Week 13 mid-week check-in

I'm into the second quarter. I don't know whether I'm feeling better, or just used to feeling lousy. What I'm having a very difficult time with is the limitations. It's already getting warm here in the sunny southwest. We're expecting above-90° F / 33°C this week. Consequently, it's time for one of the little rites of spring in this part of the world, opening up the swamp cooler.

For you fog-bound folks in northern latitudes, a swamp, or evaporative, cooler is a form of proto-air conditioning that works by forcing outside air through a wet pad. It only works when the humidity is low -- that means a dew-point of no more than 60 °F / 16 °C . Current dew point is 37 °F / 3 °C, so it's ideal. Above 60 °F / 16 °C and it's miserable.

There are other disadvantages as well -- the increased humidity in the house can cause doors to stick and rust in the ductwork, and since it's pushing outside air through the pad, it brings dust into the house. Not a good plan for those who have allergy problems. I doubt that I'd install a swamp cooler, but it was on the house when I bought it and it's a better quality system. And the thing runs for pennies a day which appeals to my Scottish heritage.

Anyway, it was time to clean the swamp cooler up and get it ready for the season, but my wife had a fit at the idea of my going up to the roof. I occasionally get dizzy, but I've never blacked out. At her insistence I called a friend. He was anxious to find a way to reciprocate us for when he was down with a bad back, so I guess what goes around comes around.

I have a friend who I've written about previously. He has Genotype 1 and relapsed six months after going through the full interferon/ribivirin program. He also went onto Infergen, but that caused some horrible psychological problems including depression. He made the mistake of answering a question about self-destructive feelings half-seriously and found himself in a lock-up on suicide watch. That was a couple of years ago. Now they're just monitoring. His liver's in pretty bad shape. I don't know what else they'll do; it's like a company that is in financial trouble and puts the accountants in charge. They can tell you the exact moment that you're broke, but I don't know what they'll do to solve the problem.

Anyway, he had a biopsy last Tuesday. On Friday he was in the emergency room. Apparently the biopsy clipped a bile duct which caused approximately the same issue as a gall bladder problem. They may be able to treat it with anti-coagulants. I need to call him. I think he's coming home today. Real role-reversal there -- it started out with him holding my hand through the beginning of treatment. Now I'm trying to be someone he can lean on.

Meanwhile, I'm doing comparatively well. I'm tired and I don't feel like running or doing other hard exercise, but I walk the dog a mile or so nearly every night. I come in feeling like I've run a couple of miles, so I guess it's a good thing. Emotionally, it seems that everything is right on the surface. I'm irritable, but I have enough of a sense of humor to recognize it. My daughter was telling me the other night that it's like her daddy isn't around. There's a stranger. He's nice enough, but it's not the same. I asked her if it's that she's not used to me being wimpy. She laughed and said maybe that was it. I know I've kind of disconnected with all the kids. I have to make an effort to talk with them and see what's going on.

I'm spending far too much time on this. Got a work call and things are stacking up.

Cheers all! Keep my friend Ken in mind in your prayers, meditations, or whatever you do.