You may not be hearing from me for a while. We are about to depart for England to see Abby, our 5 year old grand daughter. We will be away for the next 2 months so I don't know how much time I will have to devote to this blog.
Normally I wouldn't mention leaving town for fear of someone braking into our empty house but considering the fact that I have packed everything it is not a concern. We have very little here to steal on a normal day. No big screen TV, no fancy electronics, no expensive jewelry, no masterpieces hanging on the walls. We are talking about two OLD folk who are not living in the 21st century yet. My basic cell phone and computer are coming with me. (Don't have an i Pod, i Phone, or i Pad) The ancient TV is so old it is one step up from black and white. Our cameras are packed and coming with us, we have no DVD or DVR, just an ancient VCR. Forget jewelry, I have lost the 2 "good" pieces of jewelry that husband gave me and the rest of the clutter in the jewelry box comes from Target or TJ Max. We joke that if someone ever broke into our house they would probably leave something.
But then we also have our top notch security patrolling our community and the deaf and almost blind watch dog that lives next door.
All things considered I don't have a worry in the world that the house will be fine for 2 months on it own. Unless a hurricane hits! We have entered hurricane season in South Florida and they are predicting a BIG season for storms. I am glad on that account to be going to England. We have taken in all the furniture from outside and piled it on the patio. (That is an added deterrent to thieves . . . they would have to climb over lounge chairs and picnic tables to get into the house).
Other than all that, my fingers are crossed and I'm putting myself in Gods Hands for the next couple of months.
Have a great summer and I'll be talking to you from across the pond.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The GUNNAS
Being from Brooklyn Husband has his own language. His absolute favorite word is "GUNNA", as in "I'm gunna fix that today." or "I'm gunna get my hair cut tomorrow".
To those of us not from Brooklyn this all translates to "I AM GOING TO . . . ".
Now the "gunnas" usually never actually happen. They are put out there a few hundred times a day but they very seldom materialize. I guess just by saying them we are getting closer to actual action but I never hold my breath when "gunna" is spoken.
Gunnas are very closely related to the "DIDJAS". Where the gunnas are spoken by husband with the action supposedly coming from him the "didjas" are meant for me. As in "'Didja' get any milk while you were out?" Or "'Didja' call the doctor's office to make an appointment for me?" (That statement is so wrong on so many levels!)
Usually if left alone long enough the "gunnas" turn into "didjas". I haven't really figured out how that manages to happen but it is happening so much more over these last few weeks that I think there must be a great deal of procrastination in the area. Three weeks ago husband had a whole list of "gunnas" and now that list has turned into "didjas" right before my eyes.
At this rate I am "gunna" get myself a gunna and shoot somebody right in his "didja" !
To those of us not from Brooklyn this all translates to "I AM GOING TO . . . ".
Now the "gunnas" usually never actually happen. They are put out there a few hundred times a day but they very seldom materialize. I guess just by saying them we are getting closer to actual action but I never hold my breath when "gunna" is spoken.
Gunnas are very closely related to the "DIDJAS". Where the gunnas are spoken by husband with the action supposedly coming from him the "didjas" are meant for me. As in "'Didja' get any milk while you were out?" Or "'Didja' call the doctor's office to make an appointment for me?" (That statement is so wrong on so many levels!)
Usually if left alone long enough the "gunnas" turn into "didjas". I haven't really figured out how that manages to happen but it is happening so much more over these last few weeks that I think there must be a great deal of procrastination in the area. Three weeks ago husband had a whole list of "gunnas" and now that list has turned into "didjas" right before my eyes.
At this rate I am "gunna" get myself a gunna and shoot somebody right in his "didja" !
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Tough Day
Husband had a very tough day today . . . He got his hair cut ! That's it, he got his hair cut. Nothing more, nothing strenuous, just driving from here about a quarter of a mile, parking the car, walking into the hair cuttery and sitting while someone else does all the work. Have I mentioned that husband is VERY good at that? The sitting while someone else does all the work ? I guess he is exhausted because each time I came home or passed through the den, Husband is sitting in his recliner in front of the TV.
Normally I just take this for granted. Sitting in front of the TV is good because it means he is not annoying me. But we are leaving next week for 2 months in England and there are many extra things to get done, never mind the usual things that keep needing attention. (Laundry, dishes, etc.) I have been getting myself into a state of frenzy and keep telling myself that we have time, everything will get done. But Husband just put me over the top so I had to vent.
I have been running around since 10:30 this morning and came out to check on my mail and sit for a afew minutes. I had told Ger that we would eat dinner around 5:30. At FIVE O'CLOCK on the nose the door to the garage, (alias "Command Central") opened and there stood husband. His question was, "WE are going to eat early, right?". I calmly said yes, we would be eating around 5:30. (Did I not mention that earlier?). Husband left and I finished up what I was working on. When I went into the kitchen 5 minute later there sat TWO (2) plates on the counter, just waiting to be filled with food. The dishwasher remains full with clean plates that need to be put away but Husband had gone to the cabinet, taken out 2 plates and placed them on the counter for me. I took one look at them and have returned to the garage to blog !
Am I crazy or is this man insane ?
Normally I just take this for granted. Sitting in front of the TV is good because it means he is not annoying me. But we are leaving next week for 2 months in England and there are many extra things to get done, never mind the usual things that keep needing attention. (Laundry, dishes, etc.) I have been getting myself into a state of frenzy and keep telling myself that we have time, everything will get done. But Husband just put me over the top so I had to vent.
I have been running around since 10:30 this morning and came out to check on my mail and sit for a afew minutes. I had told Ger that we would eat dinner around 5:30. At FIVE O'CLOCK on the nose the door to the garage, (alias "Command Central") opened and there stood husband. His question was, "WE are going to eat early, right?". I calmly said yes, we would be eating around 5:30. (Did I not mention that earlier?). Husband left and I finished up what I was working on. When I went into the kitchen 5 minute later there sat TWO (2) plates on the counter, just waiting to be filled with food. The dishwasher remains full with clean plates that need to be put away but Husband had gone to the cabinet, taken out 2 plates and placed them on the counter for me. I took one look at them and have returned to the garage to blog !
Am I crazy or is this man insane ?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
HELL OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I am talking to a wall. The wall is blank and just staring at me like I have 3 heads and am speaking a very foreign tongue. The wall's name is Ger. Alias, "Husband".
How is it that 2 people who can finish each others thoughts and sentences cannot communicate? I thought I was speaking English, American English, New York English, New York City English . . . and yet he does not comprehend my words. Simple words like, "Put the groceries in the kitchen", (They remain in the dining room), "Please pick up your shoes", (they too remain in the dining room), "Put the bills in the bedroom for me", (They also remain in the dining room). I better not ask him to move the car or that will end up in the dining room! Good thing we have a big dinning room. Messy though it may be.
I have thought that perhaps the man is hard of hearing but he never misses a call to supper. I thought maybe we had the beginnings of Alzheimer's (God Forbid!) but he is sharp as a tack when it comes to correcting something I have said in error. (That doesn't happen often but on those rare occasions Ger is right there to correct me.)
So I have come to believe we are dealing with selective hearing. We all suffered from it when we were teenagers and I guess now that Ger is over 70 he is reverting back to his adolescent behaviors. (Not the GOOD ones, just the irritating ones.) His focus is that of a puppy who has to pee. It is all over the place and not getting anywhere but leaving a trail beind him. How we can go from talking about doing something to him totally forgetting the entire conversation is beyond me. I guess he is easily distracted by Fox News and finds the chatter on the TV much more stimulating than anything I have to say. Maybe I should paint a card board box and cut it out like a TV screen and wear it on my head to get his attention.
But then, when you think about it, do I REALLY want the attention ? I think I will leave well enough alone and when I really need him to focus I will just call him on his cell phone and yell, "HELLOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo". But since he can never hear or find his cell phone I guess I am on my own.
P.S. Ger is a super guy and I love him dearly. He never fails to entertain me and the rest of the family through no effort of his own. He is a funny guy, that's why I married him. The only difference is that when I married him I would laugh WITH him, now we tend to laugh AT him.
How is it that 2 people who can finish each others thoughts and sentences cannot communicate? I thought I was speaking English, American English, New York English, New York City English . . . and yet he does not comprehend my words. Simple words like, "Put the groceries in the kitchen", (They remain in the dining room), "Please pick up your shoes", (they too remain in the dining room), "Put the bills in the bedroom for me", (They also remain in the dining room). I better not ask him to move the car or that will end up in the dining room! Good thing we have a big dinning room. Messy though it may be.
I have thought that perhaps the man is hard of hearing but he never misses a call to supper. I thought maybe we had the beginnings of Alzheimer's (God Forbid!) but he is sharp as a tack when it comes to correcting something I have said in error. (That doesn't happen often but on those rare occasions Ger is right there to correct me.)
So I have come to believe we are dealing with selective hearing. We all suffered from it when we were teenagers and I guess now that Ger is over 70 he is reverting back to his adolescent behaviors. (Not the GOOD ones, just the irritating ones.) His focus is that of a puppy who has to pee. It is all over the place and not getting anywhere but leaving a trail beind him. How we can go from talking about doing something to him totally forgetting the entire conversation is beyond me. I guess he is easily distracted by Fox News and finds the chatter on the TV much more stimulating than anything I have to say. Maybe I should paint a card board box and cut it out like a TV screen and wear it on my head to get his attention.
But then, when you think about it, do I REALLY want the attention ? I think I will leave well enough alone and when I really need him to focus I will just call him on his cell phone and yell, "HELLOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo". But since he can never hear or find his cell phone I guess I am on my own.
P.S. Ger is a super guy and I love him dearly. He never fails to entertain me and the rest of the family through no effort of his own. He is a funny guy, that's why I married him. The only difference is that when I married him I would laugh WITH him, now we tend to laugh AT him.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I HATE DELL COMPUTERS
I am about to rant and rave for a few minutes so if you don't want to listen just hit delete for today.
A year and 2 (TWO) months ago I bought a Dell laptop on line. I should have known better. It was a pop-up ad that offered a basic laptop for $500, shipping included.
At the time my desk top was still working but getting slower and slower and showing signs of aging. I figured I'd spend the $500, get the lap top and have a back up plan should anything happen to the "Beast" that sat on my desk.
(Side note: my oldest son and his wife a Dell users for years and swear by their products so I figured this was a safe bet.) Since the lap top was to be my "extra" computer I didn't bother with extended warantes. (Funny thing, same son who is a Dell user works for a company who writes insurance on extended warantes. Kyle often tells us NOT to get the extended warante because they are just money makers for the companies who are selling the products.)
As fate would have it my desk top drashed about a month after I received the lap top. Luckily I had put all my "important" info into the the laptop and so I was free and clear. Lucky, lucky me. I went merrily along for the next year thinking I would work with this little laptop for a few years, save up some bucks and invest in an Apple. The little "Beast" had other plans. But my angels do watch over me, even in the world of technology. Husband and I are traveling to England for 2 months (another blog, another time) and I thought I would get a "Notebook" to take with me for paying bills and checking email. A VERY NICE young man at BEST BUY talked with me and recomended an ASUS notebook that even has a built in camera so I can Skype with the family back in the states. The day after I bought the note book I turned on the PIECE OF SHIT DELL and it gave me the message that my hard drive was about to crash. "BACK UP YOUR FILES !" it screamed at me. Holy Shit Btman . . . what the hell is gong on here ? It must be kidding. But just to be safe I did "try" to download my junk onto a flash drive. ( I have no idea if that worked or not.) Next thing I knew the screen went blank and that was that! I took the little "Beast" to BEST BUY where they were VERY KIND AND HELPFUL to this pissed off Senior Citizen. They told me that sure enough the piece of shit had died. The consensus of oppinion was, "IT HAPPENS". And of course the warantee had ended 2 months ago! If it is going to cost over $300 to fix a computer that I only paid $500 for it just doesn't make sense to me.
NOW FOR THE SHITS AND GIGGLES PART . . . I figured "What the hell" let me give Dell a shot at it and see what they can do. I called the 800# and after five minutes of listening to muzak and requests to push #1 for English, #2 for a tech, # 3 punch in the 56 didget safety code on the inside of your computer . . .I got INDIA . . . I am now speaking to a woman who I cann't understand to save my life. Bottom line if I PAID I could speak to a tech and they would tell me what to do. They want me to pay to TALK to someone who will tell me the computer is dead. I KNOW WHAT I CAN DO . . . THROW THE PIECE OS CRAP OUT AND KEEP SAVING FOR THAT APPLE COMPUTER. And tell all my friends to NEVER . . . NEVER. . . EVER BUY A DELL ANYTHING !
A year and 2 (TWO) months ago I bought a Dell laptop on line. I should have known better. It was a pop-up ad that offered a basic laptop for $500, shipping included.
At the time my desk top was still working but getting slower and slower and showing signs of aging. I figured I'd spend the $500, get the lap top and have a back up plan should anything happen to the "Beast" that sat on my desk.
(Side note: my oldest son and his wife a Dell users for years and swear by their products so I figured this was a safe bet.) Since the lap top was to be my "extra" computer I didn't bother with extended warantes. (Funny thing, same son who is a Dell user works for a company who writes insurance on extended warantes. Kyle often tells us NOT to get the extended warante because they are just money makers for the companies who are selling the products.)
As fate would have it my desk top drashed about a month after I received the lap top. Luckily I had put all my "important" info into the the laptop and so I was free and clear. Lucky, lucky me. I went merrily along for the next year thinking I would work with this little laptop for a few years, save up some bucks and invest in an Apple. The little "Beast" had other plans. But my angels do watch over me, even in the world of technology. Husband and I are traveling to England for 2 months (another blog, another time) and I thought I would get a "Notebook" to take with me for paying bills and checking email. A VERY NICE young man at BEST BUY talked with me and recomended an ASUS notebook that even has a built in camera so I can Skype with the family back in the states. The day after I bought the note book I turned on the PIECE OF SHIT DELL and it gave me the message that my hard drive was about to crash. "BACK UP YOUR FILES !" it screamed at me. Holy Shit Btman . . . what the hell is gong on here ? It must be kidding. But just to be safe I did "try" to download my junk onto a flash drive. ( I have no idea if that worked or not.) Next thing I knew the screen went blank and that was that! I took the little "Beast" to BEST BUY where they were VERY KIND AND HELPFUL to this pissed off Senior Citizen. They told me that sure enough the piece of shit had died. The consensus of oppinion was, "IT HAPPENS". And of course the warantee had ended 2 months ago! If it is going to cost over $300 to fix a computer that I only paid $500 for it just doesn't make sense to me.
NOW FOR THE SHITS AND GIGGLES PART . . . I figured "What the hell" let me give Dell a shot at it and see what they can do. I called the 800# and after five minutes of listening to muzak and requests to push #1 for English, #2 for a tech, # 3 punch in the 56 didget safety code on the inside of your computer . . .I got INDIA . . . I am now speaking to a woman who I cann't understand to save my life. Bottom line if I PAID I could speak to a tech and they would tell me what to do. They want me to pay to TALK to someone who will tell me the computer is dead. I KNOW WHAT I CAN DO . . . THROW THE PIECE OS CRAP OUT AND KEEP SAVING FOR THAT APPLE COMPUTER. And tell all my friends to NEVER . . . NEVER. . . EVER BUY A DELL ANYTHING !
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Kaelin
I told you I would share some pictures from our week in Maryland and here they are.
Is this child just adorable or what !
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Week With Kaelin
Have you spent a week with a 2 year old lately ? Those of you who are parents are thinking, "Yea, so what?". Well there is a reason God does not let women over a certain age have children. God knows that 2 year olds are too smart and too active for "older folks".
Not to say we didn't have a great time . . . but holy cromoly I AM POOPED ! First thing on the agenda after a good night's sleep in my own bed is a trip to the chiropractor. Between sleeping an a sofa bed and crawling on the floor/grass/driveway/playground, my back is on the verge of total colapse. But would I have traded this week for the world? NOT ON YOUR LIFE ! This two year old is just the BEST ! Even with her "NO WAY!" when asked to do just about anything.
Kaelin is an official 2 year old. She has learned the power of the word "NO". She also knows that she is just too cute to refuse her anything. Grandma and Papa were putty in her hands. Now it is the job of mom and dad to get her back to "normal".
Our week included: celebrating my birthday with cake and candles that Kaelin helped me blow out, building and painting the wooden birdhouse that Kaelin gave me for my birthday, several shopping trips to WAWA, (for milk, cheese and lollypops), a day at the ball park for "TOUCH A TRUCK" day, (she liked the trolly but not the earth moving trucks), a disasterous trip to mass on Sunday, (2 year olds don't do well in church), swimming in the back yard kiddie pool, watching at least 200 episodes of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", and one successful sit on the potty chair that was cause for at least an hour of celebrating! Now that was a full week and grandma is tired.
YOu'll have to wait till tomorrow to see the pictures. Right now I need sleep and some Advil.
Not to say we didn't have a great time . . . but holy cromoly I AM POOPED ! First thing on the agenda after a good night's sleep in my own bed is a trip to the chiropractor. Between sleeping an a sofa bed and crawling on the floor/grass/driveway/playground, my back is on the verge of total colapse. But would I have traded this week for the world? NOT ON YOUR LIFE ! This two year old is just the BEST ! Even with her "NO WAY!" when asked to do just about anything.
Kaelin is an official 2 year old. She has learned the power of the word "NO". She also knows that she is just too cute to refuse her anything. Grandma and Papa were putty in her hands. Now it is the job of mom and dad to get her back to "normal".
Our week included: celebrating my birthday with cake and candles that Kaelin helped me blow out, building and painting the wooden birdhouse that Kaelin gave me for my birthday, several shopping trips to WAWA, (for milk, cheese and lollypops), a day at the ball park for "TOUCH A TRUCK" day, (she liked the trolly but not the earth moving trucks), a disasterous trip to mass on Sunday, (2 year olds don't do well in church), swimming in the back yard kiddie pool, watching at least 200 episodes of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", and one successful sit on the potty chair that was cause for at least an hour of celebrating! Now that was a full week and grandma is tired.
YOu'll have to wait till tomorrow to see the pictures. Right now I need sleep and some Advil.
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