says there's room for maybe just one more

Yay for Saturday! Sheesh, this was a busy week. I'm glad to have survived.

The students have all of next week off at the college. Testing is running through Wednesday, but my tutor schedule is happily empty.

Don't get me wrong, I do typically enjoy tutoring. But as can be expected, the students who sign up for tutoring are the ones who struggle, not only with the coursework, but with stress and anxiety in general, and I'm no therapist.

But really, it's kind of an odd mix. Some are older students who haven't been in a classroom for a while, so just need some extra guidance. Then there are the younger ones who were academically abandoned by the pandemic and other "systemic failures" during their high school years. 

It's a bit of an old story here - I'm sure I blogged about it as I went through it. But in a nutshell, my degree is engineering, I was a happy engineer for several years, we had kids and I became a happy mom and former engineer, and I picked up tutoring along the way.

About 10 years ago, I enrolled in a program at the university that was a pathway for people with STEM degrees to become high school math and science teachers. Seemed like all paths led me in that direction, except...

I learned that I have NO desire to teach at a high school. I mean... the education classes I was taking felt lame to me, for lack of a better word. The atmosphere at the schools we observed didn't gel with me. I even took a non-teaching job at a "nice" high school and couldn't stand it more than one semester.

But hey, it's not them, it's me. I know! I do know wonderful teachers who love their jobs and their schools, and more power to 'em. It's just not my bag.

I shared that summary with one of my tutees this week after she asked me about it. She was enticing me to take on a next level class that I currently don't tutor, but she will be taking next semester. 

"Do it, we need you!", she implored. Seems the only tutors for that course are retired instructors who only tutor online, while I'm okay meeting in person.

I'll probably do it. I'm reteaching the subject to myself to slough off the dust by Spring semester. As we talked, she asked if I'd ever want to teach a class at the college. People have asked me that before, and it seems like there's always openings for math teachers. But... ew. I enjoy tutoring. Teaching is a whole 'nother can of worms. It really has very little appeal to me.

Part of that is likely because... I turned a ripe 60 years old this week. *ock, my bones*. Ain't got no time nor patience for BS. Teachers put up with a lot of BS, while tutors show up, wearing halos.

In true old lady form, here's a coupla pics of a cat. Wolfgang's cat Maisey, whom I've visited daily this past week while on food duty.

I'm happy to make it to 60. Let it be known, I have no desire to do 60 more.

moving on

Okay, holiday season is over. Time to get on with the business of getting through the winter. 

The break was nice, but I was ready to get back to work yesterday. As it was, we only gave four, count 'em FOUR tests the whole day. And it was only for two people because one guy did three tests. Talk about easing back into it. 

Boss had closed a bunch of things down, however, "just in case", so it was expected. I'm off today, but the schedule looks to be back to normal now.

New Year's Eve and day were non-events here. I think I was in bed by 9pm on Sunday. Plus, Magnum was down with Man Flu. Now, a few days later, it appears that I've contracted it as well. It feels like... a head cold.

Anyway, I "worked" with Sarge and Boss yesterday. We did a bit of tidying and updating things with all that free time. In discussing our New Year's reveling, theirs was as boring as mine. I mentioned my start of "The Great Declutter of 2024", and Sarge talked of painting his basement. Party animals, I tellya.

We did talk of "the old days" when we could go into work the following morning after a night of drinking. In my younger days, I'd worked at a hotel restaurant. Some mornings, the sight of the empty booze bottles from the bar the night before could make things a bit rough. Sarge told us that he'd worked on a garbage truck for a while and recalled collecting garbage while hungover. Ugh, yeah, that would've definitely been worse.

Now, here we are, cleaning house and painting basements. Did our younger selves see this coming?

a break from this break

• We had our little white elephant gift exchange at work  yesterday - ended up just being five of us as Triple-D was sick, and Star and Kitty had other obligations. I was surprisingly content with what I ended up with - a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, kitchen sponges, and a dental grab bag - HA!

With these work gift exchanges, we try to do them without anyone having to purchase anything. I learned that the jigsaw had been gifted to Party Girl's dad, who has dementia and can do a 60-piece puzzle, tops. I suspect that she did purchase the kitchen sponges - they are new and in the shape of cat faces. The dental grab bag came from Work Study, who informed us that the college's dental assistant program had given them out for Halloween. Who knew?

As to why I ended up with gifts from two people, it's a roundabout story, but suffice to say that I almost ended up with that Zombie book that I brought after things had made the rounds. But Sarge actually wanted the book and traded up to get it. So all's well that ends well, and I don't have to buy toothpaste or floss for a while.

• In other happy news, I went running this morning. My foot had been on the fritz for about a month and a half, but had gotten to feeling better, so I rejoined the weirdos this morning. It did okay, but in the meantime, I had contacted a local physical therapy office that specializes in running injuries.

They're offering a $49 special with full analysis/diagnostics, plus they're office is really close to our house. So I made an appointment for next week, and they sent me a questionnaire which asked typical questions like, "what hurts", "what makes it better/ worse", "what have I tried doing for it", etc... And it also asked something like, "What are my goals from therapy and how meaningful will it be for me to reach them?"

As for goals, I just want to be able to go for regular runs again and make a decent showing at a handful of races - 5K, 10K realm - each year, blah blah... But meaningful? I had to think. I mean, I'm nearly 60 years old. I'd like to be able to leave other 60-year-old women in the dust, but I'm pretty sure I've passed my peak. I came up with something for the meaningful question (all fields had to be filled in), but I realized I could find meaning in other activities if push comes to shove.

I'm off work today, and we're closed all next week. I guess I'll start searching for some meaningful things to occupy my time.

I knew them when

Some of my high school classmates are planning a reunion - our 40th already, yeesh. I have no desire to attend. I mean, I like most of those people, have fond memories and all, but yeah... no.

Most of all, the reunion would take place in my hometown, which is about a 4-hour road trip away.  My parents have both passed away, and I have no family in town anymore.

The town itself has become pretty depressing to me, actually. I enjoyed growing up there, but I hear it's pretty much gone to the pot shops, and the population has diminished further. I've heard of attempts at gentrification, to attract artists and turn it into the "new Santa Fe", but don't know how well that's going.

I was sort of "peer pressured" into joining the class facebook page although I don't really use facebook much at all - it's for old people, heh.  But now I'm learning about classmates who have passed away. A lot can happen in 40 years.

My hometown was small, and my graduating class was about 120 kids. Naturally, there were different cliques as happens in high school. And with small towns, everybody knows everybody's business. So I had the friends I hung out with most, but I knew "of" all my other classmates. 

I realize that the ones I'd care to catch up with if I were to attend the reunion are the ones I didn't hang out with much back in the olden days - get to know them a little better now, maybe? Would they care to catch up with me? 

Either way, pretty sure I'm gonna skip.

a mile from yours

Happy February. Did the groundhog see his shadow, or was there a big balloon covering the sun?

Whatever, I'm happy that the temps warmed up, and the sun has visited, and all this snow and ice and crap that's been around for a few weeks is slowly leaving. Yes, I like having four seasons, but snow and ice don't normally stick around very long here between storms, we're spoiled that way.

I did this month's Tortoise & Hare race with the running club this morning, a 5-miler. Not too chilly or windy, so a nice day of it. Icy in spots, but I managed to remain upright and make it across the finish. I'm still not up to my pre-covid pace, but it's fun nonetheless.

Speaking of getting older *ahem*, I visited a new gym yesterday. Magnum and I decided to leave the gym we'd been members of and get city rec passes instead. The passes give us access to various recreation facilities around town including three workout gyms. So happens, the one closest to our house is at the local Senior Center.

Okay, fine.

I will add that the Senior Center is not JUST for old folks. 18 years and up is the age limit, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was not the youngest person using the gym. As for the basketball court - that place seems to be all-pickleball-all-the-time. Pickleball? Anyone?

And speaking of younger folks, I mentioned last week that the tutoring center at the college is low on math tutors for the number of requests, so they'd asked me if I'd take on a calculus group. I said, "sure, why not?", but I've mainly been a one-on-one tutor and wasn't sure how effective a group (turns out, there are 4 students in my group) sesh would be.

But hey, our first session was actually quite fun, I can dig this group stuff. They all came with their anxieties and questions and likely picked up a few skills they wouldn't have otherwise thought to work on.

In addition, I have two one-on-one tutees, so the semester is off to a nice start. All pleasant "kids".

I'll wrap up this weekly rundown with a pic of my new water bottle, tea mug for scale.

It's pretty. It's insulated. It was essentially free-to-me. It has a screw-on-flip lid - which seems a bit of overkill - but it's what all the kids are into these days, I guess.

Simple pleasures.

for the moment

And so... the holiday week comes to a close. We woke to grey skies and a fresh dusting of wet snow/slush. Maybe Mother Nature herself is reluctant to rush back to the rat race.

It makes for nice running weather, though, and I enjoyed a quiet morning slog along the creek once again. I thought I'd give some blog homage to the ducks since the geese typically hog the glory, but this pair didn't seem too willing.

A nice week it was, what with Thanksgiving and all. Sadly, Meego missed the festivities here as he is dealing with the annoying-virus-but-not-COVID that is currently worming its way through the community. He decided to keep his contagion to himself, while we four remainders did our thing.

Additionally, Magnum and I had birthdays this week. No fanfare to be had, just acknowledgement that we each survived yet another year.

Speaking of aging, race results eventually came in for that Thanksgiving day run. I learned that the mayor is the same age as me, and we both made decent showings for our old lady age division. Until next year, Mrs. Mayor!

And speaking of birthdays, I must give a shout out to my friend and PEO sis, Maxine, who turned 101 this week! Still going strong! She's been on the earth a long time and has seen some stuff!


Her family appropriately threw a 101 Dalmatians birthday party for her, but know that she is no Cruella!

Personally, I have no real desire to live to be 101. What year is appropriate for Hello Kitty?

coming in hot

My mid- to late- 80s mother-in-law and her husband came to visit last weekend.  The drive from their home is about 135 miles. It can be an uneventful two to two and a half hour drive, but involves interstate driving through Denver along with traffic congestion, construction zones, and mishaps along the way.

A few weeks ago, step-father-in-law had an incident that helped him come to the realization that he probably shouldn't drive anymore, so now MIL is the sole driver.  I'm not necessarily convinced she should be behind the wheel, but it's the lesser of two evils. And they have an SUV with all kinds of sensors and control systems, so we keep our  mouths shut. They seem to do fine as long as they are in familiar surroundings during daytime. 

They made it up here just fine and attended Meego's graduation with us, Chaco in the role of chauffeur.  After the grad ceremony, we gathered with other families at The Lake House -  Meego and his roommates' college rental house. The house is a typical college rental house on a typical college rental house street and nowhere near any lake that I know of. 

Not surprisingly, MIL and SFIL were ready to turn in while the grad bash was in full swing.  I walked with them to their car and asked if they could make their way back to the hotel okay. It wasn't far away, about 3 miles.

"SFIL says he knows from his phone", MIL replied.

They typically don't use GPS, so I saw this as a sign that they're finally ready to embrace the technology.  So with that, I saw them off with confidence, adding that it was still light out so, no worries!

They did eventually make it to the hotel.  About an hour and a half later?  It was good and dark by then. SFIL rehashed their adventure for us the next day -  about how it was too dark to see any street signs, how they often didn't know which direction they were going, etc.  I'm sure they were exhausted by the time they made it to bed, but I'm glad they weren't in an accident.

Coming home from work on Monday, traffic was light in the area since the high school had the day off for some reason.  Good thing, because just beyond the high school is this 4-way-stop intersection where I turn left to head home.

There was no one behind me, and I eased myself to the left turn lane and approached the intersection.  A cute Miata convertible approached from the right, totally blew through the stop sign, then turned left into oncoming traffic.  Oncoming traffic = me and Daisy, my commuter bicycle.

Cue bike cam footage:

We managed to avoid each other, as the driver seemed to realize her mistake.  But strangely, she swerved around me by pulling further to the left?  

Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic around, and we easily avoided one another.  As she went by, I noticed she was an older woman - 70's maybe?  The Miata had dealer plates, so a new acquisition?  

I thought maybe she was meaning to pull into the cul de sac on her left and was cutting corners by driving down the wrong side of the road, but she actually continued down the left side, all the while, going upstream like a salmon.

She went over the crest of the hill and beyond toward the high school, never to be seen by me again.  

Cute car, though? 😕

so many things!

Thanksgiving day has come and gone.  I'm thankful for much, and I'm grateful to have today off from work as well.  No shopping on the agenda!

All the "kids" were here for our simple festivities.  I feel I need to have another term for them than "kids", but it'll have to do for now.  I cooked the traditional foods, but certainly no pressure since it was just the five of us.  

So we ate, walked the dogs.  Wolfgang brought some games over, and we played two of them.  Board gaming has made a thriving comeback as of late, and he's got a nice collection.  These newer games are creative and imaginative, and I'm glad it's a popular pastime.    

Earlier in the day, I did the local turkey trot, aptly named "Fort Collins Thanksgiving Day Run".  Four miles around downtown.  It was my first time doing it, and it was much fun - a popular local race that was cancelled last year for obvious reasons.  

The morning was chilly but sunny and very nice conditions for the event.  I heard there were over 3,000 participants, and the atmosphere was one of buoyant gratitude to be able to do these things safely again.  I personally hadn't been part of a mass start like that since 2019.

Came across this clip later on instagram and thought it looked like right where I'd started from.  Then yep, watching the clip I realized camera-person had been right behind me.

I'm thankful I survived it and am happy with my finish time, ending up 3rd place for my gender/age category.

All in all, a very good day.

And we have leftover pie.  Anyone want leftover pie?

____________________________________________________________________

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
1. Write about something(s) you are thankful for.

moon messing and goats

Happy Thanksgiving week to us 'mericans.  I, for one, am looking forward to the short work week.  Was it just me or were people acting a little weird last week?  I theorize it was that beaver moon lunar eclipse going on up there and messing with us.  

Since I work in a testing center, anxiety is common, but sheesh.  We had a couple of people actually break down and not finish their exams.  I feel quite bad for them and hope they're doing better.  Another tester aptly earned the nickname "Mean Woman" with her strange and brusque manners.  All that was missing was another helicopter mom losing it.  Had to be that moon.

This week will be better if only because it's shortened.

In other news, I had a birthday.  Coworkers broke out in song and presented cake during a break in anxiety riddled activity.  When asked what I was doing for my birthday, I truthfully explained, "nothing really". 

Magnum's birthday is later this week.  Then there's Thanksgiving.  We just lump the three together.

Honestly, I don't really remember any birthday celebrations since I turned 21.  Seems that's the last biggie:  Okay, we can drink legally now.  No need to keep counting.  That year, I also celebrated with coworkers.  

We went out after work (I was a quality inspector at a big corporation), quite late since we worked 2nd shift.  I had my first legal drink in a bar, but didn't get trashed.  Actually, by that point in my life, I'd drunk enough illegally that getting trashed wasn't big on my agenda.  But it was a good time.

My coworkers now are a nice bunch too.  One gifted me a cashmere sweater set - no, not for my birthday.  That would be a bit much!  She'd been trying to sell the set on ebay, but no takers, and she said she'd rather give it to me than donate it to Goodwill, so okay.  It just happened to coincide with my birthday.

It's too small for her now, and her advice, in hindsight, to me was to wear it a lot rather than save it for special times.  Now, this woman is not necessarily "fat", but she has very large boobs.  I honestly think they are not original equipment. They're a bit too... "solid" looking in their largeness.  She would tell me if I asked, but I haven't felt a need.  

Bottom line, I got a new-to-me cashmere sweater set.  No goats were harmed in the making.

the mattress that you stole

Happy Labor Day!  Celebrating the "workin' man" today.  To me, it's the unofficial end of summer.  I was out laboring in what currently passes as our "landscape".  Suffice to say that we're tearing it down in order to build it up.  

My in-laws, namely Magnum's dad and stepmother, had been visiting since midweek.  They saw some sights around Fort Collins, mainly with Magnum, for a few days, then we got together in Boulder last night with more family to celebrate the FIL's 87th birthday.  A nice, rather posh, bash it was.  

On Saturday, we met up at the university's flower trial garden. Meego and Wolfgang, as well as Magnum's brother joined us. Lotsa flowers (pronounced 'flares' in redneck-speak).  It was a beautiful morning for it.  Some pics:

There were plenty of bees around, and I am allergic, but they couldn't care less about me or other humans with all that lovely flower nectar to be had.  

Then yesterday, off to Boulder.  Magnum and I attended and met in school at CU Boulder.  I've got many fond memories of the place but haven't been back much.  It was nice to visit, although the locale we were at was quite changed.  I wouldn't mind living there again, but these days, housing prices are quite ridiculous.  We could afford the back of a van maybe.

Dinner was at a swanky hotel.  (Lucky) Thirteen of us altogether.  I think FIL had a nice birthday, and I enjoyed visiting with the extended family.  Hadn't seen the stepmother-in-law's daughter and her family since the FIL's 70th birthday bash.  Magnum's bro and sis and our kids helped round out the baker's dozen.  

We've gotten together many times over the years.  FIL used to tear up the ski slopes.  Now he walks with a cane.  Was it really that long ago that Magnum and I, along with Magnum's siblings and stepsister, would travel to these meetups as college kids?  Now, we're the ones with the kids in college and beyond.  

My time in denial is running out.  

remember when we wished we were older

I went to my referral with the skin doctor regarding my "changing nevus" and was beckoned from the waiting area by a girl who looked to be about 16 years old.  She told me she was a physician assistant.

Then the good doctor arrived.  She didn't look much older than the PA.  Okay, I don't necessarily feel old, just everyone else seems so young!

Anyway, she looked at the mole and declared it harmless.  I think she gave yet another name for it, which I've since forgotten, and said it's common to get these as we age.  "...and you don't have to be very old to get one", she added, probably to be nice.

She said they often show up in high-friction areas, and that makes sense, as this mole/nevus/old-person mark is on my shoulder where the strap of my purse or backpack lays.  It was a very relaxed - almost boring - consult, unlike the internet search that told me I was abnormal and doomed.

And that was that, I was in and out nice and quickly.  She offered to remove the mole if I wanted, but I said I'd just keep it (and the removal fee).

Some people believe that birthmarks or moles we're born with are signs of trauma from our past lives.  Well, first you have to believe in reincarnation.  Ya think? Maybe?

Who knows?  I have a large birthmark that covers most of one side of the upper portion of my back.  I forget which side it's on as I don't see it often.  I was oblivious to it until a doctor pointed it out to me when I was a teenager getting a sports physical.  

I have another on my lower left leg.  Show-and-Tell time, see it?

I remember often pondering the mark while in the bathtub as a little kid.  But I certainly never had any past-life revelations.  

If I were to make up a past life story?  Civil war injury to my leg?  Eventually killed me.

As for the big mark on my back... Gored by a wooly mammoth?  Or something stupid like worked or smoked myself to lung cancer oblivion?

Birthmarks.  Got any?  What's your (made up or otherwise) story?

this some good pot

I gifted myself this cutesy teapot this week.  It's the teapot I didn't know I needed.  

It holds about 28 fluid ounces. Comes with a trivet and basket infuser insert.  It's cast iron with a ceramic finish on the inside, so tea stays hot for a good long time and I can reheat it on the stove. 

Really, it's the bomb. I drink tea daily, and now with this, I may just give up coffee.

HAHAHA!... just kidding.

But still.  

I included my glasses for scale and contrast.  Contrast because I'm not as happy with my glasses as with the awesome teapot.

Supposedly, the top of my lenses are for distance vision, the middle sweet spot is for arms-length to middle distance, and the bottom portion is for close up.  

I think they work okay for distance vision, but it's a literal pain in the neck going for the arms length and closer.  Why can't I just have the eyes of my youth that worked for everything?  Is that so much to ask??

I have an old pair of prescription glasses from about 10 years ago that are better for when I'm on my computer, like now.  I'm thinking I'll bring these old glasses to work with me until I get an eye exam, for which I'm overdue, and ask for some single-vision lenses.  

The college president announced that, as of July 1st, we will no longer require masks be worn in campus buildings.  I don't plan to wear a mask anymore, and our boss said he probably won't either.  

I think one of my coworkers is a little pensive about germs, but the rest of us are ready to free our faces and work with other freed faces - coworkers and customers alike.  No more this:

.

Onto the next - clear glasses that only get fogged from my delightful hot tea.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: next

the tooth, dark books, and old folks

I almost lost my fake tooth again.

Honestly, I'm embarrassed to admit this since I just got that fake tooth replaced and was all, "Oooh, this one's so much better!  I'm gonna fer sher take good care of it forever..."

Part of the thing's allure is that it's nice and tiny compared to that whole-mouth appliance thing I had previously.  

Long story short, it almost went out with the weekly trash.  I painstakingly rummaged through food scraps, coffee grounds, etc. and happily found it.  I now have tooth cases throughout the house in addition to my mouth!

Also this week, I finished reading My Dark Vanessa.  I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.  It told a difficult and sad story well enough.  I usually enjoy these "forbidden relationship" novels for the psychological study.  Indecent, for example, was a fave and probably the reason My Dark Vanessa showed up in my recommendations.  But it was challenging to get through - blech, dark, and creepy.  Don't know if I would recommend it.  Now I'm reading something fluffy and light for contrast.

I've been lost on and off all week as to what day it is since my work schedule has changed. It's all good though, I'll get the hang of it.  So far, I enjoy the new position - more taking care of the young people who take care of the old people rather than taking care of the old people myself.  

Admittedly, geriatrics is not necessarily an interest of mine.  I can't imagine that anyone wants to end up in a nursing home, but there they are.  More often than not, I feel relieved for them when they pass away.  And it will  only be a day or two until someone else takes their slot.  It's most difficult for those who have a full grasp of their situation, which they thankfully, sometimes forget

So it's nice to see these caring younger workers handling it all so well.

And speaking of young people, we swung by Wolfgang's yesterday for some cat-sitting instructions for an upcoming fun trip of his.  He was convalescing after his second hit of COVID vaccine.  Achy, blah, with a headache.  From my small sampling, I've observed that younger people in general seem to have more side effects than older from the vaccine, whether Pfizer or Moderna.  My reaction was noticeable, but mild.  Yay for being in my 50's.  

Happy May.  I plan to watch The Kentucky Derby later.  

Today is Saturday, right?

bring the heat

Happy Sunday, y'all.  The start of my "weekend".

I'm happy to report that I've felt very little adverse effects from my second hit of the COVID vaccine.  Had some mild muscle soreness develop a little into the day after, but it was all gone by evening.  I'm actually glad I felt something, because otherwise I would have wondered if the thing was doing anything!

We were concerned at work because a number of us were scheduled to work the day after our shots, and we didn't know how each would respond.  For the most part, people felt mild "crappiness", but were able to work just fine.  Our boss was relieved as she'd struggled quite a bit the day after her second shot.

"I felt like butt", in her words

I did start receiving texts from one coworker early Friday morning, however:

So yeah, that particular coworker soldierly dragged herself in for about an hour and then went home to "vomit in peace" once we were able to establish coverage for her.  Any voodoo attempts apparently didn't work. 

I'm still fantasizing a getaway.  It doesn't even need to be a warm getaway, although that would be nice.  But I'd be happy with a trip to the mountains, maybe a sunny ski resort.  "Sunny" being the operative word.

Although I've spent most of my life in Colorado, I've not skied (I had to google to see if that's the correct spelling for past-tense of ski) a whole lot.  I didn't learn to ski until I was 19 and in college and actually got a P.E. credit for my efforts.  Then there were the university years when, who had money for lift tickets??

There was one season there when I wasn't a broke student and also had a boyfriend who liked to ski and take me along.  We would load up early on weekends and hit the slopes.  "Hit" being the operative word in my case.  But I was young and could easily bounce back, literally, from the many wipeouts.  

That was many years ago, and snowboarding wasn't a thing yet.  Now, I watch snowboarding and it looks like fun.  Back in the 70's, when skateboarding was in a heyday, we kids spent our days zipping around and I became relatively skilled myself.  I now have the front teeth crowns to show for it.  So I think I would have picked up snowboarding pretty easily.  Sometimes I'm tempted to give it a shot.  I wonder how it would feel all these years later?

Okay, then again, maybe I'll just count "survived my COVID vaccine" as this winter's physical accomplishment...

a first

I don't know about you, but it feels like this week just flew by.  Sign of age?  Today is Sunday, right?

We're still dealing with a bit of COVID-19 heightened precautions at the old folks' home, but hope to be able to relax back to the prior "new normal" next week.  At times, it feels like overkill, but our facility has been a benchmark for keeping our residents COVID free, so there's that.  All that PPE does get hot and cumbersome, though.  Apparently, a "hot" nurse has found a way to deal with it.

Uhm... I totally get it, but  I'll pass.

On that note, I'm scheduled for my first hit of Pfizer vaccine this coming Friday.  Of the people I've talked with who have received their first dose, they report side effects from virtually nothing to a little fatigue and headache.  They'll be getting their second hit around the time I get my first.

Speaking of firsts, I went into one of our residents' rooms to find the woman, Dorothy, not looking well.  She was slumped a bit in her chair with an anguished expression on her face. I asked if she was all right, and she told me she was having "such a hard time breathing".

Dorothy is typically very talkative and witty.  Although her body is in decline, her mind is sharp as ever.  She dresses up nicely every day and does her hair and makeup.  

So her appearance was not typical.  She was still in her nightgown, no makeup or jewelry.  She asked me to unhook her bra, which turned out to be no small task.  It was an awkward reach to access the hooks, of which there were three, because of her position in her chair.  Darn those old lady bras with fat straps and three hooks!

Anyway, I got it undone, which seemed to help, and she's since returned to her usual chipper self.  I realized that is the first time I've ever unhooked another woman's bra.  As I struggled, I remember thinking, "maybe a straight guy should do this since it's a task more from their perspective."

And somehow, this post has become mostly about underwear... 

to the wolves

Welp, I guess it's happening.  A little sooner and more "formal" than I'd expected.

So my job at the care facility - the one I found after COVID took most of my other job away - has been going nicely.  I actually like it better than the previous job at the hospital plus the commute is way shorter. I've mentioned how a lot of the rest of our team is young.  Mostly young adults, and a few are still in high school.  Oh, the drama

I was a bit surprised at how young some were, but they are actually great with the residents.  In hindsight, I think that hiring such a young crew is partly by design.  I think the old people like having these "kids" around.

So that's what I walked into a couple of months ago.  There are a two other older ladies like myself, but the majority are quite young. Last week, our boss lady posted a notice for a Team Lead position, and for anyone interested to contact her.

I, for one, wasn't interested.  I still tute a few hours each week and didn't want additional hours. Coworker "Anna" told me she was gonna go for it, and I don't know about anyone else.  Earlier this week, I asked Anna if anything was happening with it.

"She said she's waiting to see who all is interested, and then she'll conduct interviews", Anna replied.  She quietly added, "I think she's waiting for you".

I told Anna about my disinterest and not wanting additional hours. She would be a good choice for the position.

A couple days went by, then I got a text from boss lady:  Are you interested in the lead position?

Again, the tuting... additonal hours... blah, blah, blah

"I"d consider not increasing your number of workdays", she volleyed.

Oh.  Well.  That changes things.

In short, looks like I will be the den mother I was starting to feel like anyway with just a few hours additional each week.  Except it's an actual position.  I only mentioned it to Anna, so she would learn from me before it's official and not from someone else.

SOURCE

Boss lady said she had me in mind from the get go, mentioning my "calm demeanor" and my "maturity" as well as prior experience.

Translation:  I'm old and don't do drama.

aged like fine whine

It's been a busy couple of weeks, mainly because of the new job plus a couple of orientations I needed to attend on my days "off".  But now I'm all orientated and established with a true day off. So, aahhhh.

I don't want to blog too much about the nursing home, it's just been at the forefront lately.  As I've gotten to know both residents and coworkers, a few fun things are emerging

• Three of us worker bees in the department are full on adults - I mean we have kids of our own, have completed college (and actually we all have grad degrees), have paid or are paying mortgages, and have various other adulthood characteristics, like the fact that we read the news... 
• The majority of coworkers are in their late teens and twenties - college kids and even some high schoolers. I'm starting to see some truth in the idea that I was hired to be among the other two "den mothers", which is fine by me.
• There are typically around 80 residents at any time, of which the majority are women.  Our oldest is one of the many Betty's.  She's 98, and we're thinking she's going to outlive everyone currently in house.
• Most of the residents are actually quite cognitive, but deal with various physical limitations.  Only a few are obviously in the throes of dementia or memory loss.

A couple of young girl coworkers told me how they've received unsolicited advice regarding sex and birth control.  

"Back when I was young, we'd just pull out.  But you girls have lots more options!"

OMG, Vivian??

"I got a diaphragm, hoo boy, thank goodness for those!"

Adelaide!!

By the way, this prompted me to research out of curiosity:

"... the diaphragm had become the most frequently prescribed form of birth control in America by the 1930s"

ANYWAY, to be sure, no one has given me advice on birth control or sex.  I usually get tips on how to stave off various effects of aging, as learned in hindsight I suppose. They see me as a near peer!

One of the orientations I attended included a short presentation on dementia and resident rights.  The speaker told of a study where each resident was asked if they would like to remain where they were - in a long term care facility - or go back to being 16 again and have a do-over.

An overwhelming majority wanted to stay where they were.

I too would not want to go back to being 16.  Would you?  Have another age/timeframe to which you would like to return?  

In other news, Wolfgang has reminded me that Inktober is once again upon us.  

I plan to participate again, but I'm not going to stress out about getting all 31 prompts completed.  I haven't done much art play at all since... last Inktober?  I think the process of moving to another city, house selling and buying, and then dealing with the pandemic short circuited me a bit, and I veered away from my art hobby.  Maybe Inktober 2020 will get me back on that track.

In other other news, I expect my partial tooth any day to replace that mean bum tooth I got rid of last year.  

I refuse to call it a denture.

do you do it?

One day a few years ago, I was sitting at my computer, checking things off in a paper register.  Wolfgang asked me what I was doing.

"I'm balancing the checkbook", obviously.

"Whaaaat?", he looked at me like I was creating hieroglyphics.  

Yes, he was aware of what "balancing the checkbook" meant, he just never saw a reason to do it.  It was something only old people do.

So I was all, "how do you know how much is available in your account??"

And he was all, "I just check my balance in the app!"

And I was all, "What about stuff that hasn't cleared??"

He wasn't concerned.  I think at the time, he was finishing up college and living in our house, so no real bills to check off.

I never write checks anymore, but there are automatic recurring payments, direct deposits, venmo transactions, occasional debit card activities... I wanna know where we're at and make sure I'm not forgetting an impending payment.  Plus I like knowing what each transaction was about - something the bank app doesn't always clearly describe. Has it become an obsolete activity?

I'm thinking about this because I was "reconciling the checking account" (maybe I should say that instead of "balancing the checkbook") this morning and found it's about time for a new register for penciling in the entries.  Maybe that's the real thing Wolfgang was poking fun at - keeping a pencil-paper record.  

Do you do it?

I do have a spreadsheet I update, but I like to be able to just open a physical register and see what's what.  Since I'm about to run out, I went to amazon to order more.  Out of curiosity, I read a few of the reviews because what's to review about a checkbook register?

One reviewer stated that he has registers he's kept for the past 30 years.  He likes to go back and see what he was spending/receiving, "like reading old journals".

OMG, now THAT seems like an old person thing to do.  Or maybe I just equate "keeping stuff" with "old people" because my parents had a hard time throwing anything away, and I've gone totally to the other side by being a clutterphobe.  

Nope, once I fill 'em up and everything's cleared, they're gone.  So there's that.  

Do you keep a physical checking account register?  Do you regularly reconcile it?  If so, how long do you hold onto the old ones?

Old people want to know.

what's old is new

 I always feel like a fresh start this time of year.  I think it's  a holdover from my days as a schoolkid.  This is the time of year for new school supplies and clothes, new teachers and schedules, etc.  Open up that fresh new notebook with the virgin paper, at the ready with a long pencil with a pristine eraser or a pen full to the brim with ink and let the learning begin! ... before everything goes to sh*t around the second week of school.

With those memories in  mind, I started the new part-time dietary job at the rehab facility this week.  The place consists of two floors.  The first floor is more typical rehabilitation residents - recovering from a recent surgery or such.  They're not bad enough to be in a hospital, but not quite good enough to go home.  

The second floor is people who will never fully recover and need long term care.  The only "home" they will return to is the Home with capital-H, know what I'm sayin'?

I never purposely aspired to work in geriatric care, but here I am, and it's all good.  My new coworkers are very nice, caring... kids.  I say kids because, so far, they all seem so young.  College age.  The kitchen staff is older and more on par with me, but I'm out with the young troops.  

I've typically worked with other retired moms like myself in these positions, and I think one of the reasons I was an appealing applicant was because I don't have a class schedule to plan around.  Plus, maybe our boss thought the crew needed a den mother?

Walking Dead fans will get the reference
regarding my den mother skillz

So I think I'll enjoy it, and it gets me out of the house a few days a week while adding some fun money to our lives.  It also allows for a few tutoring hours each week.  From what I've seen so far, the residents are well cared for, and the place is clean and abiding by all the COVID-19  protocols.

Some of the residents are very sharp and interesting to talk to, but they can barely move.  Others have no idea where they are or what they did 5 minutes ago, and they can barely move.  Magnum asked if we have to worry about someone escaping.  Oh hell no.

Many have photos scattered about their rooms, depicting them during younger, livelier times.  I try to look past their current frailties, of which there are many. 

It's pretty sad if I let it get to me, but I'm learning from these "kids" who are good at keeping things upbeat and respectful.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: fresh.

show me yours?

Since we moved to Ft. Collins, Magnum and I have been checking out coffee places for our weekend walks.  Geez, just typing "weekend walks" makes me feel old.

Anyway, we've built up a decent list of options, and this morning, we walked for the first time to a place I'd been wanting to try.  This particular coffee house is very near the university campus, so we figured most of the clientele would be students (a.k.a. people young enough to be our children), and we're okay with that.

I liked the place. I think I would even say it's usurped my previous choice for top spot when figuring in the coffee, atmosphere of the place, and the walking route to and from.  Additionally, while our entrance did noticeably skew the average age, I did spot other grey hairs and bifocals in the place.

No sooner had we sat down and taken our first sips, I recognized a young guy who came in and approached the counter.  He'd been a student from when I worked that boring job at the high school a couple of years ago - that boring job that revealed to me my lack of any desire to ever work at a high school.  I don't think he noticed me as he was with a companion and the place was generally pretty busy. Even if he had noticed me, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't remember me, so small was my role in his high school life.

But I remembered him as a good kid - AP honor student, very respectful, etc.  He's the same age as Meego, and it was a kind of a nice surprise to see this mini blast from the not-so-distant past.  I still feel like a bit of a stranger in a strange land after moving from Colorado Springs.

And speaking of downsizing, We Are Clamco blogged about her new computer.  It's an all-in-one that I like the minimalist look of.  I considered getting one last year (?) when I was looking to replace my desktop, but found a cute microcomputer instead.  Did I ever introduce it here?

If I did, sorry for the redundancy and laziness in searching the archives.  But I do like this little powerhouse.  It does everything I need it to do for the tutoring biz while taking up very little desktop real estate.  Here's a photo, and I've included an easily recognizable everyday item for scale:

Care to share your hardware?