Day One - Part Two

My stress level is pretty high right now, there is so much going on and so much change.  The change is not the same of any I have known before and which most people do not go through at such things at this age, if ever.  It is now 9:19 pm and sleep seems hours away and I wonder how to fill my time.  No TV, no Internet and the external hard drive with my movies on it in the closet on the other side of the room.  Not that it is a big deal but I am trying to be considerate of my new ‘room mate.’  After all no need to piss him off the first day that I am here!

My ‘angel,’ Sharon, came back up tonight to bring me ‘my’ chair, ottoman and laptop table.  A configuration I have spent so much time at over the years as I worked on so many projects along the way.  It is almost the perfect setup for working on the computer.  My ideal situation would be to modify a dentist chair but at this time I am so glad that I do not have one to haul around.

Back to Sharon, I really do not say enough about her as she has done so much and helped me out immensely during this time, since my stroke.  Without her, I for sure would be on the streets or worse.  Hopefully she realizes how stressed I am right now with so much going on and will forgive me my short temper.  This is all so new and so many things to learn and experience.

Earlier while Sharon and I set on the patio visiting (and smoking of course),  the head nurse came around to visit with me.  It was not a social visit though, more so it was to continue the assessment and make sure the transition to the ’new’ home is a success.  Again, I am left to wonder about the inefficiencies in human kind.  Again, I am answering the same questions I must have been asked and answered at least a dozen times over the last six months.  Isn’t there some why to at least standardize the questions?

  The temperature has ‘fallen’ to 78.7 (Fahrenheit) in my room!  Another 10 degrees and I would be extremely happy,  If I didn’t have to get dressed and put my shoes on to go outside and smoke I would be happy!  Not really, one of my intents is to quit smoking in the next few weeks and this is definitely a deterrent along with all that much more reason to quit.  Be sure to include me in your thoughts and prayers to quit, along with sending your words of encouragement for me to quit and why I should.

Another assessment, this time to notate identifying marks on my body.  Wow, how many times I have answered those questions over the course of my lifetime starting with the Navy all too many years ago.  Along with the several tattoos that I have, I once contemplated getting an odometer tattooed on my arm.  That was until I had a dream that the number started clicking by uncontrollably adding to the miles on my body!  That notion for a tattoo didn’t last very long.

Well it is just past ten o’clock now and it seems that most folks here head to their rooms and ‘quiet’ down early.   Walking down the halls you can hear the blaring TV’s and radios intermixed with the moans and screams of seeming agony from some resident’s.  For the most part though it is quiet.  A trip to the patio, yes again, found it empty and I am wondering if the patio will be my nigh time sanctuary, me and my laptop!

I am gone now for the evening, I think, it could be that I return later, you just never know.  It has dropped 4/10’s of a degree to 78.3.