Author Archives: David

Updates

22 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Family, Health Issues

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  1. #2 Son went to the chiropractor, had his back diagnosed. No herniated disc, just a strain of the muscles.
  2. My Doctor visit. My b.p. is 130/80. My weight is 188 lbs, a 29 lb loss since mid-October, when last I saw him. I don’t know what the A1C value is yet. I am close to “normal” on the Body Mass Index, 26.9 where 25 is deemed not overweight. All in all, it was a successful visit.
  3. Birthday. We went to dinner. I had a good time and the food was good, not spectacular.
  4. Cold weather. It is cold. Tomorrow it will warm up to 36°, 8° warmer than today. By Thursday the temperature will be back to the 50’s.
  5. Swimming: I swam 12,500 meters in 5 days. That is 7.7 miles. I am satisfied with that total distance.

Birthdays

21 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by in American History, Depression

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Today is my birthday. I am 68 today. I remember 50 years ago, when I turned 18, I went to register for Selective Service (the draft). Richard Nixon was also inaugurated, because January 20 fell on a Sunday that year.

Today I’m going to the doctor to see if I have my diabetes under control with diet and exercise. I lost 25 pounds since my last doctor visit. We shall see.

I feel kind of sad today, not because I’m older, just sad. Too much negativity out there. It is 4:34 AM right now, Eastern Time U.S. I haven’t slept well. It is cold and when it gets cold, the bedroom overheats. Then I wake up.

Negativity. Funny how I cited the atmosphere of negativity in our culture today when I opened with the Nixon Inauguration. That was truly a negative time. I can’t say what era is worse, the age of Nixon or that of Trump. Distinctions like that are very subjective. I will say that the era of Nixon was before the introduction of SSRI antidepression medications. I was chronically depressed back then. At least now I’m not depressed all the time.

I have also given up on the childish notion that humanity is making progress, or, at least, should be. I can say there are positive changes, like the eradication of small pox. But our marvelous digital age that allows me to share this blog with you also means I am constantly under surveillance, not by the government, but by internet marketers. I sign up for emails from T J Maxx and I get deluged with ads from T J Maxx and its related companies on YouTube. When I watch a lot of Russian movies, I see ads from Money Gram. Privacy is dead.

I told you I was sad. Now I think I know why, at least in part,

Predicaments

19 Saturday Jan 2019

Posted by in Family, Gender Identity, Health Issues

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How do I begin? And where? Number Two Son, age 30, (Yes he is an adult) called me and asked what it feels like to have a slipped disc. I explain as best I can and he shares that he hurt his back.

Somehow or other, he wants to diagnose and treat this problem on his own. All kind of crazy, but he says one thing, “They drug test if I file a Wokers’ Comp claim.” Suddenly, all the flanking maneuveres begin to make sense. He doesn’t want to test positive for marijuana, the use of which is illegal in Virginia.

But I get to work assisting him, and do way too much to help with his problem. He is seeing a chiropractor I know and have used on Monday at 5:00 PM. With luck the problem will be correcting itself over the weekend.

I don’t suspect my son is a heavy pot smoker, but he is now organizing his life around his habit. NOT. GOOD.

I get stressed because he has Asperger’s Syndrome. Even if he wasn’t using 4-20, he tends to argue, over-think, analyze, and question even the simplest of predicaments. Here two things are key. 1) He has hurt his back. 2) A medical professional needs to assess the injury. Concealing drug use complicates a simple task.

Here’s hoping for the best possible outcome. He sees the chiro. The chiro does his magic. He feels better. He realizes that he is planning his life around his marijuana habit. And stops using. We shall see.

Foreign Language Films

17 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Uncategorized

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I once studied Russian. And German. I have taken to watching Russian language films and programs on YouTube. There are usually no subtitles, which is fine with me. My interest in Russia and the Russian language is being rekindled. So for 2019, I will reopen this long-blocked channel.

What needs to be said is the profound admiration and respect I have for Russian culture and the Russian people. I also resent making Russia the scapegoat for all that is wrong with the world today. Believe me, the world could do a lot worse than having to deal with Vladimir Putin. Can you say “Stalin”?

Swimming And Showering Today

16 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, YMCA

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Every time I miss, skip, or avoid a swimming opportunity I am worried that I will miss the next day and the next and the next. I worry because a good habit like a daily swim can quickly fall off the daily routine. It has happened before.

Today I did go swimming, had a 2500 meter swim. In the shower, post workout, I was talking with Hank, age 75, about the importance of showing up and exercising when one is over 65. Les added his agreement with the importance of showing up. Les will be 82 next week. Next week I will be 68.

Here are three naked old guys in the shower talking about what benefits us at our ages. They had no way of knowing anything more about me, nor I them. Three naked guys showering and talking have no idea what the others’ politics, religion, or any other identifiers are. As important as politics, religion, etc. may be, there are times when they don’t matter.

The Y is about fellowship as much as it is exercise. Three old guys talking in the shower is what fellowship is. Seeing Muslim families or Latino families use the Y puts human faces on the term immigrants. Once again fellowship is illustrated. The name of the game is understanding people different from us. Simple little things make that happen.

No Swimming Today

16 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Uncategorized

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I got caught up in stuff, found myself tired and with back pain. The lonely feeling crept back in. Rather than swim, I ended up watching a documentary on Napoleon. It was interesting. In the world post-Hitler, we rarely show interest in any other megalomaniacal war monger. Then again, next to Hitler, he wasn’t so bad.

I wish I could perpetually be a shining beacon of good nutrition, exercise, wellness in general. Life doesn’t work that way.

I hear the TV on upstairs. Upstairs, I shall go.

Good night Loves.

Southern For Polenta

15 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in cooking

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I was sitting around thinking about cooking ideas. I had mushrooms that needed to be used and chicken breasts from Perdue that were Italian Style, meaning what? I dunno. But they had some Eye-talian flavoring to them. Into the slow cooker they went with the sliced mushrooms, the big (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes, an onion, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and basil. They’ve been slow cooking for about 4 hours.

Rather than serving the stuff over pasta I decided to have an adventure. There is a really nice yellow grits product by Lake Side, called Lakeside Yellow Grits. So I cooked up some by the recipe, added a beaten egg, and some Pecorino Romano cheese by Locatelli, put it in a cast iron skillet and baked it for 30 minutes or so until firm.

So what is Southern for polenta. Grits. Yeah I know, not really but close enough. The reality is that all grits are not created equal. This Lake Side product is a nice yellow colour and has some flavor, not like you’re having wallpaper paste as a side dish.

I am excited to see how it turns out. The proof of the faux polenta is in the eating, to riff on an old saying,

Revert To Snow

13 Sunday Jan 2019

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As if remorseful for the dingy gray drabness of the day, it is snowing again. We shall see what happens.

My wife has spent the day in bed, what she calls a “Relax-A-Fest”, what I call ignoring, possibly avoiding, me. I succumbed to the Temptress of Industry and vacuumed the carpet. There are black eye peas and tomatoes with onion simmering away, a sweet potato baking and soon a nice piece of sockeye salmon will be grilling in the oven. All wintry delights I guess, filling the house with heat and kitchen smells.

A day at home makes my disjointed world more painful. But what I write keeps the door to sanity open.

Later, loves.