14 September 2023
3:30 am again! Seems to be a habit these days. I’m sure some of the drug regimen I’m on is causing this but there’s not much I can do about it but get up, make coffee and eat breakfast and get an early start on the day.
As a kid, I heard my Mom ask over and over again “Is that money burning a hole in your pocket?” She knew any time I had change in my pocket I was itching to go to the fruit stand to buy a coke and potato chips and I couldn’t wait to spend it.
This week, my pocket spontaneously combusted. I replaced every Apple device except my laptop (which I’ll probably replace next year). I have great excuses for each and every device I replaced at great costs.
My iMac (26 inch screen) is so old (2015) that Apple no longer supports upgrades to the operating system. The new one I ordered is a 24″ screen but it shouldn’t matter since I’ve learned how to magnify images on the iMac. There was no rebate on the iMac and all they offered was to do a free recycle of the device.
My iWatch was so old that it was the same as the iMac. They’ll recycle it but that’s it. The new iWatch has a few features that I like. One is that if you are in an automobile accident, it will notify 911. My old watch does that if you fall but the auto accident is a new feature. It also has a few more bells and whistles which will make it fun.
I’ll at least get a rebate of $260 on a new iPad. I went with he iPad Pro which has some features that will allow me to do video editing and photoshopping more easily. My old iPad often hangs up. I’ll be working on something on it and it freezes. It drives me nuts.
Lastly, I pre-purchased the new iPhone 15 ProMax. I did the surveys that asked if you should replace your current phone (iPhone 12 ProMax) and to be honest, the best features of the new one are the camera, the camera and the camera. The iPhone has become my camera of choice and I only take a pocket Canon with me as a back up in case I lose my phone. The iPhone takes better photos. I’ll get another $260 rebate on my old iPhone. Now, I need to start saving pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, etc. to build back my reserve. It’s a good thing I like ramen.
The next couple of weeks will be transferring data from one device to the other and hopefully not losing anything. It sounds simple when you read how to do it but then there are always glitches even if you have everything backed up to the cloud.
Next year I’ll replace the laptop. It has a bad habit of inserting text midway in some previous text I’ve written and start a new sentence in the middle of another. There’s been some complaints about this particular model jumping around in the text. At first, I thought I was accidentally hitting the track pad but it seems to be a design flaw. Oh well. I only use the lap top when on trips (and when I’m immobile in the chair for chemotherapy).
Yesterday, I had just finished filling up the yard waste container for Friday’s pickup when I looked around and noticed a palm frond from my royal palm (Roystonea regia) had fallen off. My royal palm is a volunteer in the yard and it’s still pretty much a baby.
Most of these palms get to around 50-60 feet here in Florida. If this had fallen off a 60 foot royal, the impact force would be equivalent to having 17 pounds drop on your head. However, if the palm were 60 feet tall, I would suspect the palm frond would weight much more than my 9 pounds. You can see why walking the streets in the neighborhood can be dangerous.
Over the years, coconuts have narrowly missed me and I’ve dodged a few palm fronds. Then of course, there’s always falling iguanas to watch out for.
I did manage to do my walk this morning. Yesterday on my walk, when I was trying to beat my diarrhea home, I noticed I was getting out of breath. Today was much better and I didn’t have to race the diarrhea.
Not only did I walk twice the distance of yesterday but I was able to complete my yoga routine and swim routine, although I will admit to having to rest longer between sets in my swimming. I can complete my exercise routine but I can tell my stamina is not what it used to be. I’ll try to work on it daily.
I seem to have recovered well from the surgery. I still get a little pulling on the left arm area but less and less every day. I should have complete range of motion on the left side before hurricane season is over.
Hopefully, there is a nap in my future this afternoon.
Stay tuned!
