Sept 14 & 15

Sept. 14th, we went in to Nathan’s so that we could be there when Charlotte and Lorelei arrived. I had a doctor’s appointment/check-up in the early afternoon that lasted longer than I thought it would due to them having trouble drawing a small amount of blood. I have these large and lovely veins in my arms that the philologists lust after – until they actually try and hit them. The veins are tough and they move. After years of suffering through countless jabs and having the needles moved around under the skin as they chase the elusive veins, I’ve reached the point where I tell them up front, “leave my arms alone and use the back of my hands.” Over the years that has worked out very well with considerable less pain to me and frustration to the nursing staff. Yesterday however, I was being stingy with my blood. After repeated stabs, they gave up at the doctor’s office and sent me to the lab. The lab tech managed to get blood on the first try but even then she was having a hard time drawing enough for the test. I find it kind of amazing that even though I’m on several meds that should thin my blood; they still have trouble drawing it.
It was nearly time for Charlotte to be out of school by the time I got to Nathan’s. Her mother dropped her off and Charlotte started crying and throwing a fit because she wanted to spend time with her mom. Mom is working long hours and going to school and then there is time with the new boyfriend and the partying, so Charlotte is feeling the need for some quantity time with mom. With all the people at her dad’s house now, I don’t think she feels like she’s getting as much daddy-time as she wants either.
I remember, as a dad, how hard it is to get any kind of balance between the things that you HAVE to do and the things you NEED to do. I tried to give each of the kids the full attention they wanted but I’m sure that it never really worked out that way.
September 15th
Today started off looking overcast and I thought it was going to rain. However, it has mostly cleared off and turned sunny at 11:00 a.m.
I made it to our Wednesday morning Men’s Bible Study for the first time in a few weeks. They are on a study about ageing, which seems to be appropriate since, other than one guy in his 50’s, I’m the youngest one there. The make up of the group dynamics has a lot to do with the schedule. We meet in the middle of the week and during the time of day when most men are at work. Anyway, although I’ve missed the first 6 of the studies, it wasn’t difficult to join in the discussion. We discussed how men and women handle grieving and loss differently (mostly).
Today is Ella’s turn at the doctor’s office. So, we’ll be leaving here soon to go into town. Until then, I have nothing else to write about. So, I’ll stop for now and get this part posted.