Lubbock has done an interesting thing to promote the arts and entertainment venues in Lubbock. I do not think it is unique to Lubbock, but it is fun. They have developed the First Friday Art Trail http://www.ffat.org/. Basically, this is a group of galleries and entertainment venues that offer specials on the first Friday of the month, and the galleries stay open until 9 PM. Even the Texas Tech Museum, http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/event.html, which is a few miles from the main venues, has gotten into the act.
Some venues offer food and drink for sale, others offer free samples. Some offer live entertainment. Much of this occurs in the Depot District http://www.visitlubbock.org/business/Attractions/274 which is primarily a privately funded re-vitalization effort to improve downtown Lubbock, and provide art, music, entertainment, dining and what have you venues. In the summer, it includes a farmer's market http://lubbockdowntownfarmersmarket.com/.
However, another part of the trail includes the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts http://www.lhuca.org/. This organization has spearheaded an arts awakening in Lubbock The Center has grown, as has various off-shoots: The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra http://www.lubbocksymphony.org/ has a home and gallery in the area. The Lubbock Moonlight Musicals http://lubbockmoonlightmusicals.org/DinnerTheaterMap.html does their dinner theater productions in the area.
The city offers a free trolley service between the two venues between 6 PM and 9 PM. But, if you miss the last trolley, you are stuck, and some of the neighborhoods between the two venues are unsavory.
As we visited both the Depot District and the Underwood Center venues, and returned to the Depot District, it occurred to me that the City of Lubbock needs to develop a corridor between the two areas. It is about a mile. The corridor needs to be well lit and populated with businesses that would attract people who are interested in art, music, drama, literature, entertainment and sports fields. Shows happening every night, galleries open regularly, pay TV sports events, and make it safe to walk between the two venues with lights, businesses and activity, as well as police presence as needed. It does not need to be a straight line. It does need to be really safe.
Well, this is just an idea. I sent it on to the mayor.
Who knows.
Showing posts with label adaptations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adaptations. Show all posts
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
More Computer Setup
I am still working on setting up my new computer. I am getting used to Windows 8.1, the sensitivity of the touch screen, and setting up Microsoft Office.
I did not know it would be such a chore to set up Microsoft Office Outlook to get it to work. I knew I would have to data entry all of my addresses and emails because Outlook is not compatible with the Outlook Express that I had been using.
And, Outlook does not actually offer me the flexibility of Outlook Express. Or, if it does, the access to that flexibility is so obscure, I cannot find it.
So, I am still working at it, and still frustrated. I have not even attempted to set up the new printer. That will occur later this month. And, I have to learn to do envelopes, mail merge, and how to print to a post card.
This will be interesting and continually frustrating. But challenging, and with help, I have met the challenges so far. So, I suspect I have many more successes in me, along with a few failures. But failures teach me what not to do.
I did not know it would be such a chore to set up Microsoft Office Outlook to get it to work. I knew I would have to data entry all of my addresses and emails because Outlook is not compatible with the Outlook Express that I had been using.
And, Outlook does not actually offer me the flexibility of Outlook Express. Or, if it does, the access to that flexibility is so obscure, I cannot find it.
So, I am still working at it, and still frustrated. I have not even attempted to set up the new printer. That will occur later this month. And, I have to learn to do envelopes, mail merge, and how to print to a post card.
This will be interesting and continually frustrating. But challenging, and with help, I have met the challenges so far. So, I suspect I have many more successes in me, along with a few failures. But failures teach me what not to do.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
I Did Something Today I Have Not Done in A Long Time
Okay, so for years I was a walker. I mean, for years. As a teenager, I loved to go for a walk. I had a dog that liked to walk, and I took him for walks regularly. As a teenager and a young adult, I went for a walk almost every evening, in my town. There were lots of directions and paths for walks.
I remember as a teen, arguing with my mother because my dog would cry and cry because he wanted to go for a walk, even late at night in cold weather. But, eventually, she believed me, and a 10 minute walk around the block settled the dog so he would sleep at night. And, it was good for me, too.
Some of my walks took my by my grandmother's house, so on my way home, I would stop in to visit.
When I was in junior high, and high school, my sister and friends would walk the few miles to my uncle's country home, to the state highway just to collect trash, to hike various trails. I hiked many trails in the area of my home town. I just loved to walk. And, I still do.
On December 31, 2004, I joined a group of several women who made a 10 mile hike at Caprock Canyon State Park.
I live in a neighborhood that is not especially conducive to walking: there are sidewalks going east and west but not north and south. But I used to walk in the neighborhood anyway. I live near a park, and the walk around the park is great. There is a playa lake in the park, so it is also good for bird watching.
However, the good thing about the neighborhood is the accessibility to services within walking distance. I could take my car in for service, and although they would offer to drive me home and pick me up, I could take the walk. And, when my dog was alive,we walked it together. I could walk to the post office, the office supply store, the supermarket if I needed minor things, the hardware store if I did not need heavy things, the discount store. And, I did all of those walks, and more.
I loved to walk, so I might go to a city park to make the walk for whatever reason: birdwatching, flower looking, visiting with a friend, general exercise. I used to go the Lubbock Lake Landmark to walk. I just loved to walk.
Well, when I started having pain that was eventually diagnosed as siatica, I stopped walking. I was very stubborn, and did not seek treatment for the pain for about 3-5 years. So, I limited my walking, and also limited my house work, yard work, and other activities.
House work and yard work would aggrevate my pain. I work in a large complex. So, I would plan my walks to minimize the number of walks I needed to make. Walking from my office to my car would aggrevate my pain.
Celebrex helped: but after I started medication, I over did my activity, and it did not allow me more activity, just the same activity with minimal pain. Physical therapy helped: I felt stronger, more stable, had increased range of motion, but still had pain.
I finally went to pain management, and was eventually given cortisone shots. It took from Wednesday until Saturday before I felt relief, but I did feel relief. I still feel a heaviness in my hip area, sometimes, when I am engaged in activities that used to cause pain. My foot tingles, and I have a "foot drop." But, I am feeling a whole lot better.
The medical provider agreed that the foot strengthening exercises might help my foot drop. They thought that walking would be good, as tolerated for cardio-vascular exercise.
So, today, I went for a walk. I used to walk from my house, around the neighborhood park and tennis complex regularly. It is more than a mile walk. Today, I just went around part of the park. I took two rest stops. The first a preventative, the second, to recover my wind. When I arrived back home, my hip was tingling, so I sat and rested.
I hope to go for another such walk tomorrow.
I am so excited about being able to walk again. Yeah!
I remember as a teen, arguing with my mother because my dog would cry and cry because he wanted to go for a walk, even late at night in cold weather. But, eventually, she believed me, and a 10 minute walk around the block settled the dog so he would sleep at night. And, it was good for me, too.
Some of my walks took my by my grandmother's house, so on my way home, I would stop in to visit.
When I was in junior high, and high school, my sister and friends would walk the few miles to my uncle's country home, to the state highway just to collect trash, to hike various trails. I hiked many trails in the area of my home town. I just loved to walk. And, I still do.
On December 31, 2004, I joined a group of several women who made a 10 mile hike at Caprock Canyon State Park.
I live in a neighborhood that is not especially conducive to walking: there are sidewalks going east and west but not north and south. But I used to walk in the neighborhood anyway. I live near a park, and the walk around the park is great. There is a playa lake in the park, so it is also good for bird watching.
However, the good thing about the neighborhood is the accessibility to services within walking distance. I could take my car in for service, and although they would offer to drive me home and pick me up, I could take the walk. And, when my dog was alive,we walked it together. I could walk to the post office, the office supply store, the supermarket if I needed minor things, the hardware store if I did not need heavy things, the discount store. And, I did all of those walks, and more.
I loved to walk, so I might go to a city park to make the walk for whatever reason: birdwatching, flower looking, visiting with a friend, general exercise. I used to go the Lubbock Lake Landmark to walk. I just loved to walk.
Well, when I started having pain that was eventually diagnosed as siatica, I stopped walking. I was very stubborn, and did not seek treatment for the pain for about 3-5 years. So, I limited my walking, and also limited my house work, yard work, and other activities.
House work and yard work would aggrevate my pain. I work in a large complex. So, I would plan my walks to minimize the number of walks I needed to make. Walking from my office to my car would aggrevate my pain.
Celebrex helped: but after I started medication, I over did my activity, and it did not allow me more activity, just the same activity with minimal pain. Physical therapy helped: I felt stronger, more stable, had increased range of motion, but still had pain.
I finally went to pain management, and was eventually given cortisone shots. It took from Wednesday until Saturday before I felt relief, but I did feel relief. I still feel a heaviness in my hip area, sometimes, when I am engaged in activities that used to cause pain. My foot tingles, and I have a "foot drop." But, I am feeling a whole lot better.
The medical provider agreed that the foot strengthening exercises might help my foot drop. They thought that walking would be good, as tolerated for cardio-vascular exercise.
So, today, I went for a walk. I used to walk from my house, around the neighborhood park and tennis complex regularly. It is more than a mile walk. Today, I just went around part of the park. I took two rest stops. The first a preventative, the second, to recover my wind. When I arrived back home, my hip was tingling, so I sat and rested.
I hope to go for another such walk tomorrow.
I am so excited about being able to walk again. Yeah!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Premium TV - We Did it To Ourselves
When the "premium channels" for TV came out however many years ago that was, people bought into the idea. They could get new movies and special programming for an additional fee. So, they paid. Maybe the mentality was that it was like paying for going to a movie. I remember that mentality. We did it a few times when there was a special sporting event in the late 70's or early 80's. We would generally have a party, and everyone chipped in to cover the fee. We did HBO for a while, but found the selections too limited for the price.
So, more and more, many of the sporting and special events on TV are on premium channels. You have to subscribe to the "sports level package" or the higher than basic satellite package. Or some other subscription service. The NFL channel. The Yankee channel. The NBA channel. The MBL channel. And, stupid, we do it.
What would happen if people stopped paying for these extra premium channels, and said, "No thanks, I'll stick with the basic, and when you do not offer quality programming, I will turn to alternative entertainment: board games (not online premium games), card games, dominoes, books, music, conversation, or hobbies that do not involve media. Or, I will go to a movie at a movie theater. Or a local concert. Or play. Or, whatever.
Well, of course, this will never happen.
I often question if I really get my money's worth of the Cable service I use. I like the access to NASCAR events, which, so far, do not require a special network access, and the Weather Channel, the programming of which has gone done hill, now that they do not offer continuous weather but they offer canned programs (yuck).
I blame the consumer. The supply is out there, and we watch this schlocky stuff instead of tuning out and finding something better to watch.
I am as guilty as the next person.
Over the last 8 or 9 years, I have become more discriminatory about what I watch on TV. I do not have the TV on for background noise, as I used to do many, many years ago. I use other media including books (they are media) CDs, DVDs, and because I have a good turntable, vinyl, for my entertainment.
So, more and more, many of the sporting and special events on TV are on premium channels. You have to subscribe to the "sports level package" or the higher than basic satellite package. Or some other subscription service. The NFL channel. The Yankee channel. The NBA channel. The MBL channel. And, stupid, we do it.
What would happen if people stopped paying for these extra premium channels, and said, "No thanks, I'll stick with the basic, and when you do not offer quality programming, I will turn to alternative entertainment: board games (not online premium games), card games, dominoes, books, music, conversation, or hobbies that do not involve media. Or, I will go to a movie at a movie theater. Or a local concert. Or play. Or, whatever.
Well, of course, this will never happen.
I often question if I really get my money's worth of the Cable service I use. I like the access to NASCAR events, which, so far, do not require a special network access, and the Weather Channel, the programming of which has gone done hill, now that they do not offer continuous weather but they offer canned programs (yuck).
I blame the consumer. The supply is out there, and we watch this schlocky stuff instead of tuning out and finding something better to watch.
I am as guilty as the next person.
Over the last 8 or 9 years, I have become more discriminatory about what I watch on TV. I do not have the TV on for background noise, as I used to do many, many years ago. I use other media including books (they are media) CDs, DVDs, and because I have a good turntable, vinyl, for my entertainment.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela died December 5, 2013. I did not know who he was until I was a freshman at Cornell University in 1970. We prayed for him every day at Mass, and wished for his freedom. I now know that he was a freedom fighter, trying to get equal rights for Black or Native South Africans vs. white South Africans.
Sorry to say, after I left the Cornell community, I lost track of Nelson Mandela. Until years later, when he was freed.
And even years later after that, I was re-awakened to his story by the movie Invictus.
Mandela was a member of the African National Congress that advocated equality and the demise of apartheid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africasystem in South Africa. Apartheid was like the Jim Crow Laws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws in the United States. Although the laws said separate but equal, there was nothing equal about these laws and they way people were treated.
The resources, services, treatment of persons, and whatever was not only inferior to black citizens, it was intended to denigrate, and other wise demean the black population and continue to keep the black population as an underdog.
The Civil Rights movement in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movements_for_civil_rights worked to change these conditions. Although it has been somewhat successful, I will sadly say that there is still a lot of undercurrent of racism in this country.
We have so much to learn from Mr. Mandela. Mostly, we need to learn forgiveness and conciliatory behavior so we can co-exist peacefully. These are hard lessons. But the way for all nations to exist.
Sorry to say, after I left the Cornell community, I lost track of Nelson Mandela. Until years later, when he was freed.
And even years later after that, I was re-awakened to his story by the movie Invictus.
Mandela was a member of the African National Congress that advocated equality and the demise of apartheid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africasystem in South Africa. Apartheid was like the Jim Crow Laws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws in the United States. Although the laws said separate but equal, there was nothing equal about these laws and they way people were treated.
The resources, services, treatment of persons, and whatever was not only inferior to black citizens, it was intended to denigrate, and other wise demean the black population and continue to keep the black population as an underdog.
The Civil Rights movement in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movements_for_civil_rights worked to change these conditions. Although it has been somewhat successful, I will sadly say that there is still a lot of undercurrent of racism in this country.
We have so much to learn from Mr. Mandela. Mostly, we need to learn forgiveness and conciliatory behavior so we can co-exist peacefully. These are hard lessons. But the way for all nations to exist.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Your Karma Just Goes Away
Since about 2008, my life has been easy. I was recovering from the grief of the loss of my mother, but she was in a better place. Since 2007, I had been to the Northeast for a number of family events: a funeral, 3 weddings and a graduation. I made an independent trip just to travel around and visit family and friends. I made trip to Seattle, Washington that was very fine. I made a trip to Northeast New Mexico that was so relaxing that the sense of well being lasted with me for months. I made a trip to Phoenix to visit my brother and his extended family.
Life was good.
I have had some health issues since then, but mostly hip and leg pain, commonly referred to as sciatica. And, finally after toughing through it for several years, I sought treatment and am getting medication and physical therapy for it.
Since late August, I have had a series of events that have caused me distress. I have chronicled these, and will not again in this article, do so.
But it occurs to me that this is not the first time in my life that my Karma just "went away." I will not revisit the times this has happened in past, except to say that it usually surrounded a life changing event. A career change, a divorce, a death, a move. The thing is, I am not sure what life changing event I am experiencing right now.
I am a firm believer laws of physics: a body at rest tends to stay at rest; a body in motion tends to stay in motion. I think this applies to human life. When we reach a plateau or level of stasis, our lives go on in a pretty even keeled sort of way.
Upset the applecart, and all heck breaks loose, and one change after another occurs. The problem is, I am not sure what I did to upset the applecart. Was it a sprained ankle? That seems so ridiculously minor that it would have this impact on my life.
I think that my time was due. And even a small thing upset the applecart of life enough to cause my series of distressing events.
Life was good.
I have had some health issues since then, but mostly hip and leg pain, commonly referred to as sciatica. And, finally after toughing through it for several years, I sought treatment and am getting medication and physical therapy for it.
Since late August, I have had a series of events that have caused me distress. I have chronicled these, and will not again in this article, do so.
But it occurs to me that this is not the first time in my life that my Karma just "went away." I will not revisit the times this has happened in past, except to say that it usually surrounded a life changing event. A career change, a divorce, a death, a move. The thing is, I am not sure what life changing event I am experiencing right now.
I am a firm believer laws of physics: a body at rest tends to stay at rest; a body in motion tends to stay in motion. I think this applies to human life. When we reach a plateau or level of stasis, our lives go on in a pretty even keeled sort of way.
Upset the applecart, and all heck breaks loose, and one change after another occurs. The problem is, I am not sure what I did to upset the applecart. Was it a sprained ankle? That seems so ridiculously minor that it would have this impact on my life.
I think that my time was due. And even a small thing upset the applecart of life enough to cause my series of distressing events.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Activities and Exercise
I have experienced degenerative pain for some years, and have really limited my activities because of it. Over the years, I have not done a lot of things I enjoyed, but did everything I still absolutely wanted to do, even if it involved walking or standing, which aggravated the pain.
Sometimes doing things took several hours longer than I would have normally spent on the activity, because I needed to rest more than I would have before the degenerative pain started. I am referring to such things as house work and yard work.
Recently, I went to the doctor and obtained a prescription for medication, and was referred to physical therapy for the problem. The first weekend I had the prescription, I felt so much better, I really over did the physical activity. The second weekend, I rested.
Since I started going to physical therapy, I have made a point to do the exercises prescribed at home as instructed. I find most of them soothing, and while I sometimes have the TV on when I do the exercises, I find doing them to Gregorian Chants is even more soothing.
I also was given some very helpful reading materials about accommodations and adaptations I could use to help me. Amazingly, I had already made a lot of the accommodations: I use shorter strokes for raking, mopping, and vacuuming. I take lots of rest breaks, but probably not as many as I should have been taking. I recently bought a book stand to prop my book, as I was finding that I was looking for something to hold a book up while I was reading it.
I have learned about changing my posture and musculature positions to help me. It is difficult for me to remember to use these changes, but I am trying, at work and at home. It is a work in progress.
I have noticed that I have much more mental energy since I have been getting this help. Today, I wanted to do some serious house cleaning that is much past due, and makes me depressed to look at the dirtiness in the house. Well, I kept putting off getting started, because I kept thinking how it might hurt. It did not hurt as I expected it to, until near the end. And, I took breaks very frequently, much more so than I might have in the past. (I used to force myself to work through the pain.)
I have a plan to work in the front and back yard on Sunday (actually today). I will also go slow and take plenty of breaks, and try to use better positioning and posture.
I had also thought to go for a walk to get some things at a local store. I had not thought to walk like that in a long time. I did not do the walk, but just thinking about it vs more recently avoiding thinking about walking much less going for a walk, is a good thing.
I am hoping when the medication and physical therapy have done their thing, I will be able to walk around my neighborhood as I used to do. I miss these walks. I miss walking in the city parks, and walking to bird watch, as well as hiking at area parks.
I am not sure I will get back to miles of hiking but I am hoping to get back to a mile or two of walking.
Sometimes doing things took several hours longer than I would have normally spent on the activity, because I needed to rest more than I would have before the degenerative pain started. I am referring to such things as house work and yard work.
Recently, I went to the doctor and obtained a prescription for medication, and was referred to physical therapy for the problem. The first weekend I had the prescription, I felt so much better, I really over did the physical activity. The second weekend, I rested.
Since I started going to physical therapy, I have made a point to do the exercises prescribed at home as instructed. I find most of them soothing, and while I sometimes have the TV on when I do the exercises, I find doing them to Gregorian Chants is even more soothing.
I also was given some very helpful reading materials about accommodations and adaptations I could use to help me. Amazingly, I had already made a lot of the accommodations: I use shorter strokes for raking, mopping, and vacuuming. I take lots of rest breaks, but probably not as many as I should have been taking. I recently bought a book stand to prop my book, as I was finding that I was looking for something to hold a book up while I was reading it.
I have learned about changing my posture and musculature positions to help me. It is difficult for me to remember to use these changes, but I am trying, at work and at home. It is a work in progress.
I have noticed that I have much more mental energy since I have been getting this help. Today, I wanted to do some serious house cleaning that is much past due, and makes me depressed to look at the dirtiness in the house. Well, I kept putting off getting started, because I kept thinking how it might hurt. It did not hurt as I expected it to, until near the end. And, I took breaks very frequently, much more so than I might have in the past. (I used to force myself to work through the pain.)
I have a plan to work in the front and back yard on Sunday (actually today). I will also go slow and take plenty of breaks, and try to use better positioning and posture.
I had also thought to go for a walk to get some things at a local store. I had not thought to walk like that in a long time. I did not do the walk, but just thinking about it vs more recently avoiding thinking about walking much less going for a walk, is a good thing.
I am hoping when the medication and physical therapy have done their thing, I will be able to walk around my neighborhood as I used to do. I miss these walks. I miss walking in the city parks, and walking to bird watch, as well as hiking at area parks.
I am not sure I will get back to miles of hiking but I am hoping to get back to a mile or two of walking.
Friday, November 1, 2013
A Trip to the Veterinarian and Unintended Consequences
So as I have noted before, Sake has not been doing well. She does not eat well and she has not been grooming herself. Her weight has declined over the years, from a chunky 13 pounds, to a svelte 8 pounds when she went to the vet last May for her shots. The vet thought 8 lbs was an okay weight for her, although I thought it was a little light, because I could feel her bones. But generally she was doing well, although she was not always grooming herself, but I was helping her and she was not doing so bad.
I do not know exactly when the problem began, but she stopped grooming and became a very picky eater. I know I have written about this before. Looking back, the problem got worse in September, and I have babied Sake, and tried multiple foods and types of foods. Sometimes she would eat well, sometimes she would not. She was still eating hard food until early October. But things seemed to be worse and worse.
I finally called the vet's office and explained the problem. They pulled the records and saw the problem. They suggested they could sedate her, but would ask me to sign a disclaimer if something happened to her under sedation. The day I called, Sake did not show up for breakfast, as she normally does, and I was feeling very hopeless. I responded that I understood the risks, but felt I needed to do something, because the situation was not acceptable to me as it was. I did not want Sake to die, but, if she is suffering, I needed to do something.
I got an appointment to bring Sake in for today. I was not sure about feeding her this morning, if they had to sedate her, but they did not tell me not to feed her, and she seemed hungry. She ate well. She did not hide, as she has done some mornings, and even wanted me to hold her, as she has, some mornings.
She did not resist when I put her in the crate, and I was amazed to learn, at the vet office, that she had only lost .5 lbs. But, for an 8 lb cat, that is a lot of weight loss. Sake let me take her out of the crate in the examination room. While we were waiting, one of the techs wanted to bring a pit bull through the room to get a weight. I asked them to use a different room. He did. Sake barely let the veterinarian examine her, but he identified a gum infection almost immediately. He said she needed an antibiotic and a cortisone shot. Sake maintained her composure until the vet swabbed her for the injections. We threw a towel over her, a vet tech and I held her down, and we herded her into the crate easily after the injections.
When I took her home, she was eager to get out of the crate. Atypically, she let me hold her and caress her after she got out of the crate. I petted her for a while before I went to work.
I left the crate in the kitchen. I always clean out the crates after I use them. Usually I will put them on the washing machine, or in the garage, until I can clean them. Today, I left the crate on the kitchen floor.
When I got home from work tonight, Sake was at the door, and she wanted into the garage. Very shortly, she wanted back into the house. I put out a whole jar of baby food chicken. Whereas she was not eating a half jar of food before, she ate about 80% of the jar. Wow! I could tell she felt more energetic, too. Later in the evening, she ate some more of the baby food chicken, and then ate some hard food treats! I am so pleased.
She let me do a little grooming, but not much. That is okay. As she feels better, she and I will work on that.
Haiku came into the kitchen for dinner, but Taki did not. I found her cowering under the bed in the spare bedroom. She let me get her out and walk her around the house, but the problem became apparent in the kitchen, where the crate was on the floor. She was very scared of the crate. She went into the garage for a while, but when I brought her back into the house, her fears had not diminished. I let her be, and cleaned out the crate, and put it away.
I found Taki again, and walked her around the house, in the kitchen, and the living room. When I walked her through the bedroom, and she could see the crate in the bedroom closet, she became very upset again. I worked with her for a while, and she settled down.
I have to wonder if she was so frightened, that Taki spent the day under the bed in the spare bedroom. That makes me feel bad. I got her out once, but the crate was still in the kitchen , and it frightened her. I did not realize that would happen. She ended up under the bed a second time, and when I got her out, I had cleaned the crate and put it up. She still identified the crate as bad, but was not as anxious about it.
I got out the catnip mist and sprayed the scratching posts and the cat tree.
I think it helped when I was doing my physical therapy exercises. All three cats joined me in the living room. Sake sat on the towel and belt that I use, for a while. Haiku and Taki just watched my behavior. That was good.
Sake seemed to be cool. Like, this is okay, and I am okay. Haiku was a little skittish, but was okay. Taki settled down when I was doing my physical therapy exercise. She wants to be with me when am doing them, but was a little skittish tonight. But her desire to be with me won out, and she is doing okay now.
So, I think the girls are okay now, although I am still concerned about Sake. We will pay close attention to her.
I do not know exactly when the problem began, but she stopped grooming and became a very picky eater. I know I have written about this before. Looking back, the problem got worse in September, and I have babied Sake, and tried multiple foods and types of foods. Sometimes she would eat well, sometimes she would not. She was still eating hard food until early October. But things seemed to be worse and worse.
I finally called the vet's office and explained the problem. They pulled the records and saw the problem. They suggested they could sedate her, but would ask me to sign a disclaimer if something happened to her under sedation. The day I called, Sake did not show up for breakfast, as she normally does, and I was feeling very hopeless. I responded that I understood the risks, but felt I needed to do something, because the situation was not acceptable to me as it was. I did not want Sake to die, but, if she is suffering, I needed to do something.
I got an appointment to bring Sake in for today. I was not sure about feeding her this morning, if they had to sedate her, but they did not tell me not to feed her, and she seemed hungry. She ate well. She did not hide, as she has done some mornings, and even wanted me to hold her, as she has, some mornings.
She did not resist when I put her in the crate, and I was amazed to learn, at the vet office, that she had only lost .5 lbs. But, for an 8 lb cat, that is a lot of weight loss. Sake let me take her out of the crate in the examination room. While we were waiting, one of the techs wanted to bring a pit bull through the room to get a weight. I asked them to use a different room. He did. Sake barely let the veterinarian examine her, but he identified a gum infection almost immediately. He said she needed an antibiotic and a cortisone shot. Sake maintained her composure until the vet swabbed her for the injections. We threw a towel over her, a vet tech and I held her down, and we herded her into the crate easily after the injections.
When I took her home, she was eager to get out of the crate. Atypically, she let me hold her and caress her after she got out of the crate. I petted her for a while before I went to work.
I left the crate in the kitchen. I always clean out the crates after I use them. Usually I will put them on the washing machine, or in the garage, until I can clean them. Today, I left the crate on the kitchen floor.
When I got home from work tonight, Sake was at the door, and she wanted into the garage. Very shortly, she wanted back into the house. I put out a whole jar of baby food chicken. Whereas she was not eating a half jar of food before, she ate about 80% of the jar. Wow! I could tell she felt more energetic, too. Later in the evening, she ate some more of the baby food chicken, and then ate some hard food treats! I am so pleased.
She let me do a little grooming, but not much. That is okay. As she feels better, she and I will work on that.
Haiku came into the kitchen for dinner, but Taki did not. I found her cowering under the bed in the spare bedroom. She let me get her out and walk her around the house, but the problem became apparent in the kitchen, where the crate was on the floor. She was very scared of the crate. She went into the garage for a while, but when I brought her back into the house, her fears had not diminished. I let her be, and cleaned out the crate, and put it away.
I found Taki again, and walked her around the house, in the kitchen, and the living room. When I walked her through the bedroom, and she could see the crate in the bedroom closet, she became very upset again. I worked with her for a while, and she settled down.
I have to wonder if she was so frightened, that Taki spent the day under the bed in the spare bedroom. That makes me feel bad. I got her out once, but the crate was still in the kitchen , and it frightened her. I did not realize that would happen. She ended up under the bed a second time, and when I got her out, I had cleaned the crate and put it up. She still identified the crate as bad, but was not as anxious about it.
I got out the catnip mist and sprayed the scratching posts and the cat tree.
I think it helped when I was doing my physical therapy exercises. All three cats joined me in the living room. Sake sat on the towel and belt that I use, for a while. Haiku and Taki just watched my behavior. That was good.
Sake seemed to be cool. Like, this is okay, and I am okay. Haiku was a little skittish, but was okay. Taki settled down when I was doing my physical therapy exercise. She wants to be with me when am doing them, but was a little skittish tonight. But her desire to be with me won out, and she is doing okay now.
So, I think the girls are okay now, although I am still concerned about Sake. We will pay close attention to her.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Perspective on Aging
Although I cannot do the same things as I could just 5 years ago, and although the wear and tear on my body is obvious and limits me with what I can do, I still do not feel old. I still think I have my life ahead of me, and there are good things in my future.
I enjoy life. I am happy to be alive. I am not as active as some people are, and I am not as interactive as some people are, but I do enjoy experiences, including new and different things. And, I find that there are many people who tell me I am very active and adventurous in my experiences.
I have not done much traveling lately. I have not been motivated to travel. But if there is something in town that sounds interesting, I do take the opportunity to experience it.
I enjoy learning,. I was attending the Osher Life Long Learning http://www.depts.ttu.edu/outreach/ classes for a while, but the timing of their classes is difficult for me. I either have to miss work, or rush to classes after work, neither of which is comfortable for me, so I have decided to opt out for now. Maybe, in the future, I will re-join.
I like my weekly junk food fix at work, when they sell snacks and junk food. I get excited about my favorite sports teams. I enjoy pleasant surprises. I like word games and other puzzles.
I am not as young as some people my age, but I do not think I am old, wise, or stuck. Sometimes, I think I am, then something arouses me, and makes me realize "Hey, I am not that old." I had some moments today that made me realize that I am not as old as I had been feeling lately. And, I power through some of the physical trials I have, and get it done, although I am struggling. But I realize that I am still very blessed by all I can do.
I enjoy life. I am happy to be alive. I am not as active as some people are, and I am not as interactive as some people are, but I do enjoy experiences, including new and different things. And, I find that there are many people who tell me I am very active and adventurous in my experiences.
I have not done much traveling lately. I have not been motivated to travel. But if there is something in town that sounds interesting, I do take the opportunity to experience it.
I enjoy learning,. I was attending the Osher Life Long Learning http://www.depts.ttu.edu/outreach/ classes for a while, but the timing of their classes is difficult for me. I either have to miss work, or rush to classes after work, neither of which is comfortable for me, so I have decided to opt out for now. Maybe, in the future, I will re-join.
I like my weekly junk food fix at work, when they sell snacks and junk food. I get excited about my favorite sports teams. I enjoy pleasant surprises. I like word games and other puzzles.
I am not as young as some people my age, but I do not think I am old, wise, or stuck. Sometimes, I think I am, then something arouses me, and makes me realize "Hey, I am not that old." I had some moments today that made me realize that I am not as old as I had been feeling lately. And, I power through some of the physical trials I have, and get it done, although I am struggling. But I realize that I am still very blessed by all I can do.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Changing the Culture of the Boston Red Sox
Okay, so the regular season of Major League Baseball http://mlb.mlb.com/home has ended. In the American League, the Boston Red Sox led the league. I keep hearing sportscasters and announcers talk about how the manager, John Farrell has changed the culture of the Red Sox. And, I agree, he has. But he has not changed the quality of the team . The Boston Red Sox of 2011 and 2012 were as good a team as the Boston Red Sox of 2013. The Boston Red Sox of 2011, under manager Terry Francona http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball were as good as they could be. The Boston Red Sox under manager Bobby Valentine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Valentine stunk.
But I do not believe that was a true reflection of the team. I am sorry to say this, but I believe the performance of the Boston Red Sox in 2012 was a reflection of the poor managerial abilities of Bobby Valentine. I understand the sportscasters and announcers do not want to demean the man, but let's face it. He was not the man for the job in Boston. I do not blame him, he was hired to do a job, and I blame the people who hired him for the misfit.
I am glad that the Red Sox have a manager that more fits their style. But I am not sure that John Farrell is the star manager that he has been made out to be. I think that he is the right man for the job, but his team has made him look like a star manager!
But I do not believe that was a true reflection of the team. I am sorry to say this, but I believe the performance of the Boston Red Sox in 2012 was a reflection of the poor managerial abilities of Bobby Valentine. I understand the sportscasters and announcers do not want to demean the man, but let's face it. He was not the man for the job in Boston. I do not blame him, he was hired to do a job, and I blame the people who hired him for the misfit.
I am glad that the Red Sox have a manager that more fits their style. But I am not sure that John Farrell is the star manager that he has been made out to be. I think that he is the right man for the job, but his team has made him look like a star manager!
Argo
I was looking for DVDs to watch this weekend, as I did not anticipate much on television. And I was right. One movie I thought I might someday want to see was "Argo http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm," and the library had it!
So, I watched it this afternoon.
So, I was interested in some background about the movie, and it appears to have been based on real events http://www.npr.org/2013/02/16/172098605/argo-what-really-happened-in-tehran-a-cia-agent-remembers. Of course, we appreciate that there will always be poetic license. We recognize that and respect that.
I think this is an important movie, for a lot of reasons. One is that even Ben Affleck acknowledged that the events in Iran in 1979 and 1980 were history. The mood of Iran, the country, the world is not something that our young people remember. And, many of us have forgotten, wishing to put bad news behind us. But, we need to remember this history. This history is part of the larger picture regarding why the United States is so hated in the Middle East.
It is a good movie, and I would watch it again. In fact, I re-watched some scenes more than once.
So, I watched it this afternoon.
So, I was interested in some background about the movie, and it appears to have been based on real events http://www.npr.org/2013/02/16/172098605/argo-what-really-happened-in-tehran-a-cia-agent-remembers. Of course, we appreciate that there will always be poetic license. We recognize that and respect that.
I think this is an important movie, for a lot of reasons. One is that even Ben Affleck acknowledged that the events in Iran in 1979 and 1980 were history. The mood of Iran, the country, the world is not something that our young people remember. And, many of us have forgotten, wishing to put bad news behind us. But, we need to remember this history. This history is part of the larger picture regarding why the United States is so hated in the Middle East.
It is a good movie, and I would watch it again. In fact, I re-watched some scenes more than once.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Anglicized Names
It was a sharing moment at work today. A couple of my co-workers, who happen to be Hispanic, were sharing how some parts of their families have "Anglicized" their names, and the conflict or at least discussion it causes at family reunions.
I mentioned that my Polish grandparents had Anglicized the spelling of their last name, as had my French Canadian grandparents, and that this was not uncommon. My co-workers, who are very well educated, seemed surprised.
We get so boxed into our little corner of the Earth that we do not realize how many common or shared experiences we have, and how much more alike than different we are.
I grew up knowing the name of my Polish grandparents was Anglicized. It was not something that was shameful or hurtful. It was explained as making it easier for Anglos to pronounce and ultimately accept. It simplified assimilation, or at least, attempts to fit in. It made sense. I was an adult when I learned my French Canadian grandparents' name had also been Anglicized. But it also made sense, for the same reasons. It was not an insult to the old ways, but a way of making things easier for everyone.
I mentioned that my Polish grandparents had Anglicized the spelling of their last name, as had my French Canadian grandparents, and that this was not uncommon. My co-workers, who are very well educated, seemed surprised.
We get so boxed into our little corner of the Earth that we do not realize how many common or shared experiences we have, and how much more alike than different we are.
I grew up knowing the name of my Polish grandparents was Anglicized. It was not something that was shameful or hurtful. It was explained as making it easier for Anglos to pronounce and ultimately accept. It simplified assimilation, or at least, attempts to fit in. It made sense. I was an adult when I learned my French Canadian grandparents' name had also been Anglicized. But it also made sense, for the same reasons. It was not an insult to the old ways, but a way of making things easier for everyone.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Time Warp
I am sure that I have mentioned before that I am a creature of habit, and my Saturday morning habit is one I have kept for a very long time: I get up and run errands, especially going to the grocery store, gassing up the car, and frequently, going to the library before I run all other errands. The last few weekends, I have not kept that schedule, and have done fun things, or just read, which is a really fun thing, before running errands.
This Saturday, I tried to get back into my habit: I did not need to go to the library, but I did get gasoline and run errands. My intent was to get home, unload the groceries, and go for a haircut.
Well, I tried very hard to keep Haiku out of the garage as I was unloading the groceries, because she gets up on the top shelves, and getting her down is a precarious business. I have done it a couple of times, but the precariousness of it makes me be very careful about when I scrabble her down. She gets herself down quite nicely, thank you when she is ready. But, she raced into the garage, anyway. I went after her, and she could sense that I was upset, so where did she end up? On the top shelf. I know she knew I was upset. I went back into the garage, and sweet talked her, and I could tell she settled down. But still, I way over reacted about not getting to go for a haircut when I wanted to go.
Haiku stayed on the top shelf for several hours, and came down just within the window for me to go to get a haircut. Because I use the local Pro-Cuts, and can wait for more that 30 minutes to be waited upon, I figure more than an hour for a haircut. I was debating if I wanted to go or not, because I wanted to be home for the start of the Yankee vs. Red Sox game. Well, a dear friend called, and that made my decision for me. We talked for quite some time. We had not talked in a couple of weeks, and I was so glad to hear her voice and connect with her. By the time we finished our conversation, I decided I could not get a hair cut and be back in time for the start of the Yankee vs. Red Sox game. No big deal.
So, I watched the Yankee vs. Red Sox in the afternoon and early evening. After the game, I started reading, waiting for the temperature to drop to make sitting in the yard comfortable. All of a sudden, I had to realize that it was no longer light outside. As the evening went on, I had the sense that it should still be light out, but of course, the evening was progressing. Even after midnight, I had the sense it should still be light out, and it was not, of course.
This kind of time warp happens to me when I am reading a book that absorbs me, and I have no sense of time. It was well after midnight, when I went to bed, but it did not feel that late. I was reading a Deborah McCrobmie mystery: In A Dark House, which kept me absorbed until late. So, it felt like it was much earlier in the evening than it was, when I finished that book.
After I finished that book, I started the next book: Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. This is a very serious book about the civil rights movements in America, even before it was popular, in the 1940s and later on. I did finally get tired enough to go to sleep.
But even with changing to that book, I never felt like it was late enough to go to bed. Hmmm.
When I experience a time warp like that, I am very uncomfortable. It is almost as if I have an "out of body" experience. But of course, that was not what happened. It was just a discordant reality feeling.
This Saturday, I tried to get back into my habit: I did not need to go to the library, but I did get gasoline and run errands. My intent was to get home, unload the groceries, and go for a haircut.
Well, I tried very hard to keep Haiku out of the garage as I was unloading the groceries, because she gets up on the top shelves, and getting her down is a precarious business. I have done it a couple of times, but the precariousness of it makes me be very careful about when I scrabble her down. She gets herself down quite nicely, thank you when she is ready. But, she raced into the garage, anyway. I went after her, and she could sense that I was upset, so where did she end up? On the top shelf. I know she knew I was upset. I went back into the garage, and sweet talked her, and I could tell she settled down. But still, I way over reacted about not getting to go for a haircut when I wanted to go.
Haiku stayed on the top shelf for several hours, and came down just within the window for me to go to get a haircut. Because I use the local Pro-Cuts, and can wait for more that 30 minutes to be waited upon, I figure more than an hour for a haircut. I was debating if I wanted to go or not, because I wanted to be home for the start of the Yankee vs. Red Sox game. Well, a dear friend called, and that made my decision for me. We talked for quite some time. We had not talked in a couple of weeks, and I was so glad to hear her voice and connect with her. By the time we finished our conversation, I decided I could not get a hair cut and be back in time for the start of the Yankee vs. Red Sox game. No big deal.
So, I watched the Yankee vs. Red Sox in the afternoon and early evening. After the game, I started reading, waiting for the temperature to drop to make sitting in the yard comfortable. All of a sudden, I had to realize that it was no longer light outside. As the evening went on, I had the sense that it should still be light out, but of course, the evening was progressing. Even after midnight, I had the sense it should still be light out, and it was not, of course.
This kind of time warp happens to me when I am reading a book that absorbs me, and I have no sense of time. It was well after midnight, when I went to bed, but it did not feel that late. I was reading a Deborah McCrobmie mystery: In A Dark House, which kept me absorbed until late. So, it felt like it was much earlier in the evening than it was, when I finished that book.
After I finished that book, I started the next book: Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. This is a very serious book about the civil rights movements in America, even before it was popular, in the 1940s and later on. I did finally get tired enough to go to sleep.
But even with changing to that book, I never felt like it was late enough to go to bed. Hmmm.
When I experience a time warp like that, I am very uncomfortable. It is almost as if I have an "out of body" experience. But of course, that was not what happened. It was just a discordant reality feeling.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hydration
I have thought to write about this before, but honestly it is one of those things that I think I have done, but cannot find evidence that I have done. If this is a duplication, then please forgive me, especially if I expressed myself better in a previous blog.
Lubbock, Texas is considered a semi-arid region, but when the temperature climbs into the 90's and 100's, who are we kidding: this is the desert, especially in the years when the rains are below 15", our "average rainfall," which happens quite frequently. Of course, I have lived in Lubbock since 1977, and in the early years, the emphasis on human hydration was minimal, but has especially increased in the last 10 or so years. As we learn more and more about bodily functions, we learn more and more about the need for hydration. However, in the nutrition classes I attended in college in the early 1970's, and perhaps, even in junior high and high school, we knew to drink at least 8 8 oz glasses of water a day, minimally. That has been a standard for quite some time.
A few years ago, I visited family in Phoenix, Arizona in June or July. I was impressed that in the downtown area, around commercial buildings where pedestrians are expected, they had "hog misters" or hoses that misted the area to help keep pedestrians cool.
The first time I had experienced "hog misters" in a commercial setting was when I was married to Lisenby, and we made a trip to San Antonio. We went to "El Mercado" and the area was repleat with "hog misters." Of course, as with Phoenix, it was so hot that by the time you walked away from the areas affected by the misters, you were neither cool nor damp.
The other things about hydration in Phoenix that impressed me included that there were street vendors lined up along the pedestrian ways, selling ice cold bottled water, at reasonable prices. We went to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game at Chase Field http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/ari/ballpark/index.jsp, and there were all sorts of ice water vendors.
Additionally, we went wandering throught the malls or stores or whatever they call them in Phoenix, downtown, and even the high dollar gift, accessory and clothing stores had small refrigerators near the cash registers. They sold cold drinks, predominately water, but sodas as well. A store of that ilk in Lubbock would have a large, unfriendly sign on the door that said "No food or drink." I did not see that in Phoenix. It may exist, but I did not see that. Human safety prevailed over merchandise security, I hope.
This reflects the awareness of the importance of hydration of humans in the desert. Accomodations such as air conditioning make desert living possible. What is so sad is that in the north and east, so many poor people do not have air conditioning, and surviving a heat waves is not possible.
Partly, that is due to their not knowing how to survive in the heat: increased fluids, moving air, ice buckets in front of fans, decreased activity, and seeking air conditioned buildings when their homes are not air conditioned. But it is also in part due to their bodies not being acclimated to the heat. How can they be? This takes time and patience.
It is also due to their not having the resources to install air conditioning, or to seek an air conditioned venue, including because the heat has so weakened the person, they cannot reach out for help.
But ultimately, I believe hydratrion is the key. I think humans need to consume at least 64 oz.of water a day, more if the temperatures are in the 90s and 100s, and more if they are working physically in heat of 80° or more.
They need to pace themselves, take plenty of breaks that include fluid consumption, and watch for signs of heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. I think the reason these are not endemic problems in Phoenix compared to Chicago, is not because the poor in Phoenix necessarily have air conditioning (they may or may not) but because they understand how to survive the desert heat.
Ultimately, utimately, hydration is so important. Seek shade. Seek moving air. And hydrate.
Lubbock, Texas is considered a semi-arid region, but when the temperature climbs into the 90's and 100's, who are we kidding: this is the desert, especially in the years when the rains are below 15", our "average rainfall," which happens quite frequently. Of course, I have lived in Lubbock since 1977, and in the early years, the emphasis on human hydration was minimal, but has especially increased in the last 10 or so years. As we learn more and more about bodily functions, we learn more and more about the need for hydration. However, in the nutrition classes I attended in college in the early 1970's, and perhaps, even in junior high and high school, we knew to drink at least 8 8 oz glasses of water a day, minimally. That has been a standard for quite some time.
A few years ago, I visited family in Phoenix, Arizona in June or July. I was impressed that in the downtown area, around commercial buildings where pedestrians are expected, they had "hog misters" or hoses that misted the area to help keep pedestrians cool.
The first time I had experienced "hog misters" in a commercial setting was when I was married to Lisenby, and we made a trip to San Antonio. We went to "El Mercado" and the area was repleat with "hog misters." Of course, as with Phoenix, it was so hot that by the time you walked away from the areas affected by the misters, you were neither cool nor damp.
The other things about hydration in Phoenix that impressed me included that there were street vendors lined up along the pedestrian ways, selling ice cold bottled water, at reasonable prices. We went to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game at Chase Field http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/ari/ballpark/index.jsp, and there were all sorts of ice water vendors.
Additionally, we went wandering throught the malls or stores or whatever they call them in Phoenix, downtown, and even the high dollar gift, accessory and clothing stores had small refrigerators near the cash registers. They sold cold drinks, predominately water, but sodas as well. A store of that ilk in Lubbock would have a large, unfriendly sign on the door that said "No food or drink." I did not see that in Phoenix. It may exist, but I did not see that. Human safety prevailed over merchandise security, I hope.
This reflects the awareness of the importance of hydration of humans in the desert. Accomodations such as air conditioning make desert living possible. What is so sad is that in the north and east, so many poor people do not have air conditioning, and surviving a heat waves is not possible.
Partly, that is due to their not knowing how to survive in the heat: increased fluids, moving air, ice buckets in front of fans, decreased activity, and seeking air conditioned buildings when their homes are not air conditioned. But it is also in part due to their bodies not being acclimated to the heat. How can they be? This takes time and patience.
It is also due to their not having the resources to install air conditioning, or to seek an air conditioned venue, including because the heat has so weakened the person, they cannot reach out for help.
But ultimately, I believe hydratrion is the key. I think humans need to consume at least 64 oz.of water a day, more if the temperatures are in the 90s and 100s, and more if they are working physically in heat of 80° or more.
They need to pace themselves, take plenty of breaks that include fluid consumption, and watch for signs of heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. I think the reason these are not endemic problems in Phoenix compared to Chicago, is not because the poor in Phoenix necessarily have air conditioning (they may or may not) but because they understand how to survive the desert heat.
Ultimately, utimately, hydration is so important. Seek shade. Seek moving air. And hydrate.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Commitment
It was a most beautiful evening. Just perfect for sitting out in the sun, at least until dusk. I worked late, and had errands to run after work, so got home late. But still, there was time to sit outside. Only if. I had committed to making cookies for the bake sale at work tomorrow. And I knew if I sat outside until it was dusk or later, I would be too tired to come inside and make cookies. As it was, I was very, very hungry, so I cooked myself a light dinner before I started on the cookies. And, I sat a while just to rest from the crush of work. It helped to rejuvenate me. But I just barely finished cookies, and it was all I could do to finish, about 9:30 PM.
I just get too tired after work to take on many projects. I didn't used to be like this: Ken and I would pick vegetables and stay up until after midnight freezing them. I used to get up in the morning, cook pumpkin and make pumpkin pies so Ken could take a warm pie to work in the morning. Where has my energy gone?
When I lived with Bob, it was not unusual for me to work outside until about 7 or 8 PM, then go inside and cook dinner, and clean up afterwards, of course, with his help.
But I no longer have that stamina. Sometimes, when I force myself, it feels good. But the next several days, I pay the price.
So, my hope is maybe tomorrow night, it will be another beautiful night. I have some yard chores I want to do, and even if I do not have the energy for that, at least, I can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.
I just get too tired after work to take on many projects. I didn't used to be like this: Ken and I would pick vegetables and stay up until after midnight freezing them. I used to get up in the morning, cook pumpkin and make pumpkin pies so Ken could take a warm pie to work in the morning. Where has my energy gone?
When I lived with Bob, it was not unusual for me to work outside until about 7 or 8 PM, then go inside and cook dinner, and clean up afterwards, of course, with his help.
But I no longer have that stamina. Sometimes, when I force myself, it feels good. But the next several days, I pay the price.
So, my hope is maybe tomorrow night, it will be another beautiful night. I have some yard chores I want to do, and even if I do not have the energy for that, at least, I can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
A Productive Weekend
For the second weekend in a row, I have had what I would call a productive weekend, accomplishing extra tasks, and feeling good about what I have done. Even on the weekends, I used to be one of the most goal driven people I know, but the last few years, I have not done that. For many reasons, including, I am sure, a touch of depression. Not that I sit and do nothing, but I am more interested in reading than doing active chores.
Last weekend, while right now I could not tell you all I did, I know I had list of a lot of chores and accomplished most of them, except bringing things to the recycling center. This weekend, I had a mental list of chores, and I did get them all done. It started with leaving work after I had my time in on Friday afternoon, instead of staying until 5 PM, or later, as is often my habit.
Since I left work early, I decided to do my Saturday morning shopping on Friday afternoon, which I did last weekend, too because I went into work on Saturday morning on April 27, 2013, just for a couple of hours. Also, this Friday, I made that much delayed trip to the recycling center!
So, Saturday morning, I could not sleep, got up at 4:30 AM, and read until time to feed the girls. I did my household chores, then got cleaned up and went to the John Paul II exhibit. I spent two hours there, mostly because I watched the one hour video as well as took my time going through the exhibits.
After that, I ran some more errands. My timing was good, and I was able to do some yard work that I really wanted to do before the Rangers vs. Red Sox game came on TV.
Sunday morning, I did my usual Sunday morning routine, which includes news and "Texas Country Reporter, " as well as an expanded set of computer word games and a trivia game. (I do a limited set of computer word games and Sudoku every day.) I did some yard work, got cleaned up and watch the Rangers vs. Red Sox again. The game ran long, but I still ran errands as I had planned, this afternoon. And, I did some more yard work before I sat down to read.
I had meant to call a friend, but she lives in the Eastern Time Zone, and by the time I cleaned up from doing yard work, and ate dinner it was 8 PM, 9 PM her time, and I hesitate to call that late.
The problem is, last week, I was physically very tired all week. I hope I am not physically tired this week. I think the reason I have become more sedate in my activity was I needed more and more time to recharge my physical battery to be able to deal with work. So, we shall see how I do this week.
Last weekend, while right now I could not tell you all I did, I know I had list of a lot of chores and accomplished most of them, except bringing things to the recycling center. This weekend, I had a mental list of chores, and I did get them all done. It started with leaving work after I had my time in on Friday afternoon, instead of staying until 5 PM, or later, as is often my habit.
Since I left work early, I decided to do my Saturday morning shopping on Friday afternoon, which I did last weekend, too because I went into work on Saturday morning on April 27, 2013, just for a couple of hours. Also, this Friday, I made that much delayed trip to the recycling center!
So, Saturday morning, I could not sleep, got up at 4:30 AM, and read until time to feed the girls. I did my household chores, then got cleaned up and went to the John Paul II exhibit. I spent two hours there, mostly because I watched the one hour video as well as took my time going through the exhibits.
After that, I ran some more errands. My timing was good, and I was able to do some yard work that I really wanted to do before the Rangers vs. Red Sox game came on TV.
Sunday morning, I did my usual Sunday morning routine, which includes news and "Texas Country Reporter, " as well as an expanded set of computer word games and a trivia game. (I do a limited set of computer word games and Sudoku every day.) I did some yard work, got cleaned up and watch the Rangers vs. Red Sox again. The game ran long, but I still ran errands as I had planned, this afternoon. And, I did some more yard work before I sat down to read.
I had meant to call a friend, but she lives in the Eastern Time Zone, and by the time I cleaned up from doing yard work, and ate dinner it was 8 PM, 9 PM her time, and I hesitate to call that late.
The problem is, last week, I was physically very tired all week. I hope I am not physically tired this week. I think the reason I have become more sedate in my activity was I needed more and more time to recharge my physical battery to be able to deal with work. So, we shall see how I do this week.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Balaclavas in Baseball?
I am watching the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox http://mlb.mlb.com/home. The weather in New York City is cold tonight, and I am seeing many of the Boston Red Sox players wearing balaclavas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaclava_(clothing). It makes sense to me, but I am not sure I have seen that in baseball before.
I am a cold woosie. I have good warm clothing, and if it is the least bit cold outside, I wear my winter coat, a funnel scarf http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=funnel%20scarf&clk_rvr_id=464854481672&adpos=1o1&MT_ID=69&crlp=24074180405_2416792&geo_id=10232&keyword=funnel+scarf&adgroup_id=%7BADGRP_ID%7D&crdt=0, and sometimes, another scarf. I use gloves, and when it is very, very cold, I will use a pair of mitten over my gloves. I have plenty of warm clothes. There is no reason for me to be freezing cold in cold weather.
I am a cold woosie. I have good warm clothing, and if it is the least bit cold outside, I wear my winter coat, a funnel scarf http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=funnel%20scarf&clk_rvr_id=464854481672&adpos=1o1&MT_ID=69&crlp=24074180405_2416792&geo_id=10232&keyword=funnel+scarf&adgroup_id=%7BADGRP_ID%7D&crdt=0, and sometimes, another scarf. I use gloves, and when it is very, very cold, I will use a pair of mitten over my gloves. I have plenty of warm clothes. There is no reason for me to be freezing cold in cold weather.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
On the Computer for the First Time Today
It is Saturday, and I usually get on the computer sometimes in the morning, and again off and on throughout the day. But not today.
I got up and did errands and some housework, then went off to meet a friend to see a movie. There was some strange movements, including rapid circular dancing near the end. I became dizzy and a little nauseous. I went home and laid down, and later made a bowl of white rice to settle my stomach.
It was really pretty out, and we have been talking about kayaking at work, a lot. It seems there are several officers who have discovered the kayaking bug, or have had it for some time.
It was probably in the high 70s or low 80s, but it felt good enough to go out. When I got to the lake, the wind was brisker than at the house, but it was not too strong. I am badly out of shape, and once around the lake took me a littler longer than usual, but not much. It was so pretty when I got home, I decided I just needed to get some yard work done. I worked in the front and back yard for a while, then fed cats and had my own dinner. I sat outside to eat, and read for a while.
So, it was almost 7:30 PM when I got on the computer for the first time today. For a weekday, this is not totally unusual, although I try to check my emails at work, at least once. But this is unheard of for a weekend day.
But, what I did felt good. I will sleep well tonight, I suspect. I am glad I did what I did today!
I got up and did errands and some housework, then went off to meet a friend to see a movie. There was some strange movements, including rapid circular dancing near the end. I became dizzy and a little nauseous. I went home and laid down, and later made a bowl of white rice to settle my stomach.
It was really pretty out, and we have been talking about kayaking at work, a lot. It seems there are several officers who have discovered the kayaking bug, or have had it for some time.
It was probably in the high 70s or low 80s, but it felt good enough to go out. When I got to the lake, the wind was brisker than at the house, but it was not too strong. I am badly out of shape, and once around the lake took me a littler longer than usual, but not much. It was so pretty when I got home, I decided I just needed to get some yard work done. I worked in the front and back yard for a while, then fed cats and had my own dinner. I sat outside to eat, and read for a while.
So, it was almost 7:30 PM when I got on the computer for the first time today. For a weekday, this is not totally unusual, although I try to check my emails at work, at least once. But this is unheard of for a weekend day.
But, what I did felt good. I will sleep well tonight, I suspect. I am glad I did what I did today!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Daylight Savings Time Gone Wrong or Three Cats Are a Charm
So, Sake is my "alarm cat." Somewhere along the line I "got it" that she did not like the bird noises of my alarm clock, because she would awaken me about 5 minutes before the alarm went off. Well, for some reason, those noises malfunctioned, and I was left with only the buzzer alarm. After that, Sake was not as consistent or persistent about trying to wake me up before the alarm went off, although, more often than not, that did happen.
But, even when the bird noises were working, I used the snooze feature a lot. I do not think Sake liked it, but what could she do? Only so much.
For the last couple of years, I have had a regular buzzer for my alarm. Sake has developed great discernment, and has even learned that some mornings, when I shut the alarm off, rather than snooze (holidays, weekends) I am not planning to arise early, and she does not bother me.
Well, with the advent of Daylight Savings Time this spring, something has gone terribly wrong. For the last three mornings, Sake has taken it upon herself to wake me up an hour early. I think she got the spring forward, fall back message mixed up, and thinks we need to get up at what is now 4:30 AM but was 3:30 AM. The bigger problem is, the other cats have gotten involved. So, after Sake tells me to get up at 4:30 AM, about 30 minutes later, Haiku reminds me it is time to get up. And 30 minutes later, Taki tells me it is time to get up. As you might imagine, Monday morning, I slogged my way through this and did not get up until much later, about 6 AM DST. Tuesday morning, I got up earlier than usual, but not so bad. Today, I was wide awake at 4:30 AM and could not go back to sleep. I tossed, turned, and snuggled, but finally got up earlier than usual.
I will say that the third cat is the charm. I mean, if you have three cats telling you to get up, sooner or later you have to listen to one of them. I will admit, sometimes, I do not, but mostly , when the third cat gets involved, I know it is time to get up and face the day.
I know eventually we will return to a homeostasis regarding alarm clocks, morning risings, and the like. But meanwhile, I hope we can all be tolerant of our understanding of Daylight Savings Time, and what time we need to do to get up to go to work.
But, even when the bird noises were working, I used the snooze feature a lot. I do not think Sake liked it, but what could she do? Only so much.
For the last couple of years, I have had a regular buzzer for my alarm. Sake has developed great discernment, and has even learned that some mornings, when I shut the alarm off, rather than snooze (holidays, weekends) I am not planning to arise early, and she does not bother me.
Well, with the advent of Daylight Savings Time this spring, something has gone terribly wrong. For the last three mornings, Sake has taken it upon herself to wake me up an hour early. I think she got the spring forward, fall back message mixed up, and thinks we need to get up at what is now 4:30 AM but was 3:30 AM. The bigger problem is, the other cats have gotten involved. So, after Sake tells me to get up at 4:30 AM, about 30 minutes later, Haiku reminds me it is time to get up. And 30 minutes later, Taki tells me it is time to get up. As you might imagine, Monday morning, I slogged my way through this and did not get up until much later, about 6 AM DST. Tuesday morning, I got up earlier than usual, but not so bad. Today, I was wide awake at 4:30 AM and could not go back to sleep. I tossed, turned, and snuggled, but finally got up earlier than usual.
I will say that the third cat is the charm. I mean, if you have three cats telling you to get up, sooner or later you have to listen to one of them. I will admit, sometimes, I do not, but mostly , when the third cat gets involved, I know it is time to get up and face the day.
I know eventually we will return to a homeostasis regarding alarm clocks, morning risings, and the like. But meanwhile, I hope we can all be tolerant of our understanding of Daylight Savings Time, and what time we need to do to get up to go to work.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
News and Newspaper
As I am adjusting to my new lifestyle without a hardcopy daily newspaper, but more TV and online news, I am finding that in some ways, it is easier: I can have the TV news fed to me while I am doing other things, such as getting ready for work, feeding cats, doing computer chores.
In some ways, it is more difficult. I have to go to several web sites to get the information I want, and I am not sure I am hitting all the categories, especially in regards to local news, activities and events.
However, as I ate dinner with the book club members tonight, I realized that I had much more information about several current events than most of the members had. So, that was re-enforcing regarding my efforts. This is an adjustment, and I feel as if I am juggling several balls in an effort to stay abreast of local, national and international information.
In some ways, it is more difficult. I have to go to several web sites to get the information I want, and I am not sure I am hitting all the categories, especially in regards to local news, activities and events.
However, as I ate dinner with the book club members tonight, I realized that I had much more information about several current events than most of the members had. So, that was re-enforcing regarding my efforts. This is an adjustment, and I feel as if I am juggling several balls in an effort to stay abreast of local, national and international information.
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