In the latest “What’s the Matter with Me?” podcast, John updates on his improved sleep with a sleep apnea device, newfound independence loading his wheelchair, upcoming Montana trip, and reflections on anxiety. He also mentions his kids’ interest in the viral “Skibidi Toilet” videos.
A Toilet For The Ages

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrlkXOxlvCk

I asked my son about skibidi toilet, and he replied:

It’s gone viral.. in fifty years, look in the history books, and there’ll be skibidi toilet. Skibidi Toilet is a part of history.

A 10-year-old

Shoutouts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6QOrgMeuMI

Shout outs to Amy and Matt who had us over for a barbecue
Shout outs to Anthony was in town and came over

It Sucks To Breathe Through A Straw

My sleep apnea CPAP device has been having low pressure, making it hard to breathe through. Unsurprisingly, it triggers anxiety. It’s like breathing through a long straw. To counteract the feeling of not being able to breathe, I adjusted the pressure on my sleep apnea device and slept longer.

I’m trying to get an appointment with the sleep doctor. I’ve slept ok last the last four or five nights.

Sisyphean Labor For Meager Reward
Community radio DJ holding a torch aloft by the side of the inky black ocean

Submitting poetry is comforting because the process is its own reward. It can just go on endlessly, a bit like the radio.

Talking to my friends, many have some source of anxiety, from stress, responsibility, waking up in the middle of the night, no afternoon coffee, drinking beer and sleeping badly. I guess what I’m going through is a fairly common experience.

I used Curb Free With Cory Lee! as a guide to book a wheelchair-accessible Alaska Cruise for 2025. This summer, we’re going to Montana for family vacation.

The new coffee machine is making better espresso. I haven’t fully figured out how to steam milk and integrate that into my coffee making, so I end up with a cappuccino that is exactly the way I want it.

I’m taking the kids to school in the mornings again.

Uncontrolled anxious thought chains kept me from bed. I didn’t get to sleep until after 1:00 a.m.

Did It By Myself

Today I did something I have been afraid of for months- since we got the wheelchair lift- I l loaded and unloaded my chair onto my van by myself.
In November, when I got the chair lift, I assumed that I couldn’t do it because there were straps and restraints to tie down the chair. A little complicated for me last year, but now, I’ve figured out some ways that I can use it on my own and there’s no other way to figure that out but just doing it

Thanks to my wife who supported me and who loaded my chair in and out of my van for years and now I figured out how I can do it on my own. I’ve needed a victory like this that I could point to and say, “I am improving.”

It takes a couple minutes to put my wheelchair on the car, but not very long at all. It makes me feel independent and that is very good.

In related news, I drove and got my pants hemmed at John The Fashion Tailor in Oakland. I’ve been getting things altered there for 20 years. Hemming six inches off of my pants changed the proportion of my clothes.

Skibidi Toilet is a part of history
I slept pretty well last night

Skibidi Toilet Selfie






Chapter List

• 
  
• 00:00:01 – Intro
  
• 00:01:57 – Last episode recap
  
• 00:03:54 – CPAP machine malfunction
  
• 00:06:09 – Submitting poetry
  
• 00:06:27 – Community radio DJ
  
• 00:07:23 – Many people have anxiety
  
• 00:08:27 – Wheelchair accessible vacation planning
  
• 00:10:19 – Curb Free With Cory Lee
  
• 00:11:52 – Missoula, Montana vacation
  
• 00:13:28 – New coffee machine
  
• 00:14:38 – Taking my kids to school
  
• 00:15:01 – Uncontrolled anxious thought chains
  
• 00:15:40 – Wheelchair lift breakthrough
  
• 00:18:14 – John the Fashion Tailor
  
• 00:19:58 – Skibidi Toilet is a part of history