Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Mo was a terror last night. Rampaging around until after two, not letting me close the door. At one stage he was fast asleep and I tiptoed out of the bedroom and was almost at the door when he shot past like a rocket propelled Buick, nearly knocking me flying. 

Finally got the house zipped up and the lights off and literally two hours later I was roused by the little monster who wanted to go out to play!

Breakfast. Eggy toast again. This time I lowered the heat as far as I thought I could and proceeded as before. Result the bottom of the bread was toasted OK but the top wasn't toasted at all. The bottom of the egg was also cooked but the top not cooked to my satisfaction at all. I don't mind runny yolk, but the white if the egg must not still be transparent! Flipped it over to try cook the top of the egg and toast the other side of the bread but the egg stuck to the pan and by time I got it on to the plate the egg was cooked but shredded. And the top side of the bread was barely warmed up. 

I could try putting a couple spoonsful of boiling water into the pan and covering it this will steam the top of the egg, almost poach it. The yolk won't be runny but the white will be firm. However, I don't think you stand much chance of good toast by steaming the bread! Or, I could put the toast in the pan to toast one side, flip it over and then add the egg. But how do I get the tip of the egg to cook? More heat, but that burns/blackens the bread...

Gotta go see what I have that I can give Mo for his lunch. He Is getting very tired of rice. Sonam I but at least I know to shut up and eat it. He turns up his nose, which means food wasted. I have rice, very little pasta (and he's getting tired if that too) and a single potato which I will not give him to eat because I can't guarantee he will eat it. It looks like some more of that damned instant mash potato flakes for lunch. I can stew up some corned beef and pour it over the top to make it a little more palatable. Also got a little of that dough left in the fridge. In fact better use that up ASAP. Dumplings. Doesn't seem to want to fry up that well, so I will try boiling.

ETA: And it's Friday again. And the water bill still has not been paid.....

Edited March 1 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/egg-in-a-hole-recipe-1925587

I have used this method with a non-stick skillet and it worked pretty good.

[Netfoot]

The spatula seems to be the missing link!

[Netfoot]

Went out today. Over to the mall. Stayed about 1½ hours because a fuzzy spell came over me and didn't want to walk back over the road until I gave it a chance to fade away.

Got back to my gate - no sign of Mo. He usually greets me aggressively!

Asleep under the van? No. In the verandah? No. Round the garden taking a pee? No. Surely not...

Opened the house and there he was, right inside the door, looking like an abandoned waif. A more miserable and neglected expression could not be found in the face of any puppy in this world! Poor baby. I'd come out and realized I'd left my cap inside so I reopened the house and got the cap. Mo must have slipped in without my noticing.

I think he's forgiven me. He's curled up against the base of my spine.

Midnight At The Oasis from Maria Muldaur's 1973 eponymous solo debut album. Not an artist I would have described as a favourite but she has a sweet voice and this is a nice little tune. 

Simple meals today. I got a chicken breast and nothing else, but it was tasty. Mo got dumplings and corned beef stew for lunch. Also, he got the raw bones from when I deboned the chicken breast, along with the fat, gristle and skin. Bread & butter for dinner for both of us, but Mo also had some raw beef.

Watched the movie Ferrari this afternoon. Adam Driver seems an unlikely Enzo but pulled it off quite well. Interesting scenes of the development of the F1 car, but also of the bid to win fame and secure the financial wellbeing of the company by securing victory in the Mille Miglia race. The horrible crash that took the lives of one Ferrari driver & co-driver along with nine spectators is spectacularly depicted. While no fan of Ferrari cars (I prefer the ones made by the "Tractor Maker") anyone who appreciates motor sport should like this movie.

Just gone midnight. I feel for another mug of tea but I've had 3-4 already today so I will go have a scalding hot shower instead.

I'd send a photo of Mo, but he had has sneaked off!

Edited March 2 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Took a nap. Woke with both legs locked in cramp, the muscles of the calf tight as a drum, pulling the toes down. While at the same time the muscles of the shin pulling the toes up. Both legs at the same time. Very painful. Apparently cramps are part of the side effects of the MG meds.

But I had issues with cramps before we knew the MG was back, and I was not on the meds. But then was the hottest of summers and the electrolyte replacement salts were helping.

Truth Serum by Dishwalla.

Mo and I had reconstituted 2019 mash potato powder with corned beef mixed into it. It tasted as bad as it sounds. Mo wasn't too pleased but he ate it up. I wasn't too pleased either. Rice with tinned vegetables tonight. I will get a fried chicken breast with mine. Mo will get diced raw beef and any bones, gristle, fat or skin from preparing my chicken breast.

Plenty of tea bags but almost out of sugar and also milk. One tin of corned beef remaining, after the one that is open in the fridge. Also got a small bag of rice, a potato, a carrot, a small piece of white cabbage, an onion, two tins of tuna, a pack of minced beef and some "scraps" of chicken. Also, a 2 kg. bag of flour, some corn flour, and a small quantity of pasta. And some packets of ramen noodles.

$9.91 in the bank, found 45¢ coins today and have two hard-dollars sitting on my desk.

[Netfoot]

Dinner was much better than lunch!

Then, Garden Patrol. Where I immediately saw this: 

Mo currently hiding. He thinks his botty is going to get lix. It should get lix! He would have had to stand on his hind legs to reach this! 

Lady Grinning Soul by Bowie, from Aladdin Sane. Iconic. Great piano work, as per many of the tracks on this album.

Monday is my 8:30 appointment at QEH. Guess I will be sitting at the bus stop from six to make sure I get there on time. I don't think there is enough fuel in the van to get there. Almost certainly not enough to get back again. 

Going to sleep early tonight. Showering now, and lights out. Won't bother to shut the door. Mo and the burglars can come and go as they please. Will be sleeping with my wakizashi machete at my side. If someone disturbs me in the night, they had better have a mohican a, fuzzy face and white toes on their two rear feet!

Edited March 3 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Blood sugar this morning 8.6 mmol/L. 😬

And that is after restarting the Gliclazide at half-dose after consulting with Dr. Kristi. Tested twice so it isn't the machine.

Won't overreact. Will wait until I get a couple more readings in the days ahead before I start to worry.

With the door left open all night so he could come and go, Mo still insisted on waking me at five this morning. He continued to bark loudly in my ear every 15 minutes until I finally gave up and crawled out from under the sheets. He didn't actually want me to do anything; the house was already open; but he simply could not stand the thought that I was sleeping.

I'd sell him,but I doubt anyone would buy him. If I found a mug to pay me for him, they'd be around next day demanding their money back. Sort of like when the dog-nappers returned Buddy after a single day.....

[andidante]

49 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Blood sugar this morning 8.6 mmol/L. 😬

And that is after restarting the Gliclazide at half-dose after consulting with Dr. Kristi. Tested twice so it isn't the machine.

Won't overreact. Will wait until I get a couple more readings in the days ahead before I start to worry.

With the door left open all night so he could come and go, Mo still insisted on waking me at five this morning. He continued to bark loudly in my ear every 15 minutes until I finally gave up and crawled out from under the sheets. He didn't actually want me to do anything; the house was already open; but he simply could not stand the thought that I was sleeping.

I'd sell him,but I doubt anyone would buy him. If I found a mug to pay me for him, they'd be around next day demanding their money back. Sort of like when the dog-nappers returned Buddy after a single day.....

Good luck tomorrow! I hope the buses cooperate for you and the doctor is helpful. 

[Netfoot]

Lunch wasn't much to write home about: fry-bread for me and the same for Mo with a little beef stew over the top for a sweetener. The fry-bread actually tasted pretty good and I suspect the beef made Mo's share even tastier. He seemed quite happy with it.

Dinner was better. Rice with carrot and a very little corned beef for some extra taste. Over this was chicken, diced and fried then simmered in a chicken gravy. Mo and I had the rice about 50/50 with him getting maybe a little more, and the chicken again close to 50/50 but with Mo definitely getting a bit more than half.

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow. There is rice, mashed potato flakes, some pasta. and some lentil peas soaking. Two small chicken breasts defrosting and corned beef in a bowl in the fridge. Also got a tin of tuna. Trouble is, no idea what my day will be like.

Could spend hours and hours at QEH and would like to try walking down by the welfare office afterwards. Acetylcholine (neurotransmitters, free production of which, MG inhibits) will be well depleted by the end of all that, so a long wait for a bus to get me home, because I'll never make it on foot.

Busses supposedly run at 6:00, 6:20, 6:26 and 7:35, all of which will get me there in time for my appointment.

Trouble is, I don't think any of them will come. Since I've waited almost a year for this appointment, I don't know what to do if I see the time slipping away and no busses appearing. Don't have money for gas...

Just as I put my tea to draw, a thunderous downpour came hammering on the wriggly tin of my roof. Normally Mo and I do our Garden Patrol while my tea draws but it would have been cool if I'd waited. So I drank the tea before Patrol.  When the rain stopped we went out but upon return it felt strange to find only an empty mug waiting. Could have brewed another, but not much sugar nor milk remain and I will prolly want a mug when I finally get home tomorrow.

Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin. I remember back in the days of dial-up bulletin boards with automated QWK networking and QWK offline mail readers, I once composed a fairly lengthy post in which every sentence contained an LZ song title. It was a bit contrived I will admit but it made sense and was on-topic in what ever forum it was in. I don't remember what forum that was (nothing to do with music) or why I did it, but I sure wish I'd kept a copy of that post!

This post has been swallowed by the forum at least half a dozen times and I've had to recover it each time. Will post it before I discover the hard way whether seven is a lucky of unlucky number!

[Netfoot]

Six o'clock bus: no-show.

May just be late, but next scheduled is 6:20 so we will see.

6:20 and 6:26 busses: no-show. 

Waiting on any of the three to roll up late. Otherwise, next bus is 7:35 or an hour away.

I have been listening to Mo bark his head off for the last 34 minutes. Man, is he an annoying little shit, or what?

Seven. Still no busses. 

7:35 bus: no-show. Got less than 45 minutes to make it there on time, through rush hour traffic!

Think I will have to risk the van. 

Edited March 4 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

At QEH now. Arrived 23 minutes late thanks to traffic. Drove the van. Surprised it made it without running out of fuel. Will take my last $9 and put it in the tank to make sure I get home. 

I had plans for those nine bucks.

There were two dimes on the floor here in the waiting room. I pointed them out to the guy sitting there but he decided he was above picking them up. An old lady was so pleased to grab them and is now telling the crowd what she is going to buy with them. (I can't quite catch what.) But apparently what ever it is costs a quarter. So she is hunting around, looking for an extra nickel.

[Netfoot]

10:46 and no movement. They usually acknowledge your presence by giving you back your appointment card which you drop into a box upon first arrival).

Wait! Just called in. 

Wow. This story deserves a post all on its own. When (if) I get home. 

[Netfoot]

Phone about to die will be quick.

Went in. Dr. N. Who is the a$$ that has delayed me 10 months was there but pretending not to see me. Spoke to another doctor.

"The reason you were delayed is because your notes are missing!" (That is my entire hospital file, inexplicably vanished.) I said I was told I would get a call to tell me when the biopsy could take place.

"Ah! Well, the reason you were delayed is because they don't have any biopsy needles!" What, in 10 months they could not acquire biopsy needles? Did they try Amazon? He got mad.

"You will have to go and get another three-month appointment! In the mean time I will call and make sure you are on the list for a biopsy! Then I will call you and confirm you are in the list. Then the Biopsy people will call you with a date & time!"

So I went and made a new three-month appointment. Then I walked back into the office to ask the doctor his name. (Dr. Kumar.)

And lo! Like magic! What is that I espy in Dr. Kumar's hand? 

"Oooo! Look what we just found! Your notes!"

Edited March 4 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Kumar called. I am not now, nor was I ever on any list for a biopsy or anything else.

Can I "pop in" next Monday with a copy of the CT from last year? Sure! Because I put my last nine bucks in the van this morning. Look how full the tank was afterwards!

Or I can catch one of those busses that never run!

Told Dr. Kristi the story. Her response: "What a shit-show!"

She says she should have a copy of the report and will make a copy for me to take there next Monday. If instead of waiting for buses that never come I started walking at 6:00 I should be able to get down there in two, two & a half hours....

Gave Mo ramen & corned beef for lunch. Had a mug of tea for myself.

Raining heavily and if I shut the window to keep the rain out I will lose internet. So I will post and then protect the bed from the rain.

Next time some fool starts yammering on about "Universal Health Care" remember the words of Dr. Kristi: "What a shit-show!"

[Netfoot]

Couldn't connect last night. Tried and tried but no luck at all. The connection would be made and 1 second later it would be disconnected. Same this morning. I wonder if they've noticed what I'm doing and taken steps to block me? Couldn't really complain if they have...

Over at the mall now, using a different wifi network. On my way home I will go see if the usual wifi network will allow me to connect when I'm closer and signal strengths are better. 

Feeling very low today. Mo requested the door be opened at 4:20 but after that he kept coming periodically and rousing me from my slumber. I'd invite him to join me for a cuddle which he would. But 10 minutes later he would go off about his business and half an hour would pass before he was back, rousing me again. The door was open so there was nothing he needed me for. I think he just doesn't like to see me slumber when he is up and rolling for the day.

Opened the second bag of "Scraps" this morning and it is almost 100‰ pork chops and chunks of bone with pork clinging to them. All pretty ugly cuts (which is why it is consigned to be scraps) but it otherwise looks pretty good.

Asked Heidi about giving Mo bones raw. "With a knick-knack paddywhack, Give a dog a bone" is apparently not allowed any more. After 250,000 years, dogs are no longer allowed bones. But I thought that bones were OK if raw. Apparently not. So I boiled the bones and lots of meat scraps fell off and I ended up with a pot full of meaty grave with chunks in it. I extracted the bones and fed the "stew" to Mo. The remaining bones must now be thrown away.

I will have ramen for lunch when I get back home (shortly). Dinner will be pork for both of us with I dunno what. Rice, I guess. 

Anyway, I will set off home now, and cook that ramen.

ETA: I'm connected via the usual wifi network so not banned/blocked. While here, checked the price of a new kitchen spatula. $13.90 for the cheapest one that looks like it might work. I say "might" because it has a plastic shaft and sometimes they get so soft when they get hot the Flippy part at the end just sags down and your eggy-toast falls back into the pan.

Of course, I'm not buying it... The Dollarwise has spatulas for $3. They are plastic as well. And I'm still not buying...

Edited March 5 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

In bed.

Mom got spanx for shoe-stealing. He was outside making a huge rukus and when I went to run out to back him up, I could only find one shoe. So he got a smak on the botty. He should have got two because when I recovered the missing shoe I also recovered a tee shirt.

I had linguine with tuna & onion for dinner. Mo had pork & rice. There is more rice in the out for his lunch tomorrow but alas, there is no more linguine.

Got 74 teabags left but only sugar for two mugs of tea and only milk enough for one.

All The girls Love Alice by Elton John.

Hmmm. I was connected a moment ago but now I'm.offline again. Wonder if I can get back on the net? It says "Connecting." Then it says "Connected to device." Next is "Can't provide internet". Finally it says "Disconnected". All in the space of about two seconds. After about 25 attempts it said "Back online". Dunno how long it will last. So a short post tonight, but better than nothing. Mo was sleeping in the bedroom when I walked in with the bulb in my pocket. He is invisible in poor light as it is. I detected his presence by means of echolocation and RADAR. Good thing - wouldn't want to step.on him in the dark. He's wandered off but he will resurface soon... Oh, here he is back again!

Will send this along before I lose the chance. Ooops! It went and I had to get it back again. Now trying to upload a photo...

[Netfoot]

Had lunch with an old friend from TWOP days, who I met at TARCon in NYC. Many years ago now!

Some of you may recall Mpstar from the old days; she visited Barbados today on the cruise liner Celebrity Beyond and we met up for lunch at Rolli's Bar and Grill, in the shadow of the harbour. 

It's been a while since last we met so there was more talking than lunching, and I'm sure we could have easily chatted until midnight! But alas, she had to be back at the ship by mid afternoon, or swim all the way home. So we parted company with regret and with a promise not to let so much time pass before out next meeting.

When I got home, Mo was excited to hear about everything and even more excited to get his lunch. I was a little surprised to discover that I'd left the front door wide open when I left earlier in the day! But with Mo standing guard, all was safe at home upon my return.

[Netfoot]

Cheeseburger & chips for lunch, pork chop & chips for dinner. Both tasted great! If only there was the makings of a good mug of tea! But if I found $10 to buy milk & sugar, should I waste the cash on what is essentially a luxury?

I found a bulb that will work in the bedroom! So from tonight, no more walking from living room to bedroom with the one bulb that worked in both.

Legs hurting badly from (I presume) the strain on muscles from cramping. Also a very unpleasant pain at the base of my right thumb. Extremely tired and can't wait to kill the lights and get some shut-eye.

True Colours by Cyndi Lauper. Not a fan of hers but I do like this song. 

Hope Mo is in a snuggly mood tonight. I just feel to have him by me. I just feel tired and achey-painy and would like my lil salmon-tot retriever to keep me company. I am wondering if I should go swallow two Panadol. 

Just past nine and I want to turn the light out. If I lock the door now,Mo will demand that it be opened around one in the morning. So I'm thinking to sleep now and wake up a few hours from now, to lock up at a more usual time. 

Remember the mouse that was gnawing away at the kitchen cupboard from behind, where I couldn't get to him? How I drilled a wee hole and WD-40'd his butt? Well, that seems to have killed him. And now he is still behind the kitchen cupboard, I still can't get to him, but now he stinks!

Don't know why my thumb is hurting so bad! I did nothing to it but it feels like it's been hit with a hammer.

Had a very pleasant get together with Mpstar this afternoon. Last time we met I think we had pizza in New York. Today was a good day, and that happens less and less recently. So I'm going to go take my Panadol, find Mo and snuffle his sweet, fuzzy head, and call it quits for today.

Edited March 7 by Netfoot

[andidante]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Had lunch with an old friend from TWOP days, who I met at TARCon in NYC. Many years ago now!

Some of you may recall Mpstar from the old days; she visited Barbados today on the cruise liner Celebrity Beyond and we met up for lunch at Rolli's Bar and Grill, in the shadow of the harbour. 

It's been a while since last we met so there was more talking than lunching, and I'm sure we could have easily chatted until midnight! But alas, she had to be back at the ship by mid afternoon, or swim all the way home. So we parted company with regret and with a promise not to let so much time pass before out next meeting.

When I got home, Mo was excited to hear about everything and even more excited to get his lunch. I was a little surprised to discover that I'd left the front door wide open when I left earlier in the day! But with Mo standing guard, all was safe at home upon my return.

This is so awesome! Glad you got to meet with your friend. 

37 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

True Colours by Cyndi Lauper. Not a fan of hers but I do like this song. 

.

This song and Time After Time are the only songs of hers that I somewhat like. I was more of a Madonna fan in the 80s.

[Netfoot]

I felt really poorly last night and this morning was worse. I soon realized I'd completely messed up.my.meds yesterday, which explained how I felt. I'm usually very careful with meds and take extra care to make sure I get it right. But yesterday was a complete screw-up on my part. 

Anyway, I rectified the error today and I'm feeling almost 100% again. Pretty sure I'll be perfect by tomorrow. 

Hope to see Dr. Kristi tomorrow. Just picking up a prescription and a copy of the report for the ejits down at QEH. So I may not actually get to see her. But maybe. It's always nice to touch base with her.

Just back from Garden Patrol with long, wet grass and whistling frogs aplenty. Nightstalker Mo came running out of the dark, jumped up on me with sodden feet and departed in a rush. Then he did it again. And again! Maybe he's trying to tell me I need a bath. Maybe he's right, do I will take one shortly.

He just jumped into bed, flap-a-tapped water all over me, played with Teddy for a moment, dried off by rolling on the sheets and ran away. A minute later he was back, having gone outside and replenished the wet. So we're doing it all over again. Except, the drizzle is now rain, and intensifying every moment.

 He was not particularly snuggly last night, prowling around on the dark and looking out the window. Sometimes as he looks our the window he decides to sit. On my head which is close enough. Not unusual for me to wake in the dead of night to find Mo sitting on my head.

Am I too lax with my boys?

Tomorrow is also Friday. Still have water in the pipes, but tomorrow may be a different story.

Annnnnd the internet is down. I'll try to reconnect and send this brief post. 

[Netfoot]

Walked over to Dr. K's clinic and collected prescription, etc. Unfortunately, she was not there so didn't get to say howdy. 😕

The walk back was far different from the walk there. I set off from home briskly, and had no trouble at all. Coming back I was a bit of a stagger. I guess I should have expected that. It is not yet eleven but it's been scorching hot these last few days. Nothing like when I was down in Cattlewash but hot enough! Good thing I decided to take my walking stick with me!

Was propped up by the window first thing this morning, trying to get some internet. Mo decided he needed to look out. Not only that, but if you are looking out the window, why not make yourself comfy while you do it?

I love my pupper but sometimes he can be a bit of a challenge, and has to be dealt with. Right after you finish laughing. At least he sat on my chest and not my face. Which he probably would have, had I still been lying down flat.

[Netfoot]

After the foul-up with my meds on Wednesday, I'm glad to say I'm back to normal. Which means woozy and light headed, especially if moving from lying or sitting to standing. Blood sugar which had popped up to 8.6 mmom/L is back down to a respectable 4.8 and I'll be checking it again tomorrow.

There was a lightbreeze in the bedroom window last night but it was warmish, despite wet conditions. Tonight it is also light but a bit cooler, even though it's dry.

Pension rolled up and after deducting rent and bank charged I'm left with $27.07 for the month. I was over at the mall when I got the news, so I went into the minimart to blow it on milk & sugar but the milk was $4 per liter more than in another store and sugar similar. That's the price for using the minimart in a mall I guess. I came home with empty hands and will consider visiting a different shop tomorrow. There will be a few $$$ for a tiny amount of gas, and given how many people seen to think they can just insidtvi "pop in and do X" for their convenience...

And the font has turned all red...

Still got electricity and water. Checked and the last time I made a part payment on the water was 15th February. So I might be OK until next Friday. Electricity is now the thing that can go at any time.

Pagan Baby by CCR! Got into CCR when I heard their music watching the Woodstock movie. (Whaddya mean which Woodstock? There was only one!)

Oh no. It took me dozens of tried to get online and then dozens of tried to get this stupid forum to load, and now it's gone. Jope I can get it back to post with a lot less trouble!

Mo is lying on the floor next to the bed. Since it's dry I guess there is no fun rolling on the sheets and stepping all over Dad!

Yesterday I cooked a good pot of rice with carrot, peas, string beans and corn plus lentil peas. Mo & I had this for dinner with fried pork from the "Scraps" bag. He had the remainder for dinner with corned beef but ate very little so he had the balance for dinner with some tinned dog food as "gravy" and polished it off. My lunch was ramen and for dinner pasta twists (not my favourite, but...) with tuna.

Tomorrow I have a small amount of minced beef which I will make a little tomatoey sauce and serve over some rice. Mo can have his rice with more tinned dog food. 

Will try to revive the internet connection without the stupid forum deciding that my entire post should be wiped out so they can tell me I'm offline!

[Netfoot]

Just back from buying a liter of milk ($6.99 instead of $10.35 in the mall) and 1,800 grams of sugar (similar cost savings). Also put $10 in the tank but might as well not have bothered - the needle didn't budge a hair! Available balance now $3.59 for the month.

Mo was in a proper mood last night. Sometimes I'd wake to find him snuggling against my back, the sole of my foot or my tummy. Sometimes I'd wake to find him barking in my ear.

I concluded some time ago he was a completely nocturnal animal. When I left home just now I had to go dig him out from the darkest corner of the under-bed. (I don't like locking puppers inside the house. My house once burned down and if it happens again I want my doggie to have at least a fighting chance in the yard.)

So anyway, with his inky colouring and his habit of snoozing all day and prowling all night I concluded he has some panther in him. I should have named him Bagheera. But nobody would have got it. And Mo is much easier and given the Mohawk haircut it suits.

Will try to post again later today if not tonight. It can be very difficult from the bedroom window. Sometimes I try and try for 15 minutes to establish a connection. Sometimes it establishes itself while I am reading my book. Sometimes it lasts 10 seconds. Sometimes I put the phone down and two hours later when I check the time or something, the connection is still up.

Anyway, will post this (at the mall) then go home for a decent mug of tea!

[Netfoot]

You know, Mo is a silly boy sometimes. I cooked up a nice ot of rice & lentils wit a little spice and it looked very tasty. In fact, I know it was tasty because I ate a few grains to make sure they had been properly cooked. Did I dish out some of the rice for myself? No. I have half to Mo for his lunch and reserved the balance for his dinner. I had a mug of tea for lunch, and a very nice mug it was, too!

Did Mo eat his lunch? Not much. Even though it had some tinned dog food mixed in as a sweetener? No, not really. So I'm looking at rice I would happily have had for lunch which he won't eat. 

So come dinner time, I say "Buggrit!" And ate the remaining rice with a little bully mixed in. Along comes Mo, demanding his tax on what I'm eating, even though his bowl is half full of the exact same rice which he refused to eat!

So having eaten all my rice and not left back a spoonful or two as unusually do, I picked up his bowl and dumped it into my own. Leaving it on the table in front of me for five minutes, I put it in the floor and he Hoovers it up like it's ambrosia!

I don't need this from him. Food is scarce in this place and we can't afford to be picky. I even contemplated eating okra 😬 today. (But I'm not that desperate yet.)

Sad Trombone by Shaggy & Sting. I dunno where this album came from (it's called "44/876") but as unlikely a pairing as it may sound, it's actually great! I may have paid 25¢ for it at The Book Tent (which we've not visited in ages). They usually have a box of old CDs for a quarter each and sometimes I'd dig through and see if anything looks like it might be worth that much. 

Watched Zodiac tonight. I've seen it before but it's a good un and it's been awhile so I figured a rewatch was in order.  Got a couple other flics to look at but I can't remember what exactly now, except one is the great oldie The Great Escape with a huge ensemble cast, with everybody from Donald Pleasance to Jim Rockford, with two dozen others in between. Also got two movied I've not seen before called Searching and the stand-alone sequel Missing. Both recommended, but we will see soon enough. 

Took our Garden Patrol as usual tonight. Boiled the kettle first and left a mug of tea drawing. Upon our return I removed the tea bag and gave it a taste. it was great! Mo was acting a little shifty, like he does when he realizes that the Patrol will bring to light some mischief on his part. Usually ill gotten gains from his purloining puppy personality, lying on the grass. So I had my eyes peeled but no sign of anything amis. He's here on the tiles next to the bed right now. I'll try to grab a snap without bringing down my connection. Which took 11 connection attempts and 7 sign-in attempts to establish!

My book is winding down. I'm on page 764 of only 895. Newton & Leibniz are still at each other's throats over which invented calculus, despite the efforts of princess Caroline & Daniel to mediate. Daniel has sprung Jack's gang from Fleet prison but Jack himself remains in Newgate and looks set to be half-hung, drawn &  quartered for adulterating the coinage Newton worked so diligently to establish. (Eliza, who hasn't seen Jack since the incident with the harpoon, decades ago, swooned when she heard this last piece of news) And Tsar Peter had made off back to Muscovy with the Solomonic gold Isaac was so determined to get his hands on... In other words it looks like a ripping good finish may be in order! Which is good, because after 2,500+ pages, I can honestly say I'd read be happy if another 2,500 remained.

(Internet down? Who would believe it?)

Mo had departed. He strayed into the bed, wriggled around until he got a little tummy rubs, and left without ceremony. I'm trying for the fourth time to upload his photo but I keep getting an error message from the forum. He's back again, by the way, curled up at the foot of the bed. Still trying to get attempt #4 of that photo to go but so far... Now it claims to have accepted the upload but when I try to add it to the post I get what looks like a "Missing Image" icon. And my text had turned red.

And the net is down again... Ok back up again and I'm posting now, photo or no.

 

[Netfoot]

I have no idea who would think that it was a good idea to scrub a post like my last and replace it with this

I know the internet is down, and I will reestablish it if I have a reason to. Which I won't, if you scrub my post, you dumb-assed imbeciles!

[Netfoot]

Mornin', pupper!

[Netfoot]

Resting, and preparing to give me hell, late tonight:

He's covered in cobwebs because he's been in his Fortress of Solitude & Dust Bunnies all morning.

Vittles are short, but we're having dumplings for lunch. Have to figure out what to put on them, but otherwise... We got 6 kg of flour in the fridge, so it will be fry-bread, donuts dumplings and (if I can figure out how to make them) homemade noodles. I see people in videos take a ball of dough and a knife and just slice away at the outside of the ball, and a pile of noodles appear. I doubt it's going to be that easy. Esp. for someone who can't get eggy toast to work.

Quiet morning. It's one of those perfectly dry, wet days. Which means there has been no rain and the ground is dry, but something in the air tells you it can't stay that way much longer. It's cool breeze blowing, there is a smell of rain and the sky just looks like it has a present for you. 

Watched classic movie Lethal Weapon this morning and will watch The Great Escape after lunch. I remember when movies - and even moreso, TV shows - had to be watched all in one sitting. For TV, you had to arrange your schedule to be home at a specific time! Nowadays, you watch "on demand" and pause when ever you want, continuing hours or even days later if you choose. The old days are something youngsters laugh at. Like walking nine miles to and from school in the snow, uphill both ways. They laugh, but at least we know when the war of 1812 happened and which country the French revolution was fought in. Just think: the young savants of today (who are voting for policies that affect you) think there are 10 eggs in a dozen and that milk originates from the store.

Speaking of milk...  Tea!

Edited March 10 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

[Netfoot]

Arrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!

Long post eaten by crappy forum and not recoverable. Well I'm not typing all that again!

Relax from the debut album Welcome To The Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This album was rather well received! Their second, less so, and the band fell apart. Pity, that!

Ever tried one of those vibrating beds you sometimes come across in hotels? Never had the stones. Always felt like it might Transformer into some sort of medieval torture rack and that would be the end of me. Besides, who needs a vibrating bed when you have Mo who thinks he has fleas? (He doesn't.)

Right. Going to read a little, contemplate a shower and eventually snuff this candle. (Someone whose lights are on the brink of being cut off shouldn't joke about candles. Instead I will get up, locate my candle stash and a lighter and put them somewhere I can find them in the pitch black of night.)

[Netfoot]

Puppy been standing on my knee to look out the window again.

Prolly better than sitting on my face.....

[Netfoot]

So last week, Dr. Kumar told me they could not begin to arrange a biopsy until they saw the CT report (a copy of which they were given nearly a year ago). So, make a three-month appointment but "pop in" next Monday (today) with a copy of that report.

So this morning I popped in. I told the nurse I had a copy of a CT report that Dr. Kumar had requested I bring in today. She took the envelope and went away. She was soon back. "Dr. Kumar says keep it and bring it with you when you come for your next appointment." Which will be (obviously) in three months. Only then will they get to look at the report. Only then will they begin the process of arranging for me to get the biopsy. I queried this. I explained to the nurse. She says she understands but Dr. Kumar was quite explicit. He does not want to see the CT report until my next appointment, which is in approximately three months. Let's give that cancer plenty of soak-time, so it can have every chance of spreading to some other part of the body. Because kidney cancer is easily treated by removing (possibly only part of) the kidney. But if it spreads there is no treatment for it. No amount of chemo or radiation will cure kidney cancer that spreads. Which it might do, if it grows to 3cm or more. Mine was at 3.1cm a year ago. But no rush, right?

Ok, off to the polyclinic pharmacy. It's on my way home so no extra gas to be burnt. They were 12 tablets short on Spiralon last month so I go in and tell the guy "I don't just want this months Spiralon, I want the 12 tabs you owe me from last month as well!" I sit. I wait. They call my name. "Sorry, still no Spiralon." So what am I to do? Get another prescription from Dr. Kristi and try another polyclinic. But that means a long drive. There isn't a polyclinic on every corner. The next one is in Jemmot's Lane and I've used it before - it's terrible. After that is Oistins and it's twice as far away! Dr. Kristi suggests calling first but the landline is disconnected and there are very few minutes on my cellphone. My van is already running on fumes. I have 45¢ in my pocket. 

 

[Netfoot]

Mosey had a pork chop for lunch. Induced I diced it up and lightly fried it in the pan. Didn't want to fry it up too much. I made a small bit of gravy with the little fond left in the pan, and poured it over the cubes of pork. It looked good! I wanted to eat some! I had a cup of tea instead. One more pork chop left. Mo and I will prolly share that one tomorrow. 

Tonight will be corned beef & rice and Mo and I will both get some.

Dr. Kristi got a new car. An Audi of some sort. I didn't look too hard because I was POed at the whole QEH thing this morning. It looked pretty nice. Not a huge one (because our roads are small).

Edited March 11 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Cooked rice with lentils tonight, and for a bit of a flavour boost, I put the bone from Mo's lunchtime pork chop in to boil with the rice. Meanwhile I cooked some corned beef & cabbage. Split it evenly and we both enjoyed it. Good thing. We are almost completely out of food, so it's nice to think we got one fairly palatable meal close to the end.

Listening to 4st 7lb from The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers. That is "Four Stone, Seven Pounds." Because the crazy limeys continue to measure their own body weight in stones and pounds. A stone is 14 lbs. I had to learn that in school when I was 10. (Along with how to do arithmetic in £sd.) But when people start talking about body weight in stones I just throw my hands in the air. I'm not going to do the mental arithmetic to convert that to pounds. Surprised they don't measure lengths in cubits!

Today was a vile day. So much time & effort plus scarce gasoline and phone minutes wasted and to virtually no benefit. 

Nearly finished my book last night. Isaac Newton was exonerated at the Trial of the Pyx thanks to the efforts of Daniel. Jack was hung but his body disappeared in press of the mobb. It/he subsequently turned up in Versailles, where he hunts duck with Louis XIV and lives happily ever after with Eliza. I have only the Epilogs to complete now. Just a handful of pages and it'll be done. ☹️

Thirsty. May get a glass of iced water and place it by the bed. 

Mo was sweet and snuggly this morning, after I opened up for him at 4:30 when he came and asked. I remember when I used to sleep to the alarm each morning instead of having my test rest disturbed at the first hint of light in the sky. 

Crap! I forgot to lay out my meds for the next three days. I'll do that now and also set out the glucose test meter for a check first thing in the AM. Then I'll finish those few final pages and call it quits.

I lost a dime this morning, but found one this afternoon so still running at 45¢ in my pocket. There should also be two hard dollars on my desk, and $3.59 in the bank. Might be enough to buy a small bag of rice. 

Edited March 12 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Went to the store near me with a $6.00 budget. Walked over and it's a good thing I took my walking stick because it is blistering hot today. Precious little cloud cover and the breeze is light and in no way cooling.

Bought 1,750 grams of rice for $5.89 leaving me with 11¢ in change. I have a loyalty card with 2-3 bucks on it but it is only of use at a specific store and the closest of these is too far for me to walk. It also happens to be a fairly pricy store, too. At least in comparison to Popular. Nowhere as pricy as the iMart in the mall, but one way or another, I won't get much for a couple of bucks!

Bade Made it back (with the rice) as far as the mall and decided to cool off in their gid food court while using the net. Only, it isn't all that cool in here today. I guess the ambient heat had the A/C under pressure. Anyway, I'm dripping wet and my shirt is blotchy with damp patches. I'm resting my arms on this table (which has some sort of smooth, synthetic top) and I'm slithering around in puddles of wet.

Mo asked to be let out at 4:30 this morning. I say asked rather than demanded because he was very polite about it. Later, near time to have my Breakfast Meds, I felt a warm, fuzzy presence curl up between my shoulder blades. He can be so sweet when he wants to. If only he wanted to more often.

Finished Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle trilogy last night as expected. Great read with great characters and I highly recommend it. I was surprised to read, for instance, about Sir Isaac Newton going under cover to bust the counterfeiters of the day, when he was in charge of the Royal mint. I was even more surprised to discover that it's all true! He did exactly that. There is much to discover between these pages, but if you aren't OK with a 3,000 page story, think carefully before you jump in.

Was not sleepy (last night) so I went out and watched the premiere/pilot episode of a show called Blackshore. Cop show with female protagonist that nobody likes, apparently. Not sure about it, but I will give Episode #2 a watch.

Went back to bed and pulled out another book by Stephenson. Not Cryptonomicon, which I have around here and have been looking for. Nor Snow Crash which is also hiding around here somewhere. No I've started (only a few pages) Anathem, which I must have read because the book is here. It is sci-fi, set in a world that seems to be dominated by organizations similar to monasteries. But not necessarily religious. More monasteries of scientific study? Maybe? It's hard to tell this early because the vocabulary is absolutely packed with words that I have no understanding of and whose meaning will (presumably) only become apparent the more I read, through usage and context. 

I'm still looking for the other two, because they are both also excellent books and because I don't know how they have hidden themselves so well that I have not found them yet. They will probably show up huddled together in some dark corner, with the kitchen spatula. 

Electricity bill came today. $467 and change, due five days ago. Last partial payment 15th February so by the end of the week I'll not only be hugely in arrears, I'll be past due and a month since the previous payment. Water in a similar position. Have no idea what happens when the electricity goes off, but the fridge won't work, won't be able to keep the phone charged or boil the kettle. What will probably happen is the cylinder of gas for the stove will run out. I know it's low. 

Well, on that note, I'll send this on its way.

Edited March 12 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Late coming back from the mall. No trouble. Streetlights burning bright and the "Parish Lamp" also lit, high in the sky. (No, that isn't my house.)

A little friend awaits me at my gate.

Tonight we deviated from rice and had our last bag of pasta. Twists. Not my favourite short pasta but they taste just fine. Made a sauce with the last of the minced meat. Added cabbage, tomato sauce, onion and spices. Split the pasta with Mo and put a dollop of sauce on our plates. The balance is destined for rice. Or crappy mashed potato.

That left the freezer completely empty except for ice cubes and white flour. Or so I thought! But to my surprise there was a bag in the back that contained....

Three meat patties! Made by and a gift from Rudy's wife, Yinger. Now, I could eat six of these while waiting for the entrée! But I think I will have one with a cup of tea and call it a meal. Whether to call it lunch or dinner remains to be seen. 

(Mo was here nibbling at my toes but seems to have disappeared.)

Blow Away by George Harrison. When The Beatles first hit the scene (we lived in Trinidad then, so it was awhile back) my big brother Hamish was incredibly excited to hear that they would be on the (black & white Magnavox) TV that night. Prolly that famous Ed Sullivan broadcast. My dad thought they should face a firing squad for letting their hair grow so long, the damned degenerates! So about one minute before the broadcast, dad insisted the TV be switched off. So that it wouldn't be contaminated by the broadcast? No. Just to prevent Hame from seeing/hearing the band. Because my dad was a prick. 

The ensuing fist-fight was extremely brief. Thanks to the presence of a combatant that neither dad nor Hamish had any chance of defeating. Not even if they joined forces. 

Mum stepped up and said she'd been waiting all evening for this broadcast, the TV was therefore staying on. If dad didn't want to watch he could leave. Hamish and I were encouraged to watch if we wanted to but we had to sit down and shut up. 

Dad left, the rest of us watched. Family life was full of drama back then. Nobody called Family Services because such an organization didn't exist. Nobody called the cops because dad would have peppered them with his 12 gauge.

(Mo is back.)

That broadcast was in '64 so we're talking 60 years ago! I'm sure that in 2084 people will remember Cardi B and her WAP.....

Well, after a hot day I am definitely going to have a hot shower before bed tonight! Shoot! Just looked at the clock and it's gone midnight! 

Glucose this morning was 4.6 mmol/L. The last three results over the last 10 days or so have been right where I like them: mid to high fours. So I think we got the dosage right. Not sure why the glucose went down when we expected the steroids to push it up, but we seem to have it sorted for now.

This country is the diabetes capital of the world. Also, we have the second highest number of centenarians per capita of any country, anywhere. (The top three countries in the world are all right here in the Caribbean. Where rich people holiday and smart people live.) Anyway, I want to get into that second group, so I work hard to stay out of the first!!

With that, I will shower, read my book and go to sleep. Mo is barking outside the bedroom window. Dunno why, the door is wide open so he is probably having words with a crapaud. Oh, here he is now... looking out the window. 

Right. I'll leave him doing that and go have my shower.

[Netfoot]

Long day. Tiring. Sitting at the bus stop near my house and leeching internet from the mall.

Have a look at this!

Groceries! And a six-pack of TP not shown here. A while back I applied to the welfare department for what ever assistance they could offer. Plenty of back and forth with no guarantee of success, but I finally received a one-time food voucher today. I had to go and collect it and then use it at a particular grocery and then bring the groceries home. 

I caught the ABC Highway bus and when it turned north for Speightstown, I hopped off. Next bus was one of the rarely seen #16's which I hopped off bear Queens Park. Walked through the park to the welfare office, getting there right after they shut for 1½ hour lunch break. But a nice lady who I've never seen before (and who knew my name without asking) went inside, brought the paperwork out, and I got my voucher without having to sit around twiddling my thumbs. 

BB$220!! I was expecting more like $45 so I ain't complaining! Down to the grocery. Tiny. Dirty. Limited choice of merchandise. I picked up $220.67 in stuff which came to five bags, each weighing three hundredweight. The bags were made of cobweb. You only look at them and the bottom fell out and you were scrambling to recover your groceries. (I don't know who paid the 67¢ but it wasn't me.)

The grocery has a delivery van. They will take you home... within city limits, not out in the 'burbs where I live. So I got the van driver to take me to the bus stop near the hospital where I could catch a #16 bus (St. Patricks) home. Got there a few minutes before two. 

Bajans seemingly don't like to sit on the bench provided at the bus stop. They prefer to stand in a close phalanx, like in a football game when the opposition get a free kick. They position themselves so there is no chance you will see the bus coming until the last second. Then you will have to pick up your five bags of groceries and get on that bus before it leaves you behind!

I sat and waited until after five. I'd pretty much given up hope but had no other option so I just kept sitting.

And then, a #16! With about 20 passengers over the limit already on board but the driver stopped and waited until me and my bags could be shoehorned inside. It was rush hour by then, but even so it was plain sailing to reach my stop.

There is nothing wrong with the buses. Except catching one.

Lugging my five bags I made it through my gate and only then did the cobweb bags finally give up the ghost. Groceries everywhere in the yard! But that is better than on the pavement in Bridgetown or rolling around between people's feet on the bus.

Now, my supply of acetylcholine neurotransmitters has been severely depleted. I came home to find electricity and water still connected. I am beat. I am tired of being told by family members exactly where I went wrong, every step of the way, every moment of my day. I am barely able to muster the strength to get to my feet and if you think that's bad, you should have seen me trying to stand up from seated with all those groceries strapped to my body!

So, I am going to haul myself up off this bench, walk the 50 fathoms to my house, cook Mo some food, and crash out. I'm sure tomorrow will be a whole different horrorshow of its own but at least for a few days there will be food in the house. 

When I only had $1.88 left on the voucher and I couldn't think what to buy for that amount, the cashier said "Get a snack or something!" I'd already treated myself to a Coke so I went and picked up a little bag of cookies. After tonight's Garden Patrol I will brew up, and Mo and I will eat cookies. There may even be enough to take to bed for a midnight feast. 

Now. Can I get up? Can I make it all the way home? Is Garden Patrol possible when you feel so tired? Will Mo enjoy his meal? All remains to be seen.

Annnnnnnd the internet is down again.

[andidante]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Long day. Tiring. Sitting at the bus stop near my house and leeching internet from the mall.

Have a look at this!

Groceries! And a six-pack of TP not shown here. A while back I applied to the welfare department for what ever assistance they could offer. Plenty of back and forth with no guarantee of success, but I finally received a one-time food voucher today. I had to go and collect it and then use it at a particular grocery and then bring the groceries home. 

I caught the ABC Highway bus and when it turned north for Speightstown, I hopped off. Next bus was one of the rarely seen #16's which I hopped off bear Queens Park. Walked through the park to the welfare office, getting there right after they shut for 1½ hour lunch break. But a nice lady who I've never seen before (and who knew my name without asking) went inside, brought the paperwork out, and I got my voucher without having to sit around twiddling my thumbs. 

BB$220!! I was expecting more like $45 so I ain't complaining! Down to the grocery. Tiny. Dirty. Limited choice of merchandise. I picked up $220.67 in stuff which came to five bags, each weighing three hundredweight. The bags were made of cobweb. You only look at them and the bottom fell out and you were scrambling to recover your groceries. (I don't know who paid the 67¢ but it wasn't me.)

So glad you were able to get some groceries! Hopefully this won't be a one time thing and they will be able to assist you further in the future. 

[Netfoot]

Mo loved his dinner. He got almost a full cup of rice with lentil peas and cooked with a ham bone for flavour. On top of this he got two scoops of my meat & cabbage concoction from last night. He literally polished the bowl; not a single grain of rice or smear of sauce remained.

This morning, he stole a Croc.

Notice his clever plan to avoid any hue and cry: he stole my shorts as well! But in the end the pantaloon purloiner was pinched. 

For my dinner I brewed up a mug and had it with a meat patty. That didn't take long but it was tasty. I opened the cookies and shared them with Mo as I finished my tea. As I got close to the bottom of the mug, I realized we had not done our Garden Patrol as yet. So leaving the partially empty mug and half a bag of cookies on my desk, I grabbed my torch and set off! Mo was not at my heels. I waited but he did not appear. So I went back inside... to find him standing there with half a bag of cookies dangling from his mouth! If you saw it in a film you would say it was clearly set up, and obviously overdone. But he was standing there with the bag in his mouth and a guilty look on his face. He's here lying next to me now and we will share/finish the remaining cookies as soon as I post this.

Cry Baby by Janis. From the inestimable album Pearl, her second and final solo album, released three months after her death.

I am dead beat. (I am also a deadbeat, if you listen to certain members of my family.) I think I've burnt off the majority of the neurotransmitters in my body. Climbing up stairs or simply rising from sitting to stand is very difficult this evening. I think we will eat cookies and then I will zonk out. I won't even pretend to read, even though I'm intrigued by my book, despite understanding little of what's in it. 

Monster has gone off again, and it's time I do too before I go out like a match in a hurricane.

G'night, everyone.

[Netfoot]

Fell asleep with the door open and the lights on. Just woke up when Mo came in to visit. Experiencing mild cramping in my legs and feet. Not very strong and more twitchy than painful so I'm just ignoring it. one of the things I bought today - it's in the photo but you'd have to zoom and search to see it - is a pot of mustard. So if the cramp deteriorates from twitchy to painful I can put to the test the report that a bit of mustard on the tongue banishes the cramp away. 

Frankly it sounds like an Old Wive's tale. You know - sweep your left foot with a broom and your next pet will be schnauzer. It just seems too good to be true, that a simple every day item is a cure for an unpleasant condition. So I will try it.

And if course, if it doesn't work for curing cramp it should still work on a ham cutter. Even though pepper sauce would be better. And pepper jelly best of all.....

Dirty Hole by V.A.S.T.

Going back to sleep. Not going to bother trying to get out of bed to go shut the door. Will save the energy for when I have to go and pee. Mozie is on guard anyway, and my Wakizashi machete is right here if I need it.

Edited March 14 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

After a night of rampaging around, here is a tired little boy, in his Fortress of Solitude and Dust Bunnies:

Just peeping out to make sure nobody is coming to disturb his treasure trove!

Actually, it was Budweiser who stored vast amounts of treasure under there. I don't think there is much there these days. Other than dust bunnies and the occasional cookie wrapper.....

Feeling a lot better today but not 100% yet. If I take it easy I may be feeling normal again baby by tonight or by tomorrow at the latest. 

One thing I noticed yesterday was that twice, when asked for my signature, I had difficulty signing my own name. I recall this being a symptom of MG from the first time I had it. Pretty inconvenient.

Edited March 14 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

We had good vittles, today! Not surprisingly, I suppose...

There was some of the minced beef with cabbage, onion g tomato, do I cooked pasta. Macaroni. Mo and I split it 50:50 and we both enjoyed it. 

Now, for dinner I cooked rice with lentils and split that 50:50 as well. I had a small pork chop that I thought might be a little iffy so I didn't want to give it to Mo in case it made him sick. I cooked that for myself. I also had a big lump of ham and when I looked at it, there was a lot of fat and skin. I paired away the skin/fat and cut this into cubes. These were fried in a pan and quite a bit of fat rendered out if them. The resulting cubes were semi-crispy on the outside and tasted good (I tried the smallest one) these were mixed in with Mo's rice. The rendered fat was what I cooked my pork chop in. In fact it was perfectly fine. When it was ready there was quite a bit of fat in the pan which I drained off and reserved to cook something tomorrow. Meanwhile I deglazed the fond from the ham fat & pork chop to make a couple tablespoons of gravy. This went over my rice and chop. It turned out rather well, although the chop was quite small. And go finish, a mug of tea after Garden Patrol.

I know I'm always talking about drinking tea. It's not like I have anything against coffee! But a 100 gram jar of instant coffee is about $9.99 which will make me around 10 mugs at 16 oz. Whereas you can get 50-80 teabags for $10 or less and (theoretically, at least) use them more than once.

My dad used to drink English pints of tea at 20 oz. per pint. I drink American pints of tea because I can't find an English pint mug. I ordered one once and it was grand! Then a short while later there was a kitchen mishap and it got busted.

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. I like this track but I do believe that generally she isn't as great as she is so frequently made out to be. A tolerably talented musician, no more.

Mo just came in, clambered up over me, looked out the window for a minute, clambered back down, and left. All without a word. 

Looks like tomorrow I'll have to go out and take my chances with a #16 bus again. Gotta go back to QEH for meds and probably to the Winston Scott Polyclinic as well, in search of Spiralon. Although, Winston Scott sucks. And if I am going to QEH I suppose I might as well get my Spirolon there. 

I was right there yesterday, sitting for over three hours at the bus stop. But there was no way I was going to lug five bags of groceries over there. Better planning and I might have bought the meds before going to buy the groceries. But hindsight is 20:20 vision, eh?

<groan!> Mozie just came in, did one of his weird, side-drops right on my nuts and while I was lying here moaning, practiced one of his double back-leg kicks dead on target again. Then to add insult to injury, he tried to steal a tee shirt. I already recovered a kitchen towel from the yard while on Garden Patrol.....

A few days ago I had a painful right hand. Felt  like I'd somehow bashed the base of the thumb. Wasn't too concerned because such aches & pains come and go. But this one came out if nowhere and isn't going. I don't know that it's getting worse, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Will give it a few more days before I start to worry about it.

There is a cool, moist breeze in the window. Wouldn't be surprised if it poured with rain tonight. Just hope tomorrow isn't wet and miserable, seeing as I need to be out and about and would prefer not to get completely soaked in the process. I know myself. If I go out and the rain comes down and soaks me, well, such is life. But if I'm home, dry and comfy and the rain is pitching down bucket-a-drop, I have a hard time convincing myself to deliberately go out in it and get drenched.

Anyway, I had better corral Mo and get the door locked. Otherwise, if the rain does fall, I will get a wet dog using me as a towel!

[Netfoot]

Sitting at the bus stop, on my way to QEH. Started late because I think Dr. Jacinto only comes in from 1:00 this afternoon. Expect to sit around at bus stops all day, prefer not to wait around at QEH as well. 

On my way out I glanced at Mo's water bowl and it was dry! Filled it yesterday but I guess that's a measure of how got it's been. Lucky I checked because I wouldn't want him to be without water all day. It looks like another hot one. I usually check his bowl every time I go past unless I know I just filled it.

Hoping today won't be an endless, tiresome slog of waiting for buses. Will report back later.

[Netfoot]

Got to QEH - took about an hour, waiting then riding the bus.

Now sitting waiting for Dr. Jacinto to arrive. She isn't expecting me so I don't know how I will be received. Been waiting here about 1:20 but she should be here in another 20 minutes. She won't necessarily talk to me any time soon, since I don't have an appointment. 

The goal here is to get a prescription from her. Once that is in hand I will then retire to the in-house pharmacy, where about 60 people were waiting when I came in. 

A guy just walked past, in leg-irons. Not kidding. At first I thought it was some sort of fashion statement. (Not impossible - I remember  "Bondage Trousers") But then I noticed he was being closely followed by a chap wearing the uniform of the Prison Service. It's a good thing we don't have a Wal-Mart. The weird would be too much for me.

Was to collect some ca$h this afternoon (sold something) but the delay here means I won't get it until maybe tomorrow. Which means I won't be able to pay towards my water bill today. And today is exactly one month since my last payment. And it's Friday, too!

[Netfoot]

Reached the pharmacy. 

Now serving:

My ticket:

Dr. Jacinto was very nice and assisted me as soon as she arrived. New prescription for meds at original dosage level with instructions on how to try to reduce slowly. See her again in a month.

[Netfoot]

The QEH pharmacy filled Dr. Jacinto's prescription about 15 minutes ago. But they refused to fill Dr. Kristi's prescription, saying it had to go to a polyclinic. I thought the pharmacy at QEH was just another polyclinic, only with more stocks. Apparently not. 

So now, I am at the horrible Winston Scott polyclinic waiting to hand in my prescription. Time is now 3:41 and they made me sit in the dirt outside before letting me in because no room inside and no seating outside. 18 people in front of me - no idea how long this will take. My number is 321 but there is no display telling me what number is currently being served. Will let you know if I ever find out. 

When I leave here I still have to go and try to catch a #16 bus home!

[Netfoot]

4:05 and they just took my script. They gave me one of those buzzer thingies you get at coffee shops, but I doubt I'm going to get a coffee! So let's see how long before they buzz me to say they don't have any Spirolon!

ETA: Time is 4:44 and just collected my meds. No coffee. Heading out to the bus stop to await a #16 but to take me home. No wifi from here until I get home.

Edited March 15 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Bus arrived at 5:06 and it's now 5:41. Just got off and heading home to get a Mozie-cuddle and a mug of tea. 

Knackered. It will prolly take me all weekend to recover from today's little jaunt.

[Netfoot]

Cooked a pot of rice with the last of the lentils and a bit of corned beef. Also put that ham bone in for some extra flavour. While that was cooking I diced a little piece of ham small, and fried that up in a pan, but not too much. When the rice was ready I split it between us bachelors and topped it with some tasty ham cubes. Like maybe a tablespoon, stirred in just to make the dish a little interesting. Mo was finished before I was, but then I was using a small spoon (makes the meal last longer and seem larger) whereas Mo simply stuck his nose in his bowl and began Hoovering.

With the last of the recent batch of lentils now gone, I put a bag of "Sixteen Bean Soup Mix" to soak. I don't think this will come out as good as it sounds. It's like when you are learning to paint in kindergarten. You mix the colours to make other colours. Yellow & blue give green! Blue & red gives purple!  But you soon find out that if you just throw everything in together, you end up with Baby-Shit Brown. It's the same with beans. Too many different types of bean in one pot and the resulting flavour is "Sludge". Anyway, I'll do my best with them and hopefully I will be proven wrong and they will be palatable.

Had to take a bathroom break at QEH. I suspect dark, red pee is not a good sign.

For What It's Worth, written by Stephen Stills and recorded in 1966 by Buffalo Springfield. Inspired by riots on the LA Sunset Strip. Early counterculture stuff!

Now Mo is barking his head off outside continuously, so I will have to get a stick and threaten him with lix he will never get, in hope of getting him to shut up before the neighbors pool some cash to buy strychnine.

Will sleep like a rock tonight.

Edited March 16 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Long voicemail from Dr. K. in which she says she has been talking to the kidney people at QEH. According to them they are "incensed" over the long delay (many months) during which the hospital has not obtained any biopsy needles, especially considering the large number of people that have been waiting for months.

There have been, apparently, contentious discussions between medical and administration and supposedly the confrontations are getting more frequent and louder.

Anyway, the QEH doctors say they are doing everything they possibly can to get the needles ASAP.

Dr. K. told them that she wants me to be one of the first to be biopsied when the needles arrive and they told her I was already "at the very top of the list." 

Now, I would (and have, several times) trust Dr. K. with my life. But that smooth-talking, excuse-always-ready bunch at QEH? She might trust them but I certainly don't. For all their promises to her, I still don't and won't believe a word they say until they back the talk with action.

Edited March 17 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

A guy came to buy a motor from me today. ($150!!) His wife jokingly offered to buy Mo. I almost agreed.

Earlier, I was sitting in the bedroom scratching my head. Mo came running in. He stuck his head in the basket of clean laundry. And vomited.

Gimme Hope Jo'anna by Eddy Grant. Ehhh...

Went over to the mall but there were no free tables in the food court. So I wandered off and found one of the few benches that offer a place to sit outside the food court. I was using the phone but the notifications were disturbing shoppers so I turned the volume right down, almost to nothing.

Sent my emails, WhatsApps, etc, and noticed that the phone was down to 3% battery. Whoops! Better get home and charge this baby!

Got home, unlocked and went in, with an urgent need to pee. After that I went to my desk and it was 30 minutes before I thought "Phone! Gotta put that on charge!" I couldn't find it anywhere.

I searched the whole house. Multiple times. The place looks like a bomb hit it! I couldn't call the phone and make it ring because: landline disconnected. And if it was at 2% when I left the mall, it was probably powered down now, anyway! Even if I stopped a stranger in the street and asked them to call the number and the phone was still alive, the volume was set very low, maybe too low to hear.

It's about then I was scratching my head in the bedroom, wondering what to do next.

I searched for five hours. Every nook and cranny of the house that I'd been anywhere near today. Meanwhile I contemplate what it would be like to have no phone, internet, WhatsApp, email, camera, photo album, forums, alarm clock, kitchen timer, maps, calender, calculator, spreadsheets, internet/phone banking, bus schedule app, music player, google.... Not an attractive picture.

By watching the clock on my computer I was able to take my dinner meds only 10 minutes late. And when I went for a pee. Was that the 8:00 dinner meds alarm I could hear? So quiet I wasn't sure if that was what it was? So quiet I wasn't sure what room it was coming from? I walked up and down the passage several times before I concluded it was in the bedroom somewhere. Then I was walking around with my ears peeled over here? No. Over there? No. Back over here again?

Eventually, I followed the noise to a clump of fluff that had escaped Mo's Fortress of Solitude & Dust Bunnies and got lodged under the toe-kick area of a cupboard. And in that clump of fuzz was the phone. Battery at 1%, volume at near zero and alarm almost about to terminate as the 15-minute duration was almost spent....

I have to take steps to prevent this from happening again. I must ensure that if the phone is connected to the home wifi (which it will do if in range) I can send it a signal from my desktop computer and make it alarm.

Mo had rice & corned beef for lunch. I had Eclipse biscuits with thin slices of fatty ham. Actually, Mo had biscuits with ham and then rice & bully. I have to sell him and get a pupper who doesn't get to eat my meals for me!

My dinner was spaghetti with a sauce made from bully beef, onion and some tomato sauce. Mo had the remainder of the rice from lunch but with a liberal scoop of my sauce over it.

Tell truth, I'm not in the best mood. Somehow I've managed to burn my nose and scalp to a crisp and they are painful. How I don't know because I am always careful to wear a hat if going out for any length of time and these last few days are no exception. My skin was always sensitive and after the skin grafts, etc, I have to.be five times more careful.  Also feel dirty and messy. Drank so much water I've run out of ice cubes. Nine trays back in the freezer, but I want a cold drink now! And the house is absolutely infested with blue-arsed flies for some reason and of course, all three cans of bug-spray are empty. 

While searching for the phone I discovered a cache of books and picked out 9-10 that I want to read. (No, still no sign of Cryptonomicon or Snow Crash ☹️). So at least there is that. 

Now, I'm going into the shower and with the water at body temperature, I will wash the salt off my burnt face. Then I will go into the kitchen and find something cool to drink, even if I have to pour the unfrozen water out of the ice trays into a glass and drink that!

Then I'm going see what I can do to stop this phone from hiding from me again.