I've mentioned a few things here going on in my life lately. I've decided to add to what I've already written, though not of all it is really related to one another, other than they've happened to me or are ongoing.
I guess that means this won't be a post of random thoughts, but not quite geared to just one topic, either. It will probably read like a series of journal entries. In as much as this could very well be for posterity as much as it is for any of you who might take the time to read it now, I guess the style is apropos.
Also, I think I should say I'm doing okay, even though a lot of this stuff isn't exactly positive and I won't be trying to sugarcoat it. That said, I wouldn't put any of it in the tragic category, either. Life is throwing some curve balls, as it is wont to do, and we're taking life as it comes one base at a time. Now that we have the out of season baseball analogy out of the way... Or at least as close as I want anyone to get. If only things worked that way. It's been quite a few weeks ago now, but my oldest son's wife went to be tested for the novel Coronavirus. Why? She attended a church leadership meeting where one of the members of the council later tested positive for the virus. Others were tested and subsequently cleared. The meeting was on a Sunday, and she had to wait until the upcoming Friday to get tested, then wait until the following Sunday evening to get the results. In the meantime, my wife and I were basically waiting to see if we might need to get tested, too, since their family came over that same Sunday. In our state, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in direct contact with someone who has the virus, testing is highly discouraged. Fortunately, her results came back negative, which we suspected, since none of us came down with any symptoms in the interim. As it was, the meeting was held adhering to the protocols of the time: everyone was seated and maintained a distance of at least six feet, and all were wearing masks. I've mentioned being laid off thanks to renewed COVID-19 restrictions in counties considered at extreme risk here in Oregon. I also mentioned I picked up a cold over a week ago. Relatively speaking, the former is worse than the latter, but does bad news have to reach a certain level in order to count? Also, I think I'm already over the cold (lasted about a week) thanks to Vitamin C and Immune Boosting gummies, ZiCam dosing and lots of rest and liquids. Regardless, the next bit of news I'm counting as bad are the results from blood tests my wife got back after a routine annual physical. Her liver has a new layer of fat on it, her kidneys are inflamed (don't know how much), and her bad cholesterol level is up. Apparently, though, her doctor is expecting that she can correct all three things through an improved diet and more exercise, since she was given over a dozen pages of what to eat and what not to eat, with several foods actually conflicting depending on which malady she's trying to fight. She's been told about her liver and cholesterol before. The kidneys are a new twist. Last time she got the results, she was told to change her diet. She wants to, which means, of course, I need to go along with her. Which I have no problem doing for the sake of her health and mine. Last time, it didn't happen, at least not to the extent it needed to be done, obviously. This time, I think she might be taking it more seriously. Doing so in between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year isn't the ideal time, but I'm hoping that by sometime in January we can have some kind of new menu up and running. Well, I've been working a little bit since I was officially laid off. Funny thing is, I worked about 5.5 hours last week before the layoff was official, but this week, I've worked over 10. I didn't think I was going to work at all. Monday and Tuesday went by, the days I would normally be sent to the coast to fill a few ATMs. But late afternoon on Tuesday I got a text asking if I would have time to make the run on Wednesday. I said yes. I was also told to collect from as many places as I could get into. This is the first full week since the state of Oregon came out of a "freeze" order issued by our governor. Since last Thursday, counties have been divided up into different categories of risk: Low, Medium, High and Extreme. The latter as of December 3, had the majority of the counties in it, a total of 26. So, even though a couple of counties I work in are back to a less restrictive situation than they were during the freeze, they still haven't had a whole lot of business in a week. So, even though I stopped at over a half dozen places, only three had much of any money to speak of in the machines. Because of making the extra rounds beyond the ATMs I needed to fill, I ended up with about 8.5 hours on Wednesday. The rest of the time I worked came from yesterday and today. After getting the hours I did on Tuesday, I wasn't expecting to have any more for the rest of the week, but the general manager was leaving town to transport some games they'd sold to someone and so basically I've been doing things he would otherwise do. Yesterday, it was fill more ATMs. All were local so I didn't have to go very far. This afternoon, it was one of the ATMs locked up with a dispensing error, so I was asked to check it out. Fortunately, it proved an easy fix. I don't know how often I've heard or read that phrase over the last several months, but it's become the go to slogan for battling the coronavirus. I don't want anyone to get sick. I don't want to end up inadvertently causing anyone to get sick, even if my views on mask wearing are not in step with the guidelines. I've worn one for work because I've been told to, and I wear one the few and very brief times I set foot in a public place otherwise to avoid a scene. However, I'm not feeling the least bit of togetherness here. There are a small group of people who are making the decisions that are affecting my financial well-being, and I'm not included in it. There are people who aren't going to wear a mask no matter what and others who think not wearing a mask is a federal offense. I don't fit in either group, despite my misgivings, so hard to feel the love there, either. Aside from the response to the pandemic, there's a whole host of other issues I haven't been feeling very together with others, either. The more things go along, the more I find it hard to find those "like-minded" people everyone seems to be searching for. I found myself in three different conversations within a day's time about the coronavirus, and each time, I felt like the odd man out. Mainly either because I said too much, or with too much exasperation, or something. There aren't only different thoughts on how this should all be playing out, but there's also different levels of dedication to it. The pizza guy I spoke with first was probably the most sympathetic. He seemed genuinely concerned when he asked if I was keeping busy and I told him no. It's not the first time he's asked. The other times, I gave it a little more of a positive spin, because it was the truth. Things were picking up and I was getting in more hours. This time, though, aside from assuring him my wife and I are okay financially for the immediate future, there wasn't much to spin. The pizza place he works for is open for business, but can't have indoor dining yet, so that means very few people are inside waiting for a pizza, and less are playing the games there. He's working because pizza lends itself to takeout and people are still doing that. And good for him. I'm glad. I hope more people can continue to work despite the restrictions, but I know many are in a situation like I am. The second conversation was with the bowling alley owner, who's not too fond of what's been going on and has been pretty vocal about it. While I'm not in agreement with the restrictions as they've been imposed, I was telling him I thought it made more sense to finally restrict by county because at least it wasn't a one size fits all solution to the problem. Keep things contained in your county and you should be able to benefit from your efforts. However, the bowling guy wasn't even happy with that. I was looking for the silver lining and in the process, I was splitting hairs. He didn't think that anyone should be telling any of us what we could and couldn't do. "It needs to be live and let live," he said, meaning, people are going to come down with the virus and we needed to live with that fact. It also meant that the repercussions of closing down businesses in attempt to curb it was akin to the cure being worse than the disease. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I'm not a Polyanna, and I shouldn't go attempting to be one, since I don't go around being a Chicken Little either. You need to know the score, but hand wringing rarely produces a solution. The last conversation was with my boss. He was trying to be positive, saying we might have some counties getting out of the extreme risk category, meaning more businesses would open up. I've been watching the numbers and told him that we might actually see a couple of counties close, rather than others open. Again, I should have just let him have his moment of optimism, since he seems to be under so much stress all the time. I think he might have been thinking about me and the other two employees who have been laid off, trying to be encouraging. That's okay. I appreciate the sentiment. I don't need a whole lot of optimism to keep functioning, though. I've been around long enough to know that a lot of life tends to bounce in between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and that it's okay. Things don't have to be rosy and hunky dory all the time, because while they could certainly be better, they could definitely be worse. Finding happiness when things aren't the best is where most of us need to be, because life doesn't hand most of us what we want, when we want it. I'm okay with that. I'm still at the crossroads I mentioned months ago. I don't feel like I've really gone down any particular path, though time keeps marching on and I'm not exactly standing still. Stuff keeps being taken out of my hands, though. I'm less in control of my own situation than I should be. I think moving out of this state will help some, maybe a lot, but it won't make things perfect or even ideal. Maybe just a little less relentless. Problem is, most of my family is here, even if we don't see each other or even keep in contact very much. We're not going to have any family or know anyone anyplace I might want to move us. The last thing I think we need is more uncertainty. The problem is, the more we hang around, the worse things seem to get, and sometimes the only thing you can do is get out of the situation you're in. I think we've reached that point. Last thing. There's a few reasons. The weather generally turns cold, and rainy, and then the time change makes it dark for most of a day. It's also the time where the most bills come due. Aside from the monthly bills, there's the water and sewer bill that comes every other month, the quarterly life insurance bill and the killer, the property tax bill, that we end up paying in three parts because it's so high. When we first moved here, our property taxes were less than $2,000. Fifteen and half years later, they're over $5,000. Part of it is our home value has not quite doubled, which is good when we go to sell. The bad is, we're paying more for a public school district our children never used and the administrative bill of the town we live in has increased in size along with its population. I generally end up looking forward to November because of Thanksgiving, despite everything else. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the perspective) I can't enjoy the meal associated with the holiday nearly as much as I used to, and because of the freeze, we couldn't have more than my wife and I and my oldest son's family over without being in violation of the restrictions on gathering. Now it's December. We've spent money on gifts for Christmas, and I just paid the annual house insurance bill, which went up because, as the insurance company we have seems to be more than happy to inform us, claims were up. Remember that togetherness I wasn't feeling earlier? Still not feeling it. Okay. That's probably enough catching up for now. No doubt, there will be plenty more I can chronicle at a future time. Image courtesy of Glen Anthony Albrethsen
Life through a dirty window. You can miss the smile of encouragement even though it's sitting there in plain sight.
A Close Call
Bad News Comes In Threes, Right?
Working While Unemployed
We're All In This Together
Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
That Doesn't Mean Giving Up
I Don't Like November
The virus issue is a real pain, I myself do not wear a mask. Have only worn one for 5 minutes when it was time to change the tires out and I needed to go inside to pay the bill. Found out on the second trip that they would come get my card from outside and then I did not need to wear a mask.
At a guess and purely from observation when I am shopping only about 25% of the people in the stores wear mask. It was only recently that one store began requiring employees to wear a mask that we shop at.
If a person is healthy there is no need to wear a mask. We exhale for a reason, we sneeze for a reason and we cough for a reason, that is to remove harmful things to us from our system. Re-breathing all that crap we are trying to remove can not be that healthy of a thing to do. I also have some breathing issue since the lung cancer and loss of half a lung. Every breath I take is important.
I still believe normal flu prevention such as wiping your hands down with rubbing alcohol after shopping does help. I am the primary shopper, perhaps I have just been lucky and not come in contact with the virus, or I am immune to it because I already had it, who knows. It's the flu or a flu type virus, I just hope my luck holds until this is all over.
I am somewhat happy with how the state of Alaska is handling it and mostly leaving it up to the burrows and municipalities on what measures they want to take.
Hey, @bashadow.
Yeah. I think getting out of the state and moving somewhere else where they aren't as restrictive would be good. Unless the virus is going to be around for a while, though, for longer than a year, I don't think we get out before it's over.
I would imagine Alaska would have one of the better responses. The west coast has had among the worst, and I imagine it gets worse before it gets better.
Here, nearly everyone is wearing a mask indoors. There might be some that will wander in without it, then realize at some point they're expected to be wearing it, and then put it on. It's a pain.
I don't have quite the diminished lung capacity, but I was told several years ago that I do have some scar tissue on one of mine that diminishes breathing (I don't know how much). I don't notice it mostly, but every now and then I feel something and wonder if that's it.
According to the DanMask study that was released a couple weeks back, there's only a 0.3% difference between wearing a mask and not as far as catching the virus is concerned, and that's only if the other protocols are also observed. If the mask isn't fitting properly or something else is routinely ignored, the difference might go up. Even so, we're talking 1.8% and 2.1% chances of catching it.
Of course, that study is being dismissed, even though it's more of a scientific study than the ones being touted.
I would imagine in your neck of the woods with as many open spaces and sparser populations that it would be more difficult to spread as long as people are avoiding going to concerts and so forth where the superspreader events can take place.
I guess Anchorage has had some west coast syndrome responses to the Virus, but Alaska's biggest response as a state I can think of was the 14 day mandatory quarantine for people entering the state. In the area I live pretty much life as normal with a few exceptions.
!ENGAGE 20
ENGAGEtokens.We've been lucky here not to have much push for masks, however I did get an experience of a mandatory mask wearing at my daughter's physio appointment this week. It was eye opening. I've used dust masks for dusty jobs before, but you can step away at any point to catch a breath of fresh air in these circumstances. This was the first time I couldn't just pull it down for air and I was struggling to draw enough in via normal breathing. I had to take some deep breaths and did indeed feel the panic rising. I did work through it to calm myself, but can now understand why asthmatics and those with reduced lung capacity would have panic attacks. They already know what it's like to not be able to catch their breath.
You would think medical people would understand, but they do have others telling them what to do or lose your license to practice, via the medical boards.
!ENGAGE 20
Some just don't have a problem with it, so perhaps that's why they don't understand. It doesn't bother my daughter at all, but then she doesn't have glasses to steam up and she breathes shallower, for some reason. Her breathing can be rather loud and I've been trying to encourage her to expand her lungs better, but maybe that breathing helps her in this case.
ENGAGEtokens.My daughter sent me this clip today of 2020 mood and it gets kind of appropriate as to how we keep up just taking one thing after another on in a rather resigned way now. Hopefully it works. It's a clip from the Emperor's New Groove.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CIOsXainKbA/?igshid=81b33unron47
I don't personally think that this is a very helpful slogan, especially as the ones it comes from are usually quite un-empathetic. Thankfully I'm not seeing it used as often as it was, or maybe I've just distanced myself enough from it that I don't see it.
I hope things improve for your wife and that you can get a handle on the change of lifestyle and food. I'm sure it will become easier in time and hopefully you'll both feel better for it. I'm sure the @naturalmedicine community would love to hear how your journey goes.
Glad to know you're still doing okay through it all.
Hey, @minismallholding.
I have to admit, there have been a time or two where I've thought, "Bring it on!" throughout this. Unfortunately, it generally happens, and I don't know that the attitude actually made it better. :) Regardless, it's definitely been that kind of year.
I've not been watching much television, but it shows up in ads more than anything. I generally watch football over the weekend and that's where it's coming from. College mostly.
Which is interesting, since the college football and pro football players seem to be coming down with it and cancelling or rescheduling games. Whether it's playing the games, practicing, or some other contact, whatever they're doing to try to contain it and still play isn't always working.
I think we'll be okay. I think she needs to give up chips, slow down on the nuts, and then watch the red meat intake while picking up some more fruits and vegetables. She really eats better than most otherwise. But after a lifetime of Mexican food, I think it's all catching up to her. :)
Thank you for your well-wishes. Very much appreciated. :)
I love Mexican! I can see why that would be a weakness. Sounds like not to much change needs to happen. I think our bodies just don't handle things as well as we get older, so we just need to be that little bit kinder to them. 😉 It's good news that these things are being picked up earlier rather then later.
I do think the "bring it on" attitude must be a slightly less stressful approach in the long run. After all, much of what is happening is beyond out control, so there's no point in getting worked up over it.
Always enjoy chatting with you.
!ENGAGE 50
ENGAGEtokens.That was a good one, Chicken Little. Sir, you do realize within a few moments of reading, you told me about your wife's health issues as well as ordering pizza, right?
Ok, just wanna make sure you noticed
I'm pretty embarrassed/disappointed/both with the division this virus is causing as well. In my opinion, which means the world to me and me only, we don't need much to divide us and the puppet masters are well aware of that.
I'm glad you're managing to keep your head up, Glen. This was a nice write-up, thank you.
I'd rather not get into my personal opinions on to mask or not to mask cuz, well, there's that division thing I was talking about and it's spreading faster than Covid and my opinion doesn't mirror everyone's.
I had issues in my 30's with that bad colesterol stuff, had some liver issues, too. A few other things as well like loss of apetite and sleeplessness. I battled them for about a decade until I finally woke up and adjusted my eating practices. Having competed enough at fff, you're likely aware of the majority of my practices. There's a reason I'm telling you this.
My last physical was age 41 (I'm 45 now) and my doctor said "What exactly are you doing? Your numbers are perfect, I need to do exactly what you do."
If you're interested, I could give you an example of some of my new practices that brought all the numbers from the danger zone to the comfort zone.
Enjoy your week, Glen!
Hey, @dandays.
Yes, I did indeed tell you about my wife's health issues. However, the pizza part was not about ordering, unfortunately. Oh, that it were, since I do actually enjoy that brand of pizza! It's a smaller chain found mostly in Oregon, with a few in Washington. I was checking in on the machines I'm supposed to collect, service and repair in this particular establishment and the pizza guy was saying hi.
re: division
Yeah. Well, everything has been made political, and of course, since there are those that do want to control, science is bent to their will. Regardless of which side we may all be on, division is more the point, or even if it's not, it's an extremely useful tool for those who would control us.
re: in my 30s
Wow. That's kind of early. But it's led to a wholesale change in eating habits, all for the good, which means you don't have to mess with it now or later as long as you keep on keeping on. Silver linings. :)
re: if you're interested
Sure. Go for it. I'd like to see it and then see how it correlates to the pages of recommendations her doctor gave and then what my wife ultimately thinks about it.
Funny. I thought that was a delivery followed by a second get together.
I don't drink or smoke, that was a good deal of my trouble. Believe me--I coulda used the transformation in my 20's. Very little sugar, no table sugar, the closest I get is creamer in my coffee. I don't eat beef, chicken, or pig. The things beef and chicken in particular do to me is too gross to explain why I don't eat those, sir. Eggs, cheese, yes--all other dairy, no.
That's quite a bit of info already. I'll try to stay brief: No sodas (ever, never), water all day, lots of exercise man, if you're interested further, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know. My idea of fast food is Chili's, really can't tell you the last time I ate at a 'fast food' joint.
Ok, that's enough me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me
How close to your doctor was I?
Well, let's see.
We don't smoke or drink, so no need for a doctor to tell us on that front.
Sugar is supposed to be reduced, so table sugar or refined (basically, the sugars are to come from eating fruits) and eliminate processed foods.
Red meat should be avoided, and probably pork, but chicken and turkey are still on the menu along with fish. And it's okay. No need to explain. :) Nutrition tailored to the individual is what I think is best, anyway, simply because one body will react differently to something and so forth, while staying within basic nutritional guidelines.
Dairy is discouraged, including cheese, but eggs seem to be okay within reason.
They specifically said no dark sodas. She doesn't like any light or transparent sodas, so it will probably be water mixed in with some natural juices.
Exercise did make the list. :)
Not eating fast food is probably for the best since it's processed for the most part.
Just out of curiosity, what would you consider to be your main source of protein, and how much carbs, even the complex variety, do you consume? I'm taking the consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly leafy greens, as a matter of course, but if there's something there you stay away from, you're welcome to set me straight. :)
And, can there ever be enough you, you, you? :)
Good morning, Glen! Fructose, yes. Pura will do things like grate an apple to sweeten her baking. Seems your doctor and I have similar suggestions. You're right though, we're all so different so one's training will vary to the next person. Some essentials and basics but each of us need to tweak our own systems a little bit. I plan on that continuing.
Really cool you're interested. I hope what I've learned about myself can help you.
My 'main source' of protein doesn't really change. That's another thing I do, I don't venture far outside my consistent foods. I just try to do less or more each day and switch the ingredients around for some change but at the end of the week it equals out. Even snacking type foods, I don't venture far off what's in the kitchen now. 2 eggs every morning, a very protein, vegi packed shake each day, either turkey or fish in the evening and everything in between is my main source of protein--includes fruit and vegetable like you said. I haven't plugged in the numbers for a long time so I would only be able to guess. 3-400 grams maybe??
I'm big on carbs though. I think they got a bad rep from the farm industry. Carbs are really good actually. I try to pack those on every meal.. heavily outweigh the protein. Potato, rice, breads, etc. My snacking type foods are all carb, too. Humus, corn chips, trail mix, etc. High carbs. They say without exercise a bunch of carbs isn't healthy, possibly true. I think without exercise, a bunch of anything isn't healthy.
A good protein is also avocado. I'm allergic to it but I'll recommend them to anyone who asks, they pack some good numbers. Have you ever heard of Cronometer? They make an app too, super easy to use. I haven't plugged any numbers in since early this year but every once in awhile I'll track my food consumption just to make sure I'm still doing good. That one might really help you guys out, Glen, it's a lot easier to make adjustments when you can see them in action. Pura plugs in her number every day, still, for years now.
Hello there @glenalbrethsen, long time my friend. Nice to see you back.
Things have been tough on a lot of people these days. But sounds like you guys have been really banged up.
I am sure your wife will be fine once she gets a new routine down. It's very hard to change habits, especially when you get older. Bummer that work for you has been so difficult.
But as you said, it could be worse.
Going to keep me eye out for you.
Keep the faith buddy.
Hey, @farm-mom.
Oh, I've been around. Just not as active in posting as I was the first half of the year. With the time off, I've been trying to post, comment and curate more, though I don't think I'm making much of a dent yet. :)
re: banged up
Yeah, there's been quite a bit, but we're still afloat, and with some prioritizing, maybe we can stay that way.
re: my wife
Yeah, I think it will work out. I've been cooking so far this week and we're trying to have more nutritional food. She needs to lay off the chips, and then we probably need to stay away from pork and ground beef a little more.
re: it could be worse
Always. Just as it could always be better. :)
I appreciate the kind words. Someone should keep an eye on me. Never know what I'm going to do. :)
We all have our thing, I have been making homemade candy for Christmas gifts and swore I would only taste test.
Well that lasted about an hour or so, the testing became noshing down several more pieces. Boy were they good.
Said the heck with it, it's the Holidays. 🤶 I am going to wait until AFTER the first of the year, then get serious about a better diet.🤞🙄
Enjoy the day, be well.
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