What did you do today? 2019 version.

[aja8888]

Replaced the driver's side door weather seal in my 1998 F150. Washed the truck, aired up tires on two cars, and cleaned my workbench. Whew! Time for a rest.

 

[W2R]

Well, not really alive, but it works.

Almost three weeks ago we had a bit of a windstorm that blew the A/C condensing unit off the pad overnight, in addition to cutting off power for ~12 hours. We were able to just push it back in place but since it was too cold to turn on the A/C and test it we had no way of knowing if anything was damaged.

Today between the outside temperature of 72° F and sunlight coming in the windows we let it get to 81° inside and turned on the A/C just to see if it worked. Yay, it did! So for right now anyway it seems that there were no lasting effects.

Congratulations! What a surprise, and relief, that must be.

 

[38Chevy454]

Got home today after being gone for 11 days. I flew out Mon Mar 4 to help my sister on her house in NM. Summary of what I did for 8 days of 10-12 hours/day:
1. Painted entire inside of house, including ceilings, but not inside closets. Removed all the cover plates, HVAC vents, window blinds, and light fixture bases from ceilings. Then put them all back after paint was done. Ceilings painted white; walls, doors and trim/baseboards painted in neutral light beige type color.
2. Got new carpet ordered up to replace all carpet in the house
3. Replaced 4 light fixtures
4. Removed all window blinds and washed them outside with water to make then super clean. Replaced one damaged blind with a new one
5. Super cleaned tile floors and put floor polish on to make them shiny gloss
6. Many small projects fixing things around house and outside
7. Painted garage door and trim around garage door
8. Got papers signed with a realtor to sell the house
9. Helped her review her finances and budget to get her back on track
10. Probably more i have forgotten now


Drove back 1500 miles in 2.5 days, incl through a lot of that bad weather system this week. I'm officially tired and ready for a few days of rest. Drove one of my old vehicles back that I had given to my sister a few years ago. Bailed her out of some credit card debt and took the SUV back, she does not need it anymore. I'll just add it to the fleet here, it can be the new/old dog hauler and have it available as a backup or loaner for folks visiting us here.

 

[braumeister]

Odd medical incident while traveling

Last year, Nemo2 told a remarkable story about an incident he experienced in Spain during his European trip. It was much on my mind lately, as I had an eerily similar experience recently in Norway.

Got on a cruise ship and settled in, then went to the dining room for a buffet dinner. A minute or two after sitting down to eat, I was struck by a severe stomachache and closed my eyes for a moment.

Next thing I knew, it was several minutes later and I was flat on my back on the dining room floor, surrounded by at least a dozen people, including the ship’s doctor. DW told me that I had started responding oddly and my speech was slurred to the point I was hardly intelligible. She had gotten up and removed the knife and fork from my hands, and the waiters had gently put me on the floor. I knew nothing about all this. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time in my life I had ever blacked out like that.

I gradually came out of it, and got to my feet. Since it was going to be almost four hours until the ship sailed, they wanted me to go to an ER ashore to get checked out. The very last thing I wanted to do, but I recognized the wisdom of it.

We took a taxi to the ER and only had to wait about an hour or so to be seen. While waiting, I realized that since I was wearing my Apple watch, I had a record of my heart rate. Looked at it and saw that it had dropped extremely low at the time of my episode. Explained the whole thing to the doctor, with DW describing most of it.

The good doctor patiently listened to the story and kept smiling the whole time (because he knew there was nothing to worry about), then explained it to me nicely. He called it a vasovagal syncope, which is just a fancy word for fainting.

I hadn’t eaten since a light breakfast that day, and I had also let myself become dehydrated (confirmed because my urine was pretty dark when I finally went). When my stomach suddenly called for an increased blood supply to start the digestion process as I began to eat, there wasn’t enough available and the blood drained from my upper body, depriving the brain of its supply. Heart rate (and blood pressure) dropped for the same reason. All because I was dehydrated and the blood was thicker than normal.

The doc told me it was completely harmless and nothing to worry about, which was a huge relief to me. He said that putting me on the floor got me back to normal, and I would have recovered even faster if they had thought to elevate my legs. Thanked him profusely and went back to the ship.

Incidentally, the whole thing wasn’t even worth putting in a medical claim for. Two taxi rides of around $25 each, and the consultation at the ER was about $45.

All because I let myself get dehydrated over a long travel day. Stay thirsty, my friends.

 

[Nemo2]

Glad you're OK....odd about the slurring, because, although I had it temporarily, my speech was totally understandable the entire time.

I imagine the ship's doctor had an inkling of your situation, because although I was cognizant and fully mobile, they sent me to the hospital in an ambulance rather than a cab.

Dunno about "Stay thirsty" though......that's what got you into the predicament.

 

[RetireAge50]

Braumeister, glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing the story, I immediately went and refilled my water cup.

 

[MichaelB]

Brau, so glad to hear everything’s fine. Your DW is a smart gal.

 

[TromboneAl]

Happy to hear that it wasn't serious, Brau. And that the doc didn't tell you to drink less beer.

 

[braumeister]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, folks. Ultimately, it was really a very minor thing, although it certainly got my attention.

Meanwhile, the trip (ten days in Norway) was delightful, and I got to check off one of my list items. We saw some wonderful Northern Lights displays two nights in a row. That's something I had always wanted to do. Even got some crappy pictures of it.

Nothing but good things to say about Norway, its people, and its food. Expensive, but well worth it.

 

[MRG]

Got groceries. On the way in from the parking lot there was a dog hanging out of a pickup truck that I admired from a distance. Then he jumped out the window to come great me. Nice dog , his owner was shocked but I was amused.

When I came home DW was dressed and ready to go to the gym. It's first time in a couple months. She did her 20 minute jog and was done. Normally we do weights afterwards but she was beat. She's had 4 pain free days now and it's a relief. Hopefully it continues.

 

[NW-Bound]

... The good doctor patiently listened to the story and kept smiling the whole time (because he knew there was nothing to worry about), then explained it to me nicely. He called it a vasovagal syncope, which is just a fancy word for fainting.

I hadn’t eaten since a light breakfast that day, and I had also let myself become dehydrated (confirmed because my urine was pretty dark when I finally went). When my stomach suddenly called for an increased blood supply to start the digestion process as I began to eat, there wasn’t enough available and the blood drained from my upper body, depriving the brain of its supply. Heart rate (and blood pressure) dropped for the same reason. All because I was dehydrated and the blood was thicker than normal.

The doc told me it was completely harmless and nothing to worry about, which was a huge relief to me. He said that putting me on the floor got me back to normal, and I would have recovered even faster if they had thought to elevate my legs. Thanked him profusely and went back to the ship.

Incidentally, the whole thing wasn’t even worth putting in a medical claim for. Two taxi rides of around $25 each, and the consultation at the ER was about $45.

All because I let myself get dehydrated over a long travel day. Stay thirsty, my friends.

I am glad the story ended well, and you were able to get back on the ship.

If you had gone to the ER in the US, who knows how many thousands of dollars it could cost.

 

[SnowBound]

Thought I had really bad head cold since Wednesday. Panicked when DW said looks like strep with it being Friday (doctors office closed Sat/Sun). Got an appointment after one desperate call. Doctor really enjoyed the clutches, dislocated/broken ankle story and updating my chart for surgery. Oh, also informed us that I had the flu. Rest of day same as the past three weeks (flat on back, leg elevated).

 

[W2R]

Thought I had really bad head cold since Wednesday. Panicked when DW said looks like strep with it being Friday (doctors office closed Sat/Sun). Got an appointment after one desperate call. Doctor really enjoyed the clutches, dislocated/broken ankle story and updating my chart for surgery. Oh, also informed us that I had the flu. Rest of day same as the past three weeks (flat on back, leg elevated).

Oh my gosh!!! How utterly miserable.

Best wishes for as fast a recovery as possible.

All because I let myself get dehydrated over a long travel day. Stay thirsty, my friends.

Glad you are OK. Getting dehydrated can really sneak up on us as we grow older, especially in hot climates. I have found that I fall more easily if I get too dehydrated, as weird as that probably seems. So, I actually measure how much water I drink every day, to make sure I am drinking a normal amount.

 

[Gumby]

Lesson for the day: Drink Heavily.

The wonderful things I learn here!

 

[braumeister]

Lesson for the day: Drink Heavily.

The wonderful things I learn here!

Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Christine]

I'm glad you were OK, Braumeister!



I had to abort my trip to Spain and hurry back home since my mum got heart problems and became a frequent visitor at the hospital. So I recently took her to the ER and she had to pay about $30 for her consultation. So a $15 surcharge for foreign visitors - not too bad.

 

[braumeister]

Yes, I was very happy to pay 413 NOK to get some good news.

Hope your mom is better too.

 

[Souschef]

Today was the day I put my 4 tomato plants in. Since I am retired, I dug one hole Wednesday and the other on Thursday.
Waited until Saturday because the nursery was having a 25% off sale
Got the plants, Garden soil, manure, and transplanting liquid.
I love playing in the dirt, as my mom used to cal it.

 

[Walt34]

Since I am retired, I dug one hole Wednesday and the other on Thursday.

I love it. No point in risking overwork in retirement!

 

[Gumby]

Changed the oil in my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid for the 33rd and final time. It has 297,050 miles on it. When I get to 300k (should be there in 6 weeks), I'm giving it away and buying a new car. Also rotated the tires.

Then purchased two 30x30x12 inch kitchen upper cabinets at Lowes and installed them in the laundry room above our new washer and dryer. Looks great, and I didn't damage the new appliances during the installation.

 

[iloveyoga]

Weighed in at WW with my sis, then off to yoga with my other sis. Since it is weigh in day, we feasted on pasta for lunch and an ice cream cone for dessert. We also made a trip to Sam's Club, it was very busy. I was together with my two sisters and Mom for the first time in months. Our weather has been that bad, it has been hard for my sis to get here from KC. I came home to rest and made a nice roast in the pressure cooker.

It was 52 and sunny here in Iowa today and people were kicking up their heels.

 

[Mango1956]

Did some “trail building”with the local volunteer group, which essentially means hacking at a slope with a tool called a “Mccloud”. Most there were seniors like me and I was impressed with their energy and stamina. Hardest work I’ve ever done! I am female and not much upper body strength. But it was a beautiful day after all the rain, and it felt good to get out and do some good for the community. DH missed the opportunity as he had a Blue Oyster concert to go to in the city. Not sure who got the better deal.

 

[Koogie]

Changed the oil in my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid for the 33rd and final time. It has 297,050 miles on it. When I get to 300k (should be there in 6 weeks), I'm giving it away and buying a new car. Also rotated the tires.

Ever have any trouble with the hybrid in all that time ?

 

[NW-Bound]

Yesterday, I finished installing the 2nd half of the lithium battery bank in the DIY solar storage shed, and also the 4th solar charger controller.

Now that I have more storage to squirrel the collected energy to use at night instead of having to find a way to burn it off during daytime, I have been babysitting the system to see how it is working. My measurement method still leaves a lot to be desired, but the collected power today, a clear-sky day, is 27 kWh.

The above number compares pretty darn well with what the gummint calculator at nrel.gov predicts for my location, my system size, and the installation orientation. Man, I am impressed. And now that I have that single-day data point, I look ahead to see what the calculator says for the entire year. It says that I should be able to generate about 1/2 the electricity that I have been using.

As I am writing this, my wife is slicing up two chunks of corned beef. I invited my children and my mother for dinner. When I texted my children two days ago about this, on a spur of the moment as we happened to see store ads for corned beef, they replied right away that, yes, they would love to come.

 

[travelover]

Changed the oil in my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid for the 33rd and final time. It has 297,050 miles on it. When I get to 300k (should be there in 6 weeks), I'm giving it away and buying a new car. ............

..........Now that I have more storage to squirrel the collected energy to use at night instead of having to find a way to burn it off during daytime..........

Gumby, give it to NW so he can have somewhere to put his excess electricity.