Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

08:45 AM: I’m up.  Mom wants to wait until noon to take her morning meds.  She’s none too eager to get up today.   No wonder.  It’s a dark and dreary morning here in central PA, and I hear that it’s supposed to rain all day steadily.  Grrrrrrr.   I had hoped to hang some Christmas lights today.  But as wet as it is, that effort will probably have to wait a couple days at least. 

09:20 AM: Mom’s home nurse arrived to check her overall health status and to take blood to measure its clotting ability; very important for heart patients like Mom. 

09:45 AM: Mom’s physical therapist arrived.

10:00 AM: Mom’s nurse asked me numerous questions about Mom for her files.  Mom is “down in the dumps” today but nonetheless, her strength continues to improve. 

10:30 AM: I assisted Mom’s physical therapist (and she taught me to)  help Mom perform her exercises. 

11:00 AM: The physical therapist left.  Now, I’m blogging to get all of this down. 

12:30 PM: Helped Mom into and out of the shower.  She got lots of water on the floor (the whole floor) and a good deal of it ran down into the heat duct work.  I worry about the furnace.  So we must devise a better shower solution to prevent the sort of  “flood”   from occurring again. 

02:00 PM: Mom’s foot doctor arrived to trim her toenails.  [Emmy]   is in the shower now, and I’m washing the load ot towels Mom used in her shower. 

02:10 PM: [Emmy]   just emerged from her shower, looking for the bathroom trash can.  Oh yes, I had to move it elsewhere while Mom showered. 

02:15 PM: Mom’s occupational therapist just arrived.  He’s having her do arm exercises with an elastic band; she stretches that repeatedly with her arms and hands in various positions.

02:50 PM: The occupational therapist just left.  He’ll make his last visit this coming Thursday. 

04:35 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   and yesterday’s episode of   Dr. Phil   on the DVR.

04:45 PM: Debbie arrived.  We’re going   shopping   tonight.

08:15 PM: We’re back home, and all groceries have been put away.  I also replaced all burned-out three-way light bulbs in our lamps throughout the house. 

10:00 PM: Watched   Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer   TV special on CBS tonight; always an effective way to stoke those good feelings of the holiday spirit. 

11:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of    Dr. Phil   on the DVR.

11:45 PM: Wow, it’s really warmed up outside, to around 56 degrees, and the wind is howling and spattering the window in the office here with raindrops.  Minus thunder and lightning, it’s still going to be a stormy night. 

12:05 PM: Helped Mom to bed and dispensed her night meds.  Now, we’re going.  Good night, and I’ll have more tomorrow. Take care. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Christmas card for Mom.
• Weekly coupon mailer.
• Toyota advertisement. 

Related Posts

• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-30
• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-30
• Weight Loss: 2010

06:33 PM: We visited Wal Mart and purchased the following items:

• Diet Pepsi, caffeine free (18 liters).
• Great Value orange juice (1 gallon).
• Cat Chow Indoor Forumla cat food (1 bag).
• Tide laundry soap (1 large bottle, 150 Oz.).
• Cascade dishwasher soap (1 large bottle).
• Clementines (1 box).
• 25 Ft. extension cord (4).
• 40 Ft. extension cord (6).
• Unknown items (10).
• Curad pads (2 boxes)  (for Mom).
• Johnson & Johnson pads (1 box) (for Mom).
• Stonyfield fat free (skim) milk (1 gallon).
• Arm & Hammer Multicat cat litter (2 large boxes).
• Paper tape (2 rolls) (for Mom).
• Equate Triple antibiotic ointment (2 tubes) (for Mom).
• 2% milk (1/2 gallon) (for Mom).
• GE 3-way light bulbs (8) (for Mom).
• Other light bulbs (5).
• Grapes (1.73 Lbs.).
• Bananas (1 bunch, 2.67 Lbs.).
• Blackberries (1 box).
• Jif peanut butter (1 small jar).
• Pepperidge Farms pumpernickel bread (2 loaves).

Total cost: $305.21

07:47 PM: We stopped to dine in at Hoss’s Steak House in Altoona, and purchased the following items:

• 1 adult salad bar for   [Emmy].
• 1 Sierra Mist pop for   [Emmy].
• 1 adult salad bar for Mom.
• 1 adult salad bar for me. 

Total cost: $32.00 (including tip).

Grand total: $337.21

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-11-30
• Today’s Business: 2011-01-15
• Today’s Business: 2011-01-20

I keep this food diary to stay aware of just how many calories I’m eating daily, with the hope that it decreases the likelihood that I’ll overeat.    It seems to work, so here we go with another day…

Today, I consumed the following items:

• Herbal tea throughout the day. 0 calories.
• 09:00 AM: 2 clementines.  80 calories.
• 01:00 PM: 1 bowl of Cheerios with skim milk, a banana, and a smattering of raisins.  400 calories.
• 02:05 PM: 2 slices of pumpernickel toast with butter.  500 calories.
• 07:30 PM: 1 Hoss’s salad.  500 calories.
• 07:40 PM: 4 pieces of garlic bread.  500 calories.
• 07:45 PM: 2 bowls of soft-serve ice cream with hot fudge.  800 calories.
• 19:45 PM: 1 small bowl of cherry-banana flavored cream cheese Jello.  300 calories.

Total calories:  3080.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-11-30
• Weight Loss: 2010

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.
• Wash all (3) pending loads of laundry.  DONE.

Log

11:15 AM: I’m up.  Gave Mom her morning meds.

12:15 PM: [Emmy] and I ate the last of the useful leftovers from Thursday’s Thanksgiving meal.  We’re worried that the food is getting too old to eat now.  So I’ll pitch what’s left later today.

01:30 PM: Watched a bit of CNN news, live.  Hilary Clinton is having a press conference in which she’s condeming the leaking of US intelligence documents to the Internet.  I agree fully with her.  Whenever a piece of information compromises our national security, it should not be leaked, and those who leak it, should be punished.  At one time, they might have been hung for treason.

02:30 PM: I Facebooked a bit.  Someone mentioned the word “casuistic,” wondering if we’d ever heard of the word.  So I replied that I’d never seen it before. But, after reading the Wikipedia article on this word, “Casuistic” refers to case based reasoning; though some equate it to sophistry, but it differs from that extensively.  Indeed, in certain moral or ethical discussions, casuistry may be the only way (by likening the case at hand to one that has been universally decided) to persuade people to become morally convicted one way or another in the discussion.  E.g. If I proposed building an ocean liner out of cheap or inadequate materials, someone might use casuistic arguments to convince me to spare less expense and build a more durable ship.  To persuade me, my “foe” may cite the Titanic as an example case of building with insufficiently strong materials, and based on the well-known outcome of THAT experiment (the deaths of roughly 1500 people), I would hopefully agree with his contention, and either put more effort into improving the materials and design of my ship, or I’d put off building the ship altogether until I had the resources to do it right.  Casuistic.

02:45 PM: Folded and put away laundry during free moments today.  Our cats have fleas, and in addition to treating them, we have to vacuum and wash our bedding more than usual, to get rid of them.

05:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

05:30 PM: Ran to the drug store on a   mini shopping trip   to pick up two prescriptions for Mom.  [Emmy] came along.

07:00 PM: Sister Jojo stopped by to check on Mom.

09:40 PM: [Emmy] listened to the Penguins hockey game tonight while I worked over here, across the hall, on the   DJ Gig: 2010-12-31   project, adding more discs to the music library.

11:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   Hawaii Five-0;   a rerun, but still quite good.

11:30 PM: Watched tonight’s edition of   The Insider   on the DVR because they talked about Scott Caan (Danno in the Hawaii Five-0 show).

12:15 AM: Watched part of tonight’s episode of   The David Letterman Show   because he featured Steve Martin; always a down-to-earth yet funny fellow.

12:45 AM: Got Mom to bed and dispensed her night meds.  Her therapist is coming at 9:30 AM.  So I’ll have Mom up at 9:00 or so.

01:10 AM: Heading for bed now.  Good night.

05:55 AM: Mom required assistance.  So I’m up, temporarily.

06:15 AM: Okay, all is well.  Back to bed with me.  Good night again.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• $10 gift card from Kohl’s.

Related Posts

• DJ Gig: 2010-12-31
• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-29
• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-29
• Weight Loss: 2010

Went to Kopp Drug to pick up the following for Mom:

• Senna tablets (2 bottles).
• 1 prescription.

Total cost: $16.99

Grand total: $16.99

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-11-29
• Today’s Business: 2011-01-14
• Today’s Business: 2011-01-15

I keep this food diary to stay aware of just how many calories I’m eating daily, with the hope that it decreases the likelihood that I’ll overeat.    It seems to work, so here we go with another day…

Today, I consumed the following items:

• Herbal tea throughout the day. 0 calories.
• 11:00 AM: 2 cups of orange juice.  220 calories.
• 01:30 PM: 1 bowl of mixed Thanksgiving leftovers.  800 calories.
• 05:30 PM: 1 bowl of creamed cauliflower.  400 calories.
• 05:35 PM: 2 clementines.  80 calories.
• 08:00 PM: 4 Reese’s “Big Cup” peanut butter cups.  800 calories.
• 10:00 PM: 1 Milky Way candy bar.  200 calories.

Total calories:  2500.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-11-29
• Weight Loss: 2010

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

10:00 AM: I’m up.  Got Mom up and about.  She’s now sitting in her easy chair.

11:15 AM: [Emmy] is watching the 2010-11-22 through 2010-11-24 episodes of KDKA TV’s   Pittsburgh Today Live   variety show on the DVR, and I’m looking in on it in between blog posting and Facebooking.

04:25 PM: Watched the 2010-11-21 and 2010-11-28 episodes of CBS’s   Face The Nation   news show on the DVR.

06:05 PM: Watched the 2010-11-21 episode of NBC’s   Meet The Press   news show on the DVR.

08:15 PM: Helped Mom to the kitchen, where she’ll make herself some supper.

08:30 PM: Watched the 2010-11-24 and 2010-11-26 episodes of   Dr. Phil   on the DVR.  Both shows focused on drug interventions and / or helping addicts realize that they need help to get sober.

11:05 PM: Watched the 2010-11-19 episode of NBC’s   Dateline   news show, that covered the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Since I was out of the frey during the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana some twenty-nine years ago, I thought I’d follow this royal event a little closer.  Of course, the fact that   [Emmy]   wanted to see this show pushed me strongly in this direction. 

12:00 AM: Enjoyed a bit of a midnight snack (cold pineapple soufle’ and cranberry sauce), dispensed Mom’s night meds, and helped her to bed.

12:15 AM: The radio station we’ve been listening to holiday music on throughout this Thanksgiving weekend (WALY) has switched back to regular (non Christmas music) programming.  Hmmmm.  The past couple years, they played all Christmas songs throughout the rest of November and December.  I suppose thye didn’t get the ratings they wanted with all those festive tunes.  Well, there are plenty of Internet stations that are still in Christmas mode; some of them do it all year round in fact.  So I’ll catch them when I need the uplifting effects of that sort of music.

12:20 AM: Bedtime.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

04:55 AM: Bathroom break.  Should I see if Mom needs to go too?  No.  She’ll call if she does.

05:57 AM: I finally feel like I can get back to sleep.  I so hate these middle-of-the-night awakenings because they typically leave me wide-eyed for at least an hour before sleep returns.  Grrrrrrr.

07:20 AM: Well, I should have checked on Mom.  She just called, wanting my assistance.

07:45 AM: Okay, I’m heading to bed once again.  Good night again, or should I say, good morning.  The sky is light.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail delivered on Sundays.

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-28
• Weight Loss: 2010

I keep this food diary to stay aware of just how many calories I’m eating daily, with the hope that it decreases the likelihood that I’ll overeat.    It seems to work, so here we go with another day…

Today, I consumed the following items:

• Herbal tea throughout the day. 0 calories.
• 10:30 AM: 1 piece of pumpkin pie.  300 calories.
• 10:35 AM: 2 clementines.  80 calories.
• 12:00 PM: 2 turkey sandwiches on pumpernickel bread with mayonnaise.  1000 calories.
• 05:30 PM: 1 medium bowl of Thanksgiving day leftovers (corn, potatoes, gravy, turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, and cranberry sauce).  800 calories.
• 08:00 PM: 1 bowl of pineapple soufle’.  400 calories.
• 11:30 PM: 1 bowl of cranberry sauce with Cool Whip topping.  300 calories.

Total calories:  2880.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-11-28
• Weight Loss: 2010

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.
• Do all (2) loads of pending laundry.  DONE.

Log

10:00 AM: I’m up.

12:30 PM: [Emmy] is listening to this afternoon’s Penguins hockey game against the Calgary Flames.  I’ll probably duck in here and there to see who’s winning.

01:00 PM: Mom finished scrubbing the kitchen floor with ammonia and water, and I then helped her into her easy chair.

01:15 PM: Posted the   Weekly Backups: 2010-11-27   piece. 

04:00 PM: Sister Jojo came to help Mom get a shower.  I washed the sheets on Mom’s bed. 

05:00 PM: Good friend Debbie came by to check in with Mom and see how she’s doing. 

06:00 PM: A cousin and her husband stopped by as well for a holiday visit and to gab a bit with Mom.

08:45 PM: Watched the   The Space Croppers   episode of   Lost in Space   on the DVD player.  We wanted to see this one because it starred actress   Mercedes McCambridge.  She often appeared in the   CBS Radio Mystery Theatre   episodes in the seventies, and [Emmy] is fond of this series and very familiar with McCambridge’s voice there.  So she was curious about how she’d act on Lost in Space. 

 09:30 PM: Watched the 2010-10-05 episode of   Larry King Live   on CNN, from the DVR, that focused on bullying and featured some well-known LGBT actors and performers and their stories of  “coming out.”   

10:50 PM: Watched the 2010-11-23 episode of   Dr. Phil   on the DVR, called   Raising a Bully? 

11:00 PM: Washed and put away two loads of laundry; today is bed-changing day for Mom. 

11:10 PM: Dispensed Mom’s nigh meds and helped her to bed. 

11:15 PM: I’m going to bed now myself.  Good night.

05:00 AM: Helped Mom to the bathroom and then back to bed. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Cable TV + phone + Internet bill.
• Offer for a consultation on the latest hearing assistive devices.  Not at this time, thanks.
• Misc. pension papers for Mom.
• Solicitation for donations to a local hospital. 
• AARP membership invitation to me. Not sure at this time.  I’ll have to explore this further before deciding. 

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-27
• Weekly Backups: 2010-11-27
• Weight Loss: 2010

Weekly backups of all my blog sites completed.  The details follow: 

• Databases size: 14.6 MB.  That’s unchanged from last backup.  The record database size remains  15.2 MB. 
• Total data backed up: 62.7 MB.  That’s down  500 KB from 63.2 MB at last backup.  Note that this figure includes all databases, site code, static pages, and log files. The record amount of total data saved in a weekly backup remains at 98.0 MB. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-11-27