Anthony's Odyssey

[sheep]

If it's Menier's causing the dizziness, there are a few things that help a few sufferers. It isn't normally something she will have for the rest of her life. I've had it for a few months. Some days are worse than others; some days are pretty normal too. Never have I had a repeat of the 1st day so every day pales in comparison. I've learned to just live with it. Just don't take your mom on any rides -- not even the Ferris wheel!

 

[Kyanimal]

^ I had to look up Menier's. https://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=meniere's disease I sincerely hope yours is getting better, sheep, buddy!

Here is a link to Vertigo, too. https://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=vertigo

Of course, Mom should know the shortfalls of self diagnosis. However, it's always best to have the most information possible when consulting with physicians ... or anybody, for that matter. (That also goes for politicians in particular, or the even more reliable used car salesman.)

Since you asked, foul ball story: I think it was the summer of 1965. Since I'm an October bundle of mischief, I would still have been 14. Dad's church rented a GreyHound bus to take the men's group, and me, to a Pirate's baseball game in Pittsburgh. It was my first bus ride, and first trip to a stadium. Super exciting! Our block of seats was just a bit left of home base.

Last inning, and as it turned out last batter, Roberto Clemente hit a foul ball, that I recall watching in slow motion, as it soared up off his bat, and headed right for us. It landed in the lap of the man seated directly to my right. Charlie grunted when it hit him. The ball hit the floor, rolled past me, and a couple others, then fell onto the floor of the row in front of us. Someone picked it up, then passed it to someone else, then someone else, who passed it back to Charlie. (Remember, they were all in our group.)

I was so shocked, and thrilled, that I almost peed myself! I remember holding both hands out toward Charlie, who handed me the ball. I do not know, to this day, if he meant to just show it to me, or actually give it to me. In any case, I wasn't about to let it go! (Poor Charlie!)

I had that ball for years. Unfortunately, I have no idea what eventually happened to it. I just know I don't know where it is, now.

Best Of Luck to You and Mom!!
Chaz

 

[flamingo]

Over the past week, I feel that my brain has been spinning from political vertigo. I try to keep well-informed, but it's tough with all the media bias on both sides. The party that prides itself on diversity has given me the choice of 2 old crazy white guys. Bernie Sanders, who doesn't seem to like this country all that much, and Joe Biden, a man who sounds and acts like he keeps wandering away from the nursing home. Or, as Randy calls them, Stadler & Waldorf. Actually, they remind me of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's character, Walter.

Speaking of crazy old white guys, my other choice is Donald Trump. (I see that Chaz is still on the fence ) I've mentioned here before that I don't think Trump is as evil as many portray him as. Yes, he probably has back pain from patting himself so much, and yes, he says things that leave me But, I like his untraditional, unfiltered way of speaking. To me, he is comical in a good way. I understand why many don't like his style, but I think many of his Dem and media critics are as mean-spirited or worse than he is.

I watch cable news, and it is like hearing 2 different worlds. There is the FoxNews world, and the CNN/MSNBC world. Somewhere in between is the REAL world. The hardest part is digging through all the bullshit and hopefully finding the truth.

What the hell happened with Pete Buttigieg? He finished in the top 2 in two of the 4 states that first voted. Then, on the eve of Super Tuesday, I thought he was going to tongue-kiss Joe Biden. Randy calls him a sellout and a suck up. Ash says Pete probably thought he wouldn't reach 15% in enough of the 14 states that day. Still, why not wait until AFTER Super Tuesday to make a decision. Who knows how it would have played out. And Amy K dropping out the day before her home state voted? Huh? She likely would have won her home state. It makes me wonder what sort of sweetheart deal they got from the Biden campaign.

So, there you have this 20 year old's take of the past political week. The election is still 8 months away, if the corona virus hasn't wiped us out by then. Also, I have nothing against crazy old white men. Some of them are my loyal followers here!

 

[Kyanimal]

Dude! You crack me up! Luv ya, bud!!

South Carolina was a wake up call. Pete and Amy are pretty darned sharp. They dropped out realizing they weren't gonna be the nominee, and endorsed Joe before Super Tuesday so he would get their votes and delegates. They aren't Bernie Bros. It worked big time. It's gonna be interesting what happens next.

Sweetheart deals? I don't see Amy or Pete angling like that. They played their cards to support the best chances of their views getting carried forward, not for any personal considerations. Neither of them seem to roll that way. Amy has her Senate seat 'til 2024. Pete is such a natural that he's bound for big things, and rightly so. I'd be willing to bet he'll even have a spot in a Bernie administration. They were looking further down the road, and playing chess, not checkers.

Let's put aside the pundits, and my personal disgust of the Mango Moron. What kind of job has he been doing so far, when not playing golf, at one of his clubs, that the government is getting billed top dollar for, and going into his pocket? Let's see ...

I think the only remaining original members of his cabinet, that haven't been indicted, or forced to resign in disgrace, are Steve Mnuchin, Ben Carson, Betsy DeVoss, and Elaine Chao (Mitch's wife). Everyone else is an unconfirmed acting something or other. That also goes for his White House staff. I think the last count was somewhere around 84 replacements, and/or positions left vacant, in just his first 3 years. Think about that ...

The senior positions of most federal agencies have been decimated, and filled with his unqualified loyal cronies, if filled at all. Look at him askance, and you're fired. Not by him, because he always has someone else do it (coward). His one, and only, concern is his appearance, literally and figuratively. To him it's all about his ratings, and absolutely nothing else matters.

Did you see him at the CDC today? He explained that he didn't think the cruise ship passengers should be released, because that would make the virus case numbers go up (and make him look bad). He thinks they aren't counted if they're not on land. I kid you not! He had no concern, whatsoever, about the well fare of the people! (It's not a good idea to keep healthy folks cooped up with infected ones.) The CDC Director was looking at him like, "What thu FU..??!!!"

Check out the vid. Watch and listen to him on his own. He was claiming things, like the availability of test kits, that were out right WRONG! I never thought I'd feel sorry for Mike Pence. The pretzels he has to twist himself into, walking back Donny's fake "alternative facts", without pissing off the boss, makes me cringe. It's all out there in full view, unscripted, and unspun.

Um K.! I'm done spouting off, for now. It's your decision to make, and I will defend your right to do it with my life, as so many have already. I only ask that you do it with both eyes, and both ears, open. Whatever your vote, even if I disagree, I've got your back.

Super HUGS!!
Chaz

 

[bs29697]

I hope your Mom can get an appointment to see a Inner Ear Specialist to find out exactly what's going on in her ear.

Brian

 

[72-Jay]

It's weird how we've been discussing "Twister", and then that awful tornado tears through Tennessee. The video and the reports from the Nashville area is just so incredibly sad.

I was looking at that storm on radar as it was happening. (yeah you could 'see' there was a tornado, but not how bad it was). Some of the YouTube videos are just...

Also, I have nothing against crazy old white men. Some of them are my loyal followers here!

I'll count myself as one of those

 

[flamingo]

Raise your hands if you forgot to change your clocks last night. Last night, I enjoyed a night of music on PBS from 8 PM until after midnight. First, they showed an Elvis Presley concert from Hawaii in 1973. That was good! I'd never seen him perform a full show like that. He looked and sounded good, wearing a tight, white, sparkling outfit. He'd wipe sweat from his face with hankies that women in the crowd would hand to him, then toss them back. He even bent down and kissed some of those women. I watched that with Mom. She liked it.

Mom went to bed when PBS followed with a concert from a guy I'd never heard of. Michael Kaeshammer (pronounced: Case hammer) is a pianist/singer who mixes jazz, blues, and some rock into his performance. A young looking 43 year old German who relocated to Canada has an upbeat personality and likes to interact with his band, backup singers and the audience. I loved it! Fun show!

PBS then finished the night off with a concert of Pink Floyd, live from Venice 1989. They were on a floating stage in the harbor, putting on one of their fabulous sound and light shows. Pink Floyd is my favorite band, and I just sit in awe watching and listening to them play songs like "Learning to Fly", "Comfortably Numb", or "Run Like Hell." It sucks no one my age knows who the hell they are.

 

[bigcannon]

Wow, Pink Floyd. Now that brings back some memories. Great music in that period of time. You have quite a diverse interest in music as well as everything else in life, Anthony. Good for you. Here's hoping your mom gets better and soon. Hang in there, buddy. Love reading your posts. BC

 

[CharmedFan28]

Sounds like a nice night for you both!

 

[Kyanimal]

I'm totally on board with BC and Charmed.

I remember one of my high school buds showing me a Pink Floyd album that he'd just bought. My reaction at the time was, "Who the Hell is That?"

More HUGS!!
Chaz

 

[bs29697]

Here's hoping everyone is taking this Corona virus seriously by taking all of the precautions. I hope your Mom is feeling better soon.

Brian

 

[flamingo]

I was off-line for a few days because of a computer equipment failure. Shit happens.

I went grocery shopping this afternoon. A very normal trip. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except that the shelves of bottled water, cleaning products, hand wipes, etc., were empty. And toilet paper. What is the deal with the TP hoarding? We didn't need any of those things anyway, and I didn't binge-buy on anything. The only odd thing I purchased was a big plastic container of powdered donut holes. Couldn't pass those up!

Our governor has just decided to contribute to the Great American FreakOut by ordering the closure of pretty much any "non-essential" business where people may congregate, as many other states have done. It is shocking and maddening to me that people are allowing this country to be demolished by their FEAR of something they don't understand. Ignorance and panic will be more destructive than the virus. Thousands of Americans die each year from influenza. Did we shut down the country over that? I heard that Corona beer sales are down because people are associating it with corona virus. Are people really this fucking stooopid?

I'll take this as seriously as I feel I need to. Education will keep us safe more than anything. I am getting tired of being lectured like a child by politicians on how many seconds to wash my hands, not to touch my face, keeping a 6' distance from others, etc. Good grief.

Randy and I did get together Saturday at Adam's place. We ate dinner with Adam, his cousin's family, and 2 of his Target co-workers. That was cool. One thing Adam learned from Steven was how to cook. He had baked beans, baked corn, and a sausage loaf that was really good. Adam showed us his left leg that was bruised and scraped up, thanks to a display case that fell on him at his job. Yikes! We got to see much more of Adam. He showed us pics and video from when he was on the high school swim team. Good Gawd! That perfect swimmers bod, with those tight, super short . . . He's now 23, and I asked him if he still kept in shape. He said, "Oh, yeah, I still work out. I look the same now as then." Wow, I need to watch him work out soon!
His co-workers play on a rec softball team and invited Adam to play on their team. (If they get to play this year) After dinner, 6 of us went outside and had some batting and fielding practice. I suck, but Adam showed why he played well on his HS baseball team. I had fun becoming buddies with Adam's new dog, a Siberian husky named KoKo.

I got my diverse music interest from my Dad who listened to rock and country. Mom likes jazz. Randy and Ash introduced me to blues and broadened my rock n' roll mind.

Mom is having better days, but she still has her dizzying moments. She has an appointment with a specialist, but not until April 8. I've been reading about Meniere's disease. We will bring this up at that appointment. Thanks for your help, guys.

 

[seven2go]

Our governor has just decided to contribute to the Great American FreakOut by ordering the closure of pretty much any "non-essential" business where people may congregate, as many other states have done. It is shocking and maddening to me that people are allowing this country to be demolished by their FEAR of something they don't understand. Ignorance and panic will be more destructive than the virus. Thousands of Americans die each year from influenza. Did we shut down the country over that? I heard that Corona beer sales are down because people are associating it with corona virus. Are people really this fucking stooopid?

Are people that stoopid? YES........
Now that every place is out of toilet paper the hoarders here have turned to emptying out meat cases........ WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?.......
What the fuck next?.......
NOT looking forward to shopping tomorrow.........something I normally like to do.......

 

[CharmedFan28]

Glad to hear your are doing ok. Hope you stay safe as it seems to be wild out there no matter what country you are in. With any luck this specialist will be able to help your Mum.

 

[Kyanimal]

The corona virus is "like" the flu, but it's NOT the flu! Since it is new to humans, our bodies can overreact to it. That's what kills us, not the virus itself.

Since we have flu vaccines, the death toll from flu is no where near as high as it could be. Also, COVID-19, is far more contagious than the flu, and as far as we know, more lethal. And, it's not just the olds that it's killing. We may be more susceptible, but that doesn't mean you young pups aren't. Some that recover show up to 20-30% loss of lung function.

Please, PLEASE, take this seriously! You might get through this just fine. I don't mean to worry you, but what about Mom and her ear problems? I don't think even "just" the flu would be a big help to her. Do not, DO NOT, bring this super friendly bug home!

O.K.! Rant over ...

Luv ya dearly!!
Chaz

 

[PrinceCory]

So, what 's the problem? A bad case of vertigo. This morning, in the pouring rain, I took her to an appointment with a physical therapist. It's amazing how all this got set up so fast. She goes there 3 days next week. They explained vertigo as crystals in the inner ear becoming dislodged. I'd never heard of this. Have any of you guys ever had an experience with vertigo?

Sorry for the late reply. I depend on JUB to give me an email notification when there are updates to this thread. I hadn't been getting any updates for a couple of months. I just assumed you were spending your time on writing your short story. Then last week i started getting notifications again that there was activity in this thread. That's when I discovered I was about 2 months behind. I'm still not caught up in your Odyssey but I'm almost into the March messages.

I had not heard of positional vertigo until it happened to me last year. It happened at a routine dental cleaning. As soon as they hygienist sat my chair up I was dizzy. It went away in about a minute. It didn't bother me until bedtime. I layed down on the bed and everything started to spin and it made me puke. Fortunately, my stomach was empty and it was just the dry heaves into the waste basket. It got better for me each day. I only did the exercises once a day instead of the three times I was instructed to do them.

Something similar happened to my almost 90 year old Dad last week. He went to bed as usual. Got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and as soon as he sat up in bed, everything started to spin and he ended up on the floor. Fortunately he didn't panic because he remembered how I had described my vertigo. He should start his physical therapy this week.

 

[flamingo]

Cory, welcome back! It's great to hear from you again! And thanks for sharing your vertigo experience. Yours is very similar to my Mom's. Turning while in bed, and sitting up on the bed really gets her head spinning. She has to sit there for a few minutes before trying to get up and reach for her walker. She gets through the rest of the day okay for the most part. The only time she felt really nauseous was when she did a couple of the exercises at physical therapy.

I'm glad your elderly Dad didn't hurt himself when he fell. That must have been a scary moment. He'll need to put his trust in the therapist, and shouldn't be surprised if he actually feels worse at the start of things because his body probably won't be used to the movements. Encouraging him to stick with it is key, and could be tough. I wish you both the best.


I hope all of you stay safe . . . and sane . . . during this incredible time of our lives. I do take this very seriously as news constantly changes about this great unknown. Ten people here in Cumberland County have been diagnosed with corona virus.

I still think this total shutdown of the country is mass hysteria. I may change my mind about that. I worry more about the citizens than I do about the virus so far. Scumbags who are using this crisis for profit or political gain. Some of these "hoarders" are trying to resell essentials for outrageous prices. Pennsylvania is one of the two states where the state government is in charge of hard liquor sales through "state stores." The governor announced those stores would close tonight, so customers bought up the merchandise over the weekend and today. Gun stores are also reporting a huge spike in sales. So, in a time of major uncertainty and potential widespread hardship, Pennsylvanians are stocking up on guns, ammo, and Jack Daniels. What could possibly go wrong?

I am one of those who tries to find humor in dark situations. There was a song recorded by an older goofy guy named Iggy Pop, backed by the great guitarist Slash. The song is called, "We're All Gonna Die." Lyrics:

"We're all gonna die! So let's get high."
"We're all gonna die! So let's be nice."
"I'm in the mood! So let's intrude."
"Pee on the ground! And jump around."
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

Stay safe . . . and stay sane.

 

[bs29697]

So glad your Mom has an appointment to see a specialist now lets hope the doctor allows her to keep her appointment since the health department is telling people to cancel their appointments to free up doctors to see corona patients. My county doesn't have any corona patients yet which I'm thankful for.

The politicians tell the public not to go overboard but for all of their good intentions they are making things worse by shutting everything down.

Brian

 

[Kyanimal]

I'm heartened to hear that you're taking this seriously. I'm hoping that Randy, Ash, Bryce, and Adam are, too.

Shutting things down is not mass hysteria, but it is creating it. There should have been, and there still should be, more effective efforts to educate people why it must happen. Sometimes, misinformation is worse than no information, but we all need complete, and ACCURATE, information. Especially data from testing. (Don't get me started about you know who.)

Here's something I hope you find to be informative ... https://www.boredpanda.com/coronavi...cebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

Finding humor in the midst of gloom is one of the greatest saving graces that there is. That's why I've been known to say ... No Matter What ... Keep Smilin'!

Virtual HUGS, bud!!
Chaz

 

[flamingo]

Our governor has ordered all "non-essential" business to shut down tonight, or face fines or revoking of licenses. This is going to be incredible. I guess it won't be long until desperate people become unruly. Robberies, looting, and other property crimes will rise significantly as more citizens are being told they must do without. People's hopes, dreams, lives, livelihoods, nest eggs getting wiped out.

What I find most disgusting is that there are politicians and "journalists" who seem to be rooting for the Chinavirus to spread. More sick/dead Americans = more Dem votes in November. Despicable. Despite what you think of Trump, I have much more confidence in him right now than I'd have in Biden/Sanders. I have no idea who is going to lead us through the other side of this, but I'm going to root for Trump and America.

Chaz, that link you provided above was amazing. The 6 stages that Italy has gone through are occurring here in the USA like dominos in the exact order point by point. We had no idea what was coming, and it seems we're entering stage 4.

Our fearless leader/owner Ash called a team meeting this morning. Auto repair shops are considered essential businesses that may remain open. We all will have our jobs. We are going to schedule and re-schedule appointments farther apart so that fewer customers will be in our waiting area at one time. Fewer vehicles will be in the bays so our mechanics are working farther apart. Because they get grease and grime on their hands, they wash their hands often anyway. All employees will eat at their desks or work stations. No gathering in the breakroom. And I will be the rubber-gloved, designated disinfectant guy who gets to scrub and wipe down everything. So, that will be our contribution to controlling this virus. I am so grateful that my friends and I will not lose our jobs. I know many who have, and it just sucks so bad.

I asked Ash if it means I can't suck his dick anymore. He said he'd have to check with the CDC.

Nearby churches are closing down for the next couple of weeks, even Sunday services. I guess faith in god has its limits.