is it true?

Just heard about a new study.  Who has time to do all these studies, and who pays for them?  Don't tell me it's my taxes.  I don't want to hear that.  Anyway, this study says that people who drive flashy, expensive cars tend to be more agressive drivers,  I can believe that.  People who drive flashy expensive cars obviously want to show off.  I've been saved from this tendency throughout my driving life because, while I like interstingly designed, distinctive cars I have never been able to afford expensive, flashy cars. My cars have included  (1) a Corvair (Remember those?  Engine in back, tended to roll over if driven too fast around curves - I speak from experience). (2) A VW bus (camper conversion).  A cute, if you like boxes, little bus, but certainly not a speedy vehicle, especially uphill. (3) A Toyota mini van (pre SUVs) very cute. I actually did get a speeding ticket in that one, going down hill with a strong tail wind.  And on and on.  A Corrola, a Taurus and a Rendevous also made the list. These days I drive a very cute, but sedate, little blue FIAT.  It is being a good little car contraty to the belief that FIAT stands for "Fix it again, Tony."  Looking back, I think it's a good thing for me, and the driving public, that I have never been able to afford a really fast, flashy car, but watch out if I win the lottery.

I'm so confused..

I think I need to stop watching debates.  I just finished watching the Democratic debate and I'm more confused than ever.  Each candidate is the best, the smartest, the most ethical, the most honest, the most knowledgeable and has the best plans for our country according to him or herself.  Every candidate is crooked, wrong, misguided, misinformed, foolishly idealistic and mathematically challenged according to all of their opponents.  They all want racial fairness, term limits, a booming economy, a chicken in every pot and stricter gun laws, or maybe they don't.  It depends on whose talking.  I'd like to think that the people voting in the upcoming primaries are better informed and wiser than me. I'd like to think that, but I can't help feeling that a lot of them are just as confused as I am.  Ah well, I have months to see how this all works out, or maybe I'll just see what's on NetFlix. 

taking the easy way

My brother and sister-in-law are coming to visit in a few days.  They will be here for four days and five nights which means four suppers I need to think about.  Breakfasts and lunches are generally a chance for everyone to do their own thing.  Last year, when they came for a similar, but longer visit, I was so organized.  I had five meals pre-assembled and  ready to pop into the crock pot early each morning.  In the evenings we enjoyed good home cooked meals.  This year, not so much.  I'm making a list of nearby restaurants we can go to.  Actually, I have a good rational for this.  Yesterday I heard of another kitchen fire, in an apartment on the other side of town.  That makes three kitchen fires I've heard of within the last month.  I think it's a sign.  I should probably avoid cooking for the safety of my guests.  I guess I can still risk making coffee.  Maybe?

more lost and found

After reading yesterday's post about my search for my glsses, a reader suggested that it would also be helpful to have a locator beeper on coffee cups.  I agree, they are easy to set down in strange places.  Other things that seem to go astray are TV remotes, ball point pens (usually between couch cushions) and small pieces of chocolate.  Oh, wait, skip that last one.  I just ate the last piece.  TV remotes are especially tricky.  I spent a frustrating five minutes the other evening with a remote in my hand, wondering why my TV wouldn't turn on.  I may be somewhat technologically challenged but I do know how to turn on a TV, so when I got no sign of life out of the set, I was ready to go searching for new batteries (also an item that likes to hide) only to discover, on closer inspection, that I was holding the remote for a different TV.  I will say, just a little bragging here, that I did, in the process of downsizing some years ago, manage to get rid of all the remotes in my house that didn't belong to anything I still owned.  However, with three TVs, a ROKU stick and a DVD player I still have quite a nice collection of remote controls.  Someone suggested once that I should get a universal remote but I don't think I'm ready for that much responsibility.  

an invention waiting to happen

I think the world needs a new invention, or at least I do.  You know how, when you misplace your phone you can dial it from another phone and find it? Well, I need something like that for my glasses.  They have a way of fading into the background no matter where I lay them down when I take them off, and, of course, if I could see well enough to find them I wouldn't need them.  So how about a beeping glasses frame? What made me think about this was taking my glasses off this evening when I got home from the Philharmonic concert (which was excellent as usual) so I could put my pajamas on.  I looked and I looked and I looked; retraced my steps, even checked places where I didn't think I had been.  I finally found them sitting quietly on my dresser.  A little beep would have saved me a lot of time (well a few minutes anyway).  

old, old tech

I needed to send someone a hard copy document earlier today and the person I was sending it to said it would be most convenient if I could scan and email it to her.  I don't have that capability with my old home printer, but now that I think about it, I probably could have done it with my phone.  Anyway, I knew that I could email it using the copier at church and I needed to be there for a meeting so I sent it from there.  While I was in the church office I decided to send another copy via fax just in case the emailed copy didn't go through for some reason.  I tried to fax the document three times and it just wouldn't go through.  Even the secretary couldn't get it to work.  So I sent an email to my Indy contact explaining my failure (because I had sent a note with the email copy telling her I was sending a backup fax copy) and she emailed me back that they don't have a fax machine any more.  Well, who knew?  I remember, thirty some years ago, when I was just getting started in real estate, that being able to fax documents to another office, instead of driving them across town, was the ultimate in convenience.  Our first office fax machine used a strange kind of 'wax' paper.  We were so excited when we got a new, improved version that used regular paper.   So new tech becomes old tech and old tech becomes obsolete. I could draw a parallel to the progress of my own life here but I don't want to go to bed depressed. 

the month of February

The month of February is pretty interesting.  It's the shortest month of the year but it also claims Valentines Day as it's very special day.  And Groundhog's Day.  We really musn't forget Groundhog's Day.  Who do you suppose first decided that watching how a groundhog reacts when it comes out of hibernation and crawls out of it's burrow into the light for the first time in months tells us how soon spring will be here?  Probably the same person who studied caterpillars that are big (for a caterpillar) and very fuzzy and decided that means we will have a long winter.  Whoever it was, they obviously had a lot of time on their hands and nothing electronic to play with.  Just today I discovered that February is also "Spunky Old Broads Month."  I guess I'm pleased that we have a month of our own but why did we get the shortest month?  Also one of the coldest? I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling spunkier in May.

Well, thqt was exciting.

I just finished watching the Democratic presidential debate and, wow, things are heating up.  Mayor Bloomburg gave the other hopefuls a whole new target and boy did they pounce.  Of course they aimed plenty of digs at all the rest of the candidates also.  Civil discourse gave way to shouts, arguments, interruptions and accusations.  Talk about reality TV.  Actually, when you think about it, it's the ultimate Reality TV show and whoever wins the big prize at the Democratic convention will get to debate President Trump.  That should be interesting.  I just wish there was a way to condense it all into a one month process so we wouldn't be deluged by political ads for the next many months.  Ah well, I can always escape to NetFlix. 

please pass the wine

I heard this on the news today.  Today is National Drink Wine Day.  I didn't realize that you needed a special day to drink wine but it eems like a fine idea for a special day.  Sadly, I was in a meeting earlier this eveing (the church kind, not the kind where you can drink wine; although I do sometimes wonder what people actually have in those fancy water bottles they carry around.)  Really, does anyone drink that much water?  But I digress.  I didn't remember until just now that this is a day to drink wine and now the day is almost over.  I do have some rather nice white wine in the frig.  Perhaps I shall take a little detour through the kitchen on my way to the bedroom.  Good night, everyone.

if it works for animals??

My greatniece sent me a YouTube video today that was produced by the science center where she works.  I watched the video all the way through and got to see her explain how she trains eels and other wet creatures.  Not to do tricks for the public but to come when called so they can be hand fed to monitor how much they eat, so, as she said "we can be sure they are getting enough to eat and aren't eating each other."  All very interesting, but what fascinated me most about the video (which covered several areas of the science center) was the care being given to a geriatric giant anteater.  Evidently this elderly anteater (a big favorite with visitors) was having some arthritus related aches and pains and they were treating him with acupuncture.  I had no idea that acupuncture could be used to treat animals but evidently it can be quite effective.  So now I, and maybe you, have learned something new. It makes me realize how much I don't know.  Thank goodness I'm not too old to learn.  

missing links

Do you remember chain letters?  When I was in junior hgh and high school they were quite prevalent.  A letter would arrive in the mail urging you to send 10 copies of the same letter to your friends and one letter back to the sender. Depending on the letter, not breaking the chain would result in lots of money coming your way (I think you had to put a dollar in that one), a huge number of recipes, unbroken friendships, and so much more.  Some even contained warnings of dire consequences if you 'gasp' broke the chain.  I hated those letters and never sent them on.  Something about being forced to send the letters to avoid breaking the chain really irritated me.  So, as you may have guessed by now, I didn't send them on.  All those broken chains lying around and yet I managed to grow up and live a good life.  Now I find myself having the same negative reaction to some Facebook posts.  Don't get me wrong, I love lots of things I see on Facebook, especially pictures of friends' grandchildren (adorable) and some puppies and kittens.  I mean, how can you not enjoy puppies and kittens? What I don't respond well to are the posts that tell me that to prove I agree with something, maybe patriotic, political or religious, I need to forward the post to everyone I know.  Granted, it's a lot easier than writing and mailing snair mail, but I still find myself having the same negative reaction.  Oops, there goes another broken chain.

more about pangolins

I introduced the subject of pangolins a few days ago when scientist in China pointed to them as the possible source of the Coronavirus that'a spreading through China.  I was surprised to learn this morning that today is World Pangolin Day.  I never knew they were famous enough to have their own day.  I haven't taken time to find out how many of them there are in the world or which countries they populate but evidently there are quite a few.  One reporter said that over 500,000 of them are poached annually for their meat and scales. On the other hand, a zoo in the US is being praised as one of the few zoos in the world that have been able to breed pangolins in captivity. So far they have had nine births.  I'm happy for the zoo but 500,000 to 9 doesn't seem like very good odds to me.  Now the new concern is that, because of the virus threat, people will just kill them in hopes of preventing the spread of the disease or for fear that it will keep spreading. Their main form of defense, rolling up in a tight, hard shelled ball, is evidently a good defense against lions but not a great defense against humans.  Poor misunderstood and misguided pangolins.  I just got curious enough to google pangolins.  Turns out you can buy 'save the pangolin' teeshirts or donate $55 to 'adopt' a pangolin.  

Valentine versions

Happy Valentines Day everyone.  It was a quiet day for me.  Cold enough that I was happy to stay inside.  I did receive text greetings from grandchildren and children and even a bouquet of flowers (a picture on line) from a niece and nephew.  I really enjoy the photo bouquets since most roses don't have any scent these days anyway and the pictures never wilt.  I heard on the news though that yesterday was Galentine day, a day that women celebrate their friendships with other women.  That actually sounds like fun, celebrating with girlfriends.  I'm thinking I could also "invent" another celebration day, Palentines Day, to be celebrated with a group of friends of both sexes; all your pals.  I shall have to think about this for next year.  

littlee luxuries

I am basically a lazy person and so I appreciate modern conveniences, and even sometimes semi-modern conveiences.  I happened to be driving on a blustery day in Amish country not long ago and that made me really appreciate having a car with a heater.  I don't have a heated steering wheel in my car but still it's better than holding tthe reins of a horse while riding in an open buggy.  Indoors I appreiated all the usuals like heat, electric lights, running water, my microwave and so on.  But my very favorite luxury item on a cold night like this is my electric blanket.  I like to pre-heat my bet so I'm not crawling in between icy sheets.  I di know that in the good old days they would run a pan full of hot coals betweem the blankets (or use a hot brick) to get the same effect but flipping a switch seems much easier.  Well, I'm pretty sure my bed is warm by now, so good night.  

a short blog

My computer just informed me taht my battery is running low so I am going to sign off, plug it in, and go to sleep.  Enjoy the snow everyone.  

An all snow event

The weatherman is so excited. Admittedly, he hasn't had much to be excited about lately. Saying "It's going to be cloudy with a rain/snow mix." over and over for days has to be boring.  If you want to have boring weather you might as well live in Hawaii. Niw there's a happy thought, but I digress. But, if all goes as he is predicting we may have anywhere from two to six inches of snow starting Wednesday afternoon and going through Thursday.  I like this weatherman and I'm happy for him that he has something interesting to predict.  Mind you I'm not too thrilled about the idea of bunches of snow and I hope it holds off til at least Wednesday evening since I have a 4:30 meeting.  
I met this particular weatherman last summer at the grand opening of Promenade Park.  He politely offered a table and chairs to my friend and me since he was just finishing his meal.  It was the strangest feeling. Since I watch him almost every week day for at least one newscast I felt like I was seeing an old friend.  At the same time I knew that he had no idea in the world who I was.  I told him I was a fan and that seemed to please him.  (No, I didn't ask for an autograph - I do have some pride.)  

sunshine please!

I'm not usually affected by the weather but I must admit that I am getting pretty tired of gloomy, cloudy skies, and rain and snow mixed.  What kind of weather is that? Years ago, when I lived in up-state New York, it snowed a lot, but then the sun would come out and it was like living in a beautiful Christmas card.  Yesterday I attended a meeting in Anderson, Indiana.  I'm not familiar with the town but as we were driving toward the downtown I found myself thnking "What a dull, gloomy town."  Then I realized that it was the weather I was judging, not the architecture.  Really not fair.  A friend of mine spent the last two weeks in Florida and I really enjoyed the pictures she posted on Facebook.  She's a good photographer and the pictures were full of palm trees and sunshine.  It was nice to be reminded that the sun is still shining somewhere. There are some rays of hope though.  According to the groundhog, we will have a short winter.  Also, a friend of mine told me that yesterday, the second Saturday in February is "hump Saturday." After that the winter will not get any worse.  It may not improve quickly, he went on to add, but it won't get worse.  I shall cling to that hope.  In the meantime, if the sun isn't shining (or if it is) smile a lot, you will brighten someone's mood.  

Revenge?

I heard on the news last night that a possible source of the Coronavirus which is spreading through China and beyond is the pangolin.  If you're not sure what a pangolin is I'll tell you.  It's a small animal, similar to an armadillo in that it has scales and rolls up into a ball to hide from predators.  This works as a protection from large, hungry animals but it makes it very easy for poachers to pick up the little critters and carry them off.  It seems that their scales are highly prized in oriental countries for their supposed medicinal properties.  My son, who has been a huge fan of pangolins for years, says that they are the most frequently poached animal in the world.  Now I'm thinking that the pangolins have arranged a pretty awesome revenge if they really are the source of the Coronavirus.  So now I'm worried.  What if other frequently poached animals, like elephants and rhinos, manage to develop their own deadly viruses?  Pay back time!  

I'm so disappointed.

Well, here it is, another February, and I won't be able to take part in the Polar Plunge.  It looks like such fun when they show it on TV.  Half naked people jumping into freezing cold river water.  I know it's for ia good cause and everything and, you know, I'd really like to try it but, sadly, I will be out of town all day tomorrow attending a meeting in Anderson, Indiana.  And in case you're wondering, yes, I will find an equally valid excuse for avoiding every Polar Plunge for the next 20 years or so.  Now, if they come up with something sensible like say a Solar Plunge in July or August, held in a nice clean pool, then count me in.

looking forward

Well, I missed "National Stuffed Mushroom Day" which is too bad.  I have a friend who makes really great stuffed mushrooms. It was February 4th in case you want to plan for next year.  However if you want something more immediate to celebrate, tomorrow is "National Bubble Gum Day."  I remember bubble gum with great fondness.  Not only did it taste great, it was also excellent entertainment.  When I was much younger I received an allowance of twenty-five cents a week.  I know, one whole quarter, wow!  However, that money was usually enough to buy two comic books (I liked "Archie" the best) and one five-pack of bubble gum.  Such bounty.  All of this shopping took place at the drug store in my home town of Woodburn. Some weeks I had to pass on the bubble gum to buy a nice, fat super size comic.  But don't fret.  If bubble gum isn't your thing, tomorrow is also "Wave all your fingers at your neighbor day."  No specifics about in what order you should wave your fingers.  I guess that depends on your relationship with your neighbors.  

well, that was interesting

So here I was, sitting n my comfy recliner, wondering what I was going to blog about this evening when suddenly a horrible sound started blaring in the hall. The fire alarm, of course.  It reminds me a lot of the fire alarm when I was a student at Bsll State.  Now that I think about it, that dorm and this building were both built in the early 1960s.  That may explain the similarities.  Whatever, it's a hard sound to ignore, and it went on andon and on, so I put on my coat, grabbed my purse and phone, and walked down 10 flights of stairs (nice to know I can when I need to) to join a weird pajama party in the lobby. We all stood around watching firemen rush in.  Six of them passed me on their way up as I came down the stairs.  All this furor for a kitchen fire on the 11th floor.  The firemen took it very seriously though, making sure that the fire was truly out and smoke had been cleared out.  I'm glad they did.  I'm also glad this happended while I was awake.  My college roommate can testify that I do not wake up easily for fire drills.  I think I'm happy that our nearest fire station is only one block away.  The moral of this story is stop cooking people, and eat in restaurants.  It's so much safer. 

Destined for sainthood?????

Well, I listened with, I hope, an open mind, to President Trump's State of the Union speech.  I must give him credit for staying on script and pulling out all the possible emotional responses his speech writers could possibly have included.  Rush received the Medal of Honor award, a deployed soldier was reunited with his family, a 4th grade girl was given a scholarship to a better school, a 13 year old boy who wants to be an astronaut and his 100 year old Tuskegee Airman great grandfather were introduced and on and on.  I'm curious about how they find these people.  Do they advertise?  Do they know somebody who knows somebody?  It was a good campaign speech and I'm sure his supporters loved it.  I'm still waiting with some interest to find out what actually happened in Iowa.  This is going to be such a fun year......

caucus??

Well, evidently the Iowa caucus is still too close to call, at least on the Democratic side.  No question on the Republican side of course.  I have a friend who is a huge supporter of Pete and she is at a caucus site in Iowa right now. While I have my favorite I am not dedicated enough to drive all the way to Iowa to cheer him/her on.  Just had a text from my friend.  She says it's 'insane' there and also that she's thankful for our primary.  Me too.  At least I can understand how a primary election works.  Stay tuned.  The 2020 political craziness is just beginning.  

more statistics

As heard on the news this morning: a recent statistical study shows that the incidents of traffic accidents involving people high on marijuana has more than doubled since recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado. Somehow I don't find this too surprising.  One thing I did find a little surprising was the comment by a young lady being interviewed about this finding.  She said that she was sure that she drove better when she was high on marijuana, and that the police couldn't tell anyway.  Was she high when she made that very public statement?  I'm guessing yes.
On a happier note today is Groundhog's Day and the groundhog supposedly did not see his shadow soooo early spring.  I can believe it considering the glorious day we had today.  Were you as excited as I was to see sunshine?  
Also today was a palindrome day with a date of 02 02 2020.  A news reporter I heard this morning said that the last time this happened was about 900 years ago.  I think I've figured out what date that would be.  11 11 1111?  That was 909 years ago.  Is the next one 12 12 2121?  I love numbers.  This will give me something to think about as I fall asleep tonight.  

Porgy and Bess

I went to the Metropolitan Opera House this afternoon and saw a wonderful production of "Porgy and Bess."  Well, actually I went with a friend to the movie theater on Washington Center Road, the one that has the big comfy reclining chairs, and watched the live broadcast of the opera from the Met.  I had been to one of these shows before and it is a great way to enjoy an opera.  They showed views of the interior of the opera house before the program started, and, based on what I saw, we definitely had the most comfortable seats.  It was fun watching people in the on-site audience, who evidiently didn't realize they were on camera.  Many were on their phones (before the show started of course) and some were taking selfies.  We also enjoyed seeing behind the scenes interviews with the performers and producers before the show and during the intermission.  Excellent voices, beautiful music and comfy surroundings.  I highly recommend the Met at the movies.