Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Let's Discuss

For your consideration:

1. Swim Diapers/Nappies (cause I am bilingual): Do you think they really do much? I mean, I suppose they can withhold certain solids from entering the pool. But do they really provide a barrier between pool water and baby bodily fluid? I submit, not. Now, don't get your swim diaper in a knot, I still use them. But let's just say we've had a few incidents where I wondered if it was as effective as it was meant to be.

Wanna invite us to come swim?

2. Bcc: I personally feel that not enough people are aware of the Blind Carbon Copy function in email. What do you think? This week alone, I've gotten three emails from different folks who sent their messages to at least 200 addressees. I had to scroll, and scroll and SCROLL down to get to the body of the message. On an iPhone, it takes like, multiple seconds to do that. Annoying! Plus, what if all those folks didn't want to make their email address visible to me? I might spam them. I might! I could!

Can we start an awareness campaign? A grass-roots type of movement? Maybe T-shirts with "I B(cc). U B(cc)." Hmmm, maybe not. Let's work on that. Ya know, I wasn't aware of Bcc until 4 or 5 years ago. May I share this great knowledge with you, too? The next time you're sending a mass email, put your own email address in the "To" line, then click on "Add Bcc" in gmail, or if you have a yahoo account, "Show Bcc". Then paste alllll those 532 addresses in there, never again to see the light of day. And there will be much rejoicing.

Some of you are sneering and saying, "Duh--like I didn't already know that!" Okay, Fancypants. Sorry to take up your time.

3. My shin muscles: (What are those called?) And also those little muscles that go from your ankles to your feet. (What are those called?) I've been exercising regularly and walking/running for a year now and lately they've started to feel really fatigued and "burny" really quickly. I don't think it's a shin splint, cause it doesn't really hurt, it's just really uncomfortable. And because I am a cream puff and a little whiny baby, it makes me quit running sooner than I should.

Readers, what am I doing wrong? Is there a stretch I can do? Strengthening? Is it my form, or lack thereof? My shoes? I just got new ones and it hasn't helped. I mean, those muscles should be more toned now than they were a year ago, so why am I only now experiencing issues? I am clueless about this stuff. I know this is probably a very common issue that everyone probably has, and here I am all acting like it's a strange phenomenon. I feel like Data in Star Trek: "What is this salty substance leaking from my visual orbs?" Anyhoo, maybe I should move to the stationary bike for a little while.

And there you have it: the next three topics I'll be introducing at my next dinner party. As you can imagine, I am very popular.



14 comments:

  1. Very funny post, even though I am not in the demographic that uses diapers, I never run so I don't get the muscles thing and I am so low-tech that everything I send goes to everyone in the world! However, I always love reading your posts. You are a doll. Hugs

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  2. You know everything Maggie just said.....ditto!

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  3. Yeah, I think swim diapers are for protection against floaters, not much else... except maybe an attempt to gesture at courtesy, like, "Hey, guys, I've got a swim diaper on my baby, so we're all good, right?"

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  4. About that Bcc thing. That's all news to me. I never heard of such a thing. You know I'm not the techie type. But I do think you have a case of shin splints from overuse. You need to elevate your feet and put ice bags on your shins for twenty minutes at a time three or four times a day. And, here's the best part, quit running while they are acute. Don't worry I will send you my bill. Seriuosly, take care of them. They hurt I know. I had that once when I was walking really fast trying to keep up with Kathy.

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  5. love your mum's advice:) I can't offer you much on point 2 and 3 but point 1 now that brings back some yucky memories of yesterday at the pool!!!

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  6. My understanding of the whole swim diaper thing is that they are indeed designed only to keep the poo from getting in the pool. How could they be designed to absorb pee as well without absorbing a whole lot of pool water with them.

    And thank you for communicating my angst with the non-Bcc users in my life so eloquently. I B(cc)!

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  7. Listen to (y)our mother.

    Swim dipes are gross to me. But better than the alternative.

    I'm the victim of so much non bcc action. You're right, scrolling through that junk on a phone touch screen makes a baby unicorn die. Ugh!

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  8. I've just started running (only 8 weeks now) & get sore at the front of my leg as well. I read somewhere that you shouldn't stretch a muscle that is sore as you can damage it more & not to push through pain...bit I don't want to stop running. I NEVER thought I'd say that!

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  9. Amy - you work out machine! The best cure for shin splints is actually stretching out the calf. The tightness in the calf helps pull the muscle away from the shin. Stretch your calves on the stairs as often as possible. You'll see a difference really quickly. In terms of the pain, ice will help alleviate it. Yes I'm a genius.

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  10. Sadly, I agree with the others here there you are experiencing shin splints. Rest, ice, stretch (check out runnersworld.com for some stretches) and do a nice LIGHT massage on your ankle. Or better yet, make your husband do that.

    Swim diapers are awful, and definitely are just to prevent floaters. For a good laugh, use a normal diaper sometime.

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  11. Once Luke was in the pool with a swim diaper on and it became over saturated which caused it to swell like a huge sausage. He panicked, we couldn't get it off quickly enough. So much for swim diapers.

    For your shins, tap your toes vigorously facing straight, then right and finally left. Do this for a few minutes before you walk. Lastly, put you legs alternately up on a chair and pull your foot back toward your body, hold that stretch for several seconds. Hope this helps. It sounds like you need to warm up a little more before you begin the exercise.

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  12. I feel like I use bcc all the time, but for more sinister measures, which you have yet to identify. Though, I am not surprised, as you are far less sinister than I. Example: if you were my colleague and wrote me an email I found royally offensive or something (quite possible, as we well know), in my reply to you I'd bcc your boss so they'd know you'd been so awful. Okay, I don't do these things all that much, but I do find myself using bcc quite a bit, in similar ways, but with less cruel motivations. And with that, HAPPY EASTER!

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  13. Swim diapers: agreed. Y'all are totally right.

    Bcc: If you haven't, catch the fever! Not everybody does it, but everybody should.
    And Meghan, you make me laugh. :) I have used it for more sinister, or at least sarcastic, reasons!

    My shin issues: Thanks, everyone! You are ALL geniuses. It's getting better. Of course, the gym was closed for several days due to Easter, so maybe that's why. And Jo--good onya! I am the same way--never thought I'd be having these discussions. :)

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  14. I think the swim diapers are useless, but we used them too. It was either that or not be allowed into most pools. Silly.

    I dunno about the shin muscle issue but I CAN tell you that when it comes to people not using the BCC function, I hit "reply all" and I send a strongly worded email back to them, which consequently goes to all their friends :-) stating WHY they should use BCC. It's great fun and makes me feel so much better!

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