NOW ..............
I'd slept well for the first time in weeks and on Monday the 28th I started to drive down to New Brunswick. I had a Covid Test scheduled for 8AM prior to a medical procedure on Wednesday. I didn't get far. The police were out early redirecting traffic to accommodate the construction going on all over Woodbridge.
I had to take a less direct route but managed to get back to Main Street near Amboy Avenue and had a straight run from there. It was a Drive-through in the parking lot of the closed school across from the hospital. I found it easily enough and pulled in. No one was ahead of me. The nurse asked me the usual questions then handed me the nasal swab to do myself, which was interesting. I was in and out quickly, no pun intended, then drove home.
Tuesday the 29th I went to my 9:00 Therapy session at JFK in Edison. Afterwards, I headed down James Street to my 10:00 appointment with my Dermatologist. It's less then 5 minutes but I had to wait in my car until they called me. I finally got around to fixing the minutes on the clock in my car.
Of course, I'm gonna have to do the hour in a few days.
Wednesday the 30th my ex-wife drove me down to RWJ in New Brunswick for the medical procedure I mentioned - a Heart Catheterization. She dropped me off at 8:15 AM and picked me up around 7:30 PM. The procedure only took about 1/2 an hour. The rest of the time I spent on my back waiting for them to decide when the opening they made into one of the arteries in my groin was healed. At least they let me pick from a menu for dinner.
October started quietly. I went out every day to run errands and ordered all my Christmas presents online.
The 6th was a Tuesday and I drove to my weekly 9:00 Therapy session. I was planning on getting there early and eating breakfast in the car. That didn't happen. As I made the turn onto James Street this guy pulled out from a local parking lot.
What should've taken 10 minutes turned into 20. I got there on time but breakfast had to wait.
There were only a couple of other appointments on my calendar and they were pretty well spread out over the rest of the month. Regardless of the weather, I went out. I used to like just staying home but now I needed to get out. Mask on and socially distanced, I needed to get out.
Friday the 9th, I stopped by my local Church.
I said a few prayers and lit a candle. I figured it couldn't hurt.
While driving around on Monday I passed this guy.
Another person out without a mask. I kept driving. I was tempted but I didn't.
Tuesday I took Rahway to Main on my way to Therapy. I had a few bills to mail and I prefer to drop them off at the Post Office. There have been instances of "fishing" in the area and I didn't want to take any chances. As I passed the construction going on where the strip mall with my favorite bagel place was I noticed this woman.
I've seen her on and off over the years. I understand that she's homeless and has taken up staying on this bench which is diagonally across from the Municipal Building where the Police Station is. She's supposed to be harmless but I've also heard that she can be nasty. As I passed, I noticed that she was wearing a mask. I dropped off my bills and went to Therapy.
The next day I had an appointment with my ENT at 11:20. I thought that my earache was back. He checked me out, including scoping my throat, and said that there was no sign of an infection and he said that it could be TMD. He asked me to get a CT scan of my neck and to come back for a Hearing Test. I was able to schedule the scan for the next day at 9:30.
Thursday the 15th,I drove up to RWJ in Rahway for the scan. It was a nice, sunny morning but when I parked in the lot I noticed this woman.
It looked like she had all of her possessions in the cart. I couldn't help noticing that she was wearing a mask just like the woman on Main Street the other day.
Things were pretty quiet, again, for the next several days but the weather changed - it was getting cooler and clouding over.
My Therapy session was cancelled for Tuesday the 20th but I did have a follow-up with the Dermatologist. I took the back roads to get there and, at one point, saw this woman coming in my direction.
Again, no mask. But the area was too wide open.
Friday the 23rd, I was on my way up to the Library. I don't have a printer at home so I go there to use theirs. I stopped at the light at Richie Sambora Way and saw this guy.
I've seen him before also. I call him the Umbrella Man because he's always carrying one. And he had a mask, too. I wondered why those people I saw who are without had masks and those that are "with" don't.
I went to Mass on Sunday the 25th. I hadn't been there in months and it was interesting. The pews were marked where people could sit and the Priest and Deacon went around with Communion. They didn't have Altar Servers but they did have a small choir which was nice. On my way back home I was on Main Street when I had to stop.
That homeless woman was up and moving. "Good for her" I thought although I had no idea where she was going.
The new Managers for my building have been making some big changes to the structure since they bought it, most of which I haven't had a problem with. But when I came home yesterday after being out for several hours I was met with this.
