What’s top of my mind: My health. This isn’t glamourous but it is what’s on top of my mind. The Good Doctor told me I must lose ten pounds on account of my lab work, so I am being cognizant what I eat and how much etc. I’ve eliminated late night snacking; I hope that this in itself does a lot of good. I have no sensation of satiation when I eat. I have to stop at what is allowed, not when I feel full.
Where I’ve been: Nowhere – again. I waltz along the office, the gym, and home. The deviation from this dance is Saturday mornings when I foxtrot to Uncle Albertsons. I lead a dull life. I believe there are some concerts coming at the symphony, which I haven’t attended since 2019. I have some reservations to go. It is never well attended anyway, so I can sit in the back rows with a healthy distance between me and the next patron. With that said ……
Where I’m going: Michigan. It is time for me to fly to MI again to tend to Father. I go at the end of the month; I hope to see some fall colors. Brother #3 decided not to skidoo but stay to see me, which sort of defeats the purpose of the visit viz. giving him a break. As is my family’s wont, when the other brothers got wind I am coming in they are all coming in as well. Brother #3 promises a proper fireplace and a trip to a cider mill. Brother #4 promises to bring some no-rubbish bourbon from his travels to the far off Kingdom of Kentucky. Father is always very happy to have all his sons about him even if we get wound up and talk too loud and over each other.
What I’m watching: Peter Hollens. Mr. Hollens is handsome blond fellow (presumably well over four feet) who has some very clever well-sung Halloween-based posts on The Tube of Yous. Here is my favorite – jolly good fun!
What I’m reading: ‘Lore’ stories. I am almost done reading ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ but Hawkeye and Uncas will have to wait awhile for I want some scary stuff, written in prose, that doesn’t feel like slogging through four feet of an 18th century snowdrift. Mr. Aaron Mahnke (the dear!) has a splendid podcast of same name. It consists of tales about ghosts, haunted places, and malignant miscreants. He put them into three books: ‘Monstrous creatures’; ‘Wicked mortals’; ‘Dreadful places’. I read a chapter or two at bedtime. Rather then provoking anxious insomnia, I go right to sleep.
What I’m listening to: Silence. I am making an effort to turn off from time to time as many noisy things as possible to experience silence. “Silence” has a loose definition. As I type this I can hear the ticking of the batter-run clock, the hum of the AC (still needed in AZ), and the wind blowing against the window. It is quite agreeable and relaxing. Do kids these days even know what silence is, and how salubrious it can be? I will challenge myself to try some silence in the car and at the gym. Both are noisy places to be sure, but if I turn off the radio and remove my earplugs, respectively, there is relative silence. This might better my focus to drive and lift weights. Lovely. Do you experience much silence?
What I’m eating: Gourmet luncheons. Now that I am back at the office, the pharmaceutical representatives are keen to come in to flog their products. The current reincarnation of The Medical Assistant has connected the dots the reps will order anything she asks. As a consequence, she is getting us some pretty good eats. No rubbish-type Mexican/Italian/Asian fare! We get proper gourmet sorts. I wonder though how long this will last before their budgeting departments discover they are spending a small fortune to wine and dine me and at my end few scripts are going out. Brand name prescriptions have in common same challenges: they are no better than generics; they cost a lot; they have convoluted savings plans/coupon systems that rival the U.S. tax system.
Who needs a good slap: Replacements LTD. I recently purchased a pasta bowl to complete a set that was missing a one. Unfortunately what came with the bowl is a constant supply of emails. Replacements LTD seems to send some daily, maybe two a day it feels like at times. They are easy to delete, but when they arrive with the daily emails from The Great Courses, Medscape, Pei Wei, and many others. the emails pile up higher than Fafner’s hoard. I should un-subscribe. they are a nuisance.
I give Replacements LTD and its ilk 1 slap (1 out of 5)
What I’m planning: Mopping the kitchen floor. I have a sponge mop handle whose yellow rectangular sponge head long ago ceased to be useful. It is infuriating trying to find replacement heads. Someone uses a traditional mop, but he wrings it out with his hands – no thank you! My sponge mop has a metal clasp you push down the handle, causing the sponge to fold in on itself to wring out the waste water. The other day I asked Mr. Bezos to send me some replacements, although I am not 100% certain I ordered the right ones; they vary so. If sponge matches handle, I plan to give the kitchen floor a very good cleaning, something it hasn’t had in ages.
What’s making me smile: My Facebook profiles. This month I am changing my profile photo on a daily basis. So far I have been a jack-o-lantern, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Witch Hazel, and Grandpa Munster. FB friends seem to be enjoying this and are tuning in everyday to see what I next become. Their comments make me smile. Does this make me an influencer?
37 comments
October 6, 2021 at 2:44 AM
Dwight W.
I hope the weight can be conquered . The AC drones on here. I am lucky many times in the early mornings it is very quiet. I am envious of the relationship you have with your family, I am also pleased that my mother was able to drive to her Doctor and back at 89.5. That’s one small Dish slap , that in itself is good. I see the dates on the calendar and we usually have some respite from hot weather , it’s not happening I will be panicked and my grass
Will be hay if we don’t get more rain. I’m also excited for your trip home. Hope Harper is well and Someone, Happy Wednesday.
October 6, 2021 at 5:18 AM
Urspo
this morning it was cool enough (19C) to wear long pants on the morning dog walk. It felt nice.
October 6, 2021 at 3:16 AM
Ron
You make me smile. Yes, you are an influencer.
October 6, 2021 at 5:18 AM
Urspo
I hope not an evil one spewing nonsense
October 6, 2021 at 3:49 AM
David Godfrey
We need to hear the silence, I often do. I like my early mornings, before the world awakens. I read an exercise in a book I want to try, find a work of art, or a scene, take a seat, and without distractions, observe it for an hour. No phone, no computer, no camera, no headphones, just you looking, seeing. I will set aside an hour this weekend.
October 6, 2021 at 5:19 AM
Urspo
Good for you!
You do a fine job taking care of yourself.
October 6, 2021 at 3:59 AM
spwilcen
Good read this early morning. If the doc sez you have to lose weight because of your lab work, I believe I’d give up the lab work,. We all must make choices. Safe travels to Michigan. Still early autumnish in the lower UP but by the end of the month there could be snow. It is Michigan, you know.
October 6, 2021 at 5:20 AM
Urspo
I don’t want no stinkin snow but I want color and pumpkins and perhaps one doughnut.
October 6, 2021 at 5:22 AM
Todd Gunther
Have a safe trip! I’ve been nowhere myself too many times lately. More to the point I’m in no hurry to get anywhere.
October 6, 2021 at 6:30 AM
Urspo
Going nowhere these days is a sensible approach. Stay put.
October 6, 2021 at 5:24 AM
Debbie W.
Such a weight loss goal is challenging, given the time of year, and those gourmet pharmaceutical luncheons, but I imagine that you’ll begin moving that scale in the right direction. Peter Holland is hilarious- thanks for sharing this fun video! I, too, had a very similar experience with Replacements Ltd. They tortured me with multiple daily emails before I finally found an “unsubscribe” button. Please give them an extra slap from me. 😉
October 6, 2021 at 6:31 AM
Urspo
2 slaps to them. I must defend them though they provided me a missing bowl I have coveted for years. Time to unsubscribe.
This morning I weighed 76.6 kilos this is down from 80 kilos this summer. I was pleased as Punch.
October 6, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Brian Dean Powers
It is yet more proof that the world has passed me by, now that I’m ten dog years old: what in hell is an influencer?
October 6, 2021 at 7:06 AM
Urspo
I am not sure what is an influencer. I hear about it a lot – it is always a negative matter – although no one stops to define it. I think it means someone on a social media, spewing their opinion as ‘truth’. People believe what the influencer says, rather than questioning it. I should look this up.
I was taught it good to question everything, especially coming from charismatic people. This is the halo bias, as I wrote about last week.
October 6, 2021 at 1:22 PM
Dwight W.
Are they charismatic or are they essentially butt ass naked and always sticking out their naughty bits. Most of the guys I don’t mind, but I ain’t buying. The girls are some pretty though to be fair.
October 6, 2021 at 7:12 AM
Lori Hawkins
I always look forward to your Wednesday post. Even though my drive to and from work is short I enjoy the silence. So glad your family will have a chance to all be together and at such a beautiful time of year. Work, home and the grocery store are still my only adventures lately. It is safer this way. We skipped the Fall Festival this year and glad we did. I know 3 people that went and now have Covid. Two were vaccinated. Have a fabulous day!!
October 6, 2021 at 7:35 AM
Urspo
Your story supports my aversion to go out. I am not looking forward to traveling to MI for this reason. I will be quite bundled up.
October 6, 2021 at 7:25 AM
Moving with Mitchell
So nice that you’re heading back to Michigan. You’re a good son and brother. The owners of Replacements Ltd. (unless they’ve sold and retired) used to stay at our hotel. Nice guys.
October 6, 2021 at 7:36 AM
Urspo
The dears provided me with my missing bowl. When I open the cupboard now I see the four of them and feel very good.
All the same, they can knock off the emails.
October 6, 2021 at 7:48 AM
Debra She Who Seeks
Fun video! Looks like it was fun to make too.
October 6, 2021 at 8:27 AM
Urspo
It is clever; I wonder how long it took to make it. Every time I see it I see more details to suggest it was carefully thought through.
October 6, 2021 at 9:39 AM
Parnassus
I value silence more than just about anything. During Taiwan’s semi-lockdown there was quite a bit of silence for a while, but now everyday a new source of annoying, inconsiderate noise is being added back. I am very unhappy about this, since 90% of the extraneous noise it totally unnecessary.
–Jim
October 6, 2021 at 10:06 AM
Urspo
Milton described heaven as a place that ‘what is not music, is silence”.
C.S. Lewis wrote another name for Hell is “the Kingdom of noise” adding all of hell is filled up with infernal noise. I thought this apt.
October 6, 2021 at 10:28 AM
janiejunebug
You are an influencer here for good mental health. I enjoyed the video muchly. I assure you my life is duller than yours, not that I would accuse you of being wild and crazy.
Love,
Janie
October 6, 2021 at 11:13 AM
Urspo
Thank you for your support; I am glad to know you found the video entertaining.
October 6, 2021 at 12:05 PM
Pat
Enjoy Michigan. Although stay out of the hospital. Read a disturbing article in the Michigan Advance the about agressive patient and family behavior in the Covid era.
I had success with the 5/2 diet. Eat sparsely 2 days a week modestly the other 5. Weight came off and grumpy fatigue of the first week
seemed to dissipate after awhile. Thanks for Mr. Hollens Halloween. I had listened to his The Parting Glass – Peter Hollens – Vocals Only on the YouTube and enjoyed his six part harmony with himselves. One of the nice
memories of the parental decline was seeing all the siblings more often.
With the parental center gone, we seldom meet as a full group anymore. What it interesting to me is that when we do and talk leans to the days of yore, that brothers have very different recollections of the same event/trip etc. For the record, mine is the correct one.
October 6, 2021 at 12:25 PM
Urspo
‘brothers have very different recollections of the same event/trip etc. For the record, mine is the correct one.’
The Roshoman experience!
October 6, 2021 at 1:04 PM
Will Jay
How generous of your brother to share his respite time with all of you. It will be a change for him to have you all about, but someone should declare nap time so he can get some rest. Safe travels and grand adventures!
You will not hurt the feelings of the email server at Replacements Ltd if you unsubscribe. If they ask, you can give them the old “it’s not you, it’s me” line and I’m sure that with time the heart of the email server will mend.
In the past, I found that I could induce satiety by eating a green salad at the end of my meal. Something about the simple oil and vinegar dressing (probably the olive oil), lead to a feeling of enough. Your mileage may vary…
October 6, 2021 at 7:48 PM
Urspo
I like salads ; I will consider your thoughtful proposal.
October 6, 2021 at 2:20 PM
Gigi Rambles
Good luck with the health issues. Intermittent fasting-ish seems to help me; but then again that’s just how I normally eat.
I will agree with you on the slap at the Replacements Ltd Marketing Dept. on the emails – because I despise those types of emails. Fun fact, that company is down the road a bit from me. The founder/owner is an amazing person who is well known around here for his good works.
I am going to revolutionize the way you mop your floors. Are you ready?
Purchase this mop ( https://www.target.com/p/o-cedar-easywring-spin-mop-and-bucket-system/-/A-50335649#lnk=sametab) and you will be amazed. I love it so very much. And? The mop head is machine washable. I’ve purchased extra mop heads so I have a fresh one ready to go every time.
October 6, 2021 at 7:48 PM
Urspo
yes yes yes
having a mob that’s convenient and easy to use etc. I know I would mop the floor much more often, which would please me very much.
October 6, 2021 at 4:07 PM
Old Lurker
How does one queue up to be on your slap list?
Will you be spending Halloween in Michigan, land of perpetual ice and snow?
October 6, 2021 at 7:49 PM
Urspo
I will go the week before Halloween. I hope to see the fall color in some Halloween decorations; this should please me very much.
October 6, 2021 at 4:21 PM
Pipistrello
Mopping! I’m in the same (mop) bucket as you at the minute. I foolishly tossed the fluffy teddy bear-like dusting head of mine into a hot wash and it’s come out with dreadlocks. Not happy, Jan. I’m having a Dickens of a time trying to get a replacement. Lo, hunting online I have discovered a shoppe this morning that stocks it but it necessitates hiking to a far off supermarché wherein shops blue-rinse matrons with giant trolleys and get-outta-my-way determination. I shall need to find shin pads before I set off.
October 6, 2021 at 7:50 PM
Urspo
it seems people are peculiar about their mops; and it is difficult to find the ones you want – especially the replacement parts. It seems manufacturers keep making new ones, like appliances you can never get the old one the one you liked.
October 7, 2021 at 7:30 AM
Robzilla
Silence is good. I normally get that when I lie in bed in the mid afternoons or just before I go to bed. No background music or podcasts to disrupt things when I’m reading or taking a quick nap.
October 7, 2021 at 7:47 AM
Urspo
Good for you!
Sensible woman to do so.