Here I am again...

Doctor visit today, every four months.

Results:

    Government goodness has gotten into my checkups with my Doctor. Extra paperwork today, two extra tests, and the final analysis - I will die. And of note I am fat, but we all knew that, it just wasn't being sent to NSA and the Feds officially...

Serously, I lost twenty-five pounds, then leveled off, stopped jogging and walking, and ate too much cheese, snacks and started right back up in weight.  Body Fat was about 30 percent. That is not good. So I need to lock down some stuff. 

Also, I have an eye examination to get, for the glaucoma possibility. I want one for eye glass perscription, but that isn't well covered under my health programs. We will work on it, the cover the eye test really went bad and I have been using reading glasses for books.  

To do lists will help keep me oriented. And turning the computer and television off. Four months to the next check up.

Joined the YMCA for recovery efforts

Since I seem to be breaking free from television and CastleVille gaming, getting back into reading for recreational joy, and my wife has retired. So I have to leave the home and work out, since I am still in recovery from my illness, I will have to take it slow, but the forty minutes on their treadmills, and weight machines is already making me remember that I should get back into better shape slowly. The tragety of the school shootings has convinced me of two things. It isn't the guns, lots of people have guns, but I look at a lot of killers under some medication or lack of one they are supposed to have. The other thing seems to be the shooters are normally suicidal. Nothing the President nor the Congress can do will change the attacks. There was a head doctor telling us that none of this should be on television, since like suicide comes in copycat waves, so do mass shooters. Best ask everyone to pray for the souls of the fallen and support of the families. And Morgan Freeman has one piece about Turn off the NEWS, since they are only in the business of selling advertising time slots and keeping everyone's attention for as long as possible.

Retired? So two non workers in the home...

Joint a health club, get out of the house and away from the television, unless you are on a treadmill knocking out your cardio... being old is so much fun.

Warranty... I found one that works!

My Springfield Armory Micro Compact broke during the last run at the range. I emailed the Repair people, outlining my problem, the SN, and my address. I received a reply that parts were on the way. Sure enough, I got an invoice for zero cost listing all the parts in the mail today, and by the time I returned from my heart walk the parts were under the porch rug where the UPS guy left them with another box with books. The pistol is reassembled, function checked and locked away until the next time I go shooting. Wish my printer, computer, monitor and other things didn't need extended warranty service. But when I think about it, most of my firearms work far longer well without replacement parts needed.

So what am I doing this year?

Seems my wife thinks I need a machine to make me work out enough to keep the feet from swelling. Normally, they don't swell unless I am locked into the motorcycle position or an airplane seat for hours. But she worries, and I know that one must move to get the muscles of the legs to move the fluids from lower to higher. So, MOVE! My mother had major problems but all they did for her was encourage (not demand) her to walk a bit more and take Lasik, which drove her crazy with trips to the bathroom and accidents.

This is the second day of using it, fifteen minutes yesterday, and twenty today, what I found is that it slides and needs stabilized, but it is interesting and does work muscles. And since it also elevates my heart rate and breathing just a bit, I am tempted to try jogging between the rain clouds, if I can't I can still finish walking, right?

So afternoon, I start out with a five minute jog, no staff, and steady walk for a total of one hour and nine minutes. No shortness of breath, not pain in chest, no real faint light headed feeling. Very good. Third day in a row on the route, distance same time dropping but mostly feeling very much better.

Concealed Carry... you just can't hide that weight...

I did this little video to see what I really look like. First there is the image in my mind, and that can't be right since it is stuck at about twenty-five to thirty-five. Then there is the image in my mirror when I shave and clean up for exiting the house - too close and concentrated and backwards of reality, no that isn't me either. So I take a quick video to see what I look like. Sure enough an old man, wearing loose fitting clothes (room to layer or grow into), and still following that bursting belly and breast fat through the door. Sigh.

This mornings weight, 234.2 pounds, blood pressure 152/81 and resting heart rate of 38 bpm. I did go for a heart walk, found I still want more air, but it could be my heart is just not efficient again. I had lots of foggy breath on the exhale. I stopped about two-thirds the way up the big hill and the minor ones, rested a bit at the top of the big one. Had no trouble going down hill. Didn't wear a watch, still thinking I am blessed to be able to meander around the block. Keep on working it.

My wife wanted to seriously talk, and she did...

Mostly about my failings, how our finances are, and that she was going to retire and wouldn't be able to buy groceries any longer. All things I have known about for years, and when I was young I would have been upset about it, I am very calm now. It all doesn't matter, I will be dead soon enough and she will be a widow and will have it all.

So we went over the money, the need for updated wills, and what she would expect to have to live upon when I am dead. She doesn't really understand, her friends have to tell her what she needs to do to get what she should have had me do long ago. The Disability came up again, seems she knows some other women that their husbands get disability payments and why am I not going to the VA to get mine. That was added to my plate, I will check into it.

I ended up going and chopping down the old garden, it will be grass next year, and moving the fence, the bricks I will get later for bordering the new garden. Then I went and got my walk in today, a very nice afternoon for it. Didn't need to stop before the top of the hill, makes me wonder if I should start moving out smarter, but I didn't bring my watch so I didn't even clock how long I was walking, but even if I recorded it, will I ever use that record for anything? Nope, it was the walk that was most important.