Albert's Place

Went to bed early, but up again around 12:30am. Damn loose bowels caused me to soil the bed in my sleep. Now having to wait for the bed linens to wash and dry. Will be up at least a couple of hours more. :-(

There was a Casper Mattress ad on the "This Week in Tech" podcast. Someone in the chat room said "My mattress moans".

That made me think... the mattress I currently sleep on hasn't ever experienced any "moaning". :-(

This evening, since nothing major was on television, mom and I were watching episodes of "I Dream of Jeannie" on the DVDs I've owned of the series since they were first released in 2007. We finished watching disc 2 of season 4, so I put in disc 3. The "Sony Pictures Home Entertainment" logo came up on the screen as normal, followed by the menu. I selected the first episode on the disc, "The Case of the Missing Master, Part II". The "FBI Warning" came up as it should... then NOTHING. I went to the menu again, tried "Play All Episodes" instead. Still nothing. Ejected the disc from the machine, put it in again, Same results as the first time.

Removed the disc and looked at it. At first, thought it had smudges on it. Wiped it off and put it back in the player. Same results as the other two attempts to play it, so I put a different DVD into the player to see if it would work, since I thought the over 10 year old Sony player might be finally on the fritz. The other disc I put in played fine. Once I got the "I Dream of Jeannie" disc in some proper light, I could tell that those weren't smudges after all. From the pictures I've seen online, I quickly diagnosed the problem as "disc rot". This was only the second or third time I had watched the set since I bought it over a decade ago. The fourth disc in the set still looks fine however.

So far, this is the first DVD I've encountered in my collection to develop this problem. However, I have a few hundred single DVDs and DVD sets I've bought and haven't re-watched yet since first buying them, and I bought my first player in 1998. There could be more with the problem I just haven't run across yet.

Yes, I'm careful how I store my discs, so this has to be a result of the layers on the disc not being properly sealed back when it was manufactured.

Woke up last night drenched in sweat again. Still not sure exactly what causes that. I keep forgetting to ask the doctors, since it doesn't happen EVERY night. Had to change my sheets this morning as a result.

At the visit to my primary care doctor yesterday, I again brought up, how sometimes after I eat, I get dizzy and my vision gets all "blown out". He said next time that happens, to test my blood sugar and blood pressure. I told him I didn't have a blood pressure monitor, so he prescribed one. He said he gave instructions to the pharmacy to pick a brand which might be covered by my Medicaid plan. Well, when I went to pick it up, it wasn't covered, so cost a little over $30 after tax.

I'm thinking that money might have been wasted. Firstly, I didn't remember that mom has a blood pressure monitor (she hasn't used it in a few years). Hers is one that goes on the wrist. The one I got today goes on the upper arm. Secondly, the one I got today has yet to give what I would call an "accurate" reading, even though I've closely followed the instructions that came with it. It keeps reading numbers like 83/49. If my blood pressure was that low, I probably wouldn't be standing. When I used moms meter, it was around 123/88, which to me sounds more correct.

I've sent an online support ticket to the company that makes the blood pressure monitor, "Microlife" to see if they have any other suggestions besides what is included in the book that came with it.

"Package Mystery" I posted about yesterday is now solved. It was a large envelope from Myler Disability with the paperwork I needed to physically sign and date for them to start working on my disability claim. Although why USPS had it listed as from "Rapid Enterprises" on the Informed Delivery website is still a mystery.

It's 97ºF here currently (3:00pm Sunday). "Feels Like" temp is 109ºF. Back of the house, where I'm currently located, isn't as cool as the front of the house, since the air unit isn't centrally located, so avert your eyes. I may start stripping soon.

WTF is this? Got a notice this morning in my "Informed Delivery" email from the postal service that a "package" is supposed to be arriving tomorrow, from some place called "Rapid Enterprises". I haven't ordered anything. I currently don't even have MONEY to order anything even if I wanted to!

Out of curiosity, installed ICQ for the first time in AGES and logged in. Surprisingly, several people I friended on the messenger in the early days of LiveJournal
were still in my list, but alas, no one was online.

I don't think they put enough lubrication on the tube they ran down my throat during my esophageal dilation this morning. Out of all the times I've had the procedure done, my throat has never felt this sore and dry before.

Also, the guy performing the anesthesia for the procedure started administering it a bit too early. One of the nurses stopped him, because they hadn't yet put the plastic bit in my mouth they use to put the tube through. Seems everyone was in a "hurry" this morning for some reason.

After today's "diabetes class" at the hospital this morning, I've decided not to attend another one. There have been TWO so far, once a month, each lasting THREE HOURS each. So far, they haven't really told me anything I didn't already know, and the woman "nutritionist" who takes over from the RN about halfway through is annoying as fuck, with her nagging "in your face" personality. I found it ironic that the nurse mentioned high stress can affect blood sugar levels, yet the nutritionist does a very good job at raising my stress levels.

Also, I had another appointment at the hospital at noon for an EKG, for the balloon dilation procedure on my esophagus tomorrow morning. Alerted the "Annoying Nutritionist" I had to be out of the class before noon today as a result. She shrugged it off and said, "They're pretty easy going in that department, they won't care if you are a little late." Needless to say, I had no intention on being late. The diabetic class was scheduled for three hours, starting at 9:00am, but was obviously going to run longer.

Around 11:39am, the "Annoying Nutritionist" discovered she didn't have some papers she wanted us to fill out about our "diet and exercise goals", and she was going to have to leave the room to get them out of her office. I took that time to "make a break for it". Told the person next to me I thought that it would be a good time for me to go to the restroom. I left the room and went on to my EKG appointment.

After getting home, there was a new addition to the "My Chart" online website from the hospital, for yet ANOTHER class scheduled for September 19th. Yeah, Ochsner, good luck with THAT. I'll obviously go for all my actual MEDICAL appointments and procedures, but that freggin' "class" can go fly a kite!

The esophagus surgery and the diabetic class I've went to at the hospital (got another "class" tomorrow, a follow-up from the first one a few weeks ago) are "conflicting" in a way. The diabetic nutritionist expects me to be eating three square meals a day, around the same time each day, and with certain proportions of TYPES of food. Since the surgery, even the surgeon said, since my stomach is now smaller, I'll be looking at eating a little bit scattered throughout each day, instead of regular sized meals three times a day.

The diabetic nutritionist will just have to accept the fact. I haven't really seen the point in the class my primary care doctor is sending me to anyway. Three hours of a day of someone telling me a bunch of stuff I pretty much already know.

Got woke up from a nap by the phone. It was a recording from the pharmacy saying my Metformin refill was ready. I'll wait and pick it up tomorrow afternoon after I get through with THREE things at the hospital... the follow-up diabetes class, an EKG the doctor who did my surgery has scheduled, then a stop by the lab for blood work my primary care doctor wants me to get before my August 13th appointment with him. Then Friday morning, I have to be BACK at the hospital early for the monthly balloon dilation procedure.

Sometimes, I feel like I should just pack up and move into that place, as much time as I've been spending there lately. :-/

On the "bright side"(????), with the bruises and scar on my face, I'll have a "falling" report this time for the anesthesiologist before they find a vein for the IV Friday morning before my esophageal dilation procedure, after my dizzy spell getting out of bed and my head hitting the corner of the nearby desk the other night.

Had a LONG "question and answer" session on the phone with the legal representation a friend suggested for my SSI application this afternoon. Also filled out a couple of email forms they sent and I replied to. Hopefully I'm getting the ball rolling on my disability claim, although I know, especially on the Social Security end, that this will be a lengthy process.

Got a call back a while ago from the place a friend, Michelle Murphy, suggested I contact about trying to get SSI/SSDI benefits, since I've been denied both. I didn't have all the info they wanted handy, since I wasn't expecting the call, so they will call me back tomorrow afternoon. I now have all the info close by for when they call.

With the health issues, I'm doing nothing on a Saturday evening except sitting here at the 'puter.

Heck, who am I fooling. It's EXACTLY what I did every Saturday evening BEFORE the health issues cropped up! :-/

Got a dizzy spell last night after getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. Might have raised up too fast. Took a tumble into the corner of the computer desk near the bed and hit my face. It's the first time the occasional dizziness since the surgery has made me fall.

Three things I've noticed not until after the surgery on my esophagus that I've yet to get a straight answer on from doctors:

1) Blown out vision (over brightness) and lightheadedness occasionally after eating.

2) Abdominal soreness (not pain) after using the riding mower to cut the yard (haven't dared to try a push mower, those spots remain tall).

3) My hair isn't growing near as fast as it did before surgery. Haven't had to trim my hair as often as before.

Something strange is afoot. Got locked out of my Facebook account, had to make a new password. Also, got a warning that someone from the Claiborne,LA area tried unsuccessfully to log into my Google account. Made a new password there also, even though I don't use Google for anything "vital".

Having an issue with one of my medicines. Refill on Lisinopril (for my blood pressure) was denied after the pharmacy faxed the request in. I called the Med II clinic after getting home from the pharmacy, was put on hold while the person who answered the phone checked on it. When she came back, she said that, yes, it was denied because it showed a prescription from a different source. I have no other prescriptions for that medicine. She said they would contact the doctor, and for me to call back in the next day or two.

Meanwhile, since I only had two pills left, the pharmacy gave me three more, which means I now have enough to last until Sunday. If this isn't straightened out before then, guess I'll be doing without the medicine until my next appointment at the Med II clinic on August 13th.

This alone is enough to raise ones blood pressure!

Not trying to sound all "doomy and gloomy", but with these health issues, and the way I feel body wise most of the time, if I were to win the "Publishers Clearing House" lifetime prize, I don't think they'd have to pay out very long.

Guess it's time to find a SSI attorney. First, I was turned down for SSDI, now I'm denied SSI benefits. Both applications said I haven't earned enough "credits" working over the years. Can't figure on holding a job (even if I could find one) with having to constantly go see doctors and having those monthly procedures (Walmart let me go a few years ago just for taking time off with the FLU), not to mention my dizzy/blurred vision spells which occur sometimes after eating, and my lack of energy from not being able to eat much at one time anymore.

I need SOME kind of income to come in. :-/

Lately, I've went back to using Firefox as my main internet browser, after using the Opera browser as default for a few years. Several years ago, I even used the paid version of Opera for a while(which no longer exists). I left Firefox behind a while back, after they seemed to neglect the browser, and made several bad decisions in the way it was being developed. The latest versions of Firefox seem to have fixed the excessive memory issues. The interface is more customizable than any Chromium based browser. Ad blocking extensions seem to block more in Firefox than in the Chromium browsers. In settings, there are more ways to control the way tabs behave. There are settings in "about:config" to stop most auto-playing videos. The "Sync" feature lets you synchronize virtually everything between devices, including extensions. Most other browsers, you have to hunt down and reinstall your extensions if you need to reinstall the browser. Firefox has also implemented a feature first in Opera which I find extremely useful, "Picture in picture", which allows you to keep a video window open on top of other windows while you browse the net, although currently, you need to activate it via Firefox "about:config" settings(values below). One main caveat...do NOT set Firefox to open PDF files, otherwise you'll get caught in a never ending tab opening loop you can only escape from by opening the Task Manager and closing the browser from there. I use Foxit Reader for PDF files. There are still a few "quirks" with the way a few websites display, but I've noticed that with nearly ALL the browsers on the market today.

Here are the browser extensions I currently use to add functionality...

1. Ublock Origin : The best of all the add blockers IMO. I never blocked ads until around four years ago, when a rogue banner ad tried to throw malware at me. Luckily my antivirus caught it before any harm was done.

2. Tampermonkey : Nice userscript manager, helps keep some rogue javascript from happening on random pages.

3. User-Agent Switcher : Handy for spoofing the browser user agent string for websites that are looking for a more "major" browser.

4. ScrollToTop : Toolbar button to scroll immediately to the top of a page.

5. Open Image In New Tab : Adds a context menu item to open images in a new tab.

6. Mute Tab : Extension to keep websites that might have autoplaying audio quiet until you are ready to hear them.

7. AdBlocker for YouTube : Keeps most pre-roll ads on YouTube from playing.

8. Forecastfox (fix version) : Handy weather extension for the URL bar.

9. Cookie AutoDelete : Adds cookie control functionality that isn't built in to any browser that I'm aware of.

10. Blank New Tab : Use a blank page as your new tab page.

Some Settings I've Modified in the "about:config" Settings
browser.sessionstore.interval - 864000000
media.autoplay.default - 5
media.block-autoplay-until-in-foreground - false
media.autoplay.allow-muted - false
media.autoplay.block-event.enabled - true
media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.enabled - true
media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.video-toggle.always-show - true
media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.video-toggle.enabled - true
media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.video-toggle.flyout-enabled - true

In the earlier days after I first went online, I had more conversations with people on the various messengers than I do today. Two main reasons I don't converse as much now is that 1)most of the messenger programs have since "evaporated", and 2)my life is stuck in a "rut" and I don't have anything new to talk about.

About the only "chat" interaction I have these days is on the IRC chats that happen on the live technology podcasts I watch. However, I do keep Trillian (for Facebook Messenger, Google Talk) and Skype running in the background most of the time.

Marriages: 1

Engagements: 1

Divorces: 1

Kids: One. A 25 year old son.

Brothers: None

Sisters: None

Current pets: 0. Might would get another kitty if I currently had income coming in.

Surgeries: Vasectomy, wisdom teeth removal, and most recently esophagus surgery.

Tattoos: 0

Been to an Island: Never even been outside the continental US.

Flown on a Plane: Nope. Never even been in an airport.

Rode in an Ambulance: No.

Sang Karaoke: Nope.

Ice Skating: Nope.

Been on a Cruise: Nope.

Rode on a Motorcycle: Nope.

Owned a Motorcycle: Nope

Rode on a Horse: Nope.

Stayed in a Hospital: A total of three weeks after my esophagus surgery. Two in a row after surgery, one a few weeks later due to return of the stricture.

Favorite Fruit: Strawberry, Apple, Blueberry.

Favorite Day: None.

Favorite Color: Blue.

Last phone call: Son called a few days ago to let me know grandson had been born.

Coffee or Tea: Iced tea, unsweetened.

Favorite pizza: "Sweep the Kitchen" from the local "Johnny's Pizza".

Cat or Dog: Cats. Low maintenance.

Favorite season: Fall

Met a star: Nope

Rode in a helicopter: Nope.

Been on tv: Local news in 1986 when they were doing a story about the Beatles catalog first being released on compact disc.

Broken a bone: Nope. I try to be extra careful.

Seen a ghost: Nope.

Been sick in a taxi: Can't recall ever even being in a taxi.

Seen someone die: Nope.

Andrew emailed some pictures of the grandson. Also, Andrew needs a shave...

Here I was thinking I hadn't gotten any email since yesterday. Checked the webmail interfaces of Yahoo, Outlook, and Gmail. Emails were there. Found the missing emails (63 total) in the "Junk" folder in Thunderbird. For some reason, the email client sent EVERY email since yesterday to that folder. I marked each email as "Not junk", and now the program seems to be working properly again.

Out of all the years I've used Thunderbird, this is the first time this has happened.

I'm WAY too rusty on video games, just now getting back into it for the first time since the early 1990's, due to the extra free time I have because of the health issues. Been playing "New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe" for four days now (not continuously), and have yet to make it out of "Acorn Plains".

At the rate I'm going, I might finish the game by the time I'm 80.

Sucks getting old...

Andrew called. His girlfriend gave birth to a slightly over eight pound boy today. They were going to try to have the birth "naturally", but had to resort to a Caesarean. I think Andrew said they named him Zachary. I'm not fully awake at the moment.

Just attempted to play a couple "Mario" video games for the first time since the late 1980's/early 1990's.

I stink at them now worse than I did back then. Maybe because I haven't really played ANY video games since way back then, except a few "Angry Birds".

Vision overly blown out/contrasty, and lightheaded again after eating. Hopefully, EVENTUALLY, someone at the hospital will figure out what causes this. Usually lasts 30-90 minutes or so when it occurs. Doesn't happen EVERY time after eating, and didn't start until after the surgery in December.

They are talking about screens in the dashboard of vehicles on "The Tech Guy" podcast/radio show. I don't NEED a freggin' "screen" on my dashboard. I just need my vehicle to get me from "point A" to "point B" without issues, and my 1998 Ford Ranger does that fine.

At my pre-op appointment yesterday for Monday's procedure, I mentioned to the nurse about my issues with sleep since the surgery, how I wake up several times a night, then have trouble falling back to sleep. She asked if I snored, or lost my breath while sleeping.

I've never stopped breathing that I know of, and I have no CLUE if I snore or not. There's no one to tell me if I snore or not, since the last time I slept with someone next to me was before the divorce, and that would have been FAR too long ago to be relevant today, even if she DID say anything about it back then.

Normally, the over-bright blown out vision, rapid heartbeat, and dizziness I was getting after eating is only occasional. It has happened after eating each time the past couple of days though. Guess I'll mention it again to Dr. Alley before my Monday dilation procedure. I've mentioned it to her before, but she really hasn't said much about it, except she doesn't think it's related to the surgery. However, it never happened BEFORE I had the surgery on my esophagus.

Pre-admission testing tomorrow morning at the hospital for my next esophageal dilation procedure Monday morning. Unfortunately, this is becoming "routine". They no longer even have to instruct me on what to do before/during the procedure, I have it memorized.

Well, THIS is annoying. The people renting the old Funderburk place next door, who were playing music extremely loud the other day, are now shooting off fireworks. Can't they stay quiet like the rest of the neighborhood?

Testing my blood sugar levels was pretty much "within range" since I was prescribed the meter... until this afternoon, when it read 264 mg/dl . Highest it's been since I began testing. Might have been because I tested right after eating though.

EDIT: Realized later I forgot to take a Metformin tablet after eating my first meal of the day.

Arte Johnson

-------

1929 - 2019

Hopefully mom isn't about to come down with something. She just told me she got a chill, and turned the thermostat up.

It's 91ºF outside, and I'm sitting back here at my desktop with a fan pointed at me going full blast.

Since I'm fairly certain, because of no income due to my medical issues, that I won't be able to afford renewal of my CBS All Access and Britbox streaming subscriptions when they expire in October/November, I'll still have plenty to keep me "occupied". I'm using Bing search points for Hulu, and there are plenty of free streaming services on the Roku player (providing I can manage internet costs). Also there are the numerous podcasts I watch, and I still have DVD's bought ages ago I haven't finished watching yet.

I was very distracted at the diabetes class at the hospital this morning. It was in two parts. One, a RN talked about diabetes in general, then next, a nutritionist came in to talk about diet. I was the only one who was in the class today, so just me and those above mentioned. It was difficult for me to pay close attention to what either of them were saying, because I kept picturing in my head what I thought they might look like naked. It didn't help the matter that the nutritionist was wearing a low cut top.

Either I've been "without" for FAR too long, or I need to get my mind out of the gutter.

Going out to the mailbox this morning, I spotted this on the ground under the big oak in the yard. Looks like a bird lost its home.

Okay. After my previous esophageal procedure at the hospital, they gave me a post-op appointment for June 21 at 7:45am. Last week, they call, reschedule it for 10:15am on June 21.

Today, they call again, wanting me there at 7:30am instead, because the doctors at the hospital are having a "conference".

WTF Ochsner/LSU?? Would have been just as well to have left the appointment at the original 7:45am time!

For some reason, while watching the "This Week in Google" podcast this afternoon, I got to thinking back to the early 2000's, in the years shortly after I got my first PC in 1999. There were quite a few people I followed who had webcams uploading stills to their websites back then. Being I was stuck with dial-up internet, I remember some images from the cams took a while to download...

Thinking this is one of those days I should have just stayed in bed. TV in my bedroom died this morning. Then I go to put some clothes in the dryer, only to find the load in the washer shifted, so they were only half done. Had to realign the wash and start the machine again.

Oddly, I found a way, when I have those occasional blown out vision and dizzy spells, to "clear my head", IF I have the energy to do it. It has worked twice in the past couple of days.