Personal Updates for May 6, 2021

This post has updates about my exercise, thoughts on recent shootings, and thoughts on my eye.

My Exercise

On the plus side, I have met my exercise goals for 328 consecutive days. In an effort to further challenge myself, I have begun shooting for an average of 700 burned calories during my daily exercise. Yes, I know the calories burned as tracked by my Apple Watch aren’t accurate. But they are consistently inaccurate. So, I can test my progress in the same way every day.

For the last couple of weeks I have met the daily goal of averaging 700 calories burned. One week I surpassed 700 calories burned each day during my workouts. I know this new goal is making me work harder. So, it’s another step in the right direction.

Thoughts on Recent Shootings

In the last couple of weeks, there have been two shootings within blocks of my house. One of them took place yesterday next to the train station I used every time I went to work. Since thoughts on what is happening could consume an entire post, I’m only going to discuss my personal feelings here.

Until recently, I never felt nervous around here. Sure, it’s not the neighborhood I grew up in, but I didn’t like many things about that kind of suburban neighborhood. Also, I will always have to live near public transit, limiting my options.

I have lived in and appreciated urban settings for decades. But now I’m starting to imagine leaving here. Where I once imagined myself growing old in this house, I’m no longer certain. Obviously, lots of things will impact whether I stay here or for how long I stay here. But the idea that I’m now unsure is kind of sad.

My Eye Surgery

For several weeks, my right eye, the one that has the prosthetic, has been bothering me. I went to the ocularist, the person who made my prosthetic, but the adjustment she made didn’t solve my current problem.

The surgeon who installed the orbital implant on which my prosthetic now rests said my eye lid has become saggy from holding a prosthetic for decades. Yes, my eye lid looks older than the rest of me.

The current plan is for him to tighten the eye lid so it can once again keep the prosthetic stable. Currently, It moves around in my eye. Not only does that mean my eye doesn’t look right, but sometimes it’s really irritating.

Thanks to COVID, they may not be able to schedule the surgery for up to six months. So, I’m conditioning myself to live with my eye the way it is now and hoping it doesn’t get much worse.

4 comments

  1. Sorry I haven’t checked in for awhile. But it’s good to read your posts, as usual. We just had two people shot a few blocks from here earlier in the week, though no fatalities last I heard. :/ Even though I’m sighted, I don’t drive so like you, I’m reliant on living close to the bus and rail. Take care. 🙂

      1. You’re welcome. 🙂 Oh, and I think when I mentioned Mastodon dot org to you a few months ago, you said it wasn’t navigable for you? (Apologies if I’m confusing you with another blogger.) But I did link to one of your tweets there and mention the podcast. I’ll see what I can do about checking it out myself.

        1. Amy, I appreciate your sharing my podcast. I am about to post a new one. I think part of the issue I am having with the sites you are sharing is I do not have accounts on them. If you are trying to send me something, could you send it to me through the contact form on this site?

I'd love to hear from you.

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