A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Cyber-Vacuum

From:          larry.m.mixson@bvs.com (LARRY MIXSON)
To:            Elizabeth
Date:          Thu, 12 Mar 1998 10:07:11 -0800
Subject:       Re: Cyber-Vacuum
 
I was out sick yesterday so I missed your notes. After the sore throat cleared up I got major sinus congestion and felt really tired. I also had not slept well for three days. I spent the whole day blowing my nose in spite of having taken some prescription decongestants. Finally last night about three am I started feeling better and slept pretty well till I woke up at 7:30. All day I missed your notes and wanted to send an email to you from home but I couldn't remember your email address. Probably just as well for the way I was feeling the note would not have been very coherent. Well am back today feeling much better but still with some congestion.
 
Old Rag is a mountain in the Shenandoah National Park. Old Rag stands somewhat alone and gets its name from it being all rock on the summit. It is a great hike, only about 7 miles but over a 1000 ft climb with a lot of rock scrambling on the way up. We hike it at least once every year starting in mid morning, reaching the summit around noon, eating lunch and enjoying the 360 degree view and then hiking down in the afternoon. We go hiking two or three times a year in the mountains and Old Rag is one of our favorites.
 
I know what you mean about wishing for an outdoor occupation. To experience the day to day changes of the weather would be great. When we go hiking at Old Rag we stay at a B&B run by an interesting couple. He was in the park service his whole career and was the park superintendent of the Shenandoah National Park for the last 10 years before he retired. Julie and I have a hard time getting out after breakfast because we get talking to them about all their experiences in the park service. What a life they have had at parks all over the nation.
 
I also have to watch what I eat for it doesn't take much time of eating too much and not getting enough exercise to put on a few pounds. That southern style cooking can really get to you, on our trip to Florida it seems all we could find in GA, SC and NC on the way down and back was southern style places to eat. Once was OK but after the third or fourth time I had enough. Our cook here at work mainly does TexMex but does do many other styles. He makes a great stuffed trout. Another company moved into our building and they have about 50 people from India so he now has a vegetarian dish every day. Some are OK but not as good as his TexMex meals.
 
When I had a physical last year I had full blood work done. My "bad" cholesterol was fine, well in the good range. My "good" cholesterol was not so good being around 30. The doctor said it should be up in the 50's and had me start taking niacin every day. I'm supposed to go back this month and be retested to see if it has done any good. As for myself vs my father I eat a much better diet and do considerable exercise where my father never did either. I hope it is enough. My father did smoke when I was young, he quit when I was around 10. Although I feel that he is somewhat overweight he says the doctor said he was OK. As for job stress, I may not have found it to be all that stressful of a job but the last few years before he retired he was becoming more and more stressed by it for the Chemistry Dept. was going though a lot of changes. He had his heart attack and bypass a year or two before he retired.
 
I miss having access to a university library. We have a county library here in Reston but it is not the same as a university library. The county library system here is one of the best I've seen but there are just too many people and too few books. Most often if you want anything recent you have to put a reserve request in and wait for a few weeks. When I go I usually check out five or six books but seldom read them all before I have to return them.
 
I have the opposite problem, I have too many "hobbies". I have my computer and am always working on it, there is always home improvement projects, I just finished a cat "condo", I have a whole list of furniture items I want to make, learning to play the piano, gardening, scouts, yoga, racquetball, and bicycling. No wonder I never seem to have time for painting. We wanted to get a stained glass hanging for one of our windows and I thought it would be great to do stained glass. I sent off for a bunch of information and catalogs. It looks like fun but that is the last thing I need is another hobby!
 
Well I think I have caught up somewhat.
 
Larry

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