Random 5 for September 17 – The 80s, energized, computers, seasons, winterizing

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Yes, I’ve had these for a LONG time!

How did that happen – I was rearranging my “stuff.” Something had to go in order to have space for something else. I tossed out my collection of shoulder pads. (Stop laughing! I loved the ‘80s!) I always hoped they would come back but alas, they never did. I wonder what other “gems” I have stashed away. Having a house with a lot of closets only means you accumulate too much junk. Seriously the ‘80s were a long time ago!

Such a pleasure – I had visit with one of my new docs this week. He is 2 or 3 years out of residency. He is so passionate about his field. We are looking at new treatments for dry eye and his excitement was contagious. I told him not to change. Too many times after too many years and too many patients, doctors seem to lose some of that vibrancy. On the flip side, I hope he stays. I can see him moving to a practice that handles more complicated, challenging cases. It’s the old saying “if you do something you like, you’ll never work a day in your life!”

I hate computers! – I don’t really but you know the frustration. Something updated overnight. When I opened up everything looked different. I couldn’t read my emails. At first I thought I was going blind. Then I realized the font was too small. As it turns out Outlook reverted to factory settings. It took me a while to reset everything. Boogers!

Seasonal transition – We are easing into fall. Temperatures are fluctuating between low 70s and low 80s. Nights are cool. I cleaned up the garden, pulling the remaining plants. So sad. I still had tomatoes but the weather wasn’t warm enough for them to ripen and the ones that did were no longer sweet. Fall is a beautiful time of year but it doesn’t have the “hope” and “rebirth” that spring carries.

Speaking of fall – One of the things I look forward to is less yard work. No constant watering although that wasn’t a problem this year. Less weeds. In a few weeks all the planters and pond will be “winterized.” It’s easing into the hibernation of winter.

So how was your week?

 

63 thoughts on “Random 5 for September 17 – The 80s, energized, computers, seasons, winterizing”

  2. Didn’t you make/give to others to make mouse ears or dog ears for costumes out of those shoulder pads? Tried to give them to RC Cat as entertaining toy once when she was crazy wild, but she glared, “Even with catnip, that’s just too ridiculous.”
    We’re still in swamp season weather…until Thanksgiving probably. I always saw fall and that first cool front as inspiring “hope and rebirth” – like maybe I’ll survive another summer season’s weather here…

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    • It never occurred to me that they could be repurposed. This week turned swamp ass again but no complaints here. I won’t mind the cooler air but not looking for ward to the long dark winter. You have a much more moderate winter. That would be nice.

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  3. All this talk about big shoulders reminds me of a story from high school in the mid-70s.

    I was a swimmer and I do have big shoulders. I don’t need shoulder pads and hated them. I look like a linebacker at the best of times. Our high school football coach (I was in Grade 12) asked me one day to join the football team. His official reason was that he wanted to challenge the gender rules in our league to see if we could get away with it. He thought I could hold my own on the field playing with the guys.

    I was not impressed.

    In hindsight, I wish 17-year-old Joanne had been a bit more adventurous. How many women of our generation could say today that they had played high school football? 😉

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    • My mom cut them out of her clothes too. She had a stockier build and didn’t like the bulk. I worked with a woman (my age) who truly had football shoulders naturally. She always cut them out. Today was cooler but very humid so it still wasn’t pleasant. We had some sunshine so I shouldn’t complain.

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  5. Why do we save stuff we will never use? I have a thousand canning jars. No, I’m not kidding or over-estimating. I put up about one hundred and fifty to two hundred jars of food in a good year, so why am I hording an extra seven or eight hundred jars? I think it’s a security thing. If the apocalypse occurs tomorrow those jars will magically get filled and keep my family and friends from starving to death… or maybe I’m just to lazy to collect them up and give them away…

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    • I had a lot of them (no not that many) too. I don’t can and haven’t in decades. About 5 years ago I met a woman at my gym who does. I gifted them to her. I got some sour cherry jam in return! I think I made out well. So that begs the question, why get rid of canning jars but keep shoulder pads? I was raised by a woman who went through the depression. I can give things away but I have a hard time throwing them out.

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  7. I loved shoulder pads, but when I watch a movie from that era, they look ridiculous… did we really all look like linebackers with big, Farrah Fawcett hair? I recently heard that small shoulder pads were still a thing for those of us with smaller shoulders… I think I’ll pass this time.

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  8. I am terrified of my computer and go into complete collapse when something like that happens…I have no idea how to do anything but type on it, and as for changing things, knowing how to open a new file – this is all a closed and unreadable book alas !!!

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  9. We’ve had our computer struggles this year. Mine flaked out first, and I’ve just about gotten my new one tamed. John’s old one died slowly. Every few weeks I worked on it, but it had no snap. Today or tomorrow we’re going to put the new one on his desk. I’ve tried to make it easy to use, but I’m sure there are many more tweaks to attend to.

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  10. I’m glad that it wasn’t just me! At first, I thought that the orange-ish shapes in your photo were (large) dried mango slices. Then I thought for sure that they were bra inserts. I had forgotten all about shoulder pads. Thanks for the fun ‘blast from the past’!

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  11. I am always very annoyed when everything looks different after an update and sometimes things work differently and old ways are no longer applicable. *sigh* Maybe the younger-than-me people growing up comfortable with the constant change will have more agile brain function for much longer than I will–LOL!

    I love the fall! This is the time for organizing, planning…a shot in the arm for me. It does seem early this year, though. Have a good week. 🙂

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    • After August, it does seem like it’s time for planning. We are having our family reunion next weekend. First time it’s ever been so late in the season. So far the weather looks good. Fingers crossed.

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  13. Don’t tell anybody but the 80s was/is my favorite decade. If I had to spend eternity reliving just one day, it would be a day from that decade… definitely one when I was enjoying a glass of wine!

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  14. Although our temperatures are still in the mid-eighties, not having the high humidity makes for great porch monkey weather. I can’t stand those automatic updates either, Kate. It’s our computer, don’t we have to right to agree to those changes first? It’s so frustrating.

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  16. LOL I must have a gutter mind, I first thought those were bra inserts. I hate when computers play by themselves during the night. Yesterday I woke up to a keyboard that would only type in ALL CAPS. Had to restart the computer to get it to behave. Have a great week, Kate.

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  17. Shoulder pads remind me of my college girlfriend who even wore them under t-shirts. Blast from the past on that one, Kate. I’m so sorry to hear that you’re frustrated with your computer because ever since you got it (a Yoga, yes?) I’ve been looking at them online. I still love my Mac laptop, but I have to admit yours seems awfully fun to have.

    Our new doctor is the opposite of yours — we love him, but he’s in his 60’s! We’re thinking we’ll be lucky if we keep him for two years. It’s a large practice, though, so hopefully he’ll recommend someone to us when that day eventually happens. I hope yours is around for a long time.

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    • It wasn’t my yoga which is still wonderful but my Dell desktop. Since it affected Outlook and Internet Explorer formatting, it must be some sort of Microsoft update. Then again, maybe gremlins. We all wore them under everything! If I could have figured a way, I would have worn them with swimsuits!

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  18. Are the frogs packing?

    I can’t believe fall is here. I’m not ready.

    I had shoulder pads….loved them too, though I looked like Sargent Pepper.

    I like writing longhand…no offense to Mac I’m quite co-dependent with. I want to be Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice writing letters to her sisterJane while seated on a white window seat.

    Oh well…love the Random 5…

    Susannah 🙂

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  19. I happily cut the shoulder pads out of my clothes and tossed them ages ago. Never liked them. They always seemed more extraneous than essential.

    Glad your new doc is full of exuberance . . . like a puppy! 😀

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  20. I totally, like radical dude, loved 80s fashion. My shoulders are kind of big and square, so I had to take out and throw away the shoulder pads so my tops would fit better, but the slim, stretchy leggings with the long, baggy sweaters, oh, what a comfy dream. The only 80s fashion I didn’t like were those exercise leotards with leg openings up to one’s armpits, like gag me with a spoon.

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    • YES! It all depended on how broad your natural shoulders were. I loved them and continued to use them even as they went out of vogue. I had to wean off of them so to speak. Now I’m good without them. Loved platform shoes too. Don’t wear anymore because I’m afraid I’ll fall off.

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  22. Wait. The 80s had special shoulder pads that people added? They weren’t seen into clothes already? Or were you just a fashionista that went the extra mile to look good?

    This is almost as fascinating as reading about corsets. Also sounds less painful, as trends go.

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  23. That’s an impressive pile of shoulder pads. I am in awe that you still have them around. I agree about how wonderful it is to see a young doc who likes what he or she is doing. Refreshing, just like fall weather.

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    • That wasn’t the complete pile. I have some stashed away with my sewing stuff. I used to clip them out of old clothes to reuse (which I never did). I look best in a defined shoulder as mine are narrow. Today isn’t very fall-like. High humidity again.

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