Wayne Gray

Thanks for the nice comment. Me? Curve balls? Has someone been talking to you about me? Lies and slander! Well. Maybe not all of it. 😏

Hell yeah! Way to keep after it, Kitt! Congratulations on getting what you were always owed from people who REALLY don't like paying anything ...

Good! That's the idea. Keep reading. Chapter 5 is ... well. It's where things get interesting. 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Super appreciate that. This was a fun story to write, and I even read through it periodically when I want to get my motor running. LOL This is my only dip into the paranormal (well, almost). But I've lots of other work out there to read. My most recent story is Curing Humanity, and that one really came out well. It's short - only six chapters - but it feels polished and tightly constructed. It's one of the better things I've written. Guarded was my first real book. Mechanically, there are issues with the work, but plot-wise? Well, it's good in that respect. Give it a shot, and if you want something different after, try Camp Refuge. Those stories are loosely linked, so be sure to start with Guarded if you begin that series. Ash and Ember is a reader favorite, though I have a deep affection for Fleeting Eternity. I'm probably most proud of that one, as it is, by far, the most emotional thing I've ever written. It may be the most emotional thing I've ever read ... Thanks again. I hope you find something else you enjoy in my work.

When I was posting this, I described writing it as "chocolate cake." It's decadent. Over the top. Fun. And ... it's just a lot. LOL. So I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Thanks for reading and commenting! I’m glad you found my work, and hope you continue to enjoy this one. Silverwolf was a lot of fun to write, and I think that comes through. Keep reading. This one gets wild!

Tiger and Libra here. Even got a tattoo to that effect. Apparently, one of the hallmarks of that combination is: "A great lover of justice, even at the expense of themselves." ... Who is not going to love that about themselves? So, of course, I believe in astrology!

Kitt is right. Antihistamines mask the body's response to allergens. So you may not react to things you should, which means you will not get the correct answers from any testing performed. If there's no testing that depends on a histamine response, your appointment will still happen. If there is, it'll need to be rescheduled.

Okay. I'm going to commit to this ... I will commit to actually making one of the recipes here that I have yet to try once a week. Don't steer me wrong, DiC!

When it comes to good, simple food, this one is easy. Even I can do it, and it's one of the best things I've ever made. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken/crispy-sticky-chicken-thighs-with-squashed-new-potatoes-tomatoes/

Thank you, Mike. It feels good. Even if the scale isn't cooperating right now, that's all right. Eventually, with enough muscle on my frame, my body won't have a choice but to burn more fat. It's just physics at that point. But I'm enjoying the process, and the "now" more than I ever have. That alone is great.

After losing hundreds of dollars' worth of food during an extended outage a decade ago, I began researching power banks big enough to run a fridge. Bluetti is a great brand, and that's what we went with. We've got two big battery back-ups now. If you rely on a c-pap or other medical machines, it's a good idea to get one. They're not all that expensive for the smaller models, and those will run a c-pap for days. In the meantime, good luck. Do the best you can, and if you have family/friends who can help, keep them updated on your status.

Are your dogs sometimes like my cats? Do they become afraid of their own vomiting and run while they do it, so that you're not cleaning a single spot of partially digested pet food, but a long, panicked, chaotic, line of it? No? Just mine, huh? That's great.

Swimming will absolutely get it done. Good for you. In terms of diet, I've found my body slows waaaaay down if I limit calories as much as I'm "supposed" to. I can win that game, eventually, but I must also stop playing it if I am interested in progressing in my workouts. I never get used to reduced calories. I'm always miserable and lethargic. It's just not worth it. Mostly, I eat pretty well. I'd say about 80-90% of my diet is, overall, good stuff. My weaknesses are cheese, bacon, and bread. But I'm also pretty good at avoiding those when I try. As an example: today I've had some protein fortified yogurt with walnuts for breakfast. For lunch I had beans made with a single slice of bacon, with added protein from bone broth. A snack of an English muffin, with natural peanut butter and an apple. Dinner will be something my husband makes with the chicken breasts thawing on the counter, along with a salad. And that's pretty typical for me. I get about 2100-2200 calories a day on average. I burn about 400-500 every morning during my workout. I SHOULD be losing weight. But I don't.

Thanks, tim. It really does feel good when we can see that our work is ... well, working. I've spent a long time trying to improve myself physically, and I'm finally seeing the results of that. Further to go. But that just means there's another goal down the road.

Oh. Oh, hell naw.

Thanks! I started because I had to. Dad died at 61 from a massive heartattack. That woke me up. But now? Now I just go. It's like making coffee now, a part of my morning. It makes it easy to do. But looking in the mirror and seeing someone "kinda hot" was great. LOL

Warning: I'm about to geek out over working out. Move on if you aren't interested. LOL I've got the habit now. Getting up early, going to the gym, and getting that handled 4-5 days a week is now something I just do. I used to be extrinsically motivated by results. I needed to SEE changes to keep doing what I needed to do. But I'm past that. It's just something I do (which helps with consistency). But after using a new workout system called "Average to Jacked" for two months, I've begun noticing changes. The scale hasn't really budged. That used to be my big measure of success, but my body seems incredibly adept at holding onto mass. Yet I have noticed other things. Clothes are fitting better. More room in the waist, less room across the chest in my shirts, tighter pants across my quads, and tighter sleeves on my arms. I could take measurements, as I have my starting ones, but I've yet to do so. It hasn't felt necessary, since I don't need it to keep going. I'm intrinsically motivated now after years of working out, so I don't need external validation. But I got it today. And I admit, it felt really good. Wednesdays are "bonus" days for me. I hit all of the oddball muscle groups I don't focus on during the rest of the week, and one of those is the traps (trapezius). And my exercise of choice for those is shrugs. I've slowly worked up the row of Dumbbells until I'm at the end of the rack at 75lbs. And today, I picked them up and glanced at the mirror right in front of me. And ... I looked like someone who actually works out. There was no doubt. Big arms. Bulging shoulders. Tight traps and chest. Firm core. Even through my clothes, I could see it. Yeah, I know it was under a load, and that isn't how I look all the time. But it was still all me. For the previous few years, I had never noticed changes like this before. I really think this new system pushed me beyond my limits, especially in my upper body. One of the weird things it recommends is to get as many reps as possible in the first set of every exercise. And I feel that pushing to failure (or very close) on that first set is what makes the rep/set scheme different and worthwhile. It makes me adapt in ways I've never had to before. I'm excited by what I've seen today. It feels good to see a reward for hard work. Finally.

you have hit upon what is necessary for me to stay sane. I take time for myself. I do the things I enjoy. I do this in spite of the news. In spite of the way I'm "supposed" to feel. We've evolved to handle one thing at a time. Yet, we're presented with a world of worry on a daily basis. We're not built for it. It's why we see so much anxiety in the world. Overall, the more connected people are, the less happy. Don't bury your head in the sand. But don't live in the stream of information every second either. It'll make you crazy.

SUCH restraint.

Lucifer was an angel.

Is that how that works? Because ... *looks around* Mine seems to still be missing.

*pantomimes innocence* Me? *evil smirk*

Insurance is a whole different monster.

Well, it's not just that. It's that providers have their daily patient load. Then they have charting to do if they didn't spend their lunch doing that. Then they get to their messages in whatever EMR they use. Then they get to their phone and email messages. Then it's 8-9 PM, and they've been working since 8 AM. So they go home, and they do it again the next day. Somewhere in there, they're supposed to be engaged with their front desk staff and find out what's actually happening. It's not that they don't care. It's not that they don't prioritize. There's just only so much time to spend. And that makes it critical for us ... the patient, to advocate for ourselves. They won't hear you unless you are squeaky. So ... if it's important. Squeak like the most unoiled wheel there ever was.