Ahead of my time

As I sat at the Fiat dealership yesteday waiting for my AC to be fixed (it's working fine now) I watched a show on their TV that I don't usually watch.  This time there was an expert on interior decorating talking about new trends in home decor.  I started to pay attention when I heard him talking about a new idea - using large white globe lights.  Fifty years ago, when my husband and I were decorating our first home, we hung three lovely white globe lights in our living room.  So that's one for me.  He then mentioned that everyone should have a little round footstool.  I just bought one a few months ago.  So that's two.  The third idea was bringing cute outdoor furniture inside.  I bring my glass topped balcony table inside when the temperature drops below zero so the glass won't crack.  I'm not sure that;s what he had in mind but I'm going to assume it counts.  So there are three ways I'm trendy.  Isn't that amazing?  Even more amazing if you know what my apartment really looks like.

Slightly slanted news??

My sympathy was stirred today when I heard another news story about a father seeking sanctuary who was separated from his son and daughter (ages 8 and 11) at our southern boarder.  As of today, he hadn't seen his children for several months and we were treated to a sweet 'reunion at the airport' scene.  All of this was fine and I'm happy they are back together but I felt my sympathy ebb a little when I learned the following fact.  The reporter didn't elaborate on it, but in one short sentence he casually mentioned that all this time, while the children were separated from their daddy, they were living with their mother in Seattle.  Now I don't know the mother, maybe she's terrible, but I doubt it.  I suspect the kids were ok during this forced separation.

Cramming for the final.

I have received pages and pages of information to read and forms to fill out.  I have had two pre-screening appointments, three more to go before my hip replacement/repair surgery, and I even have a series of exercises to do twice a day.  No, I haven't started them yet but I will.  I even need a coach to help me through this process.  Happily, my daughter, who knows something about ortho surgery, has agreed to be my coach.  I mentioned to her yesterday that I don't remember having to go through nearly this much stuff eight years ago when I had my first hip replacement. She reminded me that I don't remember much at all about that surgery, having fallen and smashed my hip.  She says I was pretty much out of it through the whole process.  That's ok I guess.  Some things are best not remembered.

A sign of the times

I'm pretty sure I saw a man building an ark today.  Well, ok, maybe he was patching a canoe, but it still looked kind of ominous.  I know that April showers are supposed to bring May flowers and I must say the Lilac bushes in front of my building look beautiful and smell good too.  So far it seems that May showers bring tornados.  The Indian legend about tornados never touching down where the three rivers come together seems to be holding true.  It makes me glad I live close to one of the rivers.  I do wonder about old legends.  I think those ancients had lots of time to observe the weather (no cell phones so what else did they have to do?).   Maybe they watched tornados roaring across the plains (although around here there were lots of trees in the way) and swerving away from the rivers. Whatever.  I will continue to hope that those ancients knew what they were talking about,

I agree

Now here are two studies I can appreciate, both discussed on this morning's news.  First I learned that relaxing is important.  People should, for their health's sake, take real vacations where they can really rest and relax and get away from job related stress.  Well, I so agree with this that I retired five years ago and have been living in a pretty relaxed state ever since. 
The second study shows that people with more diverse interests (non-specialists) tend to do better at their chosen careers.  The idea is that people who have many interests growing up are more likely to choose careers that they can really excel in.  I guess I win in this catagory also.  I had so many different jobs in my adult career that my husband used to wonder what I was going to be when I grew up.  Too bad I retired and started serious relaxing before I discovered what I would really excel in.  Ah, well.  
Oh wait, maybe relaxing is my real talent.  

The Indianapolis 500

I watched the Indy 500 at home with a friend this afternoon.  It was fast and exciting.  The one major accident did not involve any injuries and the ending was satisfactory.  All much as expected.  This morning in church though we had a different view of this historic race.  The whole service was built around a racing theme and as part of the program we were shown a short clip from the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.  Did you know that the cars in that first race reached speeds of 70 miles an hour?  One person commented that they looked a lot like Soap Box Derby cars.  I had heard some time ago that rearview mirrors on cars were an invention first used in the Indy 500 but I didn't realize it was an invention from the very first Indy 500.  And it made a difference in the outcome.  In that first race there were two men in each car, one driver and one engineer.  The engineer's job, among other things, was to watch out for other cars on the track.  The one driver who invented and used the rearview mirror didn't need someone else to ride with him.  That made his car lighter and faster and he won the race.  So now you know.  

a smarter phone

I made a purchase today.  Not an impulse buy, I've been thinking about this for some time.  I decided I 'needed' a smarter phone.  So now, instead of a phone that allows me to phone, text and take pictures, I now have a phone that allows me to check my emails, use a GPS program to find my way to new places, Google information, take pictures and so much more.  The only thing I can't do is make phone calls and send texts.  Of course that will change when the SIM card I ordered arrives.  Happily, I had a technical assistant (my son) to help me select the right phone and then get everything set up.  So expect a phone call or text from me sometime next week.