M and Mom helped me with some chores around my room after they ate lunch, so it was a little late when we went to choose a movie. Mom said she wanted to laugh, so we looked through comedies on Max. When we got to this movie, M remarked that it was the breakout movie for Lena Horne so we started watching this Vincente Minnelli musical from 1943. (If you haven't noticed, M has an encyclopedic knowledge of movies. Hopefully, I am remembering his remarks accurately.) It also stars Louis Armstrong.
It was a good movie. Seriously fun entertainment for the time and amazing music. I couldn't help but remark to myself that looking back on this movie after 80 years, you can see how stereotypes get started and why white people stole black people's music. They're having too much damn fun! I'm sure I shouldn't make these kind of observations, but I don't think my readers will cancel me. At least, I hope not.
Tuesday, February 11th
I was thinking how I should get out of bed and sit in my chair because that would be a nice change of pace for me. But I didn't.
Wednesday, February 12th
I ordered a new package of 10 stylus. (What is the plural of stylus? I think it's the same word.) They work a lot better than the pack I had before, but it still could improve. I like being able to do Spelling Bee (in NYT Games) without having to call out the letters one by one. And it makes playing a puzzle actually doable, but sometimes it takes a few tries to move a piece. I might see if there's a more expensive stylus to try.
Thursday, February 13th
My therapist was either taking a short vacation or going to a conference. I can't remember which, but anyway, no Freddie this week. I sometimes remember to say hi to him (in my mind), but mostly I don't. I felt I couldn't have a close relationship with a cat who wasn't living with my sister so I abruptly stopped talking to him. I very much regret doing that, but what am I going to do now? I'll just keep trying to connect with him.
Friday, February 14th
The recreation director distributed yellow roses to everyone with a card. AARP sent them to us along with another organization. Very nice. My helper then broke off the long stem and put it in a cup with some wet paper towels so I could see it better. Wonderful! It's little treats like this that make being here worth it. NOT.
I worked on adding up MLR’s charges from 2022. My sister wants me to know how much I have spent on her. I'm sure that is a good thing but I don't care because I know every penny is worth it. I am a challenge for her because I think so differently than she does. I know, in the core of my being, that I will be fine no matter what happens.
My sister and my mom, along with most of humanity, have a very different way of dealing with the world. They want to hedge their bets. Not me! I am all in. For the last 3 1/2 years I have mostly been off my supplements. I need to take them now, to stop or slow down the progression of this disease and to support my body in fighting the bacteria that continually want to take down my system.
Saturday, February 15th
My sister did not bring food this week, so of course, my stepbrother decided to come by and bring me food. He sent me the menu for the restaurant near him he likes to go to. It was a very long menu and at the very end was a local favorite that I wanted to try. Turns out, the online version of the menu had not been updated as they no longer make that dish. So I got chicken pad Thai, which is my default standby. Yum!
My sister and I were able to talk about a lot of budget stuff without killing each other, so we were very happy about that! We also made an appointment to speak to my nutritionist in person, which I hope will bring a conclusion to her worries. I spend every spare waking moment thinking about how to convince my sister I need these supplements. It literally keeps me up at night.
Sunday, February 16th
Mom stopped by late morning to play some games with me and feed me lunch. She couldn't stay as she was going to the symphony at 4 PM with her sister. I thought about how I have no interest in doing that. I am very cognizant about how I speak to Mom. I need to speak as loudly as possible. My whole life, I've been told to be quiet as my voice was too loud and now it's not loud enough. Argh.
I didn't drink water all morning. I drank some after lunch but I didn't really start chugging until late afternoon. The areas that are usually flooded were dry and thus the bacteria had a chance to grow and get a foothold in my urethra. (It's the details that you love, isn't it?) When I started drinking lots of water again, I felt like I was on fire and there were waves of pain and urgency. About every five or 10 minutes. Sometimes it takes me hours to remember I have medicine I can take for that. Today I asked for the Pyridium right away. I fell asleep at 10 PM, but woke up at 2:30 AM and could not get back to sleep. Oh well, 4 1/2 hours is the recommended daily amount, right?
I asked the nurse when I had taken the pill before, as I knew it had been recently. He told me I had taken a pill on December 11th of last year and then not until February 8th and then last night. This is not a good trend to start. It means my body is not able to fight off the bad bacteria as effectively as before.
What I want to do is take all of what my nutritionist wants to give me for a year to get me up and running again. Only then can I ease off and take less. My sister understandably freaks out at the amount the supplements cost and refuses to get them. Stop projecting 10 years in the future! I need to take a lot for one year and then I will back off. I do have enough money to spend on one year of supplements.
She also does not understand how my nutritionist works. My nutritionist is very cutting-edge and is constantly updating her knowledge of nutrition and techniques from the doctors she works with. As I have been her client for the last 30 years or so, I don't care how it works; I just know it does. But my sister can't take my word for it because if it really worked, I wouldn't be sick at all, right? Sigh.
This is a photo of me in another one of my fun T-shirts. It is from a slightly morbid PSA from a while ago so children wouldn't stick things in an electrical socket. It just cracks me up! I hope everyone has a great week! I would also highly recommend the Ezra Klein Show as very smart commentary on what is happening to the government right now. Take a listen.
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