NoJoMo – Page 27

Two

My day as a goth kid. (Yes, my wife is planning on doing this to me.)

My wife has decided that I need to be her Goth Boy.

It hasn’t happened. Yet? She’s been really busy with school.

She can dress me up however she’d like, though. I won’t return the favor; she can dress as she pleases.

So, if wearing a dog collar for a few hours will make her smile, fine. So long as I don’t have to look like Aaron Rodgers, Goth QB, or the kid in the Mom’s Minivan demotivator poster.

On a similar, but unrelated note, I’m getting skinnier again.

I lost about 60 points after I got sick. For the most part, I’ve kept it off. I think I’m probably about ten pounds more than I was at my lightest.

But after this latest hospitalization, I’ve noticed things aren’t fitting again. My pants. My wedding ring.

In other words, Thanksgiving can’t get here soon enough, if only to fatten me up a bit.

So, what else is up? Paratransit Services screwed up royally again this morning.

I’m tired. I hope I’ll be up for this thing I’m attending on Friday.

Also, do I have the stamina or desire to watch the last World Series game tonight?

On the brighter side, I was able to get things setup for my trip to Georgetown School of Medicine.

I’m very tempted to fire all my specialists in the wake of two hospitalizations within a month, plus now a problem with one of my prescriptions.

Good shit.

One

Introduction. Why I’m doing this for a sixth year.

So, as I fired up EMACS to start writing, I had a 1.txt in my $HOME.

Umm.

Yeah, it was something I’d written long ago; probably in college. How it got there, I don’t know. Maybe something from one of my summer writing bits.

I do enjoy writing. How proficient I am at it is up for debate.

So, to the basics.
I’m 37 years old. Married. Work in Information Technology for the US Federal Government. I’m now well into my sixth year after being diagnosed wtih Multiple Sclerosis.

This is my sixth year doing this. I started on my Diary on the now-defunct OpenDiary (OD) site.

So, what’s kept me doing this year after year?

There’s something about having something to do every single day. When OD was up, I’d often use the prepackaged prompts. As I’ve been writing on my own, I’ve taken to either creating my own prompts or recycling things from previous efforts. (Back to the odd textfile in my $HOME.)

There’s also a bit of a sense of accomplishment in finishing a month. The last couple of years, I’ve done a second stint in the month before my birthday. Is it a countdown? No, not really. Neither is November; if it was, I’d be doing it in the lead-up to Thanksgiving or Chrsitmas.

I’m not doing that, however.

The past few years have been exceptionally difficult. I’m going to try to avoid writing too much about that. On top of my myriad health problems, I’ve seen a marked decline in income. (Checking my SSA statement shows that I’ll be lucky to get back to my 2012 earnings next year.) I’m not going to write terribly much about that; those who need to know do, those who want to know can buy me a beer, and I’ll tell. I’ve been writing a lot lately, in conversation with a friend, about bits of administrivia. There’s a big portion of that discussion that’s been about management. Meanwhile, I’ve also been listening to the Reason Podcast, where they’re discussing a lot of similar issues.

There is no One-True-Way(TM) for just about anything.

Eventually, you have to find your own way to do things. Maybe you’ve been previously inspired by someone or something, but your situation is yours.

Similarly, this effort is something that works for me. I’ll be doing it my way. If you like it, great. If not, that’s fine, too.

So, who am I? A dude trying to help out the best way I can. Professionally, I need to keep my irritants from negatively affecting others’ impressions of me. Having me on your team is a good thing. Now how do I convince people of that? (And some of the folks who’ve beautify-illustrated their prowess at taking multiple choice tests by taking certification tests might just be completely worthless.)

2016 Prompts

Prompts (final)

Oct. 31, 2016, 5:51 p.m.

Introduction. Why I’m doing this for a sixth year.
My day as a goth kid. (Yes, my wife is planning on doing this to me.)
Collections and Cars. Write about any collections you have, and the cars you’ve owned.
Write about someone you’ve recently lost.
Write about your siblings. How many? Where are they? What do they do? Do you get along better now than you did when you were kids?
I’m writing about Football.
Write about your parents.
Election Day. Write about your votes.
MOvember. Write about facial hair.
Armistice Day. I’m going to write about the war Tom Brikaw forgets.
Are you satisfied with the results from yesterday?
Describe your most recent doctor visit. I’m specifically looking for the one(s) you see most often.
Nervousness. Write about what last made you really nervous.
On Being Sick
Find something you wrote five years ago, and tell how things are different
I’m going to write about my trip to be examined for use as a Guniea Pig for research on my condition.
Recap of the trip to DC.
Write about three things you did for the first time in the past year.
Recap of your year month-by-month.
What did you want to be when you grew up? What are you, actually?
Write about something you’ve had to re-learn.
Write about your recycling habits..
What are your plans for tomorrow, since it’s turkey day in the U
Free Write.
How was turkey day for you. If you’re celebrating on a different day, please elaborate (like my friends in Soviet Canuckistan).
What is your favorite food? (H/T to someone on PB)
Small Business Saturday. Write about small businesses you frequent.
Free Write.
What are your holiday plans for Christmas?
Recap, reaction.

One

Nov. 1, 2016, 4:47 p.m.

Introduction. Why I’m doing this for a sixth year.

So, as I fired up EMACS to start writing, I had a 1.txt in my $HOME.

Umm.

Yeah, it was something I’d written long ago; probably in college. How it got there, I don’t know. Maybe something from one of my summer writing bits.

I do enjoy writing. How proficient I am at it is up for debate.

So, to the basics.
I’m 37 years old. Married. Work in Information Technology for the US Federal Government. I’m now well into my sixth year after being diagnosed wtih Multiple Sclerosis.

This is my sixth year doing this. I started on my Diary on the now-defunct OpenDiary (OD) site.

So, what’s kept me doing this year after year?

I’m not doing that, however.

There is no One-True-Way(TM) for just about anything.

Eventually, you have to find your own way to do things. Maybe you’ve been previously inspired by someone or something, but your situation is yours.

Similarly, this effort is something that works for me. I’ll be doing it my way. If you like it, great. If not, that’s fine, too.

Two

Nov. 2, 2016, 4:16 p.m.

My day as a goth kid. (Yes, my wife is planning on doing this to me.)

My wife has decided that I need to be her Goth Boy.

Prompts

Introduction. Why I’m doing this for a sixth year.
My day as a goth kid. (Yes, my wife is planning on doing this to me.)
Collections and Cars. Write about any collections you have, and the cars you’ve owned.
Write about someone you’ve recently lost.
Write about your siblings. How many? Where are they? What do they do? Do you get along better now than you did when you were kids?
I’m writing about Football.
Write about your parents.
Election Day. Write about your votes.
MOvember. Write about facial hair.
Armistice Day. I’m going to write about the war Tom Brikaw forgets.
Are you satisfied with the results from yesterday?
Describe your most recent doctor visit. I’m specifically looking for the one(s) you see most often.
Nervousness. Write about what last made you really nervous.
On Being Sick
Find something you wrote five years ago, and tell how things are different
I’m going to write about my trip to be examined for use as a Guniea Pig for research on my condition.
Recap of the trip to DC.
Write about three things you did for the first time in the past year.
Recap of your year month-by-month.
What did you want to be when you grew up? What are you, actually?
Write about something you’ve had to re-learn.
Write about your recycling habits..
What are your plans for tomorrow, since it’s turkey day in the U
Free Write.
How was turkey day for you. If you’re celebrating on a different day, please elaborate (like my friends in Soviet Canuckistan).
What is your favorite food? (H/T to someone on PB)
Small Business Saturday. Write about small businesses you frequent.
Free Write.
What are your holiday plans for Christmas?
Recap, reaction.

Twenty-nine

What are you most proud of this year?

This is a tough one, because I’m really not proud of where I am in a lot of areas of my life. A lot of it has been happenstance, but I pride myself in my ability to adapt to the circumstances.

For this year, though, I guess it’d be dealing with my disease. I was in a tough situation early in the year, then found that my doctors didn’t accept my new insurance.

My company’s insurance, which has zero local coverage, I’d declined, so I ended up buying a plan from the Federal Exchange. Incredibly expensive; so much for affordable care. My primary care docs at EVMS, especially Drs. Grant and Newman, have been so helpful in finding new specialists.

So, I got a new neurologist. She worked with me to find the best disease modifying drug for me. That ended up being Tysabri. But getting to the point where I could take As a monthly infusion, with periodic blood tests, Tysabri required me getting better with venous puncture.

So, I’ve done that. I’ve also worked faithfully, despite an incredibly bad work situation.

I could dig and find something else, perhaps, but I really don’t think anything would come close. Nothing’s had a bigger effect on my life. I feel better than I have in I don’t know how long.

I wish I’d done a few things differently which would allow me to enjoy this newfound “health” more, but…

Twenty-eight

Thanksgiving leftovers. How much? What did you do with them?

I wrote this while watching a TV food show, obviously.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything you can do with leftover turkey that’s good. Sandwiches, reheated as it is, etc., but….

Ham has a lot of potential, turkey notsomuch.

I think all we’ve got left now is some of my SIL’s pumpkin pie, which, again, doesn’t need any modification. Or even heating.

I apologize for the lackluster prompt. It happens. There’s two prompts left, so maybe I’ll do better, grow up to be a division manager, drive a Dodge Stratus.

Twenty-seven

What places hold particular allure for you; where might you like to live?

Writing in the middle of the night, because I fell asleep during the Packers-Bears game, and am now wide awake.

(And also still uncomfortable from overeating today….)

This prompt is kind of related to yesterday’s; I think Detroit has a lot of potential. I think the same of many of the “rustbelt” cities – Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia, Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Buffalo, some of the NYC boroughs outside Manhattan. (Aside: I still, and probably never will, understand why Cleveland and Milwaukee don’t have NHL teams. Not that I have the least bit of interest in hockey, but it seems like those would be two places that are natural hockey towns.)

Yes, that includes Brooklyn, even though I can’t grow a hipster beard or manbun. Hell, I’d even consider something in northern Jersey if the right job presented itself.

Almost universally, these places are known as being cold. When I was younger, that’d have bothered me more. I really don’t notice it as much anymore, though. I notice cold a lot less than I notice heat. Yes, this is directly-related to the MS, but…. My mother is very concerned about me being under-dressed in cold weather, still.

Still, hypothermia seems less likely than passing out because I can’t breathe in the heat. I’m also very much intrigued by cities that are good for living without a car. That I can’t drive anymore has a lot to do with that.

So, notables….

I find Southwest DC interesting for some reason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest,_Washington,_D.C.

There’s also gentrification going on in Southeast. I’d still probably not want to live in Anacostia, but you never know.

I do like Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. If I manage to score a DC gig before my wife finishes school, that’s probably where I’d look to live until she can come join me.

I mentioned NYC. Maybe I’ve got an idealized vision, but I know at least I could get around without a car.

I can get most places when I’m in Norfolk. When I’m at my mother’s, where I stay when I’m working, OTOH, I’m nearly a recluse. I can’t go anywhere. sigh Even when I’m home on the weekends, though, I don’t have a lot of energy to get around.

I think I might be settling down again, so I’m going to cut this off now.

I have to get up in a few hours to go get another flu shot. When I got the first one, it was the first day I got Tysabri. Something about immunosuppressants killing a vaccine’s effectiveness. Go figure.

Twenty-six

The team that traditionally has had Thanksgiving football is the Lions. Write about Detroit. Have you been there? Would you want to go back? Do you know anyone who is from there, originally? Would you want to live there, yourself?

This prompt was heavily-influenced by a recruiter I guess I ran off. He wanted me to work at one of the “Big Three.” (The one that didn’t go bankrupt.) I was worried about going without a long-term gig. I was also worried about being able to get to and from in “The D” not being able to drive a car.

Some of it is flavored by frequent TV; Red Eye on Fox News has a few somewhat-regular guests who are from Detroit.

I’ve only been to the airport, which was a hub for one of the merged/bankrupted/gone US airlines. I’ve never seen any of the inner parts of the city, though some of it looks pretty awesome. I have acquaintances who are big into urban exploration, and Detroit seems like it’d be an interesting place to do that.

Places like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Central_Station

Not that I’d be much for exploration, based on my limited mobility, but…. Maybe there’s a way that someone could explore some of those old places with a drone….

Back to the prompt, I’ve been going through my memory bank, and I can’t think of anyone who was from Detroit, or nearby. A few people from Michigan, but nobody from Detroit, specifically. That’s a bit surprising considering how big a city it once was.

Would I want to live there? I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of potential in the old real cities, but the people who brought endless miles of suburbia wouldn’t understand it. Everybody should have a 3,000 square foot McMansion, and buy groceries somewhere miles away. And pay not a dime of Federal income tax as a result.

(Yes, I am a bit bitter that because I didn’t choose to enter into a contract I couldn’t afford in 2006/7, I paid more in income tax in 2009 than I grossed in 2002…. Go south from Detroit, and you’ll see what a wasteland a country that doesn’t have tax breaks for renting a house from a bank has… Still, all this is why Hillary will be the conservative candidate in 2016, just as Obama was the conservative candidate in 2012. And now watch as the hipster progressives’ heads spin around and around)

Would I want to live in Detroit, specifically? I don’t know. Maybe. But one of the other recovering big cities might be better for me. Cleveland, Buffalo, Baltimore, even Philly…..

But it’s really not up to me. My wife’s career aspirations dictate. I know my days of going somewhere to work, then enduring a commute home (public transport or not) are over. Oh well.

Twenty-five

Thanksgiving is tomorrow in the US. Are you travelling? With whom will you eat? If you live somewhere where they celebrated last month, describe what you did. glares North If you live somewhere where they don’t celebrate, describe what you did on the most recent holdiay where friends/family/loved ones gather.

Not traveling, really. Going to my inlaws’ house, which is about twenty minutes away. So, it’ll be her parents, her sister, her sister’s husband, and her grandmother. Since my brother isn’t coming to the East Coast until Christmas, my mom is going to come join the festivities.

I think mom had originally planned to do the churchlady stuff, but most of that got cancelled after the preist died a few weeks ago. :-/

Since my FIL keeps hours liek he lives on Central European Time, I think we’re eating at like 1400 Eastern.

Menu is kind of traditional Thanksgivng fare. Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole (which I found out that my MIL strains the mushrooms out of the cream of mushroom soup since she doesn’t like mushrooms….yeah, I don’t know, either). My mom is bringing a couple of pies for dessert.

As I mentioned, we’re basically not traveling. It’s been probably more than ten years since i went anywhere out-of-town, and I’m okay with that. I’m not much one for trips these days, anyway. Some previous trips were memorable. Others I’d just assume forget.

I don’t think there was a single Thanksgiving weekend I didn’t have to work when I was in radio. Part of the job. I do miss it sometimes, but not terribly often.

Twenty-four

It’s the final Tuesday of the month. Do you care?

Not really, no. All it means, really, is that next Tuesday will be the first day I haven’t written in a month. Although there’s still a few days left, I think I’ve proven to myself that I can still keep a commitment to something sometimes tedious.

By the same token, though, the fourteen months I’ve spent in this horrible, very bad job indicate teh same thing.

I’ve endured a lot in my life. Some of it deserved. Some of it undeserved. But all of it flavors my values, who I am.

I can endure a lot; the quetion is why do I keep doing it? When will I get to do something that I really enjoy professionally again? I’ve considered a lot lately, mainly to get out of my current situation, but should I go do something else I really won’t enjoy, for very little money?

Hmmmm…..

But one day of work left. I’m ready for a break.