WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2019

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  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    Allie: I had leg cramps that were very painful during the time I was going through “the change.” Sometimes all I could do was get up in the night and walk the cramps out. I eventually found that ibuprofen and TUMS combined were very helpful in reducing night-time cramps in my legs and feet. Good luck to you. I hope you find something that helps you. :heart:

    Bananas&Oranges: Welcome to a great group. :flowerforyou:


    I was mistaken about my phone being leased. We have a longterm purchase agreement and are paying for it a month at a time. I still don’t like it very well, but it would be nuts to change so I’m keeping it.

    Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon
  • 1948Peachy
    1948Peachy Posts: 1,511 Member
    edited April 2019
    Katla ~ I have T-Mobile. We tried to switch to AT&T but were unhappy...when we tried to pay the bill it was a nightmare. They never gave us any paper work and when I tried to get online it would not let me in. Same thing happened Friday when DH went to the At&T store to pay the BnL's bill. They wouldn't let him pay it...so he had to come home and find an address. There was no paper bill. :s
  • bananasandoranges
    bananasandoranges Posts: 2,410 Member
    Thanks for the warm welcome and tips everyone. <3

    accountability update; first was at 11 am-ish, now 20:35, sorry if overkill. it helps me.

    Accountability Saturday, April 25th
    ✔️1. weighed self: 60,8 kilos (134 lbs)
    ✔️2.a tracked breakfast + lunch and snack (I think I didn't miss anything)
    remaining 2.b track rest of food
    x 3. Get 30 min of exercise. only 2000 steps logged. I went to the gym (just nearby) but I had forgotten my gym stuff!) it closes at 7pm and I chose to do next thing. Maybe can still walk this evening a bit. My shoes are not very warm ones and it's chilly and drizzly out. not sure
    x4. 5 minutes meditation. not yet.
    ✔️ 5. Spend at least 2h on long term writing project (produce at least 2 pages per day). Yes! and I think I did some good thinking and writing. It can be unpredictable.
    x6. Take care of at least one short term (1 pagish) writing or administrative task/bill.
    ✔️ 7. At least 15 min/day filing/cleaning. yes, regular pottering and tidying as go about the day. not major, but a minimal pass.


    • Overall Feeling: at 8:30pm : way better than this morning. got some good writing (I think) done. a relief. also, writing in café seems to work for me at present: more motivated and focused and I guess having hubbub around works at present.
    • Tracking:so far breakfast lunch and snack.
    • Exercise. not great so far!
    • Long term writing: yay! and yes
    • Short term writing/admin : no
    • Bright Spots today. writing and pleasant and hopefully productive work session at café

    • This evening I’m grateful for:
    1. pleasant and useful writing session at café -possible little breakthrough in something
    2. reasonably priced glass of Argentinian wine at end of café work session (I usually only get coffee and tea)
    3. nice people at café
    4. drawing - I enjoy doing simple sketches
    5. the newspaper- I quickly peruse the communal paper newspaper at the café sometimes
    6. low cost studies for me and many around me- I live in Europe. (still have to work and pay for living costs, so it's not so easy but not big tuition to pay to boot). having trouble getting all work done though. due to work etc.
  • bananasandoranges
    bananasandoranges Posts: 2,410 Member
    Karen in Virginia that sounds about what I hear about tuition. public sounds somehow possibly manageable. private is just crazy. I don't get it.

    Lisa in Arkansas thanks for the welcome, despite the whinging. I'm a big whinger. lol. I usually listen to stuff online but I think my gym intentionally blocks cellphone reception or else it's the building. for the elliptical we are in front of screens but we are limited to 4 channels with long commercials. one is a news channel, one is infomercials and the 2 others or old series or soap operas or cartoons or something of that calibur. I sometimes watch the news but it's more or less right wing, without being blatantly so, and repetitive. it irks me to be compelled to watch a political slant that is not my own. plus the repetition is boring if one knows the story. it's slim pickings. one of the better options is desperate housewives dubbed in French (the voices changes everything, bleck). I like the rowing machine and weights. I need to download. I actually don't know how to download in advance and fear I don't have much memory on my phone for when I manage to download.

    That is a lot of trash! wow! bathtubs are great!

    in 80s I'm sure the usual limit for 4 years of studies was 10,000 $ of loans in the usa. I took it. Graduating in liberal arts, paying an extra 200+ dollars per month off the cuff was rough to think about. I got help paying it off from family. this exchange makes me really grateful for that. I didn't think that much about it back then. it would have been heavy to start out working life with a 10,000 debt. Thanks Dad, now gone. I believe 2 of my older sibling didnt get family help and one sister was pissed off (understandably now). on the other hand my younger sister got a new car. my dad was not very balanced and I think as he had less dependants, he had less financial responsibility and was more and more generous to those who remained. I'm pretty sure he gave some other money to that same sister and also my brother, but I don't sweat it. my oldest sister is pissed off on that point though, for eternity, understandably.

    ginny, I hope I have more energy at 64! I tried to take your advice today but mussed it up.

    M in Oz I can't take time off for studies either. that would be super-expensive. does your work help out? I have born witness to storms like that. glad all are safe.

    KJ I guess it's a shame your son is oblivious to problems of others, especially if he is lacking in compassion, and understanding, but it's great, hopefully, that he was able to study and be debt free. what did he study and what does he do?

    Heather free tuition is already not bad. do many in the uk go to Scotland for uni? I would have.

    ginger thanks for letting me borrow your approach!

    hi everyone else. ok I'm gonna see if I have courage to walk in the evening a bit. wish me luck.
  • Vickil57
    Vickil57 Posts: 1,882 Member
    Ginny--Thanks for the wise words. I need to remember to take each day as it comes and be proud of what I have gotten done.

    Pip--Have fun on your Alaska cruise. I would like to do that one day. Could you PM me your address as I would like to send a donation for your MS ride. Thanks,

    Yvonne--Happy 28th anniversary.

    Rori--Sorry to hear of your fall. By now I hope you are home and getting things taken care of.

    Carol--Lifting you and DH up in prayer as you deal with all this stuff and DBIL.

    Woke up to thunder and lightin in the night. Lots of wind and cool temps today. I am working long shift and going to watch 3 of our great grandsons for a couple hours this evening so their dad can take mom out to supper for her birthday. I am looking forward to cuddle time with the baby, only 3 months old.
    Not sure what I did to my knee, but hardly able to walk and not making me happy. Will put ice on it when I get home and hope it helps.
    Blessings, Vicki GI NE <3
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,660 Member
    Happy Saturday ladies!

    Just got home from a Master Gardener training class. So nice to be back among gals (mostly), many my age, who are generally just friendly, respectful, and helpful. A great group and I'm feeling very blessed.

    My allergies are trying to come back full force, so I moved the air purifier into the bedroom and my doc's office gave me some masks to wear when I'm arm-deep in potting soil. Don't mind sneezing and runny nose but waking with sinus headaches is the worst part. Anyhow, things are getting better.

    I've been following the discussions on medical costs and college costs. My observations, condensed-
    Regarding medical costs, as many of you know we doctor with a Direct Care primary clinic, pay $60 per month ($120,/mo for DH and me) and go as many times as needed and have access to very low-cost labs, prescriptions, testing. Our clinic doesn't take insurance. An MRI w/o contrast, for example, is $260. That's everything - including the radiologists report. Bear in mind we are on Medicare and also have a supplemental which kicks in for specialists, hospitals, etc. But if we didn't have insurance and had a high-deductible insurance policy, something like this might be a good option if the law allows it. The Affordable Health Care Act kind of tied people's hands and made them use "approved" plans, but that may have eased now.

    Sounds like there's a push for more and more of these types of clinics and there's some talk at the federal level I'm going to check into. To see if there's a Direct Care clinic in your area, I found a map and more info on this website:https://www.dpcare.org/.

    Regarding college costs, it really does depend which state a person lives in and the line of study. WA State, tuition and fees at our local state college is $2308/qtr, books extra. A person can get a bachelors of science in education, applied management, diesel technology, and information technology, all of these are very employable fields with jobs starting out at $40,000 per year and more in our area. The college also has scads of scholarships available (my DH and I sponsor one for some tuition assistance for students in nursing or aiming for veterinary school.)

    The college also offers AA (two year) degrees in accounting, engineering, etc. Also very employable fields and higher-paying jobs with great benefits. And high school students can enroll in the "running start" program and graduate high school with many college courses completed.

    I think these classes are in conjunction with Washington State University and are transferrable.

    Consequently, many students graduate with minimal if any student loan debt. If they wish to attend a more big-league campus experience like University of Washington, they'll pay more and may end up with big loans. There are more opportunities for liberal arts degrees there, but many which take advanced schooling to find good-paying jobs such as mental health therapists, etc.

    So looking at tuition and the cost of loans as an "investment", as Machka mentioned, can be a shrewd way of assessing the situation.
    This morning I found a variety of "Tai Chi for Seniors" demos on YouTube, and will start incorporating some of these into my morning exercise/stretching routine. They include simple balance moves, and it appears many of them are under ten minutes in length. Just want something to overcome morning stiffness and get muscles warmed up before I start my day. I found one which interviewed a perky 90 year old gal (she looked 70) who explained her morning routine and said she makes herself go through it before that first cup of coffee, lol.

    OK ladies, out to check the greenhouse. Stiff cold wind blowing right now and we're looking at frost tonight.

    Lanette
    SW WA State
  • kevrit
    kevrit Posts: 4,324 Member
    Skimming. Up to page 54.
  • suebdew
    suebdew Posts: 1,298 Member
    <3
  • GodMomKim
    GodMomKim Posts: 3,703 Member
    edited April 2019
    <3 Lanette thanks for the insurance info.... they need more of these, the closest one to me is a couple of hours drive each way....
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,660 Member
    GodMomKim wrote: »
    <3 Lanette thanks for the insurance info.... they need more of these, the closest one to me is a couple of hours drive each way....

    Kim - crossing fingers for you. <3 Seems like a year ago, there were only 4 in WA State. I see there are now many more. The one we go to is 15 minutes away. It appears there's one 1/2 from us and another 1 hr south of us. Workable if there's not an emergency but some folks (like my DH) won't go UNLESS it's an emergency, lol.

    I know our doctors really, really like this arrangement so hopefully the news will spread and more will get on board. Not having to deal with insurance, they've been able to run the clinic with a fraction of the staff it used to take.

    Lanette
    Sunny SW WA State
  • bwcetc
    bwcetc Posts: 2,827 Member
    Barbie ... is it a bear?
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,531 Member
    Did a pilates for the lower body DVD. The plan for tomorrow is to do some balance games on the Wii

    Ginger – love your saying “motion is lotion”

    Welcome everyone new!

    Banana – I need music to motivate me at the gym. One instructor in my water class doesn’t play any music, but, fortunately, it’s only at the beginning of the class. Then she turns on the music. She says that she does this so that some of the people can converse. To me, some people go to the gym mainly for the comradery and that’s OK. No one seems to mind having music during the beginning of the class – the other instructor does. So I don’t know. I only know that music motivates me.

    M – glad to hear you were safe from that tree

    Banana – I wish all the gyms I go to would block cell phones. I don’t go there to hear someone else’s conversation. I can see a cell phone only in case of an emergency, but that would be very rare.

    Made more chocolate chip cookies for Vince, cut up the lemon bars I made yesterday, made shrimp tarts to take with us to bowling Monday and these lemon cookies for a gal that I play mahjongg with on Mondays. Then put down some grass seed. When we were at the store, Vince kept saying how it would do so much more. Didn’t even get the whole front yard done. I put down weed killer, went to church where I lectured and ushered.

    Michele in NC
  • 1948Peachy
    1948Peachy Posts: 1,511 Member
    Michele ~ You are the busiest person I know! :)

    Carol in GA
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,274 Member
    stats for the day:

    Spin bike- 70min, 87aw, 69ar, 122ahr, 145mhr, incl single leg spins, 16.1mi= 553c
    mall walking- 2hr 17min = 346c

    total 899 cal
  • trucker743
    trucker743 Posts: 394 Member
    katla in Oregon - T-mobile all the way here. They’ve always been great for tech support, range, and everything else.

    Tracey in Blizzard Central - there is a Facebook Page called “Bariatastic Social” that has some decent information about this surgery. There shouldn’t be a large chance of complications if you live near a teaching hospital, or really any large reputable hospital. I’m 76 and I survived mine just fine. Feel free to share any parts of my posts that you think are helpful.

    I am doing a Game of Thrones catch up marathon today. I’ve read all the books, but I enjoy some of the great actors, and to see these imaginary exotic locales fascinated me. I’d love to take a trip based on them. I know Iceland and Malta were involved, and wasn’t some of it in the desert near Algeria or something? I’ll have to read up! (Imaginary trips can sometimes be as satisfying as real ones!)

    Meanwhile, I’m having real problems getting in my liquids. I’m not really all that aware of thirst until my mouth is so dry my dentures are flapping due to lack of moisture to adhere to.

    Sharon Near Seattle
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,203 Member
    bwcetc wrote: »
    Barbie ... is it a bear?

    :) Yes, it's a bear with the imaginative name "Bear". It survived the washing machine and being left in the backyard overnight several times.

    :)Banana, I bought an external memory card for my phone so I can download music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The card has been transferred to each new phone I've gotten since 2004.
  • GodMomKim
    GodMomKim Posts: 3,703 Member
    :)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    barbiecat wrote: »
    ax9wwcvheeqo.jpg

    My mother kept only one toy from my childhood and I kept it until a few years ago when I decided to take its picture and discard it. Digital photos take up a lot less space than the objects themselves and are easier to pack when you move.

    I did that with a lot of my things in 2009 when I moved from Canada to Australia. I could only afford to ship 300 cubic feet of stuff, so I had to downsize considerably. I had already gotten rid of about half my stuff in 2004, but had to get rid of about half the remaining stuff in 2009.

    So I took a lot of photos.


    M in Oz
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    bananasandoranges wrote: »
    As of next year people from outside of europe in the university system (most students) will be required to pay around 3-4000 euros. there have been protests, petitions, and long or repeated occupations, by French students of universities in response to this choice.

    The idea shared by many here is that we don't want there to be a difference of student profile based on whether they are from Europe or not. That would basically mean many African and Asian students would be relatively well-off ones in their country to have the means to pay 3.000 euros.

    In Australia, if you're not Australian with at least a permanent residency, you pay double what Australian students pay. And yet, I'm often the only Australian (Canadian-Australian) in a class of 500 students. I suspect it is a case of kids from well-off families being sent over to get their Master's degrees here, and to learn English.

    bananasandoranges wrote: »
    I've been teaching only in higher ed for 10+ years but only with a masters. I'm working on phd. It's hard as work and the to-be-expected unexpected things in life really get in the way sometimes.

    I don't have the same level of energy as I did at 20 or even 40 (at least now- hopefully that will increase). I got my master's 7/8 years ago.
    It was a lot of work but just one year and I was really able to give it my all for the many months required.

    I often think I would like to teach in a University or tech college (post-secondary). It is possible that when I complete my Master's it might open some doors in that regard.

    I notice that many of my instructors are "instructors" and not "professors" and I recently discovered one woman, who I thought shouldn't be teaching at a Master's level actually did not even have a Master's degree!! In fact, right now I have a higher level of education than she does. Interestingly, she vanished from teaching in our department last year some time ... so perhaps I was not the only one who made that discovery.


    Machka in Oz
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    bananasandoranges wrote: »
    M in Oz I can't take time off for studies either. that would be super-expensive. does your work help out? I have born witness to storms like that. glad all are safe.

    My employer does not help with the cost. They have "scholarships" for certain educational programs, mainly directly in health, and I've tried to present the case that IT is related to health, but they haven't gone for that.

    However, they do give me the time to attend during working hours which is really good because my university looks at me like I've grown a second head any time I suggest they have classes in the evenings or on weekends. "Our instructors would have to work in the ... evening!!" :anguished: Yes, well, when do you think I'm doing homework? I work all day and do homework all evening ... so why shouldn't the instructors hold the occasional evening class?

    The storm that blew through a few days ago reminded us of a storm that hit the west coast of France in 2012. My husband and I were on a RTW trip and spending some time in France. We had arrived at Bordeaux and cycled out to Lacanau Ocean ... and fell in love with that part of France. We would dearly love to go there for 2 or 3 months every year. After a few days in Lacanau Ocean we cycled north and stopped in Montalivet, and there a massive Atlantic storm hit. For 48 hours we were blasted and couldn't leave our cabin, then the eye of the storm must have come over and we dashed out to restock some of our supplies. The rest of the town must have had the same idea! And then the rest of the storm when over. We were planning to spend one night there, and leave on the Monday, but stayed till Friday and finally got away the Friday morning.


    Here in Australia, trees do fall with a disturbing regularity, so I was glad that was the only one we encountered and that no one was hurt.


    Machka in Oz

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