Fall 2015 November 21 Saturday

40 degrees thismorning (felt like  29 degrees due to 25 mph winds)  Walk 38:42 minutes

Wind this morning was the worst I have experienced so far this year.  It was howling to say the least.  I  can’t imagine what it would have been like if a heavy snow (or rain) was falling.  It was also from the north.  

I will be interested in getting the “results” of the sleep study.  It all happened so  fast (scheduling it the same day etc.) and leaving at 5 a.m., it is almost like a dream.   I thought the bed in the “sleep study” room was too soft at first, but it turned out to be very comfortable.  Probably the most uncomfortable feeling was having to call someone to go to the bathroom!  (I just carried the base of the wires etc. with me but someone else had to unhook it and hook it back up.)

I don’t know how advanced the “sleep study” medical procedures are.  I know the study of sleeping has been around for years.  I assume thie sleep study procedures are up to 

date.                                                   

Had to prepare the house for showing yesterday (and finish this weekend), but the really hard part is completed, thank goodness.  Aliene is a wonderful packer and her ability to organize is truly amazing!  Thank goodness for that from someone who is absolutely no good at packing. 

Didn’t go swimming, I reserved the time used for that to help organize the house, but one of the reasons for moving is to make the YMCA more accessible, so hopefully the time invested will be worth it.  Even is the house doesn’t sell, at least we know we tried.  We are only going to list it until April 1, then we will just accept the fact that we are here.  

Listened to “Wilson”  this morning on my walk.  At times, the wind blew so loud it was hard to hear it.  i listened on the $50 Kindle  It wasn’t bad, once I learned how to adjust the volume.  I think it will be good, although I am just getting started on it.  

I know, or at least remember, very little about him, except he was the moving force behind the League of Nations and, if I remember correctly, was basically blocked by the Senate. I’ll find out as the book proceeds, I am sure.

I changed the location I take my “post exercise nap” in.  Although I dream about the same, I noticed I am further away from my computer, so by the time I get to my computer I have forgotten my dream.  Even though the dream may be very intense, by the time I get to the computer, I have forgotten the dream!  

Of course, there is an easy fix for that,simply bring my computer with me, especially in the post exercise map.  

While I don’t have any idea what the dreams mean,   I  do like to record the dreams, if nothing else so I can review them and see if here are any trends  or patterns etc.  

Google + recently revamped the Google + program. Unfortunately  it really hasn't changed in that the basis promise of allowing you to be be inundated with responses on the subject, and I just don’t have the time or inclination to read!  

Somehow, Facebook has learned to limit the posts you get (although it frequently also sends stuff I don’t want to read.

Glad the weekend is here.  Even though I enjoy my job, it is good to get away for a while/1’’

Thats’ it for now,  Saturday, November 21, 2015.  

Fall 2015 November 20, 2015

Fall 2015 November 20 Friday

47 degrees this morning, no Walk

Able to schedule a “sleep study” last night, so decided to go ahead and get it done.  It was an interesting process, I actually slept fairly good, in spite of numerous wires etc.  

I”m not quite sure what all they measured, but they could measure if you moved your legs/eyes etc., if you ground your teeth etc.  

I’m not sure if I dreamed or not, but I expect they could measure that also.  

I slept about the same amount of time I normally do, although I probably spent more time in going to sleep than normal, spent more time in “sub sleep”..

We signed the contract to offer the house for sale last night.  It will be about five months (until April 1, 2016) and if it doesn’t sell by then, we will stay here.  

I really don’t like the disruption of moving etc., in fact I am already tired of it.   It may be necessary, but that doesn’t make it better.  It seems to take over your life (even getting the house  ready) and that is what I really don’t like.

They basically recommend you move out of your house while it is for sale!  I can see the benefit, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

In spite of the promises of the local newspaper, the news career is still delivering the newspapers late, so I am planning on biting the bullet and canceling after Thanksgiving. 

Apparently the contract with the newspaper (for the carrier) says the newspapers have to be delivered by 6 a.m., which is late based on my past experience.  However, instead the paper arrives after 6:30 a.m., which is simply too late.  

I could just get the digital edition, but I’ve decided not to do that, it is just too difficult to remember to read it on a timely basis.  

Also, I kind of get the feeling, like the utilities and credit card companies, that they will do anything to get you to go to “paperless billing”, which means you do all the work of finding it, printing it out et.  

Later than normal this morning, (due to checking out of the sleep study etc.) so it will be interesting seeing how I do without my “post exercise” nap that I have been taking for probably at least 20 years.  It has varied form 15 minutes to 40 minutes depending on time available.  

This weekend, we are going to go to the “moving/retirement” party of the Dance instructor/director who has been there for years and was our dance instructor when we met.  A lot of great memories although we haven’t danced since we moved here.  

In a lot of ways, dancing is about like swimming or maybe more like bike riding  There is the same flow to it, even though dancing is normally done with a partner.  Perhaps a sense of freedom or sense liberating yourself.  

In any event, both are fun! 

Haven’t started the exercise machine process, I hope I remember how to do them when I get there.  I think they will provide a missing link in my exercise program.

Friday, and another week has passed.  Next week is Thanksgiving, which means another month is gone and a new year is coming soon!  This year has passed fast.

That’s it for now, Friday, November 20, 2015. 

Fall 2015 November 19 Thursday

47 degrees this morning, walk 38:57 minutes

Started  listening to the “Woodrow Wilson” biography this morning, unfortunately either the downloaded book or the player is defective.  I have a feeling it is the download.  After all, Audible is an Amazon company so why should I be surprised?

I know they will download another copy and stand behind it, but I resent the time it takes to go though all of this.  

Anyway, so I listened to music this morning.  I could have switched to another book or tried another player, but this is morning “hypertime”!  Hypertime means I adhere to a fixed schedule.  I already got started about 10 minutes late on my walk (due to the Audiblebook problem and some just wasted time finding clothes  and piddling etc.) so I decided a walk listening to music would be good.

Leaned how to use the exercise machines yesterday.  Fortunately the person who showed me the machines had no interest in pushing and agreed with me that I should start light and proceed at my own pace.  Now, if I can just find the time to do it!  

I probably will work the machines a few at a time relatively frequently.  I really don’t have the patience (or time) to spend 45 minutes working on machines!  

When I think about it, I already walk, swim and bike almost every day, or at least 3-4 times a week, so it will be hard to stretch one more thing into it without cutting back somewhere else, and I can’t really cut any of my other exercise.  Probably I will do a few machines a little have I swim, or I may find some time when I can do it on a regular basis.

Found out yesterday I need to take a full  “sleep study” so that insurance will continue to pay for the supplemental night oxygen.  Not looking forward to that.  I feel like I am putting myself in the hands of someone else and lose control over my environment.  Nothing against the people there, I just don’t like the idea.  

Of course, with modern insurance procedures you already lose control over your life, between the insurance companies and the medical establishment.  

Actually a lot of about the sleep study may be interesting to see how they do it.  Something new, at least I will learn something!

Not sure when I will do it, except I have to do it by December 1, so it will be soon.  

My walking shoes are approaching the life span of “normal shoes”.  Actually, when I think about it, they are actually about 66% of the life of “normal shoes” and 40% of the life of these shoes.  

I am trying to decide if they still “feel new” or if I am used to the shoe and I can’t tell the incremental changes which occur every day.   

I know the shoes are deteriorating a little every day, but I don’t know at what point it suddenly becomes necessary to purchase a new pair of shoes!  

Actually, they are preforming very well, and I wouldn’t replace them now regardless of how many miles I have on them.  They are still very comfortable and well worth the money!

I am planning on checking on “walking shoes” that are suitable to wear on my “field days’  that will look good with a pair of slacks and coat. Actually we have been advised, due to the amount of walking we may do, a “nice” pair of sneakers is ok.

That’s it of now, Thursday, November 19, 2015.

Fall 2015 November 18 Wednesday

43 degrees this morning (37 Degrees WC), Walk 38:29 minutes

Wednesday and November is more than 50% over!  

I have to wonder why I walked over 1 1/2 minutes faster today than I did the last time I walked.  Maybe my feet (from walking so much on hard surface Friday), maybe the two day break, maybe the wind.  I never know.  

One thing I really enjoy about my job is the variety of people I meet, the variety of situations etc. Even better is that the “field days” are interspersed with the “office days” when I research, complete paperwork etc.  

I can’t say I’m sorry I had the career I had, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss most of the experiences I had, but I am glad I have the experience of this job.  Hopefully, I can keep doing it for a a few years yet.  

Plan on taking the training today in the exercise machines etc.  I have the two books recommended to me and I am going to emphasize my desire for small incremental change, I have no interest in “no pain, no gain” or “taking it to the next level”.  

I actually have several things I want to do, as far as maintaining my legs limber enough to continue to bike etc.  I occasionally over the past several years have had a minor problem in stretching my legs to get on and off the bike, which is kind of a key to riding the bike!  It isn’t a major factor except in very cold weather when I wear a lot of warm clothing to keep my legs warm and that is when I occasionally had a problem getting on and off the bike.  I at least want to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.  

Of course, otherwise, I just want to exercise enough that I can prevent injury and keep doing what I am doing.  

I am surprised at how much the little exercise I do now (sit-ups and weights) helps me maintain.  Of course, I hope the exercise machines will also tighten up a few things, but I don’t expect miracles!  

My original iPod battery went down (it recharged fine), but it also reset my “shuffle” function, so I started at tune # 1.  It started going consecutively, and I had to decide that, even though I enjoy a little Aaron Tippin I have no desire to listen to about 100 consecutive songs by him!  

Anyway I had reset the “shuffle” function so start again, and I am now on song 6 of the new shuffle process.  

Finished listening to “Wild”.  It was a good listen, although I have no desire to listen to it again or to read the book.

It is always fun to start a new book and anticipate the knowledge or enjoyment of listening to the book.  (Same as reading the book). 

Of course, lots of times, the anticipation is better than reality, although that is part of it.  What is wonderful is when the reality if better than the anticipation, which actually happens fairly often.  

That happens in travel and daily life also.  I think one of the reasons I treasure my China trip so much is that it was so much better than I anticipated.  I actually planned the trip for about five months (December through the actual trip on April 30) and I don’t think I have ever enjoyed planning a trip so much or enjoyed one so much, although there are a lot of trips and experiences I have really enjoyed both the anticipation and experiences!

Office day today.  A lot of paperwork from yesterday’s field day!

That’s it for now, Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Fall 2015 november 17 Tuesday

59 degrees this morning No walk (rain, thunder, lightning)

Light rain all day yesterday, lightning and rain all night.  Couldn’t walk, hope the lightning is gone soon, or they will close the swimming pool for safety reasons.  

If my dad was still alive he would be 110 years old today.  Talk about time passing and seeing a lot of change!  

One of the sweetest words I hear is after my visit to the dentist is “see you in six months”! Of course that means everything is ok, and I’m not facing the drill in my teeth.  I have really  taken taking care of my teeth seriously the last several years (no more implants, although that actually resulted from a tooth extraction years ago that shouldn’t have happened).  

The six months has become somewhat of of a means of measuring time in a world where time speeds by too fast to measure or realize even it is passing.  

When I leave the Dentist office, six months seems so far off (May of 2016-LONG ways off!)  And then suddenly it is here and another six months has flown by.

It is strange how I look at the last ten years, and it seems like nothing has happened, yet everything has happened.  I look at the last ten months and major changes have happened within the scope of the last ten years.  

Maybe one reason time seems to go so fast,  when I was 21 years old, and certainly when I was 14 years old, I couldn’t even imagine being the age I am now, but being the age I am now, I can imagine what I will be like in 20 years and it will be a lot more “elapsed life” than the time since I was 14, even though it will be a lot fewer years. 

i think a major factor is that knowing your time and alternatives are limited make time go a lot faster since you treasure each moment more since your life experience indicates how fast time goes and the fact that time really does move on and you really do get older.  

You no longer have the denial of youth.

Enjoy listening to holiday music again and seeing holiday decorations slowly start to show up.  While I don’t really have any interest in putting up holiday decorations myself, I enjoy seeing them.  

Really intense dream yesterday morning in my normal “post exercise” nap (which I do even when I don’t exercise!):

1 16 15 Tuesday dream:  

Very intensive dream about going to my Toastmaster club (I think) meeting, or at least “a” Toastmaster meeting,  except it  was an “outing” at a special place.

It was in a city I didn’t recognize, a very desolate area almost like a war zone or a tornado.

I had a hard time finding finding the location. 

Somehow while looking for the meeting I walked into the house I thought it was in, and found a group of people dressed as animals (very realistic), one a lamb, an anteater and some other strange animals.

I looked around and when I realized i didn’t recognize any of them, I announced I was in the wrong meeting. They all laughed and said I was welcome to stay, they were the “animal club” or something like that.

I went out, but couldn’t find the Toastmasters club.  It was very realistic and i woke up and didn’t realize it was a dream for awhile.

Not quite sure what the meaning was, but it was a very strange dream.  

Don’t have any idea what city it was, somehow got the impression it was in Kansas City.

I haven’t been in Kansas City for years, although I always liked the city.  On reflection, I don’t think the dream was based in Kansas City, although there were a lot of hills etc.

Not looking forward to working a “field day” in the rain, although most of my “field day” will involve working in a mall.  

That’s it for now, Tuesday, November 17, 2015.  

Fall 2015 November 16 Monday

53 degrees this morning, no walk (rain)

Another Monday!  A rainy one at that.  

Didn’t walk this morning due to the rain.  Always feel a little guilty when I miss my walk!  However, it  probably is good to give my feet a break.  Looks like it may be raining tomorrow morning also.  

I have 15 minutes left on listening to the book “Wild”.  I was planning on finishing it this morning and then just listening to some music the rest of the walk.  

Now, I probably will finish listening to it sometime today and then start on a new book tomorrow morning.  Haven’t decided on a book to listen to yet, maybe a biography of Woodrow Wilson, or maybe Alan Turing, although Turing’s biographies appear to be so dense it may be difficult to keep my mind on listening to it  

I am glad I listened to “Wild”, although I wish it included more of the trail experience and less “flashbacks” of her personal life.   I am glad I listened to it,but I wouldn’t listen to it again or read the book.  

Went to the library last night, probably spending $5.00 or so on gas and tolls to avoid a .10 fine!  I always like to browse the books and cd’s at the library.  The County Library system here is wonderful.  I enjoy looking at the books realizing I can read anything I want to check out free!  

I have learned that my desire to read books exceeds the time available, so I have gotten careful in how many I check out and I have learned to quit  reading books that aren’t all that interesting before i invest a lot of time in them.   

Yesterday, I saw a book on the history and future of the electric car.  I have to admit it was difficult to not check out that book, but I thought I could find a lot of the information on the internet and I wouldn’t be tied into the thinking of one person, plus it will be up to date information  

A new way of thinking about learning!  Probably one concern I have about this way of thinking is that I may miss some basic knowledge about the subject, since the tendency is to read only the information that interests you or that you have some prior knowledge of that you are interested in it.

The other book that caught my attention was one on the experiences of a “smoke jumper”, someone whose profession was fighting wild forest fires.  I’m not quite sure why I was interested in that, i think it was the desire to learn about something I have no knowledge again.  

Again, I thought if I was really interested I can go to the interest and learn the basics in a lot shorter time than reading the book, and I would possibly get a wider perspective, although it may not be in the same depth 

On the other hand, one of my biggest problems with reading non-fiction is that sometimes (actually quite a bit),l I get the feeling that the author is “padding” the book with non-essential (and frequently boring) non-relevant informant of personal opinions.  

Of course, just like “Wild”, the author has the right to say what they want and I can decide not to read it!  

In a writing class I took once, the instructor emphasized the power  (and popularity/salability) of the “how to article” that was to the point and provided helpful information.  Sometimes, I think of how a book would be a great article, or maybe several articles and would be a lot more helpful!

We are still debating putting the house up for sale, but every time we see another example of this city allowing commercial to intrude on residential, we take another step on putting it up for sale and moving to a city that cares about protecting it’s residents. 

Last night we saw a large commercial concrete building going up within a short distance of a brand new “gated” subdivision.  Regardless of whether it was $1,000,000 houses or $10,000 houses, it is just wrong to allow commercial to intrude on residential and destroy residents investment in their homes.  

That’s it for now, Monday, November 16, 2015.

Fall 2015 November 15 Sunday

Fall 2015 November 15 Sunday

51 degrees this morning, walk 40:00 minutes

As cold weather moves in, my walk seems to get slower (longer in time, but basically the same distance).  

I have been walking in the early morning now since at least 20 years and walking on a regular basis for at least 30 years (for a while I walked after work) and it always seems to be the same pattern.  I think it is the heavier clothes, although I am sure the wind, maybe the fact it is a cold wind, has an impact.  Or it could be I just move slower in the cold for some reason.

I think it also has something to do with what the speed of what I am listening to. (I need to check and see if that is “to” or “too”, or if you just aren’t supposed to use “to” or “too” in this manner!)

The faster the music,the faster I walk, although I doubt if the book I am listening to has a big impact on it.

Looking at the iMac G5 computer (which has become basically a picture display/music machine), I realize it has been almost exactly ten years since we bought it, and it may be over ten years.  

Strange to think in ten years a lot has happened, and yet nothing has happened.  Of course “time” has happened as I well realize.  

One lesson I learned was never buy an Apple product without checking to see if an upgrade is possibly going to come out!  Within a month of my purchase, Apple started using the Intel chip, which basically made the computer I had just bought obsolete.  

However, in reality, I never noticed it.  We used it for several years until I bought a laptop, and another iMac in about 2011.  That may well be the last desktop computer I ever buy..

Who knows, the iPad may replace the laptop and the iPhone (or similar) may replace the tablet and all we use is our phones for everything  

Back to the time walking, it also may be my feet.  I have found almost all of my shoes now feel like they are the wrong size and my feet hurt after walking a lot in them.  For example, Friday I wore what I considered a comfortable pair of dress shoes, but my feet hurt after wearing them all day.  

I read about how sneakers/walking shoes are now acceptable with almost anything, and at work they have even advised us a “nice” pair of such shoes that are reasonably business like are acceptable.  

Change is both good and bad!  I always think that “change” is just “change” and it is going to happen rather we like it or not, so we may as well adapted to it!

We looked at other houses yesterday.  We like the new locations, but we didn’t find any houses we liked as well as the one we are living in now!  Of course, it isn’t the house we aren’t satisfied with, it is the horrible lack of planning by the city we currently live in and we feel we have no protection as far as what may be going in near us.  

The thought that the city allowed a video billboard right in the back a brand new house and even sicker is the Tyler Sign Company owner who said he could do anything he wanted as long  as he was 50’ away!  Makes you wonder about how someone could be so greedy and uncaring (ditto with Sonic).

Anyway, now we have to decide if we want to go through the costly, time consuming process of moving.  Right now we are probably going to proceed.  We just don’t want to live in a place where the city officials allow commercial to intrude on residential, or at least protect residential from commercial development.   

That’s it for now, Sunday, November 15, 2015.

Fall 2015 November 14 2015 Saturday

44 degrees this morning Walk 39:41 minutes 

Always surprised at how “steps”  add up.  My iPhone automatically records my “steps”.  I average about 11,000 steps, yesterday I did almost 20,000 steps!  

I was on a special assignment that included more walking than I realized! I believe that is about 10 miles of walking.  A good day of exercise!  

Actually, looking back, I can see where on “field days”, I average about 13,500 steps per day, so I guess my job is also good for my health!

Another example of the iPhone (or smart phones in general) gradually becoming the focus that eliminate the need for other gadgets.  “Fitbit” etc. isn’t really needed now.  

Somehow the steps go my “My Fitness Pal” app automatically.  Now, if what I eat would go to it automatically also!

While the “My Fitness Pal” is good and has been improved a lot, I wish they would add a spell check function.  It is just too time consuming to put in everything you eat, although I should just make the time for it.  I probably would, if there was some type of auto-correct.

Of course, “auto correct” on the iPhone and computer has caused me some grief occasionally when a word is changed to something I definitely don’t mean and I don’t catch it!  

On tune 95 of 6544 tunes on my Pod, the “1812 Overture”.  I turned it up loud, which is the only way to listen to its magnificent sound.  Thank goodness for headphones!

Believe it or not, I like to “sing” along with with the 1812 Overture (when I am by myself or very quietly when no one is watching!)

I don’t know if I can make it all the way through the 6544 tunes (skipping over the “sound” recordings, such as auto engines etc. and songs I don’t like) without it resetting again or not.  The iPod is getting old and cranky, although the battery is still strong.  

It is at least 8 years old, which is about 500 years old in iPod lives!  Actually, I just checked and  the release date was 2004, so it probably is 10 years old, assuming I bought it in 2005.  

It is one of the last iPods with a mini hard drive, I think.  I think occasionally the hard drive has a little problem, although it is rare.

We used to listen to audiobooks on it, but stopped when the audiobook would suddenly hang up for no reason.  Hasn’t happened with music, at least yet.  

Tune 94 is Charlie Pride, quite a difference from the “1812 Overture”! 

We are looking at houses this weekend, trying to decide if we should put our house up for sale in an effort to move to a city where the residents quality of life and housing values are considered at least somewhat as important as the “rights” of commercial businesses to destroy the value of residential areas by throwing up anything they want, where they want.

The city always gives you old story that “commercial was there, commercial has rights”  That they do, but why doesn’t the planning department insure that any residential near commercial is properly buffered?  Probably be better for both the commercial and residential.  

I am thinking of buying some Sonic shares so I can attend the annual meeting and complain about their intrusive video signs. 

Anyway, looking forward to the weekend and the last full week before the “holiday season” starts.  

Actually, I am already listening to holiday music and enjoying it and even enjoying the Christmas decorations that are going up!  

That’s it for now, Saturday, November 14, 2015.

Fall 2015 November 13 Friday

36 degrees this morning, Walk 39:31 minutes

Although 36 degrees sounds cold, it wasn’t really that bad on my walk this morning, especially since there is no wind to speak of.

I don’t know why the time flies in the morning (I all it hyper-time), but it does.  I  get up, thinking I have plenty of time, but it disappears into activities.  

I almost always  walk first, then write, then take nap, breakfast, usually  swim and suddenly it’s time to go to work and the early morning is over.

Of course, when I think of it, the work day flies by and then the eventing does too, so it is just my concept of time.

One of the reasons I try to treasure each moment and not feel rushed is because time does pass so fast, if that makes any sense.  

Time is going to fly by no matter what I do, so I had better experience each moment and not be concerned about how fast it is going by!

I was just thinking that the time we have spent here and the time I have been in my current job, is now in years, not months, the balance has tipped from months, even if it is still only about a year and one half that we have lived here and about a year and two months in my current job.  I am not saying we have lived here “a year and one half” instead of the exact number of months.  Ditto with my job.  

Almost upgraded my iPhone yesterday, but didn’t quite do it.  I am having a problem with deciding on the size, whether I want the larger one or the smaller one.  The smaller one is larger than the one I have now.  The difference in price is only $4 per month, so it’s not a money thing.  

At least the poor warranty provided by ATT made the decision for me to purchase it from Apple, and it basically made sense to lease it instead of buying it.  

They also said I could get $90 for my iPhone 5 by recycling it, but it is worth a lot more than $90 to me as a iPod, audio-book, remote control for the security system, flashlight etc.!  I’m not even sure if I would take $90 for the iPhone 3!

I am currently thinking on what I can dispose of if we need to “downsize” by having some sort of temporary housing (in case we sell our current house before we buy one).  

I really don’t have any problem with getting rid of stuff that I can buy again if I really had too, the problem is with the things that have some type of emotional attachment, or that I just know are good quality and I don’t know if I could find the same quality again!

Of course, we still haven’t decided on whether we are going to try to move or not.  It is a very difficult decision, especially since it will be so expensive.  

About finished listening to the book “Wild”.  It is one of those books that, if I was reading the physical book, I would skim over some of the parts.  She digresses a lot to her personal life, which some people might like and maybe is the reason the book was so popular.  However, I would still skim over a lot of the parts as TMI.

Reaching that time when I am looking at all of the projects I have planned and am trying to decide which one to start on.  The holidays have a way of emphasizing the projects I haven’t done and the “get a round tu it” projects.

 Friday, two weeks (actually a week and six days) until Thanksgiving.  On a special project today, which means all of the items I had planned for work today will need to wait until Monday!

That’s it for now, Friday, November 13, 2015.  

Fall 2015 November 12 Thursday

42 degrees (feels like 37) this morning, walk 38:52 minutes

A Holiday in the middle of the week (especially a Wednesday) is like a little gift of time (or maybe a big gift of time).  

I think I enjoy it because there isn’t really a lot you can do except enjoy it.  Of course it makes the week have two “Fridays”, but also two “Mondays”!  

We had a good day yesterday, looked at houses and I even enjoyed a free meal based on the fact I am a veteran!  

The coldest temperature thus far this Fall.  Since there wasn’t any or very little wind, it really didn’t seem that cold.  It was good walking weather.  

Recently I read that, when I was born, my life expectancy was almost exactly what it is now!  That kind of startled me to say the least!  To think I have lived to my estimated life expectancy may or may not be some kind of achievement!  

Of course, now, someone born today would have a life expectancy of about 10 years more and the older I get, the longer my life expectancy is!  

Still listening to the book “Wild” during my walk.  I probably will finish it this weekend.  She is will over halfway and I think is accepting the fact that she will eventually finish it.  

It has been an interesting book.  

We are looking at possible houses, trying to decide if we want to put our house up for sale.  

Of course every time I see the obscenely bright and large video advertising sign right in the back of a house, the bright Sonic sign reflecting off the houses and the huge strip mall with no buffer for residential, I want to get out of this City.

The “City that doesn’t care”, might be the best way of describing it.  The Planning here might as well be non-existent, as far as residential protection is concerned.   Only commercial business has any rights here and commercial “rights” are very well protected by the city!  

We hate to think of moving again, but we figure it is better to do it now if we want to do it.  The thought of living in a city that allows commercial to destroy the value of residents homes is enough to make it worth while.  

Even though it doesn’t affect us directly, I think we have the “no man is an island” feeling about it.  

What amazes me is the complete indifference of Sonic and Tyler Signs to the plight of destroying the value of existing residential homes!   Is money really that important that they will destroy the value of residential areas to make a few dollars?  They should be ashamed of themselves 

On to other things, I received the two recommended books on “exercise machines”.  Of course, I still haven’t taken the instruction in the use of the machines or even really figured out a time to do it!  

“Tomorrow” is always such a good time to do things!  Actually we planned on doing it this week, but the looking at houses etc. took precedence.   

A two day work week, like this week, is always interesting!  Of course, now we have Thanksgiving in two weeks (a 4 day weekend) and then the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I heard my first Christmas/Holiday music recently (on SiriusXM).  I enjoy Holiday music.  Actually there are Internet radio stations that play Holiday music all year and sometimes I listen to it, just to get the feeling of the season!  

Every year, when I listen to Holiday music, it is like meeting an old friend again!  I always feel a touch of regret, especially after Christmas.

That’s it for now, Thursday, November 12, 2015.