Category General

No Pink Please!

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PinkUnlike many women who seem to gravitate towards the color pink, I hate the hue with a passion, regardless of whether it’s baby, bubble gum, rose, magenta, hot, blush, fuschia, or any other shade in the pink portion of the spectrum. It bothers me to no end when people, especially men, assume that every female likes pink and that all females should identify with the color since it is a “girl’s” color. I am not a fan of gender stereotyping, and find myself delighted when I hear a woman say she hates pink, or that she refuses to dress her young daughter in pink. Amen to that!

My mother certainly fell under the gender constraints which dictated that her daughter should wear pink, but thankfully she allowed me to assert my personality and hatred of pink when I dressed in regular day to day clothing. However, I did not win the battle when it came to my yearly portrait sitting. In fact, there were SEVERAL years in which I was made to wear baby pink chiffon dresses to my portrait sitting. This was utter torture for me, because I felt like a poof of pink cotton candy, ultra-girly and completely unlike the tomboyish girl I was. My mom would point out that I would only have to wear a dreaded pink garment for a few hours, and that pink was SUCH a good color on me. Truth be told, many shades of pink flatter my complexion very well, but the mere sight of pink has always turned my stomach.

I also remember one item of clothing which was given to me one Christmas (I believe it was when I was 4 years old). The item was my first bathrobe, a baby pink, polyester quilted number which I wore for many years, until it literally began to fall apart, and of course I was thrilled. When the robe was finally retired, it was no longer a full length garment, but hit my knees. When the time came to pick out a new robe, I selected a vibrant blue robe to erase the memory of having that pink monstrosity.

Some people may regard pink as a happy, calming, comforting color, but to me, it is just plain UGLY. Even purple, which is one of my favorite colors, has to have a strong leaning away from the pink spectrum in order for me to choose it. If it’s too pink, I will opt for red or black. I look at pink and I think of Pepto-Bismol and weakness. It is very safe to assume that I will reject anything (that includes clothing, accessories, decor items, etc.) that is pink. I can guarantee that I will never have logos or merchandise which have the color pink in them. It was difficult for me to pick an image for this blogpost because I knew it had to be pink. My hatred of pink is consistent and pervasive.

Pink is NOT for this girl!

“How Come You Still Work Out?”

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Last month, I ran into a fellow aerial arts classmate whom I hadn’t seen for a while. She and I engaged in pleasant chat for a couple of minutes, and she revealed to me that she had to take some time off from aerial due to adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). I told her that the rest would serve her well, and that if she did gentle stretching and range of motion work, that she would be able to ease back into aerial before too long.

Then she asked me if I was still lifting weights at the gym, to which I replied that I was indeed still lifting 5 to 6 days per week. She reacted with surprise and stated, “Why do you still work out at the gym when you don’t compete anymore? I don’t understand! You don’t need to exercise at the gym!” It was so strange for me to hear her reaction, because she had just finished telling me about her desire to return to a form of exercise which she loved. Well, I too love lifting weights. I work out because I love it. I train with weights to maintain bone density and muscle mass. I lift so that I can have escape from the stressors in my life. And though I don’t do the crazy double workouts I used to perform right before an event, I still faithfully show up to the gym five to six days per week, every week.

Working out at the gym isn’t something I do to achieve a certain goal, but rather, to maintain what I already have, to combat the aging process, and to provide ME time. I’ve lifted weights for THIRTY YEARS and I will not stop until I am six feet under. In addition to weightlifting, my love of aerial arts isn’t likely to dissipate anytime soon either.

Why Long-Term Care Coverage Is Vital

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The chances of you being in a position in which you can no longer take care of yourself are staggering. Seventy percent of people over the age of 5 will need some type of long-term care at some point, with 20 percent of them requiring it for a period of more than five years. If you have disability insurance, that doesn’t cover long-term care. I have heard some people grumble about the cost of long-term care insurance, which averages about $2,000 for a healthy, single 55-year old. The policy I have had in place since 2004 has premiums which will total $2,700 for 2017, and the premiums will increase to almost $2,900 next year. However, that’s a fraction of what I would have to pay if I didn’t have the insurance. The Genworth (the company I have my policy under) 2016 Cost of Care Survey reported that median annual cost of an assisted living facility is almost $44,000, and the median monthly cost of a private nursing home room is over $90,000.

I signed up for my policy shortly after my mother suffered from, and survived, a brain aneurysm in 2004. She was in a skilled nursing facility from 2006 until 2013, then was transferred into an assisted living facility. In a way, luck was on her side, because she had no financial resources and qualified for Medicaid and Medicare. She is now a participant in the ALW program. However, the bulk of her monthly Social Security benefit (less than $1,200) goes to the facility in which she resides. In no way was I willing to take the chance of relying on a government agency to rescue me in my elderly years if I find myself in need of long-term care.

I HIGHLY recommend securing long-term care insurance if you are over the age of 30. You cannot rely on the government to come to your aid if you end up requiring long-term care, and it’s unfair of you to expect loved ones to carry the financial burden of your care.

Why I Don’t Trust Web Designers

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I have yet to find a web designer who isn’t flaky. Over the last eight years, I have dealt with a number of so-called web designers, and every single one of them delivered their own brand of craziness which dissolved our business relationship and left me hanging. Seriously, they can’t ALL be like this, right?

There was the gal who wouldn’t load up information for months on end, but had no problem billing me when the yearly hosting renewal approached. Never mind that I asked her to complete the work which she had neglected to do, before I would sign up for another year. When she refused, I refused. Then she charged my credit card anyway, changed all my passwords to MY website, and told me I had to pay a cancellation fee on top of the yearly renewal, and that I would never get the passwords. So I fired her.

Then there was the exuberant guy who seemed so excited to revamp my website. He begged me to let him work on revamping it. He ended up dismantling my site, literally sat in front of my during a meeting at a coffeehouse and said, “Oh shit, this isn’t good”, then completely bailed on me and wouldn’t respond to voicemail messages or texts. Fired.

Then there was the guy who generously offered to set up a landing page for me. I was so happy with his work that I inquired about his services for my medical website. He gave me his rate, and I agreed to it. As a courtesy, I informed him of when I would get paid (payday was eight days away, and I was planning to send him payment in full at that time). He flipped out, said that I needed to pay him RIGHT NOW, then wrote me a four page essay on how his best friend had suddenly died, how much he hated life, and how he no longer felt that life was worth living. Fired.

The next guy did a bang up job of consolidating sites and using an eye-catching template, but then he sat on work which he promised to do, left things unfinished. I kept getting a different story as to why he was dragging his feet. it was always, “so sorry, I’ll get to it tomorrow.” Tomorrow would come, and nothing would be done. Then he pulled a bait and switch and said that if I wanted him to finish the work which he had promised to do for over a month, he said he would have to charge me extra. He actually got nasty about it. Fired.

The last web guy I dealt with promised to give me an outline of all the things he was planning to fix on one of my sites, and insisted that I wait to pay him. Days turned into weeks, and when I realized I might have to prompt him a bit, I sent him an email inquiring about the status of my website. I got a response in which he apologized and said he was overwhelmed and simply lacked the time to work on my site (so why the f&#% did he take on the assignment in the first place?). Technically he quit.

I am sick and tired of web designers. They do whatever they want with your site, and if you don’t like the way they have done it, they’ll argue with you about why their vision is so much better than what YOU want. They sit on work, and how dare you even ask them about the status of the work. Some will even hold your site hostage and prevent you from accessing what is rightfully yours.

I am back at the helm with my websites, with FULL CONTROL over them. If I want to add something, I know I can rely on myself to do it. I have experienced major learning curves to master all the different interfaces, platforms and mapping, and am damned proud of myself for figuring it out.

Those Filthy Beards

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According to a recent New Mexico study in which beards were swabbed for cultures, it was determined that beards contain just as much fecal matter as a toilet. To be fair, some beards had normal amounts and strains of bacteria which were consistent with what a microbiologist would expect from swabbing facial hair, but a few had
enough enteric bacteria (bacteria found in excrement) to cause illness in humans.

Ewwwwwwwwww.

Do yourself and others a favor and make sure to wash your hands frequently, scrub your beard clean at least once a day, and avoid touching your beard.

“Where’s The Restroom?” – Overactive Bladder

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I’m sure you know that feeling when a very full bladder prompts you to secure the nearest restroom facility so that you can relieve yourself from the pressure. Now imagine having that feeling throughout the day, every day. People with overactive bladder have to use the restroom constantly, and at times may have urine leakage. They deal with signals from the brain which erroneously tell the bladder to empty itself when the bladder isn’t even full. The result is that the bladder contracts, creating a strong urge to urinate.

People who suffer from overactive bladder urinate much more than normal (which is up to 8 times per day), and may urinate up to 30 or more times per day. Even when a sufferer urinates, he or she may feel as if the bladder still has urine in it. Restroom visits may be stacked together, sometimes within 10 to 15 minutes of each other.

Two-thirds of people who have overactive bladder experience the dry type, while the remaining third have the wet variety, which is characterized by leakage of urine. Advancing age is a primary risk factor for development of this condition, but the following also play a role:

Presence of urinary tract infection
Nerve damage from surgery
Trauma
Neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or stroke
History of bladder stones
History of bladder or prostate cancer
Post-menopausal
Consumption of spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol


If you have any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical evaluation and treatment:

Use the restroom more than eight times a day
Cannot sleep through the night without waking up at least 1 or 2 times to urinate
A sudden and intense urge to urinate
Urine leakage

Some lifestyle modifications can lessen the symptoms of overactive bladder. They include maintaining a normal weight, drinking less fluid in the evening, smoking cessation, and limiting the consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Pelvic floor exercises can be incorporated to strengthen the supporting muscles and provide some relief. As a last resort, a number of prescription medications exist to treat overactive bladder.

A Nice Featured Spot On The Drinkclick Website!

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https://drinkclick.com/blogs/click-coffee-protein-blog/click-active-product-review-by-dr-stacey-naito

The wonderful people at DrinkClick.com have decided to feature a YouTube review of Click Active Coffee & Protein All-In-One Drink Mix on their website! Please check it out!

I also STRONGLY encourage you to try this amazing product. It is the perfect product for the athlete who is committed to packing in protein during the day, who also has a fondness for coffee. Click Active is absolutely delicious!

Living Solely On Social Security

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I just ran across an article which I was compelled to share. This should serve as a major wake-up call for those of you who assume that you will be able to support yourselves completely with Social Security benefits when you become old enough to draw those benefits. I have included the link to the article, as well as copied and pasted the body of Barbara Friedberg’s article here.

The sad reality is that though the person in this example is able to make ends meet with her Social Security check, people who live in cities like Los Angeles will probably spend the bulk of their Social Security check on rent alone, with very little money left for groceries and healthcare.

Regardless of where you live, put money aside for retirement so that you don’t find yourself in a precarious financial situation when you are older. Roth IRA’s are an excellent way to set aside funds for your retirement, and they grow tax-free over the years.

https://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/buy-average-social-security-check/

By Barbara Friedberg | September 26, 2016

Somewhere, an older American — let’s call her Alison — is going to retire soon. She anticipates a Social Security check of $1,349.59, the national average as of July. She regrets not saving more for retirement, but has accepted the reality of her situation.

If you’re like Alison — facing retirement without a cash cushion — you’re in good company. In January, GOBankingRates.com surveyed a representative sample of Americans and found that among people 60 and older, just 26 percent felt they were financially on track for retirement. The remaining 74 percent within this age group lacked sufficient retirement savings. And among Americans of all age groups, a sobering 33 percent had nothing saved for retirement.

Anyone who tries to get by on Social Security income faces a lean retirement lifestyle. Here are questions to ask yourself before trying to stretch benefits as far as possible — and what you’ll realistically be able to afford.

1. How Much Home Can You Afford on Social Security?

Your Social Security check will stretch further if you find a cheap place to retire. Housing is the biggest expense most Americans face, according to BLS statistics.

Sun-loving Alison hopes to retire to an apartment in Tucson, Ariz. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $575, according to Zillow. But let’s say Alison lucks out and finds an apartment for $540. She will spend 40 percent of her check on rent and will need to kick in a few extra bucks for utilities. So, rounding up, her monthly housing cost to $600 — leaving her with $749.59 of her Social Security check.

2. What Can You Eat on Social Security?

Dining at four-star restaurants is out if you’re living on Social Security. On average, roughly 12.5 percent of a consumer unit’s spending money goes toward food. In Phoenix — close enough to Tucson for our purposes — the average family spent $594 per month to eat in 2013-14, the most recent figures available from the BLS.

Phoenix averages 2.6 members per household, so we can estimate that the average person spends $228 per month to eat. Although Alison can splurge occasionally at a modest restaurant, living on Social Security means she will be eating at home most of the time.

Add up housing costs of $600 and $228 for food, and Alison is left with $521.59 of her Social Security check — a small sum for the remaining spending categories.

3. Can You Afford Healthcare on Social Security?

Alison might qualify for assistance in paying for her Medicare Part B premiums. Such aid would help her cover medical expenses, the No. 1 financial burden in the U.S. According to the government’s Medicare website, Alison’s monthly $1,349.59 check is beneath the income ceiling of $1,357 that qualifies her for assistance.

Medicare assistance benefits vary by state, so Alison should visit Medicare.gov and sign up for a conversation with someone from her state.

It will help if Alison can find ways to save on healthcare costs, such as purchasing generic drugs and using walk-in clinics instead of visiting emergency rooms. Assuming Alison qualifies for government help and is diligent about her medical spending, she can budget $150 per month toward medical costs. Alison now has $371.59 left in her budget.

4. What Type of Transportation Can You Afford While on Social Security?

Owning a car is expensive, especially on Social Security. The cost of operating a car can easily run into hundreds of dollars a month. With that price tag in mind, Alison has joined many other retirees by giving up her car.

Alison relies on public transportation services to get to doctor appointments. When going to the grocery store or meeting with friends, Alison uses the bus. On rare occasions, she splurges for a cab. She chose an apartment located near shops and restaurants. As long as her health holds out, she can walk to the grocery store and pharmacy.

Alison keeps transportation costs low at $100 per month. So, she’s now down to $271.59.

5. Can You Afford to Travel on Social Security?

After paying for necessities, Alison has $271.59 left for extras, which we describe in the next two categories. As you can already see, it is not easy to live on the average Social Security check.

With a tight budget, Alison and other retirees living on Social Security aren’t going on lavish vacations. Maybe Alison can afford a train or bus ticket to visit family, but cruises are out.

If travel is important to you, there are ways to squeeze it into the budget. Pairing up with family and friends can make travel a possibility. Camping vacations in state parks are economical. There are also many free events across the country.

6. Will You Earn Enough in Social Security to Cover Other Costs?

Remember, after spending for necessities, Alison was left with just $271.59 in her monthly budget. The amount of money she can spend in this final category — which includes entertainment — will largely depend on how much cash she earmarks for travel. She might be able to afford the occasional $1 movie at Redbox, but it’s unlikely she’ll be able to pay for the newest iPhone 7.

Finally, Alison will need a small cash cushion to cover emergencies. If she’s especially frugal, she might even have a little money left over to give to her favorite charity.

While Alison can make ends meet on her Social Security check, it won’t be easy. So, if you are a little younger than Alison, try to learn from her mistakes. Save a bit more today so you will have a greater sense of financial security in retirement.

Watch Gaston, Wolverine And Robin Hood Compete In An Epic Sing-Off While Drinking

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This video link shows Luke Evans (Gaston from Beauty and the Beast), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), and Taron Egerton (Robin Hood) on the Jonathan Ross Show, having a fantastic sing-off! This is wonderful stuff!

http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1637710/watch-gaston-wolverine-and-robin-hood-compete-in-an-epic-sing-off-while-drinking

Beauty And The Beast

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I will freely admit that I am a Beauty and the Beast fanatic, and waited with baited breath for the 2017 live action remake of the 1991 Disney animated classic to hit theaters this past March. In true fan fashion, I saw the new film twice during the week it was released, once in 3-D, and once on a regular screen.

The nostalgia of the 1991 release is nicely preserved in the remake, and the story line is followed relatively faithfully, while still expanding on the original version and creating a lush environment which could only be created through live action and CGI. The 2017 version visually dazzles in a way that the animated version never could, and that was indeed a thrill for me.

The live action film was cast quite nicely, and characters who were already quite interesting and colorful in their own right became even more amusing and multi-dimensional, thanks to the actors’ portrayals. I especially loved Kevin Kline’s portrayal of Maurice. Overall, I loved the 2017 film, but there will always be a special place in my heart for the 1991 animated classic.

Here’s where I mince things apart a bit. Despite the fact that Audra McDonald (who plays Madame Garderobe) is a six-time Tony winner, her voice grated on my nerves like nobody’s business, with its shrillness, its over-the-top trillings. It was enough to make me squirm in my seat each time she sang. I’m not big on musicals, especially when a lyric soprano musically rants like a mad bird (sorry, just my opinion).

Dan Stevens is rather convincing as the Beast, and does a nice job of conveying the myriad of emotions which the Beast experiences (rage, grief, frustration, shame, love). But like the prince in the animated version, the prince restored from the lifted curse was incredibly bland and unexciting. It was like eating a zesty, delicious meal (the Beast), and then getting a bowl of day-old porridge for the final course (the prince). I found Luke Evans as Gaston much more enticing, not only because his face naturally has more character, but also because he so convincingly played the narcissist vying for Belle’s affections that he was just more believable.

Lastly, while Emma Watson is a capable singer, and delivers a decent portrayal of the independent, bibliophile Belle, she wasn’t what I pictured when imagining Belle as a real person. By no means is Watson “gorgeous” like Gaston’s line in the song “Little Town” suggests. The line goes: “Right from the moment when I met her, saw her, I said ‘she’s gorgeous’ and I fell.” Yeah, right. I can see that in the 1991 animated film, but Watson is NOT gorgeous. She may be cute, or as a friend mentioned, handsome, but gorgeous? No. Beautiful? No. Even when Watson donned the yellow ball gown for the ever so famous dancing scene, there was nothing about her which could be regarded as breathtaking.

Nevertheless, I would watch the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast again and again. I truly did love the film and plan to purchase the DVD to add to my collection of favorite films.