Thanks - I have a prescription for a muscle relaxant, but I only take it at bedtime, since it kind of knocks me out. I have been also taking ibuprofen for the pain. I have a follow-up appointment in a week and a half.
I had an out-of-town trip last week, and another one this upcoming week. For last week’s trip I used the airport’s wheelchair services on the trip out (flew to New Mexico) but on the way back I didn’t because I was feeling a lot better and I really hated being dependent on others. I checked my suitcase and kept my carry-on bag as light as possible (laptop, purse) and will do the same for next week’s travel.
It’s just hard to live your regular life when you unexpectedly can’t move the way you are accustomed to. I assume this is temporary and I’ll regain my former ability but it does make me aware of potential limitations that could come with aging/declining health. And I don’t like it.
In happier news, my D had a wonderful vacation to Paris with her bf of 7 years(!). They met the first week of school their first year in college. S seems to be adjusting to law school. Last weekend we met S and his gf to tour a local museum together where there was free entrance through the Smithsonian last Saturday. Which is probably why my back still hurts because I’m not resting enough.
Started the next session of the program that I’m doing for weight loss. So far so good. A bit of stress that first week with the new job, found out my gym is closing and just a lot going on but still managed to take off a couple of pounds. This time of year is difficult for me as I usually have just too much going on. Mostly of my own doing.
Shanah Tovah to all who are celebrating. H sings in a temple choir, so by this afternoon he will have attended 4 services in about 18 hours. He really enjoys hearing the rabbi speak. I really enjoy knowing that he listens to and respects the rabbi. You see, H is generally a Fox News/conservative talk radio type, and the rabbi speaks a lot about social justice, fighting against racism, etc.
Not fair, RM, I found two of your lbs this morning
8-.
I hope everyone is on the mend.
H is embracing the low Fodmap diet. What a pain.
He is doing a lot of it himself. No onions and only infused garlic oil…what is an Italian cook to do?
If I do not find food amazing I am pretty unhappy.
Fall has been gorgeous here. The rain started yesterday but expect sun soon. After a brutally hot
summer I have decided to embrace the grey this year. D thinks this is funny, “after 37 years?!”.
I have been interested in Bellingham, WA. for the last few years and have been looking for a rental for
2-4 weeks this winter. Seems only fair to try it out in their worst weather. Then today I read that the new tech
corridor might be Seattle to Vancouver,B.C… Property prices will soar. Maybe we should buy something
just to sell it in a few years. Disappointed. It will ruin that nice size city.
Will visit the G’Son this weekend. DIL told me that when he doesn’t want to do something he will
cry, “Why can’t we go to Nonnie and Poppies…I want to go to their house!”. Pretty cute.
S texted last week and asked for an early Holiday gift. (really? It is still Sept) They wanted a counter
dishwasher. I tried to add ties that he needs to call us once in awhile but that part of the
message did not get a reply. He hates talking on the phone. So now they have a counter dishwasher.
DIL is thrilled. Fortunately she is happy to talk with me and has assured me that I can call anytime
and that she just gets busy with school and forgets to call even her own parents. Sweet.
I do think I will tell them that November is the earliest for an early gift request.
I am going to take an American Mah Jongg class. It looks intimidating but is something I have always
wanted to try.
D is here for a month doing a rotation. It is nice to have here around. It is, however, odd and funny
to be back at the point of going to reach for something in the fridge and it is gone. Also, back to leaving
notes on various foods and around the house (easier than a conversation). While I love having her I am
not a good communal living candidate while she and H would love it.
My book club went to see the movie A Man Called Ove last night. It was lovely and very close to the book. The casting was perfect. If you haven’t read the book I encourage you to read it.
NMinn – that was on my Cambridge Book Club’s selection list last week. We ended up choosing “Nutshell” instead, but several people have told me how much they enjoyed “A Man Called Ove.”
My regular golf season finished yesterday, although I hope to get in a few more rounds before storing my clubs for the winter. My handicap dropped 8 strokes this summer, which I’m pretty pleased about. I have quite a bit of prize $$ from the season to spend before October 31. (Winnings are given as credit in the Pro Shop.) I’m eyeing new golf shoes and a shirt or 2.
This morning I talked to S in South Korea. (This is huge – normally he only texts, and that’s not very often!) He’s sitting at the airport in Seoul waiting for a flight to the UAE. After a short visit, he’s off to India, Kuala Lampur and Bali. Then back to South Korea for 1 night before catching a USAF flight to Seattle, and a commercial flight to Boston. He will be back in the US in 3 weeks!!! Yay, yay, and yay!! He’s due at his next base in FL the 2nd week of November – where he’ll only be 1 hour behind us, time zone wise! So excited!
In other news, H just had his newest “toy” delivered on Monday – a sports car he has always wanted. It’s nice, but I’m just not as into cars as he is. (In general this seems to be more of a guy thing…) He found it online – at a dealer in Flint, MI. Certified pre-owned, low mileage, excellent price. It’s all good – but I told him “No more toys.”
Hope those of you on the southeast coast stay safe from the hurricane. Sounds like it won’t hit the northeast.
H’s sister and her H just closed on their Florida retirement condo. While I don’t wish anyone ill, it would be fine if this couple suffered a bit - maybe a power outage in hot weather.
Here is why this couple irritates me. They are extremely right wing. Taxes are the worst thing in the world to them. The thing is, the husband was career military, then when he left the military, he did the same job as a federal government contractor. The wife was a SAHM for a long time. When she went back to work, she was an admin at a state university. Essentially, their entire livelihood, which enabled them to retire in their early 60s, buy a nice condo and receive a nice pension, was funded with taxpayer dollars. Don’t get me wrong - they are entitled to their beliefs and I’m not a fan of high taxes either…but I would just like for them to acknowledge that taxes go to support folks like them and not just the apocryphal “welfare queens.”
Those in the military (like @CBBBlinker 's son - glad your son will be back in the US soon!) work hard and make sacrifices. We were never military but my H has been a federal government employee for his whole career. The taxpayers have more than gotten their money’s worth from him!
DH is a fed employee (18 years now, so I guess he now qualifies as “career”). Works 70 hours a week, every week. The taxpayers are definitely getting their money’s worth out of him. There are a lot of public services and programs we all take for granted that we’d seriously miss if those jobs disappeared.
@missypie You’d have to ask them. Not sure what BIL’s views would have to do with his being former military. There are lots of people that get all riled up about taxes. Not me but there are people out there that do. I don’t get wound up about what city, state employees, teachers, make either. I think it’s an individual thing about who gets concerned about any issue like that.
I think you have hit a nerve with your comments, and I’m sure you did not mean to. There are a few of us here who have military or government employees in our lives.
My dad was a state employee. I haven’t said anything disparaging of the military or government employees. They certainly earn their money.
I just don’t see how a family of government employees can be radically anti-tax. It’s just not logical.
Sorry if I was inarticulate or inadvertently insulting last night. My dad did the work of the Lord as a social worker and many government employees do the same.
I was trying to comment on how polarized folks are these days. One group is right and one group is wrong, period.
Anyway…
The new job is a great change from the law firm.
MP - I think I understand. My BIL worked for the state. He made good money even as a state employee and was able to retire at 55 with a pension and health care coverage at 100% for him and his spouse. Now I don’t begrudge him anything at all or my sister in law (or others that are in that boat). What I do NOT like hearing though is my sister in law not understanding why H and I continue to work over 55. I’ve tried to say well we don’t have a pension just our 401K which we can’t really get at until 59 and 1/2 and we have no real health care coverage. My H does get SOME $'s for health care but very little. It’s not that they have that benefit - it’s that at least my sister in law has NO idea that this isn’t something that everyone gets no matter how many times I tell her that and that they are very lucky.
I think these are fantastic benefits and I don’t have any issues that they have them (or that others have them) my issue is that at least in my case sister in law has no idea what is typical for those of us who work for public companies. When I retire I will get NOTHING! That is what is the norm these days. The only thing that I’ll get is what I’ve saved in my 401K or other savings and even that comes with strings attached in that I need to meet a certain age.
Taxes are taxes. Just something I pay. For the most part I don’t get upset about it. I was upset that they did get rid of the top program at the HS that my kids went to but yet they still have the football team. Sometimes I don’t understand that they continue with the extracurricular activities but cut academics. Now I’m not saying that they should just cut extracurricular - just sometimes I wonder if we are not expecting enough from some of our students.
I totally get you on the pension. Another of H’s siblings will have a pension. FIL - with his 9th grade education - owns two homes, great cars, and was able to retire at 60 - because he was a life long union member. H grew up with even dental and vision benefits, of which I’d never heard when I was growing up. H and I will just have our 401k. And all the “matching” funds from when I was at the law firm came from my own pocket, too.
Of course, now I am worried about the hypocritical Florida BIL and SIL. I don’t really wish any harm to them.
Just to give you a bit more “color” on the BIL/SIL couple - SIL posts a lot of Bible verses and other Christian messages on her Facebook page. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the quotes are inspiring or comforting. But a couple of years back, she called me for free legal advice when she was hauled into court for repeatedly libeling one of her neighbors on her blog. SIL had to agree to not blog for an extended period of time.
The federal government and military moved to the Thrift Savings Plan decades ago, which is more similar to what private companies offer. My husband will probably not retire until he is at least 65 . We don’t call what he will receive a “pension.” He will get access to his retirement benefits when he retires. My sister worked for a large private corporation and had great pay and benefits upon retirement. Her corporation also moved to more of a 401K type retirement plan after she started there.
Missy, I understood completely the irony you were referring to and know it was not disparaging to military or govt employees.
And I can relate. My mother is a retired civil servant in Canada with a generous pension who used to complain about taxes in front of me, and inferred I was “lucky” to pay comparatively so little tax in the US (from a Canafian standpoint.)
So I gave her an idea of what healthcare cost for a pair of 50 and 60 year old business owners, and how much of my pay I put away each month to have any hope of not eating cat food in my golden years, (in other words, to live in the comfort she does) and her jaw dropped a little. I don’t think she thinks higher taxes are such a terrible thing anymore because she now corrects herself in front of me if she starts to complain by saying 'Of course I owe my healthcare and pension to taxes…"
To me, its a front end-back end thing…somewhere you pay
But in the US especially I’ve long marveled at the number of tax-paid professionals in the civil service I’ve met who intentionally or inadvertently support policies contraindicated to supporting civil service and ergo their own existence. I think most assume that somehow tax cuts won’t affect THEM…magical thinking to my mind.
We are in Virginia and a few days ago we were being told we could potentially have big problems but the models have changed. There will still be tidal flooding and possibly some wind and rain but should be okay. Hurricanes are so scary. I feel badly that Florida is being hit hard.
Interesting that some of you have a lot of discussions about taxes. I don’t recall ever really getting into taxes with people. It just doesn’t come up and I don’t bring it up. You just can’t win with discussing what taxes people pay, what people make, or what they get for retirement. I just don’t worry about what other people are making but maybe I’m too naive. I do marvel sometimes though at what some celebrities and sports people make, since that info is broadcast everywhere!
Mostly of my own doing.