Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

Figured since I set up the topp, I should fill it before it took someone by surprise.

Suzy, your mention of posters brought to mind my collection of 1970's vintage black light posters. I sometimes wonder if they are of any value as Collectibles today. Living in the Caravan as I do today there is no place to display them. I may as well get rid of them.

In order to sell them on eBay or another site I would have to digitize them. It would take some time but, it might be fun to walk down memory lane.

I think I still have my black light so they could be photographed in all of their ''radiant beauty''.

Susie your top post seems somehow most appropriate. My poster collecting days,living in Hawaii, are among the happiest days of my life.

Followed, by extreme lows, a few years later when my marriage ''imploded''. The abnormal nature of our relationship, allowed us to remain friends after the ''dust settled''.

Today, my memories are, mostly, happy ones. Amazing, the human mind!!!

Julie, do you have all the recordings you have made? Could you listen to the first, and then the last of them? Perhaps you could hear a bit of improvement that way. I agree with you, daily is too short a period to hear a difference.

Midge, I enjoyed your long newsy post. Hope the weather is/was better and good luck to your team. I know the difference between football there and here, but find myself seeing OUR version in my mind's eye when I read it. I have to stop and correct my thinking before reading further hehehe. Have a wonderful trip to Tasmania.

Julie, we have topped out of the 80's, hit 90 the last couple of days. Windy also. Combination of wind and heat make my plants thirsty.

Cyn, Julie, I n our early summer, before the sun gets high in the sky, I would like tinting also, especially if it also reduces the heat that comes through the glass. I have to close my blinds, which blocks the view, makes me feel claustrophobic.

Julie, I will try to remember to google INSPIRE once I finish here. thanks for mentioning it to me.

Heidi, do let us know how the blood work came out. Hope it is good, and if not as good as the doc wants, the underlying cause can be easily and successfully treated.

Time to turn the page, so posting now so I do not loose my ramblings. Hugs.

Suzy, great Topp.
I hope that in time your memories only warm you up and stop tearing you apart.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's on here. I'll leave you with 2 lovely thoughts - one about our own lovely mothers and the other about being a mother.

'A good mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no-one else can take'

'Without my kids tomorrow wouldn't be worth the wait and yesterday wouldn't be worth remembering.'

Dressed up warm in my new soft and fluffy dressing gown, and soft and fluffy slippers. Drinking out of my new coffee mug and reading books bought with my iTunes card.... love my girls! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Happy mother’s day everyone, including people whose children have 4 legs.

I woke up sad because hubby used to make me breakfast in bed on mother’s day. Then I heard the jug boiling. Alie fixed it.

DorA, are you home? How is your recovery going? Black light posters sounds interesting. I don’t remember ever having seen one. That doesn’t mean I didn’t, there are photos of me doing things I don’t remember doing. Can you search eBay to see if anyone else is selling them?

I’m friends with most of my exes. Just not the one who hit on me while he was married to someone else. It makes life easier.

My new counsellor plans on unpacking my memories for me. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I actually remembered two things I didn’t include on the list I gave her. I generally don’t give details of what happened. My car accident, for example, I had a head on collision with a bigger car, a fluffy sheep skin steering wheel cover contained the steering wheel when I broke it with my face. My boyfriend at the time used to joke he was so tough, his girlfriend head butts steering wheels. (That joke will only make sense to Aussies over a certain age). Considering I still have level 3 pain 32 years later, you can see that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And that’s one of my least horrible memories. Oh, I also share I had only been driving a car for 5 weeks after riding a motorbike for 5 years, and I begged my doc to let me out of hospital for my uni graduation. I went to graduation with my jaw wired shut, weighing about 6 stone 9..... in today’s numbers... 42 kg, or 93 lbs.

Greetings, Friends!

Suzy, good for Alie and her friend. How exciting to attend a special showing and receive a poster and special medallion and commemorative ticket! Did they know in advance about the special items? I bet they had a lot of fun!

Suzy, thanks for providing the TOPP! Very thought-provokingI

DOrA, I hope your recuperation is proceeding smoothly!

OOrA, I'm glad you are able to post. How interesting that you have a collection of black light posters and a black light. That takes me back to memories of times between high school and college graduations. In my college town there was a pizza place called '19 Up' because there were 19 steps on the outside of the building from the main pizza place on the first floor. Upstairs there was a pool table and colorful paintings on the wall that 'came alive' under the black lights. The friend of a roommate (I still remember her name 50+ years later) told us that Murine eye drops would glow under the black lights. I never had the opportunity to see if that was true . . .

DOrA, I'm glad you have mostly happy memories after your marriage imploded. It's amazing that you and your ex could remain friends. (All 3 of my brothers had failed marriages. One is still rather mean and vindictive - even after almost 30 years.)

How nice to see your post, MizT. Unfortunately, I don't have the first recording of me playing the recital piece, as it was in 'voice Notes' on my phone and I needed to eliminate the earliest recordings to have space to record my rehearsal with the pianist. I'll need to check the video off some earlier lessons when I was learning the piece, though they probably interrupted recordings rather than playing from start to end. Thanks for the suggestion!

The tinting on our windows isn't very dark. When the man came to do it, he demonstrated several different degrees of tinting. We only did a few of the windows on the west side of the house to cut down on sun damage and the distraction of very bright light coming into those particular windows.

Suzy, I hope the new counselor helps with the unhappy memories. You certainly have had your share of experiences that don't lead to happy memories.

Hooray for your new soft dressing gown and slippers, your new coffee mug with warming beverage, and your wonderful daughters, including Alie making breakfast for you!

CynB, thanks for the wonderful thoughts for us all! Happy Mother's Day to you and all our Sudokuaholic friends who are Moms to 2-legged, winged, or 4-legged 'children.' The very best of days to all of you!

Suzy, you are definitely one strong woman! You must also be very persuasive to convince your doctor to let you attend your uni graduation! Did he or she insist that you have a friend or companion to attend with you? I hope it was memorable.

I should get going, as we need to be up early tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day to all! Here are the usual wishes for healing energy, positive thoughts,

OOPS, here's the rest:

Happy Mother's Day to all! Here are the usual wishes for healing energy, positive thoughts, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers.

Hello my friends.
Alive and well, will catch you up soon.
Happy Mother's Day to all the two and four legged mums.

Haven't been to the doctor about the groin muscle, but I've been resting it a lot. It's starting to feel better now. I figure it'll be healed in another week.

And that’s why I should reread pages more often. I didn’t know you’d hurt your groin, Heidi. Did you see the doc about your illness with the rash?

Broni, I love knowing you’re travelling and having fun, but I miss you in here at the same time.

That's all part of it, Suzy. I developed a rash in the same area, but that cleared up.

Julie - judging yourself each day is like jumping on the scales every morning to see if you have lost weight!! Never works.
Wow Suzy - how good to remember those 'bad' ones - you can now start to move forward and realise how great life can be with your lovely girls. How lucky have you been - it could have been so very different.
Heidi - I know your fur babies couldn't spoil you yesterday but i bet you did the next best thing - spoiled them as usual. Hope you are on the mend.
Mizt - glad you are enjoying your reading - it is a most pleasant way to spend a day. I was an avid reader and worked in our local municipal library from age 10 to 16 every night after school and Saturday mornings - I absolutely loved it. Because my grandmother was a teacher I could read and write before school age and went straight into Grade 2 - (skipped prep and grade 1)great for encouragement but hard on the social side as I was 2 years younger than the other kids.I really noticed it in my early teens.
My team lost yesterday grr but I still enjoyed going to the game. No 3 son gave me a gavel - I wonder what he meant? Haha

Hello from cool and rainy northern Illinois!

Broni, thanks for dropping by and sharing Mother's Day wishes! We're glad to hear that you're alive and well! Looking forward to f further update when possible! I hope there's some fun in every day!

Heidi, I'm glad you're resting and giving the groin muscle some time to heal! Here's hoping that's the only medical issue you're currently dealing with!

Midge, thank you for the good advice. After talking with my teacher, I discovered that she wasn't really intending for me to listen to the audio recording. Her thought was that by putting myself 'on the spot' every day, it might not be so scary at the recital. I hope it works!

Midge, I'm sorry your team lost, but at least you got to enjoy the game. Hmm, just thinking about the gift of a gavel for Mother's Day. Is that an indication that you run a 'tight ship' or try to keep everyone in order?

Sending the customary supply of positive thoughts, , healing energy, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for Everybody!

Julie - I definitely do not run a 'tight' ship. What I do to annoy everyone is put Judge Judy on and leave the room with the remote control..... I get some rather clever responses.

Whew, that is over for another year. I just finished organizing and copying all the paperwork for my re-certification for eligibility to live here. Finished at 8:15 am, my appointment is at 1:00 pm. Need to prove all my medical expenses, as our rent is figured on income minus medical expenses. A copy of receipt or canceled check needed. DUH with electronic banking, no such thing as canceled checks any more, so a printed page containing the line item for each payment instead. Those for the payments made with debit card. IF I sent electronic check that had to be mailed by bank, I had to print out copy of each check.

More than you wanted to know I am sure, but I am glad it is over. Office has from now till Sept 1 to collect any papers they need, and figure my new rent. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time here at computer, and had left more than I thought for yesterday. Yep, spent Mother's Day doing paper work, bummer.

Belated Happy Mother's Day to each of you, and hugs.

Forgot to say, only spent an hour this morning finishing, Things went so much better than when I stopped last night. Lots easier when pain levels are down and have had a night's sleep.

Hi Broni, nice to see you show up occasionally. Keep enjoying yourself!
Midge - Judge Judy, snicker, snicker!
MizT - That seems like a lot of fiddly little stuff you have to do to maintain eligibility for re-certification. Glad you're on top of it.
Heidi, like Julie said I'm glad you're resting.
Julie, I do hope you are able to relax and enjoy the recital.
Suzy, one of Col's sisters had a bad accident that sounds very much like what happened to you when she was first driving. Not her fault and she is still dealing with pain and discomfort from her injuries these days.

Well, I have benchtops, running water and a cooktop in my kitchen - but still waiting on the tiler, the electrician and last minute tweaking from the kitchen people. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It will happen. (I tell myself!)

I just got health care insurance!!!! It starts June 1st and includes dental.

So it won't cover tomorrow's root canal.

Oh, yeah... This insurance will cost me less than I'm presently paying without insurance! I am THRILLED!

Julie, I googled 'Inspire'. Found out it is an implantable electric stimulation unit, battery powered, placed in the chest. Wires are threaded in the chest and neck from it up to throat, so the base of the tongue can be stimulated, make it move, so the airway stays clear. I do not have a big enough problem for something that invasive. thanks for mentioning it to me, it was interesting reading about it.

I might look into an adjustable bed, so I can sleep with my head and shoulders elevated. that should help with 2 problems, the mild GERD I have and the occasional stopping of breathing. I need a new mattress anyway, might as well get a new base that adjusts, too.

Heidi, congrats on finding insurance. Too bad the root canal will not be covered, but know you will have more dental for it to catch, just from your history.

Interview went well, Linda, our leasing officer, was happy I had done so much and had it so organized. I could have just given her the names of the doctors and facilities I had paid, signed a 'release of information' paper for each one, and she would have sent them a request for print out. I found out in the past many do not get done, the request or paperwork gets 'lost', or something. After sending 2 requests, she just drops it, not enough time to keep after them. It is easier for me to get all the information together, it is all on my computer in my online banking. that way I KNOW it is done.

CynB, glad you can see the light now. Are you going to use any of your new kitchen, like your cooktop, now? Or wait till it is all done? I would be tempted to use it, but hate to have to clean it spick and span before the workers came back in the morning.

Windows did a major update. I kept trying to put it off by checking the 'remind me later' option, but yesterday it gave me no choice. Just loaded it on. Now something new to learn, bummer.

Hugs, time for a cup of coffee and my book again. I have finished the 3 I had, well I have one more, but it is not next in order. A friend was to get that book to me, but I have not seen her in a week. My fault, I have not been downstairs much at all. Usually see her weekends, she is a canasta player, and I have been to busy this past weekend to go talk to them while they play.

Hi, Everyone!

Midge, NOW I understand the gavel. Doesn't anyone like Judge Judy? I love that you walk away with the remote! If anyone were motivated, he or she could just walk to the TV and change the channel manually!

WOW, MizT, sounds like a lot of work for your recertification, but definitely worth being diligent and thorough to keep your rent to a reasonable rate! You have obviously learned the best way to organize and submit information, but what a lot of work! Congratulations on finishing it on time, but sorry you had to spend Mother's Day getting things ready! I hope you at least found a few minutes to relax and enjoy the day!

CybB, I'm so glad to hear that progress is being made on your new kitchen. Here's hoping it will be finished soon - maybe even by the end of the week! Are you planning a special celebratory meal when it is finished?

Hooray, Heidi! What a relief for you that you now will have medical and dental insurance that is more reasonably priced! I'm sorry it won't cover tomorrow's root canal, but not worth waiting to have the necessary work done! Did you find a great insurance agent, or work this out by yourself? However it happened, Congratulations!

Wow, MizT, if I had realized how involved and invasive 'Inspire' is, I would't even have mentioned it. I'm thinking someone would need to have pretty severe sleep apnea to want to do something like that. The adjustable bed sounds like a better alternative and would help with GERD, as well as the sleep apnea.

Sending healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, and for Everyone!

I’ve read, but it’s head doc day so my brain isn’t working very well. Today she read my homework, said my depression was severe, and talked a lot about my amygdala and how I’m training it to think my anxiety is about things happening now and that it’s doing a good job keeping me safe. She talked about what we can do in future to help retrain it, but it’s not time for that yet. It was a lot of information to absorb.

Suzy, what a lot o work you have ahead of you, but you are a brave and strong woman, I am sure you can work through the retraining, to rid you of the anxiety and depression.

I have something I would like to suggest. It will not solve your deep seated problems, but might make you feel a bit better as you work through. It is cheap, has no side effects and is very simple, but backed by scientific research. It is to SMILE. No matter how sad, down you feel, paste a big smile on for the day, the bigger the better.

Usually we smile because we have 'feel good' chemicals floating around the body, but it has been found to work in reverse, too. If you put the muscles in face into a smile, your body begins to make the 'feel good' chemicals and your mood is elevated. I use this to help me out of the dumps and it works for me.

Just found water all over my bathroom floor, bummer. Had dripped down from the ceiling. No one was answering out office phone, it was going to the answering service, so I went downstairs. They did a check of the apartments above me, and found where water was coming from, so hopefuly that can be repaired and I not have any more. they were kind enough to get the housekeeper for public areas, Mattie, to come with her industrial sized mop and wringer to get it up for me, as I do not have a regular mop. I use a steam mop for cleaning, and a Swiffer for small touch ups.Both my bath mats are now in the washer, it was about time to wash them any way

Back from the dentist's. I'm glad I didn't delay. The tooth was rotten inside and would have probably abcessed in a week or so. The novocain has just worn off and I'm hurting from all the work that was done. The right side of my face is quite swollen, too.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet there Heidi but still very painful. Hope it heals quickly for you. MizT - find it hard to understand - the sicker you are, the cheaper your rent. How unfortunate if you are healthy!! Like your idea of SMILE - always helps, also laugh at yourself. So good to have help with the bathroom mess - another floor that will not have to be washed for a while. Cleaning is never ending and only satisfying for such a short while. Off to lunch soon - hubby talked me into it by my favourite meal - Szechuan eggplant with tofu for me and scallops for him. Have finally been able to replicate this meal after many tries. Hope your kitchen is finished CynB - can you put some pics up when it is? Hi to Broni - where are you now? My brother and partner have just arrived in Alice Springs on their annual grey nomad trip. Don't practice too hard Julie - small steps. Cheers to everyone.

Hi, Everyone! I think it's still early enough to call Evening, rather than Night - at least for me.

Suzy, you are both brave and strong and your determination will go far to help you in this journey! It seems likely you'll have more homework and a fair share of work to do with your new doc. How do you feel about him or her? Hopefully a good working relationship will develop. Sending warm {{{HUGS}}} and support for you as you work through a lot.

MizT, I like your suggestion! I can see how it could help many or most of us at some point in time!

Oh dear, a wet bathroom floor can be dangerous and difficult to clean up. I'm glad they have apparently found the source, and very glad that they sent the housekeeper to clean up the mess. As Midge said, at least that floor is clean, and your bathmats will also be clean and fresh. One less chore for this week!

Heidi, I'm so glad you didn't wait and reschedule your dentist appointment! I hope the pain and swelling will soon be gone!

Cyn, I hope the kitchen is nearing completion, and hope Col is feeling better without so much glare. It can be extremely tiring, and complicated for him because one eye is doing all of the work for him currently.

I have a cello lesson tomorrow, so we'll see what my teacher thinks of the piece I'm supposed o play on Sunday. I must admit that I'll feel relieved when it's over!

Thinking of all our fellow Sudoku friends and sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and

Julie, I think we will get along well. I’ve already told her something I’ve never told anyone, and another thing I had to write down before because I couldn’t say it out loud. This week my homework is a whole lot of reading. I’m sorry you find the concerts so stressful.

Heidi, I’m glad your tooth is treated.

I took a photo on the way to pick Alie up today. For some reason it uploaded twice. She was at Riversdale today. The road is wider than the one to Bundanon. Not as wide as it looks in the photo though. Cars in opposite directions share the middle track. It’s almost 2 cars wide, but only if one pulls over to the side.

I forgot to tell you about a weird thing that happened yesterday. I was getting ready to leave for the dentist's... just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed....and I got sting on the breast by a wasp! Right below the nipple! OMG, did it hurt! In fact, it hurt so much that I could only think of that during the root canal, despite applying a benedryl ointment for stings and bites immediately. It didn't stop hurting until after the root canal was done.

I leave for a doctor's appointment in 1 hour. This is to learn the results of the blood tests done last week. I'm praying that I no longer show up as pre-diabetic.

I'm back home with good news. The blood tests were all good, especially the blood sugar. It's dropped significantly and I am no longer classified as pre-diabetic.

Oh, yeah... I asked my doctor about bariatric surgery. She agreed that I'm the ideal candidate for it, and encouraged me. So I've signed up for the initial introductory seminar on June 5th.

Heidi, I’m so glad you have good news! Finally something going right!

Greetings to All!

Suzy, I'm glad you're able to develop a good working relationship with your new doc! That is likely to make a huge difference in the course of treatment. I hope you enjoy the reading assignment and find it interesting and helpful!

YIKES, Heidi! That wasp sting is in an awful place. If the pain took your mind off the root canal, it must have been horrendous! I certainly hope it feels better today! And I'm so glad to hear the rest results from your blood tests! And now you're considering bariatric surgery. I know there are several different kinds, which I'm guessing will be explained at the introductory seminar in June. Wishing you all the best!

Positive thoughts, healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers are on their way to each of you!

Before getting bariatric surgery, you have to attend seminars and counciling to learn how to adapt to a drastic change in dietary lifestyle. My doctor recommended the sleeve kind. The hospital where I get my epidurals does those, and I feel confident using them. The hospital that my GP is associated with does NOT do bariatric surgery. I rea;ly need to do something drastic like this. I cannot lose a single pound on my own, due to metabolic issues (as my doc says... it's NOT my fault!) and the excess weight (I'm up to 279 lbs ( 126.5 kg ) is harming my back and caused my groin injury, amomg other problems.