First and foremost, happy belated Easter to everyone! I hope the day found you well and you were able to spend it with loved ones. Of almost equal importance in my book is the fact that I am now a fully certified call analyst for J. Lodge! The training took a month and I've been "on the job" for two weeks now. Let me say that the difference between working for J. Lodge and working for Alpine Access as a customer service agent for 1-800-FLOWERS has been like the difference between night and day. The work may get a little monotonous and humdrum, but there's something appealing and empowering about helping people improve themselves.
It's been almost a year since I switched from using a PC to a Mac. Once I found out that Apple had developed Boot Camp to allow users to install Windows alongside the Mac OS, I jumped at the chance to switch. Boot Camp proved indispensable during my stint with Alpine. Likewise, J. Lodge uses Windows. However, the software we use there doesn't currently support Windows Vista, so a few of my co-workers have to use Virtual PC to install Windows XP on top of Vista in a so-called "virtual machine."
I just bought Vista off eBay after hearing of a program called Parallels Desktop, which essentially does the same thing for Intel Macs that VPC does for Windows. I've downloaded a trial edition and am pleased to report that it works perfectly. It even has a so-called "coherence mode" that makes Windows programs share the same space on your desktop as the Mac stuff.
To show you what I mean, here's a screenshot of yours truly's desktop.
On to something else. Many of you know that I have cerebral palsy and have a Medtronic implantable pump that delivers a drug called baclofen (a muscle relaxant) into the area around my spinal cord, much like a woman getting an epidural in labor. I've had one since 1996, and I'm on my second (implanted 5 years later). Here's a drawing showing where the pump--about the size of a hockey puck--is located in my body, and how it's connected to my spine.
Anyway, I have to get the pump refilled about once every 2 months, by a simple injection into a port under my skin, and I went in last Thursday. The nurse who refilled it immediately started talking about the fact that I might need to get the device replaced soon--as early as this summer. Something didn't seem right, especially since the expected service life of the pump is about 6 years, and I've had this one for just over 5. I had to go to the hospital again the day before yesterday to get my dose adjusted, but wasn't able to talk to another nurse until today.
To be perfeclty honest, Shaye--the nurse who refilled the pump--isn't nearly as "with it" as is Tricia, the nurse who normally does it. In speaking with Tricia, most of my fears were put to rest. She said that some patients have been reporting that their pumps don't work as well or as accurately as they should as they age, and that I should just watch my symptoms to see if I notice any changes. However, she said I should be good until at least fall, and more than likely January or so. Phew.
That's much more like it. I have a busy summer planned including a cruise to Bermuda in July, and I even have some stuff I'm looking at doing in the fall. So, it's nice not to have surgery looming in my head.
There's some more I wanted to update everyone on, but I must be off for now. Travis, hold me to doing another minor update by the end of the week so I can fill in the missing info. Until then!
