Category Archives: Life

Dear Mobility Van

Dear Mobility Van,

You are the bane of my existence, the mean girls to my Lindsay Lohan character, the Gargamel to my Smurfs. What I’m getting at here is that there’d be no show without you, but wow do you suck.

To be fair, it’s not just you. It’s the entire company we bought you from: Mobility Works. They have mastered neither customer service nor maintenance, and they appear to be confused by social media.

Your door has been broken for many months now, but Mobility Works claims that only half of the door is covered under their warranty, and the rest is Honda’s problem. So, as though following some weird suggestion by a modern day King Solomon of car parts, they fixed only the bottom of your door. We called Honda to see about getting the top part fixed. You know, so the door would work. Honda said they would need the car for at least 2 to 3 days to fix the problem. Mobility van, as much as I dislike you, I do recognize that I can’t spend 2 to 3 days without you. So the door continues to need a manual push. But isn’t it great that the bottom part is fixed?? Read More>

|Categories: Life, Venting | Tags: , , , , | Permalink

Vegas and everything after

Rob was traveling for work this week. He had to go to Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which he has been attending every year since at least 2008. That was the year after I started my first blog, and I wrote the following:

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Rob got back last night at 2am from a trip to Las Vegas where he spent several days communing with tech geeks from around the world at the Consumer Electronics Show. So he started his official birthday morning in an unconscious heap of jet lag, accompanied by Smokey, who does not sleep well when Rob is gone and can finally, finally rest. Which means that tonight maybe I can finally, finally rest.

For his birthday dinner Rob has requested pizza and cake. Yes, that’s right, he’s turning nine.

So for practically a decade, each new year has started out for us with CES and Rob’s birthday. I can see how much has changed just by reading that short post I wrote eight years ago. Rob would leave town for work frequently, and it hardly broke my stride at all. Aside, that is, from dealing with two annoying cats. And given the difficulties we face now, cats don’t seem particularly challenging.

I was 29 when I wrote that post. Read More>

|Categories: Age, Life, Venting | Tags: , , | Permalink

Saving Face

I’m having a hate–hate relationship with my Trilogy, which is the BiPAP machine I use to breathe at night. Except, do I actually use it to breathe at night? The fact that I’m unclear about this is the biggest part of the problem.

Back in June, I was in the ER and then the ICU for a case of pneumonia. I had already been told that my breathing levels were on the decline, and the illness didn’t help. I left the hospital with both a cough assist and the Trilogy, and I was told to use the latter every night.

Friends with ALS told me to try the nasal pillow mask, because it was the smallest and most manageable. Little plastic “pillows” fit into your nose and a single strap wraps around your head. Air blows directly into your nostrils all night. But it didn’t work for me, at least not at first, because my mouth kept popping open, shifting the air around and waking me up. So I opted for a full face mask, not unlike an imprisoned serial killer who eats his victims. That’s right, I said his. It was not a good look for me. Read More>

|Categories: Doctors, Life, Vanity | Tags: , , | Permalink