There Is No Place Like Nebraska...London...Iowa...Chicago

THU 2/8 It's Me Again

After suggesting that I might be blogging a little too often these days, here I am again, blogging. In my defense:

• You should know that I'm actually writing today's entry on TUE 2/6.
• Sitting around the house most of the day is starting to drive me crazy.
• Lois & I decided that it's probably best for me to avoid working @ OGT until I've had my upcoming appt's.
• I'm a little anxious about my appt's w/a pulmonologist today + cardiologist (FRI 2/9).
• Journaling has proven to help me cope w/anxiety & depression.
• My journaling is taking the form of my blogging.

It's Lois' Birthday

It's also 100 Day in the 1st grade classes at Christ Lutheran today, so Lois' birthday will be memorable in any case. 1st graders & their parents know how to celebrate the teacher's birthday. Tonight sushi & maybe shrimp are on our menu. If I feel adventurous, I may attempt a birthday cake. We're planning to order out supper from Applebee's tomorrow night, courtesy of a gift card she got from--wait for it, wait for it--one of her 1st graders for Christmas.

Wellness Check

My recuperation from Influenza A & pneumonia continues. The two symptoms that are plaguing me the most are general fatigue & a deep, chronic cough. The cough frequently wakes me up at night, making it hard to get back to sleep. Although I'm napping every day, there's no substitute for a good, solid 7-8 hours of sleep--something that hasn't happened to me for going on 3 weeks. Poor sleep contributes to my depression. Okay, that's enough whining for one entry even if it's my blog.

There Is No Place Like . . . Nebraska

• From Omaha World Herald (1/13):  "Assistants' total pay $4.875 million . . . Nebraska's 10 (FB) assistants--plus strength coach Zach Duval--will make a combined $4.875 million over the next 2 years in base salary."
• Ditto (1/13):  "Riley payout still high. Former Nebraska coach Mike Riley will work for Oregon State at a considerable discount--$50,004 per year . . . That means NU is still on the hook for almost all of Riley's buyout. Riley's salary will mitigate his $6.63 million buyout--to be paid in $170,000 per month increments--but not by much."
• COMMENT:  Sigh . . . These amounts are obscene yet seem to be the price for fielding a high quality Division I FB team. 
• OWH (1/14):  "Pea protein patties. 'Clean meat' made in a lab. A traditional rib-eye steak. Consumers can choose, but cattle producer say nothing replaces the real thing."
• COMMENTS:  Sigh . . . I left the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program with recommendations from at least two of the medical providers about my protein sources. Beef & other red meat a "few" times per month. Chicken & fish several times per week. Beans as another source of protein. This all has to do w/heart health, so I'll do my best, but I PROMISE that I will not succumb to "pea protein patties." Doesn't that very label sound demonic?
• OWH, Breaking Brad by Brad Dickson (2/6):  "Why do people even pay attention to the Super Bowl? I mean, really--what does this have to do with Scott Frost?"

. . . London

From Omaha World Herald (9/14/17):  "'Total monster' clogs sewer. Talk about dirty jobs. Crews in London are waging a sewer war against an enormous 'fatberg'--a solid mass of congealed oil, diapers, hand wipes & other unsavory items--that is clogging a Victorian-era sewer in Whitechapel, London, according to the British utilities company Thames Water. The fatberg is more than 250 yards long. And it weighs 30 tons, more that 10 avg. buses. And it's solid as a rock . . . "  COMMENT:  Lois! What do you say! Shall we add Whitechapel, London to our bucket list?

. . . Iowa

OWH (1/3):  "Cold deals blow to breeding stock at Iowa peacock farm. Prolonged subzero weather has devastated the breeding stock at a widely known peacock farm in Iowa, an enterprise that provides most of the nation's eggs for peacock chicks . . . The couple said they have heard from people around the country hoping to replace birds that died during the recent U.S. cold wave. 'This is going to create a major shortage & a huge price increase for people wanting to have peacocks on their farms or ranches,' Fett said. He estimated that it will take at least 3 years to build up the nation's peacock breeding stock . . . "  COMMENTS:  Two stories:  Many, many years ago we took our kids to the Lincoln (NE) Children's Zoo. A brazen peacock ambushed our son Nathan, who was contentedly chewing on an overpriced hot dog, & snatched the hot dog right out of the bun. Story #2:  When Lois & I were house-hunting, we visited a house in Northeast Lincoln. As we were talking to the owners, a peacock screech came from a utility shed at the back of their yard. The owners admitted that they kept peacocks but begged us not to tell anyone, since it was against code to have peacocks as pets in Lincoln. We honored our pledge. We also did not offer on this house. 

. . . Chicago

OWH (1/12):  "Chicago police may get anti-texting 'Textalyzer.' Chicago may become the first city in the U.S. to arm its police officers with devices that will tell them immediately if motorists were texting when they got into a traffic accident . . . The vote sends the issue to the full council, which is all but certain to approve the resolution."  COMMENTS:  "As a member of the city council, I'd like to introduce a motion to help curb our nationally embarrassing murder rate." Mayor:  "Forget that. We need to take action on texting!"