May Daze

The gang's all here.

Admittingly bored of this social distancing thing.

I've been missing soccer, so when my team ran a charity sale, I ordered a shirt. It's the most comfortable shirt I've ever owned, so I'm happy. And they gave a percentage to Feeding America, which makes me even happier. ¡Vamos!

I finally took some supplies out of storage and made coasters. They turned out great! As always, there are more art (and food) photos on Instagram @ ugottafriend.

I haven't felt well at all this month, but I got up one day, attempted to look human, and went to donate blood. Everything went as planned...until I left the facility. I drove five minutes to a taco shop, and passed out while trying to pay. They handled it very well, and after some recovery time in their restaurant with snacks and drinks, I was accompanied to my car and I made it home in one piece. I am so grateful that didn't happen while I was driving, and also grateful I didn't end up in the ER. Thanks especially to a young man named Marcos who assisted me the entire time. He was very patient and kind, and didn't hesitate to help me in spite of social distancing orders. It was upsetting and embarrassing, and dangerous, needless to say. I'll have to stop donating blood, sadly.

I do have more to talk about before the end of the month. I don't feel it's appropriate to cram it all into one entry, so other posts are coming up.

2019-2020 Disaster Relief: Wildfires, Tornadoes, Water, Food, Pandemic

I apologize for dropping the ball on this. I did share a lot on Twitter and a little on Facebook about how to help those affected by disasters over the past year, but didn't do a very good job of bringing that to light on my own blog.

At any rate, there is so much going on. The entire world seems to be overwhelmed by something, whether it's only the pandemic (which is enough, to say the least), or the pandemic plus natural disasters, there is a lot of devastation out there.

I've found an organization that is addressing all of the things, and they have a four-star rating from Charity Navigator: Direct Relief. This should be the go-to, in my opinion, for all disaster-related assistance. We all know there are other orgs, but I have reasons for not wanting to promote them.

Direct Relief is currently my recommendation.

If you want to help specifically with providing clean water around the world, Charity:Water is the place.

If food banks and giving kids enough to eat is a concern, support Feeding America.

I hope this helps. Thanks for caring.

Another month has passed in this new, weird world.

The end of April is here. Welcome to strawberry season!

Gorgeous! *smooch*

I got those at a nearby outdoor farmer's market, along with a lot of other lovely produce. I enjoyed everything, but I gotta say I really suffered for it. Gastroparesis hates fiber; it's the #1 enemy. I'm supposed to be on a "soft" diet of mashed potatoes, soup broth, crackers, etc. And I do comply sometimes, especially when I can't handle anything else. But I push the limits, and because I'm a sassy woman, sometimes I say to heck with it all and eat what I want. That's when salad and fruit and stir-frys happen. Or club sandwiches. Or Mexican food. Or pizza. It's pretty rare these days, but I refuse to give it up completely while my body is still hanging in there. Hopefully I'll continue to be able to digest some foods, albeit, with the assistance of several medications.

Sigh. Life is exhausting.

Shrimp and cheesy rice

(More food pics on my Instagram @ ugottafriend)

People have asked (especially on AskFM...yeah, I'm still there) how my life has changed from the pandemic. The answer is "very little". I can't reasonably call myself lucky for not being able to work, and thus not being frequently exposed, but at the moment, being home is an advantage for the sole reason that it's safer. I'm sure that goes without saying. I will say that grocery shopping is pretty stressful, and I've made an effort not to do it very often, but I finally had to go yesterday to stock up. I had run out of laundry detergent (I'm still having to use a shared laundromat, so that's stressful too), desperately needed cleaning supplies, and my fridge was nearly empty due to no condiments. I put on one of my masks, and got it done.

One thing that I have not run out of throughout all of this is toilet paper. It has been so strange to see the shelves empty of TP, of all things. I'm not sure I understand the mania over this one item. I always buy it in bulk, though, so I'm actually good through May!

The grocery store that I shop at had a hand-washing station set up, so that was nice. The manager was mopping the floor, everyone was wearing a mask, and sanitizing wipes were available. I happen to think hand sanitizer isn't as helpful as people think it is, but I acknowledge that it's better than nothing right now. 

Something else that has changed is that some of the restaurants in my area have shut down. I'll miss the occasional wonton soup and cheese curds. Maybe they'll find their way back into business someday. A few of the remaining restaurants are a hot mess trying to figure out how to operate curbside. You can definitely tell who's cut out for it, and who is not. I've gone out a few times for meals, and my experiences have ranged from smooth to absolute train wreck. I'm mostly staying home, cooking one meal a day, snacking, and doing some intermittent fasting. Somehow, I've lost about 8 pounds. I still have plenty more to lose, but I'm trying not to overthink that.

Ordering online has been interesting. A lot of things are not available at this time while the focus is on COVID-related materials and basic necessities. Yet, those necessities are sold out. It doesn't make a lot of sense. I did finally receive two birthday gifts on Tuesday that had been delayed five weeks.

The gifts:

Someone sent British candy from Northern Ireland!

It was melted all to heck! But it's in the fridge now.

I eat chocolate very slowly, so these will last months.

I can finally retire my 12 year old blender.

God rest its soul. I'll be using this new one soon.

For those wondering if I received a stimulus check, no. As of today, I have not. They're telling us (us meaning social security recipients) that we'll receive a supplement to our regular social security income sometime in May. We are last on the list of people who will get something. I suppose that is due to the IRS making tax payers a priority, which is understandable. (I do pay some taxes, but not federal, since I'm disabled and my income is not officially counted. It's strictly survival funds.) At any rate, I guess I'll eventually be issued a check. I figure I'll use it to get out of debt, even though it'll leave me with nothing extra to live on (ok maybe $30, if I'm doing the math right). We'll see.

I can't decide if this 3 A.M. selfie makes me look 32, 42, or 52. LOL

I'm the middle one, but most of y'all already knew that. I feel older, of course.

I'll give a long medical update eventually. I've been putting it off, but I know I need to keep talking about it. I don't believe my voice is needed anymore, since there is so much advocacy now, but I'll think about how to proceed with my blog(s) over the next couple of months, and let y'all know.

Thanks for being here, and please continue to be safe. Let's get through May successfully.

April in the time of COVID-19

I modified a popular April Fools meme.

Gotta have a laugh sometimes.

I'm guessing everyone else in the U.S. received this too?

Basically.

In all seriousness, I do (to quote the internet) "Stay The F Home" most of the time, and I have masks in the event that I need to go to the grocery store for something. I'm trying to use everything in my freezer and pantry before stocking up again. I ordered a variety of fish from Sizzlefish, which arrives tomorrow, so I'll be good for a couple of weeks. I'll give a review of their service soon.

I also ordered cashew milk from Elmhurst (dot com).

It's expensive, but I'm happy with it. I'm trying to buy less milk.

I sound like a broken record, but the diet is rocky.

My digestive system is a beast, 

and it's hard to have any hope of it improving.

Some days, I do try to eat like a normal person.

Some days are still like this.

In other news, I forgot to mention that I achieved

my goal on Pokemon GO a month ago.

Thanks to all who helped with this distraction.

I went to Jackson a year ago today, to see my Nephrologist. It was a bad drive. I was sick on the way up there, and got rained on, and by the time I arrived I looked and felt a mess. The appointment didn't go well, although everyone was kind. I felt defeated, and wished I hadn't gone. Then I received an outrageous bill for labs, I argued with the billing department, and I haven't been back since. I miss having a doctor who wants to help me, or at least acted like it. He was nice, and despite the fact that I wanted to know more about him (which is irrelevant), realistically I just need my doctor. He's no longer accessible since the facility doesn't care about out-of-state patients who don't have Mississippi insurance. That's not his fault, nor is it mine. It's just the way our terrible system is here in the U.S. People with rare diseases suffer not only from their conditions, but from a lack of adequate care unless they get lucky enough to find someone in their neighborhood who wants to treat them. Those of us who are poor and rural and have volatile chronic diseases are royally screwed.

It's hard to have any hope. All I can do is strive to survive, one day at a time.

I hope everyone is doing ok in the midst of this worldwide tragedy. Laugh, cry, do whatever you have to do to cope, as long as you're not putting anyone at risk. Be mindful, "Stay The F Home" if you can, and if you can't, I wish you and yours utmost safety.

This will pass.

The end of a long, long month

We're finally coming up on April. I hope my readers are doing well.

The pandemic has been stressful to follow. Alabama just today went on lock-down. The governor waited until Alabamans started dying and the number of infected doubled overnight before she acted. Places like Alabama and its next door neighbor (Mississippi, who is dragging even slower) think they are the only places in the world and give no regard to what's happening mere hours away, much less around the world. It's a shame. We need smarter, less narrow-minded people in legislature. I wish everyone who is taking this seriously utmost safety.

I'm ok. I read some info released by PPI concerning HKPP and COVID-19, and it's a worst case scenario unfortunately. I'm having to stay far away from people and most places, but I'm surviving. I've received a generous stock of electrolyte drinks from Amazon thanks to online friends who helped. I'm grateful to them for the care they've shown me this month, and always. Yesterday, I traded my brother a loaf of bread and some Girl Scout cookies for a couple of packs of paper towels. Crazy times we're living in! I'm sure we can all agree that we didn't see this coming. I expect to be a hermit in April, but I hope we'll see things take a serious turn for the better by the time May rolls around.

My niece sent me a personalized birthday card.

Can you believe that's Baby Jo? She's NINE!

Ask is a wild and busy little place.

I reached 5000 responses this week.

Just a year ago, I think I was at 1200.

Eating is still a turbulent experience, but I am doing my best.

This was one of the good days: blackened snapper and scallops.

I have no idea what next month will bring, but I plan to blog about it and other things. Thanks again for sticking with me and reading my rambles. Stay safe, please.

Personal pandemic update

Someone on AskFM wanted an update from me and my area. I’m cross-posting my answer here.

My little town gives zero cares about the pandemic. Everything was open and business as usual until yesterday when county government forced restaurants to close indoor seating. We’re still allowed to go inside to place our orders at the counter, but we have to take the food out - we can’t sit down. I still drive around the neighborhood and play PokemonGO. I am nowhere near people, so it’s not an issue. This is a rural area, so we don’t have it as bad as the cities do. I’m not worried nearly as much for me as I am my working relatives, friends, and doctors and their staff. They are the ones I’m scared for.

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I know people who abruptly and unexpectedly lost their jobs and can’t pay rent. I have acquaintances having to go to the hospital for various treatments or awaiting surgery while this nightmare is unfolding. They are already sick from chronic illnesses and forced to put their life at further risk by spending hours in an overcrowded public hospital. Seemingly healthy people in their 40s and 50s are getting the virus from unknown sources and are in ICU on life support. Since they don’t know where it came from, the exposure is likely still out there. It’s a no-win situation, and very stressful.

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I’m fighting my own body and mind, as usual, but I am otherwise ok. My episodes make me feel like I’m dying a horrible death. Between my episodes, I am cooking, cleaning, driving occasionally, reading a little, finding stupid things on the internet to laugh about, and working on an art project.

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I’m wishing everyone the best, and I hope this will be over soon.

I'm fine.

I guess I'll go ahead and blog about this Corona thing.

It's pretty scary to know there are airborne viruses out there with no treatment in 2020. In an age where people are constantly on the move and in close quarters, it's no wonder a pandemic has been declared. I take warnings seriously, but there's currently no panic in my small town. I admit this place is the epitome of defiant ignorance, so I don't know if the lack of concern is a good thing or not. I just hope everyone will do the right thing and take proper precautions. Even if you're healthy, people around you are not, and public irresponsibility can - and does - kill vulnerable people.

I'm among the high risk crowd, but I feel like I'm at a strange advantage, being unemployed and living rural in a fairly isolated lifestyle already. I don't feel trapped at the moment. I went to the grocery store today, where it was business as usual. There's plenty of water and TP to go around here. I realize that is not the case elsewhere, and I feel for those who are being affected by the chaos.

So anyway, I'm just saying I'm fine for now. Let's think about everyone who is forced to remain exposed to this danger in their jobs and family lives. I'm sending my best wishes.