The Great Indoors

I am so happy to have Mother’s Day behind me, because I was full UPTOHERE with all the Mother’s Day commercials on TV. It seems to me that the advertising community really pushed it this year with way more advertisements on what to get mom by way of gifts, cards, flowers, fruit baskets, jewelry than previous years, along with Facebook friends posting photos and sentiments of their moms -- some still living, some long passed away. The many mentions of Mother’s Day on TV and Facebook began to feel like water torture.

At least two loving sentiments about moms – one living, one passed, made me want to throw up in my mouth a little because I knew the moms and they didn’t match the sentiments. One now deceased mom abandoned her children for the grandmother to raise and did not reappear until the children were grown, the son became a celebrity in the music business and mom’s life of drugs and partying had her in ill health in a wheelchair and she needed them. The other mom did not intervene when the daughter told her mom’s boyfriend was sexually abusing her.

I can understand that perhaps these moms have been forgiven by their now adult children, but mom didn’t raise you, she didn’t support you, she didn’t protect you, so why the sentiments of “Missing a loving mom” and, in the case of the other, a photo with arms around mom and a notation “Best mom in the world”.

I don’t get it.

At any rate, Mother’s Day is thankfully over, done with and I don’t have to think about being overloaded with ads and undeserved sentiments again for another year.

In the meantime … I got up this morning fully prepared to put in some miles. I recharged the iPod, so I could walk to music, and cellphone so I could run my timekeeper app. Even went so far as to suit up in the knee brace; but when I sat down to put socks and walking shoes on, the couch felt comfy, the needlepoint project called my name, and that’s where my day went – needlepointing, on the couch, while suited up for walking.

Maybe this inability to leave the unit to do other than the basics -- take out the trash, pick up mail, run by the market, is just a phase, one which I’m hoping will soon pass.

I thoroughly enjoyed daughter taking me to the spa and lunch for Mother’s Day but, even when she asked after if there was anything else I’d like to do, and I was tempted to have her take me to Macy’s and See’s, I said no because indoors was calling me.

Indoors is just so comfortable, so cozy and with the indoor Schwinn for exercise, no new Pokémon in the area, and no need to head out to Starbucks for a cup-o-joe every morning, there’s just no motivation.

I’ve not even been to Starbucks since beginning of March, when I gave butter coffee a try.

After running across an article about a coffee that was purported to be an aid in healing angry guts, PLUS detox toxins out of one’s system, enhance mental clarity AND lower blood pressure, I ordered off Amazon to see what it would do for me.

I won’t know the full scope of whether or not there’s been a change in my body’s chemistry until the next blood test, but I’d have to say yes to detoxing, maybe to helping the gut and maybe to lowering blood pressure a tad, but the taste is so pleasing that I’ve not been to Starbucks since.

I’ve not abandoned Starbucks entirely, as I strengthen the milder Bulletproof grinds a little by adding a half teaspoon of the stronger Starbucks blend.

There are some business things I’ve put off for as long as I dare, so tomorrow I’ll be setting up appointments, which for sure will force me to get out in a few days. Also, I should be hearing from that far away optometrists by end of week, which means a long drive outdoors.

Other than that, I’m not gonna push it any longer. I’ll just go with the flow, and let that flow lead me where it will -- outdoors or over to the couch.

Pick-A-Color

Happy Mother’s Day!

I chose a French mani/pedi for yesterday’s Mother/Daughter spa day, and the spa girls performed a miracle in restoring my weak dry cracked and chipped nails to strong and pretty fabulous looking.

Now that I have been blessed with ease of matter, instead of the occasional special occasion trip to the spa, the plan is to take better care of myself and go on the regular.

A lot of people watching takes place while I’m sitting in the spa chair, and I’ve seen some interesting sights. Like the time two tough looking women, wearing all black, had their nails done in stiletto shape.

Like this …

As I already have a small scar on my face from where I accidentally jabbed a fingernail in my chin -- and my nails are nowhere near as long, narrow or pointed tip, I didn’t see how those women could function without accidentally hurting themselves or others.

When a rather large tough looking man wearing all black arrived to pick them up, and I saw Bail Bond on his shirt, I realized purpose of the nails WAS to hurt someone -- a scratch, dig, cut, shred weapon to be used should they run into rough characters in their bail bond business.

Then there was the time I cringed when I observed a woman have her fingernails painted stark white, her toes pink.

Mismatched hands and toes just don’t seem to flow and brings out a cross between my Inner Sheldon Cooper, who sees the need for order and consistency in the Universe and my Inner Monk, who gets all uptight when things don’t match.

Yesterday, I really cringed when the woman two chairs over had four nails on each hand painted pink, one nail on each hand painted blue, and all toes painted red.

I fully realize that other people’s choices have nothing to do with me and further is none of my business, but eweeeeee.

For lunch, I chose TGI Friday because they have a gluten free menu and, while I overheard a woman at the table behind me order lobster tails, and I was encouraged to order whatever, I opted for a simple turkey burger on gluten-free bun and fries.

Cheap date though I may be, that was far and away the best turkey burger I’ve ever had, but I ran into a problem when I checked the label on the catsup and saw high fructose corn syrup an ingredient. Not wanting to risk an angry gut episode, I asked the waiter if he had any kind of sauce I could use as a substitute for catsup. He suggested avocado vinaigrette.

Never heard of it, but just the word “avocado” sounded like a winner so I gave it a go and they should really bottle the stuff, it was that good.

I always stock the refrigerator with a made from scratch olive oil & vinegar vinaigrette but back in my unit, after googling “avocado vinaigrette” seeing how easy it is to make, I will be making up a batch today.

Next on daughter and I’s list are facials in a week or two. No special occasion, I just mentioned, while sitting in the spa chair, that I wanted to get a facial but was worried about people seeing me with no makeup.

The girl working on my pedicure said, “Wear sunglasses”.

Daughter chimed in, “Yes, wear sunglasses, and I’m planning on a facial, so let’s go together”.

Works for me, and it just so happens those oversized transition distance glasses the vision center made -- the ones I like the frame but not the vision center’s work, will fit the bill in covering my bare face.

On tap for today?

Making that avocado vinaigrette and trying, yet again, to get out of the unit and out for a walk. I didn’t make it out last time I tried and, inasmuch as I’ve a 5K coming up, I really need to put in some training time.

On another topic, I received feedback on Friday’s Mother’s Day Brunch potluck here at the senior complex.

The Seer said "It was okay … not many people showed up … President of the Resident’s Committee got into a shouting match with the Activity Director."

WAIT!

WHAT?!

President of the Resident's Committee is next door neighbor -- the woman with a Master’s Degree in Education, background as a State Commissioner, now back in her element of being large and in charge, albeit in a smaller pond, as President of the Resident’s Activity Committee. Accustomed to being heard and obeyed, neighbor's been getting more and more upset with Activity Director’s poor performance and being a stumbling block to getting activities done at a higher level – such as refusing to allow the public to participate in last month’s rummage sale.

If there’s a battle of wills between the two, not yet certain who I’ll put my money on, but I’m leaning towards neighbor.

Perhaps I will attend this coming Thursday’s Residents/Management meeting after all.

Spa Day Approaches

After a week of literally hibernating in my unit, seeing no one, talking to no one, getting up and put together late, catching up on recorded television programs, needlepointing, meditating -- even passing on this morning’s Mother’s Day Brunch Potluck here at the complex, the plan for tomorrow is to be up and at ‘em early in order to be ready by 9:00 when daughter arrives to spirit me off to Mother/Daughter Spa Day, followed by lunch.

Nails still broken/cracked, recovering from last month’s manual labor of putting together that bib/medal board, and the trauma of the gel removal process of the month before, I’m somewhat embarrassed to be heading to the nail salon.

It’s like when one calls for a housecleaner. You don’t want the service to think you’re a complete slob, so you clean the place up a bit before the cleaners arrive. Not me, because I do my own housework, but I’ve heard about it, seen it done and understand the need to straighten up first because it’s what I would do.

Doesn’t make much sense, but it is what it is.

Likewise, I’ve been waiting for my nails to get better before scheduling a mani/pedi, so the girls won’t talk about how bad my nail are, but Spa Day is arriving long before nails are back to normal, so I’m just gonna have to suck it up.

Mother/Daughter Spa Day is also landing on the same day as Rancho Cucamonga’s Open Streets event.

My kind of thing with streets on Town Center Drive, between Haven and Spruce, transformed into a car-free environment for walking, biking, dancing, food, games, prizes but oh well, Spa Day is higher on the scale than a block party, so no contest there.

The wardrobe for tomorrow is the tank top I’d blogged about on the 30^th – the one I said that, after having seen a woman in the market with a graphic I admired, unable to find it in my size, I was going to search the internet for a graphic, capture, print to a transfer sheet and iron-on to one of my Duluth tank tops.

Found it.

The tee didn’t come out exactly as I’d hoped.

The edges failed to blend in, they came out grayish and distressed looking.

Whether the cause is an old printer or an old transfer sheet, it works for just kicking about. Besides, people are paying a fortune these days for the distressed look, so technically I’m on point.

On tap for today?

I don’t know.

It’s surprising how quickly one can adjust to staying indoors, doing nothing, so I’m trying to motivate myself to break the cycle, get up and out, at least for a short walk about.

Everything’s Coming Up Virtual

Cinco de Mayo celebration passed me by yesterday and, because I can’t stand the smell of cheese, I didn’t even poke my head into the Community Room to see how the Nacho Social was going.

I did, however, pay homage to the day by having tacos for lunch -- that is, if you can call slapping leftover turkey chili into a gluten free corn tortilla shell, along with avocado, salsa and slaw a taco.

In addition, I had the same for dinner, except, I tried out a recipe for Coliflor Arroz Rojo, adding Mexican Cauliflower Rice to the meal.

The cauliflower rice was amazing. Had I not made it myself, I’d have thought I was eating one of those packages of Spanish Rice-A-Roni, that are so bad for you nutritionally speaking but which I was so fond of until angry gut changed my easy peasy pre-packaged lifestyle.

At any rate, that was my stress-free Cinco de Mayo, which may seem lonely and boring to others but surprisingly, the only times in my life when I felt lonely and/or bored has been in the company of others.

According to a flyer on the bulletin board, now that the Community Room television is back in business, in addition to bingo and the nacho social, the seniors were also scheduled to have a movie last night.

Content in my unit, plus I've seen it several times on television, I let Movie Night pass me by as well, but three events in one day … whew!

Gonna be some tired old folks walking around today.

Speaking of walking around …

I saw on Facebook this morning that Irvine California’s Great Donut Run 5K is offering a virtual this year.

Though it’s a party and always great fun to participate in person, it’s just not always feasible for me as I can’t hit the road at 4 a.m., drive a long distance AND participate that same morning. I need to rest. Consequently, I usually drive up the afternoon before and spend the night in a local hotel.

That’s fun too, but it was expensive, plus I got so tired of holding up medal ceremonies at races where everything was paused until the last runner/walker crossed the finished line and I was always the one to be last.

Even though I was 70, 71, 72 years of age at those times, and even though the other participants were supportive, standing around clapping me across the finish line, encouraging with “It’s not how fast you are, it’s that you finished”, and even though I was lucky and grateful to be able to accomplish such feats at my age, it was embarrassing, so I turned to virtuals.

Those virtuals seem to have caught on to where more and more of the races are now offering virtuals. Like last year’s Diva Run, Run Like a Diva, Black Girl’s Run and now this month’s Great Donut Run.

Everything's coming up virtual.

I’ve been out of commission on walking events since injuring my foot on uneven concrete, while participating with daughter at last year’s Mission Inn Run. I exacerbated the injury by ignoring the injury and participating with daughter in the Turkey Trot a few weeks later. The pain finally forced me to bow out of the Citrus Run and off walking events for the last six months. I kept active, however, by purchasing and putting together a Schwinn 130.

The foot feels ready to get off the bike and hit the concrete, so I registered as virtual for the May 21st Donut Run.

Looks like I get a t-shirt AND another cool medal for the board.

What I don’t get are donuts.

Those participating in person encounter donut stations along the course … Krispy Kreme no less.

Race organizers are also offering a Gluten Free Donut option -- “We will provide these specially formulated donuts … We've been testing these donuts all around town and we'll make sure they're as yummy as the rest of our donuts!"

There’s even a Donut Hole Zone near the half way point “where delicious donut holes will be passed out by our Donuteer Team!”

Sounds so fun that I was tempted to spring for a hotel and participate in person, but decided not to test my gut with gluten-free donuts and settled for a solo walk.

I’ve not been to the area of the local golf course for a while so, instead of the university campus, I’m envisioning a 3.12 mile route up a hill, down a hill and around perimeters of the golf course.

Happy Star Wars Day

… And May the Fourth be with you!

This morning’s needlepoint session was interrupted by a 6.21 mile indoor bike ride to qualify in today’s “With You May The Fourth Be 5K/10K” -- a virtual run/walk/bike/treadmill event.

I registered at the very last minute, so I’ll have to wait for my Bib No in order to post results, then I’ll be receiving this cute Yoda medal.

It supposedly glows in the dark.

Listening to the IPod as I pedaled along, I actually went a little over, qualifying for the 10K portion with 7.2 miles in 43 minutes.

Not necessarily in honor of Princess Leah’s bun hairstyle, but because it was hot and I needed some of the hair out of my way, I ended up with a version of Leah’s hairdo – parted down the middle, pony tails on both sides, minus being wrapped in buns.

The afternoon was a seemingly halfway around the globe drive to the optometrist where I was prepared to face snobby, rude, dismissive guy.

He wasn’t there. Instead, I was met with and had a pleasant afternoon with friendly helpful informative staffers.

The exam did find discrepancies not noted in my provider’s exam, most importantly that one eye is better than the other and needs a slightly modified prescription. Also, the glasses made by the vision center should have been bifocals and, when I’d told the vision center I didn’t want that ugly line, and they consequently made straight distance and straight near glasses – which I find only good for near or far, nothing in-between, the vision center should have offered invisible line bifocals.

Though I didn’t know or remember the glasses I’ve been wearing since 2000 are so multifunctional because they ARE invisible line bifocals, or that invisible lines even existed, the so-called experts at vision center should have known.

Also, whereas the vision center never questioned the frames I selected and, even if I had opted for bifocals, would have made glasses without questioning suitability of the frame for the prescription, staff at this optometrist’s office helped me pick out frames that would best work with the prescription.

You do get what you pay for.

It was hot as Hades on the long drive up, equally hot on the way back but, having once lived in the vicinity, I decided to take the Scenic Route 66 back so I could drive through my old stomping grounds.

The entryway into my old hiking trail is now a pokéstop.

Madonna of the Trail

The below building was an abandoned gas station. I remember when it became a flower shop.

Preservationists turned back the clock, restored and turned the “1915 Cucamonga Service Station roadside landmark into a car memorabilia museum”.

Will I tour it?

No.

Old buildings, classic cars and museums are not my thing.

Clear

With not much on my to-do list, and nothing on the Monthly Activity Calendar to interest me this month of May, looks like I’m going to have a lot of down time on my hands, which means I can get back to the needlepoint project, catch up on recorded television programs, sit quietly and meditate, get my mind clear.

On the calendar this month is bingo, of course.

I’ll pass.

There’s the Cinco De Mayo Nacho Social on the 5th.

I don’t eat cheese, can’t even stand the smell of it, so I’m out.

Then there’s the Mother’s Day Brunch Potluck on the 12^th -- billed as “Pancakes and drinks will be provided. Please bring a side dish”. But that’s what the Activity Director said about last month’s Spring BBQ – “Hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks will be provided. Please bring side dishes”, then she showed up with nothing, disputing our even having thought we were having an event that day until she was shown her own calendar and own sign-up sheet.

Having overlooked so much and so many of her misses, I’m not sure I’m willing to trust her again, so I’m probably out.

The next Residents/Management Meeting is on the 18^th; however, having already declared after last month’s meeting I’d likely not attend another, because residents seem relatively happy with management and there is no new information coming out, my passing is a foregone conclusion -- and looks like I dodged a bullet. The notice indicates the Residents/Management meeting rolls over, at the end, into the Residents Volunteer Activity Association meeting.

Appears to be a set-up to me -- a way to capture folks and get them involved, and I’m done with being involved at the volunteering level around here.

There is to be a Suggestion Box, which I plan to drop in a suggestion that, inasmuch as they’re trying to bring back activities we once enjoyed, bring back the walking group and a weekly exercise class.

To make sure I don’t get sucked into, “It’s your suggestion, why don’t you handle that”, I’m going to type up, rather than write the suggestion and omit my name as the suggesting resident.

Last month feels like a blur. My mind was so cluttered by the chaos surrounding the school shooting, plus paperwork and eye wear drama, that I have no clear memory as to what I did with the month, what if anything was accomplished.

Looking back, I see very little was accomplished needlepoint wise, but I did make my own bib/medal board and, inept in the kitchen as I am, I had one successful cook -- that chicken curry with lentils, also I completed the 22.1 Mile Adventures of Sherlock Holmes indoor bike challenge.

Trying to get off the carbs, last night I tried Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice which taste-wise was another success, except following recipe directions was a miss because it didn’t hit me until this morning that I forgot to add the eggs, a must ingredient in Asian fried rice.

If my gut hadn’t developed intolerance to so many different foods, I swear I’d eat out every meal.

At any rate, this month is my time to keep to myself and, except for an appointment this Thursday with the snobby, rude, dismissive optometrist and a Mother/Daughter Spa Day on the 13th, to sit quietly and get clear.