my word of the day

I bought a device today called a "Smooth Finish Facial Hair Remover."  Let's face it women of a certain age, and I'm one of them, need to pluck a few chin hairs from time to time.  That old saying "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin." had to have had its origin somewhere. But I digress.  My daughter recommended this device so I bought it.  As with so many things on the market these days the directions enclosed are printed in four different languages: English, French, Spanish and German in this case.  What caught my attention was the title as it was printed in German.  I come from a long line of German ancestors so believe me this is not a criticism, more a case of awe and envy.  The title in German is "Smooth Finish Gesichtshaarentferner." Isn't that a great word?  I'd love to know the literal translation.

applause for Jake Shimabukuro

I first heard Hawaiian Jake Shimabukuro play his ukulele several years ago at a small but popular venue here in Fort Wayne called Come to Go (C2G for short). It's a "nightclub" on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and a church on Sundays.  When he first performed there Jake was a solo act, and his ukulele playing was some of the most amazing music I had ever heard. I even have a picture of Jake taken with one of my girlfriends.  It was that kind of casual atmosphere. This evening I got to hear Jake perform with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as part of their Pops series.  At this point in his career he has toured all over the world, performed with several orchestras, and appears to be doing very well indeed.  His music is as marvelous as ever and this evening's performance was pure joy.  It was a packed house and he got three standing ovations, but I must admit I kind of missed the close-up ambiance of C2G.

reward for a good deed

I gave blood this morning.  One of my favorite things about giving blood is the advice they always give after - don't do any heavy lifting, drink plenty of fluids and don't skip any meals (like I ever do). So I did a little banking after, then came home expecting to have a quiet afternoon and evening. Until, late in the afternoon, my son called inviting me to go with the family for a hamburger supper at Brava's.  Turns out my youngest granddaughter had a choir rehearsal downtown and what better way to pass the time waiting for her to be finished than by eating and visiting.  I had never been to Brava's before. My daughter-in-law described it as a very casual place where you could get gourmet burgers. She was right. We ate at picnic tables off trays that looked like small cookie sheets but the food on those trays was excellent. I had the bacon burger - there was a fancier name but I don't remember. It consisted of hamburger, thick slices of Canadian bacon, a bacon cheese sauce, thin apple slices and another sauce, yummeeeeee. Their fries were also soooo good - little chunks of potato, deep fried and served naked or covered with chunks of cheese and gravy, sort of like poutine.
After dinner the gang came back to my apartment to pass the rest of the time until the rehearsal was over. We had a comfy fun time and I think they are appreciating more and more the convenience of my downtown location.  All in all, a great reward for my morning good deed.

the good the bad and the so so

Actually there wasn't anything bad but quite a bit of so so.  A friend and I attended an IVY Tech dinner this evening.  These are dinners produced and served by students in the culinary arts department at IVY Tech.  I've gone to several of these dinners and have always been quite impressed with the food, presentation and ambiance.  Tonight's dinner was a Mexican dinner.  I attended the Mexican dinner at the school last year and it was amazing so I was disappointed by some of this evening's features. First the good: a pleasant surprise when we were seated with friends from my church and another amiable couple.  We had lots of fun table conversation. The berry plum wine I tried was excellent. The decor was bright and festive. The dessert and Mexican hot chocolate were very good. The chicken soup was hot, spicy and delicious. On the down side the appetizer, chickpea quesadillas with sour cream and green salsa, was just average and the entree, shredded beef (too salty), rice and black beans served with soft taco shells wasn't anything special at all. Maybe I was too full of all the earlier courses to really appreciate it but I don't think that was it. I didn't have any problem finishing off the dessert.  I think I'll stick to my favorite local restaurants for Mexican from now on.

iced mud

I have a nice big view from my balcony that includes a stretch of the St. Mary's River.  It was really quite lovely in the fall; gently flowing, occasionally inhabited by ducks and geese, framed by multi-colored autumn foliage and sparkling in the sunlight. But now that lovely river is a stretch of frozen mud, not at all attractive. I'm trying to convince myself that it looks like a fudge pop, but no, it just looks like stiff, frost edged mud.  So I've told myself not to look at the river, to lift my gaze and look at the sky and I did see a very brief glimpse of sunshine this morning. About 8:29 am. You had to be quick to see it. Ah well, spring will come. It always does. Tomorrow would be good.

vision woes

I wear no-line trifocals so I know from experience that adjusting to new glasses can sometimes be challenging.  Last week my son told me that his new glasses (no line bifocals) were not working at all.  He was seeing lots of distortion, especially around the edges. During the week he went back to his eye doctor, got different glasses and all is well now.  Ok, no problem there, but this morning, I was riding with a friend to Indianapolis (she was driving), As she pulled on to the interstate she casually said "I don't think these new glasses that I got yesterday are working very well.  I don't seem to be able to focus." Oh goody, just what I wanted to hear as we are zipping down the highway.  Luckily semis are big and easy to see. We made it to Indy OK and had a lovely visit with her family. I noticed that on the drive home she had switched to her old glasses.  Seemed like a fine idea to me.

How did they know?

I've used the treadmill here at the apartment exercise room all of two times now and today I got a postcard from Target addressed to me personally (I checked) inviting me to "refresh your workout wardrobe..." How did they know?  Do they think my sloppy jeans and sweatshirts aren't classy enough? Who turned me in to the workout fashion police?  It will be a dark day in the gym, I mean black out dark, before I wear any of the skimpy outfits they are showing in the pictures in public.

internet woes

Just had a really interesting (frustrating) conversation with a Frontier service person.  I called because  I've been having trouble with my internet connection lately.  It comes and goes with no apparent pattern except that it is least likely to be connected when I  most want to use it.  The service lady told me to unplug the router, wait 30 seconds and plug it in again. OK, did that.  Of course the internet connection was working now anyway. She then proceeded to explain that if I stream a lot of videos that can slow down the connection - I don't do that at all.  It may be that everyone else is trying to connect at the same time. At 10:00 at night? No, that shouldn't be it.  I may just need to upgrade my service.  I don't think so. Call back if I continue to have problems and, oh, by the way, I will be receiving a survey (by email of course). Please say good things about the service I received.  What service????

Two reviews

I couldn't write last evening because I'm having internet connection problems but things seem to be ok right now. So two reviews: on Thursday evening a friend and I went to Eddie Merlot's for dinner. It was my treat for his birthday.  We ordered from the Savor Fort Wayne menu - a three course meal for $30. Of course wine and coffee were extra.  I didn't realize what a good deal this was until I looked at their regular menu. Yikes! The food was excellent but $49 for an entree and $12 for an appetizer is a little rich for my blood, so I think that we will be going back again, but only during Savor Fort Wayne next year.
This evening I saw Two Plays on a Bench at First Presbyterian Theater. This was a presentation of two short plays, each performed by two men on, you guessed it, a park bench.  The first one, "Duck Variations" featured two older men pondering life and ducks and it was hilarious.  The second one, "Zoo Story" was just weird.  It was extremely well acted with a surprising twist at the end but, basically, it was just weird.  This probably proves that I'm not very sophisticated.  So be it.

taking that first small step

Finely, finely, finely I've done something I've been planning to do ever since I moved in here. Down the hall from the laundry room is an exercise room with a nice assortment of work out equipment: weight machine, treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical and more.  I have walked into this room several times, eyed the machines, thought about trying some out and them walked out again, convincing myself that I didn't have time right now.  Today though, while my laundry was in the dryer, I walked in once again. This time one of the maintenance men was in there working on one of the machines and I asked him if he could show me how the treadmill works.  He started out by telling me that this unit is new, just installed last week which made me feel a little less stupid about having to ask for help.  He very patiently showed me all the features and I proceeded to walk on it for 20 minutes, zero incline, fairly slow pace, but hey, I was walking.  My favorite feature is a plug with cord and clip.  You plug one end of the cord into a special slot in the machine, clip the other end onto the front of your shirt and, if you happen to slip or fall off the treadmill the cord is yanked out of the machine and it automatically turns off.  Since I have never been known for my grace or coordination I really appreciate this safety feature.

I'll pass on this furry friend

I am very happy in my decision not to have any pets while I'm living in this apartment.  Seeing neighbors taking their dogs out for walks on these cold days assures me that I don't want a dog and living in a fur-free, litter-box free environment reassures me that I don't want a cat.  I don't want a bird, hamster or fish either, but today a friend told me about a new kind of pet.  He assures me this is true.  There are robot pets available for sale now (no information on prices) that he says are being used in nursing homes and hospitals.  They are covered in faux fur, soft and warm to the touch and they purr or make appropriate doggy noises and will curl up with you, sleep with you, sit on your lap.  They never need to be taken for walks or to the vet.  I presume you plug them in to charge their batteries and just leave them on a shelf when you don't want to be bothered. This raises the question, if I don't want a real pet, why would I want a fake one?  It just doesn't seem right somehow. I would kind of like to see one though, just out of curiosity.

laundry room conversations

It has been pointed out to me recently that I am spending too much time in elevator conversations.  I think the appeal of elevator conversations, for me and others, is that you know you won't have to talk to this person for very long. But, I do have other conversations in this building, for instance I met a young man today in the laundry room who is from California (and really wanting to go back when it's this cold here). He is studying to be a pharmacist. Later, I chatted with another young man on his way to IPFW. He's studying IT. It's a second degree for him. He decided to do something with more income potential than his first degree in sports & fitness. Oh, wait, that was another elevator conversation.  Never mind.

School delays!!!

School delays are a wonderful invention.  My daughter-in-law, who started her teaching career in Phoenix, where there was never a school delay or closing, thinks that delays, for fog, cold or whatever reason, are absolutely delightful.  I thought I was beyond caring about school delays but I just got an email telling me that, because Fort Wayne schools have a delay tomorrow, the MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group scheduled for tomorrow morning is cancelled. Once a month I volunteer as a baby sitter for this group and tomorrow was my morning.  I generally enjoy those toddlers but, believe me, I will enjoy rolling over and going back to sleep even more.

The Democratic presidential debate

Wow, this is exciting.  People are arguing, yelling, challenging each other's voting records and generally trying to prove that they are different from each other. Over an hour into the debate before Trump's name was finally mentioned. Things I'm hearing that I don't like: from Bernie Sanders - yes he would need to raise taxes "just a little" on the middle class but that would be off set by their "free" health insurance. O'Malley wants to bring back capital gains tax (for the rich of course, but where's the cut off?). Of course, with the way the stock market has been going recently it could be a moot point. From Hillary "We are in the midst of great turmoil in the middle east."  I think she's right, I just don't like hearing it. I did like the fact that she pointed to several leaders in that area who are the real culprits. Decisions, decisions... If I had to vote today and I had to vote for a Democrat I'd probably have to vote for Hillary.

sixth grade girls basketball

I attended my youngest granddaughter's basketball game this afternoon and she did very well.  She played for at least part of every quarter and seemed to have improved greatly since the last game I attended.  She goes to St. Charles and they were playing St. Vincent's. Interestingly, as I was riding down in the elevator to get my car and go to the game I told the young lady who was sharing the elevator ride that I was on the way to my granddaughter's game and it turned out she was on the way to see her niece's game (two other catholic schools).  Then, coming home, riding up in the elevator with another friendly young lady, I mentioned having been at the game and she had just come from her niece's game, again two other Catholic schools.  It was a busy day for 6th grade basketball.

I feel so much better now.

I didn't win the bazillion dollar lottery but after watching 20/20 this evening I feel much better about that.  The show focused on big winners who lost all their money in bad investments or had fights in the office when it came to sharing the winnings when they bought as part of a pool.  One "big winner" who has won seven big prizes over the years admits that his "secret" is to buy lots of lottery tickets every day.  He has no idea how much he has spent to win big but claims he is ahead of the game.  The most interesting quote I heard was "It helps to be a math genius."  I guess that rules me out.  Will I ever play again?  Maybe. One winner claimed he heard a voice telling him the lucky numbers.  I'll let you know if I start hearing voices, although, on second thought, hearing voices isn't always considered a good thing.

technology trauma

I am writing my blog earlier than usual this evening in an attempt to trick my computer and or my internet provider.  On Tuesday, after President Obama assured me that technology is better than ever in the US my internet connection died, and has been sporadic ever since. I actually thought his speech was pretty good and wasn't going to slam it so I don't suspect some nefarious plot to keep me quiet, just a coincidence, I guess.  I was actually very impressed by the person who presented the Republican response to the president's speech.  Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, and, at 43, the youngest governor in the United States, was extremely well spoken and evidently no fan of Donald Trump, two points in her favor right there.  After the speeches reporters were saying that she could be in the running for the vice presidential nomination. I think that would be excellent. Now all we need are some really great presidential candidates. Should be an interesting year.

variation on a theme

In past blogs I've talked about things not on my bucket list, stuff I don't care if I never do, like sky diving, polar bear plunging or doing my own taxes. But now, as I've been daydreaming about what I would do if I won the power ball prize, I've discovered one thing I definitely would not do!  It was announced on TV this morning that the Playboy mansion is for sale for a mere two hundred million dollars (even the real estate agent admitted it was over priced), with the catch that whoever buys it has to let Hugh Hefner continue to live there. Nothing was said about any bunnies continuing to live there bur either way ewuuu and yuck. Wow, I just saved myself two hundred million mythical dollars.  .

Well, that solves that problem.

I no longer need to worry about how I would deal with $900,000,000.00. Not only did I not win the big money (or any money) in the Power Ball lottery, not one of the numbers in my two series matched even one of the lottery numbers.  That's a pretty definite loss. But, on the up side, next week they're projecting the pot to be worth over a billion dollars. I heard that if someone in Indiana wins that amount, it would make them one of the ten wealthiest people in Indiana. Now I'm wondering who those other nine Indiana billionaires are.  I would like to get to know one or more of them. I think I have a better chance of meeting a billionaire than of winning Power Ball.  Will I play again ?  Maybe.

true confession

Well, I did it.  While I was out this morning I stopped by my favorite grocery store and bought a Power Ball ticket (actually I bought two). The numbers are supposed to be announced at 10:59pm at which time my bubble will pop, but in the meantime, I've had a delightful several hours daydreaming about what I could do with several hundred million dollars. Not a bad bit of entertainment for $4.00. Now I'm enjoying the anticipation.  I decided to write this blog earlier that usual this evening so I don't have to admit I'm a loser until tomorrow. After all, a reporter this evening said that while I have a greater chance of being attacked by a shark or struck by lightning or maybe that was a better chance of being struck by lightning while being attacked by a shark, I do still have a better chance of winning the big prize than being hit by a piece of space debris.  So, hey, there's still hope.

I see a few pit falls here

I've been hearing a lot lately about the Wheat Belly diet.  I found out that the original book was published in 2011.  Obviously I'm not too quick at picking up new fads.  I'm curious about this diet but reluctant to pay $20 plus for the original book or the newer 10-day grain detox follow up book that's just out.  The source I saw said that the books are available on Kindle for $10 but when I tried to access it on line there was no match, no such book available. Yesterday I was standing in line to check out at Kroger's and saw a magazine that touted the Wheat Belly diet on its cover.  I decided that I could risk $2.50 so I bought the magazine. It has a tear out section of WB approved recipes and most of them do sound delicious.  I'm always a little skeptical though of recipes that post a prep time of 10 or 15 minutes.  They are obviously not factoring in time to go to the grocery and buy all the stuff I don't have, and the time I usually take to reread a recipe 5 or 6 times.  All that being said, I was beginning to find this diet promising until I realized that, along with bread and other stuff with wheat in it, I would also have to give up my favorite soft top cookies.  Since I just bought a new box of ten from Kroger's, I'm afraid the diet will have to wait. Maybe for a long time.  These cookies have a pesky way of jumping into my cart when my back is turned.

new government dietary guidelines

Do you remember the food pyramid? When I was in school, admittedly a few years ago, we learned what was good to eat with a pyramid diagram. As I recall carbs were on the bottom, although we called it grains then, meat and vegetables somewhere in the middle and sugar in the tip. Not too bad, now that I think about it, but today on the news they announced that the government has come out with new dietary guidelines.  According to these guidelines less than 10% of our daily diet should consist of added sugars, less that 10% fat, less that 2300 milligrams of sodium per day and, for women, 1600 to 2400 calories per day.  I was contemplating these guidelines as I enjoyed a delicious little cheese cake for dessert this evening. I think I like the old pyramid better. The bigger the tip, the bigger the base, right?

power ball woes

Well, I've lost again. I am not the winner of the $524,100,000.00 big prize. I know this already, and they haven't even announced the numbers yet.  If you don't buy a ticket you can't win. I thought about buying a ticket a few days ago when the big prize was a mere 345,000,000.00 but I forgot.
They just showed the numbers and not one of them was a number I would have chosen.  So I guess the moral is, if I want to play the lottery, remember to buy a ticket and take randomly selected numbers.  Or, i could just save my money.

Discipline

In church on Sunday, which was Epiphany Sunday, everyone in the congregation was given a card with a single word on it as an Epiphany gift. We were told to keep this word somewhere where we would see it every day and consider how it might become a gift of the spirit for us.  It was suggested that we look up the various definitions and consider how our word might apply to each of us in 2016.  My word was discipline. I was pretty sure I knew what my word meant but I looked it up. As a noun it can mean "the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience." That seems a bit harsh for a gift from the spirit, and I don't even have a cat to discipline any more, not that anyone can discipline cats. It can also mean "a branch of knowledge typically one studied in higher education." That definition fits in a little better with what I've been thinking lately  I need to find a discipline, something creative or productive. I've eliminated taking up knitting or crocheting because I wouldn't want to inflict my creations on anyone.  I've also decided against music lessons of any sort.  I'm afraid the other tenants would rise up in arms. So I shall continue my quest for something fulfilling that won't annoy anyone.

The Biggest Loser is back!

One of my favorite reality TV shows started its new season this evening.  I'm not sure what the fascination is to me but I enjoy seeing the transformation in the participants on this show.  Note - I enjoy SEEING this transformation.  I have no particular desire to exercise incessantly myself.  But somewhere deep down I think if did, I could look great too.  Between watching the show and tracking my daily activity on my FitBit maybe I will get a little more active this year.  Wow, that sounds almost like a New Year's resolution.  I'll have to give this more thought, right after I finish my cookie.

Hooked again...

I don't think I have a particularly addictive personality but evidently I do, at least when it comes to my entertainment choices.  I made the choice this evening to watch the first episode of the final season of Downton Abbey.  I guess I know what I'll be watching on Sunday evenings from now through March.  Blame it on great story lines, excellent actors and those elegant British accents.

Happy Perehelion Day!

Just when I thought all of the year end holidays were over the weather lady on this evening's news show explained that today is the day each year that the earth is closest to the sun, an event known as Perehelion. Who knew?  I was shopping at Target earlier today and saw a huge display of Valentine candy and cards already on display but not a single Perehelion card.  On the other hand I was shopping with my youngest granddaughter and while we were driving she commented several times on how bright the sun was.  I just assumed that it seemed bright because we've just come through more than a week of cloudy days, but maybe it really was brighter than usual???

New Year's Resolution

I hereby resolve that I will not participate in the Polar Plunge next New Year's Day.  I will not run splashing and yelling into one of the local icy cold rivers, not even the one right outside my building.  Of course I never have participated in this event in the past so this should be a pretty easy resolution to keep, just add it to my list of things I never want to experience.