Change is coming....

 Today is the 5th day of the 29th week, the 18th day of the 7th month, the 200th day of 2024 [only 159 shopping days until Christmas, folks], and:

• Get to Know Your Customers Day
• Insurance Nerd Day
• International Sister Cities Day
• National Caviar Day
• National DOLE Whip Day
• National Sour Candy Day
• Nelson Mandela International Day
• Perfect Family Day
• World Listening Day
• and Voyager I is 46 Yrs 10 Mos 13 Days and 22h 39m 09s of light travel time from Earth, or 24,448,000,000 km / 15,191,000,000 miles / 163.42 AU

Quote of the day:
"Wise reflection involves considering the past and learning from it. Unwise reflection involves this chasing of things that have already happened, as if they were still happening in the present." 
~ Bradley Donaldson, “Living Courageously” 

When I glanced at the blog a couple days ago, I was shocked to see that I had let a month pass without an entry.   So much for being a writer, neh!  And I need to write, now more than ever, because there is a LOT going on

First off:  My son was hospitalized with heart failure for a week and a half.  It appears that the blood pressure medicine he was taking and the clinical trial drugs interacted badly, causing extreme fluid retention - he lost a little over 30 lbs in water weight during his hospitalization.  Unfortunately, there is permanent damage:  his heart, his lungs have developed pulmonary hypertension, and his liver is scarred.   Damage to the lungs, already impacted by the tumors, is irreversible and the pulmonologist may put him on oxygen as his breathing is very labored.  The doctors were dismissive of the liver issues [vet, ex-sailor] telling him that drinking will do that - until Tommy informed him he is and always has been a teetotaler.  They immediately protested that chemo shouldn't impact the liver, but something has....   And SCRI, who was running the clinical trial, declared a six month hiatus in treatments, after which they will "re-evaluate" his inclusion in the clinical trial, so he has some huge decisions to make.  Go back to the VA Oncology?  Wait? 

Second:  I am actually moving.  Regular readers know The Enclave has been deteriorating for a while, and now that it has been sold by the NY slum landlord to a FL developer, things are getting worse.  The new owners have stated that they want to tear down the three buildings and rebuild, turing the complex from 1,119 apartments to 2,500.  The county tells us the permitting for that is going to take years, but meanwhile, what incentive do the owners have to undertake expensive maintenance and repairs?   

Where am I moving to?   The Evergreens.  It is a 55+ community that is about 15 minutes from my daughter's.  It is more expensive than my current apartment because I am going with a 2 bedroom / 2 bath rather than downsizing.  I am doing that as requested because it turns out I need an actual working guest bedroom [not a disaster area].    The place simply blew me away - the difference between there and where I am currently living could not be starker.  There are three downsides to relocating:  I have to park outside initially because there is a waiting list for the garage parking.  I have to give up my FIOS Gateway and switch to Comcast's Infinity.  And the commute time to the office is tripled.

In 2007 I moved myself, a storage unit, and my mother to the Enclave - it was quite literally one of the worst days of my life due to all the issues.  In 2009, I moved to my present apartment, just upstairs, and the Disaster Area was created plus I lived with boxes in my living area for almost two years.  To say that I am apprehensive about this move is putting it mildly.

And third?  Politics.  News.  I am disgusted with the Democrats displaying such disarray even as the GOP rallies around Trump/Vance/Project 2025/Agenda 47.  I am appalled that there have been no consequences for Jan 6th or the theft of classified information.  I do not want to live in a country like Hungary and do not admire Putin.  Like so many others, I fear for my country, and watching the rich and entitled line up for this agenda against all social safety nets or inclusion is sickening. 

Triscuit is blissfully unaware of any of these events.  

I envy her

And that is the State of Carol as of this day.  I think I need to go back blogging far more regularly as writing is something that I genuinely enjoy - hopefully you all like reading it as well!