Soon Come Good News?

Last week I walked into the local SSA office (partly because I'm bored stiff) to check on the status of my Medi-Care app. I couldn't see the monitor he was looking at, but he said' "Oh. Good news." Then he turned the conversation in a different direction about where (physically) my application was and started talking ambiguously. He didn't tell me that my app had been approved, but I left with a feeling that my app had been approved, and due to gummint boorockrasee, he was not the proper boorowcrat to inform me of the decision. Just a gut feeling, that's all. I went into a free (almost) clinic (will probably get boiled for the visit anyhow), and got another scrip I can't afford. I had filled out some papers to allow my regular physician to release my records to this clinic. My PCP office called me in regards to one item in their records, and during the course of that phone conversation, I was informed that the good doc actually took time to write a personal letter to SSA saying that this guy is messed up and needs to be accepted into the program! WOOHOO! Thank you Dr. G!!!!!!

So, soon come good news?

Tobacco Sucks, big time

My grandfather died of emphysema when he was 72 yo. Before he died, he used to take my oldest brother around to all the rental properties we used to own and showed him how to do anything with tools. My brother could build a house from scratch, I'm sure. And he learned to smoke tobacco from him, too.

My brother and I used to go to water ski tournaments every weekend in the summer and his 1st wife and I and a few others would train during the week. He moved to TN with his family, I moved to CA. Neither of us are involved in organized water skiing any longer. Moving to a red state corrupted his political compass, as we are now on opposite sides of the political spectrum. But he's still my brother.

I got word last night that he has lung cancer and has about 2 to 4 months to live. I cried for about an hour last night. If you'll excuse me, I need to find a way to get to TN soon. I also have to renew my crusade against tobacco.

Could someone please explain why tobacco is legal and marijuana is not?

Dark Side of the Moonshine

Sometimes a good piece of music is all it takes to lift your spirits! I had heard of these guys performing my favorite work of all time, 'Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd. I listened to this 3 times and would have a 4th if it hadn't been so late!

Here's Poor Man's Whiskey performing their 'alternative' version:

'Dark Side of the Moonshine.'

Enjoy!

http://www.archive.org/details/pmw2007-05-08.pmw2007-05-08.flac

That Angels Post?

It's coming soon!

My Father is a Yankee Fan

Despite growing up about 50 miles southwest of Fenway Park, my father is a Yankee fan. (Hmmmmm..... maybe that's why we never went to many Sox games!) He was born in 1918 and missed the 1st Sox Dynasty of 1903-1918. By the time he was a young boy playing sandlot ball, it was Yankees this, and Yankees that, and Babe Ruth hitting 60 HR’s! He played 2B for his high school team and hit about .285. He wanted to keep playing, but his father wouldn’t let him play during his senior year. (Oh, was the coach pissed off!) The Great Depression was still a recent memory, and he was needed to work in the family business, thus ending any potential career in baseball. (The broken leg didn’t help, either.)

But this post isn’t about baseball.

My father served in the Army (Ozark 102nd Division) in WWII in France and Germany. He was a Lieutenant, and was promoted to Captain upon his discharge. He’s not a doctor, but because of his degree, he was the adjunct to the Captain in his medical unit. I recall seeing some of the schwag he brought back from Europe when I was young, including a parachute, a Nazi flag, and maybe even his side arm, but I have no idea what happened to any of that. (I do have his baseball bat, though.) Maybe it was the broken leg that kept him from the front lines, but I can only imagine that he must have seen some horrific injuries serving in a medical unit. He never spoke much about his time in the Army when I was younger, never even suggested that I serve, most likely due to what he witnessed while there. (The draft was over before I was 18.)

A couple of years ago, he finally opened up a bit and started to talk a little bit about his time in the military. I told him that he should write all this down. Well, he finally did start writing, and just recently gave me the book for me to blog it to the rest of the family. I have not read it yet.

While I am very left leaning, I never went to any ant-Viet Nam war protests. I never spit upon or disrespected any of the returning soldiers in any way. I never served in the military, but I never was much into socio-economics and politics when I was a teenager. Hell, for all I know, I may not have even been tall enough to qualify. While I may question the administrations and the policies that put our great (but not perfect) country in war, I harbor no resentment nor disrespect towards the men and women who have been sent there, as well as the ones who are in the military, but have not had to endure that hell.

My band mate and best friend served in The Marines in Viet Nam. He came back OK. My ex-father-in-law served in the Coast Guard in Nam and saw his best friends face blow up in front of him. He’s messed up. I even have a Sawxheads ‘friend’ whom I have yet to meet in person (but will soon!) who was in The Marines.

So what is the point of this blog? Respect Veterans. After all that they have been through, they get pitiful health care when they get back here. I see it with my father and my band mate. They fought so that I can write ‘Bush sucks!’ and not have to worry about it. Many of them enlisted before they ever had a clue that they would be sent overseas to fight in misguided war. (I can write that because of them.) Many had absolutely ZERO desire to be there. But they went. Protest the war and bitch at the politicians that send troops there, but respect the men and women who are Veterans, and those who will be Veterans.

Depression sucks (part 2)

There are a lot of topics, hot button topics, that I want to write about. I have words swirling about in my head that need some order. There are words that I have written in years past with pen and paper (remember them?) that need to be input. For now, I have been writing mostly about health issues (and the Red Sox, can't forget them.) The reason this blog exists is because of these gdfn Parkinson's (PD) symptoms that I have been battling for over two years. (Depression is one of the symptoms of PD.) Depression is making it very hard for me to get things done right now. This includes answering calls and e-mails from my family and friends. My Medi-Care application has already been turned down by the SSA (Social Security), so now I have hired a barrister to take the reins and get the appeal filed. How many times have we heard "The waiting is the hardest part." It's so true. I'm depressed, scared, tired, and in pain.

And I wait.

Today I went to a free clinic about the depression and received a prescription for another anti-depressant. I'm so tired of taking all these meds. (Right now my legs feel as if they are on fire, must take more meds.) Once the application is approved, I can go back to see my regular physician and neurologist so I can resume treatments for all these ailments- PD, depression, sleep apnea, RLS, CFS, tinitus, acid reflux.... I'm a wreck, I tell ya!

Once I get through this period of waiting, once I resume treatments, hopefully sooner than that, I will be writing about other topics. And I'll be writing to my family and friends, too.

In the meantime, please don't misunderstand quiet on my part for disinterest, ok? OK!