I'm Ba-a-a-ack...

As Elton John once sang, "The bitch is back..."  Once I had given up on home internet access it became very difficult to blog on any kind of regular schedule.  For the most part I prefer to spout off extemporaneously.  I never could get used to creating posts on my lap top and then uploading them later.

Then I purchased a smart phone and had internet at home again, albeit it without a keyboard and on a very tiny screen.  This too proved too much for my blogging skills.

However, I finally investigated on unused function on my phone - "3G Hotspot" - and stopped into the Verizon store today to see what the added cost would be.  Turns out that for $20.00 a month I can now use my phone to create a wireless connection in my house and Bob's-Your-Uncle my lap top is ready to go and so am I.

Let's see...updates.

Health:  I am almost completely weaned off the prednisone - down to 2 mg a day.  Hopefully, the weight that I gained last summer will begin to slip off.  I have a grossly swollen left forefinger.  I am back now with the local rheumatologist and she concurs that my level of pain is better than advancing to the next level of treatment, which for me would involve preventative meds to avoid hepatitis.  I use pain meds every night and can live with this level of disability.  As there is a strong correlation between my autoimmune disease and inflammatory bowel disease I am now also seeing a GI doctor and he has scheduled my very first colonoscopy for July 2.  I'm back to oral meds only in controlling the diabetes.  

Work:  All I will say is that the hospital has been sold and they are hammering out the deal.  That is stressful but as this is a public blog I will not say any more about it.

Travel:  I finally took a well needed vacation and did a 1500 mile road trip.  I zipped over to Minnesota and visited with my good friend Lisa.  I also bought some fat man clothes as I am too large these days to shop at the local stores.  I highly recommend J.C. Penney's Big and Tall section and with the Ellen DeGeneres thang - they are the latest GLBT Corporate Heroes.  From there I headed due south on US 63 all the way across Iowa and into Missouri where I had my very first Internet/Blog/Facebook meet up with my awesome cyber-Sistah Maria.  I too was HER first house guest in her newly renovated space.  From there I headed through Illinois and stopped over night at the folks' house to have a family birthday dinner on the first day of my Jubilee year (yes I will turn 50 next birthday).  It was the first time the family was all together in quite awhile. I also got to meet my youngest niece for the first time.  I took Frankie with me.  I had a bit of a scare a month or so ago and want to have some quality time with him before he crosses the rainbow bridge.

Animals:  Frankie is hanging in there - he'll be 15 in July.  Skittles is doing great.  Both of them have been started on Rimadyl though for arthritis pain.  Not sure it's helping Skit though which leaves us wondering why she's not fully weight bearing on her left back leg.  The other girls are doing fine.  Abby the cat continues to hang in there despite her FLV diagnosis from over 16 months ago.

That's enough for now.  I'll put up a link on Facebook but please tell your friends that Renzo is back.

Peace.