Winter 2014 February 19 Wednesday

61 degrees this morning.

I will be glad to say "goodby" or at least "see you in six months" to my winter walking clothes.  It is strange, many of them I have had for years and literally never worn until this winter, when I have worn almost all of them at some time.  It will be so nice this Spring and Summer to simply put on a t shirt, shorts and my bandanna "hat" and go to a walk and bike ride!  

Went to the Doctor yesterday for normal appt.  I always feel a sense of relief when I leave without being advised I have some dread disease or major problem.  Actually, the nurse took my blood pressure (100/68) looked at my lab results (all within limits) and asked "what was I doing here!".  The Doctor (who is a great Doctor) went over everything and of course, suggested I watch out for low blood pressure.  He explained as I lost weight (which is very slow now, but at least decreasing), my blood pressure also went down.  If I started feeling dizzy when I got out of a chair etc., it could be low pressure. 

Applying for Medicare, a stage of passage, I guess.  It has been rather bewildering even for me, and I am used to regulations.  I made the mistake of filling out an on-line questionnaire for information and got 10 phone calls and 5 e-mails in 10 minutes.  The phone literally ran 30 seconds after I made the mistake of hitting send, putting my phone number on it.  In fairness, all the calls were polite and non-pushy.  Since I am enrolling under a special exception (I didn't apply at 65 since I had employer coverage), I had to call and couldn't enroll over the internet.  When I finally got through, the representative was courteous, knowledgable and courteous, but I still haven't gotten the information I need to fill out and send back by February 28. I at least understand my options, thanks to Consumer Reports and the information provided by Medicare.

Still thinking about starting a private business.  The more I think about it, the more I like it.  I have a lot of self-initiative and can work independently.  I am brainstorming now.  I get so angry when I hear about some of the people who are discriminated against because of their age that I feel I ought to try to do something in that area.  Oddly enough, I don't resent it as far as I personally am concerned, at least for City Manager positions.  I feel the elected officials should be able to hire whom they want, if my age is a problem so be it, that is their problem.  Some of the other stories I hear (being laid off right before retirement, led on and then laid off etc. just infuriate me.  While it isn't legal (age discrimination) it is very hard to prove and most people don't want to file complaints or lawsuits for that or even very overt hostile worksite situations.  

Watching Richard Engel (NBC Foreign Correspondent).  It is amazing where he turns up, I really wonder what kind of life he has.  I really admire him for the work he does.  I don't believe I would want to do it (maybe 40 years ago).  He turns up everyplace.  

Reading "The Circle" and trying to decide if I am going to continue.  So far it has kept my interest, but I hope it doesn't degenerate into complete fantasy.  I don't mind fantasy (I loved "Snowcrash") as long as they don't degenerate into one of those things that "I can't describe it,but I know it when I read it"!  One of my secret vices is "Jack Reacher" novels (Lee Child), I devour them as soon as they come out and frequently listen to the audiobook also.

Fall 2013 December 16 Monday

32 degrees this morning.  I thought it would be warmer, so I was a little surprised, but it is supposed to warn up later.

Sometimes there is a sense of unreality as another day starts.  Years of "making things happen" are suddenly changed to "waiting for something to happen", at least as far as major life changes go.  I can only go so far and then I have to wait for a decision by someone else.  However, meanwhile, I do have plenty to do, catching up on organizing etc.

I still have items from my Mother to review and it has been 16 years since she passed on.  However, that isn't a matter of procrastation as much as just having to face the emotion reaction I get from seeing my mother (and some degree my dad) from the perspective of them as young people full of dreams and knowing how it ended.   Somewhat of an "Our Town" reaction.  Not that  my Mother and Dad didn't have an enjoyable full life, but I don't think it is what the envisioned when they were in the 20's, 30's, 40's, or even 50's.  Of course, who am i to judge?  When I went to visit them after they retired in AZ, I always had a good conversation with them, perhaps until the old parent/child relationship returned.  I think it is seeing them age that bothers me as much as anything when I look at their papers from their youth.   Maybe it is best to not look at the papers, just give them to my brothers and sisters, but then I would miss knowing about a major part of my heritage.  Dilemmas in the middle of life.  

Reading Khaleo Hosseini  "And the Mountains Echoed".  At first i had a hard time getting into it and I almost quit, but now i am really into it.  I really enjoyed the  "Kite Runner", in fact it helped me get through skin cancer surgery, but i never did get into the second book at all and quit reading it.    

Because of time limitations, I have gotten a lot more selective in what I read (and watch or listen or whatever).  I have pretty much quit reading the "boiler plate" fiction and are basically the same plot.   I have too many "things to do" hanging over me to waste time reading something that isn't meaningful or even entertaining.  (I make an exception for Lee Child and Jack Reacher)

My Dad started reading light reading when he was in his (I believe) early fifties.  I discussed it with my Mom a little and both of us were puzzled, but we both figured if he enjoyed them, he deserved it.  He had worked hard and maybe found something that he enjoyed.  I owe my love of classical music to my Dad, one of my memories is him listening to "Music from the Masters" on WIBW redo on Sunday afternoons, and later his record collection.  

Oddly enough, I used to hate Country Music.  In fact, I joke (only partly) that the reason I moved to Oklahoma City (when I took the City Manager position at Harrah) was because the only radio station in town where I was played ply Country Music.  There was a restaurant next to City Hall called "Maggies Kitchen" and a cafe about a block away called "Country Kitchen".  I would take a break and get some coffee and they were always playing Country Music, so I gradually developed a liking for Country Music that developed into a deep appreciation for most Country Music.  Of course, I always liked fiddle music of any type, so maybe I just had to experience some Country Music to really enjoy it.  I remember going to a meeting (it was the last snow of the winter) and turned to a Country Music station and realized I really liked it.  I've liked it (for the most part) ever since.