Well it's 11;15 in the evening and I can't get to sleep. Two reasons: 1.) Today I was exhausted and on top of that I walked all the way down to the Town Center and bback; 2.) I went to a Nats game and I met Howie from the rooms. We finally won a game it was so exciting. 9 to 2 against the World Champion Phillies. My season ticket was in the midst of Pillies fans--most of them College Age. My seeat mate was going to school in Baltimore, since this is Thursday she can stay up late without any classes on Friday. Wish they had had that when I was in school.
I had a small triumph. On Good Friday I had a harrowing drive home. I was a wreck after driving 6 miles in the dark without anti-anxiety Rx. I forgot to take my medicine. I was going to take a bus but they don't run that late, so I thourght I'd bag tonights game.
Good old Bon pointed out that it is much shorter to Greenbelt Station and the roads are well lit. I drove home in the dark without fear and trembling. I also took my Rx and was able to do the escelators without a panic attack.
All in all a great day. I'm just still wound up from all the excitement.
It's funny that my retirement has proven to be a time in my life to do the things I've always wanted to do--like have a Season Ticket plan and buy property in Florida and excape the cold.
Speaking of Florida we found a two bedroom two bath at Top of the World for 50,000-we could get it for 45K because we are paying cash. But that is still 5K over our self imposed Limit of $40K. Two bedrooms are great--1100 sq. feet but is the 2nd bathroom worth 5K. It is on the ground floor with two doors for cross ventilation.
It has a Southern Exposure. Bonnie and I really need to think about that one. Another plus is that it comes fully furnished down to plates etc..
Live is good.
I need to do some computer work and then go to bed. Signing off at 12:15
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bad News
I went to my daughters Blog on which she shares her hopes, fears, triumphs and defeats.
I celebrated the 10 o'clock mEaster Mass at Holy Trinity Collington. We were going to have a family day. The girls, husbands and the grandchildren were all going to be at our Celebration. The Service went very well, but no one showed from my family.
I of coursee catastraphsied. They were all dead in a massive car wreck.
We were going to Lauras for the family Easter Dinner.
When we got home to get the Deviled Eggs Bonnie checked for voice mail messages. We got a strange one from Laura. She was sick and Erica had a melt down and went to Church in Alexandria, Va..
Anyway we got there and Laura was up after staying the morning in bed. I figured she just over did with all the Preparation. She has Coronary Artery Disease.
We had a good time, turned out that the Ham was cooked by Erica and was a little over done, but quite edible. We all had a good time and we left the house at around 3:00PM.
So we got home and talked about Florida.
On Monday evening, yesterday, I checked Laura's Blog-IEPMOM. It turns out that Laura was indeed. ill. It had been 5 weeks since she had any chest pain. She wasn't taking her Rx as directed--skipping days or multiple days. She was indeed doing too much. Friday she was very tired so she sat down for a while and she felt better. Saturday she cleaned the downstairs cause she was having company on Suncay and she felt it needed it. She had Chest pain. She took one of her pills and it didn't do anything. Her Doctor told her if this happened she should take another pill. So she did and the pain went away. But she was beat. So up to bed she went. Erica came over to get the Ham to cook at her place. Laura was too tired to get up in the morning-the Circulatory System is a closed Hydralyc system. What ever affects the pump affects the entire system. She came down shortly prior to our arrival. But she just said she was sick.
In the Blog Laura said that she felt that she was getting "normal" and could do stuff. Craig her husband, said that that wasn't true. She thinks she should better. Once you have Coronary Artery Disease you have it for life. You never get better. Normal is accepting this and being compliant about your medicine. Take it as directed when directed.
Laura is in deep denial. She wants to be Normal again--like she was prior to Coronary Artery Disease. But as they say in 12 Step Programs Accetance is the key. For if you don't accept the nature of your illness you will succumb to the life of an invalid long before you need to.
I went 13 years between my first attack and the second, and then 4 years to my By-Pass Surgery. I then had a 6 year period between the Bypasws and the next Angeoplasty. The occurrances are getting closer cause they are babying me along until I need a new By-Pass Surgery. Apparently my grafts are getting Flacid and some day they will collapse on me.
So I exercise am trying to lose weight--19 lbs so far. That's what Laura needs to do.
What scared me the most was her final line. ""I need to get up stairs and clean it cause it needs it." I hope that was a morbid bit of Gallows Humor.
I am very worried about Laura.
Fr John
I celebrated the 10 o'clock mEaster Mass at Holy Trinity Collington. We were going to have a family day. The girls, husbands and the grandchildren were all going to be at our Celebration. The Service went very well, but no one showed from my family.
I of coursee catastraphsied. They were all dead in a massive car wreck.
We were going to Lauras for the family Easter Dinner.
When we got home to get the Deviled Eggs Bonnie checked for voice mail messages. We got a strange one from Laura. She was sick and Erica had a melt down and went to Church in Alexandria, Va..
Anyway we got there and Laura was up after staying the morning in bed. I figured she just over did with all the Preparation. She has Coronary Artery Disease.
We had a good time, turned out that the Ham was cooked by Erica and was a little over done, but quite edible. We all had a good time and we left the house at around 3:00PM.
So we got home and talked about Florida.
On Monday evening, yesterday, I checked Laura's Blog-IEPMOM. It turns out that Laura was indeed. ill. It had been 5 weeks since she had any chest pain. She wasn't taking her Rx as directed--skipping days or multiple days. She was indeed doing too much. Friday she was very tired so she sat down for a while and she felt better. Saturday she cleaned the downstairs cause she was having company on Suncay and she felt it needed it. She had Chest pain. She took one of her pills and it didn't do anything. Her Doctor told her if this happened she should take another pill. So she did and the pain went away. But she was beat. So up to bed she went. Erica came over to get the Ham to cook at her place. Laura was too tired to get up in the morning-the Circulatory System is a closed Hydralyc system. What ever affects the pump affects the entire system. She came down shortly prior to our arrival. But she just said she was sick.
In the Blog Laura said that she felt that she was getting "normal" and could do stuff. Craig her husband, said that that wasn't true. She thinks she should better. Once you have Coronary Artery Disease you have it for life. You never get better. Normal is accepting this and being compliant about your medicine. Take it as directed when directed.
Laura is in deep denial. She wants to be Normal again--like she was prior to Coronary Artery Disease. But as they say in 12 Step Programs Accetance is the key. For if you don't accept the nature of your illness you will succumb to the life of an invalid long before you need to.
I went 13 years between my first attack and the second, and then 4 years to my By-Pass Surgery. I then had a 6 year period between the Bypasws and the next Angeoplasty. The occurrances are getting closer cause they are babying me along until I need a new By-Pass Surgery. Apparently my grafts are getting Flacid and some day they will collapse on me.
So I exercise am trying to lose weight--19 lbs so far. That's what Laura needs to do.
What scared me the most was her final line. ""I need to get up stairs and clean it cause it needs it." I hope that was a morbid bit of Gallows Humor.
I am very worried about Laura.
Fr John
Friday, April 10, 2009
Drive at Night
Today 4/10/08 is Good Friday. I had a meeting to chair so I couldn't attend the 12PM Service at St. Georges. That left the 7:30 Service at Holy Trinity Collington. It was at 7:30PM and the Sun set at 7:40. The Service itself was a good one, It made me want to cry cause I couldn't stand all that Happened to Jesus that day so long ago. The Passion, St. John, makes your sight get a little watery. Leslie had a good Sermon based on what the Virgin Mary must have been thinking that day as she saw her first born dying on a Cross.
So I was glad I'd come to the Service. The drive back started bad and continued even worse. I had panic attacks, drove between 30-40 mph and was glad I'd taken my 6:00 medicine at 7:00. But even with 0.5mg of Xanax the anxiety was almost more than I could bear. I almost stopped and asked Bon to come and get me. But I didn't.
There was even one place (the curve from 450 onto 193) when I got confused and almost ran off the road.
I made it to Greenbelt and there were all these cars and all these lanes and lights and headlights and I only had one eye. I was in a panic. I was so scared. I made it past the exit fm the BW Parkway and managed to turn onto Southway without hitting anyone. I was almost home. I circled around to West Way and took it to Ridge Rd and my Handicapped Parking place. I was still paniced as I walked to our house.
I took another Xanax at home and in about 1/2 an hour the panic went away. I definetly can not drive at night on the way down to Florida next January. I might kill us all. I'm not sure my nerves could stand the strain and stress. Let alone my heart.
I used to drive at night, indeed I preferred driving at night when I drove for Jan and Windy Meadows Pottery. But that was oney eye and three heart episodes away. My by pass. I'm not the man I used to be. It also was 20 years ago.
It's funny how we slowly change and although I don't think of myself as being old I am going to be 65 in 5 months and I just haven't acclimated myself to the inexorable march of time and my increasing diminuation of things I can do.
Time marches on as I slowly grow older and older and less capable.
I think that next year I'm going to either cut the Service or if I am in Clearwater take a Bus to the Episcopal Church. Public transportation is becoming a necessity.
I think that Clearwater will be a good place for me cause I'm going to be in the Senior Apartments. I cannot believe it, but it is true--I am a Senior. How did that happen?
I am going to have to think about driving on the way home from the Nats games that are in the evening. Maybe I will have to leave early and drive home at dusk.
Sundown is later in June and July.
I'll see what happens.
Time to close the Blog. If anyone has any ideas let me know them, I'm always ready for suggestions.
The Lord be with you.-----Fr John
So I was glad I'd come to the Service. The drive back started bad and continued even worse. I had panic attacks, drove between 30-40 mph and was glad I'd taken my 6:00 medicine at 7:00. But even with 0.5mg of Xanax the anxiety was almost more than I could bear. I almost stopped and asked Bon to come and get me. But I didn't.
There was even one place (the curve from 450 onto 193) when I got confused and almost ran off the road.
I made it to Greenbelt and there were all these cars and all these lanes and lights and headlights and I only had one eye. I was in a panic. I was so scared. I made it past the exit fm the BW Parkway and managed to turn onto Southway without hitting anyone. I was almost home. I circled around to West Way and took it to Ridge Rd and my Handicapped Parking place. I was still paniced as I walked to our house.
I took another Xanax at home and in about 1/2 an hour the panic went away. I definetly can not drive at night on the way down to Florida next January. I might kill us all. I'm not sure my nerves could stand the strain and stress. Let alone my heart.
I used to drive at night, indeed I preferred driving at night when I drove for Jan and Windy Meadows Pottery. But that was oney eye and three heart episodes away. My by pass. I'm not the man I used to be. It also was 20 years ago.
It's funny how we slowly change and although I don't think of myself as being old I am going to be 65 in 5 months and I just haven't acclimated myself to the inexorable march of time and my increasing diminuation of things I can do.
Time marches on as I slowly grow older and older and less capable.
I think that next year I'm going to either cut the Service or if I am in Clearwater take a Bus to the Episcopal Church. Public transportation is becoming a necessity.
I think that Clearwater will be a good place for me cause I'm going to be in the Senior Apartments. I cannot believe it, but it is true--I am a Senior. How did that happen?
I am going to have to think about driving on the way home from the Nats games that are in the evening. Maybe I will have to leave early and drive home at dusk.
Sundown is later in June and July.
I'll see what happens.
Time to close the Blog. If anyone has any ideas let me know them, I'm always ready for suggestions.
The Lord be with you.-----Fr John
Friday, April 3, 2009
Florida Dreamin'
Bonnie and I have been talking about retirement. She said "I don't want to spend winter locked up in the house with nothing to do. I hate winter, I get Depressed".
So we are cashing in on of our CD's (50K) and buying a Condo in a place called Clearwater, Fla. We are going down with the pages we've pulled from the Realtors guide and have a few that we definetly want to look at. Lisa, our realtor, will take us around. The prices are around 39-45 for a 1 bedroom and 55 for a two bedroom. The two bedroom would be for the kids when they visit us during the winter.
Since we will be paying cash for the place we'll offer $5K less than the asking price and they pay the closing costs. The market has really tanked in Fla. It is the second worst in the country (Calif is the worst). Nobody is buying.
We will go down in late October and come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas leaving for Fla after the turn of the year. We'll come back in late April. At some time we will probably move down there permanently.
It's a big decision. I think it is do able and am looking forward to spending the winter of 2010 in Clearwater. Bonnie retires on December 31st. of this year.
Life changes, but one of my jobs is to try to help Bonnie be happy. I recall being down in Fla with the witch and it was certainly a pleasant way to spend winter. Anyway I hope God blesses our endeavour.
Father John
So we are cashing in on of our CD's (50K) and buying a Condo in a place called Clearwater, Fla. We are going down with the pages we've pulled from the Realtors guide and have a few that we definetly want to look at. Lisa, our realtor, will take us around. The prices are around 39-45 for a 1 bedroom and 55 for a two bedroom. The two bedroom would be for the kids when they visit us during the winter.
Since we will be paying cash for the place we'll offer $5K less than the asking price and they pay the closing costs. The market has really tanked in Fla. It is the second worst in the country (Calif is the worst). Nobody is buying.
We will go down in late October and come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas leaving for Fla after the turn of the year. We'll come back in late April. At some time we will probably move down there permanently.
It's a big decision. I think it is do able and am looking forward to spending the winter of 2010 in Clearwater. Bonnie retires on December 31st. of this year.
Life changes, but one of my jobs is to try to help Bonnie be happy. I recall being down in Fla with the witch and it was certainly a pleasant way to spend winter. Anyway I hope God blesses our endeavour.
Father John
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