Atlanta bound

   This has been a really rocky week!
   Last Saturday [16-JAN] I flew out of Wichita, had a lay-over in Dallas, and then headed toward Atlanta.  I mentioned earlier that I am scheduled to stay at Tim's house to care for my Dad for 2 weeks. The trip took nearly all day and I arrived in GA in the evening.
   I had never been to Tim's house before.  It is a fixer-upper in various levels of fixing in a quaint, hilly suburb,  The house is surrounded on 3 sides by tall trees. The back deck looks out over a wooded area.  As I type this and look out the window, I can see a squirrel sitting on a tree branch surveying the neighborhood.
   The first few days were chilly as the furnace wasn't working properly.  That's fixed now.  And a good thing as today is dreary, cold, and holding the promise of bad weather.

Emory University Hospitals

   For 3 days my Dad and I traveled to Emory University Hospitals for tests - a 30 minute trip one-way.  Our days started at 9:30 am at the clinics and we didn't get home until after 3:00 pm in the afternoon.
   My Dad is on board for 2 procedures: artery repair and heart valve repair.  The calendar looks like this: Next week - artery repair; next 4 weeks - recovery; late February/early March - heart valve repair; March-April - recovery/cardio rehab.  It looks like he will be at Tim's house at least through April.  Trudy is coming down on January 31st for a week.
   Thank you to all who have called him, sent him notes, and kept us in your thoughts and prayers.

   Since I don't have a car here, we tried the Uber experience as our way to travel to the hospital.  For those unfamiliar with Uber, it is a taxi-like service whereby people hire out to drive customers to destinations.  Using the Uber app on your phone/computer, you text in your location and destination and then request an Uber driver.  The request is picked up by a registered Uber driver, who contacts you via map, listing how long it will take until s/he arrives.  We waited as long as 15 minutes and as short as 4 minutes for our driver to arrive. In the 4 times we used Uber we never got the same driver twice.  You get in the car and off you go!  Payment is by credit card or Pay Pal.  No money is exchanged unless you tip the driver.
   Our first driver was Cameron, a well-educated, army veteran.  We talked all the way!  Being an Uber driver is Cameron's only job. He works daily from 3:00 am to 3:00 pm, give-or-take.  Cameron said he usually clears around $1,000.00 a week.  One draw back, he mentioned was that you pay your own taxes and insurance.  Plus there are so many people joining the Uber ranks that it can get hard to get clients. I googled it and drivers can make about $17.50 an hour and they work the hours that they want.  Cameron said that many college students become Uber drivers to make extra money.  The driver and the vehicle used has to meet certain standards to be an Uber driver.
   Shawn, another Uber driver said that using an Uber car is cheaper than using a taxi.  He stated that our trip might cost $30.00 by Uber but $65.00 by taxi.  The other 2 drivers didn't talk very much. Our trips usually cost between $20-$25 one-way.  It's one payment per trip no matter the number of riders.
  I finally have internet.  I'm using my cell phone as a hot spot.

Hey, BTW, how did your KINDNESS CHALLENGE go?

Well, until next time.....