The "Good Bye 2014!", edition.

iPad shuffled to Heatwave, "Mind Blowing Decisions".  The end of another year. I remember when I was a kid I'd calculate how old I'd be in the year 2000. Now we're coming up on 15 years past 2000!  I never considered life past the year 2000.  Lol.  I think after that I was a one year at a time woman. I did to a countdown to retirement. Any time worked past 25 years was golden. Especially after my financial advisor explained a few things ( a lot ) to me. ;-)  I really did work as long as I could. Then the kidney failure hit. After that I seemed to work toward goals. Walking without the walker. Getting the infernal chest catheter removed, going to Disney World,  help Shawn  get settled into her new life, and moving to Las Vegas. And even out here goals are still being set. That's life isn't it?  Continuous planning and process improvement.  Lol. Once a Project Manager always a Project Manager.  I always said project management was just life. :)

Rick James,  "Give It To Me Baby".  Well, we're finishing 2014 in Las Vegas. We've been out here five months. I wouldn't change a thing. We've found our acrylic painting groove. Watercolor starts next month. I prefer watercolor but it doesn't hurt to learn both. We've redecorated the condo to open it and make it quite comfortable for 3 people.  And right now we're hosting Shawn and her friend and not feeling crowded...unless all 5 of us try to get into the kitchen...lol.  We also managed to go to visit Shawn twice.  Once at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and once in Springfield, Illinois, where she was involved with the illinois State Museums research project on President Lincoln's neighbor. The original neighborhood has been preserved. It's quite impressive. 

Shalimar, "For The Lover in You".  We went to Denver for a wedding. We went to New Orleans for a weekend birthday celebration. We emptied a house that had been lived in for over 50 years and had 4 generations of items and use. When we left all we took were clothes, computers, photographs and a car!  I dare you to try that!  Lol. I lost my dog. For the first time since I was 10 years old I am without a dog. And I really, REALLY miss having a dog. Life happens, eh?   

Lou Rawls,  "It Was a Very Good Year".  On the dialysis front, I successfully transferred from my Detroit clinic to the Las Vegas clinic. It helped that the Las Vegas clinic is the same clinic I used when I visited Las Vegas. I had visited it 3 times. :-)   And yes I dialyzed in Champaign, Illinois and in Springfield, Illinois this year. I kept the Denver trip short. We left after my Friday treatment and returned Sunday, so I didn't miss a beat. New Orleans was a bit different. I had treatment Wednesday and Thursday and we left early Friday. We returned Sunday.  I ended up with out treatment from Thursday afternoon until Monday morning. I didn't like going so long without treatment. I could feel the fluid building up. It was getting difficult to breathe. I was delighted to return for treatment Monday morning. Lol. Who says that?  Lol. Well the good thing was I didn't need oxygen. Anyway as you can see when I plan a trip, I really have plan a trip. *sigh*. 

Jackson 5,  "This Place Hotel".  I lost a very dear friend to kidney disease. It just broke my heart. We'd been friends since we were kids. But then another dear old friend found me...and he was having kidney issues!!  WTH?  Lol. What nonsense had we gotten into way back then that got the 3 of us to have kidney issues?  

Michael Henderson, "Valentine Love".  Shawn and her friend are having a good time. Right now they are at Treasure Island. The hotel had a deal where when you booked a room, you get 2 for 1 tickets to Mystere' (Cirque du Dolieil) , 2 for 1 buffet and drinks at the bar. The rates were incredibly inexpensive. I reserved a petite suits for them. When  we checked in the clerk tells us the petite suites have been sold out. I'm getting ready to say, "What?!" But the the clerk says so we've upgraded you to a luxury suite. Lol. The girls started beaming. Brian and I chucked because that's exactly heat happened to us when we stayed at Treasure Island....many years ago. Lol. They are on the 33rd floor, facing the strip. They have 2 bathrooms and one has a jacuzzi tub. Friend picked up a sculpture and announced " we have rich people art!!"  Anyway.  Last I heard they rode the roller coaster at New York New York.  The coaster runs around the outside of the hotel!   More of their escapades later. Oh yeah. There's a doorbell by the door!  

Signing off with Will Downing, "Send For Me".  2014 was fine with a few hiccups, but that's life, isn't it?  We keep moving on with plans. Brian and I wake up every morning asking what are doing today and then we "Plan, Do, Review" .... (Winks at Hester).  Or I call it project management. :)  I am that person who sees the glass half full.  I am the consummate optimist. I can't change that. With that said I'm looking forward to 2015. The first plans are the watercolor class and a visit to Laughlin, Nevada for a chili cook off. And believe it not that was Dad's idea!!!!!!!!  Roflmao.   Have a safe and happy New Yrars Eve.  And it's supposed to snow here. I've just met karma!!!  Lol. 

The "Dialysis Happens. Or Does It?", edition.

iPad shuffled to Earth, Wind and Fire, "Love's Holiday".  Well I finally got on my machine almost 2 hours late.  I know. You're asking, "Why is that Pat?  What happened?"  I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you.   I arrived at the clinic at my usual time. And the usual folks are there and they greet me with, "There's a problem with the water". Oh. That's a big frowny face. Purified, sterilized water runs through the dialysis machines. If the water doesn't work or isn't clean, then no dialysis for you...er me...er us. From that point more patients were coming in. We, the patients, have staggered chair times. There are 32 of us on first shift, but we don't all start at the same time. Well as we, the first of the first, are waiting, the remaining people of shift one started to arrive. 

The Isley Brothers, "Spill The Wine".  The first of the first group actually know each other. We are the ones waiting for the doors to open.  The people who come after us enter the treatment area when they come in.  But today these folks come in and realize the first of the first are still waiting. Lol. That has to be disheartening. We had to wait for someone to come and service the water issue and the all the machines have to be retested. I finally got on about 1.5 hours late. :-/  There was some suggestion that our dialysis times would be cut. Well, believe it or not, even though dialysis patients bitch and moan about treatment, watch us bitch and moan even more if someone suggests cutting our treatment time. Lol.  Talk was swirling about screwing first shift, but 2nd and 3rd shift would be fine???!!!! WTF?  Because the center didn't want to pay overtime. Oh hell no. You are not gonna deny me my full treatment because you don't want to pay me overtime!!!!!!   Well I was prepared to be Pat, but I didn't have to.  When I finally get hooked up, my tech asks do I want to do a full run. I say yes. And that was that. Lol. So I quickly came down to earth and lowered my hackles!  I usually get off around 8:30 AM. Today it's 10:00 AM. Oh well. Welcome to life on dialysis.  And most patients want full treatment. It's a bit more dicey for those using scheduled transportation.  

Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love".  I did get an opportunity to get to know some of my fellow warriors better. A couple have been doing dialysis fir 20+ years. That actually makes me fell better. We also discussed how we ended up with kidney failure.  There are so many reasons. Several were high blood pressure, another was a strep infection that found its way to the kidneys. I find it surprising that that folks I was with in Detroit came about kidney failure with diabetes and Lupus. And this not a scientific study.  Just surprised.  Bleah. Just told I have to come off 45 minutes early. But I'll still get the full amount of fluid pulled.  Lol. I had to negotiate the last half hour.  Lol lol. When the tech came over to tell me, the first words out of my mouth were, "I feel like I need to negotiate!"  And I did.  I'm good. It makes all shifts equitable instead of giving the first the royal screw. 

The Natural Four, "Can This Real".  Shawn's vegan friend is here!  Let the new eating experiences begin.  We went shopping at Whole Foods. It was a bit pricey for me, but the food looked good and they had an impressive vegan selection. Even chocolate cakes!  We had lunch at an Indian restaurant. I hadn't been to one before. And it was buffett. I fell in love with Chicken Tikka Masala and Tandori chicken. Yum yum yum. I did pass on the goat dish. But I did try the tamarind sauce. After this morning's  treatment we're heading to a place that sells vegan waffles. (See photos). 

Whodini, "Five Minutes of Funk".  Well, I did the dialysis front. It's cold here now. 37 degrees when we left this morning. But yesterday, even though the temp was in the high forties, a heavy sweater was enough because of the sun.  Jacket in the morning, sweater in the afternoon. And yes, jacket at night. Especially if the wind is blowing.  Anyway. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I'll be back Tuesday, December 30, 2014.  And will be looking forward to my full dialysis time!!!   

The "The Aftermath!", edition.

 I shuffled to Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk (featuring Bruno Mars)".  Starting out dialysis with funked up chair dancing. "If we show up, we're gonna show out". Nope. Not tired of it yet. The perfect song for 5:00 AM. Wake you up!  Lol. This is probably why I'm one of the few who doesn't sleep during treatment. I'm funking out in my chair. And let's add this. My headphones sort of fell apart on Tuesday.  Brian, being wasn't standing for that. He and Shawn "needed" to go to Fry's anyway. You remember Fry's.  It's Best Buy and Micro Center and Game Stop on steroids with a touch of Toys R Us and a touch of Barnes and Nobles, a sprinkle of Staples with a restaurant.  Talk about one stop shopping!  I got sidetracked by a bin of Play Doh, the sidetracked by cash registers. For sale, of course. Anyway. They went to Fry's and picked me up a new headphone. My Skull Candy head phones were fine. But this time they got me Bose!!  Merry Christmas.  These puppies are canceling out all noise in addition to a great sound.  

Rick James and Teena Marie, "Fire and Desire".  I had purchased all of the gifts. Brian had wanted a set from The Art of Shaving, but when we were at Costco a few weeks ago,  he drooled over a watch. I told him to pick one. The watch or the shaving set. After (not to much deliberation) he picked the watch. So I bought it for him. But because Brian is such a great Brian I decided to get him the other gift. So on Christmas Eve at 8:00 AM I went to Macy's and got the shaving set for him.  When I got home we went back out to get last minute stuff for Christmas dinner. 

The O'Jays, "Darlin', Darlin' Baby (Sweet and Tender Love).  So what did I need at the last minute?  Well, the bakeware and serveware was a problem. I needed 2 3 quart casseroles, 2 serving platters, another gravy boat and another serving fork. Brian needed a meat thermometer.  That was a quick stop at Target. Then off to the grocery store. I needed the fixin's for Snacks for Dad and Carl while they watched basketball before dinner on Christmas Day.  They had cheese and crackers, Chex mix (courtesy of Brian) and champagne. :-D. Got back home and it's time to cook!! 

Otis Redding, "Mr. Pitiful". So what was the menu?  Shawn pretty much wanted me to duplicate Thanksgiving dinner since she was in illinois at that time. We did roast beef instead of ham. So the final menu was Roast beef, Honey Baked Ham smoked turkey breast, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, green beans, candied sweet potatoes, rice with mushrooms, onions and beef broth  and potato salad. Rolls, roast beef gravy and turkey gravy, a relish tray with small sweet pickles and small dill pickles and green and black olives.  Yes it was a lot. And I made a lot. AND. I sent Brian out for desert, he came back with 4 pies and ice cream. *sigh*. Pumpkin, Apple, cherry and pecan.  Potato salad done on Monday. Green beans done on Tuesday.  Dressing and candied sweet potatoes done on Wednesday.  That left macaroni and cheese, the rice and gravies for Christmas Day.  Brian did the Chex mix Christmas Eve.  He started prepping the roast beef on Tuesday.  And yes it was delicious. Lol. On Christmas Day I'm like we forgot horseradish sauce!!!!  Brian rolled his eyes and said we're fine. Lol. 

Stevie Wonder, "Do I Do".  We expected 8 for dinner, but one person was sick. Well you know what?  I made way too much food.  Lol. The menu was huge and those 3 quart casserole dishes were provably a bit much. Lol. It's all good. I planned to send good home with our guests.  And bring a plate for my dialysis tech. :)  And you know what else?  I enjoyed every minute of it!!  Shawn, Brian and Dad helped.  We were together and just had a grand time.  Carl, Dad and Pauline enjoyed being together again. And I was delighted that we could facilitate it. Pauline brought her niece who was visiting from Atlanta. She thanked me and Brian for keeping an eye on Pauline. It is absolutely our pleasure. I love seeing the 3 of them enjoying each other's company.  And they all have an open invitation to join us for dinner anytime!  

Signing out with Usher "Yeah", featuring Lil' Jon and Ludacris". On the dialysis front, I kind managed the fluid intake. I did have some coffee with Baileys on Christmas morning. Yum. It's quiet in center. And now that Christmas dinner is over, Shawn's vegan friend flies in today!!  And now it's cold here. 40 degrees this morning!  I wore a hat. :-(    ;-D  Have a great day. Still on the holiday schedule. The next entry will be on Sunday, December 28, 2014. See you then. :). 

The "Christmas Spirit. Do You Have It?", edition.

 iPad turned the radio on and is playing Vince  Guaraldi Trio, "Christmas Time is Here". You may know it from The Charlie Brown Christmas. :-).  I spent just a moment getting back to my list.  Steve Miller, "Abracadabra".  Do you have Christmas spirit?  It changes over time.  Like when I was a kid. I was that kid that could barely contain herself starting right around my birthday.  I was that kid that could not sleep in Christmas Eve. At all.  In an effort to separate my birthday from Christmas, Mom wouldn't do anything Christmasy until after my brthday. I get it and appreciate it, but by Decemember 17 the whole Christmas bombardment was well underway.  As I got older, the magic was...different. I enjoyed spending it with family. Mom hosted the Chistmas dinner. While clearing out the house to move we found photos of several Christmas dinners. At least 15 people every time. And not always the same people. I found photos with my cousins' grandparents. The youngest cousin didn't remember them. Or photos of old boyfriends. Lol. Most of the people  are gone and missed.  And others are scattered across the country. 

Jamiroquai, " Virtual Insanity"   When we had Shawn, it began a grandparent fest. She was the first grandchild of my generation. So when I say grandparent fest, that included the great aunts and uncles. Lol. She'd always have some red fluffy dress and red ribbons in her hair. Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad moved to Las Vegas a few days after after Shawn's first Christmas. Remember, Shawn's birthday is December 12.  Anyway. They'd return to town every Christmas until the year Mom ended up with pneumonia. Now it was our turn to go to Las Vegas for Christmas.  

The Isley Brothers, "Hello It's Me".  Mom arranged for us to have a baby sitter in Las Vegas. That allowed us to run errands. Shawn visited Father Christmas at the castle (The Excaliber). Shawn saw Santa as a necessary evil. All of photos with Santa she's sporting a fake smile. Lol. Father Christmas, in his gold lame' gown was no different. She had to endure in order to go give Santa her wish list. Lol.  Mom would have the gigantic Christmas dinners in Vegas for friends. Sometime Brian's mom and sister would join us. 

 Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody".  We'd try to get out there every Christmas, but sometimes we just couldn't. We'd celebrate with Brian's family. I'd make a small dinner for us. Mom would still try to fix massive dinners, but it wear her out. I told Dad to take her out. There were plenty of Christmas dinner options in Las Vegas. She finally agreed.  The year she fell, 2011, we decided to not go to Las Vegas for Christmas because dad was having the hip replacement surgery right after January 1 and they both want me and Brian to help with recovery. Oh yeah.  She fell and was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Eve, their 57th wedding anniversary. 

Michael a Jackson, "I Can't Help It".  Christmas 2012 was pretty brutal. I had just started dialysis and was recovery from kidney failure. Mom was in a nursing home and she was dying. She was not expected to live past 6 weeks. I couldn't get there. Dad bought a dinner from Blueberry Hill and ate Christmas dinner with mom. I sent a small Christmas tree. By this time she wasn't able to talk.  But I did talk to her. <3. 

Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer For You". Last year Brian, Shawn and I came out for Christmas with Dad. We had a nice time just being with each other. This is when I resolved that we would make that move by the next Christmas.  And here we are. This year we are having a happy and festive holiday!  I've decorated the condo. Not overboard, but some nice touches. We plugged in a holiday smelling air  freshener. It smells like apple pie.  Lol. We don't have a large tree. Storage issues.  The iPad shuffled to Pharrell, "Happy".  :-D  We have a 1 foot tall tree sitting on a speaker and behind it are all the gifts. :-)  And we placed a 1 foot green metal tree with bells for ornaments on the table. 

The music will start today. Shawn had to finish a paper, so we gave her the space and stayed out of her way. She submitted the paper last night. Now it's time to celebrate!!  Isn't that something?  Back in our day we didn't leave campus until the assignment was complete and had to hand deliver a hard copy (typed) to the professors office.  She worked on it while waiting for the plane in O'Hare and on the plane and pushed a button to send it back to Champaign, Illinois. I'd say we all have entered the Christmas spirit zone!!

James Brown, "Get Up Offa That Thing".  My shopping is completed. The cooking starts today. I bought Christmas gifts for my dialysis tech and both of nurses. We're having 4 people over for dinner for a total of 8 people!!  Dad is smiling and enjoying his self. We're making this celebration of life, family and friends. We're starting yet a new tradition. And we all are loving it!!

Signing out with  Al Green, "Look What You've Done For Me".  Nothing special on the dialysis front. I've manage my labs and fluids so I can enjoy the holidays. I'm looking at visitors to the center getting dialysis. Yelling lady isn't here. I won't be back until Friday. The dialysis marathon is over.  Have a wonderful holiday!  I'll be back on December 26, 2014. And for those who want snow, I hope you get it. Gonna be in the high 60s where I'm at and I'm loving every minute of it!!!

The "Working With Really Special Kids", edition.

iPad shuffled to Peabo Bryson, "I'm So Into You".  I watched a Restautant Impossible episode that involved an update to a camp for special needs and terminally ill children.  It brought back memories of when I worked with special needs children. It started when I was at the University of Michigan. I took a psych class that had us volunteering at several agencies in the Ann Arbor - Ypsilanti area.  I was delighted when I saw one of the opportunities was to assist with teaching swimming at the Washtenaw County Intermedate School District. I didn't know what an intermediate school district was. I found out when I arrived. The name of the school was Highpoint. The students ranged in ages from preschool to 21 for job training. The disabilities spanned the spectrum. Up until that fall day, I'd never really been around any type of disabilities. On that day I got a whole new experience. I spent a semester teaching students of all ages to swim. The difference here was the student teacher ratio was 1:1.  I spent the semester in the water with my student.  Oh yeah. One Saturday Dad picked me up at the school. The kids were playing soccer. Dad was just amazed at kids playing soccer, running around in braces, on crutches, maneuvering wheelchairs and just basically being kids.  To the kids, there was no handicap. :-D

Stevie Wonder, "Black Man". Not too long after the class finished I got a job with the Ann Arbor Special  Recreation Department.  I taught swimming on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings and assisted with special events. The disabilities ranged from autism, sight impaired, hearing impaired, Downs Symdrome, paraplegics, a range of physical disabilities, mental disabilities, emotional disabilities and any combination of disabilities and others I'm sure I've forgotten.  At one point during the summer I taught adaptive swimming in Ann Arbor then drove to my job as a lifeguard in Detroit. I had 45 minutes to get from Ann Arbor to detroit. It was actually fairly easy. The school in Ann Arbor and the pool in Detroit were both right off the freeway!!  

A few years later I was recreation director at an Easter Seals day camp and eventually I was director of my own camp. :-)  Heh. I forgot it's Sunday. Early morning TV shows are ....scarce.  The first camp was in a recreation center on the east side of detroit on the river. Best location ever. Had to pass the Hare Kishna mansion to get there and there was an abandoned boat house nearby. I think it had been part of the Dodge mansion. The boat house was easily 5 stories. No, the kids were never allowed even in that area, but we adults explored it!  It's gone now, but even abandoned, it sure was impressive. 

Prince, "D.M.S.R."  After that first year, Easter Seals decided to have 2 camps. An east side camp and a west side camp. I was asked to be director of the west side camp. The camp would be at the Johnson recreation center. The same center wher I had my first lifeguard job!  It's had been rebuilt.  I agreed.  My kids ran the gamut of disabilities. Closed head injuries, diabetes mellitus, amputees, severe emotional injuries, autism and of course others I don't remember. I do remember my kid with sickle cell always found where the broken glass was to play around. :-/  My diabetes mellitus kid would steal lunches. My closed injury kid, in a motorized wheelchair, would attempt to run away at least once a week. We'd let her get so far. When we caught she'd laugh with delight!  The amputee would steal items and hide them in his prosthetic. Never a dull moment. :-)  Sadly one day when we met the bus we were informed that on of our younger campers had choked to death. On a piece of bread. That really me. My staff and I attended the funeral. 

Kool and the Gang, "Open Sesame (Pt. 2). My staff consisted of 2 college students. A nursing student and an education major student. I had 4 high school volunteers. Only the paid staff could pass out meds and we had a locked cabinet full!  And a bunch of whatever our sickle cell kid needed after he played in glass. The best part?  We went to an overnight camp for a week! In Brighton !!  Wheelchairs, prosthetics and all!!  My high schoolers were absolutely fabulous. A good time was had by all. And yes, my closed head injury sweetie made a run for it at camp also. I was also pleased that the parents trusted us with their precious children. And there were some very concerned parents. A few showed up at the camp. Lol. Everyone participated in the camp activities. Everything was adaptive. 

Ramsay Lewis and Earth Wind and Fire, "Sun Goddess".  Finally, you knew I was a certified Red Cross Lifeguard, but did you know I was a certified Red Cross instructor in Adaptive Aquatics?  Was. Not anymore. But I was trained to teach swimming to people with disabilities. Part of the training included simulating disabilities. Like having a 2 by 4 strapped on your limbs to simulate paralysis. My favorite (not) simulation was having to climb to the 5 meter platform and jump....all while blindfolded. Yikes!!!  So yeah. These memories bubbled up while watching the tv show. Good times.  :-)

Signing off with Vanessa Williams, "Dreamin'". Yelling lady is back and is strong. lol. I worried about her, but not glad to hear the yelling. :-/  Shawn came in last night!!!! Yay!!!! :-D. Nothing special on the dialysis front other day day 4 of the 5 days out of 9 day marathon. Some regulars are gone.  For Christmas I guess. And there are a few visitors. Been there done that.  Finished most of the grocery shopping. The cooking starts soon!!!!  Have a great day. I'll be back on Tuesday.  

The "I Miss My Dog", edition.

iPad shuffled to Five Special, "Why Leave Us Alone". I love the arrangement of this song. So much detail. And of course my friend Tony "T Money" Green on bass. And yes I liked the song long before I knew Tony played on it. They're Detroit talent. The lead singer is Brian Banks, younger brother of Ron Banks of The Dramatics, from Detroit. What?  I live in Las Vegas, you say?  I left Detroit willingly and happily?  Sure, but I'm still from Detroit!!!  I grew up in Detroit and lived there most of my life.  I'm all about Vernor's, American Coney Island, Kowalski meats, Better Made, Faygo, Cobo, Hart Plaza, cruising down the Detroit River, Ferndale, the Zoo, a quizillion apple orchards, Franklin Cider Mill, 1917 Bistro,  Belle Isle, DIA, Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Lions. :-D.  I can go on and on. 

Al Green, "Love and Happiness". And yes, Al Green lived in Detroit for a while. Ha! Bet you didn't know that!  I want to thank everyone who sent birthday wishes. Lol. I'm typing to the beat.  And it's a one finger type thing on the iPad. My right index finger ought to be really strong after all this time!  I digress. I loved hearing from everyone. :)  it was much appreciated. 

Gladys Knight and the Pips, "Everybody Needs Love". I went to download a song from Gladys on iTunes and there was a greatest hits album on sale. Like 14 songs for $5,00. It was an offer I couldn't refuse!  No real news on the dialysis front. On day 3 of the 5 day set (every other day for 9 days).  Yelling lady has been gone for a while. No idea how she is. Hispanic lady across fromme is back. My lower access didn't want to bleeding on Wednesday.  The tech suggested to the nurse that the dose of heparin get decreased. Heparin is a blood thinner. It helps to prevent my blood from clotting during treatment. Clottings during dialysis sucks in so many ways. The clots can gunk up the works in the machine. The tubing, dialyzer, or the thing that pools the blood. And you can see the clots. Ugh. The blood can also clot my access.  Of the the things that can happen, that's the worse. That causes the access to not work. When that happens, the best case scenario is having an angiogram to clear it.  The worst case is it ceases to work and I have to go through a series of surgeries. One to get a temporary chest access (catheter). ;-(  And one to get a new access (fistula)...which takes time to mature to be usable. Don't want that. At all. So why was the heparin dosage lowered?  I tended to bleed for a considerable amount of time after the needles were pulled. I mean like 20 minutes or more. Yes, the clotting needs to be controlled during treatment, but I do need to clot eventually!  Lol. Well, that was long.  

The Natural Four, "Can This Be Real". I miss my dog. A lot. I've a dog almost continually since I was 10 years old. Victor, my black mini-toy poodle, was my first. The came Maury the demon dog, also a black mini toy poodle  He was mostly mom's dog but we kept him when my parents moved to Las Vegas. We already had Clark the white standard poodle, when we got Maury. Good times!!!  Lol. And finally Jade, the West Highland White Terrier (Westie), which Shawn selected.  I liked poodles but the westie was a whole new experience!!!  Let's just say I turned into the crazy westie lady. Sigh. Anyway, the condo doesn't allow pets (although some people have snuck in cats-lol). So you know what happened?  Brian bought me the most life like stuffed westie for our anniversary!!!  I named him George. Any fans of Warner Brothers cartoons will get it.  George is actually a reasonable facsimile. I can hug him and squeeze him....  So maybe some day we'll move somewhere that is pet friendly, but George will have to do for now. Still, I miss having a live dog. If we're out on Saturdays and the strip mall has a Petco or Pet Smart, we always go look at the dogs looking to be adopted and drop a few dollars in the box for dog food for the shelter. I am a dog person and I miss having a dog. 

Signing off with New Edition, "If It Isn't Love". The next time I record an entry my baby will be here!!  Loving forward to seeing her. It's been 4 months. Lol. That's not really that long, is it?  Well it's long enough for me!!  Have a great day. See you Sunday!  

The "It's My Birthday!!!", edition.

iPad shuffled to "Heaven's Girl", Ron Isley, Charlie Wilson, Aaron Hall, R. Kelly, Naomi Campbell, Quincy Jones. From the album, Q's Jook Joint.  My buddy is back. I'm going to start calling him Mustang Mac. He drives a mustang. Lol. Am I clever or what?  Anyway. His access, the fistula, stopped working on Friday. The doctors couldn't get it working. He had to get the chest catheter in order to dialyze. He went 4 days without treatment. That's some scary shitl. But he's ok now. Was glad to see him back.  I call that a happy birthday gift!  Walker Guy wasn't there when I arrived and walked through the doors at 4:45.  He did come in a few minutes later. It was just a case of late bus. Whew!  But little Hispanic lady who sits across from me isn't here. As always, I hope she's ok.  

"Butterflies", Michael Jackson. Today is my birthday.  I've made it through another year!!  Whoo hoo!!  This whole being alive, staying alive, having a reasonable quality of life thing is precious. And dicey. I know you're tired of hearing about how I was 2 hours away from death, but it sure has given me a new perspective of life.  I seem to notice and marvel at the beauty of everything. I want to show my family and friends how much they mean to me, how much I love them, how much I appreciate them. Even when we disagree, I'm not interested in changing how they think, only that we exchange ideas and understand each other. We can agree to disagree.  I love y'all. 

Cream, "Sunshine Of Your Love".  I don't get stressed over much anymore. Hell, I even walk into dialysis with a smile. And even better, I leave with a smile....running to get the hell out of there!!!  Lol.  My point is, we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. And you can't worry about it because....you don't know what you don't know. Let the "what ifs" go. Just forge on and plan for the future. And enjoy your life. That alone will just make you feel good. :)

James Brown, "Get Up Offa That Thang".  I wanted to get Dad a new cell phone. His phone had to be at least 15 years old.  Lol. A friend referred me to Consumer Cellular. They work with seniors and have an AARP discount. Well, Dad's bill dropped from $70+ to under $25!!!!! And I was able to purchase an "easy mode" smart phone for him!!  The phone is my Christmas gift to him.  He gets to keep the bill. Lol.   He doesn't need a majority of smart phone features. We'll see how he takes to the phone. We're going see how he works with texting. Cross your fingers. He was able to keep his phone number. :)   Oh and yesterday the three of us went to look at colors to replace the vertical blinds. Geez, so many neutrals!!!  Lol. Anyway, afterwards it was lunchtime. We went to a Greek restaurant, "The Fat Greek". The 3 of us ordered The Fat Greek.  Lol. It's the largest gyro I'd ever seen. And they add feta to it. Now Detroit has Greektown with really great food but this gyro was the best  I've ever had.  And that's a pretty heady statement. And did I say it was huge?  Dad devoured it. Lol. He'd never had a gyro. We were pretty silent while eating with the exception of a few Mmmms and yummms.  Lol. 

Signing off with The Intruders, "Together". (Dance with Brian). Old school R&B. My plans for the day are  the same as most dialysis days. Go to breakfast. I want to go to Marys Hash House. So good and her homemade chipotle sauce is so good on her fresh made home fries...with peppers and onions. And her homemade apple butter  on the sourdough bread is just sweet enough. Brian prefers the jalapeno jelly. And she serves up coffee in regular or bold. I get bold. ;-)   After that we go home and I stumble into bed and take a nap. I may or may not go out later. But for sure, I'll functioning and ready to go the next day.  And that's  just fine with me.  As I stated before, I'm grateful to make it celebrate this birthday.  As I will be for every other birthday!!!  Have a fabulous day. Make sure you celebrate you today!!!!

The "It's Time For The Holiday Dialysis Schedule", edition.

Ipad shuffled to Steely Dan, "FM".  So what's up with Angelina Jolie having chickenpox.  And even more worrisome is the number of NHL players with the mumps!!  And the Detroit Lions have won 10 games. Brian and I were discussing the last time they won that many games in one season. I suggested it was when Wayne Fontes was coach. Rodney Peete and Barry Sanders. I checked and I guessed correctly. In 1991. Over 20 years ago. That's just sad. I must add I thought maybe Darryl Rogers. How far back did I go? Lol. 

Michael Jackson, "Butterflies".  I really like this song. So first things first. My buddy isn't here today.  On Friday his access stopped working. I don't know if it clotted or what. That it's not working isn't good at all. That access is our lifeline. Literally. Without that access there is no way to remove the extra fluid nor to remove the toxins. How precarious is the life of a person on dialysis. We may survive up to 6 weeks without treatment, but it's a miserable existence. The fluid builds up and we end up drowning in our fluids as the fluids makes its way to our lungs.  Gasping for air. Like a fish out if water. And the fluid makes its way to our lungs because without kidneys, we have no way dispose of wastes and toxins. Remember. A majority of people with kidney failure don't urinate. And if we do, the pee is clear because we aren't ridding our body of the toxins. Look at it like this. My body is doing its thing. Processing and moving stuff around. When it's time to dispose of the wastes, the waste products attempt to go to the kidneys. The kidneys say, sorry, we're out of business.  The wastes then look for a different place to go. Hey, those lungs look good, we'll just drop the fluids off there. The lungs are like, WTH?????  Stop stop!!!  Until the lungs just can't take it anymore.  

Michel'le,  "Something In My Heart".  The holiday schedule begins on Sunday, December 21. Now this may sound crazy, but I'm looking forward to it. Instead of MWF, weekend off, then MWF again, I go Monday (today) Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday. Off Wednesdsy and Thursday. Then back to Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, off Wednesday and Thursday.  Then the downside. Back on Friday, weekend off (yikes) and back to my MWF schedule. So why am I looking forward to it?  I like that front load of 5 treatments without the weekend.  I can prepare for Christmas. If I overindulge in fluid intake, it's tempered with a next day removal, instead of having to endure the weekend. The downside is the back end of 2 days off, treatment, then 2 more days off. 5 days and only 1 treatment day in that 5 day period (yikes again). This is fine though. The patients and staff have Christmas Day and New Years Day off. But ultimately there is no vacation from dialysis. Except for the transplant. 

Beyonce, "Me, Myself and I". I've mentioned that Brian, Dad and I go to brunch every Sunday. We've expanded from the buffets (whew). We've been to a local seafood restaurant, Applebee's and yesterday we went to PF Changs. And by the way, he's found another Brazilian steak house he wants to try. He's still talking about Texas de Brazil. Lol. Anyway, we've been introducing cuisines that he's not familiar with. Not only restaurants, but our cooking also. And he's enjoying it. When he'd go out in the past, he'd order fish and chips. Always. I saw a hint of change last summer.  At Red Lobster he ordered the parmesan crusted tilapia!!!! I mean it was fish and chips, but not the fried kind.  And yesterday I had him try my hot and sour soup. He liked it. And he didn't order his stand by, that he's ordered his entire life, pepper steak. He ordered sriacha spicy chicken. And devoured it!!!  Lol. We're having fun with him on his food discovery journey. I'm enjoying being here with Dad and am so grateful that Brian is here also.  <3. 

Signing out with Maxwell, "Ascension, ( Don't Ever Wonder ).  I've jumped to hyper planning mode for the holiday. Most of the shopping is complete, bagged and under the "tree". I'll publish a photo of the "tree" soon. We had to get linen for the sofa bed.  We're expecting to feed 8, so we're planning the shopping list and adjusting the menu. Shawn is arriving Saturday!!! And we're planning for that. The condo is decorated as much as it's going to be. Shawn may put up lights. We'll see. And I can see the snow on the mountains. How nice. Especially since it stays there!!! Yeah!!!  Have a great day and revel in the Lions standing!!!! 

The "Happy Birthday, Shawn!!", edition.

"Uptown Funk", Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.  Wake you up, start the head bopping, chair dancing song. "If we show up, we gonna show out!.".   It is really hard trying to type to this song. I'm bouncing, singing and trying to dance instead of concentrating my thoughts on writing.  Ok. First things first. I mentioned on the last edition that yelling lady was taken out by EMTs. This morning a visitor was put in the chair. I'll ask about her and see if I get any information. I think we got accustomed to the yelling and kinda miss her. (!) 

Today is the birthday of my child. My baby. My daughter!!  You know, from the time she was born, I'd pray that my child would become an independent, compassionate, productive member of society.  Independence.  She is living in an apartment (I call it a duplex) with a roommate.  She pays her bills. Has renter's insurance. She's mother to a feisty man-cat. She's taking care of business. Her job is truly  going to school. Productive. She has a PhD fellowship at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. A Big 10 University.  She has presented findings from her projects at several conferences for professional organizations all over North America. She has friends and contacts from all over the country, all over the world!! Compassionate.  She is involved  in the current protests, an active participating member. I like that. 

"Classic", Kanye West, KRS-1, Nas and Rakim. But on top of all of that, she is a good person. Raising her was fun. We encouraged her discover and ask questions. One day when she was young we were watching TV when the news came on. I was going to change the channel. My mom, who had 2 master degrees, 1 in education and the other in early childhood education and taught kindergarten for 40 years, stopped me. She says it was good for her to be exposed to the news and current events. Ok. Who was I to argue with an early childhood expert!  Lol. We found that letting her watch the news had her thinking and forming opinions. She'd ask us about events and we'd discuss them.  Imagine our surprise and amusement at our 5 year old announcing to us that OJ Simpson was guilty during the trial!!!   So yeah, we asked her why and she gave us her reasoning. She has always been allowed to form her own opinions. We'd ask her questions, but for the most we'd let it stand. She was allowed to view the world through her lens with the guidance of her parents, not her parents determining how she thinks. We may disagree on some things, but then we end up presenting our views to each other. It's a very enjoyable relationship. 

Ohio Players, "I Want to Be Free". So today is her birthday and Brian and I celebrate our daughter, our only child. We marvel at the intelligent, activist, involved young woman she's become.  Who still calls us Mommy and Daddy. :-)  The  young woman who is excited to come and visit her parents for the holiday.  The young woman who's offered to cook us meals while staying here. And you better believe there are 3 people here who can hardly wait for her to arrive!!  Hrmmm. My buddy in the blue mustang is leaving early. His access isn't working. That means a trip to the vascular surgeon. Now. I should see him on Monday.  Well I digressed. 

Tom Browne,  "Funkin' For Jamaica".  LOVE me some funk. So happy birthday to most wonderful person I know. She's going to Seattle for a few days while she's out here. Another archeology conference. She amazes me and you'd better believe she's all in for archeology. It's especially exciting when she dumbs down her work for me and Brian!  Lol. But we sit and listen enraptured because she's our baby. And we do learn something. Love you Shawn!!!  Have a great birthday!!!!  <3. 

Parliament,  "Give Up the Funk". On the dialysis front I found out that yelling lady is back in the hospital. And walker guy had low pressure episode on Wednesday.  Guy with tattoos on his head isn't here today. That worries me.  Don't want to miss the day before the weekend. Also. I go out and do stuff of my off days, but it's still not unusual to feel punky while we're out. Like yesterday. After a little shopping we ended up at Costco    I started feeling woozy. Somehow I fought it back, but that's exhausting. I was so relieved to get back to the car and recline. Side note. When we bought the car, it was between the Fusion and the Escape. The Fusion won because it had the electric passenger seat recliner. The Escape did not. WTF?  Lol. It cost the same, but that was not even an option!!  Ford in its infinite wisdom decided that the Escape didn't need that feature. That was a deal breaker for me. Sometimes I need to recline coming from dialysis. 

Signing off with New Edition, "If It Isnt Love".  Winter storm coming to Las Vegas. That translate into no sun and rain. Lol lol lol. Winter storm indeed. Rolling on the floor laughing. Have a great weekend. Let the decorating begin!!!

The "Redecorating an Apartment", edition.

 Ipad shuffled to Stevie Wonder, "Go Home".  I've mentioned that I've been redecorating the apartment. I'm sure if I've explained how we ended up moving into Dad's condo unit. That was not the plan. The plan was Brian, me and the dog would find a 3 bedroom condo in Vegas and Dad would move in with us.  Dad was on board.....with conditions. The conditions Brian I had were 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms and a den, single story and pet friendly. Dad added senior community, gated community and at least 1500 square feet. And on the east side of town. He wants easy access to Boulder Station. And of course Brian and I had a dollar limit. I asked to Dad to look for condos. He got a real estate agent for the task. 

Johnny "Guitar" Wayson, "Aint That a Bitch".  Heh. Apparently we were asking for the holy grail. A 3 bedroom unit in a senior community is almost nonexistent. 1500 square feet?  Hahaha. The 1500 square foot, 3 bedroom units can be found at.....the condo we live in!!!   Lol. Ain't that a bitch?  Lol. Except no pets. And Dad complained that the bedrooms were smaller in the units. Of course. Then he says,  "Why don't you move in with me until you find something you like". Uh huh. That was the plan all along. And you knw what?  I'm not going to disrupt his life by moving him. This has been his home girl over 20 years. And frankly after doing the work to move from Detroit to Las Vegas I wasn't ready to move again so soon. So here we are. 

The Gap Band, "Yearning For Your Love".  Some things had to be done in order for us to move into his unit. He gave us the master bedroom, with the king bed and he moved into the smaller bedroom with the double bed.  When we visited, Brian and I stayed in the small bedroom. I swear the double bed was a small double bed. Lol. If someone needed to turn,we'd have to turn together'. Lol. And the bed was impossibly low. With my mobility issues I had to bounce a lot to get some momentum to stand up. Lol. Now Dad offered his bed, but the matress was impossibly hard. I couldn't sleep on it. Last year, about a month before Christmas visit, we bought a king matress set and had it delivered to Dad. He'd already moved into the small bedroom in anticipation of us moving out there. See, he'd already planned this out. ;-/  

Heatwave, "Always and Forever".  So fast forward. Dad is clearing out a lot of Mom's stuff. This keeps Dad busy. The closest get emptied and the clothes get donated to Safe Nest. Mom had several sets of China and stemware (sound familiar?  Lol). Alrighty,  5:39 AM and yelling lady is here.  There were also 5-6 sets of cookware, 2 curio cabinets filled...FILLED with figurines. What was happening is Dad was in tandem with us in clearing out the stuff.  Mom had basically duplicated a lot of things in Las Vegas that she had in Detroit. 

Isaac Hayes, "Joy".  Once I arrived in July, I asked for the dresser to go. We needed room for maybe the computers or my home hemodialysis set up. Besides in addition to a monstrous dress,there was also chest and a recliner ( which was broken ) that had to go. Besides, the smaller bedroom had 3(!) chests.  We purchased a TV stand, 3 drawers chest for the bedroom. That took care of the TV and additional storage. The China cabinet left early on. Dad asked if I wanted any of the China or stemware and my answer was no. No place to store it. I missed the holiday sets, but not that much. For some reason Mom has about 20 place settings of the regular dishware. (?). 

Eddie Holman,  "Hey There Lonely Girl".  We finally we ready to tackle the living room. Mom was old school. No TV in the living room. With 3 of us in the condo, we needed the living room to be usable space. I also needed a sleeper for when Shawn came to visit. That, apparently, was going to be a challenge. 

Rick James, "Give it to Me, Baby". Chair dance!!  Yeah, I'll finish the decorating story of Friday. I want to mention how Dad even got to the gap Band. When I arrived in late July, brianand thecareermag were still in Detroit. Dad let me use his car. I changed his radio station from jazz to R&B. I forgot to change it back. He decided he liked the music when he drove, so stayed on the station.  He especially liked Stevie Wonder. So he's been listening to old school R&B. And The Gap was new to him. He liked to song, but couldn't quite get the lyrics!!!  

 

Signing off with  Tina Turner, "Proud Mary". I know Ike was an idiot, but I like his voice backing Tina in the first part of the song.  On the dialyisi front, I had a little bleed out on Monday. I got bandaged, but thr access decided it wanted to bleed more. I stood up to pack up and saw the bandage was turning red. I sat down and tech was on it. She took the bandage off and here the gushing of blood!  You need  to see me move and adjust do the blood stays on my left arm. Never on my clothes. I should quit dressing nice to go to treatment. Well, I won't wear white, but I see no need to look like bum. I'm old school I guess. If I think I look nice, I feel better. :-)  Have a great day!!  Photo of the living room before I changed it. Lol. This was my first attempt at a selfie in front of a mirror. Taken last year. Dad figured it out for me!!  Lolololol. 

The "Getting in the Mood for Christmas...in the Desert!", edition.

Ipad shuffled to Big Daddy Kane, "I Get the Job Done". "I work, baby".  I'm working on getting in the Christmas spirit. It's not really hard. In 2011, I wasn't feeling great, but I was well enough. Shawn put up the tree and decorated the house. I cooked a dinner for the 3 of us. I tried creamed spinach for the first time. It was good. Also it was Dec 24 when Mom fell, went to the hospital and never came home. Dec 2012 I had just been diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease. About 7 weeks out of the hospital.  I was still using a walker.  I did all of my shopping online. And even attempted cooking a thing or two for dinner. Shawn was home for Christmas and put up the tree.  Dad spent Christmas with Mom on the nursing home. He picked up a dinner from Blueberry Hill restaurant so he could eat with her. I sent a small live Christmas tree to her.  I hated not being able to get to Las Vegas that year. Mom died that January, 2013. 

Jackson 5,  "Who's Lovin' You". December 2013, my family traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate Christmas with my dad.  We didn't put up a Christmas tree, but we had a little tree to put on top of the pile of gifts. Lol. I purchased some poinsettias and Shawn strung some light on the porch railing.  Shawn, Brian and I fixed dinner.  Dad was happy we were there. I was glad to be with him. I didn't like him being alone. 

The Whispers,  "Don't Be Late For Love".  Now it's December 2014. My home is now in Las Vegas. We've redecorated the condo. Gone are the china cabinet, the 2 (!) curio cabinets. The sofa, love seat, two end tables, coffee table and two impossibly heavy table lamps are gone. The living room now has a 3 piece sectional, 2 floor lamps and a nice size flat screen. And no, I'm not putting up a floor Christmas tree. But I am decorating. I have 2 red poinsettias to go with my 2 orange poinsettias from Thanksgiving.  The door to the apartment has a fancy Merry Christmas sign.  I bought some red and green garland to hang somewhere inside. 5:33 AM and yelling lady is here...yelling. We expect Shawn to hang the outdoor lights again. Lol. Hi Shawn!!  I have Bath and Body Works wallflowers with Christmas-y smells in the living room and in the hallway outside of the apartment near our door.  Oh yeah, the vertical blinds are being replaced. A different color.  And the carpets are getting cleaned this week. 

The Guess Who, "American Woman".  I've been to the dollar store to get the bags. I haven't wrapped a present in over a decade!!  I've finished a lot of my shopping. Hey. I bought some things from Etsy vendors. A great experience.  One venor included a handwritten thank you note. The other sent a sample of his products. And they delivered before the large stores!  I'll be using Etsy again oh yeah. I used it for Small Business Saturday. I wasn't venturing out that weekend for shopping.  Finally, Brian and I were talking about the Christmas Day menu. I pretty much have to duplicate Thanksgiving dinner for the kid. She requested it. Who tells their kid no?  Well within reason. Lol. Apparently your baby is your baby forever. <3.  

Tavares, "Check it Out". A go find Brian to slow dance song. *swoon*. Nothing special on the dialysis front. My nurse draws pictures on the back of her gown. She's had Minions, a portrait of Michael Jackson and too many for me to remember. Today it's a smart phone. Well since I'm talking about the nurse, you must be saying what does the nurse do?  They give the injections, administer medications. Most injections go through the tubing, the tubes that return the blood back to the body. The flu and pneumonia shot goes directly into my arm. I got something when I travelled in addition to the TB test. I forgot what it was. The nurses also monitor our trending stats.  They also are the ones who give the Tylenol, Immodium and whatever else others need. They also feel us up...checking for fluid in our lungs, listening to our heart, checking the fistula, squeezing our ankles (again looking for swelling. It tickles).  And they look at our feet.  Well that's primarily for diabetics. 

Logging out with  Grandmaster Flash and the Furious a Five, "The Message". The other day Dad was telling us about a song he liked, but he didn't understand the lyrics and he couldn't find the song on YouTube. Yes my dad uses YouTube!  He says the lyrics were " You bought the farm for me". It took me and Brian about 5 seconds to figure out he was talking about The Gap Band, "You dropped a bomb on me". Lol lol. Rofl. :-D  He said liked buying a farm better.  Lol. Photo of my nurses smart phone and me on the new sofa. Stay warm and have a great day!!!  

The "Coping With Failed Kidneys", edition.

Ipad shuffled to The Stylistics, "You Make Me Feel Brand New". One of my all time favorite songs.  As I listen to this song, I realize that I could say the lyrics to Brian. Ok. Enough gushing over Brian. Lol. But he had an integral part in my recovery and how I'm to functioning today. I've explained how I felt horrible in the months leading up to full kidney failure.  I've been reading how other people cope. We all  take different paths into failed kidneys. I have a problem calling it kidney disease. That would mean my kidneys are functioning. Sick, but functioning. But that is not the case.  My kidneys are useless. Some people are born with congenital kidney disease.  Some are born with defects that affect the kidneys. Some have cancer of the kidneys. Some kidneys fail due to uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes. I have a hereditary blood disorder that has affected my health my entire life, including my now failed kidneys.  And there are a whole myriad of conditions that I'm not familiar with. 

The Weather Girls, "It's Raining Men". Whoo hoo!!!  I partipate in several dialysis support groups and The National Kidney Foundation, a dialysis patient advocation organization and read blogs of dialysis patient blogs. I get a lot of information, but I also get a lot of perspectives of how people cope. And boy, do dialysis patients cope!!   The nature of failed kidneys means theire is a domino effect on the rest of our organs.  The kidneys flush and regulate cleaning the toxins out of our bodies. But!!!  Our kidneys don't work. So we do dialysis. Or get a transplant (if you're fortunate). We here in the U.S. Get dialyzed in center 3-5 hours a day, 3 days a week.  Oh yeah. Did you know the U.S. Payments get the least amount of dialysis than most countries?   Did you know that a large proportion of dialysis centers in the US are forprofit?  And that affects our level of care?  We actually get minimal care compared to some European countries or Australia. 

Public Enemy, "Don't Believe The Hype".  Our organs. Because the potassium isn't cleared out regularly, our hearts have to be monitored. And have to be between certain levels. Too much potassium and we can drop dead.  No warning. Too much phosphourus causes bone and heart problems. Phosphourous is in dairy, beans and nuts. Calcium is watched. It's an interesting dance of balancing and watching what you eat and prescribing the right drugs, and the right dosage of the drugs. Oh yeah,  there's a vitamin D deficiency. Heh and even pain pills. Tylenol? Advil? Aleve?   Each has its issues.  And then there are the different types accesses to flush those kidneys. AV fistula?  Chest catheter?  Peritoneal catheter?  All of them increase my susceptibility to infection. I'm a hand washing, Purel using fiend now, acutely aware of being in public places. 

Snoop Dogg, "Who Am I (What's My Name)". The bass is real strong in this. :-)  So through all this I'm coping. No rabbit holes in a while. But I think I know why. My mortality is staring me down. I'm good with that.  I'm entering the midway point of my 5 tear life expectancy. 2 1/2 years to go. I have a long term life event goal. That being said I can't controll things that can happen. I read about what other dialysis patients have to endure and it's so freaking frightening. Can that happen to me?  Maybe. But I do get that everyone's situation is different. And I do get my attitude has a lot to with it. I think that's why Brian lets me flirt with the rabbit hole and then yanks me back. Thanks, dear. I I could list the many trials that the patients go through. I'm saying they're scary, but I can say I'm informed. It lessens the unknown. Makes life bearable. 

Outkast, "So Fresh, So Clean". So how do I cope?  Hell, I'm happy to be alive!!  I smile and I mean it. Of course some times I'm cranky and tired, but we all get that way.  I am that rainbow person. Lol. Where the hell did that come from?  I'm grateful for many things and I have no problem letting people know I'm grateful they're in my life. I have no problem letting friends and family know how much I love them. I also am realistic, but I sure as heck control what I can. A lot of the care responsilbity is up to me. I'm game.  Here's a chair dance tune, Destiny Child, "Jumpin', Jumpin'". 

Signing out with Brownstone, "Grapevyne". My friend complained it was cold, then posted, "It's Cold in the D". Lol. We all could have done without that. Lol lol. Have a great weekend. :-)  

The "Spending Time in the Barbershop", edition.

 iPad shuffled to Marvin Gaye, "You Sure Love to Ball". This shuffle was a pleasant surprise. I mean, back in the day, we were scandalized by the title, but you can't beat the melody and arrangement. Eh. And of course the network didn't want to cooperate this morning. It just decided it wanted to behave. It's now 5:35.  I typed the shuffle info 20 minutes ago. Tried to save and nothin'. But that's over now.  Yelling lady is here, but appears sedated. In spite of her yelling, I feel so sorry for her. Imagine being sedated the majority of the day, being aware of your surroundings only on a base or primitive level. The other day her refrain was, "I want my son". At the top of her lungs. :-(  Moving on. 

Barry White, "Playing Your Game, Baby".  It was time to get my haircut again. Back to the barbershop. Brian had been back before without me. I can tolerate a longer growth than him. He gets to looking a little fuzzy. Afro ahoy!!!!  The barbershop is in downtown Las Vegas, one block south of East Fremont. I need to explain downtown Las Vegas.  It was about a three block area west of Las Vegas Blvd on Fremont Street. Yes, the Las Vegas Blvd that is the strip. Back in the day you could drive down Fremont. It dead ended at the Plaza Hotel.  Trivia. The Plaza is the model and was used for Biff's home in Back to the Future 2. Years ago the street was closed off and a massive canopy was constructed. The canopy has a light show. It's really cool. Now it's even better. Street artists perform, kiosks abound. And don't forget the zip line!! The casinos have open air bars. Concerts and festivals are held there. It's called The Fremont Street Experience.  It's much different from the strip. 

The Moody Blues, "Nights in White Satin". Don't ask. Lol. Fast forward to the last several years. The area east of Fremont was pretty seedy. Well not anymore. Can you say gentrification?  Actually a lot of small businesses and restautants have popped up and there's constant construction and rebuilding. So to now get to my point. The barbershop is right there in the middle of the construction, in the new hip area. The strip of buildings where the barbershop are getting a new facade. It looks like A Cut Above is here to stay.  

Chrisette Michelle, "Be OK". So yesterday morning we walk in.  Five barbers busy at work. Brian's barber nods. My barber smiles at me. Both have clients Brian and I sit and wait. But not too long. I notice I'm the only woman there. I notice of the men are getting their beards and mustaches are being groomed. With straight edge razors!!!  There's also the guy who's talking crap. Who didn't get any service. He just came in to talk. And they all talked joked and were generally having a good time. I asked Brian if they toned it down because I was there. He said a little. Lol. I told him the beauty shop gets raunchy pretty quickly. Lol. My barber, Mike Jones, nailed the cut again. :-)  Another useless fun fact. The name guy who did my hair in Detroit is Willie Jones!  It's a pleasant experience. Did I mention that before the haircut, he puts something onmy head then massages my head for about a minute?  Lol that'll relax you. I'll be back. :)  

James a Brown, "Get Up Off That Thing". On the dialysis front, yelling lady is mostly quiet now. I got moved to another area, temporarily. The machine at my station was having issues. The only issue I have with my temporary is the placement of the chair and machine. The machine is on my right. My access on the left arm. I have the tubing draping across my body. Like a fancy blood necklace. :-/   And if I touch the tubing I get to feel warm blood flowing to and from the machine back to my body. Ew?  Oh yeah. I brought my hat today. Short hair, cold head. 

Signing out with Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk". Major chair dancing.  One of those rare songs that I loved, yes I said loved, the first time I heard it!!!  Finally, it's feeling like fall here. Yesterday was cold and it rained most of the day and into the night. Omg I need to stop this dancing. I'm going to stay warm. Wearing a sweater. Toasty!!!  You stay warm, too. :)

 

The "It's December Already?", edition.

iPad shuffled to the Five Heatbeats, "Nothing But Love". Lol. I need to watch the movie again. For the 54 gazzillion nth time.  I told you that when we arrived at the clinic Friday morning at 4:30 AM that the mall across the mall street was pretty crowded but not full. When I came out around 8:30 AM it was more full. Not all the way to the road, but it could get full later on in the day. We headed to Mary's Hash House, which is not near any mall. Arrived about 5 minutes before it got packed. Ugh. I just choked on an ice cube...wtf?  Lol.  And when I say it got packed, I mean a party of 8 came in immediately followed by a party of 11. Then groups of 3 and 4 and a few more couples. The restaurant has maybe 20 tables of 2-4 seats, a counter and usually a single waitress. Mary is there every now and then. Mary's daughter was there to assist that day. She most certainly was needed. Did I tell you Mary has the best hash ever?  She makes her own jellies. And ketchup?  Lol. I'll save the description for another day.

L.T.D., "Love Ballad". Also on Friday yelling lady started out hoarse, but she found her stride. :-(  And finally my tech was lamenting that she forgot to bring her lunch. She said she was going to call her husband to bring her lunch. I offered to call Brian and have him bring some of our leftovers. She took me up on my offer. She let me know this morning that she enjoyed the meal and it kept her fed all day. She was om a 16 hour day.  Brian packed massive portions.  And we still ate leftovers through Saturday. Lol. Candied sweet potatoes, dressing, green beans and cranberry sauce are now gone. Some potato salad and macaroni and cheese are left, as well some ham and turkey. I'm looking forward to turkey sliders and will make turkey gumbo with rice today. I made scrambled eggs with (lots of) ham and cheese yesterday.  

The Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight".  Didn't go shopping on Friday.  We did go to Boulder Station Casino to "crack the safe", a promotion. I won nothing of note. The last day was Saturday. That was a bit better. I got 4000 points for my account. I'll explain that one day. The new promotion starts this month. Lol. They also give away pies and dinnerware. And lots of 2 for 1 buffets. Lol.  I did do some shopping on Etsy trying to support small Black businesses. And Sunday.  Damn Macy's. They sent me a notice that Cyber Monday starts now. The buy one pair of boots, get the second pair of boots free hooked me. Shawn had asked for a pair of boots. After looking at scores of boots at Macy's and DSW, I gave up and told her we'd look when she got here. The buy one get one free changed all of that. I sent her the link and told her to pick 2 pair. She picked 4 pair and told me to pick 2 pair and surprise her. Smart ass kid. Lol. 

Wolfmother, "Woman".  I asked my young niece in detroit where she liked to shop. She gave me the names of 2 stores. One doesn't sell gift cards online. And by the way. If you have a gift card, you can't use it at the online store. Yeah. Ok. That one is off the list. The other store was all in.  I can send it directly to her. Except, according to the comments, there is no option to indicate the gift giver. You know, no message option for the buyer. Oh well. I'll let her know  it's being sent. 

Stevie Wonder, "Send One Your Love".  On the dialysis front no new news. I now get my drugs via mail with automatic refills. So now I'm being overrun by all my meds. Lol. I have bags I haven't even opened.  Today there are 2 new people in my little area of 6. But I've mentioned that the clinic is a transient center, which means they accept traveling dialysis patients. I don't like the term transient. ;-(   And yelling lady is here *sigh*.  Home hemo can't come soon enough. Stay strong, Pat!!!

Signing off with Tevin Campbell, "Can We Talk".   I know this will cause eyes to roll but it has to be said. The temp here is unseasonally warm. I check the weather with the hourly option to plan my day. I haven't gotten it right.  Lol. I either dress too warm or not warm enough. It gets cool enough at night to have the heat on, but we fry during the day.  And of couse during dialysis I absolutely freeze so I have dress for that. Anyway, that's life. And no. I don't miss snow and ice.  At all. On that note, have a great day and stay warm. :)   Photos from the Etsy that I shopped at. Natural hair accessories.

The "Thanksgiving Post Mortem", edition.

iPad shuffled to The Dells, "Stay in My Corner". Nice soothing start to the morning. The day after Thanksgiving, 5:09 AM. I arrive at the clinic at 4:40, the doors to the treatment area open at 4:45. Yay!! They've been opening the treatment area doors late. But not today!!  I'm hooked up before 5:00. I got my ice, the TV is on and set to closed caption.  Closed caption so I can have my music and read the the TV if something catches my attention.  Heh. And enjoying the few moments before yelling lady arrives.  

The Dramatics, "Door To Your Heart". The day after.  The aftermath. The post mortem of Thanksgiving. The conclusion of Thanksgiving Day?  A good time was held by all. The cooking schedule worked out very well. The most labor intensive was the potato salad. However, Brian was my sous chef and that made life so much easier.  All the vegetables were chopped and used as needed. Onion, celery and green pepper was used in the potato salad and the dressing. He also helped peeling the potatoes for the potato salad and the candied sweet potatoes. He peeled the eggs. And he boiled the shells for the macaroni and cheese. And Dad?  He snapped 4 pounds of green beans, got the ice and filled the water glasses!  

The Temptations, "Hey Girl I Like Your Style".  The potato salad was finished Tuesday evening. Wednesday, I took a nap after treatment. I wasn't as washed out.  It may have been adrenaline and anticipation. Anyway. I took a nap and we ventured out around 2:00.  I forgot to get a tablecloth and realized I needed boullion. We made a quick trip to Target. And also got some Moscato (yum) and toilet paper. You gotta get toilet paper when you're at Target.  Oh yeah. We picked up snack stuff for Dad and Carl. Earlier in the day, Dad snapped the green beans. While the green beans were cooking, I prepared the dressing and got that in the oven. After the dressing finished, Brian made his Chex mix going. House smelled good!!  Lol. 

Santana, "Black Magic Woman".  Got up Thursday morning. Put on the sweet potatoes. Watched the Lions. Megatron!!!  Joique Bell!!!  And listened to the announcers tell us how good Stafford is.  Enjoyed the win. Peeled the sweet potatoes. Candied them up. Had the apartment and hallway smelling like heaven.  Dad set up the living room for him and Carl. Dad picked him about 2 hours before dinner so they could chill. See photo below. Dad had champaign and Brian and I provided the snacks. They even absconded with some of the cheese for the macaroni and cheese.  Lol. 

Dinner was served at 4:00 on the dot and the cook and sous chef were not worn out!!  Hooray for planning. Except... I made way too much food. Lol.  I need to scale it waaaay down. We sent Carl  home with enough leftovers for several meals!  :-)   Another friend of Dad and Carl dropped by.  She had another dinner to attend, but she wanted some potato salad. And she lives in the building. Pauline,  Dad and Carl had a great time. I think I mentioned that the 3 of them are the lone survivors of a group of 25 retired couples that socialized together.  Pauline is 95, Carl is 92 and Dad is 88 7/12. Lol that's what he says. The three of them are still going strong and still quite active. Dad and Pauline still drive. 

Whitesnake, "Here I Go Again".  It was a wonderful day. It was my absolute pleasure to serve them. Brian drove Carl back home. We let Dad, Carl and Pauline enjoy their champaign. ;-)   Carl called and thanked us for the dinner. I told him to expect more invitations as we enjoyed his company. Yesterday was just a wonderful day. And yeah, we crashed afterward. Lol. 

 Signing off with Larry Graham and Graham Central Station,  "The Jam".  So the dialysis clinic is in a building across the street from a mall. It's actually on like the mall property or something. We get here at 4:40. AM. Sears parking lot is pretty full and I can see Macy's looks kinda full also. I've been told by the patients that the parking will overflow into the clinic parking lot by the time we got out.  And I leave around 8;45 AM. We'll see. I'll let you know Monday. And finally I'm not shopping today, Black Friday.  Then again I rarely did  before  my kidneys failed. And a mall is the last place I want to be after treatment. And finally, yelling lady is here, but she's hoarse. She's  still incredibly loud. Eh. 

Have a great weekend. And I'm gonna enjoy me some leftovers. I'm drooling now!!!  Lol. Photos of Carl, Pauline and Dad, Carl and Dad, Brian, Carl and Dad, and the dinner table before attacked it. Yeah I know, no photos of me. Eh. 

The "It's Thanksgiving!! Almost...."

Ipod shuffled to Earth, Wind and Fire, "That's The Way of the World". Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's because it's a time to celebrate and a time to be thankful. We'll have a traditional dinner with my small family and 2 close friends of Dad.  Dad will pick up Carl, who is 93. And Pauline, 95, who lives in the building will join us after she attends another dinner. ;-)   It is my absolute pleasure to serve them. Neither Carl nor Pauline have children. Brian, Shawn and I were adopted by them a long time ago. Lol. OMG. They'd slip my daughter $100 bills over the years. Often Lol. Imagine a 8 year old flush with cash. Lol.  Hey the local Las Vegas station just flashed a shot of Metro Airport..or should I say McNamara? <snicker>. 

Stevie Wonder, "Another Star". My dinner menu is solidified and cooking is planned.  Grocery shopping  happened on Saturday. Well, actually I started purchasing ingredients about 2 weeks ago.  Monday we got the mini ham and roasted turkey breast at Honey Baked Ham. 2 things about Honey Baked Ham. There was a line!  I didn't expect that. I thought that the line would start on Tuesday. That being said, the line moved quickly and I have seen it much longer. We usually go on Tuesday so it may have been more crowded yesterday and will be today. The 2nd thing is they had samples of roast turkey, smoked turkey and cranberry chutney. The chutney was delicious. And the smoked turkey was to die for. However I bought the roasted turkey.  I wasn't sure if my guests would have liked the smoked version. I will have it at Christmas dinner though!  

Guy, "Groove Me". 5:28 and yelling lady is here. I heard her over a cranked up Teddy Riley. :-(  Yesterday I fixed the potato salad. That was an all day event. We also went to Target. We needed 2 floor lamps, little snack bowls and snacks. Dad is going to pick up Carl a few hours early oh Thursday. They're gonna sit on the sofa watching football and a few glasses of wine.  I got them some nuts and Brian is making Chex Mix.  Now you ask, why do I need floor lamps?  Well since we've moved in we've been sort of remodeling the apartment.  Some things needed to be readjusted for me and Brian. Like placement of our computers. Also I wanted to open up the living room as a living space. It was a company/guest space. We moved out a lot of stuff. Well actually everything is gone except one floor lamp. So many floor lamps because there is no lighting in there.  I purchased a modular sofa with a chaise (!) and a sleeper sofa. I removed the sofa, love seat, coffee table, end tables and the big ass lamps. The room opened up and looks so different!!!  So anyway. That's the floor lamps. Lol. 

The Dramatics, "In The Rain".  I put the Thanksgiving decorations on the door. I bought some orange poinsettias. Orange!!  But I forgot the tablecloth. We'll get that today. I'll do the green beans and dressing today. Dad gets to snap the green beans!!!  It's coming together. And then on Monday I start the Christmas planning. Lol.  On the dialysis front, the clinic will be open on Thanksgiving. That doesn't have to happen. We have modified schedules for Christmas and New Years. It doesn't take any more effort for to do it for Thanksgiving. That really sucks for the patients and staff. Some staff will have a 12-16 hour day tomorrow. ;-(   

Signing out with Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk", my new favorite song. I just need to play it until I tire of it. Lol. Saw him on Saturday Night Live with Mark Ronson and Mystikal. Lol. Brian and I were in bed and started dancing. Bruno and his group look like a funked  up 21st century version of Morris Day and the Time.  Photo of new sofa.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And yeah I'm niot shopping on Friday. Black Friday took on a whole meaning. Bah. Having trouble transferring photo. Instead here's a photo of my new dog. Yeah I can't have a real dog so this will have to do. I'm still trying to name her. Lol. 

The "Confessions of a Prime Rib Snob", edition.

Ipad shuffled to Jill Scott, "A Long Walk".  I am a prime rib snob. Or I should say I'm picky about prime rib.  How did this happen?  When did I admit to it?  As you know our 27th anniversary was Friday. I did have dialysis on Friday so Brian made reservations for dinner on Saturday at Lawry's, The Prime Rib. Yeah, I did feel out of sorts for most of Friday. Brian's scores huge points for considering the treatment day and after effects. Back to how I became a prime rib snob. 

Steely Dan, "Deacon Blues".  Years ago. I don't remember when, a group of my coworkers went to Las Vegas. A few of us wanted to have a meal at an upscale restaurant. Well, 5:26 and yelling lady is here...yelling. Anyway, it was decided we'd go to Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian. Reservations were made and we'd meet there at whatever time. As Brian and I made our way to the restaurant, a coworker, Anthony, was headed that way also. He was with some guy we didn't know.  Anthony says, "Guess who I found?"  The guy was the Oracle Corp account rep for the City. The guy says Oracle will be taking us out to dinner. Oh cool. We knew it was going cost to eat there so we were prepared for sticker shock, but hey, the tab was being taken care of one of our vendors.  And yes, we actually did talk business. How fortuitous that 3 of the decision makers were there!!  

The Moments, "Not on the Outside". Old school basement music. ;-)  Long story short, we had the best prime rib I'd ever tasted. I mean that prime rib rib exceeded anything I'd ever had by leaps and bounds. Not to long after, I had prime rib at a buffet. OMG. That was the toughest piece of meat I'd ever encountered. Huge strands of meat trying to get stuck in my teeth. And it took forever to chew. Bleah. Lol. I was ruined. I now had standards or any kind of beef.  Of couse I was all over the Kobe Beef at the Bellagio.  Lol.  And I love walking into Morton's and getting assaulted by the aroma of the steaks. And Texas de Brazil. I think that's what prompted Brian to select Lawry's. We took Dad with us to Texas de Brazil in Septmber for Brian's birthday  and he loved it. They offered us the prime rib and it melted in your mouth. And as an aside, that particular slice of beef was medium. Rolled me right off of always ordering medium well. That slice of prime rib was the best I'd had since Emeril's. 

Nas and Chisette Michelle, "Can't Forget About You".  So now we're at Lawry's. The service was impeccable. I got a glass of the best Moscato I'd ever had. The server made a spinning salad at the table. Then here comes a guy with a giant silver cart full of prime rib.  The server asks what cut I want and the doneness and instructs the carver.  I get the traditional cut. The carver also serves a choice of mashed potato and creamed spinach and creamed corn from the big silver cart. Oh yeah, the carver was wearing a big ass medallion. Master carver. Lol.  Of course he was in his chef outfit including the hat. And he ladles the au jus on top of the cut. And we also have 2 types of horseradish and Lawry's salt and pepper on the table (don't need any of it). Tender and tasty. Lol. I'm salivating over the memory.  And yeah, I didn't finish anything. Lol. 

Johnny Kemp,  "Just Got Paid".  After dinner, the server brought us a pumpkin cake desert....for our anniversary. And calling it just pumpkin cake is doing this marvelous creation a disservice. Lol.  We had coffee. Heh. We couldn't even finish the SHARED desert. Lol. And I couldn't finish my coffee. I was able to finish about 2/3 of the prime rib. You know what's it's like when something is sooo good and you're just too full to go on and you look wistfully at what's left?  Yeah. They boxed it for me. :-)

The Spinners, "I'll Be Around". So there you have it. I'm a prime rib snob. That's not necessarily a good thing. Good prime rib is a budget buster. But then  again, I shouldn't be eating prime rib on a regular basis, so it remains a celebratory treat. I can live with that. 

Signing off with  New Edition, "If It Isn't Love".  Friday was a pretty good dialysis day. No BP spikes. The accesses stopped bleeding in a reasonable time ( no spurting when the tech peeked - lol. She can move pretty fast to get out of the line of fire (spurting blood). Yelling lady got sedated. And is so today.  I had the quarterly meeting with my care team. I brought Brian. I'm doing good and excitedly waiting for home hemo training. I've finished my Thanksgiving day shopping. Let the cooking commence!!!  Have a good Monday. :)