Apr 30

 Stop needing expectation s

Expectations should match your stage in life 

not drive your life

You've been let down your entire existence 

When hope matches expectation - magic happened 

" hope is never mere " 

" rebellion s are built on hope "

🇾🇹 April 29 of MMXXVI

 🇾🇹 Oh ! typing and coffee and the world is right ...
boro has sun w/ cloud. branches seem still

pondering the day. 

Really, not uncomfortable in a light jacket. threatening rain. so damp

The day. Bills, verify Visa purchases. Oh, weigh in was 173 lb. Quite acceptable. 

Errata, mega: the Boys of Spring Johns Hopkins U. mlax are not dismal as previously reported. In fact, JHU mlax is ranked 7 th nationwide  and qualified tied for 1 st in the B1G conference.
JHU got the bye into the Semi s and play the U Michigan team [ 5 th in the B1G ].

Go ! Jays Go !

✈ 28 times in April, say ....

 ✈ ... coffee and typing. 
alright the world cannot be all bad, when you see ' our peony support stands come in three sizes..... ' in your mail box

rain and fifty F. say that 5 times and you got our week

Rain yes. 50 maybe 

Exercise yes. Quiet day

on the health front. my tiredness might not be entirely old age. Or mental or lacklustre. I recall reading that the flu could last up to 3 weeks. Tho', not necessarily flu - my enhanced cold did involve some phlegm. 
I now think that I still have some mucous in my lungs. YouTube suggestions included raising you hips via pillow and put your chest lower [ esp in the morning ]. This might get termed gravity feed for mucous.
Then I started dosing w / Buckley s cough syrup w/ expectorant [to loosen phlegm ].I'll give this a try for three days. P.S. Buckley s tastes terrible

💺 Aprile 27

  💺welcoming sun and temperature is rising or not falling is a better way of putting it

air is still

on the losing weight front. # 173.6 was today s number. OK  - what is healthy well for me, this is relatively good. 
in fact, in 1971, while working the summer at a research camp, the Cpt of our research tug said ' what's your weight now [ we were 19 ish ], multiply that # by 1 1 / 2. Crikey 240 !!!!!!!! 

so you see 17 _ is not bad

got out to retrieve prescriptions. Betaderm, for my ongoing rash / allergy problem. I occasionally develop little bumps that can spread. Lately, the spread has not been too aggressive. Past occasions, meant little bumps moving up the arm from my forearm - across the shoulders and down the other arm [ extreme one that ]. And it appears to be a plant allergy.Thus, long sleeves and pants while gardening.

Next is an antibiotic, Fucidin to relieve pain and fight infections. This is specific for me, at the corners of my finger nails. The skin cracks and infection begins. Fucidin stops the pain and infection overnight. Other topical [ over the counter ] treatments maybe two days. The strength is much higher in prescription dosage [ maybe 4 times ]

Plus 4 bananas cost 84 cents.

🥃 XXVI of IV

 🥃' boro is blue sky and headed to  50 F w / not much stirring out there
we are green and growing

🚂 April 25, in the ' boro

 🚂 .... soggy is the word. Dunno, when the wet started but I noticed itfirst, about 6 AM [ the noise of wind and splatter ? ]

waking was a slow process / is a slow process. coffee and typing
a review of email, really clearing out the dross.
the phone is fine but wholesale dumping is best on the Chromebook

a slow moving day. document shredding for 4 weeks worth of items

dull. no wish to venture  out

🍁24 Apr

 ..... we are cool w/ cloud. But clean. Rain has done it's job.

Shopping this AM for milk and juice and yogurt and apple sauce 

Please note, milk was the essential and 2 nd trip was required b / c I forgot the milk  There must a word or phrase for ' went to buy X but forgot '

Amnesia or Alzheimer's does seem extreme 

Oh. On my emergency eye appt. ( past Tues ), I got rave reviews for ' clean and un - encrusted ' eye lid margins.

For 30 yrs, since Laser eye surgery to re - shape the cornea, I have been religiously treating Blepharitis.

Technically, Blepharitis and eye surgery are not related however quite a coincidence 

Twice weekly treatment is 10 - 14 min of sufficient eyelid warming followed by a massage and de - briding of the eye margins. Sterile lid wipes brush off debris and oil loosened by warming process.

Follow up. Whoops. Sun blasted out and made the day

🔌 ... XXIII of the IV

 🔌 sunny in the ' boro. mostly blue up there and the wind is stirring the lower branches. Temperatures as promised yesterday. Good on you

Wind is actually, brisk

Last night another re - union ala Chipotle for Leacock alums and staff. The alums came out a head 4 - 3. 

this completes my Leacock week. 
a alum is communication officer for the CCRA rec group
breakfast w/ an alum [ Expresso AM ]
last night

🎚 April 22 in the Scarbrough - Golfdale area

 🎚... not  sure where that Golfdale location comes from. But it appears on the Weather app locator for here

this week. hurdles cleared are 1) my lesion . blemish or keratosis is non lethal on my scrotum
2) my ' aura ' or pixilated vision spot in my field of view is not physically related to the eye itself. Therefore, causes would be environmental or neurological [ not necessarily good, that ]

further. I re newed my supply of Betaderm, a steroidal topical to fight itch and histamine producing bumps. I seem to have a flower allergy
And Fucidin cream. Not steroidal but antibiotic. Fucidin stops the pain and spread of infections at corners of my fingernails which happens regularly. Skin cracks and roughens and the pain starts. Fucidin is reliable

' boro is sunny. wind seems still w / temperature headed for near 60 F. Further, we will average 50 - 53 for seven days. All good that

Yesterday, at a former student [ friend ] s place  the topic of scary Sci Fi came up. I trotted out my ' pee producing ' frightener, the pod people movie. After, B .. looked up the movie, called Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and decided, No, he didn't need the trauma.

It seems, all my life, I needed to / wanted to carry emergency supplies e.g. matches, paper clips etc and, of course, on YouTube, there are multitudinous efforts at " Every Day Carry survival or emergency kits. "
Apparently, I need an Altoids [ metal lozenge can ]. Cute and protective. Thus EDC folks have their own custom assortment for the Altoid tins. I am shying away from metal [ flying restrictions ] and going for a reusable plastic bag. An ongoing project

🎛 ... tell it like it is ....

 🎛 ..... or not

' boro is slightly overcast, heading to 50 ish. not a lot of wind. 

Well, today, one more medical hurdle to meet. I experienced what might be an ' aura ', the medical term for a disruption in sight, typically described as a halo or fence or wall or my description which was a pixilated view.
Supposedly,  a result of migraine or headache or response to stress or dietary additives esp MSG

And my social whirl continues w / a short hop out East to Ajax and former student and friend.
As well, I opted to join a community association  CCRA and the women in charge of communication is a former student

🫖 20 th, it is ...

 🫖 ... ah, the sun and coolth. quite still out there. looking good

I regress. On YouTube, vocal coaches and would be - something's, highlight ' discoveries ', such as the BeeGee s in 2024, recorded in the 70 s. "Too much Heaven " e.g.
Thus, when I'm a few years behind the curve [ say 5 ] that is not terrible.

and, the Righteous Bros.

  All right today was visit the doctor s

. I found a blemish on my scrotal sack and was pretty worried. Waited a week for the appointment and found out that I have a mole. It's a sebborhaic keratosis,  non-cancerous.

 Probably won't get bigger. Might even fall off on its own great,  eh? 

 

🇾🇹 in the ' boro, 26 / 04 -19

  🇾🇹 overcast in the East of T.O. w / wind stirring the lower branches. And much cooler than yesterday 48 ? 

Taking advantage of AI to check or verify my BPM Average

" A heart rate of 116 BPM for a 76-year-old during a 35-minute workout generally falls within a moderate-to-vigorous intensity zone. 

For a 76-year-old, the estimated maximum heart rate is roughly 144-145 BPM (using 220 minus age). A rate of 116 BPM is approximately 80% of that maximum, which indicates a good cardiovascular workout. 

Key Considerations:

• Intensity: 116 BPM is likely in the higher end of the moderate range or lower end of the vigorous range (target zone for 75+ is often cited between 73–123 BPM).
• Duration: A 35-minute duration is excellent, as it exceeds the recommended minimum of 20-30 minutes for cardiovascular benefits.
• Safety: While this is a healthy exercise intensity, you should ensure you can still talk during the workout. If you feel dizzy, faint, or experience chest pain, stop immediately.
• Health Context: If you are not a trained athlete and your heart rate remains near 100+ bpm after you have rested, you may want to consult a doctor. 

my take. yesterday, was not special. I had no other goal than to do my regular routine. In the past , pre cold / flu this past 2 weeks, I did set a goal of 110 BPM after the first few minutes. Sort of a running start to the workout.
But no, yesterday, was ' warm up ' and then start callisthenics. 

So, a higher than normal AV BPM day

🔞 ... aprilius XVIII

 🔞  .... in the ' boro. partly cloudy and cool to warm. i.e. no coat going for the paper

branches, moving slightly.

Happening s: 2 loads of wash ( still waiting for folding)

Dinner was pan fried potatoes, mostly tasty but not golden brown / sausage from the Butcher

Imagine sausage that doesn't shrink by half during cooking. Peaches & cream corn buckets

Our day

Oops, Electrician guy came back to seal off the receptacle and junction box ( not really necessary but the live wires do pass thru )

And for today s workout, the Av BPM was 116 c f. 108 two days ago. We would point out that there was no purposeful extra exertion. The goal was a complete workout but no quantity targets

👙 and the ides of april

 👙 ... breaks warmish and sunny but humid.
Head to toe. or pedicure and haircut. Shopped at the drug store and got bread.
also, brought home lean ground mince and sausage
smash burgers on the menu

on YouTube, a beer ' pundit ' evaluated 5 Stouts from the UK Guinness finished last [ watery and sugary ]
in this house, Guiness gets # 1

and smash burgers - it was. served on sourdough rye from Hearth bakery

convivial spring evening, 

On YouTube ..... they 're discovering the Bee Gees ' Too much Heaven ' in 2022  

Now, I don't feel so bad about my discoveries ' five years out of date '

🇳🇵 ... ... the ' boro report 04-16

 🇳🇵wet. 56 F . air is still
Blogging. what value ? easy. keep your hand and eye coordination sharp. Using the Chromebook for online business is expected and supposedly simple
However, bringing dangers b / c if its easy, someone is thinking ' how do I scam 'em. Overall, tho ' - being aware is good.
kinda ' go w / the times '

no - we don't bank under the mattress. I even got a PC Financial account.

Sun showed up and lightened the look

Lunch. Decided to try Japanese curry sauce 

Discovered that the recipe included meat ( pork or chicken ). Potatoes and carrots - obviously a complete dinner 

I substituted a lot 

Saute onions and lamb, garlic clove ( no carrots today )

After some 1 / 2 h added spices curry, paprika and Old Bay seasoning 

Melted butter and added flour and eventually chicken stock ( which used carrots as mirepoix anyway )

Meanwhile cut and soaked fries ( yes, curry and chips) so while the liquid simmered got the fry pieces ready for air fryer 

I went for Japanese curry b / c the recipe did use tomato sauce. / paste

Recipe had 1 1 / 2 # of pork. I went w/ three thin rolls of lamb

1 / 2 C of flour became a bare tablespoon. 3 cups of chicken stock shrunk to 1 / 2 C

Taste test. Good. Next time add more paprika but I was playing w / amounts 

Consistency was near ideal, a little thicker ?

Beaucoup cleaning in the kitchen 

Coulda opened a package and ate chemicals 

the above is an AI search for a 76 yo male, Av BPM 105 over a 35 min workout

🈲 April 15

 🈲House news. The electrician ran the cable from panel to 1 st floor deck

Thru the wall at joist level w/ plastic conduit under the deck and up thru the deck 

Only took, 30 yrs. Done tho' 

However, the work is not in vain or of presumptive value. I did run the heating cables most of winter and longer this year than any other 

Groceries hauled back from Metro 

update. decided to take advantage of power to the upper back deck. I usually put out a kaleidoscope light in the front for Xmas season. This past, November, knowing that i'd run heater cables out front, I passed on the porch display.
Yes. Hooked up the kaleidoscope on the back deck on timer. Some entertainment value then 

I'm reporting that I feel tired. Maybe, not quite over the cold of last week. And I have been monitoring my diet to keep carbs down esp bread. Nothing against bread but the temptation to do ' easy ' is always there - chunk of bread and jam or meat etc.
I credit much of my weight loss [ 182. 6 to 172.4, at last weigh in ] to less bread. In fact,made rice for lunch

🈹 ... in the ' boro ....April 14

 🈹 ... you wake up to the hammering rain. Ah, green grass and clean sidewalks

the day cont'd w / buckets of rain

A regular trip out to Skyland for Chinese hotttable stuff. Also, sea salt ( not iodized), some lamb shaving ( used for hot pot 🍲)

The illness meant that I missed last week 

I reduced clobber by sorting 10 or is shots down to 3 ( maybe 2 would be better ). The items were old, not suitable or both

Thirteen April, ' boro wise

 warm flows gusted over the Scarborough heights....... Moist and bringing rain 

inside the house, a former electrician went to work basically creating a new power line from the electrical panel to a potential re activated deck receptacle 

The receptical hasn't worked since we bought

The receptical site is needed to provide power to back roof heating cable system that's in lieu of running 40 extra feet of extension from the downstairs 

🧣 still chill ....

 🧣... and wet. substantial
warm is coming   . as the week goes on .... looking forward,  60 F average for Mon thru Fri

my respiratory system is clearing out ... plenty of unmentionable stuff snorting out ... yick factor, for sure

chores for the day : shop the Tiger, laundry and dinner prep. ... all in hand for 6 P dinner

received a long distance call from UK - brimming w / hope and one potential downer
however, fingers crossed  ..... and we shall see said the Zen Mastermix

dinner : shake and bake commercial mix using boneless and skinless chicky thighs. small roast potatoes and zucchini

terrif ! says the chef

 

🥳 eleventh Aprilini

 🥳 ... under the framework that no one will notice

' boro. sunny and cool, headed for 48 F. And ... dunno

my head is clear and pain free. nose is stuffy. getting better

ahead .... cannot decide.

🪞 tenth of the fourth MMXXVI

 🪞' boro. tolerable weather at 48 F w/ chance of rain for days [ not a downpour ]

plate renewal for the truck accomplished. what a rigamarole ? By accident, I saw a receipt dated April 29 2024 for renewal and it said ' 2 year '.
Due this year right ? Nope May 2027

other fish to fry tho '
ripper, zipper lets get going

Aha discovered an explanation for the discrepancy between 2026 and 2027. Guess what? The plate license gets renewed automatically yearly because the province wants any tolls and fines paid in the year that they resulted from. So they want their money up front and they're they're willing to give you your license plate for free 

So lunch became bring in the burgers, the fries, and the Greek salad. Yep, we ordered in and I went to get it. Great meal tasty. Lots of it. Great meal

🩻 ... coming back ....

 🩻 ... the flashbacks are tossing and turning, a little too warm, headachy and long - meaning long waits for the night to finish or the uncomfort to finish

Well. almost there then. head is clear for this morning w / no body pain AND no drugs. Robacet was my choice to relieve pain but at night - Nyquil, for everything that was going wrong,
The past two days, has been an emphasis on salt water nasal rinse. AND the uglies come pouring out [ mixed colours and mixed solidity ]
BUT so refreshing being able to breathe w / out the sound of air hissing thru accumulated goo.

And as mentioned, all pretty much the way I get sick [ flu or cold, seems the same to me ]
there was one element missing, so far, I would have bet on a real nasty sore throat to start the whole process running

' boro get s sunshine and partly cloudy.

forecast says - 50 to 60 F, spotty showers 

7 th Aprilys

 ' boro in sun melting the 1 / 2 inch of snow

Slept long and comfortable y ( TG ). Stumbled thru a shower ( my balance was very suspect Sat and Sun especially at night ).

Now. Caught between let us rise and tango and collapse in puddle of self pity. I'm solidly voting self pity. Couldn't tango to save my life 🧬 

Shizah, can't remember breakfast shizah times two

Banana w / yoghurt for lunch plus crackers and cheese 

6 of Apr

 When your tale of woe keeps woe ing. Slept as long as I could and awoke in physical shambles 

Realizing that I had to deliver the dresser before going home

Struggled thru and crashed at home 

Guinness is a blessing 

April 4

 April  at the Q ' Weather glum c.f. me who is Plummer.

 The ragged story goes ' poor night sleeping 

Then when  everyone went shopping - I was going to stay warm and dry - NOT 

They bought a dresser and needed the truck. Raw and drizzly, til I got near the store and downpour 

We had lunch out but I was doomed. Tried being brave and failed badly. 

 

Apr 4

 In the borough we have dull, rainy, cloudy, not nice, hovering temperature. We're talking 36.37. that's about it for the day and buckets of rain coming this afternoon. 

Already from yesterday everything has changed. I couldn't sleep this morning. Got up at 4:00. Didn't know what to do so I said play with the phone. Basically I figured I'll give it one more shot. Trying to do the transfer of my personal checking account to wise debit. 

As well, I had been trouble getting on to the Koodo mobile phone service that before it was simple. Now I get part of a website and not much more. Just to be sure, I went on Koodo forum where you can ask questions and get answers to problems. As before, one of the first pieces of advice is if you're using a VPN, turn it off and it may resolve your problems. Of course I'm going " I'm not using my VPN " right now but I decided to check. Well you got it. The VPN was on so I turned off the VPN. Got to the Koodo website easily. 

. Now I'm thinking if that worked what about Wise and you're not going to believe it,  tried Wise and hooked up to my bank account. Within 3 minutes I had transferred money.

So what we're looking at is the reason I couldn't connect to the bank was the bank didn't know where I was or didn't recognize the VPN site as my phone okay dummy here. Figured it out after 7 days

 

 

 

 

🧼 on April the 3 rd

 🧼 in the  ' boro, sun is out in a cloudy sky w/ temperature soaring to 60 F or close. Coffee in hand and typing. Almost coordinated. Waking by the minute.
Thoughts on the banking / internet / interac drama.
You should know. The hope is, perhaps, PC banking will allow Wise to receive funds via Interac or bank to bank transfer. Thus, I can start to plan Debit spending in the UK. Debit would be easier then hauling cash around. For us, starting in Staines [ London locale ], debit is considered de rigeur [ barring independent operators - fruit stand etc in the High St market].
I intimated a wish to spread out our banking a bit, taking advantage of saving accounts premiums.

And if I got the drift correct. PC banking will provide a Matercard linked to PC food venues [ Loblaws and No Frills. Add in Shoppers Drug Mart and Canadian Tire. Bonus, all these businesses offer PC optimum points.

We shall see said the Zen Master

OK. start the day. later folks ( Post # 4272 )

🪫 2 of April

 🪫... the state of old [ er ] age. in the ' boro, the day is dull. We will warm up to 52 F this aft. Then rain or snow at noon [ come on ..... snow, alright rain ]

The coldest forecast day is Tues at 32.

going for coffee. ah. good brew this morn

Follow up,  battling computers or the dark forces of interacting ' chips '.

 Lately, I was explaining my problem transferring money from CIBC to Wise and the fact that transactions wouldn't go through Well, today, I thought let's beat them at their own game. I decided to start an online banking account. I chose PC financial because a friend uses PC and claims to have no problems. 
Besides, for quite some time, I have been debating about setting up a second banking option. Perhaps, one offering better rates for savings and PC has a marquee 2.2 % in savings

beginning.                                                               
I managed to set up a PC account. They offered the option of transferring money into my new account and I chose Interac. Of course I chose interact just to see if it would work. So I transferred $1,000 which immediately disappeared from my CIBC account but did not appear in my PC financial account.           
 I waited an appropriate amount of time, still nothing. While waiting, I decided to choose the option that was offered, notification by email when any transfers occurred. Still nothing  

Okay, now I call support at PC financial, wait 25 minutes. Get a lady and she explains that interac transfers take three business days and because this is my first transaction, it might be five. Furthermore, the funds might be held until everything clears through both banking systems. Plus some Interac transfers are limited at first to $ 500. I said. Thank you and rang off

 5 minutes ago I get a notification " PC financial has received $1,000 interact transfer. It is now in your account. And would you like to transfer to savings

Crikey and all gods in heaven. The left hand and right hand don't have quantum entanglement it seems. That's an astronomy / physics quip.

🛍 April 1 in the building spring

 🛍 in the ' boro .... definitely, a work in progress. Bleeding cold and gusty. This is take out your rubbers and hooded coats feeling

shoppping day. First, lunch at the Magic Noodle [ our go to ].
Then we go to Costco. Except today it was visit Optical Div. for a touch up, re - adjustment on my latest reading glasses. The glasses came slightly askew and then proceeded to become crooked and not pliable at all.
The lady at Opt. Div, said give me 15 min and we did. Quite the change.
Shopping proceeded to get out of hand
.... chicken thighs, $ 2 off the package of 20.
... toilet paper is the standard Costco price [ more than fair ]
.... BBQ chicken is $ 8, not giant but for two, bonus
... cap it off w / Husky sealable bags for [ travel, packing ....] anyway there is a vacuum port for shrink packaging your clothes? or ..... and $ 4 dollars off.
We are travelling, so, maybe squeeze some clothes down.
Thus, out of hand is the apt description of me at Costco. Nothing will be wasted. The packing vacuum bags [  ????? ] but a great idea. Toilet paper - well, necessary, even if there 40 rolls under the stairs.

On the prepping front. I started an account w/ Wise. Wise is an international debit card. Transfer money from your bank to Wise. Then while away, you use the debit card for daily spending [ you convert currency before you travel ]. The start, transferred $ 100 Cdn. Used the Wise card for practice. Works. Now, let s transfer more ..... what ?  Four days later and I'm trying to figure out how to get through. All starts well, then " we cannot complete your transaction " keeps appearing.
Last year, I sent GBP ahead to the cousins and then ' borrowed the money back. Guess what, might be the same again.

You understand that starting early, gives me room to adjust.