[stevem53]

Hi Everyone!..And I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new community members!

Well, we made it to March, and hopefully the weather will break soon..This week we had it all..Rain, snow, cold, and mild..I did get out to work in the yard one day this week..I had an old 19' work skiff in my yard, and my friend came over with his chain saw, and cut it up and we hauled it off to the dump..It was all over in about 2 hours..I cut one of those things up with a sawzall a few years ago, and it took me forever

On Wednesday morning I met Mrs Lonnie Ali at the Marriot in Providence..She was down to earth, humble, open, compassionate, and friendly, as well as an inspiration..We took individual pictures with her, and a group picture for the press..I hope to have one to post in a few weeks..She gave a speech at the symposium, and was very open about her life with Muhammed, and their struggles, challenges, and their joys..She was such an inspiration, and there were some new members to the R.I. support groups in attendance that needed to hear a message of hope..When you think about meeting a celebrity, you automatically think that they are going to shake your hand, say hello, and put a boundary inbetween you..But Lonnie was one of the gang that day..She gravitated toward us, instead of away..Those of you who have met her know what I mean..She also talked about what its like to travel with Muhammed..He has to use a walker to get through the airport, and they get mobbed by the paparozi, snapping pictures and what not, and with the "Poor Muhammed" attitude..And they have no idea what he might have gone through the night before..Maybe he didnt sleep well etc..But she says, he doesnt care about the paparozi does or thinks..Hes going to travel, and do whatever hes capable of doing as long as he can..She explained that he does have an ego, which naturally drew a laugh from the crowd, but he has a very humbled side as well..What a great morning it was!

How was your week?

[jcitron]

Well Steve, things are straigtening out a little bit. I've since gotten over the flu after feeling like death was at my doorstep last week. I guess when you feel that ill, death isn't an option so the only thing was to get better.

My change in medication is having good effects with my mobility. My stiffness is completely gone now and I feel like I haven't felt in over 5 years! Now to deal with the nausea. That's the trade-off for mobility. I've been chewing gum and eating lifesavers which help somewhat, but not as much as I would like. The fatigue is still there though. This past weekend found me sleeping a few power naps. On Saturday I lost 5 hours to a nap and ended up screwing up my pill schedule, and Sunday I threw away 3 hours. On both days, I went to bed the normal time and slept most of the way through the night.

I've also reluctantly started back to school again. This time it's a JavaScript class which I couldn't give a rat turd about. This stuff is *** BORING ***, and the fact I have to be nice to everyone makes it worse! Thank God this class is only 5 weeks long. If it was any longer I'd be in complete tears.

Interesting that you met Lonnie. It's funny how you mention the distance that some folks put in between us and them because they're famous. I've never found that to be a problem if you treat them like everyone else. We have to remember that they are human and have the same needs and desires the rest of us have famous or not.

Hope the weather holds up nicely. Today's in the 40s and tomorrow supposed to be warmer, but raining.

John