[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..This week I really dont know where to start or what to write..My thoughts are pre-occupied with making the trip out west to meet Laura on Thursday..Actually, I am so excited that I cant think straight..I started packing yesterday, and I have been making a list of things that I will need to bring with me, and Ive been wracking my brain so I dont forget anything

The weather here is beginning to cool down, and the mornings have been in the 40's mostly, with a couple of them in the 30's..I went out clamming four days this week, and the more times I go, the stronger I feel

How was your week?

[rosebud]

We're excited that your excited. This time next week you'll have made the trip to our side of the world. Don't worry if you forget something, we have Wal-mart out here too. Just make sure your on the plane, and you have your medication!

Can you bring a conch shell? If you can't I'll be understanding. Looking forward to seeing you.

[RLSmi]

Steve, I have to admit I am excited about your trip too! I think the whole deal is just too cool.
Speaking of cool, we are getting cool enough nights here that the grass has almost stopped growing. Now I have to walk the dog or something else to give me the exercise that my weekly mowing routine provided. Pretty soon the autumn needle shedding of our big pine trees will provide exercise with raking them up for several weeks. I guess I'll just have to join the gym club again and do that for the winter, along with the dog-walk.

Everyone have a great week. I'm jealous of y'all who are going to the HOPE conference.

Robert

[paula_w]

If you didn't catch the movie Living Proof on lifetime channel tonight, it's on again tomorrow at 8 ET; 7 CT. I thought it showed an all around good example of the frustrations of bringing a drug to market - time span, trouble with funding and getting participants for trials, plus the personal anguish of both researcher and patients. It brought out the different perspectives that biotechs have [business first] and A+ for bringing to light the flaws and impossibly rigid requirements that doom trials to failure, and the need for patient advocates at the table, helping with trial design.

I attended a funeral of a next door neighbor and cousin today; i grew up with her two daughters - our grandfathers were brothers. Hadn't seen them since '84. As always at weddings and funerals, you see people you haven't seen for decades, and i discovered from his son that the neighbor just across the back alley from me was still living [now 85 and in a home] with parkinson's, and that he had been diagnosed at 35. he's had it for 50 years and none of us knew. he hid it for as long as he could, and by then my mother had passed away and our house was sold. I wonder if any other neighbors of mine had early onset.....

Steve, you can't help but love the northwest. I wish you a safe and wonderful; trip.

paula

[stevem53]

Originally Posted by rosebud

We're excited that your excited. This time next week you'll have made the trip to our side of the world. Don't worry if you forget something, we have Wal-mart out here too. Just make sure your on the plane, and you have your medication!

Can you bring a conch shell? If you can't I'll be understanding. Looking forward to seeing you.

I will have to look and see if I have any conch shells..Im not fidhing for them this fall, because they are getting too fussy about the size, and the price is too low..But I do have some clam shells..Hard clams..Quahogs

[Max19BC]

Steve,
You're going to have a great time on your trip, I've even checked the long range weather forecast for Seattle and they predict sunny days in the 60's during your stay. But bring a rain jacket just in case, this is the Pacific NW costal rain forest. I'm looking forward to meeting you, your posts are always honest, informative and caring.
My week has been a good one. I'm happy, enjoying life and still having fun. I'm pretty much settled down in my new place now. It's one level, close to everything and in quiet part of town. Living on my own wasn't easy at first, but I'm doing just fine now. My daughter and grandkids lives 4 blocks away, so I see them quite often.
Told my ex-wife (she left me over a year ago) last week, that I'm seeing someone now, I'm quite happy and she also has pd. Her response was: "Why do you want to do that?" I was actually quite taken back by that response, but I shouldn't be surprised. She always had a harder time dealing with my PD than I did. Life goes on, it's her baggage not mine.

Enjoy Life,
Max

[Evonne]

I passed my Nursing Assistant State Certification Exam. The written part was a breeze, but the clinical skills part was pretty challenging. The evaluator probably thought I had the worst case of nerves ever because my shakes got pretty bad. The person that I had to perform mouth care on had the benefit of a vibrating toothbrush...aka PD toothbrush!!!

I am not sure whether or not I posted about how my interview at the hospital went. In one word...awesome! The nurse that interviewed me pretty much told me that it was in the bag. It is an excellent opportunity for me. Great pay and 100% coverage for medical and dental at no cost to me. In addition, they offer tuition reimbursement and plenty of opportunity for advancement. I will fill you in as I find out more.

All of you have a great week. Steve have a great trip and have lots of fun! Max, I think it's great that you are dating...don't let your ex get to you. It sounds like she let a good guy get away! She probably regrets it.

[stevem53]

Originally Posted by Max19BC

Steve,
You're going to have a great time on your trip, I've even checked the long range weather forecast for Seattle and they predict sunny days in the 60's during your stay. But bring a rain jacket just in case, this is the Pacific NW costal rain forest. I'm looking forward to meeting you, your posts are always honest, informative and caring.
My week has been a good one. I'm happy, enjoying life and still having fun. I'm pretty much settled down in my new place now. It's one level, close to everything and in quiet part of town. Living on my own wasn't easy at first, but I'm doing just fine now. My daughter and grandkids lives 4 blocks away, so I see them quite often.

Ohhh..Now I know who you are Max!..I didnt reailze that you were posting here..Yes, I am looking foward to meeting you too, and seeing Rosebud again!!..It will definately be fun, and I am sure will go down in my book of fondest memories

I mentioned I was overcome with excitement..I went to bed at 1:00 am, and it is 5:30 am EST as I write this..I usually get up at between 7:00 and 8:00, but I am up at 5:00 this morning..I went to sleep thinking about this trip, and it was my first thought when I woke up this morning, and I couldnt get back to sleep, so I will start my day early, and take a couple of naps later on..Maybe I will go clamming when the sun comes up..That will knock me out when I get in....It has been like this all week, as the time draws closer

Told my ex-wife (she left me over a year ago) last week, that I'm seeing someone now, I'm quite happy and she also has pd. Her response was: "Why do you want to do that?" I was actually quite taken back by that response, but I shouldn't be surprised. She always had a harder time dealing with my PD than I did. Life goes on, it's her baggage not mine.

Enjoy Life,
Max

To that I would say, "Why wouldnt you want to do that?"..Up untill Laura and I began entertaining the thought of getting together, I had about given up on the idea of relationships..I figured, who would want a 55 year old guy with pd on SSDI?..I was afraid that if I did, that someone would find themself in disillusionment when the rose colored glasses came off so to speak, and I decided that I would not put myself through that kind of disappointment..Ive worked hard, as many of us parkies have, to be at peace with the fact that I/we have pd..Ive seen and read about too many parkies who got dumped by their spouses because they cant deal with their pd, and I wasnt willing to put all of my chips in the middle of the table, and roll the dice on the possibility that someone might dump me down the road because I have pd..I was not going to allow the final act of my existence to go down that way, by someone putting me out on the curb with the trash, because they cant deal with reality..There are however those who can, and God Bless those special folks who remain loyal..Alot of people look at us, and all they can see is the "disease"..We are not a disease..We are more than a disease, alot more!..Everything about us, and inside of our being, is very much alive..maybe even moreso that some who are not afflicted with our fate..We still have needs, and desires just like anyone else does..I still have dreams, and hopes that are in need of fulfilllment, like we all do..I had denied myself the right to dream my wildest dream..I had allowed my disease to rob me of my pursuit of happiness, that is..up untill now..Now that I have found someone, (or maybe she found me, actually I think we found each other)..else who has pd, who has a mutual understanding of what living the life we live with pd is all about, who has grown personally and spiritually through the adversity of lifes ups and downs, someone who is as real as real gets, someone who like myself who has had enough of the games people play, someone who is a whole lot more than any long list of qualities I could possibly write, I am more than willing to put all my chips in the middle of the table, and go for it..I like to quote Morgan Freeman..Its a simple decision to either.."Git busy livin', or git busy dyin'"..The choice is mine

Best of luck to you Max!!..And God willing I will see you soon

[burckle]

StreveL

While you are going west we will be travelling east. Tomorrow, my wife and I will take a flight to Norway. From there we will board a ship and cruise the fjords of western Norway. It will be a two week cruise. I emailed some of my former students that I will be coming and they will meet us in Bergen. I haven't seen them for 5 or 6 years.

Hope you have a good PD conference. Haven't been to one since the Washington DC conference. Have to make it one of these days.

All the best,

Lloyd.

By the way, my wife and I are pictured in the October issue of DOWN EAST magazine (page 72). We are advertising the retirement community in which we live.

[harley]

how ja doin? dis ere trips gettin closah by da day. whew. been thinkin bout alota things foh us to do, but da weathah will play a big paht as fah as what we really do. ja know? i was born ere wid da webbed toes, so im used to da gettin wet stuff. i don' melt. foh some reason, i don' think steve does eithah, so I don' see it bein a problem if it rains. da weathah forcast foh da week says no rain until da day he gets ere. of coise. but, even den, it only is supposed to be just showahs. so, im sittin ere thinkin, why worry bout it? play it by eah. if its nice out, great. if it rains.. we get wet.. whatevah. we ah still gonna have fun.