The "I'm Sleepy So It's a Hodgepodge of Stuff", edition.

iPad shuffled to The Jackson 5, "The Love You Save".  Every time I hear this, I do the dance.  J5 fans know the dance I'm talking about.  Lol. Every single time. I told you I was the J5 demographic. J5 forever!!!!  The past 2 nights I haven't sleep more 3-4 hours per night. Nor have I napped much. I'm tired. This seems to be a normal occurrence for a percentage of people with kidney failure.  On the Facebook dialysis group I belong to, it's not unusual for members to be up and post about still being awake. I've experienced this since I started dialysis. I actually sleep more than I did a year ago.  My nephrologist gave me Ambien. I didn't see much difference. But Whoo. I read the side effects.  I never experienced the side effects ( that I'm aware of ).  I passed on the refill.  Hopefully I'll take a nap during treatment. I'm also that person that won't/can't sleep while hooked up. I guess I'm to nosy. I have to see what the staff is doing. Lol.

Tavares, "Check It Out". I just cranked up the volume, closed my eyes and started swaying. :-)     Moving forward on the move.  Just about done sorting through the photographs. Wow. There are photos I hadn't seen in decades.  Photos of my mother. She was hot!  Lol. I know some will say. "What?  Aunt Frances?"  Yes indeed.  I'll have to scan some of the photos. I'll post the one I have the night mom and dad (eloped) got married. There are a lot of her and her first husband.  He was a Tuskegee Airman. He died of lupus in their 3rd year of marriage. There are also scads of photos given to her from assorted soldiers and sailors. Photos of her at Michigan State Normal College, better known now as Eastern Michigan University. Dad and I would tease her. Told her it was better to go to a normal college than an abnormal college. <rimshot>.  Btw, a normal college was a teachers college back in the day. 

"Nights Over Egypt", Incognito. I really wanted the Jones Girls version but it wasn't available. Ignoito's version has a faster tempo.  It's still good, though.  Found lots of photos of Shawn through all stages. I loved looking at my baby, my toddler, my little girl, my big girl, my adolescent, my teenager, my high school graduate, my college student, my college graduate, my grad student, my ballerina, my basketball player, my soccer player, my T-Ball player, my softball player....and on and on. Lol. I loved looking at the dog Brian and I got when got married, Clark the giant poodle.  I loved looking at my mom's dog we inherited after my parents moved to Las Vegas.  Yes, we had a baby, and old cranky mini-toy poodle and a young exuberant standard poodle, all in our 2 bedroom bungalow. Great times!!

Eric Benet, "Georgy Porgy", featuring Faith Evans. Photos of aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, a great great uncle, grandparents, great grand parents, dad growing up, my favorite cousin who was a casualty of the Vietnam war, my brother. I will be giving away many of these photos. I am looking forward to forward to transfer photos to my younger cousins. When I was a child, I loved looking at the photos and my parents would tell me about the people I was looking at. I was surprised that I could identify people in pictures I hadn't seen in decades. I also wrote who these people were on the photos. I ran across way to many unidentifiable people.  I went through 5 large boxes this weekend and have 1 more box to go. Huge boxes. A lot will be disposed of. Including photos from moms first marriage. No hate. I don't know those people. And yes, it's been discussed with Brian and Dad.  

Lou Rawls, "It Was a Very a Good Year".  Finally, I got some very distressing news this weekend.  My Wendell is dying. His body is shutting down. He's been fighting the infections since October 2013. He's had a breathing tube and a feeding tube since March. The feeding tube upset me because my mom had one and it was never removed.  His doctors recommended "do not rescusitate" to his family.  The last time I visited him, he'd lost so much weight.  He is 6'6".  He may haved weighed 130?  He couldn't talk because of the breathing tube. BUT he was cognizant and communicative. Even if I can't read lips. We still had a good time.  I will visit him this week. We've known each other since we were about 12 years old.  He's my brother. I love him very much. 

Signing off with Michael Jackson,  "Got To Be There".  Stay cool. Hot and humid. Yuck. On the flip side, it's 107 in Vegas....with no humidity. Hello frying pan!!!   Lol.  +1 for central air.  Best upgrade to the house ever!!!!!   Photo of Mom and Dad.  Photo Clark the poodle.

The "So Much Time, So Little To Do. Reverse That.", edition.

Thank you Willie Wonka (Gene Wilder). iPad  shuffled to Ray Charles, "What'd I Say", Pts 1 & 2. Wish I could play piano like that. But since I'm not willing to put in the time and effort, I'll just enjoy listening to Ray play.  :-)  lol. It's hard to type and listen to him. I want to jump up and dance.  So much to do, so little time.  We're just about done purging stuff from the house. The Junk Commander  (like the name?) should have one final load. After he comes I'll schedule the remaining furniture to be moved out. I think we should donate the canned goods to a church.  Oh yeah, the pots and pans and small appliances need to go. Even the fryer!!

The Stylstics, "Stop, Look and Listen (To Your Heart)". Russell Thompkins, Jr.'s voice...swoon.  I turned in the transfer paperwork on Wednesday. Here's the drill. I get the transient form from my social worker. I call the transient dialysis clearing house (that's what I call it - lol). They ask questions..where am I going?  How long am I staying?  What type of access?  Days I dialyze?  How long?  Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. They ask my address of the travel location and find dialysis clinics in the zip code. They give me a reference number. Then the calls and paperwork dance starts with the proposed clinic and my home clinic.   This time was just a bit different because it's a permanent move. 

Jackson 5, "I Want You Back".  Always a J5 fan. I am that demographic. Right age at the right time. :)   I've been asked about the changing of the doctors.  The dialysis clinics have nephrologists associated with them. I'll be assigned one. If I don't like her/him, I'll shop around. I may shop around anyway.  I hope I get MWF first shift. I doubt I will. So I've scheduled my last session here on a Friday and at my new center on Monday. Let's not miss a beat. Oh yeah, dialysis Friday morning. Leave for Las Vegas Friday afternoon!  

Little Beaver, "Party Down, Pt. 1". I have a cousin from Chicago called Little Beaver. Never heard of him or seen him until he showed up at a family reunion years ago. Our reunions are in a pretty rural area.  (Read country). He's the guy that showed up in the silk short set with 'gators. ;-)  He never came to any more reunions that I know of. I had to ask my father where Little a Beaver was on the family tree. He knew!  And now, so do I.  I've already shipped my winter clothes. We are still going through photos.   We put them in 3 categories. My cousins on my mom's side. My cousin on my dad's side. My greatuncle's grandkids.  Found photos of my dad's mother's siblings from the 40s. I'm thinking it was a good thing I liked to look at the photos with my parents when I young so I can recognize these people. 

The Delphonics, "Lala a Means I Love You". I have to make reservations to go to Denver for a wedding in mid August. I also have to make reservations to go to New Orleans at the end of August for my mother-in-law's birthday party. And fly Shawn down for that. Yes, we'll be flying to those locations from Vegas.  The dates work well that I should not only not miss treatment, but I won't need to dialyze away from my home (Las Vegas) center!! 

Michael Jackson, "I Can't Help It". And this doesn't include change of address, changing banks. I have to update the medical insurance (based regionally).  So so much to do.  And after saying all that, I'm not stressed.  I'm excited. Lol. 

Signing out with The Whisper, "Keep on Lovin' Me".  "Hey Scottie!!  What's that mean?" Cute little twins!!  Enjoy the day. I heard it's going to get really hot over the weekend. Oh yeah. When I talked to dad the other day he tells me the temperature in Vegas is 110.     :-(    Yikes!!!

The "June 2014 Dialysis Update and News", edition.

iPad shuffled to Cream,  "Sunshine of Your Love".  Eric Clapton. Enough said.   My new buttonhole was ready this morning and one of the techs I trust used it for the first time. Of course she is the one that started it and nurtured it. The fun part was on days she wasn't here. Her back up was the first tech I had. The one I cussed out when I first started (so embarrassed) and then got kicked in the butt by karma. Those are the two I trust the most. I pledge to guard this new buttonhole sigh my life. Well yeah, it is my lifeline. If my fistula fails, I have to get a new chest catheter inserted in my chest. Ugh. That would make Pat very unhappy.

Warren G, "Regulate". Smooth hip hop. Lol. I'm looking at my module this morning.  3 people are here that weren't here when I moved to this module in January 2013. Me and saggy pants were new to the mod...we both had chest catheters. His came off about 2 months after mine. My partner next to me was here when we got here. He's the king of module 6. He's been here the longest. Lol. Second shift of module 6 had a full on changeover.  Just one guy left. Another cool old dude. He's in a wheelchair, but also brings his cane. I call it the triangle cane. I'll post a photo. He also wears a jaunty cap and some days has his toothpick. He always greets me with, "Hey Baby.  How are you today?"  :-)  Some people who I pass to get to my chair are missing.  I don't know where they are. Sometimes people switch shifts or modules. Some go to other dialysis centers. Some do get transplants. There are some who just plain don't need dialysis any more.  Or they die.   

The Isley a Brothers, "Hello It's Me".   The death of the spitfire on 2nd shift from my module upset me.  I'm pretty sure she was younger than me.  She did not like dialysis at all. She also had lupus, which caused the kidney issues.  She wasn't compliant.  She'd come in needing up to 5kgs taken off. She'd look swollen and would need oxygen. She didn't like the swelling around her access site.  Last year her son got killed trying to protect some kids. She scowled at everyone and some staff were obvious about not wanting to treat her.  It got worse when our tech retired.  I made a point of just listening to her. You know, mentoring.  She had a lot of hospital trips.  She told me about the doctors at the hospital wouldn't give her pain meds because she had been a drug user.  I thought that sucked. The pain should be managed. Of course I only heard one side of the story. Hers. But she really was continuously in pain.  She was upset when after a hospitalization she found out a lady on her shift had died. I was upset that she died 2 months later.  Welcome to the world of dialysis. 

Ramsey Lewis, "Love Song" The piano, the strings, the horns. Classic. But lol on the 70s wicka sound effects.  I've completed all of my tests to remain on the transplant list.  People have asked me about the length on time on the list. It is is dependent on what state or region you're in. It's 3-5 years here in Michigan. California is on average 7 years.  And yes when I move to Nevada, I have to start all over.  And yes, I'd be no longer eligible to remain on the list. I'll be too far away.  *sigh*. How cool would it be to get "the call" before I leave?  I can dream. :-)  

Oh how about this.  The power at the center went out about 10 minutes ago. The lights and computers and wifi went out.  The generators kicked on. The dialysis machines never missed a beat. And...my chair stayed heated. Lol. Not sure I'd use the generator for a heated chair, but ok. 

Kem, "You're On My a Mind". So I lost connection to wifi. I switched to cellular, but because I had no wifi, I had no internet.  I did have my music library.  Oh yeah...no TVs for us. The power is back now. Yay!  What if the entire power at dialysis went down?  We've been shown how to remove ourselves in an emergency.   Looking at my module, we're all ambulatory so we'd be responsible to disengage ourselves from the dialysis machines and make our way out of the building. I think since I know how to remove my needles, I'd be pretty much on my own...and that's ok. :)  But the lights came on.  So we're keeping on keeping on. 

Signing off with Heatwave, "Mind Blowing Decisions".  And now for the news.  I'm leaving for Las Vegas on July 25!!!!  I'm seeing fresh corn in the stores. I'm getting some!!  Enjoy the day. I plan on it!  

The "My Life is in the Hands of Strangers. I'm Gonna Fix That", edition.

iPad shuffled to "Heaven's Girl", Aaron Hall, Charlie Wilson, Naomi Campbell, Quincy Jones, R. Kelly and Ron Isley.  Off of Q's Juke Joint..AKA, how many artists can we put on a single song. Lol. It's a great song. All those wonderful and distinctive tenors :)  Breathing was difficult last night and this morning.  I'm on oxygen for the moment. In addition my mechanical kidney was out of sorts.  And I didn't sleep well.  You know, the kidney disease insomnia.  I'm feeling flat and tired.  Hoping I feel better once treatment is complete. 

"Rock With You", Brandy, Heavy D and the Boyz, and Quincy Jones. Brandy, eh. Heavy D, yeah! The other day a message popped up on my timeline from one of the many dialysis / kidney disease discussion groups I follow.   The message was from a dialysis patient advocacy group. A patient was having trouble...disagreements with the staff and administrative staff at the dialysis center to the point that the patient was released ( kicked out ) from the center.  And the center made sure other dialysis centers in the vicinity knew the patient was a problem. Consequently the other centers wouldn't admit the patient. Unfortunately this isn't the first time I've read about situations like this.   

"Do Nothin' Till You Here From Me", Quincy Jones and Phil Collins. Yes, it's a Q's Juke Joint palooza this morning!!!!   I'm feeling better.  A little cleansing of the blood, a little removal of toxins, and a little shot of oxygen is all it takes. Woo. :-/  Hooray ( feel the sarcasm ).  A lot of times the patient is trying to control their care.  Like we shouldn't have to argue about how much fluid is being taken off. I know if they  attempt to take off 3 kilograms or more from me I will crash.  You know, a drastic drop in blood pressure, cramping, feeling nauseous, fainting. I'm not trying to have that happen. But some patients have to argue that. 

Tamia ( Mrs Grant Hill ). "You Put a Move on My Heart". This is the song that I wanted. So I purchased the CD. One of the best CDs ever. ;-)  Some patients have called out techs about sanitary protocols.  Staff is to wash hands and change gloves when they go from patient to patient.  They are to wear gloves when they touch the machines.  When this happens, it can trigger several events.  The optimal result is the supervisor reminds the staff. What seems to happen at several locations is retaliation at the patient for bringing it up.  Administrators not disciplining the offending staff member.  Or the staff member will start harassing the patient.  We're sitting ducks during treatment. We can't get up.  We really need to finish  out treatment. The staff member can disregard requests.  In some cases they'll start setting a faster flow which is required. Disregard requests to remove the patient to go to restroom, so the patient is left to soil himself. Remember. People on dialysis don't pee, but they do defecate.  And they let the patient just there.  These are just a few ways the patients get abused. 

"Stomp!" Luke Cresswell, Fiona Wilkes, Carl Smith, Fraser Morrison, Everett Bradley, Mr. X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz .  The patient will take the complaints up chain of command to corporate, because most of the places are for-profit. The patient ends up getting kicked out and not allowed to other treatment centers. That is a death sentence. 

George Benson, "Turn Your Love Around". I'm not seeing these behaviors at my center.  I haven't seem them at the centers I've visited. But I am aware that it can happen. I'll be moving out of state very soon.  The center I'm going to in Las Vegas is the same one I've gone to when I've visited. It is a for profit center .... The one here is not. The good news is once we settle in Vegas, ill transition to Home hemodialysis.  But I will stay vigilant and will still be my strongest advocate.  

Signing off with The Guess Who, "American Woman". Enjoy the fireworks.  I'll be watching them from my recliner.   Lol.  Link to the advocy site. It lists cases and outcomes. 

http://dialysisadvocates.com/patient-stories/

The "Thunderstorm and the Graduation", Part 2 and The End.

iPad shuffled to Gino Vanelli, "I Just Wanna Stop". Soothing music. We left off  at riding the van from the airport to the Memphis Airport America's Best Value Inn and Suites.  It was off an interstate in some quasi industrial area. We got off the van, entered the registration area. It looked ok. It was a motel, but it was a place to stay overnight...preferable to spending the night in the airport.  We get our room assignment and head over to the building.  As we passed by the first room in the building (all room entrances were from outside), a couple of Rottweilers barked at us. The Rotties sounded pretty visious.  Lol. Most Rotties do.  Our room was one room past the dogs.

Sam Cooke, "Bring it On Home". Like Lou Rawls singing "Yeah" in the background. Ack...the bottom of my foot itches. That's a hard place to scratch under normal circumstances, let alone having both arms hooked up, with one arm with 2 needles in it.  So, we open the door to our room. It was standard motel room. Someone sat on a bed and a cloud of dust swirled up. :(   We were hungry.  There were some menus from restaurants that delivered. We decided what we wanted and called restaurant. They said they didn't deliver to our hotel after dark. :(  The next one we called did. We eventually went to bed. We considered barricading the door with furniture for the night. Lol. 

Getto Boys, "Mind Playing Tricks on Me". I've been told I need to see the video. Time to go to bed. We sleep in our clothes (no luggage, remember?) on top of the covers. Both beds were dusty. The entire room was dusty. Ugh. That hotel chain is permanently off of our list. We set our phones to wake us up so we can catch the first van  back to the airport, 6:00 AM.  Lol. It looked like all of us who took the van the previous night were there at 6:00. Lol. We get to the airport, get sent to gate to wait.  And yes, there people laying on the floor. :(  They finally started calling names. Around 10:00 AM.  Of course Shawn and I were called, but not Brian. Brian tells us to go on to Dallas, he'll catch another flight. 

The Dells, "Stay in My Corner".  By now the graduation is taking place and we're just heading to Dallas.  Sister had kept the reservation at the hotel in Dallas so once Shawn and I arrived we'd head there. While on the plane I chuckled. It was mostly people from our diverted flight. How did I know?  We all were prety scruffy looking and wearing the clothes from the previous day. We were all in pretty good spirits to be finally on our way.  We landed in Dallas. I was pleasantly surprised that the luggage pickup was really close to our arrival gate. My back wouldn't protest too much. However, our luggage was not there. Ok. We're pretty tired. Shawn and I go find a taxi to get to the hotel. 

We go outside and have to run a gauntlet of unauthorized drivers to get to the official taxi area.  My back is killing me and I'm more tired than I've ever been but I keep going. I have no choice.  We get a taxi. I tell him the hotel. He replies it's near the stadium. I have no point of reference. I just want to get there. He says it's 15 miles.  I don't care. We get there. Of course the room was the furthest from the registration desk and the key wouldn't work. Shawn and I finally get in. It's a suite, bless my sister-in-law. The room also had toothbrushes and toothpaste waiting for us. Shawn took a shower and went to sleep. I took a shower, laid down on the sofa to wait for calls from Brian and Sister. 

Jamie Foxx, "I Don't Need It".  Now on the other end with Sister, her husband, Gramma and Auntie. And Brian. Brian eventually gets a flight out, but he ends up at Love Field, the older airport in the city. Sister's husband  has  to drive from Wichita Falls to pick up Brian at Love Field. The they have to drive to Dallas-Fort Worth to pick up our luggage. Then they have to drive to the hotel to pick up me and Shawn. Then we all head to Houston. In a van, of course.  Whew. We're hungry. We stop at a fast food restaurant. That's the last thing I remember. When I woke up, we were in Houston.  Brian and I were dropped off at a hotel and everyone else headed to Sister's home. 

The Doobie Brothers, "Black Water".  We missed the graduation. Gramma and Aunt made it, but they were still wearing their traveling clothes. And here's the final piece. Everyone's luggage made it, except Gramma's.  Apparently her luggage had the grand tour of the United States. It was finally delivered to her house in Detroit a few days after we returned.  Brian called it trip from hell. Well, almost. Lol. Niece's party was that Sunday. I fell asleep on the couch after I made potato salad. Lol. The kids had fun and went clubbing.  The trip from Houston back to Detroit was uneventful. Yay!!!

Signing off with Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody". Enjoy hearing Brian May make that guitar sing.  :)   What is the dialysis hook?  This happened 2 years prior to my kidneys failing outright.  However, this was apparently the early stages of the kidney failure. My joints and back were letting me know, but the diagnoses were arthritis and spinal stenosis, so that's what was being treated.  Get a blood test just in case. 

Moral of my story?  Keep that toothbrush and toothpaste in the carry on!!  Maybe fresh underwear also?  Have a great weekend!!!  Oh yeah, ask Brian about his experience trying to leave Memphis.  Lol lol.

The "The Thunderstorm and The Graduation Story".

iPad shuffled to Johnny Kemp, "Just Got Paid". Party starter!  Thunderstorms woke me around 4:30 this morning. Ugh. And now I feel as if my blood pressure is bouncing. My heart rate is low...for me.  I may stop writing for a few minutes. And on top of everything, Comcast is out.  Lol. Patients restless!!  My tv has closed caption. Sometimes I'll listen to the music while watching the tv.  Anyway, the lightning was nonstop from the time I awoke through the time I arrived at the center at 6:00 AM this morning.

Beyoncé, "Me, Myself and I".  (..I'm gonna be my own best friend"). In 2010, my niece in Texas graduated from college. The ceremony was on a Saturday. Brian, Shawn and I flew out from Detroit on Friday. Much to our surprise and delight, my mother-in-law (Gramma) and her sister (Auntie) were on the same flight. Niece's dad (Dad) was on another flight on a different airline.  Let's just call it out ...we were on Delta and he was on a Continental.  Lol.  At this time I was having trouble walking. My back and knee hurt and I was getting the ortisone shots in my back and knees. I wasn't looking forward to walking through airports, but I'd had the back injection so I was prepared.  The early beginnings of the kidney failure. :(  Gramma and Auntie were in the airport wheelchairs getting pushed and suggested I get one.  I wasn't quite ready. I wasn't in my 70s like them!!  Harrumph!!!  Lol. 

"You Put a Move on My Heart", Tamia and Quincy Jones. Loved this song the first time I heard it. :)  We boarded the plane to Dallas.  The plan was to arrive in Dallas, spend the night and head to Wichita Falls on Saturday for the graduation ceremony.  Afterwards, we'd head  to Houston (where Sister-in-law lives) for the party the next day. Sister-in-law (Sister) made the transportation arrangements and hotel reservations.  The flight was uneventful...and then.....

Average White Band, "A Love of Your Own". The pilot announces there were strong thunderstorms in Dallas.  We were being diverted to Memphis. When we land, head to the Delta counter and talk with a representative and don't worry about your luggage, "thanks for flying Delta".  Yeah. So every flight in the south was diverted to Memphis. What a zoo of humanity. :-(   We eventually were sent to gate and checked in. After several hours the weather cleared and flights were heading out again. But now we are encroaching on flights that had already been booked. Gramma and Auntie got on a flight. As a matter of fact, they were the last 2.  If 1 more seat was available, it would gave gone to Shawn. She was next on the list. Aw well. And oh by the way, that was the last flight to Dallas for the night.  We were going to miss the graduation. *sigh*. 

Beyoncé, "Love on Top". "Every time you touch me, I just melt away", "you're the one I love, you're the one I need". :-)  Whoo feeling better.  Wonder why my blood pressure was playing games this morning?  We let Sister know Gramma and Auntie were on their way, but my family was stuck in Memphis overnight.  Well, since she worked for Delta, she got us some vouchers for a hotel (Hilton, I think). We head out to catch the bus.  The line is primarily Delta employees and it's announced the hotel was taking only Delta employees. *sigh*. Tons of stranded people are trying to get to any hotel. 

Eddie Money, "Two Tickets to Paradise". Lol lol. This trip was not paradise.  We catch the first van to pull up.  We were on our way to America's a Best Value Inn and Suites.  Someone in the van was complaining. So I took a poll. People were heading north got diverted, people heading east got diverted. People heading west got diverted. Someone in the van asked if the hotel was hear a party store so he could get some beer. The van driver not only said no, but it wouldn't be safe to leave the hotel proper.  Uh oh. At least the driver stopped somewhere so he could get some beer.  Oh yeah, we had no luggage. Just our carry ons. Here's some advice. Carry your toothbrush and toothpaste in your carry ons!!   To be continued....oh by the way.  The traveler on Continental got to dallas with problems at all.  

Signing off with ... Deep breath... "Stuff Like That", Ashford and Simpson, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Quincy Jones and Ray Charles.  You know that's from Q's Juke Joint. Thunderstorms all day. I like 'em!!!  

The "Land of Lincoln, Part 4 - The End", edition.

iPad shuffled to Dynamic Three, "Request Line". Old school rap!  So this is the clean up on the trip to Springfield. Odds and ends. I posed the question to my facebook peeps .. "What is a horseshoe". In Springfield, Illinois,  a horseshoe is a dish served almost everywhere.  It's an open face sandwich which consists of a hamburger ( or any type of meat ) smothered with french fries smothered in a cheese sauce.  The cheese sauce apparently varies by location.  A horseshoe also comes in a small version called a Pony.  There are also breakfast horseshoes. We went a restaurant recommended by Shawn's boss...he resides in Springfield. There was a wait to get in.  I ordered a Pony. The first few bites were pretty good. The burger was good.  It was a big ole plate of comfort food. Then I quickly had enough.  My body started hollering at me. "If you eat one more bite, I'll make you pay dearly!"  I put the fork down. Lol.

I got a fairly reasonable version.  Mine had grilled onions. Shawn and Brian's had bacon bits and spicy cheese and a side of Frank's Hot Sauce.  I think scallions, also. Shawn and I weren't able to finish, so we boxed what was left over....a couple of meals for Shawn - lol.  I've tried the local specialty and I don't need to eat it ever again....give me a coney from American any day!  Lol. Oh yeah. If I get a hankerin' for a coney in Las Vegas, there's an American Coney Island in The D hotel and casino...and an Andiamo's. :)

The Tavares, "More Than a Woman". Man, I'm hooked up to the machine and my arm itches...right at the access site, which has the needles and is covered with tape. ;-(   Sunday we went to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Lincoln's house and the houses of his neighbors. I didn't see outhouses, but I didn't look too hard.  The houses were pretty large for the time period. After Shawn gave us a tour, we went to Obed and Isaacs Restaurant and Microbrewery.  It is an historic restaurant in an historic building and across the street from a really old Episcopal church.  It also offered horsehoes :(   Heh. I had a turkey and cheese panini. Lol. Yeah I spent some time outside. Got a little tan. 

 Aaron Neville, "Tell It Like It Is". Great voice. Monday was dialysis day. I was actually looking forward to it. I hadn't dialyzed in over 72 hours.  Shawn picked us up. We were going to use her car while she was at work.  The first 2 weeks she worked at the Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center. Oh yeah, the curator (her boss), is keeping her cat while she's in Springfield. Lol. Her boss took  me and Brian on a tour. The building was like the one you see in the end of the first Indiana Jones movie!!!  BUT. Do not reference Indiana Jones to an archeologist. The movie doesn't represent archeology well. At all.  The archeologist will not be amused. 

The Dramatcs, "Door to Your Heart". Been a while since we've shuffled to the Dramatics. Welcome back!  We marveled at the whale bones exhibit in the hall,  the skeleton of an animal with a Cat in the Hat hat on, with Christmas lights running through it. Lol. The curator explained about decontaminating artifacts before they can be stored.  We passed by some African combs.  The facility stores items and collections from research done all over the world.  A lot of the items are from Projects from University of Illinois, Illinois State University, Illinois State Museum (which is not a part of the Illinois universities) and many other sources.  It was a great tour!!  He is quite passionate about his work. Shawn iis fortunate to be working with him. And she is enjoying the experience. 

"Let The Good Times Roll", Quincy Jones...with Stevie Wonder, Bono and Ray Charles.  "I got a dollar a quarter and I'm ready to clown. Ray Charles steals the show!   After we left, we went to look for the dialysis center. Yeah, we overshot. I should have remembered the map was deceiving. The center was about a mile away.  I watched my fluid intake and I hadn't gained a lot, but I had had a little trouble breathing.  The nurse told me to let her know if I needed oxygen.  I didn't, but I felt so much better after treatment. I was just scared as hell about going so long between treatment.  I'd rather not have a lot of treatments while out of town. It breaks up the trip. However I really don't want to go so long without treatment. It turned out ok, but felt like I was gambling with my life. 

The Dramatics (again!), " Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams". We left Springfield Tuesday morning. Had a delay. A truck ran into a rail bridge in Springfield. Had to wait for the Amtrak inspectors. Took about 45 minutes. Got to Chicago. Our layover was 45 minutes!  Metro Lounge staff took care of us and we departed for Detroit. Got into Dearborn after 9:00 PM.  Go to bed. Got to go to dialysis at 6:00 AM. It was a great trip. The best part was spending time with my baby!!!

Signing off with The Guess Who, "Undun". One more link of Shawn's interview. I watch it a lot. I can't help it!!  Have a great day. :) 

Shawn's Interview at the Dig Site

The "Land of Lincoln", Part 3.

iPad shuffled to "Lookin' Through the Windows", Jackson 5. Hope that everyone who saw the Jacksons at Motor City last night had a great time. We are still and forever diehard J5 fans.  I wore the grooves off the "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5" album.    Springfield, Illinois. We stayed at the State House Inn. A block from the Illinois state capital.  The hotel has a retro 70's decor.  It was nice enough. Again, the hotels in Champaign are better (and cheaper) but whatever.  I have my theories.

"Funkin' For Jamaica", Tom Browne.  Crank up the volume and start dancing. Bass funk. Shawn dropped us off at the hotel after we ate Friday night. We were tired and crashed. We had plans for Saturday.  She met us at the hotel Saturday morning and we walked 2 blocks to the Springfield farmers market. Not like our Eastern Market.  The street was closed for 3 blocks and local farmers and vendors had booths. Vegetables, breads, cakes, sauces, salsa, cheese, soaps, olive oil, pasta, flowers, plants, purses...you get the idea. Shawn (Mommy and Daddy) bought a few things..salsa, cheese, bread and veggies.  And music.  And very pet friendly. 

After we finished we headed to Macy's.  Mom wanted to shop for her baby. Then off to the supermarket because parents always stock the refrigerators of their kids!  ;-)  We then headed to her 3rd floor unit in the historic apartment in the historic part of town to put up the groceries.  The apartment was gorgeous. No wifi. Yes, Dad bought an Ethernet cord. Yes, I walked up the stairs. It wasn't so bad.  Heh. The apartment is furnished and is provided by the program for the intern (Shawn). So that brings us to what is she doing in Springfield, Illinois. Well hold up a moment. 

Rahsaan Patterson, "Feels Good".  Slow finger snapping music. Sunday, Shawn asks us if we want to see where she'll be working. Of course we do. She's working for the Illinois State Museum doing an excavation at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. The entire neighborhood where President Lincoln lived has been preserved. 2-3 blocks of historic houses!!  We took a stroll down history lane. Walking tours were being held. At the visitor center there are films you can watch. After we had our private tour from Shawn, we went to a historic restaurant for a late brunch. It was a delightful day!  

Last night I got a message from Shawn. I'm going to share it.  The guy interviewing her is Curtis Aikens. He is an African American chef who had been on the Food Network in the late 90's. I guess he was in town for promotional business and was touring the Lincoln Home site. Enjoy the video!  

Signing off with  The Detroit Emeralds. "You Want It, You Got It". Old school music. And they are not from Detroit. Of course. Lol.  Oh yeah. When I returned to my dialysis center, I was asked (1) did I have a good time? and (2) when was my next trip?  Lol.  Oh and I got some sad news. My 2nd shift spitfire passed away.  This one upsets me.  I place her younger than me. Statistics show I have a 36% chance of being alive after 5 years of hemodialysis. *Sigh*.  But...the number goes to 75-85% if I switch to home hemodialysis.  Yes, once we move cat Las Vegas I'll be doing home hemo. I can't get out of here fast enough. 

http://curtisaikens.com

The "Land of Lincoln, Part 2", edition.

iPad shuffled to "Going in Circles", Friends of Distinction.  Did you know Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McClemore were originally in Friends of Distinction?  Back to the trip to Springfield, Illinois.  I've got my dialysis treatment set, we've got our train reservations set, and the hotel reservations made.  For the record, I prefer the hotel choices I had in Champaign-Urbana over Springfield. For some reason the college town was better, hotel wise, than the state capital. Go figure.

We tried the business Amtrak seats.  It was only $16 more per seat. It was more than worth it.  I had them for the trip there and back, but since my first leg of the trip was changed, I wasn't able to get business class seats. They were sold out. ;-(   What are business class seats?  They are in the car as the cafe car, in front of the cafe part.  They are in the first car of the train. They are leather. Way more leg room.  They have an armrest between seats.  They are wider....2 seats on one side and 1 seat across the aisle.  Complementary bottle of water and a newspaper.  And (here's the best part)..access to the Metro Lounge in Chicago Union Station.  

The Whispers. "Just Gets Better With Time". /swoon.  Back to the story.......What is the Metro Lounge?  It's a waiting room with sofas, plush chairs, tables, TV, computers, snacks, beverages, it's own bathroom, and Steve.  Steve?  You check your luggage with him and he takes care of it.  You also have concierge service and an escort to the train when it's time to board.  And yes, you board first. Oh yeah, the 2ng leg of the trip, on the particular train we were on, business class seats translated to a roomette. We ended up in a sleeper car!!  Lol. 

Whitney Houston, "I'm Your Baby Tonight".  The roomette included the beverage and newspaper and all meals.  Our ride was only 3.5 hours, so we missed dinner.  This train was headed to San Antonio.  Maybe another time.  The 2 spacious seart converted to beds. The beds were on the lower level and an upper berth. No, we didn't try it out.  But our steward, Ernesto was there whenever we needed him. :)  I heartily recommend Amtrak....if you have time.  You will probably have delays, but it is stress free travel.  

We arrive in Springfield about 1/2 hour late, but Shawn is checking in on us during the trip.  Did I mention the trains have Wifi, as does the Metro Lounge?  Anyway she picks up. We laugh when we realize the hotel is 2 blocks from the train station.  Well, it looked further on the map. Lol.  We check in, then head off to dinner. We drove to the restaurant, but then realized it was about four blocks from the hotel.  Lol. We have a fabulous dinner at Augie's then head back to the hotel, The StateHouse Inn....a block from the Illinois State capital. .  It was a long day and it was time to sleep.  We needed to get up fairly early to get breakfast and head to the local farmers market the next day.  

Eric Benet, "When You Think of Me". I'm vigilant about my fluid intake.  This is going to be the longest time I've had between treatment sessions. I'm scared. I'll be going from Thursday morning until Monday afternoon without dialysis. Amost 3.5 days. I did taste the peach sangria. Yum yum.  And I'm still passing on my beloved Bloody Marys.  One day....  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the trains have electrical outlets.  Our electronics stayed charged!

Signing off with Atlantic Star, "Send fo Me".  Oh, Will Downing will be at Chene Park tonight. Where has the time gone?  The next entry I'll describe what Shawn is doing in Springfield, Illinois. We think it's pretty cool. :)

The "Land of Lincoln, Part 1", edition.

iPad shuffled to George Benson, "Turn Your Love Around". R&B George. I like it.  Late entry today and no entry since last Wednesday. Was visiting Shawn. She's in Springfield, Illinois. Middle of the state, state capital of Illinois, county seat, home of the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago, and the location of all things Abraham Lincoln. Seriously. Lol.

This will be a multi-entry story.  We left Friday via Amtrak. And of course I have a backstory. Of course.  Lol.  The plan was to visit her before we made the move to Las Vegas. Before I made the reservations, she let us know she'd be working in Springfield.  She gave us the dates so I made our reservations.  The train timetables were perfect. There was a train leaving at 11:45AM on Friday for Chicago with a reasonable layover before catching a train to Springfield. Yay!!  That meant I could go to dialysis at my regular time on Friday. I made the reservations. I got business class so we'd have access to Metro Lounge while waiting in Chicago. Business class seats would also be more comfortable, since I would be coming straight off treatment.  It was perfect !!!  I made the reservations in early April. I need to do that early because I also have to get reservations for dialysis. 

Kashif, "Help Yourself to My Love". Well, in early May, I get (multiple) messages from Amtrak.  I call them. I'm informed that my train is canceled. What they really meant was they discontinued that train for at least the month of June. :-x  Ugh.  The train now leaves at 6:06 AM.  On Friday. I need to figure out how to get the dialysis treatment done. 

The Persuaders, "Thin Line a Between Love and Hate". "She going to fool you one day". Watch out now.  I've schedule dialysis in Springfield,  I don't want to change that. I come up with an idea!!  I change the train to the 6:06 AM time. It actually came out less and Amtrak refunded the different immediately.  I talked with my social worker tech and told her I'd like to double up on Wednesday and Thursday and skip Friday. The charge nurse agreed. So now I'm on!  I'm ready to go to Springfield, Illinois!!  I'm somewhat concerned that I'll have a while between treatment.  I'll have to be really vigilant about my fluid intake. ....

The "I'm Doing Good In Spite of the Wretched Medicare Donut Hole",edition.

iPad shuffled to Snoop Dogg, "Who Am I (What's My Name)". The bass is strong with thus one. :)  of course it is, that's my neighbor on bass who I've know since we were 7 years old!   I had a lot of topics.  Still do. Let's do movies first. We've seen Captain America, Spider-Man, X-Men and Maleficent. And I still want to see Godzilla.  But do you see a theme?  Yes they are all 3D..Real 3D!  (TM). Lol.  The other theme was, the first 3 movies were Marvel comics movies!!!   And I wasn't a Marvel fan. Not because the quality of the comics. I just wasn't interested.

Eddie Money, "Two Tickets to Paradise". Don't judge.  Just don't. Lol. Oh oh. On our last flight out of Metro Airport...er...McNamara airport, there was a band playing "Two Tickets to Paradise" (badly).  Lol.  People walked by snickering. Lol.  Well Shawn and Brian liked the Marvel movies so they went together.   I did see the original X-Men (yawn).  Also I the kidney failure symptoms started and it was just too tiring to go to a movie theater and sit forever (feel the whine).   Once Shawn moved, I could see Brian pining away for his movies. He really wanted to see Captain America.  I couldn't let my sweetie miss seeing the movie. I told him I'd go with him. Why not? I was feeling fine and I like getting out of the house.  And it was ... Real 3D!!!

James Brown, "I Got You (I Feel Good)". Heh. A James Brown movie is coming out. Hooray for movie trailers.  I forgot when, but I'm going!!  We went the first showing of Captain America on a Sunday at the Royal Oak Emagine Theater.  I was hooked. Samuel L Jackson, Scarlet Johansen and Robert Redford.  Lots of action. Storyline kept moving. And no sappy love scenes!   However I didn't know jack about the Captain. Brian had to explain a lot to me after the movie.  Now I was hyped to see Spider-man...because we saw the trailers for Spider-Man, X-Men, Maleficent and Godzilla.  No spoilers, but I enjoyed all the movies and am looking forward to seeing more. I also found I like the AMC in Madison Heights. Reserved seats that recline!!!   This is one of the things I was missing when I was in the throes of kidney failure.  And I was missing it while I was recovering.  I ain't missing it any more!!!

Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, "Does a Your Mama Know About Me". Know what?  What did you do?  What are you?  Lol I always ask these questions when the song comes on. Lol.  Donut hole. How can something so tasty have such a foul meaning?   Grrrrrrr.  Wait, wait. I looked up the song to see what the song was about.  Tommy Chong (Cheech and Chong) wrote the song and was a member of the group.  And the song was (supposedly) about a Black guy dating a White girl. I was going towards him being a convict.  The other thing it said (not Wikipedia), was the original name was ...  Well I'll let you find that. 

"Moody's Mood for Love" from "Q's Juke a Joint"...way too many artists to name.  I'd been on the next track. It does include Brian McKnight and Take 6.  Back to the donut hole. There are 4 stages to drug coverage in Medicare (Part D). I raced through stages 1 and 2. Stage 1 I had to satisfy a deductible of $310.  2 of my 3 prescriptions would satisfy that requirement...and I mean the cost either of the 2 exceeded the deductible. Yikes. At least one was less expensive than the other.  $400<$800. Yikes again. 

The 2nd stage was significantly lower. I stayed in that stage 2 months. Once I exceed $2550, which included the copay and what Medicare kicked in. One drug costs $1000.  WTF!!!!!!!  After I reach the $2550, I fall into the donut hole. We all do. I have to pay the full cost of the drugs  until I've paid somewhere around $4500. I repeat..I PAY THE FULL COST OF THE DRUGS.  I'll explain the reasoning another day.  Once I reach the $4500 threshold, the cost comes down dramatically. The 4th and last stage is call catastrophic coverage.  Geez, ya think?  

The Tavares, "Check it Out".  Why are my meds so expensive?  Because they are specialized. Only a few people even need them.  People with kidney failure. There are subsidies and help with the cost.  I'm just shit out of luck because we're not poverty level. Hooray for living the middle class dream. ;(  Anyway, that's what sent me down the rabbit  (donut) hole. I'll drive my family to bankruptcy trying to stay healthy. What was the point of saving and investing to go out like this?  Rage.  Yes, I got over. We'll be okay, but I'm not happy. It's just easier to quit the meds and I so I don't leave Brian destitute. 

Well, that's my story.  I'm ok.  Talking about quitting taking my meds mortified Brian. He yanked me out of the rabbit hole and I'm ok. And we'll be ok. Just don't ask for a loan!!!  Lol

Signing out on a happy note.  "Yeah", Usher, Ludacris and Little Jon. Great song and you're gonna always look at Little Jon and say "What the hell?"  lol. Crunk!!!!!

The "Sometimes You Need a Break From the Weekend", edition.

iPad shuffled Cameo, "I Just Want to Be". Party over here (in the chair)!  Lol. No one else is partying with me.  They're reading the paper, or watching TV or sleeping. Or fiddling around with the iPad (me). Lol. I've got a few topics.  Movies.  Saw X-Men last week and Maleficent yesterday.  Came upon the Ferndale Pride Sreet Fair and the Rrainbow Run. And Friday I fell into the black hole of Medicare insurance, also known as the donut hole. That caused a really funky pity party. Brian had to parachute down behind me to pull me out. And Shawn moved to Springfield, Illinois for the summer.  And of course her cat didn't want to cooperate. How's that for topics?  Oh yeah, we completed  more packing.  The front porch was completed on Saturday.  And the move is getting a near ... Paraphrasing "Blazing Saddles". Lol. You get all kinds of points if you know the reference. :-)

"The Jam", Larry Graham and Graham Central Station. The granddaddy of funk. The bass is the star.  I got sidetracked by the nurse.  I think I'll do the porch first.  After the winter broke, Brian tells me there is a hole in the porch. I clearly didn't understand the concept of "hole in the porch" until I saw it.  It was just big enough for a foot to go through, get stuck and break an ankle.  I called it the 1-800-CALLSAM hole.  Not good as we have people moving furniture and boxes out of the house.  I found a contractor.    For the "low" price of "it costs that much to replace a porch????!!!", I signed a contract.  Besides, I couldn't have potential buyers seeing that big ass hole before they even entered the house. *sigh*. 

The O'Jays, "Darlin', Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love).  They sound really good.  There were some considerations we had to deal with.  First was the awning.  That was a no, so the awning frame had to be removed.  Next was the railing. If the height of the porch was 3 feet, the railing was mandatory.  The height came in at 27 inches (whew). The giant shrubs flanking the porch may be a problem.  They weren't.  And the biggest issue was getting a permit (City bureaucracy). It took longer getting the permit than it took to tear down and rebuild the porch...but you knew that, didn't you?  Oh and finally, when the City inspector comes out to inspect, we have to have smoke detectors and CO monitor. Lol. What the heck does that have to do with a front porch?   Whatever, we complied.  

The Stylistics, "People Make the World Go Round". The Stylistics are right there with Dramatics.  So now I have a fabulous porch. The contractor even fixed the step to the front door.  Oh. And the awning frame?  With it gone, it throws visitors off.  The green spears was a distinctive trait of the house.  Now they're gone and it has confused people.  With them gone, the house does look different.  :)

Heatwave, "Grooveline". Heatwave the group back in day.  Saturday morning, we went grocery shopping at the Meijers on 8 mile.  We pulled up and had our pick of parking spaces!!!  On a Saturday morning?  Score!!!  Found everything on our list. Except fresh bay leaves. That was ok.  We even found the elusive salmon cream cheese!  Score!!!  Checkout lines we open.   We finished. Got out and what do you know?  The parking lot was now full!!  

We then headed to 7-11 for Slurpees. I'm really liking the Vernors. Yum. As we left, the are road closed signs on 9 Mile and Hilton.  But I could see a big ole some thing near Woodward.  So we drove to Woodward.  Parked and walked back to 9 Mile.  It was a band shell I'd seen. People were setting up booths on 9 Mile.  It was a street fair!  They were still setting up, but we were getting our stroll on.  Very quickly it was obvious this was a gay pride event. Rainbows and bright colors and flags and signs.  The further down the block, we noticed people covered in dye?  

It was a rainbow run. Apparently when the runners passed a station, someone tossed some powdered colored stuff on them.  When runners finished they looked like "rainbows". Lol. We were able to watch the dye toss at the last station. I have a few photos. It was a pleasant surprise and a great walk. I think we walked almost a mile.  Neither one of us had on walking shoes, but it was a great walk. My stamina keeps on getting better and better.  Yay!!!

Dr. Dre, "Let Me Ride". Huh, billionaire Dre. Lol. Let me make something clear.  I can function well on my off dialysis days. The days I have dialysis are so unpredictable. I can't determine what makes normal dialysis days better than others.  Of course on days with issues the feeling bad is predictable.  And I constantly fight feeling sad.  I think most of the patients feel this way.  We're trying normalize our lives as much as we can. 

Signing off with Dionne Warwick, "Walk on By". Word of caution.  Don't add an "e" at the end of your last name. ...   Enjoy your Monday!!