Social Media | Richard's Ramblings

Why Blah?

I began this blog post sometime in the beginning of March. Since then I have gone back to it on several occasions, adding and editing each time. And I continued to ponder what was the issue. Was it a combination of all that I addressed, was there something additional, or was it something completely different.

I seem to have reached a conclusion in this matter and it will be included at the end of this blog post.

Meanwhile I have decided that I will publish this blog post, when finished, as I think that maybe I’m not the only person with experiences like this and perhaps it will help others.

It has now been over two months since my less than scintillating post to start 2025.

If that post gave you the impression that things were really kind of blah, then that would be an accurate impression. And honestly, not a hell of a lot has changed.

Okay now, why blah? Now I know this is a question that the “analysts” like to ask. The reason I know this is that they do. They are well meaning of course, however if my response falls short, which it usually does, then I am gifted with approaches and actions I should take to improve the blah, all well-meaning as well.

Now these thoughts might help, if I understood the blah factor better myself. However, at times in my addled brain they may tend to have a contrary effect.

So again, why blah?

Perhaps because it’s winter, with the accompanying lack of daylight, cold, and so on. I don’t really partake in winter activities and tend to be much more out and about in the non-white times of the year. Maybe, but some of the blah was around pre winter.

Perhaps because I’m retired, and Kim is still working two jobs. To be clear, this is something she wants to do, not because she has to, and I totally support her. We are looking ahead and reviewing plans for the time her retirement comes.

Perhaps because my hands don’t work as well as they used to. Certainly this is a factor. When I’m putting things together it seems I drop stuff more, which can be a bit frustrating, particularly when trying to find wee screws which have fallen. However, my greatest frustration regarding my hands is what I am doing at this moment. During my military career in communications one of the skills required was typing, be it on a typewriter, a teletype machine, or a computer. I was proud of my skills, achieving well over sixty words per minute with no mistakes. Today, I just made five mistakes in that last sentence (at far less than 60wpm).

Perhaps because my brain has issues, it forgets things at times. I have said, for years, and not totally tongue in cheek, that I suffer from part-timers, where I forget part of the time. Generally this has only been a source of “goldarn it” frustration, but on occasion it has caused a situation which had to be dealt with.

Perhaps because my body is not always happy about the way I’ve treated it over the years. And yes, I am honest about that, I’ve not always been the best caretaker. As well there are a couple of things which are hereditary. I was diagnosed with gout around thirty years ago, and although I’ve been on medications since then, it has contributed to arthritis in different parts of my body, leading to a hip replacement two years ago.

Perhaps because I’m old, speaking strictly about my age, my number of years on planet Earth. Maybe, but the aspect of my age is not really something which upsets me. Some will say that the hands, brain, and body reasons above are because of age. I disagree. Age may be a factor with them, however they are, to me, all separate issues, any one of which would matter less on it’s own.

And this is where this blog post has sat, for close to two months, as I have pondered, and pondered.

While pondering, I arrived at a form of realization that, although all of the above are, to a degree, factors, they are not primary reasons.

A bit of retrospect here. Over my lifetime I have always been interested in technology, particularly computers. My first computer was a Radio Shack MC-10 (which I still have), then the first bug free bios IBM PC, and as the story goes, the rest is history. Of course I was involved with bulletin boards, but the real push came with the development of social media, Facebook, Twitter and the like. For instance, I began blogging about 2007 or so.

When I retired, for the final time, in 2019, I began doing more online, and it morphed into the creation of my Wee Internet Empire, which became like a retirement project that I enjoyed doing. That was good, and I was quite enjoying puttering around and sharing my thoughts and memories.

For the past twenty-five years I have been in Kiwanis, both with my local club and having involvement up to the international level. Around the same time that I retired I began taking a lower Kiwanis profile yet maintaining my support.

A couple of years ago I was approached and asked to return to the club board. After consideration I did, as club secretary, feeling I could make a good contribution there and provide support for the new president. Upon my return I discovered much I could do and set right in, doing that and even more.

I put my Wee Internet Empire off to the side so as to focus on what I wanted to do and pressed forward.

Now, I realize more that I had done something that most parents have cautioned their children over the years – Be careful your eyes are not bigger than your stomach! Or… Don’t bite off more than you can chew!

My term as club secretary will be finishing in a few months and I truly feel that I have completed pretty much all that I set out to do and I believe that the club has done well and will continue to benefit from what we have accomplished together.

However, now I realize that I had moved away from a good comfort spot for myself. My retirement hobby has been essentially dormant for well over a year and when I try to do something with it I am way too easily distracted (hence this photo meme from the movie Up) and move to something else, most often Kiwanis related.

This, over the long term, caused me to be frustrated with myself, and, when combined with the other things I talked of earlier, led me at times to think poorly of myself and to almost withdraw generally into a state of complete blah.

Throughout it all Kim has been a rock, putting up with and supporting me, as she has done for nearly twenty-six years now. Otis (the cat) has done his part also, regularly kicking my ass to feed him and change his litter (which makes Kim happy as well).

As I noted in the intro, I often wondered if I should post this blog as I had it written.

I decided to go ahead, for two reasons. For people who have gone through similar feelings/events, perhaps this will provide some help or insight with their own thoughts. For myself, putting things into words is often better suited for understanding of oneself.

So what does the future hold? Hmm… If I do it right, more good input for future blog posts!

In reality, there are lifestyle changes on the horizon, and we are planning together as to what they may be. As we move forward in our lives I, through my Wee Internet Empire, will endeavour to bring you along also.

As always, thank you for reading and allowing me to share my thoughts and experiences with you. Any comments that you may have are always welcome.

A New Calendar Year Begins

It is January 1st, a new calendar year has begun, and tradition has it that people all over the world are posting about the year past and their visions for the coming year. It seems that this is almost an obligatory activity in which to indulge.

As a year ends it is considered to be a time of reflection. For that reason I tend to avoid mirrors.

The beginning of the year is considered to be a re-start on life, however for this to happen the battery must have sufficient charge.

For me, to start the year, I arose at 0530, got dressed, headed to the loo for the morning business, accompanied by Otis, who ensures the area to be safe (he is, after all, a vicious guard cat). Then, it was time to put in my teeth, weigh myself (never you mind), head into my office, look out the window (only a dusting of snow and -14C), turn on the desk light and head to the kitchen.

In the kitchen the priority was to feed Otis and make my coffee (Malaysian of course) and put away the clean dishes before heading back to my office. Once there I tested my blood sugar level (it’s okay), had my pills (ten of them) and opened up my computer.

On my computer I checked my emails (most were deleted upon reading), looked at the calendar for significant activities, checked Facebook for birthdays, marketplace and posts of interest (on several pages that I administer).

Once that was done, I opened WordPress and decided to compose this blog post.

What a way to start the new year!

Except…

Other than composing this blog post, that is the description of pretty much every morning (with minor changes when Kim is up getting ready for work on weekdays).

Now if you were expecting a disertation on my wide experiences of the past year and my lofty expections of the year to come, like so many others around the world, you will be happy to know that you need not suffer though one.

Rather, you are now privy to the way I start a new year every day.

As a result this blog post is likely not highly informative or interesting, but it is the first post I’ve done in months so an achievement has been reached.

Regardless of whether it’s the end of an old year, or the beginning of a new year, or just a regular day in the life, it is my wish that you are all well and moving to the future.

Until next time, take care of yourself and look out for others.

It Crossed My Mind

Since I started on social media I have tried, for the most part, to be positive, share interesting, thoughtful and fun things, as well as avoiding religion and politics (as there seems to be more than enough of those subjects available).

I have, on occasion, posted about things such as family violence, down syndrome and other issues affecting primarily children and youths. These particular areas are of great importance to me and are the main reason for me continuing my membership and volunteering with my Kiwanis club.

Recently I have started following more people on various platforms and while doing so figured that perhaps I need to provide some of my thoughts on other areas, at times a bit separated from my regular fare.

However, this may bring with it an obstacle which I must be willing to overcome.

Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult to discuss, it seems, pretty much anything, and expect it to remain a civil discourse.

Civil discourse is taken to mean a respectful conversation aimed at fostering understanding and constructive communication between individuals in a group having different perspectives. (A good Wikipedia article can be found here.)

It seems that too often what starts out as a discussion soon becomes clogged with misinformation and vitriol. One only needs to read comments of some articles or posts to see how the discussion can degenerate.

So, if I start offering my opinions on subjects or issues which may be, shall we say, more controversial or contentious, I must accept the fact that on occasion they may result in in uncivil discourse. And so I shall, as the alternative would be to remain silent.

So how did my regular fare, my Wee Internet Empire come about. Well, it just sort of evolved.

Although I had been online since the early 1990’s, I became really involved in social media about 2007 with Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. I started my Flickr page about the same time and began blogging in 2009. My YouTube began in 2016 and about mid 2021 I came up with my podcast.

While doing a podcast I made an offhand remark about about my wee internet empire. After, I thought why not, so that’s when I officially named it.

I have deliberately kept the subject matter and schedule of all platforms unstructured so as to post what I felt like, when I felt like. Because there is no set pattern, I created a newsletter so that my followers would know when there was something new and they wouldn’t have to keep checking in. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to the newsletter here.

So, the point of this blog post is to let folks know that in the future I may talk about some areas where most likely there will be some religious and political aspects involved. Discussion in the form of civil discourse is welcome and encouraged. Most comments will be left for all to see, however threats or similar comments will be deleted and the person blocked.

As always, I really appreciate the support and feedback from my followers, or those who just drop in (whom it would be great to have as followers – unabashed plug). Your comments, thoughts and ideas are always appreciated.

Take care all. Catch you later with my next blog post/podcast or whatever.

Back In The Kiwanis Secretary Saddle

I joined the Kiwanis Club of South Edmonton back in 2001, then became Club Secretary in 2002 and continued in that position until 2011.

After serving in a number of positions over the subsequent years, including Club President, Division Six Lt Governor and Kiwanis Western Canada District Governor, as of 01 October 2023 I was back as Club Secretary.

The different positions I’ve held over the years have helped me learn more about the Secretary position, so when asked to once more come back on the Club Board, I thought that I could do the most good as Secretary.

So, on 01 October, the start of the Kiwanis year, after being off the Board for several years, I received the files and started to work.

Holy Dingle, there was much to do and review. Unfortunately, due to various events, Covid being one, there were a few hiccups in the paperwork that needed attention, and some Board actions needed to be tracked down and clarified.

As many of my readers know, leadership positions in any volunteer organization can be difficult when balancing work and life’s events. Then add a two year pandemic to the mix. Kudos to all those who persevered, with the organization only suffering a few hiccups or minor confusions.

However minor confusions, on occasion, can lead to more serious situations if not addressed. Fortunately we were not at the serious situation level, though the minor confusions did have to be dealt with.

Previously, while Secretary, I also served as Club Webmaster. They must of liked what I did, seeing as how in early October, I was asked if I would also take that position once more. In reality, Secretary and Webmaster blend well together, so I said I would.

Interestingly enough, I started this blog post in November, about a month after resuming the secretary position, as I thought that the main rush of catch-up had passed. However, it seems that I was wrong. It is now into the first week of December and I think I can finally get back into blog creation.

Skip forward once again, to the end of December and it seems I was wrong again as a few things got in the way, a good number of them Kiwanis related as it turned out.

So why, you might ask, do I not just pack it in for this blog post and start something new, probably on a different subject. Well if that were the regular modus operendi, then a great many of us would not achieve much in our lives. I think that the term which comes to the fore most often is “life gets in the way”.

Any the who, back to being club secretary. Over the years many people have indicated that the club secretary is the most important person in the club, the one who keeps the wheels turning so to speak.

I agree that the club secretary is an integral part of the club, however I feel that not only every board member, but every individual club member is extremely important to the organization.

Kiwanis is basically all about kids. Our primary focus is young people from birth through their teenage years. Each club has a number of projects to help and/or benefit kids. These projects need people. The most perfectly planned project in the world will be ineffective without the people to actually do the work, to “get their hands dirty” so to speak.

To me, the secretary has two essential tasks. To be the primary point person for the Club President, and to ensure that the club administrative functions are completed in an accurate and timely fashion. I consider myself to be a kind of “gatekeeper” for my president, to support her, provide her with information she may be seeking, and to act as a buffer or a sounding board when needed.

As well, the secretary is usually the “Keeper of the Stuff”. The description of “the stuff” can vary greatly from organization to organization. It will, of course, include the files, which used to be myriads of paper, but now for many organizations, including Kiwanis clubs, are maintained electronically, often in the cloud for easy access by others on the board, or even club members as well. As the age demographics of Kiwanis clubs leans towards Baby Boomers, and some of The Silent Generation, provision and administration of electronic storage of files in the cloud continues to be a work in progress.

Other aspects of “the stuff” can vary greatly depending on the individual club. Perhaps it is the meeting equipment, gong, flags and so on, or awards, received by the club or to be presented to members. Maybe the paraphernalia used when out working on a club project. Or any number of other things. Regardless, storing, tracking, or arranging for, these things, often falls to the secretary.

Reactions to the secretary’s efforts are also varied, ranging from “how wonderful that was”, to “haven’t you got that done yet”, and often quite the arrangement of comments in between.

As every Kiwanis Club Secretary knows, all of the above aspects are part of the job that we volunteered for. And generally, we take it all in stride, because we’re good at what we do!

So there you go, a blog post that took longer than expected to complete. However one of the positive aspects is that that my secretary work was not delayed to compose this blog post, rather it was the other way round.

Do take care and be well. Until next time.

Can We Just Talk – Like We Used To

Today, I’m doing a little reminiscing about years gone by.

Back in the early days of Twitter, now “X”, Edmonton was known as a hotspot for activity. We were known, not only locally, but much more widely, as one of the most active Twitter areas in the world.

Back in those days it was indeed a “social” network, as we would actually talk to each other, share thoughts and ideas. There was essentially no animosity. We would of course at times disagree, however that would usually result in a discussion, and often there would be a resolution of the matter.

Even better than that however, we would meet. Yes, meet. Face to face. We would have a “Tweet-Up”, where we would get together and chat, and in so many cases, become friends.

Some tweet-ups were planned, but many were spontaneous. Someone would tweet that they would be at such-and-such mall food court for a while, giving a time. Lo and behold, while they were there someone would stop by and join them for bit. This actually happened quite often. Planned tweet-ups were usually in the evenings and would be more of a social gathering. At times, we would gather to benefit some organization, such as having a mini fundraiser.

It was essentially through Twitter, and these Tweet-ups, that I got to know so many people in Edmonton, a large number of whom I remain in touch with to this day. They were truly great times.

My reminiscing today comes as I am making a small effort to perhaps recreate some of those times by starting what I’m calling a “Chat-Up”, on a weekly basis. As I write this, I’m sitting at the designated location for my second Chat-up, waiting to see who might drop by. The first time I did it there was one person who dropped by.

After posting the event on social media I did get several responses, however to this point only from those who said sorry but they were out of town or unable to come due to work, but they liked the idea and would try next time. But it’s a start. You know, the “Rome wasn’t built in a day” concept.

My thinking is, with all the crap that seems to be going on in our world these days, the odd get-together for plain and simple friendly conversation would be a good thing. I really miss hearing people actually discuss something without the fear that fisticuffs would transpire. I do have hope.

Here I am, home now. It was a quiet time at Koffee Cafe again this morning. However I do like the owners there and the atmosphere is friendly. Have been going there well over ten years.

I will post the “Chat-Up” time and place again for next week and see what happens. Regardless it’s a nice place to have Friday morning tea.

What are your thoughts? Do you still meet for chat in person, or does that even appeal to you these days?

For me, I like to keep in contact with as many people as possible. My choices are, in order of preference:

In person
By video
By phone
By messaging

Would you like to chat with me, in person or otherwise? You can find out more about me by visiting my Wee Internet Empire and subscribing to my Old Guy, New Tricks newsletter.

Thanks for reading, I do appreciate your support. Until next time, look after yourself, and watch out for others.

My Name I Ponder

Yesterday I read an interesting post by Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50, a fellow blogger. Her post, entitled Name Game, was asking about the name one was given at birth and the name one goes by now.

That got me thinking of my own name and its transitions.

At my birth I was given the first names Richard Linnaeus. Richard having a long tradition on my paternal side and Linnaeus being my maternal grandfather’s name.

Up until I began school I was known as Linne, short form for Linnaeus. Once in school I was often teased, even bullied, for having a “girl’s” name, so I started using Richard, which, at some point in the process became Rick. That stayed with me through high school, technical school, university and into the military.

During my military career I began using Richard more and, depending on the activity I was involved in, would answer to either Richard or Rick. This carried on after my military retirement into my business activities. Eventually Rick all but disappeared, and for at least the last 20-25 years I have gone by Richard.

Now comes the crux of the thinking brought forward by the blog post.

Over the years, many years, I have often mulled in my mind about reverting my name to Linne. I must say that it has bothered me at times that I gave in to the teasers and bullies (these are similar but have different processes). I have determined that my grandfather went his entire life known as Linne to many, and he was a highly successful, accomplished person, becoming very well known in Great Britain.

During my life I have learned much about names, how important they are to us, in meaning, in family, and in history.

Even though I’m blogging about it, my situation is but a very small scale issue in the grand scheme of things.

However, there are many people who have had others literally rename them. People who are born here, or come to Canada from another country will be “renamed” by acquaintences, co-workers or employers, who, for one reason or another, don’t (or won’t) make the effort to say the person’s name properly. As a result they are given a “Canadian” name that is easy to say and/or spell. I need not provide any examples because I’m sure that each of my readers will know of someone in that situation.

So, getting back to my situation, I have often thought I should change back, and then I hesitate, wondering about any issues it would create. Even now, as I type this, I have stopped to ponder. If I change, how would I do it, how much would I change. Would I leave all the “official stuff”, passport, drivers licence, healthcare, and so on, the same (actually for most no change would be necessary). Probably just change the day-to-day usage, social media, that type of thing.

It is indeed something to ponder. What will I do? What would others think? What do my readers think? Feel free to let me know.

Regardless, life goes on. Be assured that I will continue to provide blogs, podcasts and more, through my Wee Internet Empire, irrespective of what name I choose to call myself.

Until next time. Take good care of yourself, and look out for others.

This Retirement Thing

Today I have been thinking.

Now, to some who know me, that would be considered a dangerous thing.

Perhaps not, today anyway. However it has been an interesting thing for me. A bit interesting that is. You see, it’s a holiday Monday, here in Alberta it’s called Family Day.

One might imagine that due to the day, I would be thinking about family, and I did a little, however my main thinking has been about my retirement, and some of the factors which have been affecting it.

It is no surprise that topping the list has been COVID. I use capital letters here because that was the way it arrived. Now it has become more like #@&%*$ Covid.

For millions of people, the ramifications of Covid threw the proverbial monkey wrench into the system. My thinking today is more limited to retired folks, because I are one.

Back in late 2018 I retired for the final time, and yes, I even had plans. More than just plans, they were being put into practice.

For a good portion of the winter I would be in Malaysia, based at our apartment, spending time with family, friends and just doing some traveling around. My wife Kim would join me for part of the time as she was still working. The late spring, summer and early autumn would involve quite a bit of time on my motorcycle, going on rides with mates and fellow veterans, or just by myself touring around Alberta. On the weekends my wife and I would relax and travel around a bit, as well as being involved in weekend motorcycle and other community events.

For 2019 most went according to plan. I spent three months in Malaysia, Kim with me for a month. Summer saw some 6000 kilometres put on the bike and we were involved in various activities most every weekend. Right up to the end of the year we took part in both Kiwanis and veterans events. Life was doing okay.

2020 started out quite well, however there seemed to be ominous rumblings. Mid February Kim and I were off to Malaysia for six weeks. For the first three weeks we were joined by our daughter and her husband from Edmonton. For me this was a big event as she would meet her two sisters in Malaysia, in person for the very first time. (If you have been following my blog posts over the years you’ll know we have a blended family.)

After we arrived, the ominous rumblings increased, and people started talking about this Covid thing. The first three weeks went well, daughter and her husband headed home, and the rumblings increased. After another week they were more than rumblings and we reluctantly made the decision to err on the side of caution and headed back to Edmonton ten days earlier than planned.

Turns out, it was a good decision, as air traffic was essentially shut down shortly after we got home. We had to do our two week quarantine and then Kim was laid off as her workplace was shut down (only for about three months it turned out).

I’m sure that everyone is pretty familiar with what followed for the remainder of 2020 and basically all of 2021, so I’ll just talk about how this affected the retirement thing.

Now is a good time to touch on another factor affecting retirement, that being my health. I have always had a pretty robust immune system, however I have had some mobility issues, particularly in the last ten years. I was diagnosed with a bad hip and the decision was made to put me on the list for a total hip replacement. For those who have experienced this, it is an interesting process. Immediately I was scheduled for a whole battery of tests, including, but not limited to x-rays, heart tests, lung tests, dental tests, nervous systems tests, and more. These are all intended to determine if I was suitable for surgery.

All the tests were completed, however our friend Covid had laid a beating on all scheduled surgeries. Then, towards the end of 2021, I was notified to expect surgery in January 2022. About the same time I received a small injury to my lower leg and it was slow healing, which they thought likely due to me being diabetic. Injury, small or not, has a risk of infection, hence the surgery was cancelled.

Turned out that over the years I have developed poor circulation in my lower legs, causing my legs to be discoloured, and have extremally thin skin, which can be easily abrased, and any wounds would be very slow healing. Following that determination, there came extensive treatment by the wound clinic and home health care (kudos and thanks to these awesome medical professionals). End result, I will now be wearing compression stockings for the remainder of my time.

Good news is, the surgeon seems happy with my condition now and I may be looking at surgery in April of this year. After still more tests of course.

Now, back to this retirement thing.

Of course, any social activity had become a non-starter during 2020, so it was just me, or Kim and I, for the majority of the time. With my hip issues, I made the change from two wheels to three and bought a trike to ride. This made Kim happy and she now rode with me quite a bit. Between the two bikes I managed to put on over 8000 kilometres in 2020. As well the weather was helpful as Kim and I had our last ride of the year the first week of December. Throughout the year our riding was mostly solo. On the odd occasion we rode with others, whenever stopped we would be outside and maintain the suggested two metre distance.

For 2021, social activity remained at a minimum. Kim would go to work and get groceries, being masked and maintaining her distance at all times. Basically I would just stay home, so much that even Otis the cat was getting tired of me. Between the weather, a blown radiator and my leg issues, less than 4000 kilometres was accomplished on the bike. Veterans gatherings were almost nonexistent, while Kiwanis took on an extremely low profile.

2022 was more of the same, however we were starting to get out for our weekly dim sum, socially distanced of course. For me, I think Otis was starting to maybe like having me around, or not. He’s a cat so go figure. Very little riding this year, only about 4000 kilometres again. For my legs they were doing regular appointments as well as home care, so I had to be cautious and was not able to plan much. Come summer our veterans group was having weekly gatherings once more, however they were socially distanced in a parking lot. Oh well, at least we were getting together. Then in the fall, we were able to get together, actually inside. With some of our members being immune compromised, they were not comfortable attending. For Kiwanis, meetings were by Zoom only.

In September, we were lucky enough to add a vehicle to our garage. Defined as a Classic is our 1999 Mercedes SLK 230 sports car. For the next couple of months it was able to steal a few thousand kilometres from the trike, however they seem to get along well anyway. The nice thing is that it expands our ability to have some fun travel, day runs on the trike and longer with the Merc.

So now, here we are in 2023.

Soon it will be three years since we have seen our daughters and grandchildren in Malaysia. Otis and I have held down the home front with me getting out of the house for a few hours averaging one day a week. On occasion maybe two. Right now, this is retirement for me… my house. What day of the week is it? Oh it must be the weekend because Kim is home on Saturday and half of Sunday, and sometimes on a holiday (she works most holidays).

But, things are looking up. As I mentioned, possible surgery in April. Late last year I had a coffee with a friend, then with another friend in January, and now one tomorrow, this with a regular coffee mate from before Covid, but now for the first time in about two years or so. The two “summer rides” are resting in the garage, awaiting Spring and the opportunity to get out and about. An increased level of activity with Kiwanis is being contemplated. Our veterans group is getting together more often. And… we hope to be back in Malaysia about a year from now.

So… the retirement thing, what’s it all about. My experiences have been up and down, back and forth, good and bad. Well, that’s what life is, not only for me, but for every person experiencing the retirement thing. We are all different, not better or worse. All unique!

I’ve thrown a bit of light on my retirement thing, how is yours going?

Want to share? Please do! It would be great to hear from you.

Until next time. Ciao!

Let’s Talk Aging — A Chatbot and Me

So today I thought I’d have a bit of an experiment with this new AI stuff that is being reported on. I created an account with OpenAI to try out their ChatGPT chatbot software.

After logging in, I made the following entry: “Things I notice about aging.” The response I got is shown here in italics.

As a language model, I don’t have personal experience with aging, but I can provide some common observations and changes associated with the aging process:

Physical changes: As people age, they may experience changes in their physical appearance, such as gray hair, wrinkles, and age spots. They may also notice changes in their body shape and size, as well as changes in their mobility and stamina.
Health changes: Aging can bring about changes in health, such as increased risk for chronic diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Additionally, the immune system may weaken, making it easier to get sick or develop infections.
Cognitive changes: As people age, they may notice changes in their cognitive abilities, such as slower reaction times, decreased memory and concentration, and reduced processing speed.
Social changes: Aging can also bring about changes in social relationships, as friends and family members pass away or move away. Older individuals may also become more isolated, which can have negative effects on their mental health.
Emotional changes: As people age, they may experience a range of emotions, including increased feelings of gratitude and contentment, but also sadness or anxiety related to aging, retirement, and declining health.

It’s important to note that not everyone will experience these changes in the same way, and there are steps people can take to maintain their health and well-being as they age, such as staying physically active, eating a healthy diet, engaging in social activities, and seeking medical care as needed.

After reading the response received, without being overly wordy, I decided to give my own response on each of the five points shown. As a reference, I am well into my 74th year (for whatever that may mean).

Physical changes: Well, it seems I still have most of my hair, although it is less populated up there. As my hair has always been quite light blonde it’s hard to tell how gray it may be, however there is no question about my beard, it’s gray and lengthy (last shaved in November 2015). Have some wrinkles, and yes, a few age spots. My basic body shape has essentially unchanged for many years as I have been overweight most of my life, although the underside of my upper arms has gained some extra motion when I shake them. Mobility and stamina will be covered under the next item.
Health changes: I have developed arthritis, slightly in both knees, majorly in my left hip, which is awaiting a complete hip replacement (maybe this year). These of course affect my mobility, and combined with my weight, causes my stamina is affected to some degree. After many tests, the ticker seems to be working well, albeit being just a little weak. Circulation in my lower legs is not great, necessitating the wearing of compression stockings daily. (I look at it as providing a little extra leg protection when on my motorcycle.) Interestingly enough, my immune system remains strong and has a habit of telling sickness and infections to generally “buggar off” (and usually they do).
Cognitive changes: Not sure how my reaction times have changed, as I can still get really mad at myself or my computer in just an instant. In other areas though, like driving, my reactions are good, although my responses have become more tempered and experiences learned over the years have provided me with the knowledge that “stupid is as stupid does” and getting pissed off at it ain’t gonna help. One area I really notice a change though is in my memory. I often say, tongue in cheek, that I suffer from “part-timers”, where I forget things part of the time. This can be so frustrating. For example, I can be talking about someone, can see their face in my mind clear as anything, and their name will not come to me. Then sometime after the conversation is done, Bing, there is the name. Aargh!
Social changes: This is definitely an interesting one. I have lost, and continue to lose, my share of friends or family as they die (I’m not always comfortable with the term “pass away”), and it can create a major change when they are gone. I’m the oldest member of our family line, and have been for the last ten years. I stopped working when I retired for the final time just over four years ago changing my social interactions somewhat. I’ve been a member of Kiwanis since 2001 and a couple of motorcycle organizations since 2017 along with a Canadian Veterans group. However, the kicker came in 2019, when COVID basically said, “y’all just stay home and forget about any social life”. This has been a hard one to recover from as many folks are a bit “gun-shy” and are still not ready to get out and meet other people again. It takes time for sure. It also shows up in the fact that although we were in the habit of traveling to Malaysia to visit our family and friends, pretty much every year, we have not been since early 2020 and probably not until 2024. Not seeing two of our daughters and seven grandchildren is hard.
Emotional changes: A couple of expressions that have been around for many years are, “real men don’t eat quiche” and “real men don’t cry”. Well, for me, I’ve loved quiche all my life, however the crying thing has really come to the fore in the last ten to fifteen years. TV, movies, and real life all have, at times, the ability to open up the tear ducts. Guess older eyes need more lubrication. With regard to feelings of gratitude and contentment, I know that I’m grateful to still be looking at grass from the green side and to have Kim, the love of my life, at my side. Also very grateful for her patience with yours truly (I’m sure it must be sorely tested at times). Can’t say I have a great deal of anxiety or sadness with growing old, however I will admit to occasions of frustration when I find that I am unable to do something I’ve done all my life. Having said that, I’m thinking that I’m not quite over the hill yet, so let’s press on.

Okay, there you have it. Some thoughts about aging. Is that everything? Of course not, however you do get the general idea of what goes on in my head.

So, what goes on in your head? I invite you to share with me, and others who read this blog post, your thoughts or experiences about aging.

Thanks for reading. Catch you again in a future post.

Working To Move The Empire Forward

As some of you have noticed, and in some cases, commented on, things have not all been sweetness and light over the last few months for me.

Thankfully Kim has been my rock, especially the times she had to put up with the grumpy old fart persona.

Hopefully though there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as long as some nasty bugger doesn’t lengthen the tunnel again.

This past Wednesday I was finally able to get out of the house and went for coffee with my friend Jacqueline. In amongst all her talents, she is a motivator, and I can attest that having a motivator for a friend is excellent. I try to be a motivator, with some success, however it seems that I’m totally ineffective when dealing with myself.

I mentioned Jacqueline in my podcast today which can be heard here. I also created a YouTube video of my podcast. It is available here on my YouTube channel. She has agreed to do a podcast with me in the near future, perhaps more as she has much to share.

I have also been adding to my Flickr channel, now having more that 3000 photos (some only available for family/friends). Today I added photos I took in 2011 during a tour in Annecy, France. Here is a small slideshow sample.

Slowly, but surely, I will be catching up and posting more of the thousands of photos I have, many yet to be digitized. I often say, what good are all these photos if people can’t see them.

I remind people that the best way to keep in touch with Wee Internet Empire activity is to subscribe to my newsletter, Old Guy, New Tricks. When changes, updates, or other interesting things, become available they will all be noted in the next issue of the newsletter.

I am on a number of different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TicTok, Twitter, Matador, LinkedIn and others. All the necessary links are available on my website. I invite you to visit, and feel free to connect if you so desire.

Now I have come to the conclusion of today’s self promotion. However if I don’t work to spread the word how will you know what great stuff you will be missing. So thanks for your attention, your comments are always welcome, and hope to see you soon.

I try to wrap up most things by saying take care of yourself, and, if you can, help take care of those around you.

Stop And Hear The Music

To preface… I did not write this. Eleven years ago, a friend of mine sent me this most interesting story. Upon checking further, I was able to find the story behind the story.

This is a true happening, orchestrated by a writer for the Washington Post. Read it through and then follow the link at the end to find out the rest of the story.

PERCEPTION

Something to think about . . .

THE SITUATION

In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:

A 3-year-old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was…

Joshua Bell

One of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music. This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

* In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

* If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

* Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Here is the link to the Washington Post article, including a video.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

I hope you took the time to read the article, as it’s quite interesting.

So… the question once again is, how many things are we missing as we rush through life?

Definitely a question worth thinking about at any time, but particularly at this time of year.

Thanks for reading, thanks for your support and feedback.

Be well. Take care of yourself and take care of others.