An Old Joke…

…but still funny.

A farmer stopped by the local mechanic’s shop to have his truck fixed. They couldn’t do it while he waited, so he said he didn’t live far and would just walk home.

On the way home, he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem – how to carry all of his purchases home.

While he was scratching his head and pondering his predicament, he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, “Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane?”

The farmer said, “Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there, but I can’t carry this lot.”

The old lady suggested, “Why don’t you put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?”

“Well thank you very much,” he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.

On the way, he said, “Let’s take my short cut and go down this alley. We’ll be there in no time.”

The little old lady looked him over cautiously, then said, “I’m a lonely widow without a husband to defend me… How do I know that when we get in the alley you won’t hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?”

The farmer said, “Holy smokes lady! I’m carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?”

The old lady replied, “Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, I’ll hold the chickens.”

Pondering…

I have a touring bike that I bought years ago — 2007 maybe? Honestly, I don’t recall exactly when.

Not motorcycle*; a bicycle.

But now I’m pondering another.

Not a mountain bike or road-racing bike. And not another touring-class bike. But perhaps a gravel-bike. Maybe a 650B. Maybe a One-by like a Salsa Journeyman.

2019 Journeyman Apex 1 650

I should see about venturing out to find a nearby purveyor to test the fit of each size.

But, it’s on the ToDo list.

If I lived somewhere that I needed to regularly travel beyond the home to commute to an office, then maybe adding a simplistic E-Bike like an Aventon Pace 500 or a Rad Runner would be reasonable.

*I have a motorcycle, which I haven’t had the confidence to ride since my TBI. And I’m entirely too narrow-minded to part with it. That’s another topic.

I Know, I’m Surprised, Too

There was an old Nike ad years ago: I’m not a runner…

…yet.

I resumed running on about 3 January. About a year after the fall and a stroke. And on the tail end of the infection issue… and a collapsed lung.

I was completely sedentary for the year.

Recovering.

Existing, really.

So, I began walking.

Not very far. I couldn’t even walk much more than a few hundred yards (!) at first.

I’m far too narrow-minded to just hobble along. I wanted to do more.

After a few weeks, I found that I could walk a bit further. I could go half mile then found that I could even jog for very short bursts along that half mile walk.

Re-learn how to walk before you can re-learn how to run.

After a few more months, I was able to jog more than walk. Very, very slowly. And only 10 or 15 minutes or so. Maybe a kilometer. I’m sure it seemed peculiar to the neighbors to see an old guy out at odd hours ambulating around the neighborhood.

I eventually went further and faster than my wife could keep up. So, I made sure that her bicycle was in sufficient shape to travel along with me. She could go with me occasionally when I was out for a run.

I’d posted a few months later that I was going to do a 5k. Okay, fine. Did that. It wasn’t meant to be a metric of speed to compare to anyone else. But a metric of completion.

Fast-forward a few months…

I still run. In fact, now I run a 5k regularly, two or three times per week.

My determination to move, to do more than just exist, has gone a long way toward recovery and improving my overall health.

  • My endurance is improved.
  • My resting and peak heart-rates are improved.
  • My mental focus is improved.
  • My stress is decreased.
  • My fatigue is decreased.
  • I no longer feel consistently “drunk” all the time.
  • I no longer have diplopia.
  • I no longer have migraines.

I am not a physician. Do not expect that running or exercise is going to fix anything and everything for you. Consult your doctor. Seriously. But do not give up and accept defeat.

On each Tuesday and Thursday morning, I run a 5k. On Saturdays, I run a bit further. It seems that over a few months, that Saturday run has grown to a 10k.

Besides, I have a run that I need to prepare meself for next May.

And then another in October.

Grrr…

I’ve complained before about noise. Ambient noise, white noise, just noise. It seems somewhat common from what I’ve read to be sensitive–sometimes very sensitive–to noise with the TBI. But it’s honestly freaking tiring.

Here I am, nearly two years on–today, doing a bit of simplistic home-improvement, and generating a bit of noise in the process–and I’m exhausted. Completely and totally mentally spent.

Then again, recent events may have also contributed.

Nah, it’s totally my ability to perceive audio. It will, like all things, change with time. Continuously imperceptible to me, and, in time, it will change–or I’ll become more accepting of my own perception of it.

I wonder if I should start using some mild-strength earplugs to help dampen or take the edge off of sounds on the left side.

Which Ones?

So, the most recent Apple update was installed on my desktop. So far so good…

And I had to enter my iCloud password… fine…

And again…

And again…

And again…

Hmm… Apple, we really really need to get this sorted out or at least provide some sort of indicator about what’s having trouble.

And, no, it’s not because I’ve forgotten the password. I’m quite certain what it is.

Update: Sign Out on the desktop. Sign back in. It looks like it’s successful.