Even More Musings 2024

Apple® Watch - Snoopy

The bout with “COVID” … errr, the common cold … continues. So far, after eleven days, the only symptom has been a runny nose. A lot of effort has been invested to keep the disease in check. Thus, there have been no evening outings during the lingering cold front weather conditions. Gym workouts have not been interrupted. And, fruits are being consumed twice per day.

Sleep deprivation continues to be a problem. Noise is a major culprit. Usually before 6am, the daily garbage truck ritual takes place for 1.25 hours with non-stop OSHA reverse alarm beeping. Even with the windows closed, the sound pressure levels are higher than a cheap alarm clock. The offending outfit, Honolulu Disposal Service, appears to be doing this deliberately.

Why is there a need to empty huge trash dumpsters daily including Sunday? There apparently have been many complaints. Some of the residents have thrown rotten eggs at the trucks. So, the motive is most likely revenge, a concept quite dear to locals. The other two trash collection firms only make pickups twice per week and after 7am.

Stress continues unabated, most likely caused by the dreaded anticipation of upcoming decrepitude as well as death anxiety. There are daily encounters with fellow senior citizens at the gym and at the “old folks home” in Waikiki. A few of the senior citizen acquaintances are close in age including Bob, Gaylen, Myles, Mike, and Woody. Others are closer to 80 years of age including Chuck, Chip, Joel, Ignacio, Nick, and Bernard. All of them are suffering from various maladies. The subset of gym members are active, but their physiques are in varying stages of atrophy. Only the ol’ lavahead has maintained essentially the same physique since his thirties.

As stated previously in Notes, pretty much all of the residents in the “old folks home” are in bad shape. Most of them are in late stage decrepitude. Ambulances are coming and going with increasing frequency. There’s no way to avoid pondering decrepitude and death in such an environment.

Riding the bus daily also provides excellent exposure to decrepitude and dereliction, both young and old. What is baffling is how those people can tolerate being like that? Their physical dispositions are obviously chosen voluntarily. And, what’s worse is that they cannot even make themselves look slightly presentable. Get a haircut. Wear clean clothes. Walk erect. Lose some weight. And, ditch the face mask. Sheesh!

Well, the Watch Series 9 is still the center of attention in the mausoleum. Really? No, not really. However, the device continues to monitor health, but not fitness, parameters. Heck, even the Watch Reddit is perused daily. Is being a Watch nerd even possible?

Without the evening outings, there is too much time in the mausoleum with nothing to do. Well, at least the dreadful houseboy chores are done. And, there’s only so much to read within the limited approved Web site list. Listening to approved music with the AirPods Pro 2 occurs, maybe, once every two weeks. Yeah, it’s all “fucked up,” to put it lightly.