4th Quarter of 2016: Ending the Year with a Loss~~We Can Do This!!

PamS53

I agree about Bull. I watched it once and decided it was not for me. Same with Conviction.

Helene610

I haven't watched too many of the new shows either except This is Us. I like that a lot. I've been taping old favorites like DWTS and The Voice so I have to catch up on those. I like Code Black from last year. I recently watched the first season of Mr Robot on DVD. I couldn't get into it when it came out last year. But binge watching makes a difference. So now I have to watch season 2 On Demand. I think I mentioned how our dental appointments got postponed because we couldn't get an answer about whether or not DH needed antibiotics before cleaning. The pacemaker expert called yesterday and said DH doesn't need them so we postponed for nothing. We have to drive down on Wednesday and stay overnight because the appointment is too early Thursday to make the drive unless we want to leave at o dark thirty. NOT! But our financial adviser who is also in CT called today to ask about setting up a quarterly review meeting. We'll see him after the dentist since we'll be only about 10 miles from his office.

I'm still doing the logging. And I'm with Pam on liver. I hate it. Years ago a went to a family wedding and they had what I thought were beef cubes wrapped in bacon. I popped one in my mouth and realized it was liver. Ugh. My first thought was who serves liver at a wedding? I'm sure I spit it out discretely. I don't remember for sure but I can't imagine I ate it. I love pumpkin but only in some items. I think marketeers have gone overboard with pumpkin this and that. And I agree I wouldn't pay that much for a pumpkin latte either.

mdubbs1

I watched the beginning of season 1 of Mr. Robot but then trailed off. It would be an interesting experiment to see if binge watching would help but no time soon.

Another show I was totally gung ho on and now don't watch at all is Blacklist.

I've decided I'm an old fogie for real. Apparently the shows I like - where each episode is an entire story - are called procedurals and they are no longer "hot".

The shows where the story just goes on and on and on, even over more than one season, just leave me cold. I want tv watching to be escape, not work. Or maybe the memory's just going. LOL!

I can take a little thread that's ongoing. Like The Mentalist. It was a story each week with the Red John thread running along, almost in the background. That I dealt with. And in the beginning the Blacklist was like that. A story each week with the little bit of a thread ongoing.

I probably watch too much television but it's my escape from work and CROM and all the pressure.

Saw a new cat at one of the colonies today. Haven't broken the news to Lil yet. Of course it could have just been passing through or could even live nearby. Most of these colonies are very close to residential areas.

Lil just trapped an adorable gray and white girl in her yard. A little over a year old, the vet thinks. She's going to hold it for adoption.

I finally threw up my hands and cancelled us out of the cat show this week. They are still saying they don't understand the problem. I can use the extra time for work and maybe even can rest a little. I am feeling like this cold is recycling back around, probably because of stress.

mdubbs1

I fed the colonies this morning. Came home to draft something I wanted to have out by noon. Now I'm going to head out to the grocery store. Such an exciting life I lead! Not!

Oh, I did exchange waves with the porn distributor this morning. How many people can say that? When I started feeding these colonies, I realized these streets are SO close to my house but I'd never been on them. So being Ms. Nosy, I look around, poke around and google. Discovered one of the businesses is a porn distributor. For some reason, although the building he's in has a HUGE parking lot, he doesn't drive in. He comes walking down the street from somewhere. We've chatted a few times. He's a very sweet, tiny, Indian man. Now when he sees me he grins and waves. Go figure. How do I get myself into this stuff? Oh well I've always said being boring would be like being dead. I wear the title of family eccentric as a badge of honor.

What's fascinating is Lil is the complete opposite of me. She's never explored anything on these streets. Everything I discover is news to her. I have no idea what it would be like to be so uncurious. Would it be better or worse?

Helene610

I'm someone that likes to vary my routes when I have to drive somewhere. I think it's boring to always go the same route and as you said, you can discover the most interesting places where you get off the main road. And if traffic backs up, you know how to get around the delays. I've spotted businesses I never would have known were in the area and seen scenic spots where you can glimpse a water view or the changing leaves. As far as fall color, most of the trees around here are oaks and pines. We don't tend to have the type of trees that turn orange or red. The oaks turn yellow. But every now and then, you'll pass an area where someone planted the right kinds of trees and you'll get that little burst of color. And it's even more special because we get so little of it. I just stopped at a retirement reception for a former colleague. She was the library director in the neighboring town and I've known her over 20 years. I was glad I had the opportunity to stop and wish her well. She asked how I like being retired and I love it. I think she has mixed feelings. She asked 3-4 other people in the group and all said they wished they hadn't retired. Interesting! One man was in the banking industry and he retired during the recession and not because he wanted to. I can see that not really having a choice would make a difference. I hope she finds herself happy with her decision. I've found there is more to life than work.

mdubbs1

I think maybe regular retirement and early retirement are different. I don't know one single soul who retired early who isn't having massive financial problems. I'm glad I didn't let any of them talk me into it.

PamS53

DH and I both retired while in our 50's, so I guess that would qualify as early. It was voluntary for both of us and I know I haven't ever regretted it and neither has DH. As far as finances, we are very blessed to be able to live off our savings and investment income so far. DH has always been very smart money-wise and an excellent money-manager, so we are doing ok. Had it been left to me, we'd both likely be working until age 100!

mdubbs1

Pam - Okay, I lied, I DO know someone who retired early and isn't sorry! LOL!

Helene610

DH retired early. he was 54 in a very stressful job when the opportunity to leave early came up. He took a slight reduction in pension because he was under 55. doing it probably added years to his life and he loves being retired. I'm 10 years younger so I wasn't ready to retire. It was nice having him home so I could delegate car repairs and other errands to him while I was at work. We both had pensions and did financial planning so we didn't have the have to worry about how we'd manage. I waited until 62 to retire. We started planning and saving early which a lot of people don't do. They hit 50 and wonder how they can afford to retire. I was able to defer some of my salary in a tax exempt 457 plan and let it grow, I pay the taxes when I draw it out. I never cared about having new cars. I'd keep mine at least 10 years. So I wasn't spending money on cars. I think it's all in planning and priorities.

mdubbs1

Helene - okay, so I know TWO people who retired early and aren't sorry. LOL! I must just know all the bad planners.

Helene610

That might be it. We bought the house in FL 30 years ago because we knew we wanted to spend the winters there after retirement. We rented it out to pay the mortgage for the first 25 years. I think part of it is figuring it out and making a plan. The Prudential commercials about saving 1% more for retirement are a good example. But how many people will do it? If they gave up one fancy coffee a week and put it into an IRA, they'd have a good amount before they retired. But most people won't follow through. I don't know this for a fact, but out of six library staff, I think I was the only one to do the salary deferment. I say that because the person who worked for The Hartford (plan salesperson) would come over to see me at work to see if I needed to make any changes They would remind people they could join any time but I was the only one in my department meeting with her. That tells me the others didn't take advantage of the plan.

KonaKat

Liver is horrible!!! The thoughts of it turns my stomach.

I retired early because of health, stress and horrible working conditions at that time. I really missed the work and the interaction with the students. I don't miss the paperwork and the increasing demands on time that have little impact on students. Don't get me started on this.

The last PT appointment really wiped me out. I felt fine while doing it but afterwards, I ran across the street to WalMart to get cat litter and some food. I started feeling yucky, so I paid and drove home. A little over an hour later, I retreated to the bed to rest and read but awakened almost 4 hours later. I slept through the town's trick or treat. I figured I wouldn't sleep that night but I did. A slight cold might have factored into this.

I got an email that NS has a special going in which if you order any a la carte of $100 you get free shipping.

PamS53

I just got home from a routine dental appointment for a cleaning, or as I refer to it, an hour of water boarding. The hygienist is very slow and methodical, and it seemed to go on forever! On the plus side, there were no cavities or other issues, and I survived the water torture.

Tomorrow I'll be seeing the ortho doctor again. Yesterday I was feeling a hard spot next to one of my incisions, kind of trying to figure out why I had this hard knot of tissue there when it was soft everywhere else. All at once, it popped just like a pimple and a lot of pus and blood came out. It oozed all day, so I called the doctor's office this morning and they are working me in tomorrow to figure out what this is. I've been off the antibiotic for about ten days, so I'm wondering if that was long enough for an infection to get started again. I'm really getting tired of dealing with this.

KonaKat

Pam--I know you are relieved that the ortho could work you in. I completely understand why this would be getting old...and thoughts of what will develop next. Hopefully, this will be the end of the ordeal.

Nothing new here. Getting ready to go to the city for PT and then meet my niece for a late lunch to fine tune departure plans for next week's trip to Puerto Rico. You may not see much, if any, postings from me in the coming week.

PamS53

The appointment with the doctor went well. He was not concerned about infection and did not want me to go back on the antibiotic, which was a relief for me. I just have to wait for this to scab over and drop off again and keep it clean and covered in the meantime. I had planned to go for a badly needed pedicure, but that will have to wait awhile.

Helene610

Pam, This really has been quite the ordeal for you. I'm glad the doctor was able to work you in and give it a look. You must be pretty relieved that he didn't think it was anything major. How long has it been since the start of your injury? I'm guessing 3 months but I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer. I got a much needed mani/pedi today. I've been using a new product for the last 3 manis. It's a powder called Nugenesis. My polish lasted 5 weeks with no chips. I probably could have gone another week but my nails had grown enough to make typing difficult. I picked a pretty slate blue color for my fingers and it has sparkles in it. It makes me think of the movie Frozen. It has a holiday/winter flair without being traditional red

We've got dental cleanings Thursday. I think I mentioned the hassle of trying to find out if DH needed to be premedicated before dental procedures. We ended up rescheduling the appointment because we couldn't get an answer in time. And of course the answer ended up being he didn't need medication. That's a good thing

Jean..Enjoy your trip. Is it just the two of you going? How is your friend that used to travel with you? I remember he had a lot of health challenges that limited what he could do. I hope he'd doing okay.

Maryanne,,Are you and DH recovered yet?

mdubbs1

Pam - glad you got good news from the doctor! It's about time.

Jean - wow, Puerto Rico? Do you speak the language?

Helene - I'm glad you got to do something for yourself and that you finally got an answer about the dentist.

I can't see what I'm typing right now as Tuffy is lying in front of the screen and he's BIG!

PamS53

Helene, this ordeal started December 27th! I just got home from getting my manicure and had a pretty red color applied. I used to always wear a color, usually red, but for the past three or four years I've been doing a variation of a French manicure. Today seemed like a good day to do something different.

Jean, enjoy Puerto Rico! I visited once on my honeymoon and thought it was a lovely island. Since it is a tourist destination, most of the people speak English, though of course if you can speak Spanish that is always appreciated. Old Town is a lot of fun, but be careful walking on the old cobblestone streets.

Maryanne, it sounds like Tuffy thinks you need to take a break!

Helene610

I had no idea this injury had gone on so long. I hope this is the end of it. I got a mani/pedi yesterday. I didn't have any chips after 5 weeks but my nails had grown too long for me to comfortably type. I'm using a dry dip powder now called Nugenesis. I picked a pretty slate blue color not realizing it has sparkles in it. It reminds me of the silvery blue on Christmas cards. I think it looks really pretty. It's festive and holiday without being just Christmas.

Helene610

I started my day with a brisk 15 minute walk through the neighborhood. I have a follow up with my doctor next month and I'm hoping to improve my BP and cholesterol numbers by then. I'm terrible about sticking with exercise but I accompanied DH on his morning walk. If I do it with someone I'm more likely to do it. He's still short on stamina so I had him stop for a break while I walked to the end of the street. When I met up with him we stopped and sat on a bench overlooking the water. I used the time to let out some stress with deep breathing and listening to nature. From there it was a 5 minute walk home.

PamS53

I've been very entertained for the last couple of days by my Facebook feed. A friend with similar political views added me to the Pantsuit Nation group and reading the posts and stories various people have shared has been very uplifting. I expect to see a lot of people wearing pantsuits on Tuesday! Apparently, this has become a "thing" that is sweeping the nation, at least among Clinton supporters. In two or three days time, the page has over a million members. In our household, DH is supporting Trump, while I cannot bring myself to vote for someone I view as mentally unstable, misogynistic, and just plain mean. I have never been a fan of HRC, but I definitely view her as the better choice of the two. Mostly though, I just can't wait for this election to be over.

mdubbs1

Pam - I'm with you, I just want the election to be over! There have been elections that DH and I have cancelled each other out which always amused the heck out of me. Not true this year. Of course since we live in Maryland our votes don't really count for much. I guess that's true for a lot of states.

Helene - it's great that you and your hubby can walk together. I'm terrible about exercise too. We've had some beautiful sunny days recently and it's a shame I'm such an indoor person!

My hairdresser left her place of employment along with EVERY SINGLE OTHER HAIRDRESSER in the place. They all left on the same day. She went back to the salon where I first met her and I saw her there for the first time yesterday. There are familiar faces including the hairdresser who bought the place. She actually recognized me and welcomed me back. What I didn't get was the story on why everyone left together. We never had enough privacy that I felt like I could/should ask and she didn't volunteer. She did tell me we'd been at that place NINE YEARS. I wouldn't have guessed that long. I'm guessing I saw her at the first place for about 25 years. They've done a pretty major remodel on the new/old place but the way they do things is still pretty much the same so they have sort of the same basic "stations".

PamS53

Wow! I'll bet it's a pretty interesting story about why they all left at once and I hope you get to hear it someday. That reminds me that I'm overdue to get my highlights done and a haircut. I never seem to think about it when the salon is open, which may explain why I'm always way past due when I get around to making an appointment.

Helene610

I'll bet it was an intolerable situation that finally blew up. Why else would everyone leave together? I'm glad you found out where she went and could continue to go to her. I gave up coloring years ago but I'm definitely due for a haircut.

mdubbs1

Julie's smart. She has detailed records of all her client's contact info, coloring needs, etc. She cares WAY more about my color than I do. She called all her clients to tell them where she was going and in her message to me she claimed to have checked that they have "your color". I act like I sort of care because she cares so much! All I really care about is "not grey". LOL!

My sister quit coloring her hair so I know what I'll look like when I stop.

Julie was super busy Saturday, her second day there. I'm sure all her clients followed her. We all do what she tells us to. That has often been literally verbalized between us (her clients) when we're chatting. Hee hee....

I agree it was obviously a revolt but what they were revolting about had to have been very much behind the scenes. It was a smallish place and everyone seemed happy and helpful. Seemed from the outside to be running smoothly.

What I do think I figured out was why she left the first place originally. Putting two and two together it's obvious she left there in the same year her co-worker bought the place. It has to be hard to have a co-worker suddenly running the whole place and being your boss.

KonaKat

I've followed my hair stylist from one salon to another, each move made for what she considered a good reason.

I guess I'm almost ready to go on the trip. After the Friday PT session, I was so wiped out that I wasn't looking forward to Monday for the PT session and then driving an extra hour to pick up my niece and then returning for a two hour drive to the airport city where we will stay the night because of an early morning flight. I called her and explained that it might be a good idea if someone could bring her down to the PT place because of the way I had been feeling. She did find someone to do that, so that eliminated a concern.

The eating on the run the past month has resulted in a five pound gain. Right now, I'm not worrying about it.

mdubbs1

Jean - I'm glad you're ready for the trip. Have a great time!!

Helene610

Jean, It was good your niece was understanding about you not being up to the extra driving and that she made arrangements to meet you. I can only imagine how tiring PT must be without having to drive an hour to get there. No wonder you're tired. I'm sure stress had contributed to a share of the gain as well. Just relax, enjoy your vacation and start again when you get home. How long will you be doing PT? Are you starting to see any results yet?

We went to see DH's cardiologist yesterday. She was pleased with how he looks and she talked to his surgeon just that morning. She was happy to hear he can drive again. She told him to keep up the daily walks and she'll see him in the spring. They do the evaluation for the cardi rehab classes then and he ca do them over the summer.

I'm just running errands today. I have a couple of shows on the DVR so I don't have to spend the whole night listening to election returns. Hearing an update every few hours is enough for me. Like most people, I'm looking forward to the end. Our Republican Governor, left the presidential vote blank. He didn't support trump and couldn't bring himself to vote for Hillary. He'd made comments about not supporting Trump before but I expected he'd do a write in. I was surprised when he was quoted as leaving the line blank. He'll probably have company doing that.

mdubbs1

I fed the colonies this morning. I have to do a little googling on feral colonies and water. I may also look for a wholesale source of stainless steel bowls. I am already beyond tired of washing bowls. Stainless steel could go in the dishwasher. I had to stop and put water in one of our cats' stainless steel bowls because I couldn't gauge size. Turns out they are 48 ounces. Who knew! Now I can go back to googling because I know what I'm looking for.

DH wanted to know if I was going to stay up to watch election returns. No way!

Turns out yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the first time a woman was elected to a federal office. A woman in Montana was elected to Congress. She had been very active in women's suffrage and kept her organization going to win a Congressional seat. That election predated the constitutional amendment giving women the vote. Montana was an early adopter.

mdubbs1

I confess I'm reeling today. I don't know how to process this. I've just been trying to stay busy with work.