voyager

There's nothing wrong with "pasta", only with "portion". Husband and I have each dropped 20lbs without cutting out anything but rather by downsizing portions.

Always a good idea.

"a bowl with a plate on top" What we use, except as cover we invert one of those plastic bowls that many frozen entrees come in. Husband depends on microwave for (reheated, repurposed) lunches, and I do for breakfast oatmeal, prepared as described upthread. I remember being thoroughly excoriated for not using "proper microwave vessels" by a famous SF cookware store owner, but her interests were not necessarily mine. We don't use plastic containers in the microwave nor any special or valuable or handcrafted pieces. Just ordinary "white china".

Did you choose these courses or was this a menu?

I shouldn't suggest "born again"...no, I shouldn't.

I would like to mitigate the terrifying word "cancer". It is imperative to understand that new treatment is being developed as we speak and that many of our past experiences and assumptions are no longer apropos. eg, chemo has not caused husband one moment of nausea, nor has he lost so much as one hair off his head. In fact, he was given a laundry list of possible side effects and not one of them has manifested itself. His was metastasized when found, a major tumor, lymph nodes and many small liver spots. After 3 rounds of chemo and immuno, the tumor had shrunk by 75%, lymph nodes returned to normal and liver spots entirely gone. In addition, the protein suppliers had been rendered inactive. A subsequent scan showed continued shrinkage if not so dramatic. An MRI showed several spots on his brain which were addressed successfully by gamma knife, an entirely painless procedure. His energy level is not what it was, but he still puts in an astonishing day's work in the country, essentially keeping nature at bay. Because his tumor is esophageal, he has to pay attention to eating moderate amounts and slowly, and to CHEW extraordinarily well. But you would never know that he was in anyway compromised. My hope for Sneak is that he make no assumptions or irrevokable decisions at this time. "Inoperable" and "incurable" are merely descriptive, not sentences. There are MANY options out there today.

Sneak, as you might know, husband has been living with this diagnosis for some 8 months. He has been receiving both chemotherapy and immunotherapy with close to no side effects except fatigue. His subsequent scans are all looking good. I have convinced him to put away his shroud and live in the present. Work with the best med team you can find and thrive!! Sending my most positive thoughts and encouragement.

Neither of us had a reaction to either of the current shingles vacs.

When asked where "it hurts", I often go into my routine.

That's a very full case for them. We loved their quality when they opened, some 9? years ago but never found the sketchy parking worth a gamble on what they might have in stock. Glad to see this.

Have no explanation for it, but since the back ablation most of the pain in my bone-on-bone knee joint has vanished while considerable flexibility has returned to it. A puzzlement but I'm not complaining. Also sleeping like a cat!

When I mentioned my back xrays to my knee guy (same practice as the ablation guy), he quipped, "Back xrays of anyone your age look like trainwrecks."

Yes, final procedure yesterday. I was not made aware of frightening risks. While my docs all warn against Googled advice, there is a lot out there by legitimate medical centers if you need, like me, to stick your tongue in your cavity. As with any procedure, I would consider only a provider who does this procedure with great frequency.

For maybe 20 years I've suffered activity limiting back pain. Since so many others here report periodical if not daily episodes I thought we might compare notes. Several months ago I cried, "Uncle" and saw my ortho guy who sent me to their pain management specialist. Seen and evaluated (xrays and MRI), Radio frequency back ablation was chosen as appropriate. Medicare requires two test procedures that look for the efficacy of this treatment before agreeing to it. I found profound relief from both tests, so we proceeded yesterday with the final or real procedure. While doctors and clinics may vary, I experienced 0% pain during either tests, and 4 day exquisite relief after each and before normal pain returned. Yesterday's experience was equally painless. i mean absolutely free of pain. No after treatment pain, fabulous night's sleep, standing straight and tall this morning, Mr. Google suggests modest pain after procedure and delay of relief, but not this time. This procedure is not guaranteed to provide relief and that it usually lasts for one, possibly two years. However, I will be more than delighted with that much relief. Will report progress, or regress. (For anyone in the Bay Area, I will happily share my doctor's name and recs,)

Kids are less work than sourdough starters.

Makes me wonder, too, about architectural digest. Although it shouldn't. A wonderful old home around the corner from us sold several years ago in the mid-7 figures. It has been under remodeling for three years now at a cost, according to the general contractor, of 10 mil. The coup de grace was their whitewashing the lovely old brick, trendy to be sure but a travesty to the elegance of the house. Husband quipped to the contractor, "Someone will rot in hell for this." The contractor shrugged somewhat sympathetically and mumbled, "I just work here." In a couple of years, "white brick" will probably be "out".

Coastal orientation: Haven't been here in several years but always booked first night in the area at Freres Ibarboure in Bidart. Spacious rooms, lovely welcome, quite acceptable dinners and sublime in-room breakfast service. A great stop before driving east into interior Pays Basques. Inland destination was Hotel Arce in Saint Etienne de Baigorry, a lovely foothill town from which to explore the area. This area and these people/hosts stole my heart.

Just stop it.

Braggart.

Our son is our IT. He tells us when it's time to upgrade to new hardware. Usually he has something shipped from the famous NYC camera shop, but last laptop I didn't want to wait, so toddled down to the Union Square Apple store and told dude what I wanted. He sized me up, an old lady in jeans and jacket and tells me I only need an ipad. I tell him that I came for a laptop to replace my 4th generation laptop, and he tells me I should buy an ipad. i asked him if another associate would perhaps fill my order and he finally brought me my new machine. Our son was livid, ranting that if this guy had any clue the use I put my laptop to he wouldn't have been so condescending, but madder that he was judgemental and condescending to begin with. Moral: define your needs early enough to have delivered from the famous NYC camera shop.

Based on my experience with making fish fumet with a whole halibut frame, I would give your pot a decent washing then set it out in the air (balcony?) for several days and then one more light wash. Let Mother Nature do part of your work.

I salute you! I can't imagine a spreadsheet of meals that I would actually stick to. I can see having to plan to incorporate required traditional foods/dishes and certainly the avoidance of forbidden ones, but beyond that my meal planning mindset is strictly from the hip. (When I taught and when I bought, lesson and merchandise plans were constructs I submitted to appease management. Once done, I free-styled.)

Husband did the same thing. Horrible odor but absolutely sublime interior flavor, He now keeps one mouldering/aging in a sealed container. Quite amazing stuff, so very different from normal feta.

Reminds me of the dozens of Japanese films I've watched on United and Air France.

I still boggled at growing your own bananas!