Quick flyby to say hello. Hope your day is going well. Where is everyone today?

C'mon now, folks! Let's see some action!

A couple things I wanted to mention. One is about the economic stimulus rebate here in the U.S. To get this rebate, a person must file a tax return. This is the case even if normally someone does not have to file--because of low income, non-taxable income, etc. So, if you know any U.S. folks who are retired or on disability, and haven't had to file in the past, let them know about this. No tax return--no check. That's how IRS is handling it.

Another thing that's come up is that one of my friends in her 80s has had her husband pass away in the last month. She's having trouble with one of his sons (from a previous marriage) in that this son, who is in his 50s, is way too interested in the terms of the will, his dad's personal possessions, etc. Of course, the will leaves everything to my friend. I told her that if he asks her any more questions, she should refer him to her lawyer.

It is just so obvious sometimes when children are interested in Mom's or Dad's money! I have a few tax clients where their kids might as well wear T-shirts saying "We want the cash."

Have a good day, everyone!

Jay

Hi gang . . .

Well, there won't be any outside activity for me today -- we got another inch of snow overnight, but I think it's just there to act as padding for the ICE STORM that's supposed to start this afternoon. No two words can strike more terror into the northern heart than those. Even the people who actually enjoy Winter, admit they'd be happy never to see ice falling from the sky.

Good day to stay at home -- just hope the ice doesn't knock out the power lines. Another good reason to stay home -- found out yesterday that I need to have a root canal and I'm now taking a round of penicillin to knock down the current infection so they can do the RC as soon as possible, and (as often happens with antibiotics) my system is 'objecting'.

Hope the rest of you are having a better day than we are . . . keep things moving and shaking enough for all of us -- those that are able to get out and about. See you later . . .

OK, confession time - for the first time EVER, I was distracted (late for a training session - and I was the trainer) and I locked my keys in my car. The school was 2+ miles from my house. So, I walked home to get DH's keys. Which he took to work (??? he walks, so why he would have my car keys in his pocket is a mystery). So I walked to the hospital, met him after work, and we walked to my car. About 4.5 miles on the snow/ice covered sidewalks. AND - the best part - I wasn't tired when I got home.

Jay - thanks for the reminders. I mentioned the same to my mom - who does not normally file a tax return. Many senior organizations will fill out tax forms for free.

You are so right about the money thing. I have a long sordid tale that I won't share about greed and family members. It can bring out the WORST in people!

Linda - sorry to hear about your weather and your tooth. My personal experience with root canals (all 5 of them) is that they aren't that bad at all. People have horror stories about them, but all of mine were no worse than having a filling done.

Happy hump day! Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

I've only had one previous Root Canal experience and it was horrendous -- freezing wouldn't take; face swollen like a beachball -- hopefully this one will be better.

Good Morning Everybody . . .

Well . . . our Weird Weather patterns are still going strong . . . Yes we did get lots of lovely ice on top of yesterdays snow and things were pretty awful out there for a while -- then, overnight, it rained buckets and the temperature went way up and -- this morning, no sign of any snow or ice remains and the sun is shining.

Hey, it's a good thing (I think) and it's also good that my stomach problem seems a little more settled this morning too so I've decided to do the Thursday Mall-Crawl after all. Hope the 'settled' state continues.

Hope you all have a good day on the go . . .

CountingDown--bummer about the keys! I'm glad you got a good walk out of it, but still... what a drag.

I've got plenty to do today, and so I'm not quite as chatty as sometimes. I've been getting to the gym, though!


Jay

. . . HI

I misplaced my car keys last Sunday. A major, major aggravation. I didn't really even get any exercise out of the episode.

My DH's daughter is one of those that is looking for $$$$. We have all of our affairs in order, so she will just have to take what she gets. I told her that if she causes DH to have a heart attack and die from giving her so much $$$ already, that she will have me to deal with and I won't be nearly so gererous!! Words like that just go right over her head. She is going to be 40 this year and still acts like a teenager.

I am still congested and coughing, although by now, I feel pretty much normal. I gather that this is par for the course of the particular virus going around right now.

I did manage to get on my stair stepper for a while today. This represents great progress on my part!

OOH this makes me mad. Why do offspring think they have the right to their parents' money! It is their parents' money and not theirs! The best thing I can imagine about this is that the parents succeed in timing everything just right so that they spend all their money before they go. My perception is that it commonly happens that they save for things that they hope they will never need, like extreme hospital expense, nursing home expense etc., and when they don't need it, it goes to the kids, but it's not like something the kids should just expect. That makes as much sense to me as thinking you are entitled to use your parents' spleens or something. It is as annoying as people who don't have money so they want to marry someone rich. If someone wants to have more money then they should do something on their own that will get them more money. Don't aspire to get it by mooching off someone else's money. Grrrrr.

And another thing: Why do people think that the little sparse benches in the locker rooms are for the purpose of putting gym bags and water bottles on??? So here are these benches full of gym bags and water bottles and I'm standing next to one, trying to put on my leotards while standing up and balancing on one leg, using one arm to balance against the lockers, and the other to hold the garment, and I'm flopping around like an idiot while an inanimate object with no butt gets to sit on the bench. Grrrr.

Ok, I'll stop for now.

LOL - Jo - thank you for sharing your lockeroom perspective. You are so right! I've been known to move one of those gym bags to sit down, and then put it back when I am done. I'm not so great at putting on leotards standing up.

Gail, hope you are feeling better soon.

Jay - congrats on continuing your gym workouts! You are an inspiration!

Linda - glad you are feeling better! Hope the mall walk went well

I'm hoping life slows down just a bit soon. I did find an out fit for the dinner cruise - sale racks are wonderful things I got through all of my teacher and parent training events this week, which was fun, but exhausting. Step-father is out of the hospital, but still not doing very well. Mom is a wreck. Wish we were closer. It is so hard not to be there to help. Very glad we have tickets to fly down for spring break! And I'm thankful that my brother is there to help.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Stay strong!

Laurie

Checking in between folkaerobics and the gym. I came to work for folkaerobics (that is: playing the songs on my iPhone, smashing bowling pins together, running, skipping, forward, backward, sideways, kicking, stepping, all up and down this long hallway at work. No one else is here so I feel free to do anything.) I like this so much more than the hamster wheel machines at the gym. I was just thinking -- I read a lot about the advantages of free weights over the Nautilus type machines, and I can understand that; it makes sense that if you have to control everything on your own that you are using more muscles, and developing more coordination and balance. So, wouldn't that also be true with the cardio parts of the workout? I mean, if someone does one cardio machine all the time, like the elliptical or the bike, they are stuck in one place making their legs move around in one way, so it seems they would not be getting as thorough of a workout as they would if they did my folkaerobics hodgepodge (I hate that word - "hodgepodge") of various movements that are all over the place.
Ok, pals - later - time to pump some element number 26.

jo

Hi Everybody . . .

Had to rush off to town for something at 8 am and the trip was awful -- we are having torrential rains and very mild (for us) temperatures and this has resulted in fogggggggg. I am glad to be home again.

You know, JO, I think you are very correct -- especially about the free weights being much better for balance (of which I have so little ) Don't see why the same thing wouldn't be true for aerobic stuff.

Well, times awasting and I'd better get myself moving and shaking . . .

Jo - I agree with you. I really think my body responds better when I mix it up with my aerobic workouts as well as my weights. Doing different activities uses different muscles, or different combinations of muscles - which means I can find new and exciting ways to be sore

Linda - I hate those rains this time of year. Then when it gets cold again and freezes ... Stay safe and warm and dry!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm off to get some laundry and cleaning done

Hi folks,

I was out of town yesterday (Saturday) doing tax returns in my old community--having moved this past summer. I do still have a handful of clients down there. It was a long and tiring day.

I can see the pros and cons of both free weights and nautilus machines. I use them both. The machines are good for working some muscles--e.g., the hamstrings. I know of no way to work those muscles with free weights. Also, I prefer to do a sitting leg press than squats with a barbell.

I agree that the aerobic machines do have a pretty set movement--even if you use their "random hill" setting or something like that. That's why I use different machines every day. I used to like to take step aerobics classes--anyone do those? You really have to think!

Spiny, I can't see you doing anything the way it's "supposed" to be done. You're just not that kind of mouse! (Oh--except I bet you do follow procedures in the lab...) I like your "folkaerobics"!

I'd rather not go to the gym today, but I'm going to go anyway.

See ya!
Jay

Hi Pals -
Step aerobics - yes, you really do have to think, and fast. That is why I prefer to do my own thing. I found that in the step classes I was standing there mystified more than moving around, which is not the goal. So on my own I might not be perfectly equal in the number of times I move my right leg vs. my left leg and the times I point toward the front vs. the back vs. the right vs. the left, but there is no one there to care.
Chi ball challenges my mind to body movements just about as much as is my limit at this time!
I think I have a Chi Bunny.
Yep. I bought some books at Borders and the clerk said I could get this dumb stuffed animal bunny for only 5.99 because I had 3 items, and normally it would be 12.99, and isn't it a cute bunny, and i could go to the bunny rack and pick my own bunny, and the weirdest thing is that although I don't like cute useless ornaments, I got a bunny. Can you believe that????
I think it's going to be a Chi Bunny. That is, it will substitute for the Chi Ball in my at home dancing and miscellaneous movements. I don't know what else it could possibly be for. A bunny. Sheesh. I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes.
Speaking of such, today I ate a goose egg. I don't like eggs but I get suckered into funky things, like the dude selling goose eggs at Farmers Market. Oh wait, I didn't mean I got suckered into the dude himself.

Have a good day everyone -

jo