Back at home

After waiting briefly while they picked up food elsewhere, Stephanie and I rendezvoused with Vincent at Wendy’s in Grove City. This is the first time I’d seen Vincent since before he’d gotten his pink hair cut off (12 days earlier) Vincent had been helping his father with a move and had probably slept unevenly for the previous two weeks. We got home just after 11 p.m. and Stephanie and I stayed up unpacking. Stephanie picked up Frisco Monday morning (he’d been at the veterinarian’s for 11 days), but he was slated to return for dental work Tuesday and additional evaluation. It’s possible we may shift to feeding him prescription canned dog food. Vincent went to the orthodontist’s office, where he reported that he hasn’t been wearing his retainer (I may give up and quit sending him over there). Then the three of us met at the psychiatrist’s office. We told the psychiatrist quickly and vaguely about Vincent and Samantha breaking up and him sending those e-mails and about our understanding with Vincent that he can only live with us past Friday night if he’s finished both of the on-line classes he’s currently enrolled in. Vincent indicated he was unlikely to finish both of them. After a private discussion with the psychiatrist, the psychiatrist boosted the dosage of Vincent’s antidepressant medication. After buying a Target gift certificate for our dogsitter (Vincent’s former prom date) and Vincent a new phone charger, the three of us met up and saw the Harry Potter 6 movie. Then Vincent went over to visit with his new friend the neighbor while I mowed and Stephanie vacuumed.

Earlier Monday Stephanie also dropped off at her school receipts for reimbursement for the Las Vegas trip and made arrangements for her next conference: She’s slated to leave in a school district van Wednesday morning with half a dozen colleagues for a conference in Nashville. They’ll return Friday – which means she’ll be gone for much of the time remaining during which Vincent is to finish his two classes. Vincent is also slated to go to see his counselor for the first time in three weeks this Wednesday.

As I get back to work, I’m slated to go to one or two Organizing for America events this week, my first Toastmasters officers’ meeting NOT as vice president for education, and a special church officers gathering/potluck supper out in Oldham County (Wednesday). At today’s Organizing event, we’ll talk with the staff of Congressperson Baron Hill, the Southern Indiana moderate Democrat for whose campaign I’ve volunteered and who, it turns out, is one of the Blue Dog Democrats on the House Commerce Committee blocking passage of the a health care reform bill in the House. What to say?

While in Marysville Stephanie had suffered from acute Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms, worse than usual, which is why we asked one of our doctors to call in a prescription to Ohio for her. She was also, you might recall, worried that, with a four-hour red-eye flight between Las Vegas and Atlanta, and then – tired and sick – sleeping another four hours during the four-hour Atlanta layover – not unlike her trip back from Guatemalan in November – she hadn’t gotten some more blood clots – this time in her other leg (the leg with the MN calf injury, not the November blood clots). After a day back in Kentuckiana, the potential blood clots had receded – and she did not go to the doctor’s about this – but the PCOS symptoms still recurred. She’s belatedly scheduled her annual visit to the PCOS specialist for her first day back at school (teachers back – not kids – I believe, August 10).

-- Perry