2017 Summer July 20 Thursday

81 degrees this morning (feels like 84), Walk 34:59 minutes

Walk this morning was pleasant, in spite of the heat.  Or maybe because of the heat!  While warm, there is still that coolness in the air that makes the early morning walk so pleasant, especially in the Summer.

Sitting outside on the patio.  Really pleasant.  Probably the time I think most about retiring is that I could sit outside on the patio and enjoy it more.  Of course, that is only about six months of the year and I actually could change my schedule and sit out on the patio more in the morning if I really wanted too.

Right now, I will just enjoy what time I have to sit on the patio!

Pace was 4 seconds slower than my goal time.  Probably anything 15 seconds either way is the same as meeting the goal time.  Of course, my goal is to always be faster than my goal time, not just meet it.

I really feel my goal time should be about one minute faster than it is, so I have a lot of room to improve my speed.  I may just move my goal time up one minute.  I may never meet my goal, but I would at least be trying to meet my actual “pace goal”.

I always feel that any kind of goal (walking pace, bicycle time, weight, etc.) needs to be achievable as well as make you “stretch”.

Read in the Wall Street Journal that some companies are “sweetening” their retirement plans to that old employees will quit since their “health care costs are so much”.  Hmmm.  I’m not quite sure what to make of that. 

I assume that means the company has analyzed it and determine that over a certain age “health costs” are the primary consideration in whether an employee is valuable or not.  

I guess in a way it is probably good for the employee, the company increases the retirement plan benefits and the employee has the funds to find a job where their work is appreciated rather than just their age and “health costs” are considered.  

I wonder if the companies are just as astute and analytical about health costs of children etc. and the costs of training workers etc.  

I wish they had named the companies, I would have been sure to show my support for their competitors who treat their employees equally regardless of age.  

Ageism is so prevalent that most people don’t even recognize it or consider that their policies discriminate against older workers or even customers.   

What really appalled me was the failure of people to even recognize that age discrimination exists, when it obviously does.  

Heard the paper carriers car deliver papers.  The engine has had a particularly distressed sound to it ever since we moved here and I keep hoping it will continue to run.  Actually, I don’t believe I have ever seen the vehicle, but I recognize it from it’s unique sound.  Since it has been running with that sound for almost a year and 1/2, maybe it is just the way it sounds and it’s not that distressed.  

Moon Day today. When you think about the technology of that era, it  was really a great achievement, would be a great achievement even with today’s technology.  In two years it will be 50 years since that achievement.  

That's it for today, Thursday, July 20, 2017.