As I mentioned in my previous post, my desktop died on me last month. So for now, I am using my mother's old laptop, which is performing better than I expected. Since it's her old laptop, it has a lot of her old files from when she was writing...I had transferred as many of those files as I could to this laptop when we purchased it. See, originally, we got the laptop when Mom was moving to a retirement place in Albuquerque. That didn't work out well at all, but her desktop was due for replacement anyhow, and she kept the laptop when she moved back home. Some of those files had been transferred from older computers when she had upgraded to her last desktop...I think the laptop was computer #3 or #4 for her. Anyhow, one of the files I transferred, which I just recently discovered, was a letter she had written me when I was attending school to get my aircraft dispatcher license, over fifteen years ago now. Here is an abridged version of what she wrote:
September 13, 1994
Dear Chuck,
I was happy to hear that you got to Fort Lauderdale and were in your apartment with your roomates. Did you have a good time in Panama City? It must have been fun getting with your old buddies. And now you have your head in the books, learning all that dispatching material.
Britt stopped by and mowed our lawn last week. It helped Charlie out because he was down in his back and of course he wouldn't dream of letting me mow the lawn, even though I offered to. That's a man's job, he thinks.
Bentley wants up in my lap; he's got his paws in my lap, so I will pick him up for a little while. Now's he down and going to get on your bed. I know you miss him. He misses you too, and I should take him for a walk this afternoon.
Bentley was my family's old Yorkie, he lived a long life but eventually had to be put to sleep in 2001. I still kind of miss him.
I've been right tired since that SWW Writer's Conference this past weekend. I didn't sell any of my articles or get any large book contracts, but I enjoyed being there and it was a huge success. Now Sherri has nominated me for vice-president of the organization. I feel that that will be easier than serving on the conference committee. At the end, we were writing letters, filling bags, running every-where and enjoying the mass confusion. Mrs. Mixon came to the conference from Durango where she lives now, and she said to tell you hello.
Mrs. Mixon was my 5th grade teacher.
Also, when I called to say that I would be at Pat's 60th birthday party at Kathleen and Greg's house, Kathleen asked if you were going to come. When I explained that you were in Florida, she said, "Oh, we'll miss Chuck, because he brings lots of life to the group." I was sorry to disappoint her.
We haven't talked to anyone in Denton since you were there, but we will and find out what you did. As you know, Kathy called to see when you were coming in. I take it you made the connections, even if their house was a bit on the torn up side. I know Lisa was glad to see you, and Kathy was looking forward to it too.
I'm getting lunch ready for your Dad--bacon and tomato and cheese open face. He told me this morning I should get this letter to you from State Farm. Also, a guy from Kelly called this morning to talk to you. I told him you'd be back the end of Oct., so he said to have you call if you were interested in working.
So long for now, dear Chuck. Please call before Sat. to catch us. If you miss us, we'll be back by Sun evening. I'm sure C. doesn't want to miss his studying for Bible Class or ANY football games.
Yes, my Great Books Monday night class did make and we met last night. I'm supposed to go to another one tonight, and I elected to stay home because I have not read King Lear and don't feel like it. I'm taking a nap.
Reading this letter is fun but also kind of makes me sad...since some of the individuals mentioned in it are no longer with us, like my father. Life goes on, though.
I did delete one or two paragraphs regarding relatives and made a couple of minor edits, but for the most part everything I quoted is verbatim.
I had worked at a rather dreary factory job the summer before I left, to save money for living expenses while I was in Florida, so I was looking forward to leaving Albuquerque and going to school. While that last job I had was not much fun, I enjoyed living in Albuquerque for the most part...but I was so anxious to move on with my life, that I don't think I appreciated how good things were at the time. Still, I suppose it's natural for kids to not want to live with their parents forever...and probably a good thing, for both the parents and the kids.
I had a good time in Florida, studied hard and made decent grades. It took me a while to find a job after class ended in late October and I got my license since I had no airline experience, but I persevered and started my first airline gig in February of 1995. With the exception of a two-month period in late 2002 when one of the airlines I worked for went out of business, I've been in the industry ever since, so I guess it's been a good career choice.
Hope everyone is having a good February!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Taco Soup
There are lots of recipes for this soup on the internet (I like using RecipeZaar to look for new things to cook) but I couldn't find a recipe which quite matched mine, so I thought I'd blog it instead of continuing the hunt for my own variation. It's a very easy recipe...trust me, I am no master chef and I can get this put together in about 20 minutes before leaving it to cook in my crock pot.
To make it you will need:
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken all work)
1 medium to large onion
1 can ranch style pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies
1 can sweet corn
1 cup V-8 or tomato juice
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning mix
Shredded cheese and tortilla chips (optional)
Coarsely chop the onion, and brown the ground meat and onion together in a large skillet. Cook until most of the liquid is gone. Drain. Add to large saucepan or crockpot.
Add canned beans, corn, and tomatoes to the meat and onions. Do not drain them before adding. Add the cup of V-8 or tomato juice also, as well as the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix. Stir everything together well. If cooking on the stove, simmer this mixture for an hour, stirring occasionally. If cooking in a crock pot, cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve in bowls, top with grated cheese and tortilla chips if desired. Makes approximately eight good-sized bowls.
As I mentioned before, there are TONS of variations to this recipe that can be found on the internet and it's a very forgiving recipe...for instance, if you don't have black beans and want to substitute navy beans, go for it! I usually add some ground red pepper and hot sauce to mine while it's cooking but I like foods spicy...so let your individual tastes decide, or just let your dinner guests add their own spicy fixins when it's served.
If cooking in a saucepan, make sure it's a large pan as this recipe makes almost 2 1/2 quarts of soup. If cooking in a crock pot, the standard size works fine, and as with most any crock pot dish, it has the added advantage of making your apartment or house smell yummy while it's cooking. However, I have made it both ways and it turns out fine either way...and it tastes even better the next day.
Happy eating!
To make it you will need:
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken all work)
1 medium to large onion
1 can ranch style pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies
1 can sweet corn
1 cup V-8 or tomato juice
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning mix
Shredded cheese and tortilla chips (optional)
Coarsely chop the onion, and brown the ground meat and onion together in a large skillet. Cook until most of the liquid is gone. Drain. Add to large saucepan or crockpot.
Add canned beans, corn, and tomatoes to the meat and onions. Do not drain them before adding. Add the cup of V-8 or tomato juice also, as well as the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix. Stir everything together well. If cooking on the stove, simmer this mixture for an hour, stirring occasionally. If cooking in a crock pot, cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve in bowls, top with grated cheese and tortilla chips if desired. Makes approximately eight good-sized bowls.
As I mentioned before, there are TONS of variations to this recipe that can be found on the internet and it's a very forgiving recipe...for instance, if you don't have black beans and want to substitute navy beans, go for it! I usually add some ground red pepper and hot sauce to mine while it's cooking but I like foods spicy...so let your individual tastes decide, or just let your dinner guests add their own spicy fixins when it's served.
If cooking in a saucepan, make sure it's a large pan as this recipe makes almost 2 1/2 quarts of soup. If cooking in a crock pot, the standard size works fine, and as with most any crock pot dish, it has the added advantage of making your apartment or house smell yummy while it's cooking. However, I have made it both ways and it turns out fine either way...and it tastes even better the next day.
Happy eating!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thank God THAT'S over...
Greetings all. Sorry that, once again, it's been too long since I posted. Those of you that I'm friends with on Facebook will know some of the reasons why, but suffice it to say that January 2010 is not a month I'll remember fondly. Everything is relative of course...I'm sure that millions of people in Haiti would love to swap places with me right now...but it still wasn't much fun. So, let's break it down here...
I had a pretty decent New Year's in Dallas, even though the place I went to celebrate was full of people I didn't know. But it was an enjoyable party atmosphere, and I had a good time...my relative Rex's complex has a restaurant/bar called the "country club" that was having an event for residents, and I used his ID to get in there. Rex opted not to attend, which I can understand since if I make it into my early eighties, I doubt I'll be interested in going out to party either at that point. We did watch a good movie on DVD before I headed over to the party (Gran Torino.) I also met an old friend from my commuter airline days while I was up there and we had a good lunch, so you'd think things appeared to be starting off on a good note.
I discovered, though, that upon getting back home, I had no energy to do anything and my cold that I'd caught in Hawaii was still present...at least, the coughing was. So, I headed to my doctor about halfway through the month and got a course of antibiotics...he thought I might have gotten a case of bronchitis, and I guess he was right since the cough went away pretty fast after I started taken them.
About a week after I'd gotten rid of the cough, my desktop computer decided to die on me. I took it into a shop, and they said that some capacitors on the motherboard were bad and that it would cost $300 or so to get it replaced. Since the computer was five years old, I declined to repair it. I did take it home and take it apart to salvage all of the components, and I hope that the hard drive is OK in particular, since it had a fair amount of data on it I'd like to save...nothing really important, mainly music files and videos, stuff like that. So we will see when I get a new desktop if it's salvageable.
After my computer died, I called Rex to see if his sister was still interested in getting rid of her old machine, since she'd just gotten an Apple and her Dell was only about a year old. He said that she was fine with me having it, but warned me about my "internet addiction" (I guess Rex and her think I spend too much time on the computer these days. Who knows, they may have a point...more on this later.) So, I will be returning to his place to pick up that box as soon as my days off mesh with their schedule.
On a bright note, my Mom's old laptop is working like a champ, and I was able to get all of my various peripherals hooked up via a USB multiplier thingy and new printer cable that I got at Radio Shack. If I didn't have a computer coming my way for free, I'd have no problem just using this one until I could pay cash for a new desktop...and I'm surprised how well it's done, since this laptop is hardly brand new either, but it seems to run decently well since I added some extra memory to it once I inherited it from Mom.
Getting back to the internet...the next thing that happened, once my desktop died, is my discovery that some online people I thought were friends were talking about me behind my back, basically playing an extended practical joke on me, in this one chat room I'd been frequenting for a long time. To be fair, I did have some arguments with that room's "owner" not too long ago...but I despise being lied to also, and I've therefore decided not to return. This bothered me more than it should have...hell, it's just an online chat room...and made me think that perhaps Rex had a point about my internet usage, so not visiting there will give me more time away from the computer as well, which should be a good thing. But I'm not giving up my Facebook, Twitter, or blogging habit quite yet. At any rate, that was the most trivial thing to happen this month so, continuing on to the finale...
A week ago I took my mother to a symphony concert. After we attended the symphony in December, we got a call with an offer for some very good seats for a series of four concerts at a very good price. Since Mom had always loved the symphony prior to moving here, I went ahead and bought the tickets. (Actually, after discussing it with my sisters, we used Mom's money to buy the tickets, and agreed that one of us will take Mom to the concerts, and if we can't take Mom for some reason then we'll pay her back the cost of tickets for that particular show.) Anyhow, the concert was a performance of Holst's Planets and Mom really seemed to enjoy it. We went out to dinner afterwards (we'd gone to a Sunday afternoon concert) and she seemed to be doing fine when I left her back at her place that night.
I had to be at work mega-early Monday morning, since I'd signed up to do an overtime shift. It was my first time working this particular shift, which involved a series of international charter flights, but everything was going pretty well. About halfway through my shift, though, I got a call from my mother's living facility...she'd become unresponsive before breakfast and they were calling the paramedics. I called my sisters to let them know what was going on. The facility called back to ask which hospital we'd like Mom taken to...since we had no idea, they ended up using a hospital close to where Mom lives. I checked with Mom's insurance right after that and discovered that the hospital was on the list of approved facilities, so no worries there.
My supervisor told me I could leave if I wanted to. I delayed doing so for a little while, but as one of my sisters told me on the phone, since we didn't know what was going on it would be really good to visit Mom in person and talk to her doctors, etc. I'm glad that work was understanding about me needing to leave...anyhow, when I got to the hospital, Mom appeared to be doing fine. (Well, as fine as anyone with Alzheimer's can appear in an unfamiliar environment, anyhow.) I talked to the paramedics who brought her in as well as the nurse and ER doctor. The nurse apologized for not being able to give out more information on the phone but they are prohibited from doing so by law. Anyhow, I stayed with Mom for an hour or so, but she fell asleep and there was no sign of her doctor, and I was friggin' exhausted from the Adrenalin rush combined with getting up at 2:30 that morning for my overtime shift.
My sister Susan who lives in Chicago was flying in late in the afternoon (yay for sibling pass travel benefits!) and my place was a disaster area, so after getting home and napping for an hour or so, I got up and gave the place a quick once-over. It was mainly the bathroom and kitchen that needed cleaning...plus various stuff needed sorting out. As it turns out, I could have just waited until the next day, since Susan ended up spending her first two nights here with Mom in the hospital on a reclining chair...I don't think she slept too much there. After Susan got in we got some dinner at Luby's and then went to visit Mom. They had moved Mom from the ER to a temporary unit that was non-ER but also not open all night, and I stayed until Mom was moved to a regular hospital bed. We were also hoping to see Mom's doctor that night, but he never showed up.
I called in that afternoon and requested the next day off from work to be able to deal with things. Originally, when I saw that Mom was fine, I thought it was likely Mom would be getting out the next day, but her doctor was VERY cautious. (I think partly because he could never figure out what caused Mom's initial episode of unresponsiveness...they did rule out a stroke, however.) He had Mom stay two nights and was talking about sending her to a rehab facility for a few days...why, I don't know. My sisters and I all agreed that Mom would do best back at her place...and they are capable of doing rehab there, if any was needed. Mom eventually got out Wednesday of last week. I had decided to go back to work that day (I probably could have got another day off from work but I hate calling in at the last minute, so I took public transportation to work from the hospital) and my sister took her home in my car, and then came back to my place where she was SOUND asleep when I got home around 10:30 that night. After no sleep for two nights, I'm sure I would have been in a similar condition.
We went to see Mom the next day and Susan got a lot of stuff done with cleaning out my Mom's closet, buying her some new clothes, etc. However, along with severe exhaustion in the hospital, Susan also picked up some kind of a stomach bug there, and after a bad night Thursday, she decided to fly out Friday morning (instead of Saturday, which was the original plan.) The advantage of space-available travel is that it's very flexible, so she was able to get out Friday morning no problem. I seemed to have gotten that same bug as Susan, but only mildly, so I was able to keep working with the help of Pepto Bismol.
One bright note from this experience...we had just gotten Mom signed up with her Medicare supplemental insurance and it went into effect January 1st. We should have found a provider here right after she'd moved, but things were so crazy with selling her house, etc. that we missed the "window" we had to do that in. Mom still had Medicare coverage..but ONLY Medicare coverage, which would have left 20% of the costs uncovered. Since Mom went to the hospital in January, she was fully covered by her plan, and they should pay almost all of that 20% we would have been liable for...which with all the tests Mom had done, I'm sure will likely be thousands of dollars. So remember, if you have an elderly relative move, make sure they get their insurance changed right after they move!
I had Mom over for dinner at my place tonight (we had takeout from Pei Wei, so nothing too fancy) and Mom seemed fine, back to her old self as much as anyone with Alzheimer's can be. Her living facility kept an eye on Gus and let him out while she was in hospital so Gus is fine also...I actually had a vet appointment I took him too one day while Susan was here. He's getting older and arthritis can make him a bit cranky at times, but overall he is very content. However, we are looking for a new home for him, since Mom isn't able to really take care of him on her own any more...but for now, his situation is OK (with help on my end to make sure he's fed and watered.)
Only other thing going on is that I'm thinking of joining a church. Since it would be the first church I've joined as an adult, it's kind of a big decision for me, but I'm not rushing things. I've been visiting for a few months, though, and I like it pretty well so far, so I am leaning towards membership...but time will tell. That is definitely a more positive thing than most of what happened this month, and I thought I'd end on a positive note...I hope everyone's January was better than mine, and I will do my best to update this oft-neglected blog more quickly next time, hopefully with something more upbeat than listing all my troubles.
I am thankful that I have a job that I mostly enjoy, living in a place that has a lot of things to do, and that I can be near Mom since we still have fun hanging out together. Also, I'm glad I'm not living through winter in Wisconsin. Also I'm thankful to you, my readers of this blog, for giving me an audience, even though I don't write enough material for you. See you again soon!
I had a pretty decent New Year's in Dallas, even though the place I went to celebrate was full of people I didn't know. But it was an enjoyable party atmosphere, and I had a good time...my relative Rex's complex has a restaurant/bar called the "country club" that was having an event for residents, and I used his ID to get in there. Rex opted not to attend, which I can understand since if I make it into my early eighties, I doubt I'll be interested in going out to party either at that point. We did watch a good movie on DVD before I headed over to the party (Gran Torino.) I also met an old friend from my commuter airline days while I was up there and we had a good lunch, so you'd think things appeared to be starting off on a good note.
I discovered, though, that upon getting back home, I had no energy to do anything and my cold that I'd caught in Hawaii was still present...at least, the coughing was. So, I headed to my doctor about halfway through the month and got a course of antibiotics...he thought I might have gotten a case of bronchitis, and I guess he was right since the cough went away pretty fast after I started taken them.
About a week after I'd gotten rid of the cough, my desktop computer decided to die on me. I took it into a shop, and they said that some capacitors on the motherboard were bad and that it would cost $300 or so to get it replaced. Since the computer was five years old, I declined to repair it. I did take it home and take it apart to salvage all of the components, and I hope that the hard drive is OK in particular, since it had a fair amount of data on it I'd like to save...nothing really important, mainly music files and videos, stuff like that. So we will see when I get a new desktop if it's salvageable.
After my computer died, I called Rex to see if his sister was still interested in getting rid of her old machine, since she'd just gotten an Apple and her Dell was only about a year old. He said that she was fine with me having it, but warned me about my "internet addiction" (I guess Rex and her think I spend too much time on the computer these days. Who knows, they may have a point...more on this later.) So, I will be returning to his place to pick up that box as soon as my days off mesh with their schedule.
On a bright note, my Mom's old laptop is working like a champ, and I was able to get all of my various peripherals hooked up via a USB multiplier thingy and new printer cable that I got at Radio Shack. If I didn't have a computer coming my way for free, I'd have no problem just using this one until I could pay cash for a new desktop...and I'm surprised how well it's done, since this laptop is hardly brand new either, but it seems to run decently well since I added some extra memory to it once I inherited it from Mom.
Getting back to the internet...the next thing that happened, once my desktop died, is my discovery that some online people I thought were friends were talking about me behind my back, basically playing an extended practical joke on me, in this one chat room I'd been frequenting for a long time. To be fair, I did have some arguments with that room's "owner" not too long ago...but I despise being lied to also, and I've therefore decided not to return. This bothered me more than it should have...hell, it's just an online chat room...and made me think that perhaps Rex had a point about my internet usage, so not visiting there will give me more time away from the computer as well, which should be a good thing. But I'm not giving up my Facebook, Twitter, or blogging habit quite yet. At any rate, that was the most trivial thing to happen this month so, continuing on to the finale...
A week ago I took my mother to a symphony concert. After we attended the symphony in December, we got a call with an offer for some very good seats for a series of four concerts at a very good price. Since Mom had always loved the symphony prior to moving here, I went ahead and bought the tickets. (Actually, after discussing it with my sisters, we used Mom's money to buy the tickets, and agreed that one of us will take Mom to the concerts, and if we can't take Mom for some reason then we'll pay her back the cost of tickets for that particular show.) Anyhow, the concert was a performance of Holst's Planets and Mom really seemed to enjoy it. We went out to dinner afterwards (we'd gone to a Sunday afternoon concert) and she seemed to be doing fine when I left her back at her place that night.
I had to be at work mega-early Monday morning, since I'd signed up to do an overtime shift. It was my first time working this particular shift, which involved a series of international charter flights, but everything was going pretty well. About halfway through my shift, though, I got a call from my mother's living facility...she'd become unresponsive before breakfast and they were calling the paramedics. I called my sisters to let them know what was going on. The facility called back to ask which hospital we'd like Mom taken to...since we had no idea, they ended up using a hospital close to where Mom lives. I checked with Mom's insurance right after that and discovered that the hospital was on the list of approved facilities, so no worries there.
My supervisor told me I could leave if I wanted to. I delayed doing so for a little while, but as one of my sisters told me on the phone, since we didn't know what was going on it would be really good to visit Mom in person and talk to her doctors, etc. I'm glad that work was understanding about me needing to leave...anyhow, when I got to the hospital, Mom appeared to be doing fine. (Well, as fine as anyone with Alzheimer's can appear in an unfamiliar environment, anyhow.) I talked to the paramedics who brought her in as well as the nurse and ER doctor. The nurse apologized for not being able to give out more information on the phone but they are prohibited from doing so by law. Anyhow, I stayed with Mom for an hour or so, but she fell asleep and there was no sign of her doctor, and I was friggin' exhausted from the Adrenalin rush combined with getting up at 2:30 that morning for my overtime shift.
My sister Susan who lives in Chicago was flying in late in the afternoon (yay for sibling pass travel benefits!) and my place was a disaster area, so after getting home and napping for an hour or so, I got up and gave the place a quick once-over. It was mainly the bathroom and kitchen that needed cleaning...plus various stuff needed sorting out. As it turns out, I could have just waited until the next day, since Susan ended up spending her first two nights here with Mom in the hospital on a reclining chair...I don't think she slept too much there. After Susan got in we got some dinner at Luby's and then went to visit Mom. They had moved Mom from the ER to a temporary unit that was non-ER but also not open all night, and I stayed until Mom was moved to a regular hospital bed. We were also hoping to see Mom's doctor that night, but he never showed up.
I called in that afternoon and requested the next day off from work to be able to deal with things. Originally, when I saw that Mom was fine, I thought it was likely Mom would be getting out the next day, but her doctor was VERY cautious. (I think partly because he could never figure out what caused Mom's initial episode of unresponsiveness...they did rule out a stroke, however.) He had Mom stay two nights and was talking about sending her to a rehab facility for a few days...why, I don't know. My sisters and I all agreed that Mom would do best back at her place...and they are capable of doing rehab there, if any was needed. Mom eventually got out Wednesday of last week. I had decided to go back to work that day (I probably could have got another day off from work but I hate calling in at the last minute, so I took public transportation to work from the hospital) and my sister took her home in my car, and then came back to my place where she was SOUND asleep when I got home around 10:30 that night. After no sleep for two nights, I'm sure I would have been in a similar condition.
We went to see Mom the next day and Susan got a lot of stuff done with cleaning out my Mom's closet, buying her some new clothes, etc. However, along with severe exhaustion in the hospital, Susan also picked up some kind of a stomach bug there, and after a bad night Thursday, she decided to fly out Friday morning (instead of Saturday, which was the original plan.) The advantage of space-available travel is that it's very flexible, so she was able to get out Friday morning no problem. I seemed to have gotten that same bug as Susan, but only mildly, so I was able to keep working with the help of Pepto Bismol.
One bright note from this experience...we had just gotten Mom signed up with her Medicare supplemental insurance and it went into effect January 1st. We should have found a provider here right after she'd moved, but things were so crazy with selling her house, etc. that we missed the "window" we had to do that in. Mom still had Medicare coverage..but ONLY Medicare coverage, which would have left 20% of the costs uncovered. Since Mom went to the hospital in January, she was fully covered by her plan, and they should pay almost all of that 20% we would have been liable for...which with all the tests Mom had done, I'm sure will likely be thousands of dollars. So remember, if you have an elderly relative move, make sure they get their insurance changed right after they move!
I had Mom over for dinner at my place tonight (we had takeout from Pei Wei, so nothing too fancy) and Mom seemed fine, back to her old self as much as anyone with Alzheimer's can be. Her living facility kept an eye on Gus and let him out while she was in hospital so Gus is fine also...I actually had a vet appointment I took him too one day while Susan was here. He's getting older and arthritis can make him a bit cranky at times, but overall he is very content. However, we are looking for a new home for him, since Mom isn't able to really take care of him on her own any more...but for now, his situation is OK (with help on my end to make sure he's fed and watered.)
Only other thing going on is that I'm thinking of joining a church. Since it would be the first church I've joined as an adult, it's kind of a big decision for me, but I'm not rushing things. I've been visiting for a few months, though, and I like it pretty well so far, so I am leaning towards membership...but time will tell. That is definitely a more positive thing than most of what happened this month, and I thought I'd end on a positive note...I hope everyone's January was better than mine, and I will do my best to update this oft-neglected blog more quickly next time, hopefully with something more upbeat than listing all my troubles.
I am thankful that I have a job that I mostly enjoy, living in a place that has a lot of things to do, and that I can be near Mom since we still have fun hanging out together. Also, I'm glad I'm not living through winter in Wisconsin. Also I'm thankful to you, my readers of this blog, for giving me an audience, even though I don't write enough material for you. See you again soon!
Monday, December 28, 2009
My Year in Facebook Status Updates
Sorry I have been kind of quiet on the blog this month. After doing the daily blog posting thing last month, I've found that I kind of go into blogger overload...but hopefully next year I will get back into a more regular posting pattern. Anyhow, I created the following picture using a Facebook application that samples your status updates throughout the year...and I thought I would share it here as well. Hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday season and has an awesome 2010.
Friday, December 25, 2009
An International Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
I can't take credit for this, as I stole it off the internets, but I hope everyone has a super awesome mega Christmas. I am working later but it should be a quiet day, and I am visiting with family before I go into work, so that will be nice. Anyhow, here you go:
ARMENIAN: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand.
AZERI-AZERBAIJAN: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun.
BASQUE: Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Berri Urte.
BULGARIAN: Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo. Tchestita
Nova Godina.
CHINESE-CANTONESE: Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun.
CHINESE-MANDARIN: Kung Ho Hsin Hsi. Ching Chi Shen Tan.
CZECH: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok.
DUTCH: Zalig Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieukjaar.
ESTONIAN: Roomsaid Joulu Phui ja Uut Aastat.
FINNISH: Hyvaa joula. Onnellista Uutta Voutta.
FRENCH: Joyeux Noel et heureuse Anne.
GAELIC-IRISH: Nolag mhaith Dhuit Agus Bliain Nua Fe Mhaise.
GAELIC-SCOT: Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur.
GERMAN: Frohliche Weihnachten und ein Glueckliches
Neues Jahr.
GREEK: Kala Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Ethos.
HAWAIIAN: Mele Kalikimake me ka Hauloi Makahiki hou.
HEBREW: Mo'adim Lesimkha.
HUNGARIAN: Boldog Karacsonyl es Ujevl Unnepeket.
ICELANDIC: Gledlig jol og Nyar.
INDONESIAN: Selamah Tahun Baru.
IROQUOIS: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut.
Ojenyunyat osrasay.
ITALIAN: Buon Natalie e felice Capo d'Anno.
JAPANESE: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto.
KOREAN: Sung Tan Chuk Ha.
LATVIAN: Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu.
LITHUANIAN: linksmu sventu Kaledu ir Laimingu Nauju Metu.
MANX: Ollick Ghennal Erriu as Blein Feer Die. Seihil as
Slaynt Da'n Slane Loght Thie.
NORSE-DANISH: Gledlig jul og godt Nytt Aar.
POLISH: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia i szczesliwego
Nowego Roku.
PORTUGUESE: Feliz Natal e propero Ano Novo.
RAPA-NUI (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi.
Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua.
ROMANIAN: Sarbatori Fericite. La Multi Ani.
RUSSIAN: Pozdrevly ayu sprazdnikom Rozhdestva Khristova is
Novim Godom.
UKRANIAN: Veselykh Svyat i scaslivoho Novoho Roku.
SAMOAN: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou.
SLOVAK: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok.
SERB-CROATIAN: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina.
SINGHALESE (Ceylon/Sri Lanka): Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha
Aluth Awrudhak Vewa.
SLOVENE: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto.
SPANISH: Feliz Navidad y prospero Ano Nuevo.
SWEDISH: Glad jul och ett gott Nytt ar.
TAGALOG (Filipino): Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon.
TURKISH: Yeni Yilnizi Kutar, saadetler dilerim.
WELSH: Nadolic Llawen. Blwyddn Newdd Dda.
MERIDAY-BOYNTON: Hippo Gnu Ear! *:)
ARMENIAN: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand.
AZERI-AZERBAIJAN: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun.
BASQUE: Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Berri Urte.
BULGARIAN: Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo. Tchestita
Nova Godina.
CHINESE-CANTONESE: Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun.
CHINESE-MANDARIN: Kung Ho Hsin Hsi. Ching Chi Shen Tan.
CZECH: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok.
DUTCH: Zalig Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieukjaar.
ESTONIAN: Roomsaid Joulu Phui ja Uut Aastat.
FINNISH: Hyvaa joula. Onnellista Uutta Voutta.
FRENCH: Joyeux Noel et heureuse Anne.
GAELIC-IRISH: Nolag mhaith Dhuit Agus Bliain Nua Fe Mhaise.
GAELIC-SCOT: Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur.
GERMAN: Frohliche Weihnachten und ein Glueckliches
Neues Jahr.
GREEK: Kala Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Ethos.
HAWAIIAN: Mele Kalikimake me ka Hauloi Makahiki hou.
HEBREW: Mo'adim Lesimkha.
HUNGARIAN: Boldog Karacsonyl es Ujevl Unnepeket.
ICELANDIC: Gledlig jol og Nyar.
INDONESIAN: Selamah Tahun Baru.
IROQUOIS: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut.
Ojenyunyat osrasay.
ITALIAN: Buon Natalie e felice Capo d'Anno.
JAPANESE: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto.
KOREAN: Sung Tan Chuk Ha.
LATVIAN: Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu.
LITHUANIAN: linksmu sventu Kaledu ir Laimingu Nauju Metu.
MANX: Ollick Ghennal Erriu as Blein Feer Die. Seihil as
Slaynt Da'n Slane Loght Thie.
NORSE-DANISH: Gledlig jul og godt Nytt Aar.
POLISH: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia i szczesliwego
Nowego Roku.
PORTUGUESE: Feliz Natal e propero Ano Novo.
RAPA-NUI (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi.
Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua.
ROMANIAN: Sarbatori Fericite. La Multi Ani.
RUSSIAN: Pozdrevly ayu sprazdnikom Rozhdestva Khristova is
Novim Godom.
UKRANIAN: Veselykh Svyat i scaslivoho Novoho Roku.
SAMOAN: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou.
SLOVAK: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok.
SERB-CROATIAN: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina.
SINGHALESE (Ceylon/Sri Lanka): Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha
Aluth Awrudhak Vewa.
SLOVENE: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto.
SPANISH: Feliz Navidad y prospero Ano Nuevo.
SWEDISH: Glad jul och ett gott Nytt ar.
TAGALOG (Filipino): Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon.
TURKISH: Yeni Yilnizi Kutar, saadetler dilerim.
WELSH: Nadolic Llawen. Blwyddn Newdd Dda.
MERIDAY-BOYNTON: Hippo Gnu Ear! *:)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Home again, home again
Greetings everyone. Sorry to take a long break after NABLOPOMO was over, but I've been busy traveling, as those of you who follow me on Twitter might have noticed.. I made a quick trip to Hawaii with my relative Rex when I had off five days, and while I did have the internet available there, who wants to blog on vacation?
I am back in the work grind now, working six days in a row to pay back someone I traded days with so that I could go to Hawaii. And of course, I got a cold while I was in Hawaii, probably picked up on the flight over. I didn't take Airborne before my trip, and I have nobody to blame but myself for that. I know there is little scientific research proving that it helps to prevent colds, but it's always done the trick for me when I take it before a flight...oh well.
So, I am now back at home, I have a cold, and I'm working...but I did have fun in Hawaii (other than getting a cold.) Drove around, saw lots of sights, went swimming in the ocean, hiked up Diamond Head (which was a lot more challenging in 2009 than it was the first time I did it back in 1992) and other touristy things. We also found the house which Rex rented when he was stationed in Hawaii back in 1963. He said it still looks very similar to how it did back then.
While in Hawaii, I also met Marvo, editor of The Impulsive Buy (which I have been reading for a long time) for dinner. After dinner we did a bit of shopping and he bought me a local treat made with spam. Good times!
Anyhow, I will close this post out with a picture I took on vacation...you can view the rest of the pictures I took here. I just used by cellphone camera on my Crackberry this trip but they turned out pretty decently, I thought.
Hope you are all having a great December.
I am back in the work grind now, working six days in a row to pay back someone I traded days with so that I could go to Hawaii. And of course, I got a cold while I was in Hawaii, probably picked up on the flight over. I didn't take Airborne before my trip, and I have nobody to blame but myself for that. I know there is little scientific research proving that it helps to prevent colds, but it's always done the trick for me when I take it before a flight...oh well.
So, I am now back at home, I have a cold, and I'm working...but I did have fun in Hawaii (other than getting a cold.) Drove around, saw lots of sights, went swimming in the ocean, hiked up Diamond Head (which was a lot more challenging in 2009 than it was the first time I did it back in 1992) and other touristy things. We also found the house which Rex rented when he was stationed in Hawaii back in 1963. He said it still looks very similar to how it did back then.
While in Hawaii, I also met Marvo, editor of The Impulsive Buy (which I have been reading for a long time) for dinner. After dinner we did a bit of shopping and he bought me a local treat made with spam. Good times!
Anyhow, I will close this post out with a picture I took on vacation...you can view the rest of the pictures I took here. I just used by cellphone camera on my Crackberry this trip but they turned out pretty decently, I thought.
Hope you are all having a great December.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Lola's Diary, Part XXXV
Well, we have come to the final day of NABLOPOMO, and to the final entry in Lola's diary. This last entry may be a bit longer than normal but I thought it was only fitting to end the diary at the end of a monthlong posting frenzy. Let's get started:
September 30, 1953
Rainee and Lisa have just left after a two week visit here. We had such a good time and did enjoy that blessed baby. She was so cute, sweet, and smart. Charlie was home four days while they were here - bought a new 1953 Chevrolet and is very proud of it. He drew $100 at the fair - lucky ticket - and went back very pleased with himself.
June 21, 1955
Mama fell and broke her hip May 11, 1954 and was in Flow Hospital until Thanksgiving. Took her home and she is still in a wheelchair - have a woman, Mrs. E. H. Christopher, who comes every day.
Charles - a 1st Lt. now - is stationed in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will get out of the USAF in December 1955. Little Wally, my third grandchild was born 6-26-54 and he is a darling. I flew to DC to see them in September 1954. Then Wallace came down here to see Mama in October. They are expecting a fourth child in September 1955. They are building a new home and expect to get in it next month.
Things are pretty rough here - Mama cries a lot. None of my relatives come to see her very often - Robbie has not been here in seven weeks - it just breaks her heart. (Mine too.) Charles was home in May and stayed two weeks - surely did enjoy him.
November 9, 1955
Went to Wallace's for seven weeks this summer - was there when their fourth child was born - Amil Charles - born September 1955. Little Wally was the cutest, sweetest thing I ever saw - I know the new one will be too.
Charles left for England 11-7-55 and will only be there a short time. He will be discharged 12/15/55 and we are going to Wallace's for Christmas, first time we have been together for the holidays in fourteen years.
September 3, 1957
Ida died suddenly August 22, 1957, in her sleep. Mrs. Buckingham and Jim will live on at the place. Feel so sorry for them.
Charles left USAF service 12/55 and is back with Westinghouse. He is in Dallas and comes home every weekend. So wonderful.
Martha married in June 1957 to John Rex Witcher, a Navy man. They are living in Milton, FL and seem very happy.
Wallace and little Wally are coming home for a visit next week. Charles will take the week off and I hope we have some joyous time.
Mama is pretty well. Complains a lot but is as well as could be expected. I think she looks fine.
Fred Harper died of a heart attack in December 1956.
OK, that is the last formal entry, on the last page of the book, but there are a few more lines she wrote down to record events and I will transcribe those as well:
Mama died December 24, 1962
Charles married Sue in May 1966 - Charles Jr. born 10-21-68
That's me!
Bill studied at University of Rochele, France, in Summer 1967
This is Lola's first grandhild, my cousin Bill. He eventually became a professor of French, I forget what university he teaches at.
Wallace and Rainee went to Europe in fall of 1967.
Lisa entered Goucher in September 1967.
Bill married 10-68 to Mary Lou in France.
Lola lived until 1986. She was 91 when she passed away, and if you've been reading these entries, I think you'll agree she had a very interesting life. She was a great grandmother.
Lola was doing quite well and living on her own (although she had sold her house and moved into a retirement apartment in 1982 or so) until the summer of 1986, when she had to go to the hospital, I forget what for exactly. However, while she was in the hospital, she broke her hip, and I think at that point she kind of decided she'd been around long enough. Dad and Wallace did get to go visit her in the hospital before she passed away. She is buried next to her husband in Denton.
I don't have any pictures handy of Lola from the time when she started writing this diary, but I do have one of her that was taken when she was in her 70's, I believe. Her appearance actually changed little over the years...Dad said that she'd been white-haired for as long as he can remember. Anyhow, here is what Lola looked like.
I apologize for the weird picture shape, but it was taken out of an oval picture frame to be scanned. She wrote Mom once when she and Dad were dating and said, "Well, Sue, I'm OLD and I'm FAT and I'm UGLY." I think she was being rather hard on herself...Lola had a quiet self-assurance about her that comes through in her pictures. When Lola first heard my father was getting married to my mother, a divorcee with two kids of her own, she was rather wary. But Mom and her got along great, as it turned out. I'm proud that she was my grandmother, and I hope you enjoyed reading her diary entries!
September 30, 1953
Rainee and Lisa have just left after a two week visit here. We had such a good time and did enjoy that blessed baby. She was so cute, sweet, and smart. Charlie was home four days while they were here - bought a new 1953 Chevrolet and is very proud of it. He drew $100 at the fair - lucky ticket - and went back very pleased with himself.
June 21, 1955
Mama fell and broke her hip May 11, 1954 and was in Flow Hospital until Thanksgiving. Took her home and she is still in a wheelchair - have a woman, Mrs. E. H. Christopher, who comes every day.
Charles - a 1st Lt. now - is stationed in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will get out of the USAF in December 1955. Little Wally, my third grandchild was born 6-26-54 and he is a darling. I flew to DC to see them in September 1954. Then Wallace came down here to see Mama in October. They are expecting a fourth child in September 1955. They are building a new home and expect to get in it next month.
Things are pretty rough here - Mama cries a lot. None of my relatives come to see her very often - Robbie has not been here in seven weeks - it just breaks her heart. (Mine too.) Charles was home in May and stayed two weeks - surely did enjoy him.
November 9, 1955
Went to Wallace's for seven weeks this summer - was there when their fourth child was born - Amil Charles - born September 1955. Little Wally was the cutest, sweetest thing I ever saw - I know the new one will be too.
Charles left for England 11-7-55 and will only be there a short time. He will be discharged 12/15/55 and we are going to Wallace's for Christmas, first time we have been together for the holidays in fourteen years.
September 3, 1957
Ida died suddenly August 22, 1957, in her sleep. Mrs. Buckingham and Jim will live on at the place. Feel so sorry for them.
Charles left USAF service 12/55 and is back with Westinghouse. He is in Dallas and comes home every weekend. So wonderful.
Martha married in June 1957 to John Rex Witcher, a Navy man. They are living in Milton, FL and seem very happy.
Wallace and little Wally are coming home for a visit next week. Charles will take the week off and I hope we have some joyous time.
Mama is pretty well. Complains a lot but is as well as could be expected. I think she looks fine.
Fred Harper died of a heart attack in December 1956.
OK, that is the last formal entry, on the last page of the book, but there are a few more lines she wrote down to record events and I will transcribe those as well:
Mama died December 24, 1962
Charles married Sue in May 1966 - Charles Jr. born 10-21-68
That's me!
Bill studied at University of Rochele, France, in Summer 1967
This is Lola's first grandhild, my cousin Bill. He eventually became a professor of French, I forget what university he teaches at.
Wallace and Rainee went to Europe in fall of 1967.
Lisa entered Goucher in September 1967.
Bill married 10-68 to Mary Lou in France.
Lola lived until 1986. She was 91 when she passed away, and if you've been reading these entries, I think you'll agree she had a very interesting life. She was a great grandmother.
Lola was doing quite well and living on her own (although she had sold her house and moved into a retirement apartment in 1982 or so) until the summer of 1986, when she had to go to the hospital, I forget what for exactly. However, while she was in the hospital, she broke her hip, and I think at that point she kind of decided she'd been around long enough. Dad and Wallace did get to go visit her in the hospital before she passed away. She is buried next to her husband in Denton.
I don't have any pictures handy of Lola from the time when she started writing this diary, but I do have one of her that was taken when she was in her 70's, I believe. Her appearance actually changed little over the years...Dad said that she'd been white-haired for as long as he can remember. Anyhow, here is what Lola looked like.
I apologize for the weird picture shape, but it was taken out of an oval picture frame to be scanned. She wrote Mom once when she and Dad were dating and said, "Well, Sue, I'm OLD and I'm FAT and I'm UGLY." I think she was being rather hard on herself...Lola had a quiet self-assurance about her that comes through in her pictures. When Lola first heard my father was getting married to my mother, a divorcee with two kids of her own, she was rather wary. But Mom and her got along great, as it turned out. I'm proud that she was my grandmother, and I hope you enjoyed reading her diary entries!
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