For use when I really don’t have time to figure out to what category the post should belong.
And just like that I am unemployed. All due to a ‘zero tolerance’ policy of reported boundary violations during a probationary period. When I asked what I did, they would not tell me. I have to get that from HR.
Now I know what it’s like to be voted off the island.
I’ve had numbness that is radiating out from my left ear. It started last Wednesday morning after I ran and it progressively spread until the left side of my tongue and chin were tingly numb. Not cool. It was at it’s worst last Friday when I finally went to urgent care. I was afraid it was an inner ear infection. However, that’s not the case. I’m thankful for that, because inner ear infections hurt like hell.
So, what is the problem? Well, the doctor, who came into the exam room wearing a face mask (yeah, very disconcerting) said the ear looks fine, but that there was some fluid behind the eardrum. Not sure how that qualifies as fine, but whatever. He also couldn’t explain the numbness that was radiating out from my ear. Basically he gave me the message I was getting old and these things happen. That attitude is not acceptable. Actually, it’s pretty crappy bedside manner.
Anyway, the extreme tingling and numbness has subsided. My tongue and chin are back to normal. However, there is still pressure and an itch occurring at my left ear. And at the base of the left side of my tongue in my throat there is a bit of discomfort. And I am feeling more fatigued than normal.
Unfortunately I have no insurance as of yet. This being due to once again starting a new job. So, while I wait for my insurance to kick in – not that it matter, the deductible sucks – I am taking a break from running. I just don’t have it in me at the moment. Once my insurance is active I’ll go to my primary and see what she has to say about things.
Okay, I finished my run. Actually, I finished it over an hour ago. When I got back I ended up helping Tina finish up the Chili that turned into Goulash. She forgot to get the spices for making Chili, so I recommended Goulash. Now we have Goulash with beans instead of macaroni. Well, the macaroni will be added when we actually eat it. She made enough to feed a family of 10. Most of it will be frozen for later consumption.
Anyway, about the run. I managed 4.2 miles in 47 minutes. I kept my heart rate mostly in the Aerobic range, with 2:22 minutes in the Anaerobic range. I took it easy and still did a good pace. Back when I first started running a 15 minute per mile pace would put my heart rate into the danger zone. Well, for my age anyway.
Okay, I’ve almost finished my second cup of coffee. I’m now working up the motivation to get dressed for my 4th run of the week. it’s 47 minutes long (as discussed earlier I’m doing interval running for weight loss so I don’t run by distance but by time). Today’s run has 4 parts – two are running, one 10 minutes long, the other 35 minutes long. The other two parts are one minute walks.
See you on the other side.
I have been running, despite the lack of posts detailing my progress. Today, though, was extra special for running because it rained. I love running in the rain. Granted, when I first hit the pavement this morning it was nothing short of a mild drizzle. However, as the run progressed the drizzle turned into a light shower, and finally, into a light rain. It wasn’t heavy at all and so I didn’t end up soaked. My shoes weren’t even wet when I finished. But it was enough to keep me cool.
My pace wasn’t bad either. My first mile was 9:35. After that the pace turned into 11:05 and 11:26. However, those times also included one minute walks. I’m still doing an interval weight loss running plan. It makes me break up my runs into parts. So far they all include 3 one minute walking intervals.
Also, up until this week I’ve been running three days per week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Now the plan ups it to 4 days a week, which means Saturdays as well. So far I’ve been hovering around 215 to 220 in weight. But I have noticed my pants are getting looser around the waist and my belt is not at tight at the fifth sinch (hole).
I have two executive type desk chairs, one I’ve had since before starting school. The other I bought a couple of years ago. Neither have been comfortable. In fact, they aggravate my lower back within seconds of my sitting in them. So, I finally broke down and bought myself a new desk chair.
I had looked online at Office Depot and priced the chairs. I limited my search to ergonomic designed chairs. Even then, there were 652 to choose from, which was a bit daunting. However, it didn’t take me all that long to find one I liked. At least while online.
That changed once I got to the store up on Central Entrance. The one I had originally picked was right around $114. But it became clear once I test sat it that I wasn’t going to be buying that particular chair. So, I sat in a few other, all with the same results – not even close to comfortable.
Finally I sat in the least expensive chair in the store (and online!) and found it to be perfect. It has 3 adjustment knobs, which was more than the expensive ones, and are easy to reach. Most importantly it allows for the back of the seat to be raised or lowered. Since it’s my lower back that acts up, having an adjustable back seat allows me to support my lumbar.
And the cost? Under $100. I wasn’t expecting to walk away with the cheapest chair, but that’s exactly what I did. And I’m very happy with the results. Right now I’m experiencing the most comfort I’ve ever had while typing away on my computer.
I’m taking a break from reading the first chapter of one of my textbooks. Since I’m between jobs I can focus on my classwork today. My goal is to have the first week of both classes done before the end of the day.
Of course, we’ll see just how I do on that goal by the end of the day.
And yes, I know. I need to tell you about being between jobs. That’s for another post.
There are a lot of stories about the ill effects of marijuana. Most are exaggerations and some are outright lies. Yet, there are also some truths about the ill effects of marijuana. But whether marijuana is bad for you or not, neither are justifications, or rationales, for legalizing or maintaining the prohibition against marijuana.
If marijuana being bad for you is justification enough to keep it illegal, then alcohol prohibition should never have been repealed. You think marijuana is bad? Alcohol kills more people, causes more marital strife, and wreaks havoc on our social system more than marijuana. Yet it’s legal.
The real reason for legalizing marijuana? Because the war against it has failed. Despite millions and millions of dollars being dump into the “war on drugs” year after year the use of marijuana continues. And any increase or decrease has almost nothing to do with law enforcement.
Ultimately legalization will occur because the amount of money the governments – state and federal – can make on taxing marijuana sales will be above and beyond what is made from alcohol sales. At least for the first few years until the marijuana industry because as big and powerful as the alcohol industry. Then there will be decreases in taxing. By then alcohol taxes will probably go up.
Well, one can hope, right?
I’m slowly getting the laundry done. The towels are taking a particularly long time to dry. It’s quite frustrating, actually. However, I did get my office swept, and the speakers for my computer switched out. I am now using a Bluetooth set with sub-woofer. The volume goes higher and gives good low end. And I cleaned my desktop off. Not the computer desktop, the actual top of my desk. It was cluttered and dusty. And there were too many wires all bunched up. So I did some reconfiguring. Now I’ve got me a nice, clean desktop. I’m ready for classes to start.
The improvement with my pace since I started interval training is amazing. Today I ran my first mile in 9:24 minutes. One of those minutes was a walking interval. I ran a total of 2.89 miles in 30:04 seconds, with 4 of those minutes walking intervals! I’m consistently running better paces than I have ever done before.