Friday, September 30, 2022

whaddaya mean, the cinemas are closed?

Well, they are.
All three of them.
Not closed for good, just closed yesterday and today.
They'll be open again tomorrow, but that doesn't help me now.
I'm accustomed to going to a matinee on Fridays, and that was not possible.
I know, "waah, waah, waah".
First world problem.
Needing to get out of the house and DO something, anything, I went to CVS.
Hey, why not?
I had some Extra Bucks - eight of them, in fact - burning a hole in my pocket.
(smile!)
Boy, oh, boy, I am so glad I went!
Not just because I needed to get out and feel like I was going somewhere, though that did help.
I had a nice drive to the CVS at the juncture of Victory Drive and President Street, so that was at least thirty minutes in fresh air, round trip.
That really did me some good.
But the total bill at the end did me some good, too!
Through judicious use of those bucks, as well as a "40% off one item" coupon and good perusal of the sales, I saved more than I spent!
See?
I saved 52% of the total!
And that amount, $22.21, doesn't include the amount I saved on taxes.
That's an additional $1.55.
Hey, hey!!!
And just how did that work out?
Well, I bought something I need (Always pantiliners), which were on sale at "buy one, get one 50% off", which normally cost $8.99 each.
Total expenditure for the two boxes, including savings from the Extra Bucks: $10.13 - nice!
Then, one of my favorite cereals, the Kellogg's Vanilla Almond flakes, were on sale as BOGO, and they normally run $5.59 each.
Total expenditure for the two boxes, including savings from the Extra Bucks: $4.35 - sweet!
Plus, they had one 4-pack of the plant-based Ensure, vanilla, at $12.99.
With the 40% off coupon, and savings from the Extra Bucks, I paid only $5.86 for that - what a steal!
Yeah, I feel pretty good about that.
(smile!)
And writing about it makes me feel like I've accomplished something today, even if it was a just a small shopping trip.
Tomorrow, at high noon, I'll be going to Georgetown, helping Dawn get her house decorated for their annual BYOP party.
My outlaw Bunny is to be there, too, as well as several other helping hands.
Sounds like a party!
Hooray!
(smile!)

Thursday, September 29, 2022

got a-fib?

That was the title of the "Lunch & Learn" at Generation One today.
I made sure my silly self was right there.
I even had questions for the good doctor.
Todd Senn, M.D., is with the cardiology department at Memorial Hospital.
Like Dr. Cobb, he is also an electrophysiologist, which apparently means a cardiologist who specializes in factors causing electrical problems with the heart.
Got it!
It was a pretty packed house.
Then again, as with college students, if you want elderly folks to come, provide free food.
No pizza for this age group, but everyone was guaranteed a chef salad or a sandwich, with cookie.
(smile!)
So, what were the highlights of his talk?
 
1) There are four classifications of atrial fibrillation.
     Paroxysmal: recurrent bouts that stop without medication in less than a week
     Persistent: recurrent bouts that last more than a week unless medicated
     Longstanding Persistent: recurrent bouts that more than a year unless medicated
     Permanent: accepted as total loss of sinus rhythm and requiring rate control

NOTE: I have been diagnosed as having Persistent A-Fib. That means that without medication (such as Sotalol), I will experience episodes of irregular heartbeat that would last for more than a week and potentially lead to stroke.

2) Atrial fibrillation may have begun as atrial flutter, which is a common abnormal heart rhythm that usually is found for folks with hypertension, diabetes, or coronary artery disease, but is also found in persons without those medical issues. In other words, once the flutter becomes fibrillation, action of some sort is needed.

NOTE: I have had hypertension, aka high blood pressure, since my mid-40's, as do all women on both sides of my family. I know obesity is listed as a factor that contributes to A-fib, but I am the only woman so far diagnosed with this heart malady and I am not the only obese woman on either the maternal or paternal sides of my family.

3) Atrial fibrillation is not curable.

Yeah, that's a real attention getter, isn't it?
I swear there were gasps when he said that.
For all I know, one of those gasps came from me.
But I really liked the analogy he used.
Let me see if I can remember it all.
He said, "Think of atrial fibrillation as a bear in a cave. So, the potential for it to become active is always there, but isn't an issue as long as the bear is asleep. You want to keep the bear asleep, to not allow it to wake up, because that's when trouble starts."
Those may not be the exact words, but the sentiment is there...
and I can completely relate to letting sleeping bears alone.

NOTE: I wish Dr. Cobb had told me about this part. I realize that most folks don't want to think about having something that can't be cured, but my take is this: if I know I will always have the condition, then I can accept it and incorporate it into my life.
After all, I've had hypothyroidism for at least 20 years. That isn't curable, either, but it's treatable and so I take a little synthroid pill every morning.
I've had an allergy to strawberries my entire life. That isn't curable, either, but I know to avoid unknown foodstuffs that are red and treat with mistrust anything labeled as "mixed berry", like with some chewable vitamins.
I have lactose intolerance, too, and have had it for 15 years. That isn't curable, either, but I stay away from foodstuffs that contain the milk sugar molecule or I make sure to take a lactaid pill - which has the lactase enzyme needed to break down lactose - if I'm determined to have flan or dairy ice cream.
In other words, I just accept those chemical changes to my body and incorporate the necessary restrictions or work-arounds into my life.
 
Now that I know that A-fib is not curable, I can stop waiting for it to go away. 
I can accept it as yet another chemical change that requires an adjustment on my part.
No more caffeine.
No more alcohol.
No more chocolate.
 
No problem.
It's another loss adjustment for me, that's all.
 
Just as I had to give up feta cheese and Brie and mozzarella when I became lactose intolerant, I can do this, too.
I've been drinking decaf coffee in the morning ever since I was diagnosed in February.
My brain accepts it as "real"; after all, the decaffeinate version smells like coffee, it looks like coffee, it tastes like coffee.
Looks like a duck, walks like a duck, is a duck, right?
Right.
As for alcohol, that was not an issue, really.
I was only having an alcoholic beverage twice a year, anyway: a glass of wine for my birthday, and another for a new year's eve toast.
It was the chocolate that gave me the most concern, but I needn't have worried.
If it isn't in the house, then I don't miss it... so, I haven't bought any.
 
As for my questions, he assured me that the drug dosage from one manufacturer to another would be correct.
If I had a concern about the lactose filler in the Sotalol TEVA USA, then I needed to let my doctor know and see what he recommended.
He also assured me that Sotalol was Sotalol, regardless of whether it had the letters "AF" on the label or not; the two were identical.
That was reassuring.
 
Questions from others led me to again raise my hand.
They were asking about monitors that would detect atrial fibrillation.
I told them about my OMRON blood pressure machine from CVS and that it not only read my heart rate but also could detect irregularities in it.
The doctor nodded his head in approval of that.
 
So... incurable, eh?
At least it's not fatal as long as take my chemical offsets.
(smile)
i thank You, God.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

major change: now with mint


me: Phone is now on mint mobile!
 
her: Isn't that Ryan Reynolds' company?
 
me: Yes it is!
 
her: Cool!
 
me: And you notice I kept my number!
 
her: Yay! Why the switch?
 
me: Because t-mobile has been getting 55 bucks a month from me for forever.
 
her: How much is mint? 
her: Verizon has owned me since high school.
 
me: Now i will pay 15 per month and have the same benefits.

her: Wow! That is a big difference.

me: Yeah, i know. Very happy to have finally done this.
 
her: Did you also keep your phone?
 
me: Yes, kept my phone.
me: Started this on Monday. Mint set the Sim kit and it arrived this afternoon.
 
That was the first textversation I've had since switching to Mint.
Of course, I only completed the switch about an hour ago.
And, of course, my first niece was the first one I contacted.
I'll check it out for a month or so and see how I like it before I contact everyone.
(smile!)

goodbye, t-mobile! hello, mint!

FoxBot 08:20 PM
Hi Faustina Smith
FoxBot here. I can answer hundreds of the most common questions. To get started, type in a few keywords or one subject at a time. You can also choose one of the topics below.

Faustina Smith 08:22 PM
Tech Support

FoxBot 08:22 PM
Can I help you with any of the following topics?

Faustina Smith 08:22 PM
Help With Activation

FoxBot 08:22 PM
Getting an invalid activation code error? Let's gather a little information, and if needed, I can hand you off to a live chat agent to assist you.
Have you received a refund for this order?

Faustina Smith 08:22 PM
No

FoxBot 08:22 PM
Are you trying to activate 45 days after purchase?

Faustina Smith 08:22 PM
No

FoxBot 08:22 PM
Let me hand you off to a human, who can better assist you, first I'll just collect a little information before I do:

FoxBot 08:22 PM
What is your activation code?

Faustina Smith 08:22 PM
I just inserted the MINT SIM card and turned on my phone. But it won't let me make calls! Help!

FoxBot 08:22 PM
What's your ICCID? (long number ending in F, on the back of the sim card)

Faustina Smith 08:23 PM
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxF

FoxBot 08:23 PM
Thank you. One moment while I hand this chat off to a human.
You have been transferred to: Mayra Flores.

Mayra Flores 08:31 PM
Hi Faustina
This is Mayra from Mint Mobile Customer Care. Thanks for reaching out! How can I help you today?

Faustina Smith 08:31 PM
I just put in my MINT SIM card and my phone says "No SIM card. Emergency calls only."

Mayra Flores 08:32 PM
Can I please have a screenshot?

Faustina Smith 08:33 PM
 Of what? and how would i do that?

Mayra Flores 08:34 PM
No worries , let me access your account, Can i have your number?

Faustina Smith 08:35 PM
Where would I find that number in the paperwork that came with the kit? is it MTxxxxxx ?

Mayra Flores 08:36 PM
The phone number you got when you activate the sim card please
Did you activate the sim card?

Faustina Smith 08:38 PM
I never got the message that asked for the number. All I got was the message that "No SIM card detected."
Okay, I just took it apart and reinserted the SIM card. Maybe it was upside down. It fits the entire space now, instead of stopping short of the end.

Mayra Flores 08:40 PM
Great news! do you have service now?

Faustina Smith 08:40 PM
Ok, I just turned the phone back on and had a voice mail from MINT.
Still have not had anything ask for the activation code.
should i call 611 and see what happens?

Mayra Flores 08:41 PM
you need to download the mint app and activate the sim card

Faustina Smith 08:42 PM
I do not have a smart phone that uses those. I have an Alcatel GO Flip 3.

Mayra Flores 08:42 PM
If you like I can activate for you
Can I please have your ACT code?

Faustina Smith 08:42 PM
Yes, please!
Axxx xxxx xxxxE

Mayra Flores 08:43 PM
Thank you, can I please have your IMEI?

Faustina Smith 08:43 PM
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Mayra Flores 08:43 PM
Thank you one minute please
Can I please have your zip code?

Faustina Smith 08:44 PM
31404

Mayra Flores 08:45 PM
Do you want to get a new number or transfer a number?

Faustina Smith 08:45 PM
transfer a number

Mayra Flores 08:47 PM
Can I have the next information
Previous carrier
phone number you want to transfer
account number
pin
billing zip code

Faustina Smith 08:48 PM
T-Mobile   - phone number to transfer 912-xxx-xxxx - acct # 5xxxxxxxx - pin xxxxx9 - billing zip 31404

Mayra Flores 08:49 PM
Thank you one minute please
T-mobile prepaid or just T-mobile?

Faustina Smith 08:50 PM
just T-mobile
They unlocked my phone on Monday, 26 Sept 2022.

Mayra Flores 08:51 PM
Sorry it is saying the account number is invalid

Faustina Smith 08:51 PM
xxxxxxxxxx4

Mayra Flores 08:52 PM
Thank you one minute please
Can I please have your first and last name also an email?

Faustina Smith 08:55 PM
Faustina Smith f-----------@comcast.net

Mayra Flores 08:57 PM
Please hang on for a moment while I look into this for you.

Faustina Smith 09:01 PM
I keep getting texts from "6700", but they are confusing. It gave me a new temporary phone number and welcomed me to the MINT family, said my transfer to my real phone number is underway. It doesn't seem to understand anything I reply back.

Mayra Flores 09:04 PM
In this case please stay pending of your email and text as you will be notified once the transfer is complete, in the mean time you can use your temporary number 9122102269 and this password Mintxxx$ to login your account
 
Faustina Smith 09:05 PM
And where is my account? You mean to login online to my new MINT account?

Mayra Flores 09:06 PM
it seems your pin is incorrect , the transfer cannot complete
yes correct

Faustina Smith 09:07 PM
My PIN on my T-Mobile account? I know that is correct, as I set it this morning. PIN is xxxx9

Mayra Flores 09:08 PM
Do you have another pin?

Faustina Smith 09:14 PM
For T-Mobile? I do not. I did not even know I had a PIN with them until Monday when the MINT rep was working to get my phone unlocked.

Mayra Flores 09:14 PM
Can you please follow the steps on the photo

Faustina Smith 09:18 PM
You realize I have been online with you for almost an hour. I was on the phone with MINT for 45 minutes on Monday. I don't understand why this is taking so long.

Mayra Flores 09:19 PM
I apologize but we cannot process the transfer if the pin is incorrect

Faustina Smith 09:19 PM
And I don't know what photo you are referring to. You mean the png that says to call T-Mobile about my pin? And then how long will I be online trying to get my phone to work?
The PIN is NOT incorrect.

Mayra Flores 09:21 PM
The system show it is

Faustina Smith 09:21 PM
Okay, please hang on. I am calling T-mobile to see what their problem is.

Mayra Flores 09:22 PM
Sure no problem

Faustina Smith 09:26 PM
Well, here's a weird thing. When they asked me to input my PIN, I typed xxxx9 and it was accepted. I am now waiting for their rep to talk to me about a passcode to transfer my phone number to Mint.

Mayra Flores 09:26 PM
Hmmm.... let me know what they say please
please

Mayra Flores 09:33 PM
Just refreshing do the chat does not close

Faustina Smith 09:34 PM
Thanks. Still waiting for their rep.

Mayra Flores 09:35 PM
Sure no problem

Faustina Smith 09:39 PM
okay, they are on the line

Mayra Flores 09:39 PM
Thank you

Faustina Smith 09:42 PM
ok, apparently the pin on the acct w them is not the same as a transfer pin. they are generating that now.

Mayra Flores 09:42 PM
Got it, thank you

Faustina Smith 09:47 PM
8xxxxx9

Mayra Flores 09:48 PM
Thank you one minute please
transfer is in progress

Faustina Smith 09:50 PM
hooray!!!
Oh, yeah! Just got a text from Mint that says my phone number has been successfully transferred!

Mayra Flores 09:52 PM
Great news ! that is what i also see on my end 😊
Can you only restart your phone to make sure everything works fine
 As for the moment, is there anything else I can assist you with?
You are very welcome 😉
Thank you for being part of mint mobile and have a nice rest of the day.
Also on the top of this chat, there is a survey.
IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A THUMBS UP I will greatly appreciate it 🙏

Faustina Smith 09:56 PM
No, that's all I was trying to do. Thanks for your help and your patience.

Mayra Flores 09:57 PM
It was my pleasure
Faustina, thanks for taking the time to reach out to us today and for choosing Mint Mobile. Have a great rest of your day!

Faustina Smith 09:57 PM
Thank you!

*****
You rated our customer service as good.
You left the following comment: She was so very patient with me - so glad to know I am part f the MINT family!
You have closed the chat.
Was your inquiry resolved during the chat?
Yes
*****
 
Well, I had known this was going to take some time, but I had not realized how much.
However... was it worth saving FORTY DOLLARS A MONTH?
Yes, it most def was.
Most def.
So glad I finally decided to put the time in for this.
I've been considering the change for at least six months.
Sometimes, it just takes a while to gear up for a major change.
Change can be scary.
But... I really like that it gave me a sailor motif for the fox.
Right place, right time for this sea change.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

what do you do with a drunken sailor?

Ever since a textversation I had with the first niece earlier tonight, that old sea chantey has been running on repeat on that mental jukebox I have.
Here's how our talk went.
 
 * * * * *
me: Are you watching this hurricane?!! I don't know what happened to it in Cuba, but i suspect it had too much wacky weed. Been changing its path like a drunk.

her: Yes Ma'am. I am looking for a hotel further west. I am not sure. The latest model has it crossing Fla. Then going off shore. Then making landfall again somewhere between Jacksonville and Savannah.


me: I am hoping it doesn't come to that. 
Waiting for the 11 PM update on the noaa website. 
I have been tracking since Saturday.


her: Me, too. Trying to stay awake. 
Work has already decided to close Thursday and Friday.
I am thinking long weekend somewhere.
Crazy how much it is changing.


me: It's as if its feet got tripped up on that island.

her: Cuba must have given Ian a free drink and sent him on his way.
 

me: Got him good and drunk, more likely.
Maybe they gave him a few too many 'hurricanes'.
Those are powerful drinks.
And in huge glasses.
Haven't heard how big it is, how wide a swath it's cutting.
 

her: This morning they said 200 miles wide.
 
me: Damn. That's very large, as big as Matthew was.
 
her: Yes, it is.
 

me: Well, hell's belles.
Looks like it's going to try to walk up the coast to us.
Rat bastard. 

her: Doesn't look pretty.

me: No, it does not.
South Florida is getting hit hard tomorrow.
Doesn't help that it's only going ten mph.

her: No. From what I heard this morning it is supposed to slow down even more. They were estimating 2-4 mph movement.

me: I am going by the Noaa reported speed, from their weather satellites.

* * * * *

As you may have noted, I've posted the NOAA.gov images for the following dates and times.

Saturday, 24 September, 11 AM
 
Sunday, 25 September, 11 AM 

Monday, 26 September, 11 AM
Monday, 26 September, 11 pm
 
Tuesday, 27 September, 11 AM
Tuesday, 27 September, 11 pm
 
My plan is to stay in Savannah, as long as that is a viable option.
I'll continue to monitor the NOAA site twice daily to get the news I need.
I certainly feel for the folks in western Cuba, who caught Ian at hurricane force and found him reluctant to leave.
I do hope the folks in west central Florida, and across that belt, have better luck in getting Ian to move right along and back out to sea, as it'll be at Hurricane 4 strength at landfall.
And I hope it'll keep right on out into the Atlantic Ocean when it gets there.
Ian should steer clear of this city...
please.

Meanwhile, the yards have been cut - thank you, Smitty!
And I have been busy trimming trees in the back yard - no thanks, dumb squirrels.
My hope is that the three piles of yard debris get picked up in the morning.

grand finish with da'vine joy!!!

That's Da'Vine Joy Randolph, by the way.
I almost didn't recognize her, either!
All through the movie, I kept thinking her voice and facial mannerisms were familiar...
but I couldn't quite place her.
I had resolved to just wait and find her in the credits after...
then came the hospitalization scene...
and there was something about her fussing at her niece that sparked a memory...
of her fussing at the remote island's naval rescue squad...
and I flashed on to who this woman was!
Well, how about that!
That actress has some range!!!
Oh, snap, I didn't say what today's movie was, did I?
My bad!
I had finished up my AMC A*List with "On The Come Up", about a teen girl wanting to follow in her father's footsteps as a rapper, with Method Man and Lil' Yachty stepping up in key roles in this cautionary tale.
Nice.
And what role did Da'Vine Joy play?
She was not only the girl's auntie, she was also her agent at the local rap battles.
Rather than portray a polished promoter in stylish clothes as she had in the earlier movie, for this one she had ratted-out dreads, sweatpants, and hoodies.
You know: she had to walk the walk in each role if she was going to talk the talk. 
(smile!)
What about the other movies in this A*List?
Well, I'll definitely have to mention them, as you won't see them in this photo.
I don't know what the website's issue was...
but, instead of showing the promotional pictures, all three had "Poster coming soon" messages.
Very odd.
That's okay.
I know what movies they were!
That first one, "Don't Worry Darling", was seen on Friday and I wrote about its 50's glamour and science fiction feel.
Then, the following evening, I'd joined dos amigas for "Railway Children", as I wrote here.
Oh... snap, again.
I didn't actually say anything about the movie.
Well, it was a family film, set in the 1944 in England, and reminded me very much of "Summerland", except this focused on a trio of siblings and that had only revolved around one child.
Also, this movie found it necessary to play the race card, though I think that was fanciful and certainly was not necessary.
The age card was right there (inside joke with the physicist) and served quite well to present the viewer with a winning hand.
(Yes, I had to throw a little pun in there.
You're welcome!)
Now, I'm done with movies outside my home until Friday.
Good deal!
(smile!)

Sunday, September 25, 2022

pete the what???

"Pete The Cat", that's what!
Don't worry, I wasn't familiar with him, either.
I knew it was a character in a children's book series.
I knew it was a musical being presented by the Savannah Children's Theatre.
I knew my friend Danielle, Thomas' wife, was in it.
I knew it was only about an hour long.
I Knew it was only playing 10 AM Saturdays and 3 PM Sundays.
And I knew it was being held at the Historic Savannah Theatre.
We all know that the morning show was out.
At ten, I'm usually just starting breakfast.
This morning, I slept in.
I hadn't meant to, but that's what happened.
I completely missed "CBS Sunday Morning"!
That's because on Saturday night, I usually just set my first alarm, the one for my Synthroid, intending to get up for that show.
Nope!
I blame Owen.
His posturing as an Elvis Tribute Artist definitely distracted me.
It didn't help that Frank had adopted the persona of Stephen Hawking before him.
Nor did it help me remember my schedule when Jim came out dressed as Billie Jean King.
They were all auditioning for the Christmas nativity play, you see.
They wanted to make sure they had chosen good role models to portray the three wise kings.
Get it?
A little joke for the the Vicar of Dibley... and us!
Hahahaha!  Hahaha! 
And guess who pregnant Alice played?
Mary! And she gave birth right on stage!

The upshot of watching all of that delightful nonsense, which aired after midnight, was that I slept in, and slept well, too, having put a blanket on the bed.
So, rising late, I had breakfast with "Teen Kids News" instead of the usual.
And just what did I have?
That scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich, that's what, on some of the bread from those meals I bought yesterday!
What a delight!!!
And even a chocolate shake to wash it down!
Definitely not the usual!
Life is good!
(smile!)
Then I took a shower and dressed nicely and headed downtown.
And guess what?
I found parking right across the square from the theatre! Hallelujah!
The young man gave me a aisle seat, near the back, so I wouldn't be overrun by children under the age of 7.
That's the target demographic, as it turned out.
Still, even though the place was rather full, the family groups had open seats to either side.
Very good!  And the play was, too! Even JoJo Ward was in it!
Yes, quite a lovely outing for a Sunday afternoon!

Saturday, September 24, 2022

new hope in my yard

Remember how sad and raggedy my oleander had looked?

Well, this time when I passed by to take out the trash, I saw this!

New growth!!!

That one branch is the only one I was able to save, and now it is gracing me with its thanks!

Hooray!

So, what else is new out front?

Well, that dragonfly I like so much is back!

Actually, I doubt it's the same exact insect, right?

Even though it has prehistoric kin, most of these lovely creatures live for only five weeks or less.

So, that means this delightful beast is visiting for the first time in its life.

But, get this: see that pose it's struck on the brick step?

Well, all its ancestors have posed there, too!

They must think of my house as their home!

So, just why was I still at home at 4 PM?

Why hadn't I gone off to a movie?

And since I hadn't gone to a matinee, why didn't I go to Bowties Barbeque to join Barbara and Carolyn at 4:40?

Mostly it was because of this package.

Yeah, I know, it doesn't look very important.

Nor does it look like it might contain treasure.

But it is and it does.

Without it, if the arrhythmia returns and I have a stroke, this bag's contents will keep my blood from clotting, helping me stay alive.

Yeah, it was well worth waiting until almost 5:30 PM for it.

However, another reason I didn't go to the restaurant is I already have pulled pork a-plenty.

Between the fundraiser for the church youth, and Smitty bringing me beef brisket that he'd smoked, I'm sittin' pretty with barbequed meats.

But I will be joining them for the 6:15 PM screening of "Railway Children", which is out behind Savannah Mall.

I need to get it in gear...

and get on outta here!

Just a bit of poetry...

before I flee!

(smile!)

what's that on my foot?

It's a sock...
 
in September...
 
and I've been wearing the socks ever since I woke up at 4 AM to pee.
 
And that's my bathrobe that I'm wearing.
 
Not only is it cool enough to wear clothes, it's cold enough for that fluffy robe.
 
The thermometer in the house read 66 F this morning.
 
No, I am not happy about it.
 
I have not used the air conditioner in the dining room since Wednesday night.
 
Fall is evidently not just a date on the calendar this year at this latitude, as it usually is.
 
The temperature was down in the low 60's F last night and will remain down there all week.
 
Ack.
 
So says Pat Prokop, the best meteorologist I know.
 
So, a light blanket is going on my bed tonight.
 
I was so cold this morning under the flannel sheet that I had to get up before 9 AM.
 
Ack.
 
I had soup for breakfast and that helped.
 
So, I think some Brunswick stew is in order and I have exactly what I need to make it.
 
Smitty brought me over some brisket that he'd barbequed and shredded, plus i have corn in the freezer and little potatoes in the crisper.
 
Perfect.
 
At least the highs will be around 80.
 
That works... kinda sorta...

Now, I'm off to pick up Barbeque dinners at the fundraiser for Angells Youth.
 
The dinners will be at Wesley Oak instead of Asbury Memorial, just to make sure folks mingle from both churches.
 
I bought four of them, so I won't have to really cook for a while.
 
(smile!)

Friday, September 23, 2022

kiss her, you brilliant fool!

Hey, I just couldn't let the coincidence slide, okay?
 
Earlier today, I took myself to the first film of my new A*List... 
and what a beautiful piece of science fiction it turned out to be!
Gorgeous cars from the 1950's, gorgeous dresses from that period, and gorgeous old music!
But the best part was the parade of cars from the rather new subdivision every morning, brilliantly hued metal vehicles with high fins and shiny chrome, all pulling out of their drives at the same time as the husbands headed across the desert to Project Victory.
Gorgeous!
It rather reminded me of the scene in "Edward Scissorhands" when the men were all going off to work while the women stayed home.
Such a different period of time.
And what was the name of that matinee movie today?

Fast forward to this evening.
I'd been taking care of business on the computer and lost track of time.
Suddenly it was almost 7 PM and my belly was growling.
The sidekick of ribs and sliced Gala apple from earlier had definitely worn off.
What to do about dinner???
How about 'instant' sweet potato casserole?
(That's mashed sweet potato from Tx RH, about half a cup each of milk and applesauce, heated and served atop the Special K "pumpkin spice" cereal. Spur of the moment recipe I made up that'll be worth a repeat!)
So, that's what I was eating while enjoying one of my favorite episodes of TBBT.
It was "The Earworm Reverberation", with Sheldon driving himself, and everyone else, crazy as he tried to figure out the song he was humming to himself.
As it turned out, the tune was about his unspoken feelings for Amy, whose patience had worn out, leading her to leave him and start dating others.
Sheldon had thought he was fine, but his brain knew better, so it had rifled through its mental jukebox and found the one song with the right words.
Meanwhile, Sheldon is going to record stores and asking anyone he meets about the tune.
Finally, he learns the song is "Darlin'", by the Beach Boys, and after analyzing the words, he realizes that Amy is "the fabric softener of his life" and the only woman for him.
Of course, as soon as he knows what it means, he heads off to Amy's apartment to share the news with her, but she's hosting a dinner with a new guy.
No worries; the new guy is utterly infatuated with Sheldon's brain, so he steps aside when he sees who is at the door, only stepping forth to offer advice as he sees fit.
What kind of advice?
Check the post title!
(smile!)

Right place, right time, for me!

Thursday, September 22, 2022

22 September 22

"Is this going to be some regular thing now? You had a similar post title last month."
 
Oh, did I? That just slipped my mind, dearie. Nope, just kidding! I rather like the way it looks, with the month booked by the same numbers. Makes it look important!
 
"And was today important for you?"
 
Actually, it rather was! Generation One had a 'lunch & learn' session, with Dr. Timothy Connelly of Memorial Hospital, and this was a full-house event. I guess everyone else wanted to hear all about "Vaccine Update", too!
 
"Was it helpful?"
 
It was to me! The speaker had a very down-home approach that reminded me of my teaching style. As it turns out, he is a teacher now, no longer seeing patients, and letting folks know the latest on the medical front is his specialty.
This new anti-COVID vaccine, for instance, isn't that new. It's still a mRNA vaccine, targeting the spike protein by which the coronovirus gains cellular entry. In fact, 50 % of it is the same as it was, with the balance being tweaked to account for changes in the spike protein.
It does not contain nay of the actual virus, either live or dead or attenuated, as do vaccines for influenza or polio or measles or pneumonia. That is how the mRNA vaccine for coronavirus differs from every other vaccine for disease.
That last part is not news to me.
However, it will be a disappointment to some folks I know.
They're waiting for some super-miracle vaccine that will prevent them from getting infected by the SARS-CoV-2 strain, whether it be Omicron version or the next one down the line.
That's never going to happen.
The way to not get infected is to wear a mask, maintain your distance from folks outside your social bubble, and wash those hands!
What the vaccine does do, and does remarkably well - like, with an effectiveness of >90% - is keep that viral infection from developing into a case of COVID that lands you in the hospital and fighting for life on a ventilator.
That's a huge miracle, to me.
And it's much better odds than folks had 100 years ago when that pandemic came home with the American GI's from WWI. 

"So true. Hey, that's when that crowd-sourced flick, "Pearl", was set, isn't it?"
 
Yep, that's correct! I'll get around to that later... nah, since you brought it up, let's do it now! But, first, you have to hear the title I'd made for this week's A*List.
God's Country Pearl, The Woman King
Nice, right?
 
"Well, not as catchy as last week's trio, but I guess it'll do for a bunch of chick flicks."
 
These were most assuredly not "chick flicks", which tend to be rom-com or deep into weepy, emotional family dynamics.
That is not what any of these were.
By the time I sat through the first two, I suspected each one was centered on a woman with a deep-seated, festering, grudge who loses control and kills people. Fortunately, that theme was not present in the third movie.
 
"Really? That's what "God's Country" was all about? I thought Cinema Savannah was bringing that to town?"
 
Yeah, Tomasz is, and yeah, that's how that movie is. Ex-cop left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and moves to Montana as a college professor, with her mom, both still bristling, seventeen years later, with hatred for the mess in Louisiana. After the mom dies, the ex-cop finds an outlet in two rednecks. And just what great wrong were they doing to her? Parking in the canyon where she had her house. Seriously. 
I watched it at the AMC, with Barbara and Carolyn, and they took her side. Seriously.
I took the side of the deputy sheriff, caught between two factions running hellbent for leather into a murderous conflict.

"That doesn't sound like the kind of film Tomasz would get."
 
I agree, especially as there was no nudity in it.
 
"Hahahaha! Yeah, I know what you mean. And the other movies?"
 
"Pearl", like you said, is set in 1918 and features folks wearing masks all around town. The lead role is a fresh-faced young woman, trapped under her mom's baleful eye, trapped on the farm she had wanted so to leave, trapped caring for her dad who is bound to a wheelchair after catching the deadly influenza. She had married a man from a wealthy family, sure that he would take her away from her poverty, but he had joined the Army and left her right there, with her dreams of becoming a famous dancer slipping out of her grasp.
 
"Oh, the poor girl!

She may have been financially bereft, but she became morally bankrupt, starting small and then going after any and every source of aggravation in her life. It was rather comical. Try to imagine Dorothy if the woman on the bicycle had been her Auntie Em.

"Yeah, you'll need to target that rabbit hole with your first niece, not me."

Good idea. Now, what about "The Woman King"? Well, that one is billed wrong on several counts. First, the summary would have you believe this was an anti-slavery movie; that's wrong. That aspect is one of the subplots, but not the crux. Second, the previews would have you believe that this is a war movie with lots of fighting; that is also wrong. This is a movie about a squad of fighting virgins, much like the Amazons, and there are a couple of fight scenes. But the heart of the film is the leader of the squad, who, as a rape victim, is not a virgin, and who did bear a daughter, who her best friend put up for adoption.

"None of that is even hinted at in the trailers!"

I know. They concentrate on the slave trade, and try to throw any white people under the bus, so to speak, and minimize the role played by the African king and the black trader he worked with most. It's truly a much better movie than the previews make it out to be. By the end, I was catching a note of similarity between this one and "Lifemark", which also dealt with adoption rather than abortion.

"Well, I guess you can tell what demographic they were targeting by keeping the focus on race relations and conflict. Anyway... what else did you do to mark the date?"
 
I was the gate wench for "The Christians"!
 
"You were what??? Oh, you're trying to be all cutesie about telling me you were a volunteer again for the SavRepTh show."
 
Well partly, but that's also where they put me! For usher detail, I'd expected to be inside. Nope! I was on front gate duty, welcoming 'parishioners' to 'Pastor Paul's church' and waving them toward the open doors. How nice to be outside as the day became dusk! 
But that wasn't the best part. Nope, it was getting hugs from Deborah and Kimmi as they came through and saw my smiling face! They're in-country from Costa Rica for the next two weeks and will be in Savannah for the next few days. After all, the Savannah Jazz Festival is going on and Deborah so loves that music!
 
"Hey! How very cool!!!"
 
It was, it was! And they were accompanied by Sherry, and fellow Savannah blogger Thomas Houston, and I got big hugs from them, too! Then, as the play began, I was able to sit down a row back from them, so we were all watching it together. So very nice!

"And how was it this second time? Did it still leave you with so many questions?"

I think maybe it didn't have as strong an impact on me as it did that first time. Plus, 'talking' it out with Grandpa had helped. Especially after I realized he had been my age when we had those deep debates. What an eye-opener for me that realization had been!

"Well, you have to remember that he's been gone for forty years now. I guess March would have been that anniversary."

I think I need to take a trip to Waycross in the near future. It's been a while since I visited family there, both the living and the dead.

"Lunch with cousin Lynn again? Nice! We could go for sushi!"

Yes, we could! Imagine that: sushi in Ware County! Very nice!
(smile!)

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

no wns for me

Last week I had barely made it in time.
Wednesday night suppers have resumed at Asbury Memorial, for the first time since the pandemic began in this country.
Here's the thing, though: they're serious about the meal being done by 6:30 PM.
I arrived at 6:20 and they were putting away the food already.
Seriously.
So, I got my chicken tetrazzini meal 'to go" and took it home.
Nice that I still got some blueberry crisp and a nice salad along with it.
Just $7 for a meal I didn't have to make, so that was good!
Still, I had looked forward to sharing dinner with others.
I'm trying to be more present at the church, right?
So, I'd looked forward to tonight, with plans to be there by 5:30, at the meal's start, for a bit of camaraderie and food someone else prepared.
Well, it didn't happen.
Wait, let me clarify: the company part didn't happen.
I still got a meal that I didn't cook - in fact, I'll end up with several meals from this one, so that's a real bonus - but that didn't get me to the church on time.
I was waiting for medications to arrive in the mail, which is usually here by 4.
For whatever reason, the 'arrival by' time changed from 4:45 to 7:15, so here I sat.
 
They actually got here just before 6:30, so, in that regard, they were 'early'.
No worries: I took myself out to dinner anyway!!!
Texas Roadhouse had sent a coupon for my 2-year anniversary in their loyalty club.
That meant I could have a free sidekick of ribs with whatever meal I ordered!
I almost didn't stay, though.
There was a 15- to 25-minute wait for a table and I was hoping to get to the cinema to top off my A*List.
But, as I waited, a familiar song started up...
and I found myself singing and moving along with "Boot Scootin' Boogie", remembering that concert with 'sister' Laura - no coincidence!
Right place, right time!
(smile!)
Usually, I select the Country Vegetables Plate, but, I'm still on a shrimp craze, right?
Bloody well right, as Supertramp would say!!!
So I ordered the Grilled Shrimp, which gave me two skewers with five lovely shrimp on each!
Plus, I had this huge garden salad as one of my sides, as well as the rice that came with the shrimp.
The baked sweet potato and the half-rack of ribs went home with me!
So did two of the four rolls.
Oh, yeah!
(smile!)
Now, let's get off to that movie, shall we?
(smile!)

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

and now this message from beyond...

Rev. Billy Hester was making his concluding remarks about Chris Fahey when it happened.
Chris was one of the rotating cast that greeted folks as they entered the church.
Enthusiastically, he'd say to one and all, "Welcome home, welcome home!"
And so, before Danny Beam was to offer his remarks about his long-time friendship with this upbeat fellow, our pastor was giving his regards.
Billy had just gotten to the part about God welcoming Chris with those same words of greeting that the now-departed used...
and, in the stillness, a voice rang out...
"Sweet home, Alabama, where skies are blue..."
and we all had a good laugh!
The man who had so loved a good joke seemed to have had one last laugh with us!
Billy even asked Danny if he had arranged for that cell phone to go off right then.
Danny said, "I sure wish I had!"
Then, when it was his turn at the microphone, he took the piano instead of the stage, to riff a few bars of the song with a little rephrasing:
"Sweet home up in heaven, where the skies are always blue..."
Beautiful.

And why was I there?
Well, partly it was because the man was just a year older than me when a stroke killed him.
Another reason was that Billy had included me in the news of Fahey's death on Saturday; that was the night I had volunteered for parking lot patrol, so I was there when Billy had come from the hospital to see "The Christians".
Then, there was Chris' turning lemons into lemonade: after he lost his job a few years ago, he went to college to pursue his dream of becoming a nurse, and made it real.
He wasn't one of my students, but he embodied a lesson I always tell: there is no age limit on going to college.

I'm glad I stayed around afterward.
One of the nurses from my adventure in Italy - ten years ago - was there and she recognized me and came over.
Kate Strickland and I are going to lunch some Wednesday in the coming weeks!
She, like me, has tired of seeing people only via fb.
Good for her!
And good for me, too.
(smile!)

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

Saturday, September 17, 2022

dear grandpa...


Dearest Grandpa,
 
Last night I volunteered to be a parking lot attendant at my church.
SavRepTh has their production of "The Christians" there for this weekend and the next.
I watched the Lucas Hnath play on Thursday and was struck by the similarities between events on the stage and events that have affected Asbury Memorial for the past few years.
It seemed no mere coincidence that my church had agreed to host this play about a pastor who attends a conference and returns a changed man with new ideas for the direction his church needs to go, with new ideas about the interpretation of the words in the Bible, with new ideas about what occurs in the afterlife.
Right place, right time, I thought.

And I still believe I was meant to be there, I do.
But here is the problem: my mind has been swirling with questions raised during the play, absolutely roiling with the need to communicate with others about it.
Tonight, Ryan McCurdy and I hugged in greeting in the parking lot, then he asked if I had seen the play and how I felt about it.
I told him honestly what I just told you, and added, "I've realized that I have very few people in my life that I could discuss my questions with."
Ryan had paused, then said, "I know what you mean. The same is true for me."
That's rather sad, I thought.
Ryan is SavRepTh's Executive Artistic Director, which means he is the one who helps decide which plays will be produced by their troupe.
Ryan is the one who had chosen this play, "The Christians", and he had just told me that he knew few people he could have an honest discussion with about its plot points.

Jenn told me the same thing when I spoke with her at the end of my duties.
Jenn Bishop is the Managing Director of the troupe.
So, her voice has weight when it comes to play choice.

Jackie, of Wesley Oak Church, was there, too.
Before Jenn came in, Jackie and I had been talking about her little church, the one that Asbury Memorial merged with, the one with such meaning to Rev. Billy.
Jackie was surprised that so few in her congregation had come for the play.
I had said, "Well, there's about 20 people there, right?"
Yes, that's right, she'd told me, and most were quite elderly.
They had been so grateful, she added, that our church had taken them on, as the building and grounds had needed work, but there was no money from their small congregation.
I told her that's how Asbury Memorial UMC had been before Billy and Cheri Hester came.
She seemed very surprised to hear that.
 
She thinks of AsbMemCh as having a wealthy, large, long-established congregation, but that is not the case.
Just like the church in "The Christians", AsbMemCh had taken on great financial debt a decade or so ago, for a new roof, new air conditioning, new seats, new floor.
As good fortune would have it, the church had experienced a growth spurt and, with extra funds being pledged by its congregation for a three-year span, was able to have the work performed and able to repay the bank for the loan.
I was gladly part of that, too, as I was teaching full-time at Armstrong.
The problem came afterward, when part of that new contingent of the congregation wanted to have the LGBTQ+ community excised.
Billy had told them, right from the pulpit, that "this is God's church, and all are welcome here," at which point a good number of folks got up and left.
In the play tonight, when the pastor announced that he would no longer be preaching about the existence of Hell, several members of his congregation, including the choir, all got up and left, en masse.
He had held a vote, you see, for folks to choose to side with him, or to side with Assistant Pastor Joshua in favor of continuing to believe in Hell.
And it isn't that a lot of people left.
In truth, it was less than 5% that voted for Joshua, and some others who had abstained.
But there was a ripple effect, with others leaving the church as time progressed.
 
Asbury Memorial Church had held its first vote in September 2019.
The UMC had decided at its conference that LGBTQ+ weddings were forbidden in its member churches and those performing such weddings would be heavily penalized.
I know my cousin Bobby left his church over that decision.
Our church took a different tack.
Not only would Rev. Billy Hester cease performing weddings for anyone, he also wanted our church to leave the UMC group.
I know many in the congregation were determined to follow him, wherever he might lead.
So, after several informational sessions, to make sure all were aware of the financial consequences of this action (including taking on the payment of Billy's retirement fund), all members voted.
The vote was not unanimous, as many had expected it to be.
Some voted against the move, as I had; some abstained.
I was not surprised.

As time passed, the congregation at AsbMemCh worked to recover a financial cushion after the separation from the UMC world church organization.
In two years, the budget was looking better and there was even money in the bank savings, as several Elderberries had passed on during the pandemic and they had named the church in their wills.
And that's when we were hit with a sales pitch last year, about Wesley Oak UMC wanting to separate from the world church, too, but not having the funds to do so.
We had the funds in savings, we were told, to help them out and join forces.
All it would cost would be that quarter-million dollars... oh, and a pledge of time and service to help caretake for that property as well as our own.
I seriously doubted that we would be able to tend the grounds and do building upkeep on both, especially as it would fall to the younger members of our church to do so.
They have family obligations and parent caretaking already on their plates, so they simply do not have the time or energy.
So, we were all asked to vote as to which direction our church would take.
When the vote finally occurred, 25% had voted against the merger, as I had.
And, although I stayed with the church, I am sure others took that chance to leave, largely unnoticed, during the second year of the pandemic.
Their funds departed with them.

In fact, after taking on the little Thunderbolt church and paying its way free from the UMC umbrella, and paying for its repairs, my church is now in financial distress.
Sure, funds are usually low after the summer, when folks are on vacation and not actually in attendance and Billy is absent from the pulpit.
However, they're a good bit lower than usual, and the savings cushion went into the merged church, not into ours.
And, just as folks had done in "The Christians", they are questioning the motives behind the rescue of the tiny congregation of elders, questioning the expense of that venture and exhibiting buyer's remorse, questioning whether to stay or go.
At least Cheri is standing by her man, right?
 
In the play, the pastor's wife had been as surprised as the rest of the congregation when he had announced that Hell didn't exist... but she had kept her face composed and had said naught, not to him and not to them.
But she was finally "urged to communicate" as her husband would say.
A young member of the church had asked the pastor what she should tell her son were the wages of sin if there was not a Hell.
How should she encourage him to behave and do the right thing if the fires of the afterlife were not there to dissuade him?
Where might evil people like Hitler be, if not in Hell?
And the pastor had told her, "Well, Hitler is in Heaven. All people who die are in Heaven. Jesus died so that all would have life everlasting."
Of course the young mother kinda sorta lost it, right there in front of the whole church.
And when she left, others followed suit.
Not the pastor's wife.
She waited until they were home and then gave him what for about springing that on her.
"Hitler in Heaven??? What were you thinking???"
And he had tried to explain to her, but she was already questioning her love for him, already questioning her decision years ago to marry him, already questioning whether she could even stay in the church or with him.

I must admit, I had not given any thought to such a query, but, now, there it was.
How did I feel about it?
What did I think about such a thing as all people together ever after?
I've already been thinking about the question of just how often must one profess one's acceptance of Jesus as their Savior for it to count?
Having recently attended the first communion of my nephew, with him affirming his belief in Jesus and that Jesus died for his sins, will that affirmation be enough to grant his soul entry to Heaven, or will he need to do so multiple times to keep it valid?
After all, I've looked up the information on Adolf Hitler.
Earlier this afternoon, after watching "Jane Doe: The Eye Of The Beholder", about a Vermeer painting that had been stolen by the Nazi forces and later recovered.
One of the clues had concerned Hitler's birthday.
Was that real?
Was he truly born in 1889? 
That meant he was about 50 years old when he began the war on the world.
He was in the throes of a midlife crisis, and I had never heard anyone mention the effect of that hormonal imbalance on his decisions.
Men have hormones, too, and they wax and wane just like those of women.
Why wouldn't that have a role in his actions?

And, as I was considering that question and reading about his childhood, I stopped.
"The eight-year-old Hitler took singing lessons, sang in the church choir, and even considered becoming a priest."
Eight year old??? Priest???
That was the age of my nephew.
Was Hitler Catholic???
That meant that, as a youth and a young man, he believed in the teachings of Christ and had accepted Jesus as his Savior.
It wasn't until he moved to Vienna at the age of 18 that he started believing racist bias that the Christians there held against the Jews. 
So, here is my question: If there is Heaven and if there is Hell...
and if one gains entry to Heaven by the acceptance of Jesus as Savior...
which Hitler did...
wouldn't it stand to reason that in accordance with the Bible, Hitler is in Heaven?
And how do I ask that without people thinking I condone his actions as an adult?
And who can I discuss this with without it turning into an attack?
And why can't I just leave this alone?

I do wish you were here.
We could have a grand discussion, as we once did on so many topics when I was a teen, topics that no one else in the family wanted to talk about with either of us.
As for my tres amigas, none of them will even consider going to the play, simply because it is called "The Christians".
They seem to think they'll be hit up to join a church.
I've tried to explain that the play is not about that.
I have family members who won't attend because they suspect it is anti-Christian.
I've tried to explain that the play is not about that, either.
It's about communication and faith and the importance of questioning one's beliefs every so often to determine if they're still valid for you.

At least I now know others whose minds are in this same sticky, questioning, place that mine is right now.

I sure wish you were here.
Maybe you were, up in that nexus of a cloud above the church tonight.
Hard to believe it's been forty years since we were together.
i thank You, God, for the ether to relay this message, and my love, to you.

with much love always,
your one-and-only, ever loving, granddaughter