Monday, May 19th
This was the last Monday before my mom and sister would be gone to the East Coast and then to Europe. As we mused on what to watch, Mom and I had seen the Criterion teaser about Terry Southern who they called ’Hollywood's most subversive writer.’ He had written Dr. Strangelove”, Barbarella, and Easy Rider, among others, and they were all available to screen. Mom and I both loved Dr. Strangelove; Barbarella was a curiosity not worth watching twice, but Mom was interested in Easy Rider.
M was hesitant, as it is not an easy movie to watch. Not a lot happens, and the ending is a bit of a bummer. M is a bit of an aficionado of biker movies in Australia, and he really talked up this movie. He said it was used as a precursor to Mad Max and had some good stunts in it. It did not live up to his hype, and while it might have been the seed of an idea for Mad Max, there was a big difference between the two movies. Anyway, it was something to watch and a peek into a culture I'm not familiar with.
Tuesday, May 20th
I was supposed to call last night and make a reservation for my taxi to the eye doctor's appointment I have Thursday. I forgot to do that, and I thought I would call tonight. Because the taxi was covered by Medicaid, the reservation needed to be made two days in advance. The transportation lady called herself and made the reservation. A part of me thought, ‘Well, you would have to do that if I wasn't able to call myself.’ Another part of me answered back, ‘But you are able to do this and you should be a responsible person and take care of it yourself.’ My bad, and Mom would be angry if we had to pay for my transportation when it should be paid for by Medicaid. I will be better next time.
I have a subscription to Paramount+, and they make the Mission: Impossible movies. Since M:I7 is coming out in a few days, they are streaming all six of the movies now. I watched MI1 after breakfast, MI2 after lunch, and MI3 in the early evening. It's interesting to see the thread that carries through from movie to movie and how Tom Cruise changes as he gets older.
Wednesday, May 21st
I was looking forward to the doctor's appointment because when Mom scoped out where the appointment was, she had found a place that sold chicken salad and had bought one for herself. She came to the hospital after that and ate the salad next to me. It had smelled good, and I was eager to get my own and have it for lunch after the appointment. And it would be nice to see if the doctor had any solutions for my double vision.
My mom brought her good friends J&B to visit after lunch. My sister and my mom both are making sure I have visitors while they are gone. We know each other, and they are very sweet, generous people. B brought me a small bag of chocolates, and J is an Apple expert, which definitely comes in handy. I am not an expert, but I am miles above Mom and B when it comes to understanding technical issues. I think J will help a lot when it comes to getting me set up with the proper microphone so I can record me reading my essays. That way, I can make my site just a little bit more accessible.
Thursday, May 22nd
I had forgotten to cancel my therapy appointment at 11 AM, and she arrived as they were transferring me into my wheelchair. She took Freddie across the hall to the small dining room. I have been talking to Freddie and apologizing for having neglected him so much. I was happily surprised when I joined both of them in the dining room, and Freddie definitely looked at me and even gave me the ‘I love you’ blink. Yippee! I will keep talking and rebuilding our relationship.
Mom came by and got to meet Freddie as well! We all talked for a few minutes, and then we went down to meet the taxi. My mom has definitely improved her ability to drive my chair, which is great because I have lost the ability to drive it. I can do it sometimes, but mostly my hand does not want to open enough to allow me to steer.
Just as I did not call about the taxi, my mom learned the difference between her scoping the place out and where the taxi would drop and pick me up. We made it to the appointment just fine, although Mom constantly gripes now when she notices how doctors' offices and the hospitals do not have extra-wide doors and elevators to accommodate wheelchairs. Great advocacy, Mom! The world would be an easier place to navigate if it were built for handicapped purposes.
The doctor was very gracious, and the technicians were very thorough. It was good to get established with an eye doctor, and I will see him again in six months. The only thing he suggested for the double vision was to cover one eye. When I do that, it makes the other eye work harder, which strengthens it, which is good. I will either get a new eye patch or try putting a temporary patch over one eye.
Mom picked up a chicken salad for me to eat, and I had it when I got back to the hospital. It was a flattened chicken thigh over rice with salad on the side. Nicely seasoned and yummy! I ate half of it and saved the other half for a future dinner.
Friday, May 23rd
I finished my Mission: Impossible marathon by watching MI4 after breakfast, MI5 after lunch, and MI6 in the early evening. They obviously liked the team of Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Jeremy Renner, as that was the team after MI3. Tom Cruise had major work done, as only his eyebrows on his face moved in MI4. The work was very well done, but I wish people would just grow old naturally and allow their faces to age, as they always look better that way.
Saturday, May 24th
My sister called from Times supermarket to see which sushi I would like her to get. She was hungry as well, so she showed up with four packages and a bag of chips! So we feasted on tuna and salmon over rice, Hawaiian roll, shrimp teriyaki roll, and California roll. The Hawaiian roll had spicy sauce on it, which was overpowering, so we wiped most of it off. This was the second California roll with only a small slice of avocado. All the California rolls I have had in my life are 1/3 avocado. I don't know what is up with people making these sucky versions. Too much crab and not enough avocado!
We also watched another episode of Lioness and talked about my budget. Argh! I made the point with my sister that it is not my mom's money; it is money in trust for me, which Mom is the executor of. The money would not exist if I did not exist. I am thankful I have relatives who are trustworthy and who listen to me and allow me to choose how to spend the money. They keep me honest and within a budget that works for me. Mom picked my sister up, so I got to see them both once more before they left.
Sunday, May 25th
My stepbrother came by in the afternoon with some shrimp pad Thai. I mentioned that naming Freddie after my stepfather meant that he comes up in my mind frequently. It's nice to keep his memory alive. I'm very lucky to have family and extended family who take such good care of me! Thank you all, M, S, B, S, S, and L! That's just the older family who lives in Hawaii.
I was going to take the picture of a T-shirt I wanted you all to see, but I forgot to put it on, so instead, here is a picture of me with M! It was good timing since he had gotten a haircut recently. Have a fabulous week!
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