Healthy Living Thread

[Dee*Jay]

Today's work product...ACK.

 

[marcy]

Hi. Happy Thursday evening.

Pumpkin Pie, some tricks I’ll use at night to prevent eating is I brush and floss my teeth, paint my nails, make a phone call, do something to distract you from the kitchen or food. I found that eating something sour like a pickle will keep me from eating something sweet. Pickles are low calorie and lots of flavor. Boredom, stress, tired, almost anything can trigger eating. Don’t beat yourself up, as long as you keep trying that is what is important. It’s funny that Dee Jay mentioned knitting I was looking at yarn tonight and thinking I should knit something.

Dee Jay, your notes must be in Russian or something; I can’t make heads or tails of it. Ooh there’s a surprise, huh? I have a “helpful” idea for your problems. Translate your calculation problems in to wine stories. If one bottle of wine serves 4 glasses of wine, how many people do you invite over if you want to drink the whole bottle yourself? See how simple that makes it? Helpful, aren’t I? That is very interesting that people who get up and get dressed for the gym have a higher percentage of actually working out than someone who gets dressed for work intending to go workout later. I had pizza for lunch too. Then antacid since the pizza seemed greasy.

We had a division luncheon today and had pizza. I had 2 pieces of ham and pineapple and thought of eating another piece of cheese but didn’t because I knew I was already full. For supper I met a friend at Olive Garden. I had a salad, a bread stick and ½ of an order of cheese raviolis. I will take the rest to work for lunch tomorrow. We had wine and split a piece of lemon cake.

After supper my friend and I walked around Michaels and Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was going to get some yarn to knit something but couldn’t decide what to make so I’ll have to figure that out before I go buy some yarn. I threw out all my yarn before we moved.

My parents got back from a quick trip up to the Colorado Mountains to see my aunt. My mom fell at home Tuesday before they left and hit her check on some furniture so she has a big bruise on her face. Poor thing. I asked her if she should maybe start using the walker to get around. She did say maybe she would try it. She is so weak and has such poor balance I don’t know if that would be better or worse for her. If she falls with the walker it might hurt her worse.

Well, I am going to go to bed early. I didn’t sleep well last night. Tomorrow I pick up Marty at the airport. Sweet.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Hi! Wow - I have a lot of catch-up reading to do. You guys have been busy.

We're officially in our new house. Woo-hoo! The last few weeks were absolutely crazy. Matt ended up having to go out of town for 2 weeks and got back last Thursday, we closed on the house on Friday and moved on Monday. Marcy-didn't that end up happening with you and Marty ...he had to go out of town close to your move? In all of the rush, Matt neglected to hire movers so my moving crew consisted of Matt, my 16 yr old nephew, my 11 yr old niece and me. The largest available uhaul was not large enough and we ended up making 2 trips, and we even left behind several pieces of furniture for staging purposes to be donated after the house sells. We had heavy thunderstorms the entire day we moved, which made it all the more fun. We started at 7:30 am and Matt and my nephew were putting together beds for us to sleep in at 3:30 the next morning. We were so exhausted! Food hasn't been good, but I sure have exercised. I have cuts and bruises all over, not to mention smashed finger tips and busted knuckles. If ever I get the big idea to move again in the future, someone must slap me.

Marcy-glad Marty gets back tomorrow. Yay! I hate to hear your mom fell again. Bless her heart, that has to be so frustrating for her and worrisome for you.

Dee*Jay-congrats on passing the audit part of the exam!! Awesome news! I'm going to have a big glass of wine tomorrow to celebrate.

Zoe-You're right. You have a great personality and it is their loss! I hope you get your condo problems solved soon. What a headache!

Hi PumpkinPie! I've been really frustrated with myself lately too. My husband is a junk food addict, and I used to be able to ignore his cabinet full of evil snack foods. Lately I sweat that cabinet has placed some kind of spell on me, and it's messing with my willpower. My problem is that if I eat one bad thing, I eat the whole bag of bad things. Enough is enough, and I will start doing better. I refuse to buy bigger clothes.

Hi Matata! I hope your family visit goes well. Pasta made by Italian relatives? Mmmmmmm.....

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Deegee, welcome to your new home!!! And thank you for having a glass of wine to celebrate my passing of audit. I will do my best to give you three more reasons to have a big glass of wine over the next few months!

Marcy, are you a good knitter? I'm really only able to knit and pearl (or is it perle?) and only in a straight line at that! For some reason though I have about 2 dozen sets of needles and a bunch of random yarn. Not even sure where it came from... I'm thinking I may have gotten it it a yard sale somewhere down the line... ???

I had a long complicated dream last night about taking the FAR portion of the CPA exam (FAR is the one I'm really worried about). I ran out of time before I could finish all the questions and was in a total panic. No... I'm not thinking about this too much...

After that I got up early and went to the gym. Did a good hour of cardio, but I really need to work some different arm things into my routine becuase ever since I hurt myself a few weeks ago I haven't been doing much on that front and the bingo wings aren't exactly attractive in sleeveless summer dresses.

This weekend There Must Be Grocery Shopping. Ug; how I hate it. Seriously though, I have NO FOOD. The CB and I have a date for Saturday afternoon to go to the "good" grocery store (as opposed to the little one near me, which is fine, but it has very limited selections on things that I buy a lot of, like Lean Cuisines). We're out of control here in Chi-Town -- going to the grocery store!

OK, off to the balcony to do some more multiple choice practice questions...

 

[marcy]

Happy Weekend!

Deegee, congratulations on being in your new home. Yes, Marty went on a couple of trips at the last minute before we moved and then within a week or two after we got moved in. Sorry to hear Matt had to travel as well at such a busy time. Wow, you guys had a rough day getting everything moved. At least it saved you some money. Are you enjoying your new place? Do you miss driving the interstate to work? Do you feel like you have extra time in your day since you don’t have to commute so far? I am sure things seem a bit weird still. It took me months to start to believe this was my new reality.

Dee Jay, actually I can definitely count knitting as one of my few skills. I started to knit when I was about 6 or 7 and can basically do it mindlessly. The basic stitches are knit and purl; the fancy stitches and patterns are combinations of them and a few twists, adds, deletes and yarn overs here and there. Now crocheting is a different story. I have to watch and count every stitch and feel fortunate if it turns out right. I am not surprised you are having dreams about your tests. You certainly have them on your mind all the time since you are a studying machine. Good luck at the real grocery store this weekend. That is one of my least favorite chores as well. I keep thinking of having our groceries delivered but I am too cheap to pay the $10 plus tip on that. Then again – I’d pay that for a glass of wine . . .

Work was long and painful today. I was very anxious to get on the road to DIA and pick up Marty. So far all of his flights out of London have been delayed between 1 to 2 hours and he barely makes his connecting flights. This time he gave himself a 4-hour layover. You guessed it – his flight left on time but then the connecting flight was delayed almost an hour. Since his flight was delayed I didn’t have to leave until after 6 so I picked up a cheeseburger on the way home, called my mom to see how she was doing, then headed to the airport. Traffic was heavy but at least moving. I actually used my nav system because I always miss this one turn going to DIA after getting off the toll road. It guided me through that spot easily so I didn’t have to circle around and try it again. I went in the first garage to park and that turned out to be quite a hike to the terminal but after being the car for 90 minutes the walk felt good. I hit the little PS room when I got there, went to the area where passengers come out, looked around and Marty was just coming through the door. What good timing.

We saw some amazing lighting coming home. Quite a nice show.

Marty already crashed after being up about 26 hours now. He plans on teeing off at 7:30 in the morning but we’ll see about that.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Happy Sunday!

Deegee, I'm glad you're settled in your new house. I can't believe Matt forgot to hire movers! That's a huge job to do on your own. How's he doing, by the way?

Marcy, I'm glad Marty's back home.

Dee*Jay, I'm sure you'll ace your next exam.

How are you doing, PumkinPie? I agree with what others were saying about not having trigger foods in your house. If I want something sweet, I eat berries, an apple, or a banana.

We just got back from picking up D's new desk. We had it painted black and we switched out the matching wooden drawer pull for a bigger silver one. It looks really nice. My parents gave us a printer/scanner that they weren't using anymore, so D's new home office is coming together nicely.

Other than that, we've just been hanging out at home. We did errands yesterday and laundry today. I finished a book and just began another one.

No job interviews on the horizon but I did just send out a few more applications. We're in a dilemma though. What would you do? Sorry it's long but I wanted to give you some background. Ok, so when my husband and I met, we were both living on the seacoast of our state, about an hour or so from where we live now. We loved it. After living there for 5 years, I got my current job, so I moved over here. D. followed me and we bought the condo we're fixing up. We always said we'd love to end up back on the coast again someday but I was happy in my current job, so we settled here. Plus, we live closer to my parents, which I love. Now that D. can work from home, he's not tied to a particular area anymore (although the hospital he works for is on the seacoast), and now that I'm out of a job, I'm not really either. D. wants to pack up and move back to the seacoast. As he put it, I can be out of job here or there but at least if we moved, we'd be in the place we want to be. (Although, to be honest, I love the neighborhood we're in now, but it's expensive.) It's expensive to move though, and there aren't many job opportunities over there. I haven't had one interview in the seacoast area, but I've had three here. What would you do? There's more to the story, but that's the gist.

 

[marcy]

Happy Sunday!

Zoe, since DH can work from anywhere, you both love living by the seacoast and it’s cheaper to live there then it does make sense for you to move back there. If you sell both condos and move you’d probably be money ahead. You may even find a new career; the unknown future can evolve so many different ways. You could get your name in there for substitute teaching while you are looking for something else. What does your gut tell you is right?

I am very sleepy this weekend - I think my allergies are getting my attention. With spring arriving so late here I think this is my usual April / May hay fever reminder. I thought I was waking up Marty about 3 this morning so I moved to a spare bedroom, couldn’t get back to sleep so it was a short night. He had no idea I left so I guess I wasn’t waking him up.

Marty played golf this morning and I met him at the golf course for lunch. We are taking my parents to supper for Father’s Day at about 5.

Marty is off to Brazil tomorrow and will be gone through Saturday. Boo!

Yesterday we went out for breakfast then dropped my car off to have the tires rotated and balanced. My car is riding like a truck with bad suspension. I guess I bent a wheel. Based on the snow drifts and road conditions around here for several months I am not really surprised. They are ordering in a new wheel for me.

While we were waiting for the car to be done we wandered around Lowes and Bed, Bath and Beyond. By the time we got the car back we were ready for lunch so stopped and had lunch at a new local restaurant then came home to finally get some work done around here.

Take care!
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Hello!
Dee*Jay-yes, give me lots to celebrate. Our new grocery store has a huge wine section, almost like a store in a store! I found yarn and crochet needles when I was packing. And then I found a half-way completed afghan and thought "oh yeah, I remember starting that..." I get sidetracked easily.

Marcy-We both took off last week, so I haven't made my short commute yet. I can sleep a whole hour later in the morning. AWESOME! We did our walk-through on this house the night before we closed. On the way home, there was a massive 38 car pile-up on an interstate bridge (Matt's coworker's car ended up underneath another car...she's ok though) that closed the entire interstate for hours and we had to find another way home. That pushed any doubts about us moving closer right out of our little heads. I had one bad accident on that road, and I just can't help but feel like it was only a matter of time before I had another. Matt has to go out of town for the week next Monday, and then probably again the week after. I definitely don't like the thoughts of staying here by myself so soon. Our neighborhood is so dark and quiet, and there are woods right beyond our back yard. I'm going to have every light on inside and outside of the house!

Zoe-hmmm... you definitely have a dilemma. What is your husband's preference? I'm with Marcy-what does your gut tell you? Matt and I truly believe we will be happy no matter where we end up. We loved our old neighborhood and we were about an hour closer to my parents than we are now, but our guts were telling us it was time to move and we will be happy living here. Thanks for asking about Matt. He absolutely hates his job, but there is only one competitor here. Nearly everyone who has left his company to go with the competitor ends up back with his company within a year. The craziness of our move last week helped him get his mind off of his job for a while, but he's dreading going back tomorrow. Poor guy.

Well, food today was bad bad bad. We went home to KY for Father's Day. I had a hot dog, potato salad, and 4 chess bars. I love those things! They're all butter, sugar and eggs but they're so good. I think my jeans are tighter now than they were when I put them on this morning. Tomorrow is back to work and back to a normal schedule. We went grocery shopping last night, and I plan to make dinner every night this week instead of eating out. No more excuses. Have a great Monday!

 

[marcy]

Deegee, that accident sounds awful. I am glad you won't be out on the interstate to get to work anymore. How wonderful to be able to sleep in an additional hour. That is PRICELESS. I keep hoping Matt will get more used to and accepting of his job but I know that is probably not going to happen. I only say that because I know what Marty went through. I sure hate to think he is so miserable with his job. Marty was gone more than he was home the first few months we were in our new home so I know exactly how you feel. Does your new place have a security system? That sure makes me feel better. Of course I wouldn't know what to do if the alarm ever does go off. Enjoy that short commute to the office tomorrow.

My poor mom is failing even more. Her cheek looks awful from where she fell and hit it the other day. She isn't eating. She only had soup for supper. She didn't really answer me if she hurts, has a headache or a stomach ache, just said she isn't hungry. She told me tonight is going to stop going to the gym. I don't think she does much there anymore but my dad drops her off. I think she probably needs to be in a wheelchair. I imagine a lot of this is depression. It is making me very sad tonight. My sister called and wanted to know what they are going to do about it but I don't think it's our place to butt in and tell them. I know her hearing is bad and getting worse; you know where they don't really answer your questions logically so they are answering the question they think you asked.

Well, I'd best get to bed. Monday is on it's way - ready or not!
Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Marcy and Deegee! I'm not sure it's that much cheaper to live on the seacoast. I guess it depends on what we find.

Oh, and we only own one condo. The one that's been having all the issues lately is the one we own. We're planning on putting it on the market in September. We're renting the condo we currently live in. My gut isn't telling me anything, and that's part of the problem. I can see both sides. As far as job prospects go, I've had interviews here in our current area, but nothing from the seacoast jobs I've applied for.

I'll try to be back later and reply to other parts of your posts.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Deegee, being able to sleep in for another hour every day -- WOO HOO!!! One of the reasons I live right downtown within walking distance of my office is becuase I like to stay in bed until the absolute last minute. I'm sorry Matt is still having such a hard time with his job. Is there anyting else he might want to do within the company that he would enjoy more?

Zoe, I agree that you should go back to the seacoast. Could you temp there? Or maybe this is an opportunity to do something else entirely. Is there anything you have always wanted to explore but never got around to? Or, here's a goofy idea: Go online and look at ALL the jobs available in that area and see if any of them appeal to you. Be completely open minded and maybe you'll have that "Hmmm... I might want to try that" moment.

Marcy, I'm so sorry to hear that your mom is not doing well. It is a delicate balance though, knowing when to step in. Does your dad ever talk to you about the situation? Sorry to hear about your tire. Ever time I hit a big pophole I think to myself, well there's another $1,000 for a rim...

I didn't work out either day this weekend because I have a bit of a sinus thing going. (We should just rename this the "What's wrong with Dee today" thread!) and my head is pounding. I really really hope it doesn't turn into a sinus infection, but I guess time will tell.

Last night I went up to to see a listing for a potential new client. They are pretty delusional about the market--one positive article in the newspaper and everbody thinks we're back to the hot times of 2004/2005. I tried to gently educate them and spent a lot of time compiling information for them last night and this morning. I suspect they will either decide not to move right now (which is the right answer, although they want to have another kid ASAP and they are already busting out of their current place) or they will find an agent who will tell them what they want to hear, list too high, sit on the market for a long time, and ultimately sell for what was reasonable in the first place. Either way I wish them well, but I'm not taking the listing.

Tonight I will try to finish the homework from section 5 of 6 for this part of the test (but I am so tired right now from not sleeping well last night, so we'll see... ) and then only one more section before I can start studying in earnest. Test two weeks from today--YIKES!

 

[deegee]

Marcy-I hate to hear your mom isn't doing well. I imagine she is depressed. Losing your ability to be independent and to do things has to be terribly hard. How old are your parents? Mine are 75 & 77, and mom has been talking about how they need to sell their house and property because it is too much to take care of, and moving into something small with no land or pool. Dad, on the other hand, is stubborn and refuses to admit they can't take care of it anymore. Sigh. Is your dad still able to get around okay?

Dee*Jay-Being able to walk to work would be awesome. I sleep until the absolute last possible minute too. This morning I got up at 7:20 and still made it to work by my 8:15 start time. At first I hated my super short haircut, but now I'm realizing that super short hair means more sleep! Matt and I intend to rely heavily upon the suggestions of our realtor regarding listing price for our house, as well as anything else she thinks we may need to do to get our house sold quickly. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the market here, and I trust her judgement. I know what we would like to get, and it falls pretty well in line with what the other houses in our neighborhood/community are selling for. We want to price it to sell.

Zoe-that is a tough call. When Matt and I moved to West Virginia 16 years ago, I decided not to look for a teaching job right away. I actually took a job in the trust department of a bank for a few years, and then went to work for the State of WV and never went back to teaching. I don't regret it one bit, although I will admit I didn't love teaching. I do think I probably would have stayed with teaching had we not moved because I spent 5 years of my life preparing to be a teacher! Plus grad school. Argh!

I did much better foodwise today. I had an egg beater & watermelon for breakfast, a kashi meal for lunch, and I made spaghetti and salad for dinner. For a snack I had a skinny cow chocolate bar and a handful of peanuts. I was kind of scared to use my gas stove because I have never used one before. I am not a cook, and the flames really freaked me out. No accidents and no fires - dinner was safely made. It's raining so no walk. With all of my extra time this evening, I did laundry, vacuumed the carpet on the 1st floor and ran the dust mop over the hardwoods, cleaned the kitchen, and pulled weeks in the landscaping. I'm counting some of that as exercise. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[zoebartlett]

Deegee, I hope Matt's coworker recovers and feels better soon. D. likes the neighborhood we're in but he tells me that he never really wanted to live in our city. Most of the towns around it are too expensive for us and at the time, we needed to live somewhere roughly halfway between my work and his (which are in opposite directions). Plus, there's really easy access to the highway, so that was a bonus. Now that he's working from home and I was laid off, we're not bound to that anymore. He wants to move. I'm just afraid of moving and not getting a job. Like I said earlier I think, D. says that there's a chance I won't get a job in either area, and since I can sub in both places, why not live closer to the beach? He does have a point. We need to make a decision soon though because our lease ends at the end of next month (and we have to let the PM co. know whether we're renewing or want to go month to month). Ahhhh, I HATE change.

Dee*Jay, I hope the clients you're meeting will take your advice. It must be frustrating to spend so much time working with others who end up not following through with what you (the professional in the field) think is best. You mentioned looking into other opportunities. My mind goes blank when I try to think of other things to do with my skills. I'm great with kids, and I'm certified to teach K-6 or work as a reading specialist K-12. I don't belong in the corporate world, I know that. I used to work in children's publishing, and although I learned a lot of interesting things, the business world wasn't for me. Maybe a social service agency of some sort? I have no idea. I'll stick with this for now at least and see what happens.


Marcy, I'm sorry your mom's health is failing. It must be hard to see her not doing well on her feet. Has her doctor recommended that she use a wheelchair or a walker more consistently?

I went to our 6th grade graduation last night. The kids looked so pretty/handsome all dressed up, it was cute to see. The parents did a great job decorating the gym. The funny thing about them graduating is that we still have school for 4 more days, so they're not really done with school yet. They're going on a hike for the day as a class trip, so that will be fun. When they get back, they'll be assigned classrooms around the school to help out as needed. That's always kind of fun for teachers because we get to "hang out" with kids we've had previously. D. is in hockey heaven because the Bruins won their game last night. Two more games to go. Cross your fingers if you're a Bruins fan!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Deegee, it's funny about short hair. When my hair was long (i.e., past my waist) it was the easiest ever becuase I would just wash it, let it dry (which took until about noon) and then put it in a bun. No real time spent after getting out of the shower aside from combing it. Now that my hair is short I have to dry it, use the curning iron a little, and then spend a bit of time messing with it to get that perfect not-messed-with look, LOL.

Zoe, I will see if I can come up with any other ideas for you in terms of working with children but not in the business world. You're probably right though that you're on the best track for you. I don't mean to complicate things, I was just trying to be helpful by suggesting other options. And I got an email from the people I met with on Sunday saying that based on our conversation they realize they aren't ready to move yet. Maybe there is hope for them!

I was pretty good with food yesterday (execept for that chocolate cupcake with peanut butter inside and killer chocolate frosting topped with crused up peanut butter cups ), but it was someone's birthday so I HAD to eat it!

In a moment of pure desperation last night I ordered $300 noise cancelling headphones, but I ixnayed the order this morning and will try some ear plugs instead. I ordered three different kinds (to the tune of $65) from a place that makes them for gun range use. Hopefully they will fit and do the trick or else I will then be spending $365...

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-my haircut lady cut my hair waaayyy too short. At first my short hair was taking much longer than my long hair in the mornings. I think my hair was in shock from the scalping, and all it wanted to do flip in all directions. I even bought a mini-flatiron but it didn't help. Now that it has grown for more than 2 months, it is at a length that all I have to do is dry it, put a little texturizer goo in and go. It's awesome. Matt has those Bose noise cancelling headphones for flights. I used them when I had to fly with an ear infection because I was in so much pain. I had ear drops & cotton balls in my ears and then the headphones, but I could still hear conversations. They were muffled, but that was probably from the drops and cotton. They only helped with engine drone. It's probably a good thing you cancelled your order!

Zoe-I hate change too. Sometimes it actually works out for the best though. 3 years after we moved to WV from OH because of DH's job, he was laid off. Right after he lost his job, I was laid off too! Both of us were hit by reduction in force layoffs at the same time. We both ended up with much better jobs and have been with them for the past 13 years. (Although Matt might be thinking differently about his job right now.) I know you're frustrated. I like to have everything planned out, and uncertainty drives me insane.

Today wasn't a great day. I woke up especially achy this morning so I decided to go in to work late. I skipped breakfast and had leftover spaghetti for lunch. After work, I had the bright idea to run to Lowe's to pick up another ClosetMaid shoe organizer. My credit card was declined. Great. I called the credit card company, and they turned off the credit cards because we had submitted an online change of address notification on Friday. On Friday right after we submitted the request, we received a phone call from them verifying that we did indeed request to change the address on the account. Even though we answered a bazillion security questions then, for whatever genius reason, they decided to place a hold on our account and lock the card. Of course, I hadn't activated my debit card so it was declined. I tried a check, but the register was completely locked up by then. I called bank to activate my debit card and got the purchase through, only to find out when I got home that the stupid organizer is missing a side piece. AHHH!!!! I was so aggravated that I had a hot dog and vanilla shake for dinner. Oh well. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Deegee, what a PITA about your credit card. I really hate it when stuff like that happens and you're completely at the mercy of some "organization" to get it all worked out. My earplugs should arrive by the weekend (I paid almost as much for expedited shipping as I did for the damn things!) so if the weather is nice maybe I can sit out on my balcony and do some studyin without the distraction of all the city noise (which typically I love, but right now, not so much!

I was pretty good foodwise yesterday and didn't even alow myself any wine last night becuase I wanted to get at least the first half of the last video lecture done. Today after work I'm going to see an old client who renovated her condo while I was in KC, and then I'm going to meet a new client for drinks.

My plan at work today is to finish something I've been working on since I pretty much walked in the door, so it will be GREAT to get that off my plate!

 

[marcy]

Hi. I'm alive. Will try to catch up tonight.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

Zoe, I know most of the beach areas I’ve been to (which are few) seem pricey but of course they are tourist places. Darn that your gut isn’t telling you anything on your decisions. I like to do pro and con lists to help make decisions. That is probably a good thing you would only have to sell one condo if you decide to move.

Dee Jay, I hope you don’t have a sinus infection. They are miserable. Sorry to hear you had to meet with some delusional clients, can I give them my realtor’s name? Get this; we got our sod and trees on June 5, on June 7 the local title company sent our realtor a piece of paper to sign to confirm with us that we got our landscaping installed okay and we were satisfied with it. They wanted to release the funds in escrow. June 15 my realtor emails us asking us to say yes or no to release the funds. I respond 2 minutes after the email arrives. Yesterday the builder emails me and copies my realtor wanting to know if we are okay with our landscaping because our realtor hasn’t heard from us to release the fund. WTH? I found my response and forwarded it to EVERYONE that I didn’t get the email until Saturday and responded right way. Sigh. Woo hoo for being on Section 5 of 6. Why do you want to completely block out noise? At the gym while you study? Marty has those Bose noise canceling head phones and likes them but they do only muffle sound not cut it out.

Deegee, what a hassle with your card. We still have issues because our address is new construction and no one can find it. My parents are 85 and 86. I hope your parents decide to get a place easier to take care of; it’s a rough decision. My dad does still get around pretty well but I worry he’ll hurt himself helping my mom. Do you have a nice walking path, area at your new place? I hope you are not so achy anymore.

Marty is in Brazil this week - home of the local riots. Aak.

My mom fell again on Monday. My dad had to call a friend to come help him and he barely got her up. Monday night my mom was crying when I called her and she said she thinks her bad knee is why she falls so she wants to get her other knee replaced. Tuesday I stopped by after work and had prepared a list of questions about okay you guys can’t continue to live this way and what can we do to fix it. They had company so that kind of ruined my plan but my dad did mention he intended to call someone to help get my mom up and get her to bed. So I never said anything. Today my dad called me and said my mom told him she wanted to go to the hospital. He had someone help get her in the car and then took her to the emergency room. They did find a urinary track infection, high white corpuscles and high calcium. They put her on an IV for dehydration and with antibiotics. The other symptoms could be a sign of a kidney failing, or some type of blood infection / cancer. Again in listening to her list of medications I am wondering if she over medicates herself. I noticed that before after her knee surgery.

The OMG moment was when we went upstairs to her room. They put her in the room Marty’s grandmother died in 2 years ago. I really freaked out. I texted a good friend and she was there in like 30 minutes making sure I was okay. She said since Marty is out of town it’s her job. I really appreciated her checking on me.

So overall I think this is for the best. They will check her out and evaluate her health, strength and needs.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-our new neighborhood is so peaceful, it's a little freaky. I sat on the deck this evening with Lily, and the only sound was birds chirping in the woods behind the house. I will be spending lots of evenings out there reading. At our old house, I had a porch full of kids the minute I stepped outside. Kids and adults had 4-wheelers, motorcycles, golf carts, and all kinds of other noisemakers running up an down the street all evening. I felt like I lived on a city street! I hope your visits with your old and new clients went well.

Marcy-Your realtor has been awful this whole time. Geez. I'm thrilled with our lady. She has really been on top of everything. I think she must be the busiest realtor in this area because she sold a bunch of Matt's coworkers their houses. Everyone has great things to say about her. I completely lucked into her (and this house) by going to an open house for another house I had been watching for months. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. You're right, she's probably in the best place she could be right now. They'll find out what's wrong. I hope they'll recommend cutting back/out some of the medicines if she is over medicating. That in and of itself can cause a lot of problems. That is completely crazy that they put her in the same room as Marty's grandmother. I'm glad you had someone there who can check up on you. I'm sure that's comforting. I hope Marty's trip won't be for too long. Our men. Sigh.

Nothing much to report today. I had a hamburger for lunch and made pizza for dinner. My half was veggie. My back is still really achy, so I tried to take it easy tonight and not do much of anything. We took Lily for a walk. We don't have as great a walking path as we used to. We'll find one though. Tomorrow is WV's 150th birthday, which is a state holiday so I'm off. Yay! There are all kinds of festivities planned throughout the weekend at the Capitol, which is about 15 minutes away. We'll definitely attend the fireworks show! Have a great day tomorrow.

 

[zoebartlett]

Marcy, I'm sorry your mom fell again. It's probably a good idea to have a plan in place in case something happens again. I hope she feels better soon. How nice of your friend to check on you when Marty's away!

Thanks Dee*Jay! Oh, and I've thought about this for a while, so don't worry, you weren't complicating things at all! Oh, and I saw your thread about head phones. I use bright orange ones that I picked up at the drug store or Walmart, probably. I don't remember the brand, but they're similar to the colorful, tied-dyed looking ones in the other thread. I don't use them often, only when we go away, but they work well.

Deegee, funny, I had credit card and debit card issues the other day, too. It's a pain to deal with.

What is it about hot dogs in the summer? I've probably had my fill already -- grilled hot dogs, grilled buns, a little ketchup, and fries to go with it. I need to stop. Other than that, food has been good, and I've stuck with my usual diet of berries, apples with pb, brown rice or whole grain medley, bran flakes, yogurt, turkey, ham, salmon, and the occasional piece of chicken or a burger. I need to add more things.

 

[deegee]

Zoe-did you find out if your cat had thyroid issues? I agree with you about hot dogs. We had hotdogs the other night on English dog buns with sauce and slaw. Yum.

Hi Marcy! I hope you're getting some answers with your mom.

I had a good day off today. My back has been aching pretty bad, so I decided to do as little as possible. I got two loads of laundry done, pulled some weeds, ran the dust mop again (cats are shedding), and that's about it. I can't wait until we sell our house so I can hire a landscaper and cleaner again! Matt tells me to stop being silly, but I'm cutting out those luxuries until we sell the house. The 2 house payment thing really freaks me out. We meet with the realtor on Saturday to get our house listed. I had a leftover slice of homemade veggie pizza for lunch, and pork roast, couscous, and veggies for dinner. We were going to go for icecream this evening, but Matt was exhausted after mowing the lawn. We have lots more to mow than our old house, and the front hillside is killer. I can see us hiring a lawn service, but not until we sell the house! Have a good Friday.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Deegee, I know what you mean about not partaking in the luxuries until you are out of double house payment land, but (and here is some unsolicited advice, so feel free to stop reading now), think about whether Matt is going to be miserable cutting all that grass. You don’t want him to be so unhappy about that that he resents having moved. In the beginning it’s especially important to be happy in your new space!

Zoe, I think the earplugs you use are the same ones that other people recommended on my Hangout thread, but I just can’t get the foam ones to stay in my ears. Oh well, at least the ones that came yesterday are great, so I am living in a world of blissful silence! My fear is that I will get hooked on them though and go through life with earplugs in because there is nothing I love as much as SILENCE!

Marcy, it was so nice of your friend to come to the hospital when you found out what room your mom was in. Do you think there is any merit to your mom falling because of her bad knee, or do you think that’s an excuse? Family issues like this leave me totally drained so I wish you the best in dealing with this my friend.

There is this strange phenomenon where on the days when I work and my alarm goes off at 6:40 I keep snoozing until 7:00, but on Thursdays and Fridays when I don’t work I always wake up before my alarm and pop out of bed (6:25 this morning). Then I sit around and drink coffee and cruise PS and the other sites for an hour so I’m not really gaining anything, haha.

I had a good workout yesterday and was also decent on the food front (except for that glass of wine I had to have!). I finished the last of the lectures for my class in the morning and then started to review the material from the beginning last night…only to realize about 9:00 that I never did the homework from the last chapter. Damn. So I made it through all that before I would allow myself to go to bed.

This morning I am going to clean my apartment, which I’m counting as the day’s exercise. There is a water aerobics class at 10:00, but it’s just not warm enough here yet for me to want to put on a bathing suit and go splash around in a pool

 

[deegee]

Hello! We had a busy weekend, running around getting things done. We met with the realtor yesterday and today, and she priced our house right about where we were hoping. Keep your fingers priced that we get somewhere near it, and soon. Food this weekend wasn't bad and we're getting ready to take Lily for a walk. I'm slowly getting back into eating better and exercising. We went grocery shopping today and bought lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Matt will be out of town this week, so I'm on my own.

Dee*Jay-you're right. I had to convince Matt that it was a good idea to move and I certainly don't want him coming up with reasons why it was a mistake. I'll talk to him about the lawn service.

Marcy-how are you doing? How are things going with your mom? You & your family have been on my mind this weekend.

Hi Zoe!

I'm off to take a walk. Good night!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

Deegee, you will thoroughly enjoy your deck and peaceful neighborhood. Happy Birthday WV and you get a day off to celebrate. Sweet. Your realtor sounds great; I hope she gets your old house sold quickly. I am sure mowing your yard is quite a project; it looked big in the pictures you posted. Good idea about getting a lawn service and I will voice my unsolicited opinion to get someone to help you clean house too.

Zoe, I am not a hot dog fan but they are a definite must in the summer at a BBQ. Now I am hungry for one. Is your husband all situated in his home office now?

Dee Jay, that is wonderful you like the earplugs you got. I am with you on work days and the alarm, I am a bad at hitting the snooze button too. On the weekend I am often awake before the alarm would go off. I try to go back to sleep on those days and it never works.

Thank you all for thinking of my mother. I made sure to be there today when the doctor came around and here is what we know. My parents did not quite get the entire or correct story at first. When she checked in to ER her calcium was at 13.4 and its now back down to 9.6 (normal is 6 -11). Her kidneys were in renal failure and they have improved to a point but not gotten better or worse since then (which he feels is a concern). Her hemoglobin is 8.9 and normal is 13 – 16. Her platelets are 62,000 and normal is about 80,000. Her white blood cells were 35,000 in ER and now they are 48,000 – normal is 5000 to 10,000. An oncologist did run tests on her Friday but the doctor did not have any results yet. I think they are taking a bone marrow sample tomorrow. He is mostly concerned about her blood and what’s causing those problems. He tested her strength today and was quite concerned about how weak she is and was kind of stunned my dad has been her only help at home. The doctor did say he’d call me tomorrow with his daily assessment. My parents are both hard of hearing and forget what the doctor tells them. I write it down. Her breathing is bad too but she has pulmonary hypertension so her lungs are in bad shape anyway. She slept a lot today but seemed a bit more engaged and alert tonight.

Marty made it home yesterday but had quite the ordeal getting here. He ended up being in the sea of protesters blocking the highway and airport at Sao Paulo. He left for his 45-minute cab ride to the airport about 2 hours before he needed to be at the airport. Pretty soon he along with all traffic was completely stopped. His cab driver did not speak English. After being in the cab about 90 minutes and already too late to catch his flight he decided to get out and walk to the airport. He saw other people doing the same thing. He thought he was about a mile away. It turned out he was about 3 miles away and he soon found the riot police and thousands of protesters who were blocking the highway and headed towards the airport. He ended up walking through the protesters and had to show a boarding pass on his phone to get through police lines at the airport. The protesters weren’t violent but some of them talked to him; one guy wanted him to say whatever it was they were chanting, a few of them pointed at him, the sky and shook their head like not going to happen and one guy tried to interview him and recorded it on his phone. He says now if he’d know he had to go through all of them he would have gotten a hotel and waited it out.

He gets in the airport finally and all cell lines are busy, the united lounge is packed so he is setting on the floor trying to reach United to get on another flight and his phone is almost dead. He finally got on the flight to DC and then found a flight to Denver from there. He was glad to get home. He should be home for 2 weeks now and I hope he doesn’t have to go back to Brazil until these riots and protests are over.

Food was bad this weekend but I plan on being good tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

These are not Marty but they are from the Sao Paulo newspaper.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Deegee, here's to cheering for a fast and easy close on your house! And I hope I didn't sound bossy about Matt and the lawn care comment -- you never know how things come across on the internet becuase there's no "tone."

Marcy, what an experience Marty had getting home! Once your mom goes home from the hospital do you think she would agree to having someone come in to help her in the house? That might be a tough sell but it sounds like a little assistance would do a bit of good.

So this weekend was terrible food wise (I can't even bring myself to list all of the bad things I ate!) and I only worked out on Saturday becuase I kind of tweaked my back and I was really afraid to screw it up in a major way so I skipped Sunday. My studying also went to hell. My *excuse* is because they are doing some construction close to me and the THUNKTHUNKTHUNK of the pounding in of the pilons (sp?) is not only crazy loud but you can actually FEEL it. I lived through it all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then on Sunday I was so thrilled not to have it... only to look out the window as some giant helicoptor zipped right by and spend the next eight hours lifting mechanical equipment on top of the Merchandise Mart right outside my windw. ARGH.

I've got to have a four day power study Thursday - Sunday this week since the test is on Monday and I'm either going to come into my office on those days and use "the lounge" (which is an area on another floor with a pool table and club furniture that I've never even seen anyone in) or go to the Northwestern law library, which I have access to as a Northwestern alum. I might split it up and do two days in each place just for variety. Woo woo, the excitement abounds!

 

[Matata]

OMG OMG OMG. Just got back from my hometown of Pittsburgh. Everything I ate was white -- pierogies, potato pancakes, pasta, pizzales. Only gained 1 pound but I am bloated beyond belief.

DEE*JAY -- you were right about the Wise potato chips being tasty but not as crispy & dark as when we were young. HOWEVER, I found these http://www.herrsstore.com/herukech2oz.html and plan on having them shipped to me. They Are To Die For.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

Dee Jay, how awful to have all that noise around you. I would have to watch the helicopter though. Marty hears the construction around here but he just cranks up his music. Of course he isn’t studying. Yes, he did have quite the ordeal to get out of Sao Paulo. Is your back any better? I hope so. Good luck with your power study days. You’ll ace your test on Monday. I have faith.

Matada, it was a white food weekend, huh? Did you have fun?

Well, my day wasn’t bad; today could have been better. I kept trying to reach Marty to cook supper for us but he was outside NOT having fun staining our deck. I got home, cooked us a quick hamburger / noodle dish and had with raw it veggies and some cottage cheese then I left for the hospital. Before I left though I gave an aggravated Marty something to be REALLY happy about. When I got home the garage door was open. I had NO idea why it was open so I shut it. When I came in the house I saw him outside painting so I went back and partly opened the garage door. He comes in all irritated because the paint gun he bought had run out of stain and just spit a bunch of stain on the house so now he’ll have to paint the house. He wants some old towels for the back of his truck but we just moved – I don’t own such things right now. So he grabs his telescope drop cloths to go get more stain and somehow doesn’t notice the garage door is not open all the way and backs his new trucklet in to the garage door. So now the garage door is bent (just a little) and his truck is scratched right above his rear window. He was definitely angry then. Sigh.

I took off for the hospital and was there when the oncologist came in. They moved my mom to the rehab floor. They doctor today put it this way to me “there is no medical reason not to move her there now”. She still has her infection and the blood issue is still unresolved.

The oncologist said he doesn’t have any answers yet and a test he ordered was not taken so they drew blood for it today and submitted it. He should get the results back Thursday or Friday. Depending on what they shows he may or may not need a do a bone marrow test. He did ask if she has some form of cancer or leukemia if she would do chemotherapy. She said probably.

Her rehab will be both occupational and physical and will start tomorrow.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Matata - you evil creature! Those chips look DIVINE!!! $23.76 though...? How many bags am I getting for twenty four bucks? One? A case? Other???

Marcy - OH NO on the garage door and the trucklet! That is totally the kind of thing I would do so I completely empathize. I am hopeful there will be very good news about your mom soon and that the therapy will do her a world of good. Keep us posted.

My plan yesterday was to stay at the office and do a ton of practice tests deep into the night... and then one of my rental clients had some issue with leaves clogging the gutters and standing water. I was about 100 yards from his front door and the sky OPENED UP. I had an umbrella, but was totally soaked by the time I got there. And then I had to go out on the dame roof in the rain to look at what was going on. Seriously.

The end result was my exhausted self falling asleep on the couch at 8:40 and not getting up until 7 this morning. Dammit. I did about 30 questions this morning when I got here, but I really need to step it up over the next six days.

Food was only OK yesterday, but the scale is being oddly kind. I'll take what I can get!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

Dee Jay, what a hero you are to go to your client's rescue. I hate to get caught in the rain (for fear of melting ). I am sure you needed a nice long nap. You'll catch up on your studies.

My day was mostly better than yesterday. I got to work and my car squawks that the tires are all under-inflated. They put nitrogen in them when we bought them so maybe they put air in them when I got the tires balanced and rotated. After work I get here with food and no Marty. I used my "stalking" app and see he's playing golf. I text him and he calls me that he apparently agreed to play golf in his tournament today so he wouldn't be home till later. His supper went in the trash, I ate and headed to the hospital. My mom was a little more alert tonight. She did help dress herself and give herself a shower. They had her use a walker and walk out to the hall and back. My dad is exhausted.

I came home and picked up the house since the cleaning lady comes tomorrow.

Off to bed - even early!

Take care.

Marcy