Sunday, August 25, 2013

I think this week we will start construction…

Monday turned out to be a really good day. I got up in time to say goodbye to Kelly, she's heading to Sacramento this week for a job. The sun kept coming out and then going away so I hung out in the driveway with Tom to see if the sun would come out and stay, it finally did. Robby and I cruised through the lagoon, we haven't done that for a while, and then cruised down to the end of the Boardwalk and back and down to the end of the wharf and back. It was still a little chilly and I could feel my muscles tighten up so I just came home and hung out with Tom a little bit more. Rosa came and put me to bed and I just relaxed and watched TiVo the rest of the evening.

Tuesday was another great day. Another day of cold one minute and hot the next but I took Robby for a cruise and I was comfortable. We cruise down Westcliff, down to the end of the wharf at back and down to the end of the boardwalk back. I came home and rested for a bit and talk to Tom and we decided to go back to the ideal restaurant and get something to eat, we sat outside and it was really nice… The sun finally came out to stay. Tom had fish and chips and I had fried calamari, prawns, fish and fries, I was so hungry but couldn't eat much so I brought it home. Teresa came and put me to bed and we did some personal care.

Wednesday was a nerve-racking but pretty good day. Jonathan Bloom from ABC local channel 7 news came by to interview me with my Google glass, people are starting to get a real positive attitude about it for the differently abled. They were really bad mouthing it at first thinking of it as a toy but now that people are thinking of it as a necessity for the differently abled everyone wants to hear about it. I was really nervous and can't even really remember what I said so I hope I did okay. I got an answer back from Dunton construction and they are going to start next week, Thursday I think, with the deck and then go from there. Tom and I took a walk downtown and cruised around and then came back to rest for a while. Rosa came and put me to bed and Lee and Claudia, my uncle and my aunt and my mom and I had spaghetti, garlic bread and a salad for dinner and then we played cribbage… It didn't suck this time and I broke even.

Thursday was such a beautiful day. I got up and took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon and then down to Dominican rehab where Teresa and I met with the PT to make a video for range of motion. I got there and went through the lobby and ran into Andrei, it is always so great to see him. I was cruising down the hallway and I heard somebody say "hey Tammie" and when I turned around there was Andrei. I talked to him for a couple of minutes and then he said he would come down to the gym where I had my appointment so we could catch up a little bit. He has been following me with the Google class and he wanted to find out what was going on. While he was there he looked at my laterals and my heels, my heels for some reason are about 2 inches off the pedals and my laterals are crooked. We have an appointment on the 10th but he wanted to see what he was going to need to do. I told the PT that I would bring my Google glass so that she could check them out and everybody in the gym was very interested in what they can do. They put me on the map and videotaped some stretches and then we talked about the Google glass. Teresa and I decided to stop at the burger place up on the hill so we texted Tom and my mom to see if they wanted anything. I usually get an ahi tuna burger is usually pretty good but this time it wasn't so good, I also got some sweet potato fries and they were kind of cold. Three separate me to bed and we did some personal care I got a nice long hot bath. I get to sleep in the morning.







Friday was a really great day. As usual I got a massage so I got to sleep in early, it always feels so great. I got up and took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon, across the Bay St., Park, halfway down Westcliff and back into the end of the wharf and back. I ran into Tammy, she runs the Segway shop down by the wharf. I see her all the time and so we just started saying hello and then talking. She was trying out the child Segway with a friend. I came back and rested for a bit and then Tom and I cruised over to the boardwalk to see Eddie Money, he was this week's band on the beach. He always puts on such a fantastic show and everybody loved him, I have never missed his concert. We came back and Teresa put me to bed. I saw one of my friends comment on Facebook that he saw me in the news with my Google glass so I looked it up and sure enough…
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/technology&id=9215989

Saturday was a really nice day. I got up and went out to breakfast with Tom to Zachary's, I think Zachary's has about the best breakfast in Santa Cruz. We came back and Kelley was here, back from her weeklong stay in Sacramento. She had fun but she looked really tired and I think she was glad to be back home. Tommy Kelly took me to Costco to get some much-needed supplies and by the time we got back I had time to rest for a bit before Rosa came to put me to bed, do some personal care and give me a nice long hot bath.

Sunday turned out to be a little disappointing. I wasn't feeling very good but I was going to get up anyway, I felt really prickly and couldn't get warm. As Adriana was getting dressed my stomach started cramping a little and making weird noises so I figured it was a good day to stay in bed. Of course this on a day when none of my home automation was working. I slept most of the day, listen to music and visited with family. Kelly smoked some corn and make chowder, smoke some potatoes and we had pulled pork sandwiches… Kelly and I had pulled pork tacos. All in all I guess it was a pretty good day and there were no mishaps.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

We are getting back up in the 70s…

Monday was a good day although I stayed in bed, I could see that it looked nice outside. I slept most of the day, that felt great, I just watched TiVo the rest of the day. I watch the original Jaws movie with Seth, it's a really good movie and worth repeating. I think it's shark week?

Tuesday was a great day. I got up and Kelly and I decided to take Google class to Carmel and explore. We got to Carmel and there was something major going on, it looked like a car show or something. There was no place to park and pretty much don't place to roll around so we decided to head on to Monterey, there were pretty close so why not? The weather was just beautiful and I did get some great pictures with Google class. We were looking for a restaurant that Heather took Theresa and I when we went to the aquarium but we couldn't find it so we went to one that we found last year called C restaurant, they have really good food there and a great view.  We decided to go into Starbucks and get some coffee before we came back home. For some reason coffee always puts me to sleep. I have a cup in the morning and then I can barely keep my eyes open, I want to try it at night but I'm afraid the caffeine might kick in and I will be awake all night… Not that I sleep right now anyway. We headed back and Teresa put me to bed and now I'm trying to sleep at 12:37 AM.











Wednesday went by really fast. We did some personal care and I got to take a nice long hot bath and I just decided to go back to bed. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cards… I lost four dollars.

 Thursday was a super hot day. I got up and took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf and back and down to Dominican rehab where I had three appointments. The first one was hand therapy because my fingers are starting to straighten out, I just had an operation to tighten them up so they would curl. The therapist fixed my brace and told me that I could wear it for a while during the night but she didn't think it would do any good, my fingers swell so much that they just straighten out. She suggested I go back to the surgeon and talk with him but in her opinion there was nothing that can be done except another operation, no more operations for me. My second appointment I thought was edema therapy I thought so I didn't bring anybody with me but as it turned out it was supposed to be physical therapy for my leg, since my flap surgery my leg is turning out. She just did an evaluation and we will go back next Thursday to see if there's anything can be done for that… I think I'm just getting old. My third appointment was at Hanger prosthetics to make sure the front of my hard brace fits, I am really happy with it and I think it's going to work out great. Teresa met me at hangar and we picked up some noodles from Charlie Hong Kong on the way back, we ate the noodles and then she put me to bed.

Friday was even harder than Thursday. I got up and took Robby for cruise to the end of the wharf because that's where it's usually the coolest. I started to take him up to Westcliff Drive for a cruise but I was afraid the pavement was too hot for his feet so we went back down to the wharf. It was just getting too hot so I decided to come home, I was supposed to meet Teresa at Surfrider's for sliders and sweet potato fries but we decided to just have her bring it to my house where it's cooler. I love their bacon and Gorgonzola sliders with sweet potato fries. Teresa put me to bed and we did some personal care.

Saturday I got up and Tom and I decided to go down to the wharf and check out the Polynesian Festival but when we got down there we found out it was tomorrow, I guess we'll try again tomorrow. We went downtown and got some coffee and hung out for a while and then came back and Kelly went with us to the tannery, they had some art exhibits so he decided to check them out. The first one was pretty cool, a bunch of really unique baskets and a painting/photography exhibit… Really awesome stuff. The guy said that it was a trial and if they had a lot of people show up they would do it more often, I hope they do it more often. The second building was a pop-up part exhibit, Robby and I cruised in and is really old mean looking dog came up to lobby with his ears back and his head down so we decided to wait outside. The lady said that the dog was okay and she would put them in her car but I hate to see a dog stuck in a car. We went outside and talk to some kids for a little bit and checked out the apartment complex on the other side of the walkway, the apartment complex was for artistic people… There are some really talented people there. We cruised around downtown to try to find out where the drum circle was but I think we missed it, at least now we know where it's at for next time. We came back and Rosa came and put me to bed and fit me the rest of my sliders and sweet potato fries. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage… Once again I lost four dollars.







 Sunday I just decided to stay in bed. Kelly brought me some coffee, and oatmeal peanut butter bar in our green drink. Kelly has been making the screen drag out of kale, ginger, turmeric… It doesn't taste bad that I really miss it when I don't have it, it's really good for you and it makes you feel great. I watched a lot of TiVo and slept a little and Robby got a bath, he REALLY needed it… After that he just laid in the sun and enjoyed it. I found some pictures of a project I had done on my fence outside and I just love it, we drilled holes in the fence and put marbles in them. Kelly made homemade tomato soup from the tomatoes and my aunt's garden, it was KILLER. I had tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, I can't remember the last time I had that… it was great. Rosa came by and we did some personal care and I got to have a nice long hot bath, it feels so great. Robby and I both got a bath today so my room smells really good, I hope I can sleep.





Monday, August 12, 2013

The weather is getting nicer and the days are getting fuller…

Monday was a great day. I got a nice long hot bath and Robby is feeling better. Tom, Kelly and I went to the succulent gardens by Moss Landing to check it out because I heard it was the biggest place around… It was HUMONGOUS. Of course Monday is the only day that they are closed but we did get to look around and I took some pictures of some of the plants I liked with Google glass, I'm still amazed every time I am able to take a picture myself. We stopped by to say hello to my uncle and got to see him in brand-new jeans and jacket, usually he is covered with paint and who knows what else. We came back and Rosa put me to bed and I got to relax the rest of the evening. It is so great to see Robby back to his old self.



















Tuesday was a good day. I had an appointment with a urologist, first time I have seen one in many years. She was kind of surprised that I haven't seen one since I have a supra pubic tube, I guess there are a couple of tests that you're supposed to have inherently if you have one. She stuck the scope in my bladder to look around and see if there was any problems, thank God there wasn't. She put it on the TV screen so I can see what the inside of my bladder looks like. I am one of our test but I need to go to the hospital for that. On the way back we decided to stop by Charlie Hong Kong's and get some noodles, I had my usual pad Thai noodles with garlic tofu and prawns. Last time we were there Teresa ordered this killer coconut soup so we ordered it again. We came home and Teresa for me to bed and then went home to rest, it was really nice to go to bed a little early and have the rest of the day to sleep but now here it is 11:20 PM and I'm wide awake.

Wednesday was a great day. I got up and took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon, up through the Bay St., Park, down to the end of the wharf and back and home. I didn't want to wear him out too much. We came home and rested and then Kelly and I went to the Farmer's market, mostly to get something to eat but we did come back with a lot of stuff. Kelly has been making these great drinks every morning and I thought they would be gross but I am actually starting to crave them, they don't taste as bad as you would think they would. At the farmers market we had brown rice with kimchi and a fried egg on top, it was so good. When we got down to the bottom we noticed it was on a tortilla. I came home and rested again and then Rosa put me to bed. My uncle and my aunt came over to play cribbage, my uncle was my partner and we won two dollars. I have left halfway through the game's so Kelly filled in for her. I got an email from the guy that did the email interview from Mashable letting me know that my interview was published so I sent it to everyone I know…
http://mashable.com/2013/08/07/google-glass-disabled/
This one from the Washington Post came out a couple hours later…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/with-wearable-technology-a-new-measure-of-independence-for-some-with-disabilities/2013/08/06/e258757e-fde4-11e2-96a8-d3b921c0924a_story.html

Thursday was such a great day. I got up and out of here early so that Adela could clean my room, she is wonderful. I hung around outside and talked to Tom and Kelly for a while and then Julie showed up with Kona, about three years ago when I had a major pressure sore Julie was one of the visiting nurses that came to my home. After that I started going to a yoga class and they kept trying to take me out of my chair and put me on the floor so I was telling Julie about it and she said that she would go with me and try to explain to them why it's not a good idea to try to take me out of my chair, I thought that was so nice of her. And they're just not going to be give a class anymore because I just wouldn't give up but Julie I kept in touch over the years Through Facebook and running into each other at the hospital. She sent me a message and said that she had adopted a two-year-old chocolate lab and she wanted to introduce her to Robby, she also wanted to see neary lagoon because I talk about it so much. We had a really great time catching up and the puppies played and got along really great. We came back and talked for a little bit and they left because they were exhausted, I bet the puppy's sleep really good tonight. Tom has been trying to help me find a contractor to do some work that I wanted to do around my home. He got a hold of one, the same one that had helped me before, and she came out to take a look and give me a bid. I got an email from the lady in charge of public relations for Google class and she said that ABC and NBC in San Francisco would like to come down to Santa Cruz and talk to me, this is getting really exciting. I really think that they are starting to realize how great Google glass is for people with different abilities, it is so wonderful to finally be able to do all the things that everybody else takes for granted. Teresa came and we did some personal care and here I am, wide-awake at 12:20 AM.

Friday was a really good day. I took Robby for a long cruise through the lagoon, up through Bay street park, down to the end of the wharf that back… Twice. I came home and rested for a while and then Kelly made some grilled pizzas. The first one was sautéed mushrooms and blue cheese, the second one was broccolini,Bacon and mozzarella, the third one was pepperoni and mozzarella and the fourth one was grilled tomatoes, avocado and ricotta cheese… Needless to say they were incredible. She also made the Kale salad that was killer. Teresa came and put me to bed at ate way too much.












 Saturday was a really great day. I got up and Kelly and I decided to go around and look at yard sales to try to find things like wheelbarrow's etc. to plant succulents in. We didn't find a lot of yard sales but we did cruise around and look at different yards and got a lot of really cool ideas. Unfortunately I didn't get to take pictures of them with Google glass because it wasn't plugged in all the way last night and it didn't get charged, I'm hoping it's not a technical problem. We plugged in and when I got home and I will know tomorrow. We cruised over to the sausage place and got sausages, salami and prosciutto for a barbecue tomorrow and then we cruised over to new leaf and got some cowgirl cheese. My brother Stanley, Janet, Corinne and a friend of hers came over for the day. I got to visit with them for a little while and then they went back to the beach and I went to bed, by the time Rosa was done putting me to bed they were gone.

Sunday was another great day. I got up and took lobby for our regular cruise although we had to take a detour and find another way around because there was some kind of race going on around here and EVERYTHING was blocked off. I came back home and rested for a bit and Kelly and I decided to cruise around up by the circle church again to take some pictures of some cool yards since my Google glass was working today, they are some really awesome yards of there. As we were cruising along I heard a voice say "what are you doing in my neighborhood" it was Kathi, the visiting nurse that came to see me when I had pressure sores. It was a really nice surprise and she lived right around the corner so she gave Kelly and I a tour of her house, it is so big and beautiful. The lots are so huge it up there and really close to Westcliff Drive. We cruised home and had a sausage, cured meat, cowgirl cheese and kale salad dinner on the back porch. Uncle Dick and aunt Kathy as well as my mom came down to join Tom, Kelly and I. The concrete guy came today to measure for the patio extension, I'm so excited it's finally going to get done… Thanks to Tom. Rosa came and put me to bed and we did some personal care and I got a nice long hot bath, life is good.