Sunday, July 30, 2023

Another steamy one here. We will probably go to the beach club this afternoon. Hopefully there will be some ocean breeze though it seemed like there was very little yesterday.

Yesterday we were able to move the sleep sofa from the bedroom to the living room. Those things are so heavy. We had to stand it on end to get it through the hallway. I am amazed that we managed it on our own. Today I want to rearrange the furniture a bit as the current arrangement doesn't seem right.

We did see a dolphin last night apparently feeding on those fish that were snapping up the bugs in the morning. Nice to have that circle of life on view right here.

I forgot to tell you that when I saw my cardiologist on Thursday I found out my weight was essentially the same as it was in June last year. I may not have lost but at least I am stable even with all the travel. My cardiologist was pleased with that and in light my BP also being mostly stable (on lots of meds), and my normal echocardiogram and EKG is releasing me to be followed by by PCP unless something changes.

I have been trying to cut back on snacking and make decent choices for meals lately so maybe I will lose a little more time over time ala Peps method.

Time to look for my reading glasses. They are like pens used to be - constantly getting lost. Good thing I buy them in bulk over the counter.

Have a sunny Sunday!

Liz, great news from the cardiologist! I like your plan, you have clearly mastered the art of maintaining with a hectic schedule, so your plan to make small tweaks sounds so doable. Take care with your shoulder while moving furniture!!!

Diane, good to hear your DH is feeling some urgency now. Hope the shelf gets removed from your bathroom ASAP when the project is done. I get anxious when something has to be stored on my porch temporarily. It's my clutter free sanctuary...

Discussion about pathologizing and high need kids. I see both. I've had parents who insist their children qualify for special education even though extensive testing shows no deficits or qualifying criteria. If they lawyer up, the district is just going to back down. Then my struggle is to come up with appropriate goals and interventions for a student who doesn't have a learning disability, while fielding a million emails and calls from their out of control parents, with no real help from my administrators. (They're in the same bind too). But the worst is a student who has desperate mental health and learning needs, that can't begin to be addressed in the setting that I teach in... Parents are either not on board and think their kid is fine, or they are desperate, hoping I can come up with some great plan that will solve everything... So I spend a good part of the year trying to convince everyone that we need a different setting for this student, while doing the best I can for them. And even if I can get them into a more structured program, some of the issues I've encountered are so intractable. The lack of mental health support for adolescents is a disgrace, and has to change.

Had a lovely evening out with our friends. Over the course of 5 hours I had 3 mixed drinks which is A LOT for me, I did sleep really well. :) Feel fine this morning, and enjoyed reading the Sunday paper at home for the first time in many weeks. I am really enjoying these unstructured days at home between trips. Getting things done, but slowly. And lots of reading.

So more of the same today. Puttering around, taking care of things, reading. I like it.

Here I sit procrastinating.... I have puttered about today with little accomplished other than playing solitaire, feeding dogs, making the bed, showering, and making a post church brunch for Ron and me (which I am going to say I totally rocked. I made a blueberry compote that was perfection!).

This evening we have tickets to see Oppenheimer. I am seriously hoping it is not disturbing enough to affect my sleep. Sometimes powerful movies and books invade my sleep. I remember in 1999 watching Titanic for the first time being haunted by the sheer number of people who drowned/or otherwise died in that disaster. I had dreams of children trapped behind the steerage level gates being swept away by torrents of icy cold sea water. Same thing happened when I read the fictional City of Thieves. Perhaps it is because my mom lived through WWII and shared with me her German child perspective of the horrors of the war and post war years.

Been thinking a little about weight loss since Friday. I think I am ready to step it up a bit and explore what I am willing to give up to create a calorie deficit. One thing I have to be extremely careful of is the inclination to cut out nutritious food to accommodate sugar laden, or other non nutritious foods.

I had a little celebration today... Several YEARS ago I bought some shorts from LL Bean. I should have returned them because they were too small, but I didn't. They have been sitting in a bottom drawer for probably 4 years (maybe more????). I pulled them out today to see if they might be a good size for my dad who needs some larger waisted shorts and pants. (He hasn't gained weight, but hasn't exercised and things have "relaxed"...) Well, I looked at the size and thought, Hmmmm..... I wonder. Hot damn, the shorts fit. A teensy bit snug, but only so that I would notice. So, clearly far to big for my dad, but a proud moment for me.

The other little celebration I had recently was on Friday. It suddenly struck me that it was the anniversary of the day I stopped smoking! I am quite proud that I became a non smoker. I had really come to terms with the fact that I would never be able to stop and am so grateful that I was able to stop cold turkey all those years ago and have not smoked since.

Okay, I really must get something productive done....

It is such an amazing feeling to discover that something once tucked away for that magical someday, does indeed fit. Whether we got there through weight loss, reshaping through exercise or a combination. Feels nice.

I am so very, very grateful that I was not good at inhaling when I decided to try smoking. I can't imagine trying to stop once you're really into it. Congratulations!!!

Congratulations on the shorts fitting! We all applaud you.

Such a sensitive guy - not surprised that you feel so much after a tough movie

Greetings all

Hello from hell, house of endless junk. I just took stuff out of the bottom of the linen closed since the floor goes in there too. Found lots of old pictures and stuff I forgot I had. Things are moving along. DH cleaned out the floor of the hall closet but just left the junk all over the living room which also must be emptied. No clue why it cant just go directly to the garage but no use arguing.

So one way or another this is going to happen. I hope the floor people are prepared for old people who aren't quite ready. I am assuming the demo of the old floor will start in the kitchen and there is a layer of plywood under the linoleum that has to come out so its level with the rest of the house which has carpet. Sure am looking forward to the carpet removal as I am convinced it's adding to allergy issues.

Good news from the cardiologist Liz. Weighing the same after a year is excellent. And considering how much you have traveled and been in restaurants its truly an achievement. Funny how we all remember what we weighed at various points in life. I am still traumatized by having my weight read out loud in third grade even though I was not THE fat girl.

DD I appreciate your comments on the difficult students and their difficult parents. What a challenge to deal with all these individuals. Seems like people always want to classify others when indeed we are each one of a kind.

Peps yay on the "new" shorts. Enjoy and good on you for quitting smoking. A major accomplishment.

Quick trip to the grocery for something for dinner plus hamburger for the dogs. They sense that something is up in the household and are spending time in their crates. Little do they know that they will be in the bedroom most of the week.

I wish I had the power like on "Bewitched" to wiggle my nose and make stuff move. But it's other parts of my body that need to get moving.

Cheers. Diane S

Dogs may not always understand what we say, but they sure know how to interpret actions don't they? Change is always interesting but nerve-wracking for them.