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.