Huh. Doing some research for this project on a city in coastal Oregon; the poverty level went up by 5% between 2010 and 2015. WTF. 17% of the population of this town is living in poverty according to the Census Bureau -- which really means more than that, because the threshold for poverty under the federal rules is very very low.

Man, this economy sucks. And yet here I sit in a hipster coffeehouse, where I just paid $2.75 for a large cup of tea. I could sell my house for more than most Americans have in their retirement funds, and yet I don't consider myself wealthy.

Fuckity.

Suela, I am typing this from a greyhound bus which...yeah, apparently I stick out as someone who should not be on a greyhound?? Not jsit skin color (though that's part) but...somehow. I'm longingly thinking of the nice busses I took in Chile, and wishing the bolt bus had had better times of service because there is a man who smells strongly of piss sitting behind me...

forgot to get distilled water without which I can't use the thing

I have used good quality drinking water in my CPAP when I was out of distilled, ie, when I take my CPAP on vacation I buy a bottle of filtered drinking water. If you wipe it clean when you finally get your distilled water, you should be fine. Vinegar is a good option for cleaning out the tank, unless your manufacturer specifies something else.

Popcorn:

I am terrible about maintaining my CPAP, I don't rinse it out every day, I wait far too long between cleaning the tank, and I'm not dead yet. I don't know if my breathing would be better if I were more conscientious, but I do OK.

One thing to be aware of, make sure the mask fits properly. If it's too tight, it can put pressure on your teeth and give you a full-jaw toothache. Bad news. It will probably leak air, but you can get used to that if it's not too bad.

The pad on the mask will wear out relatively quickly. You can get hoses, mask pads, and the straps that hold the thing onto your head online for a lot cheaper than whatever medical supply house you're being referred to.

I'm in a chair in the sky to quote Louis CK.

My flight was delayed 45 mins which coincidentally is exactly the time I have to makes my connection in LA to SFO.

Had a great trip except for the part where I was sick all day on my bday.

To put it in GoT terms I fought the Battle of Brownwater. And lost.

Wish me a spot of travel mojo por favor....

Travel-ma heading your way, hec.

Despite recent (or, hell, not-so-recent) history, whenever I think of rushing to make an airport connection, I *still* think of OJ Simpson. So I was going to say, "Hec, be like OJ!!!" And then I thought, "....mayyyyyybe not."

I *still* think of OJ Simpson. So I was going to say, "Hec, be like OJ!!!" And then I thought, "....mayyyyyybe not."

I had to recently advise the writer of the newsletter I edit that he probably ought to use a different metaphor for how quickly he had to traverse the airport to make a connection. To paraphrase Spike, "We're never getting that one back, are we?"

IOW, Travel-ma, David.

To paraphrase Spike, "We're never getting that one back, are we?"

Ha! I do actually use that phrase in conversation ("I had 10 minutes before the plane door shut, so I had to make like OJ."), but depending on the audience I have to quickly explain/walk it back.