I’m at one of the many Orlando Health Imagining centers that exist in my part of the world. This one is on Alafaya Trail, just south of the University of Central Florida, which is huge both physically and enrollment-wise, with about 65,000 students. It’s the second largest university in the US. UCF and one of the Arizona state universities have had a running competition over enrollment size for the past decade. The school in Arizona is currently winning.

I just had my first-ever bone density scan. The machine just scans the lumbar spine and hips. I don’t have any issues going on in those parts of my body—none that I know of, at least. Calcium seems to be an entire food group for me, so I hope I’m going to be fine.

I also had my annual mammogram. The past two years I’ve had my girls checked out at Simon Med Imaging, and before that at Rayus Radiology, which is where I had my left breast biopsied, I think in 2023. I’m glad I thought to ask if I needed a record release for each facility. The biopsy info is probably important.

I’m sitting in the lobby mooching Wifi off Orlando Health. It’s going to be a long time until we get Wifi at home. Sharon still isn’t working (she’s getting disability, but still needs to bring in part time money), and my employer has suffered a drop in sales, as a lot of retail establishments have. Even Publix and Target sales are down; that’s according to local employees. Yep, trump’s tariffs are negatively impacting retail sales and therefore, working hours. For three consecutive weeks my hours have hovered around 10 hours per week. Some of my co-workers have fewer hours than I do. Currently, I’m looking for some paid clinical trials for various things: vaccinations, sleep apnea, bipolar disorder and anxiety, are just a few. I’m also looking for replacement work.

The $400 car battery I had to get on a dark night two Saturdays ago hurt my cash flow a lot! I’d been driving on borrowed time with that battery as it was at 60% of its life expectancy a year ago. That’s when I learned my engine starting problems were due to the dying alternator. In the end, that battery lasted over 3 years.

I’m just happy I was able to squeeze out rent in time, but Sharon (Rose, in previous posts) had to pay $50 of my rent. I don’t feel bad as I’ve been paying 95% of the utility bills for over a year now. And, I paid all the rent from December to April, on top of that. So, I think I’m getting caught up with what I owed her for when she had to carry me in 2023. Funny, that was also due to hours getting slashed at work and having to pay a tow company for storing my dead Pontiac G6 after it was totaled in August of 2021!by unconscious shot man. Yep, he had a bullet in his side from his extremely recent criminal activity. The cab of his Ford Ranger, which he totaled, was so bloody that the Casselberry police had to call a crime scene unit. Hey, it’s Floriduh, go figure.

I’m still at the imagining center. I think I just like hanging out near UCF—that’s part of it. I just get energy being so close to academia. I can almost smell the learning, and the library. Attending classes at UCF is really the only time I’ve ever been happy living in Orlando. I still have an anthropology BA (my second BA) stagnating and collecting dust at UCF. I only need four classes to finish it. I am maxed out on loans, and higher education is not as cheap as it was in the 80’s. Back then a Ph.D level class at Florida state universities cost $80 a credit hour. Average semester class hours were three. Ph.D classes were the most expensive in the tiered system Florida used to employ.

My first graduate level class I took at UCF in 2008 was a master’s level class that cost a total of over $1,300–that’s ONE class! I started on the grad classes as an undergrad because you can if your GPA is high enough, and you want to double dip by using grad classes to count toward a bachelor’s degree, AND use them toward your MA. So, yeah, Powerball, fill up my bank account, please.

My eyes are crossing (I’ve needed new glasses for seven years.)Yeah, the healthcare system in the US is truly pathetic. And, my phone is at 34%. I’ll have to charge it in Poyndexter, my Rogue.

I’m gonna blow this medical establishment, and take my happy pills when I get into my beastie.

Goodies till…..