Unexciting Stories - 3

Unexciting stories … sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone. Mundanity is always the primary focus. Let the unexcitement begin …

On Monday, December 1st, the refrigerator in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki was powered on for the first time since initial occupancy over five years ago. Surprisingly, the appliance works fine. The $90 rent increase commences at the beginning of the new year, so energy conservation is not an issue anymore.

The late afternoon outings to the International Marketplace are now primarily to shop at Target® for food products (mostly frozen items) to stock the refrigerator. Food products that are currently on sale have first priority. The goal is to reduce the daily food expenditure as much as possible.

So, now, there’s absolutely no reason for breakfast being held in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center, that is, aside from decreasing the time spent in the mausoleum. Dinner has been moved up in time to 6pm or so. Previously, dinner time was between 3pm and 4pm. The problem with an early dinner is that hunger sets in around 9pm.

As far as the diet is concerned, controlling sodium and sugar intake is the focus. Saturated fat intake is also being rigorously monitored. The goal is to eliminate hypertension, although the latter is probably beyond hope. Returning to any of the previously patronized food establishments is now highly unlikely.

The gym workouts have stabilized. The weight workout has only been slightly reduced, using discretion as a protocol. The cardio workout, however, has not returned to the previous level and “breaking a sweat” is now a distant memory. Oh well.

The Beats® Studio Pro headphones are deployed daily for evening One-Man House Party sessions. The headphones will also be used to channel the audio for Judging Freedom streams when Colonel Doug Macgregor and independent journalist Max Blumenthal appear as guests.

The iPhone 16 Pro has about one month left with its warranty. However, the decision has been made to keep the device to at least the end of the year. The $620 Apple® gift card (from the iPad Pro M4 trade-in) is still in possession. So, the next iPhone upgrade will require no expenditure.

Ol’ Lavahead Day 2025

Seventy-one years on this planet … another milestone has been met. No celebration. No fanfare. Just the usual routine and, later in the day, the laundry chores. The gym routine, by the way, was scaled back significantly for the day. The afternoon outing to the International Marketplace was abbreviated. The vog from the volcanic eruptions on the Big Island darkened the skies much earlier than usual.

On Friday, Black Friday, another SVT event occurred during the cardio workout at the gym. The duration was 5.5 hours and the peak heart rate was 163bpm (as clocked by the Watch Series 9). The SVT event was expected, since the frequency appears to be about every two weeks. The heart is clearly damaged. To what extent is unknown.

Beats® Studio Pro

The Beats® Studio Pro headphones were purchased at Target for $170 (Black Friday sale) in the midst of the SVT event. The headphones will be the sole gift for Ol’ Lavahead Day. What about the AirPods Pro 2? Well, they aren’t going anywhere. Both devices will be deployed alternately. With a “keel over” event possible at any moment, why bother with the miserly ways? And, the Studio Pro headphones actually sound better than the AirPods. The shitty speakers on the iPhone 16 Pro (and future “smartphones”) will never used again.

Well, only nine more years before the ripe old age of 80 years is attained. That’s something to really look forward to, eh? That is, if a fatal cardiac event doesn’t occur prior. Just know that these are the “twilight years,” and this is the “twilight zone” in the fabled “end of days.”

Addendum: The evening was punctuated with an extended One-Man Houseparty session courtesy the Beats® Studio Pro (thanks to its great battery life).

No-Holiday Holiday 2025

Another no-holiday holiday has come and gone. Its meaning, of course, is of no consequence and absolutely of no substance. The no-holiday holiday template is durable, as stated in Notes previously.

A couple of Orowheat® cinnamon raisin English muffins were consumed in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. An Envy apple and a banana were transported in the gym bag for lunch. The modified workout was performed at the gym earlier than usual since the gym closed at 2pm. Upon arrival back in Waikiki, a Southwest Salad was procured at the ABC Store for an early dinner. A late afternoon outing to the International Marketplace was the capstone of another no-holiday holiday.

Well, the full-time transition to breakfast in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center is complete. Food products are all purchased at Target® and transported in the gym bag. No eating establishments are patronized for breakfast or dinner. Late afternoon or evening meals are consumed in the mausoleum.

Incidentally, there are a lot of senior citizen cliques loitering in the Makai Market food court in the morning. The free wireless network has been out of commission for over a month. And, the entire facility is besieged with filthy flies.

The late night herbal tea ritual was abruptly suspended on Monday. From all indications, the tea concoction had the opposite effect. Sleep quality actually worsened. The melatonin treatment will continue until the supply is depleted. So far, melatonin is more like a placebo.

So far, there has been no communication from the cardiologist’s office or the Ohua Clinic about the referrals from the Makahiki Climic. The holiday season is probably the worst time to schedule appointments.

At this point in time, there is strong reason to believe that anxiety and sleep deprivation are the main causes of all of the health issues (i.e., hypertension, heart palpitations). Both causes are locked in a positive feedback loop, so determining the main root cause is difficult.

In the meantime, a concerted effort is being made to monitor sodium consumption and make any necessary adjustments. Hopefully, the effort will decrease blood pressure and prevent further heart damage.

Addendum: On the way back to the “old folks home” from the late afternoon outing, a two-pack of Harissa Chicken Wraps was purchased at the ABC Store. That’s the extent of the no-holiday holiday celebration. Then, the collected receipts were redeemed for a free reusable shopping bag. Obviously, coffee mugs are no longer necessary.

Clinic 2025 Update

The bloodwork results from the appointment at the Makahiki Clinic were posted on Thursday. There was nothing significant observed. Total cholesterol is borderline. Blood sugar is normal. Electrolyte levels were stable. In other words, nothing out is the ordinary. No organ or gland malfunctions.

The skipped (or delayed) heartbeats commenced just before entering the gym. Breakfast was consumed in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center. Two Thomas’® cinnamon raisin bagels and two Chobani® 20g Protein strawberry kiwi Greek yogurt (on sale at Target® 2 for $3) was the fare. So, food could not have been the trigger. During the weight workout, deep breathing exercises were done between sets. The heart palpitations stopped after 20 minutes.

During the e-mail exchange with the attending physician of the Tuesday medical appointment, a suggestion was made by the latter to seek in-house stress management counseling. After the aforementioned experience at the gym, the suggestion was taken seriously. So, a referral has been dispatched for an appointment at the Ohua Clinic.

The deep breathing exercises along with the endorphins produced by the workout mitigated the heart palpitations. That is probably very similar to how “testing” the Vienna Sausage also proved effective. The premise now is that stress and death anxiety has sublimated into the subconscious. Both are so all-pervasive that it has manifested into psychosomatic symptoms. Sleep has been affected, which has cascaded into multiple physiological maladies (i.e., heart problems, hypertension).

The referral to the cardiologist will still be honored. The cardiologist, fortunately, is the same one who was consulted after the first ever SVT incident at age 59 years. Any damage to the heart over the last year must be taken into consideration.

In the meantime, stress relief will be at the forefront. For example, there will be no return to the fast food joint in town. Dealing with poorly trained and rude wage slaves is not worth the time or money. Avoiding all levels of stupidity and stupid people will be a top priority. Dealing with death anxiety will then be the major focus of the stress management counseling.

Addendum: The Watch Series 9 did not detect any signs of hypertension, even though hypertension notifications is enabled. Perhaps the time has come to unbox and deploy the Up&Up® digital blood pressure monitor.

Clinic 2025

Makahiki Clinic

The morning visit to the Makahiki Clinic provided little relief. Blood pressure is back in the Stage 1 hypertension range. The Watch Series 9 EKGs were submitted. A full EKG was performed, but the result did not yield any abnormalities. However, a referral has been made to the same cardiologist of a few years ago. Bloodwork was also performed, and the results should be available in a couple of days.

In retrospect, the three-year hiatus from the health clinic was a bad decision (as mused upon last year subsequent to the medical examination). The only culprit is food. There are no healthy options at any food establishment, unless the latter specifically offers real healthy fare. Most likely, the arteries in the heart are partially clogged. A severe cardiac event is likely to occur soon.

On a less pathetic note, a box of Celestial Seasonings® Sleepytime Extra® tea was purchased at Target® on Sunday. The herbal tea is now an adjunct sleep aid to the melatonin treatments. The free coffee mug from the ABC Store has been deployed to brew the beverage.

Fuck It Friday - 34

Fuck It Friday (FIF)! Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone ... FIF! Dining is the primary focus of this edition. Yes, this is Fuck It Friday!

This Fuck It Friday was a new milestone in the dining out saga. After tolerating the unprofessional conduct of most of the employees at the fast food joint in town, the end has come. The worst of the lot is the young obese Filipina “manager” with the grotesque bloated face. The bitch even got “lippy” while handing over the order of overpriced oatmeal. Incidentally, all of the front counter employees are “managers,” yet only a couple of them actually have customer service skills. And, only a couple of them are not obese. Fuck it!

After spending hundreds of dollars per month over ten or more years at that shitty fast food joint, the time came to mummify the entire situation. The “two for one” coupons were all discarded. The on-line account was immediately closed, forfeiting whatever rewards remained. And, the “app” was deleted. Fuck it!

Next, a stop was made at the Starbucks® in town and an order placed for another bowl of oatmeal. The staff of baristas there, while not blatantly rude, are indifferent to customers. They act as though they are celebrities. The staff at the Ala Moana Center (West) location are much friendlier and courteous. Anyway, the “app” and on-line account are slated for mummification, if no compelling reason arises to not do so. Fuck it!

So, what now for breakfast? A couple of Thomas’® cinnamon raisin bagels and Chobani® Greek yogurt (procured from Target®) will be the breakfast fare. The “bring your own breakfast” (BYOB) events will take place in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana center or the International Marketplace. Dinner will either be frozen meals from Target® or salads from the ABC Store and consumed in the mausoleum at the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Dining out was not only costly, it was not pleasurable. Only a fool would continue such a malignant activity. Fuck it!

The other fast food joint in town has not been disqualified, although visits there will be few and far between. The staff is friendly, and they actually say, “Thank you.” And, the return to Panda Express has not yet been entertained. Fuck it!

6 Lamat 6 Keh

Another SVT event occurred on Saturday at the end of the weight workout at the gym. To clarify, the SVT events of late are not continuous tachycardia. Rather, the heart rapidly switches from a normal heart rate to a weak high heart rate. Thus, the heart rate ranged from 56bpm to 158bpm. The ordeal continued for 6 hours and 40 minutes. Heart rate returned to normal for a few hours. Then, the skipped (or delayed) heartbeats commenced.

On Monday, upon returning to Waikiki in the afternoon, a quick jaunt was made to the Ohua Clinic to schedule an appointment with any physician to discuss the heart palpitations and to obtain a comprehensive blood screening. The Watch Series 9 EKGs have been printed for submission. Sadly, the earliest appointment available is on Tuesday next week at 9:20am at the Makahiki Clinic. So, be it.

In a new twist, another possible adjunct cause of the heart palpitations is hypoglycemia (a symptom of diabetes). The latter finding was made manifest at the fast food joint in town. After the usual breakfast of two Egg McMuffins, the skipped (or delayed) heartbeats increased. Then, a free small vanilla shake was ordered and consumed. Surprisingly, heartbeats returned to normal. By the way, the vanilla shake was one of many food prizes accumulated during the recent Monopoly® contest promotion.

On Tuesday, an overpriced oatmeal breakfast was ordered at the fast food joint in town. Then, a free greasy apple pie was ordered. The carbohydrates and sugar made the workouts (weight and cardio) easier to accomplish. The skipped (or delayed) heartbeats were reduced in frequency. The cardio workout was much more productive with no hint of triggering an SVT event.

In conclusion, the steep reduction in carbohydrates and sugar did more than induce a weight loss of four pounds. Workouts became more fatiguing with a sense of “no energy.” SVT events may have been easier to trigger, too. Sleep, by the way, has not improved. The melatonin treatment appears to be fruitless.

On a side note, the collective “West” led by empire is accelerating in decline (read: controlled demolition). Even with the health issues, all of the approved news sources are perused several times daily. If the personal health crisis improves, there may be some commentary in Notes. However, the approved news sources and Web sites provide vastly better coverage.

Addendum: The quality of apples at Target® have improved significantly. So, an apple is once again being procured for lunch. In addition, a Clif® energy bar is an optional supplement to lunch. Unfortunately, Clif® bars only lists a fraction of the vitamins and minerals that it had a few years ago.

Postscript: There is most likely some heart damage that has accumulated over the last several months. Whether the latter proves fatal in the near future remains an open question.

Wing It Wednesday - 6

Wing It Wednesday (WIW)! Sporadic news and commentary of no particular interest to anyone ... WIW! The same ol’ shit is the primary focus of this edition.

The skipped (or delayed) heartbeats increased in frequency steadily through Saturday. The situation was approaching critical mass. So, a “test” of the Vienna Sausage was instituted in the evening. The palpitations ceased almost immediately.

Normal sinus rhythm (confirmed by EKG) continued until Tuesday. The palpitations commenced in the morning, but the frequency was only a fraction of what it was last week. Another “test” of the Vienna Sausage was instituted as a last resort. Again, the palpitations ceased. Sleep was,once again, of poor quality. Yet, Wednesday was essentially devoid of palpitations until the late afternoon. Currently, the only coping strategy is to just wing it.

Gym workouts continue in reduced mode. The weight workout has remained discretionary. However, no SVT event or palpitations occur during the weight workout, even without reductions. The cardio workout is still significantly reduced as a precaution since SVT events have been triggered previously during cardio sessions.

The melatonin treatment commenced on Friday night. So far, it has been ineffective. No drowsiness is induced. Quality of sleep remains unchanged (i.e., poor). The real problem is the awakening circa 4am. There are several awakening, but the one around 4am is the worst. Subsequently, sleep is impossible. The sleep monitoring on the Watch Series 9 confirms the latter. The only solution is to procure the alternative OTC sleep aid (with antihistaminic ingredient) and take it at upon wakening at 4am.

On a side note, a recent study of melatonin made the news on Monday. The headlines stated that long-term use of melatonin has been linked with higher heart failure rate. The headlines are misleading. The study does not implicate supplemental melatonin as directly causing heart failure. Instead, melatonin as a sleep aid tends to mask one of the primary symptoms of heart problems (insomnia). Thus, heart problems could remain undetected until the worst occurs.

A notice was received on Tuesday stating that the rent at the “old folks home” in Waikiki is going up. For the mausoleum, the rent will increase by $90 (less than what was stated by the new resident manager). However, the increase is effective at the start of the year, about four months earlier than the original disclosure.

Addendum: Melatonin will continue to be administered for 30 days as recommended by several on-line medical sources. Resumption of melatonin may or may not occur upon evaluation after an unspecified break.

Miscellany: The Subway® on-line account has been mummified. The establishment has been phased out permanently.

Day of Samhain 2025

The Day of Samhain is here. The afternoon outing to the International Marketplace commenced at 4:30pm. The entire mall was already packed with revelers. Parents were escorting costumed children to collect candy and other treats at the stores. Costumed adults were staging for the main event along Kalakau’a Avenue at sunset, basically a long procession of revelers walking down the promenade. There was no further interest in observing the festivities.

A little bit of time was spent loitering in the mall. Part of this Notes post was composed there. Then, more Healthy Choice® Power Bowl frozen meals (on sale) were procured at Target® for dinner. The trek back to the “old folks home” was uneventful. Of course, the heart palpitations were occurring unabated since earlier in the day.

A chance encounter with neighbor, Ignacio, occurred on Thursday at the start of the late afternoon outing. Ignacio was walking back to the “old folks home” after shopping. A brief discussion ensued, mostly about the “old folks home.” His parting advice … “Don’t get old.”

The first dosage of melatonin is scheduled for later in the evening of the Day of Samhain. The sleep issue must be resolved, or the mind is just going to snap. Of course, this is only the initial phase of geriatric degeneration. There’s lots more “fun” to come.

Miscellany: The BlockBear and Hush extensions for the Safari Web browser have been replaced with wBlock. Highly recommended.

Unexciting Stories - 2

Unexciting stories … sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone. Mundanity is always the primary focus. Let the unexcitement begin …

Another SVT event occurred on Wednesday during the first ten minutes of the cardio workout at the gym. Same ol’ shit. Peak heart rate was recorded at 170 on the elliptical machine grip heart sensors. The duration was 4.5 hours.

The worst part of the ordeal was the bus ride back to Waikiki. All of the buses were at least 30 minutes late. Then, a roadblock in Waikiki caused a major traffic jam. After an hour had elapsed since boarding the bus in town, the need to alight at Kapi’olani Boulevard was necessitated by a full bladder. Recall that SVT events require “draining the lizard” frequently. A short walk to the Kapi’olani gym provided relief. Another bus was boarded a block from the gym. The ride took nearly 30 minutes.

As usual, an EKG was taken with the Watch Series 9 during the ordeal. No notched T-waves were observed. The SVT event ended during the late afternoon outing to the International Marketplace. Another EKG was taken, with sinus rhythm restored. No unusual patterns associated with a heart attack were noted.

The central bank of empire lowered the short-term interest rate again in the quest to ultimately achieve ZIRP. The personal stress associated with the latter probably triggered the SVT event. However, with the possibility of a “keel over” event clearly on the horizon, there was no fretting over cutting expenditures at the moment.

On Tuesday, pieces of a storage cart with drawers were espied near the trash dumpster at the “old folks home” in Waikiki while heading out to the International Marketplace for the late afternoon outing. During the outing, the geriatric mind came up with a solution for a stand for the Cuisinart® microwave oven. On the way back to the mausoleum, one of the drawers of the aforementioned decrepit storage cart was salvaged. It was cleaned thoroughly. Then, it was turned upside down and four adhesive pads were attached to protect the shitty linoleum floor. The surplus pads were originally purchased for the beloved chair. Of course, the microwave oven is only about ten inches above the floor, but who cares?

The generic melatonin tablets have not been deployed yet as a countermeasure to poor quality of sleep. There are some reservations, but no other alternative exists. Other OTC sleep products are usually antihistamines. Although the latter does induce drowsiness, it can also increase any presenting anxiety.

In the previous Notes post, the “testing” of the Vienna Sausage was hypothesized to minimize skipped (or delayed) heartbeats. Unfortunately, “testing” the Vienna Sausage regularly or daily is a ludicrous idea. The geriatric body cannot handle that kind of a workload. Senior citizens avoid such activities (including actual copulation) because a “keel over” event is likely to occur.

Miscellany: The latest geriatric malady, hemorrhoids, is slowly reducing in swelling. The generic hemorrhoidal cream has been applied daily. Hopefully, it will be completely cured before the upcoming tragic “keel over” event.