The Usual Suspects

 

I did my Environmental Cleanup this Morning after dropping Princess T off at Work, wearing my Jammies, which was comprised this day of my Mickey Mouse Cotton Pink & White Striped Jammie Pants with a Big Mickey on one side, which look like Quirky Capris, topped off with an Artsy Graffiti Inspired T-Shirt that I just Love the Graphics of, which is like really good Spray Paint Graffiti Art of a Girl wearing Sunglasses with Reflections of Benjamins in the Lens and a Red X Spray Painted across her Mouth and also says Graffiti Writing of such things as "Hustle In Silence", "Trust Issues" and colorful Embroidered Quotes like "Talk Less" and "Stay Calm".  I was a Vision of crazy looking mismatched Wardrobe.  *Winks and Bwahahaha*  I find that so early in the Mornings, if you're Old, and look Quirky, doing a Community Service for their Community, you look Interesting enuf not to be Scary and talk to, and so people just stop and talk to you. *Smiles*

 So, I've gotten to know many of who I now call "The Regulars and Usual Suspects" of that Skater Park "Dust Devil Park" nearby where I live.  My little Park Ranger Sweetie hasn't been transferred yet, so he still Saves Cans for me when he's doing his rounds there.  He works Five different Parks and always gives me rolls of Bags so I don't have to spend Money on that.  We stop and talk every Morning now.  My Hope is his Boss settles down and doesn't transfer him, coz he's a good Guy and good for the Community, everyone Likes him.  The Dog Walkers, Skaters, Joggers, Homeless, and Walkers at the Park stop and talk to me too, now that they see me there all the time as a Usual Suspect as well. *Smiles*  One thing I know about any Demographic in Society, is that once they Feel you "Belong" somewhere, you just Fit In then, no matter who you are, how Odd you are, where you are, and Acceptance often then transcends many things, and you make Acquaintances, even Friends.

The Homeless at that Park aren't the Scarier Demographic of The Unhoused Criminal Element and those who are Whacked Out and Spun all the time on whatever their Addiction is.   It's mostly Regular Folks down on their Luck and some living in their Vehicles, which they Park there.  Many have Small or Midsized Dogs, so a Homeless Shelter won't take the Pets and they won't leave the Pets behind.  I know when The Grandsons were Homeless they refused to relinquish Tyson The Pit Bull, whose their "Baby", just to get themselves into a Shelter, they lived in their Car with him too instead.  I've been Homeless, so, I never Judge, you never really know how it is, and the many circumstances that can cause it and lead to it, 'til it's you.  Trust and Believe when AI takes the Careers of most of the Middle Class and other White Collar Professionals it will displace, you'll see a whole new Demographic of the down on their Luck and potentially Unhoused folks.  I don't know how America Plans to handle that or if they even have a Plan?  Coz it's coming...

They already Know and have Predicted that at least 40% of all Jobs/Careers will be Lost to AI.  And that's a very Conservative Estimate based on what AI is proving NOW, which are staggering percentiles from The Jump!  And I wouldn't like those Odds if I were a Betting Person, of Betting on something that could go AT LEAST 40% completely Sideways and likely very much more, we just don't know how badly Sideways yet!  And it is outpacing the Inventors of it to where now they realize how monstrous and dangerous is portends to be.  I always felt it would be... my Spidey Senses set off numerous Alarms about AI.   And I'm no Genius Inventor, but I can spot a Dangerous Thing anytime I see it, with fairly uncanny accuracy.  It's kept me Alive thus far in some exceedingly Dangerous Situations, to where I could see it before it happens, and so not be any of the collateral damage it caused.  Sure it can be Fun and do some Good, so Humans are "Playing" with it FOR NOW, pretending like it is Harmless ENOUGH... but when the Bad comes, it's gonna be REALLY Bad.  Potentially Extinction Level Bad IMO.

You got Crazies like Kim Jong Un already putting AI on Nuclear Warheads... so... anything used for Good can and always will be also used for Bad in the worst ways possible.  You have to factor that shit in to any equation.  Not all Humans are Good Humans, it's naive and foolishness to assume they also won't be utilizing it in ways that are fucking chilling.  I don't even Trust this Madman we got and his Insane Clown Posse to do Right with it.  He'll soon be 80 and isn't in great Shape Physically, Morally or Mentally, so he has Nothing to Lose and might just take the whole World Out with him for all we know... it's Why he and Kim had such a Hot Bromance going on, with Love Letters and everything, and they both Pander to Vlad... Birds of a Feather flock together.

I got a lot of Pokemon and LPS Merch Priced to take in to Work Tonight, that stuff Sells even when Sales of everything else flatline.  Right now I need Stronger Sales so I'm glad I have some Merch that is an Easy Turn to make up for the fact The Good Stuff isn't Selling very well right now.  Of coarse when I went Grocery Shopping Today I noticed shelves rather bare and prices way up on certain Products too.  They say it is gonna worsen coz 40% of Fertilizer comes thru the Strait of Hormuz and so the price of that, if Farmers can ever obtain it, went way up... meaning, everything being Grown, also going way up.  And Beef is already way up.  My Tip for still being able to afford good Steaks and cuts of other Beef Product:  Since it's priced too high it often won't Sell and then they'll discount it a lot, so you can still get it much cheaper on the Mark Down and if you use it in a day or Two from Purchase, it doesn't matter that it's some Aged Beef.  

You can Thank me later if you're a Carnivore going thru Beef Withdrawal right now coz of the Cost increases.  *Winks*  I got some Filet Mignon Steaks and Porterhouse Steaks marked 50% Off coz they hadn't Sold at the inflated increased Beef Prices due to this Regime.  Now, since Beef went up by 30%, that's still now 20% Cheaper than usual for me to be able to have them at that Markdown Cost.  Booyah!  And while the rest of us struggle to afford Groceries and our Medications increasing exponentially, I guess Besoz just blew up his Rocket at Cape Canaveral, quite an explosion, it's a wonder nobody was hurt or killed.  I think in their Space Race Rush the Billionaire Boys Club competing with each other is being too risky and I'm glad it tanked their Stock with his Rocket Bomb he ended up setting off!!!  If I were a Local I'd be really concerned about those kinds of epic fuck ups.   I Hope Blue Origin gets Sued for such a catastrophic explosion which was a massive blast by Industrial Standards.  About $2.5 Billion has been poured into The New Glenn Program so far.  Think of the Problems that could Solve if used for Public and National Good instead of Corporate Greed.

Above are a couple Pixs of the Middle Granddaughter in Mexico who is Managing a Bodega now that belongs to her Boyfriend's Mom.  She likes to take Videos at Work to show her Mom and I what she's doing, we're very Proud of her coz this is the one who had a lot of Learning Disabilities in School, so Formal Education was a Struggle for her too, like it was for her Older Sister, Princess T, but they're both very Bright, and know how to Hustle to Earn Money, even tho' Academically they had major challenges.  This one is doing a Grownups Job and she's not even Grown yet, even tho' she never finished School.  She couldn't afford to continue going anyway, after her Paternal Gramma Died, and felt it best that her Academically Gifted Younger Sister get the Tuition Money instead, coz the Youngest, like the Oldest of the Trio, is likely to earn College Scholarships for Academic Excellence.   This one figured, she was failing in School so might as well go to Work and Earn instead.  And she's Earning while she's Learning a Trade now, which, will be invaluable in Life.  Not everything can be Taught in School.

Even tho' Sales have slowed in Retail, Blog Stats are way up, so more folks at least seem to be spending time Online Reading Blogs.  Hey, if we have no Money to spend, this is at least Free to do and entertain ourselves, Socialize, and find some Uplifting Topics to enjoy, as well as Serious Discussions to participate in or just be taking in quietly.  I was Interested in the Outcome of the Texas Primaries coz it told me everything I needed to know about that State really.  They'd rather Vote in a Seriously Corrupt Scoundrel Candidate on the ReTrumplican leaning side of Immorality and blatant well documented Corruption, with loads of Moral Baggage, well, you get what you Vote for, Texas.  I have no pity when all that blows back and blow up in the Faces of those choosing someone they clearly know is a Criminal, to Lead them, make decisions for them and about them.  It's Amusing to hear them Interviewing Voters who choose someone like that, Critical Thinking and assessing things and people for what they are, is not exactly their Strength.  Yeah, there's One Born every Minute who either can be Suckered or is just like who they would Vote for.

Above is my Old Friend Cigar Hugh, who Taught me more about The Good Stuff, Fine Art and Antiquities than anyone I've ever known. Work went very well Tonight, in Real Time it's a Friday Night and I was filling in for my Friend Judith.  And everyone Tonight was a fill in for someone else and we all work well together and are Friends.  Yolanda made Pulled BBQ Chicken Sammies and Potato Salad to bring in for us all for Dinner, which was so sweet of her, she's an excellent Cook too.  I'd never had Pulled BBQ Chicken before, it was as good as Pulled Pork, who knew?  She brought Burger Buns to put it on and she has a unique homemade Potato Salad too that I really liked, lots of fresh Herbs in it.  Susan and Brigid were working with us too, so they had Four of us on which was plenty of coverage.  It was really busy and brisk Sales, I ended last Pay Period not Strong, but I did get a Check, even tho' I had no comped Space Rent coz I haven't been pulling Shifts due to The Man's Medical Emergencies the past Two Months.  I started out this Pay Period Stronger tho', not Strong, but, Stronger, so it was a little more Encouraging plus now I'll have some comped Space Rent for pulling Tonight's Shift.

My Feet Hurt tho', from so much Standing and Walking, since I haven't been doing it for a couple Months, you Feel it when you start doing it again.  *LOL*  I felt bad for my Friend Anthony, he lost a Dear Young Friend, only 32 Years Old, so he was really Emotionally distraught coz it just happened and he's still trying to process it.  He'd just Texted the Friend at 9:00 in the Morning and 15 Minutes later his Friend was Dead!!!  Life can be very Fragile like that.  It's a difficult thing to Process, and especially such a premature unexpected Death, really blindsides all Loved Ones and Friends of that person.  The Friend he Lost left behind a Young Wife and Two Year Old Son, plus another Child from a previous Relationship, who is a bit Older, but he didn't have Custody of.  Now both Children will never know the Father they Lost so Young.  

 

Anthony is Single and no Kids but said it hit Home for him since he's around the same Age and you don't think about your Mortality so much in your early 30's.  It was sobering to him for that reason... here one Minute, gone the next... almost literally.  He was the last person to speak via Text to this Friend while he was still Alive!  I remember that happened with a Blog Friend of Mine, we did PM's on FB every day after she'd read my Blog.  One Evening she said she didn't feel so good so she'd call it an Early Night... she Died that Night from what her Daughter informed me, so I was the last person she had contact with and she hadn't even been Sickly!!!  She was a Full Time Caregiver of her very Sickly Disabled Husband tho' and I think that took a heavy Toll and caused her premature Death.  He lived for a couple more Years and their Daughter took over his Caregiving so he could remain in the Home. 

 

 I was worried it would take the same Toll on her tho'!  So I kept in Touch with her Daughter.  I still Miss that Blog Friend terribly, we had more contact in our Years of Blog Friendship than I've had with anyone in Years even in Real Life or the Lifelong Friendships, every Day we kept in Touch from afar.  You can meet some of the most Kindred Spirits via your Blogging and develop very close Friendships here.  Sometimes we know more about each other than our Real Life Friends do.  The Man waited up for me to get Home from Work, he always wants to make sure I get Home Safely, Bless him.  Then he goes straight to Bed once he knows I'm Okay.  The Young Prince filled in as Caregiver Tonight coz Princess T was out with Rusty after she got off Work and made sure her Grandpa had his Night Meds at 6:00 p.m., and The Son was gonna be Working until 10:00 p.m. at the "Dollar Tree", they're Open later now and since his Boss left they've doubled The Son's Hours, which is great.

I did some Retail Therapy while at Work tho', got such a Deal from a Vendor who gave me an incredible Discount on a 1920's Native American Cast Iron Doorstop that I've been Admiring for Months now, so, hadda have it.  Got a Metal Vintage Milk Crate for only $11, and the Vendor who makes my Creepy little Prim Dolls made one for the 250th Anniversary of America so I bought her too.  And another Vendor had a 1930's Striped Butterscotch large Suitcase that I Collect, for such a low Price I thought it was a mistake, but, it wasn't.  The Interior is a rich Purple Satin in excellent condition for it's Age, no musty smells.  So, Color me Happy that I Scored a Quartet of really good items for an excellent Price that was affordable.  I'd forgotten to pick up one of my Checks there, so that Paid for a large portion of it and so didn't bust the EOM Budget, which is always tight now due to Cost increases of everything Essential.

So, Above is my 250th American Anniversary Prim Doll and Below is my 1920 Native American Cast Iron Doorstop.   Online my Doorstop can go for 4x what I Paid for mine so I was Jazzed that the Vendor gave me such an incredible Discount, a pleasant Surprise to get 1/3 Off, which made it Affordable and I Paid Cash, which means the Vendor doesn't get hit with a Processing Fee if you Pay by Debit/Credit.   I've Photographed it before becoz I was so Lusting after it for so long.  *Smiles*  She had moved it once and I thought it had Sold, so when I saw it again Tonight I thought, I really Need to make an Offer and Hope I don't insult them with what I can afford to pay Cash for it.  They Accepted my Offer without hesitation so I'm glad they didn't Decline or Counter, coz then I wouldn't have been able to get it.  I knew how much I had to spend for it and that's the Best I could do to get it.  Luckily they Accepted.

I Love the Sage Bundles she Sells too so I may get some of those like what's on each side of him, but I didn't get them this Night.   But, it was overall a very good Night and we had great Customers this Evening too, everyone was easy to Serve and knew what they wanted, and they were Buying, not just Looky Lous and Time Wasters.  If you're Window Shopping that's Fine, I do that a LOT too, but I don't Waste the Time of Employees when I know I'm not Serious about Shopping/Buying, it's not necessary.  But you get some that I call the Looky Lous who want or have to Touch everything they see in a Locked Case and they know for a Fact they have no intentions of Buying a damned thing.  You don't have Time to Wait on Real Customers when Looky Lous are monopolizing the Time of Staff and Wasting it... and keeping actual Customers Waiting for nothing... coz, they're just Wasting everyone's Time and limited Resources of having coverage.  An Actual Customer may need to take some time to make decisions, but they are Serious about Purchasing and can take all the Time they Need to make said Purchase.

I just Feel like some folks have to Touch/Handle everything they See, who knows why that's such a necessary Impulse for them even when they know they aren't interested in Buying it???  And even tho' they know they're taking up inordinate amounts of Staff Time and especially when it's busy and lots of other actual Buying Customers are kept Waiting on account of them.  Mebbe it's a Power Trip and Control Issue for them to keep everyone Waiting on Purpose, I dunno?  But it's inconsiderate and annoying.  For some who abuse such a bad habit too long, and too many times in a row, I'll tell them that when they feel more decisive, I'll get back to them, and I'll close the Case after they've Wasted enuf Time and it's clear they're never Buying anything, just Time Wasters.  And we have lots of Requests stacked up on Last Call to Help other Customers at Locked Cases.  Otherwise you end up with irritated REAL Customers who had to Wait too long while you dicked around with a Looky Lou Time Waster.

Look at this Old Retro 1950's Beautician's Chair, with what I call the Vinyl Lucy sparkle Red Upholstery of that Era that I just Love, and all that Chrome... it's in Pristine Condition for it's Age.  I have some 1950's Atomic Dining Table Chairs {with Retro Dining Table} in that same Vintage Upholstery and with Chrome, I just LOVE them and they're so comfortable and Timelessly attractive Mid-Century Furnishings.  But, I've not seen a Beautician's Chair like this one in the Lucy Red Vinyl before.  Usually they tend to be the Retro Turquoise Vinyl, Blue Vinyl, Orange Vinyl, or Mustard Vinyl and even Luxor Gold Vinyl.  Once in a while I've seen the Pink Vinyl ones... and a lot of them had the Chrome Ashtray in the Arm on one side.  After seeing this Red One at our Antique Mall I Googled some others for a heady dose of Salon Yesteryear Nostalgia. {See Below, Smiles}:

My Friend John, who Owns his own Salon, still has Retro Chairs like this in his Salon, coz he's all about Vintage Decor, and they all still Work and are in use.  I have to get The Man in to John's Salon to get tidied up soon, he's long overdue for a Haircut and Beard Trim... so he isn't looking like a demented Biker, Pirate, or Duck Dynasty Family Member.  *LOL*  I did get all our Pokemon and LPS Merch into Inventory when I went in Today, so that should bump up Sales for the Weekend.  Pokemon was Selling like Crazy again Tonight, I'd say 80% of Sales lately have been Pokemon related Merch.  And they don't just LOOK, they always Buy.  And they spend a lot on their Pokemon Collections and the Demographic is vast, Male & Female, Children up to People who are Middle Aged... even Generations of the same Family enjoy Collecting it Together, which is nice to see that common Interest and Bond.  You usually only see Parents and their Kids Sharing a Collectible Love for Sports Memorabilia Generationally or Disney Merch.  Now it's Pokemon.

Blast From The Past Teenager Pix of The Daughter with one of her Lifetime BFF's Jennifer, they both were Teen Parents when The Young Prince was Born and Jennifer had her Daughter at about the same time.  Sadly, her Daughter, who was a Beautiful Child with Gorgeous Green Eyes, Passed Away from a Serious Fatal Illness at the Age of 9, and she was Jennifer's Only Child.  I used to Babysit her Daughter from the time she was a Toddler, so it hit really hard when her Kiddo Passed Away after an Illness and I still had The Young Prince, who was the same Age and went to School and was Friends with her Daughter all his Life up to that point.  Oddly, Jennifer's Younger Brother Joe looked so much like The Son that even I couldn't tell them apart when they were Younger!!!  They were the same Age and everyone always got them mixed up, including me and Joe's Parents.  It was eerie how identical they looked!!!  Joe to this day still looks a lot like The Son enuf people mistake them for being Related, tho' not as identical as when they were in Grade School.  Joe was Darker as a Child, The Son has stayed Darker.  In Grade School Mug Shots and in Person as Children, they looked more Alike than they do now they're Middle Aged Men tho'.

Joe

The Son

The Son was always getting asked if he was one of the Solanos?  *LOL*  They've kept in Touch over the Years off and on, Joe has a lovely Family now and Five Kids... I think Jennifer is still Single and now Childless.  I don't know that she could ever have any more Children.  I still have Photos of her Daughter and it always moves me to Tears to look at them... since the last one was her Memorial Photo you have done at the Funeral to hand out to Attendees.  I couldn't even walk up to the Open Casket at the time, 2009 was just too soon to lose a Precious One only Born in 2000.  If she had lived she'd been turning 26 this Summer.  It's sometimes difficult to go thru my Photo Archives, which is often why the Kiddos do it for me now to get things sorted out and Archived to Preserve it all. 

  *******

Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Too Much Month For The Money And Another Medical Emergency!

 Lately there is too much Month for the Money... I'm sure many of you are also Feelin' that?!  By EOM I'm juggling Finances like a High Wire Death Defying Circus Act.  Along with the juggling of The Man's Healthcare.  We've got OT and PT clamoring to get in here to do Home Help Services for The Man, but I don't wanna overwhelm him or push too hard since he's still quite Fragile after the most recent Hospitalization.  We've got OT White John coming Today at 10:30 and PT Victor coming possibly Tomorrow, he's going to see how things go with OT first.  Asian Paul called for some PT, Victor does the Evals for PT Asian Paul, we like them both and they each perform different Tasks for their Clients, from the same Company.  The Man can never remember any of their Names and a couple have the same First Name.  So Privately, between just us, when he asks which one is coming, I used my Not So PC Nicknames for them by their Ethnicity, like I Share here on the Ole Blog, it's easier for him to then recall who they were and whose coming.  *LOL*  I've never particularly been Politically Correct, tho' no Offense is ever intended.

So, The Man asked whose coming Today and I tell him it's "White John the OT"... and Tomorrow?  I told him not sure yet of the Visit or Timing, but it's possibly gonna be "Black Victor the PT Evaluation Specialist" this time, rather than his Work Partner who performs the Exercises with you, "Asian Paul the PT", adding, with the Killer Asian Tattoo Sleeve on one Arm, coz there are Two Asian Male Home Help who come and that's how he differentiates best which Guy I'm talking about.  *Smiles*  We have an Asian John and a White John, so he often gets the Johns mixed up otherwise.  Hey, when you get to a certain Season of Life, whatever prompts Memory is helpful and Descriptive Memory for someone with TBI and early Dementia is extremely Helpful.  Now he remembers People more by their Physical Descriptions than if I throw out a Name that he certainly won't then know who they are and that then upsets him trying to remember and not being able to.  

Each time he sees someone 'New' it's almost as if for the First Time again otherwise.  But if I put something in the Description he CAN remember them by, it's Helpful to him and causes less distress.  Of coarse when PT and OT arrive we just go by First Names so as not to seem unintentionally offensive and insensitive.  *LOL and Winks*  Plus, Listen, now when he sees Pixs of our own Grandchildren and any of the Great-Grandchildren who he doesn't get to See in Person, or even our Oldest Daughter who he hasn't seen in Person since she got Married and her Oldest was Two, the Grandchild who is Middle Aged now... he has to ask me WHO THEY ARE, Okay?!  *Le Sigh but Laughing too.*  So, how would we expect him to remember Strangers who now provide Services to him when he doesn't recognize some of the Family?   I do Descriptives of even Family he can't remember, like, Oh, that's your Grandchild, "The Middle One" in Pittsburgh... or in Mexico... take your pick of what Daughter's bunch of Kiddos we're discussing at any given time and he's asking Who they are!!!  We go more by Order of Birth then and Location.  Like... Oh, that's "The Daughter's Number Four Child in Mexico"... *LMAOROTF*

I figure rather than finding it an Offensive way of Describing Folks, it's actually quite Funny in a Dark Humor way when you're Dealing with the Memory Care Impaired and just HAVE to.  I Shortcut it all with Descriptive Nicknames for him and that works for him, so... whatever.  The Son HATES it most when I do it tho'... coz he thinks it's totally inappropriate to.  *LMAOROTF... whatever Son... then YOU find a way to Help your Dad remember any of these People then!*   Some of which he's Seen and Known for YEARS now, but Forgets who they are if they haven't come by for a while, so the Nickname Assigned to them just Helps.  Even with Princess T, The Young Prince's, The Son's and The Daughter's Friends... most got Assigned Nicknames for The Man to sort out who they are.  Thus, you all have gotten to mostly know them by their Assigned Nicknames too, like Gypsy James, Gay Timmy, Crazy Pamela, Straight Anthony, "Q", Dan The Man, Crazy Ed, Mad Kathie, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!  *Winks*  My Mom always gave people such Nicknames as it was common to where she was from in Wales, everyone was given a Nickname attached to their 1st Name.

I missed a Dental Appointment Yesterday coz I didn't even know THEY had Scheduled me one without telling me and clearing it with me first!!!  It wasn't on the Calendar and last Week when they'd called for a Reminder, The Man took the Call, got the Date mixed up, I showed up the Time and Date he told me, and they were Closed!!!  So, when he called me again saying I'd missed the Appointment Yesterday again, I thought he'd gotten confused again and told him I didn't have any Appointments Scheduled, which, I didn't!!!  Not that I set up anyway.  So, I called my Dentist to tell them my Schedule is far too busy with other commitments to just have them set me up without clearing the Date with ME first.  Don't call my Husband to set up anything, he has Memory Care Issues and Agrees to anything and then promptly forgets it and doesn't Write it down!!!

  Happens all the time now and we can't Train him NOT to answer the Phone, he Loves answering it and then forgetting who has Called or Why!  Or he sets things up or Agrees to things I haven't Approved of or Vetted!  Like the time Solar Co. folks showed up coz he set up an Appointment!  *Le Sigh*  So, then they let me go ahead and re-schedule on a CHOSEN Date and Time by ME, which is how I feel ALL Appointments should be scheduled anyway... not at the convenience of whose providing said Service, but for the convenience of the Client/Patient!!!  And I've made it known to everyone we do Business with NOT TO Schedule anything thru my Spouse, coz of his level of Brain Damage making him not competent to process it or Agree to anything that would be Legally Binding.  He can't even make decisions for himself anymore, let alone anyone else!  It's just a routine Cleaning, so no Big Deal, I don't have any Dental problems Thankfully.

I do know how the Elderly get Exploited and Targeted tho' by Scammers and Spammers... when I see how vulnerable The Man is to such things!  You could literally almost Talk him into anything now and it would seem Reasonable to him.  Sometimes to Suggest something to him, then he thinks it was his Idea and not implanted in his Psyche by you!  If I tell him now that he Likes something, he Believes it wholeheartedly.  And just gets a bit confused when he doesn't actually Like it or it was too Spicy, coz he can't tolerate Spicy things.  He'll just say, Honey, are you Sure I Like this, coz it tastes Funny, or it's kinda Hot tasting.  So, we know that he's wrestling with knowing what he Dislikes or even Likes anymore.  At Restaurants he lets me Order FOR him now coz he knows I remember what he Likes or doesn't, or what he can eat or can't.  Becoz frankly, he doesn't know anymore and gets a bit agitated looking at a Menu now and knowing he can't make Sense of it... or is relying on the Pretty Pictures only.  *Le Sigh* 

Even when I ask him if he Wants something, he really doesn't Know if he does or he doesn't, so often he'll just throw out an incorrect Answer or not be able to Answer and I will just take a Lucky Guess FOR him.  He won't Eat now unless you make the decision FOR him to Eat and tell him it's Time to Eat and he Needs to Eat.  Otherwise, I swear his Hunger Triggers never go off anymore at all.  It's common, as Dementia progresses, Brain Changes compromise the Hypothalamus and other Centers that regulate Appetite, causing Natural Hunger and Thirst Cues to diminish or vanish.  I Google so much now to help me, Wish they'd had all that Years ago when he had the Traumatic Brain Injury, would have Helped me out more rather than Guessing all the time what was going on with his Brain's Damage and Rehabilitating him!!!  Now, with the Dementia, it's similar to the TBI damage, but different in many ways too.  You have to be Adaptive and Improvise a lot for to get Cooperation and some Progress and/or Stalling of the Progression of it. 

I've got a good Imagination that is Fertile, so I like to make things up to see if they Work.  It's like Alchemy, and I can Dream Up a multitude of things to try out to see what happens.  *Smiles*  I've dealt with SMI folks in the Family for a long, long time, so tried a lot of things, sometimes they even Work, and nobody knows I just made it up to see what would/might work... and what clearly doesn't.  When a Loved Ones is have Psychotic Episodes and seeing or hearing things I cannot, I just pretend that I can too and Deal with it as if it's Real, which has a Calming Effect and Works, so I Work it.  Hallucinations ARE Real for those Experiencing them, so trying to Rationalize will NOT Work or convince them at all.  There can't be anything you say or do which will make it NOT Real to them when they're Experiencing it as their Reality. I've Fought with Invisible Creatures or People they tell me they See and tell me where it's at.  I've Killed Invisible Bugs they think are all over the place, stomping them out until the pretended last one is massacred.  Way easier than trying to tell them it's NOT there!

Which is why we weren't absolutely sure of the Scorpion Sting, since nobody else saw it happen, we couldn't find one that he claims got him, and he does Hallucinate a lot now.  He worked himself into all the Symptoms of an actual Sting too, and I Honestly couldn't tell you if he got Stung or he didn't, coz the Results were Identical to if he had.  So, Medically it hardly mattered, he went into A-fib Regardless and his BP soared, his Muscles were Spasming, he got Short of Breath and said he had intense searing Hot Pain, it was all Real to him so we dealt with it as if it was.  Better to err on the side of not only Caution, but he could have easily still had a Fatal Outcome with what was actually Physically going on with him.  Urgent Care felt so concerned they immediately Transported him by Ambulance to a Trauma Hospital instead.  And just keeping him out of Hospital now is a Tall Order, it's one thing right after another now, on the Turn of a Dime!!!  Medical Debt is mounting at levels not affordable at all if Insurances don't or won't cover it. 

OT White John just left, he came an Hour earlier than Scheduled but I was making Burritos for Breakfast then and we just did Breakfast around the OT.  We talked Food then becoz he said it all smelled Sublime and I told him where to get the best Refried Beans at a little Mexican Joint in Tolleson nearby, so he was gonna swing by now and pick some up to make his own Burritos for Tomorrow's Breakfast.  *LOL*  He starts his Day at 5:00 a.m., so is up as early as most of us have to be, by around 10:00 a.m. he's already had a full day.  But I told him I always wait until The Man rolls out of Bed before making Breakfast and Today he'd Slept in, I won't Wake him to Feed him, I'd rather he rest all he Needs to and let him Sleep well, makes his Day start out better if he's well Rested.  Plus, I get more done while he's Asleep too.  *Winks*  White John said he's amazed at how The Man Bounced back so quick after a Scorpion Sting and Hospitalization.

The Son and The Man Joked it's coz I don't allow Weakness in this Family, they're still Required to do whatever they're supposed to do.  *Winks*  You don't Feel Good, well, you still gotta take out the Trash, then you can Go Not Feel Good after that.  *Bwahahahaha*  White John is a real Stud Muffin Buff Young Guy and he Joked that if he'd gotten Stung by a Scorpion he'd wanna take a whole Week Off and tell his Wife he didn't Feel Good Enough to do anything.  *Bwahahaha*  I said, well, John, I'm not that kinda Wife that would Fly with... and he Laughed, The Son and The Man verified, yep, she's NOT!  *LOL*  So, after Black Victor evaluates The Man, possibly Tomorrow or next Week, we'll then Schedule Asian Paul's PT then.  *Smiles*  Keeping everyone Straight in my Head whose coming for Home Help is a challenge and I don't even have TBI or Dementia!  *Ha ha ha*  White John saw The Son and I getting all The Man's Meds sorted for the Week, we do that every Thursday Morning. And he marveled we have such a good Routine and System... we said we have no Choice in this Family, you HAVE to, or you're Dead in the Water.

He said most of his Clients don't have a Routine or a System so it's usually very muddled, a lot of it doesn't get done or is forgotten too often... we just can't have that here, too many People to Manage the Caregiving of.  If it got all fucked up without a Routine or System in place that Works seamlessly, shit would be a Hot Mess around here.  I have almost Assembly Line Precision and Delegation of Responsibilities, with Backups, so that we have each other duly Covered.  One thing I was always Good at was being In Charge of a lot, Responsible for a lot, Juggling a lot of important Tasks and People, and Delegating Responsibilities in my Corporate Lives.  I was adept at being a "Fixer" of Problems, no matter how Serious or daunting they were, and being very Solutions Oriented, so, you just transition that to your Daily Personal Lives and things will just go smoother.  I don't like Dealing with chronic Problems, so I'm always wanting Solutions so I don't have to. 

 It's why I get annoyed at our Government having the same damned Problems for Generations without "Fixing" them.  There are Solutions, they just won't implement them.  But I won't go off into how Profitable that can be for some who Grift Off of Problems and get Rich off them.  So they don't want Solutions, coz it cuts off the Big Grift and Long Con they've got going on that Pads their Pockets nicely, but at the expense of Society.   So long as there's lotsa Money to be Made Off Something, it won't be Solved.   Even if it's a Big Problem for the Masses, if it's handsomely Profiting the Elite and Few, just Trust me about that Truth.  That Problem will exist in perpetuity.  And it has... often for several Generations Lifetimes in fact.  Immigration and Healthcare are Two Problems that I Believe will always exist in perpetuity as a Problem in this Country becoz of whose getting Richest off of it.  War too... it's just Big Business to Start and have Wars.  Peace really isn't that hard, or desired, by those who'd rather Profit off having War instead or furthering their personal Agendas, which tend towards Extremist Views & Dogma. 

It's not that we don't have folks with Solutions to Problems that plague our Nation, it's just that they either can't get them pushed thru or they never get Voted In.  Seems we're much more likely to Elect the Problem People who keep perpetuating the same old Problems over and over again ad nauseum.  People say they want Change, but they never seem to Vote for or Elect those who'd actually be "Fixers" and take care of Solving any of the Problems they claim they're so concerned about.  There's very little Ability it seems to Critically Think and not latch on to the Fantastical Promises that are Bait and Hook Folks, Reeling them in... and had no real substance to it, just BS they never intended to implement.

SOOOOO... just got back from the ER, AGAIN!!!  When The Man was doing OT at 9:30 this Morning he was Fine, good BP, good Diabetic Numbers, did his OT so well he got Praise from White John.  Then, suddenly at Noon his BP bottomed out, he felt Light Headed and like he might pass out, The Son took his BP Three times and it was so alarming we called 911.  Paramedics arrived, took more readings, they were all bad... so they called for an Ambulance.  The Ambulance took him back to the Trauma Center Hospital he's been in and out of for the past Two Months, No. 7 on our Punch Card by now!!!  And the 3rd Ambulance Ride our Insurance probably won't pay for either!!!  I followed and arrived BEFORE the Ambulance!!!   I could have taken him there quicker.  Anyway, we spent the next Six Hours in the ER, they released him to come Home after stabilizing him and giving him Magnesium.  When they took the IV out he Bled like a Stabbing Victim again!!!

I'd just gone to use the Restroom in the ER Waiting Room so didn't see him come out and Bleed all over the place!  When I came out of the Bathroom Security was all up in the Waiting Room around all this Blood and telling me to watch my Step.   I thought I was just Joking when I said, Wow, I Hope that's not my Husband's Blood... and the Older Security Guard said, Yeah, well, it is, they took him in there to Triage!!!  Lord have Mercy, I thought, WTF happened to him, did he get Stabbed on his way to be Discharged?!  It's Funny now, then, not so much, it was so much Blood, looked like someone had bled out!!!  And he wasn't Bleeding when I last saw him!!!  And... we were in The City where anything CAN happen!!!  When they got the Bleeding Stopped they helped walk him in a Walker to our Truck and had me pull up right outside the ER Doors to load him up for me.  We're Home now... until the next time...

The ER was very full for a Thursday Afternoon too, not when we first got there it wasn't, but by the time we left it sure had filled up, then emptied out again, in ebbs and flows of Emergencies.  At one point the Ambulances were stacked up Six Deep coming in and unloading Patients that required an Ambulance!!!   There was another Screamer... I think he was an Old Guy with Dementia or something, they couldn't keep him Calm or Quiet.  The Man was so Quiet I had one Nurse ask me if he was Verbal!!!  *LOL*  When he's that Quiet I know he's really not feeling Well so I just told her that, usually he's very pleasant and talking with Staff, this time he wasn't at all.  He did Joke with Paramedics as they had him on a Gurney taking him to the Ambulance from the House.  A Funeral Procession was passing by out Front, coz we live across the Street from a huge Catholic Cemetery, he deadpanned told them, "That's my next Ride..."   For those of us who appreciate Dark Humor, that WAS Funny.

So, at least this time we kept him out of the Hospital.  *Whew*  Tho' that was Six more Hours of my Life in an ER that I'll never get back.  The Seats are hard and Two Elderly Ladies next to me were talking about their Spouses with Advanced Dementia... not a conversation I particularly wanted or liked to overhear... given our circumstances.  I guess the one Woman felt Lucky hers never got Violent, he Smiled a lot, and they gave her the occasional One Week Respite by putting him in a Nursing Home so she could catch a Break when he was nearer The End of Life.  The other Lady wasn't so Lucky and her DH got so Violent it was no longer Safe for her to have him remain in the Home, so he had to be taken away.  Neither Woman was sure their Husbands even knew who they were once it got Advanced... and they mutually agreed that Death was more Merciful than Life by that point of the Disease.  I didn't wanna eavesdrop on such a personal conversation but they were sitting so close and were Old, so talking rather louder than they probably thought they were, so... it was not voluntary to hear them.  And the Waiting Room was full so there was no place else to sit by then.

When The Man finally got taken to a Bay and Bed to be evaluated, they only had one of those Rock Hard Chairs to sit on, so my Back was killing me by the time we got out of there and I was completely Physically and Mentally/Emotionally Exhausted.   No Idea why his BP cratered... they couldn't tell me for sure this time, but, apparently he didn't require Hospitalization for further Evaluation or Observation this time.  I was glad, once he is stable he's better off at Home and Happier too.  The Son had to Walk to Work and I couldn't pick Princess T up from Work, so, Rusty came and got her and stayed here with her until we got Home, Bless him.  So, they're not Broke Up anymore.  *Winks*  That's good and she was giggling like a School Girl when telling me she would be going over to his House now and I said, "Oh, so you Guys aren't Broke Up anymore then?"   By then we all were Laughing, it took The Edge off the Medical Crisis, coz she always falls apart Emotionally each time Grandpa gets Sicker... as she's sure he's trying to Die or gonna Die.

 

Well, I ain't gonna Lie, we all kinda Think that now, he's piping along on just 4 Cylinders or less now and there's not much else that can be done.  He and my Brother are in the same Situation with their failing Hearts.  My Brother is at 20% Function and I have no Idea what percentage of Function The Man is at now, I don't even wanna know or ask frankly.  If nothing can be done for either of them, then I'd really rather not know and just take it One Day at a time.  So, other than all that, everything is Swell.  *Bwahahahahahaha*  Never a dull moment here at The Asylum, that's for sure!!!  When I told The Young Prince the Blood in the Lobby part, he was Laughing, in hindsight, it IS Funny, but, wasn't at the time, it was a LOT of Blood!!!  He had Blood all over his Paperwork and it really did look like a Crime Scene there in the Lobby of the ER, Blood Drops, Spray and Smears everywhere!!!  He's a Bleeder... happens every time they remove his IV's and they have a hard time getting it stopped coz he's on Blood Thinners.

Work called and asked if I'd Work to fill-in on a Friday Night Shift Tomorrow Night, I agreed, but told them if The Man has a setback I may have to cancel, they understand.  They were hesitant to even ask if it was a Good Time yet.  I NEED to do it tho' coz it is my Happy Space there and I do enjoy being there and around something Positive and seeing whattsup around there?  Plus Comped Space Rent is handy when Sales are flat, which, they have been again.  I haven't been in much at all so I don't even know what condition our Showroom is in?  Last Two times it looked ransacked, we've been having a lot of THOSE kinds of Shoppers that leave everything wrecked in their Wake, even if they aren't really Buying anything, they're messing everything up and creating bedlam behind where ever they go.  Who Shops like that, really??!!!!  It's not just Children who are the worst Offenders.  Tho' we do get the Feral Children in there too, whose Parents have no Control over their Offspring and let them run Wild and out of Control.  An Antique Mall is not an Ideal Space to turn loose your Feral Child(ren). 

 

 I was in an "Appleby's" recently and a Boy who looked to be Six, so he was Old enuf to know better, was tearing thru the whole Restaurant like a Banshee, totally out of Control and acting the Fool!  He was with a large group of Adults, none of which had Control over him.   And if he was "Special Needs" he must have been mighty Special, perhaps too Special to take out to a Restaurant or Public Space if they can't Control his Behavior at all.  They were screaming loudly AT him, he ignored them, at one point one of the Adult Males in the Group was running after him, but he was too fast and thinking it to be like a Game, Laughing and running into People, causing quite the disruption and making a Spectacle, for far too long.  The Adult Woman I presumed was his Mom, was crude, cursing loudly, so she was almost as disruptive and intrusive to everyone Dining as her Buck Wild Child!  She and The Man who chased him were Fighting loudly by the time I was leaving.   So, along with the Child ruining everyone's Meal and Peace... now it was also Dinner and a Show with some of the Adults of the Group!  Oy Vey!!!  Get the Popcorn, I thought it would be like a Cage Match Smack Down now?!

 

That Man who had been futilely chasing the Boy was leaving and taking another small Female Child with him, who had been Behaving, even tho' she was Younger than the Prodigal Child... I'd guess she was around 3-4.  I got the Sense he'd had enuf embarrassment of the Wild Child and the Woman was dropping F-Bombs at him saying he couldn't say "That" to her, whatever "That" was... which I'm assuming had something to do with Parenting, just coz... it SHOULD have!  *LOL and Winks*  She did hold the Door open for me as she was almost blocking it yelling outside at Him as I was Exiting Stage Left.  I'd had enuf too, it was far too much Drama and a Headache so I just asked for a To Go Box and left with half my Meal.   Glad to be away from The Child who everyone in the Restaurant now knew the Nickname of, "Gordo", coz that's what the whole Table of his Group were yelling to him constantly, "Gordo Stop", "Don't do that Gordo", "Come here Gordo", "Quit running Gordo", "Leave that alone Gordo", "Sit Down Gordo", "I mean it Gordo".  He was a chubby lil fucker, so the Nickname was apropos.  *LOL*  

 I was tempted to 'accidentally' trip his Bad Ass as he sped by my Table Twice at warp Speed, so the Guy running after him could catch up to him.  That Guy was Young but too Fat and out of Shape to be running too actually and even think he could catch the Kid.  *Winks*  That Child was absolutely exhausting, even tho' you hadn't brought him and didn't know him, a little bit of Gordo was going a long fucking way with us all!!!  Since there was about a Dozen in their Group, Staff weren't saying anything to them... they clearly were spending a lot of Money there.  But, Staff should have at some point... for the sake of everyone else there!  And, Behavior Tolerated is Behavior Accepted.  I rarely blame a Child for inappropriate Behavior if the "Responsible" Adults with them just don't behave very Responsibly.  They had the Choice to remove lil Gordo from a Situation that was unraveling too much Publicly and they should have had the decency to take him out of it if he couldn't Behave or be Managed by them appropriately.

Let us just say lil Gordo was somehow Developmentally Disabled enuf, tho' it wasn't apparent from a Physical standpoint, he looked okay, I'll give him the benefit of any Doubt he MIGHT HAVE BEEN.  Or... that he might just have been a Bad Ass Kid.  Some Kids are Assholes at any Age, just like some Adults are, and I suspect they might have been Asshole Kids too, and that's how you end up with Asshole Adults?  *LOL*  Regardless, he could still have Training and Discipline becoz I've Raised Special Needs Kiddos and worked with many too who were just Behaviorally Challenged.  Kids tend to Learn what they Live.  I've had Buck Wild Kids whose Families claim they couldn't Control them or get them to Listen... and nobody would have them over.  But if they're in my Care and Presence, they Learn Right Quick that Ms. Dawn don't play that shit and it will not Fly with me.  Some people are Naturally Marvelous with Children... I'm not in that Camp, I commend you who are, you ROCK and Kids are Blessed to have you in any capacity they do.  I don't Care if a Kid Likes me or Dislikes me frankly, I'm not trying to be their 'Friend'... I'm all Friended Up with Adults.  *Winks*

And, I never had a problem with them after we had our "Understanding" made crystal clear.  I genuinely Like Children and most Kiddos sense that and the vast majority genuinely Like me.  I try not to get so Old I forget what it was like to be Young.  And do stupid shit, or not have all your discipline developed and good sense yet.  *Smiles*  Kids are Kids, I never expect them to Act like an Adult, they're not mini Adults.  And usually I will Level Up with the really Bad Behaved ones and say, I'm giving you a Choice, the Choice will be entirely Yours.  Do you want to Respect me... or Fear me?  Choose Wisely and I'll respond according to YOUR Choice of which Ms. Dawn you'll get.   It's almost Miraculous really, that when you have absolutely no Emotion displayed when saying that to anyone, in the Calmest Voice, be they an Adult or a Child Acting Up or Acting Out, it's a bit unsettling and chilling, so they ALWAYS choose to Respect you. Wise Choice.  And so when a Kiddo can respond appropriately for ME, I know they could for anyone else, if they Want to.  Thing is, clearly they don't WANT to... and that's the Real Problem that requires a Real Solution.

I've always had a lot of Children around me, from Babies up to the Teen Years, so I have loads of Kiddo Experience, some are Higher Maintenance than others.  Some require more Tough Love than others.  Some are Prodigals, I've Raised a few of those Type, but, they can turn out to be decent people even if they are rough around the Edges or have some significant Disabilities and Behavioral Challenges.  I was a High Maintenance Kiddo myself, a little bit of me went a very long way.  Still does actually, you usually grow into an Adult version of what you already were.  *Smiles*  And there are some that are quite defective, and nothing is gonna 'Fix' that... I'm guessing lil Jeffrey Dahmer, lil Richard Ramirez, or lil Charlie Manson weren't your Garden Variety Children from a very early Age.  I could be Wrong, but I seriously Doubt it.  There were probably "Clues" somethin' wasn't Right!

Anyway, when I go in to Work Tomorrow Night I do Hope that The Feral People, be they Children, Teens or Adults, didn't spend too much Time in our Showroom.  *LOL and Le Sigh*  Like I said, last Two times I've been in there, they'd tore shit up pretty Bad and yet Sales had been Soft.  I got stuff to bring in so Tomorrow I may spend some time Pricing it to bring in with me to replenish Inventory and get some Fresh Merch in there which I Hope will be a Quick Turn... like the LPS Toy Collectibles and the Pokemon Duvet.  My tidying up has stalled again, with all the Health Drama and OT, PT, consuming my Time and Energy.  The Fire Dept., Paramedics and Ambulance folks were enthralled with my Decor, asking me tons of Questions about it all and saying how Cool it all was.  So Funny, the ones Working on The Man had to try to concentrate on Working on him and not being distracted by our Weird and Wonderful Decor.   

  

The ones not Working on him were asking me so many Questions about everything that caught their Eye and where I Sell at.  *Ha ha ha*  It does have that Effect on people the 1st time.  *Winks*  Like they just walked into The Addams Family Home and met Morticia.  *Smiles*  After the Ambulance spirited him away, the Fire and Rescue folks stayed a little while asking The Son and I Questions about various Objects and sincerely telling us they Loved our Home and how Unusual and really Interesting and Fun it was.  *Smiles*  I do always want someone to FEEL something when they come here, I don't Care what the Feeling is, but it should evoke something, like Art does.  To me Decorating should also be an Art Form that is the Essence of the Occupant whose Home or Space it is.  If I walk into someone's most Intimate Space as their Home and I can't fathom who they even ARE, then I do Wonder, Who are you trying to BE then?

*******

It's been a very full day and long less than 24 Hours... Dawn... The Bohemian