Time change and the economy

Maybe it's wimpy of me, but I always feel a little fragile when we spring ahead and lose that hour of sleep. I somehow feel I have to take better care of myself--long naps, early to bed, sleep a little later (I allowed myself 15 extra minutes of dozing this morning and liked it so much I'll probably do it tomorrow). This feeling has been heightened by the news that the rate of heart attacks goes up fairly dramatically after the spring loss of an hour's sleep because Americans are already chronically sleep-deprived. I truly don't think that applies to me--I get 7-1/2 - 8 hours a night plus a good nap almost every day. I'm getting downright prickly about protecting my nap time. Jordan wants to bring Jacob at 4 p.m. Saturday to spend the night. I reminded her that I'm giving a brunch that morning and then her b'day dinner the next night for a cast of 16 and said emphatically that I needed my nap and I'd call her when I woke up. She gave a tentative okay, but reminded me once again she had girls coming at 5 p.m. for a party. I will wake up when I wake up!
The benefit of the time change of course is that extra hour of daylight. Yesterday and today the temperature has been in the eighties--though 44 is the predicted high by Thursday. Still I sat on the porch tonight and watched the world go by. My neighborhood is an old one, with trees that arch over the street, and they now have that light green of early spring. It's also a neighborhood where people get out and walk their dogs, or their kids, or just themselves, and runners go by. The street that dead-ends into my house is only two blocks long, with no houses facing it, and yet I am amazed at the amount of traffic. So I sat for a long time tonight and watched the neighborhood go by. It's also the kind of wonderful neighborhood with a strong e-mail system, so if anybody sees a loose dog or a suspicious character, the word is on the Berkeley Buzz in no time. A comforting place ot live.
Today the news and grim predictions about the global economy make me feel fragile too. I've been blessedly insulated from the economic troubles--I have my house and car paid for, a job, a retirement income. But as I watch the news I can't help but wonder when the tentacles of this disaster will begin to reach toward me. So I vow to save more, spend less--and feed 16 people on Sunday? Give me a break! But I think once you feel the caution, you automatically cut back. I know I feel it in my office budget and am issuing all kinds of orders for cutting back as much as we can. We will face an 8% across the board budget cut in June, plus no new positions, which means I can't get Melinda to full time.
The good news? I rode 4.64 miles in 24 minutes tonight with the second degree of resistance. Some days I can get my heart rate up to 95--the other day I hit 105--which is good for me since I take beta blockers. Between the bicycle and the yoga, I'm feeling like one fit grandmother--okay, notice I didn't say trim, just fit.
Tonight with my usual bent toward early preparation, I have coffee cups and other serving pieces out for the Wed. night gathering. All I really have to do is bake the cake, and I hope to do that tomorrow night, if Jacob will comply and watch a DVD. And I even rummaged around in my closest and found I have enough paper plates and napkins for Jordan's dinner, so that comes off my list. Having done all that, I'm going to read a book the reset of the evening.

Sushi and other stuff

Betty and I went for sushi tonight. We like to go to the Tokyo Cafe, where I am in a real rut--I order salmon sashimi, the appetizer portion of chicken yakitori, and the dinner salad, which has a slightly sweet dressing that I would dislike anywhere else but really like there. But they have a new chef, who's brought new ideas, and they got a great review in the newspaper, along with several recommendations for dishes I didn't know they had. So both of us branched out. I had the abalone tostada--an abalone salad (much like I'd make crab salad but with a real subtle kick of spice) on a fried wonton--absolutely wonderful. Betty had something with shrimp (she always does that, and I say she does it to spite me because I'm allergic) in an avocado half, which she declared was equally wonderful. Then we split a "Crunchy Roll"--salmon, scallions, cream cheese, and I don't know what in rice topped with panko crumbs to make it crunchy. Terrific! I particularly liked that the roll didn't have seaweed around it--I do try to be "trendy" but I don't like dealing with seaweed (texture, I guess, not taste) and I don't like seaweed salad.
Old age is fast creeping up on me. The latest sign was that I went to the podiatrist today to have my toe nails cut. If you'd told me a year ago that I couldn't cut my own toe nails, I'd have scoffed. But they get tough and thick, and I have one unmanageable nail--it grows so thick I can't cut it. He cut, trimmed, and generally cleaned up all my nails and my troublesome corn and told me to come back in two months. I remember a podiatrist friend who said if you can keep elderly feet comfortable you can keep patients happy and functioning. I think it's true, and I intend to take care of my feet, which I took for granted for too many years.
My Scotland trip is almost upon me, and I'm making practical plans all the time--someone to stay in the house, getting the sprinkler system repaired, animal care, etc. And I'm making travel plans--checking the medication supply, laying out clothes, etc. I've never been "across the pond" so this is a biggie for me--and one of the longest vacations I've taken. I have lots of mixed feelings--mostly excitement and anticipation, but a bit of anxiety that is accompanied by a wish that it would just get here so I could stop anticipating. I truly know that once I'm there I'll have a wonderful time, and I'm envisioning all kinds of happy scenes in ancient castles and on windswept coasts--okay, I'm a bit of a romantic!
Meantime, I can't settle down to much work, so I've given up the idea of serious writing for the next two weeks. And I've requested that Jordan and Christian come for a send-off dinner the night before I go--and maybe Jamie and his family. I feel about this trip like I do about my approaching 70th birthday--it's a big, once-in-a-lifetime deal!
This weekend TCU Press has its big springtime event--Books & Music in the Garden. We've got about 150 people registered, so I'm pretty excited. And I need to marshal my thoughts on that and not Scotland. Someone asked if it was being catered, and I replied, "Yep. Jeannie and me." Lots to be done.