Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.  Cat duty involves cleaning the litter boxes, bagging the excess, feeding, and house cleaning cat dirt of all types.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up.

09:15 AM: Facebooked for several minutes. Friend count: 596 (unchanged). Fan count: 112 (unchanged).

10:30 AM: Leaving now to visit Mom.  Back later.

12:30 PM: We ate lunch at Mom’s favorite Mexican restaurant.

01:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   as it aired, with Mom in her room.  The lounge that we normally view this in was occupied this afternoon.

04:00 PM: I’m home.  Mom was very tired today, and slept most of our visit, even at the taco place.  Apparently, she regularly receives a sleeping pill at night.  Not sure what time they gave this to her last night, but my impression is that oftentimes, she gets it in the middle of the night, once she’s already tried sleeping for a couple hours without success.  This means that the pill does not leave her system until well into the afternoon, which may explain her chronic grogginess that her regular visitors have observed. Unfortunately, though her physician’s assistant was scheduled to visit today, he did not come before I had to leave.  So I’m not sure what his strategy is for regulating Mom’s sleep patterns.  I doubt they’ll have much success with that, as Mom has never stuck to any routines very much.  If it’s going to get done, she’ll have to want to do it enough to actually discipline herself to get up at a normal times, and then go to bed at normal times.   So I do not look for this situation to improve much.  Mom has mostly tended to live as a night owl; sleeping during the day, and being fully alert throughout the night.

04:45 PM: The battery in Mom’s cell phone was completely kaput today; would not charge at all.  So I gave her the battery from my cell phone and will order more batteries presently.  I’m afraid to get her a new cell phone before she absolutely needs one, because she learns most new devices only with great difficulty, and would, with little doubt, become quickly frustrated with a different cell phone.  So I’ll keep her old cell phone going as long as possible, or at least, until they come out with a large-key, simple-to-use model for a reasonable price, through our current carrier.

07:25 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

08:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of    Dr. Phil,    called    Monster In-Laws.

09:20 PM: Talked with sister Diane.  She had numerous questions about my visit with Mom today and my colonoscopy last week.  I am, by the way, still a bit sore in back.  But things are healing nicely.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:55 PM: Watched the original series   Star Trek   episode   The Paradise Syndrome   via Netflix.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count dropped this time, and currently stands at 914, which is down from 921 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

12:10 AM: I’m headed to bed.  Good night, and I’ll write more tomorrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Newspaper-style coupon publication.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-11-01

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up.

09:15 AM: Began walk 87 of 100 for 2011 on the treadmill.  Yes, the pain in the right heel is completely gone and there’s but little remnants left of the swelling that forced me to stay off the treadmill for nearly two weeks.

09:30 AM: Talked with   [Emmy]   while working out.  She just called to say good morning and to see what I was up to.

11:15 AM: Finished the two-hour workout.  The right heel hurts just a bit.  But I’m confident that this is no new injury but just what’s left of the old one.

11:30 AM: Facebooked for several minutes. Friend count: 594 (unchanged). Fan count: 112 (unchanged).

11:45 AM: Nap time.  I guess the treadmill workout this morning really played me out.  Back later.

01:30 PM: I’m awake again.

02:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

05:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil,  called   Majoring in Failure?

08:10 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:45 PM: Watched the original   Star Trek   series episode:  The Changeling.

11:55 PM: I’m headed to bed.  Good night, and I’ll write more tomorrow.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count held steady this time, and currently stands at 953, which is identical to 953 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Bed Bath & Beyond Catalog.
• Cable Internet Phone bill.
• A letter describing the Pennsylvania Electric Choice program along with brochures from some of the electricity suppliers in this area who are competing for my business.
• Offer to extend the warranty on my Maytag Bravos washing machine.  No thanks.
• JCP Perk book from JC Penney.
• Invitation from Mom’s medical insurance carrier to attend a local forum, that describes the changes they’re making to her plan for 2012.  Unfortunately given the current condition of her health, she’ll not be able to attend.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-10-24

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up.

09:30 AM: Talked with   [Emmy].   She’s preparing some turkey chilly in the crock pot today and had a few questions.

09:45 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 594 (unchanged). Fan count: 112 (unchanged).

10:30 AM: Got caught up on my posting to my blogs.

01:00 PM: Cooked two batches of buckwheat pancakes; one I’ll eat today, and the other I’ll eat this week sometime.

02:00 PM: Performed several hours worth of administrative tasks on the blogs: Correcting misspellings, fixing broken links, Etc.

02:45 PM: Leaving now with sister Mary Ann.  We’re visiting Mom and picking up some pizza on the way.

04:45 PM: I’m back home.  Mom did not feel well today.  The nursing home staff is concerned that she’s not getting out of bed more.  However, she finished her course of antibiotics this weekend.  So I’m hopeful that she’ll begin feeling more like herself in the next couple days.  I’ll visit her this week to check on her progress.

05:15 PM: Heading out to drag some limbs that I cut on Friday down to the burn pile.  Back later.

06:15 PM: I made seven trips to the burn pile for a total of about an hour’s worth of walking.  So I’ll count this as walk 86 of 100 for 2011.  No pain any longer in the right Achilles tendon that I hurt on the treadmill over a week ago.  There’s still a very small amount of swelling.  So I’ll wait a few more days for that to dissipate before mounting the treadmill once again.

08:10 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

12:00 AM: Watched today’s episode of CBS’s   Face The Nation   news broadcast.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count fell this time, and currently stands at 953, which is down from 969 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

01:20 AM: Watched Star Trek, the original series, the episode   Is There In Truth No Beauty.

01:05 PM: I’m headed to bed.  Good night, and I’ll write more tomorrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail deliveries on Sundays.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-10-23

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

08:30 AM: I’m up.

08:40 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 594 (up two). Fan count: 112 (unchanged).

10:30 AM: Leaving now to visit Mom at the nursing home.  Back later.

11:25 AM: I arrived at the nursing home.  Mom was rising when I got there.

11:45 AM: I investigated the   Invalid battery   message Mom noticed on her Razr cell phone any time she’d plug it into the charger.  I swapped her charger with one I’d brought with me.  But this did not eliminate the error.  So I disconnected her phone from the charger and removed the battery for a minutes, and then reinstalled the battery.  After this, connecting the charger no longer produced the error message.  Perhaps some static electricity flipped some bits in the phone’s memory, triggering this trouble.  Fortunately, a complete reboot addressed the issue.

12:30 PM: Mom and I enjoyed our usual Mexican lunch — she had a chicken burrito and cinnamon chips, and I had two chicken tacos with cinnamon chips and Reese’s peanut butter cups.  I learned that she’s a bit dehydrated; probably from the antibiotic she’s on.  So they’re reducing the dosage, and will perform another set of labs next week.  She did get out of bed today but was very tired.

01:30 PM: We then watched most of   The Young and the Restless   in the 1st floor TV room, although I think Mom slept through most of it.  She likes the story lines but just can’t seem to stay awake for anything these days, no matter how much she likes it.

02:45 PM: Then, we went to the lobby to wait for my ride home, and talked of many miscellaneous topics.

03:30 PM: I’m home.

04:15 PM: Compared the list of payments the nursing home says we’ve made this year, with the list that we believe we’ve made.  The two are in agreement in number and date of payments and the total dollar amount of the payments.  So I’m still confused about why they say we still owe them so much.  Some of this has to do with the tax that was withheld from Mom’s pension.  We have stopped that withholding and will get the money that’d already been withheld back early next year.  But we’re still $2500 in the hole, the taxes notwithstanding.  I’ll review the account paperwork again tomorrow and hopefully will find an explanation.

05:00 PM: Called a company in Blairsville, PA to get an estimate for sound-reducing glass window units. The fellow must consult with an acoustics engineer, to determine the best glass type and configuration for my particular situation here.  This will take a couple days, but he says he’ll get back to me with a price by the end of this week.

06:00 PM: Watched the rest of today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

06:05 PM: Skipped yesterday’s episode of   Dr. Phil,   called   Dancing with the Stars.

07:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil,   called   Bullying: The Power To Protect Your Child.

07:20 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

11:15 PM: Watched the   Star Trek    episode   Doomsday Machine,   from the original series via Netflix.

10:30 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  We listened to the Pens play the Wild via Internet radio on her computer.  The Pens won.

11:15 PM: Watched the   Star Trek    episode   Return To Tomorrow,   from the original series via Netflix.

11:20 PM: My bum right heel tendon is healing nicely.  Both the pain and swelling were much reduced today.  So I’m hoping to get back on the treadmill this weekend.  This time however, I’ll be much more careful about how tightly I tie my shoes.    I think they were slightly too tight when I last worked out this past Saturday.  That, coupled with an hour and a half of fast walking worsened the injury significantly.

11:20 PM: Headed for bed.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count remained the same this time, and currently stands at 1013, which is unchanged from 1013 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Periodic newspaper-style coupons mailer.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-10-18

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

08:00 AM: I’m up.  Looks like a partly sunny day is on tap. Temperatures right now are in the low fifties.

10:15 AM: Walked for an hour and a half on the treadmill; 6 miles, and burned off 900 calories.  This is walk 85 of 100 for 2011.  The only soreness today is my right Achilles tendon.  I think that might have resulted from my tying that right shoe a little too tight.

10:50 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 588 (unchanged). Fan count: 112 (unchanged).

11:05 AM: Began the weekly blog web site system backups.

01:05 PM: Completed the weekly blog web site system backups.

01:30 PM: Downloaded all pending music from Promo Only.  I’m now caught up as of yesterday’s releases.

01:45 PM: Posted the   Weekly Backups: 2011-10-15   piece.

01:50 PM: Measured all windows in the office, living room, treadmill room, and bedroom to get a total length of the trim that surrounds them.  I’ll need to by an equal amount of wood to move that trim outward from the wall by one or two inches.  Including a fudge factor, the total length of the wood to purchase is 106.67 Ft.

02:00 PM: Made DVD backups of all music downloaded so far in October from Promo Only.

04:00 PM: Watched the two-part episode of    The Incredible Hulk,   called   The First   via    Netflix.

06:15 PM: Removed the trim from the two first floor bedroom windows.

08:40 PM: Watched tonight’s episodes of    NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  We listened to the Penguins hockey game tonight against the Buffalo Sabres.  The Pens lost however, 3 to 2.

11:10 PM: Headed for bed.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count fell this time, and currently stands at 1017; down from 1026 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Another offer from my electricity company to “lock in” my rate per kilowatt hour.  No thanks.
• Offer to extend the warranty on Mom’s Vizio television.  No thanks.
• Security deposit and October’s rent from the storage company.
• Dental bill for Mom, from when she had some teeth pulled in 2010 in Pittsburgh.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-10-15
• Weekly Backups: 2011-10-15

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

08:15 AM: I’m up.

08:00 AM: Facebooked a bit.  Friend count: 581.  Fan count: 111.

11:00 AM: Leaving now for a shopping trip to the Logan Valley Mall.  I think I’ll buy a treadmill today.  Back later.

02:00 PM: I walked around so much at the mall for nearly two hours, that I think that will qualify as walk 80 of 100 for 2011.  This walk, though not as intense of as sustained as those at the cemetery, was longer than those.  So, it’s got to count for SOMETHING. 

04:00 PM: I’m home, and not only did I buy a Nordic Track CS-1500 treadmill, but also a Radio Shack sound pressure meter, just to get an idea of how loud the traffic out front here is.

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

05:05 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

06:00 PM: I’m awake again.

07:50 PM: Facebooked a bit.  Friend count: 581 (unchanged).  Fan count: 111 (unchanged).

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  We listened to the 4th pre-season hockey game of the Penguins tonight.  The Pens won it in overtime.  That makes their pre-season record 4 and 0.  Not a bad start.

11:10 PM: Bed time.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count rose this time, and currently stands at 1048; up from 1040 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-09-27

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.
• Wash (2) loads of pending laundry for Mom.  DONE.  150 loads done in the washer now.

Log

07:30 AM: I’ve risen and shone.

08:00 AM: Facebooked a bit.  Friend count: 581.  Fan count: 111.

10:55 AM: Read for the past hour or so about storm windows, how to buy ones that effectively dampen the traffic noise here, and how to install them.  I’m concerned that I’ll not be able to achieve sufficient distance from the inner surface of the new storm windows and the outer surfaces of the existing windows.  A two-inch gap is recommended for good noise reduction, and this cannot be attained without serious consultation and construction.  So, I may go with interior sound reducing windows, that fit inside the trim, on the inside of the existing windows.  They’d be easier to install, are probably cheaper, and offer less chance of falling or dropping them during the installation.  Inside installation requires no ladders or working around tall shrubs outside.

11:00 AM: Watched all pending episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

02:00 PM: Measured outside dimensions of the seven windows here on the first floor that are not equipped with storm windows.

03:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

04:00 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

05:00 PM: I’m awake again.

05:05 PM: Again, I’ll not walk today.  My left ankle still pains me from the twist it received last weekend.  Ever since I twisted it at Blair Memorial Cemetery during the summer, it’s been noticeably more prone to further roll-overs.  It’s apparently been weakened by the several twists I’ve experienced since then.  So, I’ve got to let it rest for a few weeks and perhaps wear a brace or high-topped shoes until it becomes strong again.

08:30 PM: Spent much of today browsing the Internet, reading about external noise reduction within the home, and about exercising with a treadmill.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  All is well in her neck of the woods.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count fell this time, and currently stands at 1040; down from 1042 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-09-26

Dear [Emmy],

The wrist still aches, although it seems to be getting better very SLOWLY. It take take another year before it’s really back to normal. Well, I won’t be lifting any more weights; at least until the pain goes away. And even then, I’ll not do as many of the exercises I was doing before. I think I just overworked it because of doing too much.

Tom

Dear [Emmy],

Good morning. There’s nothing much happening here. I’m just writing this speech, which is 1200 words so far. I plan on writing 200 more words today, which hopefully I’ll finish in the next hour or so.

On eating: I read once that the key to avoiding overeating is to eat only when you’re truly hungry, and then to stop when that hunger disappears. We’re not supposed to eat until we feel full. I’ve gotten better at this over the years, but still have a way to go.

You’re right, I don’t stuff myself these days. But I still eat too much of the wrong foods. It’s a lifelong battle.

Try replacing the frozen dinners with the Campbell’s Chunky Soups. They have lots of healthy kinds like Savory Vegetable, Beef Barley, and Turkey Chili. Avoid the cheese and cream-based ones though. Progresso also has some wonderful soups like the Lentil and Minestrone. These would be cheaper than the frozen dinners, have less fatm and fill you up just as much. Give them a try.

I’d also suggest that you don’t work out so hard because [in my view,] the healthiest, most desirable women don’t have a lot of muscle. They’re lean, yes, but NOT muscular. A moderate level of exercise is healthy, but you might end up injuring yourself (like I did my wrist last year). Such injuries can be expensive and hard to heal, and sometimes the hurt joint never recovers fully, and often develops arthritis later in life. My wrist still aches from time to time, though it’s been nearly a year since I hurt it. So do be careful not to overdo it on the fitness machines. Like food, exercise should be done moderately.

Besides, lots of crunches won’t remove the fat from around your stomach. They’ll build up lots of muscle underneath the fat. But the fat remains unless you actually lose weight. You can do some of that with exercise, but in my opinion, it’s better to concentrate more on controlling your diet than spending lots of hours at the gym. All the exercise in the world can’t undo the effects of a poorly managed diet.

I’ll send you a copy of my diet cheat-sheet in another email. Look it over. Perhaps parts of it will benefit you.

I’m glad you like our talks. I enjoy them as well, and hope as do you, that our friendship continues indefinitely. Yes, getting [loraine's] records will be cool.

Later,
Tom Hesley

Dear Carl,

All is well. The wrist is 100% again.

On camp: I just need my physical, which I’ll probably get in May. Then I’ll be all set.

Heard from [Kandi], [Ron], and [Jack] lately. Joined the local Lions Club. Gave a speech to them earlier this month. It went well.

They wanted me to speak about the camp – what we do there and why it’s so important to keep the camp well-funded. I enjoyed giving the speech. It was about 5 minutes long, and about 600 words. I had a blast.

Enjoy the Eagles concert, and take care.

Tom