Family news

One of Sister's two cats went missing for 48 hours. Sister was terribly upset. She pleaded on FB for neighbours to check their sheds, she put up signs and posters in the streets, she walked the streets calling out for missing cat. Late at night just across the road she heard a piteous miaow and found Oreo locked in a shed at the rear of a house across the road. Sister had called out to Oreo nearby there before, but didn't hear a response. Oreo was hungry but quite ok.

As I said, Mother has a heart pacemaker now. She says she reluctantly signed the authorisation form under duress. It may be a fair point with that what the pacemaker does was not clearly explained to her. However, Thursday I raised my voice to her on the phone. She said she doesn't like the pacemaker and the cardiac surgeon she saw the day before told her she could disconnect it if she chose to.

But earlier another cardiac surgeon told her she must have a pacemaker. I was becoming very confused. How can a person turn off an an internal medical implant? 

She went on to ask the cardiologist what she could do with the pacemaker. He replied, just turn it off and put in your wardrobe or a cupboard in case you change your mind. She was doing my head in.

My voice then rose. What is your problem with the pacemaker? It is not making you ill. You don't even notice it there, aside from a healing scar? 

Oh my dearest son, the cardiologist said my heartbeat is too slow now. Not said but by this time I was wishing her heartbeat would stop altogether. I repeated, what is your problem with the pacemaker?

It sits on my bedside table and it might beep in middle of the night and wake me. I put it in my wardrobe so I won't hear it. I was having visions of Mother tearing out a medical implant from her chest. For goodness sake Mother, just for once can you do what expert doctors tell you to do! But the cardiologist I saw yesterday said I don't have to have it, she whined.

After I hung up the phone I had to think this through. She has a heart pacemaker implanted, along with a  probably phone 4G connected monitor that continually sends details of what her heart is doing to a cardiologist. It was the monitor she was talking about, not the pacemaker itself. The pacemaker works regardless of monitor. There is still no logic to her not wanting the monitor. Exasperating, but as I say to R when he starts to go on about her, at 87 she is very old, and we need to cut her some slack, but I really wasn't in the mood for such nonsense.

Friday Funny

I don't seek out humour on the internet but mostly it plops into my lap. For some reason of late it hasn't so here is a repeat post of a Spanish comedian Transport Planner who talks about the 'revitalisation' of the New South Wales coastal port city of Newcastle. Some of you will remember the clip, some won't and some newer followers won't have delved back into my blog.

It matters little to me how many times I have watched this, it still makes me laugh.

Busy

So many emails to reply to, so many blog comments to answer, so many blogs to comment on, I am taking a day off. 

Ah, I can write this in a minute. Because of you know what, our new car's first service was delayed but Wednesday was the new appointment and we kept it. Loose bolts were tightened up and all was checked at no direct cost to us. 

We debated over getting trams to and from the car service place or taxis. R sensibly decided we were better off on empty trams than in close contact with a taxi driver. 

The 58 tram was empty but the 109 had a few people onboard. R took the car there and I picked it up. I have barely driven the new car. That was nice. 

Cheap Parking

About three weeks ago I noticed this car and caravan parked in Bowen Crescent, the car with a disabled parking permit in a disabled space but the caravan occupying a paid ticket parking area. 

Most of Queens Road is a five lane major thoroughfare, but its beginning is very quiet and not directly connected to the busy part, with an office building one side and a small park on the other. The car and caravan were moved to this quiet part of Queens Road and has been there for more than two weeks I think. 

Some years ago a person challenged his multiple parking fines when he left his car illegally parked in the City of Melbourne. A court or whatever established that someone can only be fined once for an offence. That means if you park your car illegally, you can leave it there and only be fined once. 

I don't know if the caravan owners knew this but they did receive a parking ticket and that is the only one they will receive if they remain in the same car park. 

I don't receive parking fines as I always park legally but I will guess the fine for not paying for and overstaying at metered parking might be $50. Even if it is more, there is only one fine and you couldn't possibly get cheaper parking in this area for anything like that for two or more weeks. 

The caravan is parked next to a public toilet block, no showers. I wonder if that is relevant. I've never seen anyone come or go from the caravan. To be charitable maybe they are stranded with our lockdown. 

Regardless, very cheap parking. 

Loving my druggie life

It is such a shame now I don't take recreational drugs and just medical drugs. How did I become such a boring old man?

I am under my cardiologist (He is not bad looking. I wouldn't mind) and I will see him on Friday for a check on my heart health and the diagnostics from the Holter monitor I wore last week. 

You won't remember but my anti tremor drug conflicted with one of my heart medications, making the heart medication less effective. It is a known conflict and yet of the all the heart specialists I saw in hospital and the prescribing cardiologist, I have no idea who, it was a mere hospital pharmacist who picked up the conflict. 

The anti tremor drug was quite good but of course it was taken away, your heart being more important. Some time later a new anti tremor drug was prescribed for me. It is six small capsules taken three times a day and I have been taking it, but it seems next to useless. My tremors are worse than they ever been. They are at their worst between 11am and 1pm, the exact time when we are out in public and doing things. Of late they have been so bad I can barely control the computer mouse between those times. 

Yet after 5pm when I have I had my first glass of wine, my hands are nearly steady. After the second glass of wine, completely steady and I can rattle this keyboard at high speed and control the mouse perfectly. 

The various brain doctors of movement disorder, neurosurgeons? Whatever, they always the question about alcohol and my tremors. Why can't a drug company put the effect of alcohol in a tablet that I can take in the morning? It can't be that hard.

My tremor won't improve as I age, in fact get worse and I can see a point in the distant future where hand wise I can barely function. God forbid that I could no longer type. One esteemed professor I initially saw said, We can drill here and put an implant into your brain and don't leave it until you are too old. I am really not wanting a Black and Decker or Ryobi drilling into my skull but....under consideration. 

Monday Mural

Off Acland Street in St Kilda. I think this was probably a commission and I like it. While not dominating, there are St Kilda symbolic images of the Palais Theatre, Luna Park, palm trees, sea shells and passing flying bats, but don't mention bats.

Readings bookshops is a Melbourne institution and long may they last. If you like book browsing, you might spend a very long time in a Readings bookshop and as far as I know, they are locally owned. I turned 180 degrees, and this work was on the side of Readings, Gastronaughts.