List of Items

 

Just a bulleted list from me today:

• Ran 15 miles this morning (~24.1 km).  I wasn't really in the mood to run when I woke, and I ended up procrastinating on starting until it was almost 7:00am, so that was not great either. When I started out, it was looking like it would be very sunny too, so I put on sunscreen on all my exposed facial, hand, and leg areas.... but, fortunately, about 30 minutes into the run, a nice, heavy cloud cover settled in and I felt better.  
• My wife is starting a new routine today to try to treat and possibly reverse her diabetes.  I am trying to be as encouraging as possible.  But, the challenge is really not the plan or routine.... any of the various plans or routines over the years WOULD WORK, it is unfortunately just that my wife is not good at consistency and maintaining effort of this sort.  She typically starts out strong for a few days, and then something or other in day-to-day life gets her "frustrated" or "too busy", and she throws in the towel.  If she would somehow convince herself to stick with simply a) a low/no fat food plan with portion control to get her BMI lower, b) aerobic exercise every day for a minimum of 30 minutes, and c) ample water intake of ~60 ounces or more.... then she would be doing all the right things to get her cell's sensitivity to insulin to return (that is what is needed for the vast majority of people with Type 2 Diabetes).  I worry about her, yet if I say too much, she gets angry at me.
  
• Our oldest daughter decided to make dinner for us yesterday where she was experimenting for the first time to make Vietnamese Pho. I gave her some fresh basil from our garden, and she used them along with star anise and fresh ginger, made a really delicious, authentic Pho. Because some of us are vegetarian, she made Tofu Pho.   
• My wife and I have plans to go swimming this afternoon.  Swimming is such a valuable and integral part of the day for me lately.  It is almost like a mental and emotional cleansing.  When my wife and I go in the late afternoon, it is at a time that is very limited in terms of having many, if any other folks there.  That in of itself is quite peaceful.  Yet, getting to submerge and cool down the body in the pool, helps to wash away a lot of stresses of the day, and we both leave feeling quite relaxed.  
• OH!  I almost forgot..... I actually had a "dream" I remembered.  But, unfortunately, it was a rather disgusting/gruesome "nightmare" sort of snippet.....This happened overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.  In this "dream" I was walking along a wooded path, and this ENORMOUS dragonfly came flying at me.  By ENORMOUS, I mean.... it was the size of things in a lot of scary, sci-fi films.... its body was ~3 feet in length (~ about a meter).  Well... this damn dragonfly flew at me and then perched on top of my head.  In my dream I did not have a hat on (and I always wear hats) and in the dream I was even wondering why the hell I didn't have a hat on.... and I could feel the HUGE dragonfly's leg appendages poke into my scalp as it landed.  I reflexively reached up with my hand to try to hit or push the damn dragonfly off my head.... and then, immediately when I touched it, the insect's entire body disintegrated into a grey/black mass of both dust and liquidy goo that ran down all over me.  It was terrifying and it ended up jolting me awake.  When I woke, it was around 3:30am and I was so unnerved by the dream that I could not fall back asleep.  To try to calm myself, I took the dog out and sat on the back porch for about 1/2 an hour before I came back in and could fall asleep again. 
• PCS.... staying stuck at a 6.  Sunday morning after the nightmare, I really, REALLY wanted to smoke my pipe (probably a PCS of at least 9 during that half hour after awakening from the nightmare).  Today, I would very much relish a pipe.  And I keep imagining the beautiful flavors and textures of the pipe smoke.  

 PipeTobacco