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Monday the 9th \u2013 DIAGNOSED! \u2013<\/span> The new week started with a little work around the house, a last-minute audition, and an upcoming visit to my doctor. It\u2019ll be the first time I actually go into the office to be seen in about 3 years. The reason I must appear in person is to determine what the problem is with this high blood pressure issue I\u2019ve been having. I was a bit nervous going in, because I was concerned that he might send me to urgent care or worse yet, the hospital! It was another rainy day in L.A., and the water was pouring from the sky. I got parked at my doctor\u2019s building and headed to the front door of the complex. I noticed that there\u2019s an urgent care clinic on the first floor, so I went in to do some research. I asked the gal at the desk if they had a way to treat someone who was experiencing really high blood pressure. She said they did, and the treatment would be up to the doctor on duty. I told her I was on my way to see my doctor, but I wanted to have my bases covered in case things went badly up there. I got to my doctor\u2019s office, the nurse Maria called me in, and took my weight. Great news! I had lost 10 pounds since I was last in the office\u2026THREE YEARS AGO! But when she took my blood pressure she grimaced. 164! I quietly said, \u201cTry it again.\u201d She tried it again. It went down to 158. Again, I quietly said, \u201cTry it again.\u201d Then it was 154! We were heading in the right direction. Feeling a lot like a gambler in Vegas waiting for four pineapples to pop up on the nickel slot I said, \u201cTry it again.\u201d 148! Maria was happy with that. Just for the heck of it I said, \u201cTry it again.\u201d Still 148. I said, \u201cI\u2019ll take that.\u201d The doctor came into the room and while he was pleased with my weight loss, he was concerned about the elevation in blood pressure. He explained that, as we get older, our veins aren\u2019t as flexible as they were when we were younger. As a result our hearts need to pump a little harder to get the blood through. While 120\/80 is ideal when you\u2019re 30, it\u2019s pretty rare when you\u2019re 60. By the time you\u2019re 50 the average top number is 130, and by the time you\u2019re 60 the average top number is 140. He saw the document I gave the nurse about my history with the extreme fluctuations I had, especially during my recent visit to the dentist. The doctor said he also doesn\u2019t like the dentist, and he really hates L.A. traffic. He said he\u2019s positive his blood pressure rises during those times. But he said he\u2019d like me to get to an average of 135\/85 to 140\/90. He said he had faith that I could do it naturally; through exercise, stress reduction, and healthy eating. I told him the exercise and stress reduction would be easy, but the diet would be difficult for a bachelor like me. He said that processed foods had to go. This meant everything in a can. I told him that Chef Boyardee was my best friend. He also said lunch meat was bad, because of all the salt added during processing. Here all along I thought I was being a good boy by eating regular salads, when come to find out, the turkey I was adding was a bad thing. The bottled salad dressings are equally as bad! He gave me a set of documents that outlined the things I should be eating, but I don\u2019t eat any of those things! He said, \u201cDon\u2019t you ever buy almonds and peanuts?\u201d I said, \u201cSure\u2026.to feed to the squirrels!\u201d But seriously, I\u2019m going to be a lot more aware of the things I eat. The easy part will be adding more fruits and veggies to my diet, as I really enjoy apples, oranges, and pineapple. I also enjoy carrots and celery, but I\u2019ve been putting a lot of ranch dressing on them. Time to cut back. I figured the best way to do this was to start doing my 2 mile daily walks again, continue delving back into my meditation time, and to moderate my diet, without completely changing it. Which means a lot less of the stuff I usually eat. He kept saying that he had faith in me, and that he knew I could do this. Given my history as a jogger and a power-walker (and my aversion to being on regular medication) he had confidence I could turn it all around. But in the meantime, he\u2019s putting me on a medication for 30 days that should help me while I get back on track with my lifestyle changes. The good news\u2026no urgent care, and no hospital! On the way out of the building I went back into the urgent care office and gave the lady at the front desk the thumbs-up. \u201cAll good,\u201d I said. I walked through the pouring rain to the parking structure and got in the Gray Ghost. Completely relieved that I didn\u2019t have to be checked in somewhere, I just sat there and meditated for a while in my spirit of extreme gratitude. But I guess I have a New Year\u2019s Resolution to follow now. As I drove home through the lakes and rivers that once were L.A.\u2019s streets I appreciated having a new high-profile vehicle. If I had been in the Mustang I might have had to dig out the oars and start rowing! I fed the pets and collected my thoughts. Later my pal Amanda came over, and just as soon as she walked into the door we heard a loud BOOM outside\u2026and then\u2026no power. Either lightning had hit a transformer, or a transformer got wet or damaged and KABOOM! No more power. Oddly enough, none of the houses on the other streets that we could see were dark. It was only our complex. Strange. So we decided to cut our losses and head to Bob\u2019s Big Boy for dinner. But trying to find something on the menu that\u2019s not infused with tons of salt was difficult. Very depressing. But again, as my saying goes, \u201cIn all things; moderation.\u201d So I just ate less of what I usually eat. I had a hot turkey sandwich and literally only ate half of it. By the time we got back to Planet Wallywood the power had been restored. I\u2019m glad I was back home, because getting back wasn\u2019t easy. I had to drive through more than one deep puddle of water in the intersections. Again, really thankful to have a high-profile vehicle now. I did some work around the house, took a nap and listened to the pouring rain. By the time I got up it was early Tuesday morning. The sound of the rain REALLY puts me out! I did my auditions and typed out Wally\u2019s Week.<\/p>\nTuesday the 10th \u2013 WALLY WALKIN\u2019! \u2013<\/span> Though I had already started my 2 mile walking regimen again, it was now doctor\u2019s orders. They said if you can get in 150 minutes of exercise per week (walking, biking, swimming) you\u2019ll lower your weight AND blood pressure! That\u2019s 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week. I can do that easily. I walked over to CVS to pick up the prescription my doctor phoned in, picked up a few grocery items (bananas and oranges!) and walked back home to take my first blood pressure pill. There are several different pills that can do this, but the one my doctor gave me will help to dilate my veins and improve blood flow. I showered up, meditated for a bit, napped, and did my auditions later in the evening. The doctor told me to check my blood pressure daily when I was \u201cchill.\u201d I checked mine and it was really pretty good. I doubt that the pill had worked that fast, but I\u2019m sure the exercising I\u2019ve been doing has helped somewhat. I worked in the garage organizing some things, and I pulled out some materials for my Mahna Mahna redux.<\/p>\nWednesday the 11th \u2013 BOPPIN\u2019 TO THE BIRD! \u2013<\/span> Today\u2019s walk had me going to the post office to mail off an autographed photo. As I walked back home \u201cThe Bird\u201d by The Time came up on my phone and it had me moving quite briskly, as I stepped to the beat of the song. It\u2019s a great song, and not only did it provide an excellent exercise rhythm, it brought back good memories of fun times. The song is energetic\u2026and LONG! By the time it was over I was exhausted. Later I drove my pal Sara to Barone\u2019s for dinner. She wanted a ride in the Gray Ghost, as she hadn\u2019t seen it yet. I had less dressing on my salad than usual, and I ordered less pizza than I usually do, with less toppings. But I did find out that they make all their dressings in-house FRESH! No preservatives! And they sell it by the bottle. The gal told me that since they didn\u2019t add preservatives it may not keep as long as store-bought bottled dressings, but I said that was fine. My plan is to start buying fresh-made dressings for my salads, and instead of turkey lunch meat, I\u2019m going to start buying fresh grilled chicken breasts at places like Paty\u2019s. I can do this. I got back home to relax, nap for a bit, and I got up later to do some work around the house. I ate my leftover Barone\u2019s pizza and watched \u201cThe Lone Ranger.\u201d <\/p>\nThursday the 12th \u2013 NATE ATEEZ! \u2013<\/span> While I sleep my subconscious still churns and buzzes with ideas, concepts, and plans. The puppet I made as a first attempt at a Mahna Mahna replica Muppet wasn\u2019t going to work for that purpose, but it was still a really nice little puppet. I happened to find a random piece of black fur in one of my drawers, and I placed it on his head. The grain of the fur was upside down, but it gave him a really nice \u201cspiky\u201d hair-do. It rather looked like something somebody in the 80\u2019s would have worn. So I decided to continue to develop that character and add 80\u2019s glasses and clothing, and call him Nate Ateez (pronounced 80\u2019s) who would do short reports about specific fun things about the Eighties. Like\u2026\u201dThe Bird\u201d by The Time. Perhaps the nostalgic feelings I was getting on my walk could be parlayed into a fun puppet feature! I walked over to the Big 5 in my neighborhood, which is about 15 minutes away on foot, and not quite a mile away. Then I turned around and headed back home at full pace. I stopped off at Rusty\u2019s Pets to pick up some more potty pads for Roxy, and then I headed home to shower up. I met my friend Angie at Ernie\u2019s Taco House and we spent about four hours there chatting away! Fun! I came back home to relax, do my nightly auditions, nap on the couch for a bit, and then do some work around the house.<\/p>\nFriday the 13th \u2013 A FINE, FINE FRIDAY! \u2013<\/span> It sure was nice having a few days\u2019 respite from the rain. I decided to dig out my bicycle and pump up the tires to see if they could still hold air. I hadn\u2019t ridden my bike in a VERY long time, but it was time to add it to my arsenal of exercise. I hosed it down and rode it over to the local bike shop to get a tune-up. I wanted to make sure it was all oiled, checked and Okayed for the road. After dropping it off I walked over to Big 5. While on the way I ran into fellow Voice Actor Keith Szarabajka, who was also out on his afternoon constitutional. We chatted about our exercise programs and all of the concerns we have now that we\u2019re getting older. It was good to see him again, as I hadn\u2019t seen him in about a decade. I walked back home, fed the pets, and spoke with my old pal Rob Young on the phone. Rob was one of the writers on \u201cThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno\u201d when I worked on the show, and it was great catching up! I was really craving a Domino\u2019s pizza, but I know how salty they are so I hesitated. After much consideration I decided to hit their website to order a small pizza and a side dish. But when the order showed up to my door it was wrong. After a careful examination I realized that I must\u2019ve hit one wrong button on their website and it erased my original order, and defaulted to a large cheese pizza. I didn\u2019t need a large, and I definitely didn\u2019t want a cheese pizza. From now on I think I\u2019ll try calling them on the phone to order. But it\u2019s OK\u2026the pepperoni is full of salt, so it\u2019s probably all for the best. I sat at my kitchen table and created the new mouth for my Mahna Mahna replica Muppet. Dare I say, it\u2019s probably the best puppet mouth I\u2019ve ever made. I was very proud of it. I napped for a bit, worked around the house, did some editing, and then hit the hay.<\/p>\nSaturday the 14th \u2013 SWIMMING TO THE STYLIST\u2019S! \u2013<\/span> Though it was pouring rain in the afternoon, I figured I\u2019d get a nice walk in to my stylist\u2019s salon and get a touch-up on my color. I had my rain gear on, including my Star Wars light-up umbrella. The umbrella shaft lights up like a light sabre, and in three colors to choose from; red, blue, or green! (I like Vader red!) But I got about halfway there and realized that walking was a pretty bad idea. The intersections were flooded so badly that I had to walk out into the center of the street to get to the next block. But still, the water in the gutters was so high it was best I just stuck to the street instead. By the time I got there I was a bit soaked. After my appointment I got a few items at the little store next door and walked home. Luckily, the rain had stopped. I put the finger loops on the puppet mouth and while the glue dried I grabbed a short nap. Later I noticed that Roxy had a poo-poo accident where she laid. Because it\u2019s difficult for her to get up from lying down, it appears she wasn\u2019t able to get up in time. This is not a good sign. When a dog starts soiling themselves because they\u2019re unable to move\u2026well\u2026it\u2019s not good. I cleaned everything up, took her outside to clean her off, and while we got a nice walk in, she was definitely struggling. I just don\u2019t know how much longer I\u2019ll have her around. Once she\u2019s up on her feet she can usually get around fairly well, but still it\u2019s a struggle, being she\u2019s so elderly. This phase of a pet\u2019s life is so damned tough. It\u2019s absolute agony. Particularly since she has moments of being so \u201cpresent\u201d and engaged in life. But other times she struggles. Kind of like elderly humans. Later I made my Saturday Night Super Saint Salad with less lunch meat, and less dressing. But it was still very satisfying. <\/p>\nSunday the 15th \u2013 BIRTHDAY GIRLS! \u2013<\/span> My friends Edi and Sara share a birthday, even though they were born a decade and a half apart. I sat on the computer designing a custom birthday card, as a group of us were going to get together at Miceli\u2019s later that night for a birthday dinner. It was raining again, and Roxy had another poo-poo accident. Ugh. Cleaning it up is easy, but I was more saddened by what it represented. Needless to say, by the time I got to Miceli\u2019s I wasn\u2019t feeling very festive, and my mind was definitely elsewhere. But it was fun to see the gang, though. I got home and did some auditions for an animated film, shot a Cameo, took a short nap, and did some work around the house. Life in 2023 is going to be full of changes. Some good. Some bad. But I need to face them and go forward.<\/p>\nAnd how was YOUR week??!!<\/p>\n
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RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK At the bike store, where I took my bicycle to be tuned up, I saw this gem! I had one EXACTLY like it when I was a kid! I almost thought about buying it, simply as a display piece! It sure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wallysweek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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