Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

Netfoot · February 14

Weird day.

Roused early by Mo - around 4:30 - I staggered out to open the front door, only to find that it was already wide open. And I know I locked it last night. So it would appear that Mo can in fact open it when ever he really wants to.

Preparing to go a job-hunting, I checked the balance on my account, to discover more money than expected! Only 28 bucks, but it demanded an investigation.

It seems that in December my pension was $26 more than normal, and in January & February it was $53 more than expected. Anyway, there was more money in the bank than I thought. Now, this might seem like a good thing, but it might be a mistake and a year from now I might get a demand from the pension department to pay them back the excess. So I've sent an email asking for clarification.

Anyway, with a few additional bucks in hand, I put $10 in the car and $5 on my phone. This allowed cautious use of the van today, instead of miles of walking. I'd park the van, walk a couple hundred yards either way on both sides of the road making inquiries, then move the van up and park again. Rinse, repeat, until the strip I was on was covered.

Passed a 2nd-hand bookshop and sold two novels for $9, left three more with them. The guy is to call me and say if he wants them or not. If he takes them I'd expect $10-12 for the three.

I was nearing the end of the strip and was talking to a woman in this bar that was not even open yet. No jobs available, alas. But we began talking about this and that and I showed her a picture if Mo. She asked if he'd been fed and I told her I would cook food for him when I got home. Then she wanted to know if I'd eaten for the day. Well, the answer wer was "No" but that was because I deliberately didn't cook lunch for Mo and myself since I didn't want to be out and about with a case of belly-cuttings, as frequently follows my eating lunch. But she didn't want to hear any of that.

Apparently, she is something to do with the company across the road, who prepare pet food. So she presented me with a large bag of dog treats. These were broken and unsellable so she just gave them to me. Also, three containers of meat dinner for Mo as well. Defrosted, each of these should provide a meaty topping to a rice meal.

Then she put $300 in my hand and showed me out!

I was really taken back, and tried to refuse, but she was very insistent. And things are pretty hard just now, so I finally accepted. But I've added her to my list of people that must be repaid for the kindnesses they have shown me.

So with $300 in hand, I went back to the van which was parked, coincidentally, in the supermarket lot. Naturally, I spent $50 on groceries, and the remainder will go to paying down some on water & some on electricity.

I bought rice & corned beef so Mo continues to be fed. I bought some bread and cheese. And I bought some milk.

Back home I cooked a pot of rice for Mo, with black eyes and corned beef. That was his dinner. I found a small cardboard container of soup labelled "Chicken" in the back of the freezer. That was my dinner, along with two cheese cutters. There was not much soup, and if there was chicken in it, it was well hidden. But it was palatable enough, and the cheese cutters were a welcome change from {pasta,rice,potatoes} & bully. And I followed with a truly blessid mug of tea!

In the supermarket I ran into an old friend Christy who I've not seen for years. (The other Christy/Kristi in my life.) She was with two of her daughters. Little babes still wet when first I met them and now fine, strapping young women, all grown up.

But to be honest, even though I was feeling OK when I left the house, things deteriorated as time passed. By time I was in the supermarket, I was having difficulty standing up and my face was twitching, especially around the eyes. So after a nice but regretfully short chat, we parted ways and I came home.

One other thing maybe I should have bought was mustard. Because I've been suffering from bad leg cramps (both legs) all evening, including a particularly nasty attack in my left foot & calf just a few moments ago. Or maybe I should have bought rehydration salts to drink instead?

Anyway, as far as the job search goes, I got plenty of outright rejections today but also submitted a dozen or more applications to companies who indicated there was some (if only small) chance that a position might be available. One lady in particular seemed pretty sure positions were available, but didn't know if HR would think I'm was a suitable candidate for any of them.

Listening to Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? by Chicago Transit Authority. You know, when I was a young lad, I was (I'm told) quite a singer. My mum had plans to send me off to Choir School. Until I mysteriously stopped singing. Mum always told the story of how I just stopped singing for no good reason. It was 40-50 years before I explained that there was a good reason. My big brother Hamish warned me that when you go to Choir School, they cut off your nuts so your voice doesn't break. I had to wait until he passed away to explain that to Mum. Just to be sure she didn't kill him!

So where am I going with this tale? Just to say I'm not prone to bursting into song. But every time someone asks "What is the time?" I'm tempted to burst into song: "Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?".

See? Silly mobile editor has turned the text red. I don't know if it will appear red after posting or not. I can cut'n'paste the text which will reset it to black, but I am going to leave it red and see what will happen when I save it.

Anyway, Mo has just joined me and is curled up against my back. Earlier he was wriggling around and producing a sound which was a cross between a yap and a howl, demanding tummy tickles.

Speed-blur on head and feet indicates vigorousness of wriggle!

I guess I will stop here and read a little before calling it quits. If tonight is as bad with cramps as I think it will be, I will be buying mustard first thing in the morning. Meanwhile I'd better get one of my walking staffs and put it by the bed. I may need it in the night if I have to get up and walk off a cramp.

Edited February 15 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 14

Do you see a word in red? The entire paragraph was red when I saved it, but the red colour only remained for that single word. I don't know why the paragraph turned red, how to reproduce it, or why most (but not all) reverted to normal black.

b4pjoe · February 14

Yes. The word appear is in red.

andidante · February 14

31 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I was nearing the end of the strip and was talking to a woman in this bar that was not even open yet. No jobs available, alas. But we began talking about this and that and I showed her a picture if Mo. She asked if he'd been fed and I told her I would cook food for him when I got home. Then she wanted to know if I'd eaten for the day. Well, the answer wer was "No" but that was because I deliberately didn't cook lunch for Mo and myself since I didn't want to be out and about with a case of belly-cuttings, as frequently follows my eating lunch. But she didn't want to hear any of that.

Apparently, she is something to do with the company across the road, who prepare pet food. So she presented me with a large bag of dog treats. These were broken and unsellable so she just gave them to me. Also, three containers of meat dinner for Mo as well. Defrosted, each of these should provide a meaty topping to a rice meal.

Then she put $300 in my hand and showed me out!

I was really taken back, and tried to refuse, but she was very insistent. And things are pretty hard just now, so I finally accepted. But I've added her to my list of people that must be repaid for the kindnesses they have shown me.

So with $300 in hand, I went back to the van which was parked, coincidentally, in the supermarket lot. Naturally, I spent $50 on groceries, and the remainder will go to paying down some on water & some on electricity.

I bought rice & corned beef so Mo continues to be fed. I bought some bread and cheese. And I bought some milk.

Back home I cooked a pot of rice for Mo, with black eyes and corned beef. That was his dinner. I found a small cardboard container of soup labelled "Chicken" in the back of the freezer. That was my dinner, along with two cheese cutters. There was not much soup, and if there was chicken in it, it was well hidden. But it was palatable enough, and the cheese cutters were a welcome change from {pasta,rice,potatoes} & bully. And I followed with a truly blessid mug of tea!

This was so nice to read! I am so glad she helped you out. Also maybe your pension went up for cost of living. I know social security goes up over here in the states every once in a while.

Netfoot · February 14

The HTML for the word as found in the page is:

Quote

appear

which would be as expected. Not any old shade of red but 0xba red This would indicate that the software allows the user to (somehow) set text colour to red or maybe any colour, using all six hex digits. But I don't know what conditions make it happen. Not that I want to set the text red, quite the opposite. I'd like to know how to reset it when it happens accidentally!

b4pjoe · February 14

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

The HTML for the word as found in the page is:

which would be as expected. Not any old shade of red but 0xba red This would indicate that the software allows the user to (somehow) set text colour to red or maybe any colour, using all six hex digits. But I don't know what conditions make it happen. Not that I want to set the text red, quite the opposite. I'd like to know how to reset it when it happens accidentally!

Most forum post editors have controls to allow you to change a color for the text. This appears to be disabled on this forum so no idea how you changed the color of that one word. Magic fingers? 😃

Netfoot · February 14

54 minutes ago, b4pjoe said:

Most forum post editors have controls to allow you to change a color for the text. This appears to be disabled on this forum so no idea how you changed the color of that one word. Magic fingers? 😃

No idea.

It's never happened while using the desktop machine, only on my phone. And the colour is always red. Like I said, I have no particular desire to be able to set font colour, but I am curious as to how it occurs/what I'm doing to cause it.

It also begs the question as to what other effects could be applied. Font size, perhaps? Font face? Also, the tag is depreciated now, and not a part of HTML5. (But font tags will probably continue to be recognized and properly rendered by browers from now until the heat-death of the universe.) The code should probably be using CSS style attributes, something like

Quote

appear

Which opens the door to a veritable host of font and text properties. As I don't spend a lot of time designing web content, my knowledge of this area is limited.

Edited February 14 by Netfoot

Spunkygal · February 14

I’m so touched to read of the lady’s kindness to you and Mo! God bless her.

Hope you have an informative visit at the hospital on Friday and that they can set you to rights.

Netfoot · February 14

31 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Hope you have an informative visit at the hospital on Friday and that they can set you to rights.

Sure hope so!

Blood sugar this morning up to 5.1 mmol/L which I would normally consider too high for my liking, but under the circumstances, I will happily take it. Perhaps some of the weird symptoms are BS related and not MG related?

Netfoot · February 15

Recovered a sock while on Garden Patrol. The other sock, the tee shirt and a kitchen towel were recovered earlier in the day.

First thing this morning I tested blood sugar (up, close to "normal" since stopping the appropriate medication) and then went online to pay a month each of water and electricity. Hopefully (but no guarantee) this will keep the wolf from the door for awhile. Telephone/internet will have to take it's chances seeing as there is only $12 left in the kitty. Besides, there is no point paying the telco if you don't have electricity to power your computer, charge your phone and keep your router running.

Mo is performing his "tickle my tummy!" routine, complete with yippy barking, vigorous wriggling and two-footed kicking. No, wait! He's just run off.

I've been eating bread & cheese all day. Nice change from the grub I've been having recently. And if you buy bread it makes sense not to eat something else and save the bread until it's stale. Mo had a ginormous bowl of black-eyes & rice, with some of the kind lady's meat dinner on top for a flavour boost. He swallowed it all down in a blink, then demanded tax on my cheese & egg cutter dinner.

Listening to The Drugs Don't Work by The Verve. This is one of my favourite tracks from this band. Not surprisingly from their Urban Hymns album, which I consider to be their best, with several excellent tracks beside this one. Richard Ashcroft, solo after the split up of the band went on to release some good stuff too.

As of tomorrow (Thursday) I am out of Pyridostigmine. I will do without it tomorrow and Friday until I see Dr. Jacinto. Hopefully, she will reduce the dosage or even eliminate the stuff from my schedule. On my way back from QEH I will stop by the 2nd hand book shop. The old guy called to say he would buy the books I dropped off yesterday so I should be able to put that with the $12 in the bank and buy however much Pyridostigmine Dr. Jacinto say I need.

Given how unreliable the busses proved to be last time I tried using them, I'd better go collect the book money early.

(Mo is back, demanding tummy rubs again. I diverted him with a baked doggie treat.)

The appointment at QEH is for 2:00 but last time I went on that bus there was a near 3 hour wait for it to appear. I'd better go out in the morning to the book shop and then canvas around for possible job openings, moving between there and QEH, killing time until two.

I am contemplating taking the van but i) there is limited gas in the van and ii) parking around QEH is always a chore.

Going to post now, have a go at my book, then get some kip. Gotta go over at the mall tomorrow, but not for too long. Or maybe I will do that and then try a bus trip to the book shop and get that out of the way before Friday?

Netfoot · February 16

One kitchen towel: recovered on Garden Patrol! Mo threatened with spanx! Threats completely ignored!

I was expecting a night of cramps last night, seeing as I was experiencing "fore-shocks" before the lights even went off. But no! No cramps. Instead a living hell of reflux. Apart from that, I slept undisturbed until five, when the assault began. Loud barking in my ear-hole and biting my butt through the sheet. So I roused up at 5:02, only to discover that the front door was wide open again. Back to bed, but the assault continued until the reflux drove me out of bed early to seek a remedy. Nexium.

Fired up the bus routing & scheduling app. To see what was involved in going to collect a few bucks from the book store. Three busses to get there and three more to get back. My recent experience on said busses gave me an average wait time per bus of 2 hours 23½ minutes. So no way was I going to go to that book store on the bus. With the gas gauge way down past E, Mo and I set off, returning with $12 to add to what went into the bank. It turns out when rent is paid at month end, I will have $28 left over. If I spend $16.78 on Pyridostigmine, I will have $11 & change left over. And maybe I won't need 180mg of Pyridostigmine! Let's hope for some good news from Dr. Jacinto tomorrow.

My appointment is 1:00 PM tomorrow. Good thing I checked. Was under the impression it was 2:00, which would have been an error I'm glad to have avoided. The app says I should catch the 16A at 11:32 in the morning, but I will go out and wait earlier. Don't want to rely on a bus that is way late or never shows at all. If by chance I get there early, I will just wait. On the return trip I can stop at the pharmacy to buy any Pyridostigmine I may need, and either go wait for the next bus or finish the trip home on foot.

Definitely don't want to rely on the fumes in the tank of the van to get me there, nor do I want to spend 30 minutes driving around looking for a park! So, bus it is.

Fools Overture by Supertramp. From my favourite album of theirs (Even In The Quietest Moments...), an album perhaps not quite what the mainstream looks for. And with a playtime of nearly 11 minutes, this track certainly didn't get the rotation that might have been enjoyed by others from more popular albums. But together with other anthemic tracks like From Now On and Give A Little Bit, plus the title track itself, this album is more of an "eyes closed with headphones on" listen than a bop-around.

Cooked macaroni for lunch for Mo and myself and rice with carrot & black-eyes for dinner. Mo likes pasta but long pasta is a challenge for him. Macaroni can escape him and slither away, forcing him to give chase!

Food tastes not being all that strong these days I decided to spice up my bowl of rice tonight, with a little dab of pepper sauce. Shook the bottle over the rice and the nozzle fell off. About four tablespoons full of pepper came splooshing out all over my dinner. So, only about eight times more than I wanted. Well, I couldn't do anything about it other than throw it out and start over. Which would have been wasteful. So I ate it. Sometimes drug-numbed taste buds are an advantage, I guess. All that pepper did not burn my mouth at all. (But let us hope it does I not say "Goodbye!" tomorrow.)

After Garden Patrol I had a mug of tea before turning in. Only two tea bags left. Could have eaten a bowl of oatmeal along with the tea but thought I'd better save the oatmeal for another time. I had made up a very simple dough for fry-bread but did not use it. It's in the fridge and I will have it tomorrow. Not sure when. As soon as I get back from QEH, I guess, when ever that is. Either fried up as a bread or made into dumplings and boiled.

Mo is bathing my legs. Quite unnecessary, as I will shortly go and bathe them under the shower. OK, he has departed. No, he's back and bathing my left arm. The one I'm holding the phone with. Now he's attentively listening to The Stone Roses. (Old Dotty's favourite track was Dogs from Pink Floyd's Animals.) And now he's looking out the window. Bathing my legs again. He is a busy boy this evening! Curled up against my butt. Yowling, double-kicking, demanding attention. Gone.

Suppose I'd better go and grab that shower. Then read and sleep.

Not sure if to eat an egg in the morning. Or avoid belly-cuttings, since I'm going out. You know, I have a tin of baked beans. Ideal for beans on toast. But no toaster. So the tin languishes in the cupboard. However! If I make beans on fry-bread, I could even dress it up with an egg on top! Like my mum always did. No bacon or fried ham to add, alas, but there is a bit of cheese left back from yesterday's cutters so I could grate some of that on.... Why didn't I think of this before?

andidante · February 16

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Fired up the bus routing & scheduling app. To see what was involved in going to collect a few bucks from the book store. Three busses to get there and three more to get back. My recent experience on said busses gave me an average wait time per bus of 2 hours 23½ minutes. So no way was I going to go to that book store on the bus. With the gas gauge way down past E, Mo and I set off, returning with $12 to add to what went into the bank. It turns out when rent is paid at month end, I will have $28 left over. If I spend $16.78 on Pyridostigmine, I will have $11 & change left over. And maybe I won't need 180mg of Pyridostigmine! Let's hope for some good news from Dr. Jacinto tomorrow.

My appointment is 1:00 PM tomorrow. Good thing I checked. Was under the impression it was 2:00, which would have been an error I'm glad to have avoided. The app says I should catch the 16A at 11:32 in the morning, but I will go out and wait earlier. Don't want to rely on a bus that is way late or never shows at all. If by chance I get there early, I will just wait. On the return trip I can stop at the pharmacy to buy any Pyridostigmine I may need, and either go wait for the next bus or finish the trip home on foot.

Good luck tomorrow! I hope everything goes well for you. :)

Netfoot · February 16

10:25 - At the bus stop, waiting for the #16A bus. Leeching wifi from the mall on the other side of the road.

I'm real early but the busses might be running real late, so I am compensating.

In theory a 12:30 bus should get me to QEH by 12:45 giving me plenty of time to get to my appointment. Assuming the 12:30 bus doesn't come at a quarter to four!

Will post updates when able.

10:55 - Why are we waiting?!?? 🎶

11:52 - No bus yet. If one does not come within the next few minutes I will have to use the van. Which means I will have to buy gas with the money I was hoping to use for meds and/or food. 🤬😡

12:01 - Bugger this for a lark! Going for the van!

12:33 - Sitting in Outpatients, waiting to be called. Was told I needed a mask so I found one, but nobody here is wearing one, so it remains in my pocket until needed.

1:19 - Of course, my being here on time for my appointment does not mean what you think. My appointment was for 1:00 but there are 40-50 people here and they all have a 1:00 appointment. So now, it is a matter of just waiting until they decide it's my turn, or the doctor decides to leave. In the latter case, I will be told that I need to make another appointment - which can take weeks and could potentially be for several months from now.

So I will sit here, try not to go to sleep (which would make me miss when they call me (assuming they get around to calling me)).

1:44 - Preliminary exam... BP 120/~~something~~ 60, weight 242.8 lbs... "Wait outside until the doctor calls you.. "

2:53 - Still waiting... At this rate the pharmacy will be closed before I can reach it on the way home, which will require the use of the van again tomorrow. But wait! Tomorrow is Saturday so the pharmacy won't be open. I will still have to use the van, but now I will have to wait until Monday. And do without the meds in the mean time.

3:00 - Going in!

3:47 - Consultation complete.

4:00 - Leaving QEH pharmacy with new prescription filled.

4:17 - Stopped at other pharmacy to collect Digoxin. Still no Spiralon...

4:43 - Home again.

Edited February 17 by Netfoot

Spunkygal · February 17

Do you have another appointment? Anything from the consultation that you can share?

Netfoot · February 17

4 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Do you have another appointment? Anything from the consultation that you can share?

Happy to share, but I was tired when I got back and neither Mo nor I had eaten for the day, so...

After a day which included hours of sitting around waiting, I finally got to see Dr. Jacinto. I'd been warned that she was a very nice person, and happily I can confirm that that seems to be the case.

She performed various tests to determine the state of my condition, and asked about what symptoms I had experienced when the MG returned. Since over two months have passed it was not always possible to give a definitive answer as to what I experienced when. I think she was anxious to confirm that it was MG since Dr. K. is not a specialist in that area and neither am I. But I believe she (Dr. J.) was satisfied. Then came a number of questions on the meds I was on, the side effects and so forth.

In the end, she adjusted my medication levels and told me to return in a couple of months. The Mestinon/Pyridostigmine was reduced by 50% and I can now get it for free from the QEH pharmacy direct, which unfortunately means hours and hours waiting for the #16A bus to go to and fro. The Prednisolone/Corotrope is also reduced. Down 25% which is good. The Azathioprine remains unchanged for now.

Now, there are only two ways to treat MG that I know of, one is thymectomy which I've already had, and then drug therapy which is what I am getting now. The goal is to titrate the drugs down to zero if possible, but a more realistic expectation is to eliminate the first two and then survive on a minimal effective dose of Azathioprine permanently. So it seems that's exactly what is happening.

I can't remember if I mentioned it but I took my last Pyridostigmine on Wednesday and had none on Thursday or today. I've noticed a slight degree of improvement with the wobblies and also I've noticed things getting tastier yesterday and tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed a mug of tea after Garden Patrol! I'd have had another but it was my last tea bag. So the reductions may very well improve/reduce the side effects of the drugs. Just hope that doesn't happen at the expense of the MG symptoms resurfacing!

(Phone about to die - putting it on charge for a while.....)

So a reduction in the drug load and an appointment to visit again in mid April. A paper to get a crap load of blood tests done before my next visit, and a degree of hopefulness that the unpleasant side effects of treating MG will diminish, if not stop altogether.

Or put another way, a long, tiring, time-wasting day with a thankfully positive conclusion. Dr. Kristi seemed pleased with the outcome of the visit when I gave her a heads-up.

Stopped at fast-food joint to purloin a couple of mustard packets to try with cramps but they didn't seem to know what mustard was. Maybe because they don't sell hot dogs? So while I can get ketchup, mayo, hot sauce... even tartar sauce, they couldn't help me with mustard.

Very hungry by time I got home. Mo too. Cooked macaroni for dinner. Mo had his with special dog meat and I had mine with bully beef and cucumber. Beans on fry-bread with an egg and grated cheese postponed until tomorrow.

When I got home Mo jumped in the van and didn't want to come out again. I left the sliding door open so he could come and go. With my back turned he stole my cap from the van and deposited it in the lawn from where it was recovered on Patrol.

Front door open again this morning. Mo now routinely opening the front door during the night to let burglars enter at will.

Listening to God Is A DJ (Yes He Is) by Faithless. Quite like this band, although it probably isn't what most people would expect me to like.

Mo has been fairly subdued this evening. He jumped into bed, quietly curled up and went to sleep. Unfortunately he has adopted a position which leaves me contorted into a strange shape...

He caught me in a somewhat contorted position and simply plonked himself down. But I will not move him until can no longer maintain this position.

(Phone going back on charge. See if I can boost that 1% up to 5% before I continue. Meantime, my book.)

While at QEH there was a nurse periodically calling out "Anyone else for the warfarin clinic?" I can't think what that would be, other than a PT/INR test for those who need it. As a warfarin patient, I am supposed to do a PT/INR every 4-6 weeks, but I don't because it costs $45 a time. Not really been an issue because I've been very stable for years. But recently I've been noticing excessive bleeding. Viscosity can change if you have a change of diet because what you eat can affect it, requiring a tweak to your dosage. And nowadays, my diet is no longer fairly consistent. Nowadays I eat what I can get.

Now approaching one in the morning. I wish I had more exciting news to report from today but I literally spent most of the day waiting. On a bus that never showed. On the doctor. On not one, but two pharmacists in two different pharmacies.

I think less than an hour today was spent constructively engaged. But at least it seems some progress had occurred. To reduce the drug load and hopefully negative side effects. To get me started on an actual ongoing effort to pursue the matter until the best outcome is achieved. So, frustrating and tiring and aggravating as most of the day has been, I think the day was a success.

Now I am going to sleep and tomorrow will be another day.

Edited February 17 by Netfoot

andidante · February 17

57 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Happy to share, but I was tired when I got back and neither Mo nor I had eaten for the day, so...

After a day which included hours of sitting around waiting, I finally got to see Dr. Jacinto. I'd been warned that she was a very nice person, and happily I can confirm that that seems to be the case.

She performed various tests to determine the state of my condition, and asked about what symptoms I had experienced when the MG returned. Since over two months have passed it was not always possible to give a definitive answer as to what I experienced when. I think she was anxious to confirm that it was MG since Dr. K. is not a specialist in that area and neither am I. But I believe she (Dr. J.) was satisfied. Then came a number of questions on the meds I was on, the side effects and so forth.

In the end, she adjusted my medication levels and told me to return in a couple of months. The Mestinon/Pyridostigmine was reduced by 50% and I can now get it for free from the QEH pharmacy direct, which unfortunately means hours and hours waiting for the #16A bus to go to and fro. The Prednisolone/Corotrope is also reduced. Down 25% which is good. The Azathioprine remains unchanged for now.

Now, there are only two ways to treat MG that I know of, one is thymectomy which I've already had, and then drug therapy which is what I am getting now. The goal is to titrate the drugs down to zero if possible, but a more realistic expectation is to eliminate the first two and then survive on a minimal effective dose of Azathioprine permanently. So it seems that's exactly what is happening.

I can't remember if I mentioned it but I took my last Pyridostigmine on Wednesday and had none on Thursday or today. I've noticed a slight degree of improvement with the wobblies and also I've noticed things getting tastier yesterday and tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed a mug of tea after Garden Patrol! I'd have had another but it was my last tea bag. So the reductions may very well improve/reduce the side effects of the drugs. Just hope that doesn't happen at the expense of the MG symptoms resurfacing!

(Phone about to die - putting it on charge for a while.....)

So a reduction in the drug load and an appointment to visit again in mid April. A paper to get a crap load of blood tests done before my next visit, and a degree of hopefulness that the unpleasant side effects of treating MG will diminish, if not stop altogether.

Or put another way, a long, tiring, time-wasting day with a thankfully positive conclusion. Dr. Kristi seemed pleased with the outcome of the visit when I gave her a heads-up.

Stopped at fast-food joint to purloin a couple of mustard packets to try with cramps but they didn't seem to know what mustard was. Maybe because they don't sell hot dogs? So while I can get ketchup, mayo, hot sauce... even tartar sauce, they couldn't help me with mustard.

Very hungry by time I got home. Mo too. Cooked macaroni for dinner. Mo had his with special dog meat and I had mine with bully beef and cucumber. Beans on fry-bread with an egg and grated cheese postponed until tomorrow.

When I got home Mo jumped in the van and didn't want to come out again. I left the sliding door open so he could come and go. With my back turned he stole my cap from the van and deposited it in the lawn from where it was recovered on Patrol.

Front door open again this morning. Mo now routinely opening the front door during the night to let burglars enter at will.

Listening to God Is A DJ (Yes He Is) by Faithless. Quite like this band, although it probably isn't what most people would expect me to like.

Mo has been fairly subdued this evening. He jumped into bed, quietly curled up and went to sleep. Unfortunately he has adopted a position which leaves me contorted into a strange shape...

He caught me in a somewhat contorted position and simply plonked himself down. But I will not move him until can no longer maintain this position.

(Phone going back on charge. See if I can boost that 1% up to 5% before I continue. Meantime, my book.)

While at QEH there was a nurse periodically calling out "Anyone else for the warfarin clinic?" I can't think what that would be, other than a PT/INR test for those who need it. As a warfarin patient, I am supposed to do a PT/INR every 4-6 weeks, but I don't because it costs $45 a time. Not really been an issue because I've been very stable for years. But recently I've been noticing excessive bleeding. Viscosity can change if you have a change of diet because what you eat can affect it, requiring a tweak to your dosage. And nowadays, my diet is no longer fairly consistent. Nowadays I eat what I can get.

Now approaching one in the morning. I wish I had more exciting news to report from today but I literally spent most of the day waiting. On a bus that never showed. On the doctor. On not one, but two pharmacists in two different pharmacies.

I think less than an hour today was spent constructively engaged. But at least it seems some progress had occurred. To reduce the drug load and hopefully negative side effects. To get me started on an actual ongoing effort to pursue the matter until the best outcome is achieved. So, frustrating and tiring and aggravating as most of the day has been, I think the day was a success.

Now I am going to sleep and tomorrow will be another day.

I am so glad that you got to see the doctor and you have a follow up with her!! Hopefully the new medicine regime will be good for you. Don't you have an appointment with the cancer doctor in March too? Or did that get cancelled and not rescheduled?

Netfoot · February 17

7 hours ago, andidante said:

Don't you have an appointment with the cancer doctor in March too?

Yes, March 4th at 8:30 in the morning. Not looking forward to trying to get there on time, using the bus service!

andidante · February 17

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Yes, March 4th at 8:30 in the morning. Not looking forward to trying to get there on time, using the bus service!

Oh goodness that is early! I am hoping that this doctor will be able to help you also.

Netfoot · February 18

Due to the fact that I have extensive areas of skin grafting, I always have small cuts and scrapes on my skin. The grafted skin is not as resilient so if I only brush against something rough and that skin suffers. Last night, three such scrapes would not stop bleeding. Not gushing, just oozing. One below the left elbow, one above the right elbow and one mid-thigh on my right. These are tiny, ¼ the size of my pinky nail. But they wouldn't dry up. So before bed I cleaned these spots, applied the styptic pencil, dusted with BNT powder, covered with cotton wool and secured with medical tape.

This morning, the three bandages were soaked with blood and there were large, bloody stains on my sheet. And the wounds were still seeping.

When taking my meds this morning, I eliminated the warfarin from the pile. And I will do so again tomorrow. Perhaps/probably because of this, the seeping stopped around lunch time.

For lunch I cooked rice & black-eyes for Mo with a little corned beef. I had fry-bread with baked beans & egg and grated a bit of cheese over the top. It was good, but not great. Baked beans are supposed to come in a sort of slightly sweet, tomato sauce. These were in a sauce that definitely never saw a tomato and was not at all sweet. Now, they did not have any kind of unpleasant taste. But when you see "Baked Beans" on the tin and mentally prepare for that well known taste - and get something else, disappointment is inevitable.

Any way, lunch was very filling and shortly thereafter came the belly-cuttings. And with that, I started a bad episode of the staggers and could hardly move from my chair.

Only, I had to move from my chair! Because in the middle of my - I don't know what to call it - when I was really feeling my worst, Heidi turned up unannounced with a loaf of groceries. So I had to go out to the gate and help her with them.

It was very generous of her, and I certainly wasn't expecting it, but the groceries will be extremely welcome. Unfortunately, she had now seen me at my worst. Something I deeply regret.

Mo was just using both back feet simultaneously to literally kick me in the butt. It's a technique he has perfected. He does it to get attention if he wants something (tummy tickles) and I ignore him for some reason (posting). He gave up after a while, peeked out the window, and has now run off.

Back to to those weepy spots. They are all dried up now, but the skin around them is cruddy with dried blood. I obviously wiped off what I could, but I didn't want to clean the areas too vigorously in case I disrupted the spots from closing over. Right now I desperately want to go and have a shower but still worry about getting those spots wet. My general cruddy state did nothing to improve my appearance this afternoon. I'm sure Heidi was very impressed.

Let's turn on the ~~music box~~ gramaphone and see what comes out: Typical Situation by Dave Matthews Band. I like Dave Matthews. Not one of my absolute favourite artists, but I can easily listen to his music.

More red ink. I had typed two or three words run together. The phone indicated an error by displaying those run-together words on a red background, and underneath, displayed them properly. I tapped the correct text, and the run together text was correctly spaced, but the almost the whole paragraph turned red! Now, as I continue,everything I type is in red.

(On saving most, but not all, of the red ink vanished.)

I'm, so no tea today. I had contemplated taking $6.99 of my $18 fortune and buying a box of 80 teabags. But the bad-feels put me off the idea of leaving home. Maybe tomorrow. (This paragraph is in red. I will cut it from the post, and then post it back from the clipboard. It should come back in normal black.)

I really want to take a shower! I feel nasty! I am afraid of what happens if those bleedy areas get too wet. Will they start bleeding again? And it's not like those three spots are the only scraped I've got on my skin. There are dozens of them all over. It doesn't help that when I get these scrapes that I tend to subconsciously scratch at them. Sometimes/usually in my sleep. But I feel I must attempt to have a shower or I won't be able to sleep tonight. (Mo is back!) I think I will let short pieces of surgical tape and put them over those spots. Just to try to keep them dry.hopefullybtge pieces of tape won't turn out worse than a soaking...

So I will go and try that now.

Edited February 18 by Netfoot

andidante · February 18

I am glad that Heidi brought you some groceries! Did the surgical tape keep the spots from bleeding again?

Netfoot · February 18

16 minutes ago, andidante said:

Did the surgical tape keep the spots from bleeding again?

I kept the shower very brief and didn't scrub the areas that were giving me trouble with much vigour. I was able to avoid any further seepage. Although, if I'd let Mo have his way, he'd have licked/nibbled away until i was leaking again!

Spunkygal · February 18

On 2/17/2024 at 7:00 AM, Netfoot said:

Yes, March 4th at 8:30 in the morning. Not looking forward to trying to get there on time, using the bus service!

If it were me, I’d drive the van and I think you’ll have a better chance of finding a parking spot at that time of day. Also, I think you’ve mentioned that stress can exacerbate the MG symptoms. Since you know the QEH doc is nice, I think you should share with her the stresses you face, in particular finding a job.

Notabug · February 18

I agree, it is part of good medical care for your doctor to be informed of your living conditions and the fact that you've had to rely on unpredictable gifts of money and food from others is not conducive to a stress-free life. Stress is a well known cause of disease as well as exacerbation of existing diseases. Here in the US anyway, the doctor could refer you to various free services to help you get whatever aid is out there and even into programs that aid in finding work.

Even if you've brought the subject up with other doctors at other times, it is worth telling every doctor you see. For example, if it turns out you do have renal cancer, God forbid, in the US, the American Cancer Society, amongst others, will help provide free rides to doctors and other medical appointments to those who cannot get transport on their own.

Netfoot · February 18

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

If it were me, I’d drive the van and I think you’ll have a better chance of finding a parking spot at that time of day.

Most probably will have to. Maybe the buses run on time at rush hour to facilitate people getting to work? But don't want to jeopardize the appointment to find out the hard way.

Quote

I think you’ve mentioned that stress can exacerbate the MG symptoms.

I don't know. Stress triggers my irregular heartbeat. What I'm beginning to suspect is that physical stress may exacerbate MG.

MG essentially damages the nerves, thereby reducing the production of neurotransmitter molecules. Hence, there are fewer available in the system. This reduces the ability of the brain to talk to the muscles. What I'm beginning to suspect is that if I engage in strenuous activity, the existing supply of neurotransmitters get used up. So with a reduced supply, the symptoms of MG (reduced muscular control) worsen until more can be slowly produced by the damaged nerves. This is my own theory based on the fact that I can leave home on a morning feeling quite normal, but after a few hour of walking around in the sun, I end up a bit of a shambles.

ETA: I'm not concealing any facet of my life circumstances from my doctors. I have always confided fully in Dr. Kristi and will do the same with Dr. Jacinto. However, I felt that a broad-spectrum data-dump wasn't appropriate for a first appointment. And yet, she knew without my saying so that the price of the meds was an issue, and directed me to the QEH pharmacy to get the meds completely free. I suspect that Dr. Kristi had a few words to say in her introductory letter.

Edited February 18 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 19

To forestall the activities of the Klepto-pup, I've not been leaving my Crocs on the floor at night. I've been putting them up on something so they are Bout three feet off the floor. But this morning, one was still missing and had to be recovered from the yard!

Last night, just before bed, I was looking for something in a box and instead I found a squeaky teddy that was Mo's toy when he was a pup. I brought out but Mo was quite distrustful if it, so I left it on the corner of the bed. He pointed ignored it all night.

Just back from Garden Patrol, where I discovered Squeaky Teddy out on the grass. I picked it up and squeaked it... And that was the end of the Patrol! Mo appeared like magic out of the dark, relieved me if Teddy, and would do nothing else but play with him. I think he's out there still, playing with Teddy. I just hope he brings him under cover tonight because the night smells like it might rain and the breeze is cool and moist which reinforces that impression.

I screwed up this morning. Checking with the bank, I confirmed I had $18 on account. I decided to go and spend half of that on teabags. Mo and I set off to the grocery, which is literally a minute away by van. Selecting the cheapest brand of tea, I noted two box sizes. 1) $7.99 for 50 bags, or 2) $1.99 for 20 bags but buy two get them for $3.50 total. So I bought 59 for $7.99 and it's only when I got home did I ask myself, "Wait, WTF did you just do?!??" I could have bought four boxes of 20 (80 total) for $7 and instead I bought only 50 and paid 99¢ more!

(But I did enjoy the tea!)

I blame the drugs. I'd hoped the reduction of the drugs combined with more normal blood sugar levels would have helped with the wobblies and the occasional feeling like I'm drunk. Yesterday was not ideal and then this morning I go and do something stupid like that.

Now, tonight, I'm all twitchy-eyes and I nearly fell flat on my face just popping into the kitchen to turn out the light! And the aggression levels are on the way up (steroids) because I keep screaming at the TV and what I'm screaming is "Kill! Kill! Kill them all!" I'd forgotten about that from last time...

And I have not even started to deal with the kidney, yet.

No more leaking scratches. They have all matured (ripened?) Into nice, dry spots that should be fine. Just got to keep Mo from licking them for a couple of hours and setting them back a few days which he is perfectly capable of doing.

The Rubberband Man by The Spinners. A simple, but fun tune.

Spent a lot of today thinking about taking a nap. Held off from doing so, but not sure if I did right. I think that if I take a nap it should be early afternoon. A late nap could see me waking up in the early dark of night and then not able to get to sleep again later.

Lunch & Dinner was cold chicken sandwiches. There is a little chicken left over which tomorrow, I may cook into some rice or make a topping for spaghetti. Mo had been enjoying some chow, enhanced with chipped beef as a seasoner. I was worried that after eating cooked meals, he might reject the chow. Always heard that puppers won't eat chow after getting cooked food, but that is not the case with Mo. Maybe because while he had mostly been fed chow, he had always gotten to sample what ever I cooked for myself? So he's no stranger to cooked food but has always had chow for his own meals.

"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way....." No prize for guessing what's playing now!

So I'm tired and not feeling my best. I had a good dinner but I feel for something now. Only, I can't think what. I want something sweet. Cake or sweet biscuits or even bread and jam. But I have none of those things. (Mo arriveth. No sign of Teddy.) There is nothing sweet in the house other than a bag of straws (sugar). And I don't feel like eating it with a spoon. (Mo kicking my butt with both back legs at the same time.)

No, you can't nibble those scratches!

Pushing midnight. Will post, read a while and then go off to sleep. Might take a shower first. Might skip the reading.

(Mo has departed.)

Edited February 19 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 19

Internet & phone disconnected this morning. Was expecting it some time ago.

So, here we go again...

Notabug · February 19

On 2/18/2024 at 1:53 PM, Netfoot said:

I suspect that Dr. Kristi had a few words to say in her introductory letter.

That's why she is such a good doctor, she gave the specialist the full picture so you would be able to get the care you need.

Netfoot · February 19

Been feeling helpless all day. No telephone/internet and a load of arrears on electricity and water. And no idea what to do next. Have I tried every possible business, large & small, where I might find work? Obviously not, but I've had no luck in three months, so I'm not feeling particularly hopeful.

I guess I got to just keep on trying and hope for the best.

Logging on from my bedroom window is a PITA as usual but I will try again later this evening. Got to keep checking for inbound emails & messages.....

Netfoot · February 20

I've achieved nothing at all today, other than to accidentally scrape the top off the worst of the three bleeders I had a couple days ago. So, here we go again.

I will be on ⅔ dose of warfarin tomorrow, then from Wednesday the dosage will return to normal.

When Heidi delivered the groceries, one item was a precooked chicken meal. She said I could eat it all at once or make two meals of it. Using bread and rice I've made five meals out if it. But now it's gone. So for dinner I had egg sandwiches. Mo has been enjoying chow these last few meals. Tomorrow I might make some linguine with meat & tomato sauce.

Had real issues with reflux last night again and I'm beginning to wonder whether it correlates to my use of pepper sauce. I like to add some pepper sauce to my food. Not all the time, but now and again. Especially with food often having little taste I've been heavy handed. And that may be the core of my reflux problem.

Found Teddy out in the grass during Garden Patrol (along with a kitchen towel). Cleaned him up a bit and brought him inside. He is now lying in the corner of the bed, meanwhile Mo is in the floor. Mo seems hesitant to play with him, but if I squeak him at all, Mo comes running to his rescue.

There is a cool, moist breeze in the window and an occasional drop of water lands on my brow. I'd rather Teddy be inside and not getting soaked if the rain should fall. But Mo generally had his own plans. Maybe if I put Teddy on the floor Mo would get into bed? Must get a photo of the scruffy rag that is Teddy. More droplets on my brow just then. Actually, looking a little closer, Teddy may not actually be a bruin at all!

A Kissed Out Red Floatboat by Cocteau Twins. Elizabeth Frazier's unusual vocal style once again makes her lyrics impossible to understand. This track is from their Blue Bell Knoll album, which is probably my favourite.

Oooops! Forgot to lay out meds for the next few days. Will go do that now, then call it quits.

Edited February 20 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 20

Blood sugar this morning was 6.7 mmol/L !! 😮 Not quite in line with my preferences. I will test again in 3 days or so and see if it remains high. If so, I may query Dr.Kristi about going back on the blood sugar meds but maybe at half dose?

By the way, Teddy is starting to turn up places where he wasn't. So I left him on the foot of the bed last night but he was at the head of the bed this morning. Then he showed up near the front door a short while ago. So it seems Mo is gradually accepting Teddy as a plaything. I'm glad. Mo is a big boy, but there is no reason he can't enjoy playing with a toy now and again...

Post quick before I lose connection!

Netfoot · February 21

I'd hoped that if I got the blood sugar out the toilet and simultaneously reduced the MG drugs, I might stop stumbling around and falling over. Today while eating a corned beef sandwich, my hand began to shake so bad I thought "Nobody will believe how bad this is!" So I decided to make a short video. Only the other hand was shaking so bad I couldn't operate the camera app on the phone!

But hey! All I have to do is convince potential employers that I can do a full shift. So I can earn a wage. Otherwise I will be stuck here surviving on what ever charity people are kind enough to give me, while waiting for the lights to go out.

Watched three short seasons of After Life with Ricky Gervais. Not much else to do.

Recent picture of Mo cuddling up in bed:

He just takes his seat where ever he feels like. If it happens to be on your shoulder or your face, well what's wrong with that? At least he didn't do one of his famous side-fall arrivals...

Going to finish my book tonight. Will start Volume #3 tomorrow, or when ever I next feel the need to read.

Edited February 21 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 21

Over at the mall. Somewhat wobbly journey to get here. A little dizzy and my vision is a little blurred but I probably need better glasses. Eyes not twitching. Hungry. No idea why I came here other than to check for email/messages about work. (None, so a waste of time, but have to try, I guess.)

Tried for 15 minutes to connect from my bedroom but gave up after the umpteenth attempt failed.

Will surf around a bit in case something wants to come in, but little hope. Will soon go home and prepare food for Mo and myself -- chose not to eat before coming out so as to avoid belly-cuttings in public.

Started Volume #3 (The System of the World) last night after completing Volume #2. The Sun King (Louis XIV; le roi) has tasked Jack to destroy the coinage of Britain, recently put in place by Isaac Newton. If Jack fails, Eliza will pay the price. Amongst other goings-on.

Anyway, that's all I've got.

Netfoot · February 22

Fell down twice, trying to move that lightbulb from the living room to the bedroom. Fortunately was able to direct the fall so I landed on the bed each time. Shouldn't be surprised. Been walking into walls and missing doorways all day long.

Was sitting in the food court at the mall this afternoon when a good friend (from the club) suddenly appeared. He shared my table. He said that he was just grabbing a meal and could he buy me some lunch. Naturally, I said no. Because I want him to stay a good friend. But it was hard to watch him chowing down on a good looking plate of noodles and veggies. I went home and boiled rice with (for a change) tuna.

Took a hammer to the old deadlock on the door which has not worked for a couple of years. Only hit it a little bit! It works now. So I can keep Mo from opening the house to burglars every night within minutes if me locking up. Of course, one of these mornings, the deadlock will refuse to open and we will be trapped in the house. Not a pleasant prospect for someone who spent 6 weeks alternating between surgery and a hyperbaric chamber, followed by 27 months of occupational therapy, all as a result of being trapped in a burning building for less that 15 seconds.

No idea what I'm going to do tomorrow. Had oatmeal for dinner. Enough milk for one more cup of tea. Might have enough to buy another liter of milk, not sure. Internet connection dropped. At any second the forum will dump out my post so as to display a page telling me that um offline. Like I need them to do that, instead of waiting until I'm back online so I can post!

Netfoot · February 22

No pillows for you, Daddy!

Netfoot · February 22

Went out. Came back. Mo presented me with this gift:

The biggest damned rat I've ever seen. Hopefully, he didn't intend for it to be added to our larder!

Checked him from asshole to eyebrows and he doesn't have a scratch on him, so there's that, at least.

Edited February 23 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 23

No water this morning. So sure I'd been cut off I didn't even question it. But on my way over to the mall I glanced at the meter as I went past and the valve is open, not closed/sealed at all.

Mind you, they could be cutting off the water right now, for all I know.

Netfoot · February 23

Noon.

Going back home. Mo will need his lunch and I could eat as well. Got some meat/tomato sauce that I could warm up. Will see what pasta remains in the fridge.

The neighborhood has an issue with water and pressure drops to zero far too often. When you are expecting to be cut off at the meter at any moment, these temporary outages drive you nuts.

Connecting to the mall wifi from home gets harder and harder it seems. You press "Connect" and sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. You might have to try 6 times. If it does, it might say "Can't provide internet" so you "Disconnect" and try again. Or it might ask for an email address. But sometimes it hangs up before you can give an email address. So you Disconnect and start all over. If you do give an email address, it says "Success! Redirecting in 3, 2, 1, 0 seconds" but more often or not it hangs at zero seconds. So you Disconnect and start all over. Again.

Eventually, after 10 minutes or so, you will get connected! And you can stay connected for one or two minutes before you get thrown off again. Or you may stay connected for as long as you like but you never know.

Got to go. Mo (and I) are hungry. No more tea. Out of milk and anyway, I think those non-decaf tea bags are giving me palpitations.

Gone!!!

Edited February 23 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 24

Water has been off all day. The bastards at the Water Authority love to disconnect on a Friday. Their cashier closes at 3:00 and if you don't pay by then you get to enjoy the entire weekend without water.

But I've not been disconnected! Just checked again - the meter is not closed/sealed. I don't think they disconnect on weekends so I may be good until next week. It's the entire neighborhood. This happens periodically and all too often. In either case it's been a miserable day with no water. Maybe I should say more miserable than usual. Not free to bathe or flush toilets as I would like. (I have a supply of water in cans for refilling toilet cisterns so basic hygiene can be maintained for short periods.)

Otherwise, been feeling all drunk and wobbly today. Walked back from the mall in a daze/stupor just saying "You can make it! You can make it!" the whole way. Vision was... not really blurred. More like derezzed. Cottonwooly. Partially greyed out. Gait: unsteady, direction of travel: serpentine. Then finally home, and Mo waiting to greet me. Thankfully, sans Rattus norvegicus.

Really miss tea. I have $10.01 in the bank and a liter of evaporated milk costs somewhere around $7.50 but I may need to buy food for Mo before long. I have a couple small bags of rice but they won't last forever.

I think I will have to go to the Welfare department on Monday. I can't think of anywhere else. Didn't think to go today. Thoughts not clear today and don't know how I'd have done with my head in the clouds anyway. I have a number to call but I don't have a working phone to call with.

Had a nap this afternoon. I sleep 8+ hours at night and then come morning I'm tired and yearning for a nap.

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. White Punks On Dope by The Tubes. Don't Marry Her by The Beautiful South. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part I) by Pink Floyd.

Let me try for sleep. Maybe I will deal with this better tomorrow.

Keep telling myself to take photos of Mo. Never seem to remember. Will go and see what he is up to now. Maybe he is doing something photogenic. Oh, wait. If I move from the bedroom window, I will lose my connection. Tsk!

Netfoot · February 24

1:39 AM. Got up for a wee and when I flushed, water began to refill the cistern!

Immediately into a steaming hot shower, I emerged feeling far more human than before.

So the water is back on again, until a fresh crack developed in the 150 year old, egg-shell brittle, cast iron pipe that is the main for this area. Why they continue to patch and bandage it instead of replacing it entire, I do not know.

Netfoot · February 25

Had lunch at noon. Mistake! Couldn't leave the house for the entire afternoon. Belly-cuttings and The Trots. Eventually took a late afternoon nap.

Cooked bully beef rice for dinner for Mo and myself. He.got.the lion's share of the rice with some dogfood from a tin over the top. Just a spoonful for flavour. I only had a little of the rice. But when I set it to boil, I put two eggs in the pot and they were nicely boiled by time the rice was done. They even shelled perfectly under the tap. So a small portion of rice with two eggs was my dinner. No stomach pain or other issues. It happens all the time with lunch but rarely (if ever) with dinner.

So Long, Marianne by Leonard Cohen. I was introduced to this album by a German girlfriend I had in my teens. Sigi described it as "Music to slash your wrists to." Yes, it's a little depressive in nature but not unique in this and certainly not anything to encourage termination! Leonard Cohen is pretty mainstream, after all.

Sigi was a good girl and I missed her when she returned to Stuttgart. We used to go out to lunch on a Saturday, and instead of just going to a restaurant in town, we would hop on a train to a random nearby town. (There were many available within 10-15 on the local lines. North towards London, West towards Southampton or East in the direction of Eastbourne. We never had to go very far.) When winter set in we found and bought a kerosene heater. Looked like this:

Same near-white stove-enamel. Sigi decided to paint it one day, and painted it red. Naturally, the next time we lit it, the red paint burnt black and stank! These things were damned dangerous. Not only because of the fire hazard but because they could produce carbon monoxide and poison you! Very efficient at keeping you warm but you had to open the room and let in fresh air periodically. And never leave one burning when you go to sleep. Daytime use only.

Sigi had a dark blue wool cloak while I had a nylon windbreaker of the exact same colour. When ever we went out in cold weather, the wool & nylon would rub together. The static buildup made kissing an electric experience. Literally!

She used to like Guinness. But you had to limit her consumption because it made her randy.

I came home once and found her crying. She had received news that her dad had just died. She had a photograph of him I her hand. Taken years before, it showed a handsome young man. In his SS Stormtrooper uniform. There isn't one damned thing you can say, is there?

Enough talk of old girlfriends.

A lot better day today. Nowhere near as woozy as yesterday. But we have a mouse in the house. I can hear him gnawing away behind/below a kitchen cupboard. There is no way for me to get in there after him, do he gnaws, I hammer on the panels, he ignores me. I have to think of a way of dealing with him.

Mo was here demanding I put the phone down and give him cuddles and tummy tickles. But he has run off now. He will be back soon, I'm sure. Only one kitchen towel recovered on Garden Patrol tonight. He had the last of the chow for lunch so from now we're back to corned beef and rice. Or pasta. There isn't much pasta and he isn't getting a share of the linguine because there isn't much of it. But he can have macaroni and penne or elbows or bowties or whatever we have.

Oh, wait! He's back. And barking at me insistently. Wonder what he wants? Better go and see...

Netfoot · February 26

It's a quarter past nine. Am I in bed? No. Am I sitting at the bus stop? Yes. Am I going somewhere? No. But I walked over the road to get some bandwidth (because I've been catching hell trying from the bedroom window) and there is a bench at the bus stop. So, I sit.

Not a bad day. Minimum wooly headedness. Cooked rice for lunch. Enough for dinner too. Mo got his bowl enhanced with tinned dog food as a sweetener. I popped two eggs in with the rice and they came out perfect again. No cracking, leaking or messing about, and they shelled clean, easy and perfect. The secret to boiling eggs seems to be: boil them in a pot of rice! The eggs were my sweetener.

I usually use only very limited salt when cooking for Mo so my rice is pretty bland as a result, seeing as it comes out of the same pot. Or maybe the taste buds are playing tricks.

For dinner Mo had the same as lunch but I didn't cook more eggs. I made up a curry sauce with a little onion in it and poured that over my share hoping to get a tasty result. I was disappointed. My dinner was pretty bland/insipid. But it went down, and that's all that matters. Fuel for the machine.

No music playing obviously. I'm trying not to attract too much attention sitting here. Don't want the wrong sort of attention, after all. Stuck in my waistband under my shirt is my small kukri. Just in case I need it. So I don't want to attract the attention of Babylon any more than anyone else. They would drag me off to jail just for the fun of it.

Tomorrow we should get a visit from Sanitation Services. I hope they show up. Mo's rat is in the bin, well wrapped in two layers of plastic, plus one layer of heavy paper to keep him from stinking. I want him taken away ASAP. Well wrapped he may be, but if SSA skips me this week he will definitely pong a bit by next Monday!

Speaking of rodents. I heard the mouse gnawing away inside the unreachable guts of that kitchen cupboard. Selecting a spot where it would not be visible, I drilled a small hole into the cavity. Then, using the skinny red tube provided with the can, I squirted a huge cloud of WD-40 in through the hole. No more mouse noises since. Of course something poisonous would perhaps have been more effective. But I avoid using poisons in the house. Only if, say, I'm going away and my boy is going into the kennel will I put out bait. And then I clean up all the residue before I go and get him back out of the kennel when I return. But the WD-40 seems to be effective. Not poisonous, but pretty unpleasant in an enclosed in space. The hole obviously remains, if somewhat difficult to find. So if he comes back I can put in another looong squirt.

Was lying in bed reading this afternoon, with Mo wandering around and playing various games. Felt a lump behind my back and when I checked, it was Teddy. (Who upon closer examination appears to be a stuffed dog rather than a bear). Mo had obviously brought him into bed but when I squeaked him, Mo fled! So, of two minds about Teddy, is Mo.

Phone seems to be running out of memory so I better post while I can. Then trundle off home and consider a shower. Had a cup of black tea this afternoon. Not too good - tea should be white and sweet.

Gonna stop here

Edited February 26 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 26

Managed to cut myself somehow. Or scratch myself, anyway. Stumbling around, banging into things, I expect.

Didn't even notice until Mo pointed it out.

Netfoot · February 26

Kukris.

On the left, a large kukri-styled machete. It is a Royal Kukri by Cold Steel with a 15½" blade. The steel is 1055, a compromise between high carbon and mid-carbon. Because a machete gets plenty of bashing up against trees and bush, if it's too hard it can snap. So a slightly less hard blade steel can be desired. It will not hold it's edge quite so long but will sharpen easily.

On the right, my CRKT Kuk. The blade is 65Mn carbon so 0.65% carbon rather than the 0.55% carbon of the Royal. Blade is only 10½x so not as likely to suffer the same level of abuse. A little extra hardness is OK. This is a much higher quality blade (fit, finish, sheath, grind, etc) than the Royal, which is, after all, simply a machete.

I actually own a genuine Gurkha kukri from Nepal. Probably made from a piece of purloined train track and used in the Anglo-Nepalese War against the British. I bought it from a junk shop for two pounds when I was a teenager. The sheath is carved from wood and is badly decaying. The blade was "enhanced" by some fool to make it more sale worthy. I'm not in a position to restore it so I have long decided to let it live out it's remaining days in peace. I should dig it out and add it's photograph to my album.

There were two blades in that junk shop I was interested in, £2 each and I didn't have enough money for both. Bought the kukri and returned the next day with two quid but the price had gone up to fifteen nicker overnight which put it out if my league. The other blade was an Indonesian kris. I was very sorry not to acquire that blade, and in fact after 50-ish years I still don't own a kris.

Mo started around five this morning, insisting the door be opened so he could get out, yet making it back to bed before I did! He spent the next 2½ hours barking in my lug-hole at the top of his voice or howling out the window. At nothing I could see in particular. Finally gave up, crawled out of bed and took my blood sugar (6.6 mmol/L). Seems I've gone from too low to too high. Will query Dr. Kristi re. Going back on the BS meds but at half dose.

Hungry. What can I feed us today? Not much left in the larder. SSA took the rat away early this morning. Maybe I should have kept it?

Netfoot · February 27

Dinner was another tin of those baked beans that don't taste like baked beans. But I fixed them. I added brown sugar, garlic powder and a little bit of a stock cube. They came out pretty good. I ate them with fried eggs and three small fry-bread I made from all purpose flour and corn flour in a 2:1 ratio. Only thing to improve next time is to discard some of the bean "juice". Too much juice for the beans. I could maybe have used it to improve Mo's dinner. Which was rice cooked with stew beef. Yes, he gets the beef and I get the crap.

He's right behind me now, snuggling up warm. Very welcome as I'm fresh out of the shower and there is a cool breeze in the window. He has become very affectionate of late. Or maybe I'm just imagining It. But he always wants to give kissed (IOW, lick the tip of your nose) and he snuggles up a lot. He snuggles alongside me while I'm reading in bed so I can give tummy rubs at the same time. But when the lights go out, he takes up a position along my leg. I sleep on my side so I have to position my two legs just right because he uses the knee of the lower leg as a pillow.

Went back over to the mall this evening. Futzed around with my phone for a bit and then came home. But as I stood up and began to walk out of the mall I felt like I was going to faint. Switched to ultra-focus mode and made my way home safely. But the funny thing is, the more I walked the less I felt like fainting. It seems to be similar to what I've noticed at home. When I first get out of bed in the morning, or stand up after I've been sitting for a long while, that's when I get the staggers the most. So I guess when I stood up this evening to come home, the woozy/fainty feeling struck me, but it slowly passed away once I got rolling along.

Listening to Got My Mind Set On You by George Harrison. The Beatles all went on to have solo careers that produced some worthy tracks. Maybe Ringo less so, but he at least had the honour of starring alongside Peter Sellers in the great 1969 movieThe Magic Christian, a scream of a comedy with a host of cameo appearances (50+ at least) by other celebrities. (My absolute favourite was Yul Brynner!) I must watch that again.

Mo has relocated. He is now sitting just inside the front door. When I go to lock up, he will rush outside delaying the locking process. He can be dead asleep in bed but no matter how quiet you tiptoe, he always rouses and goes shooting past and out. I could lock up and leave him outside but I would miss his snuggles. I always give him the option to sleep outside at night and sometimes he does. But I also give him a chance to come in, and thankfully, he mostly does.

I've reached page 240 of 887 in my book. The clockwork time bomb targeting Daniel (or was it actually targeting Isaac Newton?) failed to eliminate it's target but did scatter thousands of gold guineas all over the neighborhood, from the rooftops down. Dark deeds at The Tower of London. Or should that be dirk deeds? Wink! Wink! Not seen much of Eliza or Jack so far, but that will no doubt be remedied soon. Especially with Newton avidly searching for "Jack the Coiner".

Nearly midnight. I will call it quits. And look who has decided to come back to bed! No, he's gone again. No, he's back.

Plus, ~~five~~ six times the site has eaten this post and I had to recover it so I'd like better get it posted before it gets eaten up for good!

Edited February 27 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 27

If you have a collection of knives, even a small one like mine, one of the givens is that you will cut yourself. These injuries are not always because you did something stupid. (Although that has happened often enough!) One of the common causes of a cut is when you have knives that have poor sheaths. This because the knife you bought online turns out to come with a poor sheaths from new, or because an old knife has a decaying sheath which fails in its job of protecting you.

An example would be this inexpensive cleaver that I picked up for very few dollars. The knife itself is OK and the sheath appeared to be equally OK. But then the knife ~~priced~~ proved to be a better knife than the sheath ~~priced~~ proved to be a sheath, and cut itself free just enough to bite me.

That was a year or so ago.

Or another piece of junk that I bought. The blade is sharp but the hilt was rubbish and when I went to replace it with a home made hilt, I noticed that the tang (the back of the blade that extends into the handle) was not an integral part of the blade but had been welded on. In other words it's a piece of junk. But it's been lying around for ages and when I went to move it today...

It seems the sheath was stitched together with very cheap thread which had perished. The edge of the blade is now free to come right out anywhere along the length of the sheath. Zoom in and you will see a tiny little nick where it bit my ring finger. It's a crap piece, one that will never be a part of my Actual collection and remains a member of what I refer to as my "Crappy Knives". But it's still pretty damned sharp!

I have a number of good knives that I've owned for a while, and never photographed for my collection. 15-20 or so. I must get them photographed and included in the album. One or two are interesting and quite good little pieces.

Edited February 27 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 28

This afternoon, a friend popped around to deliver a bag of groceries. They included 4¼ kg of "Meat Scraps". Now the supermarkets sell two grades of scraps. The lowest called "Dog Scraps" would be bits that have fallen on the ground or are a little spoiled and so not fit for human consumption. "Meat Scraps" are cosmetically unsuitable for sale but perfectly good to eat. They sell for $4.99 per Kg whereas minced meat is $17.49 per Kg and stew-cut beef is $21.39 per Kg. Chicken chunks are about $29.50 per Kg but that's from memory.

I opened the smaller bag and found five perfectly good chicken breasts and a bunch of large chicken "chunks" which I separated into three piles, each of which would need two hands to hold. I've not opened the other (larger) bag, but it looks to be all chicken parts and chunks as well.

Went over to the mall, and upon my return I went into the kitchen and started cooking Mo's dinner. Wanted the phone to use the timer and couldn't find it. Searched the house four times and couldn't find my phone. Got dressed to walk back over towards the mall on the odd chance my phone was lying on the side of the road. With keys in hand and a torch to light my way, I shon the torch around the bedroom and a glint in amongst the clean laundry in the basket caught my eye..... With landline & internet out at home, losing my phone would have been a critical blow. The relief I felt when I found it was unreal.

While searching I did a rounds of the garden in case Mo had half-inched it. He's never purloined my phone before but I was that desperate. Mo thought we were having an ultra-early Garden Patrol, so we had an ultra-early Garden Patrol!

Having said last night that "Half-Cocked" Jack was MIA in my book, the very next chapter had "Jack The Coiner" initiate a complex but significant assault on the Tower of London, and specifically the Royal Mint operating there under the command of Issac Newton. This trilogy really keeps you hopping!

While looking for another book by the same author (Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson) that I know I've got around here somewhere, I found one of his that I didn't know I had and have no knowledge/recollection of ever reading: Anathem, described by Wikipedia as "A science fiction novel published in 2008, major themes including the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and the philosophical debate between platonic realism and nominalism." I'm seriously doubting my ability to understand this one!

Listening to Kody by Matchbox 20. Think it's off their debut album (name escapes me). I like that album.

Gonna leave you with a pretty picture of Mozie, cooling out in bed:

Edited February 28 by Netfoot

Netfoot · February 28

Missed a Croc this morning so I went looking for it. Quite a bit of stumbling around in the yard, hanging on to the wheelie-bin, the van, a log of mahogany, and...

Found it and a sock. Good! With the sock I found last night on Garden Patrol, that makes a pair. Came inside and put away the sock, but what did I do with the Croc?!?? Did I leave it outside?

More stumbling around outside, and I found it! It was in my left hand the entire time....

How could I go looking for a Croc around the house and then venture out into the yard and not know the thing was in my hand the whole time?

Mo was very affectionate this morning, from around five until time for Breakfast Meds. He wriggled around like a python while practicing his well known back leg double-kick on my butt as I tried to catch another 40 winks.

Netfoot · February 29

Nice fried chicken breast for lunch. Mo had fried beef chunks. We both enjoyed ramen for dinner, but Mo had added stew beef with his.

Watched a long movie this afternoon (3½ hours) about organized crime activities in the 70s & 80s. Full of interesting characters like Jimmy Hoffa. Probably a fair amount of artistic license taken with the script. Interesting but only watchable because I was able to pause in the middle and return to it later. If I'd had to watch it all in one sitting it might have been a bit of a chore. It was called The Irishman.

Damned internet is being particularly troublesome tonight. And I'm not walking out of the house to try and improve matters. I think I will post here, put the kettle on to boil and have a shower while my tea draws. Then I'll read for a while and try for an early night.

Will test glucose in the morning.

Netfoot · March 1

Mo ate his dinner down to the last scrap. Last couple meals he has left much behind, but he cleaned his bowl tonight. I cooked rice with tinned vegetables. I don't actually like tinned vegetables but this particular brand had ciorn and green string beans rather than the usual horrible green peas.

I got some cubes of stew beef and diced them into even smaller cubes, and fried with onion. When I dished out the rice, I put the fried beef & onions on top then deglazed the pan to make a light gravy. It tasted pretty good, in so far as it had any taste at all....

I don't usually have breakfast. I love breakfast things, but usually can't be bothered to faff about in the kitchen so soon after rising. This morning I tried to cook an egg/toast thing I saw on a YT video. First, they punched a hole in a slice of bread, put it buttered side down in a pan and cracked an egg into the hole. The egg cooked and the bread toasted and the meal was ready. My slice of toast was black as charcoal on one side and completely raw on the other, while the egg was edible but fell out of the bread/toast when I tried to shift it from pan to.plate. (Having a kitchen spatula might have helped in that regard, Mr. Mo!)

Watched a movie today called What Happened To Monday. It is a sort of distopian sci-fi about over population and the excesses of the Child Assignment Board. A good flic, marred only by the presence of Glenn Close, an actress who ruins for me, every movie her gorge-inducing physiog appears in. Thankfully her part, if significant, was mercifully brief.

Listening to Wooden Ships by CSN&Y. This is the version from their 1974 collection So Far. I think it's the same recording from CS&N's 1969 album. Paul Kantner from Jefferson Airplane was one of the original co-authors and they also recorded this song in 1969, but their version simply does not compare with the CS&N/CSN&Y version, in my opinion. Not at all.

Blood sugar this morning: 6.5 mmol/L which is high. Not terrible but still too high for my liking. Fourth high reading in a row. Messaged Dr. Krist about it but she has not even read the message as yet. She's prolly having a great time on vacation or something. If so, I'm pleased for her.

Done hardly anything at all today, and even had a nap, but I'm still bone tired. Just had a mug of tea but I think I will have another and then read for a while before shutting down for the night.

Edited March 1 by Netfoot

andidante · March 1

18 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Watched a movie today called What Happened To Monday. It is a sort of distopian sci-fi about over population and the excesses of the Child Assignment Board. A good flic, marred only by the presence of Glenn Close, an actress who ruins for me, every movie her gorge-inducing physiog appears in. Thankfully her part, if significant, was mercifully brief.

The only movies I have seen Glenn Close in is Fatal Attraction with Michael Douglas and The Big Chill. Didn't like her in either movie.

Sign In

Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

Netfoot

Netfoot

Netfoot

Posted Images

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment