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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
@Jason said:
Not necessarily random or useless, but this week is kind of exciting. Tonight Ajahn Jumnien, former abbot of Wat Thum Sua (Tiger Cave Monastery), will be in town giving a talk; and this weekend a number of prominent monks are coming for the grand opening ceremony of Portland Friends of the Dhamma's new home, including Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Viradhammo, and Ajahn Sona.
@Citta said:
So much for Luang Por Sumedho's ' retirement '...
Not really sure what that's supposed to mean. Are monks not allowed to visit other monasteries and retreat centers (or even family as he's from this area) just because they're no longer in charge of their own and spend most of their time working on their own practice?
@Jason said:
Not really sure what that's supposed to mean. Are monks not allowed to visit other monasteries and retreat centers (or even family as he's from this area) just because they're no longer in charge of their own and spend most of their time working on their own practice?
It was said with great respect and affection @Jason...Luang Por said that his intention was to retire to a hut and wanted no more public life..he is nearly 80.
Then he reported that he was receiving a list of ( largely uninvited ) visitors that he felt he couldn't turn away... and invitations to attend stuff..
And it became clear that his big heart and concern was going to mean a modification in his original intentions...
Had a nagging soreness in the 2nd metatarsal head (ball of foot, 2nd toe) for the past week after an easy run. Nothing preventing me frrom walking though.
Then i woke up yesterday unable to put any weight on that foot.
Went to Urgent Care at the nearby hospital and got an x-ray and blood test. Both showed nothing, so the doctor set up a bone scan appointment for me this coming week to see if I have a stress fracture.
So I'm on crutches with non-weight bearing status on my left foot for I don't know how long.
Oh, did I mention? I have a job interview at a joint health exercise clinic on Monday! How perfect is that?
@Jeffrey I think they can probably put my foot in an AFO (ankle foot orthoses) or some other sort of splint if it does turn out to be a fracture. Then again, the doctor I saw said "You can either just rest, or we can investigate it." That sort of made it sound like I could potentially just sit on my butt and let it resolve itself... but the fact that I can't even walk pushed me to find out what's really going on.
@Vastmind - Thanks! I don't want to sound too dramatic about it, but it feels very strange to be more dependent on others, especially when it comes to carrying bulky items or even something simple like a plate of food. I think Iwill learn to appreciate those around me much more.
@Citta - Luckily I've practiced getting around on crutches a lot in my physiotherapy assistant program! For such relatively minor injury, I'm not taking it as well as I could be.
My roomies and signed the lease to our duplex today. We're moving all of our human related goods to the new space on Saturday. This is my first place away from my parents, and I'm so excited! The landlord even told me that I could bring my beloved little chinchilla- which he called a "chachilla". Chinchilla God, forgive him, for he knows not how to pronounce your chinchildrens' names.
Around 3 am...I hear a big BAM! pop...pop...pop..pop... Sounded like the house was being shot up. Everyone was on their bellies.....baseball bat in hand and we locked ourselves in the inside closet. One of the longest nights of my life..The kids were a mess..We were freaked out...Once the burn smell started..We thought the house caught fire......what was it? ....Apparently some kids...( I'm assuming)... threw a whole box of pop fireworks at my FRONTDOOR!!! ...... Really? When did we start doing that ? I now have 300 shells all over my front porch. Happy F'in' Birthday America ... :grumble: ..... The pic has bad sunrise back lighting...but you can see how many times and how close it was..... Powder residue on the door and a big mess.
We're driving off to Como tomorrow morning and I have to start packing.
I'll be back in ten days.
Wish everyone a nice summer vacation and see you all soon!!
@Invincible_summer said:
Vastmind - Oy gevalt! Hopefully there wasn't much (or any) damage! I can imagine you guys were scared out of your pants!
A guy at work said...."Oh yeah....the kids in my neighborhood always put fireworks in our mailbox...we now take it down on that day" ..... I'm really surprised how little people know/care about the dangers. Oh well.....I would love to say I'm over it....but I think I'm ruined when it comes to July 4 fireworks from now on......Not too much physical damage here...it could have been way worse. I'll be painting the porch this week-end to cover the burn marks....oh and the door too. The noise just keeps replaying in my head....How loud, sudden, and seemed to go on and on........I may need to work on this, huh? It's sure been arising and arising.....I was jumpy today at some noises in the office....I'm sure it will subside/play itself out.....
Arrived at our put in spot for a camping/ kayak trip to find 2 meter seas and 40 knot winds in our faces. Should have known that a forecast of 2 weeks of sunshine on the normally rainy West coast would have a caveat.
Went for a walk in my local city park and a plastic shopping bag was windblown to my feet. Picked it up and used it to gather up more rubbish on my walk, which became an enjoyable game. Tossed the full bag into a trash can near my car and felt an inner smile as I drove back home.
Hi, everyone!
Quick greetings from Como! Just wanted to let the UK members of the site know that should you have a Grandma or Grandpa gone missing, they're here with me.
I mean, there are literally coachfuls of British elderly people being offloaded at my hotel every day.
The breakfast dining-room is British territory!
A very big hug to everyone and check back next week...
So my family doctor, being skeptical that I had a stress fracture on my 2nd toe joint, prescribed me a strong NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to take 3 times a day.
It works! The swelling has gone down tremendously and there's virtually no pain in the joint. I'm actually able to get around without crutches now, though i'm still being cautious and not strapping on the running shoes just yet.
So, here I am, back from Como and with at least five kilos surplus of good Italian samsaric dolce vita!!! Antipasti, contorni, primo piatto, secondo piatto, dolce... you name it, my belly has sampled it!!!
Humour me if I'm a bit off sync the first days.
Always have a hard time railing myself back into common sense after our yearly stint in Italy!
@dharmamom said:
Hi, everyone!
Quick greetings from Como! Just wanted to let the UK members of the site know that should you have a Grandma or Grandpa gone missing, they're here with me.
I mean, there are literally coachfuls of British elderly people being offloaded at my hotel every day.
The breakfast dining-room is British territory!
A very big hug to everyone and check back next week...
The one I got is not so funny. I got heat rushes since Tuesday. I put Calamine lotion. It seem to take away a bit of itch. Still there . Does anybody know anything other things better than this. :eek:
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
wear light, cotton, non-clinging clothes. Take regular cool showers, and drink plenty of cold water. If necessary, have cool face wipes (You can keep them cold in a tupperware box with a food cold-block).
The rashes usually pass in 3 - 5 days.
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
A heat rash (or prickly heat, as it is also known) is caused, primarily by sweat glands becoming blocked, so when you shower, make sure you exfoliate. Not too hard, but enough to rub your skin well, and remove the very top layer. I usually do this with a clean, dry flannel BEFORE showering, then shower and wash well.
A note about washing towels flannels and tea-cloths: Wash them on the hottest setting possible, and never add fabric softener or conditioner to the rinse.
Fabric conditioner is a polymer; it's a kind of plastic, which coats the fibres of your clothing and helps repel water and dirt. It also makes the fabric feel much softer. However, on towels, flannels and teacloths, it prevents absorption of water. In other words, it stops the item from doing its job, which is to dry stuff.
It can also exacerbate skin allergies....
If you have been adding conditioner to your rinse cycle when washing towels, it may take two, or even three good hot washes to get rid of it from the material.
Yes. I do use 2 in 1 washing liquid. I will definitely try the one with no softeners this time. But I been using current one for so long. This allergy or rush on arms and neck suddenly happens. I also think the shower I take is a bit hot. With the rash, even the water or shower gel cause stinging on the rash.
The thing is I walk to work and it is like 25 mins under the sun in the morning and evening. There are some road works along the road I walk. Those people are digging and the air with some dust around cause itching I think.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
There's an awful lot to be said for a parasol... I have in the past week seen three different ladies with a parasol!
I have yet to see a Chinese lady without her parasol. And they have such beautiful complexions...
I'm not a fan of suntanning, but love to go for long strolls and getting mildly sunkissed, eapecially in the summer. Otherwise hubby claims I'm so pale I look like a vampire when I wear no make-up.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@dharmamom said:
I have yet to see a Chinese lady without her parasol. And they have such beautiful complexions...
Parasols, eh? I guess Chinese people over there are more classy. Here, almost every Chinese woman over 30 wears one of these.
My fiancee and I, being Canadian-born Chinese (well her family history is a bit more complicated, but i won't go into it) don't really care about fair complexion vs. tan. Summer = sun, so we get tanned. Big deal. We won't go to the beach to specifically tan, but we also won't spend hours scheming ways to cover up.
What she has to say about my farmer's tan though...
Wow, @Invincible_summer! Swear in the countries I visited in Asia I never saw a woman with one of those...
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
That moment when you go to take another forkful of dinner and realise you've finished it, and feel disappointed because you could eat the lot twice over it was so good, but that would just have been tooooo piggish....
This week-end we went to see FLight of the Butterfly .... in 3D.
It was breathtaking and awesome! If you get a chance to see it....do it!.
" Canadian documentary film directed and co-written by Mike Slee for 3D IMAX,
The story line follows Dr. Fred Urquhart as a child in Canada, fascinated by the butterflies; his years of research and study, together with his wife and collaborator Norah, into their life and migration; and their recruitment of a pair of amateur naturalists in Mexico to search for and ultimately find the butterflies there, concluding with his time decades later as a senior scientist looking back at his investigations and discoveries about the insect's life pattern. In addition to finding the overwintering sites, he discovered that it takes two or three generations for the monarch butterflies to reach the Canadian breeding grounds, while one much-longer-lived "supergeneration" makes the 2,500-mile (4,000 km) return trip south into central Mexico.[3]"
@federica said:
That moment when you go to take another forkful of dinner and realise you've finished it, and feel disappointed because you could eat the lot twice over it was so good, but that would just have been tooooo piggish....
That's how I feel every time I eat poutine...
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I had to look that Canadian delicacy up... I was actually talking about some steamed rice, home-made paneer cheese and home-made brined pickles. But yours (and I use the term as it appears on the explanatory website) is a heart-attack on a plate....!
Poutine sounds great...AND I can eat it...for those of you who missed my tale of bravery and derring-do in the face of huge suffering I passed a kidney stone last week.
Yes, a kidney stone
.
I passed it with total coolness and unruffled calm and hardly got impatient with my wife at all, and only whined and writhed for the first four hours..
Anyhoo, to rule out a cardiac 'event' etc I had my arterial system scanned..
And ...I have no plaques or deposits..in fact the consultant said my " vascular tree " was healthier looking than his...
So pass the poutine, and the butter, and while you are at it fry me some double cream.
Comments
So much for Luang Por Sumedho's ' retirement '...
Not much, really. These plants are inexpensive. My only qualm was not being able to stop them from dying on my clumsy hands.
Not really sure what that's supposed to mean. Are monks not allowed to visit other monasteries and retreat centers (or even family as he's from this area) just because they're no longer in charge of their own and spend most of their time working on their own practice?
Life is beautiful and so are you.
It was said with great respect and affection @Jason...Luang Por said that his intention was to retire to a hut and wanted no more public life..he is nearly 80.
Then he reported that he was receiving a list of ( largely uninvited ) visitors that he felt he couldn't turn away... and invitations to attend stuff..
And it became clear that his big heart and concern was going to mean a modification in his original intentions...
Ah, I see.
So what a way to start my summer break:
Had a nagging soreness in the 2nd metatarsal head (ball of foot, 2nd toe) for the past week after an easy run. Nothing preventing me frrom walking though.
Then i woke up yesterday unable to put any weight on that foot.
Went to Urgent Care at the nearby hospital and got an x-ray and blood test. Both showed nothing, so the doctor set up a bone scan appointment for me this coming week to see if I have a stress fracture.
So I'm on crutches with non-weight bearing status on my left foot for I don't know how long.
Oh, did I mention? I have a job interview at a joint health exercise clinic on Monday! How perfect is that?
can they do anything if something is broken?
@Invincible_summer ...Feel better and try to enjoy the rest.
Let us know how the job interview goes! Do your best and forget the rest..:) ...
Thats hard @Invincible_summer...
@Jeffrey I think they can probably put my foot in an AFO (ankle foot orthoses) or some other sort of splint if it does turn out to be a fracture. Then again, the doctor I saw said "You can either just rest, or we can investigate it." That sort of made it sound like I could potentially just sit on my butt and let it resolve itself... but the fact that I can't even walk pushed me to find out what's really going on.
@Vastmind - Thanks! I don't want to sound too dramatic about it, but it feels very strange to be more dependent on others, especially when it comes to carrying bulky items or even something simple like a plate of food. I think Iwill learn to appreciate those around me much more.
@Citta - Luckily I've practiced getting around on crutches a lot in my physiotherapy assistant program! For such relatively minor injury, I'm not taking it as well as I could be.
Well at least it will give you a patients eye view @Invincible_summer...
Get well soon..
My roomies and signed the lease to our duplex today. We're moving all of our human related goods to the new space on Saturday. This is my first place away from my parents, and I'm so excited! The landlord even told me that I could bring my beloved little chinchilla- which he called a "chachilla". Chinchilla God, forgive him, for he knows not how to pronounce your chinchildrens' names.
Around 3 am...I hear a big BAM! pop...pop...pop..pop... Sounded like the house was being shot up. Everyone was on their bellies.....baseball bat in hand and we locked ourselves in the inside closet. One of the longest nights of my life..The kids were a mess..We were freaked out...Once the burn smell started..We thought the house caught fire......what was it? ....Apparently some kids...( I'm assuming)... threw a whole box of pop fireworks at my FRONTDOOR!!! ...... Really? When did we start doing that ? I now have 300 shells all over my front porch. Happy F'in' Birthday America ... :grumble: ..... The pic has bad sunrise back lighting...but you can see how many times and how close it was..... Powder residue on the door and a big mess.
We're driving off to Como tomorrow morning and I have to start packing.
I'll be back in ten days.
Wish everyone a nice summer vacation and see you all soon!!
Enjoy @dharmamom ! See you soon...
Oh boy. Sounds like not fun.
Our boiler has been making exploding noises. May be air in the system . . .
. . . meanwhile I have found a New Temple . . .
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/festival-of-love
@Vastmind - Oy gevalt! Hopefully there wasn't much (or any) damage! I can imagine you guys were scared out of your pants!
...Currently being widely advertised on billboards all over the London Underground.....
A guy at work said...."Oh yeah....the kids in my neighborhood always put fireworks in our mailbox...we now take it down on that day" ..... I'm really surprised how little people know/care about the dangers. Oh well.....I would love to say I'm over it....but I think I'm ruined when it comes to July 4 fireworks from now on......Not too much physical damage here...it could have been way worse. I'll be painting the porch this week-end to cover the burn marks....oh and the door too. The noise just keeps replaying in my head....How loud, sudden, and seemed to go on and on........I may need to work on this, huh? It's sure been arising and arising.....I was jumpy today at some noises in the office....I'm sure it will subside/play itself out.....
Arrived at our put in spot for a camping/ kayak trip to find 2 meter seas and 40 knot winds in our faces. Should have known that a forecast of 2 weeks of sunshine on the normally rainy West coast would have a caveat.
Went for a walk in my local city park and a plastic shopping bag was windblown to my feet. Picked it up and used it to gather up more rubbish on my walk, which became an enjoyable game. Tossed the full bag into a trash can near my car and felt an inner smile as I drove back home.
^^^ I'll play . . . :bowdown: .
Hi, everyone!
Quick greetings from Como! Just wanted to let the UK members of the site know that should you have a Grandma or Grandpa gone missing, they're here with me.
I mean, there are literally coachfuls of British elderly people being offloaded at my hotel every day.
The breakfast dining-room is British territory!
A very big hug to everyone and check back next week...
Have fun! Bring us back a keychain...
Our doctor told my mum, when she was seventy, that she should walk at least two miles a day.
She's 82 now, and we don't know where the hell she is.
Maybe check the latest batch, @dharmamom....?
So my family doctor, being skeptical that I had a stress fracture on my 2nd toe joint, prescribed me a strong NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to take 3 times a day.
It works! The swelling has gone down tremendously and there's virtually no pain in the joint. I'm actually able to get around without crutches now, though i'm still being cautious and not strapping on the running shoes just yet.
So, here I am, back from Como and with at least five kilos surplus of good Italian samsaric dolce vita!!! Antipasti, contorni, primo piatto, secondo piatto, dolce... you name it, my belly has sampled it!!!
Humour me if I'm a bit off sync the first days.
Always have a hard time railing myself back into common sense after our yearly stint in Italy!
Am I there @dharmamom ?
Well, the youngest person in the group was fifteen-years older than me.
I'm 43, so you tell me...
No, I thought I probably wasn't...
i'm hot....and I am not referring to my craggy good looks and charisma.
I'd laugh, but I'm too hot to ha ha haaa hhh....
T
It aint 'alf 'ot @fed...
The one I got is not so funny. I got heat rushes since Tuesday. I put Calamine lotion. It seem to take away a bit of itch. Still there . Does anybody know anything other things better than this. :eek:
wear light, cotton, non-clinging clothes. Take regular cool showers, and drink plenty of cold water. If necessary, have cool face wipes (You can keep them cold in a tupperware box with a food cold-block).
The rashes usually pass in 3 - 5 days.
@federica, thanks
A heat rash (or prickly heat, as it is also known) is caused, primarily by sweat glands becoming blocked, so when you shower, make sure you exfoliate. Not too hard, but enough to rub your skin well, and remove the very top layer. I usually do this with a clean, dry flannel BEFORE showering, then shower and wash well.
A note about washing towels flannels and tea-cloths: Wash them on the hottest setting possible, and never add fabric softener or conditioner to the rinse.
Fabric conditioner is a polymer; it's a kind of plastic, which coats the fibres of your clothing and helps repel water and dirt. It also makes the fabric feel much softer. However, on towels, flannels and teacloths, it prevents absorption of water. In other words, it stops the item from doing its job, which is to dry stuff.
It can also exacerbate skin allergies....
If you have been adding conditioner to your rinse cycle when washing towels, it may take two, or even three good hot washes to get rid of it from the material.
Yes. I do use 2 in 1 washing liquid. I will definitely try the one with no softeners this time. But I been using current one for so long. This allergy or rush on arms and neck suddenly happens. I also think the shower I take is a bit hot. With the rash, even the water or shower gel cause stinging on the rash.
The thing is I walk to work and it is like 25 mins under the sun in the morning and evening. There are some road works along the road I walk. Those people are digging and the air with some dust around cause itching I think.
There's an awful lot to be said for a parasol... I have in the past week seen three different ladies with a parasol!
I have yet to see a Chinese lady without her parasol. And they have such beautiful complexions...
I'm not a fan of suntanning, but love to go for long strolls and getting mildly sunkissed, eapecially in the summer. Otherwise hubby claims I'm so pale I look like a vampire when I wear no make-up.
You should tell him looks can kill....
. 
.
Parasols, eh? I guess Chinese people over there are more classy. Here, almost every Chinese woman over 30 wears one of these.
My fiancee and I, being Canadian-born Chinese (well her family history is a bit more complicated, but i won't go into it) don't really care about fair complexion vs. tan. Summer = sun, so we get tanned. Big deal. We won't go to the beach to specifically tan, but we also won't spend hours scheming ways to cover up.
What she has to say about my farmer's tan though...
Wow, @Invincible_summer! Swear in the countries I visited in Asia I never saw a woman with one of those...
That moment when you go to take another forkful of dinner and realise you've finished it, and feel disappointed because you could eat the lot twice over it was so good, but that would just have been tooooo piggish....
This week-end we went to see FLight of the Butterfly .... in 3D.
It was breathtaking and awesome! If you get a chance to see it....do it!.
" Canadian documentary film directed and co-written by Mike Slee for 3D IMAX,
The story line follows Dr. Fred Urquhart as a child in Canada, fascinated by the butterflies; his years of research and study, together with his wife and collaborator Norah, into their life and migration; and their recruitment of a pair of amateur naturalists in Mexico to search for and ultimately find the butterflies there, concluding with his time decades later as a senior scientist looking back at his investigations and discoveries about the insect's life pattern. In addition to finding the overwintering sites, he discovered that it takes two or three generations for the monarch butterflies to reach the Canadian breeding grounds, while one much-longer-lived "supergeneration" makes the 2,500-mile (4,000 km) return trip south into central Mexico.[3]"
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Butterflies
That's how I feel every time I eat poutine...
I had to look that Canadian delicacy up... I was actually talking about some steamed rice, home-made paneer cheese and home-made brined pickles. But yours (and I use the term as it appears on the explanatory website) is a heart-attack on a plate....!
Poutine sounds great...AND I can eat it...for those of you who missed my tale of bravery and derring-do in the face of huge suffering I passed a kidney stone last week.
Yes, a kidney stone
.
I passed it with total coolness and unruffled calm and hardly got impatient with my wife at all, and only whined and writhed for the first four hours..
Anyhoo, to rule out a cardiac 'event' etc I had my arterial system scanned..
And ...I have no plaques or deposits..in fact the consultant said my " vascular tree " was healthier looking than his...
So pass the poutine, and the butter, and while you are at it fry me some double cream.
@federica - When I have to tell people that I eat mostly a plant-based diet, they always say "Oh you're so healthy!"
Then I have to remind them that poutine is vegetarian (or at least can be, if the gravy isn't beef-based)...
@Citta - Great to hear that you're in poutine-grade health!