ksylvan's Friends

Is there anything like a good sleep to restore a good mood?  I'm ready to rock and roll this morning.  Looking out the window I think I see some flakes of snow, but it could be a trick of the eye.  I'll have to wait until it's light outside. 

I'm going to be busy today working on a group project on my computer, so if I don't get to your journals, please forgive me.

Plan for today:  7 am to 9 am - project.  Tidy my kitchen and cook something good.  If it's not too cold go to Yang's market for fresh produce.  noon to 2 pm work on the project, then relax for a while and do two more hours later in the day. 

Menu for today:  breakfast hot cereal, milk, a tangerine.  Lunch - grilled cheese sandwich with salad.  Supper:  Thaw something.  Maybe that leftover steak? I'm down to frozen vegetables so I'll just pick out something.  Snacks - rice cake with peanut butter, whatever fruit I get at the market.

The forecast is sunshine all day and precipitation of some kind tomorrow.  We expect a high of 39 F, 4 C, with bright sun and a stiff breeze.  I really don't like winter, mostly because of the short days, but also because of the cold.  The air in my apartment is very dry so I'm looking for ways to get some moisture.  I think boiling something would work best.  Also, a steamy shower.  That business with pans of water on the heater vents doesn't work because not much of it evaporates.  Wet towels work, but then you have a mess and rust to deal with. At work we used to have a humidifier and I was shocked at how much mineral buildup there was in the filters.  I'm wasn't crazy about breathing cholorinated tap water, and there was no way the company would spring for distilled.  Sometimes you could smell the moldy air coming out of that thing. I've decided that humidifiers are unsanitary.  Any creative ideas? 

Today:  Any day you get to exercise your brain is a good day. 

so happy with the scale. surpassed my 2nd revised goal before Christmas of 133 now. maybe this week I can lose the other 2 to get to that first crazy goal? Not really trying for it, but hey, who knows? The super big urge to make Christmas cookies may disagree....

The workout today was Pure Cardio, about 40 minutes long.  Again, the warm up consisted of three 3 minute intervals of plyo and calisthenics (frog jumps, suicides, burpees, a couple different kinds of jacks, heismans, et cetera), each interval faster than the last.  After that was a five minute stretch. It also ended with a five minute stretch.  The time in between, however, was constant go-go-go.  Not even a water break in there!  I think I did ok.  The last move before the cool down stretch was jack pushups, and to be honest, my face hit the floor a couple times.  Good stuff!

I'm sore in my calves, shoulders, and that middle part of my back between the shoulder blades.  Calves are much much better than they were yesterday, though.

Weekend crap: the usual grocery shopping, wrap presents, try to ignore the PMS Monster who insists I need a giant cinnamon roll or an enormous frosted brownie.

*shakes fist at estrogen levels*

More Art of the Season from Canada

Birches in the Winter ~ A. J. Casson, 1947

Thank you for all your words of support yesterday.  I was terribly upset and you all helped me get past it.

Before I say anything else I need to update my newer friends on my living situation.  I live at Trinity House, which is a very nice apartment building designated for those over 65 and the disabled.  Rents are subsidized by the Federal Government, Department of Housing and Urban development, according to income It is not assisted living or a nursing home, but apartments just as you might find in any large building.  About the only difference you might notice in my apartment is there are grab bars installed in the bathroom and an emergency cord connects to the alarm system  in the office.  We do not live in "rooms" and the job of management is to maintain the building in good order, evaluate rent subsidies, and collect rents.  They are not social workers or health care workers, nor do we expect them to be.  This is independent living.

Up until this past May this was a very desirable place to live. I love it here inspite of everything and have made many close friends.  In May, a new tenant moved in and we on the 5th floor knew right away that something was not right.  Somehow a really crazy person, who I refer to as The Crazy Lady, had gotten through the extensive screening process.

About that same time the property manager went on "extended leave" and is still gone.  If you ask the office they say she is coming back, and all the paperwork still has her signature (I think they just make copies, I'm sure she isn't signing anything).  Also, the maintenance supervisor, who lived in the building, quit and we were short a person on that staff too. The office was being run by the administrative assistant alone. Things began to go downhill rapidly.  We did get a new maintenance supervisor who is much better than the old one.  He began dealing with unanswered complaints in order of urgency.

On December 2, a pipe separated from a water heater on the 3rd floor, in the middle of the night (naturally) and flooded that apartment, the apartments on either side, and the apartments underneat the leak on the second and first floors.  The tenants leasing those apartments had to leave while extensive repairs were made.  It took all week to dry just the walls and floors.  Some tenants went to stay with family and those who couldn't were moved into vacant apartments or they doubled up with friends in the building. 

Then came this inexplicable order to our most severely disabled man, JP, that he had to vacate and move to yet another empty apartment because the one he was staying in had been rented and the new tenants wanted to move in right away.  He was told at 5 pm to be out the next day and his round the clock care giver heard it, because since he has trouble talking and is hard to understand on the phone, she handled the conversation.  So there's a witness.

I kept you updated all day yesterday.  The only reason they backed down is that JPs case manager found someone on the staff at the county department of ageing who had a lawyer call the office.  Their abrupt about-face was witnessed by the caregiver and two neighbors who had come in to comfort JP.

We don't know what is going on and people are frightened that they could be put out of their apartments, in spite of their leases, on a whim from the regional manager. 

You've heard me talk about the disturbances here on the 5th floor by the Crazy Lady.  Well, 2 am there was another.  The hallway was filled with fire, police and parmedics.  The guys tried to keep quiet, but they were talking.  Nobody wants to go into her apartment because it's so dirty, as is she. 

I fired of another missive to the office and finally got back to sleep around 3 am.  I'm exhausted.

Plan for today:  Call the legal dept of the dept of ageing and get some advice.  Call the insurance agent and finalize my new health insurance.  Work on a project I'm helping with.  Take a nap!  I also wanted to go to the produce market as I'm out of fresh fruit and almost out of salad greens.

Menu for today:  breakfast - hot cereal, raisins, milk.  Lunch - bean soup with a salad.  Supper - salmon, roasted potato, spinach.  Snacks - mandarin oranges, yogurt, triscuits with light spread, or popcorn.

It's turned very cold and windy overnight.  I've had the heat on in both rooms all night for the first time.  I'm hoping we see some sun today. 

By the way, yesterday the breakfast party was fun and the scrambled eggs and home fries were cooked to perfection.  I did get to my doctor's appointment and I'm still in affibrilation.  He got the electrophysiologist on the phone and discussed an advanced procedure with me, to be done next year.  It's called an affibrillation ablation and can take up to 5 hours.  I'm glad I'm not out of options.

Today:  Be tenacious, but stay calm. 

I have no desire, or drive left.  My world is simply a mental hell right now, and I don't see that changing.  Just no point.

Short review today; not much to tell. Calves are still killing me! :)

This morning was Cardio Recovery.  It was not unlike a hard yoga session. Lots of core work, some balance postures.  30-40 minutes long. I felt like I should have worked out longer, but given the condition of my legs, I figured that would just hinder their recovery.

I ran out of spinach last night. :( No green shake this morning, but I did have a couple slices of eggy oatmeal pie with cinnamon. Mmmmm....

ISO (It Should be Okay) Audit at work tomorrow.  Will be fun to watch bosses descend into panic.

Be safe, to all my friends who got snow dumped on them last night!

#14 Snow Beach Toronto ~ Andrew Hamilton

Wednesday started off bad.  All our power and cable went out at around 10 am.  Then they discovered that the generator was malfunctioning.  The hallways were in pitch darkness because the emergency lights didn't come on.  Of course the elevators were shut down too.  We had two fire trucks, two amulances and two police cars standing outside for the duration.  The firemen came to each apartment to check on everyone.  Finally, power was restored around noon. 

Our tree trimming party was the bright spot in the day.  It's done by a group of volunteers from a local company each year.  We made coffee and they brought the cookies.  We now have a big, real tree which they set up in the community room and then everyone had a hand in decorating.  We sang carols and socialized.  One of the men was an amatuer balloon artist who made balloon animals and flowers for everyone.  Mine is a white seagull. 

On a not so nice note, word is spreading about one of the tenants who was displaced when his apartment flooded from a burst pipe in the apartment upstairs. I'll call him J.P..  He was moved into a vacant apartment for the duration, or so we thought.  He is now being told he must move to another apartment on an upper floor because the one he's staying in has been rented and the move in is today!  They told him yesterday afternoon that he has to be out today.  This man is in a wheelchair and on a respirator 24/7.  He has round the clock nursing aides and has been able to live indendently in his own apartment for years now.  Moving for him is an awful experience.  All his friends are up in arms, but we didn't find out about it until 6 pm.  I'll see everyone at the breakfast today and maybe we can get a crew together to help him.  I feel like making protest signs and picketing the office.  This man always has a smile and a cheery word for everyone he sees.  He happily scoots around in a motorized wheelchair and even though he has trouble talking, he manages to converse.  He does have some use of his hands and keeps in touch with friends and family via email.  Such a wonderful human being does not deserve this cavalier treatment. 

Plan for today - annual Trinity House Christmas breakfast from 9 am until 11.  Then I suppose I'll meet with J.P.s other friends and we'll try to find a way to help him out.  I pity anyone in the office today because they are going to get an earful from a lot of people.

Menu for today - breakfast - eggs, home fries, bacon, pastry? I wonder if they'll have fruit.  Lunch - a salad with some kind of protein and nuts.  Supper - leftover vegetarian chili with a corn tortilla. Snacks - tangerine, popcorn, milk.  Lunch will be late because of the mid morning breakfast party.

The rain finished early and the we had a nice sunny day.  Then the wind whipped up.  We're getting 45 mph (75 kph) gusts.  The temperature will fall all day and it will be below freezing for a couple of days - our coldest weather since last March.  Looks like I'm going to have a cold, windy trip to the doctor.

Today:  Keep your temper in control, no matter what. 

ask him... he has lavendar and a circle of salt.. and a bible for hitting fallen angels with.  Abbeyhunter  11/30/09  

I was just dipping into the extreme diet thread and they mentioned freegans.  I'm gonna become one and split my time between Buggy and Pavvy's.  I bet those two have the best garbage.      Runesplendor 12/2/09  

Another word of advice from Kate:  Never ride the lonely camel after you've used your hands to apply Vick's.  Pavlovcat 12/2/09  

how do you stalk canadians from texas? Ha  Watergirl 12/2/09

Use a divining rod to lead you to the wet spot.  Buggyhair 12/2/09  

They live there.  It's a full herd.  And they taunt me. They even made a launching pad by making one of the bead board strips detach at one end.  So now it's hanging down on one side of my house and they run down it and launch themselves to various locations around my and my neighbor's yard.  It's like the skwirl teleporter. And if I'm outside they peek over the edge of the opening and watch me and chatter at me.  I think they're calling me names.  Pavlovcat 12/2/09  

I wish I had a squirrel army....Bigbhoo 12/2/09  

if i could have an animal army of any sort, it would be otters.  they would do my bidding, and then return to me for snuggles.  Starlitocean 12/2/09  

Apparently you're never too old for googly eyes on your food. ;)    TheSuperBex 12/3/09  

Donner ... Donner party of ate ... your table is ready. Trhawley 12/3/09  

I just had a whole cucumber for lunch.  Not as satisfying as you might think.  Bigbhoo 12/3/09

Maybe if the cucumber was inserted in a different hole the results would be vastly different? Buggyhair 12/3/09  

we'll have to swim over to Massachusetts to get married legally though.  i'll go about swimming all the way down through the panama canal.  see you in like, three years, my love.   Starlitocean 12/3/09  

Besides, Kathy doesn't strike me as the type to approve of people who jump from 'gator to 'gator; I think she'd like a one-gator man....  Melkor 12/3/09  

 if prostitution isn't legal, how do you explain _______. (that's gonna be a good one if I can ever fill in the blank)  Crazydiamondchrysalis 12/3/09  

Your parents hated you.  Dnrothx 12/3/09  

*dreams of punching co-worker in head for obstinate ignorance*  Pavcat 12/3/09  

Actually I think it's ennui that itches. The hate and rage burn.  Kathygator 12/3/09  

You know luck comes in at least two varieties, right?  Turtlesallthewaydown 12/4/09  

*rummages through closet and finds the Raging Dork of Chat hat that HK left behind*  *plunks on sergei's head*    Pavlovcat 12/4/09  

Pardon me, but have you ever considered aeronautical intercourse with an astronomical aggregation? In layman's terms, ever considered taking a flying eff at the stars?  Kallie67 12/4/09  

It's your stainless steel unmentionables.  Dnrothx

I'm telling laura that you mentioned someone else's unmentionables!  Kallie67 12/7/09  

My range is from 135 to 150.  I'm aiming for 150.  And by aiming, I mean sitting by the side of my weightloss road in a rusted out Yugo with black smoke pouring out from under the hood and the key broken off in the ignition.  Pavlovcat 12/7/09  

I'M A FESTIVE HAMSTER! EVERYONE MUST BE HAPPY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FESTIVE HAMSTER!  Pavlovcat 12/7/09  

or perhaps he is dealing with this.   Abbeyhunter 12/8/09  

A forum could be a condom made just for foreplay. Trhawley 12/9/09  

In my younger days I would make the Toll House cookie recipe and eat it.  Baking never crossed my mind.  Trhawley

Heh.  I did this once during high school.  Some time later, my mother baked them while I was out doing something.  I have yet to forgive her.  Dnrothx

This morning was another crazy explosive plyo and calisthenic workout, coupled with some bodyweight exercises.

I must have lost a lb in sweat alone.

My calves are so sore.  I knew they would be, they started hurting last night.  I don't think they impeded today's workout that much, but...ouchie.  But that's ok, pain means it's working.

Would you like my recipe for my workout recovery breakfast shake? Of course you would! ;) 

1 large handful raw spinach leaves, 1 scoop whey protein (i use banana or vanilla), 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand, or any fruit, really), 1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt, 1/2 cup water, 4-6 ice cubes.  Put it into your blender or smoothie maker and blend the living christ out of it.  It tastes kind of like a sweettart.  You can't taste the spinach.  The shake is kind of green, but, meh.  Up the yogurt to one cup if you need more calories; it would also make for a creamier taste and texture. 

Don't make that face. It's good. :)

So, good news at work: Looks like we'll have xmas eve and day off. Which is awesome because we do my immediate family gathering on xmas eve. It would be perfect to have off, then I don't have to rush around in the evening to get everything ready for the party.

Am reasonably certain of some sort of holiday bonus as well.  I think I will put it all towards one of the vehicles, the motorcycle probably. That one will be paid off the soonest, anyways.

I ran out of chapstick and forgot to put another in my purse last night. *smacks dry unmoisturized lips*

Had our first real snow of the year last night. Surprisingly, I only passed one spun-out car in a ditch this morning.  Jeep handles well.  Good tires.