One More Thing

Have you ever tried to figure out what time it is in different parts of the world? Namely, for me, it's Australia. I want to talk to Scott's Mum and make sure I have the correct address so I can send her some pictures and a letter, and some things Amy got for her a coon's age ago. I understand it's 15 hours ahead of us give or take and hour or two due to daylight savings. I thought I had it figured out and called thinking it was 9:30pm there, but I think now it must have been 9:30am. So I have had a consult with Scott, and now I may have it figured out. (Well, actually he told me, so I sure didn't do it on my own. lol) So I'm going to try again. Hard to believe I'm so stupid. But if the shoe fits.............

Creeping Alzheimers

Getting old is a pain. My memory is going, I guess. I had a massage appointment today at 5pm, and this morning Lynne called me to confirm. I had been looking forward to it (as I always do), and thought about it off and on all day as I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and then to Yankee Candle, and then to Sam's Club, came home and put stuff away and the fixed a late lunch for George, Mom and myself, and Ashley who came by to pick up a late Christmas gift. After the kitchen was cleaned up, I went in to watch a little HDTV with Mom, and promptly forgot my massage! The phone rang at 5:24 and as soon as I looked at the clock, I knew who it was! But Lynne is such a wonderful person, she waited for me to get there (12 minutes) and went ahead with a great massage. So at least all's well that ends well. And after I got back, I got to watch the recap and season opener of Lost and Eli Stone. I have always watched Lost since it started, and enjoy the show. It is always intrigueing. Mom watches it with me and can't remember half of it, but that's okay. We think we might like Eli Stone, too. I only watched it to see George Michael sing Faith, but the premise seems fun and we liked the first episode. It was great to see Victor Garber in a neat role, too. So now I'm going to hit the sack. Nite nite

Weekend

Well, we had friends over for dinner and card games Friday night, and had a good visit and a good time. Steve brought me a cd by Iz, that Hawaiian singer, and I played it while we were playing cards, he really had a great voice, and I thought Mom would enjoy hearing him. She was in her bedroom with her feet up trying to get the swelling down. (I found out she has not been going to bed at night because it's too much trouble, so she just sits in her chair in her clothes and watches TV all night. Of course her feet and legs got swollen. So now I am going to have to try to get her to get into bed at night.) So I went into her room after the CD ended to see if she would like to listen to it again, and she was crying because the music made her think of her brothers and singing with them while they played ukuleles and guitars. Needless to say, she didn't want to hear it again. Sad to be the only one left of all of your generation. I pray I don't live long enough to need any care from my daughter. Because it's a pain for everyone involved.

Saturday my daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and great-grandpuppy came to eat and visit. Amy and Scott are trying to eat healthy, so I was fixing stir fry and brown rice and miso soup with noodles for them, (thank you, Scott, for letting me know what you wanted) but Mom has decided she will only eat beef and she never eats anything different, so I was fixing her a steak, salad and baked potato. Ashley said she'd rather have that too, so I fixed two meals. (The stir fry turned out really good. And I liked the soup. ) And also fed little Mango. Thank goodness he is doing better. Still limping, though. Ashley and Mango left early, because she said she had to clean her apartment. After I cleaned up the dishes and got them into the dishwasher, we started to play cards. I had been trying to get a headache all day, and while we were playing, it kept getting worse, and then I started getting nauseous. Finally I had to give it up and they left early. When I got up this morning, I was cold even though the heat was on and it wasn't that cold in the house, so I took my temp and it was 96.6. So I guess I picked up a virus somewhere. Now I'm just hoping I didn't pass it on to everyone. I have felt not great all day, and trying to stay away from Mom so she won't get sick. I have to take her to the doctor tomorrow, so I'd better get well. She has been sitting in her chair all day long, and when I went in to tell her I was going to go to bed early, she says well, she is going to take a bath. So now I am stuck waiting for her to get out of the bathroom, because if I go to bed, I'll go to sleep, and if she falls or calls me, I won't be able to hear her. And I'll be lucky if she gets out by midnight, because she takes forever since she has balance problems. And she would rather I didn't help her. (Which is fine since I think she needs to do for herself as long as possible. Besides, it wouldn't take long for me to be down in my back if I start trying to take care of her personal hygiene.)

Sometimes it's hard to keep focused on the few pleasant things and accept your situation whether you like it or not. Especially when your head hurts. lol

Amy

So Amy came by and visited yesterday and had lunch with us. Then she made George go with her to the Saigon Taipei Supermarket. They came back with a daikon radish, some chilli Basil cooking sauce, and some miso paste, and some Pho soup base, and rice sticks, vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk for me (gave her the coffee since I already had some). So now I have to get some stir fry vegetables and try the daikon. And some beef to slice really thinly and some basil and other stuff for pho. That's okay, since I need to go to the grocery store anyhow (I've been putting it off). And she made our day when she was leaving with the laundry and stuff and said they would be visiting on Saturday. So this time I will get to be here and see them for more than a few minutes. Maybe we can play crimpit and win some of their hard earned dollars. lol Got to go and roll Mom's hair. More later.

A Night Out

Amy and Scott came over last night and stayed with Mom while we went out to Jasper's for Vickie's birthday. I was really torn because they hadn't been over in three weeks, and I wanted to stay and be with them and had already commited to the dinner. So we went to D&V's and had champagne, and then went to the restaurant which is in The Shops at Legacy for our meal. It was really cold out last night, so George enjoyed the heated seat in Dud's SRX. Jasper's was nice. Also crowded, but after all it was Saturday night. I ordered a vodka tonic while we waited in the bar for our table to be ready, and they all ordered a glass of pinot noir. Then we were all shocked to learn that they had ordered 13$ a glass wine. lol I think I got more kick for the buck with mine. The wine brand was Larane. ? Vickie and I had already discussed the menu when I looked at it online, and had decided to order the prosciutto wrapped shrimp appetizer for our entree, and the caesar salad. Which Vickie did, and I second guessed mysalf and ordered the lemon sole with truffle whipped potatoes and marinated salad of haricots verts and criminis and grape tomatoes. Hers was better. Never second guess, always go with your first choice. They are known for their fried calamari, so we all had that for an appetizer. It was good, but I think I like the ones at Carraba's better because they are smaller and crispier. We all liked that. Then we had our caesar salads, and Dud had the baby green salad. Both were good, and the dressing on the caesar was really rich tasting, so George and I shared mine. Dud's had a good dressing, not sharp or harsh tasting, and really good feta on it. For our entrees, Vickie had the Prosciutto Shrimp (2 large ones) served on mascarpone polenta in a tortilla cup. It was the best thing served. Yum! (channeling Rachel Ray there) and Dud and I had the Lemon Sole. Which was nothing special. George ordered the specialty of the house, which was the baby back ribs, and they were the second best thing we ordered. Very tender with just the right smoke. Served with roasted redskin potatoes, covered in a sauce that was supposed to give a potato salad flavor. Ok, but not great. I also ordered a side of the aged gouda mac and cheese with ham. Amy said she wanted to taste it. We all had a taste, and brought the rest home with 2/3 of George's ribs and potatoes. Scott and Amy both had some when we got home, and they liked it. And there is still plenty for George to have for lunch today. I would have enjoyed it more if we had been there for lunch. I just don't like to eat meals after 5pm. Getting old. The food was not as good as Stephen Pyles, but then the bill was not as much as it would have been there, either. (Not less by much, though.) So we will probably go back to SP or Sevy's for the next big occasion. Though I'd like to go to Jasper's for lunch one day. We went back to D&V's for coffee and Bailey's , and I noticed Vickie filled the cups half way with Bailey's. Too much for me, so I only drank half, and then after a short visit we came back home in time to visit with our sweet kids for a little while. They said they had had a good visit with Mom, and had talked the whole time we were gone. Scott set up the external hard drive, and it is still backing up. Holy cow.
Now I have to go work on laundry. Amy said maybe she can come get it on Monday (she has a day off) and she could visit with us some. So I'd better get busy.

What Mom and I Think About Blu-ray

Well, we have been watching HD and Blu-Ray, and we can't tell that one is any better than the other. So we are wondering why the Blu-ray is so much more expensive. And why did Disney decide to go exclusive with Blu-ray. I think you have to be some kind of video-audiophile with all kinds of specialized equipment for it to make any difference. So we are just enjoying both.
And in other news, I HAVE STARTED DREAMING IN HD!!!!!! That was last night. And I don't really remember the dream, but I do remember thinking "This would be better in HD" and it was! What do you know about that! I'm going to try to remember what I dream tonight. (I doubt it will make sense, but it should be very distinct) lol

Mom and I have been watching the "Inspector Lynley Mysteries". They were produced for PBS, based on the books by Elizabeth George, and we are really enjoying them. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with good actors. They are set in England, and Ms. George lives in California I was surprised to find out.

And one more thing of interest. A friend sent me the web-address of an opinion poll at usa today that tells you what candidate your ideas are most like. I was surprised at who it aligned me with. You might want to try it. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/candidate-match-game.htm

I'm Not A Total Loss

When the Bose sound went out before, I called the Firedogs and they came out to fix it. But we went on vacation, so I wasn't here when they came, and my sis and bro-in-law were here. I sent Doug an e-mail and asked him what they did. So last night I went to bed thinking about it, and this morning I got up and went in and dug out the paperwork and read everything. So I unplugged it and plugged it back (to reset it), hit the power switch and nothing happened. Then I hit the mute switch and everything came on. So I think I figured out what happened. It was close to Mom when she wanted to turn off the TV, and it looks kind of like the TV remote. So she pushed some buttons and messed it up. Now I'm keeping it on the other side of the room, and it will be safe from accidental pushes. And I got a message back from Doug about what they did when they came. Since it was funny, I'll share:

He just turned it back on. That box has a red indicator when it is off and a green one when it is on. (Somewhat confusing since most things are just dark when off.)Cheers,DougPS: My service invoice at the usual rate will be forthcoming. ;-)

Now, I think I was smart enough to figure out the light system, and it's a good thing they didn't charge me anything for that visit. So I'm glad I got it back on by myself. So I'm paying Doug in the usual currency...I'll send Elaine another box of books. (I know he loves those. lol)

But I'm not messing with the external hard drive again. Amy said not to. So I won't.

Talked to Ash today and she says Mango is still improving. So that's one good thing. (Wait, I got the Bose on, so that's TWO good things)

Little Mango

Ashley says my great grandpuppy is doing better. Thank goodness. I need to go see him.

What next?????

Well, the Bose sound on the big TV is not working. I'm sure it's something I've done with the remote, but since I don't know what it was, I can't undo it. I've tried pushing a number of buttons, but no good. I guess I'll get out the book and see what I can find in it.
And my external hard drive installation is on hold because once I got it hooked up, it started doing lots of things, and when I called Amy and asked her about it, she told me "NO, LEAVE IT UNTIL WE CAN COME OVER AND DO IT!!!!" So I unhooked it again, but there is still a bunch of stuff on the computer. And I don't think they are coming this weekend, so who knows when that will get done. I am plagued by technology.
Guess I need to focus on what I can do, and cook or sit on my rear or something.
On the plus side, George's back is getting better. Thank goodness for that, being down in your back is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, if you sneeze you will be sorry, because that hurts, too. Or if you cough or laugh or.............
On the 19th I get to go out to a nice dinner with friends. George and I are going out with our best friends Dudley and Vickie for Vickie's birthday. I have been wanting to go to Jasper's restaurant and try it out, so Amy is staying with Mom so I can get away for an evening. Woot!!! Can't wait.

Easy Peasy

Well, I got the Blu-ray hooked up and running. I didn't realize the TV had places for 3 HDMI inputs. So that was really easy to do. Now I just need to buy some Blu-ray discs. lol I'll be interested to see if we think they are any different from the HD, which is awesome.
My Grandpuppy is a little better today according to Ash. But it's going to take a while.
Didn't get to see my kids this weekend. Both were working. Scott had to go to his office, and Amy was working from home.
George is still kind of down in his back, but will go visit his Aunts and cousins for a birthday lunch tomorrow. I'll have to stay here with Mom. Such is life.

My Great Grandpuppy

My granddaughter has a very sweet little Pomeranian puppy who was one year old in September. She got him at a pet store in Georgia, and a month ago she found out (when he started limping on his hind leg) that he had a luxating patella (sp) and so yesterday he had surgery and got it fixed. Poor little thing, he is so pitiful. He doesn't understand what is going on, he just knows he is miserable and cries like a little baby. It breaks your heart, and he has always been such a good puppy. But at least he is eating a little, and when Ash takes him out he will take care of business. He gets upset if she leaves and he thinks she is going away from him. That was very stressful to be left at the vet and have to go through all of the pain and just strangers there. She is his pack leader, and he wants her with him. He has always hated having his fur rumpled, and now he has shaved spots and a patch stuck on, and he hates having the cone around his neck, but she can't let him lick the incision. I will be glad when he gets firmly on the road to recovery. And once he is well, I hope he is as energetic as he was before.

Non-Tech

Today I got an external hard drive (my tech-savvy daughter told me what to get..very handy) and now I just need to figure out how to hook it up and use it. And it was on sale!

While I was out to return a Christmas gift at Fry's, (one of those digital picture frames) I looked around since they would only give me store credit, and there was a Blu-Ray DVD player on sale! So I applied my store credit and a little boot, and now will at some future date when I get it hooked up be able to watch either HD or Blu-ray. Cool. Unfortunately, I know nothing about getting either of these things hooked up and working. I think I can figure out the external hard drive, but I think I'd better call the Firedogs to do the DVD. Because I sure don't want to do anything that is going to mess up the HDTV.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just know things? Oh well, I do the best I can.

What a bummer.

Well, yesterday morning my husband turned on the computer and when I tried to sign on to windows it kept giving me an error message. After turning it off and back on and trying a few more times, I called Scott the computer magic man, (also my son-in-law luckily for me) and told him what the computer kept saying and what I had done. He said he would have to think about it, (but what I really needed was the laying on of his magic computer healing hands) and when he called me back later, he said he guessed he'd have to get it and check it out. Since he works long and hard all day, I said I would bring it to his house that night. So after haphazardly disconnecting everything, I loaded up and delivered it (tumping it over on it's side accidentally when I turned a corner), visited a few minutes and started on the 25 minute drive back home. As I was turning into the alley, my cell phone rang, and Scott said "It booted up and I signed on just fine. Are you sure you used the right password in the right language?" See, that computer knows not to pull any of that shit with Scott, because he will just make it do the right thing. It's just like when the car does something stupid and you tell your husband or the mechanic "Yeah, it's making this funny noise" and they try to get it to make the noise AND IT WON"T.
Anyhow, Scott came by tonight after work and hooked the recalcitrant CPU back up and I am now back in touch with the world. Man, you don't realize how many times you start for the computer to look something up, or check e-mail, etc. until it's gone. I was starting to go into computer withdrawal, so I made cookies and did housework (which I hate). Then I read a book. (which I love) I told Scott next time he could just come by the house and touch the computer and everything would be fine. I swear there is magic involved there, somewhere.

Ok-here goes......

Now here is something I have thought about doing for a while. Having a blog. I wonder what it will develop into? Since I can't sleep, guess I'll give it a go.
Got my name when I was the chief shuttle for my granddaughter after I retired. She was twelve , so that was the year all of the adults in her life started getting dumber and dumber and many times I heard that exasperated cry of "God Granny!!!" so....realizing that I had been promoted to celestial status, I started answering "Bless you my child" (or sometimes "Yes, my child") which only raised the exasperation quotient, I'm sure. So when I told her I was thinking of doing this and needed a name, she said "That's easy" and gave me both my name and a name for the blog. She is 20 now, soon to be 21, so I guess promoting me to godhood made an impression on her.
Had my family and best friends here for New Year's day lunch and visit, so it was a pleasant day. And later played cards with my husband, daughter, son-in-law, and mom. Good times. Better enjoy them while I can.