If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck.

Bad Luck: That the appointment I had today happened at all.

Good Luck: My vehicle started and got me there on time.

Unknown Luck: The meeting lasted only 13 minutes and I don't even know how I did or whether the guy who saw me agreed I have Asperger's. I hope I answered him in ways he was looking for.

Bad Luck: A rock hit near dead center in the windshield on my way there, requiring me to get a Windshield Repair Kit.

Bad Luck: My vehicle not wanting to start after several attempts after shopping at Aldi's.

Good Luck: It finally DID start and got me home, and the dealership was able to get me in their schedule. And during their testing, it finally did for the mechanic what it did for me.

Bad Luck: Replacing the starter is a $400+ hit.

Good Luck: They can get the part and do the repair today, and I may get my vehicle back tomorrow.

At least the oil change was free. I was told I won't know for at least 6 weeks after the last appointment how things went.

WELL, HERE IT BEGINS, ME GETTING SCREWED OVER.

 I hope it doesn't come to pass, but here goes the explanation:

That long form for Disability Review, that I hand delivered back in March and filled out stuff that I apparently forgot to answer... The form I got September 10, filled it out in a hurry and sent in and THOUGHT they got it, and was told not to refill it out but just give them copies... (Some info of which was likely out of date by March)

I got a call today from the Office of Redeterminaton. Apparently, they like to call themselves Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, too, but they're with Social Security. I had to call back to find out what it was all about because I picked up and didn't get the lady who left an extension but then hung up before I got all 4 digits.

She had 4 questions. I don't think i remembered them all, but anywho:

1. Am I still seeing any doctors? Because somehow my family physician I last saw in July - her office somehow replied with I wasn't a patient there. How often does one need to see their doctor to be considered current? I was waiting until the 1 year anniversary before seeing her again because last time I got screwed over 2 blood tests that didn't get paid. I also had explain I am seeing a counselor, last appointment was 2 days ago, and I have one upcoming. So they needed a fax number for the one doctor, and I will have to get up soon enough tomorrow to call the one's office and get everyone on the same page.

2. Was I seeing anyone for physical therapy? I said at the time I saw the one doctor, I didn't go to her for any of that. Nothing was set up yet. I went mainly to see if I could hold up with travelling.

3. Would I be willing to subject myself to a review IF they didn't get anything current from the offices I mentioned? Which I said I would have to, which might even help, because I know some things haven't gotten better. So she explained that if I got the letter for the review exams (there would be 2 at least), I have to call to confirm I got the letter and I would be going.

I also put forth that I don't understand why I'm getting this ball of anxiety dropped in my lap as I was already told things were "continuing." So there you have it. I fear I'm going to get screwed.

Haru wa SA-RA SA-RA (Spring is Rustling Softly)

In the Spanish film from 2014, "Magical Girl," they use 2 Japanese songs. One is The Song of the Black Lizard, lyrics and translation to which are findable online. However, Haru wa SaraSara is not. A karaoke video of the entire thing was findable and clear enough to glean the kanji out. And here is my translation of it, as concise as translations should be. Any approximations put forth are also reasonable. The entire song is not used in the film.

春はサラサラ
Spring is Rustling Softly

ああ　桜並木で　風が
ah sakura namiki de kaze ga
ah.. The wind through a row of sakura trees

ひと荒れしそうな夕暮れ
hito areshi sou na yuugure
is like a storm in the evening

あなたは帰り路を  私より急いでいます
anata wa kaerimichi w(o) watashi yori isoide imasu
You're in more of a hurry than me on your way home.

こんな日はSA-RA SA-RA
konna hi wa sara sara
Days like this softly rustle

夢もSA-RA SA-RA
yume mo sara sara
Even dreams softly rustle

散りそうな片想いです
chirisou na kataomoi desu
It's my unrequited love about to fall and scatter

花びらがSA-RA SA-RA
hanabira ga sara sara
Flower petals softly rustle

肩にふれる
kata ni fureru
as they touch my shoulder

好きですと言えなくて
suki desu to ienakute
I don't want to say "It's Love."

春です
haru desu
It's Spring.

ああかすむような夕やみに
aa kasumu you na yuu yami ni
Ah, In the darkness of evening like a mist,

何もかも見えなくなれば
nani mo kamo mienaku nareba
when nothing is visible,

あなたが他の誰と通りすぎても気づかない
anata ga hoka no dare to toori sugite mo kidzukanai
I'm not worried as you pass by with someone else.

春風にSA-RA SA-RA
harukaze ni SA-RA SA-RA
In the spring breeze, rustling softly

髪もSA-RA SA-RA
kami mo SA-RA SA-RA
my hair, rustling softly

あなたへとなびく恋です
anata he to nabiku koi desu
Is my love fluttering for you.

人知れずSA-RA SA-RA
hitoshirezu SA-RA SA-RA
It's a secret, rustling softly

見つめながら
mitsume nagara
while I gaze at you

好きですと言えない
suki desu to ienai
I won't say "It's love."

私です
watashi desu
It's me.

こんな日はSA-RA SA-RA
konna hi wa sara sara
Days like this softly rustle

夢もSA-RA SA-RA
yume mo sara sara
Even dreams softly rustle

散りそうな片想いです
chirisou na kataomoi desu
It's my unrequited love about to fall and scatter

花びらがSA-RA SA-RA
hanabira ga sara sara
Flower petals softly rustle

肩にふれる
kata ni fureru
as they touch my shoulder

好きですと言えなくて
suki desu to ienakute
I don't want to say "It's Love."

春です
haru desu
It's Spring.

It's fun to watch DirecTV's technical staff get results

At some point this afternoon (1:10 pm to be precise) I was watching something on History channel when suddenly the feed cut off. This was odd. DirecTV apparently was working on something which required them to make over 30 channels on my lineup to go dark for a couple of hours.

 

When they gradually came back on, TBS and Cartoon Network East WERE LETTERBOXED AGAIN!! Yay! TNT and TruTV and BET are still not fixed, but hey, I've not watched CN East for almost 3 months because it was displaying wrong when it's always been letterboxed.

 

I called Thursday night to complain when Comedy Central messed up. The next day, it was fixed but then CNN was messed up. That persisted until Monday when it got fixed.

 

It's clear DirecTV's technicians were doing their job and accomplished quite a lot, even with still more to do. FreeSpeechTV, LinkTV, and Arirang are messed up but then they were always like that. It would be nice if the set top box was able to reshape all channels like the local stations...

Five below Miku mascots!

Guess who cleaned out five below's Miku mascots? This guy!

So I went to see Episode 7: The Force Awakens

So I went to see Star Wars The Force Awakens. I don't need to spoil the movie to write these observations, even though a few minor details might get revealed.

• I do not miss going to the theater and hearing other people cough. They should offer people cough drops in advance for free.
• I did miss the 20th Century Fox fanfare at the beginning. There are 6 previous Star Wars movies that have this and I consider it a rite of passage to see a Star Wars movie.
• I was expecting some sort of Disney preamble, but there was none at the theater I went to. Disney could have plopped something at the beginning, but it just went into the Lucasfilm logo and the Text To Infinity scroll.
• Was that a female bounty hunter in the shiny armor? I was hoping they'd take her helmet off.
• Giant hologram in that one room - Wizard of Oz effect?
• I did not see specifically R2-KT and I really was hoping to obviously see her.
• Now I think that one fan who got to see an unedited version of this movie felt he got ripped off because Episode 7 ends in a cliffhanger. I think he was cheated and now he'll never get to see Episodes 8 or 9.
• That one girl seems to be a quick study of using The Force and nearly hands that one guy his own ass to him.
• Another Death Star destroyed. Ho hum. Actually, it could be consider a Star Relocator. Hah.
• Best parts are some really cool Millennium Falcon flying and that Han Solo gets to shine, which makes up for him getting frozen part way through Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. 6 major players from the "original" trilogy are here. Yay!
• We find out someone ended up alone like one other character from the classic trio, and maybe we'll find out why.

In general, The Force Awakens is a good movie, well worth the admission price and later eventual DVD purchase. I saw it at a matinee in 2D. I'm just not the kind of fan who enjoys Star Wars intensely. In some respects, I was let down. But it's good and what fans deserve. A polar opposite to the disappointment Episode 1 was.
 

What my Mom learned

This could be the funniest thing you'll read in a while.

One thing my Mom learned early on with me as a baby was that she needed to wake up before I did, especially if I had a full diaper the next morning. Because she made the mistake one day of getting up after I did, and that didn't happen again.

Apparently, I was one baby who didn't like having a full poopy diaper. And I made use of that diaper in what could be considered an artistic way. I got told of this story enough times to remember it.

Apparently, I was of the mind as a baby to 2 years old or so that when I woke up with a full diaper, I made a mess on the wall with said contents. I don't remember how it went and Mom never tried to describe it, but having a baby poop sculpture mural on the wall next to the crib wasn't something she enjoyed very much in having to clean, in addition to the mess on my backside. But you should be able to picture it by now a baby boy, unhappy with a full diaper, probably crying in a fit, but busy at work with his art project.

And then imagine how long it took to clean up and de-stinkify it all.

Happy Thanksgiving, people!

Finally got something off my list of things to do

In spite of all the worrying I've been doing waiting and wondering if SSA is going to screw me over and say I don't have Asperger's (which I was born with), I finally made use of the Chevron money I got for the gas and oil lease to land which I didn't even know I was related to and used it to finally see Walt Disney World, something I wanted to do when I was still very much a fan of Disney animated movies, most of which at the time I had never seen in their entirety. Home video releases wouldn't happen for another 10 or so years, and theatrical re-releases were rare.

My grandmother on my dad's side was the first of us to go back in the 1970s soon after it opened and brought back for us 2 souvenir books which I have somewhere and detail much of the building and early days of the place. My mom's parents got to go some time in the 1980s one January after EPCOT opened. How nice to go and not consider taking your grandchildren!!

Before I even went, for years I knew what I would like to see but at this late stage, I had to realize what wouldn't work for me as I would be the wrong size. Adult size, if you like.

Thankfully, some of the things I wanted to see (and more, with Hollywood Studios as another option to see) I was able to. There was still lots I did not get to see for whatever reason, but I'm not disappointed it didn't fit into the scheme of the visit. Just getting to be there, the being of being there, happened, and for the help I got from friends who knew what they were doing, getting that accomplished was the most important part.

I did have mobility issues, problems exacerbated from months of depression soon after my mother passed away and just not doing anything. I tried to get in shape, and even though it showed me I wasn't where I should have been, it also was a harsh wake up call to tell me where I stand with my dream to go to Japan.  At least I didn't have a heart attack like one family member was worried about.

So what's left on my list of things to do? (I'll get to talking more about WDW later.) Well, going to Japan is one. Before that is getting in shape like I used to be and better. Getting married and having a family is on there, as I would like to think going to Japan might contribute to that.

They're all my dreams and I so far refuse to give them up.

Hollywood Studios

1st QSR @ WDW