fitbit anxiety follow-up + squirrel terrorists + we're #5! + no place like Nebraska--haters? + progress check

fitbit update

Last Friday I posted an entry under a new blog label:  "fitbit friday." I mentioned that I wasn't sure it would become a regular feature, & I explained why. Well, it's back again for at least one more Friday because, well, [he wrote redundantly] because it's my blog.

I expressed concern that my fitbit wristband * seemed to be able to sense the calories I burned while sleeping, shaving, & showering, even though I wasn't wearing it. I speculated further--with a certain degree of paranoia--that perhaps the CIA, NSA, & DNC were able to remotely gather data from me via this device.
* Contrary to what you may think, this is NOT a shameless, product-placement. I receive no remuneration or other considerations for this link, & I share it for information purposes only. As far as you know.

My anxiety may have been overblown. I was assured by a close relative--whose name I don't want to divulge for fear of breaking any HIPAA laws--* that the wristband calculates these things--at least the calories I burn overnight--based on my height & weight. For now, because I trust her, I will try my best to set aside my anxiety.
* It was Carmen.

One more thing . . . I was emailed another award, this time having something to do with a "Marathon" label, because my total miles had reached 26.whatever. Big whoop-tee-do! Like, if I achieved 26-whatever miles over the course of two-years, I would still receive an award? Sorry, just not buyin' this particular motivational technique yet, & if you are so easily manipulated by this technique, well, shame on you!

Food for Thought

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News (11/4/15):  "Do calorie counts on menu have an effect? Tracking calories at chain restaurants is supposed to become easier next year, but new studies raise questions about whether the counts actually make a difference for diners & eateries. Some restaurants already post calorie counts. New York City was 1st in the country to require it, & 6 years later researchers said seeing the caloric consequences didn't automatically lead to leaner choices . . . " [Because when I take the time to dine out, the 1st thing on my mind is ALWAYS the "caloric consequences" of my favorite entrees.]

Criminal Minds

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (12/4/15):  "Volunteer makes pinky promise. Wildlife rehab worker raises orphaned baby squirrels--'pinkies'--till they're ready for wild. Donny & Marie are shy. When visitors come, the 4-month-old fox squirrels huddle at the back of their cage. Donny hides inside his padded nest. Marie, a little braver, fixes herself to the nest's roof & eyes strangers warily. They aren't often like this for Tammy Parker. 'You're usually so good for mama,' she cooed on a recent morning.
      "Every day @ 9:00a, Parker, 55, a volunteer w/Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, carries a tray of food into her basement where the squirrels have a room to themselves. She is housing Donny & Marie through the winter until the weather warms enough for the siblings to be released into the wild." [Ahhhh, isn't that precious . . . "pinky promise" . . . "pinkies" . . . "mama" . . . "cooed" . . . Squirrels chewed their way through the facia board on the roof of the first house we owned. It was a "starter home" in Havelock, a neighborhood on the northeast side of Lincoln, NE. A mama squirrel, I assume, next chewed her way into the dropped ceiling above our bathroom, built a nest, & filled it w/"pinkies." They proceeded to chew a hole in the ceiling of our bathroom. One night, when I was, how shall I put it delicately, "doing my business" in the dark solitude of what should have been a place of refuge, I heard some rustling, looked up, & was totally freaked out by the sight of 4 pairs of eyes piercing the darkness, staring intently at me. Eventually these spawn of Satan had to be driven from the premises. Subsequently, we had to replace the dropped ceiling, make repairs to the attic, replace the facia board, & replace the roof. I will neither confirm nor deny any reckless stories my children may spread that have me purposely aiming for squirrels as we drove along the side streets of Havelock.] *
* This was a long time ago, & I'm mostly over it. However, our dog despises squirrels. When he sees them in the backyard on the trunks, branches, or limbs of the pine trees, on the fence railings--even on the power lines--he barks in outrage until we let him outside & scrambles furiously down the hill, driving them to higher quarters, protecting us from their savage intentions. I secretly root for him to catch one & give it a sound thrashing, although I am a little squeamish at the thought of finding a squirrel carcass in the backyard.

Miscellaneous

Also from OWH Go Magazine (12/3):  "6 Things We Take For Granted."

1. "Plumbing. Speaking of toilets, this is the obvious #1. Nobody wants to take a #2 in the woods. [Or pit toilets located in "primitive" rest areas. Ask Lois some time about her experience @ one such rest area & pit toilet on our way from her parents' house in southwest Kansas--a long, long time ago--to Mt. Capulin National Monument in New Mexico.]
2. "Our perch atop the food chain.
3. "Fingers. Without them, we'd all be opening beer bottles with our teeth. [For what it's worth, my grandson tried to pull his socks off with his teeth the other day after I brought him home from daycare. I sat there, shaking my head & repeating, "Bentley, have you no pride?" He had no pride.]
4. "Spoken word. Sniffing butts has only gotten canines so far. [Yet I'm the one who follows him around on our promenades, picking up his "messages" & carrying them back home in plastic sacks.]
5. "The Internet. I've seen a cat flush a toilet, but I've never seen one send an email while flushing one.
6. "Transportation. Remember that cheetah from item #2? Let's say he develops a taste for human flesh. Well, I have a Honda Accord. Good luck catching me." [We drove a '78 Chevette for quite a few years. A cheetah w/a running start might have been able to take us down.] 

Also from OWH (12/8):  "Pamela Anderson, Russian official talk conservation. A top Russian official has met w/the American actress turned animal rights activist Pamela Anderson at the Kremlin to discuss wildlife conservation." [Because nothing says "animal rights credibility" to me than seeing animal rights, Pamela Anderson's name & "the Kremlin" in the same sentence.]

Also from OWH (12/8):  "Admiral reprimanded for drunken, naked escapade. The Navy announced Monday that it had reprimanded a 2-star admiral for getting drunk & wandering naked around a FL beachfront hotel while attending a conference w/defense contractors." [I'm not sayin' I approve, but what are these guys supposed to do to unwind?'] *
* There is also no place like Florida, I suppose. **
** I can neither confirm nor deny that my nephew Kyle is still deployed on a ship & not part of the Admiral's security detail.

There is No Place Like Nebraska! 

[Or MN or CA, I suppose.]

Also from OWH (12/7):  Football Desperation Bowls. Nebraska, Minnesota & San Jose State are being rewarded for their work in the classroom, not for what they did on the football field. Those were the three 5-7 teams needed to fill out the record 80 bowl slots, & on Sunday they found out their destinations. Nebraska will play UCLA (8-4) in the Foster Farms Bowl on Dec. 26, in Santa Clara, CA." [Consider this . . . The Cornhuskers defeated Michigan State, currently ranked #5 nationally, so shouldn't Nebraska be ranked #5 in the nation?]

Political Tuesday . . . Special Friday Edition *

* Really not worth reading, in my opinion, unless you read through all the following excerpts. I'm just sayin'.

Also from OWH (12/5):  "Attack may have been inspired by extremism. The FBI announced Friday that it was investigating the mass shooting at a Southern California office party as an act of terrorism . . . If the investigation confirms those suspicions, the attack would be the deadliest inspired by Islamic extremism on U.S. soil since Sept. 11." [Still not as big of a threat to us as climate change, right?]

Also from OWH (12/8):  "Midlands lawmakers critical of Obama's speech. President Barack Obama's Sunday night address drew harsh reviews from several of Nebraska's . . . GOP lawmakers. 'Last week, our nation witnessed the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11,' Sen. Deb Fischer, * R-Neb, said in a statement. 'Rather than forming a precise strategy to destroy ISIL & protect our nation from these attacks, the president was shockingly out of touch last night & failed to address the fears & uncertainty felt by the American people . . . Rep. Adrian Smith, * R-Neb, said that even after a 'terror attack within our own borders' Obama has failed to put forward a plan to destroy the Islamic militants. 'His hollow reassurances changed nothing,' Smith said . . . Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, * R-Neb, agreed w/Obama that the United States is not going to wage a new ground war in Syria with American troops, but also offered criticism. 'I frankly don't like the tone of lecturing American about the need to be tolerant,' he said. He suggested that the president could emphasize the responsibilities of immigrants to integrate themselves into American society & its values. 'These people in San Bernardino--they are traitors, they are enemies of the state because they have connected themselves with this radical Islamic sect,' Fortenberry said. 'That's the reality & there's others like them.'" [Yeah, but we're a red state, located in the Midlands, populated by a bunch of bitter, Bible-totin' gun lovin', haters.]
* Emphases added.

Also from OWH (12/8):  "Trump calls for 'complete shutdown' on Muslim entry. Legal scholars say the proposal would violate U.S., international laws. Donald Trump called Monday for a 'total & complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United Sates,' barring followers of the world's fastest-growing religion' because he considers the faith rooted in hatred & violence. The proposal--which was quickly denounced by other candidates from both parties--marks the latest escalation of the virulent anti-Muslim & anti-immigrant rhetoric that has fueled his unlikely candidacy." [Once again, "he-who-shall-not-be-named" does an excellent job of turning the focus from what should be legitimate policy discussions to his delusional, egotistical need for attention. In my humble opinion.]

Christmas Card & Letter Progress Report

First a reminder . . . one of the main reasons, if not the foremost reason, I blog is for self-therapy. Having said that, I am including a Christmas card letter & progress check mostly for my own sake. Last year for various & sundry [always liked that phrase!] reasons, I never got a letter out, let alone cards. Here's my progress as of FRI 12/11.

• Updated address book & started addressing & affixing address labels over Thanksgiving break.
• Took family Thanksgiving & Christmas pictures on FRI 11/27.
• Since Thanksgiving, corrected  obsolete addresses & added new addresses after receiving cards & letters from those previously not on the list.
• Lois got pictures developed @ Walgreen's & picked them up.
• Purchased Christmas-themed stamps & affixed to envelopes.
• Continue tracking those whom we receive cards & letters from.
• Wrote 1st paragraph of letter on WED 12/10.
• What's next? Continue writing letter. Restrain myself from writing opus. Start personally signing & adding personalized messages to Christmas cards.