Periodic Tasks

 My oil light started coming on, giving me a real scare once.  Failure to start turned out to be from a damaged starter, expensive but easily replaced, rather than frozen crankcase from oil depletion, though I started looking at new cars just in case.  I set an oil schedule.  On the 15th and 30th of every month I would check the oil level in my car.  Had to add a quart last time.  It takes minutes and avoids tzuris.

My financial statements have a way of accumulating.  I set two filing days a month: the 11th and 25th.  My financial position is fortunately good with professional oversight but I really should look at it more than I do.  Now its gets done on the 17th.  My Medscape submission takes two dates, the 20th to select a topic and the 29th to submit.  On the 20th of each month I make a Jewish donation.  All arbitrary self-imposed deadlines.

Sometimes I need to divide a week rather than a month.  Sunday my pills get set out.  Wednesday shabbos dinner gets taken from the freezer.  Thursday mini-challot get taken from the freezer and I review four parsha commentaries.  I recover from exercise on the days divisible by 3 and omit Facebook and Twitter on the days divisible by 4.  My weight gets taken and waist circumference measured first thing every Monday morning.  Every Wednesday night, though occasionally Tuesday if convenient, I enter my weekly health log of Wt, Waist, BP, Treadmill progress, and how I feel.

Except for the biweekly filing perhaps and the Parsha review, no one periodic task takes more than ten minutes, and some take zero as they are omissions of otherwise daily activities.  And I've been mostly faithful about following through.  All are finite points in time with finite tasks which impose structure on the many things I need to do or want to do that don't have specified times.  Those don't always get done.

Never Got My Say

Covid-19 changed a number of relationships.  I do not see friends personally so FB may be my best forum for keeping contact with people that I know or once knew.  OLLI disbanded and will be going remote.  I like the classes but I like the interaction with other people between classes more.  I will still register for the next online session.  The Holy Days are approaching, but I've also had Pesach, Shavuot, and Tisha B'Av to say nothing of every shabbat without synagogue gathering.  And I don't miss it.  There is some divided opinion on how congregations will fare once communal worship and synagogue social activities resume.  Online worship seems to have attracted people who either had nothing else to do, were curious voyeurs, or didn't like the bother of dressing and travel so never went to synagogue.  They attend now.  I haven't.  It remains to be seen how many of those sampling will remain interested to become in-person participants later or how many are more like me who not having gone wonder why I ever attended regularly.

For me, my congregation has become very uninviting, in part because my observations strike me as an underperformer, and in part because they have not invited me to do any planning or anything else requiring thinking or analysis, effectively disengaging me.  They've become more of a limited clique, with me not in it, assembling a trough, then inviting snouts to immerse in it.  There are online options, including a Rabbi class that's been among one of his best.  I get the sermons but when I commented and challenged one I got a polite thank you rather than a more erudite discussion in return.  I no longer read them.  When I agreed to pre-record the Yom Kippur Torah reading for them, they would not take out a scroll for me to read from while they ran the video camera.  My response is really one of not liking the trappings amid inferior substance, much like I abhorred those Model Seders from Hebrew School decades ago.  Disappointment and irritation circles that intersect.

I suspect the folks in charge are aware that non-engagement has some very negative consequences, especially when you need to ask people for large amounts of money.  They may have an in-crowd but they don't have a well-heeled in-crowd.  So the honchos embarked on a project that's been done successfully at least once before.  Their Board of Governors divided up the congregational member list and assigned a member to call each household.  I do not know if they were given a script or if the intent was to get feedback or to shake members down for donations or just to remind them of what the congregation offered.  My shul still insists on looking at their membership as households rather than people within households, much to their detriment I think, so if somebody answers the phone, the task completion box gets a checkmark.

Our call, which never became my call, was assigned to the person I would have chosen to do it, a fellow of immense Jewish capacity and nimble mind.  My wife answered the phone, conveyed the fulfillment of the call to me later, even though I was working in My Space at the time.  I guess if I was blackballed from being a meaningful contributor over time I did not need to offer a momentary statement now either.

Platelets Second Act

 Somebody somewhere should have access soon to my latest contribution of platelets, donated successfully after being disqualified about two weeks ago.  My Hb at the initial presentation measured 12.9 g/dl and at follow-up 13.1 g/dl.  Boundaries can be arbitrary, of little clinical importance but allow important safety procedures to move along efficiently.  It looks like my baseline going forward with be about at the 13 g/dl cutoff.  A little up, they take the donation, a little down I go home and give it a second go in a few weeks.

Usually I schedule early in the day, but for convenience to them, and neutral to me, I accepted an opening at mid-day.  Platelet donors were few but whole blood donors plentiful, leaving a much fuller waiting room and longer check-in than previous morning visits.  My turn arrived, it all went well.  BP remains on target, weight on their scale stable and down from its peak.  Once settled in their recliner, the afferent and efferent lines functioned well, I turned on a mediocre Marco Polo series on Netflix and used it to time actual donation as time in recliner though not time of blood transit.  About 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Since my left hand is still more functional than my right, I opted for that side to squeeze the balloon, making my left wrist painful to extend within a half hour.  By completion, I felt well, just a tinge of transient lightheadedness as I took my first steps, not hypocalcemic but very stiff, struggling to arise from the recliner, walk toward the canteen, or move any joint in either arm.  Over three hours had elapsed since I first walked in the front door, a good deal longer than usual.  Within a few minutes, my arms limbered enough to have a snack.  They no longer leave the snacks at the tables as a form of Covid-19 restriction but a request for a chocolate chip cookie pack and a diet Pepsi was promptly delivered.  

Before the donation, I had made plans to reward myself.  Had I been turned away, I would go to Costco nearby and get my glasses adjusted.  Had the donation been successful, I would go out for breakfast the next morning, something I typically do right before the AM donations.  It was successful, but I don't really have any inclination for the Hollywood Grill which makes better pancakes than I can at home.  I do not know what restrictions they have on dining there and they delayed their usual opening by two hours.  May not be worth the effort.

Stuffing Our Freezer

There was a time when I used to go to Philadelphia roughly quarterly and return with a large amount of Kosher meat which would occupy our freezer.  I had kids at home at the time, we ate more meat than now, and never bought a dedicated freezer to expand what was the top compartment of our refrigerator.  Kosher beef and poultry are now readily available in a dedicated section of Shop-Rite.  We eat much less of it, but our freezer always seems to be crammed.  When I see meat on sale at Shop-Rite, I get it with less regard to need.  Same for frozen vegetables.  We keep two cartons of ice cream most of the time, thought the size of each carton has been reduced from 64 to 48 oz.  Hardly any ice cubes.  Luigi's Water Ice makes a quick pareve dessert.  And we have frozen what was left of the Hamim I made the shabbos before.  We have a variety of cold packs, some intended to keep a lunch cool which we never use, and others intended to reduce swelling or inflammation of a damaged body part, which we also don't use that much.  Finding space can be a challenge so I have not been buying as much stuff that needs freezing.

That is until my last trip to Shop-Rite when they put their frozen section on sale.  Cut up Empire Chicken.  Luigi's.  Tabachnick Soups. Turkey Hill Ice Cream.  Earth Balance Parve Margarine, my preferred kind for pareve baking. Hebrew National Hot Dogs and Knockwurst.  Dr. Praeger's Garden Burgers.  Phony Parve chicken and meatballs.  Took some spacial insight to find a place for everything.  Needless to say, our next week's dinners will originate in the freezer.  Start with some garden burgers, french fries and brussel sprouts, none of which need to be pre-thawed.  Took out salmon portions for tonight which do require thawing.  Judicious on ice cream.  Brought sugar cones which limit how much I can take.  And I've been meaning to make something with phyllo.  Maybe even live a little more dangerously so I can extract one of those cold compresses.  We'll live out of the freezer this week.

Our State Primary

My State Primary Ballot, registered Democrat, sits unopened on my kitchen table.  Some campaign literature has arrived.  Covid-19 prevents rallies but the candidates have allotted time for themselves on the phone to call candidates directly.  I've received three personal calls, answered two.  Only one race interests me, the state senate, held by an incumbent of long standing, who inherited the seat from her late husband who I am told was a prince of a fellow.  Though she is a Republican, she is not a Trumpanzee by any means, and stands for very little publicly beyond making sure the traffic lights in her district have all three colors and maybe some arrows.  We could do a lot worse.  The Democrats have three people vying for that seat.  One of them might be a lot worse and that one has the endorsement of my party's politicos.

Delaware elects mostly good people.  Scandals are few but not zero, abuses of position and threats to opposition have come mostly from Democrats, unlike nationally, and those have been few and largely corrected by the voters.  We have good people.  I've met most of them.

Much to my surprise, our Senator, Governor, and Insurance Commissioner, each competent and popular, have primary challenges.  So does my state representative sho I have gotten to know.  He's one of the state's electoral prizes, a man of competence, insight and energy.  Our US Congresswoman, another individual I greatly admire, has no opposition.  Neither does our County Executive, the son of a friend, who unlike his predecessor has no hint of misconduct.

So the only one to dispatch in November, other than the President of the US, is the State Senator, not that she is a bad person, she's not, but because her party demands some loyalty that could move this nice lady to not such a nice lady.  So I look at three individuals.  One I know personally, a likable fellow from synagogue, one of our Kohanim.  I knew nothing about him until his campaign literature arrived.  Apparently a retired teacher who now does tutoring professionally.  Have no idea what he taught or why he retired, as he seems a little younger than most retired teachers.  And like most people in my synagogue, he seems to stand for very little.  I guess I am for effective classrooms.  Have yet to meet a candidate who is opposed to effective classrooms.  I am for road maintenance.  Don't think anyone wants to have to replace a tire prematurely due to a pothole.  I am in favor of people being able to go to the doctor.  There you will find some opposed.  But he's for, just like me.  

The endorsed candidate I think will qualify as a prototypical Tax & Spend Libtard, as long as it is somebody else who pays.  Agree that the minimum wage increase is long overdue.  Don't agree that police funds should be diverted to preschool day care.  There's a fair amount of what strikes me as moral relativism in her statements.  She's not Jewish, but strikes me as one more sharp manipulative entitled lawyer who would become an opportunist Federation Operator if she were.  I won't vote for her in the Primary.  Will I vote for her in the General Election, as she is the party endorsed candidate?  As much as I want a blue wave, the lady who's there now is not dangerous and not objectionable.  This lady may be objectionable.

And then there's one that I actually found favorable from her campaign literature.  Retired police officer who works for a non-profit now.  One of those people who raised her family, stands for decency and equity,  Looks like she gets my vote, if only by default.

Will take my chances on a Mail Ballot on this one, dress up like King Arthur in armour to unseat the President.

Bored and Prosperous

Covid-19 has greatly diminished the number of places we can go.  For much of the spring I would go to a state park, fishing gear available, and have some solitary time casting into the pond, reeling back and calling it a day when my line snaps after the hook latches onto an immovable object.  Or I planted my garden.  As the summer became more humid, air conditioning became more essential, though I made two trips downstate to the beaches.  More recently chores, not the moving ahead type, have gained traction.  I edited a book for a friend, repaired a driveway crack, and sent my July and August tzedakah donations on time, all productive things and transiently satisfying, but all done at home.  I needed to get away, and do when I go to Shop-Rite or Trader Joe's.  I have no interest in coffee shops, dining out, or picking up a slice of pizza or a hoagie for lunch.  I tour Boscov's, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's near me, sometimes the New Castle Farmer's Market, but like Georgy Girl, I'm always window shopping but never stopping to buy.

My fortunes may have changed this week.  I needed a putty knife to repair the driveway.  Best price and easy was the Dollar Store, which has remained open since the start of the pandemic as they sell food.  Not being in a hurry and knowing where they keep the putty knives, I leisurely traversed each aisle.  Total charged to Visa:  $21.   Other than the two putty knives I didn't really need anything.  But it's school supply orgy.  I had to get multicolored pens, ball point and liquid gel styles, I can never have enough ear buds that break within a month but for $1 they break no faster than those from Five Below for $5.  Needed some flossers, saw bandanas, two for a dollar, that would make for adequate Covid-19 protection, or at least not get me thrown out of places.  I can be a real sucker for Dollar Store snacks.  But in keeping with attention to weight, I limited this to one box of granola bars.  No creme filled cookies, chips, candy.  Interestingly, a lot of the lower priced edibles that I would expect a hechsher did not have one, like sugar wafers or boiled peanuts or some of the mincakes.  No loss.  I also did not pick out a birthday card for my son, but I still have time.  What they offered for 50 cents or a dollar just did not match my concept of what the recipient might find amusing.

Shabbos came and went, followed by a productive Sunday morning at home.  I needed to get away again, this time opting for Walmart.  Wending my way through the aisles, starting with mens wear, I came across Phillies and Eagles logo face masks, sold in packages of two for $14.  I could use a new face mask, and was planning to go back to Boscov's soon to get one that looks like a cat's face for $5.  I really don't want to spend $14 on myself for something like this, but since I am visiting people in St Louis soon, I would be willing to spend that much on a gift that they cannot find there.  Later, I found masks ordinaire, $4 for two, which I bought for myself.  I'm a sucker for back to school but more restrained since retiring.  I started recording at the end of each day three favorable occurrences on the back of my daily plan.  Maybe it would be better to record this in a marble notebook.  For 50 cents I can't go wrong.  And I got a dozen pencils too.  I looked at expensive stuff, taking a liking to desk chair but I did not see a price or an unopened box.  I don't need a desk chair.  I don't need to replace my keurig maker, but if I did, they had one for a good price.  They also have the best price on licorice, one strawberry, one black.  Walmart's probably a better place for me to bring a credit card than Total Wine.  I feel a little more fulfilled knowing I could get anything I wanted but restrained in what I chose to buy.  

Weight Measurably Down

Like most adults in their mature years, maintaining health has been a priority.  I take my medicines daily, though I am not shy about suspending one that may not be needed or is suspected of symptomatic adverse effects.  Missed treadmill sessions nearly alway have a valid justification.  I measure my weight, waist circumference and BP, recording them weekly.  Treadmill goals are set and usually met.  More recently I've incorporated some semblance of sleep hygiene.  All these efforts have shown benefits.  For the first time my cholesterol is on target with the LDLC declining from 188 untreated to 68 with faithfulness to rosuvastatin each evening.  By systolic BP has declined from 155 to about 130 once amlodipine was introduced as a supplement to lisinopril. Only the weight has been refractory to my best efforts, yet at the last two measurements it has declined by a kg and my waistline by about an inch.  Moreover, I no longer feel the need to be voracious.

What brought this about is uncertain.  I made a small modification to my eating, putting myself largely NPO or at least calorie free from 8PM to 6AM.  Have done this before with minimal effect, though this time I've been doing it long enough to become more habitual.  I've not had the munchies in a while.  Perhaps more significantly, as the grocery shopper, I've changed the purchases.

Manufacturers and retailers know where the big production efficiencies and consumer preferences lie.  TJ big bag of crunchy, oily ridged potato chips are a best buy, SR house brand chips are a bargain at the regular price, and my very favorite since childhood, Wise Potato Chips goes on sale every few weeks at just the price I am willing to pay.  I last put a bag of any of these in my shopping cart a month ago.  Cookies have to be cleared out.  TJ buckets of Cat Crackers or Cinnamon Letters last a long time, though I've stopped buying them.  Nabisco and Keebler have to be cleared off the SR shelves with too good to resist sales, and sometimes they make you buy two to receive the discount.  A package lasts only a few days.  While kept on the kitchen table, they are not a destination in themselves but I am at the kitchen table enough for other reasons that I will help myself to 2-3 at a time several times a day.  Not bought these in a month.  Tastykakes have been my weakness as have the more nationally distributed Drakes Cakes for most of my adult life.  They go on sale.  Drakes was easy to discontinue; the size of the Yankee Doodles or Yodels just got too small.  Tastykake is a whole other matter, especially for $1.99 a box.  Two boxes of bargain have become one box of bargain with no more than one serving a day.  And to my benefit they seem to be going on sale less.

Bread remains my biggest challenge, since I don't really have the option of not buying any.  I have shifted away from sliced bread to bagels which are never part of binges.  As commercial mass market sliced bread has gone up in price, I am now more willing to pay extra at TJ for their pumpernickel and other healthier options, though soft sliced bread has been something of a challenge not to overeat as my last comfort food.  

The scale gives me good news, though.  I probably did the right thing.