Category: That’s Life

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

by sharwrite ♥ 1 Comment

Have you ever felt you were “walking on air?”  I had the experience early this year.

January came with new health insurance and a new doctor.  As expected a number of diagnostic tests were prescribed.  Baptist Hospital was offering a nominally priced CAT scan for a special study they were conducting on people who were smokers or former smokers.  Since I fell into the latter category, my doctor recommended it.  “What the heck, why not?” was my response.

At my next doctor’s appointment, she noted there was a ‘lesion’ that looked suspicious.  She had discussed the results with the radiologist and they recommended I see a breast surgeon.  “But,” I said, “my mammogram didn’t show up anything.”  The CAT scan won.

The surgeon performed an ultrasound and as I watched the screen, a big black spot appeared.  It was not in my breast but a lymph gland.

“OMG!”  I was officially experiencing “high anxiety.”  A needle biopsy was scheduled for the following week.  After spending the longest weekend on earth, I had the procedure.  As he probed the area, I heard the doctor say, “Boy is someone going to be happy.”  It had aspirated!  I looked at the screen and the large black spot was gone.

As I left his office I experienced that sensation of “walking on air.”  I didn’t walk — I floated to my car — my feet never touched the ground!

THE CAT FAMILY

Everything changes but somehow remains the same. Last year at this time I had 8 kitties.   However my dear boy Ashley passed away in February.

A few months later, Clouseau, came home with a little girl.  He said in French (of course), “Maman, je l’ai trouve un petit chat.  Son nome est Gabrielle.  Puis-je le garder?  (rough translation: I found a little cat.  Her name is Gabrielle.  Can I keep her?)

CLOUSEAU PLEADS FOR GABY
CLOUSEAU PLEADS FOR GABY

I looked into those pleading eyes and said, “Non!”  My resolve lasted about 5 minutes.

Initially, it was perfect.  He played with Gaby and stopped tormenting the other cats.  The vet noted she was a bit older than I originally thought.  Time for neutering.  Poor Clouseau, looked everywhere for his lost love?  Soon it was time for her return.  As he waited at her carrier door she exited.  She had a cone protector around her neck.

THE CONEHEAD ARRIVES
THE CONEHEAD ARRIVES

Clouseau took one look at her.  As he ran away.  I heard him exclaim, “Argh … quel est ce.  Elle est un conehead etranger.” (Argh … what is this.  She is an alien conehead).  He’s now talking divorce.

THE GOLDEN YEARS

Yes, “the golden years” are upon me.  You know, those years full of lovely trips, spending time with friends, taking up new hobbies and not having to get up at the crack of dawn.  I’ve found however, whether by habit or just having to get up in the middle of the night for a potty run, I’m still up by 5 am.  As for the gold, that’s to pay for fixing or replacing body parts that apparently were not designed to last for more than 70 years.

As I write this, I have just had cataract surgery.  Pre-op is not just those few minutes before surgery.  It is the culmination of heightened apprehension which begins the day you find out you are going to have surgery and concludes when you enter a very sterile room where a smiling nurse asks, “how are you?”

I wanted to say, “I’m scared as hell and let me out of here.”  What came out (in a childlike voice) was, “Fine.”

A Valium brought my blood pressure down to something less than frightening.  All went fine.  I was so good they gave me a cookie!  So far no one has mentioned “co-pay.”   But I know they will.

JUST CALL ME PREZ

As most of you know I’ve been active with my Toastmasters Club and this year is no exception.  In July I became president and now I’m busier than ever.

INSTALLATION AS PRESIDENT MIRACLE MILE TOASTMASTERS
INSTALLATION AS PRESIDENT
MIRACLE MILE TOASTMASTERS

Might this be a new beginning for me?  Should I consider taking on “The Donald?”

As I close, my little 32 feet send their love

Gatsby, Scarlett, Melanie, Belle, Daisy, Magic, Clouseau, Gabrielle

and of course so do I!

I’m Baaack…..

I’m Baaack…..

by sharwrite ♥ 2 Comments

Just a short note to my friends who still ask, “What happened to you?  Where’s your blog?”

No, it didn’t disappear, I just got busy doing other things.  Yet I am resolved to start again, and should begin within the week.

The real issue for my hibernation is, I had no idea how busy I would be when retired.  Think of the word, ‘ retire.’  Does it mean get to work?  No, quite the opposite.  I’m always busy.  What with technology, I even have post it notes on my computer screen admonishing me to do this, do that, get busy, go to a meeting, go to the doctors (the latter seems to be high on the list of retirees).  I can never complete what I have to do in a day and then it slides over to the next day which is already too full so some things just don’t get done.

If you were a workaholic in your previous existence, chances are you will continue to treat aspects of your life the same way.  Conversely, if you were a couch potato before, you might well become twice baked before you know it.

I was the former and the blog was my new job.  It started to “un-fun” me towards the end of last year.  My new plan is to start out with a blog appearing every 2 weeks instead of weekly.  If something strikes my fancy — well you may see me more frequently.  But the workaholic time schedule is in the past.  In a previous post, “Life is what you make it,” I noted “it’s not the company schedule, it’s my schedule.”  So, I’m taking my own advice and being selfish with my time.

 “Let the games begin!”

 

MISSING POST?

MISSING POST?

by sharwrite ♥ 3 Comments

A friend e-mailed me last week. “We haven’t seen your blog for a while.  What happened?   You were sending one every week.”

That is (or more accurately was) correct.

Things are beginning to catch up with me.  I started a great on-line class called Writeriffic.  As you might guess, it’s a writing course.  What comes with writers’ courses?  Writing assignments.  I’ve been trying to keep up with them and forgot I also signed up for an editing course.  I just finished lesson one.  Unfortunately, the class is up to lesson three.

The Miracle Mile Toastmasters Website is finished, but posts need to be added to the blog page.  Only four to go.

Thanks to my instructor in Writeriffic talking about ‘The Artist’s Way’ 12 week creativity course, I thought, “let’s take that as well.”

Suddenly, anxiety started to build.  I heard voices (yes voices, and take that smirk off your face) that were saying, “You haven’t started to write your blog this week.  Do you even have a clue what you’re going to write about?  When are you going to do it.”

Here’s what happens when anxiety sets in — my mind goes blank.  It rebels, and says, “I don’t want to think, LET ME ALONE.”

By Friday, while looking at an empty computer screen, I realized something had to give.  The creativity course can wait till after the holidays and I’ll get to the blogs after I catch up with my classwork.

As the whiney little voice started questioning again,  I responded, “I’m retired damn it,” and in typical Scarlett O’Hara fashion announced, “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

To my readers, I’ll be returning soon.  Hang in there.

 

I’m an ITechie

I’m an ITechie

by sharwrite ♥ 3 Comments

I went to Apple School this morning because  I couldn’t figure out how to use my IPhone.

Oh, I can make and receive calls and even send and receive text messages, although I’m pretty anti-text.  It takes me forever to send one because I keep hitting the wrong damn keys.  My messages look something like this:

R U gpinh to the gy this a?  Translation:  Are you going to the gym this AM?

The akr went off and I thouht it was a sigm to gp back to skeep.  Translation:  The alarm went off and I thought it was a sign to go back to sleep.

I delete entire sentences to get one word spelled correctly.  And that’s another thing.  No one spells anymore.  We have taken brevity to a whole new level…for instance:

RU = are you

BTW = By the way

OMG = Oh my God!

LOL = Laughing Out Loud

The examples above are about the only ones I know.  If someone truly advanced in ‘smart phone lingo’ sends me a text, I haven’t a clue what they’re saying.

My girlfriend and gym pal (although I’ve been bad the last couple of weeks, so we may not be gym pals anymore), showed me the Pandora App.  WOW, music while you sweat.

Years ago I got an IPod for listening to music (it’s somewhere in the house) and had an Apple ID and password.  When I got my Mac,  I’d forgotten the ID and password for the IPod, so started again.  When I got the phone, I couldn’t recall the previous info so started yet again.

Of course, I had problems hitting the right keys and somehow the ID got screwed up.  As a result, the ID (which is an e-mail address) was saved and is completely wrong.  Apple was sending confirmations to me at an insurance company in Connecticut every time I’d try to fix it.

Finally, I called Apple Support and explained I couldn’t download Pandora.  We discovered all kinds of ID’s and passwords on my account.  I’d been collecting them like Halloween candy.  All tolled,  it took several hours, but I finally have the musical app on my phone.

There was clearly more to learn.  “Why won’t my mail download?  What is that Health App?  Why won’t my calendar on the phone connect with the calendar on my Mac? And, what is Siri?”

Time for an Apple School Workshop.  I asked why my phone and Mac calendars wouldn’t connect, and that’s when the subject of ICloud came up.  ICLOUD!  WHAT IN THE SAM HILL IS THAT?  We checked out  ICloud on my phone and my ID had the insurance company’s e-mail.

In order to change it a password was required. I just stared at the screen.  Of all the passwords used in the past few years, which one was used on this bogus account?  It took 45 minutes, but I now have one Apple account that is for everything.  Of course, its password is new.  I’ve written it down in my password book, saved it on my Mac and IPhone .  In case the book gets misplaced, if I find the blasted IPod I’m  getting rid of it.  I refuse to go through this again.

Later in the day, a friend called.

“So, what have you been up to?”

“Went to Apple School for an IPhone workshop.”

She sounded skeptical, “You had to go to school to learn how to use a phone?”

“Well, it’s not just a phone — it’s a SMART phone.  It communicates with my Mac via a cloud!  I can actually talk to it and it answers me — sometimes with a woman’s voice and sometimes with a man’s voice.  I don’t know which I like best.”

“Yah, but it’s a phone and you had to go to school to learn how to use it?”

Some people are not easily impressed.

 

I wonder what Jim and the guys would think….

I wonder what Jim and the guys would think….

by sharwrite ♥ 6 Comments

When James Madison penned the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1789, “Congress shall make no law….abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press….,” it was an effort to protect citizens against the power of government.  Our country had experienced a long war which was fought to ensure freedom from oppression.

Times have changed.  In the latter part of the eighteenth century, there weren’t advertising agencies vying to get lucrative business from clients in the political arena.  Hmmm, I wonder what Jim and the ‘pro-Bill of Rights’ guys would think if they had to listen to political advertising today.

‘Core political speech’ falls under the First Amendment and therefore does not censor the ‘opinions’ of  citizens.  Candidates and their staffs, use that premise, to say whatever — be it truth, semi-truth or not truth at all.  Too often, it is couched in language IMPLYING FACT.   You ask, “Isn’t there supposed to be a ‘truth in advertising’ standard?”  Yep!  There sure is, but somehow when it comes to politics, it’s fairly easy to fly under the radar of that guideline.  Do you really think this is what Madison intended?

IT’S CAVEAT EMPTOR TIME AGAIN!

Face it, advertisements ‘pitch’ candidates.  That’s right, candidates are selling themselves to us, or discrediting their opponents in an effort to sell themselves to us.  Let the Buyer Beware.

This appears to be the one time, politics has become ‘non-partisan.’  Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and pundits alike, want the right to put their ‘spin’ on truth.  Here’s how it works.  Generally, the ad begins with a nugget of honesty, which is then manipulated using indiscernible and dubious logic to convey something that isn’t remotely accurate.  The ads are played over and over, ad nauseam, the theory being that if you hear it once, it’s possibly true; if you hear it twice it’s probably true; and if you hear it three times it MUST BE TRUE!

You can check facts in ads at sites such as Politifact.com and FactCheck.org.  I particularly like Politifact.com because it rates comments as follows (the last one is my favorite):

1)   True

2)   Mostly True

3)   Half True

4)   Mostly False

5)   False

6)   PANTS ON FIRE!

We’re all busy just trying to live our lives, so the majority of people will hear what is said and not check a thing.  Even more depressing is the first thing heard is often the one thing remembered.

Fortunately, you can control much of this with the aid of your DVD and remote control mute button.  That’s what I do.  And if I’m busy in the kitchen, cooking up  a spectacular recipe, I turn off the radio and TV and listen to music.  No background crap for me, and I get infinite pleasure knowing that the candidates have spent a fortune on advertising which is wasted on me.

However at the end of the day, I still give pause and think about James Madison and how much this country meant to him.  Our fourth President of the United States was a man known for his  ethics, integrity and honesty.  I don’t think he would like politics as played out today.  If you’re in the vicinity of Montpelier, Virginia, and you feel the earth-shaking, it just may be James rolling over in his grave.