As my 64th birthday nears... My Autumn Sonata

Liv Ullman, Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata, 1979

Yesterday when I got out of bed and checked the weather--temps in the 40s, blustery winds, gray skies--I decided I'd spend some time reading, have an early lunch of tomato soup and a roast turkey sandwich, then find something quiet to watch.  I came across this Swedish movie from 1979 on HBO Max, just what I was looking for.  Autumn Sonata, starring Ingrid Bergman & Liv Ullman.

I won't give too much of the story away.  Ingrid Bergman is an international concert pianist who comes to stay with her daughter and son-in-law for a few days, and in the process we learn how estranged these two really are.  That first night, Ingrid's daughter (Liv Ullman) glows to her husband how different her mother seems now, and she just knows her mom is happy to be with family again. 

Meanwhile, Ingrid is upstairs in bed, admiring the 5 million francs in her bankbook and anxious to get out of there and fly to Paris.  She's a tough bird who doesn't like being around needy people, including her daughter.  

There's almost an irony here.  In real life, Ms. Bergman had just turned 64 and discovered a lump under her breast during filming.  It would turn out to be an aggressive lymphoma, and she would have to cancel her plans for another movie.  This would be her final film.  In a year she'd be crippled from the cancer and die just two years later.  You never know when it's your time.

I apologize for the bleakness here, but as I sat here and read about Ingrid's life ending at 64, I can't help but hope mine picks back up again.  I'll be turning 64 this Friday.  I really thought the long covid was mostly under control, was able to go on a few outings this summer.  But since my setback in mid-September, even a trip to the grocery store is overwhelming.  My friend Diana says "you beat it before, you will again" and I believe that.  I just wish I knew when.  

After my birthday I'll be applying for Social Security.  I worked many years for it (most of us do) but it still amazes me I'm eligible and technically have been for two years.  This time next year, I'll be signing up for Medicare.  I can't believe my parents never made it that far.  

I know I share too much personal info here, but once I get started... in the summer of 2001, a few months after Dad died, and 3-4 months before I turned 40, I was spending the weekend with my mom.  We got to talking about finances, and she asked me if I had a lot of money saved.  I said "What do you define as a lot?"  She said a half-million dollars.  I laughed and said "Mom, how much do you think I earn?!"  

I told her I had $2,500 in my checking account, $45,000 in my retirement account and $155,000 in an online savings account.  I had to explain what an online bank was and how it was FDIC insured just like her local bank, but paid much higher interest.  She still thought it sounded risky, but asked if I had plans for my savings.  I said yes, when the time was right I'd buy a house.

I didn't buy any houses.  Mom passed in 2004, and in 2009 when we were dealing with "The Great Recession", interest rates dropped and my savings account went from earning $400 a month interest to almost nothing.  I decided to move my nest egg into the stock market where it grew better than expected.  It allowed me to retire in my mid-50s.

But as someone who grew up relatively poor, and spent most of his twenties in a succession of minimum wage jobs and often on the verge of homelessness, I never lost that frugal mindset.  In fact, it's taken me all these years to finally stop worrying about going over my monthly budget.  I no longer have a monthly budget.  (I'll never spend a penny on iphones, bottled water, Taylor Swift or gambling though.)

Right now, my goals are to recover from this awful setback, see my friends at the senior center again, visit my sister and brother-in-law in Greene County and maybe my second cousin's hamburger stand (if it's still standing that is).  I want to spend some time with my friend Diana in West Virginia and tour the "Hare Krishna Palace of Gold" in Moundsville and the haunted prison in Morgantown.   Almost heaven, West Virginia.  I do love that state.   

For now, all I can do is bide my time and hope for better days.  It's so frustrating when you have the time, you've got the resources, but your head's a witches cauldron, a scary kettle of things.  Well, it's almost Halloween you know.  

I guess that wraps up my Autumn Sonata...my hands tapping on laptop keys vs. piano keys.  Thanks very much for reading.  A lot of you out there have been such good friends on here, and I can't tell you how much it's meant to me.  Thanks again.

Who is this man and why did I listen to him talk for an hour yesterday

I have a little bit of a confession to make.  A couple years ago I began following a couple channels on YouTube of child actors from the 1970s, people in their sixties now who were my age then (and I suppose still my age today).

One is Judy Norton, who played oldest daughter Mary Ellen Walton on The Waltons, that aired Thursday nights on CBS in the 1970s.

I just love her--she does a LOT of reminiscing about her years on the show, and of the 6-7 times I've written her, I've gotten great responses every time. 

Another channel I came across recently was a podcast hosted by a couple different guys, Ike Eisenmann (pictured above) and Moosie Drier.   Ike did lots of guest spots on 70s television, and costarred with Kim Richards in the Disney flicks Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain.  Moosie played John Denver's son in the 1977 movie Oh God and Howard Borden's son on The Bob Newhart Show.

I know, I know--we're not exactly talking big or famous actors here.  But they're both in their early sixties now (like me) and I just feel a connection to them.  I enjoy hearing them reminisce, and they help me remember those years with great fondness.

Anyway, the reason I'm even sharing all of this is because during a recent podcast, Ike was admitting to feeling envy today at other child actor's resumes back then, and Moosie said "But they've never had a documentary made about them."   Ike admitted it was very flattering.  

I looked it up, watched it last night and enjoyed it very, very much.  Filmmaker Dion Labriola, 60 years old, knew very early on what he wanted to do in life.  Draw monsters and make films about them.  And then one day in a teen idol magazine belonging to his sister, he saw an interview with Ike Eisenmann who said he enjoyed drawing things like spaceships and monsters, and hoped to do it professionally someday.

(For the record, as my family and friends well know, I also did lots of drawings of spaceships and monsters back then.  So I really related to this pair.)

Dion became obsessed with Ike and began writing him VERY detailed fan letters of how they should meet, become friends, collaborate on projects, become rich & successful.  Sadly, Ike never saw any of these letters until many years later, when both were middle aged.

It's still a great story though, and a wonderful documentary.  And you can watch it for free on the PBS app.  The End!

It may not be a protest, but I'll do what I can

It's been a rainy, windy day here in Pittsburgh--a high of around 49 degrees at noon.  Since the return of my long covid symptoms in mid-Sept (where things like sunlight & heat cause my cranial inflammation to flare for hours) I figured it would be good 'walking weather' to the market for some groceries.

Got some eggs, raspberry jam, Thomas English muffins, string beans, sausage... lots of good stuff.

When I got home I was glad to see my Arizona Highways 2026 calendar had arrived, along with my mail in ballot and a postcard from some woman named Nancy who lives in Florida, imploring me to vote in November in favor of keeping the 3 Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges up for retention.  "Doug, they're all Democrats!"

Yes Nancy I know, and of course I'll be voting to keep them on the bench for another 10 years.  If they go, we'll be left with 4 judges--two Dem, two Republicans.  And if we get a Republican majority, we'll lose things like abortion rights and mail-in voting, which we need more than ever right now.  Those damn Republicans, I wish I could wring their necks, chop 'em all up in little pieces.   

Whoa, where'd that come from?  I'm just in a cranky mindset from this chronic inflammation--besides, most Republicans seem to look past all the crap King Trump spews daily.   I try my best to as well.

Anyway, just wanted to put something new out here.  I need to get my ballot in the mail, pronto.

Better feet, a lousy face & 60 billion cultures can't be wrong (hopefully)

I'm going to be brutally honest here.  Ever since I went to the hospital on Sept 28 with a "blocked bile duct" (their diagnosis, I'm not so sure) I've been dealing with stomach issues.  A constant sore stomach, bloating, cramps, bouts of severe constipation or like this past Saturday, severe nausea and constant going.  13 trips to the toilet in one day, I kid you not.

My doctor diagnosed me with IBS back in 2019 when I was going thru something similar, but I think that's their blanket term for "you got bathroom problems and it could be anything".   I know I'm always dealing with health issues and you probably think I'm a hypochondriac.  I'd happily confess to being one, if there wasn't so much pain & discomfort involved.  

Anyway, I saw a news story recently about probiotics helping people with IBS symptoms, so I did some research and got these a few days ago.  People swear these "gut flora" capsules have changed their lives for the better.

On a positive note, my belly has been behaving itself for 3-4 days now.  I think it's much too soon to give credit to these things, but I'll still be taking one daily for the long-term.

Another positive note, the plantar fasciitis is finally easing up.  It's still hurtful to walk on hard floors without something on my feet, but a good pair of tube socks will do the trick.  And my feet are no longer in pain for an hour after I get out of the shower.  

On a lousier note, I'm still wrestling with this long covid relapse.  (It returned on Sept 12, the day after a 3 hour dental visit.)   It seems to follow a cycle... one day I am pain-free and happy as a clam.  The second day, stinging in my left eye and temples, and a constant smell of baked beans and burnt hair.  The third day... swelling in the face, lots of orofacial pain.   It can last for several days too.

I was signed up to go with the senior center to the Sea Shell Restaurant on Wed, Oct 15.  I talked to my friend Mary from the center Monday night and was feeling mostly ok and hopeful.  Then Tuesday night I'm talking to my friend Diana, and smelling baked beans and burnt hair.  I told her I had a bad feeling.  Wednesday morning the pain returned and I had to call the center and cancel.  

A real bummer, I haven't seen my friends or my gal Evie in weeks.  (At least I got to talk with Evie last night, she recently took a fall and I hope she's okay.)

Right now it's difficult to schedule plans, so the next time I get a good day I plan to get back to the center and hopefully see some friendly faces.  I'd happily contend with Cussin' Connie calling me a #$%^*# hypochondriac if I could just see her again and give her a hug!

Finally, I feel the need to apologize for being so wrapped up in my own problems.  As much as I try to avoid the world outside my apartment, I still see what's going on and the scary state of things.  As much as I'm glad for those protests for democracy, it's like my covid relapse, just a big waiting game.

Picture of the Day: Gotta love (and fear, a little) all this new technology

This is my new Asus laptop on the left, it replaced my 2011 Toshiba which died a little over a week ago.  I went from a Windows7 operating system to Windows 11, and it's been a giant leap.  But this Asus is super-fast with helpful tools, and I am learning new things every day.

The computer on the right is a budget laptop, a silver Lenovo with a mind of it's own.  More on that in a second.  

A few days ago I awoke to pouring down rain, and the local weather said it'd be an all day thing.  The last time we had inclement weather, I cleaned out my linen & front room closets.  Today I'd tackle the big dawg--my wall length bedroom closet.

In the far back was a long skinny box and when I pulled it out, saw LENOVO across the front.  When I opened it on my bed, a silver laptop was inside.  My memory of purchasing it was vague, but when I went on Amazon and looked at my Order History... I remember now.  It was bought during their Black Friday 2022 sale for a hundred off the regular price, only $224.00.

I remember registering my MSN account on it, then packing it away.  At the time my Toshiba was still hanging on, and I wasn't ready to learn a new operating system.  This would be my "In Case of Emergency" machine.  I honestly forgot all about it.

So it's been hidden away almost 3 years.  Does it still work?  I plugged it in and turned it on.  The Lenovo awoke from it's deep slumber and asked if edougmorris was still the owner.  Yes.  It asked if wireless network TEEPEE2 was mine.  Yep again.  It asked me to provide pins for both.  

It said "This computer has detected 163 Windows and other software updates.  Proceed with all updates?"  I said yes, why not.  It said to leave it on and plugged in.  So I did, and went back to my closet cleanout.  

A couple hours later, lunch.  The Lenovo was still sitting on my bed, doing God knows what.

I came into the living room, watched Perfect Murder on HBO Max, got on my Asus, checked my emails.  Around 3:00 I went back into my bedroom.

The Lenovo screen now displayed "Updates are complete and computer is ready for use."   The wallpaper is different, but it's somehow a clone of my Asus now.  The same folders, documents, desktop icons.  The internet browser has my favorite websites, everything.

Even Microsoft Office I bought for my Asus is on here too, working.  (I discovered MS Office automatically detects and copies itself on up to 5 of your MSN devices.)

The screen resolution on the Lenovo is low compared to the hi-def Asus, it has less memory and a smaller processor too.  The keys aren't backlit, but they don't need to be--they're a bit larger and easier to see.  Here's the real shocker, the Lenovo screen is a touch screen.  Wait, is my $600 Asus a touch screen?  Nope.  

I'll be dam--darned, I'm liking the budget Lenovo as much as the Asus, and I paid 3 times as much for that Asus!  

Well, at least now I really DO have an "In case of Emergency" machine.  

Diary of a Fat Man: Climb ev’ry mountain, search high & low…

This is me, atop a mini-mountain at the Phipps Conservatory this summer on July 9.  I’m not on top of the world just yet, but I’m getting there. 

I was with my friend & former classmate Diana, who I hadn’t seen since the summer of 2023 when we toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s house.  After that tour, I saw pictures of myself and made a vow to lose 50 pounds the next time I saw Diana.  I weighed 270 lbs then.

I didn’t keep that vow.  After our recent get-together, I returned home from the Conservatory and dug out my digital scales and groaned when I stepped on. 

I weighed 250 lbs.  It wasn't 270 at least, but still…

I’d love to get down to 215 pounds and stay there.  But I haven't been that low in 25 years.

So… here we go again.  I’ve been tracking my weight since the first of August, not dieting, but making a real effort to avoid second helpings, late night nibbles and sweets.  With my plantar fasciitis, my favorite exercise (walking) isn't what it used to be, but I try to stay active throughout the day. 

I think it will help my motivation if I make this public.  30 pound loss, here I come.

DATE	WEIGHT	TOTAL SINCE AUG 1
AUG 1 2025	249.4	0
AUG 8	248.8	-0.6
AUG 15	247.8	-1.6
AUG 22	246.7	-2.7
AUG 29	244.4	-5.0
SEP 5	242.0	-7.4
SEP 12	239.6	-9.8
SEP 19	238.5	-10.9
SEP 26	237.4	-12.0
OCT 03	236.4	-13.0
OCT 10	236.0	-13.4
OCT 17	234.5	-14.9
OCT 24	234.6	-14.8
OCT 31
NOV 7
NOV 14
NOV 21
NOV 28
DEC 5
DEC 12
DEC 19
DEC 26
JAN 2 2026

And Diana, the next time you see me I hope to look a little less rounder than your hairy fella here!

Cooler days ahead (finally), taking out the trash & a WHOLE LOT of concrete

When I first came to the Tiffany, the gentleman showing me and my sister the available units commented on this one:  "If you move into 402, you'll have less than fifty steps to the trash room."  Sign me up! 

Actually, that's not why I chose my apt--but for 5 years, it was very convenient.  I like to take out my trash nightly before bed, and it was nice to scamper down the hallway (you know, like a little bunny rabbit) and toss my garbage in that room.

And then a year or so ago, Steiner realized they could save on staffing if we took our trash outside ourselves.  They told us "It's nothing, really.  Just take the elevator to the basement, walk 100 feet thru the underground parking garage to the dumpster directly outside."   So we did, nothing to it.  

Then a few months ago they announced they were replacing the blacktop parking lot behind the building with a concrete one, so the back door, basement & underground garage would be off limits for 6 weeks.  Of course, we're now in our 18th week.

But it does look like they're in the final stages, which is perfect now that the cooler air is here.  See, our so-called central cooling unit sat directly behind the Tiffany--and since May 15, it's been operational a total of 6 days.  With some of the hottest temps on record this summer, it has rarely been below 85F in my apartment.  I don't think I can do this again. 

Anyway, I thought I'd show my route to the dumpster and our fancy new concrete lot behind the building.  It will only fit about 15 cars back there, and with 100 units in the building--ah well!

Walk out the front of the building, head down this path...

Go around the corner and down this alley... at night a young transgender man hangs out back here.  I said hi to him once and he giggled, it was pretty creepy.  

Oh and here's the new concrete parking lot behind the Tiffany--I wonder who will be footing the bill for all this concrete?

Back to taking out the trash--head down these steps to Cherry Alley... (and if you head 65 miles south to my sister's house, she has a Cherry Alley behind her house as well)

You've arrived at your destination--see that green dumpster in the center?  Make sure you don't hurt yourself back there.  And that big silver box between the two white vehicles is our joke of an HVAC unit.  That's all!

Good things are coming, I just gotta get thru one more thing...

Last weekend when I was in the hospital for a blocked bile duct, they gave me a pair of those hospital socks with the nubs on the bottoms (to walk on slick hospital room floors with) and I said "Would you mind if I wore these double-thick tube socks I brought with me?  I have plantar fasciitis and those nubs are too painful on my feet."   They said oh sure, sorry to hear that.

Later that night around 1am when they came in to check my heartrate and temp, the nurse saw my swollen face and said "Douglas, wake up--I alerted the doctor you have a high temperature and one side of your face is swollen, were you stung earlier?  Do you have a food allergy?"  I said no, I've been dealing with a long covid relapse since mid-August and this happens every night.  She later returned with a naproxen to reduce the inflammation and I said "Can I just have some regular aspirin?  Naproxen interferes with the Amlodipine I take at night for my high blood pressure."  Cathy (the nurse) said "You're not doing too well, are you?  Hang in there!"  

Since coming home, I've been dealing with a sore stomach and then a couple nights ago, some pretty severe bloating.  Very painful on the right side (hence the hot water bottle is always with me) plus I am out of breath--constantly.  It's really pushing on my lungs.  

I am still feeling fortunate though--I was supposed to visit my friend Carl at the hardware store on Saturday to get help in retrieving data from my recently croaked laptop, but he called Friday morning and asked if I could come in a day sooner as Mitchell was there, and this was REALLY his thing.  I said of course, and Mitchell was a great guy--I brought along a couple flash drives and we were able to get the rest of my files off my old Toshiba.   

On my way home, I stopped at my barbershop and gave my barber Roe (who is also suffering with plantar fasciitis) a foot roller like the one pictured above.  I then stopped in my dentists office and canceled my next appointment on Oct 13, got back home just in time for my stomach to begin its crazy bloating thing.  I laid in bed Friday night, unable to turn on either side it hurt so bad.  God, what did I ever do to you?

It was no better on Saturday, in fact the pain was worse; at least it kept me from stuffing myself (which I am prone to do every weekend), all I wound up having was a bowl of hot & sour soup and some applesauce.  I had this bloating several years ago (also after a gallstone mishap) and it lasted 3-4 weeks before it fully went away.  

I haven't been to the senior center since mid-August, they've probably forgotten all about me (and I wouldn't blame 'em, I'd forget myself too).  I'm just amazed at this series of unfortunate events.  At the same time, I am liking my new computer and my feet are finally showing some real healing--still too painful to walk about barefoot, but I can stand in the shower longer and they're not in great pain in the mornings.

I've also been doing good at sticking to my healthier eating (you'll see in my next post) and the orofacial pain (from that horrific dental visit 4 weeks ago) is finally dying down too.  Now I just have to get this awful bloating to settle down and pray nothing else goes wrong--for a couple of weeks at least!

One more thing, I know my posts have been a real drag lately, and I'm always surprised when kind folk and online friends show up to offer their friendship & support.  Thank you, and I'm going to try harder to talk about things beside my health in the future.

Crikey, when it rains it pours

This has been a real week.  Spent the weekend in the hospital (and to be honest, still dealing with some belly issues).  Then I came home to no internet and a defective router, which Xfinity did come to my place and got me set up with a new gizmo which works wonderfully.

And then Wednesday morning I get up, make a cup of coffee, get situated on my couch to work on my upcoming blog about fighting fat... and my beloved laptop died.  

My new Asus Vivobook on the top, my 2011 Toshiba below; they have the same size 15.6" screen

It had nothing to do with the new gateway just installed in my home.  The Toshiba has been on it's last legs for a few years now, held together with packing tape, twine and even half-erasers under 3-4 keys that were stuck.  It took forever to start up, and even longer to shut down at night--but I loved it like an old friend.  

I bought the Asus over a year ago, back in Jan 2024, one week before I got covid that became long covid.  It's been hidden away in my bedroom dresser ever since.  Until today, that is.

I feel like I've been uprooted from 2011 and tossed into 2025.  Did you know The Good Wife is no longer on tv?  President Obama is no longer in office and we're under siege by a Fascist party and megalomaniac tyrant?  You don't own Microsoft Office anymore, you SUBSCRIBE to it?  Enough!

This new laptop is lighter on the lap--it weighs 13 ounces.  Not even one pound.  My Toshiba weighs 10 pounds, 5 oz--that thing was a tank.  Anyway,  I can't figure out where anything is on here.  It keeps telling me to stop trying to store files on it, move them to Microsoft's One Drive.  

The mousepad doesn't even have buttons!  

What bothers me most of all, the first thing I did was download "Open Live Writer.  OLW is an editor I've been using for 20 years to write and publish my blogs.  But when I tried to install it, I got a stern warning APP DENIED ACCESS from Google (because it uses your Google credentials to create an offline version of your blog).   

I went looking for answers.  I discovered this has been happening since 2020 for every blogger who uses OLW and gets a new computer.   So after 20 years of blogging, this is my first time writing a post using Blogger's online editor.   It's going to take some time getting used to.  

Well, on Saturday I am meeting with Carl from the hardware store, we're going to use his work station and an ethernet cable to hopefully get access to my Toshiba's hard drive long enough to retrieve my photos folder, financial documents and a couple blog drafts I was working on.  Wish me luck and if you see anything weird going on with my blog--that's just me trying to get a new handle on things here.  Thanks for listening.

Don’t fix it if it’s not broken—I hope I’m finally learning my lesson

Can I share a couple quick gripes and then bow out quietly again?   I’ve had a rocky couple of days, and just wanted to vent.  First of all, what you see here is my old Xfinity router and my new X1 Gateway.  I’ve had my old Xfnity router for 7 years and it’s never given me a lick of trouble.

(Well, a few years ago I thought it was dying when my internet stopped working—I jumped thru enough hoops to warrant an actual technician here, who determined my router was fine, someone had disconnected my broadband connector in the basement.)

Anyway—for the last 5-6 months, I’ve been getting texts from Xfinity.  “We noticed you’re still using an old router!  We will be happy to replace that with a Gateway, at no extra charge!  Type 1 for YES, or 2 for NO”   I always hit 2—I was fine with my old one, why fix it if it’s not broken?

But the texts continued, so finally last week I caved and hit yes.  And two days later, this newer gizmo showed up at my mailbox, with instructions on downloading the X1 app and setting it up myself. 

Suffice it to say, I followed the instructions very carefully and everytime I ran a test on the app, got back “It’s not working.  Let’s troubleshoot!”   I troubleshooted until 1:30am Saturday night.  I finally said to hell with it, hooked my old one back up… nope!  That one was now officially a brick! 

The next morning, I got another text from Xfinity.  “There seems to be a problem with your internet.  Would you like a technician to visit you?  Our nearest opening is Sept 30 at noon-2pm.”  I said yes.  It asked me if I was sure.   I SAID YES THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!

I later figured out (on my own) how to ‘de-register’ and  re-register my old one, and got back my internet high-speed connection again.  And when that Xfinity tech arrives, I’ll be very curious to see if he gets the new one working—but I am REALLY attached to that old one and plan to let him know.  I should’ve trusted my gut to begin with.

It just reminds me of this continued inflammation in my head & face, the return of long covid symptoms after that 3 hour dental appointment.  I wasn’t experiencing any pain or discomfort with my teeth, all I wanted was a good teeth cleaning!  That dentist insisted I had 5-6 developing cavities!  I was 80-90% past the long covid inflammation, until he got in there and started drilling away.  This is Day 21 of it returning.  Again, why fix it if it wasnt broken… I just want to scream.

Finally… yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I was sitting here preparing to eat my dinner, some stewed tomatoes and a Havarti omelet, when my heart began racing.  I said “Oh well” and dug in.  A few minutes later, my heart began pounding and I broke out in a very hot sweat—I raced to the bathroom and threw up what I’d eaten.  Was I having a heart attack?

I called 911, told them what was happening and asked if I should wait & see if things subside.  They said absolutely not, they were sending someone right away.  I raced in my bedroom to change my pants and grab my wallet, by then the pain was spreading out across my torso and I was finding it more & more difficult to breathe.

Two EMT medics arrived within 10 minutes; I was laying on my living room floor but had my front door standing open so they could see me quick enough.  Long story short, I was taken to Mercy Hospital, had an x-ray, CT scan and abdominal ultrasound and they determined I had a large gallstone trapped in my bile duct.

If you’ve ever had kidney stones or gallstones, you know they can leave you gasping.  One feels like a knife in your back, the other like a knife in the stomach.  Here’s the difference though, kidney stones (once passed) leave you achy and sore in your back & sides for a couple days.  Gallstones?  The pain is like an on & off switch.  Once its passed, you’re fine.

I finally passed it a couple hours later.  Mercy was going to send me home, but after learning I lived alone and had no family nearby, kept me overnight for observation.  They even arranged a cab home for me early Monday morning.  Before I left the hospital, the AP asked me if I’d given any thought to gallbladder surgery (considering my prior history) and I did say it’s crossed my mind, what did he think. 

He said my attacks have been infrequent (my last one was a year ago) and as the gb looks healthy and hasn’t given me any real problems yet, why fix it if it isn’t broken.  Yes this time I’m going with that.

Thanks for reading, talk to everyone again soon.

UPDATE:  It took him 1 hour and 39 minutes, but Josh from Xfinity got my new gateway up and running.  The black one is no more, and Josh informed me it was on it’s last legs.  Life goes on...

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but this (sorry to say) isn’t dead yet

I’m not the one who posted this question, but it showed me right away I wasn’t alone

The night before last, I was sitting here watching a movie, holding a couple ice packs on my face and trying not to think about this godawful long covid inflammation that returned on Sept 10—the day after my 2 1/2 hour dental appointment—when it hit me: was I the only one who experienced this? 

I checked out my former Reddit hangout (Covid Long-Haulers) and did a search for relapses following dental work, and omigod—dozens & dozens of people suffering big relapses after (extended) visits to the dentist.  One medical professional theorized it had something to do with a still overactive vagus (cranial) nerve, and high speed drilling and injections into the oral region while in long-term covid was a recipe for disaster. 

I only wish I’d seen this before sitting in that dental chair for 3 hours.

I also wish I had an idea how long this is going to last.  I was living with mild relapses pretty much daily, but they usually only lasted 30 minutes or so, 1-2 times a day.  My last “big” relapse was in July, and lasted 4 days.  This one (the most severe in over a year) has been ongoing for 2 weeks straight.

I’m sorry for sharing all of this again, I just wrote about it 2 posts ago.  I’m just worn out and infuriated.  I tried going outside yesterday for some sun & fresh air and it just made things worse.  All I can do right now is keep reminding myself I got past this before.

I am seeing a little improvement with my feet at least, I’m able to walk on hard surfaces (like my dining room & kitchen floors) without shoes, as long as I’m wearing double-thick Gold Toe socks. 

I don’t believe it has much to do with that shockwave therapy though.  My third shockwave treatment is later today.  During my second treatment last Wednesday, I asked the doctor if he treated many others with this foot disorder, he said yes, many.  I said “Are they all fixable?”  He said “I’m not going to lie to you, half of them have been coming here weekly for years.” 

WHAT!  I decided I had to be more pro-active about this.

I began watching so-called “plantar” specialists on youtube, and several days ago came across one doctor who said “If you’re experiencing burning sensations in your calves after a long walk, or the middle of the night while in bed, you need to start calf exercises right away.  If you ignore your symptoms, they could develop into Achilles tendonitis, or worse yet, plantar fasciitis.” 

Yep, that’s exactly what happened to me.  I’ve been doing foot & calf-stretching exercises 3-4 times daily for 6 days now. 

Anyway, that’s all I have right now.  I may not be posting again too soon, I need to get past these issues a little more or get in a better state of mind at least.  Yesterday a dear friend told me her sister was awaiting an organ transplant and it didn’t lessen my own discomforts any, but did help me see my own situation in a better perspective.  Thank you as always for being here, take care, talk to everyone soon.

Giving things a go with Bachelor Apron I mean Blue Apron

The other day I was on my tablet, reading an article from Bon Appetit about the “new” Blue Apron.  If you’ll recall, Blue Apron was the one that started the whole meals-in-a-box thing.  Anyway, Blue Apron was reinventing themselves.

Single serving meals, no more weekly subscription required, a once-monthly shipping charge.  Most of these outfits charge $15-20 a box to ship.  Blue Apron will now charge a flat $9.99 a month, regardless of how many boxes you have delivered.

I’ve been wanting to try one of these services for awhile, where the meals are mostly prepared.  I’m sorry but I just don’t have it in me to learn how to cook more than hamburgers or chicken, but I still need healthier options in my diet and more variety.  So it was either this or start flirting with 70 year old Dee next door.  Now that woman can cook!

When I visited the website, I saw they still had their traditional dinner kits, new “Bake in a Pan for Two” meals, and lower calorie single-serve “Dishes”.  I signed up for a one month trial that included free shipping and 30% off my first couple orders.

I got this box with 5 single serve meals and a pizza kit.   With the promotional discount, this wound up costing me $36.00.  

• Four-Cheese Enchiladas
• Creamy Red Pepper Fettuccine & Uncured Bacon
• Cavatappi Beef Bolognese
• Southwestern-Style Turkey
• Chipotle Cheddar Pork Sausage & Potatoes
• Truffle Honey White Pizza Kit

The pizza kit smelled delicious, I could really smell those loose ingredients.  The other meals were airtight, under 600 calories.  Not a lot, but I’m trying to cut back anyway.  You have 5 days to eat them or freeze ‘em.

You can either microwave or bake in the oven; I baked the red pepper fettucini with asparagus & uncured bacon first

I do plan on ordering one or more of the “Pan Meals for 2” next time.  They claim to serve 2-3, have more traditional components, and those pan meals (baked in an oven) should be enough for a couple dinners.

Here’s my first Blue Apron “Dish”, which I served with a small salad & garlic bread.  I think I baked it a few minutes longer than necessary, but I’m not taking any shortcuts via the microwave.  It was very tasty (and very spicy) and did fill me up.

 

Here’s the second “Dish” I had, the Southwestern Turkey.  It contains turkey, brown rice, guajillo chili pepper sauce, corn, peppers & onions, black beans, monterey jack cheese, jalapenos.  I added a dollop of sour cream, which pretty much made it perfect. 

It may not look pretty, but this was also filling and I was surprised how delicious it was.  (Very, very hot—but delicious!)

Finally, here’s the Truffle Honey Pizza—strangely, it cost the same as one of the single-serving Dishes, but was more than enough for two people.  It did take a lot of prep, but was worth it.  The crust was puffy and soft, the cheeses and toppings were aromatic and fresh, and that black truffle zest gave it a real gourmet taste.

If I order from Blue Apron again, you can be sure I’ll include another pizza kit.

I don’t think I can bring myself to pay $10.00 per single-serve meal after my 30% discount runs out though.  Are these single-serve meals worth $5-6.00?  Absolutely.  $10.00?  Nope.

Maybe this will be a “once a month assortment box thing”, but I’m not doing more than that.  Oh fudge, I better learn how to cook!

I think I know what’s going on… gosh darn it

Since last Wednesday I’ve been experiencing a full-on relapse of my long-covid inflammation.  Crackling in my head, face & neck.  Burning in the mouth and cheekbones.  Pressure & inflammation in my left eyeball, left temple, side of skull.

It starts out sore when I awaken, slowly rises during the morning, and by 1-2pm I’m laying on my bed with the lights off & door closed.  By 4pm it’s pretty intense.  It dies down by 6-7pm and settles into my neck, which I try to manage with a couple of pain patches until bedtime.

It’s been months since I’ve experienced such severe symptoms, and this started the day after my recent dental appointment last Tuesday.  I went in for a marathon session of 5 fillings and front tooth restore, a 3 hour appointment.  I should’ve spoken up and said I was just getting over 20 months of cranial inflammation, can we spread the fillings out, but I didn’t.  The next morning I could barely move my mouth, it was so stiffened & sore.

Was it all the drilling and propping my mouth open for 3 hours, or the 4 injections in my gums?  I kept flinching and he said “Let’s switch from novocaine to articaine, it’s a lot more potent.”

2 weeks earlier, I sat in that same dental chair and the same dentist picked & scraped at my teeth & gumline for 90 minutes, a “rigorous dentist cleaning”.  Yet I was completely fine afterwards. 

I can’t help but feel that this 3 hour dental thing re-ignited the long covid inflammation somehow.  I didn’t know that was even possible.  And yet here it is.  I was still dealing with mini-relapses daily, but they were mild and only lasted for 30 minutes.  I honestly thought I had this 90% nipped in the bud.  Hopefully this awful flare-up will fade soon.  It’s become painful to talk or chew.

Meanwhile, it’s been 4 weeks since I developed plantar fasciitis on the other end and I continue to hobble like a very old man.  My doctor explained how months of inactivity will cause you to lose strength & flexibility in your plantar fascia, hence my feet & legs giving out on me. 

Fair enough, I am starting those shockwave therapy sessions this week and doing daily stretching exercises to get my old self back.  As soon as my face recovers, I’m pain-free and more mobile, I’d love to travel south and visit family.  It’s been almost 2 years since all of this started and I last saw them.

I am getting a little improvement in my feet at night.  I sure wish I’d waited on all that dental work though.  Way too much, too soon.  (I still need those 2 molar implants!)

Here’s my usual disclaimer:  I’m not looking for sympathy, pity, nothing.  It just helps me feel less alone when I share.  I plan to keep posting on here like nothing is wrong. 

But when I’m my old self again, I’ll share it with you guys first!  Anyway, I promise my next blog is going to be more upbeat—with lots of food.

Thanks as always for listening. 

The time I met Polly Holliday (“Flo”) and her costars—but it’s not who you think

A couple days ago I heard on the news that Polly Holliday (who played Flo on the CBS show “Alice” in the 1970s-80s) died.  I was surprised to learn she never married or had any children, and was born July 2, 1937. 

She was exactly 3 weeks older than my dad—but with him being gone over 25 years now, she had a long life at least.

I was also surprised to see all the other roles she played in movies and on tv, I had no idea.  I only knew her as that waitress with the catch phrase “Kiss my grits!”

That’s not entirely true though; I saw her in a live performance once, and got to meet her after the show.

In January 1990, I was dating a girl named Rossi I met at the Shaler Highlands Apts (the first place I lived after moving to Pittsburgh).  We were the same age, and both worked downtown.  I was a computer programmer for Omega Systems, she worked in Public Relations at Heinz Foods.  

She worked for her mom, who was a big executive at Heinz.  The first time I met her mother, she asked me what I did for a living and when I told her, she said “How long do you intend to do that?”  When I told her I’d only been at it a few months, she said “Try to be a little more ambitious for Rossi’s sake.”

So one night we’re invited to Rossi’s parents for dinner, and her mother says she has a late Christmas present for us:  two tickets to the premiere of ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ at the Benedum Center downtown.  It stars Kathleen Turner as Maggie, Charles Durning as Big Daddy, Polly Holliday as Big Mama, Daniel Hugh Kelly as Brick.

(Kelly played the race car driver on the 80’s show “Hardcastle & McCormick” co-starring Brian Keith.)

Her mother tells us we MUST dress up and asks me if I own a navy or charcoal gray suit.  Yes, I have both.  She asked me if I had a nice tie and I said I had several—but she still had a tie delivered to my office a couple days later, with a $65.00 price tag on it.

The night of the show, a car was sent to pick us up at our apartment complex.  Rossi was gorgeous in a glittering red dress and I couldn’t believe my good fortune—but I felt out of place when we arrived, as most of the crowd in front of the theater was dressed pretty casual, and people kept looking at us and mouthing stuff like “Whoa”.

When the doors finally opened and we began filing in, I handed our tickets to the usher and he said “Sir, when the show is over please remain in your seats.  Either myself or another usher will escort you to our rooftop.”   Rooftop?

Polly Holliday as Big Mama, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Kathleen Turner & Charles Durning take their bows

It was a wonderful show, and when the lights went up and people began filing out, we remained seated.  We looked around the theater and noticed 5-6 other couples also in their seats, also dressed to the nines but appeared to be considerably older. 

We were taken behind stage (wow!) and up stairs covered in red velvet to the roof.  They had lights strung up, candles everywhere, and 2 tables in white linen with champagne, fruit, canapes, a chef standing behind a roast duck & roast beef.  It was very elegant.

I remember asking Rossi if she was used to this sort of thing, she said no, never.  We then heard a smattering of applause, and Charles Durning emerged, wearing baggy overalls with nothing on underneath, swigging from a bottle of whiskey.  He nodded at the group of us and said “Let’s get this shitshow over with” and walked over to the tables of food.  He didn’t talk to anyone the rest of the evening.

Daniel Hugh Kelly appeared next, in a red satin robe, with a towel wrapped around his neck.  He kept fluffing his hair back, and walked over and stood beside Durning.  I told Rossi “They don’t want to be here” and she said “But I do!” 

Then we heard louder applause and Polly Holliday emerged.  She had her hair piled high on her head with various rods in it at different angles, and wore a Japanese kimono with an obi pillow on it’s back.  She looked so tall!  She walked over to each couple and did a graceful bow, and when she got to Rossi & myself she said “What do you think?” and the three of us laughed and I’m not even sure why.  She was so kind, and so down-to-Earth, and told us she was going thru a Japanese phase and everyone should try it at least once in their lives.  She had the biggest smile I ever saw.

I very much wanted to tell her how much I loved her character Flo on “Alice”, but this whole affair felt so surreal & elegant, I was afraid to say anything that would reveal what a hick I really was. 

I have to admit though, the highlight of the evening was Kathleen Turner.  She was the last one to appear and was ABSOLUTELY STUNNING in a silver dress with long diamond earrings.  She looked 100% like a Hollywood star.  She smiled and nodded politely to the other audience members there, walked STRAIGHT OVER to Rossi and myself and asked what we thought of the show.  We told her she nailed Maggie, we just loved it.  She told us this was their very first performance, they were going on to Boston & Philadelphia next, then to New York.

Rossi said “I loved you in ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’, Miss Turner.  I hope that’s alright!”  Kathleen laughed and said thank you.  I was dying to tell her I’d seen all her pictures, I loved Prizzi’s Honor, Jewel of the Nile and Body Heat, but to be honest I was just… starstruck.  She looked at me and said “What is your industry?”  I said “Er… computers, Ms. Turner.”  Kathleen said “Of course.  How old are you?”  I told her we were both 28.  She said “I’m very impressed.”   Why?

All I kept thinking was that just 3 years earlier I was living in my friend’s attic back home, almost penniless—and in that 3 years time managed to go back to school, move to the city, land a good job and wind up on the roof of the Benedum with a bunch of hoity-toity rich people and Hollywood celebrities.  How?!

I did later learn the supper was sponsored by the theater, for locals who donated $25,000 or more to Children’s Hospital.  Rossi & I had gone in place of her parents, who were meant to be there on behalf of Heinz Foods who had made the donation.

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to share this story since I started this blog 20 years ago, but never had a good reason.  Now I do.  Rest in peace, Polly Holliday. I’m very glad I got to meet you and your terrific smile.

 

One shock after another: it’ll do a body good (hopefully)

The last couple days have been busy ones, health-wise; I just hope I’m going in the right direction, because right now I’m a bundle of nerves.  Unfamiliar ones.

Yesterday afternoon, I returned to my new dentist for 6 ‘deep fillings’ and a lower front tooth restore.  I was expecting a laid back session, as I was there 2 weeks ago and he gave me one of the best & relaxing teeth cleanings I ever had.  This session was a lot more intense though.  He had my lower mouth propped open for 2 1/2 hours and I think he gave me one too many shots of novacaine (because of all my flinching).  I awoke this morning with a VERY achy face and weird ‘stiffness’ around my mouth & chin.  Not a great feeling.  It died down this afternoon but returned after dinner.

(My bill was also $1,086.00—that’s what happens when you have no dental insurance!)  Anyway, I’m just hoping the soreness in my face ends in the next day or two.

Today was my appointment with the plantar specialist, Dr. Bill.  He did a thorough examination of my calves, ankles and feet.  I explained to him my sedentary routine for 16 months from long covid, then “getting back out there” with 2 mile walks to the senior center and back, 2-3 days a week.  Then a month ago I began experiencing burning sensations in my calves, then a week or so later, my feet.

He did tapping, twisting & pressure point tests, and diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis.   He told me he could work manually on my feet and calves alone, which my insurance would cover (minus a $32.00 copay), or I could also receive shockwave therapy.  He said he’s treated many people with plantar, and the shockwave patients usually recover in half the time his manual-only patients do.  I believed him, I’ve been reading up on this shock therapy a lot these last couple weeks. 

Unfortunately, my insurance does NOT cover the shock therapy and he told me it would be an additional $100 for a 30 minute session, or I could pay ahead and get 5 weekly sessions for the price of 3.  So that’s what I went with, not including the session I got today (which didn’t cost me extra besides my copay).

He had me lie on my back, while he rubbed ‘conductor goop’ on my right foot first, then my left.  It was cool & soothing.  Then he begain running that machine—“tik tik tik tik”.  I told him I didn’t feel anything.  He told me that the healthy parts of feet wouldn’t, there would only be pain in areas with damaged fascia or scar tissue.  Sure enough. I soon began having some very painful reactions.  He kept track of my responses, and came up with a pretty good map of where things are not good, numbered 1-8 for pain.

Dr. Bill thinks I’ll be in better shape in 5 weeks time, but told me no more ice; cool or lukewarm foot baths only.  He also told me no NSAIDs for 48 hours following a session, Tylenol only.  My next one is next Wednesday. 

I’m sorry for all this health stuff, I promise my next blog is going to be a better one—it’ll be all about food.

 

House Calls (on a Saturday afternoon, no less)

This past Friday (September 5) with the help of my dear friend Mary, I visited my new doctor in nearby West View so he could look at my plantar fasciitis and also have bloodwork done.  Mary, THANK YOU.

(I regret to say the foot problems have gotten worse since a week ago, and it’s just too painful to walk even with shoes.  I am seeing a so-called plantar specialist this Wednesday at Bellevue Chiropractic.)

Anyway, Dr.Mike told me he once had this same condition (from being an overzealous marathon runner) and wound up tearing the fascia in both feet.  It took him two months to make a 90% recovery.  He said “There’s an old saying, ‘work thru the pain’.  That is wrong.  Do NOT work thru the pain.”  Got it, doc.

Afterward, they took me into another room to do the bloodwork—I asked the nurse her name, she said “Karen but don’t worry I’m not one of THOSE Karens.”  What a shame that someone named Karen almost has to defend themselves now!

After they finished, they told me they’d have the results in a couple days and someone from the office would schedule another visit or talk to me on the phone.

So earlier today (Saturday) I’m sitting here on my sofa, the phone rings.  I don’t recognize the number, but pick it up anyway.  I hear “Hello Doug?  It’s Doctor Mike.” He explained he was reviewing my bloodwork and didn’t want to wait until Monday to call me.

Uh-oh!!  A woman at the senior center once told me her doctor called her once after-hours—to inform her she had diabetes.  My heart began racing and I said okay, I was ready.

He said “I’m comparing your numbers to 2 previous blood works, one 3 years ago, one 5 years ago.  Your good cholesterol numbers remain stable, your bad cholesterol has decreased.  We see no excess uric acid, nothing indicating possible prostate cancer, your glucose and A1C numbers are in safe ranges so you aren’t a candidate for diabetes.”  

I said wow that’s awesome and he said the numbers were much better than 5 years ago.  He also said “Your liver enzymes were 78 in 2020, making you a candidate for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.  Your enzymes now is 13, I would’ve been happy with 25.  How did you do that?”   I told him I gave up candy, cake, soda pop, nightly pie and weekend ice cream for the most part.  He said “I think that worked out in your favor.”

So, he wants me to come back in 2 months.  I’m still 30 pounds overweight, still have high blood pressure, still dealing with daily long covid relapses in the side of my skull and now this infernal plantar fasciitis in both feet.  But somehow, my insides are doing better than ever!

I know this was a boring read, sorry about that.  I just had to share the good news with somebody.

 

Picture of the Day: Loving those drugs from the Sixties

The other day I was coming down Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue and was surprised to see this storefront sign, hidden since the 1960s.  Construction crews were tearing down the front of Rite-Aid Pharmacy, which declared bankruptcy and shut their doors in my neighborhood in December 2023. 

(For the record, I sort of blame them for my long covid; I stopped there to pick up my blood pressure meds after Thanksgiving in Nov 2023.  They asked me to come back on Monday.  When I said “Will you guys still be around?” they assured me they would. 

When I returned, they were closed and had sent my prescription to Giant Eagle.  My friend Susie gave me a ride to Giant Eagle; she had covid but didn’t know it, voila.)

Anyway, Rite-Aid had been my drugstore for 30 years.  But when I moved to Bellevue in 1993, it was Eckerd Drugs, which were bought by Rite-Aid in 1996.

But before it was Eckerd Drugs… it was THRIFT DRUGS.  A Pittsburgh company, they opened in 1935.  And that’s what this was until 1968 when it was bought by JCPenney, who sold it to Eckerd.

Anyway, the construction crew had halted their work on the storefront (which is being converted into office space) but no one seemed to know why.  I thought I’d get a couple pics before they tore it down further. 

I don’t know why I find this so curious, I can’t help but wonder—how long has it been since anyone last saw this vintage sign?  A lady on the street said “I haven’t shopped at Thrift since I don’t know when!  But it wasn’t Thrift Drugs, it was Thrift Drug!” 

My dear woman, that sign is evidence to the contrary.  Anyway, I’d love to go back in time and take a gander at the items for sale inside.  Remember Breck Shampoo?  Prell in a tube?  Dippity-Do?  Hi-Karate Men’s Aftershave?  I wonder if it had a soda fountain?

Well, the good news is my bus drove past a couple days ago and they still haven’t torn it down.  It sure would be fun to see Thrift Drugs make a comeback!

Let the healing begin (well, let some healing begin at least)

Today has been a good day—well, a better day than the last few ones.  Walking VERY carefully, I was able to make it to the bus stop to catch a ride to the Lutheran Senior Center for lunch.  But when I arrived, I discovered I’d forgotten to sign up. 

(You need to sign up at least 2 business days in advance, I could’ve sworn I did last week.)

However, my timing was perfect—Evie had just arrived, discovered she too had forgotten to sign up so off we went to KFC for some much needed fried chicken.  We brought our food back to the center, and afterward she gave me a ride to Kuhn’s Market for some much needed groceries.  

Evie if you’re reading this.. thank you again.  I love you dearly.

When I got home, some welcome relief was in the mail.  The gout (or even fungal infection) I thought I had a couple weeks ago… it’s neither.  My PCP say it’s most likely plantar fasciitis, and based on the symptoms (burning calves & soles, painful to walk in your bare feet) he recommended a couple items which I just got in the mail today, pictured above. 

A pair of nubby foot rollers and some very excellent plantar cream.  It’s hot, but soothing stuff.

This whole ordeal has been too strange, I just wish I had a timeline of when this will end.  A lot of folks at the center (Evie included) have had this, and say that one day you wake up and it’s just gone.  I certainly hope so, my PCP said it could take a few months. 

It’s in both feet, but definitely more in the right one.  And on that note… here’s my 9 1/2 double-wide right foot.  Thanks for reading.

 

Not exactly my idea of a fun Saturday afternoon… just a quick update

This isn’t going to be a long one, but a couple people reached out to me about this infernal foot thing and I wanted to include this in my previous post and didn’t.

I still can’t believe this even happened, let alone be ongoing.  This all started a little over two weeks ago (seems a lot longer) when I was walking home from the senior center and my feet hurt like the Devil.  Well, it began in my RIGHT foot and radiated from my big toe.  I wondered if it was gout at first, then maybe a fungal infection when both feet began hurting.  I’ve never had either.

In the next couple days my calves began burning.  Wearing compression socks eased the discomfort, but it still hurt to walk on hard surfaces without shoes. 

The pain radiating from the right big toe decreased, but I still wake up in the morning with an aching right calf—and both feet have a ‘digging, burning’ sensation that only helps if I soak them in a foot bath of cool water, like above.

And that’s how I’m spending this beautiful Saturday afternoon.  Sitting on my couch, binge-watching Season 4 episodes of ‘Eight is Enough’.  Ugh, this show is the pits!  Why am I watching it?  Because when it originally aired in 1979, I was 18 years old and this reminds me of that time.  Oh to be that young again…

Yes, yes… I’m feeling sorry for myself. I spent most of the last 18 months stuck in here, suffering with long covid.  I was just getting out again and now this.  Why?

Anyway, this Friday (Sept 5) at 9:00am I have an appointment with my PCP, and a full panel of bloodwork.  Maybe he’ll discover excess uric acid (gout) or elevated A1C (diabetes).  Who knows.  I just need some answers.

I did call a podiatrist last week who recommended the blood work, but wasn’t accepting new patients when I asked for an appointment.  I left a couple messages with another podiatrists office last weekend, but they never called me back.  Maybe I’ll call them again first thing Tuesday morning, after the Labor Day weekend.

Back to the show… thanks for listening.