Healthy Living Thread

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, so far I’ve avoided curbs. I did stop at the grocery store on the way home though. I am getting braver to take my car places. That hurricane looks like a big, mean one and now they say it could circle back. Be safe! Too funny Charlie is heading out before the storm hits; I’d be giving him grief too. Sorry to hear you hurt your back and work was a bear this week. I hope you feel better and things get better for you at work.

Dee Jay, glad you let us know you made it to South Korea. You are part of the way there. I am probably restricted from driving through take outs from fast food. I’ve done some damage in those as well. Have fun! Mm brownie bites.

I had a strange day at work; lots of weird problems and questions. 2 more days to go. Marty decided to blow out our sprinkler system tonight and his air compressor wouldn’t charge where it needed to be so he paid Lowes a visit depleting our checking account of more money. It always seems like when we buy something other expenses come along. Oh well. I am in a saving mode now and hope to stay that way until the next time I look at sapphires. Ha!

We had burgers on the grill and veggies for supper. We sat in the driveway for a while figuring out how to use Apple Car play. Marty will probably run his iPhone like an iPod and I will probably use it as the iPhone. You can get your messages through car play but the phone only works from the touch screen not the dash. What is cool is both of us can receive calls in the car but only the first phone to connect can make calls.

Some of Marty’s buddies at work were giving me crap today trying to convince me there was a big scratch on my car, and said wow Porsche is cheap they didn’t even give you any bumpers.

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday (I think!) kids!

Rod, LOL on Charlie's timing -- personally I would rather deal with a hurricane than MY family any day!

Curby, the electriconics in these cars are a bit complicated. I drove Billy Ray for quite some time before I realized I didn't even have the surround sound on. Once I hit that button the music went from only OK to Carnegie Hall!

My friend and I are in a coffee shop taking advantage of the free wifi and clean bathrooms. We had a really lovely breakfast at the hotel and have been doing a little light shopping and general walking around today. I haven't bought anything yet but I can feel a purchase coming on soon!

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, LOL on spending time with family. Charlie's sister is spending the week with him and she's a nut job supreme. I know I'd rather deal with a hurricane over her. LOL

Glad you're enjoying the trip so far. I remember when we went to Hong Kong, wi-fi didn't exist, but finding clean bathrooms was a high priority.

Have a great time on your vacation! I'm sure you'll find lot's of things to buy along the way!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Rod, so far we've been lucky on the bathroom front, although we are carrying baggies of toilet paper around with us should the need arise! It's amazing the things we take for granted at home...

Yesterday I bought a really cool antique platter with dragons on it to put upright in one of the big openings in my bookshelves. I think it's about 16" round, and I'll see if I can post a pic from my phone. Now the challenge will be to ship the thing home and hope it gets there in one piece... My friend also got some things at the same place, and now we're in full-on shopping mode!

We also had a 60 minute massage yesterday for -- for FIVE AMERICAN DOLLARS. Amazing. We've decided to do that every day, ha ha!

It's 6:46 am here and I'm wide awake, although my friend is still sleeping. I was also awake from 2 to 3, but managed to eventually fall back asleep.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Platter!

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, for $5, I'd get two one hour massages every day! Yes I would. When we shopped in Hong Kong in 1985, things were so unbelievably inexpensive. We actually bought a hand carved solid rose wood dinning table, six chairs and a really cool bar and had it shipped back to us in Maryland. It was perfectly sized for our needs at the time, but wound up being sold years later when we grew into larger spaces.

The time change in Asia wasn't much of an issue as I recall. The time change coming home was awful. Really awful. I imagine you'll know what I mean when you come home.

It's raining now. The storm is going to stay away from Tampa and all we'll get are some outer bands and a bit of wind. The east coast of Florida is in for the potential for major devastation. I have a first cousin and her husband over there. I wrote her early this morning to invite them to come be with me. Sadly, her husband is quite ill and is in the hospital. She had to get her house as prepared as she could on her own and is now in total lock down in the hospital. I'm not sure her husband is going to make it.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I swear I use about 1/4 of the features these cars offer. Glad you found the surround sound in Billy Ray. I’m with you dealing with a hurricane is better than dealing with family - oh wait I had to hang out during a tropical storm with Marty’s family. Yes, a hurricane would be better. Good deal to find clean bathrooms and wifi. Have fun shopping. Great platter! A $5 massage is well worth it.

Rod, I think every family has one of those nut supremes. It makes life so interesting. I hate to hear about your cousin’s husband; I hope he pulls through. That is rough. It looks like Florida is only getting skimmed not directly hit. They are saying it could circle around and come back though. Stay safe.

Yes to both of you - clean bathrooms and toilet paper are very important and should never be taken for granted.

We had a bit of rain / light snow over night but none of it stuck to the ground. My car is pretty dirty though already.

Marty’s trip to Atlanta got moved to the day he’d be driving home from a strength training seminar in Omaha. I guess he is going to fly to Atlanta from Omaha, leave his truck at the airport there, fly back to Omaha on that Friday and drive the 8 hours home. I just know that day will be the first snow storm of the season. I am already nagging at him to get a winter survival bag in his truck. He ignores me.

We had BLT’s for supper. Marty buys uncured bacon and it wasn’t bad. We had some big tomatoes from my BIL’s garden which just screamed at me “BLT”. Marty even ate bread.

Tomorrow is Friday. Woo hoo. I know you don’t care Dee Jay since you are on vacation but Rod and I are excited.

Take care.
Curby

P.S. I can now order 5 letters on a license plate. Decisions, decisions. I could do CURBY, TBEAR, SNOPY, SPRKL, STARS.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids! It's Friday. Woo hoo!

Today seemed to last about 72 hours. Lots of weird problems, new projects - you know another day at the office. But hey I got to drive home in a Porsche. How bad can life be?

Today's is Marty's birthday. He says it's Friday. We had burgers for supper and Marty had a baked sweet potato and I had a regular (aka evil) white potato. We ran to the mall and are just loafing now. Marty has tee times at 10 both days this weekend. We are having dinner with friends tomorrow night and of course I'll be watching football and finding places to I just "have" to drive to and errands to do. I need to mail something and get cash - if you never hear from me again I hit a curb and decided it's best I vanish from the face of the Earth.

Have a fabulous weekend.
Marcy / Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

I had a lovely drive around town in my car this morning. I couldn't reach the ATM at the drive through - I am so afraid of hitting the curb I was too far away. Then I found the little hole where you put in a gas nozzle is tight but it worked - strange it's so small on the 3rd season of this model. I couldn't get my Apple Car play to play music for me. I tried it as a phone and as an iPod. Will have to mess with that more.

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend.

Curby

 

[Rod]

Marcy, I'm glad you're being careful with the new Macan. Keep it up!

Kind of a quiet weekend por moi. Charlie's in Oregon with his niece and sister. I slept in till 9:30 this morning, then just lounged around for a few hours. This afternoon, my brother and SIL came up and we went to the jewelry store to see what we could get for the last of my mothers jewelry. She had sold most of her better pieces a few years ago, but I had all these odds and ends in our safety deposit box and thought it would be nice to get something for it all. Was very surprised to find out one of the rings I thought was a cubic zirconia was a 1.2 carat old minors cut diamond. It wasn't really well cut, had no Culet and was at least a K in color, but it was a nice stone. My SIL decided she wanted it, so we determined a reasonable value for it (likely way less than it's real worth). She's going to turn it into a pendant in a halo setting in 14K white gold. I walked out of the store with $3,000. That's a nice little sum from some stuff just sitting in a box. It covers the cost of the leather sectional Natuzzi Sofa that will arrive in November. We went to a new trendy diner that opened a month or so ago for dinner and the food was good. I had a Grouper sandwich, which I always enjoy.

The rest of the weekend I'm completely on my own. I'm going to go get crabs for tomorrow's dinner.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy hello from Danang! (I've given up trying to keep track of what day it is, haha!)

Curby, I'm happy to hear your wheels are still unscathed!

Rod, that is a nice bit of change for some things that you didn't think had much value!

Yesterday we can to our second city in Vietnam. We're staying at a resort on the beach and the place is AMAZING. I think I've only stayed in one place I've ever liked more, which was in Bali. Yesterday we went into Hoi An and wanderd around and did some shopping at the night market. So far I'm seven scarves up -- but Vietnam is known for its silk and they are gorgeous and SO cheap here -- they are literally less than 10% of what they are at home! I'm also doing a bit of x-mas shopping. No more big things though! Did I tell you the cost to ship the damn platter home was gong to be THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR U$D?!? So needless to say I'm dragging it around with me... I'm being SUPER careful, and I reallyreally hope I get it home in one piece!!!

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, it sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Shopping in Asia is super fun. Charlie and I shopped till we literally dropped in Hong Kong.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids,

Rod, you are having a nice, quiet weekend. I think it’s great your SIL decided to keep your mom’s old miner’s cut diamond and put it in a pendant. It will be a very special piece of jewelry for her. Even better you walked out of the store with $3000. Good deal it will cover the cost of your new sectional. Enjoy your crab dinner tonight.

Dee Jay, I am glad to hear you are enjoying your stay in Vietnam. How fun to be picking up some beautiful silk scarves at a fraction of the cost. I know you are enjoying shopping. I don’t blame you for hauling that platter around with you.

We went to dinner at a friend’s house last night. I had way too much Freakshow (red wine) so I am not feeling too perky this morning. We had fun though.

This morning I am working on laundry and watching NFL RedZone. Such excitement.

Have a great day.
Marcy / Curby

 

[Rod]

Thanks Marcy. Yes a $3K windfall is nice for sure! Is Freakshow a brand of wine?

I'm afraid the hurricane made the crabs all go and hide. I went early this morning and the first batch they got in were tiny little crabs. They said they'd have some more come in at 1:30 and they were even smaller. So I wound up buying a couple lobsters at the grocery store. I had lobster and fresh corn on the cob. It was a nice dinner.

I'm getting ready to watch the 2nd debate. It's been interesting watching the Trumpler self destruct. I make no bones about saying I think he's VERY dangerous and I'm truly hoping more Americans have seen the vile man for what he is. I get some don't like Hillary. Vote for one of the independents if you can't vote for her. Just don't vote for a misogynistic, prejudiced, womanizing, tax cheating scum bag.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, Freakshow is a cabernet. It is pretty good wine. I didn’t get $3000 today but I did get $300. I got my reimbursement check from that Ding Monkey. I must say I am rather surprised it showed up.

That is too bad the hurricane cleaned out the crabs this weekend. I was reading about the tidal surge and how much water it can move during a hurricane. Wow! You did still end up with a very nice dinner.

I honestly don’t know want to vote for either candidate. I think both of them would be bad for our country and they both have a lot of undesirable baggage. Character and integrity matter to me and it’s not among their list of qualities. Instead of watching the debate on TV I pulled it up on Sling and used closed captioning. I wanted to watch their faces more than listen to what they said. It was a rather unique way to watch it.

The bosses are upset with my team for the mistake we made this weekend. They have to go in to work to do their on call work now rather than doing it at home and I am supposed to write them up if they don’t use or follow check lists. My bundle of positivity (can you detect my sarcasm there?) got nasty with a co-worker in front of my boss and he called her on it right now. She got all defensive and pouty. She said later she is sick of “this” and wants to find another job. Wouldn’t that be nice? One of the team was out of the office today so I’ll talk to them tomorrow. That will go over well. Of course all my troubles vanished when I heard that throaty vroom of my Porsche when I started it to drive home.

We had steak, rice and veggies for supper. I had a dish of slow churned vanilla ice cream with some chocolate sauce. Mm ice cream.

Have a great Tuesday.

Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City!

Rod, too bad the crabs went out to sea! Is Charlie back or is he still "enjoying" time with his family?

Curby, your employees need to pull of their big girl/boy underroos and do what they're supposed to do!

Yesterday we left Danang and came to HMC. After those few days in our jungle paradise this big dirty city is a bit of a shock! Our taxi driver last night took us from the airport down a back alley and tried to leave us at some hostel. Fortunately a guy who spoke English came along and got him pointed in the right direction. We were QUITE glad to finally arrive at the Park Hyatt! Did I mention we had a bat in our room in Danang? I opened the doors to the balcony one night and that sucker flew right in! My friend and I fled into the bathroom for a while but since there was no phone in there to call for help I eventually decided to be the brave one and go out there and open the door again. Fortunately he went right out, but I was not on board with being that close to jungle life! Today we're going to do some sight seeing and a bit more shopping -- shocking, right?! And I did McGyver a handle on the box that my big platter is in so not it's easy to carry around, which is good because it was pretty awkward before.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy another early morning flight kids!

We're currently at the airport waiting to board for Cambodia. HMC was fun and I took a ton of pictures, mostly of the mobs of motor scooters, haha. We did some sightseeing and shopping and I bought three beautiful strands of pearls (as did my friend -- and she wasn't even in the market for pearls!) as well as a couple of other things. Good thing I brought that extra empty duffle bag!

In Cambidia we've got a guide and we're going to see a floating fishing village and whatever else he's got on the agenda. Should be fun!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, a bat in your room? I’d be screaming like a little girl. Sounds like some places are nicer than others for sure. I have a friend how went to Vietnam (his friend is from there) and sent out the greatest slide show of his trip. I did eat rat. He told us about asking for ice and they picked up a tarp from which rats ran out and chopped off some ice for him. He drank things at temperature then. I remember all the power cords just hanging and draped everywhere. Glad you are having fun shopping. I can’t wait to see your pictures and pearls.

We went to supper last night with some friends. The 4 of us drank 2 bottles of Malbec and sat there and visited for a few hours. It was nice.

I had my talk with my team yesterday pretty much telling them they needed to use and follow procedures and check lists or be written up. I told them if their PA from last year said you needed to work on … and you still have that problem don’t expect to get the same rating. They didn’t say a word when I was done. Today they were very quiet, working hard, came and asked me some questions and this one task none of them ever do right showed up and the guy running the email box got out his procedure and did it perfectly. I went and told him great job. Hopefully this woke them up.

Marty is making crock pot lasagna for us tomorrow. I am anxious to see how it turns out. I want a quick and easy supper since the Broncos are playing at 6:25.

I drove my car in Sports Plus mode today - wow. It’s quick and doesn’t even sway in a corner.

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids. Day at work - ugh. Crock pot lasagna - delicious. Driving home with a big grin on my face - Priceless!

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[Rod]

Hey, not much to report. It's been lonely without Charlie. While I've missed him, Emi and Eri have missed him even more. They simply adore and worship him. He'll be home around midnight tomorrow night.

Work's been meh. I will close a deal tomorrow, which is good and means I can leave at 2:00 PM.

So glad tomorrow's Friday and the start of the weekend!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Fly by while we eat breakfast -- sunrise over Angkor away this morning.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, sweet that you closed a deal on Friday and got to go home early. That is so cute the kitties really missed Charlie. They will be as excited as you are when he gets home. I love it. I hope you have a great weekend.

Dee Jay, gorgeous picture! You must be having a great time.

I ran down to the Audi / Porsche dealer today to pick up our garage remote that must have been hidden deep in the recess of my A6. I thought I looked everywhere but I sure missed it. I told my SA I was going to beg for a complimentary car wash while I was there. They must not offer them because my SA pulled it in the car wash and washed it for me. He is a pretty funny and interesting dude. He likes to mess with me. He said he can’t wait until we trade it in because maybe he can afford to buy it then. I guess our SUV is the colors he’d want and has everything he’d order. He wanted to take it for a spin and get some rubber off the tires and when he pulled the car up for me he keeps revving up the engine all smiles. I had my Audi bear with me and it really cracked him up. He said he was too big to hang from the rear view mirror.

I ate lunch at my favorite place down there then drove home. I went grocery shopping this afternoon. Holy cow I must have been bored or hungry. I filled up the car and now i am working on laundry. Last night I picked up the house (Marty’s shoes, socks, books, magazines) and cleaned out the frig (his salad stuff is probably going to spoil while he’s gone).

I think I’ll rent the latest Ice Age tonight and have popcorn for supper.

Have a great evening and Sunday.
Curby

 

[Rod]

From Emi and Eri: The universe is right again. Daddy Rod is good 'n all, but man oh man are we glad to have Daddy Charlie home with us!!!!

From Rod: The universe is right again. Emi and Eri are great 'n all, but man oh man am I glad to have Charlie home again. The family being restored to the proper 4 of us is just perfect!

He came in on time last night at midnight. Fortunately, we live like 10 minutes for the airport, so I helped him get unpacked and then we went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night all 4 of us were nestled where we should be. We slept in this morning, then just lounged around. This afternoon we did some errands, got coffee at Starbucks and stopped by the leather furniture store to check on the status of the new leather sectional we ordered almost 3 months ago. It's on a container ship and they say it should arrive around November 9th. We'd never seen a piece in the dark blue leather we ordered and lucky for us, they just got in a large sofa in the same leather and it's really a beautiful color. Dinner tonight was Sushi as Charlie hadn't had any since he went to Oregon. Desert was Magnum ice cream bars.........We're going to get in the spa shortly. Like I said, the universe is right again!

Marcy, I'm surprised your high end Porsche dealer doesn't offer complimentary car washes. We can have our Mercedes washed 7 days a week for free down here. We usually go about once a week for a free wash. Yes we do!

I'm hoping I can get some crabs tomorrow. Maybe since the universe is back to normal, I can.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, glad to hear all is right with your universe again. It was made possible by Charlie coming home. Sweet. That’s great your sofa is on it’s way. I bet you are excited. That is very nice your Mercedes dealer offers free car washes. I don’t know if my dealer offers the free car washes or not - since I live 50 miles away I never bothered to ask. I can’t imagine they would turn me away. If they did I think I’d complain loudly! Were you able to buy crabs for supper today?

I had a nice day. I slept in then got around and headed out to my sister’s. She lives on a farm about 35 miles from us. She is a fabulous cook so I happily accepted her offer to come in time for lunch. She made pot roast with all the associated veggies, homemade gravy, homemade rolls, chocolate dipped strawberries and homemade chocolate cupcakes. I gave her meal my highest rating - it didn’t suck. We visited for several hours and then I headed home about 4:30. My sister is using my mom’s china as her everyday dishes. It was nice to see she is enjoying them. She also put out one of my mom’s butter dishes.

The state highway to their house is 2 lane (I know how quant) but my little SUV had no problem passing those annoying amateur slow cars.

My was way less elegant than my lunch - grilled cheese.

Marty’s strength seminar went really well. He needs to tweak some of his methods, eat more, gain some weight back to gain strength. I told him he was way too skinny. He really enjoyed the weekend. Good birthday present for him.

I am suffering from DWT - dreading work tomorrow. Porsche Therapy should help me get through the day.

Have a great Monday!
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy last day in Bangkok kids!

This is our final chance to buy whatever we haven't gotten yet... Although I can't even imagine what that would be at this point because I feel like all we've done is buy buy buy!

Curby, I'm astonished your dealer doesn't do free car washes!!!

Rod, glad Charlie is home and all's right with the universe again!

Ok, breakfast is done and off we go!!!

 

[Rod]

Marcy, your lunch sounds great and drive sounded fun as well.

DeeJay, vacations go by so fast, don't they. Buy buy buy whatever you see you want. It's not like you can go back next week and get it, right?

I got up and headed to the crab place this morning so I could be #1 when the crabs came in. I wound waiting over an hour for the owners to arrive, but I was indeed #1. Then I went back at 12:30 to get the crabs. They're not running as well since the storm, but since I was the first served, I managed to get the nicest heaviest ones they had and they were great. I have enough left over for dinner tomorrow night.

Heading to bed now. I have DWT as well Marcy. Not even my nice Mercedes gets me past having to start a new week. LOL

Have a great Monday.

 

[marcy]

Dee Jay, your trip is going fast. At least “last day in Bangkok” didn’t trigger some song in my head. It sounds like your extra bag for new stuff is going to be overflowing. I’ll be anxious to hear what treasures you found.

Rod, good deal that you did end up with some fabulous crabs for supper. Smile as you drive your pretty Mercedes to work tomorrow.

Funny farm story - I asked my BIL what their password was to their router. He laughed and said "who's going to steal it?" Good point when you live in the country.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

We have tropical storm winds here today but no moisture associated with it. There is snow on the pass near here though. Winter is coming soon to Marcyland.

Work was busy but not as bad as last week. I am trying to decide if I want to offer a job to a 19 year old with no experience. He appears to be a hard worker, has great computer skills but I am kind of worried about how he will fair with my negative employees. I told my boss I'd let him know in the morning.

I made myself a small batch of tacos for supper and have enough left for 2 lunches. Sweet. Today I dug deep in the freezer and found a baggie with some roast beef that I made in to a sandwich.

Marty made it to Atlanta. He said it is very humid there.

Have a great evening.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

I miss my cook. I burned my supper - not completely but certainly blackened in spots.

We are getting rain tonight so maybe some of that white stuff will be on the ground in the morning.

The thrilling moment of my day was finding out the Porsche dealer had not sent a check to pay off my Audi. Supposedly they contacted the company and are over-nighting a check to them. I am pretty angry. Grr. My account is now past due but it has a 10 day grace period so it should be fine but if something shows up on my credit report the dealer may hear some colorful metaphors out of my mouth. I am saving the few limited emails I got today to cover myself.

Have a great hump day tomorrow.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Rod, I took your advice about buying whatever I wanted with one exception -- and now I regret it! There were these cook old elephant bells but I decided to get a temple bell instead. They are different enough I should have gotten both, and by the time I realized it it was too late. I got a cow well instead, which is cool, but not AS cool.

Curby, that sucks about them not paying off your old car! My friend that I was traveling with gave up her Audi and got a Mercedes, and she was wacked for a lot of extra miles, so that cost her some $$$.

I got home about 4:00 pm yesterday -- welcome back to the good ol' U S of A!!! I stayed up until about 10:30, got up once at 1:00 to pee, woke again at 3:30 and read a book for an hour, and then got up for real about 6:30. I'm at work today and I'll do my best to stay up until a normal hour tonight so I should be back on track pretty quickly.

My house looks like my luggage exploded! I did all my laundry but there are souvenirs and bubble wrap and other stuff everywhere right now. I've got to get it all cleaned up by Friday though because I'm having the annual giant pumpkin carving party then. That's good though -- I will make be deal with all the stuff, ha ha.