Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.

Yes, I did it!!
And, yes, June. I'll be back.

Wonderful seeing you here again, CynB. I missed you. I know what you're talking about when it comes to the ugly aftereffects of quitting smoking. I wish I hadn't. The weight gain was awful. And the difficulty relieving stress and anxiety is awful. Combine it with severe clinical depression and chronic fatigue syndrome, and it changes life for the worst.

Thank you for welcoming me back, Heidi.
Yes, so true about the aftereffects of quitting smoking. Not something covered in all the advertisements about quitting. No warning - 'Beware, the aftereffects could be tricky'.
C'est la vie! I also wish I hadn't. But, I have never considered going back to it so I just have to learn to cope.

Before I quit smoking, I weighed 170 lbs (77.1 kg). I now weigh 270 lbs (122.7 kg), and I can't lose a single pound of it. It didn't help that my thyroid died right after I quit, too.

Hi, Everyone!

We have had a long day with about 5 total hours of driving for hubby. We went to see my sister (who is a beautician) and her hubby. Both of us got hair cuts, then went to lunch with Sis and BIL. We were surprised that her middle son and his fiancee met all of us for lunch (the first time to meet Lexi). We found out that they have chosen a date next Sept. for their wedding, so lots of enjoyable conversation.

June, I'm so sorry to hear about the reaction you had, but glad you were able to stay at the hospital so you didn't need to worry about getting up & rushing to the bathroom at home. Sometimes the inconvenience of being in hospital outweighs the additional problems and worries that you might have faced at home. (Nice to have someone else to deal with the clean-up after vomiting. They could also make sure you didn't become dehydrated.) On the other hand, it's SO nice to be able to get home from the hospital and begin to live on your own schedule again!

It's so nice you got to meet Anne from Albany, be the hostess to her in your home, and have dinner with some of the other Sudoku 'family.'

MizT, that was quite an escapade to get your Xray and then to your doctor! I'm SO glad you got there safely and no visible cause for your shortness of breath. Good luck with the experiment of not taking the medicine. Certainly hope your blood pressure & pulse remain normal during the experiment! I agree with you that too much PineSol is hard to deal with. What a relief that the day was nice enough and you could 'escape' to the outdoors to get away from it and enjoy weather that was nice enough to sit outside in.

Suzy, how nice that the bandage is off! It's always hardest to look at scars when they are fresh. MizT is right, though, it's probably more evident to you than it is to others. The color will fade some each day until it gets to the point that it's not the first thing you think of or see when you look in the mirror.

Thank you, Cyn, for your posts. It's lovely to catch up with you. Much has happened since you first posted on Sudoku. It's wonderful that you were able to stop smoking relatively easily. I wasn't aware of all the side effects that could present themselves afterward. You certainly had much to deal with! Luckily it seems that you have found some excellent ways to deal, including painting and drawing. Good for you! And congratulations on cleaning out 'the room' that had become a weight on your shoulders. (It's something - actually our basement - that hubby and I also need to deal with, but we keep finding ways to avoid it.) It's good to hear that Col is still working, although hating the job. Good luck to your D as she works AND studies to become a Naturoopath! Sounds like quite an undertaking! Thank you for the update on your family. It's amazing how quickly your grandies are growing up! Wishing you and them all the best, and hoping you are able to visit here again!

Thinking of everyone and s

I wondered if I would run over, so of course, I did. Here's the rest:

Thinking of everyone and sending lots of happy & positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}} and

Cyn, so glad you popped in and gave us an update on your life too! I am another quitter, stopped smoking almost 18 years ago, did the weight gain too, almost as much as Heidi gained. But not the anxiety and depression problems, thankfully. I was glad I had quit when last year the pulmonologist I was sent to see said my lungs were now as clear as if I had never smoked, YEAH!

Your drawing annnd painting classes sound fun. for a while we had a n art teacher here, a resident who taught in school system I think. At the time, I could not afford all the supplies needed, and have never felt I could paint or draw well either. But I can color! Last couple of years I have really been into the adult color books, and enjoying it.

two friends and I sat down in the bird room, so called cause we have an aviary and finches, and worked on our individual projects while chatting a bit. fun. I was coloring outside the lines today, and it turned out pleasing to me.

Congrats on the grandies and their awards I saw on FB. So sorry Collin hates his job, never fun to have to get up every morning to face a hated job. Can he retire soon? I enjoy seeing his posts from the road on FB, the last one where he was waiting for the ferry, with no money, no smokes and no bathroom. did he make it onto the next fairy? I know he was frustrated, but the water view he had was not bad.

Welcome back to SA, hope you can begin to feel you fit in again. If you have before and after photos of 'the room' we would like to see, or even just an after.

It is past my bedtime, had more to say, but don't want to entertain Heidi again by falling asleep at the keyboard. Cyn, I made a real mess of the last of my post couple nights ago, trying to finish before I fell asleep. I think I was sleep typing, it was very interesting reading.

Hugs to each of you with extras, and a special to our returning CynB. Check in when you can please and keep us up to date on your and family's lives.

Hey Cyn, great to see you here! Please stay!

Funny story about my scar. When the nurse took the bandage off she raved about what a good job the doc had done. What are we going to do when he retires?! (He’s probably well into his 70s.) Then the gp came in and said ‘you’re probably going to get a shock when you look at it, but don’t worry, it will get better with time’. No clue! It’s still sore, which is to be expected, but the worrying bit is it feels like there might be nerve damage. It feels like the other side of my face which got nerve damage in 1985. I’m hoping it’s only temporary, unlike the other side.

Good Morning SA! Thanks for the welcome back everyone, it feels good to be here.
Julie, I see you're as busy as ever. A good way to be.
MizT - yes, I'm sure my lungs are much clearer even after less than 4 years. I no longer have that cough every morning. I still get asthma but not badly.
Suzy, I hope the nerve damage (numbness?) on your scar goes away with time.
Heidi, when I opened up SA this morning I started reading the posts on page 1 and found the one about your white vehicle being hit by a sheet of hot liquid chocolate! Got another smile out of it 4 years later. I know it wasn't funny for you at the time though.

I did mean to mention yesterday that we also hosted Anne from Albany recently for several days. She had never been to Queensland or NSW so there was lots to show her. We had bad weather throughout but still managed some fun days. She then flew to Tropical North Qld, before flying to Sydney to visit June.
I wonder if I can still work out how to post photos on my page. If I can do it, I'll post a group one from the gathering.

I did it - photo of gathering for Anne is in my gallery!

I’m logged on here, but when I went to your page it told me I had to log on to comment. That felt sus so I didn’t do it. Sigh.

How weird! I'd be interested to know if it happens to anyone else.

Greetings to All! Thank you for the great TOPP, CynB! It was lovely!

Suzy and CynB, I was able to comment on the photo of the Sudoku get-together at Cyn's. How nice to have a visit from Anne and so many other Sudoku friends! I'd be interested if what happened to Suzy (not being able to comment) happens again to her - or anyone else. (Maybe Cyn's page was a little 'rusty' and couldn't remember how to allow a comment.)

Suzy, here's hoping you're just experiencing a bit of numbness, rather than nerve damage. I seem to recall that nerves grow quite slowly. If it's just some numbness, you might just wake up one day and not immediately realize that things are beginning to feel 'normal' again!

CynB, Heidi, and MizT, I had no idea there were additional symptoms associated with quitting to smoke. When my Dad quit, I was already in college and only got home a couple of times per semester, so wasn't aware if he had any symptoms. I don't think I personally know anyone else who quit smoking.

I'm off to check email and TOS. Thinking of all of you and sending warm Sudoku greetings, positive thoughts, healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, & prayers.

OH DEAR, I forgot a cardinal rule. Can't leave the page to see photos till AFTER you post your comments. Lost a long post with comments to all who had posted since last visit. I have had sleeping medication, do not want to fall asleep at keyboard again. Heidi gets to much fun when I do that hehehe, ONLY had to correct 6 miss spelling of words in this comment. my other, lost comment was much better, longer and full of wittisism, (SP? not close enough for spell check to under stand, time to get off the keyboard, for sure) of course it was.

Short version was another welcome back to CynB. I did get to see and comment on her photo. wished suzi healing thoughts and hopes the posible nerve damage will resolve itself 199%, sometimes it happens like that.

Glad to know that Julie and MizT could get into the photo in my gallery. Hopefully it was just a temporary glitch for Suzy.

I, also was able to post, Cyn...

So was I.

Morning all and Happy Halloween to those who partake. This will be my second year of not 'partaking'. As our little estate has grown, so have the number of trick or treaters. The last year I did it 2015, I had 100 treat bags, and they all went and we had to close doors. My grandies are teens now and not bothered. The neighbourhood kids we knew have either grown up or moved away. So up go the signs 'No trick or Treaters. Thank You' Last year they observed that and left us alone.

I'm glad you were all able to see that photo I submitted and that Suzy also was able to.
Thank you to Saltie from Rockhampton, Qld, who also commented about putting names to faces. This was a name I didn't recognise, so I did some investigation on his/her page and discovered that he/she lurked for around 10 years until finally joining last year. Belated welcome from me Saltie, and if you're reading this, why not tell us more about yourself?

Today started very cold, but most of my plants survived, even the impatiens were as colorful as usual. I had one, vinca, that looked a bit droopy, can't tell if was from frost, cold wind or another cause. It is almost November, time for them to demise, they have given a lot of cheer to residents and visitors, some since early March. But today got very warm, no more near freezing temps for next 10 days forecast. I will keep watering them as long a they keep blooming

I need to get to grocery and also look for pansies. In Alabama, pansies are fall/winter/early spring flowers. Those and ornamental Kale, add color to the garden.

The short of Breath thing has improved greatly. BP is very erratic, as high as 150/80, low as 105 /50. Mostly a tad high, 130-140 range, without the second BP medication. I do not understand the fluctuation, will continue taking B/P and will re do my notebook I was keeping them in to include time of B/P meds, see if we can figure it out.

Tomorrow is the Halloween party here. Residents are encouraged to come in costume, and enter the judging for prizes. this will be first year I have not planned anything. I have a black shirt with a Halloween kind of applique, new moon with a black cat, and a half mask with kitty ears, that my neighbor gave me, that is it. Just too much going on here with the medical stuff and trying to pack away all breakables and clearing floors fore getting new flooring. Today they announced a big HUD inspection for Nov 31. Some adjustments to get done, removing the over the door clothes hooks, that is a NO NO. turned in a report of water leaking around faucet in K, another thing they look for. Only a few apartments will be inspected, but the computer generated list will be done morning of, so everyone has to prepare. mine was chosen 2 years ago.

I HOPE I have everything back in place after the floor installation, but I have 3 weeks, so maybe. putting back will be more time consuming, I have a lot of things to clean, papers to sort and things to toss. but I will have new floors.

I asked staff member what the laminate would look like. I had seen the new floor in Laundry room and hated it, ugly, big dark knot looking spotty things scattered about, did NOT want that. Nope, it is not that one, and she gave me name of the last resident who had floors done, perhaps I could look at his floors. I asked him today if he would mind if I came by to look, and he said YES, he would mind. OK, I guess I will see what my floor will be when it gets here, bummer.

Hi Saltie!

MizT, his room might be messy. Mine is kind of disgusting right now. I haven’t been able to vacuum since I hurt my back. Sigh. I’m kind of blurry right now because I took an endone for it

Did I tell you about our trick or treating on the weekend? I can’t go back to check without losing my post. Dana and I stood at opposite ends of the house and the kids ran back and forth knocking on doors. Tonight they are going reverse trick or treating. They will knock on doors and offer candy.

Hello, Lovely People!

MizT, so sorry that you lost a long post! That can be so aggravating!

CynB, it seems that many of us were able to see your picture on your page. That's really good news!

Thanks for the reminder about Halloween. I need to try to finish all of my practicing before trick-or-treating starts (usually around 3:00 p.m. Since I practice upstairs I really don't want to be running up and down the stairs every few minutes. For the most part hubby doesn't care to be involved in this holiday, though he will take a turn handing out candy if I need to take a brief break.

MizT, I'm glad the plants seem to be doing well - and you have another week and a half of warm temperatures! Good luck finding some pansies!

MizT, it's reassuring to read that the shortness of breath has improved! Do you have any guesses about why your blood pressure is fluctuating? It's a good idea to keep track of it over time! We have been recording hubby's (usually twice a day) since he came home from the hospital last Oct. It's still hard to try to determine reasons for fluctuations! It sounds like you're making progress getting ready for the installation of your new flooring! I hope it will be something you will like! (I can't believe the attitude of the resident who wouldn't let you look at his new flooring!

Thinking of everyone and sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, and ! Take care, Everyone!

everybody!!!!!!

Good morning all! Hope your halloween has been fun. We had no door knockers because of the 'no trick or treaters' sign, but it sounded like there were many of them as they passed happily and noisily down the street for a few hours.

Granddaughter Hayley has had some exciting news. She is off to Uni next year, school is over next week I think. She has gained acceptance already in Business Studies at Griffith Uni but has named another Uni, QUT, as her first preference because she'd rather study to become a teacher.
She got an email from them to say that she's been chosen to be put on a billboard saying 'Hayley chose QUT, why don't you?'

Congratulations to Hayley!!! It's great that she can pick and chose which school to go to.

I don't understand why there's so much hate in the world. There was another case of terrorism in the USA today. In New York, a truck driver from Uzbekistan drove his truck into a crowd of bicyclists, killing 8.

Yes, Heidi, another horrific attack. It seems that this is their preferred method of attack, just plough down people in a big vehicle. My thoughts go to those affected by the attack.
The Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane is hosting the Commonwealth Games in April 2018 and one of the things they are having to do is put bollards up between roads and any open areas where crowds might be milling, not just in the Games village and arenas, but in the city and beaches. The Gold Coast is crowded all year round, it will be heaving in April and ripe for attack. Scary thought!

to Everyone! We have had the fewest trick-or-treaters of any year since we moved here 14 or 15 years ago. It may be partly because of the temperature (high 30 to low 40 F (about 3 to 5 degrees C). I'm guessing we had about 30 to 40 kiddos (and way too much candy). We'll take some to string orchestra tomorrow and more to our wood turning meeting next week (usually at least 60 members attend monthly).

CynB, such wonderful news for Hayley. Seems like she has been some thought into her plans for the future. Congratulations, Hayley!

Heidi, I agree - hard to understand why there is so much hatred. Though, I must say that it seems like some politicians encourage it by their rhetoric and behavior.

CynB, it seems like a good idea that some thought has been put into security for the Commonwealth Games! As you say, it seems there are some large open areas that would be a magnet for crowds to mill about. Here's hoping there will not be any attacks next year!

And I'm off to an early bed time. Tomorrow is a music day. Hopefully I'll find some time to practice before orchestra and lesson!

Sending cheery wishes, positive thoughts, , healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers for all to share!

Risqué, maybe a little Risky, but I’ll take a chance…

BEST DRUNK STORY OF THE MONTH...
A drunken man walks into a biker bar, sits down at the bar and orders a drink.
Looking around, he sees three men sitting at a corner table. He gets up, staggers to the table, leans over, looks the biggest, meanest, biker in the face and says: 'I went by your grandma's house today and I saw her in the hallway buck naked.
Man, she is one fine looking woman!'
The biker looks at him and doesn't say a word.
His buddies are confused, because he is one bad biker and would fight at the drop of a hat.
The drunk leans on the table again and says: 'I got it on with your grandma and she is good, the best I ever had!'
The biker's buddies are starting to get really mad but the biker still says nothing.
The drunk leans on the table one more time and says, 'I'll tell you something else, boy, your grandma liked it!'
At this point the biker stands up, takes the drunk by the shoulders looks him square in the eyes and says....................

'Grandpa;....... Go home! You're drunk.

Not to detract from the atrocity, in New York, but nowhere, did I see, the occupation of the 'perp' reported as ''Truck Driver''. He was the driver of a small rental truck, from 'Home Depot', for which no special license required. It is probably smaller than Heidi's caravan...

It was MUCH smaller than my RV (31 ft long). And I don't need a special license for that. This guy rented the oversized pick-up, used it to kill people, and left a note in the truck that the attack was in the name of ISIS. The driver is in the hospital...just came out of surgery. I called him a truck driver since that was what CNN called him initially. He was driving a small truck.

Ah, Yes, CNN. 'nough said...

We call them a “Ute” here. Short for utility vehicle, I think. Took me a while to get used to calling them a truck when I lived in SoCal. And going to the gas station was a challenge too. Then it was weird changing back to petrol station when I moved back. I hope we never know his name.

My name is saltie and I'm a sudokuaholic.

Yes, CynB, I found direction to the photo on this page - well spotted.

Suzy, there is a simple way to go back to another page without losing the current one. Find the link to the other page you want, then hold down the Shift key while you click the link. The other page should open in a new window without disturbing your current page. Cheers.

I wish the rest of the world would take our lead and use the term ''Ute'' to distinguish them from big trucks. Unfortunately some of our car sales people seem to think that 'ute' is a bogan term, or that 'truck' sounds more impressive, or both, and have started advertising their range of trucks which are really only utes.

Hi Saltie! I’m mostly on my tablet so no shift key. I just have to be careful and remember not to leave before posting..

I read a story that explains why CNN called him a truck driver. He has been employed as a truck driver. So, although he wasn’t driving truck, he was a truck driver.

Suzy, that makes sense. He is employed driving a truck, so a truck driver. The photo I saw of his vehicle was a bit larger than a pick up truck, our name for a ute, or just pick up. NO idea how they got that name. Maybe cause people use them to 'pick up' things, as, ' I need the pickup today to pick up some garden soil.'

Saltie, welcome to SA! I am glad you decided to forgo lurking and post. I do not know you from another part of sudoku land, so can you tell us who do not know you something about yourself? Drop in any time, we enjoy having new members and do not bite. Right DorA? Thank you for the tip on opening into a new window, I was the latest to loose a post by clicking over to see Cyn's photos. Learn something every day, and since I most often post from a real desk top computer, I can do that. Occasionally I read and post from my phone, but I am more comfortable with a full keyboard.

On the phone, I often use voice to text, and that can be fun to try to read hehehe. The program does not understand southern drawl.

Went for the echocardiogram today. Mix up in scheduling it, request from the office went to the doctor's appointment page, and NOT to the tech who does the tests. So I was not on the schedule. Waited hour and 40 minuets, in a waiting room that was too cold. Cold makes me hurt enough, then she found every tender spot on my ribs . NOT FUN! I was too tired, achey and cold to want to wait however long for our medical transport bus to pick me up. Jan had said she had a very full day today, so I boogied on home in my power chair. sun was out, it was about 60 degrees, nice morning for a ride through the park. my bones still feel cold, and I have been home over 3 hours. I think I shall snuggle up under the covers, a nap would be good. Hugs to everyone, with extras to June and Suzy, hope both of you are doing well today, and to CynB and Saltie cause you are new~