Wednesday July 12

It is a very hot day in Bakersfield.

I woke up with a bad headache. Nursing came to give me a Tylenol hopefully it will take care of it.
More later about my experience

My frontal lobe on the right hand side - where my shunt is located- is hurting.

It is always the right hand side. Nothing new for me.

I cleaned all the apartment this morning. I can not stand the dust of Bakersfield.
 It gets into everywhere.

My cleaning spree will not last for long, I know it perfectly well.

I cleaned all the surfaces of the apartment

The furniture wood panels have been cleaned as well

The white hood  was cleaned carefully revealing a light but thick layer of black dust.

My bedroom furniture has been next

Finally it was time for me to sweep the floor

The trick for me is to remember where I am piling the floor's dust.

At the end I made a bag worth of trash and throw it away 

I can not stand a dirty environment which is very unfortunate given the situation around.

This morning I noticed that my overnight Oat was low.

So I followed the recipe from  last June 

I made a new batch.

It is a really good way to start my breakfast and it is very healthy.

I left this mix chilling overnight in the fridge. 

I like to eat it in the morning.. so this is my breakfast as always

It is organic oat, a banana, some cold cereal with blueberry

Nothing too fancy 

I woke up with a strong headache, I requested medication went to Nursing office, they told me to wait in the unit that has been assigned to  me. Finally nursing came to the apartment.

They always call it my apartment, I do not like that expression. I sounds as if it is my possession. 

I would like to see the contract of location that says I am the official locator of the CNS apartment 621 . Obviously there is none. I do not receive any bills for utilities either.

Because I am independent and I like things clean the way I like it I keep it clean the way I intend to be.

I practically over clean it. 

Nursing  has  a very phlegmatic  approach,  after all it is all normal administration for it. It dispenses medication all the day particularly when you ask for a specific med. This request is called  PRN med Short for Pro Re Nata  which means As Needed in Latin.

Hard to compete with me on cultural matter isn't ?

A patient experience is what matters after all . 

This is the motto that some Marketing guru has selected for refreshing the CNS brand.

I wonder how much he/she has spent while thinking about this motto. 

Perhaps there has even been a focus group to understand all the  messaging involved. Needless to say I was involved in the marketing business once. It was Technical Marketing indeed. Rather  high tech matter compared to the low tech  current one.

Today it is my receipt  day for the money management program.

Tomorrow the Insurance will pay me a salary. Everybody tells me what do I do to deserve it?

Well for once I rise from my ashes every single day... I cope with my shunt hurting, I clean I  do my own staff . I frankly and openly criticize whenever I see things do not get done per the program that CNS has given to me. Should I  not refer to my program it would be easier not having any expectation from CNS.

I cooked a good salmon yesterday

I paired with Brown Basmati rise

I washed the rise  under running water with a fine mesh colander

I squeezed a few lemon and washed a few cherry tomatoes.

I finely minced several garlic cloves

I set a marinating bath of spice in a large bowl.

I added garlic, celery, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and herbs.

I covered it with aluminum foil. I  let marinating  it for 20 minute in the fridge.

The brown rice was cooking in the stove and the garlic was browning in a large red bowl.

Here are the spices

Here is the marinating bath 

The Brown Rice had been cooking in water.

I  cooked the salmon in a large hot  pan. 

Because the pan is hot a few minutes per side are enough for the Salmon to cook.

It cooked quickly. 

I ate a bit of salmon with a side of brown rice.

Yesterday evening I was dropped at the gym by Caesar the sup.

I had body pump and then Zumba.

I stayed light but worked hard on my flexibility and abdominal muscle.

I also  worked hard in bending my crooked legs.

I ended up my gym time in a good note.

This is when my Odyssey with CNS began.

The program  given me by CNS is such that at 7pm  transportation is supposed to come to pick me up.

And sure enough nobody showed up in time over there. 

Well I waited and waited and then walked back by myself of course in the heat of the night.

These are real pictures from the road I walked back by myself

The normal people of Bakersfield were wondering who is that white Caucasian man walking in the heat of the night. I am lucky not to be of dark complexion so I passed unnoticed.

I signed back in at 7:40pm  fully being aware that the next morning I would have had a strong headache. And indeed it happened.

They told me you have to be flexible... you mean like I have to touch my knee with my nose dear CNS? is this the flexibility your are looking for? 

In am too high to go low with you. 

But you clearly are deserving all my displeased comment.

I was obviously much displeased by the CNS service... just look at my eyes your will be able to determine my thoughts.

In the morning I am awake by the wonderful sounds of the gardener cutting the grass or blowing the dust away from the hallways. They might be aware that by blowing it away from one place it ends back into each and every apartment.

Of course they do not care the key for CNS is to present a pristine facade.

It is all a facade at CNS... 

I am refusing to set a foot in the shack or as they call it the Swain Center.

This is a little building next to the apartment with nothing in it.. no bathroom nothing of nothing.

I frankly have no clue what they try to achieve by keeping that place alive.

I am refusing to set my foot in it, I do not like it and therefore this is what I am doing better sweating outside.

Until somebody comes to take me to my work program.

And then back to the wonderful world of CNS.

My heart is filled with acceptance of the mistreatment I have been receiving in the wonderful world  of  CNS.. 

By the way the family is well. The boys are enjoying Rome with the sea side.

Simona is working more that ever even from Rome. There is skype she used to talk to her student in US  then she can log into her Computer at Caltech. 

There is no limit for her professional world. She has to do what she has to do.

A flower for my wonderful wife.

Enjoy the reading.

Giuseppe