Not Quite Right!

Finally it's here, never have owned an Apple device, not interested in a walled garden eco system and the price of their hardware, ridiculous! I am a linux user so that explains it all really, Google support linux quite well, maybe not as much as some would like, but some in the linux community despise everything non open source, that's just how it is, no big deal :) Oh and let's not get started on Google drive for linux it was "coming soon" 12 months ago, there is a tag on G+ #drive4linux, there are rumours that's it's being worked on, I'll believe it when I see it lol.I digress, Google Music is cool, play your music from anywhere on any device, not just Android, it is also Cloud storage for all the Digital Music you already own, you can upload your existing tracks from your computer, it does a scan and match thing so you won't be uploading all of your music, only if it can't be matched. They seem to add cover art automatically if it isn't already in the original album you uploaded, I think that's how it works, although I could be wrong, I'm fairly sure though that some of my uploaded cover art has been changed, not a big deal for me, it might just be a different countries cover art, or I could be dreaming or stoned....I've had Google Music for at least 12 months from memory, this required initially signing up while running through a VPN service, so it looked like I was in the good ole' US of A, eh, such is life. I occasionally use a VPN provider so I already had an account, I know of at least one VPN provider for Android and it's an App you can get from the Play Store, worked quite well when I tried it, it's called Tunnel Bear, it's free so you can't go wrong ;)Even if you aren't an online music buyer, (you obviously buy all your music on CD and rip it to MP3 format, or FLAC if you have any sense lol) the cloud storage aspect is excellent, they say you can upload 20,000 songs with a maximum of 300MB per each individual song (source), so that's quite a lot of space and the added bonus is that songs bought from the Play Store don't count towards your quota, good stuff!So give it a go, it's free :)

I especially realised this after I had gotten rid of my last bastion of independence, my Car, I felt it was the right time to let it go, I guess I could've driven for a while longer, but there were other factors involved in my decision, availability of parking, distance to walk to my vehicle etc. The closest place was under a large eucalypt tree that are renowned for dropping branches, bark and a sticky gum like substance, they are often referred to as "Gum Trees" as a generalisation, though some might not be a "Gum Tree" as such, that's how I understand it anyway. This particular tree did in fact drop a branch on the side of my windscreen and cracked it, although not impeding vision in anyway, it wasn't in my "field of vision". It was time to face facts, it was the right time to the let the car go!Having MS, one eye was affected by Optic Neuritis and had become like looking though fog or a film of oil was on the surface of my eye, yep being a Mechanic in a previous life I have had a film of oil over both eyes before, so it's great description from my point of view....So I have given up my Bicycle (although, may try again one day, trike?), I previously had to let my old trusty Kawasaki GPz 900 go, that was a very sad day for me, both the Bicycle and Motorbike were not viable because of balance problems. I mainly rode Motorbikes, cars are tin death traps with drivers who are more and more distracted with gadgets these days, it isn't safe on the road and it's getting less so as far as I'm concerned :)So what now? Well the world of Mobility for the Disabled has come a long way since I was a lad, not that I needed disability aids pre MS.Enter the "Scoot" as I like to call them or Mobility Scooter, don't like business names for things that then become mainstream.I had organised a local disability aids business to bring down a second hand one for me to view and have a go on, I needed to also see how it would fit or not, in my small abode etc. The owner bought one down, it was in good condition for a second hand scoot but it wasn't suitable, simply it didn't have armrests, would be handy for a MSer I reckon, "no big deal" he said he had another one he could bring down to show me......three weeks later and a couple of phone calls to see what was happening and still no show, he was to busy. Still haven't heard from him, his loss, no sale. Didn't solve my problem though, I still needed wheels. My contact at the MS Society was also keeping and eye out for any bargains she might come across, through her contacts.The Scoot! Click to enlarge!I'll cut a long story short(er), there was a lady who unfortunately needed to move into a nursing home as her MS had progressed to the point where it was necessary (I find this heartbreaking, but I won't dwell, lest I start getting emotional), I went and looked at it and bought it, done deal. It's a bit rough around the edges, some cosmetic damage, but it was always serviced so hopefully I can get some use out of it while I wait to see if I qualify for a government funded Mobility Scooter, at the very least it will be 12 months away so I thought I would take a chance on this second hand one, while waiting. It was just the right price for an interim Mobility Scooter and for an Ex Mechanic who always liked to tinker with machinery and is often bored out of his brain. Let the fun and games begin, if nothing else it will keep me occupied.It will give me a chance to tinker with something, slowly, while I test it, clean it up and replace a few parts here and there, nothing major hopefully, it's a chance you take with anything second hand though so it's all good. So far I have tightened a few nuts and bolts and cleaned it up a bit, straightened the basket as it had been whacked at some stage I guess. People are expecting me to "pimp it" I have my doubts on that though, I just don't have the skill, patience or motivation, any more, might get some Ferrari decals (yes I know it aint Ferrari red), but that's about it, oh and maybe some led lighting for a brighter headlight, though modification requires a deft hand and a clear mind lol.The Scoot! Click to enlarge!I will need to replace one of the armrests though, for cosmetic and practicality reasons the rubber is starting to tear away from it's steal mount and the handlebar "loop" may need some thought most likely a bicycle hand grip like those foamy looking ones might do if I can make it fit the diameter of the bar, no rush it's still useable. Of course Australian prices are ridiculous for parts for these things, so I will see if overseas purchasing is a viable alternative, I'm guessing freight may kill that idea though. It cost me $300 AUD, I probably could have bargained but I think it was worth it, time will tell though lol.Happy and safe Trails, whatever your mode of transport, I will post more Scoot related blogs as I fix, learn and actually use the beast....beware tech tips coming! :)

I've been on this Teriflunomide trial for about two years from memory, although trial visit days did vary, mostly a visit each month was what it settled down to. It was my big day out each month, I used to get cab charges for the each way trip there and back, with my laziness and fatigue issues easy travel was necessary for me as I would probably have never turned up lol.The trial has been enjoyable in that the nurses, specialists and various other staff were all professional, yet could have a laugh with you, all wonderful people. I had numerous scans a nuclear medicine test for kidney function it has been quite a ride, luckily not a traumatic one. I walked the length and breadth of the Austin Hospital with the occasional shuttle ride, some days all my energy was spent.Teriflunomide or Aubagio as it now seems to be called, has been approved in Australia for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis though the next step is to have it listed on the "Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme" or the "PBS" as it's known, this scheme effectively subsidises the price of drugs for all Australians. As an example, say the monthly cost of Betaferon was one thousand dollars, well we would get the prescription filled for say $25 in total, check those figures but it is a great scheme which makes medications and drugs affordable for everyone in society.Below is an image taken with my New Nexus 4 smart phone (shameless plug for great new mobile phone).There are some pics of the old packaging they used in the trial (previous post), the old packages were heaps better, in that they were in rows so you could quickly tell what day you were up to.The new packages are quite plain and as you can see in the image come in individual foil packs of five, ffs, could made them at least seven in a foil pack, would have been much easier to keep track of what day you were up to.Hey I have Multiple Sclerosis and have a fairly shitty memory, don't make it any harder for me lol. I might look at those granny pill boxes that are marked by day so much easier to keep track of where you're up to.I will still be supplied these drugs until they get approved on the PBS, I'm not sure what happens if they don't get on the PBS lol, should be interesting if that happens, so I will visit the drug trial nurses and see the neuro every three months oh and pick up a new supply of the drugs for the next 3 months.You can see a picture of the actual pill, it's a tiny thing, it's the top image, it's a bluish colour and has five sides, in the picture you will see that the pill is between standard lie heights on a writing pad, it's not a great size for clumsy MSers hands, although it is very easy to swallow because of said size.As far as side effects go, I have found Teriflunomide to be quite good with little or no noticeable effects, with MS obviously you are always having good and bad days so it's difficult to distinguish what is just life with MS or a side effect of a drug, having said that I think I did notice when I went from the placebo pill to the real deal at 14 mg, I just felt different.I also got some samples of Modafinil to see if they help with my fatigue and cognitive/memory issues that I enjoy lol, I'll post another blog about that though, don't want to bore you :)I'd like to especially thank Elise, she was my main contact for the trial, she would do the monthly tests, bloods, temp, urine, etc. I'd also like to thank Bassam my regular taxi driver, always helpful and fair!I have mentioned in my comment below about a pill box so I can keep track of my daily medication, here is an image I snapped of the pill box I purchased, the link to the shop is in the comment below, you will need to copy and paste it into your browser. Click to enlarge if you would like to have a more detailed view. A pill box for my daily medication has been invaluable, at the moment I am using it for one 5000iu Vitamin D capsule and one teriflunomide/aubagio pill each day, combine with google calendar reminders and you have a great system that remind's you to take your medication  :)