December chitchat

[flatcap]

Not much besides a very quiet Christmas going on, but there have been a few things of note.

First, I saw a man tonight wearing a plaid suit in public. It takes guts to pull that off!

Maybe he was a used car salesman. That's the uniform, isn't it? Do they work on Christmas Eve? LOL

For some reason, a Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... also screams, "Bowling!" I don't know why I 'hear' them that way, but it's pretty funny, if you ask me. They also conjure visions of the Prince of Wales. LOL

Next news is not so good, much less funny: I've been having a lot of trouble eating again. It doesn't hurt or anything, food just isn't appetizing. I try not to think about whatever I'm eating, but most of the time I can't finish it. It makes me sick, figuratively. It's enough to get me to stop eating it (or anything else, for that matter).

So, I've been drinking more of the Orgain nutrition shakes to try and make up for it. The only issue I've had with those is, they make me feel bloated for some time after finishing one. I'm thinking I might try drinking one over a longer period of time tomorrow or the next day and see if it makes a difference.

I think I'll also start tracking my weight again, although by belt and pants fit, it doesn't seem I have lost any recently. I weighed myself tonight at 141 lbs. A little light, perhaps, but in line with my weight at my last PCP office visit in November. I was around 145 lbs then, fully clothed. I next see him again in February.

I had an invitation to Christmas dinner but turned it down. It's going to be a very large family affair (around 30 people), and I only know one of them. If you ask me, I don't belong there. Even if I did, I would be lost in a crowd like that.

The kind person who invited me is a server at a restaurant where I am a regular. We decided we'll go out to breakfast sometime soon to make up for it. I do much better at one-to-one, although I have no talent for small talk, so the challenge for me will be to keep things light.

To be honest, I can't figure out why this person is suddenly paying any attention to me at all beyond serving me at my table. It makes no sense to me. It has to be obvious I have not a thing to offer in terms of friendship. Maybe it's just pity this person has for me. I will not be surprised if our breakfast together never happens.

See? I told you I'm no good at small talk. LOL

I know! Let's try a vintage pic with the subject wearing a plaid suit, along with a sporty accessory: a flat cap!


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[Virginia]

Good evening MS forum friends. I hope all of you have enjoyed your Christmas Day.

I was wiped out today and in bed very late, actually till lunch. All I did was get dressed and go out to my brother's for dinner yesterday. I enjoyed it. We had 14 adults and 2 little ones. I don't know why it tired me so much. I didn't even have to carry anything. I had a gift for each of the small kids and my brother carried them to the car for me. Then he helped me.

We did have a good time and I got to know my nephew's new finance a little better. She is nicer than I had thought. Much more down to earth and fit well in my brother's family. She has been staying at my niece's when she comes into town. So she seems to know the two little boys and picks up the smallest one all the time. Sometime she keeps him on the floor in front of her and plays with him. She plays some with the two year old, but he is all over the place and it is hard to keep up with him.

It was good to be with all of them. They had been instructed not to hug me, but some of them did from behind me.

Today has been a tired day and I haven't talked on the phone or spoke to anyone. I hope Eric got back home alright last night after bringing me home.

[agate]

I'm glad you had a nice visit with some family, Virginia, but it's too bad it was tiring.

I find dealing with real-life people tiring. Maybe it's because it's a strain to try to hear them unless they know how to talk to someone who doesn't hear so well. Very few people know how to do that, I've found.

My son and his wife and the little boy were here. The "little" boy has grown half an inch in the last 6 weeks.

This was a bit of a strain but I did enjoy it. The day before I had misread the time and got up at 4:30 AM because I thought it was 7:30. Talk about dumb. I had trouble getting back to sleep because I had already taken the Fosamax pill at 4:30 and you're supposed to stay upright for half an hour after taking it. So I was thoroughly awake after that half hour. I went around all day yesterday in a fog and even today I didn't do so well.

But I had my little tree's lights on, and we had sparkling grape juice along with fresh grapes and strawberries and some crackers and cookies (from a store-bought bag). I used to make cookies in a fairly big way but haven't done any baking in about 15 years.

I hope everyone else here had a nice Christmas if you're observing it. Let's hope for a peaceful, happy and healthy year ahead.

[agate]

This must be what is meant by a season of peace because it's been quiet in here.

People are enjoying the time of year, I hope. Sitting by a warm fireplace, singing favorite songs, sharing favorite foods.

I had a keyboard problem for the last couple of days. One key just would not work. I was uneasy about it because it (the p key) might be needed for password entries and other important things, like wishing people peace here and elsewhere.

I cleaned the key. I took it apart. I replaced the keyboard with another one I had. I tried the on-screen keyboard that is available now. I looked up driver updates. I got nowhere.

I ordered a new keyboard but it won't be here for about 3 weeks.

Then today, by some miracle, it started working again. I'm celebrating!

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

To borrow Grassman's line,

Peace out.

[flatcap]

Agate, I'm glad you got your perplexing peripheral problem worked out.

I remember Grassman, which in turn reminds me of a song.

Consider this a tribute.


Crosby, Stills & Nash ~ Long Time Gone

[agate]

Is there a song about duct tape? I recall Grassman mentioning how often he used duct tape to hold equipment and other things together. Maybe that led to a discussion of how we're all just hanging on with the help of duct tape here and there or some other quick fixes that turn out to be only very temporary.

[Ikoiko]

Rest in peace to Grassman.

[flatcap]

Is there a song about duct tape?

There are quite a few Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register....

[agate]

This is probably much too easy for people here.

[Virginia]

Is the cat black? If so I think I found him/her.

I will try to get back on tomorrow to say some more to all of you. Tired today.

[agate]

Some might say it's black. If I'm looking at the cat, it might be black but to me it looks as if it's dark gray, maybe with a couple of tinges of orange, but that could be just the way the light is.

Or it could be my eyesight. I don't always get colors right.

[Virginia]

Agate, it was my eyesight. I plainly see the cat now. Your colors are good.

I had an interesting night last night. I stayed up too late again. I can't sleep the night through and prefer to sleep the latter part of the night rather than the earlier part. So, I often stay up and read and do wordle until quite late. Last night it was later than usual.

I looked at the time on my tablet and thought I guess I better go to bed. I got up to carry my tablet to the kitchen to charge it and was going to come back to turn the gas fireplace off. I took just a few steps and I fell. It was so fast there was absolutely no way to stop myself. My left side is my weaker side and I fell to the left. I landed up against the back door. I hit my left hip and thigh and my left elbow. At least that is what I think I hit. Between the back door and the fireplace, I have had a stand with a planter sitting on it. I bought it when I was moving in this place almost 31 years ago. I bought it just for that spot. Well, less say, the stand only exists in pieces now. Some large pieces, but many small and some completely shattered. The noise was so loud I am surprised I didn't wake half the neighborhood. The stand is not salvageable. That is very upsetting.

I went to the kitchen, got my bearings and held on to everything I could (dining room chairs, etc) to go back and get my tablet. I stood in the kitchen a while longer and knew that I could not leave a gas fireplace on all night, so after doing a little walking around in the kitchen, I again held to everything I could to get back to my fireplace. I have a very large, tall, ceramic vase sitting on the hearth at the opposite end from where I fell. I held tightly to that and bent over and turned the fireplace off. I got back to the kitchen and decided I better take a Tylenol. I figured I would be quite sore today. I then turned out the lights and made my way back to my bedroom. I was mad with myself because I usually have washed my face and gotten ready for bed. All I have to do is brush my teeth. Last night I had not washed my face and had all that to do. So, that was my somewhat eventful night.

I hope none of you had quite as an eventful time as I had. In all seriousness, it was scary. I obviously can't get up off the floor, so I had to figure out a way to do that. I didn't want to push the button that I wear around my neck. They have a number for my brother to call and I didn't want them called that late. I can't crawl anymore, so I finally got on my rear and used my hands and was able to get to my stairs. Getting on the first step was hard, but I made it. That still left me too low to pull up, so I had to make it to the second step. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but finally I did. Then I pulled on the banisters with all my might. It took several tries, but I was finally on my feet and very grateful.

Today, I have been on the phone several times, because I told Eric what happened. We talked for a while and then my other brother called, so I had to tell him. He would have gotten mad if he found out I told our younger brother and didn't tell him.

A neighbor's brother died yesterday morning and I have kind of tried to keep up with how she is doing, so we talked for a while. She lives on her phone, and it seems to help her. I am not on my phone as much, but obviously was glad I could divert her attention a little.

On a more positive note - Some of you may remember that my niece had a premature baby nine months ago. They were told he would not catch up for 2 1/2 years. Well, Sunday night when I saw him, I told her he was trying to crawl. Tuesday, he took off across the floor. I've got a couple of videos of him crawling. Thursday she was in another room and was talking on the phone. She heard the two-year-old laughing so hard she stepped in to where they were to see what was going on. The nine-month-old had crawled to the dog's water bowl and turned it over. She said she had never heard the two-year-old laugh so hard. He was laughing because he use to do that and he knows the baby is not supposed to do it. I told my brother he probably taught him to do it. My brother said he might have. I think everything that two-year-old has learned to do he is most likely to teach his little brother. He is very full of mischief.

Agate, pretty soon William will be as tall as you. That is a lot of growth in that length of time. He is going to be a tall young man. I am sure you enjoyed the visit with all of them. I am so glad you had a good Christmas Day.

Tonight, I am going to wash my face and get ready for bed. If anything else happens (knock on wood it will not), I will be that far along.

Everyone get ready for New Year's Eve. I do on that day the same thing I do on all other days.

[agate]

Oh Virginia! Are you going to see a doctor just to make sure no damage has been done? On a holiday weekend it might be difficult but you might want to do that, or no?

I hope you aren't in a lot of pain after that fall. It's amazing that you were able to do so much afterwards.

I have a plant stand and am always afraid of falling near it. I've already knocked it down a couple of times and smashed quite a few potted plants but so far my falls have been in other parts of this place.

Sometimes I think MS just won't let us have anything. We might as well remove all of our furniture and plants and odds and ends and live in a padded cell because we're always bumping into everything and getting into trouble by falling.

Is it something about the month of December? Two years ago I had two very bad falls in December. My back hasn't been the same since one of them. I'm afraid we try to do too much during the holidays. We get caught up in the excitement, and people are coming into our lives, maybe people we haven't heard from very often, and sometimes maybe it's just too much.

But what are we going to do? Tell the people to stay away? Excuse ourselves from all of the celebrations and get-togethers? I don't have the answer but it looks as if, for me, cutting way back on how much I expect of myself at holiday time seems to be what I have to do.

I think living in that place for 31 years has been helpful for you, Virginia. You probably know every inch of that place and exactly where everything important is. You know how to recognize every noise and which noises are something to be concerned about.

I've noticed that the longer I live in a place, the easier it gets because I learn a few tricks and shortcuts. I know what is apt to go wrong and why.

It's good if you're able to walk. I hope you haven't had any broken bones.

Take care--rest up and please don't try to do anything beyond what you absolutely have to do. I hope you can keep eating so as to keep your strength up. Are you able to get meals? Have you ever used Door Dash?

[flatcap]

Virginia, I am sorry to hear that you fell. It's sad we have to go through this along with everything else MS does to us. I hope you are recovering.

[Ikoiko]

V, sorry about your fall!

We want to watch Oppenheimer tonight, but the on demand on our cable isn't working.