not what I was expecting

I went shopping for a new laptop today, with my son, at a store that shall remain nameless (but it's initials are BB) and found another acceptable laptop.  Actually, I think it will work out very well. They also agreed to let me return the slightly used laptop that I'm dissatisfied with.  All very good.  The snag came when I asked them about transferring all of my data from the old unit to the new one.  My son had done this the last time, but since I had both computers right there, it seemed to make sense to let them do it.  They were willing and able to do the job, for a small fee, $100.00.  They told me the job would only take three or four days, then for some reason they revised that estimate to seven days.  The first time around it took my son about four hours so I was a little surprised.  Of course, it may be that they have a huge backlog of people waiting for this service, but I doubt it.  Since I really need a reliable computer by Saturday I decided on plan B.  I bought the new computer, brought both laptops home and my son will do the transfer tomorrow.  Then we will return the faulty computer.  Stay tuned.....

When life gives you a lemon....

No, I'm not about to make lemonade.  However a change is coming.  I know that sometimes a new car can be a lemon.  That's why there is a lemon law to protect consumers. Tomorrow I'm returning this lemony laptop.  I've had several problems with it since I bought it and am finally ready to admit that it's not just operator error or the fact that I'm a slow learner.  Admittedly, those are possibilities but not this time.  It's a very sleek and pretty laptop but it has some nasty habits like turning off unexpectedly or letting the screen go black in the middle of a Zoom meeting.  If I wanted unreliability I could have kept my old laptop, which I do still have just in case.  So tomorrow might be an adventure in negotiations or I just might walk out with a nice new non-lemon laptop.  Stay tuned.

a correction

When I wrote about my granddaughter's graduation yesterday evening I wrote her senior quote from memory and I got a wrong so here is the actual quote. 
"When life gets you down,
there's nothing better to do
than just keep swimming.
A little determination goes a long way."
from Finding Nemo
At least I got the 'just keep swimming' line right.
Here are a couple of other quotes from last night that I enjoyed:
"Look Mom, I made it."
"No, I don't play basketball.  Do you play mini golf?"

Actually, that last line reminded me of one my son came up with. He was 6' 5" tall in high school and played in the band.  After being asked often if he played basketball, his pat answer became "No, are you a jockey?"

Graduation 2020

I attended my oldest granddaughter's high school graduation this evening 2020 style.  Which means that I watched her walk across the stage and receive her diploma from the comfort of my recliner.  The Sal and Val gave short thoughtful speeches, there wasn't a processional and the whole event was over in an hour and a half.  One of my favorite parts was the graduates' selected quotes which were projected on a screen as the graduates came up to get their diplomas.  They ranged from quotes by St. Teresa of Calcutta to lines from Harry Potter and Star Wars.  Some serious, some funny.  It was nice to have something to read.  I was a little surprised that only one quote was from the Bible since this was a Catholic high school.  My granddaughter's quote was from the movie Finding Nemo.  "When your not sure what you're doing or where you're going, just keep swimming."   

I feel dizzy

Who knew dizziness was contagious?  I said dizziness not ditzyness. Last week my daughter told me that she had been to the doctor because of extreme dizziness.  Turns out she has rocks in her ears.  Evidently we all do.  Little tiny rocks that shift around sometimes.  She was diagnosed with BPPV (which means little tiny rocks that shift around sometimes) and given some exercises to do, which she said really helped.  Well, evidently now it's my turn.  I woke up this morning feeling dizzier than I ever remember feeling.  You know that feeling when you think the bed is spinning around with you in it?  Actually, I had that feeling once on a cruise ship that made a very sharp turn in the middle of the night but that time the bed really was tipping way over.  But I digress. I texted my daughter this morning and she sent me the directions for the exercises she's been doing and they worked.  At least I could get up and move around without banging into walls.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow morning brings.  Naturally, these days, whenever I feel a little bit unwell, I wonder if I have the coronavirus but I checked Google and dizziness wasn't listed as a symptom.  

one flaw

I rode my wonderful new SlimCycle for thirty minutes today, in two short sessions of course.  No need to get carried away,  But I have discovered one little flaw.  Earlier in the day my west coast brother informed me that today is National Wine and Cheese Day.  It seemed to me that this would be a fine day to celebrate and one that I could enjoy while working out (I use the term loosely).  But I discovered, on close examination, that my SlimCycle does not have a cup holder or a refreshment tray.  Well, this is obviously a design flaw that I should probably report to the manufacturer,  or I could try to tough it out for 15 minutes without refreshments, but what fun is that?

phase two

Well it took me most of the day, with time out for a lunch date and a Zoom meeting, but it's finished.  The SlimCycle that was delivered yesterday is now standing in my bedroom complete and ready to use.  I've nearly broken my arm patting myself on the back because I did get it all put together (even the electronic components) without any leftover pieces.  I did spend ten minutes searching for four screws that I thought they had failed to include only to discover them securely screwed into the spaces where they belonged.  I will say, for something produced in China, the instructions were very clear and easy to follow.  I did ride it just long enough to confirm that it really does work. But that was enough.  The assembly was my workout for today.  Tomorrow I shall have to get serious.  

It has arrived!

A few months ago I was still in bed, waking up to the Saturday morning news when I realized I was tuned into the wrong station and was watching an infomercial. Since it was probably more interesting than the news (more about the pandemic) I kept watching.  It was a commercial for a simple little exercise machine that looked easy to use and wasn't too expensive (under $200 in five easy payments),  Because I wasn't going anywhere much those days and had been feeling the lack of exercise I called the number on the screen and ordered a SlimCycle.  At least I thought I had ordered it.  Weeks went by and I hadn't received any kind of confirmation and no charges had shown up on my credit card so I assumed my order hadn't gone through.  Then, sometime in the first week in July I got a very nice letter, real snail mail, informing me that my order had been received but some parts had been back ordered.  I should receive my SlimCycle before September 1 and nothing would be charged to my credit card until it was shipped.  Well, guess what?  It came today. It came in a large, heavy box and I got my first workout getting it into the elevator and then into my apartment.  Tomorrow I will get my second workout assembling it, and sometime after that I will actually start using it for exercise.  Stay tuned.  

bring on the ice cream

This month, July, is National Ice Cream Month. I guess ice cream deserves a whole month.  I'm sure that, with a little creativity, you could think of a different ice cream treat for each of the 31 days in July. However that might involve some effort and today is Summer Leisure Day, obviously a day to take it easy and not strain your brain, or your body.  So go, dish up some ice cream, pour on the chocolate syrup and enjoy a snack to celebrate this wonderful day.  I'm going to stop typing now, it's just too much effort. 
PS This is not Leisure Suit Day.  That's a whole different day.  

NJFD

Today is National Junk Food Day.  I did not know this when I went shopping at Kroger's this morning.  This is the first time I have been inside the store for months.  I have found curbside pickup to be very convenient, but today I decided to go inside, wearing a mask of course.  You may have noticed that, when you are propelling a cart through the aisles of a grocery store, things (often junk food type things) mysteriously hop into your cart when your back is turned. Today, for me, it was ice cream drum sticks, you know the cones of ice cream with chocolate and nuts all over the top.  Well, there I was at the checkout counter, and not wanting to make a scene, I covered my surprise at finding them in my cart, and went ahead and bought the drum sticks.  And of course, being National Junk Food Day, I had to have one for my evening snack.  In case you're concerned about my health, fear not.  I did buy some veggies and fruits and stuff.  I also bought cookies.  After all, ice cream doesn't last forever.  

walking across the stage

This evening I had the pleasure of watching my oldest granddaughter walk across the stage to be recognized for her high school accomplishments.  It was the Baccalaureate service and awards program for Bishop Dwenger High School.  Of course I attended virtually.  Only students were allowed in the auditorium.  Friends know that, over the last many weeks, I have become very comfortable with couch church and Zoom meetings.  Let me tell you, this evening's ceremony was one of the most comfortable Baccalaureate services I've ever attended.  It was also one of the most efficient.  When each student's name was called, they walked across the stage and were handed a packet while a list of his or her accomplishments was projected on a large screen.  Sadly the list went away so fast I wasn't able to read the whole list.  
Next Monday evening I will attend her actual graduation ceremony, also on line.  It's OK. I can adjust to couch ceremonies.  

new old pleasures

I do not, as a general rule, watch old reruns on TV.  Except maybe "Fraiser" which I admit always makes me laugh.  However last month one of our local stations, 33.6, started running reruns of the old "Colombo" shows once a week on Sunday evenings.  At least that's when I became aware of them.  Since then I have become hooked.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed these shows the first time around.  The viewer knows from the opening scene who the murderer is but the fun is in watching Colombo pick away at him or her, scene by scene, bumbling along, pretending to believe his suspect until SNAP he closes the trap in the last scenes.  Of course, if I'm honest with myself some of the pleasure is in the fact that I can watch two hours of TV with absolutely no mention of Covid 19, racial problems, or the coming election.  It's escapism, pure and simple and I make no apology.  

now that's a pie

Today is National Strawberry Rhubarb Wine Day.  Three great things wrapped up in one package.  My stepmom used to make excellent strawberry rhubarb pie but I've never tasted it as wine.  I'm willing to try it if anyone has a source.  Thinking about rhubarb pie reminds me of one my west coast sister-in-law baked for me many years ago.  She and my brother were newly married and living in their first home, an old house in an old neighborhood in Spokane.  My husband and I were visiting and she asked if I would like to help her pick rhubarb for a pie.  Of course I said yes and we went out to the rhubarb patch growing at the back of their lot.  It evidently had been growing there for a long, long time.  When we got there, she took out a paring knife and cut off one stalk, one five foot long huge stalk and that's all she needed to make two pies.  I've never seen taller rhubarb anywhere.  Side note, my sister-in-law is only 4 feet 11 inches tall.  For her, going into that rhubarb patch was like going into a jungle. The pie was delicious.

Do you have one?

Today is National Tattoo Day.  I never felt the need to have a tattoo and now it is much too late.  I know what I'm talking about.  My uncle, the one who had been a cowboy out west among other things, was the only person I knew who had a tattoo when I was a child.  It was a really amazing tattoo of a hula dancer that ran the length of the inside of his arm from elbow to wrist.  When he flexed his muscles he could make his tattoo dance.  Sadly, as he got older, and scrawnier, it just didn't have the same effect.  
I have two adult children.  My son has never had a tattoo. Part of that goes back to a fear of needles from a childhood hospital stay.  My daughter, on the other hand, has several.  While I'm not thrilled with them, I did help her with one.  When she was married the first time she had her husband's first name tattooed on her left upper arm. Fortunately it was a short four-letter name.  After the divorce she decided to have it removed but found out that that would be an expensive, slow and painful process. so she asked me to design a tattoo to cover the original one.  I'm happy to say it worked very well.  Four fanciful flowers, in the same four colors as the letters of the name, covered the original tattoo thanks to my design and the skill of an excellent tattoo artist.  Her first husband had her name tattooed on his chest over his heart.  I've never heard what he did about that but I'm pretty sure his second wife made sure my daughter's name was no longer legible.  The moral of this story is think before you ink.  

Snap Crackle Pop

This past Monday I started attending an exercise class for seniors.  Yes, I admit it.  I do fit in that category.  All went well on Monday and again on Wednesday until we came to one exercise.  We were spaced more than six feet apart so there shouldn't have been a problem, but when we started doing squats (and yes, we were allowed to hold on to the back of our chairs) I bent my usually cooperative knees and "snap, crackle, pop" my knees were popping with every flex.  I wasn't too worried until the people on either side - six feet away, mind you - started looking at me and snickering.  It didn't hurt but it did put me in the mood for cereal.

woops

So I just finished writing what seemed to me an OK blog, maybe not deeply inspiring but still mildly humorous and it just disappeared.  I hate it when that happens.  I have no doubt it was user error but it might be that that blog was not meant to be.  Ah well, I'll try again tomorrow.  And no, for those suspicious  types, it's not because I had too much wine at dinner, at least I don't think so.  

Viva la France!

Today is Bastille Day, the French equivalent of our Independence Day.  I learned all about it during my two years of high school French. Sadly I don't remember many details of my two year journey through the French language.  I do not blame this on my French teacher. She was excellent, but I was distracted.  During our first lesson of the first year I was sitting across the table from a cute boy.  We were practicing puckering up so we could pronounce some words correctly and I accidentally whistled.  He thought that was very funny, sparks flew, and he became my first serious boyfriend.  He was a Junior, I was a Sophomore.  French grammar cannot compete with young love.  

more computer woes

So I unplugged my lovely new laptop, put it on my lap, opened the lid, and nothing.  Nothing but a big black screen.  Not a flicker of life. I poked and prodded, let it read my fingerprint, held down the power button for several seconds; nothing.  Since this laptop is only six days old I was, to put it mildly, upset.  I did not, however, fling it against a wall or drop it off the balcony.  I did call my technical consultant aka my son.  After some conversation he suggested that I plug the computer into a different power strip.  I did this and after a couple of hours my laptop has miraculously come back to life.  I do not understand but if my computer likes the power on one side of my living room better than the other I will learn to live with it.

Ah, Nature!

It rained this morning, a lovely hard, straight down rain.  As I stood on my balcony enjoying the cool breeze and listening to the rain hitting the river I thought how beautiful it was.  The rain hitting the water made a shushing sound, shush, shush, shush.  It was all very calm and relaxing.  Then I glanced down and noticed three kayakers sheltering under the Spy Run bridge.  I suspect they weren't enjoying nature as much as I was, 

expanding your vocabulary

I learned another new word today and you'll like this one.  The word is morganmuffel.  It's evidently of German origin although I'm sure I don't remember ever hearing it from any of my father's generation and they were all of German descent.  It means a person who is grumpy in the mornings and doesn't like to wake up early.  I have four teenage grandchildren who are all morganmuffels.  Or perhaps they are all morganmuffelish.  I'm really not sure of the correct usage.  And by the way, I am writing this on my new laptop.  My son toiled for almost six hours to get everything transferred from my old computer to the new and add some new programs.  Now everything can go to the cloud (wherever that is) and, with a little practice I can draw pictures.  I really appreciated all his hard work but he may be a little mroganmuffelish in the morning.  

Poetry anyone?

I learned a new word today - Clerihew.  In case it's new to you too, a Clerihew is a humerous poem about a famous person. There are four lines, the person's name ends the first line; the first two lines rhyme and the last two lines rhyme.  Here are two examples:

Sir Humphry Davy 
Abominated gravy. 
He lived in the odiun 
Of having discovered sodium.

James Hogg 
Kept a dog, 
But being no shepherd, 
He did not keep a leopard. 

I'm sure you can do better than either one of these.  Think politicians and have some fun.

Dining Out

A friend took me out to dinner at Baker Street this evening.  I was so excited to be going out in the evening that I wore a dress, for the first time in months and months.  It was a lovely dinner.  I had crabcakes and they tasted delicious.  Of course I've been eating my own cooking for so long that anything made by someone else would probably taste good.  I enjoyed the evening but I still have mixed feelings about it.  I wore my mask when I wasn't eating. All of the servers and hosts wore masks.  Everything seemed very clean and the tables were well spaced out, and yet, there were a lot of people there.  Some wearing masks, some not.  My friend thinks that we're at the point where people know all of the hazards of the Coronavirus.  He thinks sporting events, restaurants, schools, churches, stores, etc. should fully open for business and let people decide if they want to take the risk of being in large groups. Participate or don't. It's up to you.  I have very mixed feelings about that.  If you could depend on everyone to wear masks it might work for most.  While it sounds good to give people free choice, if your free choice brings the virus home to others is that right?  If someone chooses to drive drunk, even though he knows the risks, and kills someone on the way home, is that right?  And yet it's so tempting to get back out in the world. 

It's a great day.

Today is SCUD Day.  That's Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama Day.  That seems like a wonderful idea to me.  There's so much drama going on in our lives these days, at least if you listen to the news.  So look for something to laugh about.  I usually can find a few laughable things on Facebook, some intentional, some not.  Although my laugh today was at myself.  I went to the library.  I actually went into the library and looked for books in the stacks.  It was such fun but not necessarily funny.  The funny part came when I tried to use their new touchless checkout equipment.  The first time I tried I kept erasing numbers as soon as I entered them.  I'm sure it's not as hard as I made it.  A nice librarian in the AV department finally took pity on me and checked out my book on CDs for me.  Now there's a laugh for you. I know there are newer technologies but I still enjoy listening to books on CD while I'm driving or weaving.  I did manage to check out some books all by myself on my second or third or fourth attempt.  I wasn't laughing  but I suspect that my first faltering attempts gave anyone who was waiting their turn (at a safe distance, of course) a laugh. Savor the comic - it's always there if you look for it.

the waiting game

Well, here I am still writing my blog on my old computer, but not for long.  I found the perfect laptop today.  It's an HP Pavilion x360 2 in 1, in case you're interested in such things.  It's a perfect size laptop with all kinds of extra storage, all the tools I need for my usual computer use, and (and this is what I'm looking forward to) a flip around screen on which I can take notes or draw pictures. So essentially I've bought myself a new toy.  Merry Christmas to me for the next six years or so.  But, like all Christmas presents, I have to wait for it.  It will be delivered on Thursday, and my son / tech support will get it all set up on Saturday.  Ho! Ho! Ho!

Out with the old...

...in with the new, maybe.  This may be my last blog post on this computer.  My good old laptop is becoming less and less reliable and slower and slower so, after quite a bit of research, my son (my tech guru) and I are going shopping tomorrow (with masks of course) for a new laptop.  It is essential that I take him along.  Not only does he understand all the numbers on the information tags - x360, i3 -8GB, 128GB and on and on, he also helps me decide on the right model based on things other than "sleek silver case" and light weight.  I'm sure you can hardly wait to hear about my decision.  Right?  Stay tuned.

a new toy

I have really wanted to see "Hamilton" since it first came out some years ago but, for several reasons, haven't been able to make a trip to New York to see the original.  Until this weekend that is.  I do not have cable.  I get along nicely with local TV stations and Netflix but when I heard that Disney+ would be airing "Hamilton" with the original cast I decided I really wanted to see it.  So I figured out how to sign up for Disney+ and made the $7.00 a month commitment. They assured me I could cancel at any time.  So I watched "Hamilton" and it was just as wonderful as everyone said, and now I am discovering all the other viewing choices I have, including all of the StarWars movies.  Both my son and daughter recommended that I watch "The Mandelorian" and I am 2/3 of the way through that series.  I really do feel like a kid with a new toy.  I may stay voluntarily isolated for months to come.  

Independant Fireworks

Happy Independence Day everyone.  I wasn't able to watch the usual Fort Wayne fireworks display from the I&M building this year since Fort Wayne cancelled their display but I had another option.  In any given year, from mid-June to the end of July I can walk out on my balcony about 10pm and see fireworks somewhere. But on the 4th it is amazing.  East. north and west, in the giant arc of the horizon that is my view, I can see fireworks going off.  The show usually starts about 9:45 and as I write this at 11:30 It's just beginning to wind down.  I feel like a cat watching a ping-pong game as my head swings back and forth trying not to miss anything.  It's always a great show but this year seems particularly exhuberant.  I think there are a lot of family and friend gatherings getting in on the act.  And right at this moment I think they're just getting started on the second round.  Happy 4th!!! Sleep well everyone.

Tact is important.

I was just watching a rerun of an old Dick Van Dyke show which was shown in memory Carl Reiner.  In it Laura accidentally discloses on national TV that Rob's boss wore a toupee.  It's a very funny episode but what got my attention was the row of five styrofoam heads wearing toupees sitting on Alan's desk.  In all my years selling real estate there were more than a few times when I had to tactfully tell potential sellers that there was something about their house that needed changing before I could list it.  Usually it was something pretty simple like clean the carpets or pack away half their stuff so the rooms would look larger.  One particular incident is one I will always remember.  The owner was my sister-in-law's step-father, just to make things more complicated. As he proudly showed me through his house he led me to the master bedroom suite.  There, in the master bath, lined up along the edge of the Jacuzzi, were five styrofoam heads wearing toupees.  I had always suspected that he wore a toupee but this was proof positive.  He wasn't the least bit embarrassed. In fact he seemed rather proud of his collection.  He was not pleased when I told him that he would have to pack them away because they would be a distraction to potential buyers.  They certainly were to me.  He suggested that he would just put them on a shelf in the walk-in closet but I didn't want to think of buyers opening the closet door and seeing those heads lined up.  He finally did agree to pack them away.  No, I didn't sell the house but that's another story.  

no joking matter

Today, according to my west coast brother is "I Forgot Day." At my age this is really not a laughing matter, although I must admit I chuckled when a friend told me that she couldn't find her car keys recently until she checked the rerigerator.  In her defense, she had been putting some carry-out in the refirgerator and her keys were in her hand.  I recently spent a half hour searching for my glasses, which isn't easy when you can't see anything without them.  And no, they weren't on my head.  They were actually cleverly disguised as a couple of wiggly lines on my patterned bedspread.  I'm an habitual list maker which does help me remember most of what I need to do, unless I forget to check my list.  When I get really worried about forgetting things I remember an incident that happened when my daughter was 18.  Yes! I can remember that far back.  She walked into the kitchen while I was fixing supper and said "Now, what did I come in here for?"  I was so relieved to know this doesn't only happen to old people.  Mind you, I was only 45 at the time, but I have clung to that memory like a security blanket.

cooking under pressure

This is not to be confused with using a pressure cooker.  I like to watch Master Chef. Even though this year is a rerun because of the Pandemic. I missed enough of last year's episodes to make it mostly new to me. I'm the kind of cook who likes to have everything possible done a day ahead if I'm having company.  Remember the good old days of entertaining?  I do like to cook and bake, but it's more fun to watch someone else do it. Especially with the clock ticking.  I'm always amazed at the final efforts that the wannabe chefs present to the judges.  Some look great, some not so much but I very seldom think "Hey, I could do that."  There are a couple of things that bother me though.  If I was one of the contestants, deep in the middle of creating something great with time ticking by, I would be really irritated when the judges want me to stop and chat about what I'm doing.  Really, can't they just wait till I'm finished?   The other thing that bothers me is hair.  When I'm cooking or baking for others. I always cover my hair.  I would hate to have anyone find a hair in anything I've cooked.  But, on Master Chef, half the women and a couple of the men have long hair just kind of hanging around their faces. Evidently it's not a problem, but I'm still waiting for a judge to find a hair in the food.  They probably would cut that part out, but I'll keep watching just in case.