wellness Archives

What We Are UP To: The Reentry Edition

May 19, 2021 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Thank you so much for being patient the past few weeks. Like many people, we’ve been busy with vaccinations and thinking about reentry! While we’ve been waiting for this moment for a while, it’s possible that on some level, reentry could actually be more challenging that sheltering. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Watching | Falcon and the Winter Soldier

> Regular readers of Unretirement Project know we’re Marvel fans. We finished watching WandaVision recently and just started on this new show. However, we do have a tough decision to make with our reentry: when will we feel comfortable going to a movie theater? There are lots of exciting movies coming out in the months to come.

Reading | The Stand

> I’m not a big horror fan, but I do love Stephen King’s writing. Since the pandemic started, people have been talking about “The Stand” and I had never read it. Finally got my hands on a copy. It’s the “uncut” version – 1308 pages! So far, it’s off to a good start but I have a lot more pages to go. Something tells me that I’ll be well into reentry before I finish this one.

Remembering | The “next normal” is what we make it

> I keep reminding myself that returning to normal doesn’t necessarily mean a return to everything we used to do. We’ve developed some good habits over the past year that we want to keep. And we’ve gotten rid of some old habits that we don’t want to start again.

Working On | Vacation plans

> Like many of you, we’ve had several vacations cancelled over the past year. I’m not sure if we will get a lengthy vacation in this year but we are finding that travel accommodations are in demand. We’ve looked at a few trips over the past few weeks that are marked “sold out”. It’s clear that we’re not the only ones missing travel.

Feeling | Good

> While we’re certainly not done with COVID-19, things seem to be moving in a positive direction. Vaccinations are up and cases and deaths are down in many places. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are offering more guidance on the things we are able to do as part of our safe reentry and return to society. It’s great to be able to do more activities, but we’re playing it cautious.

Planning | A day trip

> As part of our reentry, we’re planning a few day trips. Gainesville is a small city, so we’ve decided to drive to a larger city (like Orlando or Tampa) to run some errands. It’s a good way to get our car on the open highway and when we’re ready to come home…we can. There’s also a terrific barbecue place right outside the city, so we can stop for some takeout on the way back home.

Loving | Nail Oil Pens

> One of the habits that I started during the pandemic was using a nail oil pen on my cuticles. I haven’t been going for manicures and my nails were quite a mess. I read somewhere about a writer who kept a nail oil pen on their desk and used it every morning. So, I decided to give it a try. Very easy habit to develop and it really makes a difference! While I’m looking forward to manicures as part of my reentry, I will not be abandoning this new habit.

Geeking | Spaceship Earth speaker holder

> If you have an Amazon Echo dot or a Google Mini Nest, this holder is so cool! It’s a 3D printed copy of Disney’s Spaceship Earth, the iconic ride at the entrance to EPCOT. The dot/Nest sits on top, and it has a port for the cords to come out the back. Fun for kids and adult kids alike.

What’s UP with you? Let us know what you have planned for your reentry!

What We Are UP To: Researching Edition

April 7, 2021 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

As vaccine eligibility continues to expand, we find ourselves researching about vaccines and what we can do once we (finally!) get the vaccine. It’s exciting because it means we might be able to be more mobile by summer. But it’s also important to be careful. There’s so much information! And it’s changing on a regular basis. That’s not bad. As we learn more about COVID, we can and should expect new guidance. However, as we’re researching, we are trying to find some time for fun.

Feeling | Hopeful

> I’m sure that we’re not alone that we get closer to receiving the vaccine, we’re getting more hopeful about the things we might be able to do. Like eat in a restaurant. Or travel. It’s nice to be talking about plans for the future.

Watching | Sherlock

> We started watching this BBC television show starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman years ago, but we hadn’t seen Season 4. So, we watched the entire series from start to date. It was great! Love the way that Holmes and Watson go about researching their cases.

Reading | About Medicare

> I’ve listened to some webinars about Medicare before, but it’s time for us to start researching in-depth about what options are available. And what might be best for our situation. I found an older book called (don’t laugh) “Medicare for Dummies”. The book does a good job of explaining the complexities of Medicare in casual conversational language. I’m only a few chapters in and can tell it’s going to take some time to digest all of this.

Working On | Air Fryer Recipes

> When we lived in South Florida, one of the food items that we were able to regularly enjoy were guava and cheese pastelitos. Living in North Florida, we haven’t really been able to find them, so we’ve decided to try to make them at home. I’ve been researching recipes that will allow me to use our air fryer. Wish us luck! I’m confident they will not be as good as the ones we had in South Florida, but hopefully they will be good enough.

Loving | Everlane

> I have been researching a clothing company called Everlane for quite some time. They’re known for selling basic pieces like jeans, t-shirts, etc. You know, the pieces that all of us probably have in our closet. What attracted me to them is that they partner with ethical factories around the globe, and they disclose the actual cost of every item. I bought a couple of items recently and am impressed with the quality.

Geeking | WandaVision

> We are really looking forward to the Disney+ series WandaVision. That being said, we’re also getting ready for all of the research we’re going to have to do after each episode. LOL! To get us reacquainted with the Scarlett Witch, we’ve planned an Avengers movie marathon.

Planning | Re-entry

> While staying at home has been hard, I do wonder if starting to do things again will be even harder. We’re calling it our “re-entry”. ha.ha. What can we do? What should wait a little longer? We’ve been spending time discussing our comfort level for certain activities. Honestly, I don’t know that we will simply start doing all the things we’ve done prior to COVID.

Remembering | 2020

> As much as we’re looking forward to vaccines and everything that we’ll be able to do this summer, we’re also reminded of the pain and hurt that COVID has caused. This virus isn’t going to go away overnight, and we need to remember that masks, hand washing, and distancing are still important. They will be for some time.

What’s UP with you? Stay safe!

What We Are UP To – The Waiting Edition

March 10, 2021 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Occasionally we receive free products for review or include advertising links in posts, but no one impacts the honesty of our opinions.

One of the little factoids you might not know about Gainesville, Florida is that it’s the birthplace of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty. I can’t help but think of his song “The Waiting” as we are all “waiting” our turn for COVID-19 vaccines. See what I did there – ha.ha. Seriously, while we’ve been waiting, we’ve found a few things to keep us busy.

Watching | History of Swear Words

> I understand there are many studies that say people who use swear words are more intelligent and creative. My use of swear words is mostly limited to when I slam my fingers in drawers (as in “Oh, S***!) But we do like Nicolas Cage, so we were anxiously waiting for this Netflix series. It’s fun and there are great history lessons from etymologists about the origins and evolution of swear words.

Reading | Books About Cosy/Cozy

> To help me enjoy my waiting time (and because it’s a little chilly outside), I’ve been reading books focused on the art of comfort. My list includes “Cosy: The British Art of Comfort” and “The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge”. My big takeaway from them is to define your own cosy/cozy. It might take some time to figure it out. And we also have to learn how to be respectful of other people’s cosy/cozy.

Remembering | Our most popular post

> We were wondering the other day about the most popular content on Unretirement Project. Interestingly, it’s a post from 2019 titled “3 Ways You May Contribute to Your Own Ageism”. There are some great reminders in it about not sitting around waiting to get old and making your own decisions on how you want to age.

Working On | Taking Pictures

> One of the things we miss about traveling is taking pictures. We love street art and it’s fun to walk around cities and capture their essence through street art. We’ve decided that we haven’t been fair enough to Gainesville and, instead of waiting to take pictures of other cities, we’re going to take more local images. Our city has installed a new social justice murals project that we want to check out.

Feeling | Hopeful

> We’re very encouraged by the positive vaccine news. We know that we still have several weeks – possibly months – of waiting until we’re able to get the vaccine. It’s nice to know the process is moving in the right direction. We can’t let our guard down. In the meantime, we have started double masking.

Planning | Of course, vaccines!

> While we’re waiting, I’m finding it very helpful to start bookmarking the websites of places that will be offering the vaccine in our area. Even though we’re not in the eligible category yet, this allows us to see how the website works and what information we might need to have handy at the point we are eligible. You might find it helpful to prepare in advance so you’re ready when it’s time.

Loving | Ghee

> We’ve been watching some cooking shows lately and they’ve mentioned Indian clarified butter or ghee. We found some at the grocery and decided to give it a try. Our first attempt was using it to sauté some gnocchi. OMGosh…so good!

Geeking | LEGO Bonsai Tree

> I love bonsai trees, but they do not love me. I’ve had more than my fair share perish. Keith absolutely refuses to buy anymore. However, he did buy me one that I can’t destroy. LEGO has created a botanical collection including a bonsai tree. It’s beautiful! They also have a bouquet kit that I’ve got my eye on.

What’s UP with you? We hope you’re safe and well.

Caregivers Get Help from Amazon Alexa Care Hub

December 9, 2020 by Keith Lauby Leave a Comment

According to AARP, 3 out of 4 adults age 50 or older want to stay in their homes as they age. Yet less than 50% anticipate that they will be able to remain in their current residence. We’ve written before about how smart home technology can help loved ones age in place. Now Amazon is introducing a new feature that help aging friends and family members live out their lives at home.

The Care Hub is a free Alexa feature that gives family members or caregivers the ability to “check in” on someone via a connected device. The Care Hub feature provides a high-level summary of a loved one’s recent interactions with Alexa or other connected smart home devices. Before you start thinking that this is a bit too “Big Brother”, please note that the feed is just a generalized view, lacking specific details to maintain privacy.

In addition to showing general activity around the house, caregivers can set up alerts to receive notifications, access other features like Alexa Calling or Drop in, and enable emergency contact calling when a loved one says “Alexa, call for help.”

To give you an example, Care Hub can show the time of a first interaction with an Alexa device each day. Types of actions will be displayed such as requesting music (not the specific songs) or asking for the weather. If a person has multiple devices, Care Hub will identify which Alexa was activated. An alert can include notification if a loved one hasn’t used their Alexa device for a certain number of hours. As you can see, the goal isn’t for a caregiver to see the full extent of activity – just that there is activity (or not).

Many caregivers and older persons can immediately see the usefulness of this kind of service. Individuals can age in place. Caregivers can have peace of mind. In addition, it can be particularly helpful now that the COVID-19 pandemic is reducing personal interactions.

There are a few limitations. Only one caregiver can access the Care Hub feed and you can only support one person. At this time, the Care Hub service is only available in the United States. Lastly, Alexa calling does not support calls to emergency services numbers like “911”.

There is no cost to use Care Hub and all that is required for set-up is an Echo or Alexa-enabled device and a WiFi connection. Security and privacy are top of mind. This new feature is double-opt in, meaning that both the caregiver and the loved one need to first establish a connection between their Alexa accounts through an invitation process. Again, this isn’t designed to be something sneaky. In addition, the Drop In feature can be disabled if a higher level of privacy is preferred. And family members can delete activity information in the Care Hub feed at any time.

Caregivers are facing considerable challenges during this unprecedented time. Aging loved ones are sympathetic to caregiver restrictions but they also want to age in place. The Alexa Care Hub may be the compromise needed to give everyone in the family a little extra peace of mind.

What We Are UP To – The Music Edition

August 19, 2020 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

I read an article recently about “Using Music for Self-Care” that was very interesting. I had always heard about theories like the Mozart effect (which I don’t believe is true) but I can definitely see how listening to music can be helpful in stressful situations. While we’re not experiencing any out of the ordinary stress this month, we are listening to a lot of music and it’s been nice. Here’s what else we’ve been up to:

Watching | TwinsthenewTrend

> Tim and Fred Williams are twins who record their reactions to music that they’ve never heard before. I recently discovered them when their reaction to the Phil Collins classic song “In the Air Tonight” went viral. Totally loved it and have been checking out their older videos. I especially liked their reaction to “Dream On” by Aerosmith.

Geeking | Spotify

> I think one of the reasons that I’ve been enjoying the TwinsthenewTrend videos is because they’ve been listening to a lot of the music that I listened to growing up. The blast from the past is fun. I’ve also found a couple of playlists on Spotify that are filling my need for the oldies: 70s Road Trip and Classic Road Trip Songs. If you have a Spotify account (FREE), check them out.

Loving | Peloton

> Yep, we broke down an bought a Peloton. COVID-19 put our Pilates plans on hold and we really wanted to exercise. So, we looked at all of the money that we would have spent on classes and it quickly justified the expense. One of the things that I’m enjoying about Peloton classes is the music. I’m finding some new artists to enjoy. If you’re considering a Peloton, let me share with you my referral code – 83QXDQ. If you use it, you’ll get $100 to spend toward accessories. I get a little something too.

Remembering | Halloween

> It’s hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner. I mentioned last month that we’re working on organizing our garage. Well, in the process we found our Halloween decorations. Frankly, I’m not sure we should put them up. Which is sad, since this is our first Halloween in the new neighborhood. But better to be safe. The good news is that we will be able to do our annual viewing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and sing along to the music.

Planning | Going to a show?

> Speaking of holidays, one of the things we love to do in the fall is go to the theater. And I’m not sure that’s going to happen this year. Last year, we were able to see both Randy Rainbow and Lindsey Stirling in concert. (Not together, separate shows.) Both were fabulous! Now we’re eyeing the fall new movie releases and realizing that we might be catching a lot of shows when they come out on video.

Feeling | Ready for Autumn

> My Pinterest page is filled with soup recipes! While I’m enjoying salad season, I can’t wait for soup season. We discovered some soup mixes from King Arthur Baking right at the end of last winter. They were easy to make and very tasty. I’m looking forward to making some soup as soon as the weather drops below the 90s.

Working On | Estate Planning

> We’re taking our own advice and updating our wills and health directives. This process is a lot less stressful when you have the time to think about and discuss your final wishes.

Reading | “Life” by Keith Richards

> I saw an article in Rolling Stone that ranked the best musician autobiographies of all time. One of my favorites is “Life” by Keith Richards. I’m not even a huge Rolling Stones fan and I loved this book. If you’re looking for a nice read to finish your summer, this might be it.

What’s UP with you? Let us know what music you’re listening to these days.

What We Are UP To: Quarantine Life Edition – #Unretirement Project

April 15, 2020 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Like many of you, Keith and I are still sheltering in place this month. But we’re making the best of our quarantine life. I know, it’s not really a quarantine. Here are a few of the things we’ve been doing during this wild time.

Watching | Zombieland 1 & 2

> I’m sure this movie choice sounds a bit offbeat given what’s going on, but they are really fun movies. Neither of us are into scary or gory films. Don’t want to give away the storyline, but I will say that I loved the list of rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse. Especially number 32. You can look it up.

Reading | AARP Memory Activity Book

> I bought this book a while ago because I wanted to see what types of activities were being encouraged to stimulate our brains. I believe brain health is important, so I was curious. The book contains dozens of individual activities that a person could do on their own (like creating a song playlist) or with others (playing a team sport). Even if you’re not dealing with memory loss, there are some fun things in the book to occupy your time.

Remembering |Great Recession

> No, I’m not looking back on the Great Recession with fond memories. But with all of the talk about recession these days, we are looking back at what happened to see if there are some lessons that we need to remember or ideas we should incorporate into our lifestyle sooner versus later. Better to plan ahead.

Working On | Hanging Pictures

> Living the quarantine life is giving us the time to do a few small projects around the house like hanging pictures. We did a few right after moving in to make the house feel more homey but it’s time to finish the project. When you’re spending more time than usual inside, it is nice to have beautiful things on the walls.

Feeling | A bit of FOMO

> FOMO is an acronym for “fear of missing out”. It’s often associated with the anxiety of not doing something such as going to the hip new restaurant or buying the latest trendy item. In our quarantine life, I think it’s attached to making the latest culinary trend like Dalonga Coffee, a South Korean drink made from instant coffee and sugar served over milk. It was tasty and a fun distraction to make.

Planning | With Blueberries

> One of the benefits to living in North Florida is the number of blueberry farms in the area. And we love blueberries! The season just started, and we were able to get a summer’s worth of blueberries. Good thing they freeze well. LOL! That being said, I’m on the hunt for really good blueberry recipes. Quarantine life is the perfect time to try then out.

Loving | Pigs in a Duvet Cover

> When we lived in Cincinnati, one of our favorite places was Skyline Chili. We were very fortunate when we moved to Fort Lauderdale that they had not one but two Skyline Chili franchises. Well, now that we’re in Gainesville, we’re not as fortunate. Luckily, we can buy Skyline online. We saw this recipe for ‘pigs in a duvet cover’ and decided to try it with some mustard, Skyline chili, onions, and cheese. OMGosh, it’s a deconstructed cheese coney! Delish.

Geeking | Fiasco

> A favorite podcast of mine is Slate’s Slow Burn. It’s a well-researched look at significant events in our history. The original host of the podcast, Leon Neyfakh, has recently gone out on his own and created another podcast documentary called Fiasco. I’m listening to season one about the contested 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. If you enjoy politics and the news, check it out.

What’s UP with you? How are you passing the time in quarantine?

Social Distancing: 5 New Things You Can Do

April 8, 2020 by Sharlyn Lauby 3 Comments

bar sign saying it's 5 o'clock somewhere for the purpose of social distancing

Depending on where you live, you’ve probably been practicing social distancing for at least a week or two. Maybe longer. It’s important for us to help flatten the curve and I’d like to believe that, by now, everyone knows that.

But let’s be realistic. Social distancing is hard. Keith and I work from home, socialize very little, and even we think this is hard. We’re cutting back on the few things that we enjoyed going out and doing. So, I can only imagine what others who are used to much more active social lives are feeling right now.

Like many, when we first heard about social distancing, it was an opportunity to dust off the to-do list and tackle some projects. We cooked at home. Started organizing the garage. Watched a few movies we’ve been looking forward to seeing. After that, a little bit of social distancing boredom sets in. We still need to stay at home but now we need some new activities to occupy our time and our mind. So, I’ve come up with a list of five things you might want to consider working on while you’re still at home.

Take a MOOC (massive open online course). If you’re not familiar with MOOCs, these are free online courses taught by some of the best universities in the world. In the past, I’ve taken a course on the science of happiness from Yale. Keith and I just finished one from Harvard on meteorology. Think about a topic that you’ve been saying that you want to learn more about – like investing – and see if there’s a course available. BTW – there is an interesting financial markets course offered by Yale.

Update your social media accounts. This is the perfect time to update your social media profiles, avatars, etc. Think of it as a social media audit. Be sure to also review the privacy settings for each platform as well. In addition, if you’ve been waiting for some free time to learn newer social media platforms like Instagram, this could also be a good time to slowly ease into it. That could lead to discovering even more activities such as Instagram’s “Photo A Day” – which is very fun.

Research the candidates running for office in 2020. Oh, and sign up for a mail ballot. For some, the last thing you might want to do right now is pay attention to the news but let me toss out another point of view. Now is when we get to see how political candidates handle the tough times. We get to see if they really act effectively and in our best interest. In addition, it will only take a few moments of your time, but find your supervisor of elections website and sign up for mail ballots. That way you know that you will be able to vote in the primaries and in the general election.

Attend a virtual event. Everything I’ve mentioned so far you can do on your own. If you’re missing human interaction, consider attending – or even hosting – a virtual event. You can sign up for a free account from Zoom and coordinate a virtual coffee meeting or happy hour. Netflix has a “party” feature where you can watch shows or movies with friends. Social distancing doesn’t mean we can’t see our friends, we’re just going to have to wait a little longer to be in the same room with them.

Stay healthy. Finally, don’t forget about your own health and wellbeing. I know that in many places, we can’t go to our hair stylist or a day spa. Keith and I have found it challenging to get fresh fruit and vegetables at the grocery store. Gyms, health clubs, and exercise studios are closed. But that doesn’t mean we’re not trying new foods and new ways to get activity. We just discovered an app called “The Walk” (available for Apple and Android devices) that coordinates activity with a story about saving the world just by walking. Oh, and you will ultimately be walking the length of the United Kingdom.

My hope is that today’s post offers a bit of creative inspiration to keep your social distancing activities interesting. This is a tough time – even for a mega introvert like me. If you have some tips or resources for keeping things from getting too boring, share them in the comments. We’ve love to hear them.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby just off Duval Street in Key West, FL