Complaining early ... it's HOT! (and stuff about me)

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I would probably be complaining in August about how hot it was, since I was so happy to get the warmth of spring. Well, we seem to have largely skipped right over that "warmth" ang gone directly into the heat of summer - we've had August weather quite a few times in MAY! We have had unseasonably warm weather this spring - which led to "quick - please get my a/c unit in the window!" (thank you very much to Brenda's family).

News about ME (who else?)

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Over the last few years, I have developed asthma, and over the last six months or more, it's apparently been aggravated by a number of allergens - most recently, mildew/mold (same thing - one is just a nicer sounding name) and I cough a lot. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to avoid molds - I think the carpet in the office area where I work has mildew - when you walk into the main office, you can smell the mustiness, especially when it's been damp or rainy outside. And, due to a leak SOMEWHERE in my car, water gets into my trunk and sometimes into the floor of the back seat, and so the car carpets are mildewy as well. Since that amounts to about 9.5 to 10 hours of my day, you can imagine that I've been having a lot of trouble - mostly with coughing. At first I wasn't absolutely sure it was the office carpet that was the big offender, but when I had 3 great days and 2 bad ones in one week (the 3 days I was off were good, the 2 I worked - not so much), as well as the weekends always being a little better, I have become convinced that the midlew in the carpet at work is a huge problem for me.

I have an air purifier in my own small office area, and have been wearing a specially designed silk mask to help filter out the bad stuff. That seems to have helped, even if I have to constantly explain to people why I am wearing it, and that, NO, I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS (sheesh - if I was that sick or knew I was contagious, I wouldn't come to work - do they think I'm stupid?) The doctor has put me on a new inhaler medicine which also seems to be helping. I was on this medicine, by the way, when I had the 3 great days and two bad ones, so I'm holding to the work mildew thing as the trigger.

I've also started eating raw honey from local bees every day (They sell some from Ray Tousey in Clermont at the Kaaterskill Farm health food store in Greenport on Healy Blvd), in hopes of lessening the impact of local pollens on my allergies. It's got a lot of glowing anecdotal reviews, but most doctors will not suggest it due to the lack of clinical evidence. I've been trying to eat better (more veggies, more healthful fats, better quality foods) and am taking a number of supplements which I'm also hoping will help - from DrBenKim.com at his online store. This is all NOT CHEAP and I am very thankful to be able to afford to do it.

But I know one of the things I need to do is MOVE more. I freely admit that I HATE to exercise. After I drive home from work, the very last thing I want to do is exercise, especially when it's 85 degrees F outside! And I don't seem to have the ability to get up early to do it when it's cooler out, either. I will have to figure something out.

And I'll let you know what I figure out - next time!

TTFN!

T

Spring at last?

I'm really tired of being cold and, well, cold. The sun and warmth of spring and summer aren't coming quickly enough.

Of course, in August, when it's hot and humid, I'll likely have forgotten that I was in such a hurry for it to be warmer ...

Daylight Savings Time

Well, it's great for light at the end of the day ... but horrible for getting up. I have such a hard time getting up in the morning when it's dark out - right before we had to change the clocks, it was light when I had to get up for work, and I was feeling more energetic as I got ready and on my trip in to the college. That all ended as soon as we turned the clocks ahead for daylight savings time ... it's now dark again in the mornings when my alarm clock goes off - and I am having a really hard time getting out of bed.

Who thought this was a good idea, anyway? Why don't we just allow our minds and bodies to adjust naturally to the longer days of spring and summer and the shorter days of fall and winter without artificially trying to change things? I don't know who it really helps - I know it doesn't help me.

I know whose idea it was, originally, a couple of hundred years or so ago... do you?

OK, So ... Now that I know you're out there ...

So ... I was thinking today about Keely Smith. I accidentally discovered her music when I met my friend Harry from Texas. As we got to know each other, he told me his favorite style of music was an offshoot of Big Band Era music that call "The Rat Pack" style (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and their contemporaries who performed similar types of music). At the time I subscribed to Yahoo music and I found a few "stations" that played that style of music. I found that I really enjoyed it myself!

One of the female vocalists that I frequently heard, sometimes solo and sometimes with Louis Prima, was Keely Smith. She has a very clear voice, an easy style and just a great sound. She came into the limelight when she worked with Louis Prima, and eventually married him. According to what I've read online (I'll find it and cite it soon), he was abusive and the marriage didn't last - but she remained in the music industry, although she did take some time out to raise a family. While she never achieved the fame of Ella Fitzgerald or other contemporaries, she performed for years - and, last I read online, still does. Keely will be 78 on March 9, 2010, according to this Wikipedia article, and still sounds as good as ever.

You can find a few Keely Smith songs in my playlist above - take a little listen!

Here's the latest...

I had a lovely dinner with my sister Brenda, her husband and the kids yesterday for Valetine's Day.  The food was great, the company was fun (including the humans ... the six indoor kitties are always entertaining), and I enjoyed the movie (National Treasure 2).  We played a little bit of Wii bowling - where I was the champ until I faced off with my brother-in-law - but he just BARELY triumphed over my natural talent. ;-)  And, of course, the brownies for dessert - just WONDERFUL... (I love brownies).

Now, there's an odd name for a food, thinking about it... "brownies" - where do you suppose that started?  There must have been other brownish foods by the time they were invented... and wouldn't they be better named "chocolaties" or "fudge cakes" or something like that? Hmm ... bears looking into.

Here we go ... according to several sources, the true origins delightful fudgy cake confection, which those of us with discerning palates consider to be one of the most delicious snacks or desserts known to human kind, are shrouded in mystery.  Nobody really knows who invented them, and the assumption is that the name came from the color of the food, which is classified as a "bar cookie". Check out this article for the whole story...

That's all for now - catch you later!

-- T

Just getting started

Welcome ... you all know me - I generally have a lot of opinions and a lot to say, but here I plan to be a little bit quieter than you're used to. Hope nobody is disappointed!