There's no Need to Fear... Underdog is Here

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Today was a bit sobering.  I had a billion things to do, and a schedule to keep.

Annie and I walked the 6 blocks to Walgreen's, to put some money on my Clipper card.  When you hear the double beep on the bus, it means there's no more money on your card and you're very regretful about being so judgmental about people who get on and don't pay.  I soothe my conscious by asking the driver if there's a Walgreen's on his route.  I used a gift card that a friend of Michael's sent me.  Thanks, Joanne!  He needs to make more friends like that...  :-)

I also needed a printout of how much I'm paying for my meds, which is not very much at all.  Five dollars is the most I pay in co-pays.  Yesterday, I had a neurology appointment, and am going to start Copaxone again... and paying 5 bucks for a medicine that costs between 4 and 5 thousand bucks a month is a miraculous thing.  Not gonna complain.

Speaking of the neurology appointment, we picked up where we left off last March, when I had a spinal tap.  Somehow, I fell thru the cracks and haven't seen a doctor for MS issues since last March - mostly my fault because I didn't follow-up, but they didn't call me with what they were spose to do either.  We left off with needing a follow-up on the results of the spinal tap, needing a spinal MRI, and seeing a specialist.  I was sick to death of appointments at that point, and then Michael moved in, and my mind was elsewhere.  Like how to make more space in the apartment.

So, now I know that the spinal tap shows that yes, I have MS.  I'm re-starting Copaxone, IF Medicare/Medi-Cal will cover it - she wasn't sure if it would.  The specialist is scheduled for February.  Someone will call me to schedule the MRI on my spine.  I'm re-starting Occupational Therapy for helping me with walking and not falling.  I fell 3 times yesterday when getting ready to go to the doctor.  She gave me her email address, and told me to be VERY pro-active by emailing her to remind her and to make sure I don't fall down the crack again.  There's a whole lotta falling going on around here...

Back to today.  I forgot to get quarters for the laundry at the bank right next to Walgreen's.  So much for being organized.  We walked back home, and collected the free food box for my neighbor down the hall, cause I am his "proxy", which is a fancy word for someone who does something for someone else because they can't for whatever reason.  Then I cancelled my appointment at 11:30am, cause I was over-whelmed with too much to do.  It's for volunteering at a rescue for senior dogs.  I decided to wait till I get Annie's shots up to date, so that I don't bring home any diseases to her.  That's scheduled for next Thursday, and it's FREEFREEFREE cause of P.A.W.S.  !!!  Tomorrow, I have a training for volunteering at P.A.W.S. at 10:30am. 

Back to the REAL reason for today's post, for heaven's sake.  I finally went to the Apple store to test drive an iPhone because I'm losing my eyesight, and need a phone that talks to me, and does texts to voice and voice to text, etc.  Before I left tho, I got on the computer to find which bus route to take, and I couldn't see the text on the screen.  I couldn't see the text on my phone.  I couldn't see the text on my transit map.  So I had to call Michael, hoping he'd know which bus to take.  The J to downtown.  Okay, I can do that.  As I waited for the bus, I was freaking out about my eyesight.  Not being able to see the computer was new.  I also can't see the menu on the TV, which is about 8 feet away from me.  I could see it a week ago.  I can SEE, but everything is blurry to extinction.

So today was the first day I really realized that there's a problem.  Knowing it and accepting it is a whole can of worms I don't want to deal with, but it's kinda in my FACE and won't go away.

Next thing I know, Annie is staring intently down the sidewalk... her MICHAELMICHAELMICHAEL LOOKLOVEYIPPEE HE'S HERE and she forgets she's MY service dog.  He had come from the library, and knew where'd I'd be cause he's the one who told me which bus to take... He said he'd go with me, which is unusual for him.  I normally am fine with doing stuff on my own, and don't need help, but today, I felt so relieved to not be alone while I was going blind right before my very eyes...  since he came out of nowhere, that's where I got "There's no Need to Fear... Underdog is Here".  That's what it felt like.  He's got my back and I sooo appreciated it.


So we test drove the iPhone 4, the 4s, and iPhone 5.  We have a winner with either the 4s, or the 5, which means it's not a free update.  The iPhone 4 would be free, but I need Siri and after talking to her for awhile, it because clear that she is going to be my best friend.  I could also magnify the text, keyboard, and icons large enough so that I could see them.

We also test drove the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which I LOVED the size of, but it didn't have Siri, and the keyboard was too small, the text didn't grow big and I couldn't see the icons well enough to know what they were.

So... the iPhone it is.  But it's not free.  My upgrade applies to it, so it's not full price, but still pricey for me.  We shall see.

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Success! Fail! Fail! Success! Fail! Success! Fail! Success! Wait. Wha...????

I HATE getting ready to go somewhere. Specially if it requires a shower beforehand cause of over-heating, which complicates the thinking process about getting ready, and getting there on time. So last night, I prepared ahead of time, packing my bag, Annie's bag, making sure I had my datebook, pen, book, poop bags, treats, bus card, ID, hospital card, insurance cards, etc. and that they were handy so I wouldn't have to search for them. My stuff was in a backpack, and Annie's in a purse. Oh, and camera! With new batteries! Doing all this helped ALOT this morning, as I showered and shaved for 3 doctor appointments. Yeah! I was proud of myself as I headed out the door 60 minutes before my appointment. Fifteen minutes for peeping and pooping Annie, 15 for the bus ride, to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time. Thirty minutes was a good buffer for the various lines you have to stand in at the hospital, cause so far, I'd never had trouble with late buses. All was well. Score! Hip hip hurray! Yippy skippy!

We walked to the bus shelter and saw the bus was arriving in 4 minutes. Success! I planned correctly! Yea for me! Yea for Annie peeing and pooping according to plan! I stood within arm's reach of the corner of the bus shelter and noticed I'd dropped the leash. As I bent down to pick it up, the bus drove by. As in... it did not stop! Wha....? Ummm... The next one would be in 10 minutes. So we walked ahead a couple of blocks to the next bus shelter, thinking, hmmm, that was my first legitimate bitch about Muni. Did that make me a bona fide San Francisco citizen?

I was the first in line of about 12 people for the next bus. As I took the first step on the bus and placed my card on the magic fare sucking machine, a black Pomeranian exploded out of this lady's purse, barking it's fool head off at Annie. They were sitting directly behind the bus driver. He looked VERY startled, and jumped out of his seat, looked at the black Pom, and told me I couldn't get on the bus. I stared at him, not sure I had heard what I heard, then told him my dog was a Service Animal.

He: That's too bad, you can't board the bus.

Black Pom: yip yip yap yap yip yip yap yap.

Me: Why not?

Black Pom: yip yip yapyap yip yip yip yapyap yap yap.

He: Her dog boarded first.

Black Pom: yip yipyip yip yip yip yap yap yap.

Me: My dog is a Service Animal. (Surely he knows the law?)

He: You'll have to wait for the next bus.

Black Pom: yip yip yip yap yap yap.

Me: I have 3 doctor appointments to get to, and my dog is a Service Animal.

Black Pom: yip yip yip yap yap yap yap.

(Notice Annie hasn't said anything yet? That's because she's standing with her front feet on the first step, and her back feet still on the sidewalk, gazing calmly at the hysterical Pomeranian)

The Throwdown Bus.  Bring it ON!

 Black Pom: yip yap yip yap yippy skippy you bitch! (Directed towards me or Annie, I'm not sure which)

Now I'm angry. The rules say dogs have to be well-behaved. I wasn't sure about non-service animal rules, but I vaguely recalled that little dogs might have to be in approved airline type carriers, and I was fairly certain that loose dogs had to be leashed (Black Pom wasn't), and I was POSITIVE that they had to be under the owner's control at all times. Leashed and controlled are the Service Animal rules - it stands to reason that would be the minimum for non-service animals? Call me crazy, but I don't think a hysterically yappy little dog that cusses is under it's owner's control.

Me: That dog isn't a service animal, because if it was, it wouldn't be barking like that.

Black Pom: YOU FAT BITCH! (I became sure it was directed towards me) yip yip yip yap yap yap yup yup yup!

He: It's not a service animal, but it boarded first, so you'll have to take the next bus.

Me: (Incredulous) My dog isn't making a sound, but she's not allowed on the bus, and that one is NOT a service dog, and it's allowed on the bus, acting like that???

Black Pom: yippy I yo, yippy I a,  yip yap yap yip yap loser.

He: YOUR dog is making THIS dog bark! It wasn't barking till it saw YOUR dog!

Black Pom: yip yup  yea yip yap yup yap yup yea yes hurray!

At that point, I stepped off the bus, and stared in disbelief at the victorious Black Pomeranian, and something rude slipped out of my mouth - along the lines of the driver being seriously... wrong. I'm also aware that my 30 minute leeway had dipped to 10 minutes, and the next bus wouldn't be for another 10 minutes, therefore making me to the appointment on time, barely. Barring any lines, or further bus incidents.  FAIL. Sucks. Shit. Damnation.

Several of the 10-12 people commiserated with me as they passed by and boarded the bus, and one told me to call Muni to complain. I did, as I walked to the next stop, to save some time.  I am so sure that I am right, and the driver needs to be educated, that I requested a hearing. Am waiting for the call back.

I boarded the 3rd bus, holding my breath, and it was almost empty. Lots of room for Annie! Yea!  I pulled to "Stop Requested" cord at the appropriate time, but he blew past the stop right in front of the hospital, and stopped 2 blocks later!  The walk to the right building would be about 1- minutes if all goes well. As I stood up to offload, my purse dropped on the floor. When I stooped down to pick it up, the bus started moving again. ? "Wait, I'm getting off!!  He drove another block before he let me off! There went my 10 minutes, and I am STRESSED because it takes months to get neurology appointments, and they are VERY strict about being late or missing them. And with the stress, I can feel the numbness, pain, and weakness settling in. FAIL! But for once, I wasn't over-heated. I'd managed to dress correctly! SCORE! I'm such an expert on San Francisco weather, and of MS!!!  Winner!

 I found this shirt at the thrift store for a couple bucks.  I used to cut out the "Love Is" cartoon out of the newspaper growing up, for YEARS.  I still have a bunch of them, waiting to be decoupaged onto some project.  It's the most Valentiny thing I own, so Happy Valentine's Day, peeps. 

I did this jar years ago.

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There Oughta Be a Law #1

There oughta be a law against the return trip on Muni not being the reverse of the departure trip.

After months of taking the bus, and finding my way home again via the exact opposite of how I got there, I've become lax in researching on Google Maps on the return trip on MUNI.  I get off the bus, do whatever I'm doing, and when it's time to go home, I just go to the same bus stop where I got off and wait awhile, and it comes to get me.  We go home the same way, except in reverse.  Easy Peasy.

But today, in my adventure of picking up a couple Freecycle items, it didn't work out that way.  I got to both places A-okay, but getting home was a different story.  I was lost both times, and also couldn't tell where I was north, south, east, west wise.  My sense of direction doesn't exist down here cause there are no mountains.

However, I didn't mind finding McLaren Park and wandering around for awhile.  There was a pond where Annie splashed herself wet as a beaver cept for the part of swimming underwater.  The battries in my camera died, so I didn't get the pond pics.

It was beautiful and reminded me of camping in Idaho.  

 A pinecone.  Lots and lots of pinecomes, but I was afraid to take one home cause there's some law about picking flowers, etc. 

 At some point I dropped my glasses, and had to retrace my steps, and sure enough, I found them!

Annie let the ball get too far/deep in the pond, and she was too afraid to get it cause it meant she'd have to swim.  She did eventually swim out a couple of feet, and turned back to shore.  After much much encouragement, she finall swam out to the ball but then she didn't know how to get it in her mouth without drowning, so she turned back around to shore.  A lady with a black lab came by, and I asked if her dog could get my $13.00 ball.  I didn't think it would see the ball cause it was so far out by now, but the lady threw a rock at the ball, and her dog went out and got it.  The ball - not the rock.  Annie was quite excited and the two dogs played like long-lost friends who hadn't seen each other in 5 years.

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