They agree on something!!!

This is so exciting.  I heard on the news today that some Democrat and Republican bigwigs met in Washington DC today to discuss infrastructure.  It seems they all agree that roads and bridges across the US need some work. The reporter referred to it as a 'facelift' but it seems to me that more than a coat of paint is needed in lots of places.  Once they have agreed on how much money can be spent (granted, this may take awhile) I would like to volunteer to suggest repairs they can start with.  (I know that grammatically that line should read 'repairs with which they can start) but it's late and I'm tired.) I mean, they have to start somewhere, right?  So why not right here in Allen County?  I would be very happy to point out 20 or 30 of my not-so-friendy neighborhood potholes.  I drive a small car which could get swallowed any day now.  

A scam....

...or not a scam?  I really don't know, but yesterday evening, when I logged on to my blog site a big warning sign popped up.  It filled the whole screen and informed me that I had three dangerous viruses that had infected my laptop.  it also said that I needed to click on the big button right now to solve the problem.  The sign had a logo in one corner that sort of looked like the 'windows' logo, but something about the whole thing jsut didn't feel right.  Perhaps I've gotten overly suspicious with all the warnings about scams that are flying around, but I decided not to click that (possibly innocent) button.  Instead, I turned everything off, then on again and ran my Malware program.  It had evidently been some time since I had last checked for bugs because it took several hours to run through its diagnostic program.  In case you haven't guessed by now, that's my excuse for not blogging last night.  Once it was running I didn't want to stop it, and I must say, my computer is runnung really well today.  I probably should do this more often. Now, of course. Malware wants me to buy their new, improved version.  I passed on this.  So was it a scam or not?  I will probably never know.  

the Phil doesn't disappoint

The Fort Wayne Philharmonic performed Berlioz's "Fantastic Symphony"  ("Symphonie Fantastique" for purists) and it was amazing.  I had never heard this symphonybefore but I would certainly hear it again.  The music tells the story of an artist's love for an imaginary woman and moves from lyrical interludes to very intense sections toward the end where he imagines himself being hung for having killed his love.  A strangely twisted story transformed into wonderful music.
I should mention the piano soloist, Stewart Goodyear, who played the "Piano Concerto in A minor," Op. 16 by Grieg during the first half of the evening.  He was excellent also.  
All in all, an outstanding evening of music.
You can hear this program on Thursday, May 9 at 7:00pm on WBNI - 94.1 FM. It's worth a listen.

Power Ball actors

I wonder how announcers are chosen to read the winning lottery numbers?  Since I seldom buy lottery tickets (my husband used to call them a tax on the mathematically challenged) I have time to listen to the announcers without getting too hung up on the numbers.  I think it's amusing how they try to put so much enthusiasm into saying each number.  I can imagine the auditionss.  "Read the number 10 with feeling, now 11."  And what comes next?  If you excel at reading numbers on little balls, where do you go from there?  Nope, I can't thinl of the next logical step, but I doubt if you'll make much money from franchized reruns.  

mind games

Two days ago I listed all the streets and intersections partially or completely blocked, making driving anywhere I want to go a challenge.  Yesterday I tried to fool the system by taking a different route and, as you might expect, when I crossed Clinton Street downtown the barricades that had closed lanes on both sides of the street the day before were gone. So, today I decided it might be safe to follow my usual route on Clinton. But no, as I turned on to Clinton from Superior (the corner is still blocked there) this morning, I discovered that, just for fun, they had closed the two center lanes.  But, hah, I showed them.  I needed to be in the far right lane anyway.  Tomorrow, just in case you're wondering, all of the streets will be open, no lanes closed.  I know this will be so because I don't need to drive anywhere tomorrow.  

penguins and otters and monkeys,

Oh my!  The zoo will be opening soon.  They showed some animals frolicking around on the evening news.  I haven't gone to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo much in recent years.  My children are grown and my grandchildren are all teenagers so I don't have anyone to go with.  Now I do realize that I could go by myself, or with another adult but it's just not the same.  I might get a chance to go this summer.  I have a nephew who is living with his wife and four children in Maryland for the next two years.  They visited with me in January and said that they might come back in the summer to go to the zoo.  I mentioned this to a friend recently who laughed and pointed out that they are living near the Washington DC Zoo.  His point being that they probably wouldn't want to drive here to visit our zoo when they have a really big zoo near by.  But I think they will come.  There are advantages to a smaller zoo.  The main one being that you can see the whole zoo in one day.  When you have four children ranging in age from 3 to 12, a one-day zoo is nice.  I hope they do come.  It's always better to view a zoo through children's eyes.  

Just because I'm paranoid...

doesn't mean someone isn't out to get me.  In this case I suspect the county and city road crews. Not only are they starting a long project to replace pipes along North Clinton, my most convenient way to go anywhere north of downtown, including my grocery store, they have also blocked off several blocks of Superior Street, and limited lanes on other sections.  Superior is, of course, my usual, easiest way to set out from my apartment to places downtown.  As I zigged and zagged around those barriers this morning to make it to South Clinton, I discovered that that usually four lane stretch of road was narrowed down to two (and sometimes one and a half) lanes with closures on both sides of the road.  I wish I owned the company that makes all those cones and barrels.  In case you're thinking "Well, Luci, you do live about a mile from several of the places you need to go.  Why don't you just walk?"  Believe me, the same thought has occurred to me.  The problem is much of the downtown road work involves putting in new corner sidewalks, which means I can't get to the cross walks.  I counted four intersections torn up on my way to a meetig this mornung.  Is it any wonder I'm feeling like someone is out to get me?