Post by mrs.jacinthe on Feb 1, 2017 8:38:21 GMT -5
R and I went to see la la land on Monday. I absolutely do not see what all the fuss is about. I mean, it's OK and I liked it, but I didn't love it and I expected to, given all the buzz.
There are dirty dishes in my sink. They've been there for a while. I should be ashamed, but I'm not. Maybe because the rest of my kitchen is such a disaster.
I'm terrified that I'm going to wind up diagnosed with the heart condition they're suspicious of. But it would mean that I could, at some point, adopt a dog and train it as a service dog, thereby gaining a tax deduction for the dog. I'm probably shamefully excited about that. Lol
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 31, 2017 10:29:52 GMT -5
Mine are mostly related to irritation from not being able to swim. I'm busy, and I want to be able to release stress, but so far, I haven't gotten clearance to do anything worthwhile. Also, our damn furnace is working now, but we're going to have to replace soon. THERE'S a bill we're not looking forward to. And finally, I forgot to buy eggs yesterday and now I have nothing in the house for breakfast. I have no randoms at the moment, apparently.
I was looking at the time sheets for my son's swim meet today. North Baltimore (aka Michael Phelps old swim team) will be there and holy shitballs their times are insane. Like 1:10-1:15 100 free's for 7&8 year olds. My son will not be in those heats, hahaha.
I like to start my swim out with 50 of a prone drill for body position (face down, hands extended, feet up and kicking) especially when I've been out of swim practice like I am now. Otherwise I don't usually do drills unless I am in a class.
I am going to jump in with another question. I'd like to start swimming in the am before work. However after swimming I look like a meth addicted raccoon from my googles. Any suggestion on how to avoid this/ make it go away quicker?
Can you wear different goggles or wear them looser?
Unrelated to drills - does anybody have any tips for avoiding leg cramps while swimming? This is for MH. His calves and quads both want to cramp up on him by the end of his swim workout. He apparently spent the final minutes of yesterday's class laying on the pool deck whimpering because both calves and his right quad were just solid rocks and wouldn't let go.
I told him to eat a banana and stop whining because i"m a supportive and loving spouse.
I've had this issue, and it used to be terrible. I swam an entire 2.4 dragging my legs like I had a pull buoy once. It's either form, electrolyte imbalance, or both. And actually, potassium isn't necessarily the culprit. I find that magnesium is my weak electrolyte. If I take mag supplements with care for the couple days before a race, I can work harder with fewer issues. Also, hydrate hydrate hydrate. And have a coach check for good form.
She didn't believe me, citing her friend who when to architecture school but is not an architect and does not practice.
Oh, goodness. Run, don't walk. For real, this is like me, who has no medical licensing or official training of any kind, being cited by my mother to her doctors. (Incidentally, I'm horrified every time she tells me she's done this.) Don't tell an expert what to think or do. This is a red flag of the worst kind. She's going to be a giant PITA. Hard pass.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 27, 2017 11:05:32 GMT -5
I don't do a ton of drills. 1.) My stroke is pretty set and 2.) I find that often they're really just an opportunity to goof off, if there's no purpose explained and/or it's not a thing you need to work on.
However, there are two I love, because I genuinely think they make my swimming better. The first is called slo-mo. Basically, you're doing your entire stroke as normal, but super slow. It's HARD, but it's great to focus on each individual thing my hand/arm is doing as I'm doing it. The second is head-up free. Again, relatively difficult. It's the entire stroke as normal, but with your head up and gaze fixed on a point at the other end of the pool. It's terrible for body position, so if you struggle with that, DON'T do this one. What I find, though, is that it helps me a LOT with focusing on my kick and my hand entry point - I'm trying to transition (well, I was) to less of a glide-centric stroke, as it's not an efficient way to swim overall.
As regards hypoxic drills ... they're not recommended much any more, as, unless you're going to be a 50m sprinter, they don't hold a lot of purpose. Oxygen feeds muscles. Don't deny yourself oxygen. However, as an open water swimmer, I find that doing 3-5-7-9-11-13 and/or 2-4-6-8-10-12 helps new OWSers to be able to relax/stay calm if, for some reason, they miss a breath (wave or other swimmer or whatever). With these, instead of doing an entire length breathing every 3, I just do each breath on a longer interval during a 200 or something. So breath 3, then 5, then 7, and so on until you do whatever your absolute max is (mine is 13), then go back to 3 and start again.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 27, 2017 10:54:18 GMT -5
Well, I ask for references from contractors/etc only if I've never used them and I don't know anyone who has. That said, I don't think references are all that unusual.
However, the fact that she's planning on self-financing with a HELOC and doesn't seem to have a solid plan seems fishy. I don't know. Maybe just let her know that due to your schedule, it doesn't seem like you'll have time to complete this anytime soon and if she has a timeline in mind, she'd be better off to look elsewhere.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 27, 2017 10:49:17 GMT -5
I know it's the cheesiest website ever, but check out shelvesthatslide.com Their products are well made (not particularly cheap, but well-made), they have installers all over the US, and if they don't have any in your area, they're easy enough to either DIY or hire a handyman/contractor to install.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 26, 2017 12:28:09 GMT -5
I'm exhausted but I have no idea why. I woke up this morning at 8:30, which is ... unusual for me, to say the least. Also, I miss swimming. I just want to get into some cold water and soothe my angry soul. But instead, if I want to swim, I have to get into the slow lane in the sweat box that is my regular pool and just putz around. I miss real swimming.
Oh no!! I'm so sorry girl. Bummer about swimming... but more importantly, is everything ok?
Yeah. I'm fine, with the exception of some mild irritation/frustration regarding not being able to swim. They're ok with me pool swimming with supervision. And gently. Just *not* ok with cold water. Or really open water of any kind (even with supervision) until they're able to rule in/out whatever it is that I've got. (They're suspicious for the early stages of a condition called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia - ARVD - which is kind of horrifying long-term but *not* diagnosed yet, so no need to panic at this point.)
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 23, 2017 20:07:57 GMT -5
Dress Barn. I am short and curvy with short legs and I love Roz & Ali Secret Agent pants. Their short is actually short enough for me to wear with flats and not look ridiculous. (I normally have to wear pants with an ankle cut to make that happen, so it is marvelous!)
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 23, 2017 17:47:16 GMT -5
I don't know if anyone's been following my cardiology saga, but I updated over at H&F today. I saw specialists this morning and ... womp womp ... still can't swim and need EVEN MORE tests.
But in good H&G news, I *finally* managed to get to Ikea when they had the Kallax unit I wanted in stock. Also managed to fit that beast of a box into my car and get it home in one piece. I'm not sure I'm up to lugging it up the stairs, though. LOL
I'm sorry you still don't have answers. I'm glad they sound like they are being proactive and aggressive though.
Me, too. I mean, if you're going to possibly get a somewhat rare heart condition, NorCal is the place to be - between UCDavis and Stanford, there are a lot of really fantastic doctors.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 23, 2017 17:40:14 GMT -5
Personally, I'd prefer an ottoman. I'm *in love* with the round tufted one from CB2, but it's about $500 and it's only available in two fabrics. (I wish it came in leather, I'd be all over that)
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 23, 2017 16:57:32 GMT -5
I saw the cardiology specialist (electrophysiologist) at UCDavis this morning - two, actually, a Fellow and his attending. Annnnnd, they're actually more concerned about the findings on my EKG than my regular cardiologist or PCP were. So, dagnabbit, I'm *still* on the bench, and now I'm looking at a heart MRI, a month of electrophysiological monitoring, and yet another EKG, this one signal-averaged. Damn it. Damn it all.
So now I'm reduced to just volunteering for events instead of participating in them, damn damn damn.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 21, 2017 15:22:37 GMT -5
Our furnace is on its way out. It's 24 years old, so not really a surprise, but still. Apparently the blower motor is dying and this cannot be replaced (by a licensed contractor) without a permit around here. And our furnace room/laundry room does not meet modern code - the appliances are crammed in there (the furnace is 6" from the hot water heater). So in order to replace, we'd need to either do a massive remodel of that area or get an exterior unit. So we're going to try to jerry-rig the damn thing to work until such a time we can afford to replace/remodel that area.
That said, anyone have experience with switching to a boiler/radiant heat from a forced air system? We're thinking about going back to radiators (old school cast iron, not the ugly modern footboard models) so that we can get a dual hot water/heating system.
Iam tired of showering and having wet hair. Between Tuesday night (run), Wednesday (teaching morning and evening spin) and Thursday morning (run) I feel like my hair and skin/hair never gets dry or warm (even with the quick 2 min no hair washing rinse off. )
Also, any recommendations on compression socks? I got some aswift ones that I love, but I'm afraid they won't last. (But they are damn cute)
Sockwell! I love them and the customer service is amazing! (They sent me a free pair when I asked about whether my fat calves would fit in them. Spoiler alert: they did!)
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 15:45:53 GMT -5
I bought my mom the Cuisinart Griddler last Christmas. It can be opened flat and used as an indoor grill, which is, I think, mostly what she uses it for. She *loves* it, especially because the plates go in the dishwasher.
We have a GF, but I hate cleaning it. I'm planning on upgrading to a griddler at some point.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 15:18:38 GMT -5
I always feel like that in those car washes where the machine moves back and forth (versus the ones that pull your car through a tunnel). It's disconcerting and unpleasant, to say the least.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 12:41:24 GMT -5
We've got some snow up the hill (not too far, like 15 minutes-ish). We were going to go snowshoeing, but decided last minute to just drive up and eat breakfast instead. LOL Glad we did, because the parking is some kind of awful at the snow parks. I guess when you've got 14 feet of snow to clear for car parking, you only can clear so many spaces. And when you've got 14 feet of snow, EVERYONE wants to get in on the action, so there aren't nearly enough spaces for the cars. Also, traffic was a mess, so again, glad we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 12:18:18 GMT -5
Where do you live and/or what do you do? I live in NCal. I'm a realtor with some other stuff on the side.
What other boards do you post on? H&G. Crafts. Married Life occasionally. Money Matters even more occasionally.
Kids? Pets? No kids. Two cats.
How long have you been on the boards? Since the olden days of yore. At least 10 years.
Hobbies besides HF related stuff? I knit as often as I can. I *love* to bake, although I can't do much now because I have to eat super low carb.
Notable quirk or fact about you? I have a touch of OCPD, so I'll spend a great deal of time organizing things that don't matter. Like, I probably spent 5 minutes this morning arranging and rearranging the egg carton. This also results in obsessing when I race to the point that I'll take 3x the stuff I actually need to an event, just for peace of mind. (NO ONE needs 6 pairs of goggles for a 2.4 mile race. But I always have *at least* that many pairs in my bag.)
Share a pic of whatever you'd like We've recently had *just a bit* of snow. For reference, I'm 5'4".
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 12:04:36 GMT -5
Welcome back! Please feel free to wind up in NorCal - we have great hospitals! And also great people live here. I'm particularly fond of the cardiology department at UC Davis, but I may be somewhat biased at the moment.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Jan 16, 2017 12:01:15 GMT -5
ktzmoh and chw57 ... USMS is an annual, flat fee, which varies from region to region. The national membership cost for Pacific region (which includes NCal and NW Nevada) is $52/year. Beyond that cost, which covers your membership nationally and allows you to enter USMS sanctioned events without paying the one-time membership fee, each individual club (use the USMS club finder at www.usms.org/placswim/?utm_campaign=top_nav&utm_medium=local_programs) may charge monthly, annually, weekly, or whatever works for them - some don't charge at all, they're included in a gym membership (CalFit does this).