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Happy Halloween

My favorite time of year. I have always loved Halloween. It’s just a fun holiday. We probably won’t have a lot of trick or treaters tonight because they are predicting pretty heavy rainfall. My neighbor and I will still give out candy to those who come by. It’s always fun to see all the costumes.

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Travel Hell, Part II

I didn’t fully realize this had happened until last night. I had carefully packed everything I needed for my trip. However, when I got to Pensacola I realized that my glucose meter to check my blood sugar was not in my bag. I distinctly remember picking it up and taking it to my suitcase. I checked all through my luggage and it just wasn’t there. I did notice one thing off though, my bag that I’d neatly packed was in disarray. I didn’t really think much of it at the time because TSA always seems to check my bag and leaves a little note saying the did so. This time though, there was no note. I just thought they may have forgotten.

Then I got home. I searched all over my apartment and my glucose meter is nowhere to be found. I’ve looked everywhere. The only thing I can think that happened is that someone rifled through my bag and stole my glucose meter. I have no idea why someone would steal it, but someone apparently did. Just one more problem to add to my travels.

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Mr. Macklin’s Jack O’Lantern

Mr. Macklin’s Jack O’Lantern
David McCord - 1897-1997

Mr. Macklin takes his knife
And carves the yellow pumpkin face:
Three holes bring eyes and nose to life,
The mouth has thirteen teeth in place.
Then Mr. Macklin just for fun
Transfers the corn-cob pipe from his
Wry mouth to Jack’s, and everyone
Dies laughing! O what fun it is
Till Mr. Macklin draws the shade
And lights the candle in Jack’s skull.
Then all the inside dark is made
As spooky and as horrorful
As Halloween, and creepy crawl
The shadows on the tool-house floor,
With Jack’s face dancing on the wall.
O Mr. Macklin! where's the door?

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Travel Hell

My flight Saturday from Pensacola to Atlanta was delayed due to bad weather. My flight arrived in Atlanta just minutes after my flight to Burlington had left. There’s only one flight from Atlanta to Burlington a day, so I got stuck in Atlanta Saturday night. Delta originally rescheduled my flight to send me to Memphis then Detroit and finally to Burlington. After an hour in the Delta service line and on the phone with Delta I finally got my flight rescheduled so that I flew straight to Detroit and then to Burlington yesterday. Not the best situation but it’s the best they would do. Then I got to the service counter to find out what they had done with my luggage only for the bitch at the service counter to yell at me when I enquired about my bag. I told her she needed to settle down, gave her my ticket, and again asked where my bag was. Delta had locked it up with my CPAP and wouldn’t let me have it back assuring me that it would be on the next day’s flight with me.

Next, I had to find a hotel to stay for the night. I settled on the Hilton Atlanta Airport. Big mistake! I checked in got to my room and went down to get dinner. I was starving. After waiting forever for a waitress, someone finally took my order. I ordered wings and fries. The wings came out eventually and were basically all fat with a little bit of meat. I went back up my room and went to bed. I woke up at 6:30 the next morning and headed down for breakfast. I got the buffet because everything looked good. It was not. It was barely edible and the coffee tasted burnt. I went back to my room because I was nauseated and wanted to lay down for a bit before checkout. That’s when I found a bedroom slipper in the middle of my bed under the covers. I could only surmise that the cleaning crew had only made the bed but not changed the sheets after the last person checked out. To top off all of that, they over charged me for the meals I’d had to the tune of an extra $90. So when I did check out I let them know my issues. To compensate me for my troubles, the gave me a hot ginger ale. Ugh! I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

The trip to Detroit was fine. It’s a fairly nice airport.  I ate at Cat Cora’s Taproom for dinner. It was delicious. If you do not know who Cat Cora is, she’s a Mississippi chef who became the first female Iron Chef on Food Network. She’s also a philanthropist, a lesbian, and a fellow alumni of The University of Southern Mississippi. Subsequently, the flight to Burlington went without a hitch. We even arrived early. However, after I’d been assured my bag would be flying with me, it did not. Instead, it took a direct flight to Burlington in an airplane that arrived after mine. So I had to wait an extra 30-45 minutes for my bag. Finally, I was headed home, but it rained the whole way. I hate driving at night in the rain, but I made it home safely to a very happy Isabella when I walked in the door.

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Judging Others

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (KJV) ( James 4:12 ) 

God is the perfect judge because He created the law. When we judge other people it is a sign we don't trust God will judge accordingly. Or it is a sign that our own authority is greater than God's.  Both of these ideas are far from the truth.  If you find yourself looking down on another person, try focusing on your love and appreciation for them.  Your love leaves a greater impact than your judgement. 

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Moment of Zen: I Repeat, The Beach

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Free Day

I have nothing I have to do today except enjoy Pensacola. I plan to go to the museums downtown and explore them. That should take up most of my day as I do plan to sleep in some this morning. Tonight I’m taking a ghost tour and then will probably head to the gay bar that is downtown and near my hotel.

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Presentation

Today is the last day of my class. I have to present a ten minute interpretive program as my final project. I also have to turn in my literature review test that the class completed as a group. I hope everyone knew what they were talking about because we will either all pass or all fail the literature review. It has been a pretty interesting and, dare I say, fun class. I’m glad I have gotten the opportunity to do this training to be come a Certified Interpretive Guide. 

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Training

My training class is going pretty well. I am learning some new stuff. My instructor is super cute, and though most of my fellow classmates are much older than I am, they are all very nice. Two of the seven are much younger than I am, so I’m sort of in the middle of the pack. It is all pretty interesting though. I am looking forward to my free day Friday when I can explore some of the local museums.

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To -- -- --. Ulalume: A Ballad

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

The skies they were ashen and sober; 

      The leaves they were crispéd and sere— 

      The leaves they were withering and sere; 

It was night in the lonesome October 

      Of my most immemorial year; 

It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, 

      In the misty mid region of Weir— 

It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, 

      In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir. 

Here once, through an alley Titanic, 

      Of cypress, I roamed with my Soul— 

      Of cypress, with Psyche, my Soul. 

These were days when my heart was volcanic 

      As the scoriac rivers that roll— 

      As the lavas that restlessly roll 

Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek 

      In the ultimate climes of the pole— 

That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek 

      In the realms of the boreal pole. 

Our talk had been serious and sober, 

      But our thoughts they were palsied and sere— 

      Our memories were treacherous and sere— 

For we knew not the month was October, 

      And we marked not the night of the year— 

      (Ah, night of all nights in the year!) 

We noted not the dim lake of Auber— 

      (Though once we had journeyed down here)— 

We remembered not the dank tarn of Auber, 

      Nor the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir. 

And now, as the night was senescent 

      And star-dials pointed to morn— 

      As the star-dials hinted of morn— 

At the end of our path a liquescent 

      And nebulous lustre was born, 

Out of which a miraculous crescent 

      Arose with a duplicate horn— 

Astarte's bediamonded crescent 

      Distinct with its duplicate horn. 

And I said—"She is warmer than Dian: 

      She rolls through an ether of sighs— 

      She revels in a region of sighs: 

She has seen that the tears are not dry on 

      These cheeks, where the worm never dies, 

And has come past the stars of the Lion 

      To point us the path to the skies— 

      To the Lethean peace of the skies— 

Come up, in despite of the Lion, 

      To shine on us with her bright eyes— 

Come up through the lair of the Lion, 

      With love in her luminous eyes." 

But Psyche, uplifting her finger, 

      Said—"Sadly this star I mistrust— 

      Her pallor I strangely mistrust:— 

Oh, hasten! oh, let us not linger! 

      Oh, fly!—let us fly!—for we must." 

In terror she spoke, letting sink her 

      Wings till they trailed in the dust— 

In agony sobbed, letting sink her 

      Plumes till they trailed in the dust— 

      Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust. 

I replied—"This is nothing but dreaming: 

      Let us on by this tremulous light! 

      Let us bathe in this crystalline light! 

Its Sybilic splendor is beaming 

      With Hope and in Beauty to-night:— 

      See!—it flickers up the sky through the night! 

Ah, we safely may trust to its gleaming, 

      And be sure it will lead us aright— 

We safely may trust to a gleaming 

      That cannot but guide us aright, 

      Since it flickers up to Heaven through the night." 

Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her, 

      And tempted her out of her gloom— 

      And conquered her scruples and gloom: 

And we passed to the end of the vista, 

      But were stopped by the door of a tomb— 

      By the door of a legended tomb; 

And I said—"What is written, sweet sister, 

      On the door of this legended tomb?" 

      She replied—"Ulalume—Ulalume— 

      'Tis the vault of thy lost Ulalume!" 

Then my heart it grew ashen and sober 

      As the leaves that were crispèd and sere— 

      As the leaves that were withering and sere, 

And I cried—"It was surely October 

      On this very night of last year 

      That I journeyed—I journeyed down here— 

      That I brought a dread burden down here— 

      On this night of all nights in the year, 

      Oh, what demon has tempted me here? 

Well I know, now, this dim lake of Auber— 

      This misty mid region of Weir— 

Well I know, now, this dank tarn of Auber— 

      In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir." 

Said we, then—the two, then—"Ah, can it 

      Have been that the woodlandish ghouls— 

      The pitiful, the merciful ghouls— 

To bar up our way and to ban it 

      From the secret that lies in these wolds— 

      From the thing that lies hidden in these wolds— 

Had drawn up the spectre of a planet 

      From the limbo of lunary souls— 

This sinfully scintillant planet 

      From the Hell of the planetary souls?" 

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Pensacola

I made it to Pensacola. It was quite a trip down. Yesterday was so crazy, I never got a chance to post a devotional. I got to the airport in what is usually plenty of time. However, there was only one clerk working the Delta counter, and the line was halfway down the airport to check your bags. Luckily, I was Sky Priority and the line was shorter but it still took at least half an hour to check my bag. Then the TSA was down to one machine in security so that took forever. It was also terribly annoying because some guy from New York behind me kept trying to inch in front of me and continually screamed for a TSA manager because he was afraid of missing his flight. Even after being told they were holding the planes he continued to complain loudly. I get very annoyed at impatient people. Finally, I got through security in time to board my 6 am flight at 5:55. We then sat on the plane for over an hour waiting to take off. I got off the plane in Atlanta just in time for my next flight to start boarding. Luckily, we landed at gate B28 and my gate was B27. Sometimes I get lucky. Some people were not as lucky. The lady next to me missed her flight completely, and two other ladies had a flight boarding in ten minutes on concourse D. I hope they made it, but the Atlanta Airport is a big place. Finally though, I got to Pensacola only to find my hotel room wouldn’t be ready for several more hours. Luckily, my parents  were there and we went and had lunch. When we got back, they’d just finished with my room. 

My training classes begin the morning. I sure hope they aren’t boring.

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Moment of Zen: The Beach

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CPAP

I went and got my CPAP yesterday. The salesman, or whatever you’d call him, told me I should have no problem getting used to the machine because I had the worst sleep apnea he had ever seen. Sigh! Just what I’d wanted to hear. Anyway, I’m writing this before I put it on and go to sleep. I’ll try to update this post in the morning after I’ve slept in this CPAP mask.

The Verdict:

I can't say that last night was the best sleep of my life. The CPAP mask is going to take some getting used to. It woke me up several times in the middle of the night. I don't know why, but it did. It was mostly a fitful night of sleep. I hope as I get used to wearing it, it will become more comfortable and I will sleep better. The end result, the verdict is still out.

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A Room With a View

I live next door to a bed and breakfast. What people who stay there always fail to realize is that if they don’t close their blinds, anyone can see through the sheer curtains on the windows. I often see these things when my neighbor and I are sitting out on the front porch talking. One night I saw a guy, who was rather largely endowed, masturbate in front of the bathroom window; its was not as erotic as it sounds, since the guy had a huge beer belly. Last night, though, was the sexiest sight I’ve ever seen. The guy in the front room was a tall guy with the body of a Greek god. I had a glimpse of him a few seconds earlier when he was in the bathroom, but then he came back into his room and began to undress. Because of my position on the porch talking with my neighbor, he was directly in my line of sight. I may be a terrible person, but I just couldn’t turn away. He stripped down to his black boxer briefs. He then proceeded to walk around the room for a bit in his underwear before finally pulling on a t-shirt. Sadly he then put on a hoodie before finally putting on pants and disappearing from sight. It was quite a show though while it lasted.

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Halloween Party

BY KENN NESBITT

We’re having a Halloween party at school.

I’m dressed up like Dracula. Man, I look cool!

I dyed my hair black, and I cut off my bangs.

I’m wearing a cape and some fake plastic fangs.

I put on some makeup to paint my face white,

like creatures that only come out in the night.

My fingernails, too, are all pointed and red.

I look like I’m recently back from the dead.

My mom drops me off, and I run into school

and suddenly feel like the world’s biggest fool.

The other kids stare like I’m some kind of freak—

the Halloween party is not till next week.

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Health Update

I just got off the phone with my doctor with the CT scan results. This is what I have:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiploic_appendix

This is what happened:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiploic_appendagitis

It will go away on its own in a few weeks. No surgery will be needed.

Nervous

You’re probably tired of hearing about this, but I’m tired of these abdominal pains. They continue to persist, and I have found no relief because they can’t find what’s wrong. I have my CT scan this morning. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find some answers. I leave Sunday for Pensacola to do my certified interpretive guide training. I really can’t afford to miss that. Too much money that’s non-refundable has already been spent.

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Pause

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. (KJV) ( Proverbs 15:28 ) 

Big questions require thoughtful responses.  Better to pause, pray and find the right words when facing a tricky situation. When we rush to reply in haste, we often make matters worse.  God knows sometimes our first inclinations are not our best ones.  Time gives us the chance to find wisdom in difficulty. 

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Moment of Zen: Sleep

I chose sleep this week because it’s the only thing that has given me relief from the pain in my abdomen.

Also, I have my CT scan scheduled for Monday morning.

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Not Feeling Well

The ultrasound turned up nothing. Everything seemed to check out fine. My doctor at first wanted another ultrasound but decided to go with a CT scan instead. I don’t know when this will be as they have yet to tell me. At times the pain is pretty significant, but if I lay on my left side I feel much better. I hope we can find out what is causing this pain.

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Green Mountains

There are only two ways to get anywhere in Vermont. You can go between or around the mountains, or you can go over the mountains. Going over them, is always the quickest way. However, the roads are often narrow, dirt roads. The speed limit is never over 35 mph. The scenery is beautiful this time of year with the fall foliage and the bubbling brooks running down the mountains. There are disadvantages though other than it being narrow, dirt roads. In the winter, these roads are closed and impassible. There is also no cell service through these mountain roads. So when I was in my way back over one of these mountains yesterday coming back from physical therapy, my doctor happened to call with the results of my ultrasound. The problem was, there was no signal, so it went to voicemail. By the time I got the message, the office was closed and I couldn’t call back. So now I’ve had to wait until this morning for her to call me back. I’d have liked to have known what the tests said yesterday, but now I have to wait.

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Falling Apart

I feel like I’m falling apart. First, it was my headaches that have become more frequent and severe. Then I was diagnosed with a severe case of sleep apnea. Now, and since Sunday, I have had a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen. Since this could mean any number of severe conditions, I called to see my doctor on Monday. I couldn’t get in to see him, so they had me see another doctor on staff. The good thing is after her exam, she ruled out appendicitis, but she couldn’t figure out what else was wrong. So she ordered some blood tests. The blood tests came back normal, no infection, but one enzyme was off. That enzyme often points to something is wrong with the gallbladder. It could be the pancreas or liver, but usually the gallbladder. Drinking alcohol could also mess with this enzyme, but I rarely drink alcohol. So with the thought that it might be my gallbladder, she ordered an ultrasound. I have to go to the hospital at 10:30 this morning to have that done. I’ve had to fast since midnight, so I’m not in a good mood without my coffee or breakfast. Anyway, I’ll keep you guys updated. Getting older kind of sucks sometimes. There always seems to be a new health problem.

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Annabel Lee

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago, 

   In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know 

   By the name of Annabel Lee; 

And this maiden she lived with no other thought 

   Than to love and be loved by me. 

I was a child and she was a child, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

But we loved with a love that was more than love— 

   I and my Annabel Lee— 

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven 

   Coveted her and me. 

And this was the reason that, long ago, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling 

   My beautiful Annabel Lee; 

So that her highborn kinsmen came 

   And bore her away from me, 

To shut her up in a sepulchre 

   In this kingdom by the sea. 

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, 

   Went envying her and me— 

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, 

   In this kingdom by the sea) 

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, 

   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. 

But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

   Of those who were older than we— 

   Of many far wiser than we— 

And neither the angels in Heaven above 

   Nor the demons down under the sea 

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side 

   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, 

   In her sepulchre there by the sea— 

   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

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3 Million

Sometime in the middle of last night, I surpassed 3 million page views in my blog. In its 9 year history, this is a milestone. I know for more famous blogs, this is a tiny milestone, but when I started this blog 9 years ago, I didn’t think anyone would read it. I never thought I’d have 370 regular followers. I didn’t think anyone would care about my esoteric knowledge of history, my posts in religion or poetry, let alone would they care anything about my life. Over the past nine years, I have met some wonderful people through this blog. Some have come and gone, some have passed away, others have stayed and we’ve become even better friends. Y’all have helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you for checking  out this blog and following the ups and downs of my life. May we have many more years together.

Sleep Study

I’d been told that I would not get the results back for 5-6 weeks; however, a doctor from the clinic called urgently yesterday to tell me I had sleep apnea. Apparently, it is severe sleep apnea with events occurring over 100 times a minute. At night, my blood oxygen level drops dramatically. The good news is that it comes back to normal as soon as I start breathing again. She was going to call the medical supply company and get me set up to get a CPAP as soon as possible. People keep telling me that this could be a miracle life changer. We’ll see. However, studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea is a cause of hypertension, headaches, memory loss, high blood glucose levels, and a myriad of other health conditions. As I said, we’ll see, and I’ll keep you informed.