Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Healthy Living Thread

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, darn. It sounds like that shop is well out of your way. And although I suck at geography I don't think I'm wrong in saying Africa is BIG!!! Maybe email your hotel and ask them to recommend a place nearby.

Sorry your drive was slow this morning.

Sounds like picking things up for your trip is adding up. Nothing is ever cheap these days. A good friend of mine is always buying some trip or weekend online then spends a fortune getting there or on other unforeseen expenses. They love to travel but try to save money too and it seems these deals end up costing way more than they expected. That reminds me of our trip to Pebble Beach. The car we rented wouldn't hold Marty's golf clubs so we ended up renting the large BMW SUV that setting there all by itself going "rent me, rent me". They may as well had flashing lights all around it. Like I told Marty when we got on the road; we didn't come here to save money. Marty's debit card had a charge at Target for about $50 tonight and when I asked if he shopped there he said yes, he forgot his toiletries bag. He is having an eclectic supper at a place called whiskey cake.

We had clear skies today and got up to 20 degrees. That means there is a sheet of thick ice under everything now. Tomorrow we will eek by the freezing mark but just barely. Work was busy so my day zipped by. I picked up an Arby's sandwich on the way home and am warming up in my fleece robe.

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, when I travel I invariably forget my toothbrush. Like 50% of the time. Fortunately I generally go places where toothbrushes are pretty available but on this trip to Africa I'm making LIST because I don't think I can just pop out in the jungle and get stuff, ha ha.

We got snow last night. I've been b!tching at TR to clean out the garage so I can park my Lexus in there, but of course that hasn't happened so I got to scrape ice off my windshield and windows. There was a jeep off to the wrong side of the road near TR's house when I set out this morning. I didn't even realize what was going on until I had passed it but it looked like it was driving back up ok so I kept going. The highway was slow; I never even got to the speed limit the whole way in. Ugh.

I'm supposed to meet a friend for lunch but I texted her and said if she didn't want to walk over (she's coming from my old building) I wouldn't blame her at all!

Alright... I've got three things I want to do before I head off next week so I'm going to make a big effort at getting them done starting NOW!
 
H Kids!

Dee Jay, your drive in this morning does not sound fun. You had a lot farther to go than I do; I get so stressed when I drive on bad roads. Two hours worth wears me out. I had to pick Marty up at DIA one time in a storm and I had dug hole in the palm of my hand with my nails from clutching the steering wheel so hard. Hopefully TR gets that garage cleaned out for you. It won't help your drive in but at least your car won't need scraping and will be warmer. Sorry my snow moved on to your neck of the woods.

Good plan to have a list of things to pack for your trip. A toothbrush is a must. We both get new brushes every time we have out teeth cleaned so I keep extras in our luggage and stock our guest bathroom with them. I use kids brushes because my teeth are pretty crammed in there and Marty uses an ultra sonic.

Did you friend venture out for lunch? I did and was glad I did; we had peach margaritas with our tacos. It was above freezing today so at least the snow was kind of melting.

I hope you get your 3 things done before heading out next week. I got a lot accomplished today.

I am sitting here in the dark hoping I don't get any trick or treaters. The door bell rang twice before it go dark but since our porch lights aren't on probably no one else will ring the bell. I never picked up candy this year. The Halloween version of Scrooge comes to mind. :lol:

Marty got back to town about 1 today. He got a text to report for jury duty next Tuesday. I said hey at least you'll get $50. If they tell you to set in the front row you will probably be selected.

They let us go home an hour early today. Woo hoo!!! I gladly accepted the offer.

Take care.
Curby
 
Hi Kids! Happy Weekend!!!

We had snow most of the morning but the sun finally came out this afternoon. I had a great day at work, both NN and my boss were out of the office. Amazing how much work I got done today. I picked up 2 junior hamburgers and a baked potato for supper. Dumped one of the buns, combined the 2 junior burgers and had an instant supper. Sweet.

My Apple TV+ subscription started today so I watched the first 4 episodes of Snoopy in Space while doing dishes. They are about 10 minutes each. It looks like there are 10 or 12 episodes total.

I have no idea what's on tap for the weekend. I will lift in the morning. I might go look for some snow boots; looks like this winter is going to demand something better than tennis shoes.

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Saturday kids!

Curby, did you get any more trick or treaters after it got dark? TR went down to Huntley and took his kids around, but they weren't out long due to the weather. As far as I know not one single kid rang the bell here!

The halloween weather was frightful! It snowed ALL DAY and the temps were cold cold cold. I left my of office about three and the roads were a total mess. Yesterday I met the stone guy in the morning to lay out my slab, took the alternate light fixtures to my place because the one I was going to use in the "art area" of the dining room wouldn't work, and retrieved the marble from the mail room that was delivered from Home Depot. I needed a few pieces of tile to fill in at the bottom because the old vanity in the master went wall to wall and the new on is on legs. I twas a b!tch to find some that matched, but I think the HD stuff will do just fine, especially given the location. As far as I can tell NO PROGRESS has been made in my place since last Tuesday. I am going to call the owner of the contracting firm today and have a WTF conversation. I have sofas scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday morning and I'm NOT going to put that off because who knows the next time I can get it done. Maybe crowding the place with other stuff will be a motivator for these yahoos.

Today I need to lay out my packing for the safari. I think I've washed everything for the trip a this point but I need to put it out and see how it fits in the bag I'm taking. Plus I want to be sure I'm not missing anything because this is my last chance to get it!

TR is off at an auction so I better go see what all the commotion is downstairs...
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, it sounds like our 3 days of solid snowing moved your direction. Bummer for you. We did not have anyone ring the bell after it got dark but there were lots of kids out there going up and down the street.

Oh no they haven't done anything on your place since Tuesday. WTH? Nice that you found some marble that matched the vanity you already had in there. That's luck for sure. Definitely don't cancel your sofa delivery.

Definitely pack carefully because if you don't have it with you then you may be out of luck. I hope everything fits in the bag you are taking.

So I had this brilliant idea last night to stay up late so I'd be tired tonight and go to bed early - you know adjust myself to going off DST a day early. I'm beat. I spent a few hours last night looking for EASY patterns for plastic canvas ornaments. My company writes little notes in 100's of holiday cards to give out at the local nursing homes. One of the ladies that works for me does origami and folds stars to put in the cards. I got the brilliant idea the other day to make some plastic canvas ornaments to contribute figuring I could make about 100 by next month. :lol::lol: Well as one of my favorite quotes goes (sadly I don't know who said it) - the worst deluded are the self deluded. I have 3 done and 2 ready to stitch up. Cutting those things out is a PITA. I have a heart, candy cane, Christmas bulb, round ornament and a rectangle I made up to look like a package. I did enjoy my hour wandering around Hobby Lobby though. The Christmas stuff is out already.

I had toast for breakfast figuring we'd go out for an early lunch. Marty ate a late breakfast after meeting a client so we didn't go eat until about 3. Since I was starving by then I ate more than normal. I'm still full. We had a chicken finger (more like a 4 oz. breast) with a few fries as an appetizer and then both had filets.

We watched 3 of the episodes in the new Jack Ryan series tonight. I also watched 5 of the Snoopy in Space episodes; some were better than others.

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Sunday kids!

Curby LOL on the worst deluded... I resemble that remark at time! As for xmas stuff... I've been seeing it in stores since Labor Day. Crazy!

So I talked to the contractor yesterday and we as apologetic nine was from Sunday. According to him he just learned on Friday about the (lack of) progress on my house and he read the two guys who are in charge of getting stuff done there the riot act. We'll see. And yes, I'm keeping the furniture delivery for Wednesday.

I'm in the middle of what I think (hope!) is the last load of laundry for my trip. I've got stuff laid out on the bed at this point and I'm starting to roll it up in groups (pants, tops, etc.). I figure I might as well put in the bag at this point because it's all going to look like it's been slept in by the time I get there anyway. Plus, I bet the wildebeests don't really care, haha.

OK, off to load the dishwasher. Excit-O-Meter = ELEVEN. Not!!!
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I am totally self deluded but I'm happier that way. :DYes, I've been noticing Christmas stuff for quite some time. I totally gave up on my ornament idea. I'll just pick up several box of Christmas cards to donate and I usually help them write notes in the cards. I'll take my 3 skeins of sparkly yarn and 3.5 pages of plastic canvas in to work; I am sure i can find a taker. I made 6 little ornaments and I find them all LAME.

I hope your contractor is truly unhappy and will see to it that things get done. Those kind of things make me think of old SNL skits where someone on the phone is being all apologetic and yes, yes we'll take care of it and a few of them are standing their laughing their butts off.

Not a bad idea to pack your suitcase now and leave it packed. That way you know everything is in there. No, I doubt the wildebeests won't care. There used to be a program on Discovery called Rhinos, Hippos and Wildebeests but the guide would change the last word to Wild Bees. I had to keep asking the provider to fix it; I am sure it was some auto correct in their system somewhere.

Marty's insomnia woke him up at 4 am. I got up at 5:55. I decided I should try and adjust today to the new time change. I usually get up at 6:10. I did get to see a lovely sunrise. We went out for breakfast, stopped by the cemetery to wish my mom a happy birthday and "show" my dad Marty's new red Ford pickup. Then we decided it was my turn to drive the new truck. I did good. My dad always had about that size of pickup and I drove it quite a bit; the F250 though with full bed and extended cab was way too big for me and I haven't driven a pickup since.

We had rice and steak for lunch and have been being lazy today.

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, LOL on the SNL skit about the contractor. I wouldn't doubt at all that's what was going on! That being said the project manager for my place called me at 8:15 this morning to go over some door options for a closet that's being built out and a few other things so maybe a fire has indeed been lit.

TR and I are trying to figure out what to do with my car while I'm gone. As of now I'll put it in long term parking and he'll go and get it out at some point. This assumes I can find the second key. I also have my doubts he'll actually get around to retrieving it. I just don't love the idea of my Lexus sitting in a public lot for 2+ weeks...

Today I need to continue down the path of what I started last Thursday, and which was abandoned about 3 pm when the weather was getting so miserable I decided it was better to head north than to wait any longer.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with an old friend from Goldman Sachs. I wish now I hadn't agreed to it, but there's nothing I can do at this point. I'm so busy and and this week is going to be absolute crazy, but it is what it is!
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, that is good to hear the project manager gave you a call today about the closet door. Hopefully a fire has been lit and your renovation will be done soon.

I don't blame you for wanting someone to retreive your car while you are gone 2 weeks. Can you leave it at your new place and get a ride to the airport? Of course, I am sure you've already thought of many assorted options. I remember leaving at 3:30 am to get Marty to DIA when he was flying to Hong Kong. I don't miss those days.

I hope you finished up what you started last Thursday.

I had a very quiet day at work. They are trying to update the company security on my Mac but apparently they don't have an account for me on that network. I also have the lower right corner set up to auto lock my screen and the IT guy must have locked himself out of it 50 times. He has to get it updated this week so I'm sure he'll be back.

I picked up window tacos for supper on the way home. What really sucked was it was pretty much twilight when I got off work. Phooey to that.

Our cleaning lady came today and Marty ate out so the only thing I needed to do when I got home was dump towels in the washing machine and clean the filter in the Dyson. Woo hoo!

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, it was pitch black when I left work last night. This morning the sun was coming up as I drove and it was blinding in some spots. Every time we have this spring forward/fall back thing it screws up my drive because people get used to the morning sun and then it changes, throwing people off when the come over hills, out of tunnels, etc. I've become an advocate for just leaving the damn clocks alone, if for no other reason than this!

The contractor is making progress but I'm worried about being gone when they get to the "details" phase. The original plan was to talk through things on site when decisions needed to be made but of course I'm going to be gone so they are going to make choices themselves and there won't be anything I can do about it. Makes me kinda sick to my stomach to even think about... I had to go over this morning to talk through some electrical stuff and I said, oh, you do realize the upper cabinets are supposed to be 22" above the counter tops right? And of course they were 20", not 22" so he has to take them all down and start over. I've also given up on the idea of mirrored closet doors and told them to just put the old ones back up on the coat closet and just put regular doors on the closet that's being built in the bedroom and I'll deal with all that later. I'm so over this whole process. Ugh.

Today I was supposed to have lunch with an old friend that I used to work with but he's gone MIA and there is no time or place set. So now I'm in limbo waiting to see if I hear from him.

OK, off to get some stuff together for a meeting with my boss. I'm trying desperately to clean stuff up before I go!
 
Hi Kids!

Tag! Marty is on the jury.

Dee Jay, I am with you - knock of changing times. Pick one and stick with it. I suffer from that drive to and from work with the sun in your eyes. The visor in the Macao is worthless for me.

That is concerning you’ll be gone when the contractors are making decisions for you. Will you have the option to make them change things if you don’t like the outcome? Not much you can do about it where you are going. Good idea to deal,with the doors later.

Darn that you didn’t catch up,with your friend for lunch.

I woke up at 3:55 this morning and pretty much didn’t go back to sleep. Marty was already awake and was downstairs. Short night.

I’m enjoying another quiet day at work. My boss is out again. He is kind of hyper so it seems more relaxing when he is gone.

Have a great day.
Curby
 
Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, oh no... poor Marty. Just tell him to say, "Bring the guilty bastard in, we'll give him a fair trial." Should get him released from duty in about 30 seconds, LOL.

I have given the contractor as much detailed instruction as humanly possible at this point. Whatever will be will be...

So my friend is -- WAS! -- flying Lufthansa. Until the strike. She got a text first thing this morning that her flight is cancelled. Her three options at this point are to buy a $9,000 business class ticket on British Airways, go Swiss Air with a 12 hour layover in Zurich, or leave one day later and get there only four hours later on South African airlines, but there is NO wiggle room if anything goes wrong with that plan. Still waiting to see... My original plan still stands at this point; come 10:25 I will be on my way to London!

Gotta hop and see if I can get another thing or two done before I go. Will check in as much as I can!
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, oh no that Lufthansa is on strike. Marty flew them most of the time when he was in Europe. I hope your friend gets to Africa okay. Good luck on your trip to London and then on to Africa. Do you have a stop between London and Safari Land? Have safe travels and a wonderful time.

Marty is actually done with his trial already. I guess the defense didn't present any witnesses and the defendant didn't get on the stand. Apparently he was already in prison so now he will be there longer.

We are getting freezing fog right now. Fun! I picked up Arby's for supper including a second sandwich for lunch tomorrow. Work was interesting today. Too many meetings plus IT had me off my computer for about 4 hours. Luckily I'd taken my laptop in with me today so I was still able to work. Darn.

Take care.
Curby
 
Hey Curby!

Checking in from the Heathrow lounge, boarding for Cape Town in an hour.

Will report on all the exciting stuff whenever I can!
 
Thanks for the update Dee Jay. That’s a long flight.

I’m cold. We had frost and ice everywhere this morning but no snow. Spent 2 hours this morning hunting down mistakes that you know who made. Then printed reports and now it’s lunch. Such fun.

Take care.
Curby.
 
Happy Saturday kids!

Curby, I would trade you a few cool degrees — it’s 101 today!

Sitting in the Cape Town airport waiting to board for Botswana. Then we take a puddle jumper on the second leg. Yesterday my friend and I did a little pre-shopping. We’re not going to buy anything until we get back from safari but I’ve got a huge list going! I also found quite a few things here in the airport this morning so I think I’ll check both my bags on the way home and do a bunch of shopping right before I board.

I better go pee one more time, LOL. Will keep you posted on my adventure!
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I bet it is quite hot there. Stay cool. Where is your final destination (like I've ever heard of it) but just curious.

Good plan to get in pre-shopping so you have ideas what you want to buy. I am anxious for pictures and to hear about your adventures.

Not much exciting going on today. I ran a full batch of laundry with soap but then noticed after moving it all to the dryer the washer was on rinse and spin. Oops. Those clothes are all wet and setting in the hamper waiting for the second batch I started correctly to get finished. That explains why I saw spots on some of my black pants.

Marty met a client early today and then we went to Sharis for breakfast. I wanted to get my filthy car washed so headed that way very early; I was lucky to be pulling in behind one other person; within the next few minutes there was a line around the building. My car looks way better now. I ordered groceries to pick up at 2 pm today. Marty is mopping the floor in his gym and is meeting someone this afternoon again. The thrills never end.

I did lift this a few minutes ago - 60 pounds and I picked it up 15 times. Ooh.

Have a fabulous weekend and have a blast on your safari Dee Jay.

1573325316777.png
 
Hi Kids!

It's snowing. Again. Looks like my prospects of watching Mercury transit the sun in the morning are bleak.

I've had a busy day. I wrote my December article and submitted it to the paper. I washed and changed our sheets and blankets. I did a few batches of laundry saving a few for my day off tomorrow. We tried a new Italian restaurant downtown today; it was just okay so I doubt we will go back. We watched NFL RedZone to keep tabs on our Fantasy Football players and other assorted chores around the house.

Take care.
Curby
 
Hi Kids! Happy Wednesday!

Not much going on with me. I did get to watch Mercury transit the sun on Monday. We had a few inches of snow but it's mostly melted now.

Take care.
Curby
 
Hi Kids! Happy Friday.

Dee Jay, Lions, and Tigers and Elephants - Oh My! I hope you are having a great time.

I got rudely woke up at 5 am by multiple texts pinging my phone. Which prompted me to text Marty at the gym saying quit being a data sucker because Verizon wants to tell me all about it. :lol:

I just cancelled our old car insurance policy. Woo hoo! One less chore to take care of now.

Have a fabulous day.
Curby
 
Happy back from Africa kids!!!

CURBY!!! Missed you a ton and have SO MUCH to tell you about! Will catch up later but wanted to let you know I made it back alive! :cheeky:
 
Welcome back Dee Jay. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
 
Happy Thursday kids!

Curby! It was a whirlwind few weeks! We saw every animal you would expect to see on a safari and then some, LOL. The accommodations were great (well... that last camp where a guy found a scorpion in his tent was a little disconcerting!) and I swear they fed us about seven times a day. Cape Town was very very nice; clean and safe (at least where we were). I bought a TON of stuff for x-mas gifts. My giant suitcase was technically over weight on the way back but the guy let me slide. Whew! Being back at work this week is hard, especially since my body clock is still 8 hours ahead. Last night on the drive back to TR's, after Big Bros/Big Sis I had to open the winds for the last half hour to stay awake!

Condo is coming along... but not done, which of course I was promised before I left. I'm so over this contractor. He SWEARS the place will be in a condition I can put my bed in there this weekend and I really hope that's the case because then I can stay downtown on nights when I need to.

OK, still a boatload of stuff to get through so let me hop on it. More to come!
 
Hi Kids!

Welcome back Dee Jay. I bet you are tired with the long trip and time change. It sounds like a great time and that's wonderful you didn't have to pay for an over weight bag on the way home.

Glad you made it to TR's okay; that is scary you were so tired driving there.

Darn that your condo isn't done; I hope they get it ready to put your bed in there this weekend. It will be nice on those nasty snow days.

Looking forward to pictures and stories about your trip.

Not much new with me. I've been trying to get my lap blanket finished (knitting) so I can take it to work. We had just enough snow to make everything icy today. And tomorrow is Friday.

Laters,
Curby
 
It's Friday kids...

Curby, still working on sorting through pics. I must have taken a zillion! I'll post a few once I get them organized!

So this is how my morning played out... I got up early, took a shower, and headed into the city. My plan was to stop at Home Depot and pick up something my contractor needed and then go to my new place before work. And then the screen on my dash started flashing all sorts of messages at me, none of them good, and my speed went from 85 to 25, which was as high as it would go. Long story short I made it to the next exit, 4 miles away, with an Illinois Tollway guy behind me flashing yellow lights and spent two hours waiting for a tow truck. Back to the dealer we went. It's a bad fuel injector. Thank god it's still under warranty or else it would be about $2,500 to fix. They don't have the part so I'm getting a loaner until next week. Not sure how the timing will work out since I'm leaving for Phoenix on Tuesday. What a clvsterfvck.

I've been at TR's since he brought me home after the dealer adventure, but we have to go back now that there's a diagnosis to pick up the loaner. My attempts to take a nap have been stymied by repeated calls and texts. At least my dad finally told me what he wants to x-mas and I just ordered that. I've got a few more things to order but based on the list I made yesterday I think I've made good progress on this year's shopping.

Not much else to report for the day. Better go see how the laundry is coming.

Ugh.
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, oh no to car trouble this morning; I am glad you were able to get off the highway okay. Darn to waiting 2 hours for a tow truck. What a relief the fuel injector was under warranty. Remember when rabbits dined on some hoses in my Audi? I couldn't drive it more than about 35 miles per hour; it took me a long time to drive to the dealer 50 miles away. Glad you've got a loaner. Darn that we won't be able to meet you for lunch in Mesa. Have fun though.

It's still cold here. I am debating turning on the fireplace. I picked up an Arby's sandwich for supper and since Marty doesn't appear to have eaten here today I was done with dishes in a flash. I am getting my hair cut in the morning and need to go find some snow shoes / boots. The ones I ordered from LL Bean are extra tall for hiking boot size; I think they'd drive me crazy at work all day.

Take care.
Curby
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, did you move off the couch much today? I bet you are beat after your trip and time change.

We had a very busy day. We went out for breakfast, picked up groceries then I headed out for a haircut. After my haircut I went to Office Depot, got some cash and topped off my gas tank (today is the nicest day in the 10 day forecast). When I got home we went out for lunch, then got me some Keen snow boots, wandered around Michaels and then set down and selected our benefits for 2020. Looks like it went up about $75 a month but will wait and see when the first check comes out in January. I got Thanksgiving cards ready to mail to the relatives and we are heading to see Ford and Ferrari tonight.

Tomorrow is laundry day and house stuff.

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend.

Take care.
Curby
 
Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I have tried desperately to catch up on my sleep, but to no avail. Yesterday didn't help. We went downtown to put my bed together and do some other stuff at my new place... and it was just a sh!t show. Aside from being FILTHY (no way was I going to put a nice oriental rug down on that floor and then add a bed on top of it with a new clean mattress), the kitchen details are NOT acceptable. I spent the whole damn night seething. This morning I fired off a slew of pictures and a scathing message. Allegedly everything is going to get fixed. It damn well better. ARGH.

On a positive note, I've done a TON of on-line xmas shopping lately! I even just finished up TR's gifts so I'd down to just people who can't think of anything they want (i.e., my step mother) and my brother who has to give me some clue what the kids want. Of course I have NO IDEA when all the wrapping, etc., is going to occur...

Tonight I have to finish a load of laundry and pack for the trip. I think we're going to take the giant suitcase with us because last year we bought a bunch of stuff and had to actually buy one from a yard sale, LOL. There's a lady on etsy that has some purple etched depression glass that I bought and she's holding it for me to pick up down there because she lives about 20 miles from where out hotel is. And who knows what else we'll get along the way, ha ha.

I've got so much work to do it's not even funny... better get on it!
 
Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, sorry your condo was such a mess and the kitchen wasn't acceptable. I hope they take care of things immediately for you. Hopefully you can get a lot of rest on your trip to Arizona. With the snow piling up outside I wish we were there too.

Nice you have so much of your Christmas shopping done already. I picked up a Schafer R2-D2 pen for the family white elephant exchange. I need to buy a few more things for Marty's stocking. I will probably buy my employees gift cards and send steaks to some friends. I need to start on my Christmas poem.

Good idea to take an extra suitcase on your trip. That's great you are picking up a purple depression glass. Maybe you'll find lots of new treasures.

Work was busy today and the snow started falling this afternoon. We could have well over a foot by morning. I hope to work from home; we will see what it looks like tomorrow.

Marty's event client cancelled on him so he made us chicken fettuccine already which was delicious and I ate too much.

Take care.
Curby
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top