Feeling Better

I feel better today than I have lately.  I wasn't really aware of not feeling good before, but I feel better today.

The cause is pretty clearly that I now have yesterday's urologist appointment behind me, and everything is fine.  It's odd how the mind can work on the body.

Urologist Appointment

I went to the urologist today.  After a long wait, my brother Jeff and I finally got in an exam room, but the wait proved to be worth it.

I am still cancer free, and I don't have go back for six months.

Another Aide Problem

Yesterday, my aide Tiffany told me she wouldn't be here today because she had to take her son to the doctor.  So, assuming Tiffany told her boss, the company had at least a day, and probably much longer, to find someone else.  It failed.  Janeka had to do the shift.  Nor did the company notify Janeka, my team leader, that the shift was open.  Janeka only found out when I asked her who would be here today, and she called to find out.

Part of the problem, of course, is that the company struggles to find staff when new situations come up.  It can't hit a curveball.  Another part of the problem, however, as far as I can tell, is that it tends not to tell anybody it couldn't find replacement staff.  That leaves its clients in difficult situations.

Sidewalk Stuff

Johneice and I went outside after supper yesterday.  It was a wonderful early summer evening.  We went all the way around my apartment complex.

The sidewalk we followed isn't flat.  It follows the lay of the land and has two or three fairly significant swales.  Presumably it was simpler to build it that way than it would have been to level the land along the sidewalk's course.  The swales aren't huge and my power chair deals with them easily, but it is interesting to see how the sidewalk was built.

Easy Weekend

I had an easy weekend with my bathroom visits.  I was able to urinate easily enough to stay away from real pain.

I have a scope at the urologist Thursday, and that's about how these things go.  I get in a good place just in time to have another procedure, which can throw me off again.  Oh, well.

Eating Out

Last evening for supper, Johneice and I went over to Target, and I had a small PizzaHut pizza at the Starbucks inside Target.  Ain't capitalism grand?

It was a nice night to get out, too-- warm, with a bright blue sky.

Heat Tonight

I think the Heat will win the NBA title tonight.  I hope the Spurs do, but I think they had their chance Tuesday night and failed to close the deal.

If the Heat win, it will not have been a dominating playoff run.  An ill and injured Bulls team gave them some trouble, and both the Pacers and the Spurs could easily have beaten them.  Anyway, Yodit will be pleased.

Trying Time

My bathroom issues have been better recently, but yesterday I went shortly after noon, and I couldn't go again until after 8.  It was no fun, but the pain was not what it's been before.

After I finally went, though, everything has been fine.  As long as this only happens occasionally, I guess no harm will be done.

Looking For Agents

A friend of mine is attending a writers workshop back east in a couple weeks.  Literary agents-- maybe some prominent ones-- will be there, and writers will be able to pitch projects to the agents in hopes of securing representation.  My friend has agreed to take some of my work along and pitch it with her own work, if she gets the chance.

I have a literary agent, but she only handles science fiction, and I have four completed mystery novels I'm trying to sell to publishers, so I need another agent for those.

SimLeague Baseball

Well, my SimLeague baseball season is over, and my team went 93-69.  That's often good enough to get in the playoffs, but it wasn't in this league.

Still, I'm happy this team did so well.  It had a pitcher who won 20 games, three Gold Glove winners, and the league's rookie of the year.  A 13-game losing streak early in the season is what wrecked the playoff chances.

May Be Gaining Weight

Well, my aide Yodit was happy the Heat beat the Spurs last night, evening the series at 2-2.  She likes basketball, but she tells me she doesn't understand baseball.  She didn't grow up with the game, so I'm not surprised it eludes her.  Baseball is a complex, subtle game.

When she was giving me a shower, Yodit said out of the blue that she thinks I'm gaining weight.  That would be a good thing, as I seem to have a tendency to lose weight.

Go Spurs

The Spurs could take a big step towards winning the NBA title tonight by beating the Heat again.  I'm rooting for the Spurs because I like Tim Duncan.  He's a great player, and he just plays-- no nonsense stuff.

My aide Yodit, though, likes the Heat and LeBron.  She was pleased when her Heat beat "my" Spurs.  Yodit will be here again tonight, so it should be interesting.

Budget Stuff

According to reports, the federal deficit is shrinking this year because of the sequester-- which neither Congress nor the Presidnt wanted to go into effect.  It's good the deficit will be down this year, but the real problems driving up long-term federal debt have yet to be addressed.

Those problems-- coming huge shortfalls in Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare-- could break the government financially, forcing a draconian cut in benefits and a reduction in the standard of living for most Americans.  The political consequences of that kind of situation are unclear.

What is clear is dealing with the entitlements dilemma is another test of whether humans are in fact capable of self-government.  It is the essence of the American Experiment.  Are we willing to make tough choices to retain and enhance our freedom and independence as a people?  Americans have in the past.  We might know soon if we still have that capacity as a nation.

Johneice

I seem to be losing my aide Johneice in September.  She's joining the army, of all things.

I will miss her.  She's a nice young woman, and she does her job well.  I've come to trust her.

Reading My Novel

I was fiddling with one of my novels yesterday when my aide Liz came in and saw it.  She said she'd like to read it, so I got her email address and zapped it to her.  We'll see what she thinks of it, maybe when she's back in a couple weeks.

I think my novels are as good as some published novels I've read-- but, of course, I'm biased.  I'd hoped the novels would support me financially, but that's increasingly unlikely.

Last Evening

Well, the dinner shift yesterday went okay.  Janeka had to come let the new aide in because she didn't have the right code, and that was probably a good thing, as Janeka got the aide, Esther, oriented.

Esther is a nice lady, and we got along fine.  I was relieved things worked out.

Nerves

On my dinner shift tonight, an aide I've never even seen before will be here, and I'm nervous about it.  I'm already having trouble peeing, and if I can't go when this aide is here, it could be bad, or at least painful.

I'll have to find a way to make it work.

Surprise Tests

Yesterday morning, I learned my doctor had ordered tests for that very morning.  It screwed up my day.  I'd known nothing about any such tests beforehand.

I asked Nurse Danielle to contact the doctor's office and ask what the deal was.  She said they were apologetic and agreed I should have been notified in advance and told what the tests were for.  Hopefully, then, this won't happen again.

Pacers Lose

Okay, so the Pacers lost the seventh game last night, and it wasn't close.  They still won two playoff series and pushed the defending champion to the limit.

They're a young, building team.  They'll learn from this playoff run.  Hopefully, there'll be several more deep playoff runs for these playerrs.

Game 7

The Pacers have forced the defending champion Heat into a deciding seventh game in their playoff series.  They clearly know how to beat Miami-- now it's a matter of execution, matching intensity, and hitting easy shots.

I think the Pacers win tonight.