13 Chuen 14 Ceh

Orange Revolution

Well, “Orange Bad Man” has taken a more organized approach with his upcoming administration. His appointees, at least for domestic policies, could really cause an upheaval within the “establishment.” On the other hand, his foreign policy is sadly disappointing. The “proof is in the pudding” come January.

The recertification process for the “old folks home” in Waikiki was in “full swing” on Monday. The new management decided to recertify all of the senior citizen tenants regardless of whether a year had elapsed since their last recertification. All requested documents were submitted. Myriad paperwork was signed and initialed.

Oddly, the resident manager mentioned that there was a package sitting in the office. The package in question was the one that was stolen a few weeks ago. No explanation was given about why the package ended up in the office. Ignorance was feigned to cover deep suspicions. Upon inspection later, the box was found to be obviously opened and resealed with clear tape. Who is the likely suspect (thief)? Hmmm. Who could it be?

Dining at Panda Express® on King Street has resumed. As a precaution, all selections (except Super Greens) are blotted on multiple napkins to remove vegetable oil and excess sodium-laced sauces. So far, so good.

Yet another illin’ event commenced Sunday evening. Another bout with “COVID,” you think? The only symptom so far has been nasal congestion, although the latter caused sleep deprivation. When will this nonsense end?

Miscellany: Fatigued by the “fake news” media? Bored stiff from redundant and formulaic entertainment venues? Disgusted by real news on alternative media? Reminiscing about the old “loser” days? Then, peruse the Incel Forums.

Diet & Workouts 2024

The illin’ event of Sunday evening was brief, ending by the next morning. Resting heart rate decreased steadily since then to 54bpm as of this morning.

The issue of old age is now a primary concern. Gym workouts will be affected. The weights portion of the workout will remain unchanged but constantly monitored. Any problems will necessitate a decrease in maximum weight goals. At this point in time, the assessment is that the latter goals are already “pushing the envelope.” At this age, any injury will be permanent.

Cardio workouts will continue on the elliptical machine. However, any day preceded by poor sleep will require either the mummification of the cardio workout for that day or a substitution with a leisurely ride on the stationary recumbent bicycle (at minimum resistance). The premise is that sleep deprivation is the trigger for SVT events.

Dietary concerns will remain at the forefront. Saturated fat intake will continue to be monitored. Sodium consumption, however, will be vigilantly monitored and curtailed. There is also some concern about “vegetable” oils.

The sodium problem has proven to be quite bad. The amount of sodium in food is unbelievably high. Take for example, a generic blueberry muffin, a sweet treat. Yet, it may contain up to 600mg of sodium (26% of DV). Yeah, eating four of those muffins in one sitting (highly unlikely) will exceed the recommended DV.

As stated previously in Notes, two Fruit & Maple Oatmeal bowls at the fast food joint in town will serve as breakfast on most weekdays. The total cost is a whopping $8.60 plus tax. However, the total amount of sodium is 300mg. Dinner options were discussed in the Notes post titled, “Sodium.”

Of course, there is always the question of why meals are not simply prepared in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. There are absolutely no cooking utensils or cookware in personal possession. There are no plans to purchase the latter and former. In addition, most people will cook food with commercial mixes, sauces, or dressings. No exception here. Unfortunately, the sodium content is fairly high in those products. The alternative is a really bland meal (similar in consistency to cardboard).

Addendum: Resting heart rate returned to near-baseline at 53bpm.

Near-Death Blues

The first return visit to Panda Express® on King Street occurred on Saturday. The chosen selections were Super Greens, Eggplant Tofu, and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken. The dinner was “free” by redeeming some of the 10,400 reward points. The total sodium for the meal was calculated to be about 1,000 mg.

Sleep appeared to be normal later that night. However, good sleep ended at 2:30am. Essentially, the rest of the time was spent just lying still on the bed. There may have been brief moments of core sleep, though. Since the reduction in sodium, there have been fewer awakenings at night with little need to “drain the lizard.” Even with the aforementioned deprived sleep, everything appeared to be normal.

At the gym today, the workout was somewhat laborious because of fatigue. Thus, a lighter version of the usual cardio workout was initiated. Within a couple of minutes, skipped heartbeats were noticed. Upon abruptly mummifying the workout, heart rate jumped to 160bpm. An hour elapsed before the heartbeats returned to sinus rhythm. The gym staff was notified that an SVT event was in progress, and that an ambulance may have to be requested.

A salad, possibly high in sodium, was purchased for dinner at the ABC Store near the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Most of the salad dressing and ham chunks were discarded. Heart rate has been continuously monitored with the Watch Series 9 throughout the evening. The heart rate never went below 87bpm even while sitting (as of this post).

Of note, there are curious symptoms that occur during the heart palpitations. The need to “drain the lizard” every 15 minutes or less and the near-continuous flatulence are puzzling. Is the body realizing a near-death experience?

The latest SVT event now prompts immediate changes to personal diet with a further decrease in sodium intake being a priority. The restrictions on caffeine will be resumed. At this time, the sodium content in the modified Panda Express® meals is unlikely to be the culprit. Perhaps, there is some other benign ingredient acting as a trigger. Reduction in saturated fat intake will also be mandated. At this point, what else is left?

Addendum: The recent blood test revealed that blood sugar and TSH (thyroid) are in the “normal” range. Alcoholic beverage consumption is next to zero. Stress and anxiety have abated about two weeks ago for no particular reason. Hydration is being consciously maintained. And, daily coffee consumption, on average, is the equivalent to a small retail cup.

Miscellany: Resting heart rate (one of the “vitals”) has gone up from 52bpm to 56bpm in the past few days, a sure sign that an illin’ episode is forthcoming (most likely “COVID” … errr, the common cold).

Postscript: Resting heart rate rose to 63bpm. Extreme nasal congestion also developed by late evening, so an illin’ event may be in the works.

AI 2024

Notes official position on AI in “smartphones” … just say, “No!” The cruft currently takes up 2.56GB of storage and will increase with new iterations. Leaving the setting enabled also appears to cause noticeable battery drain.

Sodium

The culprit for the recent heart palpitations and high blood pressure is most likely sodium overload. The revelation occurred today when no skipped (read: delayed) heartbeats were noted after the cardio workout at the gym. There were no huge HRV spikes overnight and during the day. The change? A chance return to dinner at the Subway® in town. Panda Express® had been the daily dinner venue for over a month.

All Subway® footlong sandwiches are ordered with wheat bread, extra vegetables, and no sauces or spices. Either turkey or rotisserie chicken is ordered along with provolone cheese. The total sodium is under 1,500mg.

The two Egg McMuffins sufficing for breakfast (at the fast food joint in town) come in at 1,440mg sodium. Panda Express® dinners are the worst. Choosing Super Greens (no noodles or rice), String Bean Chicken, Eggplant Tofu, and Kung Pao Chicken add up to over 2,500mg sodium in one sitting. Not too healthy, eh?

This afternoon, another Subway® sandwich sufficed for dinner. So, heartbeats and HRV will be monitored tonight. Obviously, a change in menu items is required. A couple of plain English muffins will probably be enough for breakfast with occasional oatmeal ordered on select days. Coffee will still be procured at the fast food joint. The previous restriction on coffee will now be slightly relaxed. Caffeine may be a minor adjunct to the heart problems.

Subway® dinners will remain unchanged. Panda Express® dinners, on the other hand, must be modified. Kung Pao Chicken (1,000mg sodium) will definitely be replaced with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken. Other changes may follow. Overall, the possibility of revisiting canned beans is fairly high, although it probably is festered with sodium. Sheesh!

The situation at the “old folks home” in Waikiki is still questionable. The recertification process has commenced, apparently for all tenants. Ignacio has been a real “thorn in the side” for management. He has been calling out the duffers about everything. Yet, nothing changes. He’s been compiling a huge image and e-mail trail in the process. The duffers appear to be dismissing Ignacio as some kind of curmudgeon.

On a side note, the (s)election of “Orange Bad Man” went quite smoothly, eh? Too smooth, and too suspicious. Well, that is clear proof that the “garden variety” Fascists have made their choice.

Addendum: The Up&Up® blood pressure monitor has yet to be unboxed and deployed.

Notes Retro Music Break

Sade — Sweetest Taboo

(S)election Day 2024

Well, no commentary will be made on the various (s)election nonsense. There was no personal participation in the process. Absolutely nothing will change since the real decisions are made by the “garden variety” Fascists. The “candidates” (read: puppets) simply read from the Fascist script.

A second voicemail was received from the Ohua Clinic to, once again, set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the high cholesterol and high blood pressure issues. The urgency, of course, is the need establish “medication for life”  insofar as the maladies are concerned. Clearly, “Big Pharma” is pushing the latter on all hapless senior citizens.

The “old folks home” in Waikiki continues to operate in incompetence (since the management transition commenced). On a somber note, another resident in the building apparently passed on a few days ago. He was somewhat obese, and apparently diabetic. His legs were completely swollen and always wrapped in bandages. And, a suicide incident occurred in the other building yesterday. The situation just gets worse and worse.

Shopping at the Target® store in the International Marketplace has become a daily experience. Of note, today an Up&Up® blood pressure monitor was begrudgingly purchased for $35 for obvious reasons. Perhaps, a continuous heart rate and EKG monitor should also purchased. Then, the mausoleum could become a mini-hospital.

Addendum: The blood test results for cholesterol: 200 mg/dL (HDL: 72 mg/dL LDL: 119 mg/dL). Blood pressure: 127/77 mm[Hg] on day of last clinic visit.

Clinic 2024 Redux

The follow-up medical examination at the Ohua Clinic in Waikiki was finally realized yesterday at 9am. The new attending physician is actually a young hottie nurse practitioner. Unfortunately, her solution to most of the old man maladies was prescription medication. “Vaccinations” were suggested as well. All were declined or deferred to a future unknown date. The only crucial aspect of the appointment was the ordered bloodwork. On a positive note, blood pressure was only slightly elevated and not in the Stage 1 category.

The results of the bloodwork were available today on the on-line patient portal of Waikiki Health Center. High cholesterol is still a problem, but it is only a little above borderline. Blood sugar (glucose) was in the normal range, even though a small English muffin was consumed for a quick breakfast. For some reason, the A1C test was not ordered. All other results were in the middle of the normal range.

There was much relief that pre-diabetes had not wielded its ugly head again. The referral to a cardiologist was also deferred. Sleep deprivation is now increasingly suspect for causing most of the old man maladies. Of course, more serious issues could be behind the heart problems.

Addendum: A voicemail was received from the Ohua Clinic requesting a follow-up visit be established to discuss the high cholesterol and high blood pressure problems. No doubt, there will be a push for prescription medication (which have major side effects). Unacceptable.

Day of Samhain 2024

The Day of Samhain is here! Well, no big deal. No FOMO. There was absolutely no interest in walking to the main promenade to view the festivities. Thousands of people will be strolling along in elaborate costumes. An equal number of spectators, locals and tourists, will add to the congestion. Then, a couple of hours later, everyone will end up at the bars and clubs. More “bread and circuses” to keep the masses docile. Ho-hum.

The “garden variety” Fascists love to keep the rank-and-file peons in a stupor. Then, the masses are totally unaware of or indifferent to the carnage and suffering inflicted upon hapless victims worldwide. Of course, the time of reckoning is coming. No peon will be spared.

The Day of Samhain is symbolic. All of those horror flicks that the masses are viewing back-to-back this evening are a prophetic glimpse of their own future. Oh, Molech, have mercy!

Miscellany: There is absolutely no interest in the upcoming presidential (s)election in empire. Thus, no commentary will be forthcoming.

Postscript: Matt Ice is on fire!

5 Ok 13 Sak’

Taking a Break From BRICS

Lots of “fake news” being disseminated by the “fake news” media, the latest being allegations that DPRK troops have been deployed to the Russian Federation and assigned to the Ukraine front. And, the Linux consortium has now terminated any contributions by Russian programmers. Even more ridiculous, the “Orange Bad Man” campaign has been alleging that Iran “wants to kill us.” Truth has completely vanished. The “West” is in full collapse.

All Apple® devices in personal possession were updated on Monday … iPhone 15 Pro with iOS 18.1 … iPad Pro M4 with iPadOS 18.1 … Watch Series 9 with WatchOS 11.1 … and the AirPods Pro 2 with new firmware. The iPhone and iPad were also privy to the Apple® Intelligence update, which was a “pain in the ass” to install. Of course, the AI bullshit has been disabled. Is anyone really interested in AI?

The Target® store in the International Marketplace has been extremely crowded. Most of the inventory, especially food products, is depleted by the afternoon. The store itself has less floor space than the one in Ala Moana Center. Thus, the variety of products is actually fairly limited. In a way, quite a disappointment.

Addendum: Apple Intelligence uses 2.56 GB of additional storage space. So far, none of the AI features have sparked any personal interest.