3075

Crazy, hazy moon day! Got an early morning call from the pharmacy where I get my medications. It was 8:15am! The person was checking that I was having no problems with the new pills (Flomax). It was nice of them to check, but did they need to do it so early in the day?

About 15 minutes later, I realized that the contractor working on the patio/yard was likely to arrive. He had a check list of several things that could be done. He did show up and started working on the mole problem--putting a trap in place. To do so, he had to go get some bait. He did that and returned but didn't do anything else on the list of what needed to be done. I thought he was just going to pick up something from the hardware store, but he never returned. I missed going for my usual green tea latte and such.

I got a copy of the lab results from the blood draw I had on Wednesday. Quick turnaround! The good news--I have a lot of things that are normal. The bad news--the only things that are out of tolerance are cholesterol, thyroid and prostate serum levels (all high). My overall cholesterol and LDL levels have jumped over the high-borderline marker but ratio of HDL/LDL is still OK. Will have talk with PCP to determine what high levels on the thyroid/prostate measurements.

Rains returned today. Missed doing my loop around the neighborhood (along with several other regular items--latte, lunch, and such). Tomorrow, there's the PD support meeting in Roseville--no speaker, just a check in meeting.

I slept fairly well last night, although I'm feeling somewhat chilly. The dampness is making it feel a bit colder and the temperatures have dropped some.

Hope North Korea calms down and stops the saber rattling. The world doesn't need another terrible war--and those two countries certainly won't benefit from such an outcome.

3076

Sun day and it was so! Spectacular cloud formations sailing through sky. Was a busy day! Went with the ex and the grandkid to the Art Beast kids' creativity house. We've been there before. It provides an environment where the kids can have fun in more than several dozen ways. The house has four levels, including a backyard play area.

After exhausting what the Art Beast had to offer (and exhausting the grandparents), we adjourned to a sushi place. The grandkid is a champion sushi consumer (as long as it's a California Roll with no avocado--crab and shrimp preferred).

I slept well last night and dreamed an elaborate dream about building a toy. The device was something like an Etch-A-Sketch, but with different presentation modes. It was a highly interactive device and let the user create images that demonstrated a variety of mathematical and physics-based principles and themes. In the dream, I had built a very simple prototype. I was previewing how the device worked with several possible funding sources and toy manufacturers. I was sailing through the previews, and because everything was proceeding so well, I was higher than a kite.

Watched the last two episodes of Foyle's War. I regret that there are not more to watch. I think I may have exhausted most of the murder/mystery/spy series with large episode counts--along with quite a few of shorter duration.

Moon day tomorrow and then a PD support group meeting the next day--April Fools Day! Rains are supposed to return over the next two days--erasing today's spectacular weather. Also did the loop today after returning from the Art Beast trek. More dogs out today versus the weekdays--but no loose vicious ones, thank goodness.

3077

Rain and rain and rain! It starts and stops, and stops and starts, but keeps on coming. Missed doing my loop yesterday and, so far, it isn't looking good for today.

I slept well last night and this morning. Managed to get out for a latte despite the weather. New headlamp working fine!

Grandkid's grandmother is here to visit. Grandkid loves it when she arrives. They have fun together.

I'm feeling sort of wobbly today for some reason. Wobbly and a bit anxious! Over what and about what I can't say for sure. Just unsettled in some way!

Coming to the final episodes of Foyle's War. Hate to see the end of this series, but I'll just have to look for its replacement.

I hear the rain picking up intensity. Sounds like a deluge!

Signing off for now! Will update later if needed! Marching on, so to speak!

3078

Signed up for CW dance class today--class starts a week from next Monday. Went to the auto supply store and picked up a headlamp for my truck--left front lamp was not working. I spent about two minutes figuring out that I did not know how to replace the bulb--even with the user's guide. What was in the guide didn't seem to correlate with what was actually on the truck. I punted and drove to the local Firestone repair station. The guy at the service counter was really helpful!

I mean really helpful! He spent about 20 minutes figuring out how to pop the light panel out so the bulbs were exposed and could be replaced. It was not all that simple to do. I thanked him for the tutorial and his help in making the fix. There was no charge! Like I said--really helpful.

I went to Panera's for lunch. Just after I picked up my order, a set of tour vans pulled into the parking lot and disgorged dozens of people who looked like they were some kind of church group on tour. I don't know if the horde descended on the order stations and overwhelmed the kitchen. I had a Cobb salad, which I enjoyed, and then got out of there.

I fell into a somewhat manic mode last night. I stayed up late playing Just Words. After finally getting to sleep, I had several active dreams--some of which had me flailing around as if I was fighting someone. Over the past two nights, I've had dream elements involving me appearing before a group of elders. The scenes were not exactly like trials, but had more to do with me gathering information from wise counsels.

I started taking Flomax yesterday and it appears to be working already. Some of the enlarged prostate symptoms have eased (urination issues and such). I don't know if it's related, but I was unusually hungry today.

3079

Rain, rain comes our way! Blows the trees and makes them sway! I still managed to do my neighborhood loop in spite of the raindrops. I just walked where the drops were not!

Other good news--my new prostate-related medication only costs me about 20 cents per pill per day. Beats some of the PD pills I take that can cost me (when I hit the donut hole) 30x as much (about $7 per pill). It's boggling to stop and think of the millions of pills that are ingested each day all over the world. The millions of pills cost someone (patients and insurance companies) billions of dollars. And there are still millions upon millions of people who are ill and can't afford to buy the medications that they need. Some have to choose whether to get food or medicine, and can't afford both--not a pretty picture!

Plan to sign up (again) for the dance class that starts in April. I'm looking forward to moving more and loosening up from a fairly sedentary fall and winter. Been walking more and regularly, soon will be dancing, and then who knows what will follow.

Leaving the fogs of fall and winter--moving into the cleansing rains of spring.

I tried the second level of the Just Words game--tough going over the easy level. The algorithm that sets and plays the various choices the computer makes (as an opponent) seems biased in a couple of ways--such as not distributing vowels in a balanced way. I played two games at the 2nd level. I got trounced on my first try. I played more carefully in a 2nd game and thought I had won, but something happened right on the last few moves that cost me the win (did the computer cheat?). We shall see! We shall see!

3080

Had a checkup today. Met with the doctor and had blood drawn for the standard panels. I was given a new prescription of Flomax--a medication for men with enlarged prostates and urinary issues. Fortunately, I hadn't eaten breakfast so I had in fact fasted and could have blood drawn. The lab is a small cubbyhole that only had a single employee today. Quite unlike the facility in PA that I've been using for decades.

Enlarged prostate! Ominous! There was some confusion when I arrived--the receptionist said that I wasn't due for a wellness checkup until November. But, he did an exam anyway and that triggered the blood draw. The person taking the sample had the normal difficulty of getting the blood to flow.

Rain and thunder today! The sky is filled with giant rolling thunderstorms. The rain was coming down heavily in the early hours, but has subsided for now. I came back from the doctor's visit and grabbed a green tea latte and morning bun (to break my fast). When midday rolled around I went to Annie's and stuffed myself on a plate of meatballs and spaghetti, with salad and garlic bread. I came home and crashed for several hours. Just had a dinner of a bowl of fruit and an energy bar plus a V8 Fusion energy drink. I should be properly energized!

Settling in to watch a few of my favorite TV episodes--and then perhaps to dream!

3081

Surprise, surprise! Got a reminder call from my PCP that I have an appointment tomorrow. I was thinking the visit was booked for Friday--but it's tomorrow morning. 

Ate light today. I was late eating lunch and that caused some perturbations along with the anxiety around the earlier office visit. 

Been thinking about my energy levels and what I can do to enhance them. Mitochondria, diet and urate levels, supplements, and a few other issues seem to be connected. Will visit health food store after seeing PCP--as well as asking him for his opinion/data/advice. It's my annual wellness review. I'm hoping that nothing major arises.

Grandkid returned this evening. She's been with her father for several days. The place was really quiet while she was away--but she changed that condition as soon as she hit the door. After dinner, I spent several hours playing with her--doing her baseline play piece about a fantasy family with a father, mother and baby girl, and an another character. The fourth character has several personalities including a scary beast, a coy young girl, an aggressive young girl, and more. The character morphs back and forth among the personalities. The grandkid becomes quite the boss while in this play mode.

I spent a fair amount of time playing Just Words--the word search online game. It's addictive! I zoned out playing it and I'm only playing the base level. I'm surprised at the level of absorption that I'm experiencing. The site is really set up for players to interact via the game. I've still only played at the guest level so have not seen what happens if I were to join the social network--I don't like social networks.

It's getting late. It's been raining, with more promised. My truck is dusty so a rain or two will be nice.

3082

Had an interesting day! Chose to skip my morning kefir/yogurt, but still had a green tea latte and a morning bun. Then, instead of eating a normal lunch, I had a Jamba Juice. It was refreshing, filling, and left me awake and alert. I kept going until about now (9:30pm). I did my laundry, did some grocery shopping, and spent some time trying out a word puzzle (Just Words)--I whopped the computer at the easy level. JW is a Scrabble-like interactive game that's challenging (and also fun).

Did the loop after a light dinner (fruit). Doing the loop more easily as I persist and don't wimp out. My left ankle/calf is giving me some problems. Spicy foods are out for now as are fatty dishes.

There's a mole (or two or three) in the yard. They are perturbing the patio project (along with other areas of the yard). The patio stones can't be set if the creatures are digging tunnels beneath everything. Why they are doing this is a puzzlement! There's nothing living in the sandy bed that was put in place over the proposed patio area. However, a mole can dig 15-18 feet of tunnel per hour. Doesn't take them long to undermine a whole plot of land. Maybe they just have fun when they find the ideal piece of turf.

I joined in the collective shout out regarding the final season episode of the Good Wife. The character, Will Gardener, was killed off! This season conclusion had been planned from the start over a year ago. It had been kept a strict secret so last night's conclusion was a bombshell. The actor who has played Will was ready to move on--so this is how the writers handled the final elements. It will be interesting to see how the writers will reconcile the fact that there are now two legal firms where the kingpin of one of the firms is in a box. Especially since the majority of the last season was focused on the rivalry between the two firms, and the complexity that was generated. But I'm sure they're already busy with such details.

3084-3083

Didn't post yesterday and didn't do a loop. I was feeling punky and couldn't muster enough energy to do much. Feeling better today! Others about me are zonked out with what appears to be a flu of some sorts.

I woke up this morning about 7:30am. I took my medications and went back to sleep for a couple of hours. I was sleeping soundly until someone started a load of wash. I got up and went for my morning latte and a tasty caramel/pecan sticky-bun. I also discovered a black widow spider in the bathroom. I killed it, but it's of concern that it had managed to get into house. It's the first one that I've seen, but I'm sure there are more. It was moving very slow until I tried to corner it. They can move quite rapidly when threatened. This one did just that! This one was a female--capable of laying eggs and hatching around 3,000 progeny!

Well, it's getting to be lunch/brunch time! It's a bright and shiny Sunday!

3085

Spring springs springily into being. Made it to SBs earlier than usual--to grab a green tea latte and a morning bun. Lots of traffic today. Where is everyone going/coming from?

Lots of home repair work being done in the neighborhood. Not that noisy though, given the level of activity.

It's Fry Day and I obliged. Had a serving of fish and chips--done to perfection at the local fish/chips place.

Did my loop this evening--I'm doing about 15 minutes now for the upper route. Need to extend the route in order to bump out the time. Legs felt heavy today but better than yesterday. My difficulty with mobility gives me pause--makes me wonder what I'll eventually be capable of doing. And then I read about the woman who is a para-Olympic champion and a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars"--who is a double amputee! What're my problems when compared with hers?

Weak end approaches! I think there will be visitors throughout. Oh, boy! Oh, joy! Stick a finger in the poi!

3086

Welcome to Spring 2014! Made the loop this afternoon. Had a Cobb salad at Panera's, a green tea Frap at SBs, and seafood/Waldorf salad for dinner. Plus, I also had a few cookies and an energy drink.  I've been hungry and I want to munch.

Anything of moment? Not really! Doing the loop was the only thing I really accomplished today. Everything else was done by rote--on automatic.

The loop walk felt difficult today. My legs/feet are feeling like blocks of cement. My gait was rough and off beat--or so it felt. It's relatively early but I'm feeling slow and drowsy tonight.

So, I'm signing off and giving my opticals a break. I've been watching a lot of episodes of CBS shows  this week, plus a chunk of Foyle's War elements. Break time! Rest time! Time out!

So be it!

3087

Did the loop today! Getting to be a regular! Went out a bit early today--around 4:30pm! I couldn't stand to keep sitting so I got up and out. The nice part is that it's becoming a regular thing. Just part of the day! As it should be.

Broke traditions in other ways as well. Had a Caesar salad with grilled chicken for lunch--at Annie's! Picked up a seafood salad and a portion of Waldorf salad for dinner. I just felt hungry for something new and different.

Warm today! Came back from walking the loop a bit sweaty. It was cool last night and this morning, but it had burnt off by mid-afternoon. Put the garbage out for pickup tomorrow morning.

Patio guys had a pile of flat stones delivered. The stones were made in Turkey! How can that be? Are labor costs so different that it's profitable to make the stones in Turkey, ship them around the world, and install them in our yard? Crazy world!

Well, it's about time for my salad feast! The thought of the seafood salad (1 of today's 70,000 thoughts) makes me salivate (as opposed to my normal drool).

I dreamed last night about standing on the edge of a sheer cliff. I felt uneasy. Others were walking closer and closer to the edge--which made me nervous. I wanted to get them to move back from the edge, but no one was listening. They were walking dream-like, oblivious to the danger.

3088

Daze without end! Pizza without end! I went to another pizza place today--one that had an all you can eat buffet--salad and pizza. I ate my share! Place was nearly empty, but the pizza was good.

Walked the neighborhood loop right before dinner tonight. Weather has turned a bit chilly, but the walk felt good. I was a tad stiffer than yesterday, but I was cranking by the end.

Still need to extend the route--need to do about twice the distance/time that I am doing.

Despite all the sleeping that I've done today, I'm already feeling drowsy this evening--and it's still early in the evening. I feel like I could drop down and sleep forever.

On my loop route this evening, I saw a large butterfly. It came out of a stand of flowers and flew across the street and into the bushes there. A fleeting butterfly image interrupting my daily total of 70,000 thoughts! Supposedly, we (humans) have about 70,000 thoughts each day. It's lucky I remember even one--like the butterfly.

What happens to the other 69,999? Where do they get stored? Do our brains have cloud storage capabilities? Big Bang Boom!

3089

Gravity waves! And it ripples, too! Scientists think they have detected gravity waves, which were predicted by Einstein's work. Big Bang, Boom Rah!

Meanwhile, I went to the Folsom PD support group. As always, a mixed bag. Reality and hope intermixed with data and information. The most interesting item--woman who chairs the group (whose husband is in a care facility) told us how she was able to clean up a toaster oven that had cheese melted inside the device. She put the unit in the freezer! The cheese debris froze and she easily removed it from the unit's surfaces. Very clever!

Speaking of cheese--I stopped on the way back and had a delicious individual pizza at a small place on the way to Folsom (on the way back to Fair Oaks). I then went for a green tea latte and came home and slept for a while.

Got a St. Pat's e-card from LL. It was done by the people in the UK and is a fun animation of the holiday celebration. I found my one green t-shirt to wear today--my only green piece of clothing that I own. But I had a green tea latte--that should count as well!

Several of the people at the PD support group are, and have been, dealing with all manner of physical issues. How they do it is not clear--but they keep on with what they encounter and keep going! Amazing people!

3090

Hazy, lazy day! All the clouds have gone away! What more may I say? Except, it was a hazy, lazy day!

Took a walk around the upper loop route late in the afternoon (after dinner, in fact). Neighborhood was quiet. I finally talked myself into getting up and out. I spent most of the day zoning out.

There's a PD support group meeting tomorrow--St. Patrick's Day! Not sure I have anything that's really green. Guess I'll get pinched a lot.

Green is the color of my true love's hair--or is it some neuvo-tint? What color purple do you like? Perhaps a flavor of pink?

Had my regular green tea latte and warm morning bun at SBs. The only places on the planet where all of the baristas remember your name if you go in regularly. A home away from home!

Don't recall what I dreamed about last night/this morning. I think it all had something to do with replays of scenes from episodes of Foyle's War. I would have made a good detective. This evening I solved the mystery of the green beans. When I walked into the kitchen, I was asked if the package of green beans in the refrigerator was mine. I looked and it and said it was not mine. I then checked the Use By date and saw that it had been marked to be used by February 14. Today is March 16--a month beyond the use by date. And, most likely the item was purchased even earlier than the February date--even as early as January of this year. Therefore, the beans are MD's but had been shuffled deep into the bowels (or drawers) of the refrigerator. It now resides in the trash--the contents were not usable. Case solved!

Hmmm! Perhaps I should check out those lumps of cheese! Or that bedraggled head of lettuce?

Who knows what goes on in there when the lights are out!

3091

Just did the loop-the long way! Felt good, easier than usual, and not as tiring! Hope to keep it going in that manner.

A bit of a soup bubbling around here today. The grandkid is going to her grandmother's for the weekend. There was little said about what was happening--I felt somewhat excluded from things. I'm actually happy to not be going there. The disruption of my sleep and other patterns would be tweaked if I were to go along. I'm actually having a little problem with the time shifts of medication and DST. So, it feels better for me to stay on site and enjoy the peace and quiet. But, I still felt some upset over how everything was (or was not) communicated.

The grandkid actually told me what was happening. She burst into my room and said (joyfully) that she was going to her grandmother's for the weekend. I read underneath her announcement--and you're not going! She and I are not on the same page regarding my coming here and being another adult with whom she has to deal.

Anyway, the energy around what was happening propelled me outdoors and around my loop. So, all was not for naught. In fact, the incident helps me reinforce my intention to do what I can to delay and reverse my symptoms. To do that, I must be more focused and get on with what I know needs to be done--despite any circumstance or situation.

I dreamed a peculiar dream last night. I was in a bucket brigade. We were loading up canisters of supercooled liquids and hauling them up a huge ramp or ladder into a space ship. The ship was controlled by huge aliens. We had been conscripted to load and haul the fuel into the ship. When they were topped off, they would be leaving, heading back to their home base. We were aware that none of us could go with them, even though it sounded like a good idea to most of us. The aliens had refused the suggestion--they said it was not possible. That we wouldn't be able to survive on their planet.

Despite the issue of not being able to go with them, the overall mood of the dream was positive and upbeat.

The day was warm. The weather is shifting, moving to warmer and warmer times.

3092

I dreamed an odd dream last night. I was with a woman (partner) and we were visiting with a troupe of performers. They had transformed part of their apartment into a performance space. We, my partner and I, were being given a sample of a new show that the performers were going to be doing. The content of the performance had to do with technologies--the oddball things people were doing with smart phones, computers, apps, and so on.

I found the material hilarious. I kept laughing and guffawing at nearly every thing they said and did. The longer we listened, the more I laughed. My partner was not as taken by the show like I was. I was nearly rolling on the floor at every bit that was said and acted out. We stayed there for quite some time and I just kept laughing and begging for more. My partner finally had had all she could stand and she excused herself and left. I stayed on, laughing until I hurt.

We (the troupe and I) at some point went out to get some food--the troupe continued to say and do things from the show and I supplied the laugh track. After we laughed and ate ourselves silly, the troupe headed back to their place. I was going to leave them and head back to my place. But, somehow I ended up following them and we continued with them doing bits from the show and me laughing myself silly. I don't recall anything specific--just my complete immersion into a state of profound hilarity.

It was warm here today. A hint of what it's going to be like when summer arrives. I went for a green tea Frappuccino with whipped cream to celebrate the warmth. It was delicious!

Didn't do a loop today! Starting to burn my way through the Foyle's War episodes. They are a set of detective/police stories about a clever British sleuth in the WWII times. Not MI-5 but still engaging!

3093

Talked with RS today. Good to hear a familiar voice. He and B have gotten rid of their flock of animals. His son, VS, is still doing well as an artist. We talked for quite a while. He's now been to India about a dozen times. Not bad for a wet match!

I walked the loop today--taking the noisy but steeper route. It's warming up a lot now--foreshadowing the steamy summertime to come. Right now, there's a strong breeze out of the South. As I topped the rise on the route I take, the wind pushed against my back, feeling like I was going to be lifted like a kite.

The work on the patio and various house projects have been restarted. Now that the weather is not a hindrance, the work resumes.

I went out for a late breakfast around midday. Had a hearty plate of eggs, hash browns, ham, and rye toast. Topped that off with a green tea latte at SBs. I came back and did a short nap and then the loop. Now, it's just a few hours until dinnertime! Blasting through the intervals! Mapping out the patterns! Dodging all incoming flak!

Weaving of dreams! I don't recall last night's dreamings! I fell asleep late--around midnight! My internal clock is still off, still firing at odd times and odd hours.

3094

Did a loop today. Took a bit of a different route but covered about the same ground. I just didn't feel like doing the normal first leg which involves a lot of traffic and noise. Went the quieter route--let me sync with the scenery more.

Slept in late as per normal. Got out a bit late to get a green tea latte and a morning bun. Had a snack for lunch--spicy chicken wings (which tasted good and satisfied a craving I was having).

Quiet day today. Except for my brief outings, I was here with MD. Around dinner time, she inadvertently set off her emergency alarm. That event is noisy and loud. I heard the initial beeping which the unit emits when the alarm button is pressed. If there is no cancellation button pressed, the center activates the speaker unit. The unit asks, in a very loud voice, if there is an emergency. If no one responds or intervenes, the center will eventually call for an ambulance. To stop the procedure, someone must communicate with the operator, identify the situation, and transmit the code word to stop everything.

I completed watching the full set of Prime Suspect episodes. Not as compelling as MI-5, but a well done set of mysteries--well written and acted.

I continue to mull what it is that I need to do to break loose from this limbo state that I seem to be enmeshed. Oh, yes! I did my laundry today. Not exactly a breakthrough activity but one that needed to be done.

3095

Tuesday a lot like Monday. Monday a lot like Sunday. Days cascade by with little variation or sense of difference. I slept in this morning (like usual) except I didn't really start to move until noon. Went for my green tea booster in the noontime hour. Breakfast was an almond pastry. I came back and slept for a while and then went back out for a late lunch (early dinner). I was craving pasta so I went to Panera's for one of their half-bowls of chicken pasta. It was tasty!

Came back and watched an episode of Intelligence--the show about the $60 Billion dollar man. The man with a chip on his shoulder so to speak.

About time for dinner now--and the day is gone! Big event? My SBs gift card arrived in the mail. I cashed in some of my bonus points for a hundred-dollar SBs gift card.

Dinner will be its nominal repeat--fruit and a juice drink.

Weather is warming! Supposed to ride into the 70s and 80s over the next 10 days. Rain is not forecast. Soon to be the Ides of March--and St. Patrick's Day. We've sprung ahead--now what? Waiting for the flow! Waiting for the glow!

3096

Didn't fall asleep last night until about 2am. I was wide awake. I slept in late this morning, finally getting up and about around noon. Grabbed a sandwich from Panera's and a green tea latte from SBs. I then came back and napped for a while and went for my loop around the neighborhood. The loop felt easier today--the respite yesterday helped loosen things up.

It's really nice outdoors today--a blustery wind but sun and no rain. I sat outside at both Panera's and SBs, as well as made the loop walk. Spring is in the air! Blossoms everywhere! The fruit trees are in heavy bloom--large spheres of pink, white, yellow and purple!

It's already 4pm (3pm body time really). I feel like I just got up and it's almost time to eat again and go into the evening and night routines. And, I would have no problem falling asleep like I did this afternoon.

I'm not sure what my dreams were about last night. I seem to recall that they were realistic but the details got lost in the late-to-bed episode and late arising. Well, time for either a TV show episode or another Prime Suspect--or both! Will make a trip to the shopping center to pick up a few things.

I sleep, I dream, I burn the hours--living candles of the soul!

3097

Clocks set ahead an hour--and the living is chunky! I feel adrift and floating. Clock says 7:00pm but my body knows it's still 6pm. Time to eat! But I've already eaten--an hour ago! Choppy, chunky and carefully crunched!

I awoke this morning late (it was 10am by the clock). The grandkid was up and about. She engaged me in her ongoing fantasy story, which only she knows how the various story lines fit together. Her mother looked like she was out of steam so I started playing. Two hours later we took a break and ate some pizza. After we ate, I headed to SBs and my overdue green tea latte. SBs wasn't too crowded--they had been jammed the past two days.

Today was bright and shiny. Late in the afternoon, the clouds started building up and making it look like rain. I don't think it ever rained though.

I didn't do my loop today. I kept not doing it and now it's too late. Perhaps, the two hours of play with the grandkid can count toward my daily exercise total--two hours with her uses up a lot of energy.

I'm making my way through Prime Suspect. Helen Mirren is superb as Tennison.

3098

Saturn's Day and springing forward tonight! An hour disappears in the middle of the night--or so everyone agrees.

I made a loop around the neighborhood today. Again, I had push myself out the door, but I did it and it is done. My feet and legs feel heavy. The time I took off over the past six months is having a noticeable effect on my legs and joints. Have to keep moving! Have to! Or pay the piper!

Dreamed last night a very detailed dream where I was a team member in an alpine skiing competition. In one part of the dream, I was skiing and making practice runs with the team members. In a second part of the dream, I was in the team's housing area. When we weren't practicing or in competitions, we were in the housing facility. When there, we ate, watched films of the competitions, did our laundry, rested, read, and played cards. In a third part of the dream, I was walking down a street filled with eating places. Some of the places looked familiar--they were duplicates of my favorite eating places where I lived. Other places were not familiar.

When I went for my loop walk, I stopped and talked with an older guy who I wave to as I drive past his place. He's usually working in the yard. His name is Tom and he's retired from a pest control business that he started. His son now operates the business and Tom fiddles with his yard. There were several other people out and about in the neighborhood. The warming weather seems to be drawing people out of their winter hibernation.

3100-3099

Missed doing a post last night. I was up until midnight watching a full episode of Prime Suspect. I couldn't just shut it down without knowing the final outcome.

Did a loop around the neighborhood yesterday and today. Felt good! Had to push myself out the door today, but I made it.

Changing my medication timing seems to make a definite shift of symptoms--still trying to sort out the differences. Will get a perturbation this weekend with the shift in clocks--springing ahead!

Got an outstanding bill for a copay on the eye surgery--only $200! Thank goodness for insurance!

Weather has been freaky! Storms, thunder and lightning, sunny days, warmer and balmy.

Been having vivid dreams. Last night I woke myself up by singing in the dream and actually singing out loud. I'm not sure how long I was actually singing--I was dancing in the dream and was vocalizing the song being played as I danced.

Picked up some new books at the library today. Will read some before dreaming/dancing once again!

3101

I'm sleepy! Slept through last night. Medication timing adjustment appears to adjust timing of symptoms and residual effects for the better. 

I sat with the grandkid for about 2 hours this afternoon. Play went smoothly. We did not get into a contest of wills. We did some role playing where she directed the action. We also did some drawing where she drew an image and I had to make several copies. This activity went fairly smoothly. We then did a drawing game where one of us would draw a figure and the other person would make a copy. This activity went on for quite some time. She really got into doing this alternating task. 

I've been sitting to much--need to get back to moving. Will restart things tomorrow--will begin with doing the neighborhood walking loop and, if possible, some weeding. The back yard is overgrown with rapidly multiplying weed plants. I think it's raining some tonight. Hopefully, it will be clear tomorrow so that activity can be done.

It's late to the gate! I hear thunder in the night! Time to dream again!

3102

Presentation at today's Roseville support group was informative and motivating. A testimony regarding effectiveness of stem cell therapy for PD (and other conditions) was made by a man who looks to be in the best of health. He has had a stem cell treatment over two years ago and he has followed up with all manner of experimentation (use of a hyperbaric chamber, exercise, use of supplements, and several other interventions). He still has PD--he has not been cured--but it appears he has slowed down/stopped/and maybe reversed many of his symptoms.

He was followed by a woman who started the stem cell clinic after experiencing the positive results that the therapy had on her arthritis (RA). Both of these people said that they got their lives back based on the therapies they underwent. Their talks were not about trying to sell anybody anything--they just talked about their (and others) positive results, what the therapy involves, and what the current technologies can and can't do. Their were questions asked about what it costs that were answered forthrightly--the process is simple but quite expensive ($10K to $30K). And, more importantly, what is or is not covered by insurance (not much).

In short form, the process involves using liposuction to extract fat from the person's body (fat contains an abundance of stem cells), processing the fat to extract and activate the stem cells, and putting the activated cells back in the body. The activated (and increased number of cells) than go forth looking for cells to repair.

I couldn't help but wonder if the whole process can be done "in-house" so to speak. If there are abundant cells already why not use internal techniques to activate the dormant cells (meditation, relaxation, and other dopamine-producing activities)? Food for my dreaming thoughts!

I've seen all of the MI-5 episodes! I completed the last two episodes tonight. No more MI-5 unless I want to watch them all again--NOT!

I slept through the night last night--I had changed my dosage times based on the suggestion of the Dr. T. Tonight, I'm starting to feel sleepy like I felt last night. Will report tomorrow if I have the same results tonight.

3103

Drove to the doctor's appointment this morning. Left early so I could make it even if traffic delayed. Made it to the offices about 40 minutes. Everything went smoothly and I was there with time to spare.

Met my new doctor and did an intake review with him regarding my condition. I wasn't operating at full power but I think it was worth the effort it took to secure him as my PD symptoms become more pronounced. We discussed my medication schedule and decided that I would adjust the timing--Now will take a Stalevo 150 at 7:30am, 2pm and 8pm. Will take one Azilect in the morning. He also suggested that I take some melatonin to help me sleep more soundly--we discussed my dreamings and what I might do to push them down some. The suggestion might have been enough--I'm drifting into sleep just writing about it.

Good news! The front desk staff said that they were going to be able to bill the insurance company directly. Hope so! It will circumvent having me deal with everything. Let it be so!

Extended support group meeting tomorrow. Looking forward to attending. Feeling like I'm at a juncture and can move on from here. I felt good about my trek to see the neurologist. I think it was the furthest I've driven over the last 8 years. About time! Will experiment with making side trips.

More rain on the horizon!

3104

Beware the ides of March! And the twos of March as well! I went to get my daily green tea latte and when I pulled into the parking space I misjudged my turning radius. I clipped the parked car with my right front bumper. Didn't do a lot of damage, but it did mark up her bumper and some of her left rear side panel. Fortunately, she (who is pregnant), her daughter and her mother were not in their vehicle. They were shopping (probably getting their green tea lattes). I could have just driven away and let them discover the ding--but couldn't do such a thing. I waited until they returned and told them what happened. We exchanged insurance/vehicle information.

When I got home (with the bitter taste of green tea latte on my lips), I tried to file an online accident report with my insurance company. Yes, I encountered techno-problems and had to phone the report. My insurance company, CSAA, is really quite efficient. I spoke with a customer service person and got the ball rolling regarding fixing the damage and so forth.

The incident triggered my stress/anxiety levels. These activities and my impending appointment with the neurologist tomorrow are making themselves felt. I gave up and collapsed for a light nap. I then sat down with my new Smartphone and checked out my GPS routing to the doctor's offices. I think I've figured it out.

The grandkid's mother needs to step out for a couple of hours this evening. So, I'll be entertaining the grandkid for a couple of hours--before making any final preparations for the morrow's expedition.

There's the Tuesday Roseville support group session on Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll be back on the planet by then. If not, then onward I float until another daze!

Hello, again! My computer just locked up--it froze like a rose or some frostbitten toes! Who knows!

3105

MD's B-day dinner was tasty and subdued. I gave her the book on women spies--I hope she likes it. It may be too heavy for her tastes. But it was interesting to me--I ended up reading most of it.

Dinner was a pork roast with applesauce, a mixed vegetable stir-fry, potatoes, and gravy. Carrot cake was for the B-day dessert.

I filled out my intake form for my neurologist appointment on Monday. Tomorrow, I'll make my list of discussion issues and check them twice.

Today was sunny and bright. The rains let up and all was shiny and new. I slept a lot but it felt good.

Almost finished the MI-5 series--I'm on series 10 (of 10)--the final 8 episodes. Series 9 was intense as the key agent unravels as he tries to justify his past lies and deceptions. Who is Lucas North anyway? You might not want to know!

Time to close down for the night. Ta ta! Sailing on the wings of dreamings!