How the time flies....

That's another song title, isn't it?? I'm positive that it is.
Anyhoo...
Three years ago today, I was driving home from East Dundee, Illinois. On the way home, I pulled into various rest stops along the way and took pretty restful kitty naps in my truck. And all the way home, I was still reeling from having met Dick Biondi in person. Oh, to have a moment like that in my life again...while we're all still alive!!!
Today...my hemoglobin is 10, which is low even for a dialysis patient!! Which means...remember, last night, I said I must be anemic, because I feel anemic?? I was right on the money, again!! No wonder my doctor thinks I should do "PD" at home. I make a pretty good self-nurse. What do they call that, when you aren't officially a nurse, but you have to be your own nurse??? That'd be "self-nurse", right??? I'd think so.
Geez!!! I'm anemic alright. I just hope I don't need another blood transfusion!!! Why am I anemic, you ask?? Well...my "PD" catheter was bleeding an awful lot this week. Now, most people have at least one good kidney to make new blood for them. In the absence of ANY kidney whatsoever, I tend to get anemic pretty easily.
So, there ya have it. That might explain why I should be looking for a donor...
I got off on a tangent, and thanks for letting me do so...but, back to my donor search.
Type A or O.
California, preferrably, as I hope to not have to travel, nor do I want my donor to have to travel here from out of state.
Training for "PD" starts tomorrow, so I'll be VERY busy for a week or so.
Must run for now, as we're going to take an early-evening walk (early for us, that is).
And, I have another headache, so......
In case I don't come back here tonight...
Good night, sweethearts, good night!!!!
Love ya!!
Ta-taaaaaaa, for now!!
(pooferoni)

Three Years Ago Tonight....Wow, has it been that long???

Yes, it has been that long.
8:00pm, July 28, 2006, I found myself in the same room as the "Wild I-tralian"--Dick Biondi. In case you had no idea, he's a living legend, and still on the radio in Chicago.
Now I've heard that it is possible for someone to absolutely light up a room just by being in it...but I hadn't actually seen this happen until I met Dick, and I haven't seen this again since.
Dick is a wonderful person, and he's even more wonderful in person. He and I must have hugged each other at least 10 times that night. One or two of those times, he was in the outfit pictured.

When Dick learned that I was the same person who had emailed him a few times previously...and that I had driven there all the way from San Diego...I'm not really sure if I HAD to catch him, but I did; I held him up.
What an unforgettable night. The question is...was my trip worth it??? Well, of course!! If I can jump on the chance to see, and hug, Dick Biondi in drag...it's worth it! Would I do that again?? NO!! For a long trip...next time, I'm flyin'!!! I don't care how much I don't care for the heightened security at the airport. Next time, I'm flyin', if it would be more than a six-hour car ride!!
Er....ah....Dick, if you happen to run into my blog here...first of all, remember it IS my blog...second, sowwy about that picture there. But, after all, I wasn't the only person that night who saw that.
Besides...look at my Blogger photo, and there's Dick, in his regular outfit. ;-)
Now...what else was there....I don't remember. I feel like I'm dragging tonight.
I may have to start testing my own hemoglobin. I can NOT believe that I'm not anemic at this moment!!!! I feel sooooo damn anemic right now; forgive me.
Must be time to say~~
Good night, sweethearts, good night!!!
Love ya!! Thanks for stopping by!!
(poofski)

By the way, this was Utah...three years and three days ago.

That reminds me, I took this picture in Utah. Er...ah...the date on that SHOULD be Monday, July 24, 2006!! Look, Ma, no traffic!!! Now there's a sight you don't see often, unless you happen to live where there's no traffic. Geez...goddamn flimsy paint there (on my hood). See why I have a big sanding and painting job ahead of me??
OK; now, I am outta here, till later...or tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I have to see my "PD" nurse early, then I have a "post-op" appointment, with the surgeon who put my new "PD" catheter in, and then I have two appointments over in the Transplant Center, so thank goodness, we're getting the ball rolling again on getting re-listed at Sharp.
In case I don't come back tonight,
Good night, sweethearts, good night!!!
(poofski)

Memories of Greater Chicagoland~~

On my trip, I took these pictures, both of which are in Greater Chicagoland. One is a Speedway station (get a load of THAT advertising..."Always Fresh Coffee"...at the pump??? HAA!!), and the other is the room that I stayed in, in Elgin. I took these on July 28, 2006. The shot of my room was my final look at it, in person, that night.
Enjoy!!
I'm posting this one "on the go", as we're about to take a comparatively-early evening walk.
Three years ago today, I rested, and watched the clearly Midwest thunderstorm happening outside, so thankful that I had nowhere to go until the next day, when it miraculously was a lovely (but HOT) day.
Three years ago tomorrow...well, you'll just have to come back tomorrow to find out about that. But, if you're thinking that a certain "Wild Itralian" was in my plans, you're absolutely right. Boy, Chicagoans ARE spoiled as hell!! It's not like San Diego, or Cleveland, or anywhere else, has a DJ who is willing and able to host a sock hop...at all!!
OK; off we go...into the wild blue yonder.
Ta-taaaaaaaaaaaaa, for now!!
Laytah, my darling gaytah!
Thanks for stopping by!
(poofski)

Aaaaaahhhh...Elgin, At Last

After a night in, I believe, Omaha, NE, I found myself energized enough to drive the rest of the way to where I was headed, which was the Days Inn in Elgin.
After having already gone through the life-sized rollercoaster called The Rockies, Nebraska and Iowa seemed like nothing to drive through...except that the speed limit on the highway in those two states is 70 mph, and trucks are not required to slow down and stay in the right-hand lane...so essentially, EVERYONE gets to go 70 mph, in EVERY lane. For me, this was a bit of a challenge, as my transmission was already starting to show signs of wearing. I did the best that I could, but sometimes it didn't seem to shift up into a higher speed for me, and I found myself going relatively slow, considering how people seem to want to go faster than the posted speed limit.
I remember making a few stops along the way, one being in Iowa, where I had one of my tires checked. I must have thought it looked low or something.
And, three years ago today, was when I drove past the highway sign for a town called What Cheer, Iowa. Boy, I had to do a double-take when I saw that one!
Finally, come evening, I entered Illinois. Aaaaaahhhhh...the Midwest...that I hadn't seen since 1997.
By the time I got into Illinois, it was already starting to get dark.
I entered greater Chicago shortly after midnight. This was where, and when, I accidentally went off-roading, for 2 of the scariest seconds of my life since I left the Rockies. Long story short, my headlights just weren't bright enough to carry me through the rural backroads of greater Chicago after midnight...so I ended up going off the road, quite by accident, and went right back on the road as fast as I could.
Finally, around 1am on July 27th, 2006, I arrived at the Days Inn in Elgin, IL...and took the rest of the day off, so I would be rested up enough to enjoy what I went out there for in the first place.
Naturally, I'll finish this tale! I'm on a roll here.
But...we're gonna take a late stroll around the neighborhood in a minute here, so I gotta run.
Good night, sweetheart, good night!!! Love ya!! Thanks for stopping by!!
Ta-ta, for now!
(poofski)

Seats, Anyone???

One more idea quickly before I turn everything off and get my beauty rest.
Anyone want some leather seats?? They're in pretty good shape for their age (came out of a 1989 Toyota Cressida). As I once put in an eBay listing, get creative. You could use these for living room seats...or seats for some other room.
The other thing is, I have some other spare parts left over from when we had a 1983 Cressida and a 1985 Supra. Just thought I'd mention it. Check CraigsList, San Diego. I have several listings there, including these seats.
Thanks for considering, or at least reading!!
Now, I really DO mean, Good night...ta-ta...etc.
Love ya!!
(poofski)

"Over, Under, Sideways, and Down"

So if I ended yesterday in Avon, Colorado, that meant that I drove through the rest of Colorado today, three years ago. July 25, 2006. What a drive!!!! As the song title says, "Over, Under, Sideways, and Down". Geez!! I'd give anything for that adventure again, BUT at the time, I thought I was gonna die! Thank goodness, I made it through, ending the day in Nebraska, I believe. Yes. Nebraska. I drove through Colorado, just missing Denver, as I was on I-76--just west of Denver. This is a beautiful country. I can't believe I actually drove through so much of it!
And, by the way, my transmission problem is NOT caused by that gear selector switch. So, we're back to Square 1. We figured we'd analyze that part of the situation ourselves...my sweetheart and myself. Thank goodness I do have someone here who cares about me, and who also happens to know how to work on cars more so than I do. Too bad neither of us are equipped to handle this particular transmission. There WILL be a solution to this; I just have no idea what at this moment.
No wonder I'm so tired. It's after midnight, and I didn't get a nap in today.
So....
Good night, sweetheart, good night!!! Love ya!!
Best wishes, ta-taa, etc.
(poofski)