Wednesday Weigh-In 20190123

I lost so much weight so quickly that my scale didn't recognize me! It didn't report my body fat; the number below is from last week.

Waist = 43.25"
Height = 5' 7"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Balance Body Composition Bath Scale
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20190116

Snickers now has a chocolate bar with layers of almond butter and caramel with almond bits. Wow.

Waist = 44.0"
Height = 5' 7"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Balance Body Composition Bath Scale
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20190109

My latest thing is suspenders. I gave up on wearing a belt. They work only if your waist isn't as big as your hips. In my case, the belt was counter-productive.

So I've bought a few different colored suspenders and some pants with a larger waist band. It's strange that a size 37 waist fits great even though my waist is more than 40" around.

Waist = 43.5"
Height = 5' 7"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Balance Body Composition Bath Scale
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Dear APA -- Let's Rethink ADD

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. (Attributed to Albert Einstein by author Matthew Kelly)

This is an open letter to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which came up with the term “Attention Deficit Disorder”...

How dare you!  I see myself as Perception Enhanced.  You so-called normal people have a deficit.  I can’t imagine how you can endure such a severely filtered experience.

My inability to block out distraction is my Superpower.  While I might not catch every word said to me in a conversation, I’ve listened to five other simultaneous conversations and determined that the car trouble that the woman is describing is probably due to a clogged fuel filter.  I’m referring to the woman in the red dress who’s standing by the window who’s been nursing the same drink for 45 minutes.

Also I’ve been hearing excess noise from the vacuum pump in the factory.  It sounds like the bearings are wearing out.  It’s been getting progressively worse over the last few weeks.  Why doesn’t anyone else know about it?

I’m wondering which of my idiot coworkers put the toaster oven right under the paper towel dispenser.  It’s an obvious safety hazard!

As well, why is the clock on the fax machine 1 hour 15 minutes ahead?  I can understand how it can be exactly 1 hour ahead as we’ve switched away from Daylight Savings Time 8 weeks ago.

What if Perception Enhanced individuals were in the majority?  You APA folks who are Perception Deficient would have to live in our world.  Suppose I were your boss: “Why didn’t you advise that woman to have her car’s fuel filter checked?  Why didn’t you have the pump serviced before it failed?  Didn’t you notice the sound it was making?  Relocate that toaster oven before it starts a fire!  Why haven't you fixed the clock on this fax machine yet?”

Anyway APA, instead putting so much energy into devising derogatory terms for us, tweaking diagnostic criteria, and developing treatments and therapies, you should direct most of your resources into changing society.  Promote acceptance of Perception Enhanced people and help us find ways to be rewarded for our strengths.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20190102

I'm starting up the weekly Wednesday Weigh-In for the new year. Note that I'm using a shorter value for height -- 5' 7" (170.2cm) instead of 5' 9". As a result, I'm starting out with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). My "fighting weight" is 155lb.

Waist = 43.75"
Height = 5' 7"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Balance Body Composition Bath Scale
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Dream: No More Room For Drafting Table

I'm in my new apartment.  It's small, but I can get all my stuff into it.  It will do nicely.

New scene: Now my apartment is a large single room that's partitioned into four separate little apartments, like an office space with cubicles.  Still I'm able to get everything important inside.  I have my bed and my drafting table, plus a little space to prepare meals.  So I'm all set.

But now my neighbor shows up, and he decides that the partition between my apartment and his needs to move to make his apartment bigger.  The move seems fair since his space was smaller than mine.  But now my space is too small to fit everything inside.  I decide that my drafting table will have to move out.  I decide to move it into the common area, and I tell the others about it so that they don't get upset.  There's no objection to my moving the table into the common area.

Ultimate Litterbox

The ultimate litterbox is not one that you buy; it’s one that you make yourself!

I’ve searched for years for a solution to our cats’ peeing out of the box problems.

One cat is big and tends to lift his back end when peeing, so I needed a big and tall box. Or he stands in the middle and pees over the edge.  All the covered boxes are too small, and some are even made so that pee that’s sprayed against the side would seep out between the bottom and lid mating surface!

Another cat was bullied away from all the boxes, so he’d pee in entirely different rooms and places, such as on my daughter’s desk. (We re-homed him.)

Another cat is just incontinent and can’t seem to wake up and move to the litterbox in time. Or he’s otherwise demented.

The last cat has no excuse. She’s young and healthy, but she just felt like joining in on the pissing contest!

But ever since re-homing the “Pariah Cat” and intruducing the Ultimate Litterbox, we’ve been pee-free (knock on wood).

Here’s what you do (doo):

1. Start out with a Sterilite tote box, one that’s at least 18” inches tall. I got mine at Walmart for a mere $10 or so. (Maybe it was so cheap because they were all out of lids.) Look for a container with as few “ribs” as possible. You want an inner surface that’s easy to scoop and won’t accumulate waste. Also, note that the clear or transparent boxes (such as the one shown on the right) are much harder to cut. They require a coping saw to cut the opening. The one pictured on the left is the recommended type.  It's easy to cut and the used litter slides right off.
2. Use a box cutter or pocket knife to cut an opening in the side that’s about 7” wide by 9” tall and starts about 6” from the bottom. You can adjust this to suit your cats’ needs. A less mobile cat might need the opening to be lower for easier access. You might make it narrower for a normal weight cat; this was made for our big Tom who’s halfway to being a bobcat.
3. Fill with your favorite cat litter. I used nearly an entire 28lB bag of World’s Best.
4. Sprinkle a cat attractant at the far end to entice the cat to move all the way into the box. This should prevent a cat from peeing out the opening.
5. Place the box on a waterproof mat just in case. The mat pictured here is a Litter Mat. Be sure to choose one that won’t let liquid seep through. Most are woven fiber and inexplicably will let pee through and trap it against the floor – a disaster on a wood floor!

Try it and let me know how you fare.  You might even try it with the lid on, too, if you have a cat that's used to a covered box.

Good luck!