Quote: Instructions for Life
TMI Tuesday: July 20, 2021: It’s Personal
1. Describe your phone lock screen.
Non-existent. I had one for a while, but it annoyed me to have to type in a password to get into my phone. I do have one on my laptop, courtesy of Microsoft. I’m not too fond of that either.
2. What does your favorite coffee mug or tea cup look like? Post a pic.
It’s a tall travel mug that I use to drink water.
3. Tell us about a regional food favorite of yours that you think the world simply must try.
Well, I wouldn’t eat it, but for people who like something unusual to try, it would be octopus. My dad loves it and talked me into trying it. “It tastes like chicken!!” he said. Uh, no, Dad, it doesn’t taste like chicken. Besides, I had a pet, baby octopus when I was a kid, and I don’t think I could eat a pet. If cooked properly, I suppose octopus could be good… Japanese cooks excel at cooking most seafood. If it’s cooked incorrectly, it’s very rubbery. In Japan and Korea, it’s common to eat live baby octopi because, well, this quote: “…enjoy more than just the taste of the fresh meat; they enjoy the sensation of the still-active suction cups on the octopus’ arms as they stick to the mouth and attempt to climb back up the throat. Novices are advised to chew before swallowing to avoid the threat of being choked.” Doesn’t that sound appetizing? And another person pointed out that it was cruel to eat a live animal since there is no doubt (to me anyway) that all animals feel pain. A few years ago, a diver in Seattle brought up an octopus from Puget Sound and set off many angry people who started a “save our octopus” campaign, which is ridiculous and shows that people need some education. Octopus is a common menu item in many restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, and my dad not only captured octopi for the Seattle Aquarium, but he also participated in the World Championship Octopus Wrestling (that’s him on the right). No animal was harmed during this event. They all were returned to Puget Sound.
The Giant Pacific Octopus is not an endangered species and doesn’t need saving. I got carried away, didn’t I?
4. How often do you journal?
Daily, in one form or another.
5. How often do you blog?
Sometimes daily, sometimes multiple times a day, to once a week, to once a month. I don’t have a set schedule.
Bonus: Does your blog act as your journal?
Everything I write gets saved on my Scrivener files; memories, dreams, stories, poetry, daily journal, prompts, lists, blog posts, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, photos, cartoons, memes, drawings. If I ever decided to publish this, it would be 70 volumes.
Two Weeks
The last two weeks have been pretty eventful… some moments are good, and others are not so good. First, I had a flare-up of angioedema on my face. I haven’t had this for two years, and the last two times, I needed Prednisone to clear it up. I couldn’t find anyone to prescribe it for me unless I was seen first, and I try to avoid going to the doctor as much as possible. I asked to have a virtual appt, and that didn’t fly either, and all of the people I’ve seen in the past were on vacation. I googled it, and everything said that it would clear up on its own; I just needed to be patient. So I depended on ice compresses, aloe vera, and Aveeno cream, and it did clear up its own, thankfully. That gives me hope for the next time.
While I was still battling that, our Internet access went out. Once we determined it was not an area outage, we made at least half a dozen calls to CenturyLink, we learned it was our modem, and we wouldn’t get a replacement until Monday (this was on a Thursday). We were told a tech would be out on Tuesday to connect the new modem up.
In the meantime, we had to cancel two virtual doctor appts because… no internet. We tried to do Zoom on my phone, but the connection wasn’t stable enough, so we ended up doing a phone call appt with the top pulmonary doctor at the U of W, who had gotten all of my partner’s records from his local pulmonologist. The doctor said he was sicker than we realized, and he needed to see him in Seattle for an exam and tests and talk about the possibility of getting a lung transplant. He spent all of Friday on the phone making arrangements for a ride over to Seattle and talking to his other doctors.
Saturday was quiet and rather boring. I’m glad I have my phone, or I would go nuts. But I can’t do extensive typing on my phone so writing for my blog is out. I do have a few things I can do that are on my hard drive and don’t depend on the Internet to work. But still.
Monday, the new modem arrived, but the tech never showed up on Tuesday like promised. More phone calls, and Centurylink insisted they didn’t have an order for Tuesday, only for the following Tuesday. Grrrrr!
My partner went to Seattle early, and his driver was very patient with him. The appointment with the doctor wasn’t until 2 pm, but he had multiple tests and an MRI before seeing the doctor. In the end, the doctor said he was not a good candidate for a transplant; 1) the cut off age is 70, and he will be 69 in Sept, 2) there is no family in Seattle to help with his care… he would need to have care for 6-7 weeks before he could come home, and I’m unable to provide that kind of care, and 3) he would need to lose twenty pounds, which wouldn’t be that much of a problem for him. The stunning part is when the doctor said the lung disease is now considered terminal, and he has about two years to live. We talked about this, and in the end, he was relieved. We knew a transplant would be a terrible merry-go-round, and he didn’t think that was something he wanted to do.
I had a friend who was on the transplant list for a new kidney. He was on dialysis and had to jump through so many hoops to be considered for a transplant. He worked out every day, biked 12 miles a day, and worked himself up to the top of the list. And then he got pneumonia and was bumped back to the bottom of the list, back to working out and biking and working his way back up the list only to be knocked down again from another bout of pneumonia. By then, he was both irritated and frustrated. He was done. He took himself off of the transplant list and off of all treatment. He said he didn’t want to live with his whole life revolving around getting a transplant; it took the joy out of life. So he stopped it all, and three days later, he died.
We also know that doctors give the worst prognosis… if I had died every time a doctor insisted I was going to die, I’d need to be a cat with nine lives. So we decided we would live in the present and face each day one at a time. That seemed to have calmed my partner down a whole lot.
Friday was spent with more calls to Centurylink, and they insisted tech was coming on Tuesday, and a second modem arrived today, exactly the same as the first. We are going to keep it as a backup if and when the first one fails.
Today was my last day with the Lymphedema therapist and home care nurse, and they have helped me so much since March. My Lymphedema is under control, although it’s something I will always have to deal with. But the best news is that the radiation wound finally closed up, and there is a nice layer of new skin over the site of the tumors. I will have to watch it and make sure I don’t tear the new skin and watch the swelling that could rip open the skin again. But right now, I am not wearing a bandage around my leg as I have for the past three years. I will miss these wonderful caregivers, and I’m so grateful for everything they did for me. The experience was invaluable for when my partner will need home health care nurses.
The two weeks of not having internet access were frustrating and annoying, but even more than that.
Being online is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. I think of all of the things I do online, which includes the following:
Virtual doctor appointments
E-signing of financial documents
Sending the results of my INR blood tests for the blood thinner (done weekly)
Ordering things from Amazon
Writing my blog
Doing genealogy research
Reading books on my desktop Kindle app
Reading newspapers online
Listen to music on my Amazon music player
Watching YouTube, that I now can do on the big screen TV, but I still need internet access to do that
Watching Discovery Plus on the TV, that also needs the Internet
Reading email
Playing Facebook games
Chatting with friends and family on Zoom and Messenger video calls.
When you are housebound, the online world is your only connection to others. It’s my communication, educational, entertaining, relaxation, and more.
There is a bill in Congress now: “Thirty House and Senate Democrats unveiled a new $94 billion proposal Thursday to make broadband Internet access more accessible and affordable nationwide, aiming to remedy some of the digital inequalities that have kept millions of Americans offline during the coronavirus pandemic.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/11/house-senate-internet-broadband/
The phone tech told me the reason that CenturyLink (official now called Lumen) has such lousy customer service and why it takes so long for a tech to come out… there are only have four techs for all of the Peninsula of Callam and Jefferson counties (that’s a lot of territory to cover) is because they are selling a phone/internet company to a management company called Apollo Global Management. Because of this, they are not hiring anyone new. So my feeling is that this company that started as Bell (when I worked there) and then US West and then Qwest (when my partner was still there) and then CenturyLink will be an even worse company than it is now… and it was going downhill when I worked there 50 years ago! The last time I saw a company sell out like this, the new owners destroyed the original company.
The tech said he is hoping to hold out two more years to retire and get his pension. But he won’t be trusting CenturyLink for his own online access, he recommended Elon Musk’s Starlink, so I’m going to check into that. We are also waiting for Wave Broadband to arrive in Diamond Point by the first of the year.
But for now, I’m just thrilled to have a much faster Internet connection.
Recipe of the Day: Macadamia Nut Cream Pie
MACADAMIA NUT CREAM PIE
1 1/3 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 egg whites
1 9 inch baking pie shell
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Procedure
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/4 cup of the nuts, the salt and the vanilla; scald. Mix the remaining 1/3 cup milk with egg and cornstarch. Thoroughly stir some of hot mixture into egg mixture; return all to saucepan. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Cool 1 hour. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold carefully into cooled mixture. Pour into pie shell; chill. Before serving, top with sweetened whipped cream and remaining 1/4 cup nuts. Makes 8 servings.
Outfit of the Day: YES!!
TMI: July 6, 2021: Making Waves
1. Are you happy with the number of people you have slept with?
I never kept count. I slept with people because I wanted to sleep with them. Once I rebelled at being sexually assaulted and made conscious decisions to have sex, I never looked back. I just wished I had known more about how to enjoy it than what I did. And to better ignore the guilt of women having sex.
2. Tell us a random fact about yourself.
Hmmm. Random Fact. About Me. Could you narrow that down a bit? Oh, I know… I have a whole lot of interests.
3. Would you say you have an excessive need for stimulation, and are you prone to boredom?
Not only am I prone to boredom, but I also get anxious worrying about being bored. And I tend to multi-task like right now; I’m writing this, watching TV, and dabbling at my games.
4. Do you have a history of promiscuous sexual behavior or wish you had?
There are some words that I hate.. and “promiscuous” is one of them. The word “promiscuous” tends to describe women more than men. It’s a judgemental word that tends to come from religion. See some of the descriptions I found: “Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. … The term can carry a moral judgment if the social ideal for sexual activity is monogamous relationships.” and “Women are generally more flexible than men when it comes to their partners‘ sexual history, viewing 15.2 partners as “too promiscuous.” Men said they prefer partners with 14 or less.” and “How do you know if a girl is promiscuous?” and “What do you call a woman that sleeps around?”
As long as anyone is taking responsibility for their actions and practicing safe sex, it shouldn’t matter how many people they’ve slept with. “Promiscuous” is a word that needs to be no longer used regarding sexuality.
5. How do you cope with a sex drought?
a. masturbation
b. sex droughts don’t bother me
c. try not to think about sex
C… but it’s usually a losing battle.
Bonus: If you were a wave in the ocean would you be rough or calm?
Actually, for me, it would be a rolling wave.
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How to play TMI Tuesday: Copy the above TMI Tuesday questions to your webspace (i.e., a blog). Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below, on this blog post, so we’ll all know where to read your responses. Please don’t forget to link to tmituesdayblog from your website!
Happy TMI Tuesday!
Recipe of the Day: Orange Julius Smoothie
When I was a teenager, I sold Seafair Skipper Pins at the Seattle Center, home of the 1962 World’s Fair called Century 21. I usually ate lunch at the Food Circus and it was almost always KFC (a friend of mine worked there), a Yonny Yohnson’s green salad and an Orange Julius. I’d love to have that for lunch today.
Orange Julius Smoothies
3 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 -6 ice cubes
Combine all the ingredients in the blender until frothy and smooth.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Bonus Recipe
It wouldn’t be summer without Root Beer Floats…
Root Beer Floats*
1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 quarts root beer
Hang a large well packed sloop of vanilla ice cram on the edge of a fountain glass or other tall drinking glass. Fill 3/4 full with root beer. Catch any overflow on a small plate. Serve with straws and parfait spoons and don’t forget to knock the ice cream into the root beer and watch it fizz up as the ice cream floats. Yummy! This is the simplest and most favorite of fountain drinks.
Makes 4 servings
And have a party. Serve both with the following menu.
Ritz crackers and cream cheese and strawberry jam
Salted Mixed Nuts
Potato Chips with French Onion Dip
Cheetos Flavored Popcorn
Buffalo Wings
Hot Dogs with toppings
Macaroni salad
Strawberry Shortcake
Ice Cream Bars and Popsicles.
Outfit of the Day: “Wearin’ next to nothing ’cause it’s hot as an oven”
TMI Tuesday: June 29, 2021 It’s All Good
1. What’s the most stressful thing in your life right now
Right this very minute, it’s the heat. You may have heard that the Pacific Northwest is at the tail end of a heatwave. Heat doesn’t even describe it. We are known for being rainy, and right now, I crave that rain. My little town hit 100 degrees today. People bitch if it goes over 75. But a cooling marine layer is rolling in from the Pacific. The town of Forks went from 110 to 74 in just a few hours. Of course, our cooling down means the highs will still be in the 80’s and 90’s.
2. True or False. The best way to get over an ex is to get under someone new.
Well, it depends. I can be both or neither. It depends on the old and new relationship, how long I was in, whether it was me who ended it or not. Even if it doesn’t help you get over the ex, it still would be fun to do.
3. Is rebound sex empowering or does it leave you feeling lonelier?
Empowering, since it tends to be just for me. But I want that partner to know that the relationship is more friends with benefits than anything else.. or even a one-night stand.
4. Would you rather watch porn every night forever or never watch porn again?
I haven’t watched porn in 2 years… bad pain destroys good pain, so I guess I’d pick the latter.
5. Would you rather go to bed alone forever or share a bed with someone forever?
I’d rather go to bed alone. You can have sex anywhere…
Bonus: You must pick one and explain. Would you rather your mom or your ex set up and run your dating apps?
Neither one of them are computer literate enough to get on a dating site, let alone run it. But the ex would be the most interesting.
Quora Question: Children’s Routines
A Quora Question and How I Answered It:
What tips do you have for the kids’ routine chart?
I personally would not do a routine chart, kid’s lives are too structured as it is and most kids don’t get to enjoy the freedom like I had when I was a kid. Even my own children had less freedom.
To counter that, I provided many different options for my kids and my daycare kids to select based on their own interests. Choices ranged from shooting baskets to swinging on a swing set, playing make-believe, reading in a quiet corner, playing computer games, group games like tag or hide ’n seek, painting at an easel, doing crafts, playing with dolls, and more.
For your own children, determine what activities they need to do outside of the home such as team sports, youth groups, dance classes, etc. At home, provide as many options as you can. Make a poster that illustrates them all and let your kids decide what they want to do. Yes, some will want to do nothing but play video games or read books, but you can extend these ideas to getting programs that teach your gamer how to write their own computer programs and supplies that encourage your reader to write their own books.
Supply fun items like play dough, bubbles, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk… teach them how to play hopscotch.
Think back to the things you liked to do when you were a kid and provide those ideas for your own kids.
Childhood should be fun, not work.
https://www.quora.com/What-tips-do-you-have-for-the-kids-routine-chart/answer/Cindi-Wafstet
The Heat Is On
I have lived my entire life in Western Washington, and there is a good reason I stay here… the moderate climate. It’s not too hot, and it’s not too cold, and we have a nice variety of weather… some sunshine, a little snow, hail, wind, fog, and less rain than they have in Chicago. Despite the reputation of Seattle being a rainy town, it’s not all that true. What we do have is a lot of gray cloudy days.
That’s all going to change tomorrow. A heatwave like we haven’t seen in years will start tomorrow afternoon and last well into next week.
Seattle will possibly see temperature reaching 110 and just 100 miles north in my little town; we will see temps in the 90s. People here bitch when it gets 75; the natives are gonna go bonkers with this.
When I was a kid, it got really hot (probably in the 90s); the old folks said it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. So we tried. It didn’t work.
But these temps seem like they will hotter than anything we saw when I was a kid. We need to find ways to stay cool and not get heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Years ago, I got heatstroke on a trip to Hawaii and had to go to the hospital. Not a fun way to be on vacation.
Fortunately, we don’t have to cope with this all summer, but I can’t help wonder what August will be like if we have temps like this already in June.
Temperatures are hot all over the country, and it seems like every summer, they get hotter and hotter all over the planet.
I have no doubt these are caused due to climate change, a phenomenon we started hearing about 50 years ago. The concern of global warming is what created the first Earth Day in 1970. So have had a lot of time to do something to prevent what is happening today, but we didn’t do it.
“Climate change is a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer. Weather is the state of the atmosphere—its temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall and so on—over hours to weeks.”
The same people who are in denial of Covid 19 and vaccinations of all kinds and evolution are also in denial of climate change, also known as global warming. They haven’t believed it was ever going to happen, and now it is. They think that because it snows (and more than usual) in the wintertime, there is no such thing as global warming.. how can it be since it is so cold. But the snow is due to weather, not climate. The climate is changing, making the glaciers melt, which makes the ocean rise and changes the salt level in the water, affecting the weather patterns, making temperatures hotter and colder and more unstable weather like tornados and hurricanes. And it’s only going to get worse.
“Today, in Texas, people are being asked to curtail cooking to reduce the strain on their utility systems. In the southwest temps are near 120. The southeast and Texas (again) are facing tropical weather that will drop 10+” of rain on an already sodden region. Forest fires will ravage the West coast again.
Meanwhile, Republican politicians and evangelicals deny reality and pray. I actually do not think most Republicans pray but that is my opinion. Nevertheless, we are screwed and we are not dealing with it.”
Prayer hasn’t worked in the past 50 years; why would it suddenly help now?
“The bet was that denial would rule. And they were right. It happened gradually, which made it a lot easier to deny. Things would happen gradually. But right now, the gradual period is over.
See you later Miami. Sorry, forests of California. Farmers in the Midwest, good luck. And on and on. Btw, Billings, Montana was 115 degrees yesterday. Just saying.”
Let me know if you try to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/science-climate-change/1-what-is-climate-change
https://martinedic.medium.com/gradually-and-then-all-at-once-ff6b28665091
