I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I experienced some issues with my left leg during the hike. Here are a few photos from that abbreviated adventure.
I grabbed a lunch to go from Sit-n-Bull (chicken enchilada), ate, napped, showered, and ventured into town for my Friday evening entertainment. I decided to forego the SOB this week. Joy messaged that her kids needed medicine and that she was hoping to earn enough commission to buy them some. So, I surprised her with a visit to Hideaway and the requisite lady drinks that come with such a visit. I also had a pizza delivered for the girls.
Hideaway is about the furthest bar from my house in Barretto; getting there proved to be a bit painful. I was fine when I started, but then the tingling returned when I had to do a brief uphill exiting Alta Vista. I started feeling numb as I walked the highway. I had to traverse two small steps at the back entrance to Hideaway, and each time I stepped up, my knee buckled. I didn’t fall either time, but I could have. Bear in mind, this was before I’d even had my first beer. I was already thinking about what I might experience on the way home. Joy offered to massage my leg, and I assented, but it was painful. Then I had her briefly do the other leg so I could compare, and it hurt, too. So, I decided the pain was from her rubbing, not the muscle.
I had planned to pay a visit to Cheap Charlies, but as I contemplated climbing the stairs to get there, I had second thoughts about the wisdom of doing so with a bum leg. I enjoyed my time at Hideaway but wanted to get out before dark, so I paid my tab and gave Joy a 500 peso tip to buy the medicine she needed. The leg felt a little weak but otherwise fine, so I stuck to my original plan and climbed the two flights of stairs to the rooftop at Cheap Charlies.
I enjoyed some drinks and chat with Alma and Nerissa and bought them some pancit from Foodies downstairs for supper. Then I did my nightcap at The Green Room and headed home.
Swan asked if I wanted to join her for some Netflix, so I prepared a dessert (pecan pie a la mode) and sat beside her on the couch. She had queued up a movie called “Morbius.” I’d never heard of it (I wasn’t into Marvel comics growing up) and had no idea what to expect. Maybe my ignorance made it more entertaining, at least it held my interest enough to make it to the end. Lots of things don’t these days. Reading about it today I see that it got generally bad reviews.
It was raining this morning, so it gave me a good excuse to give my leg a rest.
Today marks one week in my new digs. I still have some furniture to buy (nightstands, a dresser, and a table for under the TV), but I’m settling in. I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but things sound different in my new location.
Anyone up for a tour of the new place?
There’s also a guest room that, for now at least, is Swan’s space.
And there you have the latest update from my so-called life. Thanks for coming by.
I got nothing but time No time for living I used to be somebody But that was so long ago Look around but you won’t see me Just a picture of what I used to be. There ain’t nothing to set me free Without a leg to stand on
He brought his wife and kid along for the ride. Then we ran out of gas about half a kilometer from our destination.
Extra weight = more gas consumption. Maybe don’t bring the wife and kid next time, eh, buddy? (Oh, and: way to look at that fuel gauge!)
Joy messaged that her kids needed medicine[,] and that she was hoping to earn enough commission to buy them some.
The tee I sent is all for naught.
She had queued up a movie called “Morbius.”
I could’ve warned you. I feel bad, though, for Jared Leto. His story is rather complex. He can apparently be a real asshole to work with (as when he played the Joker in “Suicide Squad” and was sending prank gifts to costars—things like a dead hog, a live rat, and sex toys), and he’s been in quite a few movies that turned out to be giant turds, but I watched his performances in “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Blade Runner 2049” and thought he was fantastic. (I’ll soon be watching him in “Requiem for a Dream,” where I again hear he was awesome.) I think the man is truly talented. He just ends up in bad films like “Morbius,” and he’s got his own personal problems (for actors, what’s new, right?).
So I’m not a Leto hater.
The rooftop roof is nearly complete.
Gonna host a square dance up there? Or at least a chili party? (You’ll have to buy chairs and folding tables, I suspect. And drag up a beer keg.)
Where I watch TV
Is that viewing angle OK? Seems a bit off kilter. No sun glare?
My darts area and guest CR. No, I haven’t thrown here yet.
For a fraction of a second, I interpreted that to mean, “No, I haven’t thrown any shit into that toilet yet.” You know what would be weird, though? Having a guest go into the bathroom, then you start playing darts while he’s in there. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. I’d find it hard to take a shit with darts hitting the wall.
They all seem very happy with their accommodations down there.
I’d be weirded out with that sort of arrangement. Put the help in a separate building! Like in the good old days on the plantation!
Dining room
I spy a Lucky. You and he getting along better?
Kitchen
Looks as if you’ve got a bar or a cuisine island. Nice. Good place to put flatware.
The master’s bedroom
I can’t tell if “master’s” is meant as a joke. I assume yes. Or do they really say “master’s bedroom” instead of “master bedroom” where you’re from?
Where I shit and shower.
The key in the doorknob seems to mean you can lock someone in the bathroom. Interesting. And why would you ever need to do that? Then there’s that square toilet. I’ve never seen a square toilet before. But hey—if it works, it works.
My office space
Judging by the stuff still on the floor, I’m guessing you’ll need some bookshelves there to act as shelf space.
There’s also a guest room that, for now at least, is Swan’s space.
You’re not writing about how that’s going, so I surmise it’s either not going at all, and maybe Swan is stalling or something, or it’s going in some funky direction that is difficult or impossible to write about for reasons of privacy or whatever.
Continued good luck as you settle in further and further.
Having gone through several yeas now, of my brain not speaking to my ankles I can offer this.
You have made no mention of back pain or sciatic pain so rule that out, but not completely.
The bundle of nerves that go through the sacrum, if injured, may cause knee issues without sciatic pain. Just saying.
We are all different and I am only smart and maybe not smart enough about my own body.
Past posts show that you have fallen down several times. Maybe you have some delayed reaction involving a nerve going through the sacrum.
Good advice from Rascal. Maybe it’s time to see those doctors.
John, new place looks pretty nice. Nice chill out space on the roof. Good luck with the knee. To second what the others have said – yeah, get it checked.
Thanks for the tips, Rascal. I’ll do some more research and see the docs soon if the issue persists. The scariest possibility I read was MS.
Kev, well, that trike driver was already parked there, and I didn’t expect he would leave the family behind. I don’t have any idea what they were doing out there in the middle of nowhere to begin with, but I felt fortunate to find a ride.
I very rarely watch TV, but it is a straight-on view from the couch. It should be fine, and I can close the drapes if need be.
Most larger houses here have a “maid’s room” attached. I wouldn’t have much use for that basement space anyway. And yes, having my helpers living downstairs turns my master bedroom into a master’s room.
That’s a new doorknob in the bathroom, and the installers left the keys in it. I haven’t gotten around to moving them yet, but it does look weird now that you mention it. No, I can’t lock a victim in–it can be unlocked from inside. I think the keys are there in case you accidentally lock yourself out.
Yes, I’m looking to put a dresser on the wall next to my desk for my storage space.
I’m still assessing the situation with Swan. The “everything will be different” line was something of an overstatement, but I do feel like slow progress is being made. We’ll see where this all leads.
Please don’t use that dirty word “ms.” it’s likely a slow inflammation over time. (my case). that can be taken care of with an anti-infammatory from a Dr. Possibly a steroid.
Maybe it’s nothing and just anxiety
Rascal, I just Googled my symptoms, and that dirty word was the worst of several possibilities. I’m sure it is much more likely to be one of the sciatic ones you mentioned or, hopefully, something less.