Discipline

“Most experts agree that blogging two to four times per week is the best way to see increased traction from your content. This equates to somewhere around eleven to sixteen posts a month, depending on how set you are on the actual times per week you post new content.”

Ha de ha de ha ha.

Evidently WordPress ‘reminds’ you to post a blog. I’ve never found those settings (under General they say).

So today, I’m going to pull my socks up.

I shall set reminders on my Google Calendar.

Trouble is, if I set a reminder for Mondays and Thursdays, there are three days between one and four days between another. My readers might become completely fatigued!

When you are old the days seem to fly past, and the weeks too. Each of my days consist of assessing my pain level first, and then doing something to alleviate it. Those things are exercise, which now have become part of my life. I have incorporated them into all of my activities. Waiting for the kettle to boil is one stretching exercise, getting up from the toilet or chair without hanging on to anything another. Cleaning my teeth is a stretch and balance exercise, emptying our robot vacuum is a bending and standing exercise.

Then there is Mr Wobbles, my vibration plate, which I stand on three times a week at 30hz. and on the other days I simply wobble my feet and legs whilst sitting on my bed. I occasional use exercise bands, lift arm weights, dance around to some nice music. Exercise helps.

A friend brought gifts. I now have Nordic walking poles. Trouble is you have to learn how to use them, and actually being able to stride is part of it. Striding is a bit advanced for me at the moment.

I also have a wonderful lead for taking Bass, the dog, walking. It attaches around my waist, so my hands are free to clutch onto my walking stick. (or Nordic walking poles)

It is six months of Carnivore diet now. I feel great in every way. My pain level is much reduced, my blood sugar has fallen so I am now ‘pre diabetic’ again. And the diabetic nurse left a message to say she was pleased and I had done well.

She is phoning today at 2:00pm. I am looking forward to some praise.

Praise is so nice, don’t you think?

The Healthy (not) Plate

Years ago, when Mr Furlong was sent to a nutritionist to learn about what to eat for his diabetes, the UK and indeed most countries had what they called “The Healthy Plate”. The Healthy Plate is not suitable for humans, diabetic or not.

These images were what were meant to inform the public about what to eat, and soon the mantra “Eat five a day”(fruits and vegetables) followed.

Since then, millions of people have found out The Healthy Plate is not healthy and eating “five a day” is a load of bolony.

In March, I started a Carnivore diet for three reasons. To relieve my pain and to improve my osteoporosis. And deal with type two diabetes that I cycle in and out of.

I’m almost six months into Carnivore – eating only animal products and plenty of fat.

I feel best ever, but this is a long term experiment. I’m also ‘working out’ as they say and my Vibration Plate is going to be a really great help to my adventure.

Mr Furlong, who has had the worst diabetes and horrid medical adventures, is now doing a Low Carb Diet. The results have been astonishing. He is very shortly going off his insulin. Another insulin customer less for Big Pharma. No wonder they promote The Healthy Plate.

If people eat a proper human diet, it would save our NHS billions. I think The Healthy Plate might be tossed in the trash soon, Science has no proof it’s healthy at all, however all the anecdata is telling them it’s not.

The diabetic nurse at our surgery told me to follow a low carb diet when I last saw her. She did not mention The Healthy Plate. She KNOWS! So I have been no carb now for six months.. I’m waiting for my Hba1c test which will be back next week.

Here is The Healthy Plate.

Do not eat like this….it’s harmful to your health….

Vibration Plate

New technology enters the Furlong Home.

I ordered a Vibration Plate.

I am quite terrified of it!

So I have to make friends with it. It might become a good friend. He is a He, I think. ‘Mr Wobblyman’

I have done a huge amount of research into these things. 30hz is the frequency that has the greatest benefit for Osteoperosis. This one can be set to the frequency (of oscilation per second) that you want. And also the length of time of your session.

It is good for other physical problems I have too.

Well, it might be if I had the courage to step on it!

Today, before my walk which is always something that I dread because the first 100 yds is excruciating, I stood on Mr Wobblyman for 1.5 minutes – yes one and a half minutes – at 30hz. I read they can be used to warm up before excercise. I rekon the first excruciating 100 yds is because I am warming up. By the time I get around the corner at the end of our road, I can stand up straight and feel more comfortable.

I stood on Mr Wobblyman  for 1.5 minutes – yes one and a half minutes –  at 30hz. And, guess what?

I stood up straight right at our front door!

I’ll try that again tomorrow when I have got over the shock.

Bells and Whistles and Baby

There’s been another change in my computer situation.

In my last few posts I have recounted the story of the Chromebooks.

I’ve never used a Chromebook but I’ve ordered one for somebody else which is called from here on “Bells and Whistles”. “Bells and Whistles” is a horrible device which I swapped for my very nice simple, plain (cheap – £100 discount) Chromebook. I felt guilty that somebody else had to suffer the failings of me buying “Bells and Whistle” in my ignorance of the practicality of it.

“Bells and Whistles” only has one redeaming attribute. It is beautiful.

It folds, it stands, it performs acrobatics. It is a vision in silver.

Thats all.

The screen is like mirrored glass. The keyboard invisible except in total darkness when the backlight is so blinding one needs dark glasses to view it.

“Bells and Whistles” and I have a situation developing. I am not going to put up with her. I have ordered keyboard stickers in black with white writing large enough that I can see and I will find a screen coating or cover that will stop the shine and reflections. Her beauty is going to be defiled.

Tough shit.

My last post explained I ordered yet ANOTHER Chromebook. I was expecting it that day. The new Chromebook is called “Baby”.

“Baby” has had adventures already. She was delivered late. Five days late. Somehow, in ways that the delivery company cannot explain, she ended up in the Hebridies, not joking. And her cardboard box was squashed, caved in and re-taped. The guy producing “Baby” at the door, apologised to Mr Furlong and made him sign for her.

I am pleased to announce that “Baby”, despite her difficult delivery, works just fine! She has no bells or whistles, nor is she beautiful.

But to me, at 11.6″, Black and white keyboard with no backlight nor glassy screen, she is simply lovely!

I wrote this post on her today.

The Green thing!

This is not mine. Someone sent it to me. As I read, I remembered every single point as it applied to my own life. It was a trip down memory lane. I’m sharing it. You will remember too if you are old like me!

Quote…..

“Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own shopping bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days.”

The cashier responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.”

She was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so they could use the same bottles over and over. Yes, they really were recycling.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen; and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But, we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up the stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every shop and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But, she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an ‘energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts;’ wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days.

Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But, that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And, the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the county of Yorkshire .

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the post, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But, she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank water from a fountain or a tap when we were thirsty instead of demanding a plastic bottle flown in from another country.

We accepted that a lot of food was seasonal and didn’t expect that to be bucked by flying it thousands of air miles around the world.

We actually cooked food that didn’t come out of a packet, tin or plastic wrap and we could even wash our own vegetables and chop our own salad. But, we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the tram or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service.

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But, isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?”

Computers and stuff and possible insanity

My last blog post was a eulogy to computers and computer technology.

I think I explained that I had bought an all bells and whistles laptop or rather a Chromebook for somebody else and they didn’t like it. So when I bought one for myself, a plain ordinary Chromebook, without the bells and whistles, I realised that it would have been better for the person who who didn’t like the Chromebook I had chosen for them.

I therefore took my new Chromebook around to show them. And guess what?

They liked it better then their’s.

Because of my emotion of guilt for buying a Chromebook that somebody doesn’t like, I offered to swap. And guess what?

They jumped at it!

Now I have the all bells and whisles one. And I quite understand why its not good.

The screen is like glass, the keyboard invisible, and its contortions to tablet mode make the touchscreen keyboard so long, by the time I have finished typing, I might as well have played tennis, and I need the lap size of a grotesquely large weight lifter. I am a small person.

All Bells and Whistles and I are getting to know each other. I realise these inconveniences are not ITS fault, they are the result of someone’s rediculous design wetdreams of sleekness and beauty rather than practicality.

This could be a reminder to folk who go for ‘posh’, that plain and humble are often better. Don’t get taken in by glitz.

I realise small and plain are good.

So last night I ordered an 11.6″ Chromebook without any bells and whistles. Furthermore, it’s REFURBISHED.

It is arriving today!

This is possible insanity as I am still learning how to work Chromebooks.

But then, I’m old, I’m allowed to be daft. And when you love computers, being daft, is fun.

The best ever

I can’t remember when I started this blog but it was a long time ago. I started it because I couldn’t sleep at night. I went through quite a phase of insomnia. so I slept in a different room to Mr Furlong, and when I couldn’t sleep I wrote my blog.

I have used all sorts of different computers to write posts on this blog, but the one I have now, which is brand new, is the best ever.

I have always been in love with computers since I first saw the internet at an internet cafe in about 1990. It was love at first sight, and since then I have been completely loyal in my love. Computer technology is A Wondrous Thing. I have dabbled about in it all this time. I even taught it to people who mostly hated it.

In my teaching computer years I would watch a strange transformation happen as people suddenly grasped how amazing their computers and the internet were. Most people who hate computers and the internet will say unashameably “I HATE computers” while their eyes study me with hostility as if their hate is somehow my fault. The transformation occurs when people who hate computers get to a state of enlightenment and they realise how actually amazing the technology is, how it transforms lives, and how it makes human beings VAST. I always knew who had become enlightened in my classes because a new look entered their eyes. It was The Look of Love.

So let me stop waffling.

I bought a Chromebook for somebody who hates computers. She hates it. I do not know how to work a Chromebook, so I thought I’d give myself a treat and buy one for myself. I’m very impressed. You can do most stuff on it, especially writing blog posts. Especially writing blog posts EASILY.

The thing with computers is, that unless you love them, and are computer “enlightened” learning how to work them is a terrible chore. If you love them it’s a pleasure.

It’s been such a pleasure to write this post. In fact I think it’s been the best pleasure post so far.