Think fifteen minutes isn't enough time to get anything done?
Lately I have had the same driver on Fridays, and he usually arrives in the middle of my ride window, which is around 7 am.
So even though I understand that I COULD have a different driver, and he/she COULD arrive earlier, I decided to take a chance and do a few chores instead of standing outside and doing nothing.
Here is what I accomplished in about fifteen minutes:
1) gathered towels and socks together for laundry later
2) turned up the thermostat
3) made half a cheese sandwich (usually I get my food ready the night before, but I remembered I only had a half sandwich left over from yesterday)
4) changed out my phone cases (I carried a turquoise-colored case yesterday to match my shirt. Today's shirt was blue, so I switched to a blue case)
5) changed out my purse (I don't have a turquoise-colored purse (gasp!) so I carried a beige purse yesterday. I switched to a blue purse for today)
6) added a blue pen to my purse
7) went to the bathroom again
And I was still outside for a few minutes before my ride pulled up. Surprisingly, I did have a different driver. But he was on a similar schedule to my usual Friday driver.
I need to make rice today, but I didn't have enough time to do that. Even if I had, my OCD would have made me obsess if I remembered to turn the stove off. So I'm fortunate I didn't attempt that chore.
librarianintx
Friday, August 30, 2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
So You Think You Can Dance Season 16
I'm not planning to recap this season of So You Think You Can Dance. To be honest, I haven't been super interested in this season. I watched the auditions and the Academy, and I liked the episodes, but that was about it. I didn't feel invested in or connected to any of the dancers. I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular.
I thought the first episode of the competition was good, but night two was WAY better. Every dance on night two was terrific! I'm enjoying the new format of the show - so far there was just one dance from every couple, with no solos, so each episode was only an hour long. I like that better than two hours of multiple dances, solos, filler, etc. I'm hoping this format will continue through this undoubtedly short season.
On nite one the standout dances / performances for me were Ezra and Madison's contemporary and Bailey and Mariah's B-52's inspired jazz routine. Anna and Benjamin's ballroom number was also a hit with me. But Stephanie and Gino's Luther Brown hip hop dance left me cold (if you saw the routine you would get the double meaning there). And I didn't like anything about Eddie and Sophie's dance - the costumes were ridiculous, the premise was silly; it did not work for me at all.
But nite two - as Mary Murphy would say, "Holy Smokes!" All the routines were fantastic, and the dancers were on fire!! These kids are in it to win it! I am also amazed at the connections that have developed so quickly with these partnerships.
I'm going to briefly go through each dance.
1) Stephanie and Gino
What a terrific beginning to the show! This Emma and Sasha Jive routine was fire from start to finish! It was lightening fast, technical, great musicality, with a lot of fun, cheeky moments. Stephanie was in her element, so I knew she'd be good, but Gino was a revelation in this dance! Personality out the ying yang, and as Nigel said, some of the best kicks and flicks the show has seen since Benji Schwimmer, also known as the King of Swing. High praise for a contemporary dancer.
2) Sophie and Eddie
This duo drew a Travis Wall contemporary routine, and Travis Wall dances never disappoint. For me, Eddie is the weakest dancer of the competition, so I must admit I was nervous for Sophie's safety with all the lifts and throws and everything. But Eddie stepped up and protected his partner, and the result was a beautiful, powerful, poignant routine.
3) Anna and Benjamin
This Randi and Hef hip hop number was my least favorite of nite two, but still enjoyable. While on nite one I could not take my eyes off of Benjamin during their ballroom routine (and can anyone blame me for oggling the boy with the open shirt and beautiful hair?), in this hip hop dance my eyes were on Anna, and she did not disappoint. Laurieann thought she wasn't strong enough, and she's a choreographer, but I thought Anna did a great job. As much as I was watching Benjamin during night one, I appreciated the fact that hip hop girl Anna held her own in the ballroom routine, and looked like she was actually enjoying a partner dance in a dress and heels.
4) Madison and Ezra
Holy cow. This Ray Leeper jazz routine can be summed up in one word: S-E-X-Y. I know Madison is comfortable with her alopecia, but it seemed like performing in that hat with her skimpy little outfit turned her into a real vixen. Her chemistry with Ezra was OFF THE CHARTS. I hope her boyfriend isn't jealous. Maybe she was thinking of him when she bent Ezra's head back and ran her hand down his bare chest. RAWR. I agree with Nigel yet again - Bob Fosse would have loved that routine, and specifically Madison in that routine.
5) Mariah and Bailey
The night began with a bang, and ended with a bang, when these two blew the roof off the place with a Luther Brown hip hop routine. They deserved the audience, the choreographers, and the judges losing their shit over this dance - it was LIT!! They were down and dirty, in the pocket, twerking, humping a motorcycle, this dance had it all. Like with the first routine of the night, you knew b boy Bailey would do well in this routine, but contemporary girl Mariah KILLED this dance. With her bob wig and clad in a form fitting bodysuit, Mariah was ready to be cast in any hip hop music video. This was my favorite hip hop number since Nappy Tab's "Hotel" dance with Fik-shun and Amy.
Nite two of the performance shows has restored my interest and enjoyment of So You Think You Can Dance. I hope this level of dancing, choreography, and connection among the partners continues for the rest of the season.
librarianintx
I thought the first episode of the competition was good, but night two was WAY better. Every dance on night two was terrific! I'm enjoying the new format of the show - so far there was just one dance from every couple, with no solos, so each episode was only an hour long. I like that better than two hours of multiple dances, solos, filler, etc. I'm hoping this format will continue through this undoubtedly short season.
On nite one the standout dances / performances for me were Ezra and Madison's contemporary and Bailey and Mariah's B-52's inspired jazz routine. Anna and Benjamin's ballroom number was also a hit with me. But Stephanie and Gino's Luther Brown hip hop dance left me cold (if you saw the routine you would get the double meaning there). And I didn't like anything about Eddie and Sophie's dance - the costumes were ridiculous, the premise was silly; it did not work for me at all.
But nite two - as Mary Murphy would say, "Holy Smokes!" All the routines were fantastic, and the dancers were on fire!! These kids are in it to win it! I am also amazed at the connections that have developed so quickly with these partnerships.
I'm going to briefly go through each dance.
1) Stephanie and Gino
What a terrific beginning to the show! This Emma and Sasha Jive routine was fire from start to finish! It was lightening fast, technical, great musicality, with a lot of fun, cheeky moments. Stephanie was in her element, so I knew she'd be good, but Gino was a revelation in this dance! Personality out the ying yang, and as Nigel said, some of the best kicks and flicks the show has seen since Benji Schwimmer, also known as the King of Swing. High praise for a contemporary dancer.
2) Sophie and Eddie
This duo drew a Travis Wall contemporary routine, and Travis Wall dances never disappoint. For me, Eddie is the weakest dancer of the competition, so I must admit I was nervous for Sophie's safety with all the lifts and throws and everything. But Eddie stepped up and protected his partner, and the result was a beautiful, powerful, poignant routine.
3) Anna and Benjamin
This Randi and Hef hip hop number was my least favorite of nite two, but still enjoyable. While on nite one I could not take my eyes off of Benjamin during their ballroom routine (and can anyone blame me for oggling the boy with the open shirt and beautiful hair?), in this hip hop dance my eyes were on Anna, and she did not disappoint. Laurieann thought she wasn't strong enough, and she's a choreographer, but I thought Anna did a great job. As much as I was watching Benjamin during night one, I appreciated the fact that hip hop girl Anna held her own in the ballroom routine, and looked like she was actually enjoying a partner dance in a dress and heels.
4) Madison and Ezra
Holy cow. This Ray Leeper jazz routine can be summed up in one word: S-E-X-Y. I know Madison is comfortable with her alopecia, but it seemed like performing in that hat with her skimpy little outfit turned her into a real vixen. Her chemistry with Ezra was OFF THE CHARTS. I hope her boyfriend isn't jealous. Maybe she was thinking of him when she bent Ezra's head back and ran her hand down his bare chest. RAWR. I agree with Nigel yet again - Bob Fosse would have loved that routine, and specifically Madison in that routine.
5) Mariah and Bailey
The night began with a bang, and ended with a bang, when these two blew the roof off the place with a Luther Brown hip hop routine. They deserved the audience, the choreographers, and the judges losing their shit over this dance - it was LIT!! They were down and dirty, in the pocket, twerking, humping a motorcycle, this dance had it all. Like with the first routine of the night, you knew b boy Bailey would do well in this routine, but contemporary girl Mariah KILLED this dance. With her bob wig and clad in a form fitting bodysuit, Mariah was ready to be cast in any hip hop music video. This was my favorite hip hop number since Nappy Tab's "Hotel" dance with Fik-shun and Amy.
Nite two of the performance shows has restored my interest and enjoyment of So You Think You Can Dance. I hope this level of dancing, choreography, and connection among the partners continues for the rest of the season.
librarianintx
Automatic door opener
I go to the bathroom several times a day at work - at least three or four. TMI, but there's a reason why I mention this. I have worked at the library for nearly twenty years, and the door to the fourth floor women's restroom has been problematic for awhile - it's not easy to push it when walking in, or pull it when leaving. I'm also germ phobic so I either push or pull on the door while using a paper towel or with my hand inside my jacket sleeve, which makes the process more complicated.
Anyway, this week the library installed automatic doors on the fourth floor restrooms. Now all I have to do is press a button, and tada, the door opens! The struggle is over! :) I never thought to request an automatic door, because I can physically open it, it's just hard to do. Now that the automatic door opener is in place, I'm so happy! I don't have to throw my weight into the door when I'm entering, and pull and tug when I'm leaving. I also don't have to worry that someone is going to open the door and knock into me while I'm struggling to enter or exit.
As relieved as I am, I also realize that opening the bathroom door was a form of exercise for my arms, so I need to devise other ways to keep my arm muscles working. I have one pound hand weights at home, but I rarely use them. I require new motivation now that needing to go to the bathroom is no longer a factor. :)
librarianintx
Anyway, this week the library installed automatic doors on the fourth floor restrooms. Now all I have to do is press a button, and tada, the door opens! The struggle is over! :) I never thought to request an automatic door, because I can physically open it, it's just hard to do. Now that the automatic door opener is in place, I'm so happy! I don't have to throw my weight into the door when I'm entering, and pull and tug when I'm leaving. I also don't have to worry that someone is going to open the door and knock into me while I'm struggling to enter or exit.
As relieved as I am, I also realize that opening the bathroom door was a form of exercise for my arms, so I need to devise other ways to keep my arm muscles working. I have one pound hand weights at home, but I rarely use them. I require new motivation now that needing to go to the bathroom is no longer a factor. :)
librarianintx
Health scare
In the grand scheme of life, my health scare was tame. I never had any symptoms, which I reminded myself constantly during the process in an attempt to calm my overactive worrying.
What happened to me makes the case for consistent health monitoring, even if you feel fine. A routine full workup showed a high level of potassium in my blood. A false positive for potassium can occur, so the test was repeated. When the second results still came back high, I was put on a low potassium diet.
I knew that bananas, potatoes, Gatorade, and juice are high in potassium, so I had already eliminated those items from my diet. But I had no idea that nearly everything I consume is high in potassium! Beans, tomato products, avocado, tofu, yogurt, milk, chocolate - I had to cut out all of these foods. What was I going to eat? It was an overwhelming process at first, but then I made adjustments. I've spent the past few weeks eating a lot of stir fry, macaroni and cheese, cottage cheese, and corn chips. Giving up chocolate, milk, potato chips, and Gatorade were the toughest parts of the diet. Eating out and at other people's houses was especially rough. I ate a lot of Chinese food.
The diet was hard, but the not knowing what was going on was even more difficult. High potassium in the blood can lead to heart issues, so I requested a EKG, which was normal, thank goodness. After the third high reading, my internist sent me to a kidney specialist, which made me very nervous, but my other blood work was so normal that neither doctor suspected kidney problems. There was a possibility that I had Addison's Disease, an adrenal gland disorder, but again, I wasn't having any symptoms that would point to that.
In the end, the cause was apparently simple and easy to remedy. I didn't have Addison's Disease or any problems with my kidneys. I was just eating too many potassium-rich foods coupled with chronic mild dehydration. After a few weeks of the low potassium diet and a concerted effort to increase my daily fluid intake, my potassium level has returned to the normal, although high normal, range. I'll have another blood draw in two weeks.
I thought I was eating relatively healthy. And I was. But too much of a good thing often isn't beneficial, and can be harmful.
So even if you feel good and you don't suspect any problems, get a yearly check-up including fasting blood work. Always better to be safe.
The one humorous moment of this situation was when the nurse was going through the list of foods I couldn't eat. He said, "no brussel sprouts," and I replied quickly, "No problem there!" I am NOT a consumer of brussel sprouts.
Here's a short list of potassium-rich foods:
potatoes
sweet potatoes
bananas
melons
spinach
avocado
tomato products
juice, especially orange juice
beans
nuts
broccoli
brussel sprouts
milk
yogurt
chocolate
tofu
librarianintx
What happened to me makes the case for consistent health monitoring, even if you feel fine. A routine full workup showed a high level of potassium in my blood. A false positive for potassium can occur, so the test was repeated. When the second results still came back high, I was put on a low potassium diet.
I knew that bananas, potatoes, Gatorade, and juice are high in potassium, so I had already eliminated those items from my diet. But I had no idea that nearly everything I consume is high in potassium! Beans, tomato products, avocado, tofu, yogurt, milk, chocolate - I had to cut out all of these foods. What was I going to eat? It was an overwhelming process at first, but then I made adjustments. I've spent the past few weeks eating a lot of stir fry, macaroni and cheese, cottage cheese, and corn chips. Giving up chocolate, milk, potato chips, and Gatorade were the toughest parts of the diet. Eating out and at other people's houses was especially rough. I ate a lot of Chinese food.
The diet was hard, but the not knowing what was going on was even more difficult. High potassium in the blood can lead to heart issues, so I requested a EKG, which was normal, thank goodness. After the third high reading, my internist sent me to a kidney specialist, which made me very nervous, but my other blood work was so normal that neither doctor suspected kidney problems. There was a possibility that I had Addison's Disease, an adrenal gland disorder, but again, I wasn't having any symptoms that would point to that.
In the end, the cause was apparently simple and easy to remedy. I didn't have Addison's Disease or any problems with my kidneys. I was just eating too many potassium-rich foods coupled with chronic mild dehydration. After a few weeks of the low potassium diet and a concerted effort to increase my daily fluid intake, my potassium level has returned to the normal, although high normal, range. I'll have another blood draw in two weeks.
I thought I was eating relatively healthy. And I was. But too much of a good thing often isn't beneficial, and can be harmful.
So even if you feel good and you don't suspect any problems, get a yearly check-up including fasting blood work. Always better to be safe.
The one humorous moment of this situation was when the nurse was going through the list of foods I couldn't eat. He said, "no brussel sprouts," and I replied quickly, "No problem there!" I am NOT a consumer of brussel sprouts.
Here's a short list of potassium-rich foods:
potatoes
sweet potatoes
bananas
melons
spinach
avocado
tomato products
juice, especially orange juice
beans
nuts
broccoli
brussel sprouts
milk
yogurt
chocolate
tofu
librarianintx
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