s theme music from our local China and Pink Martini: Sway.

Breakfast was my usual steel-cut oats, thinking of Dondrea, who loves these too. I found a frozen chicken bowl and frozen naan and had a delicious, easy lunch. Dinner, with the cough getting worse, was changed from something to make to an expensive Chinese-style delivery with lots of soup, East Harbor Chinese Restaurant. This soup, a version of Wonton Soup, has to be assembled so it does not ruin in the broth. Theirs is excellent. I ate lots of the soup and had some lotus root and other crunchies.

And that was my dull day. I went to bed after more sexy pirates and decorative violence using swords and flintlocks instead of guns or laser guns. The script could fit any SciFi or historical drama with just a wardrobe change and some different staging. I am still not quite ready to accept the American accent and wording for a British colony–the language makes me wince as f**k seems to be the only word used to exclaim displeasure or pleasure. I don’t care about the profanity, but I wish they could be more imaginative with the words.

I read a polite book, showered, and went to bed, pulling up extra covers. At night, I let the house drift to 66F (13C) to save money, reduce my carbon footprint (this is a natural gas-heated house), and prevent drying out with heat.

I soon began dreaming, forgetting my dreams, and sleeping. After rising at 4:30 for more Tylenol, I woke less and overslept.

Thanks for reading.