Years ago, back in the before time, I had two back surgeries, long before they suggested physical therapy first, and due mostly to the long term use of Prednisone (well, that and lifting patients as a nurse.)

In the Broken Heart Incident of December 2007 (uh, that would be the bloody death of my 15 year marriage,) I retained sole custody of the mattress set. The set is only about 5 years old. It’s much better than our previous set, which was around 10 years old upon its retirement. However, it’s not good enough. I often wake in the mornings with a hitch in my get-a-long.

I’d love a new mattress set, maybe a sleep number bed. They look so comfy and to be able to adjust it per your needs…well, just wow. Or maybe a memory foam mattress? I mean, after all, if it’s good enough for the astronauts, shouldn’t it be good enough for me (it is the astronauts that use them, right? Oh that’s right, it was only developed by NASA.)

Who am I kidding? With my income, neither of these are a viable option.

I’ve considered one of those down mattress tops. Who wouldn’t love sleeping on a cloud? But somehow, I don’t think it’s a good fit with a perimenopausal, night sweating woman who lives in humid/hot Central Florida.

As we age, it’s just a fact of life that we have to deal with some painful irritations now and then. If you suffer from minor back pain like me, here are a few practical, inexpensive tips to help you ease it.

Walk: yep that’s right, walking. Walking helps to strengthen the back muscles, which then cuts down on the amount of pain. My neurosurgeon suggested at least a mile a day. And please, be sure to wear comfortable, proper walking sneakers.

Hot showers/baths: The hot water helps to loosen up those muscles that can tighten over night. Consider a massaging showerhead to help pound out those muscles.

Sleep on your side: Never, ever, ever sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back leaves the lower back unsupported, which can add additional strain. Sleep on your side, with a pillow between your knees. The pillow helps to keep the spine straight, and reduces strain on the muscles around the spine.

Quit smoking: Smoking depletes the calcium in your body, calcium that is needed for healthy bones (you know, bones like what makes up your spine?)

Calcium and Vitamin D: Make sure you’re getting the required amount of calcium for your age. As we age, we naturally lose calcium. But calcium alone won’t do it. We also need Vitamin D to help with the absorption of Calcium. One of the easiest ways to get Vitamin D is to sit in the sun (with proper sunblock) for 30 minutes a day. Hey, you’ll be walking a mile in the sun anyway won’t you?

Back exercise: Lay on the floor on your back. Pull your knees up to your chest and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat the process a few more times. This stretches the muscles, keeping them flexible and loose, and helps pull out the kinks.

OTC pain meds: When all else fails, try Ibruprophen. It’s a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. In other words, it reduces the inflammation.

If your back pain gets worse, you should see a doctor. Severe back pain, hip pain, severe shooting pains down the outside of the legs, and/or foot drop (not being able to pull your foot back toward the leg) are all signs of a more serious problem. Luckily nowadays, it may only be a matter of physical therapy and a stronger anti-inflammatory to clear up the problem.

There are only two sports I watch. One, hockey, is just wrapping up with its season and playoff time is the best part of the season. ‘Tis an odd sport for a southern girl to be into. I mean when I was growing up, the Stars were still in Minnesota and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a team south of the Mason/Dixon line. But I remember it like it was yesterday, the Miracle on Ice, when the U.S. David defeated the Soviet Goliath. That’s how a young southern girl from Fort Smith, AR became a hockey fan. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Having lived ten years in North Carolina, I was afforded the opportunity to attend my two favorite sporting events: hockey and NASCAR. I was even lucky enough to attend the Hurricanes first ever playoff game.

Now NASCAR seems a natural fit for a southern girl. I grew up attending stockcar races at the Tri-State Speedway just across the border in Oklahoma. I think I may have even seen Mark Martin or Rusty Wallace race there. Living in Charlotte, not only was Lowe’s Motor Speedway a scant 10 miles away from my house, but the majority of drivers are headquartered there.

So as hockey winds down, this last weekend was the premiere of NASCAR revving up, the big one, The Daytona 500, automotive performance parts and all. With Daytona Beach just two hours away, I think I’ll be saving my money. With any luck, come July, I’ll be sitting on the backstretch of one of the most famous tracks on the circuit.

I’m a picture ho. When I first got my digital camera, I was not at all pleased with the amount of pictures I could take and store on my camera without extra help. Thanks to a friend who is a geek of the finest order, I found out I could store literally hundreds of pictures on a micro sd.
Heh. No one is safe anymore from my picture mania. My new grandson thinks his Noni’s face is a camera lens. I can’t wait to show the pictures of his naked baby butt to his prom date when he’s sixteen.

Yes, I’m evil.

I’ve seen these commercials lately for lawsuits regarding mesothelioma, and being the curious type, I had to look it up. I thought maybe it was like one of those commercials from the law sharks — you know the ones — the ambulance chasers. I was amazed and disturbed at the information I found.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. From the 1940s through the 1980s, asbestos was widely used to fireproof roofing and flooring, and used as heat insulation due to its ability to resist heat. It’s a natural occurring silicate, used since the time of ancient Greeks. Even then, the damage to the lungs of slaves exposed to asbestos was noted.

Many uses of asbestos have been banned in several countries, including the United States. However, the ban in the US was overturned in 1991 and the manufacture, importation, processing and distribution of asbestos containing products is still legal. The problem is when the fibers of asbestos become airborne due to demolition or destruction. The more prolonged or intense the exposure to asbestos, the greater the chances of developing health problems.

It is estimated that over 100,000 people will die from diseases resulting from asbestos exposure in the next decade. Some of those people include those who worked so hard after the tragedy of 9-11 in rescue and clean-up from the disaster due to the exposure to asbestos in the air after the demolition of the Twin Towers.

Mesothelioma is incurable and lethal. It is thought to be directly linked to asbestos, and it can take up to 30 years to develop. For more information, check out this site of frequently asked questions.

I have to stop watching commercials.

While there may be arguments for and against whether ex-President Clinton actually did leave this country with a budget surplus at the end of his term, one thing is for certain—our national debt has increased by $4 trillion since President Bush took office. That’s the largest increase in history under a single president.

By the end of last year we saw Wall Street mortgage companies, banks and the auto industry threatening to fail and taking not only us, but the rest of the world down with them. We witnessed the first round of bailouts that not only the majority of American citizens were against, but that also left many of us wondering, “Where is MY bailout?”

To add insult to injury, after many of those companies received their tax donated bailout money (money that President Bush himself said will likely never be paid back,) more than a few of them slapped us in the face by continuing their decadent, less than frugal spending.

Meanwhile homeless, jobless and starving Oliver Public was left standing with our bowls out and begging, “Please, sir, may aye ‘ave a-nouther?”

Before President Obama took office, he promised to extend a hand across the aisle of bipartisanship and listen to all sides. He’s been keeping that promise, maybe much to our detriment.

The Republicans, whose splintered and fractured party is in the throes of a full-blown multiple personality disorder meltdown, has been playing obstructionist with the economic stimulus package. They wanted more tax cuts, and decreased spending on items such as education and tax relief and stimulus payments for the lower and middle classes.

And it’s not only the Republicans. Democrat Nancy Pelosi dug her heels in as well, refusing to sign on in protest of not receiving the amount of money she deemed necessary to build new public schools. Yesterday, behind Pelosi’s closed door, her and fellow Democrat Harry Reid were going at it like siblings fighting over who gets the family assets when the parental units finally croak.

Yes, well, it’s politics as usual, folks.

Finally, the $789 billion stimulus deal is expected to pass Congress. President Obama is expected to sign the measure within days.

So what does this mean for you, Oliver Public?

The President’s signature tax cut is slightly bloodied and bruised, but intact. “Making Work Pay” gives a tax break to millions of lower- and middle-income taxpayers of $400 per individual and $800 per couple (down from $500 per individual and $1000 per couple.) That averages out to an extra $13 a week in your pocket. Don’t spend it all in one place.

And for those of us who don’t make enough money to even fill out an income tax return, and those receiving Social Security benefits, Veteran’s benefits and disability benefits, a one time payment of $250 (down from $300.) However, in order to receive your stimulus payment, you will have to fill out a 1040A income tax return. It won’t just magically arrive in the mail out of the grace and goodness of the government conscience.

Will the new economic stimulus package work? Well, as with everything throughout history, only time will tell.

I have spent a lot of time in the last several years in different hotels. It’s the nature of the freelance beast. I’ve also worked in a few, and there’s a big difference in staying in a hotel for a vacation and spending chunks of time in extended stay hotels.

Extended stay hotels, as a general rule, cater to the traveller who spends a great deal of time away from home. Some will have a kitchenette complete with a dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and stove top. Dishes are also included. Most of them provide wireless internet access and a work station. It can be quite comfy and cozy, and it’s an option if you’re in between residences, whether it be due to waiting for a closing on a house or if you have lost your home due to fire, flood or storm. Most home owner’s insurance will cover a portion, if not all, of a stay in a hotel due to a natural emergency. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes, you can hope for the best, but you’d better prepare for the worst. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as wholesale insurance term life insurance for the majority of the things life will sling your way.

So, what do you do? You bounce. You roll. Make like a rubber ball. You can’t change or control the reactions or actions of others; all you can do is keep a handle on your own. Believe me, you’ll have your hands full just taking care of your own business.

I guess that’s the lesson for today. Take care of your own business. Let the rest take care of itself.

I’ll let you know how that works out. Heh.

It might seem early in the year to think of it, but high school and college graduations are just around the corner. In these strained economic times, it’s not a bad idea to think this far ahead to ensure a nice gift for your child (or some one else’s.) My parents were practical people, so for my both my sisters’ graduation gifts, they received luggage. However, I was not a practical child, so instead of luggage, I asked that my parents pay off what I owed them for my horse (yes, you heard me right, my giddy-up, four-legged friend, Dallas.) Read the rest of this entry »

Building an empire takes a lot of work, even for goddesses. There hardly seems enough hours in the day, and unfortunately, as goddesses we didn’t receive the ability to add time, even if we do have nifty decoder rings.

One of the projects on the list is promotional products, so bear with us, if you will. We are working toward Total Universal Domination, and we want you to have front row seats.

Buckle up and hang on — it’s always wild, often wacky, but never boring here on OverForty!

Religion is one of those topics (like politics) that can be kind of dicey. It’s something I talk about a lot and have fairly strong opinions about because my dad was a preacher man, a theist and Lordy, yes he was—books upon books and reel-to-reel tapes included. I’ve had their religion shoved down my throat for years (Seriously? Out of billions of people in the world, only their small little coven is going to heaven? How can that be?) I kind of understand but maybe because there is such a splintering of Christianity in the States, I’m a little more cynical. Read the rest of this entry »