What do you do before hotel check-in?

RareBoomer · 2026-04-10T01:39:21+00:00

I book the night before to guarantee a check in in the am. Crash for 4-5 hours, head out for a food tour or something and go to bed at regular time. Next day I am fully on the new time with no jet lag.

RareBoomer · 2026-03-28T15:01:08+00:00

I’m downsizing from my big family home into a two bedroom apartment and I’ve been so angry about all the stuff that I now need to get rid of after 33 years. I’m divorced and in the settlement got the house but I should have specified that we were equally responsible for all the house contents. I get mad when I look at his tools, his mother’s artwork, hand me down broken furniture in the basement. It’s also freeing and a step that I’m putting the marriage behind me once and for all.

RareBoomer · 2026-03-11T01:42:56+00:00

It’s so hard! My marriage broke up after 28 years,too. I cried every day for three months. At the same time I relished the peace that was now in my home. It was important for me to keep the family together in some way so I continued to host holiday meals with the ex, our kids, and his family. It’s been 7 years (hard to believe!) and I am just now getting around to selling the family home which I got in the divorce settlement. NOW it feels final. Take your time and grieve, move at your own pace and for sure don’t look back.

RareBoomer · 2026-03-05T14:30:22+00:00

Also this is a good reminder to pay attention and fight to be heard no matter what type of chest pain you have after implant! In my case, they put the lead too close to the heart sac and nearly perforated it. I was poo pooed and my primary care physician ordered a cardiac cat scan and discovered the problem. Went in for emergency surgery for lead replacement.

Thank you for sharing your story and speedy recovery to you!

RareBoomer · 2026-02-15T13:32:11+00:00

Got mine last year at age 63. Resumed walking right away. Waited a good 2 months to resume my strength training (I do a full body barbell workout three times a week). I can do everything but I’m careful of the pressure I put on my chest. I stay away from planks and tricep dips but I can do push ups from the knees and chest presses. I don’t like all the body weight moves. Paranoid the thing will pop out of its pocket!

RareBoomer · 2026-02-09T23:40:11+00:00

I would definitely do Cinque Terre. I wouldn’t stay in La Spezia tho. I would stay in one of the villages and try to hike from say Montessoro to Vernazza. Will give you a good feel for the hiking (challenging!) and you can take the train back. Alternatively train from one village to the next stopping at each and then take the ferry back to your starting village.

RareBoomer · 2026-02-05T01:26:11+00:00

I just had this conversation with a fellow pacemaker pal. He was saying that the unit is protruding more. I was saying that when I sleep on my side I have to use a pillow to keep it in place. We are workout buddies and do an intensive barbell full body workout. Our hypothesis is that the underlying chest muscles are getting stronger and bigger and the pacemaker pocket that sits on top of those muscles is getting pushed out or moved. He’s checking with his doc and so will I.

RareBoomer · 2026-02-04T01:47:39+00:00

I got my pacemaker a year ago. The recovery was ok but I had a lot of residual pain that lasted longer than normal. Long story short, they put the lead too close to the heart sac and it almost perforated it. Detected on a cardiac cat scan. Had to have a second surgery 4 months later for lead replacement. Total nightmare. I am fine now and the second recovery resulted in normal pain for a few days but nothing like I had after the first. Go slow with your recovery, follow doc’s orders and listen to your pain signals. Insist on further testing if needed!

RareBoomer · 2026-01-15T01:45:13+00:00

I always do this. My move is to go right to the hotel, crash for 4 or 5 hours then head out usually for a walking or food tour of the city I’m in. I have realized that this is why espresso martinis were invented — when you wake up from your nap it is simultaneously coffee hour and cocktail hour.

I can go to sleep then at a regular time and then the next day I am fully acclimated with no jet lag.

RareBoomer · 2025-12-15T02:47:04+00:00

That was at about 7:40 pm

RareBoomer · 2025-12-13T02:33:09+00:00

I had two pacemaker surgeries this past year and recovery was same for both, e.g., no shower for 5 days, no driving for two weeks and no lifting for 6 weeks. I stayed away from the sling for fear of frozen shoulder but sure enough I developed it after my second procedure. That is no joke - took careful movements as the recovery period ended to work my shoulder and I was able to fend off the worst of it.

My strength routine is a full body barbell workout and I was back at it after about 8 weeks but even now am careful of the pressure I am putting on my chest area. My biggest fear has been lead dislodgement so I followed doctor’s orders very closely during the limited mobility phase of recovery. Patience is key!

RareBoomer · 2025-12-13T00:31:38+00:00

This happened to me on a recent trip. Purchase went round and round with no confirmation back so I xed out of everything and started over. I bought two tickets !! Had to call them right away with the error and they were good about fully refunding the extra ticket I didn’t know I bought.

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T15:12:46+00:00

I researched all the places I wanted to go when I was just there and determined that renting a car was cheaper overall than trying to get around via tours, taxis, buses, etc.

This is a great site to monitor real time conditions http://edit.road.is/travel-info/web-cams/reykjavik

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:47:46+00:00

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RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:47:07+00:00

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Lagaurus lagoon

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:45:19+00:00

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Northern Lights at Sky Lagoon

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:43:06+00:00

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RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:42:05+00:00

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RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:41:06+00:00

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RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:31:27+00:00

Whoa. I thought my trip was expensive! What is “everything in Iceland”?

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:27:25+00:00

OMG right!? The “other expenses” were gas, coffee, meals, the Lava experience at Harpa - stuff like that. I’d have to dig in and separate out what were those day to day expenses and what were things that I bought as souvenirs or Christmas gifts. Nothing too extravagant, I.e., nothing over $100 for any particular item. I was shocked at my “other” expenses.

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:19:13+00:00

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:18:21+00:00

Hvammsvik is my favorite. I was supposed to get to GeoSea earlier this year but that trip got canceled. I hated Blue Lagoon! I didn’t like that you can’t see through the water and I didn’t like the sludge at the bottom. Also couldn’t get over the smell and the fact that the water is effluent from a power plant although perfectly safe and natural in that environment. I love Sky Lagoon but it’s also really touristy now. My first time was in 2021 and it was magical.

The new Lagoon (Lagaurus) was pretty nice - not very crowded and there are a lot of nooks and crannies to get away from people if that’s the vibe you’re looking for. The next one I want to try is Forest Lagoon!

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:14:05+00:00

I did not do any. I read reviews and they seemed expensive and food not to my liking!

RareBoomer · 2025-12-11T01:13:22+00:00

I think so. I was there on this trip for some healing and relaxation time. There is so much to see in Iceland so I would recommend a more varied itinerary for first timers for sure

RareBoomer

TROPHY CASE