So this morning I know that I have to stop by the bank to get some cash, and hopefully be there before he is. I made a 4 cupper with 8 cups of grinds :D I left the house, and literally caught the bus by running. I'm in a sleevless shirt with a jacket and its hot as HELL outside...the bus smells like urine, Im starting to sweat, and now I'm getting a you just had too much caffeine nausea...that with the smell and the heat I think I really am going to barf.
Realize at my normal stop that I left Carolyn's lemon drops at home so ran (again) across the street to take the approaching bus going back. I sludge back to the house grab the candy and a bottle of water then back to the bus again...I have no food to eat...water is helping but still feeling gross. My entire bus ride there, however, is like a perfectly timed symphony. Off one and step onto the next that is waiting for me.
Walked to the bank, got cash and need to break a 20 on something and im voting food, so I walk past Tunnell to Walgreen's and buy a couple bananas to try to settle my stomach and some wasabi peas for us to snack on later.
At Tunnell there is a firetruck outside, an ambulance, and a couple non emergency transport vehicles. Firetruck?
Sign in get to the elevator where several people are waiting and a management person comes and sticks a key in the panel saying I have another crew coming in now - ie he needs the elevator for the emergency that the firetruck is there for. I say tell me you are not going to 508 to which he replies I'm not at liberty to discuss that ma'am. A 'NO' would have been nice?! I'm now running up the concrete stairs because I damn well am going to beat them there if they are...sweet baby Jesus by the time I got to the flight between 4 and 5 I thought I was gong to die or my thighs were going to spontaneously combust. Come bursting out of the stairwell and there is Richard sitting on the edge of his bed having his first normal meal of a pork chop with his speech therapist. They are both like what the hell is wrong with you?
Don't mind me - I think I'll go eat my banana now.
So they finished up. He survived a real meal, and we are visiting. I brought honey dew water. The wasabi peas I bought was like a big bag of little bags if that makes sense. He wasn't interested in either. We talked about the city and hes already dismissing me,but Im waiting for the masseur.
They are maybe 5 minutes late we all get introduced. I pay the lady who then gives the money to Michael, the masseur, and as she hands them to him she says this is the $20, and this is the $5 and he puts it into certain places in his pockets so he knows what is where. Richard loved his massage from him yesterday and we had talked about our secret theory that maybe he is gifted in feeling energy zones since he is blind the gift was exercised more.Michael's working dog is Watson. Not the perfect specimen of a German Shepard but still a little puppy love in him and very loyal to his dad. He said this is his second dog. Hes about 3. The first died of cancer around 10. This is very much a strange connection to Uncle James at this point...I'm digging the serendipity feel to it all.
The guy is amazing. Not only is he blind but also hearing impaired, and wears those over the ear hearing aides like grandpa had. He doesn't speak like hes hearing impaired though...but the two of them together trying to talk was little bit funny. Richard is soft in his voice and michael sort of is as well - and Richard cant hear perfectly... kind of a comedy waiting to happen but never really did. Hes certified in this and has been doing it for about 15 years - about 7 at Tunnell, and is also certified in some long asian word which had to do with massage also but like massage and reiki put together...and also as a physical rehab person focusing on preventing atrophe.
Richard is bare bottomed again, I explain his major complaint is his lower back from sitting for so long does he want him on his stomach and if so should we get some shorts to put on. Hes like no no and no some more, let him tell me, and he can lay just like this - however he is comfortable. Richard is practically comatose through the whole thing. This is not like a normal massage. He is doing something with his fingertips and butt of his hand. Richard said it felt amazing. He worked on his knees, his back, his left arm, his neck, the whole kit n kaboodle. He has a little black thing in his pocket that he holds to his ear every once in a while which I think tells him time. He raises it one last time and says times up. His friend has gone to lunch and she is not back so he asks me if I would escort him down to her office which I do. He holds my elbow and we are talking talking talking. Really amazing guy on so many levels.
He even teaches doggy massage! ha! So we talk about maybe doing it again, and I head back up to Richard who is full of life now on the edge of his bed, drinking Aloe water and trying to get into the wasabi peas. The peas turn out to be kind of on the small size in diameter and it was really a no go for Richard. Although good exercise to pick them up and get them to his mouth, the eating part was an issue so we ditched them.His weight this morning was 148.2. I think that is probably about the same as the VA last week - he was weighed later in the day there...maybe another slight gain.
They don't have his upcoming VA appointment paperwork there so I have to track that down tomorrow somehow
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