Day One

Here it is, the first day at my new ‘home.’  Wow is my first impression.  The only thing I can compare it to is my experience in the Navy the only big difference is that there are two people to room instead of many. No privacy and no room would be the two things I would use to sum it up!  Laughingly, I think about all the clothes and stuff, I once had, and the amount of things that I still have.  There is no way that it will all fit!

The first day is spent essentially getting settled in and ‘signing your life away’ while completing all the necessary applications and forms.  Since I am moving from one state (Missouri) to another (Kansas) there are more applications to submit.  It seems funny to me that states can ‘standardize’ standardize driver’s licenses and nearly all other ‘official’ documents to track you but they cannot make health records or laws standard from one to the other.

Other things that were different, between the ship and this room, the TEMPERATURE, for one.  It was 81+ when I first got in here.  Being a hot blooded creature, that is way beyond my comfort zone!  Thankfully, I thought to bring a fan, the temp is now some where around 79 degrees.  I wonder how I will ever sleep tonight with it being that warm.  Of course, being ‘in public’ I will have to sleep with clothes on only to add to the temperature.

The other thing that is really a bummer is no Internet access, so I am typing this in my word processor and will have to cut and paste it into my blog later.  Hopefully, so I am told I should be able to get access to the Internet tomorrow.  I certainly, hope so, tomorrow is Friday and I cannot imagine going all weekend without access!  Of course when I was in the Navy, Internet access was not a concern since it was not a big deal then.  It is my understanding that they have it on ships these days.  Man, that would be plush!

Dinner time!  Sweet that the staff comes and announces dinner time and asks if you want to eat in your room.  This evening, I chose not to eat in my room since it is my first meal at the facility.  My whole time here (about three hours at this point - woohoo!), I have yet to see anyone close to my age other than the staff!  So I make my way to the dining area and not knowing the layout or how things work, I grab a seat.  It is at this time, I get to meet y second residence (more about the first soon).

So I get meet sweet Lilly, a women that has to be older than my grandmother.  Now not that I have a thing against people older than me, I can converser and be nice to anyone!  The ‘problem’ came as a result of conversation, or the lack of.  The conversation consisted of my helping her scoot closer to the table and giving her my butter!

Now on the way back to my room after dinner, one of the dietary aides snags me and drags me into rehab right across from my room.  Nope get your mind out of the gutter, it was nothing like that, merely a visit to get my weight.  Undoubtedly room to take off a few pounds!  Of course, that should be much easier after the meal I just had.  Being fully clothed and having just ate of course I was heavier than I thought!

Now I had learned that I was going to be assigned to this room.  It seems that they had been ‘waiting’ to assign someone to this room to room with the current occupant.  It seems from what I heard have been told (and experienced thus far) the gentleman is something of a ‘recluse.“  One the staff thought I might be well ‘matched’ with.  Come on now, I ask you do I seem like a recluse?  Of course there are some advantages I suppose, but time will tell I am sure.

Well, I just got to meet the ‘night time’ activity manager, a nice enough lady. She was coming by to introduce herself and invite me to play bingo, at which I could win twelve packs of soda (I don’t drink it) and win candy (don’t eat it).  Okay time for me to take a break and go outside to partake of my sanity, errr I mean nasty habit.  I am going to smoke!  More later.