wear my mind on my sleeve

Not a whole lot has been going on this past week. It's been a few weeks since the doctors visit, and I'm glad to say I'm doing much better. I mean aside from catching another cold last weekend. My blood pressure has been reading just below and above average which means I'm back to normal. The remaining complications from my allergies are on the mend as well. I haven't felt this good in years!

Mentally, I guess, I'm in a state of blah at this time. This was the week I was supposed to be in Quartzsite for RTR II and having to cancel the trip has left me so. Reading the blogs of those who went has helped me feel connected but also exacerbated the negative feelings of being stuck here. It's moments like these that define my lack of the male sports gene and hatred of watching any sporting event. I love to play I just hate watching.

Half the day has wasted away already so rather than sit here any longer I'm going to make myself run a few errands.

slab denizens

On my way back out of CA I stopped by to drop off a few xmas gifts with the friend and hang out for a bit. It was while we were shooting the shit that I was reminded of just how many people I met and talked to on my first visit. I really wished I had been able to spend more time getting to know the people and the place better. I thought I would share these unfinished bits of story with you.

The morning when we dropped by the Oasis I struck up a convo with one of the breakfast goers there. A pretty interesting guy who was well traveled. The part that blew me away was how he bankrolled his travels. Basically the man is living on disability which isn't remarkable in of itself. It's how he came about being able to collect it that caught me off guard. Basically the powers that be will fast track approve your application for benefits if you happen to spend time in psychiatric observation shortly before the approval takes place. When he used to work he did a host of odd jobs but mostly worked with the movie/tv entertainment industry. 

There was another guy eating his breakfast al fresco whom I didn't speak to but overheard his convo. He had just arrived from up north with his dog after traveling for the last 2 days. He'd just finished up an extended stay because of some extra work he was able to pull down. His dog wasn't very well trained and kept on trying to get at the beagle through a parked bicycle between them. This was a great source of amusement to me since his dog managed drop the bike and scare itself at least 3x.

The night before while we were at The Range watching the talent show. There was a young couple performing on stage. Boyfriend/girlfriend from the looks of things. He was playing guitar and she was singing. Sadly she wasn't a good singer but kudos for getting up there and doing it. She was cute though, and dressed nicely as was he. For a sec I thought they looked out of place until I realized that many were dressed nicely and not so nicely present. They left right after their turn on state was over so I never got a chance to talk with them. I regret it because I'm still wondering what their story was. If they were victims of the economic downturn or just itinerant hippies?

I really wish I wasn't as doped up on allergy meds as I was that night. I was hit hard and had to sit out most of the show in my truck while I waited for the allergy meds to kick in. I was a bit loopy the rest of the night but met a lot of the really nice retirees and younger locals. Good people, good times!

man of a certain age

I've reached an age where things are starting to change within me again. I preferred the last change where when noticing girls meant having to stay seated, and/or not seated depending on the circumstances. These changes aren't as much fun though. It means I have to take greater care in lifestyle choices or suffer the consequences sooner. This now, on top of lifelong food and environmental allergies. Moving to Texas hasn't helped the latter and has exacerbated the former unfortunately. My recent trip to CA exposed me to a lot of stuff my body had to learn to deal with all over again and then had to deal with Texas again in a 2 week time span. There's also construction going on at my office so who knows what else is in the air there.

My first inhaler

This created the perfect storm and I needed to pay a visit to the doctors office for some help. I won't bore you with the details because it's not that bad (and I'm tired of talking about it) nor is there any permanent damage done. My body needs a little help so it can have a chance to heal itself so the doctor has prescribed an arsenal of drugs and what not. My medical expenses (even with insurance) have temporarily set me back financially. I'll make it up eventually but the cut into my funds means I have to sacrifice something now or it'll be several months before I've recovered fully. Unfortunately that sacrifice costed me my trip to Quartzsite for RTR II this month. Tragically even if money wasn't an issue the doctor said it's highly recommended that I avoid travel for the time being. Proving once again that sometimes, life just hands you your own ass because it can.