Cancellations

A Nature Walk and tour of the Botanical Gardens with the Get Real and Heel group and my last soccer game are cancelled today, so I am doing chores and switching my summer clothes for my winter clothes....the excitement never ends...lol.

This was a busy week at work with several unexpected deadlines. I also started coaching a trainee in India, and finally finished the last of some user acceptance tests for an upgrade to Business Objects (yuk).

The only things of note outside of work were my last self-hypnosis class on Thursday and watching a new episode of ER with cameos of Dr. Green and some other characters from older shows. I made some pumpkin soup from fresh pumpkin, which turned out quite tasty - I merged several recipes. I also colored my hair this morning with a home kit - "Warm Chestnut". I'm tired of people asking me if I want a senior citizen discount. ha. I look a bit more like my "old" younger self now, I think.

There's a bit of blue sky and sunshine peeking out now and then, and it's warmer than I expected, so maybe it will be an OK weekend after all...cold weather with highs in the 50's and lows in the 20's is supposed to be coming next week!

Last week of Rainbow Soccer

The regular season of Rainbow Soccer will end next Saturday. I took a picture of some of my teammates yesterday.

Over-40 "Wiser" League - partial team photo

Of particular interest to everyone was the heart-shaped area of sweat that appeared on the shirt of my nephew-in-law after our game...pretty amazing, but quite appropriate for a guy who's an excellent soccer player and has a lot of heart!

Halloween Party pics

I'm back from an out-of-town Halloween party, and too tired to write much, but here are some pics. The weather was beautiful and we had fires and food and dancing to keep us warm outside. There were awesome decorations everywhere - inside and out - and everyone did a great job of dressing up in cool costumes. The colors of the trees on the trip were gorgeous too.


"Dancing Queen" and Nerdy tennis player


Beer Keg & Beer Mug


Pebbles & Jester


Gorgeous views

Autumn rhyme

Well, this may be a corny verse that came to me, but I was inspired by an awesome sight on a walk the other day, as well as the music I was listening to on my walkman...there's no photo I can add that would do justice to the picture I have in my mind from those fleeting moments...

Sunflakes falling from an autumn tree
Swirling gently its gold on me
Nature's beauty, given for free
God's creation - such ecstasy!

sniffle

Well, I cajoled my hubby into taking me to the ballet last Sunday, and apparently my punishment was to sit next to a lady who coughed her germs into my face the whole time....So I've had a yukky cold all week and I'm still congested and feeling blah today. On a happier note, the ballet was cool. That is all.

Stuff

I haven't found too much to blog about lately. Since my last post, I finished the UNC Get Real and Heel (GR&H) program, and have been going through "withdrawal" to some extent. It was so comforting to have people encouraging and cheering me on to become a better person, physically and emotionally, and now I don't have that 3 evenings a week and I have to motivate myself, which is ever so much harder to do.

I got back out on the soccer field a couple of weeks ago, playing in the Over-40 Rainbow Soccer league, and soon afterwards got a muscle pull in my inner thigh, even though I was trying to take things easy. I guess that was at least ONE muscle I didn't strengthen during GR&H! I've been resting it for the past week, plus the rain has caused some cancellations, but I've been walking, riding my bike and I've gone swimming once since then.

This morning I did something out of the ordinary for my lifestyle...I learned some basics of golfing. Happily, although the GR&H is officially over, they are still going to plan occasional activities for former participants, and this is one of them. I've never been much of a golf fan, and am not even very fond of playing Putt-Putt, but I'm trying to keep an open mind and went out this morning mostly for the social component. We didn't actually go to a golf course today. We met at the GR&H site and learned how to hold the club and practiced with some light practice balls. You have to be able to hit the ball at least 100 yards before they will let you onto a golf course. Next, we will go to a driving range after we get a bit better at hitting the practice balls. It was OK, but I don't know if golf will ever be my "thing". Here's a picture of me swinging...Notice the ball still lying on the ground...I don't know if this is because I was practicing my swing or just plain 'ole missing the ball...most likely the latter - HA HA.



Medically speaking, I had a recent mammogram which was fine, and last week I got blood drawn for genetic testing. Next week I have my annual physical, and I'm going to have an appointment with the surgeon to schedule the removal of my intravenous port. After that, besides having mammograms every 6 months and checkups with the oncologist, I will not have to think about cancer much, except maybe to try to find some way to help other people.

This past week at work, our manager from the UK came for a visit, and we went to lunch at the Washington Duke Inn. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, but the food was really disappointing. My grouper special looked as if they had plated it hours ago and stuck it in the oven to warm it up, and it was rather dried-out looking. The lobster sauce that I pictured the fish being covered with was a thin reddish line on the edges of the plate of something that had absolutely no flavor, and could have been watered down food coloring for all I know. So now that I've been there, I realize I have not been missing anything in not ever having gone there all these years. Maybe back when my neighbor was the chef, it might have been good, but it's not NOW.

I've been enjoying this beautiful weather. I hope it stays warm, but cool, (ha ha) for a long time.

Whght Id Yjou Shay?

My lower lip and jaw are so numb from Novocaine that I can barely talk, but that's OK because I'm the only one home right now. I had my temporary crowns removed and the permanent ones cemented in this afternoon. I didn't want to have conscious sedation and be knocked out for a day and a night again, so the dentist tried nitrous oxide (N2O), and I got numb...Hallelujah! It's amazing how quickly the oxygen reversed the effects of the N2O, and I walked right out of the office when they were done "playing" in my mouth.

Good thing I had a substantial lunch, too, 'cos I won't be eating for awhile either (unless I want to risk burning myself or chewing my tongue). Oh the joys of modern dentistry! Hark well, all ye who read here (note...language inspired by my daughter's blog about sonnets : ), brush and floss and practice good dental hygiene so you won't have to have these kinds of dental adventures, and so you will be able to munch happily with your own teeth to a ripe old age!