Eating Jesus

Well, I won't be going to bed early tonight.  #6 and #7 are having raucous children's parties.  Is it some kind of Mexican holiday?  I don't know. 

I wouldn't care if they did this during the day, but at night, when people are trying to sleep, it's a problem.  The party will probably last until 10-11 PM. 

I got up at 5 AM. 

I took a shower and tried to shave my legs.  I didn't have my glasses so I missed a spot and overall they still need some work.  If you're not following closely, I didn't shave my legs for a couple months because I was wearing long jeans, and I was depressed. 

I bought some 5-blade razors, the ultimate weapon.  I will use those next time, sitting on the edge of the tub, wearing my glasses.  That should get me back in fighting form. 

Sigh.  Who knew it was so hard? 

I did my God Time later, before I got on the computer.  I just couldn't face Job so early in the morning, on a weekend no less, when I'm already depressed. 

But I only have a week or so left and then it's onto Exodus.  I have a chronological Bible.  I like it.  It's the same Bible, but arranged differently.  It makes a lot more sense to me, especially for a daily reading program.  It's just a little hard to read Job, Lamentations, or the wrath-to-come Old Testament prophets when I'm depressed. 

I plug away anyway.  I have read the Bible through at least a couple of times by now.  I don't keep track.  Just sitting down and reading it is the important thing.  If I don't understand something, I don't worry about it.  I figure God will give me the understanding when I need it. 

For instance, Jesus talked about people eating his flesh.  Ew.  That never happened in real life, it was a metaphor, but what a hideous one to our modern age.  I couldn't get it for ages. 

Then, one day, God reminded me, in the Old Testament they would offer their "sin offering".  They would basically have a big BBQ.  The priest would take some meat and the "sinner" would get the rest.  As they ate the meat, they were forgiven, but they apparently had to eat the meat to get the forgiveness. 

Suddenly the eating Jesus thing made more sense to me.  People back then "got" forgiveness by "eating" the sacrifice.  This is just my understanding, I don't want to have a big theological debate. 

Other times, it is obvious, don't be an idolater, etc.  I have a bad habit of making Ron my idol.  God generally allows him to "fall" in spectacular fashion when I do. 

We got our ride to the warehouse and I bought a cartload of stuff, as usual.  For once, I bought enough snack inventory to hold us for a while.  Ron bought 20 some cases of bottled drinks. 

"Jack" came and we loaded the truck.  The wheelchair fits nicely, next to Ron, in the backseat. 

We went to work, I got my "buggies" (Texas colloquialism for "cart") and dragged them outside, then we loaded them and brought them into the building. 

I left two of them, they can just go in the stockroom.  The third cart, I had to transfer some of the inventory to some of the other carts, and then I had to put a lot of drinks into the fridge. 

We checked the machines.  Sodas were dead.  Snacks were dead.  I literally just stocked peanuts in one machine.  I had to throw out some old sandwiches.  Ron wanted to take them home and eat them, but I reminded him they are expired and I don't want him getting sick.  Especially off something like a chicken salad or something.  Ugh. 

I was glad Ron had planned a short day. 

We left, after I put everything away in our area.  We went home. 

I wanted to take a nap, but the #6 kids were out there screaming.  Then the yard guy came to #6 (big clue they were having a party) and screamed at the kids in Spanish. 

There's something about Mexican yard guys, they love to rev the motor on their leafblowers.  Vroom vroom, vroom vroom, like a little kid playing with a toy car.  It is REALLY annoying. 

My yard guy does not do that. 

Between the revving and his shouting at the kids (I wonder if they told their dad, or were they doing something wrong and won't tell?), a nap was out of the question.  I gave up and got up 15 minutes before I had planned. 

I did my God Time, Torbie at my side, and checked the mail.  I walked far around the filled-in sinkhole and found a bank statement, and went home. 

On the porch, I found Ron's digital recorder.  He's been wanting a new one.  He wanted the old one, new.  He had a model xyz, say.  He wanted another xyz, not a newer one.  So I typed it into Amazon and found they still sell the older model.  He was able to just take it out of the box and start using it.  I didn't have to read him the manual. 

About manuals: Ron has purchased many devices over the years.  Every time, it came with a manual.  Every time, he wanted me to read him the manual.  I'm fine with that, he is blind. 

Every time, he said the same thing "I will remember it, just read it to me and I won't bother you again".  He would forget, and I would have to read it again.  I would suggest, with more and more vehemence, we record the manual so he could just consult the recording instead of "bothering" me.  Eventually, he would agree. 

This has happened for scanners, radios, ham radios, you name it.  But I don't even need to read it onto a recording because he already knows how to work it.  That's a win. 

Ron began playing with his new toy.  We got a callout that our ride was coming. 

Ron was concerned the ride would come later.  He had planned a trip to the BBQ place.  He didn't want to get shorted on his time there.  He can get a little nasty if they "mess with his trips".  The paratransit company can alter the trip by 20 minutes, plus or minus, your appointment time.  If they do that at both ends you are either up 40 minutes you didn't want, or short 40 minutes you needed to eat.  It's a crapshoot. 

Overall, Ron does a really good job as a trip planner.  Overall, our trips are good and we have a "just right" amount of time. 

He was worried, but it worked out OK.  We had about an hour. 

He ate beef ribs.  He said they were good, but he likes the pork ribs better.  I got a hamburger with a fried egg on top.  I don't know if that is just a southern thing, an American thing, or an international way of serving up a hamburger these days, but it is really good. 

I was stuffed.  I couldn't even finish the last bite.  I figure whatever scavenges the dumpster will appreciate that bite of hamburger. 

We had a good ride home with an African immigrant.  He was very nice.  He didn't speak Yoruba, I said "Thank you very much" to him and he didn't understand it.  He was quiet, but nice. 

We got home and found #7 having a party in their front yard.  They have a huge backyard, I don't know why they aren't having one in the back. 

Later on, the noise got pretty loud and Ron and I figured out #6 was having a party, too.  Either that or they sent all the kids out to play on the trampoline.  The kids may have been antsy with the party across the street. 

Interesting fact, the kids next door never go out on their own.  When I was that age, I was doing a lot of chores (these kids never do chores that I can see, they have the yard guy for that, I guess), and exploring the neighborhood on my bicycle.  None of the kids have bikes, and they only go places with their parents.  I understand why, there's a lot of evil in the world, but the oldest boy is at least 13 years old.  You think they'd let him off the leash.  He's the type that's so overprotected, he's going to get into big trouble with dorm life in college. 

They never play with the neighbor kids either, just cousins and family friends who are delivered to them during parties.  I wonder how the parents explain it to the kids "We are too good for them"  "They aren't our sort" or what?   I can see a racial divide, but what about the other Mexican kids? 

Not my business, you may be saying, and you're right.  But I have to deal with the noise from their parties and their lights in my bedroom, so I'm entitled to speculate.  Besides, it's not like I'm giving out information that could be used by a child molester. 

I am very careful, when talking about other people on the blog.  I don't put out anything I wouldn't want them to read, because they very well may do just that!  I don't give out job information on the neighbors.  I will say one of the #2 tenants used to drive a truck for a big snack foods distributor, and bring stuff home in the work truck.  I hope it was a gift because it sure looked like stealing.  But I can say that because they're long gone now. 

I don't give out schedule information on the neighbors, the most I will say is "They are/might be having a party tonight". 

And I don't give their names, not even the first ones. 

So I feel pretty clean in that. 

Speaking of clean, I have to do the litter boxes.  Sigh. 

I already did up my pills, what a tedious task.  I added some folic acid to the mix.  I found the bottle in Ron's room, and he's not taking them.  He doesn't like them, I think, because they come in a gelatin capsule.  He doesn't like gelatin.   He likes hard tablets. 

The other morning, I "caught" him taking his supplements, he was, at least, taking some of them.  Good.  The last thing I need is him getting sick. 

The cats are doing pretty well on the diet.  Biscuit still has a dirty butt but Torbie's looks great now.  She just needed to lose a little flab.  I don't know how much weight Biscuit'll have to lose to "straighten up" but I hope we get there quickly. 

I just want them to be healthy.  I know obesity is bad for a cat, just like it is for a human. 

I have been thinking about joining a local gym.  They are offering a $10 a month plan that looks pretty appealing, and they have a ton of cardio equipment.  I have a recumbent exercise bike, and a fitness step (the kind you go up and down while making arm movements).  I like treadmills and stairclimbers, when I had my other gym memberships those are the ones I always favored.  I never much cared for the exercise bikes or ellipticals. 

Ron bought the exercise bike, as it was the only cardio item he could use with his limitations.  He doesn't use it, though.  I wouldn't get rid of it, it is useful, but I have been thinking about this for a while. 

I'll pray on it and see if I am led.  Best of all, the gym is only one bus ride away.  That would be excellent. 

Ron used to go with me to the gym and sit in his wheelchair for an hour or two, waiting on me, so I'd have transportation, but that's a lot to ask.  I wouldn't do that now. 

If horrible weather were forecast, though, and he offered, I might take him up on it rarely. 

So, I've been mulling that.  My only concern with the gym is termination.  If I want to opt out, how easy is that to do?  I don't want them to keep taking payments from my account.  Sometimes you have to send registered letters and all, it's a lot of hassle, so I need to look into that too. 

I also need to get my blood tests done.  I definitely need a lithium level and a chemistry panel.  My eyes aren't yellow and I'm urinating fine, so I think my liver and kidneys are fine, but Doc has to check anyway.  My hands shake most of the time, and I have tinnitus (a side effect of the lithium), which generally indicate a nice and steady .6 (low end of OK scale).  I don't have any toxic symptoms (the tremor isn't too bad) but Doc has to check that too. 

I am sure you are all really sick of me bitching about my fatigue.  I am always bitching about my fatigue.  Maybe I am anemic.  So I'm thinking of getting a blood count done too just to see if I am anemic. 

Ron kind of freaked out when I told him I might be anemic, until I told him that just means I need to eat more red meat. 

So, if I have the money (I need to count what I have "in my pocket"), I plan to go to the blood test lab next week and get the 3 tests run.  It will probably cost me around $200 or less to get them done.  Not bad. 

The lab takes cash so I don't have to worry about my debit card number being stolen AGAIN like it was at the OTHER lab.  They are really good at giving me the stick, too.  I always tell them they have to tie it off, hard, and slap it a few times to make it "present".  Once they do that they can see it and do the stick.  It's a good vein, I gave almost 3 gallons of blood, you just have to know the trick. 

That's it for tonight. 

Tomorrow we have plans to go to Carl's Junior, early, and get a breakfast burger, yet another burger with egg on top.  The egg, in all cases, is always fully cooked before the cook deposits the egg on the (fully cooked) hamburger patty. It's really good.