So Far, Not Such A Hot Summer …….

June has turned out to be kind of a wash out, literally - most days were overcast with occasional showers. Again, I haven't heard from Doyle and there's been no sign of Gordon. I try not to think about that but it's always in the back of my mind.

I've mentioned before that I take a lot of meds because of the transplant and some of them tend to come up for renewal at the same time. That happened this month.

On Tuesday the 6th, I drove up to Walmart (my Pharmacy is there) and picked one up. When I came out I watched as a tour bus pulled up into the lot and parked beside the store.

No one got off and no one got on. I thought that the passengers maybe were foreign tourists and their guide was explaining about how important Walmart is to America.  I waited for a while to see if  anything happened but I got bored and left.

Friday the 8th, I was out early and I was hungry. I stopped at Denny's for breakfast.

Monday the 11th, I gave in. My wipers have been streaking the windshield for months and I stopped at AutoZone but there was only one guy working so he couldn't leave the store to do the installation. I went to the Advanced Auto Parts store on St. George and got it taken care of.

Thursday the 14th, I slept in. I went through my morning routine and left my apartment around 8. I was hungry and I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast.

I ordered Pancakes and a large soft drink. I didn't actually get a soft drink but I filled up the cup with ice and water.

This worked out pretty well. I decided to give up caffeine for a while because of some physical issues and the large drink is only $1.

Thursday the 21st, I was back up at Walmart to pick up another scrip.  On my way out, I saw this truck. I've said before that I don't like truckers who pull into store parking lots and take up a row of spaces. Here was a trucker who was carrying trucks.

I drove around the car carrier and saw that there was no one there.

Point, press, Flash.

I wondered as I drove by if any of the cars were effected but I really didn't care.

This morning I stopped at Shoprite and picked up some things. The sun came out and I decided to just drive around a bit. On my way up Amboy Avenue I wound up behind this guy.

I'm very conscious of motorcycle riders because I know a few. Still this guy was only doing about 20 in a 35 mile zone. I was annoyed so, when I had the chance, I passed him. I was going to do something or make a gesture but then I got a quick look at him. I'm guessing he was about 80, wearing a helmet, and going as fast as he could.

So far, not such a hot summer but some people know how to enjoy it.

Two Weeks In May ………….

I haven't heard from Doyle in a couple of weeks so I don't know what the Gordon situation is. Still, I have things to do.

On Saturday the 5th, I went out to my car to try to pop the hood. I've had some trouble in the past because of a rust situation but I managed to get it open after about 10 minutes of pulling on the release knob.

I filled up the Washer Fluid well and added some Coolant.

Monday the 7th, I went for a haircut. The guy I go to opens at 8 AM and I usually park outside of the back door. This time I got there about 7:50.

I was expecting Diego but Mike, the owner, opened. He spent about 1/2 an hour on me and we had a rambling conversation about a lot of things - just like most barber/customers do.

Wednesday the 9th, I went for an oil change. I'd been using the 8 Minute Oil Change place on St. George but decided, this time, to go to Atlantic Tire nearby.

I've been getting my tires there for years and recently a friend told me that they do other work. It took about 40 minutes but the car's running well and it cost about the same as that 8 Minute place.

On Thursday the 10th, I went back to RWJ in New Brunswick for more Blood Work. I got the results on Friday the 11th. Everything is back to normal.

Monday the 14th, I did my wash.

Thursday the 17th, I had my semi-annual Cardiologist visit in RWJ. I was called in a bit early and a Nurse asked me a lot of questions. Then I waited for about 20 minutes until a Doctor came in and asked me the same questions. This happens every 6 months and I expect that the same thing will happen in November for my 10th Anniversary.

On the way back, I was thinking about what to get for lunch and I remembered that Dunkin' Donuts had a Chicken Salad Sandwich that I liked. I stopped at their store on Amboy Avenue.

They don't have it anymore.

I was driving out of the strip mall when I saw this store.

I remembered being here before. I parked, went inside, and bought a Ham Salad Sandwich.

Not quite what I was hoping for but it was OK.


Friday the 18th it was raining pretty heavily but I had some things to do before I stopped by to babysit my Granddaughter. I stopped at Shoprite, filled up my tank at Wawa's, and picked up some hardware at Walmart. It was raining and, on my way out of the lot, I saw these guys.

I knew that I shouldn't but these truckers who take up multiple spaces annoy me. l lowered the Driver's side window long enough.

Point, press, Flash.

I headed back.

This morning it wasn't raining for the first time in days. I was out early because I had to do a favor for a friend. That being done, I was heading to my local Shoprite when I remembered that there was a Chic Fil A nearby and they had a pretty good Chicken Salad sandwich and I still wanted one.

Turns out they don't sell it anymore.

I'm not sure where to look next.

All this within two weeks in May.

Spring Is Here But I'm Not Sure I'm Happy .........

At the end of March I got a call from my Cardiologist's office that they weren't happy with my Potassium Level. They recommended drinking Orange Juice and eating Bananas - two things I've stayed away from since the Transplant because they told me to. We agreed on a follow up on Tuesday, April 3rd.

I always make my appointments for 8 AM. The traffic is lighter, so the ride down to New Brunswick goes pretty quickly. I usually get a parking spot in the lot next door and I'm in and out so quickly that I don't have to pay.

It was overcast, and I hit traffic on the way back. An accident on 287 caused the side streets to back up.  I was down to about 1/2 a tank of gas so I stopped at the Wawa's in Avenel to fill up. That's where I saw this guy.

I wasn't sure what he was doing but he was plugging away and I drove by.

I got a call the next day that my Potassium Level was still low so they prescribed a supplement and called it in to my Pharmacy. I agreed to go back down on the 11th for a retest.

Since then, I've been up earlier then usual. Not because I want to but because there are some birds that start chirping outside my bedroom window as soon as it gets light. There is a tree out there but it's just starting to bud now.

I think that some of my neighbors are feeding them but I can't prove it.

On the 6th, I was out running some errands and stopped in at Shoprite. I didn't buy anything but I did pick up my breakfast at their In-store Dunkin' Donuts. I was eating in my car when I saw this guy walking across the lot.

That's when I was tempted but there was a sudden tapping on my passenger-side window.

"Jeez, Doyle, you just scared the crap out of me! I think I just aged 5 years which I can't afford to."
I opened the passenger side door and let him in.
"You're fine, Denny" he said, reaching over to shake hands, "Although you do seem to have a problem with your Potassium Level."
I was hoping to come up with a snappy retort but I couldn't. All I could do was shake my head.
"Still watching over me?"
"Well ... yes and no. We're stretched pretty thin because of Budget Cuts and POTUS being so active. But you still have the imbedded tracker and I get a daily report."
"That's good,  I guess. But I'm also guessing that you didn't stop by just to tell me that .. so, what's up?"

He put his head down for a minute then looked me straight in the eye.

"Remember when I told you that we hadn't found a trace of Gordon for a while?"
"Yeah. That was months ago."
"Well ... a body was found a few days ago down near Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. There appears to be a bullet wound to the left temple and a gun in it's left hand so the preliminary cause of death is Suicide. Unfortunately it's been there a while and it's badly decomposed - in fact, it's mostly a skeleton now. They tell me that we might get DNA but it probably won't be useful and we can't check dental records because the body had dentures that really rotted and can't be traced. The thing is, there were elements of a tracker in the heart, and we're not missing any agents. The only other people I know that have the implant are you and Gordon."

Now it was my turn to put my head down for a minute.

"Do you think it's him?"
"I have to be honest with you, Denny. I don't know. Gordon is ... was .. a very smart, cunning man. He could've pulled something off to keep us from tracking him. What he doesn't know is that we haven't had anyone actively after him for months."
I nodded a bit, taking it in.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you have a right to know and because I have this gut feeling. I think Gordon is alive and set this all up. You and I agreed months ago that you wouldn't use the Flasher for a while and - call it a hunch - but I believe that's what got him to do this. I don't know how or why he did it, but I truly believe he did."
"OK, Doyle, I trust your instincts so I'll go along. What would you like me to do?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing, Denny. That's all you can do. Remember, as long as you have the implanted Tracker he can't use the prototype Flasher on you."
"I'm counting on it."

Doyle's phone chirped and he looked at it.

"Sorry, but I have to go. Stay on top of that Potassium Level, OK?"
"I will. Thanks. Be safe out there."

He got out of the car, turned, and grinned. He gave me a thumbs up and got into a nearby black SUV. They drove away.

I went back to RWJ on the 11th for another Blood Test. When I got home, there wasn't an open parking space on my street so I drove around the block to park on Rahway. I stopped at the sign on Green Street and saw these 2 cars.

This is one of my pet peeves - parking on the wrong side. I was really tempted but I'd just talked to Doyle and I drove away.

Update 1 ... they didn't like my Potassium Level again so they prescribed a supplement and arranged another Blood Test. 

I went back down on the 19th and had to rush home because the Building Inspector was coming. I'm not a big fan of letting people into my apartment but the Landlord would've had to pay a fine if I didn't and would probably pass it on to me. Turns out he was in and out in about 10 minutes. 

Update 2 ... They still didn't like my Potassium Level so they called in a prescription for twice the dose. I already have another test scheduled for May 10th, so we agreed to wait until the for the results.

This past week has been a mixed bag. Some days were overcast with some rain. Other days were warm and sunny. I'm not a big fan of rainy days but I can deal with them. I do have a problem with sunny, warm days this time of year. It's called allergies. Trees are blooming all over and I've been  itchy, my eyes have been tearing up, and I've been sneezing.

We had some rain this morning but the afternoon has turned out nice.

They say that next week we may get to the 80's which means that the pollen level will go up dramatically. Also, from what I've read, the mosquito situation will be bad this year due to the wet weather we've had.

Spring is here but I'm not sure I'm happy about it.

March Is Almost Over ..........

There's an old saying about March that involves lions and lambs.

There's also one about the middle of the month.

Friday, the 2nd, was a beautiful day. Slightly cool but sunny. I took a drive and noticed other people just enjoying  themselves.

Then things started to go downhill.

The temperature dropped and there were more clouds then sun. The weather forecast mentioned snow - a lot of snow.

By the 6th, it had started to feel like it was gonna happen. You know what I mean. I drove up to Shoprite to pick up a few things. That's where I saw this guy.

You know my problem with bicyclists. This is something new. On the plus side, he's not riding in traffic. On the down side, he's actually walking his bike in the street and not on the sidewalk.. 

I was tempted, but it was too open. Besides, I promised Doyle that I wouldn't.

The first Nor'easter of the month was predicted for the 7th, when I had some blood work scheduled. It sounded bad so I called and moved my appointment to the 8th. Apparently, they watched the News also. They called me that afternoon to tell me they'd be closed so we rescheduled for the following week.

We got a couple of inches but it melted quickly.

On the 14th, I drove down to RWJ in New Brunswick. It was dark when I left (Thank you, Daylight Saving Time) but brightened up quickly. By the time I was on the Route 27 overpass the sun was shining brightly and a lot of people were walking enjoying the walk.

The weather was quiet for the next week.

I ran some errands and read some books. I spent time with my Granddaughter and ordered a few presents for her (Easter is coming and so is her 3rd Birthday).

Then we got hit with another Nor'easter on Wednesday the 21st. I kept watching from my living room window and - although it didn't seem bad  I wound up going out twice - at bout 4:20 and 6:30 - to clean off my car and shovel away the snow.

I went out Thursday morning and had to clean off and dig out again but it wasn't too bad. I could've gotten out easily but I didn't want to lose the spot.

By Friday, a lot had melted. I was able to get out of my spot easily. I ran some errands and then spent some time with my Granddaughter. Luckily, I was able to park in the same spot.

I had a lot to do Yesterday so I was out early. There were still some icy spots but I was surprised to see how much of the snow was gone.

I ran a lot of errands early on and then met my New Jersey family to celebrate a Birthday at Seasons 52 in Edison Saturday night.

This morning I decided to get my laundry done before meeting my Granddaughter for a late breakfast. Things were running smoothly and, since I had some time to spare, I headed home to drop off the wash. That's when I got stopped by this.

There went the spare time.

Thank God March is almost over.

February. One Extreme To Another .........


The month started out pretty good. Things were going well and I was feeling good.

I haven't heard  from Doyle but I'm not surprised, the DHS has a lot on it's hands right now. I haven't heard from Gordon either. That might be because I've stopped using the Flasher. We'll see.

I didn't have any appointments until mid-month so I spent the first week and a half running errands and visiting my Granddaughter. Good times.

We had some snow but not much.

Thursday the 15th, I had Blood Work scheduled in New Brunswick. My appointment was at 8 AM but I got there at 7:15 in order to get a good spot in the garage. I took the walkway over to the clinical building.

Friday the 16th, I had a follow-up with my Dermatologist. I thought that he'd work on something just below my left eye but he said that everything looked good.

I decided to stop at Subways to pick up some lunch.





Of course, since it's Lent, I got a tuna sub.

Saturday, the 17th, was a beautiful day. I picked up breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (my current drink of choice is now iced, decaf, French Vanilla, black) and just drove around. I stopped at the Target on Parsonage Road across from the Menlo Park Mall.

My cat is a rescue that has allowed me to live with her for almost 10 years. She's gotten fussy lately and will only use the store brand litter from here. 

We got more snow that night which continued into Sunday. They were predicting warmer temps for that afternoon so I decided to let the car sit.

Monday, the 19th, was President's Day. I looked out the Living Room window before I left my apartment.

The streets were good, the Super did a decent job with the sidewalk, and I only had to scrape off some ice from the front window. My kind of snow storm.

Tuesday, the 20th, I was out around 8 in the morning and was letting the car warm up when I saw this guy.

He was staring up at the back of my building. I didn't know why so I sat there for a while debating whether I should call the police or not when he walked away. I sat there a little longer but he kept walking so I drove away.

About 3 that afternoon I was sitting in my chair reading with the TV on but muted when I heard some voices outside. I looked out the window and saw this.

Two cops were talking to the guy I saw this morning. Everyone seemed to be calm so I went back to my book.

Wednesday, the 21st, we hit record temps and I was out and about with the windows down. I even left a few windows open in my apartment. I noticed that other people were enjoying the day, too.

Then things went South.

The temp dropped, the sky has been cloudy, and we've had rain on and off.

I drove up to Walmart yesterday to pick up a prescription. I saw this woman on my way.

It's February. We've gone from one extreme to another.

Sometimes, It's Just The Small Things ............

I had a great time with the family during the Holidays but the New Year brought back more of my yearly medical tests. 

I had a follow-up scheduled with my Urologist on Thursday, the 4th but they called to cancel because there was a snow storm predicted. That was a good thing.

I looked out my Living Room window on and off throughout the day. It didn't seem to be too heavy but the wind was pretty severe. I was amazed - when it finally stopped - to see that the cars were almost completely clear.

I had to go out in the morning to dig out from what the plow did but, at least, I didn't have to clean off the car. A small thing to be grateful for.

That following weekend we had the coldest weather we've had to deal with in 20 years. It was so bad that, although my car started, the key froze in the ignition and I had to wait for the steering column to warm up so I could shut the car off. On the plus side, I finally got around to changing the time on my dashboard clock/radio.

Another small thing.

My apartment was also effected by the extreme cold and my thermostat failed. Thankfully, the Super came by and put in a new one.

He didn't tell me how to regulate it but, at least, I have heat.

Tuesday, the 9th, I went down to Raritan Bay Regional Hospital for a Colonoscopy. 

I had to have someone drive me because there's anesthesia involved. Thankfully, I had a family member who was available. This was not a small thing and I really appreciated it.

I had to go back to the Dermatologist on the 15th. I was heading up Amboy Avenue when I stopped at a red light. It was about 8:45 AM but this corner actually had 2 of these "Yellow Jackets".

I call them that because - to me - they are annoying pests. I understand that they have a job to do but a lot of them wave their signs around without realizing it and that disrupts traffic.

Anyway, it turns out that what the Dermatologist did last month was only a Biopsy so he had to remove another carcinoma which involved Lidocaine injections, the use of a scalpel, and a laser to sear the wound. Not a small thing.

I've been out and about since the weather cleared and I'm really getting better at not using the Flasher although - I have to admit - I still carry it. Last Wednesday, the 26th, I stopped by Shoprite like I usually do. That's where I saw this truck.

I might have let him get away with taking up 2 spaces but he took 4. I drove over there.

Point, press, Flash.

Just another small thing that made me feel good.

The weather changed over night and, when I went out this morning, I had to scrape off the windows. It didn't take long and my car warmed up quickly. I picked up breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts and drove over to Wegman's just to kill some time. 

Turned out that they had my favorite soup on sale so I picked up several cans. 

I drove home.

Sometimes, it's just the small things.

Tis The Season............

I had a good jump on the Christmas Season this year having gotten most of my presents in November. I was hesitating on the last few because I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go with them. Then it snowed.

Sunday, the 10th, I woke up to this.

Not too bad, but sloppy. I went out around 10 AM and cleaned off my car.

Monday, the 11th, I woke up with a really bad stomach virus that lasted most of the week. By Friday I was better. Saturday, I went out to pick up some groceries. Sunday, I picked up the last of the presents, wrapped everything, and put out my decorations.

I was feeling good.

Monday, the 18th, I had an appointment with my Dermatologist. 

It was for 9:45 and he saw me at 9:50. He wound up taking a carcinoma off of my neck and I have to go back in a few weeks for a follow-up.

Tuesday, the 19th, I drove up to Walmart to pick up a prescription that they had ready for me.

The Pharmacy opens at 9 AM and I was there on time. I picked up my scrip and then spent the rest of the morning with my Granddaughter.

Wednesday, the 20th, I woke up early so I decided to do my laundry.

I like this place because they use a card system that I can reload using my Debit Card and I don't have to stockpile quarters.

Thursday, the 21st, I had a Urologist Appointment.

It was for 10:45 and I didn't get called into the private waiting room until 11:30 and I didn't get out of the office until 12:25. I have to find someone else.

Today, I woke up around 6 AM and I couldn't get back to sleep. I decided to drive up to Wegman's to pick up a few things. As I drove along Main Street, I noticed this guy.

I've mentioned before that I don't like bike riders but this guy was on the sidewalk, which is OK by me.

I picked up a few things and dropped them off at my apartment. I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. I spent some time with my Granddaughter.

I swung by Shoprite on my way home. The woman in front of me stopped short in the entryway so she could look at a display and wound up blocking it up. I was only there for 1 item but the aisles were clogged and the self-checkout was backed up.

I was annoyed and I left.

When I entered my building, I saw this.

I've been here for almost 20 years and that artificial tree has always been there. This is the first time that it's been decorated. We have a super now and, although he comes across as gruff, he seems to have a soft side.

I'm feeling the season now.