I'm old (60), so these posts are more and more about people I know dying. Sorry ( Read more... )

D's Aunt Mildred died this evening. She was 96. Her last few years were not exactly quality time. She was the oldest of five sisters, three of whom survive her: Jean, Esther (my M-in-L), and Anne. Jean is 93 and frail (but still fairly sharp); Anne has a few infirmities, and at 80 is the youngest; and Esther is the healthiest 85 year old in ( Read more... )

We did lose power for two days plus, due to a downed tree. Poor NY and NJ were really socked. It's amazing how accurately the track and intensity of the storm were predicted.

I was able to win Obama a second term, but of course I decline all due awards and honors. It was very satisfying to see Obama stomp the Stormin' Mormon, in the process carrying several Senators with him to Washington. Some progress can surely be made. Again, we won most of the close races, in the House and the Senate ( Read more... )

What's that spell? Well, you're here, so maybe that was too easy ( Read more... )

It's been eight weeks since my last day of work at the IRS. Things have gone pretty much as expected. I've done almost nothing for the Democratic Party, but I know this will be a busy year. Youth soccer is just starting to get going. Yet I have not been bored. I've started straightening out the basement and cleaning up the yard. There were ( Read more... )

Yes, it was hectic getting everything at work wrapped up in the three weeks between my return from Australia and my "get out of here or else" date of 12/31/11. I had no time to ponder the best options for health insurance coverage, or to find out how many days of sick leave I could burn without adversely affecting my pension check. But the timing ( Read more... )

Things are kind of busy now. We just got back from a month-long trip to Australia, it's Christmas season, and I'm retiring in a week. I just can't leave work without doing everything I can to make things easy for the people I'm leaving behind. Leave 'em thirsty for more, is my motto. Anyway, when I get time, I'll be journaling more somewhere. ( Read more... )

The countdown to retirement is proceeding fairly well. Lots of little highs and lows this past week ( Read more... )

My doctor convinced me to try taking an ACE inhibitor to lower my blood pressure. She wrote a prescription for lisinopril, low dose (5 mg). I took the first one last night, and today I felt pretty bad. No, I felt really bad: tired, headache, fragmented vision like a migraine, a little joint pain. ACE inhibitors are analogues of a compound ( Read more... )