April 2, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 2, 2025, another guitarist.
Five years ago today: April 2, 2021, Applegate was easy.
Nine years ago today: April 2, 2017, remember the blaster?
Random years ago today: April 2, 1976, my earliest letter record.

           Is life getting back to a normal pace? Seems like 90 days since any progress. Look at me, watch one rocket launch on TV and I need nine hours sleep. It’s subliminal. Fortified by a breakfast of pork chops and egg on toast, I set out at 10:00AM for my 1:00PM appointment and barely got there on time. Welcome back to Miami, but there is a spot of good news that will have some communities screaming. There are roadside notices that blocking the left lane is illegal, signs that usually mean a crackdown. The law states you just move out of the way if a faster vehicle wants past. The law is not much enforced and you can figure out why. They are handing out $150 dollar fines, at least on the freeways.

           This purposely blurred photo shows my current meds. It’s not as bad as it seems, as many are similar for specific treatment. For example, two are anit-biotics, three are to prevent ulcers or upset tummy, and so on. It is actually only three new meds: tummy anti-ulcer, two anti-biotics, and a treatment against skin infections. That last one played a role in where I am today. Reading the labels, the docs did not like fluid pressures. Relax, as this photo includes my five existing “lifetime” treatments such as anti-diabetic and I did mention the gout preventative. Gout isn’t funny.

           The importance of today is the first of many checkups, this will be ongoing. For the record, it now costs $110 in gasoline for the round trip. My dislike of the grenade is no secret, see addendum for specs. The purpose is to keep fluids away from surgical wounds and they are more careful than ever with my case. I’ve dutifully kept a log and the volume is consistently 23 ml, meaning the docs want the tube left in place, and a trip to checkup every week. Good-bye for now, Tennessee.
           I know how medical is dominating my days, yet there is progress. The $95 pill has an instant effect, along with its terrible moldy taste. It goes to the incision site and creates a slight numbness and tightness, But these are not listed a side effects, so have some healing happening. I record no pain or side-effects except moments of fatigue. Not sleepiness, though certainly a good snooze helps. That is honestly all I have for you this morning.

           While in the Pinecrest library, I called JZ over to look at the number of attempts to access my account. None were successful and most were Google. A surprising number were LinkedIn, a site that was supposed to keep your data secret—but thinks they have a right to the data. They’ve been called out for spyware, which is delivered by MicroSoft via all those fake updates. I warned against the LinkedIn since 2004. Their app was inventorying our hard drives. Since MicroSoft took over, you can presume they are now looking at everything else on your computer.

Picture of the day.
Albanian women’s prison.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           JZ is planning a trip to Punta Gorda in a few weeks. Good, mind you I see him as cooped up all day, but I know all kinds of people who hole up with a TV and think they are relaxing. He has a shopping bag full of Alaine’s gear, so I volunteered to deliver it. I’ve not seen Alaine in months. It’s too big to take on the bus, which is what he’s planned. Into my van and I took 27 to Moore Haven, then CR 74 into Punta Gorda, the scenic path. Alaine met me half-way, near the church where I got my best chop saw.

           She had time for a bite, myself, no tastebuds. Did I mention it comes and goes. It was too early to celebrate when I did. We stopped at an Italian spot and got stuck an extra half-hour by a Gulf downpour. For me, I chose to sample the Italian wedding soup. I’ve only seen it canned and now I like it. Think of it as minestrone with added mini-meatballs. How nice, as could taste it all for that moment. Sadly, little Gogo is gone, age 15 years. Little tyke was blind, I don’t resolve these things well.

           You’ll find few pics this trip as a persistent light rain kept my camera in its case, so I don’t have the name of the restaurant. It’s next to the pizza place on Rampart and Rio de Janiero. But I have all the non-mainstream trivia you want (but this isn’t a trivia site, ha-ha). It is called wedding soup due to a mis-translation. Nope,nnothing to do with weddings. It is just another of those south of the Alps they eat almost daily. Made with chicken stock, I may learn to like it, imagine, an Italian food with no tomato.
           I left early over my well-known aversion to night driving and just made it home to find, get this, a fatigue attack coupled with insomnia. I got to stay awake for hours enjoying nothing. I’m beginning to fathom how the imbecile-making movement was founded.

ADDENDUM
           The grenade is a proper device, called a Jackson-Pratt Bulb Evacuator. I verify that is what it does because the surgery wounds remain dry. I took a peek on-line and was happier because I see I have the smallest or most minor version.

           The unit is well-designed but designed to get in the way. Still, it does the job of keeping fluid away from any healing site, and for the files, the swelling around my chest stitches is going way down.

Last Laugh