Haven't posted in awhile for a host of reasons, not the least of which most of the mobile options don't allow me to select a mood or userpic, and I set all that up for a reason.

Will try to be more regular in the future. Computer here is nice but the keyboard is weird, I'm making excessive typos like every other word instead of every other sentence.

After a brief chastisement, need to clarify something.

The undies I saved from the garbage were not on the ground so long they'd become petrified. They were there maybe a day or two at most.

Although even if they has been I'd still have washed them. Things cannot be judged when they're at their worst.

This will be the first time I've written on LJ from my phone, still with no computer but I must vent.

Kindle's browser doesn't let me select userpics or moods, curious to see how this differs.

Brother in law, Russell, came over to help with the packing and we got a lot done, but there was a slightly annoying issue that kept coming up and I'm correcting now.

My RV is a mess, mountains of old clothes on the floor with rain damage from leaks (landlord fixes them when I update him) and other factors make a lot of them hardened near to the point of plastic or hard cardboard.

I asked Russell to leave the clothes be, that I needed to wash them and sort them from what I'd be keeping, what goes to Goodwill and what is garbage... because his initial idea was to throw it all away.

As we cleaned I noticed he kept shoving clothes into garbage bags, so I again implored him not to do that.

To no avail. Soon as he felt I wasn't looking, he started doing it again.

Spent some of today going thru the garbage bags he packed, taking clothes out to be washed.

Results?

Underwear I got new like a month ago, he threw it out. Guess he wasn't looking at what he was shoveling into the bags... and when I goto bed I tend to leave what I'd been wearing on the floor.

3 sweatshirts, no damage, a thermal top still good to go, 3 dress shirts with no damage, few pairs of jeans, etc.

Still got more bags to unpack and assess, but I suspect a lot if it is salvagable.

There was some absolute unrecoverable garbage as well and some stuff to goto Goodwill.

Yeah, can't pic mood or userpic on phone either.

I've used services for this in the past but had never done it myself before. Technically still haven't, but know what to do now.

Yesterday I learned early on my car died, and from what I could tell it was the battery but I wasn't positive how and why. Consulted Sister, who had good advice, reached out to nivek as I thought he could help even though, at that point I was convinced it wouldn't do me any good on that day so I setup something for today.

Which is how I'm at my Mom's place now.

Late last night while doing recycling, I discussed this with my landlord's caregiver, who lent me her portable charger in case after nivek jumped me and I was far from home the car died again. We went over to my car and she showed me how to do it... whereupon I discovered a tiny pile of nuts on top of the battery.

Seems a squirrel, rat, or something has been going in there to eat. Not sure why the battery was an ideal dining location, but okay.

Kev showed up in the morning, battery charger all ready to go... except when he tried to use it, it was dead.

Annoying reoccurring theme here.

I grabbed the caregiver's charger, nivek used it but that also didn't work. He Googled a few things trying to figure out what was wrong with my car, had a number of theories... and then noticed the cable to the charger wasn't lined up correctly.

So, the car works again.

Gameplan was to drive to Mom's for stuff, hence why I'm here, but on the way I realized I forgot something at home. So I went back, got out and went to head in when I remembered I had a problem.

When you get a jump you need to, ideally, have your engine running for at least 10 minutes afterward to keep things healthy... and at that point I'd only been driving about 6 minutes.

But my house key is on the same ring as the car key... so to get what I forgot I had to turn the car back off.

Having a charger aside, that was a wee bit nerve wracking on the way back.

But I'm here, the car seems to be fine (as fine as a car that's 20+ years old can be) and I'm already fretting about whatever new problems may arise.

*faints*

Since the last time I've had an MRI but it showed nothing was wrong with me, and my situation has stabilized. Near as I can tell my memory is on point, though until I cross paths with something I don't remember that I know I should that's kind of a vague comfort.

Signed up for a psychiatrist today, waiting to hear back from them. Dad is ecstatic, he's been wanting me to see another shrink for a long time. Last time was back in my teens with Dr. William Ayers... which didn't go great but not as bad as it could've been.

If that's confusing at all, Google the name. Just lucky I wasn't his type.

On the advice of Sister, going to look into signing up for Food Stamps today... then I've got a birthday BBQ to go to.

Yes, while I was driving... had to keep reminding myself where I was going. Mental mantra of "Going to see Mom" over and over. A little confusion when I got there too, couldn't remember her room number even though I remembered how to get there.

All times this happened, so far as I'm aware, were when I wasn't home. Near as I know haven't had any real issues at all at home. Minus one little thing when I got home yesterday and wondered why Mom was visiting me...

...because her car, which I've been driving, was parked out front of my place.

Home now, and centered. I'm me again (it's a blessing and a curse). But it was tricky. After visiting Mom I came straight back to Palo Alto to try and see my PCP (Primary Care Physician) but she wasn't in and no one else was available. Went to get lunch, but then swung by the clinic again... not because I forgot I'd already been there but to see if I could see a different doctor...

...and also, I couldn't remember where the car was.

Figured going back to the clinic might shake the memory loose. Wasn't that easy, took awhile, but I found it.

All that aside, the thing that haunts me still is when I was visiting Mom I got like a deer in the headlights with a picture of a girl on Mom's wall. Couldn't look away, couldn't identify her.

It was my niece.

Mom, for all her dementia, had to remind me who she was and then comforted me saying she often forgets who she is too.

Roundabout 30 years ago there was this afternoon where I found Mom in the TV room staring at some picture. When I asked her what was up... she freaked out. Had no idea who I was; it was scary.

I'm now roundabout the age she was then.

Was waiting for the bus today, heading to the bank... when my mind tossed an "L" in there and went blank. Couldn't remember how I got to the bus stop or where I'd come from.

Whereupon, I panicked.

Didn't last long, but it seemed longer.

Went to the bank, did my things, and then next I remembered I was about a mile away at this place I like to eat. Noticed I missed phone calls and had messages.

Checked those.

Long story short, Dad left me messages asking me to call him back ASAP. When I got ahold of him he informed me I'd called him in a panic around the time I was down by the bank (which I only know as he told me I'd said cross streets) and that I didn't know where I lived.

I think I'm understandably weirded out.

So far as I know this only happened twice today, but I don't recall the 2nd time... only know about it as Dad told me.

Reached out to make a doctor's appointment, but the soonest she can see me is in 2 weeks.

Not intended as humor, but I hope I don't forget about that.

I'm a creature of habit and it's often hard to break those habits, though fortunately most of mine aren't that bad. No substance abuse of any kind, for example.

Over the past couple decades I tended to visit Mom usually once every 2 weeks or so, crash at her place for a couple days (usually weekends) and I'd stay in the guest bedroom and primarily use the guest bathroom. Times when Sister visited she and her family would stay in there and use that bathroom, but mostly it was me.

Now that Mom's been placed into a care facility Sister is adamant that room is her's and that bathroom I'm not to use, if I need to use it at all. To be clear, I can bathe myself at my home but the water pressure is so much better at Mom's.

...and Sis has "commanded" if I have to shower at Mom's I have to use Mom's shower, which isn't a conventional shower and I've never liked it.

Now... about 3 weeks back I was there for a bit and I showered, but out of habit I used the guest bathroom. I didn't even remember I wasn't supposed to until about 10 minutes under that blessedly wonderful heated pressure.

Sis will be here next week and while I didn't leave any kind of mess in there, even placed the towels and whatnot I used in to Mom's bathroom, I should probably swing by and make sure it looks up to Sis' standards.

Le sigh...