309) GERD Report & Trip Thru Waco

December 30, 2008

Tuesday

Dallas: We are on the last day of our visit and about to return to Austin in time for my dialysis at El Milagro. One thing I have been meaning to post about for some time now is a new symptom or reaction or something I have been experiencing at night. From my non-medical brain comes the following description... you know how sometimes you have this sensation that you are going to throw up and the taste of this stuff is very acidic or bitter tasting? Well, a number of times in the middle of the night I have awoken with a start, feeling this upsurge of foul tasting something. Its as if I want to burp but the burp is below this ceiling of stuff that bubbles up. So far, I have caught it and I sit up quickly. Then it doesn't do anything but I feel bloated and my stomach gurgles like a mountain brook. I looked this up on google and came up with some similar descriptions that fit my situation: "Regurgitation: the feeling of acid backing up in the throat. Sometimes acid regurgitates as far as the mouth and be experienced as a "wet burp.""* Usually, this happens along with a sense of nauseousness and a tightly bloated stomach. I get up and wander around, sometimes punching my tummy to get all the gurgles out, thinking that that will help. Other times I find that I can poop and that'll help. Over this past weekend I bought some Tums and they seem to help a bit too. So, the name for this is GERD: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. I sincerely hope mine isn't at the "disease" level and the next time I see Dr. Venkatesh I'll ask her about her thoughts on it. I don't need another DISEASE to add to my collection. An interesting tidbit I read on Wikepedia** is that "Sleeping on the left side has been shown to reduce nighttime reflux episodes in patients." I found that several times when I was having these episodes, sleeping on my right side made it much worse, so, of course, I favored the left side.

This morning we had a leisurely breakfast, packed up our stuff, and headed back to Austin. Stopped along the way at Carl's Corner, just opened last week as Willie's Place (the shop and theatre) and I wanted to take pics of the dancing frogs, but my camera batteries were dead and wha-da-ya know... they're outa batteries! So, no frog pic for this blog. DARN!

We shoot outa there and stop again in Waco for Shayna to get some real Dr. Pepper at the Dr. Pepper museaum, where they DO have batteries and I buy a WWII metal sign for the back porch. Then over to Health Camp for a quick burger and back on the highway home. The highway home down by Temple is clogged like Jackie Gleason's arteries and we sit still in traffic for about an hour before we can get off 35 and shoot east a bit to hit Hwy 95 down to below the clogs. I get to El Milagro about half an hour late.

El Milagro: Rosie the Tech and I negotiate for me to come in at 11:30 tomorrow morning, since they're on the odd schedule again (TT on MW) so they can have New Year's Day off. So we figure I'll "take off 2 today and 2 tomorrow". I am poked, hooked up, and evaluated by Anne the Nurse and settled in to reading my second Alex Deleware book of the season; Bones. Why Kellerman wrote two novels this year is a question not worth investigating... perhaps it has to do with his kids being in college... or maybe he just has these new stories pouring outa him. No matter: Compulsion was better than the last few, I think... and Bones is starting out very readable also.

I read until I lay my chair back and that shifts my arm to an untenable position that rings the machine's bell. Jay the Boss Nurse comes over and says my arterial is flat. Omigod! A flat arterial... this means I have to lay out my arm and put down my book unless I want to sit up straight. Sit up straight? Lay out my arm? Lie back? It's all too complicated so I just close the book for now and turn on the TV for the ABC News. I watch the News, doze, wake up and read a little more, and doze and then watch part of Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and remember Albert's portrait of the director. Lizzie shows up right as Rosie is unhooking me and they chat about the holidays as I finish out watching the movie and we head out into the night.

Notes: In at 78.8 and out at 76.
* Acid Reflux Connection.com, retrieved online from
http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/introduction-000085_4-145.html
** GERD, retrieved online from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease

308) Dallas Dialysis & Visiting Joan

December 27, 2008

Saturday

Drive to Dallas:  Must mention the drive north from Austin... I fizzled out and had to stop at a newish Texas Rest Stop and let Lizzie drive... was feeling nauseous and dizzy.  She took over and I laid back my seat and tried to sleep.  I am from West Texas, where the men are men and the women sit shotgun.  So, you can imagine how badly I felt to let the little woman take the reins of the Sienna.  I can say I was feeling so lousy 

it was actually satisfying to give up the reins and let the little lady drive.  We pulled up for a late lunch on the 'circle' in Waco, at our regular pit stop; Health Camp.  After a simple hamburger with everything on it, and a few onion rings, I am starting to feel better so we head on out and I let Liz continue driving so I can snap pics and "rest".

Dallas East-UTSHS:  My chair is  ready at 3 and here we are 

driving thru De Soto in Saturday traffic and I have to call and tell Pete the Nurse I'm running late! Lizzie is driving and I'm taking pics to illustrate my blog.  Here is the traffic and here is the giraffe blowing a smoke ring marking the entrance to the Dallas Zoo.

We get to the center easily and I get hooked up by a talkative tech named Chaco.  Is Chaco the Talkative Tech Hispanic?  I ask by inquiring, "I know that Paco is short for Frank and Chico is small or little... what is Chaco?"  This question starts him going... "Chaco is from Jacob in the Aramaic and there is a long history of early Christians coming to India and naming their children in the tradition of naming after early characters in the biblical tradition.  ...Chaco is like Jacob and my family is from southern India."  "Huh?" I respond.  So, we have a nice conversation about kids in college and now out, Austin versus Dallas, students at UT Austin from India, Chaco's wanting to be a lawyer early on but by strange twists of fate he is now in the medical field... as a tech.  Finally, I say... "I want to read my book now..." and he meanders away to talk to another patient.  There are only about three or four patients here today.  Lots of empty chairs.  

Pete the Nurse comes over about a half hour later to do my nursing eval, have me sign the permission to die without suing forms, and to say "HI".  Pete remembers me from last year... not much has changed here he reports.  I could get into a conversation about how empty they seem but decide to just take off the "cub reporter for blogs" cap and wear the "I'm just a weary traveler reading my mystery novel" cap.  I read on.  Alex and Milo are getting closer to figuring out the back story behind Kat Shonsky's murder.*  I read for awhile and then doze off and then wake up and read... and doze... and wake up and turn on the swiveling TV's they have here and watch a fuzzy version of Charade** which just started at 7 so I can see the whole thing if I want... do I want?  I've seen this movie so many times I know basically every line of every character... but the characters ~~ James Coburn as "Tex" and Walter Matthau as Hamilton Bartholomew always draw me in and they will again today.  I decide to keep it on while I read my book.... and, of course, eventually just watch the charade unfold.

Soon Lizzie shows up to get me, looking wintry in her black, wool coat and colorful scarf... she is a nice sight walking across the shiny linoleum floor... kinda soft in a scene of hard light metal.  I sigh and am ready to be done with this Dallas Dialysis.  I introduce Chaco to Liz while holding my poke holes and she puts up my stuff in my now shabby DaVita bag.  As we leave and I weigh out I maintain my tradition of being the last to leave, apologize to the staff who slough it off and cheerily bid farewell to Pete; and they heard me exclaim as we walked out of sight, Happy New Year to all, and to all a good night.

We zip on down Buckner to Northwest Hwy, take a left and curve around north Dallas all the way to our right on Preston and the final left on Orchid... we're home... where Lizzie has a nice warm plate of veal marsala from Penne Pomodoro... ah yes... this food is to die for... or, at least it is mucho delicioso right now after having your toxins taken out.  Their sauce of dark brown thick mushroomy heaven is a taste treat on the thinly sliced veal that almost melts in your mouth.  What can I say?  A day well ended.

Notes:  In at 78.6 and out at 75 even.

*Kellerman, J. (2008) Compulsion. Ballantine Books, New York.

** Charade online at Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charade

307) Home for the Holidays

December 24, 2008
Wednesday

Home: We are settling into being "home for the holidays" and it is so nice to just get up in the morning and DO NOTHING, so to speak. Of course we are always doing something... it's just nothing of real consequence... or, I guess I mean, nothing that produces income or sustenance. So, we are just spending time, money, and energy without replacing it with any product... for a change. Its called VACATION... but a variety that doesn't take you out to the Himalayas or to Florida or wherever. I am writing my Holiday cards and mailing them out, updating this blog, and thinking about holidays past with friends relations, etc. Shayna is sleeping. And Liz: shopping in the commercial world out there somewhere.

Last night I took Lizzie to Eddie V's for her birthday dinner. It was fabulous: we started with half a dozen blue-point oysters with a horseradish that Tennille the Waitress said was "atomic". Pfffft. Well, I mixed some up with the red sauce and took a little and it cleared up my sinuses and masked the oyster so well we had to start over with new red sauce and about 1/3 as much horsey sauce. We split a grilled swordfish topped with Jonah crab, avocado, red chile-cilantro and bits of anchovie, with a side of asparagus and hollandaise and Lizzie, of course, deserted with chocolate moose while we sipped coffee and listened to the jazz of the Mark Goodwin Trio... playing jazzy Christmas stuff, including Vince Guaraldi's piano pieces from Charlie Brown's Christmas. It was a great time and afterwards we walked back to the car in the impending fog.

El Milagro: I get here exactly at 10:30 am, like Jo the Nurse had reminded my twice in the last few days... and... of course... they're running about 40 minutes late. So, I take off and go by the LifeWorks' Shelter to see if they want my old X-mas lights. Jeff the Poet says "maybe" and calls Duncan to see... leaves a message about it. I hang out for a few minutes and then head back to El Milagro, where my chair is almost ready and I ready myself for my chair while Carmen the Tech from the morning shift readies the machine. The place is hopping with everyone trying to get in and outa here in a timely fashion owing to the X-mas Eve holiday bearing down upon us. I am happy to help!

Even tho they have KVET or some such radio station on with country Christmas music, I like John Aielle on KUT so I hook up my earphones and radio and listen away as John describes some new thing on his blog and then plays John McCutcheons' Christmas in the Trenches*. A little later I here the Cedar Report... low levels pokin out now... and then I settle in to reading my new Kellerman book from Johnny for Hanukkah.

Later still I snooze and wake up and read and listen to the radio and snooze a bit more. Once when I wake up Rosie the Tech and Debbie the Tech are standing in front of me updating my data and talking and I open my eyes and say, Where's the Tamales?. They laugh and point down to the end of the room where Patient John has brought some dozens to sell. I buy a dozen for 8 bucks and stick 'em in my bag... still warm from his insulated bag. Wait til Liz sees these. Rosie claims they're really good and later she brings me half to taste. They are good and now I have taken care of one more errand while sitting in my chair! You just hafta open your eyes and ask whomever is in front of you...

I finish up being cleansed at about 4 pm and zip outa there... back to the house to get the lights for the shelter and help Lizzie make holiday cookies. What a day.

Notes: In at 77.6 and out at 75.5

Christmas in the Trenches
by John McCutcheon
My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht." "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky
"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same

© 1984 John McCutcheon - All rights reserved

306) Holiday Cookies

December 21, 2008
Saturday

El Milagro: Arrive here today to find the holiday cookies that Liz and I were discussing this morning: discussing in the way of mentioning that we haven't made any yet. And, we haven't put up most of the Hanukkah decorations yet. And, we haven't finished shopping for the family gifts that satisfy the kids' goal of the season. And so on.

We haven't made our cookies yet but someone here has and I gobble up a few of the little ones that are similar to Russian Tea Cookies. Yum. Then I take a few sugar cookies with red sparkles on top into the treatment room with me. Amanda the Great Tech pokes me today and we discuss some peoples' squeamishness about the sight of blood while she does her usual excellent job of sticking.

Dr. Venkatesh and Jo the Nurse drop by for the doc's Holiday Drive By and they want to know all about the first night of Hanukkah last night. "Do you get one gift each for all eight nights?" I explain that a lot of Jewish folks pick one of the eight nights and use it like Christmas and then on the other nights they light the Menorah, say prayers, and maybe the kids get some small gifty out of a grab-bag. Even though our home celebration was last night, since we are so disorganized this year, the event has to extend thru the next nights just as a matter of practicality. Jo reminds me that she loves latkes and seems to miss her old Jewish boyfriend (by that dreamy look in her eyes every time she mentions him). Dr Venkatesh is concerned about my highest ever Phosphorous score (10) and I assure her that I think it is a lab error cause I can't figure out how I coulda done that bad on my eating habits. The Doc also reports that my blood clearance, potassium (4.9=low), and URR are perfect... and my protein stores are a bit low.

Sherri the Social Worker visits to deliver a map to the Dallas Dialysis place I'll be at next Saturday. I tell her I haven't yet called the Medicare people to back date my application and still need to do that to get rid of that ugly $900 bill that causes me to shiver every time I think of it.

I hear on NPR that a judge in Midland is now putting ankle bracelets on juvenile truants. Wow! Causes school attendance to improve by 50%... but is it legal (ACLU asks)?

News Flash: We have our 2008 Holiday Picture ready to go out... thanks to all the kids being able to meet us at the same time and place... and the work of Kim's David in clicking the pics. It was so DAMN cold out there we didn't spend too much time with "takes"... the slight blur is the blur of the holidays around here.

Notes: In at 78.3 kgs and out at 75 kgs even.

305) Two Posts Together

December 18, 2008
Thursday

El Milagro: I'm almost half an hour late today; having had to get my noze zapped by Dr. Leary (for my HHT). He did his usual quick zap and all is better for the holidays. Jo the Nurse wants to set up next week's schedule cause they're closed for X-mas. Sherry Social Worker and I discuss trying to change my Medicare application to save the money I now owe El Milagro and figuring out if I'm gonna stay in Dallas for another treatment after the first one. So, between Liz the Wife, Jo, Rosie the Tech, and Jay the Boss Nurse we work it all out and I get an early time on X-mas Eve. Rosie stays to poke me and hook me up. By the time we're done it's time for ABC News.

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December 16, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: Returning today is almost like retreating to my sanctuary after escaping from the Halls of DePelchin where a great meeting of the survivors of IKE sought to add understanding to havoc and create plans for the next catastrophe. I left the meeting early in Houston early, running out to my rented Corolla and charging into the west thru plains and forests to hide in this sanctuary called El Milagro: holing up from the anxiety created there in this place miles away from that hall and it's despair.

My haven here in this place called El Milagro is the harbour where I can dock from the storm and have no worries or tensions... a place to sail back to after my forays into the world and a cathedral of blood cleansing...

So, here is the deal. Since my last dialysis my life has been like a medieval battle against a unseen foe. All of my armaments for winning the battle have been like unproven tools improperly forged for the test ahead. "Medieval" because thats how it feels to prepare for an important summit when the whole modern network of computer to printer to internet system falls apart technologically during the last hour of preparation. These office networks are like the alchemy of the day: only the guy from the consultant group knows where to tweek it effectively, and is he available on a Sunday? HA!

So I am left to cut and paste together all my materials for two trainings and one summit! ARGHHHHH! I got so mad at this mess that I finally resorted to calling my boss, Kim, and yelled epithets at her to let off steam.

After a day of training topped off with a visit to my current favorite Houston eatery (El Pueblito on Richmond) I retreated to my La Quinta to rest and got up early this morning to re-plan the summit down from a 75 person meeting to a 30 person meeting. Then, one of my facilitators was an hour late due to Houston traffic and the meeting began more like a processing session for people still in the throws of crisis from the hurricane. And, knowing I had to leave the summit early to get back here in time for dialysis... just made the day an anxious stressful day.

Now to lay back and rest.

304) Of Loss & Holiday Lights

December 13, 2008
Saturday

El Milagro: Today I planned for the new strategy of spending more time at home doing chores and going in late for dialysis... and so it was after noon when I called in to see about a chair. So, Rita the Nurse says they have a chair at 3 or 3:30 and I try to get her to be more specific and she says "Yes. Between 3 and 3:30" Then I have a brief moment of cheer before Lizzie reminds me that now I'll miss Shayna's end-of-season soccer party. Shoot! One more piece of evidence against dialysis being a fun thing to add to one's schedule.

So here I am, sitting here at 3:30, getting stuck and evaluated by Rita the Nurse, listening to Folkways' Christmas tunes on my radio earphones, and going over in my brain of brains the morning's activities. Shayna and I put up the new blue LED C9 outdoor lights that Uncle Larry convinced me to evolve to (since our old regular C9 lights use 6 times the amount of electricity per hour!) So now we have these new lights replacing lights I've been using for more years than I can remember. So Shayna was excited to climb the ladder and hook the new lights to the old hooks over the porch and up over the garage doors.
And I was happy to get that chore done.

On the way to El Milagro I stopped by Walgreens to get some hard candy. My habit is to have hard candy available during dialysis. Walgreens again has my favorite hard candy: Christmas candies that come in a Quaker Oats kind of round box available only throughout the holiday season. These are made in Juarez and sold out of a company called Blueberry Hill Foods in my home town. I buy two cylinders today and will probably buy many more before they dissappear again from the shelves.

After Rita sticks me and leaves, Mary the Nurse comes over to check the settup and calls Carrie the Tech over to ask who set me up... I say "Rita" and they frown and Carrie takes off to get my potassium bath, which Rita forgot to hook up. Carrie hooks me up with my potassium bath and I kid her about 'giving my my bath' and we are all happy as clams. I grade one of my classes group projects and settle back to watch some tube... not much interested in the opening of the college basketball season... or leftover football... and settle on the end of a gory movie; Hannibal; and the beginning of one of my favorite movies: Fargo. It's like Saturday at the matinee today. I lay back and enjoy the break from my recently hectic out-of-town schedule (which continues next week for a final blast before my vacation). The place is kinda empty it seems today... the regulars, like George the New Heart Guy, The Mercedes Fat Lady (I'm sorry... she really is fat), and others.

Somewhere in the middle of the movies, Rosie the Tech comes over, pulls up a rolling stool, and leans on my shelf seriously... I can tell she is ready to say something important... so I pull out my earphones and lean towards her too. She hands me a sympathy card with Rosa Acosta's picture on it... "Rosa passed on Thursday..." I read the card and reply, "Oh... she was the longest one here... I remember interviewing her for the newsletter last year..." Rosie: "She died here..." Me: "That's too bad... she was one of the long-timers..." Rosie: "Yeah. We lost three in the last week" and she goes on to tell me about the others, whom I didn't know. Rosie has this expression of sadness and questioning, as if she wants me to say something.... she sits there expectantly and I sit there thinking "do I have a blank look on my face?..." hoping I don't look smirky. I finally say something like, "Well... we all must pass on at sometime... at least she lived a good life, based on what she told me." Back when I interviewed her, she had said, "I am here because of my daughter. She is here for me and I am here for her. (I) try to live (my) life no matter how bad it gets. If you got kids, do it for them." Rosie and I sit there a moment, not saying anything, and then she rolls on back out of our scene and she goes back to work.

I watch my movies. So it goes on a Saturday at El Milagro.

Notes: In at 76.5 and out at 75.

303) The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

December 9, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: I arrive amidst the beginnings of sleet... yes, sleet in Austin! I am here and welcomed by the angelic face of Amanda the Great. Yes, she has become Amanda the Great. She is the perfectly lovely tech that makes an old geezer like me happy to come to dialysis. It kinda makes me think of the old Red Skelton skits with the bossomy nurses... or, the Lil' Abner cartoons with same... except she isn't really bossomy and there's really none of that Groucho Marx eye-brow raising lustiness of those characters. She is just happy, skilled, sweet, and a real pleasure to have stick you with a horse needle. So, we chat about kids and soccer and school coming to a close: she asks how long it takes me to grade a paper and I guestimate an hour to an hour and a half... why? She turned in a paper and hasn't gotten it back yet and wonders how long it'll take til she gets it back... and we discuss how many variables are involved in getting papers graded and turned back to students.

Mary the Nurse stops by to do my nursing evaluation and Sherri the Social Worker comes by to say that she thinks the $900 bill I got from Da Vita is probably a mistake... just something to get patients to sit up straight and take notice. I say I hope so too... but if it isn't; I've already got my payment plan worked into my budget: $10 bucks a month! I gave that bill to her along with my Medicare Application, which we have to get processed before too long... I am reaching the CAP on my insurance and will have to be Medicare Covered in the new year. This is not good news. So far, my dialysis has cost virtually nothing up until this year, when we finally had a somewhat expensive deductable. But under Medicare it'll cost money every month. Now is that I good deal or what? I'm sure there'll be much more on this subject... which I am gonna hafta learn about now.

I try to settle in to reading a book I found in my garage that I had been looking for off and on for about 10 years... and just couldn't sit still enough to concentrate on it. So, I watched some bad TV and drifted around in my thoughts; mostly about everything I've got to complete before I start my annual holiday vacation on the 18th.

I actually got so busy that I overscheduled myself for next week, finding I'll be in Houston all day on Tuesday. DUH. How could I forget I had dialysis that day? Was it a Jungian Slip? So, I had to tell Jay the Head Boss Nurse that I need dialysis on Wednesday next week cause I goofed up. He seems okay with it.

Before I know it my time is up and Rosie the Tech unhooks me and I am outa there thru the sleety streets shining with the city lights. Onward thru the fog.

Notes: In at 79.5 and out at 76.0

302) Of Pontiacs & Parallel Universes

December 1, 2008
Tuesday

El Milagro: I am about 15 minutes late and Aisha the Tech, from Waterloo Dialysis, checks my BP and gets my weight (79.1)... and does some of the setup... asking if I can "take off 4.6". HA! I share with her that I can't take off more than 3 without cramping. Meanwhile I am talking to Sherry the Social Worker who is inquiring about my completing my Medicare application and I am asking her about arranging for dialysis in Dallas for 12/27 and rescheduling my 12/16 session for 12/17 because of a Houston training I'm scheduled for. She says she'll take care of all of it and I promise to bring the application on Thursday.

Rosie the Tech somehow takes over from Aisha as I am yakking with Sherry and she and Jo the Nurse are asking me about Turkey-Day and share about theirs too. I am hooked up and evaluated (by Celeste the Nurse) and Mary the DaVita Pill Lady comes by and asks about my switching to their meds system and I am wishy washy cause I don't really know anything about our settup with Liz's flex acct. etc... and when she hears me say the secret word (MedCo) she drops the whole thing "cause MedCo prefers to work directly with patients" Its like Grand Central Station around here today!

Next: Jordy the Dietician pops up in her spritely way and happily reports that my phosphorous is good! What? I ask. "I don't know what you did, but your phosphorous from last labs is down to 5.2! Do you know what you did? Hell, I can't remember what I did this morning, much less back before the turkey business. These labs were from November 25... and Jordy is delighted and so am I. I assure her I'll keep doing whatever I am doing.

Finally things slow down and I am able to listen to NPR ATC and jot these notes out. Radio news and then on to ABC News and then on to Jim Lehrer's News Hour. All of these news sources are centering on the automakers coming back to Washington and trying to show by their use of public transportation that they deserve a bailout. I don't know about the whole thing. Seems the bailout government is so different than what we're used to... I guess bailouts of big business is more what we're like than the bailout of individual people who have been slipshod with their affairs. But, of course I hate to see Pontiac bite the dust. Oldsmobile is gone and Pontiac is probably next. I have this image of the classic '52 Chieftan driving into my mind as I listen to the bad news for GM. And that memory leads to memories of the pride I, myself felt, after buying Dick's old '52 Olds convertable and driving it from Ft. Worth down to Austin... breaking down in Alvarado... and finding an old mechanic who fixed it for free just to "look her over" on a Friday after 6. What an adventure having that car was. I drift off for a nap of lead sled memories.

And then I wake up and begin to watch the History channel's Universe show on string theory and the idea that there are many more varieties of ME throughout the universe. WOW. From the review:

Some of the world's leading physicists believe they have found startling new evidence showing the existence of universes other than our own. One possibility is that the universe is so vast that an exact replica of our Solar System, our planet and ourselves exists many times over. These Doppelganger Universes exist within our own Universe; in what scientist now call "The Multiverse." Today, trailblazing experiments by state of the art particle colliders are looking for evidence of higher dimensions and Parallel Universes. If proof is found, it will change our lives, our minds, our planet, our science and our universe.

Now that is worth thinking about as the day draws to a close and the dialysis machine hums along removing my toxins.

Notes: In at 79.1 and out at 76.4 kgs.