Recent Posts

It was very chocolates-on-the-conveyor-belt until I remembered the woman who was crushed by her Sleep number bed last year!

We play bocce with a couple who used to live in Pacific Palisades. They said the news on what has burnt down very bad. What a shame.

I had a choice when I retired similar to yours on a lump sum or $ in perpetuity. My financial advisor told me to take the payments.

We are having a windy Wednesday (which is not good for the fire down south!), but luckily, the temp is mild. It was in the mid 50s this morning when I got up at O dark thirty. It will even reach 60 degrees today! Whoo hoooo!

214.8 Back to the number with which I am more comfortable. I am 100% going to have to buckle down and focus on my weight loss goals, if I am to get below the 200 mark. I am still resolved not to track and log and micromanage my macros and calories. I think if I focus on choices and my goals I can get it done. I would like to be under 210 by my b'day in mid February. I think that is doable, but will be a push.

My stress level is much better today. But it really did get high yesterday. An additional stressor came into play. The woman who tried to transfer away my ownership of the two dogs we co-own is really pushing me to sign the paperwork now that AKC is breathing down her neck. I was feeling like the bad guy, but I have to remember she did it to herself. She's simply trying to avoid formal consequences for her actions. There is an open case pending about the fraudulent transfer. I won't sign anything until the case has been ruled upon and closed.

An early evening workout helped relieve some stress!

Retirement meeting went as expected. No real surprises, except there was a chunk of change I did not expect to get. I can take as a lump sum or as a lifetime monthly payment. I'm leaning toward the monthly payment in perpetuity. Should I live more than 10 years after retirement, I will be getting more than the lump sum. I've explored instant return annuities and most are paying about 4-5%. That doesn't come close to the additional annuity income the state is allowing. But I have time to figure it all out.

RV situation is resolved. Wasn't hard, just time consuming with a bit of a drive. I will order a new dishwasher and get the plumber out for the water heater next week.

Hoping for fire containment in the southland today!

Yeah, "Calm down!" always works when someone says that to me. LOL!

Full disclosure: I've said it also with the same disappointing results.

Interesting that it is a recognized trait. DS (and us) were taught how to deal with his anger in a pretty effective way all those years ago. He was told to walk away from the situation and stay by himself using calming techniques until he felt like he could come out again. His parents (us) were taught to back away and not try to interact until he showed us he was ready. That sounds simple but DH's first response to DS's anger was to get in his face and tell him to calm down which of course incited him even more.

When we told the younger children that oldest DD had cancer but was 90% likely to be cured, he got angry and was screaming over and over "I don't like that 10%". He went into his bed and screamed and cried for a while with his blankets over his head. When he calmed down the first thing he did was to call his sister. It still chokes me up that somehow he sensed it was going to end the way it did 18 months later.