Two Months Ago, I Was Here

Two months ago, maybe three, not long before this whole ulcerative colitis smack-down befell me, or I fell under ot, I was here, with this unopened box holding twenty-five copies of my first chapbook, "The Real Story." And I couldn't open the box for many reasons. The Radish offered to send her cats along since they once opened a box of her books (not chapbooks, but a book, a real book), but it was just to far for them to fly. 

I just opened the box. That's done. 
Ping, who makes my lunch and dinner, (yes, it's getting expensive, but I'll think about that later,) works 85 hours a week, takes only Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter as days off, hasn't had any vacation in six years, is very tired, very tired, has two children, 14 and 4, a mortgage, car, insurance and owns this franchise. 

On my way to buy the Inari and Sushi (shrimp with avocado) today, we met our friend from Panera who knows a great deal about the inner and under workings of the food industry, the quality of food that's available in supermarkets and specialty stores like Whole Paycheck, who told us a little more about how hard it is to make a living as an independent contractor at a major league store that sells a million dollars a day of produce. He was actually on his way to pick up two platters that Ping had catered for him.

While C. and I stood there chatting with him, he explained why it's much better to make my own corn bread and not buy muffins anywhere. "Did you read the labels?" I'm not up to make anything from scratch, but he said that a boxed corn bread is better than store bought, so I'll make that. 

I long for the day when my diet includes brown rice, but I'm extremely grateful that this made-on-the-spot food has been available and that the men who make it (Ping and Peter) have been so obliging.

One of the important things about the blog has been how many people have been really helpful. I'm very indebted to Elsa Dorfman who forwarded my blogspot to a friend of hers who has been advising me by e-mail. I've learned crucial information from her experience, her knowledge of useful foods and suppliments, and her experience with medication including how important it is to build up strength before being weaned off of prednisone because that, in itself, presents it's own set of problems. So, I'm going to have to force myself to do more, hard as it is. I'm no where near being able to join the Y, but I can push myself more during the day, tired as I still am. I'm down to 30mg a day for another week and a half, then twenty, 15, 10, and 5, each for two weeks.