Monday, March 31, 2008

A Monday morning quickie...

before I shut down this magic window for the first set of "heavy" storms they say are incoming.

AVG seems to like my old Gateway just fine. I turned off it's automatic updates so I can tell it to check when I want to; I can leave SETI running and come back and wiggle the mouse a day later, SETI drops instantly and I can click on my browser to open and IT DOES! No waiting 20 minutes while Norton checks everything it thinks it should, etc..

I've been here a bit over a half hour now, checking e-mail, printing a Border's coupon, reading "For Better or for Worse" etc., and no lag, no lock-up and haven't had to reboot or give up and walk away!

On Saturday I went to the first wedding I've attended in 32 years (since my own) where I wasn't the photographer. A couple I stock for at work invited me, and seemed genuinely pleased to have me there. I slipped out during the reception to meet Dottie here and then we drove to Lawrence for my younger nephew's high school musical variety show. It was such a treat, and there are some very talented kids there. One will be leaving for Julliard after graduation, and several probably should be!

Dottie worked today, I slept in a bit, then as it was drizzling I actually sat and played a video game until it was time to meet her at Sears for an afterhours sale. Dillon's birthday is coming up, as are both sons, and with the extra savings plus some BOGO offers we did very well!

We stopped by a local barbecue place to pick up dinner, then watched ".45" with Milla Jovovich and "Rough Magic" with Bridget Fonda and Russell Crowe. The first one was my pick, and Dottie didn't care much for it(too much skin, a lesbian sub-plot) but I liked it. Hers was good as well, though the dialog was a bit "slow" for the "Thin Man" feel they were going for...

She slipped off to bed and I did dishes then watched my old game shows, now I'm slipping off to the shower and then bed.

I sure love my "split" keyboard! It's nice having my desktop back!

May the week be kind!

alan

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Thursday once again...

It seems I've finally reclaimed my desktop! After my old Norton expired in June I installed the 2nd copy of the multiple license I bought for the laptop on it. I had to install it 4 or 5 times to get it to work right, then everytime I tried to do something it decided it needed to update. I was getting out the laptop more and more because this one would just "bog down" and I'd finally have to reboot it to use it for another half hour.

Last week I read something about AVG, a freeware anti-virus, and said something about trying it while I was at John's on Easter. He said to try turning off the Norton auto-update feature, so I got around to that last night when I got home. The computer still did the same thing, but when I rebooted it I got an error code from Norton (the same one as in my initial installations) and my old Gateway is back to it's old self.

So over the weekend I'm going to try removing Norton and installing AVG to see how that plays out.

I do love having my split keyboard back, though, after feeling like I was trying to knock my elbows together on the straight one on my laptop!

For those who asked, there is a channel called "The Gameshow Network" that runs the original "What's My Line" at 2AM central and "I've Got a Secret" at 2:30am. They used to have a way you could watch online, but I'm not sure if they still do or not...I don't have a lot of time to explore their revamped website right now.

"What's My Line" is in episodes from the early 50's right now; "I've Got a Secret" is in the early 60's episodes.

I heard Carl Reiner in an interview a year or so ago talk about watching these just to see all his old friends...

Time to nuke a chicken pot pie and get ready for work!

May you each have a wonderful Friday and may the weekend be kind!

alan

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Easter Bunny found us...

inside at John and Noel's house Sunday afternoon. It was in the mid 40's outside, spitting snow, and the wind was doing it's best to rattle windows, so the eggs were hidden inside this year and then madness pursued!

As it did for most of the weekend!

Dottie came to work Thursday evening, sititng through the attrition presentation with me. Neither of us noticed anything to "put us off" and I found out they are only photocopying the birth and marriage certificates, so I don't have to worry about them keeping our original marriage certificate from San Diego in 1976. (I would order another before I surrendered it!) At this point it appears that at the end of June my 30 years at GM will come to an end and I will be looking for something less stressful and less frequent!

Dottie worked Friday, and I was off for Good Friday and supposed to shop, but having survived the week in spite of everything, the stomach part of "the bug" kept me home. She got off a bit early that day and shopped for the weekend; I owe her for that!

John came by late that afternoon to borrow shovels as he was still working on landscaping and said that he would be home on Saturday if I felt better, so we spent Saturday afternoon there and finally got his bath vent fan in and wired so he can get his ceiling tiles up.

I learned electrical wiring "the hard way", and having drawn my diagram weeks beforehand, laying things out for a minimum of effort, etc., I was more than a bit disappointed the first time we flipped the switch and nothing happened! After a few minutes to regroup and popping the outlet I used to "feed" the electricity to the fan and switch I found that in running my mouth as I worked I had hooked both wires to the same side of the outlet; after I moved one it worked fine.

By the time we cleaned things up, vacummed up the insulation from the attic and such, and left for home it was midnight. I was in bed by 2; I found out later Dottie sat up 'til almost 5 washing the clothes we had worn and watching "The Crow".

Sunday was a blast, and Bill and Laura both came as well; we don't see them often with her in school and him working two jobs until last week. He is substituting enough he gave up the grocery business and is almost ready to go take the last classes he needs to finish his Masters, having taken the last two semesters off to save instead of taking out more loans.

My sister and her family came by as well on the way from Mitch's Mom's and the nursing home where our Mom is. She is still in her sling, but back to work on a reduced schedule and finally starting to feel better after her rotater surgery.

We came home after the grandkids went to bed and watched "I Am Legend". Good movie, scary in that I can see it happening...

After Dottie went to bed I watched my "Lost Films of Roscoe Arbuckle" disc, finding one I had seen in a nicer restoration ("Coney Island", and wouldn't I love to have seen it in it's heyday!) and a bunch I hadn't, all a treat! This is the 2nd of those I've watched, and have 2 more in queue.

Today I spent looking for a pair of Dockers to go with a sweater I had already found as I have a wedding to attend this next Saturday, along with a high school variety show that my younger nephew is in. I could never the pair I had here, so finally I went to Sears as that's where the bride registered and took care of both errands at once. I met Dottie at the nursing home and we "fixed" Mom's DVD/VCR recorder and reframed some pictures for her, then went to look at shelter houses for the family party for the boys birthdays, as I need to go "rent" it in the next few days. We're shooting for April 19th, splitting the boys birthdays (the 16th and 30th). Since Mom's and Jordan's parties were put off after my sister's surgery, we'll be doing theirs as well.

So after that I fixed dinner while she showered, then we caught up with the Monday comedies that taped while we were doing other things, then "5th Grader" from last Thursday and "Men in Trees" from last week. She went to bed, I took the burner plates off the stove to soak and now it's time for me to go clean them up!

I hope the weekend was kind to each of you, and that that work week is as well!

As I write this, "I've Got a Secret" is on and Garry Moore is introducing the celebrity guest. Making his singing debut is Woody Allen...with a poodle!

:o)

alan

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Life is strange!

Tonight is the "big roll out" of the attrition program for us. We got a packet of papers earlier in the week to look through; there were some things in it I hadn't expected.

I've been there almost 30 years, they've never had a problem paying me, or granting benefits to my wife.

Yet among the retirement requirements are certified copies of my birth certificate and our marriage certificate!

I didn't have one of the former, so FedEx woke me up with it earlier. We have one original copy of the 2nd, but if they plan on keeping it they're not getting that one, so I may be ordering another!

After almost a year of working 10 hour days and a lot of 6 day weeks, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is nice. Hopefully it's not a train, like so many other times throughout my life!

Still fighting the head cold that is thinking of settling into my chest, but looking very much forward to this holiday weekend!

May it be kind to each of you...

alan

Monday, March 17, 2008

Buggy whipped...

as in either the one that's going around my work or Dottie's has come home to find me...sniffles, eyes gunked shut when I sleep...hopefully I can get through this 4 day work week and then have 4 to get over it!

The hole in the back of my right leg is down to around 1/4", the two largest under my right arm just a bit smaller. This was the only clothing-free weekend I've ever been allowed in our 32 years together; keeping zinc oxide on the wounds and not irritating them seems to have helped.

The cat however, finds the odor of zinc oxide very attractive!

Sorry for such a short entry; I dozed until 3, it's shower time and then off to work again.

I will not miss 10 hour days!

I will not miss 10 hour days!

I will not miss 10 hour days!

May the week be kind...

alan

Thursday, March 13, 2008

It only took a few minutes...

last night before I wished I'd taken another day or two off! It was 70 something yesterday; I knew the day would start out a bit warm at work, and be cool before 3:30AM arrived.

My neck is already healed, my underarms look like I have a series of cigarette burns on both sides, but they weren't tender immediately. By the time I walked in the backs of my legs were doing a Fred Sanford impersonation, hollering "Big Dummy"!

I get up and down from my forklift almost every order I deliver all night long, to either open or close something, or cut part of a box away. As the night cooled, being down was OK, as was being up, but getting in and out of the "saddle" was a neat trick.

After coming home and showering and dosing all of my little craters with Neosporin instead of Dottie's beloved zinc oxide, things feel a bit better today. I'm about to go dose them all again, then get ready to go play this "silly game" again.

"Diary of a Lost Girl" just showed up in the mail for the weekend for me; Dottie got "Doom".

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Just a thought...watching the hullaballoo over Mr. Spitzer's self destruction I heard a lot of Republicans calling for his resignation and impeachment, right along with the Democrats.

As long as Larry Craig is a Republican, I don't think they have the right; when Mr. Craig is no longer a Republican or a Senator we can talk, but not until!

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I realize my "two cents" won't even get you a gumball at the mall anymore, but sometimes the short attention span of the media really gets to me!

May the rest of the week be kind, and the weekend wonderful!

alan

Monday, March 10, 2008

It wasn't skin cancer!

Several years ago a dry patch of skin showed up on one leg; nothing new, and last time when it was the other leg, the dermatologist told me to use the same Aveeno she told my wife to use when she didn't have an active psoriasis outbreak going on. This one showed up on the other leg, had been ok 'til the last few months when it
started changing shape and color. I needed to go get some "skin tags" removed (I had one that got "strangulated" once and that was miserable, so with a dozen under my arms, around my neck, and a few on the back of my legs it was time) and had her check my leg as well. It had been itching madly, which was a good sign I was told, but really wanted to hear it from a professional. She also checked my face, hands and arms as I'm a fair complected and freckled and that's not a good combination. She was telling me that especially with my skin that it's not a matter of "if" but "when" if I live long enough. I didn't tell her I fish...of course I buy tear-free waterproof SPF 50 and start with my bald head when I put it on, but someday it will no doubt catch up with me. My Dad's youngest brother died from it...

Eczema was her diagnosis of my leg!

So, tagless and with a few sample tubes I am home and about to relax for two evenings, as I really didn't want to go to work and sit on the ones on the back of my legs for 10 hours a night! She snipped and cauterized them, and I could if I had to, but I don't so I'm not, lol!

Watched "Sicko" last night...fell very much in love with Tony Benn! I had heard snippets of him a few times over the years, but was really impressed with both his interviews in the film and the "making of" stuff after. Tonight we'll finish the making of stuff on that and I have the first disc of some silent comedies to watch (without Dottie she's already informed me...). A few of them are Keystones I have on tape, but I'm hoping as the cost has come down on restoration that these have been worked on some!

I got up way too early for me, so before Dottie comes home I'm going to take a nap...

I'm smiling just thinking of it!

May the week be kind!

alan

Friday, March 07, 2008

3:30 Friday afternoon...

and I just got up (blush)! I got up for an hour this morning to pay bills online and made it up "on the other end"...

Tuesday I got up on 4 hours sleep and we went and got our taxes figured; a refund, but not as large as I had hoped. We got some good information on why (Dottie needs to increase her witholding as we won't have mine to cover hers next year) and other odds and ends. I came home expecting to spend 15 minutes changing that shut-off valve I spoke of, but that turned into a 5 hour ordeal with 3 trips to Lowe's (none over $3, I should be grateful, but so much for a nap)!

Tried to fry pork chops for dinner that night and used a different skillet than normal, and burnt one (mine, of course) and fixed stuffing to go with them. My choice of movies for the evening ended up displeasing Dottie as well, so all in all it was a lovely day off!

But oh how that movie is stuck in my head! A while back I heard some mention of Christopher Isherwood's "Berlin Stories" in an intervies, and that "Cabaret" was based on them. I had bought the movie out of a close-out bin a year or two ago after I heard a Joel Grey interview. Not allowed to see it at the time (I was 16 and Dad said I couldn't see MASH the year before or that one that year, and I wasn't smart enough to just go on my own...) but only hear the music, it was so much more than I expected! I will be acquring his works!

Scenes have been playing in my head all week, and I catch myself singing the songs as well...

I can totally understand how that movie garnered it's 8 Oscars, beating "The Godfather"! That Liza could pull that role off so totally at 25 is stunning!

Gotta get ready for work, but didn't want to disappear for the weekend without wishing you all a wonderful one, and hoping that it will be kind!

alan

Monday, March 03, 2008

As Sunday turns to Monday...

It's almost 2:30; I cleared "Prix de Beaute" just before 2 and programmed recorders for tonight, then sat down here for the first time since early yesterday. An e-mail to my sister (nursing home and Mom stuff and finally got here.

I'm grateful that "What's My Line" and "I've Got a Secret" are back on and "What's My Line" has started over again with the 1952 episodes. "Bull" Halsey was the "Mystery Guest" just now...with Steve Allen questioning him. I don't remember the rest of the episode, but I remember Halsey from when I taped them all and watched them several years ago. I'd love to be able to edit some of those mystery guest spots and post them on You Tube!

Garry Moore just opened "I've Got a Secret" by saying that Bill Cullen's new show "The Price is Right" had just started that Monday on another network. He then turned to Cullen and said "isn't that what ABC stands for; anoter network"? Very few people realize that Bob Barker wasn't the original host of that, nor was it his braichild, it was Cullen's. It started on NBC in 1956 and moved to ABC in '63!

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John had other things to do until late yesterday afternoon, so we put off his bathroom fan until earlier in the day today. When I got there today he was trying to
finish putting his gutters back together and Noel was trying to grade and get mulch back into a "flowerbox" next to their house so the water would drain away. They didn't think it would take too long, and we figured out there was a piece John needed for the venting of the bath fan, so we made a Lowe's run (I had things to pick up for my own things here). When we got back the 6 bags of topsoil they had bought for fill along with 3 bags of mulch weren't enough; John pulled that back up and she and I went back and bought 20 more bags of topsoil and 4 more bags of mulch. All 26 bags of fill (a dollar each) and only the original 3 bags of mulch are back in there and it's graded to the sidewalk now. We finished as the rain began. I also transplanted some little shrubs for her that had been in the box originally.

The rain began about 5:30; now we're almost down to freezing and it's supposed to turn to snow shortly.

Mentally I didn't do too well through the last 13 out of 14 day cycle even with a Tuesday off the first week, so I put in for another the day after tomorrow. I also got out H&R Block appointment (10am) for that day, so I'll be up early, though I think a nap is probably in order that afternoon! Then I'm going to change the shut-off ahead of our hot water tank and see if I can get a bit more pressure to that side of our supply lines without having to replace them. (Very hard water here, and the old galvanized pipe tends to "lime" in.)

Just to Ryssee knows it wasn't her comment, the pressure has been dropping for the last year or so; I replaced the tank in 2001, but found out from a pipefitter at work there was a better choice for the shutoff I put in than the one I made, one less prone to catching chunks of stuff and lime...

I will miss being able to go pick the brain of someone wiser than I at work when I'm gone!

If that goes like I hope it does and the weather is kind, we have a Red Lobster card the kids got us that we haven't used; if it isn't we'll have dinner and a movie at home.

So, once again, the week begins in a a whirl!

May it be kind to each of you!

alan