A place where I can share interesting ideas and maybe get a few things off my chest

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What To Name The Baby

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Ina Mae Pepper

My second grandchild is due to be born any moment – last Friday was the actual due date – and as far as I know, s/he still doesn’t have a name ready for his or her arrival. My granddaughter, Eva, is 7 years old, and when she was born the name field was wide open. But since then my daughter’s many friends and cousins have had many babies and she doesn’t want to duplicate any of those names. And some of the names she likes, she doesn’t like the probable nicknames. Patricia is pretty, but not Patty. Joseph sounds respectable, but not Joey. Some of the names Dad put on the Name Board were from anime shows – Mom doesn’t want to tell the baby that his/her name came from a cartoon.

If the baby is a girl (they didn’t want to be told, so that part is still going to be a surprise), they have chosen the middle name Ruth, shared by both of the baby’s maternal great-grandmothers. But as far as I know, that’s as far as they’ve gotten. When my daughter and I talked about family names, we quickly discarded most of the ones from my side of the family – Etta Olivie, Dorcas, Dortha, Edna, Alta Mae, Geraldine, and also Elvis, Tillman, Mott, Jefferson, Terrell, and Augustus.

Then we talked about my grandmother’s name – Ina. Ina Ruth has a nice ring, doesn’t it? None of my daughter’s friends have used that name, and my cousin named after our grandmother is over 60 and lives in California, so there’s not too much room for confusion there, either.

And then I heard the playground talk in the back of my mind. Not something my cousin had to worry about 60-ish years ago as it was not a word in common schoolyard usage at that time, but I could clearly hear small, munchkin voices making the rhyme “Ina Vagina” and I knew that if I had thought of it, there would surely be at least one 7-year-old, and probably more, who would think of it, too. *Sigh*

Maybe Etta Ruth wouldn’t be such a bad choice, after all.

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Spamjalaya

Awhile back, I saw this on the grocery shelf and took a picture just for grins:

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I didn’t buy it at the time, and had no real intention of doing so, but then a couple of weeks ago, I saw it on the sale table in the back of the store:

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Seeing the photos side by side, I now realize that it was only 17 cents less than the normal price, but I guess I was in a mood because I bought it, again, just for grins. Then, yesterday at work, I had nothing for lunch and remembered that this was in the cabinet. Okay, then – time to try it. 

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My co-workers commented on my courage and/or foolishness – it was a little bit of a toss-up which one it might be. While reading the heating instructions, I carefully avoided reading the ingredients list. I did photograph the lot number, just in case medical intervention might be needed.

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Well, now – that doesn’t look too bad, does it? Not really, right?

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Unfortunately, it tasted like rice in a sage sauce. I couldn’t even taste the Spam for the overwhelming taste of sage. I had to stop after only a few bites.

 

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It’s a good thing I still had the package of cranberry bagels in the fridge or I would have had to lunch on the last of the leftover Halloween candy.

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While I did get $1.50 worth of entertainment value showing the package at work and laughing about it beforehand, I really did NOT get $1.50 worth of enjoyable lunch out it. I did, however, get a fun blog post. Not a bad investment, overall, I guess.

 

 

 

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Oldsmar Library Cafe’

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I have a couple of nice writing spots at home – my closed sewing machine cabinet/desk in the bedroom and the antique secretary in the den – plus the travel trailer when I need to have quiet on the weekends, but sometimes I just want to get away from the house. I had heard that our library had a little cafe’ space so last week I decided to check it out.

I had already had my morning writing session at Nosh!, so I just stepped in to take a few pictures before heading into the library proper. There was one other person there studying, but I thought it would be rude to interrupt her or take her picture without asking, which is why you don’t see her in these photos.

There’s a vending machine:

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and free reading material:

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a few tables and lots of natural light:

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and you can even get buy a bottle of water to help support the library!

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They said they’d like to attract a vendor to have an actual cafe’ there, but it might be hard for them to compete with the local Starbucks. Although, come to think of it, it is a lot easier to get to and has a lot more parking. Even without scones and cappuccino, though, it looks like it might be a good place for a quiet writing session.

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Nosh!

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I recently tried a new cafe’ in Oldsmar, Nosh!, where I got a breakfast sandwich pressed on Cuban bread. It was really yummy and I can’t wait to get back to try some of their specialty coffee drinks and other breakfast and lunch items.

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I also got one of their crumb cakes to go. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but it’s 2/3 “crumb” and 1/3 “cake”. It was pretty tasty, but I would have preferred less crumb and more cake, myself.

It wasn’t too crowded mid-morning, but did have a steady flow of traffic. It seems like a good place for future morning writing sessions.

Nosh Cafe on Urbanspoon

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Shoulder Impingement and Sports Medicine

When I told my son I was planning shoulder surgery, he talked to his chiropractor/sports medicine friend who recommended I consult his colleague in Tampa before taking that step. I was skeptical, but I called and made an appointment with Dr. Joe Giovatto at Countryside Chiropractic. He is certified in Active Release Techniques and Graston Technique, two sports medicine modalities I had never heard of, mainly because I am not a sports person. 

The results have been amazing. Each treatment session brings less pain and increased range of motion. I have been taking pretty strong pain medication, and the times between doses is also stretching out. I have “homework” – exercises that I do several times a day. Also, as I’ve come to understand the mechanics behind shoulder impingement, I have been more motivated to improve my posture, especially at the keyboard, which seems to be the key to the beginnings of impingement syndrome, or at least mine.

I feel so much better! My husband is happy to see me happy, and my co-workers have told me it’s nice to have my animated self back. Feeling crappy and hurting all the time didn’t lend itself to much animation.

I thought chiropractors were limited to back problems and such, but in truth, most of the treatment I’m receiving from Dr. Joe in the way of ART and Graston is not what one might consider to be traditional chiropractic. But whatever it is, it’s really working.

Hooray!

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Morning Walks

Low energy. Low mood. I know, as a mental health professional, that the first, best offense against depression is to get one’s heart rate up over 120, at least 3x per week. But I really enjoy being sedentary. I’ve actually developed a bit of a reputation among family and friends as being particularly exercise-averse. Partly due to all the icky sweating involved. *shudder*

Anyway, the mental health advocate in my head somehow overcame the websurfer office-chair potato and I found myself donning sweatpants, one of Steve’s old Buc’s t-shirts and my sneakers, with the crazy notion that a little exercise might not do me any real harm and could perhaps do me a little good. Bella heard the sound of the velcro on my shoes and came trotting in to see if this might be a dog-walking opportunity. Why not, I thought. I prepared a Responsible Pet Owner Dog-Poop Pick-Up Kit (a plastic grocery bag and 4 paper towels) and we headed out.

Day 1 of Walking with The Dog: 4/10 miles to the park, 4/10 mile back, brisk walk. My walking mantra: “Come on, Bella!” I worked up a little sweat and Bella was puffing a little by the time we made it back to the house. And no poop to clean up! Hooray! Maybe she does that at night!

Day 2 of Walking with The Dog: This time I decide to take a little longer walk, around the block and along the Mobbly Bayou walking trail, probably about 1.4 miles total. Shortly after we leave the house, she wraps her leash around a tree, and when I try to pull her back around it, she puts her head down and slips out of the harness. I pick up the harness, and after only five commands  to “Sit!”, I get the leash attached to her collar. Before we are halfway through the walk, dog poop happens. Darn it! That’s ok, though – I have my RPODPPU Kit from yesterday. I quickly clean up after her, we’re off again, and I’m able to deposit the bag in the trash can at the beginning of the walking trail. We make it back to the house as Steve is getting ready to leave for work. I get a hug and a kiss and an “Ew! You’re all sweaty!” I love you, too, dear.

Day 3 of Walking with The Dog: I get dressed, and Bella comes running when she hears the velcro on my shoes. She is impatient and starts talking to me about how slow I’m being. It takes 3 tries to get the harness on because she won’t sit still long enough for me to complete the process. Short walk again this morning, to the park and back. I’ve replenished supplies in the RPODPPU Kit, which is good because just as we turn around at the park, doggie nature calls. All four feet on the grass, but with her butt hanging over the sidewalk, I give her a swift nudge to change the target to the grass, and just totally interrupt her mojo. Now she’s spooked, won’t be still while I clean up after her, and has grass hanging out of her butt. I think/hope that on the walk back to the house, she will get the urge again, but no, it’s gone, and once we get home, I get to exhaust paper towels in my RPODPPU Kit wiping her and pulling the rest of the grass out so I can let her go in the house. She does not seem to find this any more amusing than I do. And I think I’m getting shinsplints.

These walks have really not been the meditative experience I had hoped. Maybe we’ll both get the hang of it soon.

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