Friday, October 31, 2008
BOO! Day/Night: A busy day....for some reason...
Another wonderful, warm day today......soo, no derogatory remarks about the weather again. Almost perfect weather.....!!! Love it...
I had a great conversation with the former piano student of mine and the discussion centered around the fact that things have not gone well for him this first semester at UMSL.....and he is seriously considering making a transfer to another university for the second semester. Soooo, we disussed many aspects of this possible transfer.......and we agreed on many varied points in this discussion.
After he left, I went into a faster mode: went to Walmart to get some of those great little pills (prescriptions) that needed refilling......I would have run out before we return from New Orleans. Then picked up a money order........and then back into town to mail the money order. Then I was off to Farmington for a haircut.........and after that, the 1st Lady met me for lunch at a local Chinese cafe...... She then went on to do some errands.....I returned to F'town, stopped at WalMart again to pick up some steaks and other items, and then returned to the stick and brick.
After the 1st Lady returned, I helped her carry in her luggage, her purchases, a LARGE bag of hazelnuts that she had picked up at her mother's home area, and other items in the car.
From then on, it was time to turn on the lights and await the Trick or Treaters. WELLLLLLL, we had a total of FOUR come to the door!!! AMAZING!!!! There were no cars even on the street........soooo, we have lots of small candies to munch on(?)..........and to get rid of.
As per tradition here, the Goldsmith family were the last to arrive with Emily.....and oh my, was she every CUTE!!!!!!!! A black cat.......and it was a perfect little costume for her. Just fabulous!!!
And so....another day is gone from my Life......but, as always....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
I had a great conversation with the former piano student of mine and the discussion centered around the fact that things have not gone well for him this first semester at UMSL.....and he is seriously considering making a transfer to another university for the second semester. Soooo, we disussed many aspects of this possible transfer.......and we agreed on many varied points in this discussion.
After he left, I went into a faster mode: went to Walmart to get some of those great little pills (prescriptions) that needed refilling......I would have run out before we return from New Orleans. Then picked up a money order........and then back into town to mail the money order. Then I was off to Farmington for a haircut.........and after that, the 1st Lady met me for lunch at a local Chinese cafe...... She then went on to do some errands.....I returned to F'town, stopped at WalMart again to pick up some steaks and other items, and then returned to the stick and brick.
After the 1st Lady returned, I helped her carry in her luggage, her purchases, a LARGE bag of hazelnuts that she had picked up at her mother's home area, and other items in the car.
From then on, it was time to turn on the lights and await the Trick or Treaters. WELLLLLLL, we had a total of FOUR come to the door!!! AMAZING!!!! There were no cars even on the street........soooo, we have lots of small candies to munch on(?)..........and to get rid of.
As per tradition here, the Goldsmith family were the last to arrive with Emily.....and oh my, was she every CUTE!!!!!!!! A black cat.......and it was a perfect little costume for her. Just fabulous!!!
And so....another day is gone from my Life......but, as always....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
THURSDAY: Another wonderful weather day for Missouri!!
Yep.......from the very beginning of the day to the sunset.....it was almost perfect. October's brilliant weather is something to remeber once winter begins.....
This day for me began as usual.....the morning rituals, the steaming cup of French Roast coffee, and the morning news and email checks. And then suddenly.....it was almost time for lunch!! CRAP....my Life just keeps slipping away faster and faster.............and I will never get all of the things done that I have on my personal "to do" list.
However, I did spend a bit of time this morning finising up the computer problems. And....WOW....I got both of our laptops so that they are connecting to the printer wirelessly!!!!! I am really feeling great about this.....especially after all of the hell we went through this past week and a half........WHEW!!!! Now....it is on to changing out our cable tv to DirecTV and then get our cell phone service switched to something that works better for us in the places we travel to.
This afternoon.......it was back out to the lawn. It didn't take long though.........I only had about 1/3 of the lawn left to do......and it was soon done and looking good (at least for a week...haha).
The 1st Lady will return tomorrow as we do have some things to do prior to leaving for New Orleans for a few days. And tomorrow, I have a former student coming to the stick and brick in the morning for a visit.....a time to catch-up on things.
And sooooo, as I said.....a beautiful day....and as always,.......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Politics is like driving a car: Put the car in "R"....and you go backward; Put the car in "D" and you will go forward. Four days and we can begin to go forward again!
This day for me began as usual.....the morning rituals, the steaming cup of French Roast coffee, and the morning news and email checks. And then suddenly.....it was almost time for lunch!! CRAP....my Life just keeps slipping away faster and faster.............and I will never get all of the things done that I have on my personal "to do" list.
However, I did spend a bit of time this morning finising up the computer problems. And....WOW....I got both of our laptops so that they are connecting to the printer wirelessly!!!!! I am really feeling great about this.....especially after all of the hell we went through this past week and a half........WHEW!!!! Now....it is on to changing out our cable tv to DirecTV and then get our cell phone service switched to something that works better for us in the places we travel to.
This afternoon.......it was back out to the lawn. It didn't take long though.........I only had about 1/3 of the lawn left to do......and it was soon done and looking good (at least for a week...haha).
The 1st Lady will return tomorrow as we do have some things to do prior to leaving for New Orleans for a few days. And tomorrow, I have a former student coming to the stick and brick in the morning for a visit.....a time to catch-up on things.
And sooooo, as I said.....a beautiful day....and as always,.......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Politics is like driving a car: Put the car in "R"....and you go backward; Put the car in "D" and you will go forward. Four days and we can begin to go forward again!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday: A beautiful, beautiful day!!!
An apology for not writing last night.......for some reason I was exhausted way more than I actually thought I was....and after sitting down to watch some tellie, I awoke a couple of hours later and crawled off to bed.
Therefore........no post last night!!
But.....today, rested and ready for this day.....I was up and going at 7am, and after the usual morning rituals, I was just in the process of making my French Roast coffee when the phone rang. As always, just like a call in the middle of the night, I wonder who is ill, who has died, or what accident has occurred to someone in the family or circle of friends. Well.......those few seconds of worry were all for nothing........it was the fellow from AT&T calling to say he would be here at the house in a few minutes.
Now, to back up a few hours.......yesterday my new AT&T modem/router arrived via UPS and I immediately began to get it installed and running. Guess what????!!!!! NO LUCK!!!! I finally gave up and called AT&T and was soon talking with someone in either the Philippines or India. For about 40 minutes I followed this heavily accented guy working at some call center.....until he gave up himself....called his supervisor over....and soon I was transferred to some other call center where I was told that I would have to have an AT&T service man come out to the house.
Hence......the guy arrive this morning at 8am......
Well, after checking all the phone lines inside and out with the little laptop type testing equipment, he found that inside there was a problem. Soooo, after a quick check around, he did some re-wiring and soon, I was connected to the internet........FINALLY!!!!
As he worked, we visited and soon realized that that he knew Dr. Jeni and her husband, Darrel, and we were soon chatting away about many topics. A GREAT guy........and it was great to meet him....a F'town guy who had graduated from HS here in 1988, the year that we moved here to F'town. Soooo, a bit later.....he left.
About 15 minutes later.....I should have expected this with all of the luck?? I have had lately with tech problems........I dialed a number on the phone only to discover that I had NO phone connection. SHIT!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! Soooo, back through all of the computerized answering people on AT&T....and soon I was in India again......and after explaining to them that this young man had JUST left my home and had to be in this same town, they check it out, called and left a message on his cell phone from India, and about 15 minutes later, the doorbell rang and he was here....again.
I told him that I had had to call India to get to come back here from just across town....and we had a good laugh.....and within five minutes, he had the problem isolated and repaired!!! THANK GOODNESS!!!!!
WOW....I just can't believe how much trouble we have had here in the stick and brick with our tech equipment!!!! And yet......we still have to get hooked up to the wireless printer which could be a problem......ANOTHER problem! That is for tomorrow........................
This afternoon.....I thought about getting out and taking a walk on such a gorgeous day, but soon thought better of that....as I needed to mow the lawn and the leaves.....and by doing that, I "killed two birds with one stone" and got my exercise as well as taking care of the lawn. Not finishing, I stopped about time for "Happy Hour", fixed myself a dose of my dark red medicine and enjoyed some new chips that we purchased last week: Pringles chips that are in a small little package with various flavors available....and these were chips with a parmesan cheese flavor and OMG....they were incredible!!!!! Look for them....try them out......(this is not a paid advertisement).......they are soooooooooo good.
Again, the phone rang.....and soon I was on my way to the HannerHouse for dinner, some great conversations, some drinks, and then we watched the soooooo well produced and created 30 minute Obama advertisement. Excellently done......!!!
And now.......as I said above....it was a beautiful day, a great day to spend outside, some tech problems corrected........and, as always......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!!
Therefore........no post last night!!
But.....today, rested and ready for this day.....I was up and going at 7am, and after the usual morning rituals, I was just in the process of making my French Roast coffee when the phone rang. As always, just like a call in the middle of the night, I wonder who is ill, who has died, or what accident has occurred to someone in the family or circle of friends. Well.......those few seconds of worry were all for nothing........it was the fellow from AT&T calling to say he would be here at the house in a few minutes.
Now, to back up a few hours.......yesterday my new AT&T modem/router arrived via UPS and I immediately began to get it installed and running. Guess what????!!!!! NO LUCK!!!! I finally gave up and called AT&T and was soon talking with someone in either the Philippines or India. For about 40 minutes I followed this heavily accented guy working at some call center.....until he gave up himself....called his supervisor over....and soon I was transferred to some other call center where I was told that I would have to have an AT&T service man come out to the house.
Hence......the guy arrive this morning at 8am......
Well, after checking all the phone lines inside and out with the little laptop type testing equipment, he found that inside there was a problem. Soooo, after a quick check around, he did some re-wiring and soon, I was connected to the internet........FINALLY!!!!
As he worked, we visited and soon realized that that he knew Dr. Jeni and her husband, Darrel, and we were soon chatting away about many topics. A GREAT guy........and it was great to meet him....a F'town guy who had graduated from HS here in 1988, the year that we moved here to F'town. Soooo, a bit later.....he left.
About 15 minutes later.....I should have expected this with all of the luck?? I have had lately with tech problems........I dialed a number on the phone only to discover that I had NO phone connection. SHIT!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! Soooo, back through all of the computerized answering people on AT&T....and soon I was in India again......and after explaining to them that this young man had JUST left my home and had to be in this same town, they check it out, called and left a message on his cell phone from India, and about 15 minutes later, the doorbell rang and he was here....again.
I told him that I had had to call India to get to come back here from just across town....and we had a good laugh.....and within five minutes, he had the problem isolated and repaired!!! THANK GOODNESS!!!!!
WOW....I just can't believe how much trouble we have had here in the stick and brick with our tech equipment!!!! And yet......we still have to get hooked up to the wireless printer which could be a problem......ANOTHER problem! That is for tomorrow........................
This afternoon.....I thought about getting out and taking a walk on such a gorgeous day, but soon thought better of that....as I needed to mow the lawn and the leaves.....and by doing that, I "killed two birds with one stone" and got my exercise as well as taking care of the lawn. Not finishing, I stopped about time for "Happy Hour", fixed myself a dose of my dark red medicine and enjoyed some new chips that we purchased last week: Pringles chips that are in a small little package with various flavors available....and these were chips with a parmesan cheese flavor and OMG....they were incredible!!!!! Look for them....try them out......(this is not a paid advertisement).......they are soooooooooo good.
Again, the phone rang.....and soon I was on my way to the HannerHouse for dinner, some great conversations, some drinks, and then we watched the soooooo well produced and created 30 minute Obama advertisement. Excellently done......!!!
And now.......as I said above....it was a beautiful day, a great day to spend outside, some tech problems corrected........and, as always......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!!
WOW!!! Just read the link below....
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/27/1027jones.html
I hope this link gets you to the article!!! More later.....
I hope this link gets you to the article!!! More later.....
Monday, October 27, 2008
MONDAY: A quick trip into St Louis
WOW......a preview of winter is here!!! Today was windy, cloudy, and very chilly.......and I looked at the calendar to see how many weeks before we can depart for the Rio Grande Valley in Texas......tooooo many, UGH!!! Tonight.....down to 26 frigid degrees......not my idea of pleasant weather.
Yesterday.....I spent part of the day transferring all of the 1st Lady's document files on her computer to CD's......as well as tons of pictures to CD's, also. This took more time than I had anticipated, but I got it completed before today. Her pc is not in good health, as I have mentioned and it did not improve any yesterday. Sooooo,......I decided to run it into STL to the certified Toshiba repair shop on Brentwood Blvd....just a few blocks south of the Galleria Shopping Center.
The 1st Lady left yesterday, late afternoon, to go visit her mother in NE Missouri, just west of Hannibal for a few days. She is not in very good health and so the 1st Lady intends to spend as much time with her as possible before we head the RGV.
Soooo, today I went into the city...takes about 1.5 hours depending on the traffic, especially after leaving the interstates and getting into the city streets. I went to the PC Repair there to take her pc...and to pick up my dead one that has been there for more time than I want to mention....haha!! Well......after discussing the 1st Lady's pc problems with the guru there, we discussed repair prices, etc.,etc......and then he just suggested that the problems might be resolved if the Recovery Disc would be used......so, he told me, this technologically challenged sagging hulk, how to go about it....and I was soon on my way to a bit of shopping.
There are several great shops just a block north of the repair shop and......I went up there where several of them are located in one "strip mall"......and I got some great ideas for a few things we want to do in our remodeling project that we are now planning for next spring. More on this project later...........I swore I would NEVER to this again, but.......we only have two more rooms and we will be finished...the laundry room and the main bathroom.
I returned by 4:30....and then spent over an hour using the Recovery Disc on her computer....and it seemed to fix MOST items. Connecting to the internet with an umbilical cord is not possible, BUT.......she can get online with our wireless in the stick and brick. Soooo, that is a vast improvement!!!!!
Tonight.....I am trying to catch up on some picture organizing as well as checking out the hotel situation in N Orleans. Think we have decided on The Provincial Hotel...only three blocks from Cafe du Monde......a GREAT coffee and beignet (sp?) cafe!!!! GREAT!!! So, after checking with the 1st Lady in the morning, I will make the reservations......
It was really good to be in STL and to do some window shopping and looking without spending any money, other than for some incredible cookies at the "Whole Foods" grocery and then for a wonderful semi-dry Starbucks cappuccino.......a great combination for enjoyment!!!! And......as always, no matter what the circumstances.......I have to say that.....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Yesterday.....I spent part of the day transferring all of the 1st Lady's document files on her computer to CD's......as well as tons of pictures to CD's, also. This took more time than I had anticipated, but I got it completed before today. Her pc is not in good health, as I have mentioned and it did not improve any yesterday. Sooooo,......I decided to run it into STL to the certified Toshiba repair shop on Brentwood Blvd....just a few blocks south of the Galleria Shopping Center.
The 1st Lady left yesterday, late afternoon, to go visit her mother in NE Missouri, just west of Hannibal for a few days. She is not in very good health and so the 1st Lady intends to spend as much time with her as possible before we head the RGV.
Soooo, today I went into the city...takes about 1.5 hours depending on the traffic, especially after leaving the interstates and getting into the city streets. I went to the PC Repair there to take her pc...and to pick up my dead one that has been there for more time than I want to mention....haha!! Well......after discussing the 1st Lady's pc problems with the guru there, we discussed repair prices, etc.,etc......and then he just suggested that the problems might be resolved if the Recovery Disc would be used......so, he told me, this technologically challenged sagging hulk, how to go about it....and I was soon on my way to a bit of shopping.
There are several great shops just a block north of the repair shop and......I went up there where several of them are located in one "strip mall"......and I got some great ideas for a few things we want to do in our remodeling project that we are now planning for next spring. More on this project later...........I swore I would NEVER to this again, but.......we only have two more rooms and we will be finished...the laundry room and the main bathroom.
I returned by 4:30....and then spent over an hour using the Recovery Disc on her computer....and it seemed to fix MOST items. Connecting to the internet with an umbilical cord is not possible, BUT.......she can get online with our wireless in the stick and brick. Soooo, that is a vast improvement!!!!!
Tonight.....I am trying to catch up on some picture organizing as well as checking out the hotel situation in N Orleans. Think we have decided on The Provincial Hotel...only three blocks from Cafe du Monde......a GREAT coffee and beignet (sp?) cafe!!!! GREAT!!! So, after checking with the 1st Lady in the morning, I will make the reservations......
It was really good to be in STL and to do some window shopping and looking without spending any money, other than for some incredible cookies at the "Whole Foods" grocery and then for a wonderful semi-dry Starbucks cappuccino.......a great combination for enjoyment!!!! And......as always, no matter what the circumstances.......I have to say that.....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday Morning: Online....but, still problems!
OMG.....what these last few has done to my mental stress level!!!! I believe I may be down to 65 hairs as I am sure that I have pulled a few out during this "crisis" in our stick and brick!!! We have no idea what has occurred.....is it a "bug" or is it just that it has been a few of those days when the shit hits the fan all at one time???!!!
Soooooooo much has happened that I am not sure I can even recall which day it all began and the events that transpired. At one time we had absolutely NOTHING...NADA....working: neither of the laptops, not the printer, not the router, not the new AT&T modem/router, not the Charter cable modem.....we were totally cut off from the outside world of communication like being on an island in the Pacific!!
First off......the day after I spent soooo much time on the phone with AT&T trying to get their modem installed and going, it went down again.....with erratic off and on lights and no service. Finally, after much discussion with them, with them checking from their remote locations....they determined that their "new" modem was not working.....didn't I tell them that??? Soooo, they said they would mail me a new one....3-5 days....DAMN!!! Soooo, thankfully I had not cancelled our Charter cable interent service.....however, it went down also. After talking with them, I determined that because we had cancelled our phone service with them, they assumed we were also cancelling the internet service!!!!!!! DAMN!!!! And, so they re-installed our service which took quite a bit of time.
Then the next day after that, it went down again......and after seveal hours of testing, they determined that it was our router, so I turned it off. Is it that? I am not sure, but hated to go through the process of re-hooking it up and then perhaps having more trouble with the Charter modem, so I just am hooked up to the internet with an umbilical cord to my laptop.
All of this time, the printer was not communicating with either of our laptops....and so night before last, I spent FIVE hours on HP's chat line with their tech services. Of course....I had not purchased the extended warranty last year when we purchased the HP 3310 All-In-One Photosmart printer....and so, I could not get voice tech support without a high fee. After those five hours, the connection to the 1st Lady's pc was still not working except with the USB cable connected.
Then yesterday morning, her laptop went down completely. Deadly blue screens arrived and disappeared before they could be completely read and digested.......and then she was able to do some word processing things but not able to get online through any pathway!!!
I have never been able to communicate with the printer in any way.....cable or router.....and it is because of VISTA!!!! I have attempted to download a new driver with software from them, but as yet, no success.
This morning, I have my laptop going to the internet, and that is good, but the 1st Lady's cannot get online in any way.....and so, we are partially going.
And soooo, I will close for now....and wonder will happen today????? More later....and I do apologize for not being able to write as I always have done!!!!! Still, we are still walking on this beautiful earth....the weather is gorgeous, however.....a hard freeze is predicted for tomorrow night, but.....as always....
LIFE IS REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Soooooooo much has happened that I am not sure I can even recall which day it all began and the events that transpired. At one time we had absolutely NOTHING...NADA....working: neither of the laptops, not the printer, not the router, not the new AT&T modem/router, not the Charter cable modem.....we were totally cut off from the outside world of communication like being on an island in the Pacific!!
First off......the day after I spent soooo much time on the phone with AT&T trying to get their modem installed and going, it went down again.....with erratic off and on lights and no service. Finally, after much discussion with them, with them checking from their remote locations....they determined that their "new" modem was not working.....didn't I tell them that??? Soooo, they said they would mail me a new one....3-5 days....DAMN!!! Soooo, thankfully I had not cancelled our Charter cable interent service.....however, it went down also. After talking with them, I determined that because we had cancelled our phone service with them, they assumed we were also cancelling the internet service!!!!!!! DAMN!!!! And, so they re-installed our service which took quite a bit of time.
Then the next day after that, it went down again......and after seveal hours of testing, they determined that it was our router, so I turned it off. Is it that? I am not sure, but hated to go through the process of re-hooking it up and then perhaps having more trouble with the Charter modem, so I just am hooked up to the internet with an umbilical cord to my laptop.
All of this time, the printer was not communicating with either of our laptops....and so night before last, I spent FIVE hours on HP's chat line with their tech services. Of course....I had not purchased the extended warranty last year when we purchased the HP 3310 All-In-One Photosmart printer....and so, I could not get voice tech support without a high fee. After those five hours, the connection to the 1st Lady's pc was still not working except with the USB cable connected.
Then yesterday morning, her laptop went down completely. Deadly blue screens arrived and disappeared before they could be completely read and digested.......and then she was able to do some word processing things but not able to get online through any pathway!!!
I have never been able to communicate with the printer in any way.....cable or router.....and it is because of VISTA!!!! I have attempted to download a new driver with software from them, but as yet, no success.
This morning, I have my laptop going to the internet, and that is good, but the 1st Lady's cannot get online in any way.....and so, we are partially going.
And soooo, I will close for now....and wonder will happen today????? More later....and I do apologize for not being able to write as I always have done!!!!! Still, we are still walking on this beautiful earth....the weather is gorgeous, however.....a hard freeze is predicted for tomorrow night, but.....as always....
LIFE IS REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Saturday AM: TERRIBLE TECH PROBLEMS....
No posts......everything in our networking system....all pc's, printer, router, modem.....is not working and coordinating.......have not idea what is wrong. DAMN!!!!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday: OMG.....an entire day with tech difficulties!!!!!!!
I can't believe it!!!!! After my morning rituals and my French Roast coffee, I began the process of changing my internet access from Charter to ATT.......and after being on the phone for two hours, the tech support people told me to wait for a call from ATT, as they had to do some re-configuring of my connection, etc., etc. Soooo, all day long I hung out here doing other tech things waiting on a call. This afternoon.....I received three calls from AT&T....and each time I would pick up the phone and there would be no connection to anyone.....
During the day, I worked with the 1st Lady's computer which seems to have been invaded by some form of spam......as everyone on her hotmail address/contact list is receiving emails from her email address with nothing but crap on them. Soooo, we began to try to find out what the hell was/is going on....and with no luck. But, we spent several hours on this project.......and just like with ATT, no luck!!!!
Then, I decided it was time to get my new computer connected to our wireless HP All In One printer, scanner, fax, etc.........and, of course.....PROBLEMS!!!! Vista was not on the CD that came with the printer 1.5 years ago......soooooooo, another phone call to tech support for HP. No answer, so I went through their website and got onto a tech support chat line. OK........a two hour chat brought about the downloading from the support team of new software that would recognize Vista and coordinate it with the printer. Over two hours for this project..........
And then after dinner, I began the process of getting Tech Support again for ATT....and I spent the next three hours on the phone......most of the time in Cebu, Philippines and then was transferred to California. Finally....after those LONG three hours of telling the same story over and over to various individuals with varying degrees of English ability, I FINALLY was connected to the internet thru AT&T DSL.
Am I just getting tooooooo old to handle all of this tech crap???????? I do not like to admit this at all, but I am beginning to wonder about it........often! NOW......tomorrow, I have to get the AT&T modem to work with my wireless router.....and I can just imagine the problems I will have with that!!!! Then, the process for the 1st Lady's computer to connect with AT&T.....PLUS, trying to get rid of the spam/virus/whatever that is sending out emails from her address.
HAS ANYONE ON HERE HAD A PROBLEM LIKE ABOVE WITH YOUR ADDRESS BEING USED BY SOME UNKNOWN?????????? If so, please make a comment and give me some idea s to what the hell might be happening....and how to remedy the situation!!! PLEASE!!!
WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am exhausted from sitting on my sagging ass hanging on to a phone, sitting in front of my computer and the 1st Lady's computer and on the phone again and chatting for over two hours working on connecting to my printer and trying to understand the tech support in the Philippines and...and...and..............somehow, I suppose that as usual(not really sure tonight), that......
LIFE IS REALLY GREAT!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also! (I'm seem to be a bit doubtful tonight)
During the day, I worked with the 1st Lady's computer which seems to have been invaded by some form of spam......as everyone on her hotmail address/contact list is receiving emails from her email address with nothing but crap on them. Soooo, we began to try to find out what the hell was/is going on....and with no luck. But, we spent several hours on this project.......and just like with ATT, no luck!!!!
Then, I decided it was time to get my new computer connected to our wireless HP All In One printer, scanner, fax, etc.........and, of course.....PROBLEMS!!!! Vista was not on the CD that came with the printer 1.5 years ago......soooooooo, another phone call to tech support for HP. No answer, so I went through their website and got onto a tech support chat line. OK........a two hour chat brought about the downloading from the support team of new software that would recognize Vista and coordinate it with the printer. Over two hours for this project..........
And then after dinner, I began the process of getting Tech Support again for ATT....and I spent the next three hours on the phone......most of the time in Cebu, Philippines and then was transferred to California. Finally....after those LONG three hours of telling the same story over and over to various individuals with varying degrees of English ability, I FINALLY was connected to the internet thru AT&T DSL.
Am I just getting tooooooo old to handle all of this tech crap???????? I do not like to admit this at all, but I am beginning to wonder about it........often! NOW......tomorrow, I have to get the AT&T modem to work with my wireless router.....and I can just imagine the problems I will have with that!!!! Then, the process for the 1st Lady's computer to connect with AT&T.....PLUS, trying to get rid of the spam/virus/whatever that is sending out emails from her address.
HAS ANYONE ON HERE HAD A PROBLEM LIKE ABOVE WITH YOUR ADDRESS BEING USED BY SOME UNKNOWN?????????? If so, please make a comment and give me some idea s to what the hell might be happening....and how to remedy the situation!!! PLEASE!!!
WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am exhausted from sitting on my sagging ass hanging on to a phone, sitting in front of my computer and the 1st Lady's computer and on the phone again and chatting for over two hours working on connecting to my printer and trying to understand the tech support in the Philippines and...and...and..............somehow, I suppose that as usual(not really sure tonight), that......
LIFE IS REALLY GREAT!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also! (I'm seem to be a bit doubtful tonight)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday: A day in the garage..........ugh!!
No....I am not in the doghouse/garage!!!!
This was another one of Missouri's warm October days, even though by late afternoon the breezes began to arrive from the north, bringing thoughts about much cooler weather arriving with rains.
The 1st Lady and I spent the day in the garage, doing some things that we have put off for a year or more. We installed a couple of cabinets on the walls.....cabinets that we had taken out of the kitchen when we remodeled a couple of years ago. We also installed some pegboards to hang some of our tools, etc., etc..... And....then just some general cleaning and tossing and re-arranging the storage areas/shelves. Now.....this sounds like a quick job....however, it certainly took us longer than we had planned.....and it turned out to be a bit dustier and dirtier than we thought it would be....!!
By late afternoon.....very late.....we completed the tasks.....and while she was finishing some sorting of a few boxes, I prepared dinner for both of us. A couple of doses of dark red medicine certainly helped to finish off the meal..........
An evening of sofa sitting......catching a few evening shows on the tellie.....and taking care of doing some editing of pictures that I have in my folders. Tomorrow????? Not sure....see how the weather evolves..........and if it rains, I have some writing to do which will take me a few hours to draft, edit, and then print out for a friend of mine.
And sooooo, I need to get our reservations for a hotel in the French Quarter in New Orleans for the end of next week, so I will close this for today. Even after spending the day in the garage......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
This was another one of Missouri's warm October days, even though by late afternoon the breezes began to arrive from the north, bringing thoughts about much cooler weather arriving with rains.
The 1st Lady and I spent the day in the garage, doing some things that we have put off for a year or more. We installed a couple of cabinets on the walls.....cabinets that we had taken out of the kitchen when we remodeled a couple of years ago. We also installed some pegboards to hang some of our tools, etc., etc..... And....then just some general cleaning and tossing and re-arranging the storage areas/shelves. Now.....this sounds like a quick job....however, it certainly took us longer than we had planned.....and it turned out to be a bit dustier and dirtier than we thought it would be....!!
By late afternoon.....very late.....we completed the tasks.....and while she was finishing some sorting of a few boxes, I prepared dinner for both of us. A couple of doses of dark red medicine certainly helped to finish off the meal..........
An evening of sofa sitting......catching a few evening shows on the tellie.....and taking care of doing some editing of pictures that I have in my folders. Tomorrow????? Not sure....see how the weather evolves..........and if it rains, I have some writing to do which will take me a few hours to draft, edit, and then print out for a friend of mine.
And sooooo, I need to get our reservations for a hotel in the French Quarter in New Orleans for the end of next week, so I will close this for today. Even after spending the day in the garage......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday: Soooo.....what's new?
A very good question, isn't it? I always think about that when I prepare mentally to write these few little lines and then send them throughout cyberspace to everyone who is just sitting in front of their pc's.....waiting for my words of questionable wisdom to come dancing across their monitor screen. Well..........a bit of yesterday first.......
Another gorgeous autumn day here in SE Missouri from the time I hauled my sagging hulk out of the bed until I collapsed sometime last night.......my memory has already eliminated the correct time of that collapse!
I consumed a great quantity of Fr. Roast coffee.....as I worked to get the cup to my lips each time I needed some intake of caffeine. I was mucho more exhausted yesterday morning than I thought I would be........after all of that standing in a 12" x 12" square of dirt/concrete for over seven hours. But......all of that agony was worth ever sore muscle and every sore foot just to be a part of that MASSIVE amount of diverse humanity.....100,000 strong......that listened to Barack Obama give his 30 minute speech.....a speech that was given under the Gateway Arch.....the Gateway to the West. How symbolic!!!
I watched, with that refilled cup of steaming coffee, all three of the major Sunday morning talking heads shows........and was overwhelmed by the very thoughtful and well planned endorsement that Gen. Colin Powell gave to him yesterday on Meet The Press. And.....what he said, what he described, what his words meant were so well spoken!!
The 1st Lady returned home just before noon.......and soon, we were on the road to go visit with Mike for the afternoon and early evening. We stopped and picked up Becky and.........after a great visit, we returned home around 9pm last night.
Today?????? Well, we both took an early morning (8am) two mile power walk in about 27 minutes.....and then had breakfast following that. I spent some time outside, trimming our very large Butterfly Bush (HATE that word), pulling up some spent flowers and stems, and just some general getting ready for the winter season.
This afternoon, we went out to the local lumber store to pick up some lumber for some modifications we want to make in the garage for putting up some peg boards on the wall. We stopped at WalMart on the way back.....and that took much longer than either of us wanted to spend out there.
Supper was a "fix it yourself" meal.......which we do from time to time when we neither one are interested in a large evening meal. And then.........I spent some timeonline.....checking on the availability of various hotels in the French Quarter in New Orleans for two weeks from right now. Yep.......we will be gone on Election Day.......as we will run down to New Orleans for Election Day/Night. As I have mentioned, our youngest son is the Campaign Manager for the state of Louisiana for the re-election of US Sen. Mary Landrieu.......and he invited us to come down and join in the festivities that night.....hopefully, festivities. We will spend 3-4 four days there, enjoying that INCREDIBLE city.....and all that it has to offer in the way of some wonderful cuisine!!! We always like to stay in the Fr. Quarter when we are "hoteling" without TheHowserHouse........we can walk wherever we want to go within the Quarter and that is always nice. We haven't been down there since April........and it is way past time to return!!!!!
And sooooooo, another day bringing some not-so-good news for Obama with the serious illness of his grandmother, the spark in his young life, the one who supported and backed him in all of his endeavors. However,............as always......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Another gorgeous autumn day here in SE Missouri from the time I hauled my sagging hulk out of the bed until I collapsed sometime last night.......my memory has already eliminated the correct time of that collapse!
I consumed a great quantity of Fr. Roast coffee.....as I worked to get the cup to my lips each time I needed some intake of caffeine. I was mucho more exhausted yesterday morning than I thought I would be........after all of that standing in a 12" x 12" square of dirt/concrete for over seven hours. But......all of that agony was worth ever sore muscle and every sore foot just to be a part of that MASSIVE amount of diverse humanity.....100,000 strong......that listened to Barack Obama give his 30 minute speech.....a speech that was given under the Gateway Arch.....the Gateway to the West. How symbolic!!!
I watched, with that refilled cup of steaming coffee, all three of the major Sunday morning talking heads shows........and was overwhelmed by the very thoughtful and well planned endorsement that Gen. Colin Powell gave to him yesterday on Meet The Press. And.....what he said, what he described, what his words meant were so well spoken!!
The 1st Lady returned home just before noon.......and soon, we were on the road to go visit with Mike for the afternoon and early evening. We stopped and picked up Becky and.........after a great visit, we returned home around 9pm last night.
Today?????? Well, we both took an early morning (8am) two mile power walk in about 27 minutes.....and then had breakfast following that. I spent some time outside, trimming our very large Butterfly Bush (HATE that word), pulling up some spent flowers and stems, and just some general getting ready for the winter season.
This afternoon, we went out to the local lumber store to pick up some lumber for some modifications we want to make in the garage for putting up some peg boards on the wall. We stopped at WalMart on the way back.....and that took much longer than either of us wanted to spend out there.
Supper was a "fix it yourself" meal.......which we do from time to time when we neither one are interested in a large evening meal. And then.........I spent some timeonline.....checking on the availability of various hotels in the French Quarter in New Orleans for two weeks from right now. Yep.......we will be gone on Election Day.......as we will run down to New Orleans for Election Day/Night. As I have mentioned, our youngest son is the Campaign Manager for the state of Louisiana for the re-election of US Sen. Mary Landrieu.......and he invited us to come down and join in the festivities that night.....hopefully, festivities. We will spend 3-4 four days there, enjoying that INCREDIBLE city.....and all that it has to offer in the way of some wonderful cuisine!!! We always like to stay in the Fr. Quarter when we are "hoteling" without TheHowserHouse........we can walk wherever we want to go within the Quarter and that is always nice. We haven't been down there since April........and it is way past time to return!!!!!
And sooooooo, another day bringing some not-so-good news for Obama with the serious illness of his grandmother, the spark in his young life, the one who supported and backed him in all of his endeavors. However,............as always......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday: WOW...WOW...WOW!!!!!!!
The alarm got my sagging hulk out of bed at 3:30AM this morning.....UGH!!!! My thoughts at the time were...."was this Obama Rally worth it?" But....after my "morning"(still dark outside) rituals were completed, I made the Fr. Roast coffee, put it all into my Thermos, and was on the road by 4:30 for the trip up to the city for the Obama Rally, with crowds predicted to be up to 50,000.
I parked my truck in the Arch Parking Garage, and in the dark quickly made my way to the sidewalk by the street and then walked the block or so until I found about 15 people already in line at the barricade. A few had been there ALL NIGHT, and so I joined them and we were soon acquainted and chatting about the upcoming event. I was soon joined by my three friends from F'town who had driven up late last night and stayed overnight in the Hilton Hotel across the street and up a block from the Arch grounds. And....then very soon, the hoards began to arrive, lining up behind us...and then around us, which caused some shoving and a bit of early morning tempers to rise from those who had been there all night as the new arrivals tried to push their way to the front of the line.
By 9:30, the security gates were fixed...and soon, the line began to rush in and through the X-ray security machines....and on over the rise of a small hill, and then arriving at the top, the view of the massive grounds and podium, press areas, fenced areas for VIP's, etc., etc. Continuing to hurry quickly, I made it to in front of the podium, but on the 3rde-5th row back as the people continued to ebb and flow and shift and push and move around, so I never knew just which row I was in from time to time.
At 10am....a great musical group began to entertain, singing and putting on quite a show with a very good back-up instrumental group with them!!!!! REALLY enjoyable......as the music was from the era of my "good times"......like..."Proud Mary", "Celebration", "We are Family", etc., etc. And....the crowd was having a GREAT time for this hour was gathering and waiting.......and even though with my sagging, evolving hulk being so short, I couldn't get a grasp as to how MANY, MANY people were arriving!!!! But......I knew it was building up......and when the Rally began around 11:20....I jumped up to look and OMG.....I couldn't believe it!!!!!!!!!!! Only after the Rally was finished, I heard on CNN that there were 100,000 people there.......the largest rally yet!!!
Many state candidates were there to speak and then a local STL fourth grade teacher in a charter school gave a great speech, introducing Obama. And then...........WOW.....the noise factor was overwhelming as 100,000 people went wild!!!! His speech was not the "feel good" speech that I had heard last winter in McAllen, TX when I went to his much smaller rally there......it was a detailed speech as to what he plans to do in comparison with the erratic and changeable plans of McCain. It was well received, of course, and was interrupted many, many times by the throngs shouting and cheering and becoming very excited!!!! WOW......what an experience it was.
After he completed his speech and while the crowd was at it's peak, he came off of the stage and made the rounds in front of the stage talking and shaking hands and enjoying the people who were there and could reach him as he went along the front of the fenced off area. He seems soooooo at ease with ALL of this event........such a natural with a crowd of 100,000 people!!!!
All during the time before this began, during, and afterward, the Secret Service, the Swat Teams were very evident on the grounds, on top of the hotels across the street behind the crowds, and I'm certain they were IN the crowd as well, but just not visibly evident.
I made my way back to the Parking Garage and was in my truck by 1:30pm attempting to get out of the garage, which took almost a half hour. Towards the end it moved quicker as they were NOT charging anyone for parking there......guess they were just trying to get the thousands out of there as quickly as possible. However, all roads were either blocked or partially blocked for security purposes.....and it took quite some time to reach the interstate to be able to leave the city center.
I....and Sue, Audra, and Christopher.....met at the Macaroni Grill in the south part of the city and had a late lunch....sometime later. Following that great meal.....we returned to F'town, but not together.
I am rather exhausted.........it has been a long, long day and my feet are a bit tired and sore from standing soooooooooooo long.........7.5 hours! But....it was well worth it!!!!!!! Check out my post below for some pics I captured off the web of the crowds....you can enlarge them by clicking on them. The 1st Lady has my camera with the grandchildren at Dr. Jeni's....and so I had to take some pics on my 35MM camera using that awful thing called FILM!!! And, that means it has to be developed.........$$!!!! I forget how easy it is to use a digital camera.......
What can I say???????? Nothing except.....
LIFE IS JUST REALLY INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
I parked my truck in the Arch Parking Garage, and in the dark quickly made my way to the sidewalk by the street and then walked the block or so until I found about 15 people already in line at the barricade. A few had been there ALL NIGHT, and so I joined them and we were soon acquainted and chatting about the upcoming event. I was soon joined by my three friends from F'town who had driven up late last night and stayed overnight in the Hilton Hotel across the street and up a block from the Arch grounds. And....then very soon, the hoards began to arrive, lining up behind us...and then around us, which caused some shoving and a bit of early morning tempers to rise from those who had been there all night as the new arrivals tried to push their way to the front of the line.
By 9:30, the security gates were fixed...and soon, the line began to rush in and through the X-ray security machines....and on over the rise of a small hill, and then arriving at the top, the view of the massive grounds and podium, press areas, fenced areas for VIP's, etc., etc. Continuing to hurry quickly, I made it to in front of the podium, but on the 3rde-5th row back as the people continued to ebb and flow and shift and push and move around, so I never knew just which row I was in from time to time.
At 10am....a great musical group began to entertain, singing and putting on quite a show with a very good back-up instrumental group with them!!!!! REALLY enjoyable......as the music was from the era of my "good times"......like..."Proud Mary", "Celebration", "We are Family", etc., etc. And....the crowd was having a GREAT time for this hour was gathering and waiting.......and even though with my sagging, evolving hulk being so short, I couldn't get a grasp as to how MANY, MANY people were arriving!!!! But......I knew it was building up......and when the Rally began around 11:20....I jumped up to look and OMG.....I couldn't believe it!!!!!!!!!!! Only after the Rally was finished, I heard on CNN that there were 100,000 people there.......the largest rally yet!!!
Many state candidates were there to speak and then a local STL fourth grade teacher in a charter school gave a great speech, introducing Obama. And then...........WOW.....the noise factor was overwhelming as 100,000 people went wild!!!! His speech was not the "feel good" speech that I had heard last winter in McAllen, TX when I went to his much smaller rally there......it was a detailed speech as to what he plans to do in comparison with the erratic and changeable plans of McCain. It was well received, of course, and was interrupted many, many times by the throngs shouting and cheering and becoming very excited!!!! WOW......what an experience it was.
After he completed his speech and while the crowd was at it's peak, he came off of the stage and made the rounds in front of the stage talking and shaking hands and enjoying the people who were there and could reach him as he went along the front of the fenced off area. He seems soooooo at ease with ALL of this event........such a natural with a crowd of 100,000 people!!!!
All during the time before this began, during, and afterward, the Secret Service, the Swat Teams were very evident on the grounds, on top of the hotels across the street behind the crowds, and I'm certain they were IN the crowd as well, but just not visibly evident.
I made my way back to the Parking Garage and was in my truck by 1:30pm attempting to get out of the garage, which took almost a half hour. Towards the end it moved quicker as they were NOT charging anyone for parking there......guess they were just trying to get the thousands out of there as quickly as possible. However, all roads were either blocked or partially blocked for security purposes.....and it took quite some time to reach the interstate to be able to leave the city center.
I....and Sue, Audra, and Christopher.....met at the Macaroni Grill in the south part of the city and had a late lunch....sometime later. Following that great meal.....we returned to F'town, but not together.
I am rather exhausted.........it has been a long, long day and my feet are a bit tired and sore from standing soooooooooooo long.........7.5 hours! But....it was well worth it!!!!!!! Check out my post below for some pics I captured off the web of the crowds....you can enlarge them by clicking on them. The 1st Lady has my camera with the grandchildren at Dr. Jeni's....and so I had to take some pics on my 35MM camera using that awful thing called FILM!!! And, that means it has to be developed.........$$!!!! I forget how easy it is to use a digital camera.......
What can I say???????? Nothing except.....
LIFE IS JUST REALLY INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Friday: A slow day around the stick and brick.....
OMG.....what has happened to my good sleep patterns???? ANOTHER night of awakening in the wee hours and not being able to get back to sleep.......UGH!!!! Soooo, the morning hours were in kind of a haze......which slowed down my sagging hulk of Me.
This afternoon, after a small nap.....I went outside and burned all of the twigs, small sticks, small limbs, and dried plants that I had been putting in an ever-growing pile for several months. We can burn here in the big city of F'town from Oct 15 to Nov 15, which allows me time to gather the leaves and get rid of them before the cut-off date arrives.
Well.....plans change at the last minute oftentimes, don't they? Since I wasn't interested in going by myself, agan, I had given up on going to the huge Obama Rally at the Arch in STL by mid-afternoon......and then......
I talked with Sue Hanner and discovered that she and her daughter, Audra, and then one of Sue's grandsons were going, so I quickly began to formulate a few plans for the EARLY morning trip. They are staying in a hotel across from the Arch.....going up later this evening. I decided to just leave about 4:30 in the morning so I can find a parking spot and get in line by 6:30am. The gates open at 10+am....and the rally begins at 12 noon. One of the 6pm news programs from a STL channel said they are expecting upwards of 50,000 there for this event!!!! THAT will be a lot of people standing in line, going through the security checks, and then standing and standing and standing some more. I KNOW.....I have done it twice before!!
BAD NEWS!!!! I do not have my camera as the 1st Lady took it with her to Dr. Jeni's.....so, I will take my 35MM and then have to PAY to get them developed at some later date. UGH!!!!!
And soooo, a slow day.....a lazy, mentally hazy day....and hopefully, tomorrow will be better. Hmmmm, perhaps not......to leave at 4:30 means a VERY early awakening....in only a few short hours from now. However............we all know that.......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
This afternoon, after a small nap.....I went outside and burned all of the twigs, small sticks, small limbs, and dried plants that I had been putting in an ever-growing pile for several months. We can burn here in the big city of F'town from Oct 15 to Nov 15, which allows me time to gather the leaves and get rid of them before the cut-off date arrives.
Well.....plans change at the last minute oftentimes, don't they? Since I wasn't interested in going by myself, agan, I had given up on going to the huge Obama Rally at the Arch in STL by mid-afternoon......and then......
I talked with Sue Hanner and discovered that she and her daughter, Audra, and then one of Sue's grandsons were going, so I quickly began to formulate a few plans for the EARLY morning trip. They are staying in a hotel across from the Arch.....going up later this evening. I decided to just leave about 4:30 in the morning so I can find a parking spot and get in line by 6:30am. The gates open at 10+am....and the rally begins at 12 noon. One of the 6pm news programs from a STL channel said they are expecting upwards of 50,000 there for this event!!!! THAT will be a lot of people standing in line, going through the security checks, and then standing and standing and standing some more. I KNOW.....I have done it twice before!!
BAD NEWS!!!! I do not have my camera as the 1st Lady took it with her to Dr. Jeni's.....so, I will take my 35MM and then have to PAY to get them developed at some later date. UGH!!!!!
And soooo, a slow day.....a lazy, mentally hazy day....and hopefully, tomorrow will be better. Hmmmm, perhaps not......to leave at 4:30 means a VERY early awakening....in only a few short hours from now. However............we all know that.......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday: Nothing new......a Great Day!
AGAIN......another night of not being able to sleep until daylight! Hmmmm.....is this another sign of the beginnings of "old age"????? I have often heard from others that I respect who are now in the "elderly" class.....heard that it is difficult to sleep at night when you get old. You know......I now have plumbing problems...albeit they are under control with meds.......I now definitely have the infamous "short term" term memory loss (is today actually Thursday???).......I got excited today when I heard about the increase in next year's Social Security checks (even though I get VERY little SS since I was a teacher in Missouri where we don't contribute)......I enjoy talking about my past events and chapters in my Life(right, Michael?),........and more than anything else, my aging and evolving body has become consumed with the horrendous pull of gravity which I can no longer defy.......I am just one aging, sagging hulk of Me!!
Soooo.....to today. What happened in my Life today??? Hmmmm.....reread the above paragraph please as I sit here and try to remember what I did today.......
This morning Michael Goldsmith came over for our weekly ritual of communicating over steaming cups of French Roast coffee.......a tradition that use to be done daily prior to our morning band rehearsals at F'town High School......but, has now become a weekly meeting, if we are lucky! And.....since I mentioned the F'town HS band........I must say that I continue to be approached, just as Michael is, also......approached by many within the community(as well as former band students) concerned about the status of the band program here. Not having had any opportunity to hear or see the band this year, I cannot speak with authority, but only from the comments that I/we have received from those who have called and stopped us around town to express their sadness at how the band has diminished greatly in quantity of members, as well as quality of the performances. OK.....there....I have said it!....and will most likely be roundly chastised for having done so, but when I have so many community members stop me each time I am out and about town, I am beginning to believe that these individuals are really upset and concerned!! It should be noted that people DO notice these things......that the entire community was very proud of those 100+ kids each year that, "with Pride", wore those "new" uniforms and marched and played their way to over a decade of 1st Place and Grand Champion performances in competitions around the state of Missouri, as well as many other accolades which the individual students received for their many solo and ensemble performances at the Missouri State Music Festivals each year, as well as over $230,00 in music scholarships that were awarded to individual students as they left here for college and universities across the Midwest! Hmmmm.........Change always brings changes, doesn't it???????
This afternoon, I decided it was waaayyyy past time to get my lawn mowed....and since it was the PERFECT temperature for doing that 2.5 hours of pushing a mower in straight lines over the yard.......I gassed it up and, without breaking a sweat, I finished it in exactly 2.5 hours!!!! GREAT......just in time for my solo Happy Hour with my dark red medicine dosage being due at that time!! The 1st Lady still is at Dr. Jeni's and most likely will stay until Sunday morning.....as Dr. Jeni and Darrel each have some obligations to attend to this week.
And soooo, after a light supper......I have spent some time reading....and then I plan to watch the David Letterman Show tonight as McCain is supposed to show up tonight.....hahaaha!!!!
As I said above.....nothing new today,........however, I still feel certain that......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Soooo.....to today. What happened in my Life today??? Hmmmm.....reread the above paragraph please as I sit here and try to remember what I did today.......
This morning Michael Goldsmith came over for our weekly ritual of communicating over steaming cups of French Roast coffee.......a tradition that use to be done daily prior to our morning band rehearsals at F'town High School......but, has now become a weekly meeting, if we are lucky! And.....since I mentioned the F'town HS band........I must say that I continue to be approached, just as Michael is, also......approached by many within the community(as well as former band students) concerned about the status of the band program here. Not having had any opportunity to hear or see the band this year, I cannot speak with authority, but only from the comments that I/we have received from those who have called and stopped us around town to express their sadness at how the band has diminished greatly in quantity of members, as well as quality of the performances. OK.....there....I have said it!....and will most likely be roundly chastised for having done so, but when I have so many community members stop me each time I am out and about town, I am beginning to believe that these individuals are really upset and concerned!! It should be noted that people DO notice these things......that the entire community was very proud of those 100+ kids each year that, "with Pride", wore those "new" uniforms and marched and played their way to over a decade of 1st Place and Grand Champion performances in competitions around the state of Missouri, as well as many other accolades which the individual students received for their many solo and ensemble performances at the Missouri State Music Festivals each year, as well as over $230,00 in music scholarships that were awarded to individual students as they left here for college and universities across the Midwest! Hmmmm.........Change always brings changes, doesn't it???????
This afternoon, I decided it was waaayyyy past time to get my lawn mowed....and since it was the PERFECT temperature for doing that 2.5 hours of pushing a mower in straight lines over the yard.......I gassed it up and, without breaking a sweat, I finished it in exactly 2.5 hours!!!! GREAT......just in time for my solo Happy Hour with my dark red medicine dosage being due at that time!! The 1st Lady still is at Dr. Jeni's and most likely will stay until Sunday morning.....as Dr. Jeni and Darrel each have some obligations to attend to this week.
And soooo, after a light supper......I have spent some time reading....and then I plan to watch the David Letterman Show tonight as McCain is supposed to show up tonight.....hahaaha!!!!
As I said above.....nothing new today,........however, I still feel certain that......
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday: Hmmmm......a late 2 day post......and keep reading for Wednesday's at the end!!!
OMG.....am I growing soooo old that when I sit down to watch the tellie, I fall asleep soooo damn quick?????????????? It would seem so....and that bothers me quite a bit. Where has my Life gone so quickly??????? More on this later.....(if I don't forget...or,....go to sleep)
Yesterday............we were up around 8am.....and I began storing things away for the trip back to the stick and brick.....and then before I could finish, others in our Cedar Creek Rally group began to pull out. And......of course, there had to be the farewells and hugs.....and a bit of sadness knowing that it will be up to a year before we are together with some of them again!!!! SUCH WONDERFUL FRIENDS!!!!!!
Soooo, by the time of 9:00AM rolled around.....the 1st Lady and I were about ready to leave. We said our "farewells" to those still packing up......and getting in behind our good friends Pete and Jane from New Mexico, we both pulled out of the campground with Pete in the lead. And for the next 75 miles or so, we followed them down I-55 to the St. Louis area. With a quick phone call as we were preparing to head south alone, we wished them a safe trip home, via another rally in Oklahoma later this week.
We arrived home before 1pm.....and immediately set about removing some items from TheHowserHouse.......some we may have to return to it as we prepare to leave for Texas at the end of December....but others we will not be taking with us for the three month winter vacation.
All afternoon.....I spent working inside TheHowserHouse.....and in the stick and brick. I caught up on some reading online that I had not had the time to do because of preps for leaving the cg......and then I watched a bit of tellie as the evening progressed. However........I wanted to watch a new program at 9pm.....and I fell completely and soundly asleep!!!! DAMN!!!!! I finally woke up and stumbled into bed.......my sagging hulk in the horizontal position....finally.
TODAY......a very, very damp, humid, drizzly, very warm day!! I spent most of the day doing some serious cleaning in TheHowserHouse......floors, cabinets, carpets, bathroom, fridge, etc., etc. And....that is about the way the day went............but, as always....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
WEDNESDAY:
WELL......I got ready to push "publish post".....and Blogger had gone down for some maintenance, soooooooooo I didn't get to publish this last night. DAMN!!!!
Today......the 1st Lady left early for Dr. Jeni and family's home to do some grandchildren-sitting for the next 2-3 days. ME?????????
I barely slept last night for some strange reason.....and so, today.....a strange weather day....I laid around and snoozed....and then slept deeply this afternoon. Not much to say.....it was a completely lost day.....didn't learn a thing.........OHHHHHHHHHH, wait a minute......
I DID learn that McCain certainly does not come across as "Presidential" when sitting at a table discussing/debating issues....and attacks. I was almost embarrassed for him.......not a good visual show for him!
Life is GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Yesterday............we were up around 8am.....and I began storing things away for the trip back to the stick and brick.....and then before I could finish, others in our Cedar Creek Rally group began to pull out. And......of course, there had to be the farewells and hugs.....and a bit of sadness knowing that it will be up to a year before we are together with some of them again!!!! SUCH WONDERFUL FRIENDS!!!!!!
Soooo, by the time of 9:00AM rolled around.....the 1st Lady and I were about ready to leave. We said our "farewells" to those still packing up......and getting in behind our good friends Pete and Jane from New Mexico, we both pulled out of the campground with Pete in the lead. And for the next 75 miles or so, we followed them down I-55 to the St. Louis area. With a quick phone call as we were preparing to head south alone, we wished them a safe trip home, via another rally in Oklahoma later this week.
We arrived home before 1pm.....and immediately set about removing some items from TheHowserHouse.......some we may have to return to it as we prepare to leave for Texas at the end of December....but others we will not be taking with us for the three month winter vacation.
All afternoon.....I spent working inside TheHowserHouse.....and in the stick and brick. I caught up on some reading online that I had not had the time to do because of preps for leaving the cg......and then I watched a bit of tellie as the evening progressed. However........I wanted to watch a new program at 9pm.....and I fell completely and soundly asleep!!!! DAMN!!!!! I finally woke up and stumbled into bed.......my sagging hulk in the horizontal position....finally.
TODAY......a very, very damp, humid, drizzly, very warm day!! I spent most of the day doing some serious cleaning in TheHowserHouse......floors, cabinets, carpets, bathroom, fridge, etc., etc. And....that is about the way the day went............but, as always....
LIFE IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
WEDNESDAY:
WELL......I got ready to push "publish post".....and Blogger had gone down for some maintenance, soooooooooo I didn't get to publish this last night. DAMN!!!!
Today......the 1st Lady left early for Dr. Jeni and family's home to do some grandchildren-sitting for the next 2-3 days. ME?????????
I barely slept last night for some strange reason.....and so, today.....a strange weather day....I laid around and snoozed....and then slept deeply this afternoon. Not much to say.....it was a completely lost day.....didn't learn a thing.........OHHHHHHHHHH, wait a minute......
I DID learn that McCain certainly does not come across as "Presidential" when sitting at a table discussing/debating issues....and attacks. I was almost embarrassed for him.......not a good visual show for him!
Life is GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday: Rally departures.....and a small group remain with us
I made myself get out of bed this morning, take care of the morning rituals, get my Fr. Roast coffee done...and then stepped outside to find lots of activity as many of our Cedar Creek RV Owners Club friends making preparations for departure. But.....it took everyone more time than they anticipated as everyone had to make the rounds to say their "farewells".
One of those departing didn't get away as quickly as he had planned.......the slides were out and would not roll in. It took a crew of several CCRVOC members to find the problem......a tripped breaker and about 30-45 minutes of searching before this small problem with large consequences could be remedied. But........for Larry and Cindy, it was certainly a large relief as the RV cannot be moved with the slides open.
As the large rigs rolled out of the Double J Campground, the hugs and waves and shouts of "safe travels" were passed around the cg. When everyone had departed, except for Jim and Judy who were not going to leave until a bit later, several of us went out to a Bob Evans for a late breakfast/early lunch......and as usual, we had a super time with some really good food!
The past 2-3 days we have had some type of tiny, tiny, tiny little bugs attacking each of us here in the cg. They have a really painful bite, but thankfully, they do not leave an "itch"......just a stinging sensation for a short period of time........enough, though, to be uncomfortable.
The afternoon was spent mainly inside our Cedar Creeks.....trying to stay away from these horrible little bugs........... By late afternoon, we gathered at the shelter for supper........more of that wonderful left-over soup, salads, and desserts. OMG.....was that soup wonderful!!! Better tonight than even last night..........just super soup!!!!
And soooo, another day has disappeared........and without any doubt........
LIFE IS INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
One of those departing didn't get away as quickly as he had planned.......the slides were out and would not roll in. It took a crew of several CCRVOC members to find the problem......a tripped breaker and about 30-45 minutes of searching before this small problem with large consequences could be remedied. But........for Larry and Cindy, it was certainly a large relief as the RV cannot be moved with the slides open.
As the large rigs rolled out of the Double J Campground, the hugs and waves and shouts of "safe travels" were passed around the cg. When everyone had departed, except for Jim and Judy who were not going to leave until a bit later, several of us went out to a Bob Evans for a late breakfast/early lunch......and as usual, we had a super time with some really good food!
The past 2-3 days we have had some type of tiny, tiny, tiny little bugs attacking each of us here in the cg. They have a really painful bite, but thankfully, they do not leave an "itch"......just a stinging sensation for a short period of time........enough, though, to be uncomfortable.
The afternoon was spent mainly inside our Cedar Creeks.....trying to stay away from these horrible little bugs........... By late afternoon, we gathered at the shelter for supper........more of that wonderful left-over soup, salads, and desserts. OMG.....was that soup wonderful!!! Better tonight than even last night..........just super soup!!!!
And soooo, another day has disappeared........and without any doubt........
LIFE IS INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
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