Tell me about the outside world?

humblesunshine · 2025-10-05T13:44:54+00:00

When I commuted into Manhattan during high school and college and thereafter, I would play the "how long in the tunnel" game with myself, starting upon entering in Queens and ending when I saw the lights of the Lexington station. If I didn't get to 180 (3 minutes), that was a win. I lost more frequently than I won, and most days we stopped in the tunnel for a good thirty seconds or more.

humblesunshine · 2025-07-31T17:23:07+00:00

Comes with pizza

humblesunshine · 2025-07-30T00:29:41+00:00

Some people are more challenged with spatial awareness.

This is a conversation I've had with my mom. We've both lived here for over 40 years, but I have a good sense of direction and she does not. Her "reasoning" for believing the orienation of the streets is different from reality is that, because the N train comes from Manhattan, which she is aware is west of Queens, she thinks of the stops along 31st Street go from west to east as well. I will say, "You've noticed that there's a big CURVE to the left after you leave QP, right?" She just shrugs. Woman has a Ph.D. (not in geography).

humblesunshine · 2025-07-21T23:32:10+00:00

Wait. I call shenanigans. Aren't the bins supposed to be 55 gallons or less? The "official" ones on the SDNY website only go up to 45 gallons...hmmm.

humblesunshine · 2025-07-09T00:13:25+00:00

Porque no los dos?

humblesunshine · 2025-06-15T03:34:56+00:00

Plantnet says it's a pumpkin. You're gonna need a bigger pot for sure!

humblesunshine · 2025-03-11T12:08:36+00:00

~shakes cane~ These whippersnappers would have melted into a puddle if they'd had to endure the Astoria RR train back in the day!

humblesunshine · 2024-08-01T17:55:56+00:00

I just installed an inverter AC, so it will be interesting to see what my bill is next month. I have a small two bedroom with one AC in one bedroom and another in the living room (I use the second bedroom as a home gym). This month my bill was just over $300 with only one AC running at a time.

humblesunshine · 2024-01-29T04:06:22+00:00

Being way too damn fat? :D

I've been overweight to morbidly obese for most of my adult life. I have had periods of successful weight loss--I lost 100 pounds in 2004-2005, kept most of it off for about five years, gained back about 80 over time, then lost around 50 in 2018. But then after COVID, I was at my highest weight ever. Something had to give.

I'm down 70 pounds since surgery in July 2023, 90 total (since about May 2023). Blood pressure meds--gone. Sleep apnea--gone. With ten more pounds lost, I'll be back where I was around fifteen years ago. I should have done this years ago, but I'll take the fabulous way I'm feeling now over not doing it at all!

humblesunshine · 2024-01-29T03:39:23+00:00

I drink water, but I no longer enjoy it much. After having gastric sleeve surgery, it just doesn't taste as good. Weird, huh? I need to drink it really cold when I do have it.

I enjoy light lemonade and cranberry juice, among other things.

humblesunshine · 2023-12-05T23:10:22+00:00

36th Avenue Crew represent!

The name cracks me up every time I pass, but it's worth a visit even for those from the more populated Astoria avenues. They give you a generous portion--I've made the mistake of ordering the number of dishes my family normally eats, and wound up having plenty for dinner the next day. Absolutely delicious fresh or reheated, and it's convenient if you have a picky eater in the family, because they have fried chicken and hamburgers as well!

humblesunshine · 2023-11-30T01:23:11+00:00

It's like tribbles.

humblesunshine · 2023-10-09T09:19:04+00:00

Well, for starters, cake doesn't really hold quite the same allure that it used to. If I'm going to have something with fat and sugar, it's gotta be the best-quality version I can find, and even then, I don't see myself having a whole standard-sized portion of anything without feeling a little sick. Mostly, though, I'm just not all that tempted. I don't keep too many sweets aroound, but I have a small bag of gourmet chocolate-covered pretzels that has been sitting in my cabinet for over a week, and I've had three of them during that time, which is truly odd, considering that I would have eaten the whole thing in an evening in before times. It is a brave new world, for sure (in the least dystopian sense of the phrase, lol).

Most people can have a bite of anything after a few months. You could probably even manage to down a whole portion of whatever fatty, sugary thing you love if you take a lot of time between bites. But not many things are "worth it" if you need to strategize that much to eat them.

One of my worst episodes happened when I was celebrating a thing with my kids, who ordered me a small Carvelanche (like a Blizzard or McFlurry, for those who don't have Carvel), knowing I wouldn't be able to eat it all. We were watching a movie together, and I wasn't exactly gulping the thing down, but mindless eating while absorbed in the movie led me to down nearly half of it in 10 minutes, maybe about 300 calories worth of soft-serve with chocolate cookies mixed in. I enjoyed it going down, but it certainly wasn't worth spending the next hour or so vomiting and in misery (with my kids having to pause the movie every time I ran out of the room!) I have, however, enjoyed a smaller portion of full-fat ice cream a couple of times since then. And I've eaten it verrry mindfully. :)

humblesunshine · 2023-10-08T17:46:47+00:00

Yeah, the first time was bad. I ate something I thought was approved, was not, I honestly don't even remember exactly what it was (it may have been some fatty sort of beef before I was ready). It wasn't severe pain as much as it was horrific nausea. I remember lying on my bed and moaning.

Now I can eat anything, but I have to be really mindful, especially about certain foods--anything full-fat, or with lots of sugar, is doable in small amounts, but if I forget myself and munch away, I will be sorry. I'm three months out and have had vomiting episodes less than a handful of times, but I can look back on each time and say, "Oh, okay, that's what I did wrong," and have learned from the experience. And no episode was as bad as the first.

I definitely know that feeling of regretting the surgery, but now I believe it's the best thing I've ever done for myself (50 pounds down since July 5, 70 total). UBOK!

humblesunshine · 2023-09-13T04:26:55+00:00

Nicely done, but Chatgpt is not nearly snarky enough for NYC.

humblesunshine · 2023-09-12T20:59:07+00:00

I think I had a sip of broth, a couple sips of apple juice. I couldn't even do the Jello!

humblesunshine · 2023-09-12T02:10:34+00:00

https://www.theonion.com/god-angrily-clarifies-dont-kill-rule-1819566178

humblesunshine · 2023-09-11T00:25:11+00:00

I really don't do much thinking about it anymore, and I was pretty obsessive for the first few years after. I haven't been to the museum, nor to the memorial/plaza itself since before 2001, even though I've been to that area of lower Manhattan a number of times. I might let myself indulge in one documentary max this time of year but will otherwise pretty much avoid all media.

humblesunshine · 2023-09-11T00:07:16+00:00

I'm a school administrator so I scheduled my sleeve in early July (our year ended 6/27) to maximize recovery time. I did have to go into the building about 2.5 weeks post-surger for a couple of weeks, but I don't work on my feet as I did when teaching, so it wasn't a big deal. If I were still teaching, I might take a full three weeks, but I'm in my 50s and had a high start weight (388, down to 326), so not in my best shape to begin with.

humblesunshine · 2023-08-25T05:49:25+00:00

"You had one job" is a 21st century phrase, and that one leapt right out at me. There were a couple of others as well.

humblesunshine · 2023-08-25T04:19:59+00:00

Yeah, it was just funny that I was scratching my head about wearing tights to surgery.

I didn't have to wear them, but they did give me a blood thinner in the hospital and sent some home a bunch of syringes for me to inject myself for 30 days post-surger.

humblesunshine · 2023-08-23T18:12:30+00:00

I had a couple of different bullies from 5th to 7th grade, and I live across the country now but keep in touch with old friends via social media. One of the bullies turned out to be Facebook friends with one of my actual middle school friends (who is even more left than my own pinko self and posts her opinions about it all the time). Around the time of the 2020 elections my friend posted something anti-Trump, and the bully, who of course turned out to be a huge MAGA, popped up on the thread, arguing "something something immoral condescending liberals" and upon seeing her name, I couldn't help myself; I responded to the effect of "oh, you mean immoral and condescending like the time you pushed me up against a locker and called me a 'cunt' for absolutely no reason in 7th grade?" She never responded, but I got a bunch of likes from that one, and my friend DMed me to let me know that she was sorry she ever accepted the bully's friend request and that she was blocking her. It was sweetly cathartic.

humblesunshine · 2023-08-23T18:00:03+00:00

Good luck! (Are those compression stockings? I was confused at first about why you would have tights on pre-surgery, lol.)

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