Eclipse of The Heart

So how are you watching the Eclipse on the 8th? 

Do you even give a hoot?

Are you even on its path?

The path is going right over my hometown. Everyone up there is off work and it's crazy. I have heard from some on what they are spending and it's just crazy to me. Family members have off work. For 4 minutes. Most had to beg for time off with Covid. This makes no sense to me. 

Rick and I don't get it but we admit we are not normal. 

We understand wanting to see it, but to spend thousands to do so is just ridiculous to us. 

Everything up there in my hometown is booked solid.  

My friend was concerned about where she was going to see this. 

I asked, "You can't see it from your yard/home?"  

Apparently, you have to pay a lot to see it and be around a crowd of people. (Yes, I am joking.) She wanted to get on the ferry/cruise but apparently, it's been booked forever. 

Knowing my hometown it will be cloudy and overcast anyway and if that happens I will laugh at my friend who is whipped into a frenzy about this damn eclipse and has spent a small fortune. She wanted to stay at a hotel on the waterfront but all were booked. 

As I said, "Apparently it will not occur in the sky above her home"

It will still get dark even if cloudy but I think it will bum out those who spent time and money and travel to get there to see this.

We are more of a Larry David Type Family here. 

I find it all a bit silly to waste money traveling and all that goes with it for those 4 minutes. But then again as I said I am more the Larry David Type.

I found the Grand Canyon a big hole. I was in awe for a few minutes and then it was like, "Okay let's go" Thankfully Rick and I are the same in this department. I know, I know, you're all gasping. Not all wonders of the world do that to me. I'm not that hardened. But this one did for some reason and we have laughed about it as time goes by.

I read that it would only be dark on a 70-mile-wide path. So I will see nothing down here. I get to save thousands on airfare, hotels, meals, and assorted souvenirs that will be hawked. Lucky me. 

😁

Sports and Pollen

I watched a lot of baseball this weekend. 

Due to the high pollen around these parts right now we spent yesterday in our bubble. 

We were outside on Saturday. It's miserable hot here and I was trying to hose off pollen, etc. Rick was working in the workshop with the garage doors open. Pollen blowing in.

This poor guy has asthma which doesn't help his allergy issues. Saturday night he was his own sound machine. If I am being honest, it bugs the shit out of me.

He was wheezing, coughing, honking, dripping, and clearing his throat every 2 minutes. No exaggeration. At one point late in the evening I had to pause the TV so he could finish all of the above and I could hear the TV. I feel bad for him, I really do even though his noises drive me nuts.

Sunday we decided it was best to close up the house, sit in our bubble, and try to breathe. I refused to turn on the air conditioning. I mean it was March 31st for God's sake. But it got to 78 in here. We used fans. I am cheap. 

Rick took Dayquil which one shouldn't do with high blood pressure. He uses flonase and other medications but nothing has been helping. He started Flonase in late February.  But he insisted that since his BP is normal with drugs he was taking Dayquil. I don't think that's how Dayquil works but if it makes him feel better so be it. At one point he told me, I'll either feel better or be dead, either way, it will stop all this shit. Nice. Thankfully it did help him, for half the day.

He left his bubble this morning for the gym. I assume he will be back to honking in no time. He also has plans to work on his lathe, which is giving him issues. So he will be back out there with pollen blowing in the wind.

I used to get allergy shots and take medication. When it was discovered I had celiac after about a year of eating properly I no longer had allergies. It was amazing to me. But I admit this pollen is getting to me a bit too. Oh, I'm not wheezing, coughing, or drippy. But I have sneezed a lot more than usual. I am thankful I no longer deal with this issue anymore. 45 years was enough. 

I was born with asthma. One of my allergists back home told me that asthma is an allergy and lays dormant and it will show up as allergies. I thought he was full of shit but I always remembered it. Who knows. All I know is Rick is a hot mess right now and I am thankful I am not dealing with this high pollen count. EVERYTHING is yellow here. Rains and it's all yellow again. I have never seen anything like this. 'They' say that the highest count here was over 3000. We aren't there yet. God if it gets to over 3000 pollen count we will never leave our homes.

Now to all the sports we were watching. 

Okay, only baseball. It makes me happy and happier when we win!

Hate the Cheatin' Astros so I enjoyed my team sweeping them.

But around these parts TV is preempted for football and basketball. The LSU gals were on as I was flipping channels and I saw them doing the macarana. What is that about? I didn't watch the game just saw that and it made me laugh. But with all the colleges here NC State, UNC, Duke, and Chapel Hill, there are games on TV every damn day on every channel for some sport except baseball. 

**Then I saw a snippet of a football player who got an enormous extension of his contract for a mere $87 million bucks. I think he was a Philly Eagle player.

They asked him the first thing he was gonna buy.

He said, "A zero-turn lawnmower."  

I asked Rick if those were expensive and what it was exactly. After his explanation, I thought it sounded like what a landscaping company would use. I can tell you the price of shoes, handbags, and home goods, but not lawnmowers. Rick told me around 15K.

15K for a lawnmower? 

Seriously you just made 87 million - get a lawn crew! 

Why are you mowing your lawn?

I'll never know what I'd buy first if I had that kind of money. I think I'd exhale first.

Probably lose about 100 lbs of stress. 

But I do know for certain it wouldn't be a lawnmower. :-)

**There is a lot of hoopla about a Japanese player (Ohtani) whose interpreter was using the ballplayer's money to gamble. I smell something fishy here. 

The interpreter's first story was that the Pitcher he 'stole' from was aware. 

4.5 million aware. Then he retracted that statement. I'm sure they put the squeeze on him to not say anything about Ohtani or anything that could implicate the almighty Ohtani.

Then the interpreter said he never bet on baseball. Hmm...

I say, "If good enough for Pete Rose, good enough for Ohtani"  

I don't believe he was completely in the dark. I am not saying he gambled but I do suspect he was. I also think the Dodgers will throw lots of money at this and make it go away. Go talk to Pete Rose!  

I also find it very interesting that it is not mentioned on any MLB show. If it was someone taking steroids it would be on MLB Tonight or MLB Central or one of those types of shows. But everyone is not even mentioning his name. I find it oddly disconcerting. 

**Lastly my hubby came out of the bedroom wearing hardly anything to show me his new muscles from the gym.  Flexing and making faces and making me laugh.

As he walked away he said, "My Sex Appeal is Back" and winked.

OMG, I laughed so hard that my beverage came out of my nose. I haven't done that since I was 12.   

Yes, he was joking because as he has said, "Since my stroke, my muscles seem to be mush and I have crepey skin what is that about?" 

Welcome to old age my dear.

No one will understand this unless you follow baseball. I thought it was an appropriate meme

Friday Meme Dump

Things that make you go hmm....

This is pollen on my newly sealed garden bench after the rain. It beads up like rain on your rain-x windshield, just droplets of pollen. The pollen is crazy this year. I wish there were a vaccine for pollen. I'd be first in line...well I'd push Rick to be first, I'd go second. :-)

Now you knew I couldn't do memes without the orange ass, did you?

Wonder how true this is below. If it is I'd buy the guy a couple of drinks. Rick did this several years go up north and we got busted. But it was fun while it lasted. If everyone in the bar hadn't cheered they wouldn't have noticed. They need to know their audience. After the bar went back to that station, men began throwing things at the tv. Nothing to break it, just straws, and orange slices. Things like that. 

They finally just turned off the TV to wild cheers. 

He's orange adjacent.

Old People Day

I had to see my primary care doc on Wednesday for that medicare annual physical. 

My dr office is the location where Rick had his stroke. I still dislike driving there. It's a bad feeling.

I then proceeded to another dr ofc and had

another injection into my spine. Boy, those are fun.

You'd think they'd at least give you something to relax you. I feel it all. 

When it begins to feel like a truck is sitting on you I want to scream. But of course, one can't scream. It's a heaviness and pressure. I dare not move. A needle in my spine scares me so I am very still and when he pulls that needle out I let out a deep breath.

At the last injection I was apparently holding my breath during the procedure. I didn't realize it until he told me to breathe. Oh yes, minor detail I responded. He laughed. Wednesday as I was given the numbing agent he told me to remember to breathe. 

The nurse was chatty Cathy and I think she was doing it to have my focus elsewhere and to make me talk so I'd breathe. It worked. This nurse was far nicer than the grumpy first one.

They also had music on in the room this time. They asked me if it offended me. I found that an odd question.

I said,"offended? No. I mean if it were rap lyrics probably"

They chuckled and the dr said, "that would not be offered here"

The music was yacht music. One can't be offended, just boring background music. To sooth the patient, I get it. I don't think it works. A shot of tequila would do better for me

😃

They are all so lovely but I don't wish to see them again!

Then last evening doing as I was told-NOTHING for 24 hrs. So TV was my deal.

Rick and I were watching The Amazing Race. A reality show I can get behind because no meaness, backstabbing or lying. Just a good clean race.

Anyway as we were watching this I said to Rick, "This is a show I'd love to be able to do. But those heights to plummet would be tough for me.

Rick laughed and said, "Look at us. We are broken!! We can barely do what we need to do on any given day on land and not racing. Oh God Margaret you're a hoot.

Yeah, good point.

It made me laugh and be sad at the same time. 

Do they have broken people races?

🤣🤣

Bridges

The Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore was horrific.

I can't fathom being on that bridge driving along and then plummeting to your death. 

Two people have survived I heard. One refused to go to the hospital.  

The other rescue is in the hospital but I did not hear if the person was critical or going to be okay. 

The person who walked away and refused treatment is one lucky son of a gun!

I am not a fan of bridges. I have often had to drive over The Key Bridge when living in Maryland. (the one that collapsed) 

I also had to take the Bay Bridge to go to the shore when living in Maryland. 

I was unaware of any other way to get to the shore because believe me, I'd have taken the long way to avoid that bridge. 

When I lived in a Seattle suburb I had to take a floating bridge every time I went into the city. I didn't like it anymore being that low to the "ground" than I do a big ass bridge in the sky. I just am not comfortable on a bridge or high in the clouds. 

I always wanted the windows open when crossing the floating bridge. 

It could be 35 degrees ourside,but I didn't care. Rick of course laughed at me. 

I felt if we did go into the water, the window would already be opened and we could swim out. If it were closed we may not be able to get it opened. Rick would laugh at me and I would say, laugh all you want mister. My side is going to remain open all the way. Oh, he made fun of me for the 2 yrs we lived there. I am glad he didn't have to find out I was on to something there. 😁

As I am sure you did, I watched the film of the barge hitting the support beam of the Key Bridge and watched it crumble like a Lego set. It seemed like it was just a slight hit but apparently in just the right place.  Was the driver of the barge drunk, or asleep at the wheel? It seems rather large to not be able to avoid it. But I am not a barge driver so what do I know. I'm sure we will found out.

My busy week continues so I am going back into the archives again.

Bridges and Panties should be the name of the post but I didn't think of that then. Here ya go, from 6 yrs ago.

___________________________________________

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2018

Speaking of bridges.

Once again I thought I told this story but for the love of God, I can't find it anywhere. So bear with the old bird as she tells it again.

It was around 2002 I think, give or take a year or 4....tee hee
I was traveling for work as I did weekly.
This time was a meeting in New Jersey.
I was at the Newark airport.

It was crazy weather and it was early winter time.
Flights were delayed and canceled. In Newark, it was pouring rain with fog but no snow. But flights weren't getting in so planes weren't there to board.

All of us on a flight to the DC area airports were all delayed for hours.
We received no updates and I was getting so frustrated.
I went up to the desk to see if there was any additional information. If not I was thinking I'd rent a car if there were any left to be rented. It was now dark and I had been here since 2:30p. 
I was told it was an indefinite delay right now. 
That was all I needed to hear, I was getting a car if I could.
I got on my little flip phone and called the car rental agencies to see if they had any left. They had a car. I booked it and said I'd be right over there. I gave him my card # so he would hold it until I could get the shuttle over there. 

For the last 6 hours, I bonded with 2 women trying to get to Baltimore.
I was heading to the Dulles Airport in Virginia. When I reserved the car I went over to the nice women I'd been chatting with. I said, "Ladies it is now almost 9pm, they know nothing. I just rented a car and am driving back to Virginia, want a lift to Baltimore, it's on my way?"  

They thought that was fabulous. They wanted to pay me. I told them that was just silly, my company was paying for this not me. 
I had to get home and they pay for me to get home one way or another so let's just go.

It was pouring rain and it was coming down in sheets. We all got in my car and looked at a map. Yes, this was before Google Maps and apps on a phone. No smartphone for even Mapquest. No GPS, stone ages. We were using the map that we got at the rental car agency.

The passengers were 1 white woman in her late 40s who was in NJ to visit a family member who was terminally ill. The 2nd woman was an older black woman from California. She was much older and a tiny little thing. She was going to Baltimore for the funeral of her family member. Both had their luggage checked so they had no luggage with them just had to wait until they got to the airport.

As we got into our rental car the older woman took to the back seat and asked if anyone minded. I told her I had to drive so wherever she was comfortable was just fine. Just a few minutes down the road the woman in the front seat asks if we can stop for something to eat. So we stopped at a rest stop and we all got something to eat and used the bathroom and off we went.

We chatted about life. Their children, their spouses, and the death of the family member the woman in the backside was going to see.
Then 'it' appeared through the fog and rain, the dreaded Delaware Memorial Bridge.  I inhaled loudly. The woman in the front said, "You okay?"
I explained how I feel about bridges and I don't normally drive over them, Rick does and I close my eyes. 

The sweet woman in the back says, "I don't think closing your eyes will be a good thing right now" I agreed. 

I took a deep breath and exhaled and moved forward. 

We were all silent while going over this bridge. 

You could feel my tension in this car. I felt bad but I couldn't talk. 

I had to stay in the middle and just focus or vomit.  We were all quiet. 
Then as we drove over the highest part and I was holding on to the steering wheel so tightly my hands were a different color, the woman in the back blurts out, "I won't have any clean panties for tomorrow's funeral" 

OMG, that sounded so loud after the silence. And out of nowhere, I might add which made it all the more hilarious. The two of us in the front seat are now laughing our asses off. That broke the tension just like that! 

 

I was on the way down so to speak from the highest point of this damn bridge and was feeling better. Then we all asked, what the hell was she talking about it.
Apparently, it had just occurred to her that with her luggage being checked at the airport and they wouldn't give it back she would have no clean underwear for the morning funeral service.  Oh, how this made us laugh. If stores had been open at that hour I would have certainly gotten off an exit to shop for this sweet woman. 

I have never forgotten this impromptu female trip. 
These ladies were just so lovely. I don't even recall their names. I can only see them in my mind's eye. They saved me because doing that trip alone in the fog and rain and that friggin' bridge would not have been fun for me while alone. 

And to be honest, I am not certain I could have done that bridge if I were alone. 

So, they really helped me. 

I dropped them both off at the airport in Baltimore. The woman in the backseat with no panties used my cell to call her family to let them know we were 30 minutes from the airport so they would meet us there. I dropped her off first, met her family and they thanked me. The man that was picking her up tried to pay me. 'I told him it was covered by my job, no problem. Just get this woman's luggage in the morning, she needs her clothes. The woman winked at me. We hugged and I left her with her family.

Then I dropped off the other woman at her car in the parking lot. She thanked me for getting her home that night. (well it was morning now)  The rest of the people who were booked on that flight, by the way, were still in Newark NJ, and would be until tomorrow morning's flight out. If that sweet older woman had not gone with me she'd have missed the funeral. So it worked out and I was thrilled for her. 

I always seem to live around these damn bridges or have to travel on them so you'd think I would be better with them. Nope.
I hated the bridge from Seattle to my home in the eastern 'burbs too.
And that one was not high in the sky. 
Oh no, it was just barely above the water....to me.

This bridge was called The Floating Bridge or Mercer Bridge. 
It went from the eastern suburbs and Mercer Island to Seattle. It would rock or sway and only once did water come over to splash and I swore I was gonna die. 

I really just don't like bridges. 

I always thought I was going to die in Seattle. There was always something that scared the shit out of me. Hurricane Ridge was something I visited once and vowed if I lived I would never ever go back up there. Ever. I did not wish to plummet to my death. Beautiful once up there but it was getting there and leaving that was frightening as hell.  
But that has nothing to do with a bridge now does it? Nope, I've wondered with my fear of hanging from a precipice haven't I? 

Here is the floating bridge that brought us into Seattle every day. 
Looks like it is floating right? Nothing better than swaying in the wind. 
I like water but I don't wish to die in water. I am a woman of phobias, hear me roar. 

I will leave you with the beauty of Hurricane Ridge. If my head was not down on the seat while driving up and down the one lane to get there I would have had beautiful photos. But I couldn't look. I swore we were all going to die.

 This is where we parked and these were the majestic Olympic mountains I saw immediately upon getting out of the car. 

 At one point it was similar to this photo below where we were above the clouds. And I realized I was level with these pointy pines. Gorgeous though right?

I don't do too well with the idea of plummeting to my death and it was a phrase I said way too often while living there. 

Me At 17

 Hey Colleen - check this flashback out! 😁

I'm going to give you an oldie but goodie. 

I was speaking with Colleen the other day on the phone which made me remember our 'camping' days. Oh, I hated camping but I always enjoyed these weeks of wine, pot, and boys in the early 70s. 

Sounds debaucherous but it was so damn innocent. Even the ole transistor radio to listen to our music. We played Sly and the Family Stone a great deal I recall and Helen Reddy on Sue's 8 track in the car. Ah, 8 tracks and a matchbook to keep it from skipping. While I don't miss 8 tracks sometimes I do miss albums and the story and not just streaming a song but I'm old and we old people do that don't we?

Here ya go...

______________________

FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010

Flashback Friday

My friend Susan convinced me that going camping would be fun.
Her dad would drive down and help us get the "camp" set up. 
He would stay for the day and then we were on our own for 5 days. 
I didn't like the idea of sleeping in a tent or any of that nonsense.
She told me there were real bathrooms and showers etc.
I said okay because I really never ever believed my dad would allow me to go.

Imagine my surprise when he spoke to Susan's Dad and then said YES.
I was convinced he said yes because he knew I didn't really want to go.
Why would I want to lay on the ground in a tent to sleep or walk to a public bathroom that was gross and smelly?  But the fact that my father said yes made me want to go.

So off to camp, I went with Colleen and Susan in July 1973.
It was the summer before I became a senior in high school.
I have a lot of fond memories of this week and here are a few of them on film. 

This is Susan - Susan was our great fire starter!
Her bell bottoms are back in style now only we call them flares.

This is Susan getting her hair washed by Colleen.  We had to go to a pump to get water, fill a bucket, wet our hair, lather, rinse, repeat...you get the drill.  This was the water we drank too.  No bottled water back in the day. Now boys/guys camping would no more wash their hair during the 5-day period but we girls sure felt we had to but oh wait.....

This is us sitting around the fire in the evening. Colleen had washed and set her hair.  

Today, I find this hysterical.  I think Collen only got straight hair if she rolled it, I could be wrong. And since everyone in 1973 had straight hair you did what you had to do. 

There were no straight irons or blow dryers back then.

This picture does make me laugh, a 17yr old in rollers around a campfire.

Because we didn't have blow dryers then, we had those big ugly dryers with a tube attached to the cap that went over your head. To dry your hair you had to bring that damn dryer with you from room to room or just sit still forever while your hair dried. 

Those were not the good ole days!  Hairstyling in 2010 is so much better!

Before peri menopause I was a very heavy sleeper. And I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat.  That drove the girls crazy. On this particular evening I was freezing.  I had on several coats and sweatshirts.  Then I got under my sleeping bag and before you know it I was sound asleep. Susan and Colleen put these suitcases on me and not ever so gently I've been told.

I never woke up.  I never even knew they did this until the film was developed in my camera.  I long to be able to sleep like that now.

Susan and Colleen knew I was very very self conscious about having big boobs. 

While sun bathing if guys came around I would throw on a T-shirt. 

If I didn't notice they were coming over I made them promise me to tell me so I would have time to cover up. I would get so angry at them if they "forgot" to tell me.

I know, I know, it seems so silly in today's world where people are paying big bucks to have big ole fake boobs planted on their small frames to show 'em off every chance they get.

But it was a decade of Twiggy and flat was in.  I hated those puppies! 

This is me at the beach after 2 boys came over and I grabbed my T-shirt so quickly so no one would see my big chest.  What's funny to me is that even in a T-shirt you could see that I had DDD's so why sweat - take off the shirt and prance around in your bikini. 

Whoever said Youth is wasted on the young is so damn right!

When we left the parking lot of the beach area on this particular day there on Susan's '73 Plymouth Duster car antenna were a pair of tighty whities (check out the white racing stripe which we thought was so cool)

We were so grossed out because the tighty whities had shall we say "skid marks" on them. 

Sue and Colleen were looking for a big long stick to take them off the antenna. 

Sue was ready to cry and while I was grossed out I still found it very funny so I had to stop to get a picture. Sue did get a stick and remove the underwear!

You wouldn't catch me camping today for anything. 

Camping is a hotel without room service!

This old back couldn't take sleeping on the ground anymore anyway!

Are You A Genius?

I so want a new blog.
I attempted to do the thing that everyone said would work - just change this name and those you don't want coming around won't. That does not work!! 

I have tried and tried. 

Then I was told to just make a new blog.
Google just keeps telling me it's me and sends me back here even after entering and setting up a new email address. 
I do not wish to go to WordPress. I hate WordPress. So now what? I either get to a new blog or I quit blogging I guess. 

I can't say what I want all the time. When I do enter a blog post about my feelings, God forbid, I am met with snarky bitchy comments. And then there is the family shit that should not be coming here. 
So there you have it. I am not yet certain what I will do but something has to change before summer.

I had a friend (we will call M.) who loves to be snarky and I think she's sometimes mean. 

She thinks she is the smartest person in the room. 

She must always be the smartest person in the room so we let her think that. Rick thinks she's dumb and lacks common sense. But if sense were common wouldn't more people have it?

Rick will point out why he thinks this every chance he gets and she gives him plenty. I just laugh. She annoys the hell out of him. 

Who the hell cares is my thought. Let them think that. 

Let them have all that control. They look the fools not the rest of us.  

To me, it's all petty.

I say, 'had' a friend because over the years we have drifted apart and I see her more as an acquaintance than a friend. It's so important to her that everyone knows she has a genius IQ. She will tell you when you never even asked. I find it funny as hell. 

I read a lot of blogs and many are like her and I do find it amusing. 

It does not bother me as it does my husband and what he calls M's arrogance.

I do not claim to be the smartest in the room or the most dumb but it is fun to torment her. Rick and I now call it a sport.

She texted me something the other day asking me a question. 

I answered immediately and she said she didn't think I was correct.  

I suggest googling it if you think I'm wrong and then why ask me? It was a business question and she thought I MAY know.

She came back later and said you were right, did you google this, it wasn't even easy to find on Google?  No, I just knew. 

I could see the steam off her head from several states away.  

Once we played a trivia game many years ago. 

I chose the category geography. 

She flippantly said, "Are you sure Margaret that's gonna be a tough one?"  

I said I was most certain. I aced the full category.

She asked how I knew this. 

I said, "What do you mean how do I know all this? I went to school just like you did" 

She was furious and then my wonderful husband said, "You're not the only person who can think M."  

.Now to be fair, I worked in all facets of the travel industry

At the beginning of my career, I had to be a travel agent, it was a stepping stone. You need to know where countries, states, and cities are if sending people there. Yes, I can fill in the 50 states on a blank map, big flippin' deal. It's more of a sideshow than it is something to be impressed by if you ask me. But it fried her ass which made my husband happy as shit

Why she is at the forefront of my mind is because she called the other day asking about a friend of ours. That got us talking on the phone and she said, "Hey, Jeopardy's coming on I have to go."

I said, "Yep it's on here too, okay talk to you later." (exact words she did not fully understand or get) 

Now we get Jeopardy 30 minutes before they do up there. So when the final jeopardy answer was on up there in PA I text her the answer. She flipped out and called me. How did YOU know this? I said I'm not just a pretty face I guess M. I never told her. I know she thought when I said it was on here too that it was coming on as it was up there, not that it was on.

Rick and I had such a good laugh. 

We are going to hell in a handbasket as my grandmother would say.

I know this about Jeopardy's time because my mom watches it religiously. 

It comes on here at 7pm. It comes on up there at 7:30pm as I stated. 

So we figured out the time it would be when the final jeopardy is played and I told her the answer that I saw 30 minutes prior. 

Mean? You betcha, but the fact that she thinks she's so above everyone else she needs to be taken down a notch just for the helluva it.

I know it wasn't nice but boy it was fun. Now who's petty? LOL

Oprah.

My Mental Health Vacation is over. I'm back in the saddle. 

I think some of you assumed I was having a fun spring break. Au Contraire.

_______

Did any of you see the Oprah special on these insulin drugs used for weight loss that was on TV last week?

It was typical Oprah in several ways. I watched it at 2am and at times I wish I had watched with Rick so I had someone to talk to instead of yelling at Oprah/my TV.

There were a few things to appreciate and like about it. 

However, it was very one-sided to me. 

They spoke of the side effects for 1 minute with one woman. 1 minute.  

No one talked about hair loss, or the well documented issues of gastroparesis etc. I know someone on it who had to stop due to all the serious side effects she was having. I felt bad for her because she thought this would be the holy grail for her and I had hoped it would be too. 

She had far more than just vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and believe me that's enough!  None of that was discussed except for that one minute with one woman.

It was my understanding from the people in the audience this will have to be something you take for the rest of your life. Are there long-term side effects since this was not made for weight loss? Never asked or mentioned. Remember Phen-phen a few years ago? It was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread and everyone could lose weight. Then after a year or 2 everyone either had heart issues or other horrific side effects. So they took it off the market I believe. So now we are jumping on this, is it too soon? What about all the people who really need this for their diabetes and can't get it because everyone who doesn't need it for diabetes is using it? 

That concerns me as well. If I was diabetic and couldn't get this due to a celebrity using it that just isn't fair or right. 

There were so many unanswered questions and things not even being discussed.

That is what bothered me 2nd of all with this special. The first was the doctors who were on the Oprah panel.

All the doctors that were on were paid by the pharmaceutical companies. 

Oprah told us this fact to be transparent and it was appreciated by me. 

However, what about the doctors who have seen the horrors and who aren't paid by Eli Lilly or Novo Nordisk?  That would have been a true conversation. 

Then we have the topic of all the skinny people taking it to fit into a dress like celebrities? This should not be used for 20 - 25lbs and doctors who give it to them are foolish to me.

I saw that plastic surgeon who is on the show Botched say he was on it to lose 20-25lbs but he got off it so he could eat, he missed eating. He did not have a disease, just vanity to lose his belly. He said he would go back on after a couple of weeks. So what does that do to your body?  That can't be good, can it? Those are the things I wanted them to talk about. They only talked about how great it is, nothing negative. Nothing in this world is 100% positive. So that didn't ring true for me. 

I applaud the ability to lose weight using this drug. I just need more information and by God, I'd do it if it was covered by insurance and I had more answers!

But it is not. $1600+ a month is more than I can pay. I pay enough for Rick's stroke medications monthly to keep him alive. That is my priority.

I left feeling like I watched a political show, it was all one-sided to the speaker's/politician's goals and not the reality of society. 

What I thought they did correctly was showcase how for a good many people overweight, obesity is a disease, and not everyone can lose it by diet and exercise alone. I thought the young girl and her entire family on the show was a perfect example of this.  

They drove that point home and it was a good one for all people to see. 

The bottom line is if you can afford it, and you can get it, and it works for you. Great!

Now if only they would figure something out for all of society with fewer side effects and that is covered by insurance!

In the meantime, I guess I will remain a chubby gal. 

Mental Health

 Spring Break.

Random Weekly Items

 Here are some random items rolling around in my head.

Stanley cups.

I do not get this trend. 

I also find this trend very funny.  My father was a master plumber. He left every day with his green Stanley thermos. He had that baby for years. 

Even when my dad went to an office overseeing the plumbing and heating and air conditioning say in a mall and not in the field, he carried that thermos. So, when a niece told me about the high-demand Stanley cups and thermos, I laughed. I said, "The green Stanley?"  She said that is the OG but they come in all colors now. Oh, how that made me giggle. There is no way when I was a kid I'd want to have a mug like my Dad's thermos. And the fact that it is $45 on the low end is just stupid. She told me kids were paying 100 +. I guess that is better than drugs but I did okay not having one and buying pot in 1973. Then again I didn't know what Axilla was. (see below)

But, I'm not hip anymore so there's that.😁

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The other day I left the house and came home while Rick was taking a nap in the bedroom. I did not text to let him know I was home because I knew he was exhausted from the gym. He told me he really wanted to take a nap. He only told me  10-12 times. Sometimes he is like Rain Man from this stroke. He lets me tease him. (yes I asked) and he sees the humor in it but doesn't know why he does that.  He will even say, My God, I do sound like Rain Man and then he'll have a good laugh before I even notice. 

Anyway, I brought some groceries in and set them down on the island. 

He heard that and apparently text me if that noise was me. I left my phone in the car so I did not see the text. I went back out to the car and got more groceries.  When I walked in he was holding this big fat wooden dowl as he came around the corner and startled me. 

I asked, "What are you going with that?"  

He explained that he heard noises and when I didn't respond he came out to see what was happening and he thought this would help defend himself. Silly silly man. It made me chuckle but he is not the man he used to be. He is no longer a big scary man so he was grabbing items the contractors left behind in our bathroom. But it was just little ole me making the noise.

__________________

Rick got some Rx cream for his eczema. It said not to put around  or on your axilla. I asked Rick, "Where is your axilla?" 

He laughed and said, "Oh you can rub cream on my axilla baby, who says you can't? 

So because he was making me laugh with his 12 yr old-boy humor I had to google it. Here is the definition.

If you already knew this then you know you are reading a dumbbell.

the space below the shoulder through which vessels and nerves enter and leave the upper arm; a person's armpit.

Strange that this area can't have that eczema cream on it. 

In fact, it's kind of weird to me. But Rick enjoyed tormenting me with a barrage of sick comments.

____________________

You know this photo from the end of WWII?

You probably heard all the hoopla that only our country can cause.

The Dept. Of Veterans Affairs came out with the following statement - 

This depicts a non-consensual act and is inconsistent with the VA's tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault. 

C'mon! They were to take down the photo from all gov't offices and all VA hospitals etc.

This is what I say about that.😝

They backtracked this morning by saying they will allow the photo to be displayed at VA hospitals and other areas where it was displayed all these years. What millennial bitched a fit about this? But the backlash was quick and boy did they get an earful. This kind of 'politically correctness' has gotten out of hand. I am all for treating people well. I am all for women and men being protected from sexual harassment. But this woman didn't think that was what this was. She was interviewed along with the fella. They are as you can imagine as old as dirt. He said it was just spontaneous and she was there and she said we were all excited the war was over and we went our separate ways after the quick kiss.It was quick and the photographer must have been quicker. Look,if she is not offended then let it go!!

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I had a shot in my eye today at the Duke Eye Clinic. Betty is not growing but one more shot. This time I can go 6 months between shots. Yeah. My eyelid has fallen on this eye. It is very noticeable to me. I asked him about it. He said that was the result of the prednisone. God how I hate that drug.

Anyhoo....they can fix it. He said at my 6-month checkup /shot if Betty is as good or better, we can do this fix via plastic surgery. I hemmed and hawed. Then he said, "Oh this is covered by insurance due to the mass in your eye that caused it. It's medical."  Well, in that case, Dr. S can you do my under-eye bags and a full facelift? He just laughed and said I was a stinker but nice try.

Hey, I had to try and I probably will again.

But my cataracts in that bad eye are not great so in 3 months I will have those taken care of. Hey, it can't be worse than a shot in the eye, right? But that does explain the film over my eye. Whew.

________________________

I was not feeling great so I lay in the old ugly chair and Rick asked if he could watch something he saw that he was certain I would hate. I said to go for it because I was tired. My eye is making it difficult to read so I was just going to close my eyes.

But then I began to watch it. My God John Cena is so funny.

He cracked me up in Vacation Friends and this movie is obviously written by a Farrelly brother. They have my husband's 12-year-old humor. But apparently, I do now too because I laughed a lot more than I would think in his dumb movie.

It's called Ricky Stanicky. It is not for everybody. It is young boy humor with lots of sex jokes. Apparently, I too am immature because I stayed awake and laughed through most of this.

This is Vacation Friends where I found that John Cena can be funny.
it wouldn't allow me to put the official trailer because it was age-restricted.

Never had that issue before. I had to add this link

 

 Then of course the Oscars on Sunday. I don't watch the Oscars. I record and FF through to see what I want to see. I saw him naked and rewound very quickly. 😃 No one asked who he was wearing? 😋 

Yes, only me and Joan Rivers got that joke.