Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 4/12

[fox2star]

Good morning,

We went to the annual fund raiser for the local theater that we have seasons tickets for and it was really nice. There are auctions, food, drinks and all the actors and managers of the theater are there going around and talking to people etc.

Valerie, I went over to Prime to see if The Imitation Game was offered but it's not. I will put it on my Watch List and see if they ever offer it for free. I

Judy, I see you paid for the movie, but since I pay for Prime already, I have a problem paying extra for TV shows and movies from them.

Hi to Lynda, Josie & Lori,

Lots of HouseMax today and maybe finishing the quilt.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Take care,

 

[labnick]

Good morning ladies,

Shoulders feel great. Happy with the progress so far. Yesterday I did Cathe Live Hi/lo Hiit (no ab work) then followed up with cathe Hiit pyramid. Great workout! During the Live there were some weight exercises that I modified to not incorporate my shoulders and I absolutely did not do the 1 arm burpees! These will need to wait.

Not sure what the workout will be today. We do plan to watch the Imitation Game this afternoon. Deb...we have been using Redbox to rent dvd's. They are very convenient and the cost is only 1.56. Plus they are always sending coupons for free rentals or 50 cents off! Very cheap! We rent maybe twice a month. On amazon prime I just started with John Adams. I have seen it before but for some reason it was calling my name again. I bet the quilt is beautiful! I am always available for technical advice!

Lynda....yeah nice weather finally!

Have a great day all!!!!!

 

[Traildoggie]

Good morning! didn't do any formal workout yesterday. some garden work, general clean up. we sprayed the shower floor with a compound to make it less slippery. it's invisible. makes it feel slightly bumpy for better traction. I've been using a mat in there and hopefully won't need it now. the floor itself provides no traction and with soap, shampoo, and standing on one foot to do my legs...well I though it was potentially treacherous. why take chances with something so obvious? will try it after 24 hours.

I think you'll like The Imitation Game. It was a surprise to me about the WWII code breaking being such a big issue. (I had an abysmal education in history.) It was available thru Netflix right after the academy awards (as I remember) but never had a problem with a wait list. neither did Birdman nor the Hawking one.

I think Prime would be a good deal for us but for some reason DH doesn't want to do it. I'm not sure we need any more streaming choices than we already have. I like getting the dvd's so I don't have to drive to pick up/ return.

Going to go on a hike this morning.

 

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did BarreAmped Cardio Burn (68:00).

We are going out to dinner tonight at our favorite restaurant to celebrate DH finishing the taxes at last! He gets so behind with data entry.

The Imitation Game for me was just okay--too conventional and predictable to dazzle me. I admire Benedict Cumberbatch because he had to come up with his own version of Alan Turing--unlike Eddie Redmayne on Stephen Hawking, where there is so much footage of him and his disability and computer voice to impersonate. Cumberbatch is so wonderful in the PBS Sherlock Holmes and I even loved him as the voice of Smaug. Alan Turing is given recognition for an amazing contribution to the war effort and martyrdom for his victimization by anti-sodomy laws. I like self-reflexive films like Birdman and Gone Girl much better. Something I would want to teach in a film course as an intellectual challenge to expectations. For example, how would you interpret the end of either one of these films????

Valerie, given your dislike of crowds I can understand why you wouldn't like NYC. I LOVED living there. Sensory overload every time you walk anywhere, and Central Park is a glory. You can just people-watch sitting on a bench and be entertained. Easier to get around than Boston by far, and so many things to see. Great pizza by the slice on nearly every block and great museums, theater, films from everywhere, music, and food. There was always a recommendation for cheap but good eats in the Village Voice every week that we would take advantage of. Not a place to raise children, though. I lived there when DH was working there, we were childless, and I was on sabbatical writing my first book.

Lori, that's great news about your shoulders. Nothing like cortisone to speed up the healing process. John Adams was a great PBS series. I cannot believe how much overseas travel he did in those days. Abigail's letters are a treasure--I loved the biography too.

Judy, I wonder if a redundant colon is something hereditary.

Deb, I started watching The Wire on Amazon Prime, and I am hooked. BUT you must have closed caption or you lose the Baltimore gangsta talk. I think you might like it if you stick with a few opening episodes and figure out the multiple conflicts. Several seasons on Prime as well.

Tomorrow is definitely garden cleanup day. I have an early dentist appointment to replace a filling and then I'm coming home to JUST DO IT (she said with determination). The weather is supposed to hold on mild and sunny.

 

[fox2star]

Good morning,

It was a beautiful day here yesterday, hopefully it will continue, although I just read that there will be T-Storms today...

Lori, glad that the shoulders are feeling better. What is HIIT Pyramid? Sounds interesting. 1 Arm Burpees?? Those would be killers. I have seen those Red Boxes outside of supermarkets but was never sure how it really worked. I am enjoying "Suits" a lot. Did you start using the 21 DF containers yesterday? If you and the Ladies have any menu plan that you created that you could share, I would be interested in seeing it.

Valerie, great that you found a simple way to get that shower floor to have a non-slip surface. I like Prime for the free 2 day shipping, as well as the movies etc.

Lynda, congratulations on DH's getting the taxes done! How was dinner at your favorite restaurant? Tell us what you had. I like going to NYC for a short while, and think it would be great to live there for a short time, just to experience it. It is a fascinating place and the lifestyle is so different from what we are used to. I don't know if I would like it permanently though. I added The Wire to my watch list on Prime.

Almost done with the quilt, I am doing the binding, which is the last part, but the mitered corners are giving me grey hairs!

Workout planned, quilting, and a late class tonight,

Hi to Judy & Josie,

Take care,

 

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

Well, after my dentist appt. I DID come home and work in the gardens for 3 hours. Still more to do. Darn, my wrist is still hurting too.

Deb, mitered corners are tough to get absolutely right. I don't envy the task. My bête noir is the invisible zipper. For some reason, even with a special zipper foot from Bernina, they end up sticking on me. I gave up last time and just put in a regular zipper because it was in the back and you know how it is to reach back and pull up a zipper. My meal was just okay last night. DH did get the comfort Sunday meal, which was a big burger and fries after a huge kale salad, and a root beer float for dessert. I had wonderful sunchokes in a spicy aioli, but my entrée was bland--orecchiette with mussels and chorizo.

Yes, Lori, let us know what the meal plan is if it isn't too hard to post.

Lovely weather here today. Sunny and almost 70 degrees.

 

[Traildoggie]

I want to be brief as I think we all have heard enough about colons for a while. Judy a redundant ( you) and tortuous colon( me) seem to be the same thing. extra length or loops. I think it's considered a normal variation but can cause constipation. I need to eat a LOT of fiber. it influences my food choices more than any other factor.

I always hated sewing in zippers. they seem to be the weak point in so many garments especially convertible pants. I used to knit and crochet a lot and was pretty good at it, but found that by the time I finished anything, I was too sick of it to ever wear it. plus I started getting arthritis in my hands and it seemed aggravated by needlework so I gave it up. Deb, I never did any quilting. do you hand sew them or combine machine and hand sewing?

Lynda I haven't seen a sunchoke in ages. I used to like them but haven't seen them in ages. maybe I'm not looking in the right spot... they seemed to disappear a few years ago. I visited NYC with friends in the 70's. we did the Washington DC tour, then NYC. It was okay but I nothing I wanted to revisit. I am a lover of the outdoors and uncrowded places, the fewer people the better. NYC seemed like a giant anthill to me. It was interesting but not a place I'd want to live or even visit again. we did eat some fabulous food .

I am stuck on "self reflexive" it keeps referring me to "self reflective". have not heard this term before and can't find in dictionary. does it mean the film knows it is not real and is playing with the unreality of it? I prefer films that deal with real situations and real people in extraordinary situations. I don't do well with imaginary things for long.... I assume Michael Keaton was circling the city as a birdman/comet with his new nose. (I don't think that's a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen this film and wants to.)

we watched The Wire years ago ...the dialogue was a huge problem. couldn't get subtitles as I recall. I remember a lot of muddled sound due to background noise, accents, street slang. Is this old enough to have been on videotape? maybe it was DVD.... I'm sure I rented it at the video store...seems like ages ago. glad I don't need to do the back and forth drive to the store anymore, plus choices are way better. I had the same issues with the Sopranos ..I never enjoyed that series much... could not understand the accents.

 

[labnick]

These are the 3 weeks of meal plans we are following. I like these as it takes the guess work out for me. We also decided to incorporate Shakeology into the plan so these plans worked well for us. You do not have to use Shakeology but one of the ladies talked us all into it. The nutritional makeup of a Shakeology drink is amazing I will have to say and glad we incorporated it. Right now it is 2:45pm and I feel I have had plenty to eat so far.

I'll come back later this evening.

 

[labnick]

Good evening ladies!

So today was the big start and we all did good. We are going to try and do as many of the scheduled workouts as possible at work. This may be a challenge but we will try our best. Today's workout was the Total Body Cardio Fix. This was a lot tougher than I anticipated. I read some of the reviews and I had thought these were more beginner to intermediate workouts. Wow! I felt bad for the ladies. They toughed it out though and were amazing. Some had weights (I used 8lbs and that was plenty for me) some bands and some light or no weights. Shoulders continue to feel great.

Lynda...we have so much yard work to take care of after this winter. We STILL have snow in the yard and the dog area. I just want it to go away already! The day was beautiful today though!!!

Valerie...I was told my colon had significant loops! Ha ha all this colon talk!

Deb...Did you have a favorite 21 day workout? Did you follow the 3 week rotation and meal plan. I think you did and had decent results. Tomorrow is upper body fix.

Hi to Judy and Josie!

 

[fox2star]

Good morning,

It was a beautiful day here yesterday, high 70's and sunny. It rained later on but that was after dark so that was ok.

Lynda, I had to Google "orecchiette" to find out what it is! I have had many types of pasta, but had never heard of this one. I can't imagine what you did to your wrist while sleeping, bent it in a very awkward way? You would think it would hurt while you were sleeping like that. I started The Wire, and am glad you mentioned the Closed Captioning on Prime....I would not have understood a work that the kid in the opening scene said....nothing to do with a Boston accent, all "street gang speak"!

Valerie, I feel about the same with large knitting projects. I made a couple of baskets for the auction at the trial this weekend of all the yarn that sat around for years that was for projects I didn't finish. I used to love to crochet though, but how many crocheted things are there to make? I don't like crocheted afghans and the only clothing I would like is maybe a hat. Now knitting is different. People make some beautiful items, but I am not patient enough to knit at that level. I do not know what a sunchoke it, will have to Google that as well!

Lori, glad your shoulders are good, thanks for the menus, they look great! I did follow the meal plan and the workouts, the only one didn't do was the Plyo one. I subbed the treadmill for that. The workouts are not as easy as people may think, and I like Autumn's style. The only thing that gets boring after a while is the warm up, which is the same for every workout. Let me know what you think of the upper and lower body ones. I never tried Shakeology, I thought it was expensive, but didn't realize you could get it at other places besides Beach Body. I like the little orange containers, great for salad dressing, no guess work in how much you are using.

Hi to Josie, and Judy,

Take care,

 

[irongrl]

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday I got out for a short bike ride, just around the neighborhood. It felt great to be outside. Sunday I did Muscle Endurance. Yesterday I did a very easy 90 minute indoor ride. Today and tomorrow are rest/easy days and tomorrow morning is my appointment with the sports medicine doctor. I'll let you know how that goes.

I'm going to be volunteering for a local animal rescue. They have an adoption center at PetSmart where they keep cats and kittens that are ready to be adopted. I'll be working there once a week (for now). I'm going in today for training.

Lori-I'm glad your shoulders are better! Those 1 arm burpees look pretty tough! I can barely do the regular ones. I've seen Redbox at Kroger but we've never used it. I looked up John Adams on Amazon and added it to my Watchlist. It looks like something I will like.

Lynda-I think I would have loved NYC when I was a little younger. I always loved Chicago and DC. Loved the crowds and the energy!

Valerie-I agree on the colon thing, while I didn't know about mine until recently, I've always had to be very careful about my diet. I thought I had IBS, but am now aware what the problem was. I also agree that it influences my food choices more than anything else.

Hi to Deb & Josie!

Judy

 

[Traildoggie]

Ha ha ... I guess, Lori, now several of us can say officially that we're 'loopy". 3 out of 5 of us .... who would have thought??
I am so predictable when ordering in restaurants that my aunt used to refer to my choices as "Valerie food", like it was a menu category. I need to eat a lot of fiber, every meal. the side benefit is that meat, junk food, fast food are usually troublesome so they are an extremely rare event. probably helps with weight control.

Judy that sounds like a nice job except you will get attached to the little guys! and want to take them all home....

Deb... orchiette are 'little ears". I think they're cute but cooking them is a bit tricky ... they want to nest together. there are so many shapes of pasta.... endlessly creative. I love all the shapes.
I'm sure we didn't see the Wire with CC or subtitles. plus it was spread out over a long time so I never followed it well. maybe time for a re-look. several people from there went on to become well know actors ...idris elba for one, and the guy with the scar.... played chalky white in "Boardwalk". probably others but that's all I can think of off hand.

I think sun chokes used to be called Jerusalem artichokes. they were crunchy small root vegies that looked like bumpy small potatoes. used to eat them raw in salads. crunchy. I used to see them often but I can't remember seeing them in years now. not sure if they aren't around in stores here anymore?? popular in the mid 80's.

Lynda, whenever people get tennis elbow or even carpal tunnel, DH would tell them to get a wrist brace and wear it while sleeping. apparently people commonly crank or crunch their wrists at night. the brace keeps it straight and allows things to heal. they are maybe $10, OTC or order from Amazon. Mueller brand is very nice and better & cheaper than what I found at the local stores. we both have them for tennis elbow from wood chopping. usually come in sizes, and right and left. such a common injury... it's worth having them around.

 

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did Bootcamp Boogie (63:00).

Deb, I am on the second season of The Wire. Still some leftover issues from season 1, but a new set of problems on the docks, and of course, McNulty has been moved out of homicide by his work enemy Rawls and is on a patrol boat. Love the closed caption.

Judy, I find my volunteer work with the local women's shelter so gratifying. I just take them to court for appearances, mostly for restraining orders, but I feel like I am doing something helpful, because they feel so uncomfortable speaking for themselves in a court, and there is just one public defender for every woman.

Valerie, self-reflexive films rely on prior knowledge of their viewers for some of their impact. Prior knowledge of film as a craft; prior knowledge of a director's style (or the cinematographer, or the production designer); prior knowledge of an actor; prior knowledge of a film genre (e.g., film noir, neo-realism, screwball comedy). Almost all of Birdman's reviewers talked about the similarities between Riggan Thomson and Michael Keaton, who gave up the Batman role after two films and then fell out of sight somewhat. Is he as self-destructive as the character he plays? Does he regret being outdone by Christian Bale? The cinematographer Luzbezki created the illusion that the film was shot in one long take. The only other director who tried this impossible technique was Hitchcock in Rope (not one of his best films). There's also an ongoing dialogue over whether theater is a higher art form than film and Mike Shiner (Ed Norton) extends that dialogue to acting in the theater vs. acting in film, because film has such short takes, how could it really be acting when you fall in and out of character so quickly (Shiner's reasoning because he is a method actor). Ironically, though, in this film, the takes are so long, this is almost like theatrical performance. Self-reflexivity is true of all art forms. The issue is whether the artist manages to "make it new" (a modernist maxim), or if he is just another hack repeating the same old, same old (a lot of forgettable studio-made films). My favorite self-reflexive films are Fellini's 8 1/2 and Bergman's Persona. Picasso made a career out of changing radically over time, always looking for a way to "make it new."

Lori, those menus are great. Thanks! I still say you deserve a raise for doing all of this.

Hi to Josie!

 

[Traildoggie]

Lynda thanks for the explanation.... I never found a definition that made "self reflexive" clear. It was hard to find a definition at all. I was thinking about Keaton's film history as Batman all thru the film, did not know there was a term to describe it.

 

[fox2star]

Hi,

Below is a picture of the finished quilt. It's a little hard to see but every student signed a square, and the teacher/teacher's aide as well. The center is the name of the school with it's logo embroidered. ( I did not do that part!).

Judy, it sounds like you are doing ok with the workouts you have selected. Hope all goes well with the sports MD. Great about the rescue volunteer work!

It ended up being a nice day after all..not as warm as yesterday, but I'll take it!

 

[Josie]

Hi Ladies,

I did not workout on Saturday, because I partied too much Friday night with a an ex-coworker . Sunday I met with another friend and went spinning and then breakfast and we also went to the farmers market and a small nursery where she bought several diffrent kinds of tomato plants. Monday was a day off and today Karina came over and killed me .

Lori, thank you for posting the menus. Glad that your shoulders are better.

Valerie, my colon is fine not loopy at all . Thanks for the information about tennis elbow I will pass it on to my DH.

Deb, the quilt is beautiful.

Garance, your volunteer works sounds wonderful. I'm looking into volunteering with the USO. It is near LAX and near my house, they helped my son so much when he was in the NAVY. I will be going to NY from the 23rd-27th and can't wait to visit my favorite junk food places and visiting a couple of ex-coworkers. I can only take NY in small doses. My DH will be there to meet me, he is on his way to Tampa right now.

Judy, glad that you are feeling better and were able to ride outside.

Josie

 

[Traildoggie]

whoops I counted wrong.... 3 of 6. Josie, I forgot you ....but be glad you're not "loopy" too!

there are multiple approaches to tennis elbow. this has always worked for us. it's cheap, home based, and no meds or therapy involved.... unless you think strapping on a $10 brace to sleep is a big deal. Really, look for Mueller brand. I could only find it on line thru Amazon. it may take a few weeks to work depending on how bad the problem is. so common. it also helps another problem I have ... the joint at the base of my rt thumb has gone south.

Did Pedal power ... the full deal this afternoon. we thought we were leaving today but changed our minds when the weather forecast changed. will go tomorrow.

Deb the quilt is lovely!. you are talented.

 

[fox2star]

Good morning!

It was nice here yesterday, even though it only got up to about 60. After this week is over, I will need to hit the yard and start some clean up work.

Judy, that work at Pet Smart is right up your alley! A friend of mine volunteers for the rescue group for the SPCA where they go get puppies from the auctions in Ohio, ( I am not in favor of this but anyway...) and they bring them back to the local SPCA so they can be fostered and then adopted. She has ended up with 3 of them for herself!

Valerie, I don't think I have seen those type of artichokes here, but I guess I never looked since I didn't know what they were! There is one supermarket chain here that is known for their produce, they might have them. As for the wrist thing for Lynda, is there anything for a finger? This would be my index finger that I smashed between the dogs trying to break up a "tussle" they were having...it's not broken, but it has never gotten better. I think the knuckle bone is bruised or something. I should have iced it right away when it happened.

Lynda, that is great that you do that volunteer work. I am still trying to find something that I can do with the dogs, and the library together. I need to come up with a "pitch" for the library people. I will start The Wire most likely after this weekend....I am so hooked on Suits now...I watch about 2-3 episodes a day.

Josie, You Party Animal! That is great that you will be meeting your DH in NYC! Then you fly home and he drives back? The USO sounds perfect for you to volunteer for.

Busy day today, my one niece is coming over to get the quilt, I am meeting her sister for lunch, then we are loading the truck at the training hall at 7:00, and the club meeting is at 8:00....

Take care,

 

[Traildoggie]

we're going on a short trip, leaving this morning. just to a local island where we plan to road ride and hike a little. weather could be better.

Deb I don't know about fingers. Is the finger straight and functioning OK? I hit a pinkie finger once and broke a tendon leaving the finger a little crooked and uncontrollable. it healed eventually and is fairly straight. there are orthopedic specialists for hands... so it gets pretty specific.
now, tennis elbow is common. it was a surprise to learn people can bend their wrists weirdly while asleep causing torque on the attachments at the elbow. immobilizing the wrist allows the elbow area to rest, as well as the wrist and it's not a big deal to sleep with whereas immobilizing the elbow itself is unpleasant.
eta brace is also handy many times this is an over use injury, and people tend to keep doing whatever caused the overuse. I got it from shoveling bark, DH from shoveling and from chopping wood. so even before the discomfort starts, if you have a brace, you can wear it at night while doing the suspected activity and maybe prevent it from getting sore to begin with.

I'll look for sunchokes next time I shop. maybe they're there and packaged differently? or seasonal?

 

[labnick]

Good morning ladies!

I have a few minutes so thought I'd hop on since I did not get a chance yesterday. We did the upper fix workout at lunch and then when I got home I did cathe live cross fire express. Wow! A great little workout. Was only 36 minutes but very intense with a great fun factor for me.

Josie...cracked up with your post you party animal!!!!

Deb...your quilt is beautiful. Very nice. So sorry about your finger. Ouch! Shakeology is WICKED expensive! (Sorry...that would be my Bostonian talking!). It is I think $128 for 1 bag which lasts a month. We have been finding it at around 80 to 90 on ebay and have been splitting the costs. Once we finish the 21 days I will not continue with it.

Judy...that is awesome volunter work. I could see myself doing that some day. Would need to be strong though and not want to take them all home with me. Looks like you were able to get some good workout in.

Lynda...oh such nice weather the past couple of days. How is your wrist? Any improvement? I can see how your volunteer work would be so rewarding. That is wonderful you do this.

Valerie...great job on Pedal Power. Makes sense to me about the wrist and tennis elbow. When I had my bicep tears they were in the lower bicep close to the elbow. My doctor suggested I get an ergonomic mouse for my computer work to keep my wrist sideways. My mouse looks like a joy stick actually. I love it because it has helped tremendously after my injury so I just continued with it....plus...no one can use it so if someone goes on my computer they do not get far!!

Have a great day ladies! I'll check in later this eveninh.