Medicine

The last visit to my internist, Dr. Buch at the Kaiser Medical Center, suggested that since I was on the absolute smallest dosages of the pills that he prescribed, I could discontinue taking those pills. I had thought that since I was feeling so well and doing so well on the pills that I would continue. About a week ago I decided not to and I am pleased with the results. They must have had a slight side effect because I feel even better after about a week of not taking them. I am still using the eye drops prescribed by my ophthalmologist Dr. Rosen. The only pills now are vitamins recommended by my doctor.

This Sunday

This Sunday will be about the same as most of what they have been in the past. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be about the same for me. The main activity will be attending the UU church and a trip to Ralph’s grocery store. The weather has been good for quite a long time and I will enjoy being out in it.

Drama on DVD

Secrets and Lies a DVD drama that I highly recommend.

Plot outline: Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower class white woman, who denies it; the emotions run high as everyone’s secrets are exposed. 1996

Eight star rating (8485 voters).

It is a drama of an English family people with emotions, breathtaking and rich in humor. View it you and you will like it!

Drama on DVD

Secrets and Lies a DVD drama that I highly recommend.
Plot outline: Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower class white woman, who denies it; the emotions run high as everyone’s secrets are exposed. 1996
Eight star rating (8485 voters).
It is a drama of an English family people with emotions, breathtaking and rich in humor. View it you and you will like it!

It has been one year

It was one year ago, on January 27 that I moved into 1225 Princeton apartment D. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. It was a good move. I enjoyed 1440 23rd St. but you never know what something else is like until you have tried it. I am looking forward to and other great year.

Unit next door

The unit C next door has been rented. Of all the people that came to see the unit was, Anna Buttnay, was the most interest in living there and I thought her the most acceptable. Anna and her three year old son Alfonse will be moving in on February 1. The rent is $1295. That means the move-in expense is $1295 x 2 = $2590 + $30 for a credit report. I am sure that they will be happy there. I am sure that the other renters will be pleased to have them.

If that unit had been offered me at the $900 price that I now pay I would not have accepted. It is much more roomy and would be better suited for company, but I’m well please with my unit.

The left eye

The injection in the left from Dr. Rosen at Kaiser’s Medical Center today was about the same procedure for age related macular degeneration as the last five. The doctor is using the newest drug Avastin. The previous injection in the left eye did considerable good. The doctor said I was to come in again in one month just for a check. The new drug is effective for a longer time than the previous drugs. I am getting close to being able to read normal reading material with that troublesome eye.

TV

Today I wrote a check for $79, that check was the first money I have ever paid for television repair. The circumstances are that I agreed to the leg work to get a 42-inch plasma TV repaired. As Nick’s mother was cleaning out her son’s unit next door, she did not know what to do with the not working TV. The technician came out from American Electronic Specialists with a charge of $72 for the consultation. He agreed with me that it should be the power supply that needs to be replaced. They will give an estimate of the cost of replacing the power supply, expected to be under $400. The $79 would be deducted. That $72 seems like a lot. But I remember that our service call fee was $7.50, and things are about 10 times more expensive that they were when we were in business. The figures explain why the money that was saved for retirement does not go as far as had been expected. Norma and I had always been thoughtful and saved some money. We are also careful how we use our assets. I am thankful that we seem to have an adequate amount.

The rental unit.

This is the second weekend that the apartment next door, apartment #C, has been for rent. There have been maybe 20 people looking at the unit. Most people took a credit statement to be returned to the property manager. So far as I know, only about three have been returned. Anyone of those three would make a good neighbor. I would expect the unit to be rented by the first of February. People need a place to live and so property should not be vacant. But I have to have admit a vacant property next door has some advantages.

The left eye

Yesterday I was at the Skribal Center to check on devices for people with limited eyesight. The devices were primarily for magnification so that one could read. They had remarkable and innovating equipment. The result was that I found out was that none of the devices would enable me to read with my left eye.

This Tuesday I go to Kaiser Medical Center in West LA for another treatment by Dr. Rose with Astivan. I believe that with it and a couple more treatments and I will be able to use the left eye for reading. With a good right eye I am able to function without any problems.

An active life

Today was the day to get the laundry done at the laundry located on Santa Monica and Chelsea. The following are some of the other thing that took place. Stopped for coffee and pastry at a small French eatery, went to the US bank for some money from my ATM account, to the Sav-On Drugstore for some supplies, to the Goodwill thrift store to check out what they have for sale, spent some time at the new library and checked out a book Crazy Horse by Larry McMurtry and had dinner at the cafeteria of the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center. Even when you are retired life is still a busy thing

Doctor's examination

Yesterday’s visit with Dr. Buch at Kaiser Medical by my primary physician did a physical examination. He found nothing during the examination to have concerned. He reviewed all of the medications and decided that I could discontinue taking them if I wanted. I am doing so well and the doses are at the absolute minimum and at those doses could cause no ham. I will continue with them. He wanted a few blood samples taken just for references.

Doctor's visit

Today at 3:30 p.m. I will be at the office of Dr. Buch at Kaiser Hospital. It is a routine visit with my primary doctor. Dr. Buch goes over thet medicines I am taking and discusses my physical conditions. I doubt that he will find anything that might require a change

Check yesterday's blog for its comment.

Babies

Today was unusual. It was unusual because during my day of volunteering at St. John’s Medical Center I got to see a five-day old baby girl Audrey and to see Brent and Paige’s one-hour old baby girl, not yet named. It is good to see new life and the future.

Last Week

Last week was a good week. Was asked out to breakfast at The International House of Pancakes on Thursday, invited for dinner at Le Petit on Friday and enjoyed a good steak. Kathy Mc Carthy Dick Spindler’s mother, came down from Santa Barbara to clean out his apartment and get it ready for sub-leasing. I was some help to her and benefited by getting an almost new 27-inch TV. It is hard to believe that the old TV that was purchased before 1988 still had a superior picture. I knew that it could not last forever, and it was time to look for a newer model. I have shown unit-C many times, and believe that a new sub-leaser has been found.

Sunday

Sunday was another good day, nothing special, nothing to new happening but interesting enough for me. The weather was clear and bright after a light rain on Saturday morning. It may have been the coolest day of the year, 44 low, 61 high.

The open house

The open house for the rental of apartment C, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. went well. A number of people checked the unit. Four people took a credit application to fill out and return. The one that impressed me the most was Sunny, a young lady. At my age almost all women are young ladies. She was concerned about how noisy neighbors are. I told her I was a neighbor next door and was noisy, Chris is the neighbor in unit B and is also quiet. She said, “I like it quiet and like to have a party now and then and invite friends over for a quiet dinner party.” It will be interesting to see who gets to rent the apartment.

Rental next door

Life is to continuing to be interesting. Apartment C next-door, Nick’s unit, has been vacant for a number of months. The one-year lease runs until July. His mother has been getting rid of things belonging to him. His father and mother are separated. His mother lives in Santa Barbara and that makes it difficult for her to find a new renter to take over the lease. I will help by showing the unit and getting an application signed with a $30 deposit for a credit check. I am doing this for them and for myself. My benefit may be in getting a renter that is more suitable. I hope. It was advertised for rent yesterday and this afternoon had nine calls from interested people. The rent is $1295 per month.

Age related macular degeneration

On the second Thursday of each month there is an age related macular degeneration ARMD support group at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. I did not learn much from the discussion of the eye disease. Most of the participants have a worse condition than I. The latest eye treatments do not affect everyone the same. My next appointment with Dr. Rosen for the ejection of Avastin is on January 24. The last treatment was helpful and I assume that the next will be.

TV replacement

I may have fallen into some luck. Nick Spindler my neighbor in apartment C left his schooling and the University of California Pasadena at Thanksgiving, and has not returned. He is living in the San Francisco area and has seriously injured his back. Yesterday, his mother Kathy was here to clean out his apartment and attempt to re-rent. Kathy lives in Santa Barbara. She had invited any of the neighbors to take anything that they could use as she was going to call the Salvation Army, Nick or his mother have no use for any of it. There was a 42-inch plasma HDTV that had not been working and so it would be no use to the Salvation Army. I am so pleased to have it as I know that someday my TV will need to be replaced. It has no sound, no picture and my TV experience reminds me that in that case it is almost always the power supply. If it were the plasma screen, there would be no sound. I will have it repaired. A few years ago, I would have been able to do that.

Concerning the number 6

This year is 2006

By ages is 86.

Norma and I have been married 60 years.

Norma was born, what I was 6 years old (1925).

When I was 6 years old my appendicitis was serious. A family doctor and others thought my condition hopeless. My grandmother, Elias said, “We will not give up and we will get him the hospital.” She stayed with me for two weeks while I was at the hospital. Grandparents are special people.
Norma and I were married in 1946.

My age at that time was 26.

Norma believes that we had 46 good years of marriage. I believe it was 48.

Norma and I started to live separately in 1996 after 50 years of sharing are warmth in our double bed.

The difference between myself and my oldest grandchild, Ryan and myself is 60 years.

In 1966. I started working for United Airlines.

There are 6 siblings in my family.


I the following information has been gathered from memory, and I believe it to be accurate.

Russell

Enjoyment

Today I spent considerable time doing small chores, some pruning and just enjoy being outside. Those activities are just some of the additional benefits of my being on the ground floor.

A short time ago I installed an outside TV antenna and today I finished making it a professional job. The results of the installation are giving me excellent reception on all of the air channels. I do not see any need for cable-TV. If I wish to watch C-SPAN it is available from the Internet. I do not see the need for CNN news as I did.

Saturday

Yesterday, Sunday, was like many others’ Sunday’s. Breakfast of hotcakes, eggs, fresh fruit and my good coffee is the start of my day on Sunday. UU church, and soup at St. John’s the Center fills up the middle of the day. I had dinner at a restaurant called Rae’s at 29th and Pico Blvd. Blvd. It is only an average restaurant but it is where Nick likes to eat. 60 minutes was part of my evening entertainment.

Yesterday

The new Santa Monica library is very interesting It is going to be a great addition to my weekly routine. I had dinner at a small vegetarian restaurant near library at fifth and Wiltshire, a roll and tuna sandwich was very good. The evening was taken up by watching the DVD Legends Of the Fall. It is a good enough DVD but not good enough be highly recommend.

Weather +

When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.
Quote, by Alice Hoffman

I agree with Alice Hoffman. Our weather yesterday was a high of 84°. Today it is supposed to get up to 67°. There are no complaints. All the vegetation is enjoying the days of warmth and sun after the moisture from last weekend.

On love, the comments will have to come later, to long and to complicated to be treated here.

Audio Books

I have been downloading, listening to and enjoying audio books on my computer from the system operated by the Santa Monica Public Library. The system had been working well and it is now even more effective. I have been able to preview audio books by title, author and narrator. The system that I use is first selecting the narrator that suits me best. Each narrator has about 40 books that he reads so that you have a good choice. The book that I am now listing to is About Schmidt. A book made into the movie by the same name starring Jack Nicholson. I have not seen a movie. I always have something to look forward to.

2000, so far

That looks like a normal day. Nothing unusual is expected. The sun is out bright andthe temperature is expected to be in the mid-70’s. I am feeling better than they did a year ago. 2006 is getting off to a great start.

Wewather

Yesterday morning I checked the weather in all of the areas where the close family live. That he is, Blue Canyon (the lower Sierra Mountains) Paul, Hemet (Elizabeth), Napa (Carl), Sacramento (Lisa), San Bruno (Norma), San Rafael (Stephen), Santa Maria (Wayne), Santa Monica (myself), Welch Village (Southeastern Minnesota) all had precipitation and most had storm warnings. I do not believe that I have ever seen all of us experiencing similar whether at the same time. Northern California had serious rains and flooding. Here in Southern California very little damage from heavy rain. 2006 may be off to a meaningful start. At least we’re all starting off about the same, weather wise.

Wewather

Yesterday morning I checked the weather in all of the areas where the close family live. That he is, Blue Canyon (the lower Sierra Mountains) Paul, Hemet (Elizabeth), Napa (Carl), Sacramento (Lisa), San Bruno (Norma), San Rafael (Stephen), Santa Maria (Wayne), Santa Monica (myself), Welch Village (Southeastern Minnesota) all had precipitation and most had storm warnings. I do not believe that I have ever seen all of us experiencing similar whether at the same time. Northern California had serious rains and flooding. Here in Southern California very little damage from heavy rain. 2006 may be off to a meaningful start. At least we’re all starting off about the same, weather wise.

Joan and Amber's visit +

Joan and Amber stopped by for a visit and the few bites. It has been a rainy day but they seem to be doing just fine. It was nice to have them here. They are going to Disneyland and expect lots of rain, but seem to be prepared and they will have a great time. They reported on the serious flooding in Napa.

The tradition was carried onfrom Norma’s, family of having sauerkraut and pork on the first day of January. I am able to get carnitas, which is a Spanish/Mexican way of preparing pork, and it was a treat.

Happy 2006!

HAPPY 2006!

2005 was a good year for me and I expect 2006 to be another
.
A record was broken, as I stayed up on till 1:30 a.m. to get the year off to a good start. I was invited to see the movie Munich. not a great one.

The rains, so far, have caused very little damage. More tough weather is expected.

Check yesterday's blog for it's comment.