After the Rain, More Smoke

Yesterday's blinding downpour led to several traffic mishaps, none of them mine. I cursed every car without their headlamps on because even with wipers moving at full speed, it was nearly impossible to see the road. Turning onto the main strip felt like a dicey game of chance. But I had a doctor's appointment and was well on my way when rain suddenly became a monsoon that washed dirt, rocks and branches onto roadways. I made it to my destination just fine and then the sun came out. 

When I returned home, all sorts of emergency vehicles blocked different portions of the secondary road because some people just don't know how to drive prudently in bad weather on twisty windy roads. You drive slowly and steadily with your headlamps on, and you have enough foresight to keep decent tires on your auto, ones with actual tread and enough air pressure. I do need to replace my rear window wiper blade as it's shredded but that's not a critical item.

I get to the gym after 8 this morning and it's not very crowded. But the a/c isn't on either since the back door is open, presumably, to air the place out. I get cardio done and skip pull-ups just to hit the Aerobics Room before class starts at 9:30. There's no a/c on in there either, and sweat drips off my nose during planks. The weather alternates between blisteringly sunny and cool but hazy with a faint orange tint. Canadian wildfires have jumped the air quality index to unhealthy levels once again.

I've been skipping the first set of pull-ups just to have time in the Aerobics Room before classes start, but maybe that's a mistake. Because the later set of pull-ups have deteriorated. Today I only get to 15 before my hands and fingers go numb. I can't blame the sciatica for that, although sciatica is now causing the toes on my left foot to sporadically go numb while I'm driving. Ugh. It's not a good thing. 

I remembered to snap a pic of the shingles shot discoloration on my upper arm. It looks like a tiny paw print in pink, but there's no swelling or itching, just a weird mark. I wonder if it'll eventually fade, or if it'll still be there when I go for the second shot in a few months, like a target. Is it wise to hit the exact same spot twice? 

Meanwhile, my son got his first set of invisible braces that he swaps out on a weekly basis for the next 6 weeks. Then back to the orthodontist. Unlike regular metal braces that get tightened once a week, the entire plastic mouthpiece (uppers and lowers) are replaced with brand new ones. I never knew that, and I wonder if I should bother straightening my bottom front teeth. They used to be perfectly straight, but with age, mostly everyone's bottom teeth get pushed out of position by the tongue and the mechanical action of chewing. 

My mouth is already crowded because there are several mandibular tori under my tongue. I probably couldn't wear the invisible braces. And would braces impact the bridges I need to replace on each side? Ugh. I have more pressing things to worry about, like having a colonoscopy scheduled for the Monday that we're back from Canada... Oh, that's gonna be fun. (Just listen to Bill Engvall's comedy piece about that!)

29 June 2023
Post Downpour Thursday w Sciatica

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5622)
Distance: 2.84
Cal: 316
Avg Hr: 138, 186-88

20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

HGPU 15 (numb hands)