HAPPY PRIDE

Today was Pride.  Some call it Gay Pride.  There is a big parade.  I am a contingent monitor.  I have to keep the contingent safe and obeying the rules.  I watched a training video.

I was getting ready to do my job and this women comes running up and said "there you are".  She thrust a cookie shaped like a heart in a rainbow motif at me.  I said thank you but no.  I am vegan.  She seemed disappointed.  I said thank you and gave her a hug.  She seemed better.

I was not feeling my best at the parade.  I have been super tired and sore for days.  This march did not help anything.  Some folks protested something at the parade and we got held up for almost 1 hour so that added on to the time I had to stand up.

When I got home I took a long epsom salts bath.  Then I fell asleep at 9 pm.

Until tomorrow...

PINK SATURDAY

Today is Pink Saturday.  It is the day before Pride.  You have to wear pink clothes and there are parties all over.  My friend has a party every year.   It is 90% guys but it is really fun.  I went late and hung out with my neighbors.  I had a lot of fun for 2 hours.

Until tomorrow...

THE HOUSE IS DONE

Today the painters finished painting the house.  It looks great! I am SO happy it is over.   I could not get a great photo because the lighting was bad at that hour.  I will get a good photo tomorrow. Here is a photo of the front door and Lucky:

She is ready to celebrate Pride Weekend!  I could not find my big Gay Flag so I had to put up my little flag on the door. Who knows where my big flag has been put.  I am sure I will find it in August, a bit late.

Until tomorrow...

APPLE A DAY

I eat an apple a day. I have been doing this for years.  An apple is filling and has lots of fiber.  I also love apples.  I love sweet apples.  My teeth are bonded so I can't bite into apples and I have to cut them up.  

I spend my time picking out my apples.  I feel a good looking apple is false advertising when the inside is rotten.  It really annoys me when I get an apple home and it looks beautiful and I cut into it and it is rotten inside.  I feel cheated.  

A rotten apple should have some sort of blemish outside so I can see it is rotten inside and then I won't pick it out of the pile at the store.  But no.  This never happens.  I wake up in the morning and my breakfast is ruined with a rotten apple.  

Okay, this isn't a life changing event but it is annoying and a waste of money.

Until tomorrow...

VEGGIE AND FRUIT BOX

I got my veggie and fruit box and surprise! There was stuff in it that I didn't order.  Some of the stuff I did order was missing.  I ordered spinach and that was missing but I got cilantro.  Not really a substitute.  I also didn't get my curly kale.  I guess I won't be making a soup this week.  Unless it is cilantro soup!!  I also swear I didn't order kiwis but I got them too. 

I think the person who put my box together was preoccupied.  I called and they credited me for the stuff I didn't get.  At least it wasn't eaten by an animal like a couple of times ago.  That was gross.

Until tomorrow...

POSTPONED PAINTERS

The painters have postponed until Friday.  They didn't show up today and asked if they could come tomorrow but I have to work tomorrow and Thursday so Friday it is.  I can't wait until the painting is over!! 

I took Happi to be checked yesterday.  She has been getting food stuck in her lower jaw when she eats.  I have to massage it out after each meal.  I got concerned that something sinister was going on so I took her in to get it checked out.  They think it is getting stuck where they took out her tooth last year or behind her last tooth.  They felt around and didn't feel anything. 

She has gained a pound so that is a good thing.  She was 20 pounds last week and she is 21+ pounds this week.  The kibble I bought seems to be working.  I just have to mush the wet food and kibble together or she picks out the kibble and only eats that.  So, you are asking why not feed her only the kibble?  The kibble gives her room clearing gas if she eats too much.  It is better if she eats a mixture.  She needs to gain about 3-4 pounds more.

Until tomorrow...

FACEBOOK AD

There is an ad on TV for Facebook Groups.  I am not trying to push Facebook or Facebook Groups.  I just like the ad.  It starts out with men picking out sports women's sports shirts.  Then you realize that the shirts are for little girls.  The shirts are all NY Mets shirts.  There are regular Mets shirts and pink Mets shirts.  Then they show the girls at the game with the men and you realize it is dads and daughters  They are at the game having a good time.

The reason I am writing about this is that it reminds me of my dad.  When I was a kid, my dad used to take me (and sometimes my brother's too) to the Mets games.  I used to love going to those Mets games with my dad.  It is one of my favorite memories as a kid.  They are still my favorite team even though I live very far away.

Until tomorrow...

PARKING SPOT

Today I took my friends kid out for vegan burgers and ice cream. We had a good time catching up. When we were done we walked around the neighborhood.

When we arrive in the area we were driving down the street and I saw a person get in their car to pull out of a parking spot. I put on my blinker. The person pulled out and I pulled forward to back in. A person jumped into the spot. He said I am saving the spot. I continued the back up. He moved out of the way when he saw I was not stopping. He said again I was saving that spot. Huh?!

I guess he might have been with one of these new annoying services I heard about where you can pay someone to reserve a parking spot.  I don’t care I was there first.  Plus I now think this service is stupider and ruining this city more than Uber. Paying people to save a parking space for you.  Not to mention there is going to be a whole generation with no retirement savings when they get older.

Many years ago I was in Washington DC and I was backing into a parking space when a very obnoxious person tried to park in the same spot by driving in the spot with the front end of the car.  I was more than 50% of the way in the spot and refused to move and we had a stand off for about 20 minutes until the guy gave up.  I was there for business and had boxes to move so I was not giving the spot up.

Until tomorrow...

ANOTHER ROAD TRIP

I heard from my RA doctor. He is supposed to be fighting for me to be getting on Orencia.  He said the insurance company is giving him a hard time and he is writing another appeal. That is the update.

Today I took another road trip to see a friend. I really am enjoying those audiobooks on these long trips.

I went to an arcade restaurant. I played laser tag for the first time. It was super fun. All my years of watching cop shows have finally come in handy. I was on the floor looking for the feet to see where my opponents were. I was shooting around corners. I was a mad woman. Yes, I won!

Until tomorrow...

PAINT JOB ALMOST DONE

The paint job on my house is almost done. They only have one more day of painting left.

The back of the house is almost done.  I’m super excited to see it finished.  It will probably be Tuesday.

Until tomorrow...

SKIPPED A PLAY

Last night I was supposed to go to a play.  I bought the tickets months ago.  I am sure it was a good idea then but yesterday it was not a good idea.  Here's why:

1. I lost the internet early in the morning and it didn't come back on until 5pm.  Turns out my area went out from my ISP.  Then once it came on it messed up my router.  That took me hours (and a phone call to my brother) to figure out.  I finally called tech support and they fixed it in 10 minutes.  Long story short it required a paperclip and restarting things.  So the day was a loss.
2. I had to go buy tires.  Once I got there I only needed one tire so that was a bonus.  Why do tires cost so much?  I can't figure it out.  It is rubber.
3. I was supposed to go to a play but I decided that I had a tough day and decided to stay home instead.  I laid down on the couch and dozed off.
4. These antibiotics are wreaking havoc on my stomach so another reason to stay home on the couch.

I got over feeling bad for missing the play very quickly once I laid down on the couch and dozed off.

Until tomorrow...

USELESS RA DOCTOR

The insurance-company-who-must-not-be-named is giving my RA doctor a hard time about putting me on Orencia. 

If you have read this blog for any number of years or have gone back in time in my blog, you will see that I was on Enbrel for MANY years.  I began taking Enbrel when it first came on the market.  I paid tens of thousands of dollars to the makers of Enbrel over the years.  Enbrel cost about $1,300 every month.  Some months I had to pay the whole amount and other months I didn't have to pay anything depending on my insurance coverage at the moment. 

Then a few years ago I go a horrible headache and felt quite ill.  Then I felt horrible.  Then I felt like my head would explode.  I was rushed to the hospital by my neighbor, thank goodness.  I had meningitis.  I was in the hospital for 6 days.  Let me say that again 6 days. 

The staff in the hospital said it was probably from the Enbrel and I should not take it anymore. 

Now the insurance company is telling me I need to go back on Enbrel because they do not want to pay for Orencia.  My doctor is not strong enough to stand up to them.  They want proof that I have been on Enbrel and that I can't take it anymore. 

I say Can I send them my bill from the 6 days in the hospital??  Isn't that proof enough?  Why are they asking me for proof that I was on Enbrel?  Don't they have the proof of the tens of thousands of dollars that they spent when I was on Enbrel?  Can't they look in their file? 

Anyway, I am ready to give up on my doctor trying to get this drug.  I think I am going to have to do something if I am ever going to get on it.  Ergh...

Until tomorrow...

FIRST WINDOW IS DONE

The first window is done!  I am so excited!  The painters painted the first window with the final paint color.  I think it looks great.  I know I will hear lots of comments and opinions about my color choices but I wanted a cheery and colorful house.  I was tired of the green trim that I have had for all the years I lived in the house. 

I am happy with my cheerful house.  My neighbor said I will have the gayest house on the block.  Fine with me.

Until tomorrow...

WIFI

I am really amazed with wifi system in my home.  I am convinced that my system was designed by someone who has kids; possibly teens.  I will tell you why.

My system allows you to turn it off. Okay, a lot of systems let you do that.  My system allows me to turn off each of my wifi beacons separately.  So if someone is using the beacon in the living room to watch TV and use their iPad and I don't want them watching TV and iPad, I can turn that beacon off.

The system also allows me to specifically turn off access from any electronic connected to my wifi system.  This I love.  You are not supposed to be watching TV past 9pm?  Okay, I give you two warnings and then BOOM!  The TV gets disconnected from the internet.  You are annoying me with Alexa when you are supposed to be getting ready for school?  BOOM!  Alexa gets disconnected.  I don't even have to get up from my chair. 

It is like a game sometimes!  It is my favorite app now.  Ultimate power. 

I remember the first time I turned it off with my foster son.  He just looked at the remote and the TV.  He kept pushing buttons.  He could not figure out what happened.  Why it didn't work.  Until it clicked in and he figured it out.  Then he was not happy. 

Until tomorrow...

BIRD DAY

Today was dedicated to the bird. Sunny the bird has been ignored for too long. His cage needed to be cleaned. I mean a heavy duty clean not just a paper change. A heavy duty clean requires putting Sunny in his travel cage and taking his big cage outside and disassembling it.  All the pieces have to be sprayed with Poop Off bird cage cleaner and left to sit. The spray will dissolve the bird poop.  Then I spray it with the hose. After it all dries, I put it all back together.

I took Sunny to get his nails, beak and wings clipped. He hates it but it is necessary. He needs his beak trimmed because his overgrown beak. Birds need their nails trimmed and I like his wings trimmed so he can’t fly.

So it was a big bird day.

Oh, Happy Fathers Day.

Until tomorrow.,,

AUDIBLE

For a long time now I have been listening to audiobooks in the car. I enjoy mysteries in book form but in audiobooks in the car I am not a fan. In the car I need a book that is lite and easy to follow. Something that has few characters and an easy plot. I don't need my mind to wander. I also don't always drive for long distances so if I listen for 20 minutes on Monday and 5 minutes on Thursday and 45 minutes on Saturday, it is hard to keep a very complicated plot straight in my mind. Plus with CD audiobooks, you can't really rewind just a little bit, you have to take it back a whole chapter. So you can end up re-listening to an entire portion for your whole ride.

This month I was going to be doing a quite a bit of driving so I decided to try Audible. Audible is an Amazon product. It is an app that you download on your phone and you download audiobooks to listen to on your phone. If you have a newer car you can listen to it through Bluetooth and your car speakers. I have a car that is too old so I put my headset on and listen to it as if I was on the phone.

Audible has a 30 free trial and they give you a free credit to buy your first book. I bought my first book and listened to a wonderful book.  Each month there are free books if you want to listen to them. My sister-in-law bought a $1.99 book for her kids to listen to The Wizard of Oz and they seem to be enjoying it.

I was going to give it up at the end of the 30 days but I am really enjoying it. I like the sleep timer function. A few mornings when I have gotten up with Happi at 5:50 am I have not been able to get back to sleep and I put on the audiobook and set the timer for 15 min and fell sound sleep. It's like someone reading you a bedtime story.

The painters did not come again today because it was misty and wet again.  Cross your fingers for dry weather.

Until tomorrow...

NO PAINTERS

The painters did not come today because it was lightly raining this morning. It finally dried out at 11am but they started an inside job. Hopefully tomorrow.

I saw my dermatologist and she said this is the first time the skin on my face looked good.  Yes! The stuff she gave me for the Rosesea is working. It is nice to not have a red, broken out, peeling, flaking face anymore.  People always ask me how my face and skin look so young. I think it is because I have not worn makeup in over 30 years. The doctor claims that makeup makes your skin look younger. I SO disagree. 

Until tomorrow...

PAINT SAMPLES

We did some paint samples today.

A lot of people like the medium color but in person the darker color looks better.  The lighter color is the primer and makes the house look like an Easter egg or a Unicorn.  Something pastel.  I do not like that at all.

I went to my client's and ended our working relationship.  It went very well.  I will have more time to focus on the things I need to focus on in the future.

I also called The-Insurance-Company-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and found out my RA doctor never followed up and never did the peer-to-peer review so I can get Orencia.  I called my Primary Doctor and let him know.  I am so frustrated.  I am having a flare and I am still not on an drugs.  Of course now that I am on anti-biotics, it is just as well because I would just have to go off Orencia to take the anti-biotics.

 Until tomorrow...

PRIMER

The painters have been priming the house.  They used a color primer so the house looks funny right now with white, yellow, green, brown and lavender.

The lavender will be a darker lavender and the yellow will stay the same.  The brown spots are waterproofing the nails.

It is going along at a good pace.  Today it was very breezy and there was a slight accident with a ladder.  The ladder (with no one on it) blew over with a gust of wind and landed on my neighbor's artichoke plant.  Luckily he was not angry about it and was thankful it was not anything else and no one was hurt.  We decided no more painting on that side in the wind.

Until tomorrow...

STILL FEELING POORLY

I could not pick up the antibiotics until today so I will not start feeling better until today.  I am still feeling hot and it is 100 degrees outside.  The painters are working on the window frames so all the windows and doors are closed on the hottest day of the year for 2019.  The dogs are miserable and we are scared the electricity will be turned off.

What a miserable day!  At least we are not the painters who are working outside in this heat.  I keep giving them water and ice pops to cool them down.  I need to inform their boss that he is breaking the law by not supplying water on super hot days.

Until tomorrow...

DOCTOR VISIT

I had the painters and a doctor appointment today.  When I got to the doctor's office, I was told I had a fever.  I knew I was not feeling well.  I had a headache for days and I felt hot.  I have a sinus infection as well as an infection on my mouth.  Antibiotics will fix it.

It is 90 degrees here today so I guess everyone is feeling hot today.  I am just feeling hot from the inside out.

I am going to rest.

Until tomorrow...

FEELING POORLY

I woke up feeling poorly.  I wanted to get some thing accomplished today but instead I barely left the couch and didn't really leave the house.  I went to the local market and not the big supermarket.  I just could not face it.  It was a nice day, hot even but I could not get myself outside.

I think my allergies are acting up along with my RA. I had a cool bath to see if that made me feel better in this heat.

Until tomorrow...

ROAD TRIP

I had to go somewhere today and it was a long two hour drive each way.  I was super tired when I got home.  It was also hot all day.  I sat down on the couch and ate ice cream.

Then I watched a movie.  That was my day.

Until tomorrow...

POWER WASH

Today was the day the house got power washed.  My brother and I got up early and went to buy samples of the two colors I am struggling between for the trim.

I am leaning toward the darker purple.  It looks less like an Easter egg.

Then the guys showed up and power washed the house.  It took a few hours to spray the whole house.  It looks nice in some places and in others, it looks horrible with paint peeling off.  But you can't paint part of a house and make it match.  The painter said the previous painters didn't use primer, that is why the paint is peeling so much.  The primer starts on Monday.

My brother left this afternoon.  It was great that he was here.  He fixed a few things before he walked out the door.  I now have fewer squeaky doors.

Until tomorrow...

ROAD TRIP

My brother and I went on a road trip.  I had already booked the dog walker so we decided to get in the car and go for a drive.  We saw the ocean.  We saw a reservoir.  We took a walk.  We at lunch at a build your own pizza place.  Unfortunately it was cool and breezy so we had to keep the top up.

It was a nice day.  Then we went to dinner at a favorite Thai restaurant.

Until tomorrow...

BROTHER CAME TO VISIT

My brother B came to visit.  I am going through a rough time and my brother graciously asked if he could come out for a quick visit.  He arrived today right before I left to go to the movies with a friend.  Yes, I know this sounds like a horrible house guest.

I told B that I would be going to the movies since I got free tickets to see Secret Life of Pets 2 and already invited a friend.  We agreed he would be too tired and rushed to go right out and see a movie.

The movie was hysterically funny.  I recommend it very much.  There are SO many parts that just cracked me up.  It was a laugh-fest.  My friend loved it.

My brother was a sleep when I got home.

Until tomorrow...

THE END TO PHYSICAL THERAPY

Today was my last physical therapy appointment for my torn rotator cuff.   I started physical therapy back in February I think.  I have been going to PT for 3 months.  It seems a lot longer.   The therapist said my shoulder is not frozen anymore.  It was not completely frozen it was just partially frozen.  Now it is not frozen at all.  It still hurts a bit but not like it did.  I have exercises to do to keep it moving.  I will try to do them.  I suck at physical therapy at home. 

To celebrate my extra time, I invoiced my clients on June 4th!  I might see some pay before July!!  This is wonderful.

Until tomorrow...

POSTS

My posts have not been very long for the past few weeks.  I have had a lot going on that I may share at a later time.  This personal thing has taken up a lot of time and energy and I haven't had much time left most days to write or think of something to write about.  I will try to be more entertaining and authentic soon.

Until tomorrow...

BINGE WATCHING

I have been binge watching TV shows.  My Hulu was almost full of TV shows that I had saved.  First it was Blacklist.  Then it was Empire.  Then it was The Fix.  I have been chipping away at them little by little but this weekend I did a little binge watching and finished a few of them. 

It feels good to finish a season or a series.  A bit satisfying.  Like getting to the end of a book.

Now on to the next show.

Until tomorrow...

GREEN BOOK

I watched the movie Green Book this weekend.  I really liked it.  I thought it was well written and well acted.  It is hard to be between two worlds.  You aren't part of one group and you aren't welcome in the other group.

Those must have been such difficult times not that these times are that much better for some people.

Until tomorrow...