Misc.

Holding

Another day of entertaining myself and the dogs LOL – in other words not much going on around here.

I did gas my truck.  I drove downtown and picked up my lens from the repair shop. Woo hoo it was fixed under warranty.  I never have really used it much as it always to soft (fuzzy) looking photos. I just figured it was one of those opps should not have bought in lens.

Now it is working a lot better but it still does not take as sharp a pic as some of my other lens.

KRP reluctantly went to the storage place with me to grab of few boxes.  We think our room mate is moving out so we need to save the money we pay for storage. I dunno what we will do to cover the loss of rent.

Thank goodness Billy Wayne, Trish, and Brandon have already helped us clear most of it out of the larger unit we had and compacted the mess into a small unit. We so have to much crap! I did find my old baby book album and some other pics too.

Some where in the mess is my really nice ceramic fondue pot – think I could find that box – NOT.

On the positive side – the Evil Empire has decided I exist again and supposedly have reinstated all my insurance. I need to call to verify it with the HMO. Seems their computer system can not handle domestic partnerships so they entered me as a twin? WTF well that is the explanation they gave as to why the computer puked me out. It has no set up to deal with same sex partnerships – what a surprise (sarcastic tone inserted here)  . But hopefully I am back to being covered.

Tomorrow we are going over to my folks house.

Since I am up and can’t seem to get to sleep I am going to go enter the books I finished reading at the library thing.

Changes Ghost Of MS

This is the time of the year where all the seasonal hoopla send my mind to contemplating the past year. The year in review thing runs through my mind constantly. This year I am stuck on all the stuff/things that have changed. Mostly because of having MS.

I do not go out and walk the trails along the river to take photos anymore.  A few years ago I rode my motorcycle along the river road and pulled over and snapped away. Now I can get all turned around in the delta and put forty extra miles on my truck trying to drive my way out of the proverbial wet paper bag.  Walking down a levy to water side and later finding out that my uncooperative legs do not really thing going back up the levy is part of the deal.

I used to never ever read a series of books out of order. Read the first, second, . … etc. . I never could understand how someone would read the third in a series and then go back and read the first. Now I do. First off, money- hello why pay twenty bucks to get the newest in the series or $7.95 for the first when I can hit the Goodwill and second hand shops and pick up the same book (albeit slightly worn).  Yep, I have less than half of income I did when working full time. SSD is not living high for sure.

I am finding that I enjoy reading the series out of order.  It may be the reason I like history. It is super to know how it turns out. No wondering if character A dies if they are still alive for books later in series. I really like knowing how it turns out.

My significant other’s company was bought by what I call the evil empire of doom (Karoli you are probably the only one who knows which company so shhh) they are so ugly that I am afraid to put their name here as who knows who might read it? They are doing the usual for this economic time but they are doing it to the long time full time hourly employees and not the part timers. After 30yrs she gets to work all lates and maybe they will cut the hours to 32 a week -and so does the other long time employee with a special needs child to care for.  oh happy joy joy.  Last year we spent Christmas eve and New Years day together. Now I get to watch the boob tube while she works because the new company stays open on holidays.

The problems that trickle down to me include dealing with a very unhappy stressed out partner to forgetting to take my meds, to eat etc. Amazing how dependent I am a consistent routine.  We had our personal quite times and together times all worked out. Seems now she is downstairs doing her thing at the time I would be doing mine. And I am ready to call it day by the time she winds down from work and honestly I am to freakin tired to carry on a coherent conversation. Apparently somewhere my cues to eat, take my meds have disappeared.  My routine is shot to hell.  I am not sure how to fix it LOL I can not sleep later as soon I start the PE class in morning. I have never in over 27 years seen KRP this down and it scares the heck out of me.

We bought TV dinners to cover the nights I am to dingy to cook. And I spent hours researching medicine reminders. I figured out a watch type deal would work the best for me. Most of them require the turning and pushing of tiny little buttons to program and are real easy to accidentally hit the wrong button when turning an alarm off. Just what I need eh? I did find a Timex that is programed via the computer woo hoo! Not wanting to order something on the net to find out it would not work I googled and googled until I found a shop in ‘Vacaville that had two of them in.  KRP took me there tonight and I spent Christmas money and bought one and received 30% off because of the after Christmas sale.

It took a whole hot 5 mins to load the software and enter my reminder alarms.  It beeps and the screen text tells me what the reminder is. Beep beep take your neurontin, beep beep – eat on so on. I can even sync it with my Outlook calendar. The only negative that is apparent right off is that it takes a special watch band. I am going to order two so I have them. All I have to remember now is to put on the wrist watch.  I stopped wearing one a few years back.

Wish I could see how this life of mine  turns out ha ha.  Like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.  Only I got stuck with the Ghost of MS.

I swear I have lost IQ points this year.

Mr Pig

Augh it is that time of the year. Kind of sad that the seasonal celebration has turned into one big shop fest. This year I am getting into it more because since most folks are tight on funds the spirit of giving seems be more centered on the giving rather than the cost of what was given.

Mr Pig here was made by my father in wood shop when he was in grade school. I remember washing the dishes with my Grandmother and of course washing Mr Pig. This was before wood was deemed not safe for kitchens and glass and plastics became popular. Who knew – we washed it and then my Grandmother would pour boiling water over the dishes and silverware in the drainer. Most of time Mr Pig and the pots were allowed to be air dried.

When my Grandmother moved from the home she and my Grandfather had lived in since I was born I found Mr Pig in the toss box. UGH!! I much to my mothers dismay grabbed Mr Pig and stored him in my car. My family so does not do the save anything for posterity thing. Mr Pig has been with me ever since.

Yes I use him and abuse him chopping onions, celery, mushrooms . … and I wash and rinse him just like my Granny did. Nothing is to good for Mr Pig so I give him a dose of chopping board oil once in awhile.

What does this have to do with Christmas Presents?

Well, a few weeks ago my mother brought out her collection of cutting boards while we were preparing something. They were all either too small for me to manage any control of what I was cutting and have the chopped pieces remain on the board. So I asked for a larger one. My mom says that is the onion board. Eh? Ok. I was very thankful when KRP saved me realizing that there was no way I was gonna chop that onion on that dinky board and keep all my fingers attached to my hands.

Mom – what about this board? NO that is for other vegetables I don’t cut onions on it because the odor stays on these plastic boards so I do not use that one for onions. OK what about this one? No it dulls the knifes I only use it for apples and oranges. Eh? See where this is going – what the heck – mom why don’t you use wood. Well that is not as sanitary. Mom so you have all these little boards (five or six) you have to drag out . … somewhere in mid conversation she mentioned she was thinking about getting a bamboo one.

So yes I picked up a mid sized bamboo cutting board that will soon be wrapped and placed under her tree LOL you see my mom will have to use it – if for no other reason as to not hurt my feelings and the board is big enough that just maybe I might be able to use it. 🙂

Meanwhile, I use Mr Pig. Mr Pig has earned all his scars honestly.  He has survived my Grandmother using it for both meat and vegetables before the world knew better. He survived years of boiling water, Grand-kids, and accidentally being left outside on the patio.

Mr Pig resides happily with me where onions and vegetables are chopped and sliced upon him.  Best estimate is he is in his early 70’s maybe very late 60’s. He has a few friends Miss Bamboo and Mr plastic meat boy. Mr Pig wonders if Mr Plastic hates Clorox as he is always soaking in it.

The history of cutting boards includes periods where once used they were thrown into the fire. Later on practices evolved to having  many smaller cutting boards that doubled as dishes. These were called a trencher.  There are lots of pigs out there too but none of them are as special to me as Mr Pig.