God,I miss my Powerbook.
I am typing on an HP that is like a dinosaur.Awkward, unstable, and mostly slow.
Meet Lola.
Lola’s family is leaving for vacation for two weeks and she is here at Zush and Kas camp to hang out.We go way back with Lola-she is a year younger than Zush so they are good buddies.It’ll be a blast to be a three dog house for a bit.
Hopefully, Lola will keep me from missing my Mac too much.
My Mac Book Pro died.
Maybe I should say I am watching it in ICU right now, as it is plugged in and yet it won’t start-up. The power cord is lit, and there is a faint flicker of green light on the charging cord.
**sigh**
My Apple is my right arm, but considering the recent encounters with my iPhone 6, well, Jim had mentioned that I wasn’t really on the best of terms with Apple. I just really wasn’t needing to go through this right now, you know. I do understand that things happen when you least expect it.To add insult to injury, it’s my Friday night and I am so tired now I can hardly see straight..
I will keep you posted as to the heartbeat of my Apple…..if you see tears on my blog, you’ll know what happened.
So after my blog post yesterday, I decided to pay attention to words I wrote and take some action.
My front garden has been ” full”: blooms had to be moved apart, weeds had to be pulled and after I had the girls out for their walk this morning, I watered the front yard and proceeded to pull weeds and walk some large dusty miller plants apart and give some to my friend Georgine. I came back from her and proceeded to straighten the plants out some more.I actually felt as though I had taken a hand on things and decided to savor every minute.
It was a little thing, in the grand scheme of things, but hey, it was something and it felt good.
I can’t believe July is almost over.
I was hoping to have had some time for rest and relaxation. Instead,I am working. I would have liked to spent time working in my garden. It unfortunately looks like the amount of time I have spent on it.I have enjoyed taking the girls down to the bay before, but now, I have to savor having them at the beach once a week.
We had to take Zush to the vet tonight because she has had a GI bug of sorts.Hopefully, the medicine and temporary diet change we are going to have to do will have her feeling better. It is a bittersweet reminder about how short life is, and it needs to be enjoyed.
I am determined that this last month of August will have me actually taking more time to enjoy things.They say you know what you have missed after it has passed you by.
Here’s to stopping the train, getting off, and savoring what’s left of life.
I ended up coming home from work sick today, victim of a 24-hour bug.
While I was crashing and burning in bed,I had Netflix on the phone and found the 25th Anniversary of the Phantom of the Opera, that was taped from the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Oh, those were the days.
Princess Diana of Wales, in photos with the cast opening night. Later, Sara, Duchess of York in New York in pictures with the New York original cast. The romantic story of Andrew Lloyd Webber and his wife and leading lady, Sarah Brightman. Who could forget Michael Crawford as the original Phantom.
I finally pulled myself up to finish things around the house and am moving a little gingerly, but the words and music of The Phantom of the Opera really soothed the soul, and made 24-malady a little more palatable.
One of my favorite movies starring Kevin Costner is called “For Love of the Game.”
The premise is that before a baseball game, a long time pitcher for a team gets news that he is going to be traded by the team’s new owners, or the old owner gives him the option he should maybe retire after 20 years in the major league. Kevin Costner goes out and pitches a perfect game, and then retires.
Cole Hamels hasn’t been pitching 20 years, but he had come up through the Phillies farm system.He was the MVP of the 2008 World Series.The 2008 team has fallen apart with only a few players left. Cole’s last two starts were shaky-in fact, he lost.
Today,in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Cole pitched a no-hitter.It was the 13th no-hitter in Phillies history.
There has been talk about the possibility of him being traded and post game interviews with him have him being coy about that matter.
No matter what happens, well-played, Mr.Hamels…well played!
I have been working a ton, in fact, more than I had thought I’d be.
The summer season is the busy season, and of course, that is why I have a job.I am appreciative of that fact. The trouble was that they had me scheduled for a long stretch of time, and I had mentioned that.They allowed me to get a day in the middle of the stretch, so the end result is I am off tomorrow!
Talk about a pleasant surprise!
I am tired enough so it’ll probably be an early night for me, and hopefully, Mass not withstanding, I can savor some home time tomorrow.It is always good to get a chance to recharge your batteries.
Zush is giving me the stink-eye as I write this, as I feel she is patiently waiting to go for our longer night-time walk.
The humidity here as come down some, and although it is still hot, the air is at least moving and has a slight bit of coolness to it.Trust me, it’s not much, but enough that when you go outside you wonder what happened.
We will be going out and seeing the pretty summer flowers that have hung in with the heat and humidity.We take in the quiet before the weekenders come down, and literally stop to smell the roses.
Here’s hoping you have time to do the same!
I am fortunate enough to have some awesome neighbors down here.
I have friends two doors down who have the cutest little guy-his name is Nathan and he is 9 months old. Well Isa and Ivo, his parents, have invited us to dinner tonight and we are really excited.They also invited Zush and Kasia. Zush is a big fan of Nathan’s. when he sits in his little chair with food on his hands, albeit baby food, well, here comes Zush to the rescue.
it’ll be a nice way to ease back into work tomorrow, and we are looking forward to having fun.
It’s nice to have good neighbors!
So true to a ” Saturday”, aka, real world Tuesday,there were a ton of chores that had to get done today, but none more important that taking my girls for a swim.
For five days a week, when we walk by the bay, the girls longingly loo toward it, but, unfortunately, I have to remind them that Mom has to go to work today, and we will when Mom is off. Fortunately it was awfully hot, so Zosia had no problems going right in; in fact, she probably would have wanted to still be there now, if I could let her.Kasia also had fun.She is more of a run in and out of the water type of gal.
After we got home, I gave the girls their shower to get sand and sand fleas off of them.They were happy to have more cool water on them.
If only every day could be “Saturday”….
As I type this, I am on speaker phone with Verizon, yes, Verizon, AGAIN.
The new iPhone replacement arrived today from Asurian,the insurer for Verizon phones.Now we have the water torture of replacing the temporary phone with the new phone. For some reason, restoring voice memos is the equivalent of rocket science.
This is why I am blowing my Monday, er,”Friday” night trying to start from square one.
When I am done with this, you can bet your butt I am having an adult beverage…
So when you are on a new job and your weekend is mid-week, you figure your days out, right?
I had a hair appointment which I made before I got the job.Now, my free time has changed and I needed to make a new, different appointment. My weekends were Wednesday and Thursday, so I figured I’d make a Thursday appointment.No problem,they fit me in, I am good to go, right?
My weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday this week, wouldn’t you know? It goes without saying I have to make a new appointment.
I know how fortunate I am to have this job. I do realize that.What is difficult is that when you could plan your life for 30 years, you have to make yourself remember that was then and this is now.
It’s hard for this old dog to learn new tricks….lol
I know it was a little early, but evidently Christmas in July came for all of my co-workers and myself yesterday on the job.
Evidently, anyone who takes a ferry ride has the opportunity to file a rating card when they are done their trip.Now, according to the folks at Trip Advisor, we evidently got the highest rating that you can get. The top management took the opportunity to write us a letter that we each got, thanking us for our great job we do.They also gave us a card for a free Mr.Softee ice cream cone from the truck they had at the job yesterday.That was a surprise.They also gave each of us a tee-shirt that said ” Keep Calm and Ferry On.”
Wow.I always considered myself fortunate to have a paying job, and now I have a little more better paying job.When they pull rabbits out of a hat like this, well, I can’t help but be thankful and wonder what’s next.”
…God, it feels that way.
I am currently back on the phone with Verizon, trying to get the numbers of the phone that died.This is after I spent 10 minutes on the phone with the insurance branch of Verizon, Asurion, who really couldn’t care less to help me.and probably wanted to go back to sleep on the night shift he was working.
At least this guy, Andrew,a star in customer care, is trying to make me feel a little better and attempt to work my problems out.I know someone in Verizon Customer care gives a rats’ ass about the little guy.
This damn iPhone 6 bit has all the ear-marks of becoming a mini series, except I really don’t have the stomach to keep this up much longer.Suffice it to say, I am hoping the drama is done and we can get back to the regular smutz of life.
**sigh**
So here my phone is sitting in the ziplock bag of rice.
I am fortunate enough that Jim and I and able to step backward, as it were, to resume our old phones, until this gets figured out, one way or another.
Today, My BFF Kate and I took the ferry over to Lewes, Delaware, and of course I took some pictures.Nowhere as nice as my iPhone 6 would have taken, but I took the pictures nonetheless.I know that I didn’t have this happen on purpose, but the fact is it did happen.I KNOW it is something that will always haunt me.
Right now I am feeling pretty low: some things happen that just seem to kick you in the butt and land you on the ground, and then other things seem to be the foot holding your butt down on the ground and is stopping you from getting up again.
I am going to keep praying on this to hope I get out of this lousy slump.I know the grass is always greener on the other side but this has gotten past that point.I have always been a fighter and hope to muster myself up and ready to get out there and fight another day.
…ON ME.
Bear with me gentle reader while I recap what has happened with this iPhone. I received the new one from Verizon and it was defective.So I went to Apple to order a new phone. I mean this was their brand new phone, let them replace it, right?
Got a new phone back, and then needed a Sim card that Verizon had to order and mail to me.Then I ordered a protective glass from a company on Amazon, which arrived broken.So what else can happen?
While trying to get ready for my company today, I threw a bath mat and some dirty clothes in the washer……ALONG WITH MY iPHONE.
**sigh**
Here’s hoping the back of rice works.
One of the offshoots of being a low person on the totem pole is your weekend. Say good-bye to your Saturday, Sunday, or even Friday….that part of your life is gone.
Now my weekend is Wednesday and Thursday.In the old days, as when I worked at the National Park Service, when I had Tuesday and Wednesday weekends, and later Wednesday and Thursday weekends, you go to go to banks with no lines, shop at the grocery stores quickly with no one holding you back…you catch my drift.
In my new post-retirement life,well, even if I were able to, I have no energy to do chores on the days off. Bad enough I do laundry during the week, and will clean the house tomorrow, but hey, food shopping? Jeez, I need a nap first.
I was thinking as I was walking the girls after work today, I should be skipping down the street , swinging leashes back and forth in celebration of my weekend.
Hell, I’m just too tired.
I have been watching the series on the 2000’s that has been airing on the National Geographic channel. Sure, you’ve watched the ” I love the 70’s”, or 80’s thru 2000 on VH1, but this is more meatier and more from a historical view.
Some things are hard to see again, like the bombing of the USS Cole and 9/11, but at the same time, you had to see Gore versus Bush election 2000, with memories of hanging chads.I feel this series is pretty well put together, but occasionally there are things that are kind of bizarre.
For instance, Kelly from the first season of Survivor was on speaking about when she was in the show. They must not have gotten enough people to speak about 9/11, because they kept her around to talk about the attacks on the World Trade Center. Huh?
I am sure they will do more in this series, and if you enjoy looking back at history, you should give this series a go.
It’s all scheduling.
In my new job, there are a lot of co-workers in different positions. Folks work on boats, in stores,on phones, at counters,you know-all over.People have to be scheduled to work hours, so, correspondingly,someone must pull together a schedule.
I received my first new job schedule, you know, not a “welcome to the team”schedule.It is on a legal sheet of paper, in spreadsheet form.This is the schedule for my unit where I work.The trouble for me is the spreadsheet.I might have been able to figure this out when I was 30 years younger,and more importantly,NOT WEARING TRI-FOCALS.The font on this sheet has to be maybe a 4 or 6?
Talk about feeling your age.
I made the mistake of going on Amazon and other sites for a replacement hand mixer.
Gee.
There are enough models and different types that made my head spin. What color do I want? What attachments. All I want is a good hand mixer.If I get one that lasts me at least another 10 years, well, that would be a plus.
I guess I am going to do some more detailed scouring for this, as I want to do this right.We’ll see and hopefully, I’ll have no baking on my agenda for the near future.
When I was single, I treated myself to a Kitchen Aid hand mixer. I mean, I wasn’t looking for doing any major baking, so a hand held mixer would work well.
It worked very well, and served me for 16 years without fail.
Until tonight.
My neighbor who is from Eastern Europe and a young mother was telling me tonight that her husband’s birthday is Sunday. She doesn’t drive and was walking back with her son in the stroller from the grocery store, where she bought fixings for a cake. I asked her what kind . She said chocolate. I asked her what kind of frosting…she said, ” I am going to melt some chocolate and butter and drizzle it on the cake.
I introduced her to the world of 10x sugar and the classic buttercream frosting. I give her the empty bag from the sugar I used and told her that it was the basis of what was in the bowl I gave her.She seems happy to get it, and I told her it was my little contribution to her husband’s cake.
In the midst of doing the icing, my beloved Kitchen Aid died.
**sigh**
It goes without saying that I may be going on Amazon as soon as I post this to get a new one.
Tomorrow is my Monday.
Yup.
Not really looking forward to it, as I managed to get the girls down to the bay and we had a fabulous morning while they were swimming.It gave me a little peace in my world, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last for long.
I spent another chunk of time on the phone with Apple who finally got me straightened out:now I have to wait to make sure the defective phone gets back.I never thought I’d be looking to get back to the job, but the past two days home I have been on the phone so much and there is so much going on here, that despite trying to lose a headache, it just has been rough.
Meanwhile, I am just aiming to make it past Labor Day: it can’t come soon enough.
The joy of having a Wednesday as a Saturday? Everyone else is working.
The woe of having a Wednesday as a Saturday? I spent half a day on the phone with Apple trying to get my NEW iPhone glitches ironed out, and then with my prescription plan. For the amount of time I was on the phone today, I felt like I should have been at work. I would have been on the phone but at least I would have been paid.
It was pleasant to actually be able to sleep again in the morning, but knowing I can do it again tomorrow morning is sad. I miss being home with the girls and I really would have thought that after 30 years working,I could be home and taking care of myself and my family.
**sigh**
Maybe in my next life…..
I am on the phone with Apple.
Yeah…Apple.
Upgraded my phone and went to the iPhone 6. Got it out of the box and guess what? The only way I can hear any calls is via speaker.I figured I’d call Apple directly since it was a brand, spanking new iPhone.After promising my first through last-born fur children of mine, they fed-ex’d out a new iPhone 6 for me.
What they didn’t tell me?
Verizon requires a NEW sim card in order to activate the replacement phone. It goes without saying that Verizon is now sending me, allegedly in two business days, a new Sim card. So I was hoping that today, my Friday, I could spend setting up the new phone.
Hahahahaha….
So here I sit, on hold with Apple, ready to slit my throat.
I think I might have gotten to the point where my love affair with apple products is seriously in jeopardy.
Stay tuned.For now, the hand is still empty, and am thinking of stringing two Tropicana orange juice cans together.
No,
I am not talking about the television show.
My Mother-in-law got a ride back to the city by her son, so I came home from work and am spending the night with the fur girls
.
Sad when the larder is bare and the is nothing really to make for dinner. The girls kept hoping I’d find something to share with them but there isn’t a bone in the cupboard for Mom nor fur girls .
Somehow, I will get through this, and get myself to bed. I am getting a ride to work at 6:30 am tomorrow morning.That’s not too bad though.
Tomorrow’s my Friday!
We took my Mother-in-Law to Mass last night, as I had to work today. We go to Mass over in Cape May at the Washington Street Mall church called Our Lady Star of the Sea.
I took advantage of this situation to go to a favorite spot of mine, The Original Fudge Kitchen.
I figured Douglass still had my heart, James/Fralingers was quite a disappointment in molasses paddles;why not try Original Fudge Kitchens’?
My disclaimer here is that I adore their fudge.I only buy it once a year in the end of January when they have their customer appreciation sale.It is, indeed, the fudge of my childhood and brings back some loving memories.
I purchased their dark chocolate molasses paddle.At first, when I picked it up, I thought,” Whoa…wide like Douglass? Could it be?” Unfortunately it was not as thick as Douglass’, but overall, I would put it in a 2nd place” could have almost been the molasses paddle of my childhood, but not quite.
Douglass still rocks.
I really hate fireworks and the mindset behind the adults using them.
I am in a house with a 96-year-old mother-in-law, two skittish dogs and open windows. Behind my house,on the street behind me, rather, are idiots who are liquored up and shooting off firecrackers and M80’s, or at least that’s what I think they are called.
Is it to scare the crap out of everyone? Congratulations, boys,you’ve done it. Is it a contest to see who has the biggest rocket? **calling Dr. Freud**.This hamlet has x amount of policemen, and the troll the streets looking for the illegal fireworks.
What a shame there aren’t more cops looking for them: if the culprits are caught and fined, maybe my taxes would come down.
Yup, that is what it is.
Dogs sedated, walked early, shades drawn, television loud. Welcome to fireworks in my world.
Evidently we aren’t worth the actual Fourth of July fireworks, as the bigger shore towns that are oceanfront evidently have dibs on that honor.Well, I can be honest with you, right?
Even before Kasia and Zush came into my life, I could make do with fireworks, say, every ten years.They don’t rock my world.Don’t get me wrong.Yes, they are brilliant and spectacular.One of my earliest memories is being with my family at local fireworks and sitting on the ground with my fingers in my ears.I was never a big fan of noise.
Yet, in the line of ” Man plans, and God laughs.”, here I am trying to make enough white noise so the dogs won’t here the bang of these fireworks. Jim and his Mom are at our friends’ house by the bay to see the sunset and fireworks, and hopefully they’ll enjoy themselves.
The girls and I? Hopefully we’ll be sound asleep.
I have off tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Yeah, I know, you feel bad for me.
I am trying to look at this as a teacher would working through the winter aiming for summer vacation.You take day after day after day and then finally it’s time for vacation.
In my past posts I have made no secret about how I feel about my adopted hometown in the still of late and off-season.It stands to reason that I would be working through the summer to enjoy my time later on.My only frown is trying to keep up quality time with the girls and catching up with Jim’s schedule once in a while.
It is good to be in a job where my mind has to be sharp.My old work buddies would laugh their butts off at me wearing a Time-Life operator’s headset, when I thought I was done with that.
What goes around comes around.
My mother-in-law is coming for a visit tomorrow.
She is coming down with my sister-in-law, Marlene, and she’ll be staying with us for the holiday weekend. She has never stayed with us for more than overnight,and usually she travels with Jim’s youngest sister.We are hoping that the weather holds while she is here, so maybe Jim can take her to see the fireworks. I have to stay with the girls on the Fourth, as the trauma of the fireworks is too much for them so I have to batten down the hatches.
Here’s hoping for a good time for everyone.
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