Got to be a better way!

Over the last month, my right leg has been giving out on me more and more.  I keep falling and hurting myself.  Finally got an appointment to see my doctor who was alarmed with the happenings in my life and she prescribes a steroid (4 day’s worth) to see if that would help.  She told me that if the steroid does not work, the next step will be a visit to the VA hospital for blood pressure cuffs on my leg to check out circulation.  If “that” doesn’t work, I’ll be sent to a vascular specialist in St. Louis for further observation and find out what is truly going wrong.

I fell twice last night while at my job and had a difficult time getting up on my feet.  I’m sore this morning and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight; I must just be careful on my 12-hour shift tonight and tomorrow night.  Using a cane has helped but the doctor has recommended that I use a walker.  Guess I’m a little vain at this moment and don’t want to use a walker.

There’s pain associated with all this that goes down the entire length of my right leg and I can only envision having surgery (the same that was performed on my left leg) to cure the problem rather than masking the situation with drugs.

Has anyone out there had a similar experience?

Surely Goodness

Surely goodness will come out of what I’ve been through….  Have you ever been without a car?  If so, you can identify with what I’m going through.  My car died and a kid (who is working on the car) found a cracked head, that the radiator had never been drained nor antifreeze added.  He also noticed the water pump was in sad need to fixing and took care of that as well.  So far, I’ve doled out $200 for the repairs and my insurance company is not involved in all this.  I’m at the beck and call of someone else to get me where I need to be.

It’s truly a helpless feeling when you have no transportation and have to depend on others.  I must be at work tonight at midnight and I’m not sure who is taking me to work.  My cousin’s son has “sorta” said he would take me, but I’m not sure my cousin will allow that since he has to be up early to go to classes at the nearby college.

My car is supposed to be ready either tonight or tomorrow night, but I have no idea what time it will once again be in my possession.  I really did not know what it would be like to be without a car for an extended period of time.  Now I know and I don’t like the feeling.  Life goes on, though.  At least I’ll have a better running car once I do get it back.  Then, my life can go on.

Life is fragile

Life is so fragile.  I was sad to hear that Natasha Richardson died after receiving the bump on her head while taking a skiing lesson.  I am praying for the family and hoping that out of this tragedy some good will come.

We never know when death is going to strike one of us.  Perhaps the ski resort will have people wear helmets from now on when they are on the slopes.  Who knows what other ideas will come from this sad event.  Unfortunately, we will soon forget all about Natasha and go on with our lives as though nothing happened.  I celebrate life and all that it holds and I think each of us has it within our power to control certain events so that we are prepared for mishaps and the likes when we start something.

Thus, my prayer is ended.

Chicken

On Saturday, I was surprised to learn that I was on the work schedule for Monday’s shift from 4 to midnight.  I had an appointment with Medicare advisers at one and got off work at 8 a.m.  I was trying to figure how I would get in some sleep, keep my appointment and still work an 8-hour shift starting Monday afternoon.  (I didn’t get any sleep.)

Getting that out of the way, I concentrated on what to make for dinner for the men I work with.  I had discussed chicken tenders with my replacement Monday morning and when I arrived at the house, the tenders were on the counter thawing.  I asked the guys what they wanted with the tenders and all were in agreement with mac & cheese and some other vegetable.  We decided on corn.  Yes, I know.  Two starches are a no-no, but I decided what the heck.  The guys were sticking to their diets otherwise and it wouldn’t hurt them to splurge.  Since one of the men needed to check his blood sugar (according  to the nurse) two hours after eating and she would be there at 7:30, we had to have dinner out of the way by 5:30.  I started prepping everything, pre-heated the oven and got the meal underway in a timely manner.

We sat down to eat at 5:15 and the guys scarfed down their meals like they had not eaten for days.  I was pleased with my cooking abilities since all three of them cleaned their plates and put the dirty dishes in the sink (There is no dishwasher.).  Two of the men take turns washing the dishes and they were done in no time and draining by the sink.  The guys settled in to watch “Walker, Texas Ranger” on the Hallmark Channel and I stepped outside to have a cigaret.

All went well and since the guys had to go to work the next day, they were in bed by 9.  That left me three hours to watch TV or find something to do until my replacement arrived at midnight.  Actually, she showed up 15 minutes before the appointed time and I briefed her on my shift’s activities.  She enlightened me on several things about the men that I did not know, but could use for future reference.

By the time I got home, I was ready to climb the walls instead of going straight to bed.  I watched some TV and finally went to bed around two.  But, my sleep was short lived and I was up yesterday morning at five.  I felt rested at first, but sleep was inevitable and I went back to bed at two and didn’t get up until almost seven.

Today, it’s once again cloud and overcast.  My cat is resting somewhere in the house and I’m getting ready to make a pot of coffee.  The last few days have been rewarding for me and the rest of the week is full of challenges.

Until later.

OK. It’s 2009.

OK, so it’s 2009 and we’re off to a great start.  The stock market still wavers, there are more foreclosures and it doesn’t look all that good for credit cards.  Other than that, things look pretty good.  We’re able tto catch up on TV re-runs of telecasts we’ve already seen and the grocery store is still in the same location as it was on 1/1/09.  The washer and dryer still work, there haven’t been any plumbing problems (Oh, my!), and the furnace keeps my home warm.  The sun still rises and sets every  day regardless of the cloud cover and snow blankets the ground in many places.  Mandi still sleeps all day and cats around at night while I’m sleeping.

 

The doorbell doesn’t work but everyone knows to knock on the front door.  My patio is warm with the aid of a space heater and I still write reviews for Popsyndicate.com.

 

New adventures arrive to replace what’s broken and won’t be used again.  I start my new job next week and it will bring in that additional cash needed to survive in today’s economy.  My bed gets made every morning and I still drink a pot of coffee before 11.

 

I am not bored.  Just alone.

A new start

I’m not counting the hours to 1/1/2009, but we don’t have long to go.  In a previous blog I mentioned that I had made a resolution to lose weight.  I may have to eat  crackers and sardines to do it, but I will lose weight.

 

2008 has not been a good year for many of us.  I don’t think anyone has escaped the downfall of the housing market or credit card companies lowering credit limits on major credit cards.  I know I have not escaped.  Our hands have been tied behind our backs with invisibe string, but we must move on.

 

Let’s hope that 2009 is a better year and gives us hope.

 

Happy New Year!

Resolutions and the holidays

I’d be remiss if I said the holidays were all that good.  Sure, we celebrated as a family but had to do so on the Saturday before the 25^th.  Some of the family had to work the day after Christmas and flying was near to impossible with timing.  My cousin’s two daughters had commitments the day after Christmas so we decided on the Saturday before to do our celebrating.

 

When the 25^th arrived, I had nothing to do and the family that was left was not in the mood to celebrate.  So I spent my time sending Pop Syndicate reviews to various social networking sites such as Digg, Redditt, Myspace, etc.  I enjoyed doing the transfers and it kept me out of trouble.  Now I’m the Social Networking Editor for Pop Syndicate and sending the reviews to these other sites has increased hits on http://www.popsyndicate.com by 20 percent.  I’m still doing DVD and music CD reviews as well, so I stay busy all day here at my computer.

 

I haven’t made my New Year’s resolutions so far, but one suggestion has already been made and I must try to see if I can accomplish the task.  In talking with a friend the other day, he made mention (We’ve known each other over 30 years.) that a person my height and stature should weigh no more that 185.  Since I tip the scales at 198, I think I have my first resolution for 2009:  lose weight!  Losing weight has never been easy for me, but I’m certainly going to give it a try.

Rewarding time

I feel relieved that the voting process is over and we can get down to business as usual.  Well, it won’t be business as usual since we have a new president who is going to face an uphill battle during his first few months in office.  However, I’m confident that he knows what he’s doing and his advisors will help him along.

 

I’m chomping at the bit because I have 6 CD reviews that my editor can’t find time to look over before I post them.  She has a lot on her plate right now and is looking for someone else to review the next six that I have ready.  I must be patient.

 

Yesterday, I received WALL-E the movie and am looking forward to watching it so I can write a review.  My review will probably give it five stars for its merit.  And I won’t be left out in the cold for I just received 13 more CDs to review.  Guess I’m going to be busy.  That’s okay.  I love to write so they should be fun to do.

For lack of anything else

For lack of anyting else to do, I’d like to run away.  However, that’s not feasible or even reasonable.  I have responsibilities that demand my attention and I can’t leave them to live in a daydream world.  Life goes on, doesn’t it?

 

I have ten CDs staring at me waiting for me to write a review.  I also have three DVDs I need to watch so I can review them.  The hours pass and they’re still staring at me on my desk.  I’ve pulled information about each CD from the Internet and just need to listen to each one so I can write my reviews.  I must be frustrated ’cause I’m not getting anywhere by just sitting here staring at my desk.

 

Things will get better, I’m sure.

One more day

One more day and then all the hype and brohaha will be over.  It will be interesting to see who wins and spends the next several months at the White House learningn the ropes before being sworn into office in January.  Will it be McCain or Obama?  How many promises will the new president be able to keep?  Won’t Congress intervene and stop some of the project both candidates have put forth?  Of course they will.  Neither candidate will be able to fulfill more than a handfull of the promises they have made on the campaign trail.  It will be an uphill battle for either candidate to live up to what has been promised.

 

I’m looking forward to the voting process although I’m not looking forward to standing in a long line waiting to get to the voting booth.  I’m hoping there will be a place to sit down while I’m in line because my legs won’t hold up to the stress of standing for very long.  I’m going with a positive attitude and may even make some new friends while standing in line.

 

We either have a rosy four years coming up or a dismal outlook.  I’m hoping for the best and I know that my vote will count!

 

Get out and vote!!