The doctor (his assistant, actually) finally removed the stitches from my hand yesterday--it really hurt. I felt nauseous after I got home. Whenever I feel that way, I worry that it's the Meniere's disease, and that I'm headed for a vertigo attack. I haven't had a bout with Meniere's-related vertigo since Dec. '06. That was a bad Fall (and fall, figuratively speaking). I'm still very glad my illness didn't coincide with my son's. Fall seems to be a tough time for our family.
The palm of my left hand looks like chopped up meat--I took a photo of it yesterday so I can see how I'm progressing. The doctor said it would take at least a month (maybe longer) before the swelling will go down. But right now what's prominent are the six holes where the stitches protruded through my skin, and the line where one of the stitches crossed over the center of my palm. The surgery cut line is disappearing quickly--except where a stitch crossed it. But this morning I could hold a half gallon orange juice carton without my hand hurting--the stitches were pulling and making it difficult to open my hand fully. So having the stitches out is quite a relief.
My quad strain is slow to heal--the doctor said it would take a while. (I heard him say 2 weeks when I first went to see him--maybe I misunderstood what would be better after 2 weeks.) I can walk, bike, and do yoga, but he said not running or jumping until it's fully healed. And if something starts to hurt, I should stop. So that means I'll have to take it easy on yoga poses. I used to do boat pose every day, but I'm afraid to pull my quad up and back. And I won't be able to do camel pose, either. And no jumping from downward facing dog to whatever the pose is called where you're bent over. I'll need to learn these names if I'm going to teach! I sanskrit, let alone English.
I have lots of qualms about my new attempted ventures--I have too much time to think. Not good for someone like me--it's easier for me if I'm kept busy with meetings, busy work, etc. Having open ended time is hard for me--I don't consistently have a lot of self-discipline. So I've made renewed efforts to find some work in my old line. At the same time, I signed up for a free webinar on "monetizing" oneself for voiceovers. Or however you say "making money doing voiceovers" these days. A topic for another blog posting. Now it's off to yoga...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
lululemon lemon?
I can't believe it--I bought the popular (and pricey) lululemon yoga pants (groove crop II) and noticed today that some of the threads at the waist (decorative trim) have pulled out. And they're in the middle of the trim line, so I can't cut it. I only wear these pants at home--they're so tight I won't wear them to the yoga studio, since I walk there. When I bought the pants, I told the sales clerk I needed a larger size--she said I had the correct size. That if the pants were too small, she would be able to see light shining through the fabric! Even though I'm fairly thin, more of my weight is in my lower half, so I'm self-conscious about how I look in them. So why did I buy them, you ask? Guess I thought I'd get used to them. They do feel good, since they compress the legs a bit--made my sore leg feel better.
I'm probably especially miffed that the threads came out since the robburglar stole my other pair of lululemon crops. Stole the beach bag they were in, I mean.
Reminds my of the time I bought a pair of Liz Claiborne pants, and the button fell off the first time I put the pants on. No, they weren't too tight--the button hadn't been sewn on properly. That was the first and only time I bought anything from Liz Claiborne. Although I learned recently that Liz Claiborne company owned the Sigrid Olsen line. That was one of my favorite lines of clothing, and Claiborne dumped it. Another example of fashion leaving me, not me leaving it. So being an aging boomer and spending less on clothing ends up being a self-fulfilling prophesy--stores offer less that's appealing to me, so I in turn lose interest in shopping. For clothes, at least. I could spend a lot (more) on house and garden...
I'm probably especially miffed that the threads came out since the robburglar stole my other pair of lululemon crops. Stole the beach bag they were in, I mean.
Reminds my of the time I bought a pair of Liz Claiborne pants, and the button fell off the first time I put the pants on. No, they weren't too tight--the button hadn't been sewn on properly. That was the first and only time I bought anything from Liz Claiborne. Although I learned recently that Liz Claiborne company owned the Sigrid Olsen line. That was one of my favorite lines of clothing, and Claiborne dumped it. Another example of fashion leaving me, not me leaving it. So being an aging boomer and spending less on clothing ends up being a self-fulfilling prophesy--stores offer less that's appealing to me, so I in turn lose interest in shopping. For clothes, at least. I could spend a lot (more) on house and garden...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
another week of stitches...and more on cosmetics
I guess I misunderstood the doctor--I thought he'd be taking the stitches out of my hand today, I was so looking forward to it--but he said it was too soon. So I have to live with stitches through the palm of my hand for another week. Guess I'll just do as much as I can, and not worry too much about the pulling. Maybe as the week progresses, the stitches won't pull against my skin so much. Sigh.
I whiled away part of the day looking up songs on YouTube--I'm amazed at how many are available for free. Or maybe they're not supposed to be free, but they are. So I won't mention what I've added to my favorites and playlist, to protect those who are providing them. Some are songs I have on CDs or albums from years ago; it's nice to have them on the computer. I wish I could play them in the background while I do other things on the computer; I'll have to figure out if there's a way to do that.
I read today in the WSJ that Estee Lauder is revamping its department store displays to be more accessible. Younger shoppers, the article noted, like to test things. So do we boomers--we just, I think, took many approaches as givens. But now my goal is not to buy any expensive department store-type cosmetics. The last to fall was the foundation--the brands available in department stores had many more hues, and my skin is so fair (yet blotchy and reddish in spots) that it's hard to find a good shade. Has to be tested on the skin. Although even with that, I wasn't always happy with the shade I ended up buying. Drugstore brands tended to come in light, medium, dark. But I just purchased L'Oreal's Visible Lift makeup in light ivory, so I'm going to see if that's a good replacement for the much more expensive Lancome or Bobbi Brown. (I liked the Bobbi Brown until the bottle started leaking every time I took it on an airplane--no matter how tightly I closed it.) I used a coupon from Real Simple magazine--the ad had a color palette with some of the actual foundation, so I could test it against the Lancome foundation I've been using. This L'Oreal has proretinol A+ (whatever that is) and vitamin C. So it's supposed to be anti-aging. But I think I only paid about $15 with the coupon, so I'm not out much if it doesn't live up to the anti-aging hype. Even with the foundation swatches, I still had trouble picking between light and medium ivory. Since we're moving into fall, and I use SPF 30 on my face every day, I thought lighter would blend in better. Just hope I don't look pasty--that's the danger if it's too light. I use foundation sparingly, only over the T zone of my face, where the skintone is uneven.
The only expensive product I'm now using is the Azelex cream--I paid $111 for a 50 gram tube. But the pharmacist said I saved over $200 with my health insurance. At least I think that's what he said. Prescribed by my dermatologist. Otherwise, she told me to use CeraVe, which is a very inexpensive moisturizer. She basically said there's not much else I can do at this point. I'm trying not to succumb to the ads for anti-aging products. Best to avoid certain magazines, like More, that are inundated with such ads. And combined with stories of all the famous women who look great at 50, 60, 70...just makes the rest of us feel worse, I think.
On a positive note, I'm off to yoga, after a 2 week hiatus to rest my strained quad. And now I also have s sore paw--I'll have to work around these injuries, hopefully for only about a week.
I whiled away part of the day looking up songs on YouTube--I'm amazed at how many are available for free. Or maybe they're not supposed to be free, but they are. So I won't mention what I've added to my favorites and playlist, to protect those who are providing them. Some are songs I have on CDs or albums from years ago; it's nice to have them on the computer. I wish I could play them in the background while I do other things on the computer; I'll have to figure out if there's a way to do that.
I read today in the WSJ that Estee Lauder is revamping its department store displays to be more accessible. Younger shoppers, the article noted, like to test things. So do we boomers--we just, I think, took many approaches as givens. But now my goal is not to buy any expensive department store-type cosmetics. The last to fall was the foundation--the brands available in department stores had many more hues, and my skin is so fair (yet blotchy and reddish in spots) that it's hard to find a good shade. Has to be tested on the skin. Although even with that, I wasn't always happy with the shade I ended up buying. Drugstore brands tended to come in light, medium, dark. But I just purchased L'Oreal's Visible Lift makeup in light ivory, so I'm going to see if that's a good replacement for the much more expensive Lancome or Bobbi Brown. (I liked the Bobbi Brown until the bottle started leaking every time I took it on an airplane--no matter how tightly I closed it.) I used a coupon from Real Simple magazine--the ad had a color palette with some of the actual foundation, so I could test it against the Lancome foundation I've been using. This L'Oreal has proretinol A+ (whatever that is) and vitamin C. So it's supposed to be anti-aging. But I think I only paid about $15 with the coupon, so I'm not out much if it doesn't live up to the anti-aging hype. Even with the foundation swatches, I still had trouble picking between light and medium ivory. Since we're moving into fall, and I use SPF 30 on my face every day, I thought lighter would blend in better. Just hope I don't look pasty--that's the danger if it's too light. I use foundation sparingly, only over the T zone of my face, where the skintone is uneven.
The only expensive product I'm now using is the Azelex cream--I paid $111 for a 50 gram tube. But the pharmacist said I saved over $200 with my health insurance. At least I think that's what he said. Prescribed by my dermatologist. Otherwise, she told me to use CeraVe, which is a very inexpensive moisturizer. She basically said there's not much else I can do at this point. I'm trying not to succumb to the ads for anti-aging products. Best to avoid certain magazines, like More, that are inundated with such ads. And combined with stories of all the famous women who look great at 50, 60, 70...just makes the rest of us feel worse, I think.
On a positive note, I'm off to yoga, after a 2 week hiatus to rest my strained quad. And now I also have s sore paw--I'll have to work around these injuries, hopefully for only about a week.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Recuperating...
It's been a week since I had the surgery to fix my trigger finger--took me longer to recover than I had thought. Wonder if I take longer now that I have the luxury to do so--without the obligation of paid work. The way he stitched up my hand is pretty painful and limiting. I don't feel pain when I type, but do when I try to do anything that requires the whole hand. He's got quite a bit of my skin pulled up into the stitches--right across my left palm. I guess that's to protect the suture line, but it means I can't fully unbend my hand. Certain daily activities--especially taking a shower and cooking-are among the hardest. They may seem like disparate activities, but soaping up is very tough--have to go easy on the left palm--and so is opening bottles and chopping food. I'm sure I'll feel much better once the stitches are out--that happens tomorrow.
My quad pull doesn't seem to be healing very well--the doctor said it should be better in 2 weeks. I pulled it outright 2 weeks ago yesterday, although the originating event occurred in early August. After not walking (much) for 2 weeks, I'll slowly get back to my daily walking routine. And our Y closed for the entire Labor Day weekend, so I haven't been able to use a stationary bike--something I'm supposed to do as often as possible and at least every other day. My leg hurts, and is still swollen; but it doesn't hurt when I walk. The doctor told me not to take long strides, so I'm being careful about that. And I'll start back in on yoga tomorrow and see how that goes.
I start a new yoga class this week-advanced yoga studies--that's a requirement for the yoga teacher training program I'm about to begin. I just hope my leg improves before I have to do the intensive weekend session. Still mulling over the fact that I've chosen to pursue vocations--voice acting and yoga teacher training--that require one to be in top physical form. And now I'm struggling with both--my voice wears out quickly, and I've got this quad pull..
I still look for possible positions that utilize my management and public policy background, but so far haven't found anything that looks like a fit. Have applied for a few positions over the past several months, but no bites. Not sure how my resume looks to people. But I also have the luxury of applying very selectively, and of not having to worry if I don't get an interview. Probably would be best for me not to get another full-time job, so I can pursue these other interests and develop new expertise. Bur if something comes along that's a mutually good fit, I don't think I can afford to pass it up. I worry that the longer I go without being in the workforce, the less likely it will be that someone would want to hire me--or that I'll feel up to going back to an office work environment.
Too much thinking, not enough doing...so I'll get back to doing. At least I've restarted my blog after a week's absence!
My quad pull doesn't seem to be healing very well--the doctor said it should be better in 2 weeks. I pulled it outright 2 weeks ago yesterday, although the originating event occurred in early August. After not walking (much) for 2 weeks, I'll slowly get back to my daily walking routine. And our Y closed for the entire Labor Day weekend, so I haven't been able to use a stationary bike--something I'm supposed to do as often as possible and at least every other day. My leg hurts, and is still swollen; but it doesn't hurt when I walk. The doctor told me not to take long strides, so I'm being careful about that. And I'll start back in on yoga tomorrow and see how that goes.
I start a new yoga class this week-advanced yoga studies--that's a requirement for the yoga teacher training program I'm about to begin. I just hope my leg improves before I have to do the intensive weekend session. Still mulling over the fact that I've chosen to pursue vocations--voice acting and yoga teacher training--that require one to be in top physical form. And now I'm struggling with both--my voice wears out quickly, and I've got this quad pull..
I still look for possible positions that utilize my management and public policy background, but so far haven't found anything that looks like a fit. Have applied for a few positions over the past several months, but no bites. Not sure how my resume looks to people. But I also have the luxury of applying very selectively, and of not having to worry if I don't get an interview. Probably would be best for me not to get another full-time job, so I can pursue these other interests and develop new expertise. Bur if something comes along that's a mutually good fit, I don't think I can afford to pass it up. I worry that the longer I go without being in the workforce, the less likely it will be that someone would want to hire me--or that I'll feel up to going back to an office work environment.
Too much thinking, not enough doing...so I'll get back to doing. At least I've restarted my blog after a week's absence!
Friday, August 27, 2010
watching trigger finger surgery on the Internet....
...was not a good idea! I had hoped the video would just describe the surgery without showing it, but no such luck. The video was 4 minutes, so it didn't show every second, but it was more than enough. I watched a little, hoping when the doctor showed where he would cut the hand that he wouldn't really cut the hand...and it got more graphic from there. I had to look away part of the time; got queasy when they pulled the tendon out so they could test the movement of the finger. But it is pretty short and simple surgery--supposed to take 20-25 min. Mine's scheduled for Monday; even with minor surgery I'll be at the hospital all afternoon. Looks like I'll have a regional block (numbed left arm and hand) with IV sedation--so I'll be out during the surgery, but should wake up fairly quickly.
On to another ailment, I read up more on gracilis syndrome. The gracilis muscle runs along the inside edge of the leg, and attaches to the pelvis. According to an article I found on the web, this muscle allows the hip to move across the body. I'm not sure how the orthopedist decided that was my problem, since it's my quad muscle that hurts. He pulled my leg different ways; it did hurt most toward the top of my leg. So the exercises he's having me do are supposed to help with range of motion, and are different from quad strengthening exercises. But the bicycling helps with that; not sure whether it also helps with gracilis syndrome.
On to another ailment, I read up more on gracilis syndrome. The gracilis muscle runs along the inside edge of the leg, and attaches to the pelvis. According to an article I found on the web, this muscle allows the hip to move across the body. I'm not sure how the orthopedist decided that was my problem, since it's my quad muscle that hurts. He pulled my leg different ways; it did hurt most toward the top of my leg. So the exercises he's having me do are supposed to help with range of motion, and are different from quad strengthening exercises. But the bicycling helps with that; not sure whether it also helps with gracilis syndrome.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Another setback...
I've sustained more injuries in the 7 months that I've been out of work than in the past several years, it seems. I'm doing a lot more physical activity--gardening, yoga, walking--things I've been doing, but now spending significantly more time at each. But the latest injury--a strained quad muscle--is an indirect result of my increased focus on volunteer activities. I played in a kickball fundraiser a few weeks ago, and ran a lot--mostly running after balls that had gone over my head and kept rolling...and rolling. And occasionally running bases. I hadn't sprinted like that in a long time ("probably 20 years," my husband said helpfully). Unlike a couple of other players on my team, who pulled muscles and limped off the field the first time they ran a base, I didn't feel anything that day. (Note to self: what was I thinking, having most of the team be people over 50? Another reminder that it's not as easy to get physical as it used to be; that we're getting old. I knew I wouldn't be very good at kickball, not having played since grade school, but I thought I was in good enough physical shape to handle a couple of games.
The next day I noticed that my quad was sore when I made certain movements, or tried to run. But I could walk without pain, so I figured it was minor. Maybe it was, but I guess I didn't take care of it over the next couple of weeks. At the beach last week, the undertow was pretty strong for the first few days, and when I tried to wade into the water the undertow would pull on my leg muscle and make it hard for me to walk. So I couldn't go in very far, and had to get out when my muscle would start to ache. Only the last day was I able to get out far enough to float and swim, because the undertow had finally died down. If I had turned around and seen the robburglar stealing my beach bag, I would have pulled the muscle trying to run after them. Probably would have been more frustrating than not having seen it. But then I could have yelled "stop thief" and seen if anyone did anything. Oh, well.
Then this past Sunday, a day after we returned from the beach, I went to kneel in church and felt the muscle pull and possibly tear. I couldn't walk without pain, so I knew I needed to find out what to do. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled the next day, for my trigger finger, so I figured I could use that appointment to have the orthopedist look at my leg. But in the meantime, I googled on "treatment for sprained quad". Or as google stated, "did you mean strained quad"? Guess so. Anyway, a sports medicine site (About.com: Sports Medicine) cited the R.I.C.E. treatment--rest, ice, compression and elevation. I spent the rest of the day using that approach (if you ice and elevate you have to rest, because you can't move--and I put an ace bandage around my leg for the compression). Seems like it helped, because my leg wasn't as swollen the next day.
The doctor confirmed that I had a strained (and probably torn) quad, and said it would take 2 weeks to heal. Probably would have healed the first time in 2 weeks if I'd taken better care of it. He gave me several exercises to do--the sheet says it's range of motion and strengthening for gracilis syndrome. I looked up gracilis syndrome and still don't know what it is--sounds like something more related to hip or groin. And he said I should use a stationary bike 20-30 minutes at least every other day. Basically, he said I should bike as much as I can tolerate. So far I've done it twice and find that it's my butt that can't tolerate it very well--I need a day off in between to rest my sore butt. I asked about yoga and walking--he said I shouldn't do yoga for a week, and be very careful after that. And he said walking was OK, but that I shouldn't take long strides. So walking the dog is out. He said I didn't need to do ice/compression--I think those only work initially to keep swelling down.
The major pull occurred on Sunday, so this is day 3 of treatment. I'm limiting what I do pretty severely, so this will hopefully fully heal. My plan is to update my resume, add to my LinkedIn profile, sign up for a job search engine. And then I still need to practice voiceover recording. And I just signed up for yoga teacher training, which I'll do over the next year. Started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I told you I was behind in my reading), but didn't get very far...
The next day I noticed that my quad was sore when I made certain movements, or tried to run. But I could walk without pain, so I figured it was minor. Maybe it was, but I guess I didn't take care of it over the next couple of weeks. At the beach last week, the undertow was pretty strong for the first few days, and when I tried to wade into the water the undertow would pull on my leg muscle and make it hard for me to walk. So I couldn't go in very far, and had to get out when my muscle would start to ache. Only the last day was I able to get out far enough to float and swim, because the undertow had finally died down. If I had turned around and seen the robburglar stealing my beach bag, I would have pulled the muscle trying to run after them. Probably would have been more frustrating than not having seen it. But then I could have yelled "stop thief" and seen if anyone did anything. Oh, well.
Then this past Sunday, a day after we returned from the beach, I went to kneel in church and felt the muscle pull and possibly tear. I couldn't walk without pain, so I knew I needed to find out what to do. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled the next day, for my trigger finger, so I figured I could use that appointment to have the orthopedist look at my leg. But in the meantime, I googled on "treatment for sprained quad". Or as google stated, "did you mean strained quad"? Guess so. Anyway, a sports medicine site (About.com: Sports Medicine) cited the R.I.C.E. treatment--rest, ice, compression and elevation. I spent the rest of the day using that approach (if you ice and elevate you have to rest, because you can't move--and I put an ace bandage around my leg for the compression). Seems like it helped, because my leg wasn't as swollen the next day.
The doctor confirmed that I had a strained (and probably torn) quad, and said it would take 2 weeks to heal. Probably would have healed the first time in 2 weeks if I'd taken better care of it. He gave me several exercises to do--the sheet says it's range of motion and strengthening for gracilis syndrome. I looked up gracilis syndrome and still don't know what it is--sounds like something more related to hip or groin. And he said I should use a stationary bike 20-30 minutes at least every other day. Basically, he said I should bike as much as I can tolerate. So far I've done it twice and find that it's my butt that can't tolerate it very well--I need a day off in between to rest my sore butt. I asked about yoga and walking--he said I shouldn't do yoga for a week, and be very careful after that. And he said walking was OK, but that I shouldn't take long strides. So walking the dog is out. He said I didn't need to do ice/compression--I think those only work initially to keep swelling down.
The major pull occurred on Sunday, so this is day 3 of treatment. I'm limiting what I do pretty severely, so this will hopefully fully heal. My plan is to update my resume, add to my LinkedIn profile, sign up for a job search engine. And then I still need to practice voiceover recording. And I just signed up for yoga teacher training, which I'll do over the next year. Started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I told you I was behind in my reading), but didn't get very far...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I wuz robburgled...
We go to Virginia Beach every year, and I've never worried about leaving my stuff on the beach. But I did a number of things that, in retrospect, made my more susceptible to a robbery. What is it called, anyway--it's supposed to be a robbery when you're held up, and a burglary when it's in your home and your not there at the time of the break in. So what's it called when you leave your bag on the beach unattended and come back to find it gone? Guess I was robburgled.
I had decided to go the the beach in the morning, after my free "yoga on the beach" class--I was tired of getting out there at 4 or 5pm with the family. The guys didn't want to go that early; I thought it would be nice to have some "alone time". So here are my missteps:
- going by myself (an easier target), at a time when the beach wasn't very crowded
- finding a spot on the perimeter (as the policeman called it)
- not having others nearby, and not being near (enough) to the lifeguard
- taking my droid and using it
- packing other valuable stuff, especially a good watch.
And of course, leaving it unattended for maybe 10-15 minutes while I hung out at the shore lien.
I pride myself on being street smart, but didn't think I had to be. I actually think someone was probably watching me, and saw the above--I was easy prey. It' was so disorienting when I went back to my towel. Because my towel and sandals were there, but not my striped beach bag. I first looked around, thinking someone nearby had it--maybe it blew off the towel. Not likely. Maybe my son and husband had stopped by and taken it. No, why would they do that? Please tell me it wasn't stolen--I had not just my droid and watch, but my (very expensive) prescription glasses and clipons; my nearly brand new Lululemon yoga pants (serves me right for buying $90 yoga pants, I thought); a beach hat I had just bought; an East Coast Surfing Championship t shirt from some years back that's probably no longer available. Oh, and my Eat, Pray, Love book that I had just purchased and begun to read (yes, I'm a couple of years behind in my reading).
I went to the lifeguard to tell him that I thought my stuff had been stolen, and he called the police. I heard them ask if I had the right location. I wish that were the case--but since my towel and shoes were still there, I knew I was in the spot where I also had left the bag. As I was waiting for the police to show up, I looked around in a few trash bins, hoping the robburglar(s) had tossed the bag pretty quickly. I'm thinking it's more likely they stuffed it in another bag and walked off, so my bag wouldn't be visible, and then went somewhere else to rummage through it and toss the bag. At least that's how I would do it--walk, don't run, and hide the bag as fast as possible. So if no one sees you pick up the bag, they won't suspect anything. Then walk away.
Took the beach police maybe 10-15 minutes to get there (via bicycle). The policeman said such thefts happen all the time--especially when the beach is less crowded, and the bag is unattended and on the perimemter of the area where people are sitting. So the action would be behind them. He suggested I continue looking in the trash bins on the beach, and said they would look along the boardwalk. As I was talking to him my husband and son came by, so they helped me look through trash bins maybe 1/4 mile around the area of the theft.
I had thought about wearing the hat, my glasses, and my watch to the shoreline, since I wasn't planning to go in the water. But I didn't--can I please have that decision back? Other than feeling stupid, I was most upset about losing my glasses. But I kept my composure throughout, and didn't complain--my son is so sensitive, I didn't want to upset him. And I kept telling myself I lost only material things. Although we all lost our naivete about life at the beach. My son wanted to make sure we didn't put our stuff near the perimeter when we went to the beach a day and a half later (rain had intervened), and I made sure I didn't take anything valuable--anything left, that is. I never take much on vacations.
I kept hoping we or someone would find the bag, or that I'd see someone with it and confront them (they'd have to be pretty stupid to carry the striped bag around, wouldn't they). But we didn't. So I spent 2 1/2 days not being able to see--but rarely mentioned it. I did get a new droid out of it--and was able to get the droid2, which just came out on Aug. 10. And with an upgrade deal and coupon, we paid $100 instead of $300. The new droid has improved on some aspects of the original droid--especially the pullout keyboard, which is not as wide and thus easier to use.
We went to see The Expendables, which is the kind of movie where not having glasses for distance doesn't matter--everything was bombastic (literally), and I could tell the characters apart well enough. And when I couldn't, it didn't seem to matter. I knew it was the kind of movie where the (relatively) good guys would win, and none of them would be killed. So they can do a sequel.
I'm wearing my old glasses now, while waiting for my replacement lenses. They gave me a 20% discount, because I had just bought the glasses in May. But they were still expensive...
I had decided to go the the beach in the morning, after my free "yoga on the beach" class--I was tired of getting out there at 4 or 5pm with the family. The guys didn't want to go that early; I thought it would be nice to have some "alone time". So here are my missteps:
- going by myself (an easier target), at a time when the beach wasn't very crowded
- finding a spot on the perimeter (as the policeman called it)
- not having others nearby, and not being near (enough) to the lifeguard
- taking my droid and using it
- packing other valuable stuff, especially a good watch.
And of course, leaving it unattended for maybe 10-15 minutes while I hung out at the shore lien.
I pride myself on being street smart, but didn't think I had to be. I actually think someone was probably watching me, and saw the above--I was easy prey. It' was so disorienting when I went back to my towel. Because my towel and sandals were there, but not my striped beach bag. I first looked around, thinking someone nearby had it--maybe it blew off the towel. Not likely. Maybe my son and husband had stopped by and taken it. No, why would they do that? Please tell me it wasn't stolen--I had not just my droid and watch, but my (very expensive) prescription glasses and clipons; my nearly brand new Lululemon yoga pants (serves me right for buying $90 yoga pants, I thought); a beach hat I had just bought; an East Coast Surfing Championship t shirt from some years back that's probably no longer available. Oh, and my Eat, Pray, Love book that I had just purchased and begun to read (yes, I'm a couple of years behind in my reading).
I went to the lifeguard to tell him that I thought my stuff had been stolen, and he called the police. I heard them ask if I had the right location. I wish that were the case--but since my towel and shoes were still there, I knew I was in the spot where I also had left the bag. As I was waiting for the police to show up, I looked around in a few trash bins, hoping the robburglar(s) had tossed the bag pretty quickly. I'm thinking it's more likely they stuffed it in another bag and walked off, so my bag wouldn't be visible, and then went somewhere else to rummage through it and toss the bag. At least that's how I would do it--walk, don't run, and hide the bag as fast as possible. So if no one sees you pick up the bag, they won't suspect anything. Then walk away.
Took the beach police maybe 10-15 minutes to get there (via bicycle). The policeman said such thefts happen all the time--especially when the beach is less crowded, and the bag is unattended and on the perimemter of the area where people are sitting. So the action would be behind them. He suggested I continue looking in the trash bins on the beach, and said they would look along the boardwalk. As I was talking to him my husband and son came by, so they helped me look through trash bins maybe 1/4 mile around the area of the theft.
I had thought about wearing the hat, my glasses, and my watch to the shoreline, since I wasn't planning to go in the water. But I didn't--can I please have that decision back? Other than feeling stupid, I was most upset about losing my glasses. But I kept my composure throughout, and didn't complain--my son is so sensitive, I didn't want to upset him. And I kept telling myself I lost only material things. Although we all lost our naivete about life at the beach. My son wanted to make sure we didn't put our stuff near the perimeter when we went to the beach a day and a half later (rain had intervened), and I made sure I didn't take anything valuable--anything left, that is. I never take much on vacations.
I kept hoping we or someone would find the bag, or that I'd see someone with it and confront them (they'd have to be pretty stupid to carry the striped bag around, wouldn't they). But we didn't. So I spent 2 1/2 days not being able to see--but rarely mentioned it. I did get a new droid out of it--and was able to get the droid2, which just came out on Aug. 10. And with an upgrade deal and coupon, we paid $100 instead of $300. The new droid has improved on some aspects of the original droid--especially the pullout keyboard, which is not as wide and thus easier to use.
We went to see The Expendables, which is the kind of movie where not having glasses for distance doesn't matter--everything was bombastic (literally), and I could tell the characters apart well enough. And when I couldn't, it didn't seem to matter. I knew it was the kind of movie where the (relatively) good guys would win, and none of them would be killed. So they can do a sequel.
I'm wearing my old glasses now, while waiting for my replacement lenses. They gave me a 20% discount, because I had just bought the glasses in May. But they were still expensive...
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