What I can and cannot do

Spo's lists are so much fun - I can't help but copy and paste the things he says he cannot do and comment on whether I can or cannot.  Maybe I'll add a few!  Everyone take it from here.  Either copy Spo's list or mine, or both as I will type them, or make up your own... just do SOMETHING!


Spo cannot:
And I will talk about it a little:

Whistle.  I can, but not the loud stadium-style - wish I could.
Operate the TV entertainment system. Can't do it, either.
Throw a ball.  A wimpy, short distance, yes, and I surprise people by hitting a baseball or softball out of the park on first try.  That's the extent of my sports skills, though.
Understand ‘violence as entertainment”.  I don't get it, either.  I also don't like the sex scenes or even the gross close-up kisses, not because I am personally a prude, but some things are for doing, not for watching others do.
See a spider without going into hysterics. Same, although I caught and set free in the wild a small one yesterday, then asked for praise from the people who were sleeping while I did it.
Make a decent onion soup.  Never tried. 
Remember the difference between Linda Ronstadt and Pat Benatar.  I get some artists confused, but never connected those two in my mind.
Hit a high C.  Can't do it either, and I strain around the F and G right below... not a standard female voice range.  Seems I'm a tenor or even a high baritone or let's be realistic, I just don't have a wide range.  But I'm very proud of hitting the B2 easily - I recently outdid Diana Krall on that where she flaked out and I did it.
Roll my tongue. Yes, I can.
Eat rats a Tewkesbury. Don't know if I can, but I think I'll skip trying.
Eat just one potato chip I can't eat just one, either.
Eat in peace without Harper begging for something.  That's what dogs do.
Properly spell without spell-check < chandelier; medieval; calendar; prejudice. I can spell anything first try - and I mean with a very, very low failure rate.  It's always been my trademark skill.  However, Spo pushes my vocabulary to expand.
Sit through Die Walkure without falling asleep at least once. Have not tried it.  Will wear dark sunglasses if I do, though, so no one will notice the snooze.
Vote Republican. I don't even vote most of the time.  Yes, I know, boo, hiss.
Drink coconut-based cocktails. Would never try.  Do like coconut in cakes/candy, though.
Remember where I last put my keys. Pocketbook, backpack... you need SOMETHING or this will happen repeatedly.  Pockets?  Otherwise I'd lose them constantly.
Smoke more than one cigar at a time. Don't smoke any.
Go fifteen minutes without checking my cellphone. Well, yeah.  We all think something interesting will come in and we will make 1,500 checks for every one semi-riveting tidbit we may find fresh on our phones.
Finish reading “Stranger in strange land” Haven't even started.
Remember the day Brother #4’s birthday. Easy because one is on the 1st, and the other two are both on 7th of different months (one of those months being the same month as the one on the first.)  Easy, right?
Feel it isn’t my fault when I don’t hear from someone in a long while.  Wow, I am quick to blame other people for being jerks.  I admit I may, depending on circumstances, momentarily wonder if it was something I said, but I choose to believe that others need to modify their behavior - try it and see if you like that better!
Drive a stick-shift. Learned on one and was then afraid to try automatic.  Ha!
Sit still. I guess I do.  Do you burn a lot of calories fidgeting?  Sometimes I shake a foot or tap a pencil.  Energy to burn?
Understand the rules of football.  Never understood them and don't care to - not a sports fan.
Remember who won of The Thirty Years War.  You remember better than I do.
Listen to “Don’t Stop Believing”. If you've heard it once, do you need to hear it again?

When it really doesn't matter

We've all heard the trite truism that it should not matter to you what people think of you.  Easier said than adopted as a heartfelt attitude.  Isn't it natural to care, somewhat?

Well, in the broadest sense, of course.  We're social animals who can't risk alienating everyone; we have to keep our heads low and keep quiet at the right times - it's a matter of [social] survival.  And maybe survival in general.  But if we try, we can separate out what's necessary (being civil, not actively and recklessly making enemies) and what consists of opportunities we've been failing to take because we worry that others will judge us negatively or think the wrong things about us.

There's a lot to be gained from working on that goal of self-confidence:  Not putting much stress-out energy into the opinions of others on what you say or do.

I can tell you that I've learned it's really worth working on, though.  It's freeing, if somewhat scary, to go out on the tightrope and know that you'll find out who your friends are, and even worse, what your friends actually think. Which might even prompt you to sort more finely the category of which people you consider to be your friends.

I guess I've gotten old enough that I've learned:  If I don't take the bus now, another one might not come by.  And I'm not waiting till everything seems perfect.  If I lose some friends along the way, so be it.

Believe it or not, after all this suggestive narrative, I'm not even going to reveal or provide all specifics of what I've been working on.  It's not a secret or anything - it's just that I didn't intend this to be a conduit.  And also, specifics aren't needed - this is all-encompassing and generalized, even if I there are particular areas in the zoom-view that have been integral to my attitude adjustment.  Even if you haven't figured out anything specific you want to launch in your life yet, you can still adopt this attitude - it doesn't matter which comes first - it's the "don't care" attitude that's important, although the sooner you employ it, the better.

Tying into the above: Another lesson I've learned is that I should select carefully where I express and promote myself.  Sorry, blog readers, you're going to have to ask (individually) if you want more.  Then I'll happily provide it, if I vaguely know you.  Sadly, a consequence of my new re-evaluation of how/when/where I express myself is that I'm not sure if I'll continue this blog.  I'm not really sure what its purpose is, or who (other than a known few)  I connect to through it.  There are a few people (you know who you are) who I definitely want to keep up with.   As for anyone else who stumbles by reading, I'm not sure I want to keep posting my thoughts publicly.  I still do post a lot of my thoughts and report on a lot of my own actions, in specific areas, and those outlets are found elsewhere.  As for this little journal full of random divulgences?  The future is murky.

Well, until I write my last post, I'll keep on posting.  And I'm definitely not disappearing, I'm just moving in other directions.  Thanks for reading... Keep in touch (and that's meant sincerely, not as a hollow "Bye!" substitute.)  Happy blog writing and reading....

If this sounded like a negative post, it assuredly was meant to be positive.  It might have a bittersweet  tone, because I'm "graduating."  The operative word in "growing pains" is the little bit of necessary "pain."  I revived this blog only to keep it as a health journal for someone else, and I'm not sure there's a lot to report there, except steady and continued improvement, which is great, but hardly makes for scintillating conversation.  As for me and my current new operating procedures, the pain is worth the gain. I wouldn't be out there pulling my figurative hamstrings if it wasn't worth every second of effort to get somewhere new and see some new sights.

Well... Until next time!

This one's for the doctor

For my most loyal reader, because I know he will be stopping by:

Are the pharm reps pushing this one yet?  Whether or not, I would like an Rx, STAT!

😁

The blood pressure cuff says...

Here's something to write about.  Mister grapeswrites decided to ditch one of his meds - the blood pressure one - right before talking it over with the doctor - who said, "Better track your BP for a while and then go off it, and we'll also check it next time you come in..." But being headstrong similar to the actual grapeswrites, he did exactly that except not after tracking it for a while first.  He tracked it exactly once before throwing this medication out and informing the doctor he was doing so.

Since then, he did the responsible thing by having a BP cuff priority mailed, and now he does check it regularly.  Let me tell you, these contraptions are better than they used to be just a few years ago - at least as I remember it.  It's the regular squeeze-your-arm thing, but by the time you think it is getting started, the reading pops up for you.  And his have been about:

107/70

REGULARLY!  It wasn't a fluke; it wasn't a one-time thing.. 120s have been seen, but 9 out of ten times it's teens or zeros, such as 105/68, etc.  AWESOME ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I got to read mine, also, and found out that mine can creep into the 120s/80s, and I'm not sure why... but other times it's down around 110/70 or even ten points lower on each.  With a pulse around 60 avg. or I've seen 51.  Is this bad?  The machine at the store gave me a "good" but not "great" for the 51 but I say it's OK since I feel fine and I can perambulate myself at any speed I want (oddly, I had just ambled myself into the store when I got that reading) and as for his, I think I see it around 80 a lot of the time, when it's been 90-100 or more in the past.  I understand the heart rate varies among individuals as a genetic trait, as well as being influenced by factors such as physical fitness levels and a bunch of others.

That's all I've got today, but that was a lot, eh?

Edit:  As of last night, after writing this post. his was high 120s over 78 or so; a few hours later after sitting around watching TV a while it was taken again and was very good, like 110/65 or so.  Mine was about 103/60.

The scale says...

A new scale came into the house, and it is because one person needs to lose 4 pounds.  Strangely, the scale is not for either of the adults.  Yet we were the first ones to step on it.

Adult 1 thought the number would read near or under 220, but actually read over 230 (by a few pounds.)  BUMMER.

Adult 2 thought the number would read in the low 150s but actually read 158.  Let me say I was just glad that... um, I mean, Adult 2 was just glad not to get on that scale a month ago when 160+ would have scorched my eyes.

It appears to be accurate, because the person for whom the scale was primarily purchased weighed the exact amount on it as was determined at the doctor's the other day.  So the scale is not the defective element here.

I'm not into scales and pounds because I think they truly give only a rough approximation of what is going on.  Yet, the scale tales will probably continue now that the blasted thing sits, waiting to dole out judgment, near our front door.

I said I wouldn't post measurements or pounds or pics, but it looks like I slipped in a cheat on the pounds front.  It's not like "Adult 1" is going to be reading this.  If he does, I'll make up some excuse about not understanding... Just kidding.  I own up to it when I go back on my word, and in this case, I don't think the opinion was very strongly voiced before I gave some kind of tacit agreement... In fact, I don't even remember what was said, exactly.  Is anyone reading this?  One thing is for sure... Adult 1 reads this blog less often than he would read, for example, a horoscope, and I also have a good feel for matters about which he cares approximately less than fiddlesticks about.  So let's move on with this blog, and I have a strong feeling that pics may come about next; otherwise, it's going to be some boring tales of "round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows" (I bought the old-style dial-and-needle scale.)

Spring springs eternal in the heart that allows it

Well, the person I attempted to blog about doesn't like pics or progress details shared, so I'll just have to check in and tell you, now and then, that he's doing great, and is a model to me of how to attack a problem that threatens your life, health, and happiness.  What's interesting is that he and I have different strengths and shortcomings, so we can counsel each other and enjoy the benefits of "two brains are better that one."  But isn't that the way it's supposed to work?

It's also come to light that, like a plant that does not make evident the extent of its root system and you can't determine that until you try to dig it up, issues and problems are intertwined more than you'd suspect, and you can't know how much until you go digging.

As you can tell, I'm a believer in self-improvement.  I believe the person who coasts and hides inside a life of unthinking indulgence does his or herself a disservice.

At the risk of sounding like some new-age platitude-barfing hack, right now what I'm (and both of us, as we're a couple) working on is balance.  Maybe some people out there have it all together, but not us.  It's a challenge each day to remember that you've got to work, and you've got to relax.  You've got to tackle what's difficult, and you have to find enjoyment in life, too.  You have to be aware and examine, yet take care not to over-analyze.

Week 1

As of right now, photos aren't allowed; measurements aren't, either.  There were no objections to the blog subject at all, and in fact I was told "hold off on deleting that" when I said I'd just delete the whole thing, then. (For one thing, because there MAY be photos, but I'm not counting on it.  At least not for a while.) So... what to do... how to measure progress? 

No one's actually stepping on any scale (I'm along for this as I need to peel off I'd say 5 lbs, which translates to about one fraction of a clothing size, or I should say, clothing fitting better.)  The scale is packed away somewhere and I find it to be a poor tracker of progress when the problem isn't necessarily weight, per se.  Who cares what a scale says or a measuring tape, for that matter, when you know exactly what the problem is and you'll be quite aware when it's gone?

The person in question doesn't read this blog and doesn't care what I write, so I'll go ahead and repeat what's been conveyed by him (isn't this weird - a second-hand fitness and health improvement blog?  Weirder things have happened, I'm sure).  I can attest to some of this myself, also.  (Here comes my testament first.) While I don't have a weight problem according to any standard, I do tend to frequently eat wrong and I feel the effects.  I've found that eating like a monk makes me cranky but I also find that my senses are sharper and my thinking is more pointed and businesslike.  While some might feel I am out on a ridiculous limb here, I believe that people in this day and age of more-than-plenty tend to overeat in a drug-like manner.  I think just about everybody, excepting the health nuts and a few unaffected others, tend to indulge in unhealthful foods or at least unhealthful quantities of marginally-healthful foods as a form of hedonistic indulgence, a balm to the psyche, a blanket to sooth the cares of life.  And while I'm not saying I think that's such a bad thing (there are definitely worse indulgences), and I'm not saying we can't calibrate that so that it's reasonable and essentially harmless, (and besides, what's life about if you can't enjoy it?) I don't think that most people calibrate it that way.  Take a look at our population to see the illness resulting from E-Z everything at the tips of our fingers, affordable and everywhere.  When I grew up, and I'm sure this was true way more so in generations prior, typical household meals were boring but nutritious.  These days, delectable luxuries are standard fare for many, not once a day, but all day.  Look at the illness, both outright and subtle, that has resulted in epidemic numbers amongst our population.  Anyone who's been around longer than 20-30 years can attest to the ballooning size of the average person in our population.  Rich food, and too much of it, is making us sick.

What I wanted to convey is that while living the cranky life of the calories/carbs counted and the growling stomach, the sleep is better, and the sinuses, too.  Inflammation seems to decrease, snoring does, too - and headaches - what are those?  I meant to say that the subject of this blog adventure has conveyed that, too, and conveyed something else I can attest to, but less emphatically:  More energy.  Maybe it's more subtle for me, having different and lesser issues, because I generally have no shortage of energy.  I feel the same as I did at age 20 (and I'm more than twice that now), and only feel the desire for a daytime snooze if I've slept 5 hours or less overnight (by the way, I sleep like a log in the petrified forest and always have.  Contrasted to he who used to get up and walk around the house every hour for no discernable reason.)  But he says he feels multiplied energy while he's eating less and weakening/shrinking the pathological unwanted endocrine organ (as they actually refer to the visceral fat mass - I'm not making that up - fairly recent research says it functions essentially as an organ in its own right, and I think of it as a tumor, considering the mostly-unwanted-effects it kicks out.)  He says he's been sleeping great, too.

Follow along for updates.  I'll see what I can rustle up in the way of documentation, and if it's not visual, it'll have to be through these tedious rambles, instead.