We had hoped to get through Halloween without any horrors, but it wasn't to be. Hubby came downstairs and, at at the base of the stairway, the carpet was squishy wet. (Eeeeeek!)
Where did the leak lurk? We know water accumulates under the stairs. Our first leak years ago was caused by condensation on an air conditioning line. It had no place to drip except onto the floor. All summer long. The bills totaled up to a terrifying amount. We've had several leaks since, all in the area where our HVAC and water heater reside. (Yaaagh!)
We bravely set out to see what was leaking. We don't have a spooky basement to descend into, but the closets to the water heater and HVAC were plenty scary enough. The doors creak loudly. Our active spider population supplies enough webs and creepie-crawlies to terrify any homeowner, and we hadn't opened the closets for at least 2 years. (Shrieeeeek!)
Hubby spotted the leak. It was a water line connected to the water heater. Water was spritzing out of it. The leak was probably about the size of a large pinhole; or a small spider fang, if you want to stay in the Halloween spirit. (Yipes!)
Also in keeping with the mischievous spirits of Halloween, today was the day we were finally supposed to get our rain. Sure enough, it started just as Hubby stepped on the squishy spot. The door to the water heater is outside, so we got drenched looking for the leak. Once we got back indoors the rain stopped. (Doom dum DAAAAAA!)
At this point in a spooky movie, people get nervous and call for help, only to find that help can't reach them... they're on their own. Sure enough, our plumber was booked solid. The emergency plumber who once replaced our water heater did not answer; his answering machine said that 'someone would call back when they could.' (Nooooooooo!)
Our regular plumber gave us the number of a fellow plumber who was reliable. We called him and he promised to be there in 2 hours. That's a long time to wait when a pipe is spritzing. Duct tape made the leak worse, so we knew we'd have to not use any water until everything was fixed. (Yowww!)
After 2 anxious hours the sky opened and the rain poured. It got so dark we had to turn on the lights. Then... there was a knock on the door. I half expected an enraged water beast, but it was the plumber. I led him through the pouring rain to the spider-closet of doom, then fled to shelter. (Squelch! Squelch!)
Once I got inside the rain let up. The plumber fixed the line and the only terror left was the bill (Howl!)
So if kiddies come to the door tonight expecting to scare us, they'll be disappointed. We've already had our scare, and lived to tell the tale. (Sinister organ music plays....)
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Seconds on the Whine
I'm still not through whining about media. My first glass of whine today is another round for the music business.
A song once claimed that 'Video Killed the Radio Star' but for me the real killer was greed. Radio died because nobody paid the talent. Why pay a DJ when you can play a canned program for a fraction of the price? Why pay ASCAP and BMI when you can have a talk show instead? There's an infinite supply of ranting jerks willing to call in for free.
As a result, music moved to the Internet, where paying customers and talent spend entire lifetimes trying to find each other in the midst of a world's worth of content. As reported previously, I'm not having much luck as a paying customer.
My second glass of whine is because of TV. TV has jumped onto the 'let's not pay the talent' bandwagon in a big way. It's called 'reality TV' and there's not much of it to like. They cut corners in all the wrong places. Where are the good scripts, the good acting, and good old-fashioned production?
I do understand that it's a big investment to do a TV show. For a producer, it's a long, expensive trek from pilot to pitch. When there's nothing left in your pocket but lint, will the network even listen to your pitch? You have no guarantee. I get why corners are cut. It just seems like maybe scripts and actors shouldn't be in those corners.
Well, at least there are movies. Special effects are better than ever. There is no shortage of top-notch professional actors on the silver screen. There are definitely scripts, well-written and... hauntingly familiar? Hey! What's with all the remakes and sequels? I think I need another glass of whine.
A song once claimed that 'Video Killed the Radio Star' but for me the real killer was greed. Radio died because nobody paid the talent. Why pay a DJ when you can play a canned program for a fraction of the price? Why pay ASCAP and BMI when you can have a talk show instead? There's an infinite supply of ranting jerks willing to call in for free.
As a result, music moved to the Internet, where paying customers and talent spend entire lifetimes trying to find each other in the midst of a world's worth of content. As reported previously, I'm not having much luck as a paying customer.
My second glass of whine is because of TV. TV has jumped onto the 'let's not pay the talent' bandwagon in a big way. It's called 'reality TV' and there's not much of it to like. They cut corners in all the wrong places. Where are the good scripts, the good acting, and good old-fashioned production?
I do understand that it's a big investment to do a TV show. For a producer, it's a long, expensive trek from pilot to pitch. When there's nothing left in your pocket but lint, will the network even listen to your pitch? You have no guarantee. I get why corners are cut. It just seems like maybe scripts and actors shouldn't be in those corners.
Well, at least there are movies. Special effects are better than ever. There is no shortage of top-notch professional actors on the silver screen. There are definitely scripts, well-written and... hauntingly familiar? Hey! What's with all the remakes and sequels? I think I need another glass of whine.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Two Terms Too Many
Today I mailed in my ballot. Hopefully I navigated through the smoke and mirrors well enough to choose from the best of a poor lot. Whether yea or nay, some will win, some will lose. Measures that fail might reappear in some future election, reworded and dressed in a new suit. Or not. Issues come and go.
You know what else I wish would come and go? Congresspersons! This is a new rant for me. My usual cyclical rant is about jury duty. Every year when my name comes up I gripe and moan that they still haven't implemented a plan for professional jurors. Then, once I'm off the hook, I forget all about it until the next year.
But Congress! They never go away, except when they should be in session. (Which isn't often. They've only been in session 92 days this year, none of them lately.) Once they're through hitting us up for election funding and a vote, they'll scurry off to do nothing... if we're lucky. If they do anything, it will involve screwing over the middle-income people in favor of the way-too-rich pseudo-people (aka corporations).
If there's one nice thing we can do for our grandchildren, it's to pass a two-term limit. I don't think we can pull it off with the current cast of characters in charge, but we could at least try to 'grandfather out' this 'congressperson-for-life' stalemate.
Speaking of grandfathering, Congress isn't the only entity that needs to have an expiration date. We're looking at you, Senate and the Supreme Court! People making laws and decisions about technology should not be too old and confused to understand it and use it.
So I'm all for getting the great-great grandfathers "grandfathered" out of D.C. at some future point. However, I'll try not to rant too much about it. I don't want to sound like one of those grumpy old people who obscess on one issue. I might be mistaken for a congressperson!
You know what else I wish would come and go? Congresspersons! This is a new rant for me. My usual cyclical rant is about jury duty. Every year when my name comes up I gripe and moan that they still haven't implemented a plan for professional jurors. Then, once I'm off the hook, I forget all about it until the next year.
But Congress! They never go away, except when they should be in session. (Which isn't often. They've only been in session 92 days this year, none of them lately.) Once they're through hitting us up for election funding and a vote, they'll scurry off to do nothing... if we're lucky. If they do anything, it will involve screwing over the middle-income people in favor of the way-too-rich pseudo-people (aka corporations).
If there's one nice thing we can do for our grandchildren, it's to pass a two-term limit. I don't think we can pull it off with the current cast of characters in charge, but we could at least try to 'grandfather out' this 'congressperson-for-life' stalemate.
Speaking of grandfathering, Congress isn't the only entity that needs to have an expiration date. We're looking at you, Senate and the Supreme Court! People making laws and decisions about technology should not be too old and confused to understand it and use it.
So I'm all for getting the great-great grandfathers "grandfathered" out of D.C. at some future point. However, I'll try not to rant too much about it. I don't want to sound like one of those grumpy old people who obscess on one issue. I might be mistaken for a congressperson!
Monday, October 27, 2014
Halloween Then and Now
Halloween is a fun holiday for me. It's been interesting to watch it evolve through the years. Some things today are so much better; others... not so much.
There was no easy way to rent or buy a quality costume back then. There were only boxed costumes from the dime store. They consisted of thin fabric (I'll call it 'fray-on') with skeleton bones, or a Superman emblem, or whatever, printed on the front. The mask was a plastic face held in place with a flimsy elastic thread. One night wearing a dime-store mask and a fray-on costume was enough. After that, I 'planned ahead' for all future costumes.
There were accessories one could buy for a do-it-yourself costume. I recall hats of all kinds. There was also face paint, wax teeth and lips, and the most awful wigs imaginable. I remember seeing a black 'wig' that looked like piles of pocket lint dipped in black paint, then glued to a piece of flimsy burlap. It was far scarier than the witch costume it came with.
Today's costumes are so much better. Click here to see selections from Party City's website. You'll see what I mean.
Which brings me to the candy. They handed out BIG candy bars in my childhood. They were about the size of the ones in vending machines today. It's been interesting to watch them shrink through the years. Today's 'fun size' is barely fun at all. Candy was far better back in the day.
Trick-or-treating has evolved over the years too. I grew up in the free-range era, when kids went out to play every day. I knew all the neighbors and their kids. We lived on a dead-end hill, so the trick-or-treat route was up one side of the street to the Murdoch's place, down the other side of the street to the McClellean's house, then home. (With extra time at the Swenson's, because they dressed in costumes to hand out the treats. Cool people!)
These days there is still door-to-door trick or treating, but not so much. The problem is that people don't know their neighbors. People trick-or-treat at malls rather than knock on doors because it's safer. Yesteryear was better.
So... yesteryear wins for treats and trick-or-treats, 'today' wins for costumes. The final comparison is media, and 'today' wins, hands-down. We used to just have Charlie Brown; now we have that, plus Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, and Nightmare Before Christmas. Speaking of which... time to go watch. I have my couch potato costume on already. It's very comfy.
There was no easy way to rent or buy a quality costume back then. There were only boxed costumes from the dime store. They consisted of thin fabric (I'll call it 'fray-on') with skeleton bones, or a Superman emblem, or whatever, printed on the front. The mask was a plastic face held in place with a flimsy elastic thread. One night wearing a dime-store mask and a fray-on costume was enough. After that, I 'planned ahead' for all future costumes.
There were accessories one could buy for a do-it-yourself costume. I recall hats of all kinds. There was also face paint, wax teeth and lips, and the most awful wigs imaginable. I remember seeing a black 'wig' that looked like piles of pocket lint dipped in black paint, then glued to a piece of flimsy burlap. It was far scarier than the witch costume it came with.
Today's costumes are so much better. Click here to see selections from Party City's website. You'll see what I mean.
Which brings me to the candy. They handed out BIG candy bars in my childhood. They were about the size of the ones in vending machines today. It's been interesting to watch them shrink through the years. Today's 'fun size' is barely fun at all. Candy was far better back in the day.
Trick-or-treating has evolved over the years too. I grew up in the free-range era, when kids went out to play every day. I knew all the neighbors and their kids. We lived on a dead-end hill, so the trick-or-treat route was up one side of the street to the Murdoch's place, down the other side of the street to the McClellean's house, then home. (With extra time at the Swenson's, because they dressed in costumes to hand out the treats. Cool people!)
These days there is still door-to-door trick or treating, but not so much. The problem is that people don't know their neighbors. People trick-or-treat at malls rather than knock on doors because it's safer. Yesteryear was better.
So... yesteryear wins for treats and trick-or-treats, 'today' wins for costumes. The final comparison is media, and 'today' wins, hands-down. We used to just have Charlie Brown; now we have that, plus Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, and Nightmare Before Christmas. Speaking of which... time to go watch. I have my couch potato costume on already. It's very comfy.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Can I Sample That Platter?
I'm trying to buy music for my music library. Many blogs ago, I mentioned that it was time to 'get with it' and find some new artists and titles. Well, this weekend I finally gave it a try.
The question was how to find artists and songs I like. I'm pretty picky. These days you don't have to buy the whole album. One buys individual tunes, and one buys these tunes online. That's great for a picky person. I went to the Internet to find some new songs. But... I couldn't find any.
It isn't that there is no music to be found on the Internet. It's the opposite. There's far, far too much. This analogy will help you see what I mean:
Back in the day it would have been so simple. I could have listened to the radio. There were stations for every genre. The DJ had a new menu every week. You sampled the whole song. If you heard one you liked, you could buy it. You knew exactly what you were getting. But alas! There aren't enough radio stations, and the ones that are still around might not be English-speaking. They might not even play music.
So it's back to the Internet for me, to keep looking for a few good bands. Maybe I'll find one called 'Lizard Dung.'
The question was how to find artists and songs I like. I'm pretty picky. These days you don't have to buy the whole album. One buys individual tunes, and one buys these tunes online. That's great for a picky person. I went to the Internet to find some new songs. But... I couldn't find any.
It isn't that there is no music to be found on the Internet. It's the opposite. There's far, far too much. This analogy will help you see what I mean:
Imagine you want a small snack to tide you over until supper. It's a good chance to try something different than the usual fare, to see if you like it.That's how I felt on the Internet, looking for my musical 'snack.' It's overwhelming. Some artists have labels, some are independent (they're called 'indie,' Mom). There are just too many places to look.
The only source of snacks is a mega-mart with food stacked 2 stories high. No box of food is the same as any other. Nothing is labeled. It could be yummy. It could be lizard dung. Samples are sometimes available but you can't try anything unless you have a special plate. To get that plate, you have to give a stranger your personal information. (Hope he doesn't have a virus!)
You finally find a plate-person you trust. You try samples. One of them is tasty... not at all like lizard dung. You head to the check-out counter, but they don't accept cash or credit cards. You have to open an account. You ask if this account lets you buy anything in the store from now on. It won't. You may need to open many accounts. It depends on what snack you buy.
By now you've lost your appetite, and you're worried that the tiny sample might taste better than the rest of the snack. You decide to head back to your own pantry for food you know you like.
Back in the day it would have been so simple. I could have listened to the radio. There were stations for every genre. The DJ had a new menu every week. You sampled the whole song. If you heard one you liked, you could buy it. You knew exactly what you were getting. But alas! There aren't enough radio stations, and the ones that are still around might not be English-speaking. They might not even play music.
So it's back to the Internet for me, to keep looking for a few good bands. Maybe I'll find one called 'Lizard Dung.'
Friday, October 24, 2014
They've Got You Covered
Now that Ebola is the latest scare, I wonder what the insurance companies will do about it? I suspect they are rolling out their tiered coverage plans:
Premium Deluxe CEO Plan - 20 doctors in designer hazmat suits will care for you. You'll be whisked to a pristine private room in a sterilized 'stretch-Humvee.' We offer premium cable, or we can bring in famous authors to personally read their latest bestseller. Chef Ramsey will prepare your IV using fresh local medications of the highest quality.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in a 5-star facility with an 'ocean view' suite of rooms. Full room service is available 24/7. Attractive young nurses will take temperatures twice daily. Of course full cable and high-speed internet are provided in every room, including the bathroom. First-run movies are available on demand.
Platinum Executive Plan - Sterile ambulance takes you to a pristine private room in a top-notch facility. 20 well-trained medical staff in upgraded hazmat suits will care for a maximum of 10 patients in the facility. Premium cable, 24-hour monitoring.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in at least a 3-star facility in a 2-room suite with a mountain view. Premium cable and high-speed internet are included. Skilled nurses will take everybody's temperature twice daily. 24-hour room service, alcohol not included.
Deluxe Executive Plan - Steam-cleaned ambulance takes you to private hospital room in an Ebola care facility. A well-trained staff in regulation hazmat gear will care for you. A nurse will be on call 24/7.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in a deluxe 2-star room. Trained medical staff will take temperatures daily. Room service from 6 to 9, 11:30 to 1:00, and 5 to 10. Cable and high-speed internet are included for their use.
Junior Executive Plan - You provide your own transportation to a designated Ebola facility. A clean, semi-private room will be provided. Designer plastic sheets will divide the room, protecting you and your roommate from cross-contamination.
Your family will be quarantined in the comfort of their own home. They will each receive a regulation thermometer, and an access code to the National Ebola Monitoring Facility, where they can input their temperature daily and access a qualified nurse to answer questions.
Basic-Plus Plan - Our fast-pass ticket puts you ahead of everybody else in the queue for a shared hospital room. Your quarantined-at-home loved ones will get 15% vouchers for delivery food, which will be left at the door by a delivery boy in a hazmat suit.
Basic Coverage - We mail you a thermometer, a map to the emergency room nearest you, and a floor-length plastic poncho and surgical mask to wear when you get to there. If a room is available you will get it.
Premium Deluxe CEO Plan - 20 doctors in designer hazmat suits will care for you. You'll be whisked to a pristine private room in a sterilized 'stretch-Humvee.' We offer premium cable, or we can bring in famous authors to personally read their latest bestseller. Chef Ramsey will prepare your IV using fresh local medications of the highest quality.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in a 5-star facility with an 'ocean view' suite of rooms. Full room service is available 24/7. Attractive young nurses will take temperatures twice daily. Of course full cable and high-speed internet are provided in every room, including the bathroom. First-run movies are available on demand.
Platinum Executive Plan - Sterile ambulance takes you to a pristine private room in a top-notch facility. 20 well-trained medical staff in upgraded hazmat suits will care for a maximum of 10 patients in the facility. Premium cable, 24-hour monitoring.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in at least a 3-star facility in a 2-room suite with a mountain view. Premium cable and high-speed internet are included. Skilled nurses will take everybody's temperature twice daily. 24-hour room service, alcohol not included.
Deluxe Executive Plan - Steam-cleaned ambulance takes you to private hospital room in an Ebola care facility. A well-trained staff in regulation hazmat gear will care for you. A nurse will be on call 24/7.
Your loved ones will be quarantined in a deluxe 2-star room. Trained medical staff will take temperatures daily. Room service from 6 to 9, 11:30 to 1:00, and 5 to 10. Cable and high-speed internet are included for their use.
Junior Executive Plan - You provide your own transportation to a designated Ebola facility. A clean, semi-private room will be provided. Designer plastic sheets will divide the room, protecting you and your roommate from cross-contamination.
Your family will be quarantined in the comfort of their own home. They will each receive a regulation thermometer, and an access code to the National Ebola Monitoring Facility, where they can input their temperature daily and access a qualified nurse to answer questions.
Basic-Plus Plan - Our fast-pass ticket puts you ahead of everybody else in the queue for a shared hospital room. Your quarantined-at-home loved ones will get 15% vouchers for delivery food, which will be left at the door by a delivery boy in a hazmat suit.
Basic Coverage - We mail you a thermometer, a map to the emergency room nearest you, and a floor-length plastic poncho and surgical mask to wear when you get to there. If a room is available you will get it.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
No Service Makes Me Nervous
When I'm out and about, and I see 'self serve,' I'm immediately on the lookout for an alternative. It's not a 'spoiled princess' thing... I don't get off on being served. It's not even a lazy thing; my laziness manifests in other ways. It's more about conversation, enjoyment and competency.
Take buffets, for example. How can you have a decent conversation when everyone at the table is hopping around like crickets the whole time?
Then there's competency. How in tarnation am I supposed to know if the big-box hardware store has the part I need? I can't even guess which aisle it's in. It's worse for clerk-less department stores. There are clothes everywhere, some displayed by brand, others by clearance, and everything is 'separates.' "Dang it, somebody give me a clue how to find a whole outfit!"
There's also that I'm a klutz, so I'm liable to drop a tray of food before it gets to the table. I'm slow too, so bagging those groceries may take longer. ("What's your hurry, all you people behind me?")
Finally, there's the principle of the thing. I don't like giving a business money when they're too cheap and greedy to hire help. They say they're passing the savings on to the customer, but:
So next time I'm at the buffet and they ask me what I want, I'm going to say, "A waiter."
Take buffets, for example. How can you have a decent conversation when everyone at the table is hopping around like crickets the whole time?
Me --- "So, Joan, how was your trip? Did you meet anyone fun?"It's not just the conversation. It's being able to sit down and take a break during a long, active day.
Joan - "Did I ever! Tall, dark, and Speedo. And his pick-up line..."
Jan -- "Hold that thought! I need more salad." (runs off to salad bar)
Joan - "I may as well get more soda."
Lori - "While she's there I'm going to grab some of that cake."
Me --- "Dang! I'm late for work and still haven't heard the story."
Joan - (returns to table) "That's ok, I'll email you later."
Then there's competency. How in tarnation am I supposed to know if the big-box hardware store has the part I need? I can't even guess which aisle it's in. It's worse for clerk-less department stores. There are clothes everywhere, some displayed by brand, others by clearance, and everything is 'separates.' "Dang it, somebody give me a clue how to find a whole outfit!"
There's also that I'm a klutz, so I'm liable to drop a tray of food before it gets to the table. I'm slow too, so bagging those groceries may take longer. ("What's your hurry, all you people behind me?")
Finally, there's the principle of the thing. I don't like giving a business money when they're too cheap and greedy to hire help. They say they're passing the savings on to the customer, but:
- The prices aren't all that much better
- If saving money was my objective, I'd stay home and save even more.
So next time I'm at the buffet and they ask me what I want, I'm going to say, "A waiter."
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Am I Too Late for the Garbage?
Today I was minding my own business when I noticed mail in the tray. It was from a the county, and it looked official. Usually mail that looks official is carefully crafted to look that way. You open it, and surprise! Someone wants to sell you insurance. I was curious who was pestering us this week so I opened it.
Surprise! Not insurance! If was a notification that this was our last chance to raise an objection to the new waste surcharge. But it had to be in writing, with our official residential customer number on it, and sent in to them in time for their meeting yesterday.
Well, too late for that. I read on to see what it was about. It seems we will have an extra yearly assessment tacked onto our garbage collection fee this year. The extra money is necessary so they can pay somebody to sift through everybody's garbage to see what people toss in the trash that could have been recycled.
They would publish the results in an annual report that we could all view online. Oboy! How useful! The report can tell us all that we could be recycling more instead of throwing stuff away. I could have told them that for free. This sounded like an idea somebody had in the 90s when people had more money and loftier ideals.
Thinking about it, that's $2 per year for every single household resident in the county, and far more for businesses and apartment complexes. That's a pretty hefty chunk of change. Somebody in the county is getting rich from this little political ploy. It passed unanimously. Remind me not to vote for any incumbants.
This is the same county that assessed us $15 per year extra for a tri-city hazmat station because there wasn't enough revenue to support it anymore. The money to support it used to come from the fees paid at landfills, but now that everybody is recycling...
This is also the same county that sends us snarky messages that we shouldn't recycle anything that food has had contact with, and to please rinse the scum and residue off the bottles and containers, thank-you-very-much.
The next item in the mail pile was a newsletter from the water company reminding us that we are in the midst of the most severe drought in local history, and to please, please, please not use water unless we absolutely have to.
I shredded everything and was careful to put it in the recycle bin, not the trash. Now that we have well-paid garbage police, I wouldn't want them knocking on our door. They might haul me off to recycle jail, and who would stop them? The real police? Unlikely. They don't have enough people on the force... no money.
Surprise! Not insurance! If was a notification that this was our last chance to raise an objection to the new waste surcharge. But it had to be in writing, with our official residential customer number on it, and sent in to them in time for their meeting yesterday.
Well, too late for that. I read on to see what it was about. It seems we will have an extra yearly assessment tacked onto our garbage collection fee this year. The extra money is necessary so they can pay somebody to sift through everybody's garbage to see what people toss in the trash that could have been recycled.
They would publish the results in an annual report that we could all view online. Oboy! How useful! The report can tell us all that we could be recycling more instead of throwing stuff away. I could have told them that for free. This sounded like an idea somebody had in the 90s when people had more money and loftier ideals.
Thinking about it, that's $2 per year for every single household resident in the county, and far more for businesses and apartment complexes. That's a pretty hefty chunk of change. Somebody in the county is getting rich from this little political ploy. It passed unanimously. Remind me not to vote for any incumbants.
This is the same county that assessed us $15 per year extra for a tri-city hazmat station because there wasn't enough revenue to support it anymore. The money to support it used to come from the fees paid at landfills, but now that everybody is recycling...
This is also the same county that sends us snarky messages that we shouldn't recycle anything that food has had contact with, and to please rinse the scum and residue off the bottles and containers, thank-you-very-much.
The next item in the mail pile was a newsletter from the water company reminding us that we are in the midst of the most severe drought in local history, and to please, please, please not use water unless we absolutely have to.
I shredded everything and was careful to put it in the recycle bin, not the trash. Now that we have well-paid garbage police, I wouldn't want them knocking on our door. They might haul me off to recycle jail, and who would stop them? The real police? Unlikely. They don't have enough people on the force... no money.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Dental Health and Scold Fillings
It's that time of the year again. Dentist time. Time for trauma, pain, discomfort, a small dose of radiation, and a big scold for not flossing. Then I have to give them money for it.
Through the years dental care sure has changed. As a kid I was told to brush hard to prevent cavities. At age 30 I was scolded for brushing too hard, because it was making my gums recede. "Why did you do that?" they asked. ("Because that's what you told me to do?")
Later that decade I was scolded because I had the wrong kind of fillings. "You'll need to have those removed and replaced with porcelain, Ma'am. Those silver fillings contain mercury, which is bad for you. Shall we schedule an appointment now?" I told them I'd do it 'later.' (Perhaps 2025? By then they'll discover porcelain is bad... maybe I'll get gold.)
As a white-knuckle patient, I appreciate 'laughing gas,' a.k.a. nitrous oxide. It doesn't do much for pain, but it is relaxing. Alas, I asked my previous dentist for it, and he told me, "No." I felt like I'd been scolded for requesting recreational drugs. I yelped and whined through the whole cleaning process. He might re-think his policy in the future if he gets more patients like me.
The x-ray ritual has also changed. They used to put you in a lead poncho and fire away with the x-ray machine while you tried not to gag on the cardboard bits they stuffed in your mouth. It's less awful now, but they still take x-rays. I'm careful never to move. I don't want a scold.
These days, parents are required by state law to take their child to a dentist before kindergarten. I was fortunate with my teeth in younger years and didn't need many visits. I was more fortunate with my parents. They were perfectly capable of knowing when their kids needed a dentist without the state scolding them.
Growing up, most older people had false teeth. In my middle years, dentists actually asked patients if they planned on still having their teeth in old age. I said, "Of course," wondering who would say no to that. Then I overheard the guy in the next cubicle saying, "No way." These days they don't ask. It's assumed you'll keep your teeth if you possibly can.
So I'm off to do what I can about keeping my teeth. It will probably be the same routine. The cleaning process will grate on every nerve, and I will whimper and whine. I'll come home determined to floss every night so it won't be so bad next time. There's probably a nightly reminder app I could install, but it would probably scold, and I've had my fill of that.
Through the years dental care sure has changed. As a kid I was told to brush hard to prevent cavities. At age 30 I was scolded for brushing too hard, because it was making my gums recede. "Why did you do that?" they asked. ("Because that's what you told me to do?")
Later that decade I was scolded because I had the wrong kind of fillings. "You'll need to have those removed and replaced with porcelain, Ma'am. Those silver fillings contain mercury, which is bad for you. Shall we schedule an appointment now?" I told them I'd do it 'later.' (Perhaps 2025? By then they'll discover porcelain is bad... maybe I'll get gold.)
As a white-knuckle patient, I appreciate 'laughing gas,' a.k.a. nitrous oxide. It doesn't do much for pain, but it is relaxing. Alas, I asked my previous dentist for it, and he told me, "No." I felt like I'd been scolded for requesting recreational drugs. I yelped and whined through the whole cleaning process. He might re-think his policy in the future if he gets more patients like me.
The x-ray ritual has also changed. They used to put you in a lead poncho and fire away with the x-ray machine while you tried not to gag on the cardboard bits they stuffed in your mouth. It's less awful now, but they still take x-rays. I'm careful never to move. I don't want a scold.
These days, parents are required by state law to take their child to a dentist before kindergarten. I was fortunate with my teeth in younger years and didn't need many visits. I was more fortunate with my parents. They were perfectly capable of knowing when their kids needed a dentist without the state scolding them.
Growing up, most older people had false teeth. In my middle years, dentists actually asked patients if they planned on still having their teeth in old age. I said, "Of course," wondering who would say no to that. Then I overheard the guy in the next cubicle saying, "No way." These days they don't ask. It's assumed you'll keep your teeth if you possibly can.
So I'm off to do what I can about keeping my teeth. It will probably be the same routine. The cleaning process will grate on every nerve, and I will whimper and whine. I'll come home determined to floss every night so it won't be so bad next time. There's probably a nightly reminder app I could install, but it would probably scold, and I've had my fill of that.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Don't Snicker at Knickers
I previously wrote about the problems we women had with the fashion industry back in the olden days. (Click here for a link to that blog.) Fashions may change, but the problems continue. The fashion industry loves to introduce trends and styles that are not considered 'modest' or 'acceptable' to everybody.
The latest trend is 'leggings.' These are form-fitting pants made out of stretchy material. These days it's hard to find pants at fashionable stores that are not leggings. Leggings aren't much different from the pants women wore in the 80s. However, in the 80s, women always wore long 'tunic tops' over the pants. This year's styles do not require long tops.
Predictably, schools across the country have had some negative reactions. Girls have been sent home. I'm sure they are as confused as we were back in the day. They buy the clothes the stores sell if they want to be 'in style.' Then they are told they can't wear them.
I searched to see what people had to say about leggings in the workplace. Opinions ranged from, "Totally inappropriate in all cases," to "Depends on how they look." I didn't see any stories of women who were sent home. I suppose women old enough to be in the workplace are wise enough to know what's appropriate, or at least what they can get away with.
According to family legend, my Great-Aunt Lillian wore knickerbockers to her workplace (the phone company, I think.) No clue whether they sent her home or not. The year was 1931.. About 35 years before Grandma (other side of the family) wore her first pantsuit in public.
Aunt Lillian certainly looks professional and decently-covered in this picture... also a bit defiant, don't you think? If anybody could get away with knickers, I think it would be her.
My attitude to both dress codes and fashion trends is less assertive, but I think Aunt Lillian would approve. I only wear things that are comfortable. If they happen to be out of style, so what? In another 25 years they'll be back.
The latest trend is 'leggings.' These are form-fitting pants made out of stretchy material. These days it's hard to find pants at fashionable stores that are not leggings. Leggings aren't much different from the pants women wore in the 80s. However, in the 80s, women always wore long 'tunic tops' over the pants. This year's styles do not require long tops.
Predictably, schools across the country have had some negative reactions. Girls have been sent home. I'm sure they are as confused as we were back in the day. They buy the clothes the stores sell if they want to be 'in style.' Then they are told they can't wear them.
I searched to see what people had to say about leggings in the workplace. Opinions ranged from, "Totally inappropriate in all cases," to "Depends on how they look." I didn't see any stories of women who were sent home. I suppose women old enough to be in the workplace are wise enough to know what's appropriate, or at least what they can get away with.
According to family legend, my Great-Aunt Lillian wore knickerbockers to her workplace (the phone company, I think.) No clue whether they sent her home or not. The year was 1931.. About 35 years before Grandma (other side of the family) wore her first pantsuit in public.
My attitude to both dress codes and fashion trends is less assertive, but I think Aunt Lillian would approve. I only wear things that are comfortable. If they happen to be out of style, so what? In another 25 years they'll be back.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
A Changing 'World'
'World of Warcraft' will launch a new expansion in November. That seems like a good thing. The frequent players are very tired of the same ol', and I'm very tired of listening to them whine about how bored they are.
Last week a lot of changes were implemented to prepare for the expansion. Now I realize it isn't such a good thing after all. They 'fixed' a lot of things that I didn't think were 'broken.'
They gave our characters new 'skins' and better animation. I like the better animation, but the 'skins' (namely the faces) are uglier and more angry-looking. It took away from the cartoon-y aspects of the game... something I rather liked. It's darker now, more grim. Ugh.
They took away some of the spells and attacks I preferred to use against the bad guys. They changed others beyond comprehension.
They do this all the time, and I'm sick of it. The cycle of 'simplify' and 'complicate' continues to chase its tail. Here are some examples of the changes taken from the actual patch notes:
The good news? Perhaps I'll get that book written after all next month. It doesn't look like WoW is going to be much of a distraction. Now if only I could break the 'MahJong' game....
Last week a lot of changes were implemented to prepare for the expansion. Now I realize it isn't such a good thing after all. They 'fixed' a lot of things that I didn't think were 'broken.'
They gave our characters new 'skins' and better animation. I like the better animation, but the 'skins' (namely the faces) are uglier and more angry-looking. It took away from the cartoon-y aspects of the game... something I rather liked. It's darker now, more grim. Ugh.
They took away some of the spells and attacks I preferred to use against the bad guys. They changed others beyond comprehension.
They do this all the time, and I'm sick of it. The cycle of 'simplify' and 'complicate' continues to chase its tail. Here are some examples of the changes taken from the actual patch notes:
"Solar Beam no longer Silences a target again more than once per cast. Additionally, the Silence effect from this spell now shares Diminishing Returns with other Silences."By the time I figure out which of the buffs, spells, and abilities will be best for my playing style, other players will complain loudly and everything will change again.
"Dark Intent now grants 5% Multistrike instead of 10% Stamina"
"Unleash Flame (which increases the damage of the shaman's next fire spell by 40%), when used on a Flame Shock, will continue to increase the damage of the periodic effect for its entire lifetime, despite being consumed when the Flame Shock is cast."
The good news? Perhaps I'll get that book written after all next month. It doesn't look like WoW is going to be much of a distraction. Now if only I could break the 'MahJong' game....
Friday, October 17, 2014
What's (this) ?
Have you ever said to yourself, "Self, if (this) would happen, it would fix my whole life."
Of course, (this) could be many things, such as finding the right spouse, relocating to another city/country, acquiring a fortune, or drastically improving your appearance. It could be something smaller, like getting a different job.
If you're lucky enough to achieve your own personal (this), you might find that you set your expectations too high or set your sights too low.
In my case, (this) was 'giving up wine.' For me that's always been my secret plan. I told myself, "All I have to do is give up wine and I'll feel better immediately. I'll lose weight, the grocery bill will plummet, I won't get tired so early, and there won't be those middle-of-night restroom trips."
Silly me. I mistook 'wineless' for 'Fountain of Youth.' I've been wineless for a week now. I get tired just as soon, and I eat more. I still have to make middle-of-night trips. They're the only trips I can afford to take, because the grocery bill didn't drop at all. Neither has my weight.
We'll see how this plays out, but I suspect my secret plan wasn't very realistic. At my age, feeling better isn't ever guaranteed. Bladder capacity does not change. Weight loss is exponentially more complex for seniors.
Come to think of it, the only time I lost weight, felt better, and spent less on food was when I moved to Miami for a new job. I had a busy work schedule, no kitchen, and a low food budget.
Hmmm... would my life be fixed if my new (this) was to move back to Miami and get a starter job? Ha! No way. What I really need is the 'Fountain of Youth' and it sure isn't in Florida. Ponce de Leon already looked there and gave up. Apparently all he found were retirees, and I can be one of those right here at home!
Of course, (this) could be many things, such as finding the right spouse, relocating to another city/country, acquiring a fortune, or drastically improving your appearance. It could be something smaller, like getting a different job.
If you're lucky enough to achieve your own personal (this), you might find that you set your expectations too high or set your sights too low.
In my case, (this) was 'giving up wine.' For me that's always been my secret plan. I told myself, "All I have to do is give up wine and I'll feel better immediately. I'll lose weight, the grocery bill will plummet, I won't get tired so early, and there won't be those middle-of-night restroom trips."
Silly me. I mistook 'wineless' for 'Fountain of Youth.' I've been wineless for a week now. I get tired just as soon, and I eat more. I still have to make middle-of-night trips. They're the only trips I can afford to take, because the grocery bill didn't drop at all. Neither has my weight.
We'll see how this plays out, but I suspect my secret plan wasn't very realistic. At my age, feeling better isn't ever guaranteed. Bladder capacity does not change. Weight loss is exponentially more complex for seniors.
Come to think of it, the only time I lost weight, felt better, and spent less on food was when I moved to Miami for a new job. I had a busy work schedule, no kitchen, and a low food budget.
Hmmm... would my life be fixed if my new (this) was to move back to Miami and get a starter job? Ha! No way. What I really need is the 'Fountain of Youth' and it sure isn't in Florida. Ponce de Leon already looked there and gave up. Apparently all he found were retirees, and I can be one of those right here at home!
Mid-term Media Malaise
It's mid-term election time, so I hope nobody calls with an emergency. I've put a pillow over the phone because it keeps ringing. I still hear it but it's not quite as shrill. Nobody leaves messages so I know it's all robo-calls. It's a good bet that most of the incoming calls are related to the election.
I registered to vote as a Democrat. It's not that I'm on-board with their agenda... sometimes yes, sometimes no. It's that... around here, Democrats usually win the elections. At least I get to vote for the lesser of the evils in the primaries.
On average I get 5 emails a day from someone or other in that party. Most emails aren't directly related to candidates or issues on my ballot. They're more about fundraising. If I don't donate, those 'Wascally Wepublicans' will win. Oh noes! They might get us into a war we don't want...
And since we're talking mail, let's not forget snail mail. We're eyeing a new shredder to handle the extra mail we get. I can't believe the volume of campaign brochures and leaflets that we've gotten in the last few weeks.
It's especially amusing to get blitzed with leaflets from a candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club. If the Sierra Club knew how many trees were killed to pester people with all these ads, they might not have been so sure about that endorsemant!
There are people ringing our doorbell too. If anything I said could influence them, I might consider answering the door. Alas, that's not how it works. Their minds are made up, they are out to influence me.
The only thing they want from me is a vote, or to find out how I intend to vote. If it's not for their candidate or cause, their fundraisers will hit me up for more money so they can use it to pester me more. Oh, joy.
It's hard to research issues and candidates with all these interruptions, but it has to be done. Leaflets and flyers are about as informative as bumper stickers. Totally useless. (Though I'll put the really toxic ones near our latest ant infestation... can't hurt to try).
So, politicians, please stop calling, mailing, and visiting. My time is too valuable to be wasted by you. Trust me, you'll feel the same about me after the election.
I registered to vote as a Democrat. It's not that I'm on-board with their agenda... sometimes yes, sometimes no. It's that... around here, Democrats usually win the elections. At least I get to vote for the lesser of the evils in the primaries.
On average I get 5 emails a day from someone or other in that party. Most emails aren't directly related to candidates or issues on my ballot. They're more about fundraising. If I don't donate, those 'Wascally Wepublicans' will win. Oh noes! They might get us into a war we don't want...
And since we're talking mail, let's not forget snail mail. We're eyeing a new shredder to handle the extra mail we get. I can't believe the volume of campaign brochures and leaflets that we've gotten in the last few weeks.
It's especially amusing to get blitzed with leaflets from a candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club. If the Sierra Club knew how many trees were killed to pester people with all these ads, they might not have been so sure about that endorsemant!
There are people ringing our doorbell too. If anything I said could influence them, I might consider answering the door. Alas, that's not how it works. Their minds are made up, they are out to influence me.
The only thing they want from me is a vote, or to find out how I intend to vote. If it's not for their candidate or cause, their fundraisers will hit me up for more money so they can use it to pester me more. Oh, joy.
It's hard to research issues and candidates with all these interruptions, but it has to be done. Leaflets and flyers are about as informative as bumper stickers. Totally useless. (Though I'll put the really toxic ones near our latest ant infestation... can't hurt to try).
So, politicians, please stop calling, mailing, and visiting. My time is too valuable to be wasted by you. Trust me, you'll feel the same about me after the election.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Bundled Relationships
It's amazing how popular one can be when one doesn't 'bundle.' Our phone, internet, and TV service providers (three separate companies) know we could be giving them more money if only we'd use all of their services, aka 'bundle'... something they go to great lengths to remind us. Every. Single. Day.
It was charming at first, with everybody thinking of ways to entice us to carry their 'bundle,' but lately it's like a relationship that's gone bad. If these companies were suitors we'd know how to deal with them.
With the phone company, we've made it clear the last 6,554 times they've called that we prefer a different provider for our internet and TV. Yet they still call. They send mail and email almost daily. They even send people to the door.
How is that not stalking? Since we have a business relationship with them already, they apparently can pester us all they want. If an ex-boyfriend did that, the judge would issue a restraining order in a heartbeat. If it was a boss, we could potentially sue him or her... and their little company too!
For our Internet Service Provider, counseling is needed. They know our address, it's where they send the bills. Yet every week we get offers in the mail addressed to 'Resident' offering a better deal than we got. This philandering company gives total strangers a better deal than us, and makes no effort to hide it. This behavior needs to change.
For our TV provider, I'd just send them to self-esteem camp. They have great service and excellent programming. At camp they could learn to be satisfied with being the best in their area, and not try to be all things to all customers.
Being older and wiser, we have suffered through enough service changes to know how painful they are. You can't just dump a service provider. They will find ways to stall, drag things out, and make you jump through hoops. ("Ha! We didn't say 'Simon says' so you have to pay us for another month.")
Getting new service established hurts too. You have to schedule somebody to come to the house. ("Someone will be there in February of 2015. If you're not home when they come, we'll have to reschedule you in April.")
The most frightening thing is that all the media companies are trying to merge. If they succeed we'll have to carry their bundle, and if they treat us badly we'll have nobody else to turn to. At this rate we may have to elope with the mail carrier!
It was charming at first, with everybody thinking of ways to entice us to carry their 'bundle,' but lately it's like a relationship that's gone bad. If these companies were suitors we'd know how to deal with them.
With the phone company, we've made it clear the last 6,554 times they've called that we prefer a different provider for our internet and TV. Yet they still call. They send mail and email almost daily. They even send people to the door.
How is that not stalking? Since we have a business relationship with them already, they apparently can pester us all they want. If an ex-boyfriend did that, the judge would issue a restraining order in a heartbeat. If it was a boss, we could potentially sue him or her... and their little company too!
For our Internet Service Provider, counseling is needed. They know our address, it's where they send the bills. Yet every week we get offers in the mail addressed to 'Resident' offering a better deal than we got. This philandering company gives total strangers a better deal than us, and makes no effort to hide it. This behavior needs to change.
For our TV provider, I'd just send them to self-esteem camp. They have great service and excellent programming. At camp they could learn to be satisfied with being the best in their area, and not try to be all things to all customers.
Being older and wiser, we have suffered through enough service changes to know how painful they are. You can't just dump a service provider. They will find ways to stall, drag things out, and make you jump through hoops. ("Ha! We didn't say 'Simon says' so you have to pay us for another month.")
Getting new service established hurts too. You have to schedule somebody to come to the house. ("Someone will be there in February of 2015. If you're not home when they come, we'll have to reschedule you in April.")
The most frightening thing is that all the media companies are trying to merge. If they succeed we'll have to carry their bundle, and if they treat us badly we'll have nobody else to turn to. At this rate we may have to elope with the mail carrier!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Day Just Flu By
A flu-bug bit me yesterday. It was not fun. Today I feel drained and sore but it's much better than yesterday.
All the classic symptoms were there. There was the headache and sore throat; fever alternating with chills; every muscle hurt. And looking out the window on a sunny day... the eye pain was intense. Of course there was nausea; I shall omit details of the 'exit strategy'. We've all been there too often.
I probably brought this on myself by not checking the expiration date on the unopened soda crackers (last March). My bad. For me, that's all I can eat at such times. Soaking the (slightly stale) crackers in chicken broth helped.
In younger days this would have been a 24-hour thing. I'll take it slower this time. It's not like I have to be anywhere. I'll stay in my comfy chair at the computer and scan the headlines. The headlines are, alas, about the ebola virus.
Here's a bit that caught my eye. It's from The Guardian. Click here for the link.
One worries that the health care industry will go from 'not enough screening' for ebola to 'too much.' Multiple thousands of us will get the flu this winter. Those who need emergency care will have to jump through extra hoops to prove it is the flu, not ebola. When you're down with the flu, 'jumping through hoops' is not always an option!
It's going to be even more complicated for our dedicated health-care workers. We need a perfect design for protective gear that's easy to wear, easy to change. Wouldn't it be fun to try to think of it? I think I'll watch some old Jetson's cartoons for inspiration. (Why not? It's not like I'll be doing much else today.)
All the classic symptoms were there. There was the headache and sore throat; fever alternating with chills; every muscle hurt. And looking out the window on a sunny day... the eye pain was intense. Of course there was nausea; I shall omit details of the 'exit strategy'. We've all been there too often.
I probably brought this on myself by not checking the expiration date on the unopened soda crackers (last March). My bad. For me, that's all I can eat at such times. Soaking the (slightly stale) crackers in chicken broth helped.
In younger days this would have been a 24-hour thing. I'll take it slower this time. It's not like I have to be anywhere. I'll stay in my comfy chair at the computer and scan the headlines. The headlines are, alas, about the ebola virus.
Here's a bit that caught my eye. It's from The Guardian. Click here for the link.
"Typically, the first signs are a fever involving a headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat and severe muscle weakness. Many of those symptoms are similar to flu, so Ebola is not immediately obvious..."I haven't even looked at a map of Africa all month. I've barely left the house. I'm surprised the flu could even find me, but (unlike ebola) the flu has many ways of getting to a person.
One worries that the health care industry will go from 'not enough screening' for ebola to 'too much.' Multiple thousands of us will get the flu this winter. Those who need emergency care will have to jump through extra hoops to prove it is the flu, not ebola. When you're down with the flu, 'jumping through hoops' is not always an option!
It's going to be even more complicated for our dedicated health-care workers. We need a perfect design for protective gear that's easy to wear, easy to change. Wouldn't it be fun to try to think of it? I think I'll watch some old Jetson's cartoons for inspiration. (Why not? It's not like I'll be doing much else today.)
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Geriatric Grocery Guru
Being older and wiser, I've acquired wisdom in the area of grocery shopping. Here are some of the gems I've picked up through the years:
The best advice of all can't be followed in a grocery shopping trip. It's when you go to a restaurant. Order the complicated, hard-to-cook stuff. If you crave something simple, order it, then order the complicated stuff 'to go.' (I'll have the Yorkshire pudding served in a freezer bag, please...")
- No matter where you shop, there will be at least one item you'd like to buy that the store doesn't carry. There will be another that's out of stock. Plan to visit a back-up store once a month to load up on those items.
- If you go to the store hungry you'll come out with all kinds of things you want to try. You won't try them. For me, it was once a Yorkshire pudding mix; yummy-sounding, but insanely complicated to make. It held a place of honor in our pantry for a full year after it expired.
- If you go to the store after a big meal you'll come out with nothing but toothpicks, breath mints, and after-dinner liqueur. Good luck assembling next week's meals. Perhaps there's a recipe for Yorkshire pudding mix and breath mints on the Internet (it wouldn't surprise me) but it's probably complicated.
- Buy something table-ready. We've all been there. You shop for all the groceries, load them into the car, go home, unload the car, and put everything away. The trip took time, so you're behind on your daily routine. You're tired. It's time to eat. Can you really prep, assemble, and cook after all that? (I didn't think so.)
- Observe expiration dates. Manufacturers name the earliest possible expiration. You'll feel obliged to throw stuff away and buy more. The dates are also prophetic. If your chicken soup and NyQuil expire in October of 2014, you'll enjoy perfect health until approximately December of 2014. Then you'll get the flu or a nasty cold.
- Don't forget your reading glasses. It's not just expiration dates, it's ingredients. As you age, you learn what your system can and can't tolerate. It's amazing what 'extras' they sneak into a simple item.Without those readers, how will you know?
The best advice of all can't be followed in a grocery shopping trip. It's when you go to a restaurant. Order the complicated, hard-to-cook stuff. If you crave something simple, order it, then order the complicated stuff 'to go.' (I'll have the Yorkshire pudding served in a freezer bag, please...")
Friday, October 10, 2014
Sweet Kitty?
So much sugar has stealthed its way into the typical First World diet. If somebody else is doing the cooking or manufacturing of your food, you'd better believe 'there's sugar in them thar meals.'
It was in the cream cheese I had with my smoked salmon, and an ingredient in the bagel. (Here I was feeling smug because I said 'no' to the banana bread.) I shouldn't read labels so early in the morning, but since I'm trying to cut back on cereal (even non-sweetened cereal contains sugar) I didn't have a cereal box to read.
If I have a BLT for lunch there will be sugar in the bacon, the bread, the mayo, the tomato... basically everything but the lettuce. If I want chips with it...? Yep. More sugar. I was thinking of a pork steak for dinner. I'd slow-cook it in broth and add my favorite barbeque sauce (sugar alert!) for flavor. Most of that sauce goes down the drain, but not all.
Back in the days when obesity was not a national epidemic, the average adult woman had 6 teaspoons of sugar in her daily diet. Trying to dial back to that number is a challenge. At least 6 teaspoons are included in everything else, so extra 'sweets' would have to go.
But I do have help. Our cat, 'Kittygirl,' has come to the rescue. Hubby grabbed a package of our favorite chocolate chip cookies on a recent Costco run. I told myself I would not eat any of those cookies, but feared I'd have a weak moment.
The cookies were on our kitchen island. The package is heavy and we put more heavy things on it so 'Kittygirl' (our little island-hopper) wouldn't mistake it for a cat toy. I underestimated the little rascal. The following morning, the cookie package was on the floor. It had popped open upon impact.
There must have been an exciting game of cookie-hockey. One cookie was in the 'goal' under the kitchen table. The rest were scattered near the package, mixed in with the other floor debris.. As I have previously blogged, I'm not a housekeeper. The cookies had to go.
So, my new diet coach, Kittygirl, is setting a good example. Start your cardio workout with some jumping jacks, actively participate in sports, and knock off the sweets.
It was in the cream cheese I had with my smoked salmon, and an ingredient in the bagel. (Here I was feeling smug because I said 'no' to the banana bread.) I shouldn't read labels so early in the morning, but since I'm trying to cut back on cereal (even non-sweetened cereal contains sugar) I didn't have a cereal box to read.
If I have a BLT for lunch there will be sugar in the bacon, the bread, the mayo, the tomato... basically everything but the lettuce. If I want chips with it...? Yep. More sugar. I was thinking of a pork steak for dinner. I'd slow-cook it in broth and add my favorite barbeque sauce (sugar alert!) for flavor. Most of that sauce goes down the drain, but not all.
Back in the days when obesity was not a national epidemic, the average adult woman had 6 teaspoons of sugar in her daily diet. Trying to dial back to that number is a challenge. At least 6 teaspoons are included in everything else, so extra 'sweets' would have to go.
But I do have help. Our cat, 'Kittygirl,' has come to the rescue. Hubby grabbed a package of our favorite chocolate chip cookies on a recent Costco run. I told myself I would not eat any of those cookies, but feared I'd have a weak moment.
The cookies were on our kitchen island. The package is heavy and we put more heavy things on it so 'Kittygirl' (our little island-hopper) wouldn't mistake it for a cat toy. I underestimated the little rascal. The following morning, the cookie package was on the floor. It had popped open upon impact.
There must have been an exciting game of cookie-hockey. One cookie was in the 'goal' under the kitchen table. The rest were scattered near the package, mixed in with the other floor debris.. As I have previously blogged, I'm not a housekeeper. The cookies had to go.
So, my new diet coach, Kittygirl, is setting a good example. Start your cardio workout with some jumping jacks, actively participate in sports, and knock off the sweets.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Drawing a Bad Lot
Readers are to imagine someone beautiful, wearing a crown and royal robes. All this looks like is a ladies' rest room door.
I did try to hand-color the areas, but the hand-eye coordination on a computer really is different. It's also something I don't have the aptitude to do well, as you can see for yourself..
Since the idea is to start right in on my writing project and achieve the holy grail of 'closure' for the first time in my life, I will abandon the idea of 'visuals' and try my best to just finish the book.
After all, one had to draw the line somewhere, right?
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tired and Drawn
Drawing sure got hard since computer software got so smart. I've been trying for 3 days to draw simple stick-figures to illustrate a story. Here are my problems with that:
1. Stick-figures are easy to draw on paper. So they should also be easier to draw on-line, right? Ha! Using a mouse and a basic paint program requires entirely different eye-hand coordination than drawing on a piece of paper.
2. I don't want to draw stick-figures at all. I just thought that might be an easy way to start. It isn't. Stick-figures are the worst possible way to illustrate the story I want to write, and there's no clear path to transition those figures into the lush, vibrant characters I want to portray.
It's like adopting a puppy when you want a child. They both start out young, helpless, cute, and hungry; but at some point you realize that the dog can never make the transition to kidness.
3. Drawing on paper doesn't work. I'd eventually have to scan the drawing into the computer. Scanners are way too good at their job, picking up dozens of colors from a totally blank sheet of paper. Try getting all that noise out before you even start cleaning up the actual drawing. Better yet, don't try. It's a losing battle.
4. Writing takes most of the day. A few pages is a very good day's work. Agonizing over the right words, finally crafting them just right, and ... wait, wut? I have to draw stuff too? But it's bed time and that's all I've got...
I'll try to post examples tomorrow, to show you what I'm up against. I'd post them tonight but they're not drawn, and I'm too tired.
1. Stick-figures are easy to draw on paper. So they should also be easier to draw on-line, right? Ha! Using a mouse and a basic paint program requires entirely different eye-hand coordination than drawing on a piece of paper.
2. I don't want to draw stick-figures at all. I just thought that might be an easy way to start. It isn't. Stick-figures are the worst possible way to illustrate the story I want to write, and there's no clear path to transition those figures into the lush, vibrant characters I want to portray.
It's like adopting a puppy when you want a child. They both start out young, helpless, cute, and hungry; but at some point you realize that the dog can never make the transition to kidness.
3. Drawing on paper doesn't work. I'd eventually have to scan the drawing into the computer. Scanners are way too good at their job, picking up dozens of colors from a totally blank sheet of paper. Try getting all that noise out before you even start cleaning up the actual drawing. Better yet, don't try. It's a losing battle.
4. Writing takes most of the day. A few pages is a very good day's work. Agonizing over the right words, finally crafting them just right, and ... wait, wut? I have to draw stuff too? But it's bed time and that's all I've got...
I'll try to post examples tomorrow, to show you what I'm up against. I'd post them tonight but they're not drawn, and I'm too tired.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Tough Toenails
One of the many indignities of getting older is toenails. They just keep getting weirder and weirder. I thought it was just me, but enough others have complained that I know I'm not alone.
Back when I was nimble enough to deal with them, they behaved like normal toenails,
growing and needing to be clipped. The only question was whether to polish them or ignore them. I mostly went with ignore.
But now? Now that I'm not so nimble, the dratted things are getting their revenge for all those years of neglect.
The big toe toenails are curving into the skin. It's like they 've decided to grow through the toes to the soles of my feet. It they make it, maybe I'll give up shoes. Toenails are tougher than most shoe soles these days. They'll never wear out, they'll just grow back stronger. It's a thought...
A few of the middle toes still look almost normal, so naturally those were the toes I stubbed the other night. They slammed into the door hard enough that they bled. (That sleepy middle-of-the-night jaunt to the restroom is another indignity of aging.) Now the 'normal' toenails are purplish-black. I'm tempted to buy black nail polish and act Goth.
The nails on the little piggy toes are thicker than they are long. The other toes don't want to be outdone. I've got one growing at a crazy sideways angle, thick as a tree trunk. I have the biggest clippers available, and soon those won't get the job done. What next? A nail-file-sized chain saw? A mini-sanding belt from the hardware store?
I'm wondering if podiatrists have invented a liquid steroid specifically for toenails. I can just see them sneaking into malls every night with their water cannons, blasting away at all the sensible shoes through those little pull-down grates. "As soon as an old lady tries that pair on, it's 'Toenails Gone Wild.' Cha-ching!"
Looks like my barefoot days are over. No more open-toed shoes for me! Every time I open the closet door I imagine my sandals and flip-flops make rude snickering noises. In contrast, when I open the sock drawer I think they whimper and scurry to the back of the drawer. Toenails on steroids are a sock's worst nightmare.
Back when I was nimble enough to deal with them, they behaved like normal toenails,
growing and needing to be clipped. The only question was whether to polish them or ignore them. I mostly went with ignore.
But now? Now that I'm not so nimble, the dratted things are getting their revenge for all those years of neglect.
The big toe toenails are curving into the skin. It's like they 've decided to grow through the toes to the soles of my feet. It they make it, maybe I'll give up shoes. Toenails are tougher than most shoe soles these days. They'll never wear out, they'll just grow back stronger. It's a thought...
A few of the middle toes still look almost normal, so naturally those were the toes I stubbed the other night. They slammed into the door hard enough that they bled. (That sleepy middle-of-the-night jaunt to the restroom is another indignity of aging.) Now the 'normal' toenails are purplish-black. I'm tempted to buy black nail polish and act Goth.
The nails on the little piggy toes are thicker than they are long. The other toes don't want to be outdone. I've got one growing at a crazy sideways angle, thick as a tree trunk. I have the biggest clippers available, and soon those won't get the job done. What next? A nail-file-sized chain saw? A mini-sanding belt from the hardware store?
I'm wondering if podiatrists have invented a liquid steroid specifically for toenails. I can just see them sneaking into malls every night with their water cannons, blasting away at all the sensible shoes through those little pull-down grates. "As soon as an old lady tries that pair on, it's 'Toenails Gone Wild.' Cha-ching!"
Looks like my barefoot days are over. No more open-toed shoes for me! Every time I open the closet door I imagine my sandals and flip-flops make rude snickering noises. In contrast, when I open the sock drawer I think they whimper and scurry to the back of the drawer. Toenails on steroids are a sock's worst nightmare.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Gluten Gluttony
South Park's 'Gluten' episode was days ago, but I'm still chuckling. Those bad boys
really know how to make a topic outrageous. Neither of my readers watches South Park these days so I'll try to recap:
A trip to a restaurant always meant a lecture to the wait-staff. Right sentiment, wrong person. Never assume the waiter has influence, or even contact, with the person who decides what ingredients go into the food. (One of my 'college jobs' was as a waitress. The co-workers...? Nope. I tried to tell them...)
I was sympathetic, and on-board. Heck yes, if ingredients make some people sick, restaurants darn well ought to mention it. I was less sympathetic when I was called out as an infidel for having a bowl of oatmeal. It was delicious, and I needed the fiber more than I needed sanctimonious co-workers.
In South Park, a sensible conclusion was reached, the same one I reached after "Oatmeal-gate". We should turn the food pyramid upside down. Grains should not be the mainstay. Our diets are too carb-intensive. We need less of them, but not zero
I had strayed from the path, but this episode called me back. Not only should we be eating less grain, but we should be much pickier about its quality. This page from WebMD makes it clear.
South Park also supplied the missing puzzle pieces. My old co-workers were part of the 'all fat is bad for you' ilk. Since then we know that there are fats, and there are fats. It's the same with grains. Or is it the other way around?
really know how to make a topic outrageous. Neither of my readers watches South Park these days so I'll try to recap:
"The town of South Park disagreed about the merits of a gluten-free diet. To prove gluten was ok, an FDA guy ingested pure gluten and died on the spot, outrageously. Gluten was instantly banned everywhere. Mayhem ensued."It sure took me back. In my employed days, 2 co-workers were Gluttites (not to be confused with Luddites). We traveled together frequently. Every meal included a sermon about the evils of gluten and the need for gluten-free options.
A trip to a restaurant always meant a lecture to the wait-staff. Right sentiment, wrong person. Never assume the waiter has influence, or even contact, with the person who decides what ingredients go into the food. (One of my 'college jobs' was as a waitress. The co-workers...? Nope. I tried to tell them...)
I was sympathetic, and on-board. Heck yes, if ingredients make some people sick, restaurants darn well ought to mention it. I was less sympathetic when I was called out as an infidel for having a bowl of oatmeal. It was delicious, and I needed the fiber more than I needed sanctimonious co-workers.
In South Park, a sensible conclusion was reached, the same one I reached after "Oatmeal-gate". We should turn the food pyramid upside down. Grains should not be the mainstay. Our diets are too carb-intensive. We need less of them, but not zero
I had strayed from the path, but this episode called me back. Not only should we be eating less grain, but we should be much pickier about its quality. This page from WebMD makes it clear.
South Park also supplied the missing puzzle pieces. My old co-workers were part of the 'all fat is bad for you' ilk. Since then we know that there are fats, and there are fats. It's the same with grains. Or is it the other way around?
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Drawing Conclusions
People don't read and write as much as they used to. This isn't meant as a criticism of people, it's more an observation of media. Since I want to be a writer when I grow up, It's something I need to observe.
Back when a book was the 'only game in town,' some people wrote enormous ones... Dickens, Melville, Tolstoy... they wrote books that could be used as bookends to hold up other books.
Editorials 100 years ago filled an entire page of the newspaper. 50 years ago they were called 'columns' because they only took a few columns of a newspaper page. Today's 'blogs' are shorter than columns. I notice Google won't give me a '+1' unless my blog fits on one 'page.'
Today's media is small and fast. Look at Twitter... 'tweet' it in 180 characters or keep your beak shut. Campaign speeches used to last an hour or more. Now it's all sound bytes. People often watch the day's top news story on their phone's screen, delivered by a 'talking head.'
Personal communication is quicker too. People used to exchange long letters. Now there's texting, which is best kept to 1 or 2 sentences. After all, the message has to fit on a phone display. I see why so many abbreviations are used these days.
Speaking of abbreviations, one is 'tl; dr.' It stands for 'too long; didn't read.' It's rude, it's lazy, it's mean to use that on somebody who has taken the time to craft a message to you. The only thing meaner is to not bother to tell someone you didn't read it.
So what does 'smaller media' mean to me as a writer? Several things:
Back when a book was the 'only game in town,' some people wrote enormous ones... Dickens, Melville, Tolstoy... they wrote books that could be used as bookends to hold up other books.
Editorials 100 years ago filled an entire page of the newspaper. 50 years ago they were called 'columns' because they only took a few columns of a newspaper page. Today's 'blogs' are shorter than columns. I notice Google won't give me a '+1' unless my blog fits on one 'page.'
Today's media is small and fast. Look at Twitter... 'tweet' it in 180 characters or keep your beak shut. Campaign speeches used to last an hour or more. Now it's all sound bytes. People often watch the day's top news story on their phone's screen, delivered by a 'talking head.'
Personal communication is quicker too. People used to exchange long letters. Now there's texting, which is best kept to 1 or 2 sentences. After all, the message has to fit on a phone display. I see why so many abbreviations are used these days.
Speaking of abbreviations, one is 'tl; dr.' It stands for 'too long; didn't read.' It's rude, it's lazy, it's mean to use that on somebody who has taken the time to craft a message to you. The only thing meaner is to not bother to tell someone you didn't read it.
So what does 'smaller media' mean to me as a writer? Several things:
- The day of the full-blown novel has passed. If I have so much to say, I should break it into a series and re-use the characters. That worked well for Harry Potter, for example.
- If I want to write news or editorials, I shouldn't look to newspapers for a paycheck. I should prepare material to be delivered by a talking head, though it won't be mine.
- There are many non-reading options for everything that once required reading. Somebody still has to write the words, but one might also need to say them aloud, accompanied by appropriate visuals.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Old Paint, New Windows
Well, I'm surprised. Yesterday I mentioned a missing file, assuming it was a trivial fix. As it happens, it wasn't trivial. There was disk corruption. Hubby restored it for now, though I'm still nervous about running WoW. The troubleshooting process was bad enough that starting today, we're shopping for a new computer.
I wish Old Paint had waited a year before developing symptoms. They're still selling computers with Windows 8 on them at the stores. Microsoft seems to have an 'every-other-OS' jinx. Check out its last 6 operating systems:
I've whined about Windows 8 before. It's for mobile customers, designed to be used on phones and tablets. Both my phone and my desktop start out displaying > a dozen brightly-colored tiles. Each tile is big enough to touch. Touch the 'Music' tile and you can listen to music. Touch the 'Store' tile and you can shop for more apps.
Trouble is, I don't want those tiles on my desktop. (Frankly, I don't want them on my phone either, but that's another blog.) There used to be a 'Start button' that displayed every application installed on my computer. I could pick the one I wanted to run. Then I could pick another one, and another, and run several things at once. With Windows 8.1 I still can, but it takes customization and hoop-jumping before it can happen. It used to just work.
I'm currently writing a blog, reading a preview of Windows 10 (Whoo-HOOO! It has a 'Start button'), checking my email, and playing solitaire. Since you can't do that on a phone-sized screen, the 1-size-fits-all paradigm doesn't make sense to me.
A shopping trip yielded no appropriate machines to buy, so I hope Old Paint can limp along for another year. I'll try to keep him healthy, cool and clean until New Paint is in the stable and Windows 10 is saddle-ready. Then Old Paint can retire to that great Linux afterworld where traffic is lighter and there is no Warcraft.
I wish Old Paint had waited a year before developing symptoms. They're still selling computers with Windows 8 on them at the stores. Microsoft seems to have an 'every-other-OS' jinx. Check out its last 6 operating systems:
- Windows 95 - good
- Windows ME - bad
- Windows XP - good
- Vista --------- bad
- Windows 7 -- good
- Windows 8 -- bad
I've whined about Windows 8 before. It's for mobile customers, designed to be used on phones and tablets. Both my phone and my desktop start out displaying > a dozen brightly-colored tiles. Each tile is big enough to touch. Touch the 'Music' tile and you can listen to music. Touch the 'Store' tile and you can shop for more apps.
Trouble is, I don't want those tiles on my desktop. (Frankly, I don't want them on my phone either, but that's another blog.) There used to be a 'Start button' that displayed every application installed on my computer. I could pick the one I wanted to run. Then I could pick another one, and another, and run several things at once. With Windows 8.1 I still can, but it takes customization and hoop-jumping before it can happen. It used to just work.
I'm currently writing a blog, reading a preview of Windows 10 (Whoo-HOOO! It has a 'Start button'), checking my email, and playing solitaire. Since you can't do that on a phone-sized screen, the 1-size-fits-all paradigm doesn't make sense to me.
A shopping trip yielded no appropriate machines to buy, so I hope Old Paint can limp along for another year. I'll try to keep him healthy, cool and clean until New Paint is in the stable and Windows 10 is saddle-ready. Then Old Paint can retire to that great Linux afterworld where traffic is lighter and there is no Warcraft.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Outage Outrage
Our primary computers are down.
I don't know how people cope when their computer goes down. We have options here where we can use secondary machines to at least get to the internet. Even so, I'm twitching because I can't play my usual games and work on my comfortable machine.
Oh well, at least I can still write a blog, even though the keyboard on 'ye olde trusty backup machine' is tough to use. The letters have worn off some of the keys, and I am a hunt-and-peck typist.
We got hit with a double-whammy. Hubby's struggling CPU fan finally bit the dust. I'm only getting error messages about a .dll file, not nearly as serious. I could probably fix it myself, but since The Hubster would just as soon do it, I will only look it up. It will be fun to see if I found the right answer.
I'm making the most of my day off. There's laundry going, dinner is pre-cooking to be easily re-heated later, the dishes are caught up, and the blog is half-written. By the time Hubby gets home to install that new fan, he may think he's at the wrong house.
At this rate I may even have time to tackle the 'Leaning Tower of Junkmail.' That's our household tourist attraction. Unless we get bills, personal correspondence, or something we need to file, we just stack the rest of the mail in a pile until I get around to shredding it. Which never happens. The tower is tall enough now that it makes the cats nervous.
On second thought, maybe I'll keep the tower as is. If I can't find a way to make writing pay off, I'll have the option to sell tickets to view it. I could set up other attractions too. 'Guess the Carpet Color, Win a free Cat,' and 'Find Your Way Through the Maze' would be contenders.
Guess it's time to finish writing and get this theme park planned. If I pitch the vacuum cleaners as a 'bumper car' ride, maybe someone will sweep the den.
I don't know how people cope when their computer goes down. We have options here where we can use secondary machines to at least get to the internet. Even so, I'm twitching because I can't play my usual games and work on my comfortable machine.
Oh well, at least I can still write a blog, even though the keyboard on 'ye olde trusty backup machine' is tough to use. The letters have worn off some of the keys, and I am a hunt-and-peck typist.
We got hit with a double-whammy. Hubby's struggling CPU fan finally bit the dust. I'm only getting error messages about a .dll file, not nearly as serious. I could probably fix it myself, but since The Hubster would just as soon do it, I will only look it up. It will be fun to see if I found the right answer.
I'm making the most of my day off. There's laundry going, dinner is pre-cooking to be easily re-heated later, the dishes are caught up, and the blog is half-written. By the time Hubby gets home to install that new fan, he may think he's at the wrong house.
At this rate I may even have time to tackle the 'Leaning Tower of Junkmail.' That's our household tourist attraction. Unless we get bills, personal correspondence, or something we need to file, we just stack the rest of the mail in a pile until I get around to shredding it. Which never happens. The tower is tall enough now that it makes the cats nervous.
On second thought, maybe I'll keep the tower as is. If I can't find a way to make writing pay off, I'll have the option to sell tickets to view it. I could set up other attractions too. 'Guess the Carpet Color, Win a free Cat,' and 'Find Your Way Through the Maze' would be contenders.
Guess it's time to finish writing and get this theme park planned. If I pitch the vacuum cleaners as a 'bumper car' ride, maybe someone will sweep the den.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
No New News from the Old Town
I haven't seen my hometown for almost 30 years. No doubt if I visited I'd be disappointed. The places I cherish in my memories would be gone... or worse, they'd still be there but not at all as I remembered.
For example, in 1958 our church added a new wing. It was an ambitious project, with 8 classrooms, a chapel, a casual meeting room, and 4 offices. We called it 'the new building.' I hear the 'new building' has been replaced because it's 'old.'
Changes aside, it's nice to keep track of the old stomping grounds. For several years I've read the hometown paper online. Sometimes I'll see a familiar name, street, or business mentioned. It's a good way to stay connected to one's roots.
It's a miracle the newspaper still exists. The town is on the state border, across the river from a mega-city with a much bigger and better-funded newspaper. Even back in the day, the small paper struggled for readership against its stronger rival.
Back in the day, the Saturday issue was especially puny. Everybody put their efforts into the Sunday paper, so the Saturday paper, rolled up for 'front-porch' delivery, was a small roll indeed. Dad and I nicknamed it the 'The Saturday Evening Stick.'
The online edition today is also fairly lean. People don't read and write as much as they used to (I'll be blogging about that soon.) Still, it's local news that can't be found anywhere else.
Recently I had an unpleasant shock. The hometown newspaper 'went subscription' on me. I can no longer browse through the paper unless I pay. Quite a few of the big newspapers have tried this method. It isn't working very well for most of them because:
There just has to be a better way. I need to investigate options while there's still a paper to subscribe to, because no news is not good news.
For example, in 1958 our church added a new wing. It was an ambitious project, with 8 classrooms, a chapel, a casual meeting room, and 4 offices. We called it 'the new building.' I hear the 'new building' has been replaced because it's 'old.'
Changes aside, it's nice to keep track of the old stomping grounds. For several years I've read the hometown paper online. Sometimes I'll see a familiar name, street, or business mentioned. It's a good way to stay connected to one's roots.
It's a miracle the newspaper still exists. The town is on the state border, across the river from a mega-city with a much bigger and better-funded newspaper. Even back in the day, the small paper struggled for readership against its stronger rival.
Back in the day, the Saturday issue was especially puny. Everybody put their efforts into the Sunday paper, so the Saturday paper, rolled up for 'front-porch' delivery, was a small roll indeed. Dad and I nicknamed it the 'The Saturday Evening Stick.'
The online edition today is also fairly lean. People don't read and write as much as they used to (I'll be blogging about that soon.) Still, it's local news that can't be found anywhere else.
Recently I had an unpleasant shock. The hometown newspaper 'went subscription' on me. I can no longer browse through the paper unless I pay. Quite a few of the big newspapers have tried this method. It isn't working very well for most of them because:
- People expect online information to be free. They already pay for their Internet, why should they also pay for every site they happen to visit?
- There's a lot of 'hackery' going on out there. People realize that every time they enter an account number to make an online purchase, it's a new risk. Shoestring businesses can't afford the kind of security that Amazon can.
- Subscribing to anything is an invitation to be spammed. Businesses who collect subscriptions make additional money selling their subscription list. I agree with the actor in the Monty Python sketch. "I don't like spam!"
There just has to be a better way. I need to investigate options while there's still a paper to subscribe to, because no news is not good news.
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