Saturday, June 08, 2024

Bonfire Time

 



18 comments:

  1. I am still light-headed, but less so than yesterday. I went for a walk with my sweetie, but only half my standard distance, one kilometer. I took my cane as a precaution but really didn't seem to need it. The temperature is definitely lower today--currently a mere 78F, with a predicted high for the day of only 95F.
    ----Alan

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  2. Alan, are you reacting to the heat? nordy

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    1. I think not. It seems most likely that it is the crystals sloshing around in my inner ear, which occasionally give me temporary days-long bouts of vertigo. Having lived and worked in this climate for about fifty years, I know how to deal with the hot weather. We are using the air conditioner, sheltering from the sun, and I am adequately hydrated. I also take balanced salt tablets (sodium and potassium chlorides in the normal blood ratio) on an experimental basis to see if that might be the problem. The temperatures here are high, but not record-setting. I remember one year a long time ago when we had temperatures in excess of 100F for SIXTEEN days straight; that was a real drag. And I routinely wear full-length trousers, light but long-sleeved shirts, a hat and use sunscreen on exposed surfaces when I go outside for any significant length of time.. Since nobody had heard of sunscreen when I was young, the backs of my hands are typical of an old white guy, but I have seen a lot worse. (My mother insisted on trying to get a tan, although like me she generally just got burnt.) Up to the age of 16 I lived in an area with weak sunlight.
      ----Alan

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    2. It amazes me that the drug stores here no longer stock salt tablets--- I suppose they have been supplanted by (the far more profitable) Gatorade and suchlike drinks. I order Numark "Thermotabs" from Amazon.com.
      ----Alan

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    3. Alan, Wil has been having some vertigo lately too. It first happened during the night and worried us a bit because dizziness can be a precursor to a heart issue. He also felt a bit sweaty and nauseous the first time. We put together a Go Bag incase we needed to go to the hospital. But then he still only has it when he turns to the right while laying down. So, it seems to be an inner ear thing, but he'll get that checked out for sure at his doc visit on Wednesday. What causes the crystals to slosh around, as you phrased it?

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    4. They slowly form throughout life, and eventually may build up to the point that they affect the flow of the liquid past the tiny hairs in the inner ear that help us to sense our orientation. If they fall into a particular part of the sort of snail-shell shaped inner ear canal they can cause vertigo. One can find instructions online for how to move the head to cause the crystals to move into a part of the inner ear where they don't cause any problems, but in my experience there is no substitute for having it done by a trained doctor. The diagnosis (and also the treatment) involves laying down in a particular way, then having the head moved quickly from one position to another, with pauses in between; if that is the problem, the eyes will move in a peculiar way at a certain point in the process. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) [Click]
      ----Alan

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  3. ‘We’re in 1938 now’: Putin’s war in Ukraine and lessons from history [Click] “Some analysts believe Kyiv is buying the west time on the precipice of a world war. Is it being used wisely?”
    —Alan

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    1. I have actually had that very thought...that we are on the verge of WWIII, with Russia, China, North Korea and probably Turkey, but maybe also Iran and more in one axis and the west being the allies. It would not be pretty.

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  4. US couple, 100 and 96, marry in Normandy, France: ‘We get butterflies’ [Click] If I am not mistaken, his medal is that of a Chevalier of the French National Order of the Legion of Honor.
    —Alan

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    1. Yep [Click]
      ——Alan

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    2. Oh, my! That headline gives me the serious warm fuzzies. Isn't that just lovely!

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    3. I say to them, Rock on!!

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  5. Video: He's made himself the victim | Shrinking Trump - Click

    P.S. Alan, Funny you should post the link to the NBC special on Trump's file. I was unusually restless last night. After getting in bed and turning off the light, I briefly played video games on my iPad, then turned to YouTube. Best as I can remember, I started watching that quite fascinating show around 2:00 A.M. By that time I was fading, but it really held my attention. And, listening to what the people who were in the courtroom said, it occurs to me that it's most unfortunate there weren't any cameras because, if there had been, that film would be a very valuable historic document. At the time I just thought of it selfishly, that I, personally, wanted to see it all with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears for petty vindictiveness' sake. But of course, there's a whole lot more to it than that.

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    1. Y'know what? You're allowed. DT put us here.

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  6. Would anyone like to try my latest crossword, hot off the press? If so, here it is: Mostly Animals - Click

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  7. Today, Wil and our two sons who live in Vermont were in a sailing race and won in their class!! This is the first time they have won a race in our new sailboat, and as it was never raced by the former owners, it's the first time this boat has won a race, too. It was the annual Royal Savage Race on Lake Champlain, which is kind of a big deal. It takes hours and the Royal Savage Trophy is “one of the most historically significant trophies awarded to sailors on Lake Champlain. The trophy consists of a glass encased relic from the Sloop Royal Savage, the first American Vessel to engage the enemy at the Battle of Valcour on October 11, 1776.”

    They were pretty happy!

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  8. Cat, I tried. I got about half way through it, but I don't have a touch screen and can't find a way to move my screen up to see anything below 51. May try another time on my iPhone. I like the way it works, to click on numbers to see the question, though.

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