Conspiracy!

I was thinking that there was some kind of conspiracy against me last week. Ever had that feeling? Nothing going right? Can't do what you need to do when you need to?

It wasn't the whole week - just the later part. Started on Thursday - well actually a few weeks ago. I had been having problems with my car. It wouldn't stay charged. It would run just fine then all of sudden wouldn't start. Had the battery tested - everything seemed ok. My son-in-law worked on it - put new posts on, etc. We put it on a charger overnight and car starts working fine. All should be good.

Well, later part of last week I was on my laptop at home. Stepped away without logging out (this is something I never do -- dont' trust people). When I came back my computer was froze up. I couldn't log off or anything. So I did a manual shut down. Ready to log back on and back to checking Facebook. But no - that wasn't happening.

Instead of just opening up to my log in screen the computer pops up that it is going into automatic restore! What!!!??? I didn't ask it to restore. It just decided on it's own to restore itself. After 30 minutes or so I get a log in screen. Try typing in my password but it doesn't take.

After 20 minutes or more of trying passwords I finally get in with an old old password. I do a little bit of stuff on computer then go into the control panel to change my password. I use the password I used to get on. It doesn't work. I try every password I've ever used on that computer. Nothing works. So I start moving files to my dropbox or putting on my flashdrive as a precaution.

Log out of the computer and try logging in. You guessed it! Password doesn't work! I'm sick of messing with the comptuer so put it away for the night. Next evening, I pull the computer out again and try logging in. My password doesn't work -- Surprise! I go to Gary's account on my computer -- but guess what? The computer just shuts itself down!. Now I'm really irritated!!!

So I get Gary's computer out and try to log in on my account. You guessed it - it won't take what I thought was my password or anything I thought was my password. Gary, bless his heart, had more patience than I did and played around until he was able to log into my account and tell me the correct password. He said: "You know your hint is Knock Knock?" I said: "Yes, and I put in everyhing I thought I would have used to answer that. Nothing works!!" I'm not mad at him - I'm just mad at the computers in my household that think they know more than I do!

So the next day is Saturday and it's my Saturday to work. No big deal. We only work half a day if we work on Saturday. So I get ready to leave after work. Go out to the parking lot and guess what? The stupid car won't start!! So I call K.C. to see if she can come and jump me. When she arrives, I pop the trunk on my car to get the jumper cables out. We get the car jumped and go to put the jumper cables back in the trunk. The stupid trunk lid won't close. It just keeps bouncing back up. You may already know this but just in case you don't - if your trunk doesn't close it doesn't matter how many times or how hard you slam it. It still won't close!

K.C. says didn't we just replace this latch not to long ago. Yes, we did -- sutpid car! So I start digging around in my trunk looking for something to tie the lid down with. I find a snowman cup, a couple of blankets, a cake stand (I forgot that was back there), umbrellas, etc. The only thing I can find to use is some silver pipestem cleaners that Lily had put in the trunk. So I'm thinking perhaps we could twist enough of these togehter to pull it down.

For some reason K.C. found this extremely amusing (I think she almost wet her pants laughing). Keep in mind - K.C. is a mechanic - I am not. I know enough about cars from having 3 brothers but I've never felt the need to put any of my knowledge to work. So since K.C. wouldn't even try my pipestem cleaners we ended up using Lily's jacket to tie my trunk lid down.

Gotta tell you - - by Saturday afternoon I was thinking there was a conspiracy against me.

We went and had a new battery installed on the car Saturday evening. I am able to log onto my account on Gary's comptuer. My computer is toast - but it's not surprising - I've had it several years and it has been to the repair shop twice I think. My trunk is still held down with Lily's jacket but life goes on.

So now you know why - for a few days I felt there was a conspiracy against me. Can you relate to this?

Growing Old(er)

Growing old - it's for the birds. Now you might be wondering what do you consider old? Well, hang onto your hats because I'm afraid some of you are going to realize that I consider you old.

I have always thought that anyone who made it to age 60 was old - sorry this does mean that my oldest brother Steve is old. No offense meant Steve. I myself am getting up there - won't be long. I've never hesitated to tell anyone how old I am -- I turned 55 last month. I think I look okay for my age. But 55 means I will soon be old. My brother Wayne at 58 will soon be old. I have lots of old and older friends.

Why do I think of 60 as old? Has to do with the fact that I never saw my parents grow old. My mom died at the age of 48 -- I was 19. Six years later at the age of 51 my dad died. I didn't think my dad was old. Sure when I came home to visit I could see his hair was getting grayer but he wasn't old. Then my parents are both gone before the age of 60. So anyone who lived to be 60 I thought was getting old. 70's and 80's - very old. I was only 24 - what did I know?

I give myself to age 65 - I feel this is reasonable considering my family history. I set a goal to see all my grandkids graduate from high school (my mom never even got see any of her grandkids). Seemed like a reasonable goal to me. Lily's in second grade this year -- I may have to change my goal to 66. I could do it -- I don't smoke (my parents were both heavy smokers) I don't drink. 65 is very doable. I moved to Tulsa and had to change doctors. Oh how I hated this - having to leave Dr. Hall. First time I went to see my new doctor here in Tulsa his remark was: "Let's see if we can tweak that blood pressure just a little bit more and you might live to be 65". Sad thing is = he wasn't joking after hearing my family history.

Getting old starts early - for me about age 40. I was in bad shape - unable to function because I had no energy, could not stay awake. Diagnosis? High blood pressure. So high that I was sent to a cardiologist. After sleeping in his waiting room for an hour I saw the cardiologist. He said that he needed to do a stress test but was afraid it would kill me as my blood pressure was 200/120 -- go home and rest. It's been down hill since then. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, bad knees, carpal tunnel, knee replacement, arthritis (even in my jaw so I am told). You name it - it hurts.

Now as I mentioned earlier - I have old friends and I have older friends. I'm not giving away their ages -- I love all of them. But I watch my friends in their 70's and wonder how do they do it? I even have some in the 80's. Then I think - I wish they would slow down - they are setting standards that I have trouble living up to now!! How do they do it? How do they do everything they do? I don't think I'll be able to.

But since I don't plan on being older - only old - maybe it won't be an issue for me. So for now - I will just continue along, doing what I do do and getting old. If I am fortunate enough to be "older" I will worry about keeping up then.

Military

We live in country where we have lots of freedoms. Most of these are taken for granted. These freedoms we enjoy don't just happen. There is a special group of people who fight for us to have these freedoms. I am talking about our military.

I come from military people. I didn't grow up in the military as some do. Both of my parents served in the Army during the Korean war. On my dad's side of the family I have an uncle who also served in the Korean war and another uncle who is retired Marine Corps. On my mom's side I have an uncle who is retired Navy, an uncle who retired Air Force, uncles served/retired Army. I have two brothers who are retired Navy, one brother who served in the Air Force. I have cousins who have served, I have nepehews who have served. My cousins sons have served or are serving. I have men I considered as family from Cal Farley's Boys Ranch who have served. My family has served in the Vietnam War, Dessert Storm, Gulf War. Out of my immediate family I am the only one who did not serve in the militaty.

I say that to say this - I take military as a way of life. I am thankful for every person who has served or is serving now. If I hear that someone is going into military I don't try to guess why - I am just thankful that they felt the call and responded. I know the military is not for everyone. When 9/11 occurred I immediatley went through my family members to determine if anyone was in service at that point who might have to go to war.

We have friends whose son joined the Marines. He has been gone for 13 weeks doing his training. His graduation was today. They flew out to be there with him. Yesterday they posted pictures of him. This was the first time they had seen him in 13 weeks. I know how proud they are of him. I looked at the pictures of him they posted on Facebook and I could see in the pictures that he was changed. I could see a sense of pride in the way he stood and I could see a determination in his eyes.

That put my mind to thinking. The following poem is the results of what I saw in the pictures on Facebook. I again want to say thanks to anyone who has served or is serving now.






A MARINE

You left a boy - came home a man
I can’t begin to understand.

Not a boy in age it’s true
But this experience has changed you.

You stand taller, your gaze is steady
Anyone can tell that you are ready.

Your grip is firm when I take your hand
There is confidence in the way you stand.

An air of assurance I do see
As you stand facing me.

You carry yourself with pride
I see it in every stride.

Your posture is erect and strong
It’s easy to see that you belong.

Part of an elite breed
You respond if there is a need.

You stand here with pride today
You are a Marine all the way.

You responded when you heard the call
You’re ready to give your country your all.

Written by: Kathie Marrs
October 19, 2012

Ticked Off

This morning as I started off for work I felt like I needed more than just a cup of coffee to get through the morning Yep, this morning definitely required more. So, after stopping at QT for coffee I made a left turn and went the short distance to Sonic for a large chocolate coke. I gotta tell you, that guy at Sonic knows customer service. He rocked it! I pull up to the speaker to order and he very politely greets me and says it will be just one moment please. A short time later I hear "the moments up how may I help you?" I place my order, he gives me the total and says "I'll see you around the corner". The car in front of me must have ordered food because he came bringing my drink out to me and very politely thanked me and told me to have a great day. Now that is certainly a great way to start your day and you are probably wondering why I titled this "Ticked Off"? Well, that's because I pass my pharmacy headed to and from Sonic. I pass my pharmacy every day. That's why I use it - it's close and covenient. My pharmacy was just bought by Wal-Green's. This really irritates me because I like my pharmacy and now I am going to have to change because I do not like Wal-Green's. I refuse to shop at Wal-Green's or even go in their stores. Why? Because they gave me the wrong medicine several years ago. Now, I realize that mistakes happen. Upon discovering that the medicine they gave me with my name on it was not mine I immediately called the pharmicist. Pharmicist was not very accomodating so I called and spoke to the store manager. My intent at this time is just to make them aware of the problem. The manager blows off my concern so I call corporate office -- only to be told that "it happens all the time." Seriously??? Now, all they needed to do was acknowledge the mistake and apologize but it never happened. I no longer use Wal-Green's. And just thinking about it ticks me off -- raises my blood pressure which is why I need to have that pharmacy close to me. And now I am going to have to change. Another reason to be ticked off at Wal-Greens. Similar experience at the Shell station on the corner close to my church. We stopped in there one day to get drinks. Pick our drinks out of the cooler and notice a sign that tells us the drinks are on sale. Good deal. We go to the check out and clerk rings them up twenty cents more. We advise that sign says they are not that price. Clerk says that's an old sign they aren't that price anymore. He should have given us the drinks at the advertised price and then taken the sign down. Need I say that we don't go to this store any more. Now those are kind of extreme situations. There are other things that tick me off just thinking about them. Why would anyone put an empty jug of milk back in the refrigerator? And if there is only one bite of food leftover from the meal why put it in a container and put it in the fridge? And the toilet paper roll??? Seriosuly, you can get a new one out and set on the counter but not put it on the holder? Worse is if you take the old roll off the holder and throw it away, get out a new roll of toilet paper and just set it on the counter. Now those little things don't tick me off real bad. In fact they probably don't rally tick me off - just frustrate me. They can be handled (unless it's a bad day and they all happen on the same day). That would tick me off! LOL How about you? What ticks you off?

My Favorite Apps/Naps

Earlier this year I switched phones.  I went from just texting and calling to a network phone!  Big change for me.  I went with a Lumina Windows phone. Now I would be able to access Facebook, do email, all the good stuff that I had been missing out on. 

I gotta say - I love my new phone.  It has been very easy for me to use.  I can access my banking info online - very handy I must admit.  I can get weather at a glance.  Love this - I can see what the weather is for my girls in Phoenix and for my brother in Pennsylvania, and even for whatever place I am planning to visit (which is no where right now LOL).  I thought it was very wrong this summer when I kept seeing that we were hotter than Phoenix!

I have a countdown app where I can put upcoming events on.  Right now my countdown app has the number of days, hours minutes, seconds, until:  My Grandson comes to visit (31 days, 1  hour and 58 minutes until his plane arrives), Christmas (which is 70 days and 10 hours away), Lily's birthday (she insisted on this - 166 days 5 hours) and my birthday (335 days, 10 hours). 

I have an Anti-Mosquito app, a Code Scanner app (great for getting special deals), a Cheap()air app (if I decide I want to go somewhere), Facebook, Groceries app (make my grocery list and mark it off)., Maps (instant help to get from here to there), Games (I don't use this to much but the grandkids love the Spark Art one).  There are more I could get but I have what I want for now. 

Flashlight App -- this one is cool -- just because it emits the brightest light you have ever seen.  They recently upgraded my Flashlight app and it now shows directions.  I even have a WhatsApp.  This is so I can do group texting with others who have WhatsApp.  Got this one because my daughter/granddaughter wanted me to.  This one is kinda cool because it has cool smiley faces you can add.  I don't have as many cool ones as they do but still cool.  I have Office 365 - very cool - I can do notes, I can have Excel, Power Point and Word. Even cooler - this Office app syncs with my work calendar.  I even have  just a simple My Notes app - which I use extensively for various things.  I just make a simple notation - don't forget quite as much as I used to. 

My favorite apps though?  Gotta be Starbucks Finder and Nap Alarm. 

Starbucks Finder - for when you need that quick fix and you aren't sure where the nearest one is.  Or if you are travelling and unfamiliar with the territory.  Click on that app and instantly you have a list of the closest Starbucks and how far away they are.  You can then use that Map App to get directions.  Gotta tell you, this came in handy when we were in Corpus Christie this summer and we had a rainy day that just called for Starbucks. 

Nap Alarm - this is wonderful and used by me frequently (as in daily).  I love my naps.  I usually take one on my lunch hour at work.  I try to take a short one when I get home from work.  I take naps on the weekend. Saturdays depending on what I am doing I may take 2 in the afternoon.  Definitely a long one on Sunday if at all possible.  My naps aren't usually very long.  I set the Nap Alarm for anywhere from 20-40 minutes. A good power nap does wonders.  Sometimes I am able to get a nap in before going to work in the morning.  Yep, I love my naps and my Nap Alarm. 

These are just some of the apps I recommend.  You may have your favorites - I'd be happy to hear what they are and possibly give them a try.  For now though I think I'll just set a timer for when I can take my next nap. 

Penetrating Pinterest

Pinterest -- what is the fascination with this site? If you aren't on there you should check it out. I have decided that it's an age thing. It seems if you are in your 20's or 30's you are really into Pinteret. Older people - not quite as 'addicted' - if I can use that word.

I knew that several - well okay lots - of my Facebook friends were on Pinterest. Posts were made daily of things they had pinned. They looked to Pinterest for ideas on what to have for dinner. I wondered what is the big deal. I gotta admit, I also wondered how they had the time for Pinterest. I had a friend ask me if I was on Pinterest. He knew that I spent a lot of time on the computer at work and was surprised when I told him No, I wasn't on Pinterest. I decided I needed to check it out. So I logged on
and requested an invite. And that brings up the question - why do you have to have someone invite you to join this? Well, I didn't wait for one of my friends to send me an invite - I went straight to the site and requested my own invite. And it wasn't long before that invite came along.

Okay, I have my invite now to go see what all the fuss is about. I log in and start 'browsing'. I don't know any other way to put it. I looked up some friends whom I knew had Pinterest accounts and checked out some of their stuff and decided I liked some of the stuff they had. Then I had to set up my own boards.

Now this is where it can get confusing. How do I find things to "pin" to my boards? Well, there is a search box you can use.; this is in the upper left corner.  And it brings up items. Or you can type in a friends name and go check out their boards. Or you can click on the word Pinterest at the top of the screen and see what it brings up. You will see lots of 'pins' of the same thing. You can choose a category. Are you starting to get the idea?

Now here is the thing. I don't get on Pinterest very often. Like I said it seems like my younger Facebook friends do. I might get on there every 3-4 weeks. Not a big deal. However, when I do get on there, I really tend to 'pin' a lot of stuff. I find places that look like they would be interesting to visit. I see fun stuff to do with the grandkids. I see things that just look totally awesome: a pool on a balcony - all glass walls, a two-person rocker. I find food that looks yummy and some that looks absolutely appalling. The point is, there is everything on there. You can plan your wedding, plan your vacation, plan your dream house. You can look up holiday specific items, specific ingredients to see what recipes you can make. Get the idea? You can find just about anything on Pinterest. And when I do get on - I pin a lot of stuff. I have talked to some older friends who are on Pinterest. They say the same thing: they don't get on very often but when they do they pin a lot.

Just the other day, a co-worker was wanting a recipe that someone she knew had pinned on Pinterest. She saw the post on Facebook. I obligingly went to try and find the recipe for her. I was successful with that and so much more. I pinned lots of stuff to my boards. Then I found a recipe that I just had to try. Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Latte. I was excited about this except for the fact that it served 8. I didn't want to have friends over to drink this because I didn't know if it was as good as I was hoping. I couldn't drink that much Latte myself (or anyway I shouldn't if I could). What was I to do?

Then it occurred to me - DUH - scale the recipe down and make only half or even a fourth. So I did. I pulled out my little crock pot and cut that recipe in fourths and made it. Let me tell you - it was good stuff.

So no matter your age, if you haven't gotten on Pinterest - give it a try.

It's a Coffee Kind of Day

It's a coffee kind of day.  I'm sure you know what that means.  Cloudy weather -- clouds look gray outside -- perfect coffee-drinking weather.  Although quite frankly, any day can be a coffee day for me.

So I got up this morning.  I had some coffee left in the pot from yesterday.  I don't throw out coffee - don't want to waste it.  I warm it up - either sometime during the day if I am home or in the evening, or the next morning.  I have my cup of coffee.  That will last till I get to work. 

I stop at Quik Trip.  Have to make an adjustment there as the machine I want to use is all taped off saying "out of order".  Idiots - don't they know all machines should be up and functioning first thing in the morning?  Still good though - I've had one cup already - I can adjust. Get to work and when it's time for a refill there hasn't been any coffee made for the day!  What's up with that?  No problem - start a pot.

Now, I'm okay for the day with my coffee.  I haven't had to wait for coffee and I have had some.  However, I have a friend who has not been so lucky today.  He's a truck driver.  Unfortunately for him he had to get some vending machine coffee.  I just know that all you coffee drinkers are shuddering at this thought.  Have you ever gotten coffee from a vending machine?  You know - rest stop areas on interstate, hospital waiting rooms.. you get the idea.

What is it about vending machine coffee?  It sucks!  I'm sorry to say that but that is the only way to describe it.  It tastes bitter, is never the right temperature and quite frankly - it sucks.  But sometimes you just have got to have a cup of coffee.  So you brave the vending machine.  Then you ask yourself why?  Why did you subject yourself to this torture? 

Your force the cup of coffee down but start looking/planning the closest available place where you can get a decent cup of coffee. And make a mental note to yourself that you really must plan your trip/day around coffee stops.  Not vending machine stops - but actual brewed in the pot coffee stops. 

So when it's a coffee kind of day - don't go to the vending machine.