Monday Monday Monday! What's NEW?

Sorry you are not feeling well......hope by now you are doing a better.
Rest up, listen to your body.
Feel better!

Hi Deb and my OFF family:

Good to see you again, Deb! Don't be a stranger ... I say this to all those who come back after a long sojourn away. We miss you! As for being broke, join the club!

I admire those who go back to school at this age ... wouldn't be me, but hey, good for you. I had enough school when I was younger. I love learning, but on my own terms. I feel I learn something new everyday on my job, because all I do is read all day. It's why I love my job (most of the time). Just wish the newspaper industry was healthier. At least there is a nursing shortage so there is a need for you (although my friend Rox, who is a nurse, keeps getting AWOP'ed ... that's absent without pay ... and since her hubby won't work, she's supporting a family of four on her salary).

I hate having only one day of a weekend and having to go back to work. I had to cram everything I needed to get done and I don't feel rested at all. Yesterday I made Waikiki meatballs and fried (brown) rice ... started at 4 p.m. and finished at  5 when I ate it. As I was cooking, I realized I didn't have brown sugar, but I did have brown sugar Splenda, so I used that. Not bad, tasted the same, I think I'll make it with that from now on. I know I cut the calories tremendously. I also managled my Betty Crocker cookbook ... it fell apart at the seams ... that's not the word, but the word escape ... well, you know what I mean, it just broke at the back. So I have to get some tape and put it back together. Now I have lots of meatballs and rice ... I'll eat it for several days and I froze some. I wanted to make some zucchini bread, but I ran out of energy. Never did dump the litter boxes, but at least I scooped them. Got laundry done (including the sheets). After dinner, I had to clean up the mess I made in the kitchen (did I say I was a sloppy cook? I am.) I'm still washing the skillets. I had a whole load of dishes to do in the dishwasher (thank God for the dishwasher!).
Then I sat down and was watching Baseball Tonight and dozed for about 15 minutes. Missed the unassisted triple play that ended the game (saw it later). I was pretty pooped. Got my second wind later ... watched another game, read, stayed up til 1 a.m. before conking out.

And then it's back to work today ... but I work Monday through Friday this week, and it's back to a more normal workweek again, with weekends off. We talked Saturday about the day crew going to nights, and most of them were willing, because it's inevitable and it means keeping their jobs. They know the newspaper business is hurting and jobs are scarce, especially at our experience level. So you do what you have to do to stay employed.

Well, have a good day. Not much else is going on.

would that word be the spine of the cookbook?????

Hi all!

I had such a good bike ride this morning.......did 15 miles and it felt great!!!!
I met another cyclist last Friday morning while doing my route and he said I needed to raise my bike seat.  He said because it was way too low I was working much harder than I need to.  So he raised it for me and WOW what a difference......felt so much better on my knees/legs.  I can now ride up the hills without feeling like I'm going to drop.

The weather really cooled off last night........slept with windows open till about 3am then closed them. 

I was pretty busy over the weekend but it was all good.

I finally got my hair cut on Saturday.  My hair was so long that I am able to donate the ponytail to locks-of-love.  I was a little nervous in the chair to have it all cut off but once she said I could donate I felt fine with doing it so off it came.  I used to wear my hair short all the time but let it grow out over the last 2 years.....all gone now.

I'm busy getting things ready for surgery next week.  Pretty much done, just a couple more things to do.  Very excited, can't wait!

My Buddy boy (dog) was very funny yesterday.......we kicked his favorite outside toy (rubber hamburger that squeaks) across the patio and it bounced in the pool.  Well he went charging so fast and once it hit the pool water he came to a screeching stop almost fell in.  He hates water and looked horrified when he realized he couldn't get the toy without getting wet.  He crawled on his belly to the very edge of the pool and hung his head over the edge but couldn't reach it.  It was very funny to watch (probably not as funny to read about it........guess you had to be there.....lol)

Looking forward to Weds when I drive south to meet Carla and Gail for lunch.  It will be so nice to meet them in person. 

Hope you all have a great day!
TTFN
Ruth

Aloha Debbie (with the gorgeous smile!) and all my OFF family....

Debbie...I was so happy to see you starting the thread this morning.....how wonderful to see you again. I've always loved reading your posts about your animals and your daily happenings. I am so sorry you are broke....me, too....almost. When I retired from being a clinical psychologist and moved to Maui, I thought I was set up to have enough money to live on from Social Security and interest income from stock market investments......Ha! Surprise, surprise......stock market money almost disappeared and SS is very very low. I am thinking about doing a reverse mortgage on my home....but would like to be older when I do it...so having to be creative in living on little money. Good luck to you on getting back to school........I have a feeling you will find a way.

Lately, while I wait for my antidepressants to kick in (I'm in 2nd week now), I have been doing a lot of caretaking of my neighbor who is very sick. I took her to the doctor last week, and today I'm taking her to get X-ray and bloodwork done and back to doc again on Wed. Personally, I think she should be in the hospital, but her doc seems to think she will rally with antibiotics and an antidepressant that hasn't worked yet....after FIVE MONTHS!! Hello!! Something wrong with this picture!

Tomorrow I'm taking a friend and going upcountry Maui to a place called the "cat hotel" where I think I'm going to take Poki and Nicki while they are tenting our building in Sept. I'm dreading the whole thing because we have to move out for a week, and put everything except canned goods into double plastic bags, etc. Even all my plants that are out on the lanai have to be taken out....and some of them are BIG!! My neighbors have a kitty and a gigantic parrot they have to find a place for. Everyone is stressed about this.

Tonight a friend who had WLS a couple years before me is staying overnight. She works at one of the big hotels in Wailea until midnight and then has a 6:00 a.m. flight to Honolulu to see our surgeon. She lives in Lahaina and where I live is much much closer to the airport so she asked to sleep here. Of course, I welcomed her with open arms. I'll have the couch made up for her and fresh towels and protein drinks in the frige. I might not even see her....but I usually wake up around 4:00 a.m. so I may have a few minutes with her. Hope so. She lost her husband about a year ago and is also deeply depressed and struggling. She has lost even more weight.....and now is in size 4's and she started this journey at 350!!

So......that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I hope you all have a great day. You are the VERY BEST!!

Aloha nui loa,

Maui Karen

Good morning, Karen!

I didn't see any Pacific storm updates so I am guessing you did not get any negative impact from the storm in your neighborhood a couple of weeks ago? 

I tend to tune into the storms in the oceans......for some strange reason! 

Take care, sweet lady!

Aloha Terry.......We were very lucky and our hurricane just brushed the islands and made big waves and lots of rain for a couple of days. It was nothing really and we needed the rain badly. So many people stocked up on things that they didn't need. I did buy a couple gallons of water and already have an emergency plastic bin filled with essentials "just in case."

Thanks for thinking of me............so dear of you.

Aloha nui loa,

Maui Karen

Good Morning, OFF!

Seeing some of the familiar faces was nice this morning!  I've been lurking trying to catch up on the newbies on OFF.

Life has been super busy on the island. 

DD#1 and I just got about 1/4 of the garage cleaned out from IKE yesterday and yes, it's almost a year and the few items we could cram into the one car garage have been stored out there since around Sept 27 of last year. 

Alot of the bags/boxes are her clothes and medical journals and I am reluctant to make decisions about what to pitch or what to keep.  We finally had a weekend when she wasn't on call for a change and got a lot accomplished.  My goal was to have it all gone thru before the anniversary of IKE but it's not likely to happen!!

It's good to see some of the long time grads popping back up on here.

Keep on keeping on!!!

Debbie,
Is that a BS in nursing?   

This is my motto:  ONE IS NEVER TOO OLD TO GO TO SCHOOL!    Perhaps you could go part time.

I started law school when I was 46 - at a private university, which was the only good law school remotely close to home.  It was expensive.  I had no idea how I was going to pay for it.   So I have a loan that I am paying off from school, and may pay on it until the day I die.  But you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world.   I had worked in corporations for many years, as an engineer (a totally male field, still****il I just got sick to death of it.   I could not see myself working one more year as an engineer in a corporate environment, let alone five years or more.   As an attorney, I can work as long as I want to work, in a wholly different environment.  I would think that nursing would also give you much flexibility and a degree would make it easier (possibly?) to work for yourself, should you so desire .

 Several years ago I started my own practice.  I love it.
I work when I want, and don't when I don't.   Except when I have to be in court, of course.
Having gained so much weight, I turned down clients because I didn't want to be in court any more than I had to...  and that is going to change!!

Maybe I am a bit too polyanna-ish, but I believe with all my heart that learning is ALWAYS a good thing.  People go to college in their 40s, 50s, 60s, even 70s and 80s.

You are 57 now, right?   If you go get your BSN how long will it take?  2 years, 3 or 4?
Assuming it would take 4 years, how old will you be when you finish?  61?
How old will you be in 4 years if you don't go?  61?

So the issue is finances?  Well, there are lots of ways to finance college..   You might talk to the university admissions for suggestions..