Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 1/29

fox2star

fox2star

Cathlete
Hey all,

Exciting morning over here. I was just getting ready to go to the basement to do a workout, John had Kylee outside. Something told me to wait until he got back in, so I could tell him what I was going to do, and good thing I waited. He came into the back hall after falling on the patio and banging his head really good. He had a gash that was bleeding all over. We went immediately to the ER where they put in 9 staples and did a CT scan. Nothing major, no concussion etc. Never a dull moment.

We had tickets to see my niece in "A Chorus LIne" at 2:30 this afternoon. John doesn't want to go, ( which I fully understand) and I was going to stay with him, but he insists I go with my cousin and her husband. I feel like I should stay and watch him, etc, but he won't hear it. So I guess I will go and come right home. The 4 of us were going to go and then go out to dinner afterwards. Anyway it will be good. It got great reviews in the paper.

It feels like the cold is not going to come to fruition...and we were at the co-op yesterday for spelt flour and I bought a tea that is Camomile with Valerian root. It seemed to work. I had a cup about an hour before bed, and slept pretty well. Of course I had to get up to use the bathroom because I usually never drink after 6:00 pm, just for that reason.

Valerie, wow, $1000 is pretty high for a dishwasher. We got ours about 13 years ago, (Kitchen Aid) and I think it was around $600?

Garance, did you get some snow there? We did, and it covered the icy patio, which is why John slipped...you could not see the ice below.

Off to do some more around here before I have to get ready.
 
Hi Deb and any later posters--

This morning I did Turbo Barre (74 min.).

Gosh Deb, you certainly have your trials and tribulations. At least it wasn't the return of the dizzy spells for John. Hope your cold never develops. Nope, we have no snow on the ground here. It rained really hard on Friday. It feels more like spring here than winter. Have fun at your play. I've never seen the play, but I have heard that it's a real gem with many revivals.

I really enjoyed The Descendants. It's funny in the most incongruous ways. Valerie, I don't think you will find Clooney appealing eye candy in this one. He's playing kind of a schlumpy Hawaiian lawyer, almost always in baggy Hawaiian shirts and shorts, whose wife (in a coma) has been unfaithful to him, unbeknownst to him. When his teen-aged daughter finally tells him, and she's really scornful of his cluelessness, he goes to the hospital room and yells at her (reminded me of Last Tango in Paris with Paul/Brando berating his dead wife, but in a less enraged key, more absurd than tragic). He also must learn how to parent two daughters who are willful, zany, and don't have strong connections with their father, who has left them pretty much up to Mom. The scenes on Kauai reminded me of when I was there, and it was really beautiful. Just kind of overdeveloped cityscapes otherwise--a Trump paradise quickly deteriorating. I also loved the soundtrack, and all the performances were pitch perfect--really great characters to laugh at. Great screenwriting. Loved Sid, who somehow gets pulled in by the older daughter into this family drama. Makes me smile just thinking of him.

Going out to dinner tonight. Not sure I will get the comfort Sunday meal because it's meat loaf, and I'm not a big fan.
 
Deb, I agree with Linda. falling isn't good but at least it was ice, not the vertigo problem.
Go have a good time and let him get some R&R. get some sand or salt so you don't have any repeats. black ice is so treacherous, even worse when it gets a little surface water on it. Head lacerations always bleed like crazy.

I've been running the last few days, both days with bike warm ups, and then a core session. I like turbo barre.. planks thru abs section and tack it onto other workouts. We did a trail run this morning. 45 min up and down hill. it's much harder than treadmill, need to be careful with footing. I don't want to trip over a root or slip on mud so we fast-walk the steeper parts. better than tripping and getting injured. I do it in boots but am getting some trail running shoes, like "amped up" street running shoes. they have heavier tread but should be usable for general wear if I don't like them on trails.

I probably won't see the movie soon since all awards nominees are "long wait". I know george has been in other less than flattering roles but I never fail to like him. I didn't like the 'oceans" movies but most others I have. Never been to kauai, just the big island. neither of us liked it enough to want to go back. I'm a flop in tropical places. don't like the heat and humidity. It was better than florida but haven't wanted to go back.
 
Morning all,

John is better, but we can't figure out how we are going to cover the wound while he is at work. It is the back of his head, no way to put a bandage of any sort on because it won't stick to his hair. He has to have it covered in the office, I don't want to think of all the debree that is flying around there with it not covered. yuck.

The play was great, my neice is a natural. She had a pretty big part too.

Garance, the movie sounds good, was there a book?

Valerie, that trail run sounds very hard, I wonder how many calories you burn doing that?

Off to get ready for work,

Take care,
 
Could you get disposable caps surgeons, nurses wear? any medical supply place will have them, I just googled 'surgery caps" and there are millions of them, all colors, styles, big and small, print and plain, starting at under $5 each. that would be my first suggestion, assuming there is a physical store like a uniform store in your area.

You can get light, tie-on caps for under bicycle helmets. I got DH one once but he hated wearing it. there are those stretchy fabric "tubes" I can't think of the name. people wear them as ear bands, head covers, neck gaiters and on and on. I'll go look up the name and come back in a minute.
http://www.rei.com/product/766718/buff-coolmax-headband
http://www.rei.com/product/814155/headsweats-shorty-gears-helmet-liner

Don't know if the headband style would cover enough. the first one was made by Buff I think. they are stretchy, washable and can be used for a lot of things, can be rolled thin and narrow, or opened up wide. most sports wear places will have them. the helmet liner might cover too much. DH sweats a lot, drips in his eyes, so I got him the liner but he didn't like it. It doesn't look that bad and is light breathable fabric.

The trail run is only 45 min, a loop that goes up and down. I don't think the calorie burn is that dramatic we're thinking of lengthening the run since we found a longer flat stretch that we could add on to the beginning.

the $1000 for a DW is about mid range now. you can get builder grade for $500 and the high end is closer to $2000. a shock to the system....
 
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Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, Cathy, and Valerie--

This morning I did LIC (51 min.).

Woke up this morning to snow on the ground--maybe a couple inches at most. The weather keeps flip-flopping so it's fierce cold today but going back up in the 40s by tomorrow.

Gosh Deb, what kind of debris is flying around in a dentist's office? Sounds more like construction, so maybe he should wear a hard hat (just kidding--I'd flee if my dentist showed up in a hard hat). Yes there is a book, but I cannot remember the author's name. She apparently was on set during filming, I guess to make sure the film version did not stray too far from her intentions.

Hmm, I don't remember Kauai being hot and humid, but we were careful not to go during their rainy season, when apparently it rains constantly. It's just a beautiful place to go hiking, which is what we did. No bugs, no snakes, just wild chickens every now and then. We also took a helicopter ride and saw the coastline, which is breathtaking and has been used in a lot of films. I can't decide whether I'd vote for Clooney or Pitt for best actor. They both played against type and were excellent. I haven't seen some of the others, though.

Getting ready for my final semester of teaching. Yippee!
 
Good morning,
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Woke up at 2:17, could not get back to sleep, so I came downstairs at 3:00 and hit the couch. Not sure if I dozed or not, it didn't seem like it. Got up at 4:30 and made coffee.

Valerie, thanks for those links, He actually was able to work with a gauze bandage held in place with a knit cap that he has. I may show him the links for his bicycle helmet use. I am not looking forward to having to replace any of our kitchen appliances. The refrigerator and dish washer are the same age, microwave and stove are older as we bought them before the re-model.

Garance, there is all kinds of stuff flying around when things are gound down etc. You would be amazed. That is why John and staff have to wear long sleeved scrubs, with wrist band type sleeves, so that they are protected. I'm going to try to find that book, doesn't it have the same title? Great that this is your last semester of teaching! When do you start? Isn't the semester started already? I so want to retire. I did get that More magazine, but it was the Feb issue on the newstands. The one with Michelle Obama on the cover?

Hi to Joan, Cathy & Josie,

Take care,
 
Deb, absolutely agree you need to keep the wound covered. You can see a cloud of tiny debris, and liquid spray aerosols, a CLOUD when a dentist is working. and people have all kinds of bacteria in their mouths that will fly everywhere. He is in a spray zone all day. A lot of the caps look like bouffant shower caps. as soon as I looked at the page I remember seeing them in hospitals and surgery suites. hair needs to be covered and people go wild with styles and prints! If you have to wear a hat, go crazy! the ones that tie down like the bike helmet liners are the most 'restrained" looking.

Too bad, another bad night. when I have trouble going to sleep I have a couple techniques I use. I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but one is to focus on the sound of my breathing. we do breath exercises in yoga and it helps sometimes. it's harder for stray thoughts to get in there. I sometimes think about a workout and picture myself doing the steps. like if I were hiking or skiing, I mentally put myself "somewhere" and think like I'm there, taking one step at a time, and how it looked. If I think about those things, I can often get away from what's keeping me awake.

We went to the big island, flew into Hilo. it rains a lot there, spent a few days, mostly cool and raining, just like home. drove to the Kona side where it's drier. but it was too hot to hike. we did one and absolutely broiled! must have been 100+ degrees on the beach. it didn't cool off much at night so we had to keep the air conditioning cranking. we did some snorkeling and a whale watch trip, some other tourist things. It was an OK trip but I didn't feel driven to go back. Off to yoga , more later.
 
Hi Ladies,

I went spinning on Saturday and did a 50 mile ride from Santa Monica to Zuma Beach.
It was hilly, beautiful and dangerous all at the same time. I will not be doing it again any time soon. I was mentally exhausted by the end or the ride. Too much traffic and one guy opened his door on purpose and almost hit the person in front of me. He could have been killed if the car door had hit him, because there was traffic passing us by. The guy that opened the door and his friends were laughing and the biker went back to confront them. I don’t know what happened because I decided to keep going.

I did not work out yesterday, but I will be spinning tonight.

Deb, sorry that you can not sleep, it seems that you have tried everything to no avail.

Garance, thank you for the review on the descendants. I saw the previews and want to go see it.

HI to Valerie, Joan and Cathy.

Josie
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, Cathy, and Valerie--

This morning I did the upper body split on Total Body Trisets (56 min.).

Deb, the belly fat plan is in the More magazine with Michelle Obama on the cover. They always have their diet/exercise/health stuff toward the back. If I were you, I would do one of those sleep clinics, where you are observed, and find out what the problem is. It's not just for people who snore. Yes, I believe the book has the same title as the film, but you can probably find out at IMDB.com where they list all the credits.

Valerie, I love snorkeling! It's so neat that you can get eyeglass correction with your snorkeling mask and then really see those gorgeous fish. I would definitely do Hawaii again if it were not so far away for us. The Jersey Shore is just easier for us, or maybe a Caribbean vacation.

Josie, that's terrible what those people in the car did. I would take down the license number and report them to the police. Yep, you'll have some great laughs at The Descendants. I still chuckle when I remember some of the scenes.

Semester begins tomorrow with both my classes, and another job interview. The last person we interviewed decided to go to a tenure-track appointment at Portland State. We are only offering a 2-year appointment.
 
Back from yoga and shopping.
I forgot to say yesterday we went mt biking, about 90 min of fairly tough riding. it's burst activity rather than steady stare but we had fun. I caught the back of my calf with the pedal and have about a 4 inch cut, painful but not serious.

Josie. that's terrible!! Unfortunately I know EXACTLY what you mean. there are real jerks out there that think they own the road, that bicycles, pedestrians... every one but them... is expendable. Years ago we were riding and some guy passed purposely very very close to DH trying to apparently prove HE owned the road and could not bother to move a few inches over for safety, even though the road was empty otherwise. Idiot, the name of the business was in very large print on the van. when we got home we called the business and talked to the owner explained exactly where it occurred. I HOPE someone lost their job for it.
It's bad enough worrying about someone accidentally hitting you, but when it's on purpose that's a whole different level.

I think my expectations for Hawaii were too high and I was just plain disappointed. I liked snorkeling. the whale watch trip was excellent, saw lots of stuff. we tried Snuba, but I could go only 10 feet down, my ears won't clear. we rented a condo so didn't have to eat in restaurants all the time which I liked. Nothing went badly wrong, I just didn't enjoy it that much. I've thought about trying again, Maui or Kauai. lots of specials and from the west it's not that long a flight.
 
Sorry about not posting but I have worked day and night to get the last w-2's done. I should have just let the 15 tax returns wait until tomorrow but I got them done also.

You wouldn't think it would be that bad but with these small business clients they do some weird things.

One lady(dentist) gives me her payroll quarterly and I do the payroll taxes. At the year end I know I have to balance the bank for the whole year. She voids payroll checks that have already been included on the payroll without telling me and the w-2's would be wrong. She also writes bonus checks without the taxes withheld. It wouldn't be so bad but she uses 2 sets of check numbers and on occasion (lots of occasions) she uses duplicate check numbers. You have to override the system to do that.:mad:

Diet has been ok but I'm trying to keep it at 1400 calories. That would work if I were exercising but sitting at a computer justs keeps me the same.

Josie how is your diet?????

Joan
 
Good morning,

Had a client in town yesterday so I had to take them out to dinner last night. It wasn't too bad because we had a very early reservation, got home around 6:30. Ate too much.

Valerie, will incorporate your sleep methods into mine. I do all kinds of crazy things to get my mind to stop racing.

Josie, those peole in the car should be reported, I wonder what happened when the bike rider went to confront them. I hope they did not get into an altercation of any kind.

Garance, yep, that's the More magazine I got. I haven't read it yet, but will. I read the story on line, but it didn't give the diet or workout detail, so I bought the magazine. You are interviewing for your replacement?

Joan, John does all that stuff that you mentioned ( dentist) himself, payroll, taxes etc. He just brings reports to our accountant who fills out the tax forms for us. You would love him as a client. It's all basically done when he gives it to him.

It's now raining here, snow is all gone and we are back to mud. Strange winter for sure.

Take care,
 
My knees were sore yesterday so I let it go with the yoga class. feel OK today but it's raining like crazy so a Cathe workout most likely.

Deb, another thing I do is try to look at the inside of my eyelids. I am not nuts, I try all sorts of silly sounding things to focus on when my brain is doing 70mph and I can't sleep. some kind of version of counting sheep, but I don't have sheep, so counting steps in an imaginary hike is the same sort of thing.

Our friends will be on dr phil today. I saw a preview clip yesterday. I'm afraid they're going to look like idiots. I realize it IS television. that's how the show works. he gets to be the big strong decisive hero-clear thinker, directing poor, confused, weak willed people in the right direction, with lines that will get applause and audience reaction.
I don't know what happened for the boys to be so out of control. they were "little kids" last we saw them, maybe 12. they got the boys in separate long term treatment programs, came to their home and dragged them out in the middle of the night, kicking and screaming. I will have lunch with the mother soon. She is a little ditsy sometime but she & her husband are kind, hard working, dedicated parents. they could not afford treatment programs like this, especially for two , so they did what they felt they had to do. They are 16 or 17 now and I think expelled from school along with drug issues. I am pretty sure they will not be cast in a flattering light during the show.

And then my husbands aunt who is in assisted living nearby will be moving to portland. she has 2 sons and it sounds like the one who has been keeping track of things has decided he's had enough and the other son will need to take over. I am one of the few people who has kept in contact with her. that far away I won't be able to, other than a phone call once in a while. she is legally blind and very hard of hearing but has become quite argumentative. I understand but am still unhappy about it.
 
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Hi Ladies,

I went spinning last night and was soaking wet by the end of the hour. We did intervals on hill mode. I know that this workout will get me up the quad buster hill on the Aids life cycle ride. Today I will be doing the 30 minute core workout and 1hour zumba class.

Joan, I’m down 2 pounds so I guess I’m doing ok. I do not like to count calories, so I just cut down on the portions and have incorporated more vegetable and fruits.

Garance, I don’t know what happened when the rider went back to confront the guy.
I waited for a while when I finished but did not see him. I will probably find out this weekend.

Deb, why don’t you workout in the evening? I usually sleep better when I do my workouts in the evening.

Hi to Valerie and Cathy!

Josie
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, Cathy, and Valerie--

This morning I did Cardio Supersets (41 min.).

Deb, no, the appoiintment is for someone to replace a colleague who is going to be the administrator of the Oxford program for 2 years. She does queer theory and women's and gender studies. Not sure what to make of her morning interview. She kept saying "sort of" and "kind of," which I find distracting. She has a presentation this afternoon, so I am crossing my fingers she will do well.

Valerie, teenagers are really hard. My DH made sure that our boys were constantly doing something physical and that really seemed to keep them out of trouble. Soccer, wrestling, track, basketball, and skiing, and guitar lessons. There were definitely some rocky times, but being on teams and winning really seemed to be important for them. Dead time is what causes trouble.

Well, back to the grindstone here. I have another class this afternoon and then a presentation to go to.

Hi to Josie and Joan!
 
Good morning,

7 hours of lovely sleep last night! I woke up a couple of times for moments, went right back to sleep. It was heavenly. John slept downstairs so that I could hopefully sleep better and it worked. He had the dogs with him as well. I have been drinking a cup of SleepyTime tea with Valerian root about an hour before going to bed. Maybe that is helping.

Valerie, you are NOT nuts. I do all kinds of things like that, even the eye lid thing. I also use the alphabet a lot. I will start with naming 4 cities in the US starting with "A", then move on to "B" etc. If I can do 4, ( which is pretty easy), I go to naming 5 or 6 etc. What it does is make you focus and think of something kind of mundane, but you have to actually think, so your mind is off of what's bothering you. I do all kinds of stuff like that. Sometimes it works like a charm, others..not so good. Your poor friend, not having had kids, I cannot relate, but it sounds like they have gone through a lot. As for your husband's aunt, I hear so many stories about this, having a lot of older relatives now. It is heartbreaking. I hope I die before I have to be put somewhere like that.

Josie, I would work out in the evening but am so exhausted when I get home, and I do not have any idea when I will actually get home.

Garance, how did the presentatio go? what is queer theory?

Joan, are you starting to be buried under those returns yet?

2 more days until the weekend,

Take care,
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, Cathy, and Valerie--

This morning I did Athletic Training (56 min.).

Deb, queer theory is focused on gay and lesbian writers, even those who are closeted like Henry James or Elizabeth Bishop. That's a very brief and inadequate account of what is a rather complicated set of theoretical premises that affect the way we interpret texts, but I'm sure you don't want the whole thing. The presentation was okay, but there seems to be a lack of strong enthusiasm for her. I just said I would go whatever way other people wanted to go because, hey, I'm not going to be here next year. Great that you finally managed to get a good night's sleep.

Planning my menu for Superbowl Sunday. Should be interesting, with DH a Patriots fan and our friend an ardent Giants fan. They have promised to be good. I don't care who wins, I just like the party atmosphere.

Anyone else have any plans for Sunday?
 
great news Deb, a good night's sleep! I wish it were otherwise, but DH and I sleep much better apart. I toss a lot and keep him awake, and then he yells at me which wakes me up. then we are both up and I usually get up and move. when I sleep in the other room I usually only get up at midnight to pee, and go back to sleep. I automatically do one of my "thinking exercises" to not let my brain get going on some nonsense. most nights it works.

watched the program yesterday. wow. I had no idea. i mean, when do any of us know what really goes on in someone else's home? I had no idea they were such crummy parents. I was raised in an extremely rigid manner but this is totally uncontrolled, the opposite. I know the boys have gone to separate treatment facilities. I don't know what the parents are doing, but they need help learning how to set limits. they are not bad people, just clearly did not know what they were doing. Not being a parent myself I don't feel qualified to make suggestions. I will be asking her what she is doing to improve her parenting skills so that when the boys come home they return to a different home. Clearly most of the problem is lack of parenting skills. I don't know how you start at age 16 though, when this should have been implemented when they were tiny kids.

I agree with Deb, Linda what is queer theory?

wow josie, that sounds tough. sounds like that class will get you ready for anything!

It's been difficult watching my aunt change from an independent person to totally dependent and now pretty unhappy to boot. the first son obviously can't deal with her anymore, and is passing her on to the other son, who will be getting her to another treatment facility. it's not a nursing home but I'm sure its not pleasant. losing both vision and hearing, the boredom must be monumental. there just isn't much of anything she can do and enjoy anymore.
 
Good morning all,

Another decent sleep, I woke up at 2:00 ( after the usual 4 hours), but went right back to sleep. Woke up again at 4:30 ( I must have heard John taking the dogs out) but went back to sleep and got up at 5:30. I feel so much better. Maybe I can start working out again in the morning. Unfortunately, John has not gotten a good nights sleep, the dogs kept getting him up.

Garance, the only plans I have for Sunday are to get a workout in, and try do my usual HouseMax list. Also need to figure out what clothes to bring to Florida. I'll be leaving the following Sunday and I am not sure what fits, if anything. Thisi s our usual convention, the one where we used to go to Mexico. I wish we were going to Mexico again. I don't like Florida, too humid for me. Question on a couple of the workouts in LIS, Is Cardio supersets more of a cardio workout than weights? If I alternate it with eg Athletic training, would it be too much weight work to do 2 days in a row?

Valerie, how close are you to those parents with the troubled teens? did you live nearby? I hope whatever they put in place works. I wouldn't want all my family problems broadcast on national TV. Sorry about your aunt, getting old is not fun.

Hi to Josie, Joan & Cathy,

Take care,
 
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