Strange Days Indeed

Earlier this week, I thought that my itching problem had finally gone away. My legs were almost back to normal and I had stopped taking most of my drugs. Then last night happened... I went out with the bank crowd and when I got home I felt like someone had thrown me in a barrel of itching powder. My entire body itched uncontrollably: my back, my head, my belly, my neck, my legs... I think the only body parts that didn't itch were my hands and feet! To make it all worse, everywhere that I scratched became huge ugly welts. I think something is definitely wrong! I took a shower, slathered myself with lotion and knocked myself out with Benadryl. I felt better when I woke up this morning, but all the itching has come back. It takes every ounce of restraint I possess not scratch all my skin off. Unfortunately, I really don't know what to do. If I go to the doctor, they'll just tell me to do everything that I already have been doing. I already saw two doctors about my legs, and they didn't have too much to offer. Nothing seems to help, so I guess I'm doomed to an undetermined period of excrutiating itch. That sucks. I'm not alone, though. Poor Dobby, my dog, has a red rash on his belly that he keeps scratching and biting. I'm taking him to the Vet on Monday to check it out and update his shots. I'll get shots that day, too, so we'll be miserable together. He is my dog after all, so why should it surprise me that he's probably allergic to something too?! lol. Actually, we are wondering if he got into something in the backyard that is irritating both of us. Don is going to give him a bath and see if that helps at all. Plus, he stinks. Both dogs do. I was going to bathe Dobby myself, but Don had a really good point that if there is something about him that is creating this problem for me, it probably isn't smart to be in that much contact with him. Good thinking. Hopefully soon both of us will feel a lot better.

Maybe you heard that this week the Jewel died. I never thought I would see the day when FM104.3 KJUL no longer existed on the airwaves. It's been around as long as I can remember. I'm not embarresed to say that I actually liked the Jewel. For those who never got that far up the dial, the Jewel played mostly Standards and 50s/60s music. It was the one station that thrived on Sinatra and Barry Manilow (Yeah, I like Weekend in New England, so there!) and gave us hope that a Standards act could actually work. Of course, the residents of Sun City are in shock. I had many conversations with Seniors at the bank about how much they loved the Jewel. At the time, that was the only station that we played, and honestly I did get really burned out on hearing the same songs two or more times a day! If I hear Blue on Blue one more time... Burn-out aside, I am really sad to see the Jewel replaced by another Country station. I have no bad feelings toward Country, shoot that was my life for many years, but I do love the Standards and believe that there is still a place for them on the radio. There's a reason why we still like Unforgettable, At Last and Fly Me to the Moon. Songs just aren't written that well anymore. We need to celebrate the good old classics that were more about emotion than marketing. Unfortunately, Marketing is trying to send them to an early grave. (The demographic that listens to "new" Country buys more than the demographic that listens to Standards.) Goodbye, KJUL. I hope your music finds a good and happy home somewhere else.