High Functioning

High Functioning

I learnt in the early days I was considered a high functioning ABI, I live independently, I pay my own bills, I pay my rent, Blah. Blah. Blah. 

The problem with being high functioning is when I am not at my best, like when I have a terrible migraine. No, not a headache, a migraine! People don’t realise what that means or how it brings my basic function level to zero. And the people round me, if they are the wrong people, don’t seem to help.

I learned recently that I can be “mean!” because a carer told me so. I realised all people with disabilities, if in pain and with someone that is actually not helping will get a dose of “MEAN!”

I can’t apologise for someone being unable to read the situation and being helpful. It’s when I can least micromanage someone. 

Hellonwheels – Part 2

Hellonwheels – Part 2

Don’t know if I’ve mentioned this but my mobility scooter runs on two batteries that sit directly under the seat I sit on. They are charged whenever my scooter is back in its shed. The Murder Shed! Remember?

Whenever I take her out on my local adventures when I return home, I like to scooter down to the basement to get a good run and I joke “Open her motor up!” It’s my version of a good freeway drive.

On one occasion when I was going up and out, I heard a motorbike starting down in the basement of the carpark. I thought I’ll just get up in front of it and open up, the boom gates, etc for whoever was coming up behind me.

As I came out the big gate to the street, the motorbike roaring from behind, a tram driver about to take over for his shift came to the garage entrance and started to do the racing car finale wrap up (you know, the salute?) Except, when he saw me on hellonwheels, he heard the motorbike which sounded pretty gutsy.

I stopped for a moment to say hello to the motorcyclist. Yeah, WE’RE FRIENDS NOW and I stopped for a moment to chat and share a laugh with the tram driver. 

HellonWheels

HellonWheels

You might have wondered why my last post saw me so fucking livid? I suggest that’s accurate and there is some context from that post relevant here.

Had a bit of a scooter out on hellonwheels today. It’s a Monday, often a stay-at-home day but stupidly, I booked my 5th Vax for Covid and out I went. I really enjoy going out on my scooter, my mind working overtime on all the things I need to write about, how freeing it is and how much I get to enjoy the independence my scooter brings me.

I stopped on my way home to chat to a new shop owner who looks to be the supplier of my next Messenger bag. So happy and I paused briefly at an intersection to make sure I did not get collected as I went around a weirdly parked tow-truck. It was to collect a small car with a two-initials brand logo, whose front end was a little dinted and the airbags had adequately deployed. Younger man standing sadly by the fence watching on with his hands in his pockets. I even stopped at the local post office to collect a parcel, the staff member seeing me coming came out from behind the counter to put my parcel in my hand. So, I could leave and the queue not so long. The woman in front of me looking questioning why I had been served first?

Scootered home checked letterbox. I can even do this while still seated on my scooter. Some fancy driving and reversing and turning enough to reach my keys from my bag on their elastic cord. Fang it around the corner, press the button on the fob in my pocket and while the garage door lifts, I reach back and remove my red flag to put in the back and I bob down a bit as I clear the gate. I normally fang it to the basement and back to my shed on B1 before putting her away stating I like to open her up a bit, the motor of course is not horses but electric, however it amuses everyone I’ve said this too.

However, seeing my scooter shed as I turned a corner, I was confronted by this!

Recall, I sent to my neighbour in my previous post how Chef would name and shame people? So, the above photos, I flicked a short but polite text to my neighbour. To my understanding she doesn’t live here anymore but her adult children do. But I spent several hours messaging her, my property manager etc, to remedy this insult. I was ignored by my neighbour. My property manager got onto the OC, the other tenants then a tow-truck company to remove the bike.

Gaslighting

Gaslighting

Before recent years I never even knew what gaslighting was, I never saw the film, I did a few years ago go to see the Julia Roberts miniseries Gaslit. That was awful. But that’s the point.

So, it’s sometimes subtle, my appointments are moved or rescheduled without telling me or negotiations, emails sent very late in the day so the sender can put off my response and therefore their action or even how they contact me knowing perfectly well I have both a mobile number and a landline and when it’s best to use either and on a rare occasion I might be on email during the day and I can tell they are surprised when I respond in a timely manner.

I’m often doing my emails around midnight because that’s when I get all my other chores done and can sit with my iPad and give emails the time they require. So, a time lag is pretty common.

English as a First Language

English As a First Language

Sometimes I question how lucky I am to have English as my first language and yes, it’s my only language however, I have a few Italian words, Greek even. Not the good ones, but the Italian ones are mostly all good ones, and even a few French ones.

So, I’m very conscious about how confusing my thoughts or words are when said out loud.  How confusing they might be to people with a minimal grasp of English. But I mean spelling sometimes is a minefield.

Ragu. (Ragu is Italian, Ragout is French)

Why is it not spelt Ragoo?
It’s not because it tastes sooooo good.
Is it because it’s Italian?
It’s not a question.
I already consulted google.

Decisions

Decisions

I have finally decided, as if it’s been some kind of Light bulb moment that in my younger days, I DID NOT SHAG ENOUGH MILLIONAIRE’S! Yelling is completely intentional!

As some of you may be aware my father passed away late 2022 and now, we are emptying his house and something I always really wanted to inherit I don’t have room for. Just before he passed, we even had a conversation about it.

He told me he knew I wanted it, but he thought we should sell it with the house to add value to the house.

Three real estate agents have advised not to keep it in the house, not even to style it.

Happy Easter

Winter is Coming

You know those people that always have something negative to say?

Well, when I say something negative, I always like to try a bit of humour.

So here goes. I wanna be like a bear and hibernate when winter is not even officially here yet.

Dignity Please

Dignity Please

Really over people treating me like a second-class citizen.

Telling me what I should get based on what they think I can have.

Not on what I need or what their standards would allow for me.

Dear Neighbours

Dear Neighbours

Dear Neighbours, just asking if my music is too loud? I’m in the West Building on the 2nd floor overlooking the street. If you did wonder when I bought the home theatre system? A young Asian guy from Marketplace at the start of the Covid Pandemic.

It did create the perfect opportunity to get the amp I needed to allow me to play my CD’s. It was the only component I needed to complete my home tech set-up.

The Asian students that live in Melbourne for study making a mass exodus because the Aussies don’t know how to wear masks, cos we really don’t.

The young guy upon my query of the home theatre would be too loud for my apartment and would peel the paint off the walls?  It’s the rule of thumb I have for volume. He told me it would be, but I could just not play everything loud. As if.

One good thing for the pandemic? It created a false economy where I could get the things I couldn’t afford at any other time. Oh, wait, my bad.

Meanwhile, I digress, pre-the Plague I started a group on Facebook for the building. I had wanted to create community because living in an apartment is easy to never see your neighbours and if you are isolated it’s impossible to know who are your good neighbours.

So, my CD Player holds five and it’s just hit the pre-2000’s N.I.N.’s part of the current selection. It’s great in headphones at the gym. But my neighbours probably won’t like it any more than my mum did when I lived with her around 2000.

I guess, the neighbours can message me their complaints. Wingdings will be the only font I will accept.

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain

So, here at 51, I’m learning new things all the time about chronic pain. I have a terrible sleeping pattern. If you didn’t know? It’s terrible, I love a good afternoon kip. I try to keep it just to the weekends, but it’s not always a given. It’s not seven days a week, most people would blame my years of working in hospitality. I always thought working in clubs had its own category, but apparently, it’s lumped in with restaurants and cafes.

Then, there’s having a brain injury. Also, messes with your sleep. Then, disability, depression, taking anti-depressants, etc.  then the racy Lady Hormones. Must I go on? I mean, I hear rumours about people getting eight hours of sleep a night. I mean, who are they? They must be killed.

But the eating. I didn’t know fitting in three meals a day every day was hard for people with chronic pain. I just thought it was just me. I am not a morning person, so I sleep later.  I therefore eat breakfast later. I have a light breakfast then get out and do stuff. I don’t prioritise lunch. I’ll eat lunch late, then I’m full. I skip dinner a lot. Sometimes, I’ll have the motivation for dessert. If that’s ice cream, because that has a separate stomach, right? Like, cows have four stomachs.

So, I know my brain and my body is constantly going between I’m digesting, going into a food coma, and I’m happy, but too full and it’s all a vicious cycle that I don’t know how to change.

Did I mention, after my kip on a Saturday I have my later lunch so much later, people have been known to comment that I lived a rather bohemian lifestyle? Yeah, that happens.

Note: any suggestions of killing or murder is not an actual threat intended to harm. Do not go and kill people that sleep better than I do. Just gently nudge them and remind them they don’t know how good they have it.