Saturday, February 15, 2025

Taking Wing


As I walked home from work yesterday, I noticed that the Bottlenecks sign that was recently revealed on one of our corner shops is being covered up again. At least it's not being painted over or destroyed. Maybe at some point decades in the future, when Every Skin and its successor shops have come and gone, Bottlenecks will once again see the light of day and make people wonder about its origins.

The last two days at work were ridiculously quiet, given that there were very few students in the building. I mostly did background tasks in the library, things that I've been meaning to get to but can't when the kids are around. I cleaned out our resource lists and catalog collections -- lists of books we compile for specific classes or class projects -- deleting dozens of old ones. I also cleaned out my desk drawers. Big excitement!

Finally, at about 3 p.m., I could no longer pretend I was doing anything useful and I came home. Dave was already here because he did all of his parent/teacher conferences from his recliner via video calls. Our modern world!

We did nothing special for Valentine's Day, unless you count the steak dinner Dave cooked last night, which was indeed pretty fantastic. I'm not a big steak eater, normally, but that steak was darn good. I also got to watch Dave administer his own injection of Yuflyma, the hilariously named medication he's now on for his Crohn's. It's a "bioidentical" of Humira, and it replaces a different medicine he used to have to get every three months via infusion at the hospital. So the good thing is, no more hospital visits, which used to take hours and required him to miss work. The bad thing is, self-injection -- but it's actually pretty easy, administered every two weeks with something like an epi-pen rather than an old-fashioned syringe.


And this morning, we're off to Florida. In fact, I have to go pack. Our friend Warren will be staying over to take care of Olga, who is so far none the wiser that we are leaving. (We've delayed getting out the suitcases until the last possible moment.) Warren has stayed with Olga before so I think she'll adapt to the situation just fine, even if she's not particularly happy about it.

52 comments:

  1. Have a lovely trip, I hope your weather is excellent. Olga is such a pretty girl.

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    1. She has always been very photogenic, but she doesn't much like the picture-taking process.

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  2. The epi-pen seems Like an excellent solution. Have a lovely break, but don't forget to come home. I hear the US isn't much fun these days with you-know-who making all kinds of weird decisions.

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  3. I am pleased the sign hasn't been destroyed. The discovery and history behind old signs is quite fascinating, and will continue to be so.
    Safe travels and enjoy yourselves.

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    1. I agree -- I was very relieved to see the sign has a future.

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  6. Hope that you enjoy your trip...safe journey. Lovely photo of Olga.

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  7. Have a good holiday - hope there is more sunshine than here

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    1. It's still dark here so I can't say yet, but chances are good. :)

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  8. Have a safe trip and wear your "Gulf of Mexico" T-shirt with pride!

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  9. Yuflyma. What a name. But how great for Dave. Poor OIga. Will she give you attitude when you return? Buen viaje!

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    1. We sometimes perceive a little attitude but that may be us projecting more than an accurate reflection of Olga's feelings!

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  10. I don't know if I could inject myself, but maybe the epi-pen situation would be better??
    Safe travels!

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    1. I could do it with a device like this. An old-fashioned syringe? No way.

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  11. You sure Dave's medication isn't a flea repellent? Have a safe journey, and wear the t with caution.

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    1. Ha! Well, it's always good to keep fleas away. Maybe it does double-duty?

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  12. Hopefully, Florida won't be too weird for you and Dave! Try to enjoy your time and wear that t-shirt!
    I love the look of love in Olga's eyes as she looks at you! So sweet!

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    1. Makes me feel even more guilty for leaving her behind, not that we have any choice. :(

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  13. Where do they get these crazy names for medications? It's almost de rigeur to have an X, Y, or Z and maybe even all three. Safe travels on your trip to Florida. Olga will be fine.

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    1. As I understand it they are run through layers of marketing teams and consultants and focus groups. Something about the sounds and the feelings those sounds project. Yuflyma mostly just makes me laugh.

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  14. Safe travels. I know Olga will be fine with Warren in the house to look after you. That's a wild name for the med!

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    1. Yes, Warren has stayed with her several times so I have no doubt she'll be fine.

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  15. Those pre-loaded syringes are great.
    I sure hope your flights all go as scheduled and are smooth and easy. And it will be so great to know you're back in Florida!

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    1. They were surprisingly crowded (see subsequent post) but we're here now! Whew!

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  16. Safe travels, Steve! Hope you have a wonderful trip.

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  17. The quiet days at school are valuable for us to recharge the batteries. The kids also need a break.

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    1. Absolutely. I did need to catch up on all that stuff so I was glad to have the time.

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  18. I can only assume that you are soaring through the air as I'm typing this. I hope your trip is smooth and peaceful. Have fun in Florida.

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  19. My mom is an old-school diabetic and injects herself with insulin every day. Strangely, I could handle that part fine but pricking my finger to test my blood sugar would be TOUGH. I would hate that. Hope you have an easy flight and excellent trip!

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    1. I would not enjoy either task! There must be an easier way to get insulin nowadays, isn't there? I wonder if she could use a pre-loaded syringe like this? Or maybe they're not good for daily use because of expense or all the waste generated.

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  20. I hope y'all have a great time and decent weather while you're there. I want a photo of you in your new t-shirt! Sweet Olga. I bet she and Warren will have a nice time, too.

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  21. Happy and safe travels! We too had a steak dinner yesterday along with a nice salad and twice baked potatoes. We maybe buy a handful of steaks in a year and usually split a ribeye between us and both girls who were also home at the time. One steak four ways is pretty reasonable.

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    1. That's how my family used to do it -- we'd cut up one steak for the three of us. Dave cooks one steak per person! It's a little crazy.

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  22. Safe travels. FL will be nice and warm. Enjoy!

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  23. Hope your flight was uneventful - enjoy your trip. Love the Olga picture. What a photogenic girl! Good that the new drug can be given at home and save Dave some rigamarole. Does the more frequent dosing also give better control of symptoms than infusions? That would be nice if it does.

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    1. The jury is still out on the long-term effectiveness, but Dave feels good so far.

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