I am mad but don't know who to be mad at. While at the chiropractor's office this week for some wonderful ice treatments for my wrenched back, the nurse took my blood pressure. I have always had perfect blood pressure- even when about to give birth to my children. I really didn't give it a thought. The nurse seemed surprised at the reading so she took it on the other side- not much better. The doc said to wait until the next morning to take it again since I was hot, stressed and in pain that afternoon. I agreed. Went back the next morning only to get a similar reading. Not good. Called our family GP and made an appointment for this morning at 7:30 am. Went in sans coffee or food in order to get a nice, clean reading as I had heard that caffeine raises your blood pressure, albeit temporarily. The reading was even worse than it had been at the chiropractor's. My doc said "Welcome to middle-age." I responded that I don't WANT to participate in middle age!! He told me that he's been on blood pressure meds for 17 years or more. Somehow, that didn't make me feel any better!
He gave me a prescription for a really low dose med that should alleviate the problem.
He informed me that a lot of it is hereditary- the rest just COMES WITH AGE. Damn. While losing weight will help as well as regular exercise, he said that most folks with high blood pressure will need to have some medicinal help for the rest of our lives.
I don't like to hear things like that. He also said that high blood pressure often sneaks up on you- no warnings or sickness. BUT I HAVE THE SPINE OF A 20 YEAR OLD- DOESN'T THAT COUNT FOR SOMETHING????
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Getting older and all that goes with it
While preparing a lovely dinner on Sunday, I wrenched my back. I simply bent down to pick up a pan and out it went! I've done this one time before and it's so very painful.
I hobbled through the evening but by Monday morning, couldn't move out of the bed. My husband gave me one of his pain pills (which I've never taken) and I was in La-la land all day. Didn't have a thing to eat or drink- just had crazy codeine-induced dreams and laughed out loud in my sleep. By nightfall, I came out of the stupor and decided to eat some food. I felt hung over and lousy all evening. I don't know how folks take those things for recreation.
I rested on Tuesday and felt well enough to return to work on Wednesday. One of my co-workers suggested seeing a chiropractor. I have never been to one but we do have a family friend that is a chiropractor. I gave him a call and got in yesterday at 3:00. While in the waiting room, a one legged elderly black gentleman arrived. The piped in music station began to play "Let's Get it on" by Marvin Gaye. The gentleman closed his eyes and began to sing it out loud to me. In my mind I was thinking, "Pal, I don't think either one of us is in any position to get it on!" Doc did an ice therapy treatment to reduce the swelling and an adjustment to my pelvic bone. I felt so much better! While there, he took 2 x-rays. The good news is that I have the spine of a 20 year old- I asked him if he'd make me a wallet sized copy of that X-ray so that I can show folks and say "Yes, the rest of me is falling apart but DIG THAT 20 year old spine!" :) I also have fabulous bone density which assures me upright walking in my golden years.
My 30 year high school reunion is in 2 days. I am picking up an old classmate and his wife as my husband isn't interested in attending..it should prove to be a very interesting evening. The year I graduated was the year that John Travolta made the famous movie "Saturday Night Fever." I have a feeling that the soundtrack from that movie will be played as dance music on Saturday evening. I hope that my 20 year old spine is up for some dancing.
I hobbled through the evening but by Monday morning, couldn't move out of the bed. My husband gave me one of his pain pills (which I've never taken) and I was in La-la land all day. Didn't have a thing to eat or drink- just had crazy codeine-induced dreams and laughed out loud in my sleep. By nightfall, I came out of the stupor and decided to eat some food. I felt hung over and lousy all evening. I don't know how folks take those things for recreation.
I rested on Tuesday and felt well enough to return to work on Wednesday. One of my co-workers suggested seeing a chiropractor. I have never been to one but we do have a family friend that is a chiropractor. I gave him a call and got in yesterday at 3:00. While in the waiting room, a one legged elderly black gentleman arrived. The piped in music station began to play "Let's Get it on" by Marvin Gaye. The gentleman closed his eyes and began to sing it out loud to me. In my mind I was thinking, "Pal, I don't think either one of us is in any position to get it on!" Doc did an ice therapy treatment to reduce the swelling and an adjustment to my pelvic bone. I felt so much better! While there, he took 2 x-rays. The good news is that I have the spine of a 20 year old- I asked him if he'd make me a wallet sized copy of that X-ray so that I can show folks and say "Yes, the rest of me is falling apart but DIG THAT 20 year old spine!" :) I also have fabulous bone density which assures me upright walking in my golden years.
My 30 year high school reunion is in 2 days. I am picking up an old classmate and his wife as my husband isn't interested in attending..it should prove to be a very interesting evening. The year I graduated was the year that John Travolta made the famous movie "Saturday Night Fever." I have a feeling that the soundtrack from that movie will be played as dance music on Saturday evening. I hope that my 20 year old spine is up for some dancing.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Church
I have very diverse church affiliations. I was baptized as an Episcopalian. My parents weren't big church goers so I typically attended when visiting my grandmother in Florida. There was an Episcopalian priest who counseled my parents before they divorced for the first time- I remember him being very kind and trying hard to help them. His name was Father Works, if memory serves.
I didn't attend church very much as a young adult. When I married, I attended my mother-in-law's church. She was an Italian Pentecostal missionary as was her husband, my father-in-law. The first time I heard someone speak in tongues, I almost wet myself in the pew. I had never heard anything like that and it frightened me. I tried but just couldn't bring myself to stay in that church. My husband and I attended another Non-Denominational church for a few years but again, we just couldn't go along with some of the teachings. I am not one to go around shouting "Praise the Lord" to everyone I come into contact with. I did , however, enjoy some of the music of the mother-in-law's church. It reminded me of my Southern roots as it sounded like bluegrass.
As the children came and our first child was enrolled in Catholic school, I began attending at the parish of the school. After a year or so, I decided to convert to Catholicism. I found it to be very similar to the Episcopal Church . There were some issues that I didn't (and still don't ) agree with. When I spoke up during my Cathechism classes, the very nice Religious Ed Director said to me , "Take what you want and leave the rest. We will never all be in agreement. We have to agree to disagree." I thought, OK, I can live with that. For many years, the children and I attended this parish. As the years went by, the very wonderful staff of the school and parish got transferred elsewhere. The new priest was very business like and made it clear that he did not want to be at our parish. He was not a pleasant man and we stopped attending. My children had moved on to high school at this point. Many of the families that we felt commaraderie with in the past soon left as well. It just wasn't the same. His homilies were filled with anger. It was a shame.
I then decided to attend our local Unitarian Universalist Church. I truly believe in their principles. It is a small church , most of the members are Pagan. I liked the smallness of it and attended off and on for a couple of years. As is often the case, disharmony broke out between many of the members. Angry words were exchanged and I could see that it was becoming a church run by a handful of members and not by the by-laws set forth by the UU Church. I didn't want to be a part of that upheaval. However, there is a small Zen Temple located on the same property as the UU Church. I began attending the informal meditations held there on Wednesday evenings. It was very nice and helped me through a difficult personal time. I did a lot of reading about Buddhist beliefs- again, I took what I needed and left the rest. My sister and I accompanied part of the group to Miami to see the Dalai Lama. That was quite an experience. Though there was some language barrier, it was a diverse gathering of people at the University of Miami campus. Rumor had it that Richard Gere was there though we didn't see him.
I sort of floundered around for a couple of years after that and didn't attend church at all. Recently, I began going to Mass at the local beachside parish. I really enjoy the priest and the people are very friendly. It gives me some peace and keeps me going through the week. Two weeks ago, there was a young man playing the violin with the contemporary choir. It was so lovely that it made me cry twice. Last week, there was a young woman singing who had the voice of an angel.
I think it's important to explore different religions. There are parts to all of them that we can get something out of. If I had to describe my religion, I'd have to say that I am a Uni-Cat. Part Unitarian and part Catholic. The ideals of both churches appeal to me . I do love the ceremony of the Catholic Church. I like it when they burn the incense during Mass. Takes me back to the days when my grandmother took us to the Episcopal Church- (we had to cover our heads back then. )
The only church that I likely won't visit is the one where they dance with snakes---that one freaks me out a little. Anything else is open for discussion.
I didn't attend church very much as a young adult. When I married, I attended my mother-in-law's church. She was an Italian Pentecostal missionary as was her husband, my father-in-law. The first time I heard someone speak in tongues, I almost wet myself in the pew. I had never heard anything like that and it frightened me. I tried but just couldn't bring myself to stay in that church. My husband and I attended another Non-Denominational church for a few years but again, we just couldn't go along with some of the teachings. I am not one to go around shouting "Praise the Lord" to everyone I come into contact with. I did , however, enjoy some of the music of the mother-in-law's church. It reminded me of my Southern roots as it sounded like bluegrass.
As the children came and our first child was enrolled in Catholic school, I began attending at the parish of the school. After a year or so, I decided to convert to Catholicism. I found it to be very similar to the Episcopal Church . There were some issues that I didn't (and still don't ) agree with. When I spoke up during my Cathechism classes, the very nice Religious Ed Director said to me , "Take what you want and leave the rest. We will never all be in agreement. We have to agree to disagree." I thought, OK, I can live with that. For many years, the children and I attended this parish. As the years went by, the very wonderful staff of the school and parish got transferred elsewhere. The new priest was very business like and made it clear that he did not want to be at our parish. He was not a pleasant man and we stopped attending. My children had moved on to high school at this point. Many of the families that we felt commaraderie with in the past soon left as well. It just wasn't the same. His homilies were filled with anger. It was a shame.
I then decided to attend our local Unitarian Universalist Church. I truly believe in their principles. It is a small church , most of the members are Pagan. I liked the smallness of it and attended off and on for a couple of years. As is often the case, disharmony broke out between many of the members. Angry words were exchanged and I could see that it was becoming a church run by a handful of members and not by the by-laws set forth by the UU Church. I didn't want to be a part of that upheaval. However, there is a small Zen Temple located on the same property as the UU Church. I began attending the informal meditations held there on Wednesday evenings. It was very nice and helped me through a difficult personal time. I did a lot of reading about Buddhist beliefs- again, I took what I needed and left the rest. My sister and I accompanied part of the group to Miami to see the Dalai Lama. That was quite an experience. Though there was some language barrier, it was a diverse gathering of people at the University of Miami campus. Rumor had it that Richard Gere was there though we didn't see him.
I sort of floundered around for a couple of years after that and didn't attend church at all. Recently, I began going to Mass at the local beachside parish. I really enjoy the priest and the people are very friendly. It gives me some peace and keeps me going through the week. Two weeks ago, there was a young man playing the violin with the contemporary choir. It was so lovely that it made me cry twice. Last week, there was a young woman singing who had the voice of an angel.
I think it's important to explore different religions. There are parts to all of them that we can get something out of. If I had to describe my religion, I'd have to say that I am a Uni-Cat. Part Unitarian and part Catholic. The ideals of both churches appeal to me . I do love the ceremony of the Catholic Church. I like it when they burn the incense during Mass. Takes me back to the days when my grandmother took us to the Episcopal Church- (we had to cover our heads back then. )
The only church that I likely won't visit is the one where they dance with snakes---that one freaks me out a little. Anything else is open for discussion.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
From one extreme to another
The current state of the economy hasn't seemed to slow down America's consumerism. I still see just as many huge SUV's on the road as I did before the gas crisis. Most of them have a single passenger. I live in a small town where there are also a lot of pick-up trucks- not that there are a lot of farmers here- just a lot of "yee haw" type folk. I don't understand the fascination with these huge vehicles.
Just as many people seem to be purchasing the huge screen television sets. You will never see one of those in my home. Television is not a priority here. My son works at the local Starbucks and he reports that business hasn't slowed down one bit. That is another item that I refuse to purchase- overpriced cups of latte/ frapachino whatevers. I can buy a pound of imported Italian coffee that lasts us about a month for just around $9.00. Bottled water is another item that I don't purchase. The water from my sink is just fine.
My other pet peeve are the super duper expensive phones- Blackberries, Iphones, etc. I can't imagine that most of the owners of these devices are so ultra important that they MUST be in reach at all times- via phone or internet.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have folks stealing gas (which only makes it more difficult for the rest of us) robbing stores and in my town, trying to drive off with the local bank's ATM machine. I guess the geniuses responsible for this recent botched robbery forgot to detach the machine from the proper area thus bringing the entire bank drive-thru crumbling down.
Times are tough for everyone- we all need to pitch in and do what we can. Robbing and stealing isn't the answer. There are many readily available jobs in our area. They may not be glamorous but they will keep food on the table and gas in the car.
Many today feel it their right to take whatever they believe they deserve. There is a huge sense of entitlement.
For those with a few extra bucks, skip that overpriced coffee and send a donation to your local food bank. Put a couple of extra dollars in the poor box at your church. Forego the expensive phone purchase and donate a less expensive phone to a battered women's shelter. You'll feel better and we can make some positive changes however small.
Just as many people seem to be purchasing the huge screen television sets. You will never see one of those in my home. Television is not a priority here. My son works at the local Starbucks and he reports that business hasn't slowed down one bit. That is another item that I refuse to purchase- overpriced cups of latte/ frapachino whatevers. I can buy a pound of imported Italian coffee that lasts us about a month for just around $9.00. Bottled water is another item that I don't purchase. The water from my sink is just fine.
My other pet peeve are the super duper expensive phones- Blackberries, Iphones, etc. I can't imagine that most of the owners of these devices are so ultra important that they MUST be in reach at all times- via phone or internet.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have folks stealing gas (which only makes it more difficult for the rest of us) robbing stores and in my town, trying to drive off with the local bank's ATM machine. I guess the geniuses responsible for this recent botched robbery forgot to detach the machine from the proper area thus bringing the entire bank drive-thru crumbling down.
Times are tough for everyone- we all need to pitch in and do what we can. Robbing and stealing isn't the answer. There are many readily available jobs in our area. They may not be glamorous but they will keep food on the table and gas in the car.
Many today feel it their right to take whatever they believe they deserve. There is a huge sense of entitlement.
For those with a few extra bucks, skip that overpriced coffee and send a donation to your local food bank. Put a couple of extra dollars in the poor box at your church. Forego the expensive phone purchase and donate a less expensive phone to a battered women's shelter. You'll feel better and we can make some positive changes however small.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Summer Blogging Blah's
My sister in law commented that I hadn't posted any new blogs lately. She inquired of my health, etc. I told her that while I had been sick a couple of weeks ago, I just haven't had much of interest to say lately. I think it's the summer blah's.
It's hotter than the hinges of hell here in Florida at this time of year. It seems as though I barely make it home from work each night before I am in my PJ's relaxing on the couch.
Hubby and I have been enjoying our movies from Netflix lately. My sister and I discussed how we've been scaling down- whatever isn't necessary is going by the wayside- either for sale or in the trash. Netflix, however, IS necessary. We can't afford to go to traditional movies- it now costs over $20 for two people to get into a movie in our town. I can rent unlimited movies, 3 at a time, for $18.00 per month. I can pick from a huge list, I can watch in the comfort of my home without the aggravation of the general public and I can pause to get a snack or go potty , if necessary. They provide a postage paid return envelope as well. It's the greatest.
Other than that, all of the post-graduation ho-ha has settled down, work is palatable and I am just counting down the days until Fall arrives.
Have a cool and refreshing beverage and enjoy a movie from Netflix!
It's hotter than the hinges of hell here in Florida at this time of year. It seems as though I barely make it home from work each night before I am in my PJ's relaxing on the couch.
Hubby and I have been enjoying our movies from Netflix lately. My sister and I discussed how we've been scaling down- whatever isn't necessary is going by the wayside- either for sale or in the trash. Netflix, however, IS necessary. We can't afford to go to traditional movies- it now costs over $20 for two people to get into a movie in our town. I can rent unlimited movies, 3 at a time, for $18.00 per month. I can pick from a huge list, I can watch in the comfort of my home without the aggravation of the general public and I can pause to get a snack or go potty , if necessary. They provide a postage paid return envelope as well. It's the greatest.
Other than that, all of the post-graduation ho-ha has settled down, work is palatable and I am just counting down the days until Fall arrives.
Have a cool and refreshing beverage and enjoy a movie from Netflix!
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