Quick catch up

Here is my 70 yo birthday selfie.  I couldn't get a good picture.  They all looked like a teenager making faces at the camera.  Here I am trying to hold my eyes open so I look like I have more than slits.   Hahaha. 

Also, the day is nice so I had the door open and Buddy was laying in the sunshine.  I thought this one turned out pretty well.  Kind of like a boudoir picture for dogs. 

Well, my energy is on the way up again.  Thank goodness.  My kids bought me a Fitbit for my birthday.   In case you don't know, Fitbit is a watch-like contraption that records your steps/walks/runs, blood pressure/heartbeat, and sleep.   Anyway, I had been wanting one but was too cheap to buy it in case it disappointed me.  I am far from an athlete but was curious about a lot of the information the watch offered.  Do you call it a watch?  It does tell date/time.  It doesn't matter. 

Buddy and I took a good, but not extra long this morning.  The walk was 1,800+ steps.  Wow, that sounds like a lot and that is only one of two daily walks.  Unfortunately, the aim is 10,000 steps so, nope, gotta long way to go. 

As my blood sugar gets balanced again, I look forward to seeing how far I can push myself.  So much fun.  (Has anyone watched the tv program Miranda with Miranda Hart?  The mother always says So Much Fun and I had visions of her as I said it.)

It also recorded my sleep and that was interesting.  It graphed the light sleep, deep sleep and awake moments in the night.  I'm going to read up on sleep next and see how my nights compare to what is considered a good night's sleep. 

More later ....

Trying to Keep the Synapses Firing

Today is an all-time low.  Only the thought that a shot of insulin may make me feel better could get me out of bed this morning.  This is a terrible disease and I just want to warn people and beg them to get treatment and follow a healthy routine.  They say it makes you feel tired and I can't think of a better way to describe it but to think that you do not have the energy to get out of bed and go to the kitchen is a scary feeling.  Anyway, I am trying to keep the brain working so it doesn't get rusty while waiting for my body to find it's way up again. 

I do have an idea about what happened.  Since I have Roku TV, I don't have to watch ads most of the time.  However, Hulu, for one, has commercials - and I do pay for that, not included with Roku.  There have been a lot of commercials for Weight Watchers and I decided to buy a one-month online membership.  I knew they had a course for diabetics at one time but when I logged in and filled out the form it took me directly to Blue Plan.  I figured a low-calorie plan would probably mean low carbs also but it didn't work so well for me.  I couldn't balance my insulin with the plan and kept getting lows.  So I've given it up.  Luckily I just bought a month.  I have to say I do like their computer program of picking recipes and entering the values for food that are not on there.  The program did ask for carbs as well as other vital info but the information was geared to how many points and not showing me (although I could have found the info) my carb consumption.  I'm going to research it a little further to see if I can make it work for me but I would say that with my limited use as a diet plan and counting program, I thought it was worth the money. 

Aside from that, I celebrated my Birthday by watching two of the Oscar/Academy nominees.  First I watched Parasite.  It is the first foreign film to win.  Now you know I watch a lot of foreign tv and film but I remember the first foreign film I saw and how hard it was to watch the screen and the words at the same time so I am really surprised from that standpoint.  However, all those awards shows really like strange movies most of the time so I can see it from that standpoint.  The story was somewhat interesting.  My daughter loved it and I would not have paid to see it.  Two views. 

The next night I watched the Joker.  What???  Joaquin Phoenix portrayed an incredibly strange person which was just right for him.  I'm glad I saw it but I wouldn't have paid for it (saying after the fact).  What I did like was how the story led you right to the beginning of Batman, so like some of the Star Wars movies, you might want to see it for that reason. 

Next I am going to watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  Quentin Tarantino is another strange bird.  I have liked a few of his movies and been quite confused by others.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt both like strange movies at times so all three together - I just don't know but I'm going to pay my money and take my chance.  

Something that I did see and truly enjoyed was a mini-series called something like the Million Dollar American Princesses.  It was the story of some 200 American Heiresses who went to Europe to find Titled Husbands.  It delves into the history of each Heiress and the history of each Aristocrat.  It was heartbreakingly sad for some of them.  This one I recommend if you like that kind of thing. 

Well, I feel like my brain is warmed up and moving a bit better.  Thanks for hanging in there with me. 

And you will note that 70 years old does not mean you lose your vanity and give up on your chubby little body.  Hahaha.

More later ....

Birthday Musings

Today is my birthday.  I am 70 years old.  Some of you have already seen this day and for others, it is somewhere in the distant future.  For me, it just seems so strange.  In my mind, I think I'm about 32 with two schoolers to tend to.  Instead, I've got two Grand Girls just about the same age. 

Birthday Card from oldest GG (and Buddy)

I wish I could ask my mother if she can believe I'm this age.  She'd probably say that I'm lucky she let me live this long.  She was loving but strict.  There was quite a bit of combustion when I was a teenager.  Hahahaha.

I wish my Grandmother could see me now.  My heart always belonged to her. 

My children bought me a Fitbit which I really wanted and a bunch of books and tools to do mandalas.  I still seem to like the crafts from the 60s and 70s.  Is it just because that was all around me or is it because it is true to my soul.  I think it was true to my soul but what if I had been born at a different time?  Would I be a totally different person with different interests?  My daughter and I are very alike in our lifestyles, crafts, music and art appreciation.  So maybe I would still be myself. 

The Grand Girls were here this weekend and I had just the right amount of energy, but the last two days I have been dragging.  Yesterday was domino day and I couldn't go but I will follow up and see if anyone turned up and if so, try again. 

My brain goes into slow gear with my body when I get these energy drops but I'll be right as rain soon.  So, that's all for now. 

More Later .....

Bus Passes

Yesterday the complex had a presentation by the Metro (bus) System.  They were giving away free passes for the residents who are 70+.  They also offered reduced fares for residents under 70.   Since my car is still running smoothly, I didn't really need a pass but I just couldn't refuse something for free.  LOL. 

We have a bus stop just on the next corner and I have seen several of our residents catch it.  One of my neighbors who has bad knees and trouble walking takes a handicap special bus (which the Metro provides).  The bus comes by the apartments and he rides his scooter to the pickup location in our driveway.  This type of bus accommodates scooters and wheelchairs with a lift ramp. 

Houston has a large bus service coverage.  When I worked downtown I would drive to a large shopping center in my area, park my car there and then get on at the bus stop.  We were given a choice by the law firm of a free bus pass paid by the law firm or a parking stipend.  As you can imagine parking downtown was expensive and time-consuming nightmare so I opted for the bus. 

Then the Park 'N Ride was put into effect.  This was essentially a large parking lot (located off a main freeway) specially built so the busses could circle in and out.   You could park there for free and then ride a nice, comfortable bus that took you from the parking lot directly to a major downtown street where you would get off and walk to your building.  It was very nice.  They were upper-class buses and very comfortable but, of course, more expensive than the City Bus I rode before. 

The great thing about riding the bus was how much wear and tear I saved on my car.  My car lasted a really long time and had low mileage when I passed it on to the kids. 

This was long before Uber but if you were in a situation where you needed a car, like a child emergency - you would take a cab to your parking lot and go from there.  If you knew you had a doctor's appointment or another need for your car during the day, you could just drive in and pay for one day of parking. 

Then they developed a rail line on Main St. downtown.  It was a contentious fight by voters against spending the money for same but somehow City Hall won.  One interesting outcome of the rail was that it ran from downtown to the Medical Center (which is quite big if you didn't know). So it was very easy for downtown workers to jump on the rail (train) and go to doctor appointments, etc. in the Med Center - and avoid the very high parking rates there.  I still don't see the need for it but I have used it once or twice.

And finally, the Metro provides us with rides to the Rodeo.  I don't think my pass would cover this but it is well worth the little bit Metro charge.  You go to a local football stadium or shopping center and they have long lines of very nice busses which take you directly from the parking place to a special drop-off at the Rodeo.  The busses run continuously so when the show is over, you just get back in a return line.  Our Rodeo lasts about 2 weeks and has a big star playing every night and matinee.  While it is not everyone's choice, I find it a blessing and it makes those long lines into the Stadium parking lot a breeze. 

I guess that is more than you ever wanted to know about the Houston Metro System.  What I really started out to say about getting my free pass was that I was not able to attend the presentation (although I did get signed up for my Pass) because of the noise reverberating in my ears.  I explained why I left to our community director and she said she had complaints about that before.  Good to know.

I still plan to attend the domino meeting.  I will go without my hearing aids on and see if that is bearable.  If there are any interested domino players we could always relocate to one of the many tables around the complex.  Anyway, it is still an option. 

More later .....

Marvin Gaye and Dominoes - No, not together

Bet your wondering how I knew about your plans to make me blue ......

I saw this A Cappella performance of Marvin Gaye doing Heard it Through the Grapevine on FB and just had to share.  He was truly marvelous.  And, does anybody else remember a dance called the Grapevine?  Sometimes it's great to be old!

Well, I haven't really done anything fun while I've been missing in action.  Of course, my sleep pattern changed again.  Now getting up at Midnight, give or take an hour, and sleeping about 10 hours.  The time change started after I had a blood sugar drop and seems to be stuck there.  I have to say my body feels incredibly rested. I'm surprised that I'm not in some kind of funk from oversleeping.   

I've missed my appointment with the Dietician/Diabetic Educator but notified her and will explain in detail when I finally get there.  I'll be missing a small family reunion in Dallas next weekend but had to turn down the invite as I don't think anyone will be keeping my hours to talk to.  

My middle sister found a small lump in her breast a couple of weeks ago.  She went to the doctor, then had an aspiration of the cyst, then saw an oncologist who took a biopsy which showed clean but sister had them go ahead and remove it and they found cancer cells on the outside of the lump.  Now she goes back to get a node and tissue from the area removed just in case.  Remember ladies, health concerns are not over until they're over so keep up with this and other check-ups.  And, by the way, she did have a clean mammogram just months before she found the lump.  

Apartment News: On Tuesday of each week we have various games, lectures and different types of get-togethers in the Common Room.  I've tried going to some of the get-togethers but the tile floors and all the talking reverberates through my hearing aids and it is just not enjoyable.  However, I noticed that they added a new event on the monthly calendar and we will be having dominoes and scrabble on one of the Tuesdays.  While I do like scrabble, I love dominoes.  My grandmother taught me to play dominoes when I was a kid and it was a big thing whenever I spent the night with her.  Awe.  Such a sweet memory.  I am going to this meet-up and take a chance that there will be less people there (dominoes seems to be a love it or you don't game) so maybe I will be able to hear.  If not, maybe I'll take my hearing aids out and play in silence.  I don't need to hear to count the dots anyway. 

More later .....





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