I have really no idea what to write about today. Nothing has really happened to me. I mean, yesterday was mostly idle until a late visit from Anne, a visit which included several Old Fashioneds. I cooked a bit on Saturday, but most of that was done by Kate and Tonny. So I am in a bit of a creative slump, which is affecting both my writing and my cooking.
Actually that was one of the best things about Anne's visit last night, beside her dog Echo. When I realized she was coming over it motivated me to cook something before she got here, not for her so much but for me. So I did a pot of Pot Stickers, little Vietnamese dumplings. They're easy enough to make, since I buy them frozen. All I have to do is put some oil in a frying pan, then put enough water in to cover the bottoms of the dumplings. You heat it until the water boils away, which cooks the Pot Stickers. The oil remaining is well distributed through the pan, and you use that to brown them a bit. After they are done, I put on a bit of Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce, and it's dinner time.
Today is much the same. I didn't feel like eating breakfast this morning, so I asked my Home Care Aide to skip breakfast. I snacked on grapes and had a cup of coffee. I promised her I would eat some cereal later on, but I failed in that commitment. I just didn't feel like eating, or more correctly, I didn't feel like making anything to eat, not even a bowl of cereal.
My appetite seems to have come back a little this evening. I'm hungry, but that is often not the real problem. The real problem is whether the effort and energy required to make a meal for myself is worth the food in front of me. I'm not starving; my waistline declares that in full measure. But I regularly fail to eat because of the effort involved.
There are a couple of Polish dogs in the pot. The buns are steaming atop the pot on a screen. It won't take all that much to make two hot dogs for myself. But instead, I am here, at the keyboard, evading that work in exchange for this work. I'm gonna have to go eat, even if I don't really want to.
Monday, 31 July 2017
Sunday, 30 July 2017
ALS Exhaustion Is Different
I am exhausted today, both physically and mentally. I'm not the kind of exhausted where I simply don't get out of bed. That is a different kind of exhausted. This kind is where I ache in my muscles, where I am constantly on the edge of sleeping, where I really want to just doze off yet I can't. I'm on the edge of rolling about asleep, but lack the coordination.
So why not just stay in bed? Actually I did, up until 3:00 PM. Mostly. I've decided recently that when I get a day like this, regardless of how tired I am when the Home Care Aide shows up, I am going to get up, use the toilet, and allow her to get me dressed, perhaps with the exception of a shirt. Most importantly I will have her put on my socks and a light pair of lounge pants, the ones that look like pajamas but sort of aren't. Then I will go back to bed, back to sleep and rest, until my mental state forces me to get active.
That's the thing about this particular kind of exhaustion. My brain recovers far more quickly than my body. Once I get up, I can feel my mind dissolving out of sleep, grasping onto reality. Yet my eyes have trouble focusing, my hands fail at coordination, my movements are slow, cumbersome. So I am awake in one sense while asleep in another. It's a very strange feeling. Coffee does not help.
How I get to feeling this way is completely unpredictable. I had a busy day yesterday, but I went to bed at about midnight, not unusual for me, and slept right up until Olga arrived at 10:00 AM. Admittedly she was a half hour early; that's not enough to drive this feeling. Maybe it was doing two things yesterday instead of one; I did the laundry, with help from Kate, and then folded and put it away. Maybe it was all the company, Tonny making me breakfast in the morning; Kate, Phil and the boys stopping by for dinner, mostly made by Kate.
I just don't know why I go through these days. It's not necessarily the wine; I had nothing yesterday. It's not necessarily the work; there are days when I do a lot and end up feeling energized by the accomplishments. It's not necessarily the sleep; yesterday I napped between Tonny's departure and Kate's arrival, a nap of some four hours.
All I know is this. The kind of exhaustion I feel, this disconnection of body and mind, this full body ache, is a part of having ALS. PALS everywhere talk about it, about the way it slows them down, about how much it affects their quality of life. I am no different. I\m tired, but not in a way that makes any sense to those without this illness.
So why not just stay in bed? Actually I did, up until 3:00 PM. Mostly. I've decided recently that when I get a day like this, regardless of how tired I am when the Home Care Aide shows up, I am going to get up, use the toilet, and allow her to get me dressed, perhaps with the exception of a shirt. Most importantly I will have her put on my socks and a light pair of lounge pants, the ones that look like pajamas but sort of aren't. Then I will go back to bed, back to sleep and rest, until my mental state forces me to get active.
That's the thing about this particular kind of exhaustion. My brain recovers far more quickly than my body. Once I get up, I can feel my mind dissolving out of sleep, grasping onto reality. Yet my eyes have trouble focusing, my hands fail at coordination, my movements are slow, cumbersome. So I am awake in one sense while asleep in another. It's a very strange feeling. Coffee does not help.
How I get to feeling this way is completely unpredictable. I had a busy day yesterday, but I went to bed at about midnight, not unusual for me, and slept right up until Olga arrived at 10:00 AM. Admittedly she was a half hour early; that's not enough to drive this feeling. Maybe it was doing two things yesterday instead of one; I did the laundry, with help from Kate, and then folded and put it away. Maybe it was all the company, Tonny making me breakfast in the morning; Kate, Phil and the boys stopping by for dinner, mostly made by Kate.
I just don't know why I go through these days. It's not necessarily the wine; I had nothing yesterday. It's not necessarily the work; there are days when I do a lot and end up feeling energized by the accomplishments. It's not necessarily the sleep; yesterday I napped between Tonny's departure and Kate's arrival, a nap of some four hours.
All I know is this. The kind of exhaustion I feel, this disconnection of body and mind, this full body ache, is a part of having ALS. PALS everywhere talk about it, about the way it slows them down, about how much it affects their quality of life. I am no different. I\m tired, but not in a way that makes any sense to those without this illness.
Saturday, 29 July 2017
The Elephant
Tonny's just left, after another highly successful Saturday brunch. Last night Brad and Andrea came over; we cooked a terrific dinner, the three of us. Later today Kate will come by with Phil and the boys. We'll grill some steaks for us and make some hot dogs for the kids. The weekends are always a busy social time for me. I love it.
If you want to see what is good in my life, just look at the people around me. There is not a day goes by when I don't hear from someone, see someone, spend time with someone. While ALS puts me in a pretty lonely and frightened place, I have people around me who consistently lift me out of that space. Between Home Care Workers, friends, family, neighbours and others, I have an active social life. That's a big part of what keeps me going.
The biggest challenge I have is my self-centeredness, driven mostly by my lifestyle these days. When I was healthy, I had little need of this focus on self, although it has always been a part of my personality. With ALS, my focus has largely been on myself and my illness. This, in large part, is because there is nothing else in my life. I have no job. I have no partner. I have only limited outside activity. All I really have to talk about is ALS and my life.
When others come over, I have to work hard to focus on them, to ask them about their lives. As Andrea noted yesterday, when it comes to comparing and sharing, I win, hands down, for the worst story. But they all have stories too. Everyone around me has their own issues, struggles, needs. Everyone wants to share their stories too.
Listening is a hard learned skill for me. I have always struggled with my tendency to jump in, to interrupt, to speak before the other person has finished talking. It's even more difficult with ALS as the centre of all I am, of all I do. It's like carrying around an elephant, but trying not to say much about it. Everyone knows about the elephant; it's a highly visible problem. Yet they have their own "elephants"; maybe not as big, maybe not as visible, certainly not as life changing.
I am going to continue to work hard on listening, on watching for the other elephants, large and small, that others deal with. Just because I have ALS, I don't have a lock on difficulty, frustration, loneliness, fear. These things are in all of our lives. Mine is just a bit more visible, that's all.
If you want to see what is good in my life, just look at the people around me. There is not a day goes by when I don't hear from someone, see someone, spend time with someone. While ALS puts me in a pretty lonely and frightened place, I have people around me who consistently lift me out of that space. Between Home Care Workers, friends, family, neighbours and others, I have an active social life. That's a big part of what keeps me going.
The biggest challenge I have is my self-centeredness, driven mostly by my lifestyle these days. When I was healthy, I had little need of this focus on self, although it has always been a part of my personality. With ALS, my focus has largely been on myself and my illness. This, in large part, is because there is nothing else in my life. I have no job. I have no partner. I have only limited outside activity. All I really have to talk about is ALS and my life.
When others come over, I have to work hard to focus on them, to ask them about their lives. As Andrea noted yesterday, when it comes to comparing and sharing, I win, hands down, for the worst story. But they all have stories too. Everyone around me has their own issues, struggles, needs. Everyone wants to share their stories too.
Listening is a hard learned skill for me. I have always struggled with my tendency to jump in, to interrupt, to speak before the other person has finished talking. It's even more difficult with ALS as the centre of all I am, of all I do. It's like carrying around an elephant, but trying not to say much about it. Everyone knows about the elephant; it's a highly visible problem. Yet they have their own "elephants"; maybe not as big, maybe not as visible, certainly not as life changing.
I am going to continue to work hard on listening, on watching for the other elephants, large and small, that others deal with. Just because I have ALS, I don't have a lock on difficulty, frustration, loneliness, fear. These things are in all of our lives. Mine is just a bit more visible, that's all.
Friday, 28 July 2017
Cannabis Details
This whole medical marijuana process is a lot more complicated than you might think. First there is the prescription process, enough of a hassle all on its own. Then there is the product selection process. The doctor doesn't do that at all. Instead you are left to choose your own product, or have an advisor assist you in choosing the correct product for your particular needs.
You see, cannabis is not just cannabis. There are so many different strains and varieties, with varying chemical compositions and varying strengths. The two main cannabinoids,delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, also known as THC and CBD, do different things in your body, so growers breed strains of cannabis which provides all of one, all of another, or blends with some happy middle ground. For example, recreational uses want to get high, so they don't care about CBD. On the other hand, people suffering seizures don't want to get high, so the don't care about THC.
THC is the stuff that gets you high. It also has been shown to relieve nerve pain, like the kinds I have, as well as inducing sleep, something I need. Of course there is the classic stimulation of appetite we've all seen in the movies, but it has also been demonstrated to reduce nausea and generate an improved mood. On the downside, high levels of THC have been shown to produce paranoia, psychosis, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and memory loss.
CBD is the more "medicinal" of the two main chemicals we seek from marijuana. It produces no high at all. It has been demonstrated to act as an anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety drug. It's also shown efficacy as a muscle relaxant, reducing tremors and spasticity, as well as preventing seizures. It has been shown to counter and even eliminate the negative effects of THC. As of yet, there have been no real downsides noted with CBD.
With ALS, I suffer from substantial, relentless nerve pain. I have trouble getting to sleep, My appetite is irregular at best. Although I am generally a happy person, I suffer from some fairly severe mood swings. All of these are conditions aided by THC. I also struggle with anxiety, muscle spasms, tremors, and joint pain. All of these conditions are aided by CBD, which also reduces the instances of paranoia and other negatives of THC. In other words, I need a balanced hybrid.
The marijuana specialist recommended four strains of cannabis product, three of which are fairly balanced with THC and CBD. She went on to recommend one product high in THC and low in CBD, as a night time treatment, allowing me to sleep better and more comfortably.
So now I have product ideas. I have to go online to specific suppliers who have been given my prescription, thus they know the limits I can purchase legally. The thing you discover immediately is that medical marijuana is nowhere near as high in THC as the street level stuff. In addition you discover that it is more expensive than the street level stuff.
When you buy recreational marijuana off the street, you are buying an unknown product. Your local dealer does no testing for THC and CBD content, no quality control to ensure consistency in the product. A street dealer doesn't care if there are foreign elements in your weed; there usually are, ranging from mold to dirt to other drugs.
So I have been prescribed up to 120 grams a month across two registered suppliers. That means 60 from one and 60 from another. At an average price of about $8.00 a gram, my total allotment would price out at $960 a month. This is not covered by health insurance or AISH. So I suspect I will not be buying a lot of this stuff.
I am not sure what I will do yet. My thinking is to buy enough to make about 30 cannabis cookies. This amount will cost me the same as two good wine kits, ones that will make about 60 bottles of wine. It leaves me asking myself if one cookie is worth two bottles of wine. I don't know. All I know for sure is that today I will place an order for some amount, who knows what for sure, that I will struggle to afford. It is highly unlikely this will be an ongoing medical program, given the costs and difficulties.
But then again, perhaps this is what the government and the big pharmaceutical companies want.
You see, cannabis is not just cannabis. There are so many different strains and varieties, with varying chemical compositions and varying strengths. The two main cannabinoids,delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, also known as THC and CBD, do different things in your body, so growers breed strains of cannabis which provides all of one, all of another, or blends with some happy middle ground. For example, recreational uses want to get high, so they don't care about CBD. On the other hand, people suffering seizures don't want to get high, so the don't care about THC.
THC is the stuff that gets you high. It also has been shown to relieve nerve pain, like the kinds I have, as well as inducing sleep, something I need. Of course there is the classic stimulation of appetite we've all seen in the movies, but it has also been demonstrated to reduce nausea and generate an improved mood. On the downside, high levels of THC have been shown to produce paranoia, psychosis, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and memory loss.
CBD is the more "medicinal" of the two main chemicals we seek from marijuana. It produces no high at all. It has been demonstrated to act as an anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety drug. It's also shown efficacy as a muscle relaxant, reducing tremors and spasticity, as well as preventing seizures. It has been shown to counter and even eliminate the negative effects of THC. As of yet, there have been no real downsides noted with CBD.
With ALS, I suffer from substantial, relentless nerve pain. I have trouble getting to sleep, My appetite is irregular at best. Although I am generally a happy person, I suffer from some fairly severe mood swings. All of these are conditions aided by THC. I also struggle with anxiety, muscle spasms, tremors, and joint pain. All of these conditions are aided by CBD, which also reduces the instances of paranoia and other negatives of THC. In other words, I need a balanced hybrid.
The marijuana specialist recommended four strains of cannabis product, three of which are fairly balanced with THC and CBD. She went on to recommend one product high in THC and low in CBD, as a night time treatment, allowing me to sleep better and more comfortably.
So now I have product ideas. I have to go online to specific suppliers who have been given my prescription, thus they know the limits I can purchase legally. The thing you discover immediately is that medical marijuana is nowhere near as high in THC as the street level stuff. In addition you discover that it is more expensive than the street level stuff.
When you buy recreational marijuana off the street, you are buying an unknown product. Your local dealer does no testing for THC and CBD content, no quality control to ensure consistency in the product. A street dealer doesn't care if there are foreign elements in your weed; there usually are, ranging from mold to dirt to other drugs.
So I have been prescribed up to 120 grams a month across two registered suppliers. That means 60 from one and 60 from another. At an average price of about $8.00 a gram, my total allotment would price out at $960 a month. This is not covered by health insurance or AISH. So I suspect I will not be buying a lot of this stuff.
I am not sure what I will do yet. My thinking is to buy enough to make about 30 cannabis cookies. This amount will cost me the same as two good wine kits, ones that will make about 60 bottles of wine. It leaves me asking myself if one cookie is worth two bottles of wine. I don't know. All I know for sure is that today I will place an order for some amount, who knows what for sure, that I will struggle to afford. It is highly unlikely this will be an ongoing medical program, given the costs and difficulties.
But then again, perhaps this is what the government and the big pharmaceutical companies want.
Thursday, 27 July 2017
It's Not Funny Anymore
I got up today, out of bed. It's something I didn't do yesterday. Yesterday I stayed in bed right from morning until night, then took a Zopiclone and slept through until this morning. So I did not write yesterday.
My plan had been to write the saga of how I managed to get a heavy plastic bag of clothing stuck on the back of my power wheelchair, how I managed to get on the floor to cut it away, and how I slung myself back into my PWC. The point would be to demonstrate how difficult life could be with ALS and a wheelchiar, along with how creative I can be in solving problems.
When I awoke this morning I thought to myself how trite, perhaps even unrealistic, that story would be; a piece of hyperbole meant more to entertain than elucidate. Yes, it all happened. No, it would not be as funny as I would write it. Quite the reverse, pathos is more like it. My life with ALS is filled with emotions, all of which leave a very convincing argument about the difference and difficulty of living this pathetic life. It's not funny, no matter how hard I try to cast it that way. It's sad.
So I am in a wheelchair. So what? Thousands of people are in wheelchairs. So I am dying a slow, treacherous death, one inch at a time with miles to go before I reach my final sleep. So what? The whole world is marching down that path. My death is not ugly; in fact it will be a blessed relief. No, the only ugly thing is the manner of my death. It is the indignity of this departure which makes it pathetic. It's the way that ALS is forcing me to live that makes this tragic tale.
It's not always this way. Some days are good; some days are bad. The balance has shifted, as it inexorably must. My goals for each day have fallen away from travel, cooking, entertaining. My big goal now is to get through the day without peeing on myself, to get to sleep without tossing and turning for hours on end, to remember to take my pills, both morning and night. My goal is to get things done without the drama of bags getting stuck to my wheelchair. It's not funny anymore.
My plan had been to write the saga of how I managed to get a heavy plastic bag of clothing stuck on the back of my power wheelchair, how I managed to get on the floor to cut it away, and how I slung myself back into my PWC. The point would be to demonstrate how difficult life could be with ALS and a wheelchiar, along with how creative I can be in solving problems.
When I awoke this morning I thought to myself how trite, perhaps even unrealistic, that story would be; a piece of hyperbole meant more to entertain than elucidate. Yes, it all happened. No, it would not be as funny as I would write it. Quite the reverse, pathos is more like it. My life with ALS is filled with emotions, all of which leave a very convincing argument about the difference and difficulty of living this pathetic life. It's not funny, no matter how hard I try to cast it that way. It's sad.
So I am in a wheelchair. So what? Thousands of people are in wheelchairs. So I am dying a slow, treacherous death, one inch at a time with miles to go before I reach my final sleep. So what? The whole world is marching down that path. My death is not ugly; in fact it will be a blessed relief. No, the only ugly thing is the manner of my death. It is the indignity of this departure which makes it pathetic. It's the way that ALS is forcing me to live that makes this tragic tale.
It's not always this way. Some days are good; some days are bad. The balance has shifted, as it inexorably must. My goals for each day have fallen away from travel, cooking, entertaining. My big goal now is to get through the day without peeing on myself, to get to sleep without tossing and turning for hours on end, to remember to take my pills, both morning and night. My goal is to get things done without the drama of bags getting stuck to my wheelchair. It's not funny anymore.
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Medical Marijuana Adventure
Well. I\m back from another adventure, this time to the clinic where a specially certified doctor prescribed legal medical marijuana for me. I find it fascinating that any doctor in the country can prescribe powerful opiods, psychotropics which can generate suicidal thoughts, hypnotic and depressive sleeping aids that can put down a horse, but I need to go to a specially certified doctor to get a prescription of a naturally occurring plant. It speaks to the power of the pharmaceutical industry, and the hypocrisy of government in handling something as simple as cannabis.
Now, down to business. I need to start by saying that my arrival at the clinic engendered no squad cars or SWAT teams or CSIS spies lurking around the parking lot. There were no brightly lit signs with junkies shooting up underneath, nor dodgy people hanging about the door. It was a plain, simple, ordinary medical clinic, with patients coming in to get help with anything from a hangnail to, well, cannabis.
The doctor himself was terrific. He put me at ease almost the minute he entered the room. I did not feel like I was doing anything criminal, or even bad. He was very open about the process, the medication, the risks. He answered my every question, including questions about interactions with my other medications and a bunch of other miscellany. He listened to my story, making the appropriate compassionate sounds at the appropriate times. Then he wrote out a prescription for the largest legal dosage available on a monthly basis. He said it was the single largest amount he had ever prescribed. Apparently ALS is a pretty serious deal, what with the muscle loss, the fasiculations, the constant low grade pain, the tremors, the spasticity, the loss of emotional control, the depression... I think that about covers it.
The next step was the "cannabis education specialist". This was a nice young lady in the next room who seemed to have a lot of personal experience with the subject matter at hand. She was, I must say, very professional about the whole process, identifying which products would likely be best for me, how much I should order at a time when I went online; that's one of the interesting things, that the doctor prescribes a monthly amount but I order as much as I want up to that limit. It's not like other prescriptions, where they will pile the pills up as high as the hilltops, sending you home with months worth of your necessary drugs. No, this drug has to be prescribed by the physician, but ordered by the patient. It is worthy to note that the "Cannabis Education Specialist" also commented on the amount prescribed, saying it was the largest she had ever seen too. I believe the word "Wow" crept out of her mouth a couple of times.
After being completely educated, she suggested I ask for help from one of my more knowledgeable friends, or perhaps my children, about making cookies and getting the quantities correct. I think that ground is well covered. She then told me the bad news; my medical insurance will not cover this prescription medication. I would get a 20% discount as "compassionate pricing", but the same insurance company which would pay thousands of dollars for a chemical from a big pharmaceutical company will not pay for this naturally occurring plant.
So, the next thing will be an email from the suppliers asking me to register. I'll also get a medical marijuana card in the mail, allowing me to carry the stuff about if I wish. Except not across any international, or perhaps even provincial, borders. Then, I go online and spend my money. That's going to be the difficult part. The value of my monthly prescription, if fully filled, is about $600. I suspect I will go lightly on this path. As a side note, one of the recommended suppliers is a company owned by Snoop Dog, the famous rapper and pothead.
On the plus side, I have asked AISH if they will help pay for this. I suspect they won't. After all, if AISH started paying for my drugs, who knows what might happen. Oh. Wait. They already do. Except for this naturally occurring plant. The big pharmaceutical companies can't make any money off of it, so it must be illegal.
Now, down to business. I need to start by saying that my arrival at the clinic engendered no squad cars or SWAT teams or CSIS spies lurking around the parking lot. There were no brightly lit signs with junkies shooting up underneath, nor dodgy people hanging about the door. It was a plain, simple, ordinary medical clinic, with patients coming in to get help with anything from a hangnail to, well, cannabis.
The doctor himself was terrific. He put me at ease almost the minute he entered the room. I did not feel like I was doing anything criminal, or even bad. He was very open about the process, the medication, the risks. He answered my every question, including questions about interactions with my other medications and a bunch of other miscellany. He listened to my story, making the appropriate compassionate sounds at the appropriate times. Then he wrote out a prescription for the largest legal dosage available on a monthly basis. He said it was the single largest amount he had ever prescribed. Apparently ALS is a pretty serious deal, what with the muscle loss, the fasiculations, the constant low grade pain, the tremors, the spasticity, the loss of emotional control, the depression... I think that about covers it.
The next step was the "cannabis education specialist". This was a nice young lady in the next room who seemed to have a lot of personal experience with the subject matter at hand. She was, I must say, very professional about the whole process, identifying which products would likely be best for me, how much I should order at a time when I went online; that's one of the interesting things, that the doctor prescribes a monthly amount but I order as much as I want up to that limit. It's not like other prescriptions, where they will pile the pills up as high as the hilltops, sending you home with months worth of your necessary drugs. No, this drug has to be prescribed by the physician, but ordered by the patient. It is worthy to note that the "Cannabis Education Specialist" also commented on the amount prescribed, saying it was the largest she had ever seen too. I believe the word "Wow" crept out of her mouth a couple of times.
After being completely educated, she suggested I ask for help from one of my more knowledgeable friends, or perhaps my children, about making cookies and getting the quantities correct. I think that ground is well covered. She then told me the bad news; my medical insurance will not cover this prescription medication. I would get a 20% discount as "compassionate pricing", but the same insurance company which would pay thousands of dollars for a chemical from a big pharmaceutical company will not pay for this naturally occurring plant.
So, the next thing will be an email from the suppliers asking me to register. I'll also get a medical marijuana card in the mail, allowing me to carry the stuff about if I wish. Except not across any international, or perhaps even provincial, borders. Then, I go online and spend my money. That's going to be the difficult part. The value of my monthly prescription, if fully filled, is about $600. I suspect I will go lightly on this path. As a side note, one of the recommended suppliers is a company owned by Snoop Dog, the famous rapper and pothead.
On the plus side, I have asked AISH if they will help pay for this. I suspect they won't. After all, if AISH started paying for my drugs, who knows what might happen. Oh. Wait. They already do. Except for this naturally occurring plant. The big pharmaceutical companies can't make any money off of it, so it must be illegal.
Monday, 24 July 2017
New Laptop
This is my first blog post from my new laptop. I managed to break the hinge and case of my old laptop while traveling in the UK. When I returned home, I took it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy and they shipped it off for repair. As it turns out, the repair cost was just about the same as the replacement cost, so they recommended I just get a new one with similar specifications.
So I did, for a grand total of $650. I will confess at this point that this is one of the lowest powered laptops I have ever purchased. Before now I always went for the newest in speed and power, and the lightest weight possible. This time I went for my budget, trying to keep the cost of this new machine in line with the cost of repairing the old one. As it happens, these two costs were exactly equal.
There are a couple of significant differences I will have to learn to deal with. First, this new laptop is ever so slightly smaller than my old laptop. It means tighter keyboard space and a screen that is just the tiniest bit smaller after the case covers the edges. The second thing, as a result of the first thing, is that this machine weighs a few ounces less than my old laptop. For me, this is a major plus, worth the slightly smaller screen and the slightly tighter keyboard.
I live online. I spend most of my waking hours on Facebook, doing email, browsing. I also use my laptop for watching Netflix. It is easier for me to sit in my wheelchair at the table and watch Netflix on my laptop than it is to set myself up in the living room and watch it on my TV. Plus, when I am in the living room, I have no place to rest my arms or put down a coffee when seated in my chair. So I tend to watch at the dining room table.
All these bits of data mean I need a lightweight computer that can do Internet browsing, video streaming, and blogging. I no longer need a monster; these days something barely average will do for me. And I can afford it, mostly.
So I did, for a grand total of $650. I will confess at this point that this is one of the lowest powered laptops I have ever purchased. Before now I always went for the newest in speed and power, and the lightest weight possible. This time I went for my budget, trying to keep the cost of this new machine in line with the cost of repairing the old one. As it happens, these two costs were exactly equal.
There are a couple of significant differences I will have to learn to deal with. First, this new laptop is ever so slightly smaller than my old laptop. It means tighter keyboard space and a screen that is just the tiniest bit smaller after the case covers the edges. The second thing, as a result of the first thing, is that this machine weighs a few ounces less than my old laptop. For me, this is a major plus, worth the slightly smaller screen and the slightly tighter keyboard.
I live online. I spend most of my waking hours on Facebook, doing email, browsing. I also use my laptop for watching Netflix. It is easier for me to sit in my wheelchair at the table and watch Netflix on my laptop than it is to set myself up in the living room and watch it on my TV. Plus, when I am in the living room, I have no place to rest my arms or put down a coffee when seated in my chair. So I tend to watch at the dining room table.
All these bits of data mean I need a lightweight computer that can do Internet browsing, video streaming, and blogging. I no longer need a monster; these days something barely average will do for me. And I can afford it, mostly.
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