Winter 2014 February 27 Thursday

21 Degrees this morning!  Spring, where are you!

Currently in my "second place" (Starbucks).  Early this morning to get car serviced, which is always an expensive proposition!  At least the car dealership has a nice waiting area with free coffee and water and even snacks and a light meal.

In the throes of making a final decision about medicare advantage plan (or supplement).  Fortunately we can change in six months or so if I pick the wrong one.  

In a waiting stage right now, as I wait for responses etc.  I have been busy sending out resumes, looking at medicare plans and similar items.  Now I am starting on my the China plans.  I should have been a travel agent. I really enjoy planning trips, probably more than I enjoy taking them.  In the case of the China trip I probably will also use a travel agent.   I have enjoyed reading about China, how to travel there, various tours etc.  I have even started to re-listen to Henry Kissinger's "China" to remember some of the history and culture.  I don't think I could ever learn to use chopsticks, but I can try.  One problem is I hate to commit to a specific flight since it is so expensive to change the flight and my plans could change. 

My jaw is a little swollen from the surgery this morning, for some reason.  I always get a little worried about that.  It doesn't hurt tho, which is good.  This phase was a lot better than the first phase, even though it did include a small graft. I will be glad to get it completed.

in spite of the cold, the sun is out today, which is nice.  

I started reading a book by Anne Hillerman, Tony Hillerman's daughter.  He was one of my favorite writers and i actually met him and had him sign a book for me when he appeared at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.  So far she appears like she is maybe a little different writer than her father, but just as good in her own way.  I"ll read it and see.  I have been agonizing over medicare and the health plan so I haven't read a lot of it, but so far it has been an interesting read and I'm going to set aside several hours to enjoy it.

Winter 2014 February 25 Tuesday

37 degrees this morning.

Next phase of tooth implants (perhaps teeth implants, since there are two of themI) is this morning. I am currently in the dreaded time of "no water, no food", which basically makes me want to get the surgery over so I can eat and drink water!  I normally eat breakfast shortly after 6 a.m., so I am hungry!

The phase this morning is screwing the base teeth into my jaw.  The screws were put in my jaw  in September when the two teeth were ext rated and the bone transplant was done.  The bone transplant was the worst.  Of course, I associate the bone transplant with the devastating city elections etc. It seemed to give me a headache for several months.

Somehow I associate difficult times in my life the books by Khaled Hosseini.  When I was have surgery for skin cancer (including transplanting skin etc.I) I was reading "The Kite Runner" and associated with the realization that pain was part of life and perhaps a stage of life that we need to adjust to.  (Actually, the pain of skin cancer surgery isn't that bad, it is just the anticipation perhaps, or maybe like the grain of sand in your shoe.)  Anyway, somehow, reading The Kite Runner" during this process helped.  I never really got into his second book "A Thousand Splendid Suns", and then I read "And the Mountains Echoed" after my separation from employment, when I understood why I still didn't have time, even when it appeared all I should have was time, after at least 30 years of having very little leisure time.  Even three months later, I still haven't found time to read etc., like I expected, and my day is filled with activities that, at least appear, to seem to be important.  I found looking and preparing for employment is almost a full time job.  Many positions require extensive time answering detailed essay questions, multiple phone interviews etc. which take more time than you would think.

In addition to age, I found I am in an interesting situation.  Lakeland is around 13,000 population with 31 employees.  Most cities of 13,000 have around 150 to 200 employees (some many more, some many less) and most cities with 25-49 employees are in the range of 2500 to 5,000 population.   If I apply to a City of 10,000 to 19,000 the question is can I supervise that many personnel, if I apply to a city of 4,000, they ask why I want to go to a smaller city!  This isn' a major obstacle necessarily, but it is one I have to explain and I think it is a major factor in the selection process, depending on whom the other applicants are  When combined with my age,  it provides some interesting hurtles to get around.  I'm not really complaining about it, what is, is.  Like everything else, I need to be aware of the possible problems of these situations and the perception it may create.  

Perhaps I will write more later after the surgery, perhaps I will be sleeping and not get around to it!  However, normally I am ready for some strawberry shakes by "happy hour" (1/2 priced shakes and soft drinks) at Steak n Shake.  Since I have to eat soft foods for several days, it gives me the chance to indulge in my favorite food that I normally avoid!

Summer 2013 September 6

70/73 degrees.  Didn't exercise, although I took a short walk.  Feeling ok from dental surgery yesterday morning, just didn't want to push it.  Face is swollen (probably didn't use ice pack enough), still a little sore, but overall feel like it is ok.  Still bleeding a little.  Trying to take it easy.  It will feel good to be able to brush my teeth again!

While I rarely eat/drink/slurp strawberry shakes, it is my favorite food (well, maybe next to peanut butter!).  (For obvious reasons I don't eat much of them.)  Yesterday, since I was on a liquid diet, I had three!)

Overall surgery went well.  Got there early, given laughing gas, than a sedative, so I don't really recall any of it, thank goodness.  Worst part was the anticipation, although once I went in, I didn't really need to do anything.  

We saw a small snake on the patio yesterday.  I didn't see the little frog that hangs out on the patio, so I assumed the worst, but I saw the little frog this morning, so I guess all is well, assuming it is the same frog.  The snake was so small, I'm not sure it eat even a small frog, so maybe it is an insect eating snake.

I remember on the farm where I was growing up, we would see snakes that had eaten a big bird or an egg or other small creature, and the big bulge would gradually go down the snake.  I'm not sure how it works that a snake can do that .  

My poem today from "The World Without End is Ending" is "What the Quilt Knows".  Looking at it today, I assume I was thinking of all of those beautiful quilts I have seen through my life and what a quilt has seen and heard over the years while maintaining a quiet dignity and sense of respect, regardless of what was going on.

WHAT THE QUILT KNOWS

 With its

Red, white and blue squares

Solid and respectable

 Pink spirals

Crawling

Toward black borders

Intent on irrelevance

White spheres

Besmirched by

The years

Visual vanities

Crafted

Out of colors of the psyche

 Knowingly wrapping itself

In the starched propriety of

Respectability