Good Morning, from Madrid.

I arrived here at 11:30 a.m. and was exhausted. This trip is much different than my other travels this year. I am truly on my own here. A small apartment has been rented to which I Uber-ed. I was exhausted from two nights of little sleep and had to negotiate buying groceries for the week and a stab at dinner. My first impression was I had no idea what anyone was saying!!!! Even after studying Spanish this year. A slight panic. The first big mis-step was changing currency at the airport . I lost a $70 in exchange fees which I didn't realize until I was in the apartment. Sheesh! Rookie move. I stop in a restaurant and figured out after I had been seated they only have hot, spicy food. Oh Yeah! El Verde Pimiento was the name: The hot pepper. Sheesh. I left 5 Euros and exited. Onto grocery which was very much like New York's Eataly: butcher, fish monger, cheese, patisserie, tapas, and an entire section devoted to olives. Lambs legs hang upside down with the hooves still on. I don't think that is flying in America. The rented room is like a dorm - thin blanket, lumpy pillow and one outlet over the kitchen. I started to think I am too old to live like this :) Nevertheless it is clean with a refrigerator and a shower. I don't have that when I backpack.

OK. I slept 14 hours. I see from Google that school is 2.5 miles away. So I will start super early and walk. If you are late to class they do not let you in. I do not feel unsafe so that is nice. After Johannesburg and Capetown, this place seems easily navigable with common sense.

Wave to all.

Monday - A purported Bigfoot is filmed at Bluff Creek in Northern California (1967)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Was pleasant that the New England Patriots won their football game yesterday. The immediate thought of fans isn't, Maybe we'll make the playoffs, but Dynasty! This town is more friendly when its sports teams are winning. I got to catch up on some reading for class this week.

We'd seen so many inflatable costumes the previous day: some grand, some simple, and some drooping. I didn't know how they worked. It's obvious - they have a battery-run fan supplying air to keep it inflated with elastic cuffs on the ankles, wrists, and head that prevent air flow sufficiently to stay firm. Priced from $30 to $130 from many vendors. One vendor. Expect to see many this Halloween - with kids learning that the cheaper ones have batteries that won't last an entire evening.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with roasted almonds for snacks. Dinner was omelettes, sauteed spinach, and my green salad. Discovered what Halloween costumes we'd each worn as kids. I was frequently a cowboy since cowboy hats, play guns and holsters were abundant. DW was frequently a witch. We both got tons of candy; we've both had many cavities in our teeth.


onebyone - Astounding is indeed the word for not wanting MORE of your fry truck foods. Neat that you can tell in one class that it's going to be a fun experience.

maryann – Hola to Madrid from across the sea. It's a big deal that you can use your Spanish to buy groceries from a non-tourist store. You're immersed. Good luck finding your way among the olives.

curlyjax – Good Grief! I missed The Love Boat. That seems so long, long, ago. Yep, 90 minutes in a crowd is tiring even though not aerobic exercise. I suspect that you also saw your share of inflatable costumes.

Readers -

I made requested banana bread with chocolate chips for DD in the am and got it all cleaned up. We got into yet another squabble then and later on a walk. I dropped her off at home and went to chill in a bookstore for a bit. Back home we made up-she's going back to work next week thank goodness, there's been too much together time and anxiety. I made turkey meatloaf with spinach, onion and shredded carrots tucked in. It's quite moist and fabulous. I ate too much of the banana bread and excess choc chips. Food has not been good this weekend; i'm mad at myself for falling way off opting out of sugar and eating too much heavy carby cheesy things.I do despair of ever losing weight and kick myself for getting this heavy. Back to the drawing board once again.
I did make the decision to hire the financial advisor-I'll see how it goes for a year anyhow as I do have more moving pieces than I used to.
Onebyone-yay for NSV indeed. Glad the ceramic class will be fun.
Maryann-you're so brave, its quite impressive what you're doing! I bet the sleep will be a big help in helping your brain remember things.
Bill-I bet you're right, there will be a lot of inflated costumes this year. One person wearing it said it was quite toasty inside.

Good Morning, Coaches.

The adventure continues. Credit for being appropriately placed in B1 ( early intermediate) and being very comfortable with the coursework. I wrote a goal last year of "B1 by October 2025.) My classmates span the globe: Tunisia, Sweden, and two from China. The evening activity was a walking tour of downtown Madrid.

Oh Wells:
1. I woke up with a sinus infection. Stopped at the la Farmacia for a solution. It is better.
2. I misread my schedule and missed my first two art classes.
3. I blew the fuse on yet another hairdryer and also took out my international adapter. Sigh!
4. Most importantly, I couldn't get into my apartment with the keys I was provided. So yeah! 7:30 at night and none of the emergency numbers are working. My phone is at 11% battery. Finally, a neighbor came. His keys weren't working. He buzzed up from his roommate. So I got in but now I can't go anywhere. Sleepless at 1:45 am, I packed my bags. At first light I took an Uber to the school and after a little shimmy/ shamming moved into the dorm room there. The coordinator lent me her phone charger. So now, I have coffee in me, a place for my suitcase and I am off to buy a new adapter all before classes start at 1:00.

I did not dive into sugar. I ate simply from the low carb tortillas I brought along with cheese and some guacamole I purchased here. I plan the same today. Exercise is walking to find an adaptor.

BBE: My favorite version of my Mom is when she put on her inflatable pumpkin costume and passed at candy to her chair yoga crowd last year at 89 years old.
Curly: Yeah for DD getting back to work. It will be a nice breath for both of you.

Tuesday-Ferdinand Magellan 1st European thru Strait of Magellan to the Pacific (1520)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got my flu shot at the nearby pharmacy (la Farmacia) after declaring that I was eligible to a pharmacist who looked like he certainly wasn't going to tolerate a non-eligible person sneaking in trying to be healthy. My brain remembered that I should be given a lollipop - haven't had that thought in years. Got reminded that it's my job to buy Halloween candy. Walked past the candy there; I'll get it a week from today so I'll only have three days to avoid it.

Life is busy here preparing for house guests arriving on Thursday. Apparently, house guests are not to know that sometimes things stack up here and there. We're going to pretend that we live like the houses pictured in architectural magazines.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with roasted almonds demanding a place as an afternoon snack. Dinner of grilled salmon with its marinade tweaked so DW can avoid soy sauce. She's still chasing her GI issues with the latest list of eligible foods from her visit to the endocrinologist. She was happy to realize that lactose-free milk is allowed on her breakfast cereal.


maryann – Problem solver, you are big time. You just keep making the journey go forward. May you continue to find solutions as fast as you encounter obstacles.

curlyjax – Congrats for making the decision to hire the financial advisor - a step toward being a grown up. Love the notion of using a bookstore to chill. Your comment about being toasty inside an inflatable led me to look at the sites: an inflatable costume requires 4 AA batteries that will hold it inflated for 1-2 hours. A battery pack connected by USB cable is recommended.

Readers -

Work has slowed down, a bit too much. I ended up spending some time just chatting with an elder about holiday foods at the end of the day, I just couldn't get myself to do much else. After work I went to AAA to get my real ID. Quite efficient and quick, so much better than the DMV, including easy parking.I was wiped and took a quick nap, then did a little more financial reading of what my FA sent me.He has laid it out quite well in easy terms to understand which I appreciate.Not much else productive was done other than making a reservation at one restaurant in Aruba. I feel very behind in my preparations, but really there isn't that much to do other than figure out a few excursions and restaurants.
I ate too much banana bread and chocolate chips but other than that eating was actually ok. I was craving a baked potato at the end of the day and indulged with just fake butter- so good.
I did not sleep well and am already hungry this morning, so i'll have to be careful.
Maryann-goodness that would be scary to be locked out. Great job sorting out everything in another country!
Bill-good plan to avoid the candy until close to the day. Nothing like having guests to make yourself pick up the house.

Eating is boring. Scale is boring. Exercise is boring. All of that is excellent for maintenance!

Exercise: 60, 1185/1800 minutes for October

Tuesday’s change of plans
 

Coaches

I have met my Waterloo.
Clogged kitchen sink, I surrender.

DH and I avoided the sink all weekend. And yesterday as it was infusion day.

This morning I decided to deal with it once more as the kitchen is unusable with many things piling up. I boiled water in a pot and in the kettle and poured it down the sink. Then I put the stopper into the right side of the double sink while I did a few plunges on the left side. I heard a “pop”. I knew it wasn’t the clog letting go. I listened close and heard a slow, steady, but small, drip drip. The P-trap is dripping. There’s not much to drip out. I put a container to catch the water. My battle is over. I am on to do what needs to be done today and tomorrow: make the apartment look normal again. So, garbage day tomorrow= excellent timing. I will have many garbage bags at the curb with the lime green stickers that tell the garbage man they must take it away.

This is a real hard decluttering deadline I have to meet. I am up to ears all of a sudden with deadlines for artwork and can’t spread this out. Plus I need the sink back.

So I am going to systematically go counter clockwise through the office area to the between the living room and the office area to the living room far window and ending at the chaise and the entryway.

My things to keep are:
Tools
Books about making
Art materials
Teaching materials
Rare or Unusual paper

I need:
“This goes in another room” container
Donate container
Trash bags
Garbage can
Box knife to cut down boxes
Garbage stickers
Space on back porch to move garbage bags to

I’ll update this as the day goes on.
Personals later.

Good Morning, Coaches.

A Domino Effect: Locked out of my apartment, exhaustion and adrenaline stop sleep: blew the fuse to my adaptor can't charge phone; another bad night sleep; Uber to replace the adaptor: Quiz in my Spanish class not so great because i can't focus; discover adaptor it is the wrong one; Uber back to shop to exhange and Ta DA!!!! leave my purse in the Uber which was then stolen by the driver. Sigh!

So I really need to list some affirmations here to get out of this cycle of Alexander's No Good Very Bad Day:

1. I am not stupid; I am exhausted. All travelers experience these challenges.
2. I am actually very smart because I separate my passport from my purse along with a debit car to be able to replace cash.
3. I am capable because i immediately canceled everything.
4. I forgive the uber driver because I refuse to live in a world of resentments. ( This might be a multi day forgiveness process.)
5. This trip is a SUCCESS. I do not travel for ease and comfort. I travel to challenge myself to grow into the woman i want to continue to become: openminded, honest and willing to live in this perfectly imperfect world.

OK off to art classes.

Wednesday - Tsar Peter the Great titles himself "Emperor of All Russia" (1721)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Fun during my class on language to be reminded how much communication depends on context. Old friends, or long time marrieds, can convey a thought with one word that evokes previous experiences. Using the word 'the' implies that the listener knows which item is being discussed. One student laughed that his wife drove him crazy when she'd say, "I had lunch with Mary and her cousin Jane; she said they were having a party," when the guy had no idea which woman had made the statement and which 'they' was going to party. Came to appreciate the Greeks for inventing the notion of an alphabet where zillions of words could be created with two dozen symbols. Previous writing had a symbol for each word creating a system with few folks who could read and write.

Supermarket trip was boring. The non-boring part of the day was twice missing a FedEx delivery where a signature was required. Both times one or both of us was home - just not within earshot of the door bell. The first time DW and I had stepped out back together for five minutes to watch a group of men trimming the tree on the lot behind us. Rather daring man in the tree with ropes and a chain saw with two men scurrying around below. But we missed the delivery. It's a financial piece of paper whose information I already know from their website; someone has an exaggerate notion of the importance of having proof that I've been notified. I don't know anyone who is guaranteed home 24/7 for a signature delivery. Seems so yesterday.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with afternoon snacks. Dinner was grilled salmon so it must have been Tuesday, LOL. Just another day.


onebyone - Seems so organized to "go counter clockwise" through a room - I wish you a successful 360 degrees. And wish you well finding your way back to a working kitchen sink.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for boring, boring, boring. May there be more, more, more.

maryann – Love being reminded of despite being aghast at the tribulations you've had to overcome. Congrats for being able to see SUCCESS through it all.

curlyjax – I join you in celebrating the ease of getting a Real ID from an AAA office instead of the dreaded DMV. Such an exotic thought to be making a restaurant reservation in Aruba.

Readers -

Long planning meeting which was partly interesting, partly not as one of the participants talks too much, and the whole thing went off into a tangent for too long.I felt I contributed some good ideas anyhow. I ate a barbecued pork and coleslaw salad sandwich for lunch which was fabulous-I never would have put the two together like that but it worked. I've fallen back into the trap of eating something because its there- chips were with the sandwich and that's why I ate them. After work I had my workout with my colleague. There was a woman there who my colleague was friendly to but confided in me later she can't stand her and filled me in on why; hopefully she won't be back at our time much. My colleague has a lot of really hard things going on and I want her to enjoy our class.
I didn't feel quite as wiped afterwards but still needed to rest a bit. I did get into the sweets again- where has my resolve gone?? and couldn't fall asleep until late, which may have been the cause. More research on things to do in Aruba that aren't really strenuous; you can take a jeep tour out on some backroads but I know that would make me nauseous.
There's an awful smell in the basement- I'm hoping something died and its not something hard to fix/find like a leaking pipe.
Maryann- you are strong indeed! You have the guts to go to a non-English speaking country yourself and solve all these issues, i'm quite impressed!!
Onebyone-yay for the battle being over!
Bill-it turned out we couldn't get the reservation, they were booked up until December. The investment places are a bit full of themselves and intent on wasting paper.

Hump day
 

Coaches, I wonder if we are still allowed to call Wednesdays hump days?

Well, I didn’t update the to do list yesterday as I spent the day foraging for what I need for the job. Just now I was labeling some clear shoebox size plastic bins. Based on past experience I will find a) pens pencils markers b) metal tools c) plastic tools. Plus I took a newly emptied box and designated it a collection box for small things so I don’t break my flow. When it’s full I’ll put those objects into the labeled shoe boxes. I’ve also eyeballed a larger cardboard box for “things that need to go to another room” and then I need a donation bin which I already have and I’ve just changed out the garbage bag in the work garbage can (not kitchen garbage can) so that’s ready.

Yesterday I discovered where our city dump is which is exciting! I’ll put that knowledge away for when I need it.

I also discovered the Furniture Bank. So thrilled. I have realized I can let go of 4 furniture items: a 1940s tall dresser with mirror, a 1940s vanity/ makeup/dressing table with three mirrors that are hinged together, my current desk, my chaise. I’m willing to let these items go. Perhaps even the antique singer sewing machine… maybe. I sent them an email for a quote to remove these pieces and it was $255.00 and we’ll receive a charitable donation for taxes of $500.00. I was very excited then DH said he might want the chaise for his locker. I was shocked. He’s always made fun of the chaise calling it a half a couch, and he’s never used it. I think a chair and ottoman would serve that space better now. Whether DH takes it or the Furniture Bank does, I’m letting go.

And with that I’m ready to tidy,

First stop: east wall of office.
Tasks:Move all loose things out of the space into the kitchen.
Make a solid base of bins here against the bookcase.
This is where my large bins will be stacked.
Time begun: 11:35am
Time completed: unknown because I had a phonecall with an old friend and I’m stopping now having:
-Cleared the space by the east wall bookcase and have begun to stack bins here
- Opened the space between living room and office, really I need to call it studio
- Freed up a chair beside my desk that just held stuff. I’ve offered it to DH for his locker
-Cleared the floor area by the pantry and narrow shelf on the south wall of the studio
-Cleared the floor on the north side of the studio and started an area for stacking bins there
time: 4:40pm

DH is home now. He’s making space on the stove for the instant pot so I can make chili in it

I have (counting right now) only nine big bins in the living room to move into the neat piles.
Maybe there are 8 more small/medium bins to add. I will get that done before bed.
I guess I’m halfway at least with this stage.

Next stage will be emptying surfaces and straightening up bookcase shelves.
“Prettifying” plus tidying.
I’m looking forward to sweeping!?!:fr: Who am I? :lol:

9:51pm Final update; pushed myself really hard to pick up and move three big bins into the studio space. I now only have my 2 "daily access" bins in the living which will be the last to be moved over so I don't lose track of where they are. Oh! I just saw one more big bin hiding under a stack of small ones you and empty open.boxes
Result: living room floor is *gasp* swept and clear from sofa against the south wall to the tv against the north wall. The west side will clear up fast. The east side has the chaise and the last (original) pile to deal with. I've now made several small new piles in the kitchen which I can move aside tomorrow before I head to Newmakeit for the day. One other win: DH has removed the freed up chair and taken it to his office. It's gone. Win win there!

Good Morning, Coaches. It is morning in Madrid as well - 3 am. I was awoken by a telemarketer call from home. I seem to making all the travel mistakes in one trip. I reviewed how to use do not disturb on my phone and then pressed the button.Thankfully, being retired, I almost always have a choice to take a nap. I hated facing a school day sleepy. So I am typing this and will try to sleep again in a bit.

Food was excellent. I skipped dinner and drank chicken broth instead. I have continue to eat the hummus, guacamole and cheese on the low carb tortilla I flew in from home. I have one more for tomorrow. I pulled out my TRX for its maiden run. It worked perfectly. I had made workouts in my Tabata timer. Easy set up and take down. i am super proud of myself.

I had my first chalk art lesson. I am copying a cubist painting of a horse. I'll send pictures on Friday.

onebyone: Lots of good info gathered to help you declutter. Getting rid of four items of furniture would make a huge difference in square footage. My SIL really suffers with extreme clutter. In the last month, her insurance company demanded pictures of her house before renewal. Four of her friends came to clean it up. It is great you are taking the bull by the horn yourself.
BBE: Language is arguably what sets the homo sapiens up to dominate this world. Without language - specifically fiction, we would not have the enormous communities we now live in. Think about it. Small "families" of early humans bound by biology and blood. To grow bigger, there needed to be stronger methods to bind people together: religion, nationalism, written histories for ownership and technological growth all required advanced communication.
Curly: I have a fear of dominating conversations for just the reason you stated. I don't want people to resent me. I can be quite longwinded. It is a character defect I am working on.

I succumbed to a hotdog at work- I haven't had one in so long, and also cornbread which I treated as a dessert. One of the ladies dropped off pumpkin cookies with choc chips which she knows are my favorites; she makes them around the holidays but this is an early batch. I ate a bunch and then felt badly about doing so, and hopeless about ever losing weight and mad at myself for sliding back into the who cares mode. I chatted with chat GPT and it actually helped a little. I keep thinking about the weight loss meds and how nice it would be to not have the food noise, but I really don't want the side effects. I did take a walk with college bud and BFF which was fun, then squeezed in a therapy session. I'm feeling less like I need it these days, but it is nice to check in with someone.
Today is a party at work which will be fun.
Onebyone: wow, great job!!I'm excited for you to enjoy your cleared out space, it makes such a difference.
Maryann-great job being OP and getting a workout in. I've never heard of insurance companies making such a demand, interesting. I'm wondering how did they know about the inside of the house.

Thursday - Mole Day celebrates Avogadro’s Number (6.02 x 10^23)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The (10 yo) DGD was full of tales of a trip she'd just taken with her parents. She was allowed to go into those 'bars' that were full service restaurants to join the music and line dancing. I saw videos; a 10-yo has better body movement than any of the adults.

So many tales of inconvenience caused by the AWS outage. The DGD and family had a one-hour flight delay because one of the airline or airport systems was dependent on something that was dependent on AWS. Most other tales I heard were recoverable although many businesses lost a bundle of money. I got the published reason that there was a DNS outage at a major Amazon facility, but still haven't figured out the WHY.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Major triumph of the day was to make the coat closet door move freely. Without guests, we've ignored that the sliding door has grown harder and harder to slide open. Apparently, that's not acceptable for guests. After a bunch of work, we fixed several parts that were loosey-goosey and needed to be tightened and adjusted but the stickiness wouldn't go away. After careful eyeballing up close from a step ladder, DW figured out the problem: a spray of WD-40 into the roller bearing was required. Problem solved. Guests will think we live in a perfectly functioning house. One more time, WD-40 is the answer.


onebyone - I think that clear shoe box size plastic bins are the best for holding 'stuff' that can be grouped together. Terrific to find a place that you'd like to donate several pieces of furniture. And YAY for DH removing a chair to his office - Win win indeed.

maryann – It is so interesting to me that written stories are required to create a community larger than a small village. Congrats for getting into your art classes.

curlyjax – Ouch for a meeting that is commandeered by a single person on a tangent. BTDT. Yay for yet another workout.

Readers -