Wednesday's Air

[Libby]

Good morning all,

It is 17 degrees and we were spared the worse part of the storm. Only couple of inches, no freezing rain. Hope everyone got home ok yesterday and gets to work ok today. Didn’t exercise Monday or Tuesday and Bud is unable to. Who is going to step up to the plate? Count me out today will have another long day without any time:(

I was reading yesterdays posts last night and was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. Well Annette I want to cast my vote about Team EVTB, I vote Bruce in his Jimmy Buffett shirt, shorts and flip flops riding his llama be our official team mascot. LOL Linda I could just picture that! I was reading the discussion about calling around and shopping I guess shopping for fishing gear in that way would be like us women shopping for clothing on the phone. Who would ever think!! I thought as long as the fishing pole had one of those spinning things on it, it was good enough.

Judy in MI I hope you weathered the storm ok. I am glad to hear you can stay home nice and warm and not worry about going out anywhere.

Stephanie I am thinking about you and praying you have no horrible side effects. Hope your feeling good.

Judy in KW sure hope you are doing ok, sorry to hear about you work out set, oh well Bud better cycle further for the team! Hope you get more organized soon. That is like a life time project in my house and I never seem to get there!

Bruce did you get those flip flops yet? Now don’t make that llama angry!

Well got to get ready to leave for work. I pray I will be able to check back earlier. I am always on so late:( by the way working is way overrated...)

Libby

[jaminkw]

Morning All! No heater on this morning--Yeaahhh. Sun's out and it looks like a perfect day for an outing. We're going for Thai food for my BDay at a restaurant on stilts overlooking the Bite. A few more errands to run than I would like but it's all good. A neighbor I don't know real well came by to invite us to dinner tonight so all in all sounds like a great day.

I'm also finding that I keep rearranging things to make the things I use most often easy to get to.

But you are so articulate--that's exactly it, trying to minimize how many times I have to get a stool or ladder out on a daily basis. lol

What a fun Air yesterday. I'll probably only be able to hit the highlights. Funny connection between shopping for real, on the phone and cell phones. We disconnected our land line (except like you for the office fax Linda) and rely on our cells. Stan went shopping yesterday and forgot his. I was joking that he was going to be jonesing without it. The neighbor who stopped by said maybe he won't go so far without it. He doesn't like to admit he talks on the phone ALL THE TIME, so when he got back early he insisted it was a relief not to hear it ringing. But he only went half the distance he originally intended. He'll go with my original suggestion and give me the numbers and I'll go online and find the fishing pole. LOL

Annette, I am terrible at anacronyms so I had to go back and check it--EVTB. Yes with my machine broken I will become a card carrying member. Ginny, the mascot idea is brilliant. I was going to vote sloth but Linda's visual of Bruce is too tempting. Maybe we can get Katie to "do" one up for us. Bruce, do you notice how "pickable" you are? LOL Stephanie, the days you describe sound perfect for your situation. I believe that taking it easy helps avoid more extreme side effects. And Judy, bet you can hardly believe the seizures are gone and yes, feeling better does call for being a little more careful about out activities.

Hope all our friends are safe and warm out there with this horrible weather. Have a great day everyone.

Judy in KW

[Annette]

Except for the overcast rainy day it is not too bad outside - pretty warm all things considered - - I feel sorry for everyone under the storm though - be careful and safe.

I guess we will just have to break down and do some computer aerobics while the weather is too extreme for Bud to ride. We don't want him to take a chance just because we count on him. So everyone get ready:

Stretch right, stretch left, reach for the sky, look down toward your toes (had you there didn't I - I snuck in a neck exercise). (don't overdo now we are just showing support not running the exercise world). Wow - that really does feel better now doesn't it.

No heater - be careful we don't want to get a chill - I was right there with you. I have a little heater in my office that is on most days it is below well I am a lot like Judy in my temperature liking! If it is below 70 I'm cold. I hope your birthday lunch is fun and that the errands don't take too much out of you.

I hope that Judy (MI) continues to feel better and get stronger without the muscle seizures - it was hard to read about everything she was going thru.

I guess Eric went bowling last night - miss his posts. Maybe he things we've gone over the edge with the exercising and mascot. I think he will have fun once he joins in - - afterall - it's all about the smile, chuckle and twinkle in the eyes as your read this post!

Work now - ~sigh~

Annette

[LovesLife]

Good morning!

It is going to be a beautiful, non -40 day out today and I am rejoicing. Judy MI - how are things on your end? I was watching the news last night and it sounds as though this is a gigantic storm that is hitting a huge area. Hope you and Randy are hunkered down and safe - the mailboxes can be propped back up and I hope that's the worst that happens in this storm - just minor damage.

Libby - yep, my line of thinking about the fishing rod was like yours (stick/spinny thing-all good) but I quickly found out this was not the case. BTW, I can ride my stationary bike for 30 minutes today; however, I think that probably equates to about 30 seconds of Bud's exercise! Oh well, I'll do it anyhow as someone pasted 2 pounds on my body over the last couple of weeks and it's time to fight back (perhaps the "someone" were the chocolate chip cookies my mom-in-law sent home with us a few weeks back?...I wonder who force fed me while I was asleep?!?)

Stephanie - wow, sounds like a long day (with no pudding to chow down on). Hope you are feeling well today and that the side effects are minimal. Wishing you a relaxing day today Stephanie.

Judy KW - glad the sun is shining and an outing is planned. My hubby Travis would have had to circle back to get his phone - I think if he ever did go without it he would be surprised the world was able to get by without him answering his phone. Is it your BD today? If so...Happy Birthday and enjoy the meal on stilts and the meal with friends tonight!

Annette - I laughed out loud at your exercise regime. Perhaps my 30 minutes will be over doing it? Very sneaky on the neck exercise there. I don't think you would enjoy Alberta very much if you are cold when it is under 70. It is an oddity to get to 70 sometimes even in the summer-tee hee. Nah, not that bad, but still not balmy here very often.

Yes, Judy MI - I am so happy to hear that the muscle spasms are history...what a tough road to get to that, but I am so glad you are there.

Hope Eric enjoyed bowling. I love reading his posts - he lives such an exciting joyous life and it is so fun to live vicariously through him.

Have a great day everyone!

Linda

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 12 degrees as I drove to work this morning. Forecast high is 18. Somehow, that doesn't sound like a North Texas forecast. It's the coldest weather we've had in 15 years. We've only had flurries since yesterday afternoon, and there isn't quite as much ice on the road today, but it's still pretty treacherous. All of the schools here are closed again today.

Rose, her sister, and both of our daughters stayed home from work yesterday. It's probably just as well that most people stayed home. My biggest challenge getting around is always just trying to pass all the people driving 5 mph......LOL. I'm not sure how anyone thinks they're going to get up even a small hill if they're driving 5 mph at the beginning of it.

I ended up with 479 miles on my bike in January. That's not too bad, in the dead of winter, I'm thinking. February isn't starting out too well, though. It's starting to look like I won't be able to ride the rest of this week.

I hope you're feeling ok today, Stephanie. Stay warm, everyone. Happy Birthday, KW Judy!

Have a great day, all!

[lilyjohn]

Good morning everyone. I am home again at least for a while. I didn't have much time to get back to my routine before my sister in law went into the hospital. It has been an emotional couple of weeks and will be for a while. We will have a memorial in the Bay Area on the 12th then later I will try to help her kids sort through her things. Not looking forward to that.

I know what all of you mean about trying to downsize. I started out all over less than 9 years ago but still find myself with too many things. I like a clean and neat home but it is a challenge for me now. I don't have the energy that I used to have and of coarse this extra weight doesn't help. I try to get some exercise in each day but circumstances seem to always get in the way. Now I have to start over again. Not easy to get started after so long with little or no exercise.

I don't envy all of you the cold weather. It is cool here this morning but only the first time I have really run my heater this winter. I have a small tower heater I use to warm the bathroom but my furnace only came on for a short time last night before I went to bed and has run a few times this morning. Don't want to brag but that is one of the reasons I love living in California.

Well I guess I had better get off and get started. After my shower and breakfast I will make an appearance at the morning coffee with my neighbors then try to come home and exercise and get some house work done.

Have a good day everyone and stay safe. Lillian

[ginnyde]

Bud, help, I need the exercise.

Stephanie may it only be easy on you and very effective.

Judy MI, hasn't this medicine been working for awhile? Will they let you stay on it indefinitely? Could the spasm cycle be broken?

Ice storm here last night. Lost power overnight, back on this morning. Fireplace is leaking, big bucket propped on hearth. Car slid all the way down driveway on my way to work. Ah, the joys of winter.

We need to get exercise shirts and biking shorts with the logo on it. Then we need to get a group picture. Only from the neck up though because if we are not really doing the excercises we do not need full body pictures. Although Annette I am doing your desk exercises as I write.

Judy KW happy happy birthday. A restaurant on stilts sounds exoctic and fun, enjoy.

[Joppette]

Good morning! We survived the blizzard! Wow, what a storm. The snow was coming down 2 to 3 inches an hour, and at the same time there was lightning and thunder! We called it Snowmageddon!

We lost power, and when I got up it was freezing, and I was kind of freaking out because we have an automatic generator that comes on when the power goes out. Turns out Randy went outside to start plowing, and left the garage door and inside door open! At first I was afraid that our furnace was on the blink.

The worst of the storm is over. It averaged about 16 to 19 inches of snow. We live near a ski resort, and it closed today due to too much snow!!!!! I just heard the Mayor say that we got as much snow as the blizzard of 1978!!! Wow.

All I can say is technology has improved greatly. Our highways are not shut down, and we're in pretty good shape considering.

When we built our home, I budgeted in an automatic generator. In our last home, which was 5 miles from here, we lost power regularly, and sometimes would lose it for a week. Having well water, which means no water, no heat, etc., forced us to check into motels, and we would lose all the food in our refrig and freezer. It has paid for itself over the years.

Okay as far as the muscle seizures, I take 400 mg of Dilantin, and 60 mg of Baclofen a day. That equals 10 pills a day. But it's well worth it! I was taking 80 mg of Baclofen, but the afternoon dose made me extremely sleepy at 6:00PM, so I backed off on it, and I think I"m okay. I will get spasms if I push myself hard, but for the most part am pretty good. I'm going to try that dose for a while and see how it goes. I go back to U of M in March for a check up with the specialist. I can stay on this medication as long as I don't suffer side effects. They told me what to watch for and I do that and so far so good.

Today was supposed to be my CT scan, but they cancelled it, so I'm home and staying in my jammies!

Ginny, I'd much rather have huge snows than ice. Here the worst that can happen is you slide into a giant snow bank!

Bud, you guys are just having a bitter cold weather considering it's Texas! Wow.

Well, Randy is downstairs trying to fix the snow blower. Thankfully his plow is good. I'll make some breakfast, and warm him up and if I know him, he'll go back out and plow our neighbors out too!

Judy in MI

[Bruce u]

Bud I think we have switched locations. It is -8C/17F here this morning and forecast to reach 0C/32F by this afternoon.

Good to hear that the storm has passed. Judy MI, I bet Randy could use that tractor with heated cab now. LOL

Now Judy KW, I thought for sure you were going to suggest a buffalo in the logo. LOL

Linda fishing equipment is very important to a guy. You can't just phone around for those things. You have to hold it and swish it back and forth. In fact I seen an advertisement that said " Wife wanted. Must come with boat and motor. " LOL

Be careful with the exercising Annette and Ginny.

Still trying to find those flip flops Libby. Hey riding a mower with heels on might make for a good logo as well.

[eric byrne]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Duck for cover,Iam back,apologies for my absence,noticed my last post in was Saturday, ye gods I will end up getting the sack from the site shortly.

So much to share with you,first the weather,really wet miserable day, though a really mild 9 degrees C ,which is really warm here for a day in January,we have lots of reports of heavy snow in your mid-west here,hope its missed all of you?.Bad news first,Sally,suspended from work for January,to sort herself out had a meeting with her manager and union offical on Monday Am,with a view to having herself re-instated,unfortunately she left for Planet Pluto on Friday and hasnt returned since,oh well.

Well on Sunday after ABC I met up with my little friend of the alternative persuasion,to share a meal in Glasgows best Italian restaurant La Vita something,("Life is Beautiful")then on to a pub called Waxy's, never been before,my companions choice,a group of musicians arrive sporting guitars,fiddles and penny whistles,a give an impromptu concert to the customers,the atmosphere was so congenial,I had a super day out,oh my companion is at least twenty years my junior,no romance,she just enjoys my company,and being Polish loves to practice her English conversation skills,which is a bit ironic, being with a guy with a strong Glasgow accent,but we have great fun to-gether,it kinda reinforces my desire to move out and on, to a house on my own and really start to enjoy life again.

I really havent got up to date with the postings in my absence,sorry,I promise to make ammends,but you are right I was bowling last night,well bowlings is a bit of an exaggeration,I was absolutely dreadful,we got beat 27-2,at least, because after that the other team stopped counting the score out of sympathy,better I stayed at home and posted in?.

Left work early to-day,first Wed in the month,Stobhill LC support group,Penny is pregnant( due in April) is giving up the chair for a year,she will however attend the next meeting in March to introduce her temporary replacement.I really will miss her,she is the only Lung nurse I have met with any merit,who is really committed to her job,with a great big love for every LC patient.Robert Lowe was there of course,introduced him again to cancergrace and LUNGevity,so hopefully he will join us here soon.Robert is 71 not only the UKs longest survivor of SCLC and also NSCLC of 17 years standing,but the UKs oldest/youngest teenager,he isnt just surviving,he is thriving,its my pleasure and priviledge to introduce him to you.(Hope he takes the plunge).

Oh I handed in my voluntary severance app form yesterday,fingers crossed I can be approved and leave by the end of the month.Now another good news story,a former student of mine,I can take the credit for getting into FE as a lecturer about 20 odd years ago,now works for me,asked me about giving his sponsorship money he will raise this year to a Lung Cancer charity in honour of me,does that not bring a lump to your throat,he just happens to be a super mountain climber,and mentioned to me about climbing the Eiger this summer,keep it quiet says he,the final plans have not yet been completed.He came into my class this morning to borrow some drawing gear,and we got chatting,seems I wasnt paying proper attention about his climbing plans,bet you cannot believe me but Eiger is the peak he has still to close with a companion,he has completed his arrangements for Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn,he is going to climb all three in one go.Next year says he is going to South America for the highest peaks in the Andes,gosh I get dizzy standing on top of step ladders.

Still planning my route through America,you have to laugh,one stop in mind has been to accept Annettes offer to show me round Richmond,well today on Amtraks web site I typed in New York to Richmond,well in my map its about one and a half inches,I nearly fell off my chair when up comes journey time 7 hours,the great bit was $62,what, you can hardly get from Airdrie to Edinburgh for that ,oh you Americans,you are spoiled rotten with your transport costs not forgetting gas prices (£1.30/litre here,think thats about $8 a gallon in America?).Penny was telling me there is a shop in Sauchiehall St called Trailfinders,they deal only in long haul holidays and can plan your route for you,so I will pay them a visit on Saturday,hoping that they are open.

Think I will let you come up for air now,enough is enough,good to be back,ok who said ? "no its not".Byee.