Friday, June 4, 2021

 Friday, June 4, 2021

             

            I took a Tylenol last night. It was probably the first one I took since January when I was in pain after the cell transplant. I don’t take medication if I can avoid it. In the past, I took Tylenol when someone reminded me it was an option. I had been in various degrees of discomfort since my last session with the acupuncturist two weeks ago. I have been treating it with infrared. I finally remembered I had the option of using the bullet point massager. That helped somewhat. Last night was the worst it had been. I had trouble sleeping. I put a pillow between my legs. I had to shift my position frequently. Again, I wondered if I had come to the end of the line. Was I going to have to get THR surgery to fix this problem and make life doable? Mind you. I had been completing my 10,000 steps a day without fail. It was not that I’d been a total cripple. It was just that I hadn’t been happy about the way my body felt. 

            While lying in bed, I placed my under-the-pillow tennis ball in various spots, moving it around my body, dozing, shifting its position, and dozing again. I finally moved it into a spot that I knew had relieved my pain in the past. Why didn’t I think to use it right away? That magic spot seems unrelated to my leg. It was on the outer edge of the left side of my back, about two inches below my armpit. Why that would be the magic release point is beyond me? That worked. I slept peacefully, pain-free.

            There was heavy rain early this morning. I got my steps in by walking back and forth in the house. Elsa did her business by ducking out the bathroom door to the backyard under the overhang. The sky cleared up later, and I went out for a long walk.

            I ran into two of my usual walking acquaintances, Paulette and Mary Ann. After a quick glance at them, I thought they looked alike, like sisters, and told them so. Upon closer inspection, that similarity evaporated. I told them that my sister and I looked alike, although we didn’t share a single feature. Paulette then told the story of her sister. She commented how they always marveled that they didn’t look alike. When they got their DNA tested, guess what? They were half-sisters. Their mom had had an affair. Fortunately, both of their parents were already dead, so no sleeping dogs had to be awakened. Although, for all they know, their dad knew what was going on. The sister took this news very well. She felt loved by her parents, and the rest was irrelevant.  

            I called adolescent E at our usual time. He said he couldn’t talk; he was at work. I had a quick question: how did he get the job? He said he asked a friend of his and got a job immediately. I didn’t think to ask what kind of work he was doing. I have to do that the next time I speak to him. I also will ask why he didn’t text me to tell me he wouldn’t make it for our usual appointment ahead of time.

            E. told me in one of our sessions that he wanted to work to earn his own money and not be dependent on someone else. He said he had no idea how to find work. E. has a problem pursuing what he wants in all areas of his life. Whenever I needed a job, I told him that I just told everyone I met that I was looking for one. When I said everyone I met, I meant it. Anyone I had a conversation with longer than a nod, I asked. That means I asked many total strangers. You never know where your lucky break will come from. He followed my excellent example with stunning success. 

            The Sears repairman came today to repair the broken valve in the water dispenser in my fridge. After he left, I took a shower. When I came out and walked into the kitchen, a stream of water ran from the refrigerator. Shit! The problem with the fridge must have been something other than the valve. Yvette came right up to turn off the water under the sink. I vacuumed up the water with my Bissell. I dressed with plans to go to town. When I checked the kitchen, there was some more water on the floor. I figured it was just draining the last of it. 

            My first stop in town was at the T-Mobile store. I had received my replacement phone from the insurance company and needed to have the data transferred from my old phone to my new one. When I spoke to Damon yesterday, he said I should use this opportunity to upgrade. He said my S7 phone would stop supporting some functions in time. 

            There was a wait before being seen. Fortunately, I had my Kindle with me, so the time wasn’t’ wasted. I asked the clerk if what Damon said was true. I told her I had an S7. She said no- until she saw my phone. “You have an iPhone!” What Damon said did apply to the iPhone. She said I could get the iPhone 12. If I gave them my old phone, I would save $200. I proposed sending the new phone back to the insurance company and giving T-Mobile the old one. The clerk looked confused and headed to the back room. She came out with a young man who explained that I couldn’t simply return the ‘new phone’ to the insurance company. To do so would trigger assumptions of a scam, and they would shut me down altogether. I had to send my old phone to the insurance company and give T-Mobile the replacement. I had to pay the insurance company $149 for the replacement phone. It took a big bite out of my discount, but that was just the haps.  

            I had struggled with these folks about my payment plan. They set me up on a monthly plan. No, I would pay the whole thing off now. Oh, I couldn’t do that. If I did, I wouldn’t get the discount. I had to wait for two months before I could pay it off.  Okay, okay. I didn’t ask. I assume I’ll lose some money to interest.

            Transferring the information from my old phone to my new one would take some time. I went outside to sit at one of the sidewalk tables and read. It wound up taking several hours. Who knew? I went over to Target to buy a new cover for my iPhone 12 mini. I don’t like the bigger ones. This new one is just a little smaller than my previous phone.  

            Buying a cover was a piece of cake. The Target customer service rep knew what I wanted. I didn’t get the cheapest. Those don’t offer as much protection. Then I threw in an extra ten bucks for a decorative one. The last one was just black- somewhat of a downer.

            On the way home, I called Jazzy to see if Adam could stop over to move my refrigerator out again so the water to the frig could be turned off again. I could have the water in my sink turned back on. Scott wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. Adam couldn’t budge the fridge. My best guess is it was locked in place, and Adam didn’t know how to release it. Okay, I could wait until tomorrow when Scott came by. He moved it before and must know what to do. 

            By habit, I turned on the kitchen faucet. Water came out. What? Yvette had turned it off. That meant water was running to the fridge. But there was no water on the floor. I checked the water dispenser. Sure enough, I got water. It meant water was coming to the fridge, but there was no leak. Why it leaked after the Sears man left when no water ran through it for two weeks is beyond me. So, the fridge was okay. What had Yvette turned off? The next time I was at the sink, I figured that out. It had been the hot water only. I have no idea what was going on with the fridge. Scott could turn the hot water on when he stopped by the next day.

            I had a session with I. She wrote a ‘chapter’ on how Charlotte got her superhero name. She’s got quite an imagination. She only has to learn to put her thoughts into words. I think one reason she appeared shy may be because she was inarticulate. She’s afraid she won’t express her thoughts adequately. Given what I have been seeing, I would say she’s right. Hopefully, the cowriting exercises we are doing will remedy this problem.

     I continued watching the Kominsky Method. I laugh out loud. I am thoroughly enjoying it. I did try to watch the end of The Shape of Water. My purchase was only for 48 hours and had expired. Just as well. It was too stressful for me.