Kind of sad, kind of glad

I saw in the news that Kodak has filed for bankruptcy.  I find that sad and at the same time reminds me that we never know how things will turn out.  I was born and grew up in Rochester New York.  My Dad was unusual in that he did not work for Kodak.  At its peak more than 60,000 people in Rochester did.  Several times over my career I tried to get a job with them.  But it never happen.  Now less than 7,000 people in Rochester work for them including some of my relatives.  I was once laid off from a job and I feel sad for them.  While my company has had some rocky times, it is pretty sounds financially.  If all goes according to plan I will retire at the end of this year with a pretty good pension and for that I am glad.  Those in a similar position at Kodak must certainly be worried about their pension.  Also if I had moved back to Rochester years ago I would never had met Elizabeth and I cannot imagine life without her in it.  This has happen to me before.  Events occur in my life which at the time seem horrible but ultimately turn out for the better.  All I can say is all those affected by this will be in my prayers.

Jan 15

It was a very nice Sunday here in Southeast Texas.  As per the last two mornings I got up did a bit of computer work and then went for a bike ride.  Today was another beautiful day weather-wise.  Cool but little wind as can be seen in the picture below. 

Compare that to this picture which was taken at nearly the same spot on Jan 1.  That day I fought 20+ mile per hour winds.

When I got home Elizabeth surprised me with a wonderful breakfast of Beignets and tea.  Beignets are French Doughnuts and were made famous by Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans.  You eat them with a little honey and they are wonderful.  Probably not good for dropping pounds but they were still yummy.  After eating I showered and then we were off to church.

After Mass it was lunch time.  I had some spaghetti with turkey sausage and broccoli.  It too was very good.  In the afternoon Elizabeth napped and I did some computer work.  My MP3 player was not working right so I tried deleting the songs and reloading them.  I will know if it worked next week end when I ride.  For supper I ate light.  I had a bowl of tomato soup, some little quiche appetizers and peaches. 

This evening we plan to watch the next episode of Downton Abbey. It has been a very relaxed Sunday and a wonderful week end.

Jan14

Yesterday, Jan 13, was a typical infusion Friday.  I got up and after eating a wonderful home made blueberry muffin and banana I went for a bike ride.  It was a cold morning, in the 30's, so I had to dress extra warm.  That means several layers on both upper and lower body.  When I got home I had a second breakfast and then showered.  Then it was off to run some errands.  When we got back it was time for lunch.  After I lunch I went for my once every four week infusion.  It, along with careful eating, seems to be keeping things in check.  When I got home it was time for supper.  I had bar-b-que shrimp, rice and pineapple slices.  They were very good.  After supper I did up the dishes and then went to my Friday night meeting.  It was a busy day.

Today started the same.  I was a bit confused as I got ready to ride.  One web site said the local temperature was 34 while another said 46.  I went outside and it did not seem as cold as the day before so I dressed a bit lighter.  At one point while I was riding I had a bit of a scare.  I remember the eye doctors saying if I ever experienced flashes in my vision I needed to get to her right away.  As I was riding I saw some flashes.  I was about 30 minute ride from home and was about to turn around when I realized what they were.  It was a bright beautiful sunny day.  I was riding over a bridge.  Along the side of the bridge was a fence as shown in the picture below.  The sun was still low in the sky and the posts cast shadows across the road.  The flashes were actually the shadows crossing my sunglasses as I rode.  Phew.

When I got home I ate showered and we were off to ran some more errands.  These included stops at the library and the bank where I had some business to conduct.  After we got home and ate, Candi decided to enjoy the sunny day.  She loves to get her vitamin D.

For lunch I had some leftovers.  Elizabeth's left overs are better than some cook's first run meals.  Today I had some left over meat loaf, scallop potatoes and beets.

After lunch we both rested.  After supper we watched a show we had recorded, Downton Abbey.  It was the premier episode for the second season.  We have been awaiting this show since the first season ended months ago.  It is a very good show.  All in all, another very nice day.

Eye scare

We had a bit of a scare yesterday, Wednesday.  I was suppose to attend a meeting at an engineering firm's office.  It is a 30 minute drive from where I work.  It was a beautiful clear day.  As I was driving I noticed little black spot kept flashing around the edge of my field of vision.  I called Elizabeth and asked her to call the eye doctor.  I am extremely nearsighted.  The doctor said it would be easy for me to suffer a detached retina.  Within minutes Elizabeth called me back and said I needed to stop an get her and then we had to go to the doctor's office.  When Elizabeth explained the situation to the nurse she also asked which eye surgeon we would prefer if needed.  At the office she dilated my eyes and looked around.  Luckily there is not retina damage.  She said the vitera, the clear liquid in the eye, had separates and that was causing the spots.  I do not fully understand but she said it was not anything to worry about.  Phew.  I do have to go back in 6 weeks and until then no heavy lifting.  Having something happen to my eyes has always been one of my biggest worries.  I wonder if that is common for people who have had vision problems basically all of their lives?

Resolution Update

While I was riding my bike this morning, I was thinking about my resolutions and I decided I need to change one.  I know, I know.  The new year is only a few hours old and already I have to change one of my resolutions.  But this is a good change.  My resolution to drop some weight is too vague and not specific actions.  Rather than resolve to loose weight, I am going to work on eating healthy.  By this I plan to eat smaller portions, avoid sweets and, except for Sunday, no food after supper.  The past few months on Sundays when we take Candi for her evening walk to go to the local grocery store.  There Elizabeth buys one doughnut that Candi and I share as a snack when we get home.  The doughnuts are tasty and they are half price by that time.  A couple of times we have gotten there only to find the doughnuts are all sold out.

Anyways, I figure if I eat healthy, the weight will take care of itself.