Attack of the dragon flies...bzzzzzzz

Summer - or at least the growing season - is in full bloom now. That means stuff grows and that means it has to be maintained. I think I mentioned in earlier posts that I canceled my lawn service since I thought I could do it myself. It also saves some money which is now more important. So far it has been a tolerable Time Killer. We have one acre of land. It's not all grassy but there are many jungle-like areas that need wacking or agent orange. Most times the yard job takes a minimum of one hour to twice that. I try to get it done when the thermometer is below 90. Today was a close call.

On this warm, overly-humid day I attacked the growth at about 10 am. I try not go make too much noise early which can disturb the neighbors.. HA..I think there's maybe ONE person at home and she's about 90. HER lawn service starts at 8 so I don't know why I care. Since it was so hot today I initiated my minimal one-hour treatment. Sounds like a spa doesn't it? I have many neurotic preferences as far as which way to mow, when to rest, when to change directions.. It's all too stupid to detail. Today I had a new variable to consider..

It's a buggy time of year. I've learned to ignore wasps - my #1 enemy. They will hover but leave you alone if you don't swat at them. I do most of my reading on the deck and have learned how to be wasp free even when they land on me.. I haven't been stung in 5 years. So, I feel kind of bold and only make squealy girly sounds when I am alone out there and a flying thing approaches.

Today I took all my bug knowledge and proceeded to do the lawn thing when in the back yard I was noticing there were many Dragon Flies. I remember as a kid we called them Darning Needles and we mispronounced that in many variations - Dyning Needles, Flying Needles. I recall that they weren't stingers so as their numbers increased I remained calm. They seemed to group up in formation and I was their main target. I kept my cool and could almost hear the freakish music from the chopper attack scene in Apocalypse Now. I estimate there were about 15 of these prehistoric bastards and they were swooping at me as I mowed. I was hoping I was right about their stinger less status. I think I was BUT they were flying into me - ramming me like they were working for Greenpeace and I was killing whales. I had to stop for a bit and let them return to the mother ship..

So I did finish and survive to write this account. I never got bit or stung but I did break the swat rule and tried to get them to shoo. I forgot my limitations and swung my left arm with the bad shoulder. It felt like electricity from my neck to my knee...Damn Dyning Needles...

Chain gang

I started physical therapy for a nagging shoulder problem. I guess that's a better alternative than surgery. I had surgery on my other shoulder eight years ago and it's been OK ever since. Going to PT is much like going to the gym except there's somebody riding your ass a couple of times a week. It is a legit Time Killer and hopefully there will be some good results.

I seem to be in the minority in this rehab hospital setting. There are mostly older and more serious ailments. There's mostly leg and cardiac types. You can tell by their workouts and by the monitors they have hanging off them - sometimes they beep. I think they must look at me and think "wimpy shoulder problem boy"..My exercises are moderate I guess and so far I'm not sure if they're helping..They do make me sore but maybe that's good? The best part is the ice pack at the end. I feel like a relief pitcher.

Today as I was doing my wimpy workout in a vacated corner of the place, in paraded a bunch of prisoners. These guys were all chained together at the waist and the ankles and hands. There were two guards for each jail bird. I was staring but trying not to be obvious and also trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Obviously, prisoners/convicts need physical therapy too.. I asked my therapist what up with that? She said in a whisper they get some of these guys who mainly have jail-induced injuries such as knife and gunshot wounds. I tried to look tough but they won that contest. I was glad the "screws" were on board to protect me as I did my up and down pulley routine. I was wondering how tough I'd look in the prison yard pulling my rubber strap behind my back.

I wondered too what kind of coverage these guys had. CHMO - convict's health maintenance organization? Maybe they just try and get hurt so they can have a day trip to look forward to. I bet their coverage is better than mine. Mine kinda blows -- maybe I should get arrested!?

Roll Over Beethoven

We were given some tickets to our local symphony's performance of a couple of Beethoven pieces conducted by Itzhak Perlman. We don't do such things too often but I figured I'd enjoy it - and I did. I enjoyed the musicianship and general scene with some 65 performers on the stage as well as the famed Perlman (I thought maybe he'd play some Orange Blossom Special but no such luck). So overall it was interesting and a new category for Time Killing.

What was unusual (to me) is while listening and absorbing the performance my mind went off into a variety of areas - all amusing. As I've mentioned here I am writing a screenplay and in that 2 hours I had more ideas than ever. I wished I had a pen but committed it to memory instead. I did write it down when I got home that evening. Now as I read the notes I wonder what planet I was on. I did salvage some of the ideas as I head into the turbulent waters of my third act.

A follow up to the MRI I had last week.. I was hoping this "open" version was going to be more tolerable than the reenactment of Das Boot's torpedo-firing sequences. Well, it was..It took an hour but it was like lounging on a picnic table (hard surface) with a giant-sized pizza plate hoovering over my face and shoulders. Lots of noises which I knew was coming. They kept asking me if I was OK. I finally said if I'm not, I'll scream like a banshee (the tech didn't know what that was)... Results are due this week.

Damn the torpedos

This time last year I was ranting about an MRI I had. I truly felt like a torpedo in a WWII submarine movie. Packed in a tube like a sardine with about 1/4 inch of clearance on the top. Well, it's that time again. Another MRI is scheduled in a day or two. Maybe this one will be better since there's no IV. It's a Time Killing low point, however.. You just can't wait till it's over. They make you hold your breath, lay awkwardly and not move. It's like being in a Nazi prison camp.. I will be reporting on this experience in the next TK entry.

Again, this time last year I had to report to the unemployment office (conveniently located in a crappy neighborhood with almost no parking)..Had to do that again this week. If you recall last year's entry, the group meeting leader used the phrase "with that said" about 50 times. It kept me amused and added to the Time Killing amusement factor (TKAF). I was hoping he'd be leading this meeting but we had two very young rookies addressing a much larger group this time. There were no "with that said" comments. These two did their best and limited questions (thank GOD) Otherwise, we would have been there for 3 hours instead of one. Overall, I can't really complain.

The highlight of this trip was that my ten-year-old car was still there on the street when I returned, parked illegally with a broken parking meter --- with that said, there was a Time Killing amusement factor TKAF!!!!

Blogged down

Haven't made many entries lately and I have no good reason for that except I have other writing projects - OK, ONE project on which I am making progress. At least writing isn't affected by any physical maladies. (I won't get specific but there will be more info soon)...

My newest Time Killer this season is doing my own yard work. I had a yard/lawn service for a couple of years and decided I could save some money and get some exercise if I do it myself. I used to see the service show up every Wednesday and bombard the yard and have it completely in order in under ten minutes...They had large, loud commercial grade machines and at least five workers .. I had mixed feelings but always felt good when it was done.. Now, when I do it myself it takes me about 90 minutes and I learned to take a mid-project break (I never used to have to do that).. My only enemy is heat - if it's 70 or below I can groove..Above 70 and I need to take halftime - without the entertainment. This also eliminates the need to go to the gym for that day. The lawn workout is way more intense.

Also, softball season has started and we had our first game this week. I have established myself as a non-playing coach which I am better suited for.. I played on this team for 20 years or so and had a great time. We now have many young players (sons of the elders) who have kept us competitive. We won the league last year. It had to be my edgy coaching. "Slide, tag up, go halfway, come back, dive, dive, dive...fire ONE"..

Had a weekend Time Killing event as three friends and I went to Southern Maine last weekend. We do this all the time. Three of four of us are "retired".. Am I RETIRED?? We had a good time, as usual, and compared notes on our new lifestyles (very similar I may add)..

Finishing up some of our home projects...new bathroom, new oil tank, power washed house and deck, stained deck, new ceiling fan, new driveway....blaaaaa.. OK, the irony is let's get our house just the way we want it and MOVE!!!!!

Face it

I know it's popular to make fun of social sites like My Space, Twitter and Facebook. So, let me join in and add to that. Maybe it's my age or attitude but these sites don't appeal to me. I say this after posting some 120 Time Killing blog entries. Yet, blogging has a sense of continuity and form. I write and get some comments usually via e mail since the "comments" slot is too complex for most.

I did join Facebook last year since I had a number of people invite me to join and I didn't want to seem snobby by not complying. So I did that and confirmed anyone who invited me to be their friend - or whatever the terminology is. So I have a bunch of "friends" I don't know which I guess is OK but then again.....

You get loads of pictures of people, dogs, kids and grandmas you don't know which again is OK, just not interesting. So I check every couple of days in case there is something or someone I really do know. I usually have no idea what is going on but what I learned was NOT to respond in Facebook if you don't want the world to know your business..I learned that when I responded to a former co-worker about a work situation which I would have preferred to keep private. I guess I shouldn't let that bother me. After all, what the hell could happen - I could lose my job?

New Season

Winter is over. Bahrain trip has been completed. Yard work is underway and a new season of time killing begins. Today was well into the mid-80s and it gave the news dips a lot to talk and joke about. I was wondering at what level they would address this? Ohh yeah, what else is there to say besides wear light clothing, drink lots of fluids and check on the elderly? How about a standard old scary news graphic showing likelihood of FOREST FIRES.... Jeeeeeeeeeeze, didn't we just have 12 inches of rain? The deeper the color red the more likely the chance..I'll be sure to watch sparking and tossing lit cigarettes as our area was kind of maroon . I quit smoking 30 years ago. Too bad - could be some good time killing enjoying a Marlboro..

Had the AC guy here today firing up our central AC system. I was surprised when he arrived. The usual techs are young and wiry able to snake their way through the cave-like attic without falling through the floor/ceiling. This guy HAD to be 60, about 5'7" and an easy 220. I was scared he'd have real trouble so I hung out close to him and manned a flash light and fetched some of his tools. I even changed the air filter since I can do it without a ladder. I wanted him to conserve his energy. I thought I was over reacting - I tend to do that. Then I felt justified as the tech told me he once passed out in an attic and had to be rescued by the fire dept..

HVAC tech - besides bridge painter and window cleaner, another job I don't want...