Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Form Over Function?
Which would you choose? Why can't we have both? Apparently Cell phone manufacturers have not figured out how to produce one? Perhaps they have and decided it is not profitable.
For me, it will have to be function. If a cell phone cannot perform well, what good is it to me when I need to use it. Sure it will be pretty to look at, but if I cannot make a call, pretty is not going to be of any use.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
passing the torch
There comes a time when you have to let children do things on their own. Ready or not. If you have lead by example then it should be pretty easy for them to take over. Time will tell.
It is difficult to step back. It is like being in the driver's seat, then moving into the passenger seat. It is an uneasy feeling. I do not feel like I have finished my journey and prepared him enough for taking over. But he must.
Monday, January 29, 2007
First Day of Work
Early to rise. Getting dressed now takes thought.
Filling out forms. Figuring out benefits. Learning the rules of your new road. Being shown your desk. Ah, cubicle life.
No longer a just someone's child, a student or athlete. Now you have a new way of defining yourself with your chosen career.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Crafting a Letter
The art of writing a letter seems to have gone by the wayside For some letter writing comes easy, pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and they are done. I have never considered myself a writer. I prefer the short, to the point e-mail. Composing a real letter takes time and effort.
Carefully selecting the appropriate words, is time well spent. Sometimes that is important in business correspondence as the letter can be used as legal document, where the meaning of words may be dissected and your selection of words can work for or against you. Referring to laws can help you with your selection of words. Choosing the right words can make a huge difference in the outcome of a situation.
The same can be said in personal correspondence. Your intent in the letter can be dramatically changed with one word or phrase. So rereading your letter is important. Often times in movies you would see the a writer sitting next to a pile of crumpled paper. Writers block some would say. Those writers knew what they wanted to convey, but getting the message onto paper sometimes is not an easy task.
Thankfully there are tools to assist in writing letter. Previous correspondence, dictionary,spell check, thesaurus, policies, laws and the internet are wonderful resources. I love the word draft. It is a beginning. Refine the letter until you are satisfied with the contents. Thank heavens for cut and paste it has saved many trees.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Free Time
A scare commodity for me is downtime. However I found myself with a free afternoon and it was heaven. After weeks of non-stop activity the opportunity to relax was freeing. I could actually feel the tension leaving my body. It is something that I should do more often. Can free time be scheduled without pressure?
I dream of a warm sunny beach with gentle salt air breezes. The soothing rhythmic sound of the waves breaking. Sunshine reflecting off the waves. No clocks. No schedules. No responsibilities.
What do you dream of?
Friday, January 26, 2007
Cat Curiosity
Each creature has it's own personality and behavior quirks. My son's cat was personable and sometimes lacked judgment. He would try to jump into the window when it was closed. Abu has taken over a room, it is her domain. She just lets my son use the bedroom. Hidey likes ice cubes in her water and cantaloupe.
Mitzi is our scaredy cat. She runs when ever someone comes to our door. Sometimes her curiosity gets the best of her and she has to check things out and strikes a meercat pose.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Empty nest beginning
Officially he is now on his own in the adult world. He has his own apartment. This is still the house where he grew up, but it is not his home. All that is left is an empty spot where is car used to be.
Although I am happy that everything is going well for him, there is a small empty spot in my heart that misses him. The transition from college life to real life is not much different. Being so far away, I do not worry. Thank heavens for today's technology, it is much easier to stay in touch.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Routine Health Care
Doing those routine things, can be a bit of a pain... annual exams, dental exams, eye exams. Then there are the associated tests. Most of it is preventative care or providing a baseline to work from.
Today's visit to the Women's Center for Wellness was for a mammogram. The atmosphere was different. What surprised me is that it was digital. I didn't realize that things had advanced. The machine has an automatic release when the image has been acquired. The images are immediately provided to the technition, so the wait time is less to make sure the images are fine. Including the wait in the reception room, it only took 30 minutes before I was out the door..
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Blinding
It was a beautiful bright winter day, you know the kind where you need sunglasses. The bright light reflected off the snow and wet roads can almost be blinding. IKEA did not happen. He said something about style conflicts. IKEA has a certain kind of style, so I am not too sure how I would exercise any influence.
We finished up the clothing shopping. He does have good taste and knows how to shop. I was impressed with his skills.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Catching up
Spending time with my eldest, getting him ready for work, we went out shopping. Just what every twenty-two year old male want to do, shop with mom. The great news is that most of the things he needs is on sale. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Maybe we will even hit IKEA.
Finally I have added in the missing posts from December. There were only a few posts with pictures truly worthy of posting.
On the Road
Graduation
Ride home
The rest of the posts are more like a diary. Boring. They are there.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Low Fat, Low Salt, Low Carb
Yesterday I decided not to review the stress management material as I probably was too flustered for anything to sink in and have any effect. What I have been doing is monitoring my blood glucose and diet.
Looking for items that fit the above title is challenging. When it's low fat, they add salt. What's a person to do? Now it's not a diet in the grapefruit or Atkins type sense. It is making conscious food choices for life. Things are going pretty well. I do not feel deprived.
My subconscious habit of eating is being curtailed. Dealing with mindless eating is the hard part. Is it an oral fixation? Who knows? I did bite my nails as a teen. Now my nails look nice. I wonder what the nutritional facts on fingernails are.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Looking forward
Apparently my class on stress management didn't take. Looks like I need to review the material.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Diabetes 102
Not that I have been non-compliant, but I did bend my dietary rules over the holidays. Comparing this past holiday season to the previous one, there was a big improvement over my indulgences. The result was a six pound loss between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not bad considering my goal was to stay at my pre-Thanksgiving weight.
Things have settled down and it is time to return my attention to my health. I found a program that helps me manage my health information. It will help me note trouble and trends and enable me to make changes. Prior to finding the program, recording blood glucose, blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and managing other related health information was a daunting task. Now it is in one place, easy to update and print out as needed.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Unclaimed property
Connecticut's Office of State Treasurer has a Unclaimed Property Division. They take in unclaimed money and other valuables and publish the owner's name on a list. I highly recommend Connecticut (current and former) residents check the list every few years. For years my curiousity made me check the list, hoping for riches. My name was never on the list.
Then fate intervened and the I came across a link the list again. Searching for my name, this time there were three listings. While it is not a large windfall, it is still a blessing to know that I have a good amount of money coming my way. Hmmm..I can almost get new tires for my car.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Baby, it's COLD outside
This past weekend temperatures were in the 50°s. It's been a mild winter, until now. It is 12° with a sub zero wind chill of -4°. It is this day, my eldest chose to move to Syracuse. At least it is not snowing.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Getting ready to move.
Having one child leave for school is difficult and exciting. The same can be said for when they move out for good. Flying from the nest, venturing out on their own. It is good to see.
Monday, January 15, 2007
"I have a Dream"
Visions of what you think.
Visions of what can be.
Visions sometimes move us to action.
What do you dream of?
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Annoyances
Why is it that people do not R.S.V.P.? Is courtesy passe? It is difficult to say: "I am sorry that I will not be able to come."? These thoughtless people are so rude.
Food and drink plans are made. While I do not mind leftovers, when you know that ten people are not coming you can adjust the quantities.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Party Time
Overall everything went well. I did not let the little things bother me, like the cake was not what was ordered. One thing that seemed to go over well was the away messages I had saved from his first semester in the fall of 2002.
It seemed that everyone had a great time and the graduate enjoyed his party.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Reflections
Thinking back to when my son first left for college makes me realize how much he has grown. Yes, some things are still the same, but there have been many positive changes. He is grown, no longer my little boy. However will always be my son.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
He's Back
A bit red from the lack of sunscreen, a tall tanned handsome young man returned to his home. A bit weary from his travels and dealing with the 60 degree temperature difference he was a tad cranky. Still it is good to see him.Saturday is the Graduation party. Monday he goes to check out apartments.
Meanwhile I subject myself to the endless errands and exercise four nights a week. Hopefully my body will adjust to this new routine.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Trader Joe's
It seems that every time I go in Trader Joe's, it is like a great adventure. You never know what you will discover. Today's treasure was a simple tea. There is a cooking demo where they offer samples. I would not have purchased the tea if I had not tried it first. The woman doing the demo is gives me ideas that I can take home.
One of my favorite treats is a mix called Nuts About chocolate & Coconut.
Their prices are good.I just wish the store was not so far from my home.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Taking care
Another night at the pool. My pants are getting to point they feel like they may fall off. Taking care of me is being coming routine. After years of giving, giving to myself still seems strange, but it is getting easier. Tonight's workout was a bit harder than I thought it would be. It felt good, but tiring.
Temperatures are dropping. Key West sounds good right now. My son will be coming back home soon.
Temperatures are dropping. Key West sounds good right now. My son will be coming back home soon.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Stress Management
Part of managing my diabetes includes stress management. Today's class was enlightening. I was not aware of the impact that stress has one someone that has diabetes.There are the typical physiologic changes such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, faster breathing, muscle tension, but I did not know that it included increased blood sugar.
It was fitting that stress management came into my life now, since I feel besieged from several directions at once. The trigger for my current stress is the Graduation party this Saturday. Things were cast aside, not as important before this party came to be, have come to the forefront.
Now to deal with it. It is obvious that everything will not be resovled by the time of the party, but working toward to solution is a good first step.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Oh Christmas tree ....
It always saddens me when the tree comes down. Maybe I like to hang on. There is so much that I love about Christmas.
Memories from childhood
My mice
Matka Boska Częstochowska
The following ornaments may not be on my tree again. They are my son's and will probably be on his tree next Christmas.
Memories of First Born's trip to Europe
Eagle scout Star
The tree is out by the curb. The boxes are packed and stored away until next Christmas. The house seems lighter, even naked .
It is time to move forward.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
It was 71 and breezy today. Great day for cleaning windows and bleaching the bathroom. The windows are still open. The cats enjoyed the open windows. It was a great day to get stinky house work done. Dang, I should have cleaned the oven. Oh well. I'm not cooking for the party.
After the housework, dinner at my step-sister's house. The last meal I had that she cooked, I was ten. It was cabbage soup. I hated cabbage. So I tried to get rid of the taste by drinking some water. It was city water, there was a funny taste to that. I was accustomed to spring water. Now I had two horrible tastes in my mouth. Thinking back I really wasn't that polite.
This evening's meal was fabulous. She went overboard with the cooking though. Appetizers were in the living room when we arrived. For dinner: Chicken, pork, cucumbers, green beans,rice mashed potatoes. There were four desserts: apple cake, carrot cake, Polish cookies and a bar cake. There was enough food to feed a small army.
I made sure that I complimented her on dinner, several times in fact. It was a great end to a busy day.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Making progress
Finally. I am able to upload my pictures. (insert happy dance) Slowly, but surely things are working they way I want them to on the PC. There are still a few kinks to workout, but now there is one less thing to frustrate me.
The downside is right now I do not have time to upload the 2006 December posts and pictures. Hopefully they will be up soon.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Balance
Finding a balance is what I have been trying to do. Needless to say I know I am not alone with this struggle. Something always comes up. Persevering is key. It would be so easy to throw in the towel.
On Monday, there is a Diabetes stress management class. Stress affects diabetes. It is not the diabetes that causes me stress. That I have accepted. It is the daily life crap that gets to me. Like my husband started painting the house 17 years ago and has not finished. Like my sister calling me three or more times a day, just to chat. Allocating our funds.
Addressing my health does cause a teeny, tiny bit of stress, but it is nothing compared to the aforementioned. Perhaps it is time to contact a counselor. Venting does not help. I need to take action and address the situation, set some ground rules, stop worrying about other people's feelings and deal with my own.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Did I say normal?
My 74 year old neighbor was scheduled for outpatient surgery today. It started off as a simple trip to one specialist then a referral to another specialist, the the surgery was scheduled. It kind of snowballed, It wasn't what she intended, what she thought was I would just take her to one doctor. I do not mind, she is a lovely lady, who my youngest sons think of as an adopted grandmother. Everything went well with the surgery, especially since I requested a translator for her.
At 1:35 p.m. while she was still in surgery my cell phone rang. It was my sister.
Can you pick me up from the Emergency room?
What?
Words were breaking up and the connection was dropped.
I quickly went outside and called her back.
Who kicked you in the knee?
No, I think I dislocated my knee. I was going upstairs and my knee gave out.
I'm here at UCONN Health Center in Farmington with my neighbor, who is in surgery. I cannot leave her.
The ambulance is coming and I'm going to St. Francis.
Oh, you are still at school?
Yes, waiting for the ambulance.
Oh. So it will be a while before you need a ride.
Yes.
It will take you hours, everyone goes to the Hartford hospitals and you will get bumped. So I'll probably be done with my neighbor.
Okay. But just in case I'll call our brother.
Keep me updated.
The surgery went well and my neighbor looks like a pirate with her eye patch.There was no traffic going through Hartford so it was a quick trip back with a stop at the pharmacy. I gave the post-op instructions to her granddaughters and basically told them that their grandmother is on vacation until I take her back to for her post-op visit.
Dinner is now done. I just got a call that my sister sprained her knee and it took over 4 hours for her to be seen.. Sprains take forever to heal. And I wait because we will have to play shuffle the cars.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Getting back to Normal
My e-mail is functioning again, so time was spent catching up on a weeks' worth of e-mail.
Last night I visited some blogs and my stomach started rumble for a vision that I saw on Ocean. The lobster and scallop spoke to me. Seeing that it was late I tried to dismiss that lovely vision from my mind. But it was not meant to be.
Thankfully fate intervened. While grocery shopping today, my husband told me that he had heard the announcement that lobster was on sale for $3.99 lb. It did not take us too long to change tonight's dinner plans and we went to the fish counter. Our plans for a winter roasted dinner changed to a summer feast.
Monday, January 01, 2007
2007 Begins
Many start the New Year with great hope and promises of change. Resolutions, many are soon broken. It was interesting to see last year many that joined my exercise class soon stopped coming and by February the class was back to it's usual size.
I stopped making New Year's Resolutions years ago. While the premise is good, any day is a good day to begin anew. So why wait for January 1st? Many changes in my life went into effect slowly and generally unnoticed.
One plan started in 2005 was to take better care of myself. There have been results and more changes need to be made. Overall, I am pleased with my progress. Slow and determined I move forward. Yes, there are regressions like this past Holiday week. My regression was still not as bad as things used to be, so I am not belittling myself. The regression this week had a price, I felt the changes and they were not good.
So instead of starting something new, I am returning to my old habits.
May everyone have a healthy, prosperous and Happy 2007!
