Planning and Installing

As I left last night to catch my bus, I was afraid to wait for the one close by with its late night schedule of every 30 minutes. So I walked the TMC transit center, a 10 minute walk according to Apple Maps, but my long legs shaved two off of that. Still eight minutes too long in the rain and wind! I didn’t have to wait long at the transit center, thankfully they had a nice covered area to stay out of the rain. As I exited, two got off ahead of me, and we all went in the same direction. I overtook a slower young lady, then I was left with a short guy in front of me. I passed him on an opening on the narrow sidewalk. I was hoofing it fast, with long steps and mine can be pretty long. I slowed a little about a half block to the apartment as I cut across a strip mall parking lot. I heard footsteps closer behind me, the short guy had closed the gap, and we met at the apartment gate. I held the gate for him, and when I was beside him, I said “You walk fast, most can’t keep up with me like that!”. He replied with surprised Oh. We chatted, and I felt that most of the people from the complex hadn’t talked with him much; the conversation seemed to surprise him.

I worked on setting up a new FireStick. Then, no telling how long it took to figure out how to get the TV to start with an HDMI input, not the home screen. I ended up having to find a YouTube video to help me. It was close to midnight before I needed to print a return label for an Amazon return and print some papers Amanda needed for work. I brought an extra printer, which we had, but didn’t bring paper. So, I headed to the business center a few doors down. The printer wasn’t working so it would have to wait.

I headed for the bus stop, checking the text line, I might as well check the schedule and text line out. The bus showed up almost five minutes early for the scheduled time, the text line sent. I’m learning I can count on that lineup about as much as I can throw the bus! I was in a bad mood because it was windy and drizzling on me the whole walk to the stop. I had a jacket on for the rain but mainly for the arctic temperatures in the hospital. It was muggy, so I was hot, and bothered, too!

Our favorite PA, Carley (it’s about time I tell y’all her name), came by, but no entourage. I guess we’ll never see the nonrounding doctor! I don’t want to speak badly of him, yet; he works at Methodist too. Amanda had already told me not to be mean after she had looked him up and noticed that he also worked there. Carley lowered the dose on the Bumex to wean Amanda. She believes my lab numbers Amanda is getting close to getting the fluid off. The dopamine will be next to wean off.

Friday is the tentative discharge day, for now. When I heard that I was thinking about work. I had just taken off, and my turn would be going to Alpine today. I thought I could swap back and go to work tomorrow and return for Friday. I really should have gone to work over the weekend, but Amanda didn’t want me to go, thinking she would be getting the CardioMems that is still on hold, Carley mentioned again. I was going over scenarios in my head. I really need to be working out of San Antonio already. I need to be focused and not tired and stressed about Amanda being in the hospital for my first trip, though. It’ll be my first time working in that area in 20 years, so that it will be mostly new to me.

We talked about getting Tank up here, too. Amanda wanted to go home to Brackett for the weekend, but I don’t think that is a good idea. She was just thinking we could go, then all of us come back up since she has an appointment at the cancer center for her new “mab” treatment. We talked of different scenarios. I need to be at the apartment when she arrives, and I don’t want to just drop her and leave. We talked about someone bringing Tank up and went back and forth. The plan I came up with is to stay off and get the apartment ready for Amanda’s arrival, go home on Thursday evening, then come back Friday just in time for Tank and I to grab Amanda upon discharge. I need to get a few things together that would be hard to have someone else do, and it’s a lot to have someone drive all this way just to bring Tank, and coordinating a halfway pickup for him will be too hard with the discharge.

My shins have been killing me with all the walking I’ve been doing lately. I guess I should slow down and not try to race short, fast-walking neighbors! My cowboys boots probably didn’t help yesterday, either. On my way back I was looking for the best route. I tried the rail to the transit terminal this time, then the bus to our street. I had been hesitant because I didn’t want to mess with taking the stairs up and over the tracks. It turns out I didn’t need to use the stairs; I could just cross the street. My bus showed up just as I got there. We sat for a few minutes to get on schedule, I assume, and then we were off. All in all, I liked that route, I may keep using that one.

I emailed Carley after she’d left. Amanda and I were talking about the Furoscix, the home laser infuser. We were supposed to get it delivered to our home, but we needed to change the address. Carley gave me a number to call. When I called, they did not know about a script for Amanda, so it was no wonder we hadn’t received a call from them. I let Carley know and she had the inpatient coordinator call me. She took our new address. I asked if we’d rest the two-week clock for the delivery, and she said yes, but she’d call it in as urgent. Before I was even on the train back, Amanda called to say they could deliver it today. I said send it, I’d wait. This is another convenience of city life we could get used to! If they were that quick, I doubt the prescription was called in a week ago like they said.

When I got to the apartment, I had wish list items waiting at the door. So I needed to get to work putting things up. I’d gotten a Ring doorbell camera the other day from the list, but while deciding how to not permanently mount it, I came across a Ring peephole camera. No, not a camera to peep with, but to replace the peep hole in the door! I didn’t even know such a thing existed. That would make installation a breeze and not leave any damage. It was the same price as the other, so I did and even swap. It arrived today and I installed it quickly. Once up and running, I sent Amanda a screenshot and told her we were the complex creepers now! The doorbell feature worked flawlessly when the pharmacy delivery guy came to drop the Furoscix off, too.

After the Ring install I was on to a TV mount. The bedroom TV we had was a little too big for the dresser I had to sit it on, the feet hung over the edge. Overkill for such a small bedroom but we had it already, so a cheap and ugly mount was a lot less than a new TV. I wanted a mount to just screw into the back of the dresser but I couldn’t find one. If I were home I’d have just grabbed some angle iron with holes predrilled from a farm store and made my own. The mount I got made the TV look like a pigeon-toed chicken!

After that, it was time to install the drapes. There is a window that will be behind our headboard, and a light right outside in the hall. The light still gets around the blinds, which will bother Amanda. I got some blackout curtains to hang, they will make for good daytime sleeping for me, too. I had to google correct placement for the drapes. After figuring that out, I ran to the Burb, my tool box wheels, and got my measuring tape and level. I had command curtain rod hooks to keep away from screw hold, unlike previous tenants; I could see holes all over from other curtains. I measured and placed my first one, and put the level to use for the second. While trying to pull my measuring tape out with my teeth and one-handedly holding the curtain rod, it slid out the other end and smacked me right in the forehead! The little rod I got is cheaply Chinese made and barely able to stay level. Hopefully, everything will not fall on us while we sleep one night! 

I had planned to get the bed frame up but didn’t have enough time. So I had to put that off till tonight. I just feel defeated trying to figure the buses out! Before I left, I checked the text line. It showed two buses back to back, then a big gap. I thought I could catch one, but both ran earlier than the text line showed. It was then an 18 minute wait when the schedule is supposed to be every 10 minutes. Rookie move, I should have checked the route to the south. I know I could have caught one there sooner. 

Once on the bus, I sat close to the front. I usually like to sit in the seat that faces the side, and I like to keep my head on a swivel with all the crazies that ride the bus. I could hear a kissing sound from a guy behind me. It made me uncomfortable since there was no one between us. I looked back to give a go to you know where look. Then I noticed it was just a fat guy licking Cheeto dust off his fingers like a lollipop. With the sound he was making, I sure hope his fingers were clean! I took the bus past my usual stop to the transit center to catch the train. You know where the train opens its doors, right next to StarBs! I just waltzed right in to the question, your usual Barkley. Ethan, the afternoon barista, always gets me hooked up. That made me feel like a local, I didn’t mention my issues with the transit, although I feel griping about that may make me even more of a local.

Amanda had slowed down on the weight loss but was still voiding a good bit of fluid, so we were kind of confused by the scale today. Even with the lower Bumex dose she was still getting rid of some fluid today, though. She feels it will show on the scale tomorrow. The hospitalist commented on her new tiny ankles. It still shows in her hips now, but her belly is getting back to normal. The Furoscix will help at home if she starts to gain back again. Dr. Nair’s orders are to do it three days in a row if she needs it. They were supposed to send three of the infusers but we only received one so we’ll need to get that ironed out before the weekend. I think we have a solid plan to go home now, and I feel comfortable about it. Even though Amanda wanted to go home-home, I vetoed that decision. She’d not leaving Houston till we know we can maintain as an outpatient for a bit. I also think it’s a solid plan for me to return home again. I’ll stay off work though her “mab” treatment Monday and then see about making a seniority move and working out of San Antonio afterward.