Resuming

Hi.

So much for writing every day. There are more days, however.

To recap, I did say everything from my last entry to the medicine man, and he made some unintelligent sounds, like “I could take those meds and they wouldn’t hurt me,” right before saying “Well, I wouldn’t take them because of the toxicity.”

Hmm.

That was the HIV doctor. After my visit with him, I told my regular doctor (whom I hardly ever see) that I had decided to stay on the drugs. “Better living through chemicals,” I told him. He grimaced wryly. Then he said, “You have emphysema.” I had gone to see him because I had been having trouble ‘catching my breath’ so to speak. Actually it felt as if my lungs had gone away to the islands and left me here alone with lots of air which I could move in and out, in and out voluminously, but to no avail. Damn lungs.

So now, in addition to obscenely expensive HIV meds, my health plan can pay for one of those cool tiny aerosol cans with ozone killing stuff in it which I spray onto the infinitely sensitive tissue of my lungs (which apparently have become a little less than infinitely sensitive, one might even say a tad leathery).

Spray, spray, spray.

I also told my regular doc that I would appreciate it if he could get a pharmaceutical company rep to come to my house. He suspected the reason before he asked, but he was being polite; “Why?” he asked. “Because they’re all so damn cute.” “I knew it!” he said. Then he laughed out loud.

I like that.

Also, I have been updating my links (they should be over on the left, unless you are reading this a hundred years from now, in which case they probably do not exist any more). And I have been updating myself. I have been re-reading one of the sites I used to visit daily—way back when I wrote daily. I’ve covered most of the last two house moves that John (the oldgreypoet) has made since I stopped reading, and I am halfway through re-reading the entire last year of his journal.

I do life like I do laundry—I wait for it to accumulate unattended, then I try to catch up all at once.

I thought I would get up to date with the Journal of a Writing Man, then resume this one. But something moved me to put off no longer.

While checking the old links I was restoring (over on the left there, unless… oh, nevermind) I happened to visit the one archive page that contains exliontamer’s first reference to me. Flattery will get you a long way with me, and I was very moved by his sentiment (which, significantly, I had completely forgotten. Flattery; though I love it, I am very uncomfortable with it). But what he was referring to was probably the best hundred words I ever wrote. If I do say so myself.

And so, I have resumed the silly meds (which might possibly be better than nothing). I have resumed reading John, the Old Grey Poet, and in addition to him, I have resumed reading a few of my old friends who I lost along the way (on the left, unless…).

And I have resumed writing. See you tomorrow.