Everyone loves Romeo and Juliet

OK, so I did do a post yesterday.  After my post, Ron and I went out to dinner.  We had a good ride each way and a nice driver (same one both times). 

We came home, I went to bed.  I slept pretty well, got up, ate some breakfast, and took my pills.  Of course I got a headache a couple hours later.  That seems to be standard right now with the Wellbutrin.  I love it for depression, but, oh, the headaches! 

We went downtown in a small yellow cab.  I asked God for a good driver and we got one.  She drove to Acres Homes and picked up two "slow" women, and took them to their workshops (basically adult day care programs to keep them busy). 

We didn't mind that (we don't live close to downtown, so we knew it would be a long trip), but the roads were terrible and Ron's back didn't like it.  I did get to see they finally finished the road work at De Soto and Antoine, where I have done a lot of evangelism.  It is great, a busy intersection, but in too poor, and too rugged, a neighborhood for the homeless people to frequent. 

On more than one occasion I have had to compete with homeless beggars when I was handing out Bibles.  It was difficult.  The worst part was when people thought I was affiliated with the homeless person. 

Then one of the other passengers started talking about how all fathers want to protect their daughters from sexual predators.  She kept going on about how all dads do this.  It was uncomfortable for me.  Back in the day, Dad met Ron at a restaurant, once, threatened him with prison, then totally ignored me, and Ron, and went back to his workaholic ways.  We had an open door, especially with you know who making up alibis and covering for me.  Even my supervisor at work made up alibis for us.  Everyone loves Romeo and Juliet. 

It would have been interesting to see how things would have turned out had Ron been my age. 

We finally got rid of her and off downtown.  Ron uses a yearly pass for the paratransit service.  It can only be obtained at the downtown office.  It actually goes through a printer and they print Ron's face on it.  They have probably 20K clients in the system, several thousand rides a day. 

But they have only issued about 250 yearly passes in the year since we got our last pass.  And some of them may have been failures to print, so probably even less. 

It costs $418, but is a lot cheaper if you ride a lot.  And hell, a lot of people pay that for a 6 month car insurance or repair. 

It always takes them a while to do up the pass, which is nerve-wracking.  But she came back and had it done.  I told Ron his new pass number, it was similar to the old number.  It wasn't much higher than the old number, which is how I know they don't do a lot of yearly passes. 

Really, only the employed get it, because they ride the most.  The only other person we know with a pass works full time.  A few years ago they were talking about abolishing the yearly pass altogether, but I submitted a comment saying it would discriminate against working clients who used the pass for work.  They must have agreed: they kept the yearly pass. 

That done, we got a snack from the deli.  It was calmer than the "ride store".  The ride store was full of homeless people, and people with disabilities tying to get paratransit service.  One guy was there with his wife.  She was a vegetable, in a wheelchair, totally helpless.  She, I figured, would get service.  The guy on the walker moving strongly?  Probably not. 

They have a public bathroom and a very long line of homeless people waiting to use it to bathe, shoot up, or use the toilet.  I brought a bottle of lysol because I need to pee pretty regularly on the lithium.  And, sure enough, I did.  But it wasn't bad with the Lysol. 

Thank you, SC Johnson. 

Then I checked on my pass.  The date on it says it goes out in February.  The guy helping me said he couldn't issue me a new one, it was "too early".  He was certain.  He was less certain how I would get my new pass.  I told him they mailed me my old pass.  He said they would probably send me my new pass but he didn't know.  He was a lot less helpful than the lady who helped Ron.  I wish I could have got her. 

Anyway, that's 5 months away.  Worst case I can take 2 buses downtown and address the issue in January.  One bus near me goes right to the office. 

And a supervisor, hearing Ron was on site, came down to say hi.  She gave him a hug and told him she always pictured him with a black mustache.  I didn't tell her he used to have one.  She said she figured he had a full head of hair, which he definitely does not!  She was nice, I liked her, and not because she has helped (us) out a lot in the past. 

Then we waited. Our driver was late.  One of our favorite drivers got promoted and was working the information desk with a police officer. 

We saw things like, the young man riding the pink women's bike, carrying a huge duffel bag.   The police officer (yes they had one) said he had to carry the bag, they wouldn't let him leave it (for obvious reasons). 

Then there was the very skinny old lady with the stick/cane.  She had cut down, or someone had cut it for her, a stick into a cane shape.  It was almost as tall as she was, and had a natural bend where she gripped it.  She came in, used the bathroom, and left. 

The police officer had to keep chasing off loiterers.  Some blind guy felt up my butt as I stood at the desk, talking to our former driver.  I stepped on his foot.  If you can see well enough that you don't need a cane, you can see well enough to see there is a woman in front of you. 

I saw virtually every type of disability waiting on rides, to apply for, and renew, their service.  I saw a lot of people with attitudes.  I would not want to work that information desk. 

One guy got really mad when the paratransit information lady took a one-hour lunch.  He was moving fine getting around on his artificial leg, so I don't think he will get service anyway.  They are looking to serve more like the vegetable in the wheelchair. 

Or someone like Ron, blind, and in a wheelchair.  They can only transport so many people. 

The headache hit somewhere around the time they started making Ron's pass, but I had brought some Excedrin and took it while waiting.  I was OK but ready to go home when our ride finally showed. 

And, praise God, it was a straight trip.  Ron's back was screaming and he could barely get in the vehicle.  We got home and I took a nap with Torbie.  It took some coaxing to get her to climb on me today. 

I had to call her, and pat my chest, and call her some more, as I lay in bed.  Finally she put a paw on my chest and looked at me, I encouraged her to get up.  She did.  Then she put her paw on my face and purred for a while, then got up and laid down next to me. 

I had a pretty good nap, but woke up with a returned headache.  I get tired of this, but I would rather have a headache than be depressed.  It WORKS, that's what matters about my antidepressant.  I agree with my doc, there are side effects, and side effects that will kill you.  If it won't kill you don't mess with it. 

So I took something and got online.  Ron is still asleep.  I knew today would take a lot out of him but he did a good job and very little complaining.  It is awful when he tells me his back is raging and there is nothing I can do for it. 

Now to eat some leftovers and take my dinner pills.