Fall arrived in style. The trees in our neighborhood have definitely put on their colors. Last night was the first hard freeze of the season. I see the motor homes headed south on the freeway and understand completely their motivation to go south. I’m already tired of being cold!
One interesting thing has happened, though. Nina’s body temperature has dropped! For most of our married life she’s been the “hot” one … as in, it’s too warm, turn down the thermostat. She’s actually encouraged me to turn up the thermostat a couple of times! Will that last? Only the shadow knows….
I’ve made a couple of trips to Salt Lake to the Veterans Administration Hospital for tests. There’s no particular reason (that I know about, anyway) other than my VA doctor here in Pocatello is putting together a complete baseline. He’s a good doctor! In my last visit with him he spent 45 minutes with me going over a whole bunch of things. I can’t remember ever having a doctor spend that much time with me on a routine visit. I’m definitely impressed.
The VA Hospital in Salt Lake is very well equipped. It’s a large facility (and growing larger as there’s a major construction project underway there). There are a lot of veterans working at the hospital, many Korean War veterans and a few Vietnam veterans. They are all interested in helping out, giving directions, and being of assistance. While not all VA facilities are the same, I’ve been very well treated both at our clinic in Pocatello and at the hospital in Salt Lake City. I’ve got one more trip to make in a couple of weeks for an upper GI series and then I think all the tests will be finished.
I’m still working at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. I’m managing a huge project to replace their old email system with a new set of applications. It’s a lot of fun, I work with a group of very intelligent people, and the project is very interesting. After the extremely sour taste in my my mouth from how my time at AMI Semiconductor ended, this is a delightful experience. The only downside is the long commute each way. I get up at 4:45 am and leave the house at 5:45 am to drive to the north side of Pocatello where I join a van pool for the drive to Idaho Falls. I get to my office about 7 am. The van pool leaves at 4:30 pm and I get home about 5:45 pm … a full 12 hour day. Today that has felt like a very long day! They pay me very well and it really is worth it. The project I’m managing should wrap up around May of next year and I’ll decide then how much longer I’ll continue working. Being debt free would be an excellent thing!
Ta Ta for Now!