79 here. That could be part of the problem.

:bday:

Being of similar vintage, I’m in a slump at the moment which I brought upon myself by riding too many miles/week with younger guys and in the heat. Just not 30 years old anymore or 40, 50, or even 65. :(

Man needs to know his limitations.

That is indeed very good.

I became 69 two weeks ago.

Having removed the pedals from the Canyon - well, PEDAL, plus the axle stub, I decided to take a different bike. All the other bikes had had a turn recently except the Battaglin, so I pulled it down off its hook, pumped up the tires, and headed out. I had another of those "OH, MY GOD!!! I f***ing LOVE this bike!!!!!!" experiences. It is SO responsive! It just LOVES to pushed hard! Swings like a pendulum when you're out of the saddle, and rewards every watt you put into it with forward motion! There's a little kicker, maybe a quarter of a mile at about 8%, that on other bikes I try to keep it above 10 mph, but today "These go to 11".

The ride is stiff, no question about that. But it also feels planted, for want of a better word. Unlike with the Cannondale, I don't ever get that 'kicked out of the saddle' feeling hitting a bump, and hitting rough pavement in turns doesn't result in hopping sideways. It's also the best combination of twitchy and stable. It goes where I point it, but if I change my mind, it goes there instead, no hesitation. Also one of my most crosswind-stable bikes.

Whoa!

I tossed my health insurance card today.

What/who is it useful for? One witch doctor didn't bother with it, but the other two do.

It’s a measure of inflammatory activity in your body. Lots of conditions big and small can affect it. It could be helpful in the context of symptoms and physical exam findings and possibly other lab results.

You got Medicare?!?

:bday:

I did. And expensive it is too, but no more PPO concerns.

Thank you. As you may know, it starts first of the birthday month.

Basic Medicare A and B are crazy inexpensive. But there are holes in the coverage. The medigap and/or part D might be more money but still very affordable compared to private insurance.

I pay over $2000/month for crappy insurance with a huge deductible. Now that’s for the whole family but still a rip-off IMO.

Get off my lawn, you Whippersnapper!

In other words, there's no condition that would prompt you to say, "I gotta see the SED rate."

Yeah, they seem cheap if you’ve been paying market rate. I am a uniformed services retiree and was paying about 500 bucks a year for the Hopkins Tricare plan. I now go into Tricare for Life so Medicare just forwards the balance to Tricare automatically.

It’s a minor player in the big picture. But if a patient has undiagnosed chronic arthritis it can help us decide if it’s an inflammatory arthritis versus degenerative. So it has some use, but modest.

Winter is in the air. :(

It was 90 F here today.:foo:
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We were in the same boat before my wife became employed by the school district, and we switched to its plans. Our annual premium for the family was roughly $30,000. By the time we covered our deductible, we were spending about $47,000 per year before receiving any material benefit. Agree with you on it being a rip-off.

Thanks. I have another question, but I will pose it at a future time. You have something to look forward to.

Mid fifties tonight. I've been sleeping on the porch
Think I'll move inside.

What are your bottom five track and field events? Steeplechase has to be one of them.

@BillyD
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