The White City

Last night's choice was to not set my cellphone alarm when I went to bed, probably somewhere around 10:30 p.m. (I cannot remember what I last wrote).

The plan was that I would rise early enough after dawn so that I would have time to recover from the night and have some token exercising out in the backyard tool shed to somewhat compensate for the exercise I would not be getting at the elementary school playground ¼ of a mile away.

Well, I did rise early enough ─ maybe somewhere between 5:30 - 6 a.m.

But when time passed and I only seemed to be declining, I had to force myself to first limber up a little here in the house before going out to the shed, and then do similarly there, but I was having ill luck shaking off the stiffness.

I have to carry over a rather heavy chair to stand on so that I can reach the child's playground ladder (metal) that I have spread across some rafters:

The two slim crossbars are no longer fixed to the ladder ─ I have to use the thick sides to do pull-ups and chin-ups, so it is far from ideal.

This morning, though, due to how unyieldingly inflexible I was, I was barely able to pull up for more than a few inches.

It was so damned discouraging that I got off the chair and put it away to the side where it had been. Then I reconsidered ─ what the Hell did I get up early for, then? It was infuriating ─ it bloody sucks getting old when one's body constantly engages in betrayal.

So now maddened, I brought the chair back and this time did manage a pull-ups, but that was my all.

I gave a 30-count, then did a chin-up ─ again, it was my maximum.

And finally, one further 30-count and I managed a pull-up between the two sides of the ladder; and I held the finishing hang loosely for a 75-count.

Easing myself off such hangs is like being released from a session with 'the rack'. I truly do have to ease off the bars, almost as if I am allowing my body to carefully reconnect parts ─ joints and related structures ─ into proper reattachment or realignment. It's a weird sensation ─ I cannot imagine just dropping away from the bars without this relatively slow adjustment process.

Anyway, that was my morning exercise.

I suppose I could have gotten up at 3 a.m. and walked to the school ─ that would have loosened me up properly to exercise, and of course the jungle gym monkey bars are far easily to hold onto and work with.

As well, even though the day was overcast, it was dry ─ at least it was until I rose from my early afternoon nap and went to the kitchen for my day's third and final mug of instant coffee. I could see the railing to our backyard sundeck was wet.

And to think that early this morning I had bothered to drag the hose over so that I could water some front yard garden areas!

I suppose that it was shortly after 7 a.m. that I again declined such that I returned to bed to nap as best I could as I awaited awareness that my younger brother had risen for the morning. It was at least 8:15 a.m. before I gambled that he was probably already watching T.V. downstairs, and it proved so. But I remained here at my bedside computer until after 9 a.m. before going downstairs to boil water for my day's first mug of instant coffee.

At his invitation to put our Android TV Box to work, I tuned in the latest two videos uploaded to YouTube's AnitaK channel:

• May 14, 2025: DEATH SENTENCE - Federal Judge rules it's ok to cull 400 ostriches in BC. (5:38)

• May 15, 2025: Carney Housing Minister says home prices don't need to go down + no budget for 2025! (8:01)

New Federal Housing Minister lands in hot water 1 day into the job and defends himself on X.

The next video was a flop as far as I am concerned. At 12½ minutes, it had been published yesterday to BitChute's Progressive Truth Seekers channel: Israel Doesn't Want You to See - Secret IDF Confession Tapes.

I was reluctant about the final video due to its length and seeming topic, but it was top notch! At nearly two hours (1:55:49), it had been published earlier today to BitChute's TheWarAgainstYou channel: Chicago World Expo 1893 – Magic of the White City (Narrated by Gene Wilder) Free Full Documentary.

You can read descriptions about this 2005 documentary at Wikipedia and at IMDb.

The documentary's conclusion was my brother's cue to seek some further bed rest. I fixed up my day's first of two meals and ate that here at my bedside computer; and I had still not sought my usual early afternoon nap when my brother emerged again from his bedroom and soon enough bade his adieu to Bev as he left for the day to catch a bus and go social drinking.

But I did have the nap, of course.

Maybe it never rained hard, but the afternoon sure did become deeply gloomy and wet. I see scant possibility of exercising at the elementary school overnight, so a walk would likely be all I will obtain if I do not end up watching shows this evening with my brother after he returns home. And since it is presently 7:24 p.m. as I type these worlds, I do not see that entertainment happening for us. I am not sitting up to replace Bev ─ especially since I expect my brother will be obliviously corned by the time he returns home.

With that said, I am going to take a break from this post. I will be watching a show here on my bedside computer shortly, and enjoying a can of Cariboo Malt (7.9% alcohol). Incidentally, my supper is primarily courtesy of my youngest stepson ─ he brought me six or seven sushi-like pieces of delicious salmon and yam encased in white rice, of course, and nicely spiced. Those (and some vitamin supplements) along with an apple have left me pleasantly filled.

By the way, late in the afternoon and into the early evening I forced my bad right leg to eventually perform some extremely stressful full flat-footed squats just as I managed on Tuesday. Once I keep pushing until an unassisted squat becomes possible, I continue performing one isolated such squat every minute or two or three until I have done close to 10 of them.

I am unsure, but the last few sounded to me like I could hear a faint popping sound in the knee area as I worked through the most problematic couple or so inches of the squat. This zone is just barely before I reach maximum descent. So I am almost forced to stop just prior to making a total descent; but if I grit my teeth and quietly curse and even roar a little, I can work through the rather intense but dull pain ─ both in breaking past that point in the descent, and dealing with it again in the rise. 

⭕⭕⭕

It was nearly 8:30 p.m. before my brother showed. After he passed by my open bedroom doorway with a "Hey!" on his way to his own bedroom to change clothes, my decision was made to shut my bedroom door and tune in The Avengers ─ season five's episode 18 ("Death's Door").

Sometimes the allure I felt for Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) actually bubbles to the surface again and I feel a semblance of the overwhelming love I had for her for maybe two years as a teen in the latter 1960s. I thought the woman was unflawed!

My video source this evening was this uFlix.to link.

Following the delightful episode, I opened my bedroom door to peek downstairs to the living room ─ my brother (possibly conscious) and Bev were watching T.V.

Since it was then only 9:40 p.m. at very most ─ and because I wanted a little further alcohol before bed ─ I risked a sitcom and a glass tumbler of Sommet Rouge wine.

My entertainment choice was Cybill ─ season four's episode 21 ("Daddy"). It's too bad that Cybill Shepherd didn't have a nicely muscled set of legs ─ those were her detraction as far as I am concerned. Otherwise, she was pretty darned gorgeous with that exceptionally expressive face and her vocal talent as a singer.

Christine Baranski always seemed like a perfect 'sexpot' to me, and back in the series' heyday I thought her legs were devastating. But since re-watching the series, I realize now that ─ although they were nicely enough toned ─ her legs were just a tad too much on the scrawny side to merit my former praise.

But this assessment is not why I am posting at present. I shall only offer that my source for this episode was this OK.ru link.

It will soon enough be two full weeks since my brother has invited me downstairs early enough for evening T.V. in which we watch episodes of T.V. series we follow in common via our Android TV Box.

On the day that feat is accomplished ─ i.e., the full two weeks ─ I am going to alert him that from that point on, I will be watching episodes of every one of our shows on my own here in my bedroom because this is utterly ludicrous. If he is content to flop back and watch nothing but what Bev enjoys, that's great ─ really! But I am no longer going to put some excellent T.V. series on hold just because he will not come home early; and when he does come home if it is not egregiously late, he is happy to watch whatever she has tuned in.

That shall end as of the passage of May 19, for it was May 5 we last watched any of our nigh 25 shows ─ and even that night we only saw an episode each of two series. On the morning of May 20, I will bear him the news of my decision, and he can accept that he has been sentenced for life to watching evening T.V. with Bev ─ he and I are done. Thereafter, it will only be informative morning T.V. together.

Enough blogging for today ─ it is 10:55 p.m.