It's still too early in February for any updates. please check out the fun from last month

As crazy as last month was, this month hasn't been any easier - actually it's been a lot worse. I've been putting off posting some of what's been really going on, because even though I could see some of this coming, I wasn't really able to stop most of it, and so, just tried to ignore it.

Let's take a look at my finances first. When I quit working for Waikems last year, my bills were all caught up and stayed that way until the end of the year. However since 2004 started, things have been different. I probably should have put off, for another month, purchasing my leather jacket. Although my friends and family contributed quite a bit, I had to add $70 to get the coat I did (well worth the deal for $100 off, and it has a removal liner - nice for here in Ohio).

Along with quitting Waikems and purchasing the jacket, I was starting to be sick some. That meant, I didn't aggressively market myself in my new position of "Computer Tutor". No clients means no money. So now, my finances are fried. I've been able to make enough payments to each of my utilities, etc. to keep everything on; but usually I've been making the payment on the day scheduled for shut-off and praying that I beat the service man home with my receipt. Of course, this isn't really catching me up (especially that gas bill - it's been so cold up here that I really have been considering moving back South. LOL)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep things together until March, like I thought I could. Being so sick really screwed up things. I still have heat and there's a ton of food in the frig; but I've had my cable/internet disconnected. But that didn't happen until the end of the month. Keep reading.

To make matters worse, I just alluded to something else in the above paragraph, that has gone wrong - my health. Okay, I take some blame for what's happening to me. You know, I have just hated my meds. It seems that although each batch has gotten better (and with fewer pills), there are always "just enough" side-effects, that eventually I begin to start skipping doses. It happens in a gradual process, until one day I realize that I am no longer being 98% compliant, as is needed with these meds, and I just stop taking the meds altogether. Although this pattern guarantees me a great summer (it's easy to go to Cedar point when you don't take meds that make you feel like puking. Heck, you can even work a job when you don't feel that sick. LOL), it seems to catch up with me by the time my birthday comes rolling along each year.

Ah, but reason and logic reared their ugly heads, and I pulled my head out of the sand in time. (I hope!) Before I got sick enough to spend another birthday in the hospital, I got up the nerve and returned to my doctor. He was very nice, although perturbed by the way I keep falling off of his treatments. I'm glad that he hasn't been madder at me, although he probably should. Inside I "know" that I need to keep on some sort of meds, but I hate the sick feelings, and all the mental BS that goes along. (You know, I really thought that I would have passed away about 8 years ago; so even though I'm very glad to still be among the living, I haven't planned on this and it's a mind-trip to say the least.) And, it's not like the medicines have been all that great anyway; most of them have made me sick with headaches, rashes, and lots and lots of nausea.

Now all those meds are gone, and the doctor has prescribed a new regime; but one that just might work. Instead of 28 pills a day, and trying to remember if it's 1 hr. before food or two hrs. afterwards, the new regime consists of only 8 pills - 3 first thing in the morning (I don't eat breakfast and this takes care of the meds that I cannot take with food), then another 5 with lunch and I'm done for the day. WooHoo! Like I told the doctor, this plan sounds much better. Worse comes to worse, if the meds make me barf, then that's only twice a day that it might happen, instead of 8 times a day. ROFL

My troubles don't end there though. I've had a devil of a time trying to get my new medicines. Unfortunately the personnel at Human Services are idiots and the most un-helpful people that I've ever had to deal with. At my last interview with Human Services, I still needed to give them more papers (so that I might qualify for Food Stamps). Although I mailed in the papers twice, my case worker still never received them, so I hand-delivered them to the office. Just before the doctor's visit, I got a call from a social worker (she deals with the "Ryan White Fund" which helps covers meds and other things) informing me that she had been notified that my case was closed! After a week and a half of calling several times a day to my HS caseworker, her aide, her supervisor and the manager over 15 days, only 2 calls were ever returned!. I was in such a despair about this by one day that I was ready to just throw in the towel. It just didn't seem worth all this effort, especially when I was so sick and that damned thrush had re-appeared (I could hardly speak cause the thrush was making me hoarse); but the very nice social worker at Trillium, Vicki, was just too peppy and helpful to let me give up.

A sick day cam-shot

After much hand-wringing, calling, complaining, and even whining (I called the HS case worker's voice mail all weekend and kept telling her that I was still sick with no medicine because of her!), finally my case was resolved (for the last 10 years, I've been in the same house, with pretty much the same car; poor, with the same income; and sick with the same HIV. There has been no won lottery, or miracle cure, so they were legally bound to assist me all along. I'm the one that had to suffer while they screwed around.) and I was issued a medical card so that I could fill the prescriptions that the doctor and given me two weeks previous.

BEFORE	AFTER

As you can see from the BEFORE and AFTER shots above, the amount of pills has been dramatically reduced. And ALLLLL the bad ones are gone. WooHoo!

Well, that's not quite true though. After taking these meds for about four days, I got very, very sick. I can't remember being this sick before. Surely I was this ill one of those times that I was hospitalized; but this sure seemed worse! It's the 26th as I'm writing this now, and I'm feeling pretty good. (well, much better than a week or even 2 weeks ago; but still not well by any stretch) I saw the doctor yesterday for just a check-in, and now there's nothing to do but take my meds and get my next blood work done right after my birthday (March 14th, in case you need to add that to your calendars. I'm turning 42. )

Now that I'm feeling better, it was time to get out and about again. First stop: DO's. Of course! I love her cookies! (that's the truth and an inside joke) I also love her little doggie, Rosita, who is growing right up. She's about 6 months old now, and cute as a bug... and not much bigger. ROFL

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Feeling somewhat better here at the end of the month, I started to go back to work. I reformatted 3 computers and setup a printer and webcam. My friend Sharyn was one of my clients, and these are her little kittens, Merlin and Morgana.
Morgana	Merlin
The kitties checking out my doggie smells

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	Next stop was Jim's house! And more cats! As you can see, the kitties have missed me alot this last month. I haven't seen them since the sledding adventure last month. MouseOver Surprise LOL
me and my buddy
Jim and his catz

While I was at home (and not barfing in the bathroom, or bundled up on the couch), I was thinking of my friends over at Expert Auto. Luckily, through the magic of the internet and webcams, I could see them and chat; but that's not like being there in person. Below you can see the shot from the cam and also a picture of the cam!

	View from the Cam
	MouseOver the big picture for a closer view of the cam

So while I was at home, sick and thinking of my EAC friends, I designed several different ad campaigns for them to consider. I mean, they are buying TV time to run MY commercials!
After seeing a lady on the Food Network (the show "Unwrapped") create "cookie baskets", I wondered if I couldn't create a similar product. Here's the preliminary sketches of a cookie car/building with cookies-on-a-stick attached.
My kidz were on hand as "official" Tasters. Or so they claimed.
	The "cookie-on-a-stick" part of the project works out well.
Icing and putting the pieces together
The Finished products
If you have Word installed, you can click here to see the whole "As the Cookie Crumbles" ad campaign that I proposed.

I've decided that next year, I will just skip February. Y'all can do what you want; but the month is just plagued with problems and too damned cold!! ROFL Thanks to DO this month! Not only did she bake those delicious cookies ; but she loaned me the bucks I needed to get back on the Net. WooHoo! Now, quick! Get outta here and hurry into March!! LOL