Results Of Our Actions

 I am tired this morning. I should clarify, I am sleepy-tired this morning. I do not know if it is maybe some residual effect from anesthesia, or just the body needing more rest (or both). Either way, there is a nap somewhere on my clear schedule today, be it this morning, or afternoon. Probably afternoon, as I would like to make my AA group this morning.

I also feel pretty fat in the tummy. It's not pressure related like the ascites build-up (though I do have that going on) but I think from eating yesterday. Being allowed to eat less restricted than I was for the cleansing, I might have ate too much throughout the day. I know I do not feel hungry at all currently, and I usually have to eat something with my meds or get nausea. Not today. So I'm just sipping on a beer (c'mon, it's root beer).

More for Papaw's stash should be arriving today. The package today is spiced gumdrops. Also a devotional specifically geared towards alcoholics called simply "Twenty Fours A Day" I bought it in hardback (thrift books only had paperback). I'm hoping it fits my needs I feel I need at this time in my quiet time with God.

I finally did decide to do a Prayer journal, listing specific people and their needs, except those that if someone were to read, would be sharing with people I shouldn't. Those I'll keep in another place. This way I will remember better what I am praying for for that person. With my memory issues, that is important.

I had a message reply this morning from Mayo regarding the lab tox screen results. I instantly got angry and prepared to type out a scathing reply, then stopped. Their reply was basically "Thank you for letting us know you completed the appointment. We will review results when they become official". Generic. My name wasn't mentioned, nor any particular of my case. I think this is the first time since I started with Mayo, that I feel they have let me down. This reply felt like someone that did not read through the last part of the email chain, that the appointment was done and they were contacted LAST week to watch for results; I was letting them know the results were ready and they needed to get them to try to get my case to the review this week as this was a final issue; and though it sounds bad, I really felt this was someone that was lazy and was just throwing out generic replies to maybe a large amount of incoming messages to "be caught up" in their work. Sigh. I sighed. I did not reply anything, but I prayed for patience. This is moving at God's speed, and it will happen when he wants it to happen.

With that said, I think I am out of topic today.

PeacE

I *WILL* Overcome Difficulties

 When it comes to the cessation of smoking cigarettes (approximately 35 years) I am back to Day One. I truly am having a harder time with this than I do with sobriety. I get frustrated at myself when I fail to get through the day with out smoking, and that just starts the circle of wanting one even more. Heck, last week when I got the news I was deferred another three months, it was the first time I thought of even drinking since September. Why is it good habits are easy to break, and bad habits are hard? Well, that doesn't matter because today is Day One and I WILL make it through.

I slept sooo good last night. I had mentioned to the Wife in the afternoon that I was feeling pretty tired, and even upon waking that morning had felt a little groggy and just kind of dragging through the day. Told her I may go to bed early. By about 5pm, I had caught myself, dozing in the office chair while watching a movie. After dinner, I think I ended up in bed around 7-8pm. Not sure but about then. I played 2 rounds on my tablet game, and was falling asleep while playing. I shut down. Slept clear through to the alarm for the most part. I feel well rested today.

Outside of the morning routine, the first thing I did today was get the Agenda for tomorrow's meeting out. Now I need to do a letter for the Riders - supper this Friday. I need to take that chair up to Staples today to find out what can be done. I also need to get to the store for some more soda. I have been craving soda a bit lately. But I do have to watch how much I drink due to sugar amounts and weight gain.

Tomorrow morning I have a consult at Mayo with Interventional Radiology. We are going to discuss the TIPPS procedure, which hopefully would help reduce the ascites build-up in the abdomen, and possibly make a paracentesis less needed as often, if at all. I heard some good stories from past transplants about how well it worked for them. It would be removed at the time of transplant (as well as them fixing the umbilical hernia). I do have another Para this Wednesday.

That's it for now. Nothing too exciting going on for now.

PeacE

Waiting Around

 Whew, I wore myself out yesterday. I was yo at 6am, to get down to the Shamrock store to get the sausage links for the breakfast the Riders put on. From there to the Post, where I prepped by putting out cutlery, condiments, salt & pepper. I made sure there were napkins. I pulled out the serving utensils I figured would be needs, and placed near where the items would be cooked/served. Then I had to get the cashbox and the order pad. The other volunteers should up around 8:30, and stood around until 9am (when breakfast started) so there were a few people that had to wait while they got started. Overall it wasn't a bad morning, but due to lack of advertising, not many knew of it.

I pretty much sat there for two hours, taking monies as people ordered, but it wasn't that busy. Our Director showed up around 10:30 ( after being out of town camping for three days) and what is the first thing he does? No, not stop and say hi. Goes for the tip jar, starts counting money, then grabs the stack of orders completed to calculate how much money we made. He's really getting on my nerves. Then he has the gall to tell me, when we are done to bring him all the money. I flatly told him no, that I was in charge of things this morning, and I would take care of it. Why was he there anyways? He didn't even buy a breakfast! Then he tried to kiss my ass, by saying how much he appreciates all I have doing for the Riders. I just walked away from his fake platitudes, before I said something I would regret.

So I was a bit peeved by the time 11am rolled around. I put up the cashbox, and started putting things away. All the guys (the volunteers) had disappeared into the cantina since 10am as football was on. I had to constantly holler for them when someone bough a meal, so they could be served. Well, no one back there, I started cleaning up the kitchen. Did the dishes, wiped the counters, put up everything I could. I was down to one pan, that needed to soak a bit (cooked sausage on it) before I finally went and sat down. I told the other guys, they were to take care of the leftover foods (most were in crockpots they had brought anyways) and to clean the last pan. I was fatigued by this point. I hung out at the Post for the afternoon, as at 3pm, there was a birthday party I was going to at least say happy birthday for. I did, and by 4, I literally snuck out and went home. I was head-nodding and weary by the time I got home, my ankles and calves were swollen (from being on my feet so much during the day). In bed by 9:30p, and slept pretty good through the night.

Today I play the waiting game. The Gastro Doc should be calling me today for the referral sent over late Thursday, and scheduling my appointment. If not, I will be contacting my Dr.'s office to let them know. So I am just hanging at the house today, I guess.

PeacE

Another Hump Day

 It's another Hump Day, which means I need to remember to get my trash out, and the cans to the street edge. They pick up early on Thursdays.

Not much has been going on for me in my life. Tuesday was our General meetings at the Post (of course I attended). It was election time for their fiscal year. Thankfully, I was not nominated for any positions. I still have the Riders meeting later this month to deal with regarding elections, but most positions there are 'appointed' rather than voted, though, we could change all that. Stuff in progress....

The past few nights, I have been doing many hours late night/early morning, with writing. One of my Sons had asked me about My life, prior to meeting the Wife, and also about their Grandfather (my Dad, whom they have never met since he passed in 1985). I the several friends and even the Wife have mentioned it might be a good thing, and to write it out and be able to share with all of our children, versus just verbally sharing whatever with one. So I started. I got maybe a paragraph in and I was emailing RM to get some details about those early years prior to my birth, about her and Dad.

RM sent me back within a day, a document that contained so much information, that even I did not know about. I was a bit shocked, but as I read it, I realized that it all made sense, and in some weird way, filled some holes of even my basic memory of my parents, before I was born. Yeah, that was worded weird, but I know what I meant.

I worked through more of it tonight, using RM's info (quoting her at times) and eventually broke down and emailed her again, about another time frame that she might help with some info. I admit it is nice to have someone that knows some more about the stuff that went down at this period of my life, though, I know it is only their viewpoint.

More to come later, as I am busy with this project, and trying to sleep, as this is making me lose quite a bit of it.

PeacE

Gonna Be A Long One

I have been employed at the Company now for just a bit over two years. I enjoy working in the parts department. Like any company, especially those dealing with parts, etc, you need to do an inventory, probably once a year, for financial reasons. At least, I would think a company should.

In the past year and a half, we have done about five inventories. This includes each tech's truck (for their truck inventory) and the parts warehouse (where I work out of). At a year and a half ago, when they performed their first one (since I had started), I found out it was also the first one that the company had ever done ... at least in the last 12 years (about when our branch opened up). Yeah ...

Needless to say, there was a large discrepancy in what parts/value should be there, versus what was actually there. So a couple months later, they did it again, after spending time adjusting numbers, tracking missing parts, etc. Again a month later.

Eventually, it came down to we had to implement a new software system as part of the tracking problem was in the older program/software they were using (suppposedly), so February of last year, that was installed. The inventories faded off. I heard our numbers were closer to be actuals, instead of 'what-should-be'. 

About a month ago, they did another one. Once again the numbers were with less errors. This weekend, they are doing it again. Needless to say, my boss is doing the truck inventories for the Westside techs (the ones I deliver to) this morning. He scheduled them to meet at one centralized location (for them) and have them come every half hour. Each inventory should take about 20 minutes. He asked me to come help him. How? I don't know. Most of these techs do not carry truck stock, so there is going to next to nothing, or nothing to count. Either way, he said to be there by 6am. Which means getting up at 5:30, for me. Whiuch also means, I awoke at 4:30 and could not go back to sleep. Let's add in that Fridays are my "longer" days, as I am pulling parts for two days (Sat & Mon) versus just the usual next day. I'll be lucky to be home by 9pm.

It's also my lil' brother's birthday today. Stuman turns 41 this year, and has already asked what time I would finish up work tonight. I had told him around 9pm. He is to text me where he may be at around that time, so I can go help celebrate out with him. I'm going to be TIRED.

Think I will need a Monster energy drink today, on my way into the shop.

PeacE

Better Off Dead

Dead asleep that is. After getting most of this week off from Zero Hour, the oldest Son is back to the early morning band thing. I was pretty sure that once the marching season was over, they went about a half hour later in the mornings, but as of this one, he hasn't heard of any time changes. Needless to say, after running him to the school, I logged onto the computer, and sat here staring at e screen for the past few minutes. A topic to write about? I couldn't think of one, and my mind kept going blank, or returning to the thought that I am tired, and could use a couple more hours sleep.

It is Friday, and like most, I am feeling worn down from work. The weekend is a good time to rest up some of these sore muscles, and relax the cerebral muscles as well. I am sure I will be pretty lazy and not do much. Thanksgiving is coming up and I am sure I need the downtime now to be ready for then.

There went another five minutes of staring off into space. Maybe I should go lay back down for a couple hours ....

PeacE

One of Those Mornings

Today is one of those days where, upon awakening, you just want to curl back up and go back to sleep. As the Wife was leaving with the boys about 7am, I pondered laying in bed for another 2-3 hours, before I needed to get up and prepare/go to work. If I had been just a tad bit less awake, I might have done just that. Instead I realized that if I did, nothing would be going off to wake me up (ie. alarm, phone, etc). It took several minutes, but I talked the voices in my head into getting up - to use the bathroom if nothing else.

So here I sit twenty or so minutes later, debating the merits of setting the alarm and laying back down. I wasn't out late last night. I'm not hungover. I'm not sick (well, maybe a bit in the head, but people call that perversion) that I know of. I think my body just needs some extra time to "rest up". I seem to recall waking several times in the night ... maybe that is why I feel so tired.

That leaves an opening to say that maybe tomorrow I will talk about what happened last night ...

PeacE