The problems began in October. My son did not want to get dressed at his Mother's house to get ready for school. This escalated into a much bigger problem for her, and for him.
Being a non-verbal teenager has to be one frustrating way to go through life, it's really hard to watch and live with. His behavior changed due to, what? Hormones, another illness, something happening to him we do not know about because he cannot speak. In any case, he was not safe due to his self harming behaviors.
We did, eventually, get him to a doctor and she heard us and saw him at his best and worst. Blood was drawn (it took four people to hold him down and one to do the draw), and we found out his strep levels were elevated. From here we learned of a condition called PANDAS in which people display very aggressive and obsessive/compulsive behaviors when they have strep. He was given antibiotics in liquid form, and his behaviors did not really diminish much.
A return to the doctor resulted in us receiving a prescription for a rather powerful drug, which we give him in pill form. It's a fast dissolving tablet that he is allowing us to give to him with no real difficulty. He initially was supposed to get an X dose, but his mother and I suggested a lower dose to start, because we've never seen the effects of the drug. She agreed.
The drug tired him out, we think he slept more, some of the behaviors diminished but he's still not allowing his mother to dress him in the morning. Last week we went to the dose the doctor suggested and it's knocked him on his ass. It's really odd to see him so lethargic. I'm used to the noise out of him, and it's vanished. He's also not screaming, or doing the dangerous behaviors.
I have to accept this trade off, for now. It's difficult and sad to witness. I understand the drug takes time to take full effect. Oddly enough the drug's main side effect is weight gain, which is in the irony of life is desirable.
He's in there, and for whatever reasons he is not happy. I do not know what his being on this drug will help with his feelings, his anxieties. It's making him safe from his own hands though, and that going away has been worth the risk. I did not ask to have to make this choice, but I have to help protect him.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Fine dining is not dead
“Are you a musician?” The server asked me. “You look like someone I’ve seen before but I can’t place you.” After quizzing each other with various people and places we may have met, it turned out in the nineties we both worked at local wine shops and may have crossed paths at industry tastings. Maybe I’d recognize him clearer if he shaved his beard, but probably not.
It was the first time I’d been in The Refectory, one of the finest restaurants in the city, in my entire time here, and the moment I entered the main dining room I regretted missing out on those lost decades. It’s a beautiful space in an old church. The decor was fresh, there was nothing tired about the place.
And we were there now. Finally met the sommelier after following him on social media for a few years. He poured us a couple of amuse bouche samples of obscure Italian wines to start the show.
We had very good wine. She had antelope, I had the four course chef’s menu. The sous vide beef shoulder was outstanding. Nothing was rushed. The staff on the floor were all working together with a learned precision that was not pretentious, but natural. Our dinner a few years back at the Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow was outstanding in quality and service, but last night went past that. The Refectory is a skilled team from front of house to back.
There was no way I could afford to go in there until now. Even when I was in the wine business in the nineties it could not be done.
As we ate I was thought about a quote a local chef recently said in an article about her. She said that fine dining was dead. This is the same chef who passively/aggressively insulted my wife in front of a dining room full of people. The same chef who partnered with a local brewery owner who is now accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Fine dining is not dead, it’s the lazy, uncreative and harmful attitudes of those who control the narrative that should be. On our way out we walked past one of the former food critics from the Dispatch, who had just finished his dinner. I was never fond of his writing style, it turned into a template the last few years of his reign. Yet when a place gets outstanding reviews for over thirty years, innovates with the times to provide a superior dining experience, you keep going back. As will we, sooner than later. It’s worth it.
It was the first time I’d been in The Refectory, one of the finest restaurants in the city, in my entire time here, and the moment I entered the main dining room I regretted missing out on those lost decades. It’s a beautiful space in an old church. The decor was fresh, there was nothing tired about the place.
And we were there now. Finally met the sommelier after following him on social media for a few years. He poured us a couple of amuse bouche samples of obscure Italian wines to start the show.
We had very good wine. She had antelope, I had the four course chef’s menu. The sous vide beef shoulder was outstanding. Nothing was rushed. The staff on the floor were all working together with a learned precision that was not pretentious, but natural. Our dinner a few years back at the Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow was outstanding in quality and service, but last night went past that. The Refectory is a skilled team from front of house to back.
There was no way I could afford to go in there until now. Even when I was in the wine business in the nineties it could not be done.
As we ate I was thought about a quote a local chef recently said in an article about her. She said that fine dining was dead. This is the same chef who passively/aggressively insulted my wife in front of a dining room full of people. The same chef who partnered with a local brewery owner who is now accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Fine dining is not dead, it’s the lazy, uncreative and harmful attitudes of those who control the narrative that should be. On our way out we walked past one of the former food critics from the Dispatch, who had just finished his dinner. I was never fond of his writing style, it turned into a template the last few years of his reign. Yet when a place gets outstanding reviews for over thirty years, innovates with the times to provide a superior dining experience, you keep going back. As will we, sooner than later. It’s worth it.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
When the hunt eats you
Went to my off the beaten patch record store today to do some digging. And dig I did. For a change, I went in with a list of four records and ended up finding three of them. Purchased two since one of them was not in decent condition.
I’ve written about and told others about Memory Lane Records before and how it is so quirky. The owner is a fair man who today was in the rum and cokes. We were talking about a singer/songwriter who neither of us knew or could find out any information about. He somehow scored a single side of a five disc collection on VJ Records. It could have been a misspelling on the label, because I found a Wikipedia entry about this dude, Bobby Jameson. But the cataloger in me cannot find a true connection between the songs on the record and the songs he wrote. So be it.
Found five records to buy, and here is where the fun lies in this place - none of the records are priced. One of the records was a copy of Los Bravos’ Black Is Black in very good condition.
“Where did you find this?” Al asked as he marveled at its condition while turning the pages of his price book.
It had a book value of $75, he was going to charge me $50 and I passed on that. Al said he was probably going to take it home with him. He did play a couple of songs from it and may be still. It’s a very good record in excellent condition. I would have been thrilled to own it.
When I left I thanked him and said I was glad I could find that record for him. I’ll be back, but damn.
I’ve written about and told others about Memory Lane Records before and how it is so quirky. The owner is a fair man who today was in the rum and cokes. We were talking about a singer/songwriter who neither of us knew or could find out any information about. He somehow scored a single side of a five disc collection on VJ Records. It could have been a misspelling on the label, because I found a Wikipedia entry about this dude, Bobby Jameson. But the cataloger in me cannot find a true connection between the songs on the record and the songs he wrote. So be it.
Found five records to buy, and here is where the fun lies in this place - none of the records are priced. One of the records was a copy of Los Bravos’ Black Is Black in very good condition.
“Where did you find this?” Al asked as he marveled at its condition while turning the pages of his price book.
It had a book value of $75, he was going to charge me $50 and I passed on that. Al said he was probably going to take it home with him. He did play a couple of songs from it and may be still. It’s a very good record in excellent condition. I would have been thrilled to own it.
When I left I thanked him and said I was glad I could find that record for him. I’ll be back, but damn.
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Snapshot of floor time
The Scene: A child's bedroom, after dinner.
The child and his father are seated on the floor. Father is opening a container of Legos. Child is ignoring his father as the old man is putting together pieces, spinning wheels, and looking for the right piece for a tire rim. Child sits on his father's lap, a rather heavy experience for the old man. Child takes all the Lego pieces, puts them back in the container, moves the container away from his father, then gets up, turns out the light and leaves his father sitting on the bedroom floor.
Fin.
The child and his father are seated on the floor. Father is opening a container of Legos. Child is ignoring his father as the old man is putting together pieces, spinning wheels, and looking for the right piece for a tire rim. Child sits on his father's lap, a rather heavy experience for the old man. Child takes all the Lego pieces, puts them back in the container, moves the container away from his father, then gets up, turns out the light and leaves his father sitting on the bedroom floor.
Fin.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Gonna smoke a cigarette that's nine miles long
If you follow this blog you've noticed how little activity there has been. You're not the only one. It's been a struggle to keep up with this simple place when a silly tweet or Facebook post is faster to release into the online world.
To be honest I'm barely writing anything, and reading slightly more so, although that's been making a small, positive, return.
I did not even watch as many movies. Sure I'm going through MST3K episodes, watching hockey and almost through with Taggart but to go out to a movie is rare. Even hanging on TCM occurs with less frequency. And ooh, St. Elsewhere is streaming on Hulu, and it's great!
The Westgate Cavern has been my solace in 2018. And it's not necessarily for the cocktails, but the north end where the action is. The Supro, the guitars, the records and the rug. I do spend a lot of time there, and I consider it work and joy - a feeling that has been hard to hand on to in the craziness of our current times.
I've also been listening to more music. In a dramatic shift of life I also stopped doing illegal downloading and made a vow to stop, which I have done. In its place I promised myself I would buy a new record every week of 2018, and I have done so.
And here is what I purchased, legally.
Counterfeit Madison - Opposable Thumbs
Pugwash - Silverlake
Shame - Songs of Praise
Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ - TajMo
Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires
Livingmore - Ok To Land
Belle & Sebastian - How To Solve Our Human Problems Pts. 1-3
Amy Rigby - The Old Guys (V)
Finn & His Rustkickers - Leave You Nothing To Squander
The Breeders - All Nerve
Tracey Thorn - Sister
David Byrne - American Utopia
Howlin’ Wolf - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: His Best
Stevie Wonder - Inner-visions
Broken Records - What We Might Know
Sakert! - Daggdjur
Mastersystem - Dance Music
Wreckless Eric - Construction Time and Demolition
John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Leon Bridges - Good Thing
Reckless Eric and Amy Rigby - A Working Museum
Aidan Moffatt & R.M. Hubbert - Here Lies the Body
Chvrches - Love is Dead
Traceyanne & Danny (V)
Neko Case - Hell-On
You Better Run - The Essential Junior Kimbrough
Tony Hadley - Talking to the Moon
Sloan - A Sides Win
Buddy Guy - The Blues is Alive and Well
The Posies - The Best of the Posies: Dream All Day
Donnie Fritts - Oh My Goodness (V)
Erin Rae - Putting on Airs (V)
Dylan LeBlanc - Cautionary Tale (V)
Florence + the Machine - High as Hope.
Fantastic Negrito - Please Don’t Be Dead
RVG - A Quality of Mercy
She Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Rajasthan Express - Junun
Pram - Across the Meridian
Teenage Fanclub - Songs of Northern Britain
Amanda Shires - To The Sunset
Ruby Boots - Don’t Talk About It
Berlin - Animal
Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
Francois and the Atlas Mountains - Fleur du Mal
Prince - Piano & a Microphone, 1983
Lilly Hiatt - Royal Blue (V)
Sam Phillips - World on Sticks
KT Tunstall - WAX (V)
John Hiatt - The Eclipse Sessions
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Look Now
Rosanne Cash - She Remembers Everything
Vera Sola - Shades
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
You Tell Me
Jeff Tweedy - WARM
Kasey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Teenage Fanclub - Thirteen (V)
Stax compilation (V)
Scott Walker - Scott 2 (V)
Freddie King - Getting Ready
Aidan Moffat & R.M. Hubbert - Ghost Stories of Christmas (V)
Not all of the list was a new release, obviously, but it is new to me. Most of it was purchased from iTunes, some bandcamp and there were a few vinyl only purchases as you can see by the "V".
I also bought a bit of used vinyl, which I did not keep track of this year but will in 2019.
So what was good? After all the buzz and hype the Janelle Monae did not quite hit me at first but it is growing on me. I love the craft of the Rosanne Cash record, there is some stellar songwriting on her latest. The RVG was recommended by the staff at Monorail and it's a jangly project of joy and hope. Tracey Thorn created an in joke between my wife and I. John Prine may have put out my favorite song of the year with When I Get To Heaven. Amy Rigby showed us her beauty and humanity with The Old Guys. Hearing Traceyanne Campbell's voice again was inspiring. And John Hiatt returned to exceptional form.
Junior Kimbrough in the car is a great thing and Tony Hadley is still in good voice.
I did not hear what others did with Idles, unimpressed. The Belle and Sebastian EP experiment did not go over well and that Prince record, interesting as it is, never would have seen the light while he was alive. Chvrches lyrics need to dig deeper than high school journaling.
Nothing really knocked me on my ass, except the effects on my Supro Comet with my Ibanex. That was the best joy in the basement in 2018. More of the same in 2019.
To be honest I'm barely writing anything, and reading slightly more so, although that's been making a small, positive, return.
I did not even watch as many movies. Sure I'm going through MST3K episodes, watching hockey and almost through with Taggart but to go out to a movie is rare. Even hanging on TCM occurs with less frequency. And ooh, St. Elsewhere is streaming on Hulu, and it's great!
The Westgate Cavern has been my solace in 2018. And it's not necessarily for the cocktails, but the north end where the action is. The Supro, the guitars, the records and the rug. I do spend a lot of time there, and I consider it work and joy - a feeling that has been hard to hand on to in the craziness of our current times.
I've also been listening to more music. In a dramatic shift of life I also stopped doing illegal downloading and made a vow to stop, which I have done. In its place I promised myself I would buy a new record every week of 2018, and I have done so.
And here is what I purchased, legally.
Counterfeit Madison - Opposable Thumbs
Pugwash - Silverlake
Shame - Songs of Praise
Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ - TajMo
Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires
Livingmore - Ok To Land
Belle & Sebastian - How To Solve Our Human Problems Pts. 1-3
Amy Rigby - The Old Guys (V)
Finn & His Rustkickers - Leave You Nothing To Squander
The Breeders - All Nerve
Tracey Thorn - Sister
David Byrne - American Utopia
Howlin’ Wolf - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: His Best
Stevie Wonder - Inner-visions
Broken Records - What We Might Know
Sakert! - Daggdjur
Mastersystem - Dance Music
Wreckless Eric - Construction Time and Demolition
John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Leon Bridges - Good Thing
Reckless Eric and Amy Rigby - A Working Museum
Aidan Moffatt & R.M. Hubbert - Here Lies the Body
Chvrches - Love is Dead
Traceyanne & Danny (V)
Neko Case - Hell-On
You Better Run - The Essential Junior Kimbrough
Tony Hadley - Talking to the Moon
Sloan - A Sides Win
Buddy Guy - The Blues is Alive and Well
The Posies - The Best of the Posies: Dream All Day
Donnie Fritts - Oh My Goodness (V)
Erin Rae - Putting on Airs (V)
Dylan LeBlanc - Cautionary Tale (V)
Florence + the Machine - High as Hope.
Fantastic Negrito - Please Don’t Be Dead
RVG - A Quality of Mercy
She Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Rajasthan Express - Junun
Pram - Across the Meridian
Teenage Fanclub - Songs of Northern Britain
Amanda Shires - To The Sunset
Ruby Boots - Don’t Talk About It
Berlin - Animal
Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
Francois and the Atlas Mountains - Fleur du Mal
Prince - Piano & a Microphone, 1983
Lilly Hiatt - Royal Blue (V)
Sam Phillips - World on Sticks
KT Tunstall - WAX (V)
John Hiatt - The Eclipse Sessions
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Look Now
Rosanne Cash - She Remembers Everything
Vera Sola - Shades
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
You Tell Me
Jeff Tweedy - WARM
Kasey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Teenage Fanclub - Thirteen (V)
Stax compilation (V)
Scott Walker - Scott 2 (V)
Freddie King - Getting Ready
Aidan Moffat & R.M. Hubbert - Ghost Stories of Christmas (V)
Not all of the list was a new release, obviously, but it is new to me. Most of it was purchased from iTunes, some bandcamp and there were a few vinyl only purchases as you can see by the "V".
I also bought a bit of used vinyl, which I did not keep track of this year but will in 2019.
So what was good? After all the buzz and hype the Janelle Monae did not quite hit me at first but it is growing on me. I love the craft of the Rosanne Cash record, there is some stellar songwriting on her latest. The RVG was recommended by the staff at Monorail and it's a jangly project of joy and hope. Tracey Thorn created an in joke between my wife and I. John Prine may have put out my favorite song of the year with When I Get To Heaven. Amy Rigby showed us her beauty and humanity with The Old Guys. Hearing Traceyanne Campbell's voice again was inspiring. And John Hiatt returned to exceptional form.
Junior Kimbrough in the car is a great thing and Tony Hadley is still in good voice.
I did not hear what others did with Idles, unimpressed. The Belle and Sebastian EP experiment did not go over well and that Prince record, interesting as it is, never would have seen the light while he was alive. Chvrches lyrics need to dig deeper than high school journaling.
Nothing really knocked me on my ass, except the effects on my Supro Comet with my Ibanex. That was the best joy in the basement in 2018. More of the same in 2019.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
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