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Post by Phalon on Aug 12, 2015 6:51:37 GMT -6
Well, bring in the stretchers then, because I pretty much blew it Monday evening...
Xena Sis was picking me up at seven to go prep for the open-door dinner; I got home from work at 6pm, had a beer out on the front porch with Hubs, and was going to grab something to eat before I left, but I got a phone call that lasted until Xena Sis pulled in the drive. After prep-work for the dinner, we went back to her place, had another beer and chatted for a while. It was a beautiful night to sit outside, and it was after ten when I got home....famished.
I hadn't eaten since a (kale) salad at noon, there was nothing good in the house to eat since I always go grocery shopping on Monday evenings, I ended up eating whatever little there was in the cupboards....which was a bunch of junk food LX buys. Blah. I don't know how she can eat that crap! And not weigh 200 pounds.
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Post by stepper on Aug 12, 2015 16:41:14 GMT -6
One evening does not destroy a diet - unless that happens to be Thanksgiving evening and dessert is chocolate cheese cake - which happens to have disappeared.
Teenage metabolism is amazing. They can eat good food and crap and it's okay - notice I didn't include kale in either category as that's filler as opposed to being food.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 14, 2015 6:16:41 GMT -6
...that evening Crazy Cheryl invites you to dinner. Did I ever mention that along with her corporate job, running a farm, doing the farmer's market on her day off, that she also on occasion, caters? She's an excellent cook.
Wednesday, she did pizzas on the grill - homemade crust, homemade sausage, and lots of fresh veggies. Oh, and extra cheese - three kinds. Hubs declared it the best pizza he's ever had, and I had way more than I should have. She made dessert too - strawberry French-sounding something-or-other, which we were all too stuffed to even try.
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Post by stepper on Aug 14, 2015 16:50:49 GMT -6
No wonder you find her so interesting.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 9, 2015 9:10:15 GMT -6
My hairstylist this morning: "I lost a few pounds, but I'm sure they'll turn up soon."
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Post by stepper on Sept 9, 2015 17:24:42 GMT -6
Maybe not - I seem to have come across a few somehow.
There's a new weight loss method - they have you swallow a capsule that is attached to a thin tube. In five minutes the capsule dissolves in your tummy at which time they inflate a "balloon" that takes up space in your stomach. You feel full sooner so you eat less naturally. After six months they reverse the process - they go down the throat again, attach to the balloon, deflate it, and remove it. No surgery required. The report said depending on the circumstances you can have up to three of them inserted, one at a time about a week apart.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 12, 2015 7:29:07 GMT -6
August was a bust. Too many parties and too many restaurant visits translates to too much food, and aside from work, too little exercise. Only saving grace is that I've also eaten a lot of vegetables from our garden so the scale is only up and down within three pounds like a see-saw - not too bad, I guess, but it's time to get back on track.
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 12, 2015 17:48:15 GMT -6
I had to stop exercising. My wrist decided to cry 'fowl.' And the rest of me did as well. Got a wrist supporter at Wal-Mart, and have been wearing it off and on. It feels some better, depending on how I move it. Will not be doing 5 minutes when I start again. Will start very slowly, like I did the first time at the beginning of the year. My knees don't bother me much either anymore. Think I'll give it a wee bit more time and then "off to the races" ... er ... "baby steps" ... yeah ... "crawling to the oldies."
Good news is I haven't gained any weight ... bad news is I haven't lost any either.
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Post by stepper on Sept 12, 2015 20:11:12 GMT -6
No comment.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 20, 2016 8:40:19 GMT -6
Did something that for years I've been saying I'm going to do, probably needed to do for even longer, and was imperative that I do since this summer, but I never actually got around to doing until this week.
I got my eyes checked. It had been nearly 15 years since I got my glasses (which I used to drive - and only when I needed to read road signs, or at night), and I haven't had my eyes checked since. Although it was obvious my vision was getting worse these last few years, it didn't bother me enough to make it a top priority. I lost my glasses this summer, though (weird because they never left my car unless I was driving one of our other vehicles), and figured it was time.
Bifocals (actually, progressive lenses). No surprise. But still...ack! Just a little ack, though.
Oh, and my yearly exam is next week. I really need to change the timing on this. After the nursery closes and I'm not getting nearly the exercise I get throughout the season, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas and New Year's - the seasons of eating; could there possibly be a worse time to get weighed and have cholesterol checked?
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 20, 2016 19:20:12 GMT -6
Yeah. You might want to change your yearly exams. I'm not too happy with my bifocals. I think they put them too high up on the lens. I really do need to get my eyes checked. It's been about three years since I last had them checked. My reading glasses even seem less effective of late.
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Post by stepper on Jan 20, 2016 21:27:50 GMT -6
Last time I went for a checkup they gave me two prescriptions. One for use while on the computer, and one for driving. I had progressives and liked them, but the military wouldn't make them so they gave me two. Next time I'll let them give me their el-cheapo's but I'll insist on a progressive prescription too. Then I'll have two made - one for work and one for home.
Strangely enough, even though I did nothing over the holidays to make it happen, seems I've dropped a few. The other day I was heading out and my jeans were a bit too large - I had to put on an older pair of pants that I'd outgrown a few years ago. Since it's just after the holiday food fest, it's a bit of a surprise. It got me thinking about what I've been wearing recently, and that's when I realized all of my pants that I wear to work are too large. I'm not complaining because it just happened - no work on my part. Now I'm just hoping it keeps going.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 29, 2016 8:23:26 GMT -6
Since you guys are used to wearing glasses, you're probably going to shake your head at this, but it seems I cannot get the hang of it! I've had them for exactly a week, and have really only had them on for more than an hour or so after wearing them the first two days - and felt nauseated the entire time! I look around and the room starts to spin. Walking down stairs - especially the front steps that don't have railings - is a nightmare. Reading is impossible. I just can't seem to find the "sweet spot" to focus on whatever I'm looking at through these progressive lenses, and the slightest move of my eyes, starts everything spinning again. If I keep my head still though, what details I can now see in the far distance is amazing.
Lucky you!! I'd be cautious though - if you continue to lose weight without doing anything, it might be something to mention to a doctor. Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of a medical problem (reminded of Ranger's weight loss and out-of-whack thyroid).
I ended up buying a few new pairs of jeans mainly because the ones I was wearing got trashed at work (hard to keep stuff looking nice when you work in dirt all day); while I was at it, I bought a couple of new sweaters too. I had on the new clothes, and fell under the scrutinizing eye of the youngest resident fashionista. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, wondering if my fashion choice was completely off the mark.
"You look different", she said.
"Good different or bad different?" "You look skinny", which of course prompted a "WTF do I look like the rest of the time then!?" response from me. She was right though - both the girls had been bugging me for months to ear clothes that actually fit, and stop wearing the baggy jeans and bulky sweaters I love. It seems I've dropped 20 pounds and an entire size this past year; I'm back in a size 4 - which is what I've worn since I was a teenager!
Gotta get back on track though; my yearly exam was yesterday. Since November I've gained 5 pounds of the 20 I lost back. Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised it wasn't more!
Now for my cholesterol, which is what prompted me to start all of this in the first place. I get that checked next week.
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Post by stepper on Jan 29, 2016 19:26:55 GMT -6
At first I was wondering just what the heck you were talking about - then I saw and I realized what was causing you the problems. I very much prefer progressives, but I made sure to tell them I spent substantial amounts of time on the computer (almost as much as you in the cemetery I bet) so they ground them "high" on purpose. Maybe I don't think about it because I've worn glasses for so long, but you have to adjust to what you are seeing by turning you head as opposed to just looking. I've heard people say it took them a week to adjust, but I don't remember anyone having vertigo. Have you mentioned this to your ophthalmologist? You might want to consider getting one of those stretchy glasses holders but pull it tighter - it'll keep your glasses snug so you have less opportunity to look with your eyes. You'll probably have to tilt your head back a touch to properly see the monitor, but EVERYTHING you look at should have a sweet spot where it's pretty much in perfect focus.
If?? I wonder where the jinx came from! I plateaued. If it's related to an out-of-whack thyroid I'll keep you informed, but it might take me a couple weeks, or months, to visit a doctor. It's not something I want to bring to a halt you know. I suspect that the real problem is that I've been lazy. We still have a lot of left over Halloween and Christmas candy, and I'm usually much more on the ball about keeping the supplies down.
You should have said "You should see me naked. Besides, hubs likes it." Then watch them blush.
If you prefer loose and baggy, that's the way to go. The only reason for you to even consider skintight is that Hubs is a fan. I can hear the customers at work now... "I want that potted plant over there put in the back of my pick up, but have her do it - the one with the painted on jeans. And I'll be back for something else tomorrow."
I didn't know it was that much - congratulations!
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 30, 2016 0:56:13 GMT -6
Congrats. I still haven't tried putting exercise in my days yet.
When my glasses made me dizzy I found they had the bifocals up too high. Next time I get glasses I'm going to make sure the bifocal isn't above the halfway point of the lens.
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Post by stepper on Jan 30, 2016 12:51:51 GMT -6
People get contacts that do the same thing. I don't know how they work, but can you imagine progressive contacts?
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Post by Phalon on Jan 31, 2016 8:23:53 GMT -6
That's it exactly. Driving home from the college was a perfect example. It was dark by the time I got to Grand Rapids, the highway is twisty, you look in the distance, then at the car directly in front of you, check the rear-view, the side mirrors, and maybe glance at your speedometer...all within a matter of seconds. I ended up taking off my glasses because it was easier to see without them.
Reading is worse. I've never worn glasses to see up close, and I just don't think it's "normal" to read half a line, turn my head however slightly to read the second half of the same line, then tilt my head a bit to read the line below what I just read. Not to mention it makes me feel like I have some kind of nervous tick moving my head all over the place.
Something just clicked writing that paragraph, btw - my boss complained about her new progressive lenses last fall (I didn't know what they were - I thought progressive lenses meant that they go from tinted to untinted depending on the light; hers do that too). When she sat at her computer though, she'd wear two sets of glasses - one perched on the tip of her nose, and the other pair above that, resting on the frame of the first pair. I'd laugh hysterically at her, but I kind of get it now.
Vertigo! I didn't think of it as vertigo until Friday when BP's friend's mom dropped her off for the weekend trip. She said she's been experiencing vertigo since she got progressive lenses about a month ago (like me, she only used glasses for distance before getting the new ones). When I picked up the glasses, the ophthalmologist said to give them two weeks to adjust; Hubs and Xena Sis said a month - less encouraging is the guy from our writing group who gave up on them entirely and went to bifocals.
Same.
LMAO. Seriously, Step??? How do you get skintight out of "clothes that actually fit"? And I'd venture to say that most women don't consider "pleasing their man" a reason to wear something uncomfortable....unless possibly it's that hideously ugly sweater they might put on occasionally because it was a gift.
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Post by stepper on Jan 31, 2016 21:17:15 GMT -6
Perhaps you should consider two pair of glasses - one for driving and one for reading. It might be easier and would give you a chance to get used to them. Progressives might be easier after you give yourself time to adjust.
It took me a day - maybe two - but no more than that. However, as much as I liked mine, they aren't for everyone. Your friend isn't the only person who had to give up on progressives.
That's easy - I'm a guy. I equate skintight with form fitting - not something that's squishingly uncomfortable from Victoria's Secret.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 3, 2016 7:06:16 GMT -6
I'm sure it'd be easier if I had worn my old glasses with any regularity at all - I'd go months at a time without putting them on, and even then, only had to wear them until long enough to drive from point A to B. The longest I ever wore them was the 3 1/2 hours it takes to get from here to Mom's house. I just didn't need them other than for driving long distances.
Same with the new ones - I haven't had them on since Sunday when I drove the kids home from LX's. And that's just my forgetfulness; I know I'll never adjust to them if I don't wear them, but I keep forgetting.
I'm going to post this here, because it does involve health, and may be useful information for someone.
What is the first product that comes to mind when you think of cleaning mold from surfaces? Bleach, right? That's what I'd think, anyway. Wrong, wrong, wrong!
LX's apartment is covered in mold - the bathroom is the worst, but the window casings in all the rooms have mold growing on them too. After returning from winter break, she figured out that's why she's been sick all year - her coughing and wheezing went away while she was home, but immediately returned once she was back in the apartment. In fact, both her roommates have been sick too.
Long story short, there is no recourse we can take, although the apartment management is well aware of the mold issue, not just in their apartment, but also throughout the complex. They even give each resident two-page detailed instructions on how to get rid of it, recommending over and over to use bleach.
I didn't know there was a mold issue until I went up there Friday; even while I was there, one of the girls was scrubbing the bathroom with bleach - something they do at least twice a week, LX says, but it always comes back.
She asked me if there was something else they could use, so I drilled when I got home.
First thing I found was that bleach is a known asthma trigger, which on top of the mold, is adding to LX's breathing problems, I'm sure. I never knew that because it's not often I use bleach.
And bleach doesn't even kill mold! It just cleans it from the surface - actually, it doesn't even do that. It just bleaches the color from the mold, so it appears as if it's gone. That's why in the apartment it keeps coming back - it was never gone in the first place.
White vinegar, on the other hand, kills the roots of mold, and will keep it from coming back because vinegar is acidic and mold won't grow in an acidic environment. Something so simple, and much less toxic than bleach and other chemical cleaners. Who knew?
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Post by stepper on Feb 3, 2016 21:58:41 GMT -6
Nuf said.
Which is also something you NEED to tell LX. In bathrooms for instance, it's necessary to use reason in the application of acidic fluids to things like grout because acid will remove the sealant coat and can actually cause the grout to fail, crumble, have gaps, let water through to the inside of the wall, rot the supporting studs, and other bad things. I'm not saying to tell her to forego the vinegar - she can even consider use of cleaning vinegar which usually has 6% acidity. Just warn her to not over do it. And, never use vinegar to clean granite, marble, stone, or eggs. For mildew and mold cleaning - we had a season where the weather just plain didn't allow a couple sides of the house to completely dry out. I opted for JOMAX which worked well (I used it outside only but it can be used indoors too) - you mix it with water and Clorox. I admit I thought the Clorox was a part of the mold killer formula, but perhaps it's purpose was to clean and even hide discoloration.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 4, 2016 8:26:12 GMT -6
Helpful information for sure, but in this case I really don't give a damn about whether or not the vinegar will damage surfaces in that apartment. Mold is the bigger problem. The girls are dealing with management that sends in maintenance men who used make-up removal wipes they found on the bathroom counter (although the maintenance men did apologize from using the girls' stuff), then called the problem fixed. The windows are so thin, it looks as if it's raining continuously...on the inside. It's not likely they're going to get their security deposit back anyway - apparently the place is notorious for charging all kinds of fees when the lease is up. They only rent to students, and I can see why - adults wouldn't put up with this kind of treatment.
The white vinegar bought in grocery stores (the kind Hubs got her - two gallon jugs of it) only has about 5% acidity, so I think we're good there.
Eggs? That's weird. Vinegar is...what would it be called exactly? A food product? A condiment? A cooking ingredient? Whatever it is, it's edible. Joxie drinks the stuff for goodness sake. It's also used to make Easter egg dye, so why couldn't you use it to clean eggs?
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Post by stepper on Feb 4, 2016 18:29:26 GMT -6
I understand. Remember our conversation last year about the bugs - the one where I still owe you an answer? This is pretty much exactly how I felt - bugs verses my body. There's more, but you captured the emotion quite well.
Sadly, I'm sure this isn't all that uncommon. One of the guys at work sold house's on the side and was doing quite well at it. When his daughter went to Baylor and wanted to live off campus they purchased an apartment/small home. She rented out the extra rooms to other students (so she had company) and after she graduated she sold it. It worked out that she spent less than if she had simply rented an apartment.
First, except that I also get the cleaning vinegar, I get the same stuff. You can get it as high as 8% acidic content but I don't need that. I believe each percentage point is significant though I don't "know" that.
The thought is that you have, essentially, some kind of raw egg mess. Vinegar reacts with eggs in a way that makes them harder to clean up - it sort of makes them jell. If they do this on the floor for instance, cleaning up can be a bit of a problem.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 4, 2016 23:03:17 GMT -6
My nephew showed me an egg they soaked in vinegar just the other day:
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Post by Phalon on Feb 5, 2016 7:41:46 GMT -6
Ohhhhh. I thought when you said not to use it to clean eggs, you meant not to clean eggs with it. As in cleaning eggs.
That's quite the nifty little experiment, Joxie. It looks like fun....except for the cat. I liked his typical cat-like reaction of total disinterest, like "WTF do you expect me to do with this? Let me go find something you specifically don't want me to play with instead."
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Post by stepper on Feb 5, 2016 16:39:54 GMT -6
I agree. I hadn't thought of it, but eggs shells are made of calcium carbonate. Vinegar leaches the calcium from the egg shell. I did something in Junior High about calcium in bones and to show what they'd otherwise be like, I extracted the calcium from chicken bones using vinegar. Saying they were pliable is an understatement.
It's like you read its mind!
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Post by Phalon on Feb 6, 2016 8:36:46 GMT -6
Cats never want what you give them; they prefer to seek out and destroy on their own.
Got up bright and early this morning, drove to the hospital half asleep and was in the lab as soon as they opened the door to get my blood drawn for a cholesterol check. One of those twelve hour fast things, and I didn't want to go for long without my morning coffee.
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Post by stepper on Feb 6, 2016 11:24:49 GMT -6
Ever notice that fasts are never, ever, fast?
We can all agree with that!
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Post by Phalon on Feb 11, 2016 6:48:50 GMT -6
Psst....I cheated. Well, not cheated on purpose exactly, but the 12 hour thing slipped my mind and I thought I read 'nothing to eat or drink after midnight', which I did actually read, but the box wasn't marked. My fast was more like 8-9 hours. I thought to hell with it though - I had the lab order for over a week, and if I didn't go when I was thinking about it, it would never get done.
Nurse called yesterday with the results - slightly elevated but within the normal range.
The normal range!
I've never been considered within the normal range since I first started getting checked when I was pregnant with LX.
There are two meanings in that thar sentence, I'm thinking.
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Post by stepper on Feb 11, 2016 22:18:02 GMT -6
While I was still active duty, the AF tried using this really strange aerobics measurement thing where you had to ride a stationary cycle and they increased tension, all the while measuring your heart rate. The process only lasted a few years and was a complete debacle. People who were in really good shape failed at a fairly high rate. The problem was the protocol included that your heart rate had to increase the way they expected, peak in the range expected, and drop in a specific range of seconds. The people in really good shape were usually out side of all expected heart and breathing ranges. Weight lifters almost always failed too. If you train in such a way that stress tells your body to kick into high gear, it will do so much more quickly than the "allowable ranges" and they failed. In my case, the first time I took it I failed too. Not because I was in particularly good shape, but because the rules also dictated that you not consume caffeine nor smoke some hours before taking the test. I was, at the time, doing a fairly good imitation of a chimney that swilled a pot of coffee every morning. The change in my routine completely messed up my system and I failed miserably. The next week I had to test again. This time I continued with my normal coffee routine and was taking a smoke break while on the way across the street to the gym for the test. Passed - well within limits.
You should have had a mocha latte on the way there. You'd have had even better results.
Since you already mentioned it, I'll say in passing that I agree completely, and I'll let it go at that.
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Post by stepper on May 10, 2016 17:01:06 GMT -6
Latest update on SIL.
'She is "liberated" from the ventilator. She is still on oxygen but breathing on her own. They replaced the trachea tube with the smallest one and will be testing her for breathing with no oxygen assist soon. Her physical therapy continues to improve slowly. She gets a little stronger each day. '
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