March 5, 2009
Thursday
Morning: I am reviewing all my new communications systems (Facebook, Gmail, reglar email, etc.) and then spend about half an hour "searching" for old friends on Facebook and with Google to no avail. Even though I was always the person in my crowd who wrote letters and "kept in touch" with many of my friends who were shooting out of El Paso like the expanding universe, in these days of being in my "60's" I find myself curious to know the place and status of people I was close to back in the "60's"... and actually those 'close' friends even afterwards. I always enjoyed writing letters and happily had about six friends over those first ten or so years 'out of the nest' that I kept in regular contact with via snail mail. Those were happy days and I miss communicating thru letters. However, I love the idea of blogging, even though the response rate is much less and who knows who is reading this tome. That brings up the question of checking my Feedjit every so often to see where readers are coming from. Some I hallucinate that I know cause of where they come from (John the Son in College Station, etc.) but who do I know in Niles, Michigan? I hallucinate it must by my cousin Elaine in Benton Harbor but thats 34 miles from Niles. Perusing through Feedjit contacts shows that there are folks who read this blog regularly, like Niles and even though I don't know WHO they are... I like that they find something here of interest.
During the Aquarian Era we (I) developed this sense that our friends were part of our counter-culture "family" and as such they are all like lost cousins to me now... and as I get older I have the sense that I need to locate them and settle them in their places like the pieces of a puzzle map of my own family system; that I won't be happy with until I know their position and everything "fits". I recall with warmth the summer solstice celebrations up in the meadows north of Santa Fe and the sense of Family with the "tribe" and the folks from the Hog Farm and our various freinds who lived in Northern New Mexico.
So, of course the expansion of Google and the internet has been a boon for my exploration of the place and status of those distant cousins that my brain sees as "family". And I couldn't even name all of these puzzle pieces, since my brain is also FUZZY... and blank at times... like Steve Martin said, "If you can remember the 60's you weren't there..."
As I wander through my mind I feel comfortable knowing where everyone is and once I have them situated, I don't really even need to know what they are up to on an ongoing basis. For example, Susie is still north of El Paso, Albert is in Sioux City, Richard in Salt Lake City, Cliff in N. New Mexico, Davey in El Paso, Edna in Sherman Oaks, Martha in Florida, and a bunch of us are here in Austin. Collecting these old cousin-puzzle pieces doesn't always have a happy ending: there have been at least four that I can think of who are no longer on the planet and that is always difficult to find out. Their pieces are put away in a little cloisonné box back in the back of my brain where they are preserved, along with any left over feelings, questions, or worries about them.
So, anyway, this morning I Facebook search and Google search for folks that are in the front of my mind... no exciting findings this morning... and I check my own Facebook to see if anyone is out looking for me for any reason and that avenue is empty too.
I just talked to Ann the Nurse to recall if I have a chair at 11:30 or 12:30... and, I find out nothing about the scheduled time... but, I can come NOW if I want: so, I am on my way to El Milagro for a blood clensing... Now. Will blog more from there.
El Milagro: Lizzie was interested in me eating something before dialysis (a good idea) and there was none of my dietary appropriate bread at the house, so I promised her I'd stop at our neighborhood taco place and get a taco... a bacon and egg taco with a donut on the side, to be exact. So I ate the donut and drive off to El Milagro with the taco. On the way I start feeling like "I'm a gonna barf!" [<--(Gilda)] Driving along I am planning my barfing strategy... stop and open the door and lean out or find a bag to toss in and just keep driving: that is the question. I find an empty sandwich bag that fits over my mouth nicely if I need it before I pull off the freeway... so, I am ready. All this brain planning convinces my upset tummy that I am ready for it to toss and somehow that helps it adjust and the gonna toss contractions and that funny tasting saliva decrease and by the time I pull into the parking lot I am feeling better. Did I ever report that ESRD is sometimes really a hassle?
I walk in, weigh myself, and find that I am in chair #1, back to the windows and facing the whole clinic. Rosie the Tech is ready to poke me, reminding me that she said I could come in anytime before 3. I remember "12:30". Oh well... earlier in, earlier out. Carrie the Tech comes over with a friendly "Hi" as Rosie sets me up. We talk about my missing Shayna's game this morning because of my sleeping off a night of pacing off my night wiggles from Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Rosie reports that most of the patients have RLS and she wonders what can be done about it. I reply that when I take my meds (Ropinirole) at dinner I usually do fine but when I take my meds after the wiggles start, they don't seem to work as well. And, last night I didn't have them when we were out to dinner so I took them later, after dinner and services.
The Kick Kats did win and Liz reported that Shayna played well. Rosie completes setting me up and moves on and I hook up my earphones and radio: Tom Pittman is hosting Folkways today... and... pretty soon my batteries give out and I have to watch TV. As I am switching my earphones, I wonder what good college basketball is on today. I surf around, finding nothing in particular to watch and settle on a movie that is just starting: The Scorpian King and even though it is not very good, I watch until I find the UT / Kansas game and watch the second half of it. First half the Longhorns reportedly played well and as I get involved with the second half I see us fall behind and prepare to be the 41st team in a row to loose in Kemper arena to the Jayhawks. Oh well. Carrie the Tech de-hooks me and patches me up... and I am outa El Milagro before the game is over... and rush home to catch the last few minutes. So it goes in Saturday Dialyland.
Notes: In at 78.3 and out at 76.4 kgs.
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