Saturday March 26 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, hope you have a good day and your spirit lifts.

Happy Retirement Dianah!!

J22, sorry you're feeling down. Hopefully it's just normal ups and downs that we all have. Sorry you have to skip running but it is probably a good idea since even though it doesn't cause you pain it aggravates it. You should do hot yoga!!

Stars, you may have heard me talk about my sister and her dumpster diving. There is a whole cult out there of people that get really good stuff that the stores throw away. She's given my silverware, pots and pains, soaps, and my current vacuum cleaner that works fine. The high cost private college in Tampa at the end of the school year provides a lot of stuff as the rich kids don't care about material things and throw away perfectly good things.

I had a nice day yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. Lots of people out. We went downtown and enjoyed the waterfront and had some coffee and I had a slice of banana bread (probably wasn't vegan though).

Today should be a quiet day. My goal is to mow the front yard here soon and to go to hot yoga this afternoon. It's also wash the sheets day. How exciting.

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 26, 2022

Re: recycling/discovering great dumpster finds: MIL and FIL, years ago, when living near L.A., would cruise the streets of the nearby upscale neighborhoods (think Beverly Hills), and came home with great finds from yard sales!

Didn't sleep well last night, I assume due to anxiety r/t transition to "retired," hopefully will sleep better tonight. As the next month or two unfold, will get used to being home, as well as the income shift. Dh looks forward to having me AND the car at home! LOL!

Joe, good that work is leveling out, hopefully you will not get inundated with out-of-state cases! We hardly ever watch Netflix, mainly we tap on Amazon prime. Wonder if I should cut Netflix out of the budget???

nursej22, hopefully only two weeks of no running, and then maybe healing (or whatever has to happen) can begin.

OK, Zoom Sabbath School is coming up. Then we meet friends B & S for lunch.

Have a good day!

allnurses Guide · Mar 26, 2022

Hello folks! Tweety gave a few of us a "poke" on FB about not coming to AN much when some of us mentioned we didn't know Dianah was retiring! So he motivated me to log in!

Dianah - I am happy for you and really want to retire as well but I'm turning 65 this Summer, 66.5 is the retirement age for full SS benefits, and I still have a (damn) mortgage. My husband is 4 years older and technically retired but works for a local farmer from March to October every year. He loves farming.

I want freedom from a work schedule that makes it hard to see my grandkids. I have four now; two from oldest son in Idaho and they are 6 (boy) & 8 (girl) and two from 2nd son in Mendocino, both girls, 2 and 1.

Plus, I'm tired. The last two years have been tough, as I know you ALL know.

Did I check in since Spidey got married last August?

steph

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 26, 2022

Hi Steph! I've been thinking of you! I don't remember seeing that Spidey got married. Is he the son living in Mendocino? Grandkids are pretty amazing, aren't they?

I actually slept a little last night. I woke up in pain, as usual, but it was different, more like soreness from the massaging I got yesterday, and not the burn/ache across the base of my pelvis and coccyx. I went for a bike ride in the drizzly rain out by the bay, did about 9 miles. I've decluttering this morning, tossing stuff (why did I keep that?) and finding lost treasures, like my RX sunglasses, and dusting (Ker-Choo!). I need to get some claritin because my hay fever is ramping up.

I used to say my decorating style was early American Garage sale. Much of our furniture was/is hand-me-downs from relatives or gently used second hand. We don't have a pricy private college or Beverly Hills to score at. My oldest sister prides herself on finding deals. More power to her.

Joe, sounds like you had a good convo with your manager. It's always good to have clear expectations and a boss who understands the value of good orientation.

Happy retirement, Dianah! I am trying to transition dh into living on a somewhat decreased budget. But sometimes the more I try, the more he feels like he needs to get. His father spent a lot after a retirement, leaving MIL to work much later in life, and now she is very stretched, budget wise. I want to leave money for my kids, not depend on them for a place to live.

No Stars In My Eyes · Mar 26, 2022

Spidey is old enough to get MARRIED? Time sure flies! Steph, I am glad you tapped back in here, it is good to 'see' you again! Hope Tweety's 'poke' at some of the others brings them back, too! I wonder about Sabby, also.

I understand folks being in a funk lately, as I am also wandering around in the funk. Is it the phase of the moon? The war in Ukraine? Daylight Savings Time messing with our internal clocks? More Covid mutations? And a whole bunch of personal etceteras, no doubt.

We are dealing well with Ozzie's being gone now, but periodically expect him to pop up during certain times and situations. Nannie has started slipping again, mentally, and it has hubby on edge. He SO wants this arrangement to change. Unfortunately the fact Nannie doesn't qualify for Medicaid, and the financials not being sufficient enough to house her somewhere else, are stalling any hopeful plans for our 'freedoms' of retirement. Ah, well.

j22, I wish 'they' would find something to do that would make your legs feel better. Not running, when you're used to doing so must be hard on you.

dianah, hope your sleep issues figure themselves out and give you some GOOD nights of sleep. Hubby woke me up today: "It's 1:30, are you going to sleep all day?" I was right in the middle of a dream where about 1/2 dozen people with me were searching for a ?restaurant? which we couldn't decide if it had gone out of business or just moved the location. My reply to his question about sleeping all day was: "Is it daytime already?" He said it had been for quite a while. I got up but felt like a zombie for the first 1/2 hour or so.

EGADS, it is getting close to the time when hubby asks, "Well, have you girls decided what you want to eat for supper?" I'm not hungry, and often say, "Just tell me where you are going to get supper, and I'll decide what I want." I would prefer to eat LATER and not necessarily from our usual places we go for take-out. I could go to the HFS where they have a deli and prepared hot food and soups, but no one else here likes "that kind of stuff." Huh, how do they know? They ain't evah et stuff from there, just wrinkle their noses at what I might bring in for me, which I haven't done much of lately....not only are the cost of such foods higher, but the store is a good drive away, so not terribly convenient for the spur of the moment decisions.

Hah! What did I just say?! "We girls" went through the same, 'I don't care. Where do you want to go to get it?' He finally decided WENDY's so we are getting the Asiago-Ranch-grilled chicken-bacon sandwich, French fries, and Chili. He likes "THE BACONATOR". I can think of 4 or 5 other places where we could get something besides fast food, but neither of them have much enthusiasm for what they consider 'different' foods. I think an actual MEAL once in a while might not be a bad idea. I don't know why it is so important to hubby that we all get food from the same place and eat at the same time. Just let me grab some things on another day and eat them when *I* feel like eating. I could happily and successfully be a 'grazer'. Whenever I suggest that those two get what they want and leave me to my own devices, hubby gets ticked off, and I can't understand why!

I am quite disappointed with the postal service....all they bring me is JUNK and a few bills. Where are my magazines? Can't get the newspaper delivered anymore because they don't have any deliverer's in this area (!)....it is even to the degree where you can't find a stack of newspapers in any of the local convenience stores, either. These are tough days for a 'print-junkie' such as myself! I have a good book going, but I can't read a book (follow the action) when I am always being interrupted. And I am a bit tired of doing crossword puzzles ALL the time.

Enough grousing for now. Hope y'all are having a good day. (Although Joe....in the 30's and maybe snow? Nah! That would not make me too happy!)

It is about 60 degrees, mostly sunny, and we are having a LOT of gusty winds. You can hear it making its way through the treetops, from all the way down the street....loudly! WOOSH-WOOOOSSSSHHHHH! and then on past us, until the next gusting. It sounds like big vehicles driving on snow tires.

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 27, 2022

@Spidey's mom, good to see you here! Where are Spidey and Mrs. Spidey living? (close to you??) Is he / are they in school?

I was getting tired, too. Just tired. Physically, it was good I wasn't in Cath Lab, but mentally I think I'd prefer Cath Lab = task- and procedure- oriented, rather than Case Mgmt. Ah well, got lots of experience in different areas, and it's all water under the bridge now!

We met long-time friends B and S for lunch at a little Mexican restarurant up at Oak Glen. Food was good and, honestly, I think S was more excited about me retiring than I am! LOL! She's been retired a couple years (OT Supervisor), and really enjoys it. She has a beautiful garden and keeps a nice house. Unlike me. ? I'm sure I will find my niche. Or niches. Anyway, we had a nice visit and promised each other more to come! B still works, teaches part-time at the University: Sciences (Pathology, Entymology, Anatomy, etc).

We just finished the Jamkazam session, had about 8 jammers and no serious technical issues.

Have a good evening!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 27, 2022

I forgot to add that hot yoga does sound intriguing, but I'm not sure how accessible that opportunity is. When I did yoga in the past, many studios wanted you to commit to weekly classes, which wasn't possible with my schedule.

Yup, I'd be happy with more soup for dinner, and less meat, but that apparently is not enough. Soup is just one course, and one must have meat and starch too. I find many restaurant portions just too much for me, and left over fast food, not that appetizing.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2022

Spidey married? He was just a toddler when we all met. Sheesh. But congrats.

My boss is 70 and just retired from working full time and is working six days a month. I've always said that when she has grandkids she would retire for good but her one son is already in his mid-30s and just got married. So time will tell.

I think one of the things that will keep me working is that I want pretty much the same income and want to travel in the meantime. It's all good. The caveat to it all will be my elderly parents and what they will need from me. I'm hoping they can hang in there five more years in the good health they currently enjoy. But that would make dad 93.

J22, you do seem to get a lot accomplished in your day despite the discomfort.

Stars, your husband should just give in and let you graze if that's your preferred ways. Was he raised to have a sit down with the family? My parents insisted we all eat together at 6pm every day. When I was with my ex, we settled into a pattern of eating together every night at 6pm except when we worked 7pm to 7AM we would eat a bit earlier. 6pm is my preferred dinner time to this day except when I work.

Dianah, it's understandable to have some anxiety about being retired. I remember when I was off work for 12 weeks with my shoulder I went nuts with anxiety. I really think that retirement will do the same thing. I'm sure you'll find your niche.

I did manage to meet my goal of mowing the grass and going to yoga. But not much else. I stoped at a restaurant called "Fresh Kitchen" and ate outside a nice tofu, chickpea and vegetable dish by myself. The air in the shade was a bit chilly to me. My car said it was 71. Lord help me if I think 71 is "chilly". LOL

2 minutes ago, nursej22 said:

I forgot to add that hot yoga does sound intriguing, but I'm not sure how accessible that opportunity is. When I did yoga in the past, many studios wanted you to commit to weekly classes, which wasn't possible with my schedule.

Yup, I'd be happy with more soup for dinner, and less meat, but that apparently is not enough. Soup is just one course, and one must have meat and starch too. I find many restaurant portions just too much for me, and left over fast food, not that appetizing.

The studios around here let you by a pass. I buy a "10-class pass" because it's cheaper and I have six months to use it up which doesn't pose a problem. They also have pay as you go one class at a time. Odd that a studio would ask for a commitment like that.

I don't like soup as a meal either. When I make soup, I very often cut the liquid in half to make more of a stew or chili.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Mar 27, 2022

Hey to everyone. I did read and care a lot about everyone's dailies. I'm just too lazy tonight to respond intelligently. But w00t to Dianah and happy retirement!

Was planning to go to the zoo today because they were giving free admission to healthcare workers in Feb and Mar. And it was a beautiful day. Twin A was working there (at the carousel today). Hubs wanted to work on the boat. Twin B wasn't thrilled about going to the zoo and I briefly considered taking Gma but decided to just stay home. Ran the oven cleaner and washed sheets. Bought groceries. Tried a new pasta dish with prosciutto and peas and it was good. Gma was really on an "I've got to go..." kick today and after about the 5th iteration of "I'm going home" or some variation thereof I said to Twin B "I'm going to prison for murder".

Trimmed the dog's long claws, too. Tomorrow there is choir practice after church as we attempt to do a reasonable job with the director's ambitious Easter plans. And I'm going to learn to feed baby squirrels at the wildlife rehab tomorrow evening (squee!)!

I really think that the M-F day schedule, with all its shortcomings, has been good for my mental health.

Hope you all have a good night.

amoLucia · Mar 27, 2022

VILLANOVA WON VILLANOVA WON VILLANOVA WON

On to the Final Four!