Search results

I learned to swim as an adult so I could do sprint triathlons. I knew nothing about swimming, but found that the instructor (at a university) was quite helpful and free with advice about tris, not just swimming, because most adults learning to swim these days seem to be doing it for triathlons...

Warning - I'm no expert. Some states (like mine) have a high-risk pool, but in this state at least it's quite pricey and is only good for disasters. On the other hand, if you have no other option (like me at the time), it's better than nothing. I found out this stuff by talking with a local...

A good way to know whether or not you're really hungry, is to keep a bag of fresh peeled carrots, or fresh raw broccoli, or whatever veg you enjoy, in the frig. When you think you're hungry, decide if eating some of the veg sounds good. If not, then you are not really hungry for food. If...

Yep, me too, I just do not store faces or names unless I see someone often. I've tried all the little tricks and nothing works. Now that I'm older I'm hoping people will be more forgiving when I do not recognize them. Once they tell me their name, I know who they are and when I met them, it's...

Most Tilley clothing has a pocket inside the normal pocket, closed with velcro. This requires good sewing skills (or purchase of a Tilley garment). I had excellent luck with a pair of long Tilley khaki slacks on a year+ long budget travel, because they can be washed in a sink and dry...

I was in various parts of India in 1997. I found it the most challenging of the 25 countries I have visited. That was 15 years ago, mind you, but still I doubt the rural areas and slums have changed much. When people are starving, or worse yet their children are starving, they do desperate...

Dilbert's life was my life, back before I ERed. That's a lot of the reason I wanted to ER. It isn't so funny when you're living it.

Purron, best wishes for a quick and complete recovery for your mom. I have a feeling she couldn't have anyone better than you at her side. I hope you will try to schedule sleep and exercise time for yourself, too.

It didn't work that way for me. I was offered insurance all right, but they had riders like "no coverage for any tumor" (and I had never had cancer). What's the point? Many states now have high risk pools, and that's what I used (very high deductible) until I could get coverage through my...

+1 to the first part, the incident has happened and is on the record. On the second point, rescission is a problem sometimes (ins co drops you when you file an expensive claim, researching your application and looking for something they can claim is inaccurate, even if you've been paying them...

Moemg - I will pass along that suggestion. I don't know who she's seen, or their qualifications. I'm not impressed with her GP, judging by things that have been missed and crises not averted, and neither is my sister, which may be why she's felt the need to bring this up. Donheff - thanks for...

I'm looking for advice on deciding on hip replacement for my 85-year-old mother. I received an email from a sibling this morning. She lives in the same city as my mother and brother, thousands of miles from me. My sister asked my brother and I if we should explore the possibility of my mother...

Great news! Good show.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I thought I'd update my progress on this issue. I started out planning on replacing our executor with a non-human (because I didn't want to burden the executor after what we've all just gone through being executors), but after wrestling with the issue, and reading all your posts (what a good...

DH and I do have a few human beneficiaries, one of which is currently listed as the executor of our will. But now that one of us has co-executed (?) a will, we know it's not fun. We want to figure out a way so that no one who cares about us, has to go through and dispose of all our...

I'm looking for suggestions on how to select an executor for our will. I'm not looking for a space alien as the title might suggest, but as of now there are no longer any suitable relatives or friends that I would choose to saddle with the chore, so I'm thinking of an organization like The...

Doctors are taught to tell their patients to avoid alcohol, because of the incipient alcoholics out there (they take one drink, they're an alcoholic). Overconsumption of alcohol is more dangerous to your health than heart disease. However, if you know you are NOT an alcoholic, the truth is...

+2

Congratulations! I worked six months on, six months off, my last three years on the job, and it was good transition to ER.

Rest in peace.

I agree with samclem and erd50, the point I was trying to make (or rather my DH was) was that using commercial software does not necessarily get you the correct result. I shouldn't have implied that TurboTax was bad. In fact, if I do choose to use commercial software it will be that one.

DH and I use spreadsheets. I counted them as software - customized by us. I'm old enough to remember BEFORE there were spreadsheets. Believe me, spreadsheets are software, and quite different from pencil and paper! DH does the lions share of the work, and I just check them and find errors, so...

If you're at all serious about this, I highly recommend enlisting a trainer, if only for a session or two to check your form (crucial!) and help you set goals. As a woman who grew up before Title IX, I didn't do any weight training until past middle age, and it's taken forever to even learn how...

I have no medical training, but I had two friends and a relative all come down with shingles in their 50's. All are healthy athletic people (for their ages). The two still working are workaholics, and continued their work schedule as usual even though they felt tired and in serious pain. They...