Month: July 2026

–Went to the dentist. Two crowns, one cavity. They were going to make the crowns in-house, but the machine failed (as I believe it has every time in the past), so I have temps and will return for permanent.

–Made reservations for Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Watsonville. Will visit Pot Stop and possibly Carmel Cutlery.

–Went to Bel Air for pork chops and corn. Barbecued them with rosemary potatoes. Darn good, though the pork were thin and (thus) dry.

–Took a 7.5-mile ride around the ‘hood. As usual, felt decent going out, less decent coming back. Hve been feeling a little woozy all day.

–Difficulty in going up slight grades prompted me to pull the trigger on another set of Origin8 cranks–75mm, compared to the current 55mm. The coming 15-tooth rear cog will help (though only slightly, according to a spreadsheet I set up); I’m really curious to see what 10mm more leverage will do.

–I noticed (yesterday) a suture peeking out from the pacemaker scar. Today I pulled it out a bit (it was a loop), cut it, then pulled out the two strands. They were maybe 4-5mm in length, and took some effort to pull out. I don’t know why they didn’t dissolve like (apparently) the rest. Hoping this thing heals totally and cleanly now.

–Took a shower and shave.

–Went for a 10.8 mile ride west on the ARP. Not bad going out, but the temperature climbed to 90 on the way back, and it was tiring.

–Italpizza for dinner.

–Rode the InnerLight 10.2 miles today. Short distance + cool weather = no problems. Some fairly mild uphills were a little harder than I thought they should be, so I ordered a 13-tooth rear sprocket from Modern Bike. I was riding 15 teeth from Indian Wells, 14 from Tunnel Hill/Discovery Village. It would be nice if I could build back up to 14 before too long; we’ll see.

–Went to Bel Air for milk, cream, cookies, yogurt.

–Roasted coffee. 8 ounces –> 6.4 ounces. Looks good.

–Finally finished reconciling all fidgets. Gotta sell some now.

–Took a 10-mile ride on the electric bike. Drank tons of water. It was so hot, and/or I’m so out of shape, that I seriously wondered if I could make it back by pedaling, or would to walk or something. I have a LONG way to go.

–Kuko slider finally came in. It’s supposed to have incredible action, but I’m not wowed.

–Quiet day. Spent a lot of time reading up on hearing aids. New ones may help some, but I don’t think they will astound.

–Had a latte for the first time in a while.

–Put some salami/blue cheese appetizers together and took them (with Kenny) to Sherry’s annual BBQ at the clubhouse. Grace refused to go.

–DirecTV and AT&T internet seem to be working perfectly.

–Biked to UPS to pick up Clean EDC Slim Pillar spinner  and “Golf and Beer, That’s Why I’m Here” t-shirt for Tom Elken.

–Made an Italpizza pizza with added tomato and sausage for dinner. Not my best work.

–Took a shower and shave; felt good.

–Went to Aryana’s office at 3941 J. Wound dressing came off for good. A guy with a Medtronics terminal verified that the pacemaker is working fine. Then Destiny came in to supervise an attempt to get rid of the atrial flutter. Three possibilities: burst pacing–increasing beat rate to kill it; medication; the dreaded paddles. It took a little doing, but they got it with the burst pacing. Yay!

–Went to UPS to pick up a Metro slider and the Aerospace 309 spray. I have no idea where that spray was sitting, since it was said to have been delivered on 7/11. Tried the Mr. Clean magic sponge + the 309 on BMW door panel scuffs. It helped, but didn’t entirely eliminate them.

–All hell broke loose. After I complained to the UCD Health advice nurse yesterday about my ankle, she set me up an appointment with Dr. Bernadette Kelly today. A nurse did an EKG prior to Dr. Kelly coming in, and it showed several anomalies. Dr. Kelly went crazy notifying Dr. Nandyal. She also ordered a raft of blood tests, mostly to rule out diabetes. When I got home there was a message from Dr. Nandyal’s office. I tried to return the call but just got a UCD nurse. I read her the findings from the EKG (I had taken a photo of it at Dr. Kelly’s suggestion), and she said they’d look into it and that I should call Dr. Aryana. I called and described the findings to someone at Dr. Aryana’s office as well. Everybody will be in touch.

–How is it possible for Aryana to do procedures that complex without the slightest hint of a follow-up? I could be dead for all he seemed to care; just make sure the dressing stays dry………

–Ankle felt a little better today, especially when I ignored it. [edit] All better at 10 PM. Unfortunately, I got a response to my message to Dr. Swensson, saying I should call an advice nurse. I did, and she ran me through a bunch of questions, and pointed out that my glucose–which was 1 point away from pre-diabetic in January–was 80 in the recent CBC, 29 points from abnormal. Slightly different test, but it seems diabetes is not an issue for me. Nonetheless, she set up an urgent appointment for me tomorrow at Folsom, with a Dr. Kelly, mostly for the ankle. Per usual, the ankle has been perfect for some hours now. My new suspicion is a bug bite.

–Played with knives a bit.

–Took the Xfinity box to Xfinity (Olsen Drive) to cancel and downgrade data speed. Their best offer on data was $95/month. I had to bring the box home–they wouldn’t let me cancel just TV while I looked for a data provider. Later I signed up for AT&T AIR data (cell tower) for $40/month for a year. Will cancel Xfinity after that’s in place. Scumbags.

–Went to Heritage to look into debit card. Surprisingly, they knew EVERYTHING about the card. Turns out I had gotten a call where I disputed a $49.95 charge, thinking it was from the time I was almost hacked at Fred Miranda. Turns out it was the Dish Network installation fee–so they put a hold on my card. Note: Dish Network didn’t call itself Dish Network, or I would have accepted the charge. Note 2: When did the $49.95 charge go through? After I gave them Ally info? Anyway, the card works now.

–Still having issues with Amazon drugs and UCD Health. Gettin’ tired of this.

–Ankle still painful. Not much going on.

–Lost a lot of sleep to a weird pain on the outside of my left ankle bone. It would flare up every 1-2 minutes, and I couldn’t relieve it. I later tried rubbing with a rough sponge, in case it was a cactus spine or such. No luck. I hope this goes away before too long.

–Went to Smart & Final for banana muffins, raisin bran and Marie. Then to Grocery Outlet for Italpizzas ($4 each).

–Italpizza for dinner, with Jan’s peppers on top. Good stuff.

–Went to Bel Air to check out Heritage debit card. It worked fine in the ATM. Probably still won’t work at the checkout stand.

–Got Grace to waterproof me, then took a shower.

–All plants seem in good shape.

–Went to UPS for another Homedics toothbrush. So far, so good with the charger. Then to Bel Air for milk and cream.

–Waited all day for the DirecTV installer. He came around 4 PM. Hardware setup was quick and easy (there are several cable outlets in the house; he used one near the swinging kitchen door that was likely the previous DirecTV hookup). Software setup was considerably slower, but all is good now and we’re watching the Giants.

–One of the basil plants was seriously wilting (despite tons of water). As I moved them to the three-tier plant stand so they’d get almost no sun, I dropped one and shattered the pot. I re-potted it, but I fear these guys may be goners. I MAY buy one of those gorgeous Bel Air basil plants, divide it into a bunch of pots and leave them in shade all day. I don’t know.

–Went to 3941 J for a wound dressing replacement. Looks really good, she said.

–Still feeling crappy, much improved by a big meal. Looked up diabetes symptoms, and except for fatigue/dizziness, it didn’t really seem to click. One hopes.

–Went to CVS Zinfandel for waterproof bandages/tape that I hope will let me take a shower or two.

–Accidentally won two SUS from Clean EDC; canceled one. While dicking around, I was a minute late for an LIC EDC SUS. What a mindless moron.

–Still dizzy when standing up.

–Went to Bel Air for corn and tomatoes.

–Barbecued Polska Kielbasa, corn, sliced potatoes with Barbecue rosemary. Not my favorite rosemary, and maybe what started me out on this Round 2 quest for the great flavor I remember.

–Signed up for DirecTV; will be installed Friday. Hope it works, and gets the Giants.

–Still feeling woozy when standing; 3 PM naps are becoming a habit.

–Went to UPS to mail Grace’s gift to Juli.

–Moved the wooden table from front patio to rear. Put rosemary and basil plants on it (after splitting basil into two pots).

–Once again, it looks like a big dinner cures all ills.

–Got strawberries at S*T Strawberries.

–Got a “Barbecue” variety rosemary plant at Smart & Final. One of these plants will work, I swear.

–After struggling with XnView to bulk resize photos, I learned (Google AI) that Preview will do it. Will it ever! One more reason to love a Mac.

–Feeling quite woozy most of the day today. As usual, food (i.e., dinner) is the only thing that seems to help.

–Took Grace shopping at Smart & Final. Bought yet another basil plant. No, I’ll never learn.

–Another slow day, still dizzy on occasion, nap from 1 to 3.

–Tasty Italpizza Cheesy pizza with added tomato and pepperoni for dinner.

–Pretty much decided to switch to Dish Network. Even with NBC Bay Area Sports it’s vastly cheaper than Xfinity.

–Still feeling in and out most of the day; better after eating a lot.

–Barbecued turkey burgers and corn.

–Turns out my Ally debit card WAS compromised during that (admittedly very clever) Fred Miranda fiasco. They’re going to send me a new one. I did manage to move all recurring payments to Ally checking or PayPal. I hope.

–Took Grace in the Beemer to REI Folsom. She got me shorts, shirt, windbreaker as late birthday presents.

–Got a call from Aryana’s office regarding the wet dressing I reported. Went in at 2 PM and they replaced the dressing. Don’t get it wet…

–Got a couple of Italpizzas for $4 each at Grocery Outlet; had one for dinner. Got some corn ar Bel Air; will barbecue tomorrow.

–Happy Birthday to me!

–Brother Tom wrote–first one in a long time.

–Took a shower and shave. Got my dressing wet–actually sort of looked like blood. We called, didn’t get a response, went to (what I thought was) a UCD care center on Data Drive. They said they’re not an urgent care center, that UCD doesn’t have urgent care centers, and that maybe we should try Cardiology in Folsom. We went to CVS, got some Neosporin and dressings, and fixed it right up. I did get a call back from Aryana’s office around 6:30, convinced them it was minor and taken care of, and said I’d see them on Monday.

–Had dinner at Zinfandel Cafe in the UPS center. I had a brie plate, then bacon/blue cheese meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Grace had a pepperoni pizza. Fabulous!