Category Archives: Musings

Infirmity

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Infirmity, it can be said, is a word that is used for people who are really sick. Bedridden.

However, our friends over at Dictionary.com have a definition for infirmity I particularly like:

“a physical weakness or ailment: the infirmities of age”

That’s something I’m becoming more and more familiar with – the infirmities of age.

Today, I visit two separate specialists. One is my dermatologist that I’ve been seeing for years for psoriasis. The drug he has me on needs monitoring from time to time and, to be honest, I think he just likes to get the visit in. The other is a rheumatologist to see about this inability to turn my head from left to right (or vice versa) without pain.

4 doctors in face masks and surgical clothingI’ve been to a chiropractor to no avail. I’ve been to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in neck and spine ailments who suggested it might be a type of arthritis. Yet my dermatologist (see above) discounts the fact it may be arthritis since the drug he has me on for psoriasis is also supposed to help with arthritis.

Are you following along?

Enter my GP who is really a gerontologist. A general practitioner who specializes in the infirmities of age.  That’s right. A doctor for people who are getting old!  How convenient is that?

His deal for me, other than my weight issue, is blood pressure.  It doesn’t seem to want to respond to medication so he keeps playing around with different drugs and dosages in the hope of getting the right mix.  Of course, high blood pressure or hypertension is related to me being fat. Ditto the sleep apnea which can contribute to high blood pressure.

Oh. Then there’s the dentist. Yep. It seems that the drug the GP gave me for hypertension has a side effect for my gums which now require a gingivectomy. The bad part about the dentist, of course, if that normal health insurance, even good health insurance, barely covers the cost of dentistry.

Of course, to make matters worse, I developed a toothache which required a root canal.

Here’s the bottom line: It isn’t easy getting old and it isn’t easy getting these infirmities of age.

What’s the solution?  Well, diet and exercise would go a long way. Losing the 120 extra pounds I carry around. That would help.

Easier said than done.

 

Happy New Year From ‘Just Another Rumor’

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Graphic of all 12 months of the 2012 calendar.Yep. Another year. Who woulda thought?

It seems like just yesterday we were all in a lather about the Y2K bug and how all the systems of the world would start to shut down, financial systems would collapse, and no one’s computer would work anymore.  My financial advisor guy says that Y2K is partially to blame for the “tech bubble” which led to a collapse of the tech sector in the stock market.

How was he to know it would be the “mortgage or housing bubble” that would really lead to the collapse eight years later. Who woulda thought?

Resolutions

This is also the time for resolutions.  Everyone I know makes them.  Even if it’s resolving not to make resolutions.

  • Lose weight.
  • Get healthy.
  • Exercise more.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Save more money.
  • the list can go on and on…

In fact, there are dozens of blog posts that talk about the “Top Ten” resolutions people make. Dozens more explaining why they’re mostly forgotten by February.

My Resolutions

I find that the fewer things I need to focus on, the better.  Maybe they’ll actually work out.

  1. Lose Weight —This has been with me for years…decades…and I haven’t been able to make much headway. In fact, I’ve gained weight.  I used to write about my struggle and progress with weight reduction right here on this blog.  In fact, at one time, I thought I would make this a weight loss journal in the vein of 344 Pounds and become famous for my achievement. Obviously, I still have lots of work to do in this area. Discipline is the key and that’s something I seem to lack. Especially when is comes to losing weight.
  2. Be More Positive — This is easier said than done. It seems that my life is a major roller coaster and, for whatever reason, I can’t seem to get it to keep going up so that the downs are not as devastating. I usually relate it to money and creature comforts. It seems that whenever I get a little ahead something comes along to suck the money right back out. Most recently it was my teeth.  It’s a long story but the Reader’s Digest version is that my teeth and gums are going to costs a-lot-of-money to fix. Nevertheless, I really want to see if I can improve my attitude and shed the curmudgeonly aura.
  3. Save More Money — I told you I have a thing about money.  The Missus and I spent a bundle on some home improvements that aren’t very sexy. A new heat pump and furnace and a new roof.  Hopefully, both will help with some energy efficiency and neither will require replacement for another 20 years or so. However, we really need to start socking it away for retirement. Neither one of us is getting any younger and The Missus, in particular, wants to stop working for “the man” (in her case, the Federal Government). We both want to enjoy our golden years and that means not having to worry too much about how to pay the mortgage, put food on the table and maybe go on a little trip now and then. So saving money in a serious, deliberate and conscious way is important.

Can The Be Accomplished?

Well, the short answer is “sure”. Why not? They aren’t really that hard. They’re simple, achievable, measurable (the magic SAM formula for goal setting). All it takes is discipline and persistence.

Yeah. That’s all it takes.

Happier?

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The week between Christmas and New Year’s.  Nothing much is going on for me in the real estate world and the Missus decided to take the week off from her Federal Government job. Our anniversay (#8) comes on January 3rd.

Me: If we were both retired you’d end up sleeping all day and I’d be eating most of the time.

The Missus: Well maybe if we were both happier we wouldn’t.

It made me stop and think. Neither of us are young. The Missus wants to be able to really retire in 3 years (and will be eligible). I’m just a couple of years younger. We both could, in theory, live another 30 years. Maybe even 40.

What would we do? Together or separately?

More to the point how can we possibly get to the point where “If we were happier…”

Installing A New HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus

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I don’t usually like to complain about new technology. Well, OK, maybe just a little.

I just bought a brand spankin’ new all-in-one (copy, fax, print, scan) – the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus.  It’s supposed to do everything but tie your shoes.

However, the “setup” is less than intuitive and seems to be taking forever.  In fact, it has been going on for 15 minutes before I started this blog post.  Right now I’m looking at the touch screen on the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus while it says “preparing printer” and occasionally making a sound like the rollers moving.

I pulled the paper tray in and out thinking maybe it wasn’t grabbing the paper.  I went to the HP website to see if there was something there that would tell me something like, “the printer takes a long time to setup”.  I’m trying to set it up through my wireless router so I can print to it from my iPad.

Alas, maybe that’s the issue.  According to the software that came with the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus my network connections can’t be located.  Maybe that’s because the hardware is busy making noises and “preparing printer”  There seems to be a flashing light but I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.

So I figure I’ll go to the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus support page and try to find out there or maybe even get a phone number I can sit on hold with while my HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is doing it’s thing, whatever that is.

But, nooooooo.

There are bunches of support “forums”, blogs, user manuals, etc. but not a single way to get through to a real, live person either in the US or India or China (where the thing is made, incidentally).  So I’m stuck.  I don’t know what to do or how to do it.

I even tried turning the thing off thinking maybe it just needed to “reboot” or something but then it flashes a message at me saying “maintenance cannot be interrupted”. Weird.  Can’t turn it off. Can’t proceed.

When One Door Closes…

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A glass of egg nog with some nutmeg on topThere is the old saying that a lot of positive thinking GooRoos like to toss around: “When one door closes, another opens.”  The unspoken part of this is that the other door that opens may not be the one you want either.

It seems like I’ve been going through a lot of challenges lately and that all of these posts seem to make me sound more and more like Debbie Downer. I know it makes them a bitch to read. “Quit yer whinin’” and all that.

Yeah. I get it.

It’s just that at some point, I get tired of all the challenges and no amount of other people in worse circumstances being thankful for the little things seems to be able to jolt be out of this bout with the blues.

I tend to get like this every Christmas but maybe it’s also part of getting older and not wanting to put up the “front” anymore of being a “nice guy” who “really understands” what you’re going through.  Mr. Compassionate and all that.

Maybe it’s the planning or anticipation thing.  You know.  You plan for “A” to happen only something happens to keep “A” from happening. You want to go on a nice vacation. You’ve saved some money. All of a sudden you get a little toothache. You go to the dentist. He tells you that he can fix you right up…..for about $5,000.

Bye-bye, vacation.  Bye-bye half a dozen other things you were thinking about doing. But, it’s all about your health right. You can’t enjoy the good life if you’re falling apart.

I guess I really need to learn the whole gratitude thing.  It’s hard.  Very hard. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to me. It doesn’t come easily for me. Most of the time it doesn’t come to me at all.

The worst part is that I really don’t know how to get it.

Dealing with the Christmas Grinch

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I have to admit I don’t really know the story of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  I have the general gist that The Grinch is a mean, grumpy guy who doesn’t like Christmas a lot and wants to make sure no one else has a good time either.

However, this Christmas I seem to be dealing with my own personal Grinch and it’s turning out to be me.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have a bunch of little ones to prepare for.  Maybe it’s because I really don’t get into all the parties and the non-stop eating and socializing.  Maybe it’s because this whole season just seems so damn artificial with it’s non-stop Christmas carols, “Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men” stuff.

It seems that the closer the actual day gets, the more grinch-y I become.  I don’t know.  Maybe I need to force myself to have a better attitude about it. Fake it ‘tiol you make it and all that happy stuff.

Maybe.

The Grinch Song

Partied Out

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A beautiful Christmas place setting with poinsettia plant.I must be getting old.

I used to be able to keep up a hearty schedule of work, party, party, work, home, sleep. No more. It seems that I just get too tired too quickly. I’m also getting tired of eating so much.

Gasp.

That’s a shocker.

I used.to be a prodigious eater. Still am in many ways. But going to parties night after night or sometimes afternoon party followed by evening party is starting to satiate me to the point of saturation.

Here’s a confession, too. I’m not as good a mingler as I used to be. I don’t remember names as well as I should. I’m embarrassed when people come up to me and know me or, at least, know my name and I don’t really remember them.

Pretty sad, huh?

Sometimes I  even say, ‘Hi, I’m Ken.” The go,”Yeah, I know you.” and then don’t introduce themselves back since if they know me I should obviously know them.

It’s more than the recognition thing, though. Sometimes I just don’t know what to talk about. Yeah, we got war stories to share and the “Are you ready for Christmas, yet?” which is kind of like “Nice weather we’re having, huh?”  Beyond that, I lose interest.

I don’t really care about the kids or their car problems. I know I should. I’m a “people person”. I should be out there building relationships, a network, friends. But, for some reason, my heart just isn’t in it.

The other part (and this has to do with getting old) is that my hearing isn’t what it used to be. If I’m in a large room with lots of people and there’s music and talking,and all kinds of carrying on, I can barely hear what you’re saying to me even if you’re right next to me. I do my best to catch the key words and the thrust of what’s coming out of your mouth but, the sad truth is, sometimes I don’t understand it.  It’s like you’re talking a foreign language.

But the big thing is the food.  I do’t drink so I don’t even catch a buzz. I put stuff in my mouth that shouldn’t go in there and the scale reminds me the next morning. I also have a feeling it’s not helping my general outlook on life. You know that sluggish feeling, bloated, slow, tired.

Bottom line: I just about partied out. For real.

Vacations

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This is the time of year a lot of people take off.  It’s only natural.  There’s lots of stuff to do.  Family to visit. Last minute shopping.  Of course, you don’t want to take off too much or you miss all the office parties. Gotta make the office parties!

It’s also the time of year to kinda plan ahead for next year.  Not too much, you understand. Maybe just enough to get an idea or a general outline of a kind.

Lately, I’ve been talking to the Missus about a long time dream.  Taking a real vacation.

Usually, when I go places it’s because there is a conference somewhere.  It’s great because I can write it off my taxes but it’s a little inhibiting because the time really isn’t my own. I have to sit through the actual conference part. It also involves a lot of networking with other conference attendees – meals together, drinks, etc. All in the name of promoting business.

The vacation is a nice break from all work. At least that’s the theory. No workshops or speeches or lunches or anything. Stay up late or go to bed early. Visit the touristy hot spots. Take some time at the spa. Maybe check e-mail once a day. Unplugging will be the hardest part for me.

The Missus has finally agreed to take a trip to Asheville, NC in 2012. It’s a nice little town in the mountains on North Carolina with the Biltmore as the biggest draw.  It’s really a nice, artsy craftsy town, too. Lots of local artisans that make lots of interesting stuff. Good music. I even found an interesting place to stay – The Grove Park Inn. It has a lot of history in and of itself and looks like it might be a fun place to stay.

Yeah. It might be a little pricey but if I play my cards right and watch my pennies, I might be able to put enough money aside to do it up right.

That’s the thing about vacations.  They cost money.  Too bad.  But I’m not really all that interested in “roughing it” anymore. I’m getting way too old for that.  Plus, since this will be the first real vacation in probably a decade or longer, it’ll be nice to enjoy it.

 

The End of Leftovers

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Apple PieAhh. It’s only Saturday and the last of the leftovers has been devoured.

I’ll admit there wasn’t a lot. That’s the problem with eating Thanksgiving dinner somewhere else. You get a little CARE package or doggie bag or whatever you want to call it but it’s stuff that’s rationed out among you and the other guests. The lion’s share stay’s with the host and hostess.

As nature intended it.

Of course, the upside to this arrangement is that:

  1. we didn’t have to cook Thanksgiving dinner (just some of it)
  2. we didn’t have to prepare our house for the guests
  3. we didn’t have to clean up after it was all over
So, the goodly amount of leftovers we did get to take home is one more thing to be thankful for. At least we had another nice dinner on Friday and some desserts into Saturday.
Hey, it’s all good…except for the calories.

Let The Parties Begin

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Party timeNow that we have Thanksgiving out of the way and Black Friday is coming to a close, it’s time to start planning those Christmas Holiday Season parties. If you’re not giving one, surely you’ve been invited which means you have to plan your itinerary. You may want to plan a little exercise in there, too.

I’ve never quite figured out why the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas (Yes, Christmas – as in December 25th) is filled with so many parties and the like.  We’re talking parties at the j-o-b, parties given by people or companies that sell stuff to you (if you’re self employed like me) or to your company. Of course, making the invitation list if you’re just a worker bee is a little tougher.

Still.  There are plenty of parties to go around. Your friends. Your family. Your neighbors. Your church. Everyone is partying down with booze and food.  It’s really the only time of year you can get away with this kind of stuff.

The forced camaraderie and fellowship and “Good will toward men” and “Peace on Earth” and all that stuff is a little much to take. Especially in light of the fact that the wars go on, crime persists.  Even petty arguments and diabolical plans to get mine before you get yours. It’s enough to make you want to scream.

You would think that people who want your business would be nice to you all year long and ply you with little goodies and stuff just for the heck of it. You would think that you might socialize a little more with your neighbors, co-workers and the rest.  But we don’t.  At least, I don’t.

The other part of this is the week between Christmas and New Year’s (let’s not even talk about New Year’s Eve, yet). Everyone is comatose from all the food and liquor and the shopping frenzy either online or at the mall that they just want the world to stop. Oddly, it pretty much does during that week. Some employers even shut down that week and give everyone a forced vacation.

Now we are entering the party zone. Only the most strong willed among us can turn down all the parties or the family gorge fest on or around Christmas.

Get ready to pack it on and then pack it in. Let the parties begin.