School is back in session. I had hoped the kids would be a little off balance from being back, but it was not to be. The crazy ones got crazier, and the misbehaving ones picked up where they left off.
Other beginnings - I used to weigh in on Mondays. Once a week to gauge how I am doing. I have been dreading it, which is why I gave myself a week of exercise and better eating habits. I was ready for a shock but was pleasantly surprised I clocked in at the first prime above 182. And you thought I would just tell you the weight. Gonna have to work for it, monkey-boy.
Wife and I went off to the Y for a tour, for her, and workout for me. She got introduced to the weight machines, so I followed her, after a quick eliptical workout. It was fun, not too strenuous, but I sure know I did something. Nice part is, it works all sorts of different muscle groups and the machines make it so you can't avoid doing the exercise right. I am really impressed with the different equipment - boredom is not going to be an option in avoiding working out.
Sleep is coming easier, the machine doesn't bother me any more and I can put on the mask and adjust it in total darkness. Dinners have also been a little more nutritious and fun. Use the crock pot (which seem to be making a comeback lately) to make a nice pot roast that was falling apart tender. Then got a nice spiral sliced ham for 99 cents a pound clearance and baked it up last night with sweet potatoes. Been eating clementines like they are going out of style, too. Healthy boy, that's me. Lunch, as usual, is a protein bar at school...no avoiding the lack of health in anything that comes out of the cafeteria.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Antici pation
Tomorrow is back to school for everybody. Yay. not really. My week's lessons are planned. Students should be complacent, due to the early hour of waking compared to vacation. It works that way in my house, too. More interesting than the students will be the teachers. We had one long-term teacher leave at the end of the calendar year to move to Boston where her husband is studying. To replace her, the financial secretary will move spot. Many people don't like her, so fireworks may ensue.
As part of the New Year's 'festivities' here in Memphis, the mayor makes his appointments to replace people who moved up into cushier jobs that pay better. Political favors are the theme, with a completely unqualified person running the public library system. At least by comparison to Mississippi, our literacy rates are OK.
Another interesting day with a 15-year old hormone case. One day at a time, and eventually she will become human. Taunting and teasing her sister, refusing dinner because it is 1) nothing she likes or 2) she is not hungry (but those shortbread cookies...microwaved). Then the willful disobedience (with laughter like a cherry on top). But tomorrow she may be sweetness and light, so there is always hope. The worst part is she often reminds me of how I acted (both remembered and imagined) when I was that age. I am surprised I survived.
And up north, all the fuss about my home state. I don't recall too much about primaries - can't even remember if I ever voted in one. At this point it is all about the ones who drop out, not the ones going all the way. No opinions yet, but as usual it will probably be the one who sickens me the least, not the one that impresses me the most.
As part of the New Year's 'festivities' here in Memphis, the mayor makes his appointments to replace people who moved up into cushier jobs that pay better. Political favors are the theme, with a completely unqualified person running the public library system. At least by comparison to Mississippi, our literacy rates are OK.
Another interesting day with a 15-year old hormone case. One day at a time, and eventually she will become human. Taunting and teasing her sister, refusing dinner because it is 1) nothing she likes or 2) she is not hungry (but those shortbread cookies...microwaved). Then the willful disobedience (with laughter like a cherry on top). But tomorrow she may be sweetness and light, so there is always hope. The worst part is she often reminds me of how I acted (both remembered and imagined) when I was that age. I am surprised I survived.
And up north, all the fuss about my home state. I don't recall too much about primaries - can't even remember if I ever voted in one. At this point it is all about the ones who drop out, not the ones going all the way. No opinions yet, but as usual it will probably be the one who sickens me the least, not the one that impresses me the most.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Sleep or not
They warn you when you get the machine that you might have trouble getting to sleep. Probably not because you have a thing stuck to the front of your head like in Alien. No, that couldn't be it. More likely because you are getting better sleep and need less. I woke up at 5am this morning, took off the mask, laid back down and didn't get up until 7. Now, whether I was getting 'good' sleep is debatable, but it wasn't bad. I find myself up to 11 or later now, though. Soon, back to 530 wakeups and school.
I should be more tired too from a second day of swimming. I went back and forth until I could barely lift my arms, and my abs know it, too. Muscle tired, but not sleepy.
I should be more tired too from a second day of swimming. I went back and forth until I could barely lift my arms, and my abs know it, too. Muscle tired, but not sleepy.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Promises
Hard to deny your kids. Youngest asked yesterday if I would take her to the Y today to swim. She remembered today and reminded me, so I had to live up to it. She can sort of swim, dogpaddling and diving down, but can sometimes be urged into a two stroke crawl. Even though I am not, in my opinion, ready to swim, we went.
It was fun. The bubble seems warm when you enter, but a few minutes in the pool reminds you they keep it cool because swimming is heavy exercise. My muscles reminded me, too. Calves have been mooing at me all day from the excessive toe-raises yesterday. Not too many, but enough to know I did them. Tomorrow I expect to be hearing from my shoulders, abs and other regions.
My niece, who I first met back nearly 20 years ago when she was still in diapers, is engaged. July 12 of this year. Lots of time flying. Possibility of both girls being junior bride's maids or somesuch excuse to wear a fancy dress.
And the day ends with my mother-in-law's birthday dinner. Then I ran home to grab up my unused pain meds (from my hernia, both pre- and post-op) for her, to get her through to her diagnostic on Tuesday. I am sure my wife is happy to have those meds out of the house, too. Not that I have had thoughts that way lately, but having 30+ tabs of Vicodin and equivalents lying around could do for me if I had a mind.
Finally, the breathing machine update. I am used to it, sleeping much better. The past couple of days I have lay down on the bed in the afternoon, and while I thought about a nap, I didn't sleep. I had a choice, and control, over my falling asleep, when in the past I would have crashed and burned without knowing it was about to happen. Nice, that.
It was fun. The bubble seems warm when you enter, but a few minutes in the pool reminds you they keep it cool because swimming is heavy exercise. My muscles reminded me, too. Calves have been mooing at me all day from the excessive toe-raises yesterday. Not too many, but enough to know I did them. Tomorrow I expect to be hearing from my shoulders, abs and other regions.
My niece, who I first met back nearly 20 years ago when she was still in diapers, is engaged. July 12 of this year. Lots of time flying. Possibility of both girls being junior bride's maids or somesuch excuse to wear a fancy dress.
And the day ends with my mother-in-law's birthday dinner. Then I ran home to grab up my unused pain meds (from my hernia, both pre- and post-op) for her, to get her through to her diagnostic on Tuesday. I am sure my wife is happy to have those meds out of the house, too. Not that I have had thoughts that way lately, but having 30+ tabs of Vicodin and equivalents lying around could do for me if I had a mind.
Finally, the breathing machine update. I am used to it, sleeping much better. The past couple of days I have lay down on the bed in the afternoon, and while I thought about a nap, I didn't sleep. I had a choice, and control, over my falling asleep, when in the past I would have crashed and burned without knowing it was about to happen. Nice, that.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Feel the Burn
25 minutes on a recumbent bike doesn't sound too bad. But I made the mistake of putting it on a 'hill' program. The third terrace from the top burned my ass, literally. Now my arms are weak and tired from hoisting myself up so my bulk did not crush the muscles (yes, there are alleged to be some under there) I was sitting on. Pushing yourself is a good thing, and I don't think I strained anything.
Tiny DVD player is back in the bedroom so now we can watch grown up programs on collections. The family room has a shiny new DVD/VCR combo, which looks nice. Also, wife's dress form came today - a nice addition to her office/workspace to put projects on. Nice wood finial and base. Maybe I can scare up a picture later.
Sleep is deeper, weird dreams (something about Dartmouth being converted to a giant film set, with buildings re-done in an egyptian theme), and continued irritation from the breathing mask. Some of it is the facial hair (yes, I know I didn't mention it - back in the cold northern days it was protection in the winter. Down here I just like changing my look once in a while. The cold still doesn't bother me - I ran around all day today in a t-shirt, with highs in the low 40s). Don't want to risk petroleum jelly - it might degrade the latex, if the mask is made of latex, which is unlikely due to people with allergies, but I need something there to keep the friction and resulting rash from happening.
The mayor here, who is a thinly disguised thug (who also has a doctorate and once was school superintendent, which tells you a lot about the political ladder here), gave his annual New Year's speech, which is always interesting. One year he stated that god made him mayor. This year he wants consolidation of the city and county governments. For those of you who think about it, this is ridiculous to begin with, having a government for a county, then duplicating the government for a city that is completely within the borders of said county. Then again, this way you can double the graft and corruption, and since the poverty stays within the city (discounting the upscale poverty of people losing houses because they don't understand how mortgages work), the county can provide more services for those who can afford to escape. The mayor addressed this a couple of years ago, basically saying if you don't like the city, there is the door. In order to consolidate the governments, both the city and county voters would have to ratify the move. Twice it has been voted on in the last 40 years, both times the county rejected it, since they moved farther away so as not to subsidize a lot of welfare cases. Now the mayor wants to amend the state constitution to eliminate county voters ratifying a merger. And the chances of that?
Tiny DVD player is back in the bedroom so now we can watch grown up programs on collections. The family room has a shiny new DVD/VCR combo, which looks nice. Also, wife's dress form came today - a nice addition to her office/workspace to put projects on. Nice wood finial and base. Maybe I can scare up a picture later.
Sleep is deeper, weird dreams (something about Dartmouth being converted to a giant film set, with buildings re-done in an egyptian theme), and continued irritation from the breathing mask. Some of it is the facial hair (yes, I know I didn't mention it - back in the cold northern days it was protection in the winter. Down here I just like changing my look once in a while. The cold still doesn't bother me - I ran around all day today in a t-shirt, with highs in the low 40s). Don't want to risk petroleum jelly - it might degrade the latex, if the mask is made of latex, which is unlikely due to people with allergies, but I need something there to keep the friction and resulting rash from happening.
The mayor here, who is a thinly disguised thug (who also has a doctorate and once was school superintendent, which tells you a lot about the political ladder here), gave his annual New Year's speech, which is always interesting. One year he stated that god made him mayor. This year he wants consolidation of the city and county governments. For those of you who think about it, this is ridiculous to begin with, having a government for a county, then duplicating the government for a city that is completely within the borders of said county. Then again, this way you can double the graft and corruption, and since the poverty stays within the city (discounting the upscale poverty of people losing houses because they don't understand how mortgages work), the county can provide more services for those who can afford to escape. The mayor addressed this a couple of years ago, basically saying if you don't like the city, there is the door. In order to consolidate the governments, both the city and county voters would have to ratify the move. Twice it has been voted on in the last 40 years, both times the county rejected it, since they moved farther away so as not to subsidize a lot of welfare cases. Now the mayor wants to amend the state constitution to eliminate county voters ratifying a merger. And the chances of that?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Southern Way
I lived above the "frost line" for most of my life. In almost 20 years of winters in New Hampshire, I can never (NEVER) recall doing anything to protect the outside water spigots from freezing, despite sub-zero temperatures for weeks at a time. Yet my wife feels the need to put a styrofoam insulator cover over our hose-tap when it might get below freezing.
The plumber came, snaked, billed. Nothing major, just old pipes building up debris and rust that dropped and blocked the pipe. Now I can shower again without fear of anything I don't usually fear in the shower.
The family went, en masse, to get our family membership at the YMCA. Photo IDs all around. Girls are excited by the prospect of swimming, and maybe some classes. Tuesdays are beginning Karate (something I have done, as a beginner, at least 3 times before) which I recall as being excellent stretching and exercise, plus bruises. But the machinery is all good, the pool is nice, once I get in enough shape to use it. 15 minutes of treadmill and 15 of recumbent bike today, plus stretching. Starting to feel like I am toning up, although due to water all over the bathroom (plus the added weight of not being able to use the bathroom) I didn't do a Jan 1 weigh in, for benchmarking purposes. Pretty sure I am over 200, though. Which means my 6 week goal is about 20 pounds.
So far, I have resisted the temptation of donuts and cinnamon rolls (discounted!), and today had oatmeal for breakfast, and some nice celery with peanut butter with my lunch. Vegetables are not in as much variety or quality as New York, which makes it harder, but I will just have to adjust my habits and swing by Easy Way (the local vegetable store, which is pretty nice and reasonably priced) every day or two.
Super Mario Galaxy is a lot of fun, especially with an encouraging daughter on one arm. And we continue to spread the Guitar Hero virus to anybody willing to strap on a guitar controller and go through the tutorial.
The plumber came, snaked, billed. Nothing major, just old pipes building up debris and rust that dropped and blocked the pipe. Now I can shower again without fear of anything I don't usually fear in the shower.
The family went, en masse, to get our family membership at the YMCA. Photo IDs all around. Girls are excited by the prospect of swimming, and maybe some classes. Tuesdays are beginning Karate (something I have done, as a beginner, at least 3 times before) which I recall as being excellent stretching and exercise, plus bruises. But the machinery is all good, the pool is nice, once I get in enough shape to use it. 15 minutes of treadmill and 15 of recumbent bike today, plus stretching. Starting to feel like I am toning up, although due to water all over the bathroom (plus the added weight of not being able to use the bathroom) I didn't do a Jan 1 weigh in, for benchmarking purposes. Pretty sure I am over 200, though. Which means my 6 week goal is about 20 pounds.
So far, I have resisted the temptation of donuts and cinnamon rolls (discounted!), and today had oatmeal for breakfast, and some nice celery with peanut butter with my lunch. Vegetables are not in as much variety or quality as New York, which makes it harder, but I will just have to adjust my habits and swing by Easy Way (the local vegetable store, which is pretty nice and reasonably priced) every day or two.
Super Mario Galaxy is a lot of fun, especially with an encouraging daughter on one arm. And we continue to spread the Guitar Hero virus to anybody willing to strap on a guitar controller and go through the tutorial.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New Year's Day
I am hearing U2. All is quiet...
Well, for the first time in recorded memory I slept late. I had to give it up when I had kids, then when we got dogs, but today I took off the breathing mask and just lay there, enjoying the warmth. A bit later, I looked at the clock and it was 8:50. whoa!
On the other hand, there had been a funny bubble sound. My sleepy mind attributed it to our youngest in the bathtub. Then Purl (the bigger dog) wandered into the bathroom, and she was acting funny, or as funny as I could tell without glasses or contacts. She was in a curious pose, then she kind of backed out, slowly, looking around. My wife came in and asked how her towel had been moved, and I told her about the dog. Then we noticed the water. LOTS of water, all over the floor.
Turns out the bubbling happened in both bathrooms, and backwashed both bathtubs. Neither toilet is draining, and the water on the floor was from the toilet backwash. Turned off water, established that the kitchen and half bath both are OK. The plunger we had is sort of suffering rubber fatigue, so we borrowed one from the other house (which is what we refer to my sister-in-law's house, four houses up the street). Both tubs finally drained some, but they also coughed up a lot of junky stuff. So, rather than bother a rooter man on New Year's Day, we poured some drain cleaner stuff down both bathroom drains. Note: when I say "we", I mean me. Wife is at work. Knitting never sleeps.
Now the drain cleaner is to be used only by scientists and mathematicians. It is a big opaque white bottle. Not looking at it right now but maybe close to a gallon. The instructions tell you not to let it touch fixtures (including drains) and to use a funnel. Also that the stuff will go through water. Try to pour into a funnel that is submerged and not get anything on the metal of the drain! Nice trick. It also tells you to use one-eighth of the bottle. Ah, but no fair measuring. Just guess....because you can't see how much is IN the bottle, or have any clue how much has come out. Or was even left from the last time you tried this.
So, fifteen minutes ago, more or less, both tubs drained, and I flushed them for 5 minutes each with hot water. Fine and full drainage. Master bath toilet also drains fine. Girl's bathroom toilet flush....and the problem reinstates itself. Both tubs with an inch or so of water, now possibly with extra-corrosiveness! yay!
At least I know it is the one toilet. And I have a suspicion about a culprit, although until she wakes up, probably this afternoon, I won't be able to confirm it. If I get a straight answer, which is also unlikely. But we are talking about a teenager who has been known to leave underwear on her floor, sometimes with sanitary devices still attached. (it cost me quite a bit to type that last...years off my life). But, being a trooper, I poured another 1/8 of a bottle of the thick acid into the toilet. Of course, it won't go down the pipe because it does that vertical "S" thing. So, in with a plunger (avert your eyes in case of acid splashing) and hope for the best.
Worst case, we wait until tomorrow when plumbers won't be on holiday rates.
The toilet episode reminds me of an incident way back in Brooklyn when I was newly arrived, and rooming in a one-bedroom apartment with two co-workers. One got the bedroom, the other got the dining room with french doors and a window. I got the day bed in the living room. Lots of nightmare stories about this setup, but one day I got a call from them at work. At this point I had graduated to a M-F office job, while they were going into their jobs on Saturday to show how hard they could stumble around trying to sell life insurance. The one roommate told me the toilet wasn't working. Great news for me, since they had access to a toilet at the office. He further opined (I like that word) that it was the fault of my girlfriend, probably flushing something she shouldn't have. But on the good side he had called the landlord.
Two days later, the plumber comes. He has to remove the toilet, then snake down the hole in the floor. He finds the blockage and removes it. It was the roommate's toothbrush - he had dropped it in one morning by accident, and instead of fishing it out like a normal human (did I mention he was from Arkansas?), he decided to flush it, and conveniently blame it on my girlfriend even though he knew the real truth.
I hope there is no toothbrush in my toilet, and whatever it is can be dissolved by this stuff that will eat your fixtures if you aren't careful.
Well, for the first time in recorded memory I slept late. I had to give it up when I had kids, then when we got dogs, but today I took off the breathing mask and just lay there, enjoying the warmth. A bit later, I looked at the clock and it was 8:50. whoa!
On the other hand, there had been a funny bubble sound. My sleepy mind attributed it to our youngest in the bathtub. Then Purl (the bigger dog) wandered into the bathroom, and she was acting funny, or as funny as I could tell without glasses or contacts. She was in a curious pose, then she kind of backed out, slowly, looking around. My wife came in and asked how her towel had been moved, and I told her about the dog. Then we noticed the water. LOTS of water, all over the floor.
Turns out the bubbling happened in both bathrooms, and backwashed both bathtubs. Neither toilet is draining, and the water on the floor was from the toilet backwash. Turned off water, established that the kitchen and half bath both are OK. The plunger we had is sort of suffering rubber fatigue, so we borrowed one from the other house (which is what we refer to my sister-in-law's house, four houses up the street). Both tubs finally drained some, but they also coughed up a lot of junky stuff. So, rather than bother a rooter man on New Year's Day, we poured some drain cleaner stuff down both bathroom drains. Note: when I say "we", I mean me. Wife is at work. Knitting never sleeps.
Now the drain cleaner is to be used only by scientists and mathematicians. It is a big opaque white bottle. Not looking at it right now but maybe close to a gallon. The instructions tell you not to let it touch fixtures (including drains) and to use a funnel. Also that the stuff will go through water. Try to pour into a funnel that is submerged and not get anything on the metal of the drain! Nice trick. It also tells you to use one-eighth of the bottle. Ah, but no fair measuring. Just guess....because you can't see how much is IN the bottle, or have any clue how much has come out. Or was even left from the last time you tried this.
So, fifteen minutes ago, more or less, both tubs drained, and I flushed them for 5 minutes each with hot water. Fine and full drainage. Master bath toilet also drains fine. Girl's bathroom toilet flush....and the problem reinstates itself. Both tubs with an inch or so of water, now possibly with extra-corrosiveness! yay!
At least I know it is the one toilet. And I have a suspicion about a culprit, although until she wakes up, probably this afternoon, I won't be able to confirm it. If I get a straight answer, which is also unlikely. But we are talking about a teenager who has been known to leave underwear on her floor, sometimes with sanitary devices still attached. (it cost me quite a bit to type that last...years off my life). But, being a trooper, I poured another 1/8 of a bottle of the thick acid into the toilet. Of course, it won't go down the pipe because it does that vertical "S" thing. So, in with a plunger (avert your eyes in case of acid splashing) and hope for the best.
Worst case, we wait until tomorrow when plumbers won't be on holiday rates.
The toilet episode reminds me of an incident way back in Brooklyn when I was newly arrived, and rooming in a one-bedroom apartment with two co-workers. One got the bedroom, the other got the dining room with french doors and a window. I got the day bed in the living room. Lots of nightmare stories about this setup, but one day I got a call from them at work. At this point I had graduated to a M-F office job, while they were going into their jobs on Saturday to show how hard they could stumble around trying to sell life insurance. The one roommate told me the toilet wasn't working. Great news for me, since they had access to a toilet at the office. He further opined (I like that word) that it was the fault of my girlfriend, probably flushing something she shouldn't have. But on the good side he had called the landlord.
Two days later, the plumber comes. He has to remove the toilet, then snake down the hole in the floor. He finds the blockage and removes it. It was the roommate's toothbrush - he had dropped it in one morning by accident, and instead of fishing it out like a normal human (did I mention he was from Arkansas?), he decided to flush it, and conveniently blame it on my girlfriend even though he knew the real truth.
I hope there is no toothbrush in my toilet, and whatever it is can be dissolved by this stuff that will eat your fixtures if you aren't careful.
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