Monthly Archives: November 2011

Good News!

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It wasn’t GOUT!

It was MSWTT & ISHTTOS! What a relief!

By the way … the picture in my last entry was not of my foot. I don’t know who’s it was, but I’m forever happy it isn’t mine.

For those of you who don’t read newspapers, or watch news on TV, let me fill you in on what’s happening …

It’s reported that Herman has been having an ongoing affair for the last 30-40 years. This, unfortunately, has put a large dent in Herman’s popularity factor which, of course, means less money for him. And, we all know that whoever gets the most donations is going to be the next president.  Personally, I kinda like Jimmy McMillan who’s running for the “Rent Is Too Damn High Party”. What’s not to like about that? Then there’s Tom Miller, a career flight attendant. I don’t know what airline he’s working for, but perhaps you’ve met him in your travels. Maybe he works, or worked, for American Airlines and new about the their pending bankruptcy. Hmmmm. Maybe he’s the one.

Then, there’s sports, of course. Aren’t you all happy that the NBA and Player’s Union has finally agreed that everyone is getting paid far too much? They should, as it was with Michael Jordan, be paid on ability, not potential.

Now, for those of you just dying to know what’s going on in Scappoose, Oregon, check here: http://www.spotlightnews.net/news/index.php. Exciting stuff.

If you’ve been looking for an old classmate, or loved one, maybe they’re here: http://www.co.columbia.or.us/sheriff/inmates/index.php. You just never know where people will turn up now days.

Ihope all is well with everyone out there. Send money if the mood strikes.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you what MSWTT & ISHTTOS means … it means that “my shoes were too tight & I should have taken them off sooner”. I think we’ve all had that once or twice.

Got Gout?

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Today I was forced to spend the majority of my day visiting the VA Clinic, Goodwill, and Costco. Everything was going OK until about the 2nd hour in Costco when my left big toe began to hurt. A lot.  I threatened to leave, but it was strongly suggested that I just sit on one of the available couch displays until I was summoned to exit the store. So I did. I waited. We finally left and I tried not to limp too much because I didn’t want to embarrass my escort, but it was difficult. Once in the car I was able to remove my shoes for which my feet were extremely thankful. It was a pleasant ride home.

On the way, however, we had to stop at a NAPA Autoparts store so I could buy some pin striping tape. The guy had to dig around in their back room, but he found what I needed and I left happy. It’s complicated, or I would explain … actually, it’s not complicated. I needed the tape so I could create a grid on an erasable white board for our church attendees can sign up for one of the various tasks available to them as a volunteer service effort. Doing that isn’t popular at our church. How about yours?

Once we got home I limped into the house, after we test drove a Cadillac CTS Station Wagon – ever seen one of those? – and Diane liked it, but said it didn’t “make her knees buckle.” So, we were allowed to go on home in the Buick.

When I got in the house I finally removed my socks and got a look at my poor big toe. The pain and look is very much like gout, but I’m not sure that’s it because I’ve only had gout in my right foot before. Getting it in the left foot is new. We talked about what may have caused it and narrowed it down to, perhaps, the sausage muffin I had for breakfast, or the giant Costco Polish dog. We’re not sure which one of those prepared meats it was, but it’s surely one of them. So, just to solidify the situation we had pepperoni pizza for supper. Tomorrow morning is going to be interesting when I check my blood sugar.

At the VA this morning my doctor revealed that I had lost 13 pounds since my last visit to her. She didn’t say 13 pounds of “what”, and I didn’t pursue it. She was proud of me so I just left it at that. I think my last visit was in August, but I’m not sure. I don’t keep track of stuff like that.

Brother Jack called this afternoon to report on our friend Jeff K. He’s the one who’s been in a coma for about 1.5 weeks. They did a brain scan and reportedly could not detect any brain activity. So, I call for your positive thoughts and prayers be directed toward his family and friends to cope with all of this.

Peace to you all.

Thanksgiving is over.

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Greetings, Everyone.

Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to get back to work. For me, it’s a trip to the VA for some poking and prodding. I love that part. It’s a simple way for me to get people to touch me for free. Well, there’s a little co-pay, but it’s not much.Worth every penny.

I’ve been scouting around for a new platform to use for my blog and thought I’d give this one a try. Susan recommended it, so it must be a good one. I think I made a couple of entries on Blogger, but can’t remember. There’s an image of a turkey carcass floating around in my head that I associated with that site, but that doesn’t mean anything. The carcass may have an entirely different meaning for me tomorrow. Or in a couple of hours.

I’d tell you what I did last Friday, but I can’t remember.

Yesterday it was sunny and we had a mini-USS Cleveland reunion at our house. In attendance was Gary, Cindy, Brian, Susan, Diane, Ziva, Panzee, Ozzie, and me. Gary & Brian remember each other from their time aboard Cleveland, but I don’t remember either of them. Probably because they were snipes, working below the main deck, and I was a deck rating working above the main deck. Everyone in the Navy understands the unspoken division between the two. We were never allowed to talk with one another, and we were all fed a different times to ensure there was no contamination from one group to the other. Apparently it works really, really well. It’s nice to learn that this division doesn’t translate to relationships in civilian life.

Gary & Cindy live in Washington. Brian & Susan don’t. Neither do I or Diane. But, all four of us who don’t can see Washington from the towns we live in. What a treat that is.

After everyone left I gave Diane a hearing test and we learned that she really is deaf in her left ear. I’ve known that for a long time but she refuses to get her hearing checked. Instead, she’d rather punish me for not answering her questions when she has her deaf ear turned toward me. It probably doesn’t help that I usually don’t talk very loudly. I do that for a reason, of course. Since her ear is already damaged, for some reason, I don’t want to take the chance of making it worse by making loud noises. So, I talk softly. Sometimes I just move my lips when she’s looking at me but that seems to make her angry. Thankfully, I can still outrun her and after 30-40 feet I forget why I’m running and she forgets why she’s chasing me. The dogs love conversations like that.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving weekend, and that the turkey was all consumed, or sent home with visitors, so you can eat something “new” tomorrow. Send good thoughts to an old family friend, Jeff K, who is in a coma at OHSU. It’s complicated.

Today we went to church, like normal, but that doesn’t seem to help keep me from getting into trouble. We even took Diane’s Mom, Jean, like normal. We were the last people out of the church, ensuring the doors were locked and the garbage removed, and everything. It was a little ominous, weather wise, when we left the house. Apparently all of the weathermen got together on Saturday and decided it was going to rain at 10:30am sharp and, by golly, it did. There were minor breaks in the downpour so we had to time it right, ensuring it was at it’s heaviest, before heading to the car. We made it home safe and dry, then Diane made me and Jean exit the vehicle before she drove it into the garage. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining very hard at the time, so it wasn’t bad.

We heated up a mess of leftovers that included turkey, chili, baked potatoes, dressing, and salad. I had everything but potatoes and salad. I also had cheese and crackers, and a glass of expired milk. After feeding the milk to me, Diane reported that the date on the bottle indicated it should have been consumed by November 18th. Not too bad, but it suddenly tasted awful and gave me a stomach ache.

Jack & Wynette stopped by for a while on their way home from a funeral in Longview. We had a nice visit and it was good to see them, as always. Wynette’s letting her hair grow long. Looks great. Jack reported that he and Wynette have spent a lot of time, lately, looking for bras. It wasn’t immediately clear who they were for so I found it very informative. I’ve been thinking about looking for bras, myself. Diane doesn’t approve, telling me I don’t need one. In self defense, I never said I was going to buy one. I just wanted to look for one.

I learned that Jack’s hands are a C cup. I also learned that mermaids wear sea-shells because b-shells are too small, and d-shells are too big. I never knew that. I’m always learning new stuff from Jack. I always look forward to seeing those two.

Now it’s dark and nearing time for me to go to bed. We need to leave in before 7am in the morning to make sure I’m at the VA by 8am. It’s a long drive but, since I’m not allowed to sit behind the steering wheel, I can sleep all the way over. And all the way home. Which I probably will.