Happy New Year, etc.

I don't know how many times as a kid I thought "2000! I'll be so old then!" and never thought beyond that. 2010? It sounds like science fiction to me.

What did I do today? K and I actually went out in the snow this morning -- not much of a snowstorm -- to the mall and got some make-up at the Bare Escentuals store, and scored a neat reusable bag from them as well. (I am very big on the reusable bags.) And then came home. I had a good workout on the Wii, and didn't even take a nap today.

I've had the Twilight Zone marathon off and on; amazingly, they will still show an episode once in a while that I've never seen. And I always change the channel when "The Hitchhiker" comes on because it so totally scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.

I did a ton of online coupon finding today, which I just kind of drifted into, and which has taken up way more time than it needed to. I would really, really like to save money with coupons, but it would just be so much easier if they made coupons for what I want to buy. Anyway, my A&P is doing triple coupons this week, so I've made the effort, checked their flyer, and I still have no idea what I'm doin, but I guess I'll be doing it, probably Sunday. I saw someplace that there will be five, count'em, five coupon inserts in Sunday's paper, so I guess I'll have to wait til then to figure this all out. I am Not Good At This.

New Year's Eve is now and always just another night to me, just another night with bad TV as far as I'm concerned. I have no episodes of Cold Case on the DVR -- have I mentioned my newest find, Cold Case? For one thing, it is not a well made show, not in writing, acting, directing, or even research, but I enjoy watching it, and get this: I only realized yesterday that this show is still actually on a network special. I've been watching the old ones on TNT or whatever it is that shows near-constant Law and Orders, and I only found out yesterday that it's actually still on CBS. Hey, more to record. I like the flashbacks, I guess. Speaking of shows that I need to see every episode of, Home Improvement is coming to TVLand starting Monday. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Anyway, as I was saying, no good TV tonight, but I've been recording a lot of movies lately, so I'll find something there. Or read.

Okay, so a happy and healthy new year to all --

Hold On

I didn't write yesterday. Part of it was that by six or seven I was overwhelmed by the news of Tim Russert and all the coverage, although I kept watching until after nine. I wondered if there was actually too much coverage, but here's what I think about that. I think that if a beloved member of Congress died, the other senators and representatives would pass a resolution to honor him and name a bridge after him, because that's what they do in Congress. If a beloved colleague on my staff died, we would raise money and create a scholarship in his or name, and name the library or gym after him, because we're teachers and those are the things we do. When television journalists lose a beloved colleague, they must cover the story in as much depth as they can, because it's what they do. It's the way they express themselves. I can't fault them for it at all, but I reached a point of sadness where I couldn't watch anymore.

It's the great equalizer, of course, death. Now, it makes no difference whatsoever to Tim Russert who wins the election, or what gas costs. When Fidel Castro dies, it will not matter to him at all that he led his country into a sort of poverty-level equality all those years. When terrorists die in suicide bombings, within minutes, their cause stops existing for them. It makes me wonder why some of these people -- not Tim Russert, but terrorists and the like -- can care so much about the things in this life. I understand, of course, that their religious beliefs are different that mine, and that they think their actions here bring them rewards in the afterlife, but even so. I think that what you do here counts a real lot, but it's not a means to an end. It just is.

I've been having a bit of a pity party for myself for the last couple of days, and I think the whole life-is-a-struggle-and-then-you-die thing since yesterday is just pushing me over the edge. I want to be one of the people who don't go to doctors or take medicine, and don't need to. I said to K the other evening as I shoveled my handful of night time meds into my mouth that I wished I could just stop taking all this stuff. And then I said, Oh, I guess I will. Someday. I don't take anything that literally keeps me alive, like I would die tomorrow if I stopped taking it. I take a lot of things that make living more bearable, like allergy and gastric reflux meds, and other stuff to make me die less soon in the long run, like blood pressure and cholesterol meds. Oh, and the Crohn's stuff, of course.

I think, or maybe I'm pretty sure, that I'm having a Crohn's flare. It's hard for me to tell, because this would be my first flare since I was diagnosed and put on meds for it. I've been thinking it was something I had eaten, which I've mentioned, but it hasn't gotten better since I stopped eating it. It's gotten worse. I think that's another reason I didn't write yesterday. I don't know that I could have written without saying I'm having a flare, but I wasn't ready to say it yet. I started taking the donnatal yesterday, which is very good for the pain but makes me a little vague, and today was actually better. Even so, I decided that if I still think it might be a flare on Monday, that I will call Resnick and go see him and find out what to do.

Except about two hours ago, I was eating something, something soft ... a mushroom, I think, and a very sharp pain went through my mouth, and now I think I'll be seeing the dentist before I see Resnick, because suddenly, things are not good dental-wise. I can tell you that I am not having a root canal because I don't believe they do anything, and as far as I'm concerned, they can pull the tooth right out, but then I'm in for a whole temporary/permanent bridge ordeal, and I'm so not interested in having that suck up my summer, which is already dotted with doctor's appointments.

I can't exactly explain this; it doesn't feel like depression, really, just like sadness. (I don't think they're the same thing, although maybe they are. As I said, my head's a little not clear, and I have a headache on top of that.) I could probably use a nice visit with my new therapist, but that won't be until Friday, by which time, btw, I will have ONLY TWO DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT. As of this moment, I have the coming full week and those last few days, so that's seven. But K won't be working at school any more this year, and I won't be bringing lunch at all since they're all half-days for kids which mean long lunch periods for staff, so I'll be going out with other folk or coming home, all of which means my mornings will be very relaxed and easy.

In other news, I won a new convert for my cult yesterday when K decided the time was right for her to start using the Bare Escentuals make-up, so we went to the mall and I got her started with it. Today, R came over with all of her stuff and the two of them were on the floor, swapping little jars and taking samples of each other's eyeshadow colors and mine. The jars are tiny, but last forever, so you can split one jar three ways and still never use it up.

Tomorrow we're off to the SIL's for Father's Day, which is not my first choice of how to spend the day, but it's the Hubs' decision, since it his day, not mine. And, as my sister pointed out, she and I never want to go anywhere, but if I've gotta go somewhere, this isn't a bad place to go. It's not far, it's a nice area, it won't be a big crowd. I do think it's kind of gift-begging since it's also to celebrate her son's college graduation and today is also the kid's birthday, but I guess the timing isn't anyone's fault. And we haven't given the kids birthday gifts in years, although I don't know if she gave my kids gifts for high school or college graduation, but if you're going to a party, you kind of have to. She had a high school graduation party for him, too. Whatever. My sister's youngest, Little K, is graduating from high school this coming Thursday, and I know what to give him because I know what I gave his older brothers and sister, so that's one's easy.

I am so rambling, which I knew I would be. I never even got to the story of what was on TV today, which was kind of strange -- I saw, among other things, the Little Rascals and My Favorite Martian, and Clarissa Explains It All. Anyway, now I am going to settle onto the couch and finally get to watch the Best of The Carol Burnett Show that came too late from Netflix for me to watch last Saturday. So I'm going to end the day with some laughs, anyway. Oh, and it's time to take my meds, too.

WATCHING THE HONEYMOONERS :: ENTRY #1781

A Drier Day

Well, no water in the library today. As per usual in our school system, and I think in most government-related entities, we hire the lowest bidder. This is why every building is crap, but it's Board policy, and for all I know, state law. It's not a good plan, but it's all we've got.

Today was more just gearing up for the end of the year. As I was literally shutting down the library today, one of the kids who never handed in that project (that was due two weeks ago) asked me if he could get the required sheet from his locker and hand it in now. And I told him that the moment he left the library, I was going home. Hello. I did say I would take it on Monday, since I'll grade it if he didn't, but I'm guessing the late penalty is going to be a killer.

I've been on the phone for it feels like ever, first with the Sibs, then with R, then with the Sibs again. Then with the Sibs again. There's a big Bare Escentuals event on QVC tonight/tomorrow, and we needed to get our priorities straightened out, or more precisely, our inventories. She and I will sometimes get these multi-piece sets because we share with each other what we don't need, or with the next generation of BE users, which currently includes R, Wonderful Niece, and Good Guy Nephew's fiancee. K says she can't justify expensive make-up now, but will join the fray when she starts teaching, which I think is awfully sweet of her since she must be seeing who actually pays for a lot of the stuff. (The girls do buy their own, but we're generous mommies.) Anyway, I've got my list straight, and as it turns out, I need absolutely nothing. That should make watching the shows something of a personal challenge, I think.

I got a call today from the cardiologist's secretary reminding me to make my annual follow-up appointment for July. Cripes. I think I'm in that doctors' office every five minutes, since all of my doctors -- or most of them -- are there. I just saw the podiatrist this morning, and of course, I make regular visits to Resnick there, and I have my semi-annual check-up coming at the end of this month. They should name a chair in the waiting room after me.

(I once asked them at the ear-nose-throat doctor's office if I had the thickest file out of all their patients, and the nurse hefted my file and said she thought so. These are the good people who found my brain tumor, and who do the regular maintenance on my sinuses.)

So did something happen today? I just put MSNBC on, but all I'm getting so far is silly news.

WATCHING MSNBC :: ENTRY #1773

Oooooh.

I just did a facial mask thingy and my skin feels all tight and tingly and, I have to tell you, a little strange. I feel like I need to keep slathering moisturizer on until I fall asleep, which, as you all know, could be sometime on Tuesday. Ah well. I'm just glad that I got the free sample at Sephora. The Sibs bought the whole set so she could do it once a week. I hope she's got stronger skin than I have.

Otherwise, a quiet Saturday. I did go to Old Navy with the girls, and got a few things, which is more than I'm sure I needed, but you know how it goes. And I just really tidied up my desk, to the point of actual *gasp* dusting, and even re-arranging the bits of information I keep under my clear desk-blotter. This, I suppose, was prompted by the gift I received today from my first-born: her business card. Oh yes, a business card from a major, real non-profit business, and her name, and the title "Project Manager." So that's very cool.

The only other event of my day was that it's Bare Escentuals day on QVC, three shows, so I'm having fun with that. Although I did not order a single thing today. (But I pre-ordered the big item of the day a couple of weeks ago, so I already have it.) I said to my sister last week that if my mother came back and saw us as we are now -- me, especially, I think -- she'd say "Yes, I have daughters. And who the hell are you?" But in a good way. All this make-up and hair stuff, and getting my nails done, she'd be thrilled to pieces.

I haven't been mentioning the hearing aids, probably to avoid drawing the attention of the evil eye, but they seem to be working pretty well. That problem that I had before, where they would suddenly change into a sort-of muted mode for no reason, does not seem to be there. If it is there, it's much, much better and not interfering with my life. I do try re-setting them once a day or so to see if that whole thing is going on, and I really can't tell, so I guess they're okay. For the most part, I put them in in the morning and don't think about them all day (unless I'm in a crowd or a car and I choose to change the program), and that's what you really want out of your hearing aids: they're supposed to integrate into your life as if you don't need to know they're there. So I guess I'm happy with them, but you can see that I'm not quite willing to commit yet to being 100% with them. I'm giving it another week. And I need to go to the movies to see how they work there. Either tomorrow early afternoon, or maybe one night this week.

I need more moisturizer.

watching Law and Order SVU :: entry #1498

Home Invasion

[copied from dland]

Yes, the ILs were here today. Long day. Let me recap for you:

I finished my cleaning this morning, which was good because I found out last night they were coming at 12:30, which in IL-speak means 12:00. Like K and I, the ILs are compulsively early people.

When they arrived, the FIL managed to get into the house -- his mobility is severely limited -- and parked in a chair in the living room and pretty much stayed there. So we all sat in the living room, which we almost never do. Living room seating consists of a couch that used to be the Sibs', two cushy club chairs, and one uncomfortable cane-backed chair (where the FIL sat); all three chairs are formerly my parents'. The MIL left around 12:45 to go to the baby shower she came up here for, and then ... eternity set in. The Hubs and his father were supposed to be going to visit the Hubs' uncle (FIL's brother-in-law) and cousin, but Uncle Al, slightly addled and pretty much stone deaf, forgot to call until after 2:00 to report that his son had arrived and they should go over there. So until then, the Hubs, K, and I rotated in and out of the living room, keeping the FIL company and listening to his endless stories. He is perfectly sharp and clear of mind, but he is painstakingly sloooooooooooow in everything he does. I don't know if he was always this way or it's due to his age. He also repeats the same stories to each new listener, even if there's one new listener in the room and everyone else has already heard him ad infinitum. But he is a dear, despite all that.

They headed out, R arrived, she and K and I went to the supermarket, the afternoon passed. When we got home, the Hubs and the FIL were already back, and ensconced in the family room. The only place the FIL can sit in here is in my desk chair, which I know and is where I expect him to sit when he comes. But the family room is down two steps from the kitchen, so once again, getting in and out is a chore for him. Handicap + slow = shoot me now.

Then the MIL returned, and we hung out until it was time to meet the SIL and her husband for dinner at 6:00. The real mercy here is that since the ILs had to be in our area anyway, dinner was about a mile from our house; in fact, at a restaurant virtually right behind the house the ILs lived in when they lived here until they moved to the Jersey shore (aka Where All The Old People In New Jersey Live.)

Somehow, the wait staff at the restaurant must have picked up on the FIL's vibe because OH GOD WHERE THEY SLOW. The food was very good, though, and the Hubs only lost his temper ... oh, let me see, I think three times. What can I say. This is why I don't take him anywhere, but I figure if we're with his parents, let them worry about it. Generally, his mother is the only one who will ever tell him to cut it out, but when she does, he loses it more, so he pretty much has her trained not to do that anymore, either. But I digress.

We parted at the restaurant, after reminding the ILs to call us when they get home -- heh heh, they always do that to us when we leave them -- and didn't get home until after 8:00, at which point I became distracted by every shiny object that crossed my path. I had Things to do, yet first I became charmed by an email from eBay about Bare Escentuals, that makeup over which I am passionate, and I got caught up in that for a while, and went into the bathroom to see what color blush I use but stopped to ask the Hubs if he wanted to talk to his mother when she calls -- he never answers the phone unless he's alone in the house, even if he knows it's his mother calling -- and forgot to ask him because I saw he was sitting in his little study in one of the living room club chairs and wondered when he had moved it because I know I had been sitting in it earlier today and also I had stopped in the living room on my way to the bathroom to lock the front door and hadn't even noticed that it wasn't there and he said he had moved it 12 seconds ago and had never noticed until today that these were comfortable chairs and I said didn't he think they were comfortable when he saw my father sitting in one 24/7 for years when they were in my parents' living room and then he said Oh, he had sat in them before. (breathe.) Anyway, I think I told him years ago to put one in his study because he's never had a comfortable chair in there and needed one. But now, of course, he will never buy a new chair for that room, because this one is as good as new, and new was in 1961, when they still built furniture to last. And anyway, my mother had the chairs totally re-upholstered twice over the years, so they're solid as a rock -- the insides, I mean; they're very comfortable -- and the fabric's in good shape, too.

[Just got the phone call; they're safely home.]

In the meantime, there is never anything on TV on Saturday night, except the pubic TV station is always running oldies concerts, most of which I pass on, but tonight is all British invasion groups and singers, and I am loving it. Every singer looks older than dirt, but they sound exactly the same. At the moment, "Go Now" is being sung by god knows who, because it's a Moody Blues song and these are not the Moodies, but I think it's the Moodies' original lead singer, who thought the group was going nowhere so he quit to be a solo performer and the Moodies put an ad in the paper for a guitarist and they got Justin Hayward and the rest is history. If you're a fan of Moody Blues history, that is. I don't think of them as an old-timey group (although they were a serious part of my brief stoner phase in college), since I've seen them live about a half dozen times over the last 15 years.

And what are the chances that a person is going to hear "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" twice in one day? It's on my new CD mix and came on in the car and K said "Who is this?" and I said "Gerry and the Pacemakers" and she laughed and thought I made it up. ("Pacemaker" as a medical device didn't even exist when this group was big, big being a relative term.) And of course it was just on the show on TV and Gerry is old, man. I think I'm glad I missed Peter and Gordon; I seriously loved them when I was a kid although Gordon gave me a bit of the creeps. Chad and Jeremy, now there was an adorable duo.

I had wine with dinner, but you can't tell or anything, right?

If you're wondering what dieters eat at an Italian restaurant, the answer is apparently Penne Bolognese, which was excellent. As was the Pasta Fagioli, which put me right over my points goal for the day. But I didn't have any bread, and only put vinegar on my salad.

My distraction issue seems to have resolved itself; now I can't stop writing and trust me, I've run out of anything to say, unless you want to know that I'm making a Tuna Noodle Casserole tomorrow for the first time since about 1968 (when I last helped my mother make one.) I don't even know if I have a casserole dish in the house.

Jeeps, folks, I have got to quit this. I still have to figure out what color blush to order, and it's already past my bedtime. Or not. I am seriously perceptually impaired when it comes to Daylight Savings Time. I double-checked with the Hubs before when I changed my alarm clock. I know, spring forward, but I still don't always get it right.

GOOD NIGHT!


WATCHING PBS BRITISH BANDS :: ENTRY #1397

Hi.

[copied from dland]

I haven't been up to a whole lot here; I didn't get to write yesterday because I ended up being on the phone for long periods of time with the only three people I ever talk to on the phone: R, the Sibs, and OldFriend. In the middle of which, here and there, K came home and the Hubs came home, and before I knew it, I was crashing on the couch. And here I am.

Couch crashing/TV watching has taken on a new dimension for the last few days, and especially since last night. One of the reasons I burrow under the blankets there fairly early is that I'm just SO COLD, so I put on extra jammie layers and a couple of nice down throws and there I am, a captive. And then, I've been trying to watch the whole Supreme Court series -- it's a big four hours altogether -- on PBS. (And to quote K, who watches a lot of The History Channel, yes, I'm a dork, and I know it.) Anyway, the show is very good, all things considered, but it's also all just narration, so I tend to just fall asleep when it's on. While this is a good thing since I am generally sleep-deprived, it means that I've seen some parts of it three or four times and have always missed some of the rest. (I have it recorded, but it's also on a lot.) Last night, I put on the part I wanted to see around 9:30 and was asleep in five minutes.

I woke up around 11:30. I think the recording had run through and was re-starting itself -- I really don't know -- and managed to stay awake, more or less, until midnight, because at midnight, QVC was starting a two-hour show of my make-up! The make-up show was on, yay! So I watched from 12 to 2:00 -- when was the last time I was willingly awake at 2:00 AM? The last 15 minutes or so were tough, and I fell right to sleep when it was over. But body clocks being what they are, I was wide awake at 6:30.

This gave me enough time to wake up and go to CVS and the cleaners and Dunkin' Donuts, and be home by 10:00 for ... the make-up show! It's on THREE TIMES TODAY! (One more coming up in a little over an hour.)

So now, either you are like my children who think that I am mentally deranged (and my sister along with me), or you are a shopping channel watcher and this all makes perfect sense to you. I am not a shopping channel watcher as such, although I went through a stage of it maybe 15 years ago, but I guess the make-up shows entertain me because they're talking about something that interests me and that I'm still learning about. (These are not reruns, btw, each show is live.) While I watch, I bring up some of the items on the computer so I can see the colors more closely and the sizes being offered, and, well, yes, the Sibs and I talk to each other here and there while it's on. So far, neither of has us bought anything except refills for some of the things we use. But their special of the day today was some sort of set worth, I think, $197.00 that they were selling for $99 and change, and that included a whole lot of different colors and brushes and a bag and stuff, and as of sometime mid-afternoon today they had sold over 70,000 of them. It's all just a remarkable cultural phenomenon, if nothing else.

The WW is going pretty well. Earlier today, I pulled out all my recipes and such from last time that have the points on them, so I guess I'll be doing some of that. I also picked up more of the frozen meals, since I think I have several nights this week upcoming that K is either in class or working late. Well, actually, she's only in class on Monday, and R will be here since her car's being serviced, so she and I will go out somewhere to eat that night. I don't really find eating out a problem, but it depends on where she wants to go. Maybe it'll be another sneaky trip to Red Lobster, but this time with the other one. It's really the easiest place to eat on WW. A whole lobster with lemon (not butter) is maybe 2 points.

So my main mission for the evening is to get my feet warm. This will entail layers of jammies and down throws on the couch, and until 10 at least, my clipboard and the phone nearby for sibling consultations while our show is on. After that, it's another stab at John Marshall, and hopefully, a good long night's sleep.


WATCHING WILL & GRACE :: ENTRY #1372

But First ...

[copied from dland]

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Thanks for the chuckle!

It said that

* There are 14,998 people in the U.S. with my first name.
* Statistically the 1495th most popular first name. (tied with 85 other first names)
* More than 99.9 percent of people with my first name are female.

and

* There are 0 people in the U.S. with my last name.
* This name is not found in our database, this means the name is relatively uncommon.

therefore there is no one in the United States with my name, including, I presume, me.

I should like to think that more than 99.9 percent of people with my first name are female, since I have one of those Something-Anne names. I hate it to death, but it is nothing if not a girl's name. In fact, probably one of the things I never liked about it is that it's too girly. I never thought of that before until just this minute.

---

Things are going well, she said hesitantly.

I told them to go ahead and order the hearing aids today. I really wasn't wavering at all, but the office person there had to get back to me with information about the warranty. Get this. The audiologist had told me that he thought the company covered repairs, damage, and loss for two years. It turned out that they only covered repairs for two years, and damage and loss for one. So he's going to cover the second year damage and loss himself, because he told me that I was going to get it. He certainly seems to be a mensch.

I went to the gym today, and when I calculated the activity points for WW, it came out to 2, so I didn't walk away any pounds when I got home, as I had planned. Let's not be insane, shall we?

I'm very into food again, as I always am when I am on the WW, figuring points and working out what I can eat. I think it's comforting for me to do this and gives me a tremendous sense of control. My scale tells me that I've lost a pound and a half each day for the last two days, which is certainly the water weight you lose when you start a diet, but it is encouraging.

I also got nice compliments on my make-up today from two people, which you know I crave, and so that made me happy. I'm going to try to let that go now and have some confidence in the whole thing.

I had some unusual classes in today, three very small groups with the ESL teacher, which means that these were kids with very limited English. Some of them, I think, are very recently arrived here and speak almost no English. I was doing the whole plagiarism thing with them, which is something of a stock lesson of mine, but I really had to adapt it for them. It was fun, and they were nice kids, and seemed to get it on some level. Their teacher is the most wonderful patient teacher in the world who takes absolutely no crap from them, and it's always fun working with her. I also made a new make-up convert out of her today, so that was fun, too.

Not sure what I'm having for dinner, surprisingly, but K left me a note that when she gets home from work at 8:15, she's planning to eat the leftover stirfry. And so was I. But I have other options, I just haven't worked them out yet.

Oh, and another perk of the new hearing aids? The office is only open on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, and they have no open appointments on Wednesday the 28th. So I'll have to take the day off on Tuesday the 27th and go get them in the morning. And Tuesday the 27th is ... ? AN IN-SERVICE DAY! HAH! Getting out of another one, baby!


WATCHING STILL STANDING :: ENTRY #1371

Eyes 0

[copied from dland]

No change yet on the hearing aid front, but my eyes are bothering me a lot today. Not my usual dry right eye that feels like it has sand in it, this is just two heavy, droopy eyelids today. Of course, today was the public debut of me in eyeshadow, so I'm sure there's a connection, but there was always that risk that putting makeup on my eyelids would cause a reaction. Maybe that's it and maybe not; maybe I'm just really tired, although I slept relatively well last night. So I don't know.

You know, I'm very into this makeup thing, which is of course a major lifestyle shift for me. I always wore makeup, but not effectively, apparently. I probably told you all this last spring when it happened, but I wore new makeup one day (not what I'm into now) and someone told me I looked great and I said "Oh, new makeup" and the Chum, one of my closest, closest pals, said "When did you start wearing makeup?" and I had to say that I always wear it, every day, for like, I don't know, 30 years, and she was astounded. As was I; why was I bothering when I must have still looked like shit?

(A word on that, take it or leave it, as you wish. I mentioned something to my sister recently about the goal of wearing makeup so that you look like you're not wearing any, and she said that's stupid; you don't have to look like you're not wearing any, because women without makeup on look like crap. The goal is just to look good.)

So here I'm doing this whole routine, and I'm telling you, not a single being (except my sister) has looked at me and said "Hey, you look good" or "I like your makeup" or any of those sort of things that women say to each other. I pointed out my eyeshadow to the Colleague this morning and she said she was just about to ask me why I looked like I had a black eye. Hmm. (Keep in mind that we have the kind of relationship where we can say to each other "Oh, what's wrong with your face today?" so that was not intended as rude and I didn't take it that way.)

That said, I also noticed around lunchtime that some of the makeup had drifted onto the collar of the mock turtleneck I was wearing, so I felt totally like trailer trash today. Must consider wardrobe more carefully tomorrow.

I selected my wardrobe today for easy access; after my first-period class I dashed across town to get blood drawn for the tests the new doctor ordered. The lab was very nice, in fact, and there's a Dunkin Donuts practically next door, so there's breakfast. (It was a fasting blood test, so no food or drink for 12 hours before.)

Once again, I was in the part of town I grew up in; I seem to be there often lately. I had to drop something else off at the lab after school (ahem), so I was back, and went into the CVS there, too, instead of the one in the center of town, close to wear I live. After another errand or two, I was back there again, picking up a quick dinner at McDonald's, and I took the route home down my old street. (It's the best way to avoid the traffic lights.) It still feels odd when I go past there. What must it be like to grow up and live in the same house you grew up in, to never leave that childhood place? I know several people who've done that, for one reason or another.

An excellent Heroes last night, but what was up with Studio 60? Vipers? They had real-life vipers on the show, and we saw them? (All right, I barely peeked through my fingers, but I think they were real.) Finally I had to close my eyes to keep the vipers out, and I fell asleep and missed the end. I'll try and catch it on the recording, but seriously. I think TV shows should be rated for snake content, not just sex and violence and bad language. I want to know how much serpent to expect so I know whether to watch or not. I'm still amazed that K didn't come running downstairs shouting "Don't look, don't look!" because all of my family members are devoted to protecting me from any possible view of the serpents. They're very good that way. Ah, she must have been asleep already.


WATCHING MASH :: ENTRY #1800

Eyes 1 Ears 0

[copied from dland]

So now I have eyeshadow. I tried taking pictures of my eyes to show you all, but the color didn't come out right, so there was no point. And it was kind of scary, to tell the truth, since I took a separate picture of each eye to show you how my left eye looks all lovely like and my right eye looks all mutant, but in fact, my right eye really looks perfectly fine on its own; it just doesn't look like the left one, and you know, whatever it is your body's got two of, they don't match perfectly, so I'd better get over it. It is, however, more difficult to put eyeshadow on the right eye due to the skin having no muscle tone so it's much wrinklier, but I'll practice. My left eye looks really nice, so I've won half the battle.

My hearing aids, meantime, are the suck. They've been cutting in and out all day, but not even with any kind of warning; it's not as if I hear a signal and they go out. They're just drifing in and out on their own. And every so often I hear random radio sounds, like something out of a 1950s scifi movie. I'm going to the new audiologist a week from Wednesday, and I'm sure it will take several weeks for any new ones I get to come in, especially since I'm hoping for in-the-ear (known as ITEs), which take longer to make because the electronics have to be stuffed into the custom-made ear form, which has to be made first.

I had hoped to go to the make-up store on Saturday with R (so I could get her hooked on it), but the mall was too crowded; I made plans to go after school today with the Sibs instead. We had such a good time! We browsed the shoes at Nordstrom's -- didn't buy -- and took care of some business at one of the cell-phone kiosks, and then I got my eyes done. The girl helping me today was a) not the brightest bulb, and b) had her own eyeshadow on in a somewhat clown-like manner, so the Sibs was indispensable. The girl kept wanting to put three colors on my, including a dark color in the crease, but seriously, my good eye has such a deep crease that you can't see the color at all, and my other eye is somewhat hooded now, so the crease is equally invisible. The Sibs explained how she does it with two colors, and helped me pick out good ones, so that was fun. Then it was 4:00 and we were starving! Just like the old people in Florida, anyway, we went to Ruby Tuesday's, as she had a coupon, and she treated me for a belated birthday dinner! So, an excellent afternoon all around.

And that's all I have to say about that.


WATCHING THE SIJMPSONS :: ENTRY #1362

Did I Get A Lot Done Today?

[copied from dland]

I think I did. Not sure, but it feels that way, even though some of what I did was kind of on the odd side, but in the interest of full disclosure, here goes.

I shaved at least two or three minutes off my morning routine by bringing my morning meds and my glasses into the bedroom last night instead of leaving them on my desk in the family room, thereby cutting out the trip into here after my initial bathroom stop. Too much disclosure, you say? Well.

The Hubs' alarm goes off at 5:15, after which he takes a shower, gets dressed, and leaves the house, all of which he can do in 15 minutes, tops. Which is good, because on a day that K has to get up early for work, I need that 5:30-5:45 bathroom time so that I can be all done when she gets up at 6:15. Lately, the Hubs has been sleeping in until 5:25, when his snooze buzzes. The ham in the sandwich, therefore, is me ... I, although that doesn't sound right, but it is ... so two or three minutes is a big deal to me, especially since I'm now doing a ten-minute make-up thing and a ten-minute hair thing. Two months ago, hair and makeup combined took five minutes. But I look a lot better now, so I'm not complaining.

Anyway, I was off to a good start.

I left the house just after 6:30 because I wanted to stop at CVS before work, but I wanteed to get to work by 7:00. CVS because I wanted to buy one of these, which they have in their ad this week. I had actually already ordered one on line, but it was taking forever to come, and you know, a bird in the hand. More on that later. I got one and went to school, after a mandatory Dunkin Donuts stop.

I had to print some things that K needs for school, but I wanted to get them done and put them in my car so I wouldn't have to drag them with me to the faculty meeting after school, and the doors near where I park my car are locked for the day at 8:00 am, so if I go out, I have to go all the way around the building to come back in. Done before 8:00, then.

After 8:00, I had to call one of our vendors and explain why they had billed us in error. Why is this significant? Because it's not my job, that's why. The library has a secretary who's supposed to do this kind of thing, but by the time she gets there and I explain it to her, I could have had it done and filed for hours. New secretary? Not so much working out. Not that she's unpleasant, which she isn't, or for that matter, not smart, which she certainly is. In fact, she's so smart that she has worked out a way to do as little as possible in a job she didn't want to take and get paid the same salary for it that she got doing her old job, which she liked. Despite all of us agreeing on her hours, she pretty much comes and goes as she pleases. I miss the Colleague terribly, more and more each day, and she hates the job they moved her to.

Had two excellent classes in today. Not excellent in terms of their ability, or for that matter, interest, but it was a great assignment and I taught it in a completely different way and they got into it and all of them did it. I liked that a lot.

We were divided up into groups for the faculty meeting, and somehow, some way, I had gotten to make up the groups. So I put myself in a room full of people I liked, and picked the most easy-going presenter for us, the one who was most likely to cut out the bullshit and get us out of there fast. Which is what happened. Home by 3:30, when the meeting was supposed to have ended.

Home, for the make-up festival on QVC. It's like my sister and I haven't shared a hobby so since we learned to needlepoint. We were on the phone while it was on, and I even talked to her about it during lunch, since she had seen the first run of the program this morning. I only ordered one thing, and I needed it anyway. Seriously.

While I was watching the make-up show, I blew up the bean -- the aforementioned had-to-have-it-at-CVS-at-6:45am item -- and gave it a go. Seems okay. I need to find a better way to support my neck, but otherwise okay. I also finally got through to them on the phone, where they offered to refund me $20 since I told them I'd gotten it for that much less locally (which I had) but when I got the guy to understand that I don't need it because I already have one, he said that when it arrives -- it's already been shipped -- I just need to call them for a shipping label to send it back at no cost to me.

I caught up on last week's SVU, so now I've got no backlog of recorded shows to watch. I had leftovers for dinner, which I almost never remember to do, thereby being efficient both in not wasting money and in not leaving stuff to rot in the refrigerator.

And did I mention that the freezing rain/light snow predicted for today never materialized? Okay, that isn't strictly something that I got done, but it is nice not to be thinking of K driving around in it. It's damn cold out there, though, with apologies to my friends in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Alaska, who all probably think I'm some kind of pantywaist, and I probably am. But it's cold to be out walking over open spaces, like campus parking lots.

What else? Heroes tonight, and Studio 60, and a Supernanny to record and watch later in the week. And Gilmore Girls tomorrow.

Ahhhhhhh.


WATCHING REBA :: ENTRY #1356

Where the Day Took Me

[copied from dland]

Physically, the day took me no farther than my own desk chair, except for the mandatory Saturday morning trip to the cleaners and Dunkin Donuts, and a very brief foray to the Container Store. Other than that, I've been right here.

It's been some day.

I got up at eight, and by nine I wanted to crawl back into my bed. But I didn't, and when I finished my coffee, realized that my whole day was clear, and what lay before me was the copying of pages from my medical file. I started at the back, and the first thing that came up was the full surgical report on the brain tumor. The two big revelations here were:

1. The doctors knew ahead of time that it was a benign tumor as well as an acoustic neuroma, although they were very careful to tell me that they weren't 100% sure of either. They were.


2. I could make copies of these files but I had absolutely no place to put them.

The first one. No use crying over spilled brain tumors, and it's 15 years down the road and I'm okay. So, no recriminations here. But if I had known ahead of time that it was an AN, I could have gone to the big AN specialist in New York -- I know his name, and knew it then -- and the opthalmic plastic surgeon who ultimatley fixed my eye over the course of three surgeries would have been in the room with him and would have fixed my eye right that first day. Letting that go, totally.

Second. I needed something to file papers in. Ergo, the Container Store. But when I got home, I had no place to put the containers. Thus began my day of sorting and tossing last year's papers, followed by the sorting and tossing of the stuff in my one file drawer. Friends, this kind of stuff is my downfall. I never throw anything out, even though I know that someday my children will have to toss it all. I keep every paid bill, every bank statement, nearly every receipt. But today, I was ruthless. And I totally did it. I recycled two paper supermarket bags of papers, and two more of shredded papers (like bank statements.) I threw out every college tuition bill (which I still had, even though they've both graduated) and the year's worth of Amazon receipts. (Why do I keep those?) I filed things I still needed to keep where I could find them. What a concept.

Vindication was swift. When I talked to the Sibs this afternoon, she asked me if I had renewed our shared C0stco membership. And I reached right down into the file drawer and pulled it out and gave her the date. I am a god. (A minor household god, but a god nevertheless.)

During the first few hours of doing this, I had The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 running, so that was excellent. After K left for work, I remembered that I had the first disc of Project Runway Season 1, so I popped that in. I'm not too focused on it though, although it isn't bad background. Bob was better, of course, because I really didn't have to pay too much attention, having seen that all before. But this is fine.

At 6:00, I finished everything, including the medical files and all the shredding. Only then did I remember that I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I hadn't done my laundry, a necessary Saturday task since the Hubs' does his on Sunday -- yes, my husband does his own laundry and cooking, but remember, he snores -- and R is coming over tomorrow to do hers as well. Okay, I did have a piece of pie just before I started the project, which turned out to be cherry pie, actually, in a box marked strawberry. I wasn't too bummed, though, since I had been deciding between the cherry and the strawberry anyway. I like cherry pie.

My desk, meanwhile, is just unbelievably uncluttered and neat, since I filed all kinds of stuff from the desktop too. All I have left (in papers, anyway, I've got other crap on it) is current bills to be paid, the pages I printed out about new hearing aids, and the little booklets for my new make-up. What was obsession for those first few weeks has mellowed nicely into routine, but this make-up line is going to be featured on QVC on Monday, so I've got a list of what I have and all the prices so I'll know what's a good deal or not. Okay, perhaps I spoke too soon about the mellowing of the obsession, but hey, a girl needs a hobby. And I'm not getting more, as such; I'm not branching out into eyeshadow or lip color, neither of which I wear at all, just looking for good prices on stuff I'm going to need to replace anyway when it's used up. Really. Pinky swear.

I also checked to make sure that I have all the documents I need to go and get my driver's license renewed on Wednesday, because they need all sorts of proof that I am neither a terrorist nor an illegal immigrant. Presumably, I have what I need because I have a passport, but I think they would not accept my birth certificate if that's all I had. It doesn't have an official seal of any kind on it, which they seem to want, although it's the only copy I've ever had and everybody else has taken it. I have a New York City birth certificate, copies of which were made as negative photostats, so it's white writing on a black background. It lists my parents' full names -- my mother by her maiden name -- and their addresses, "color or race" -- that's a good one -- ages, and occupations. My kids have always found this peculiar in many respects, since theirs, and all other New Jersey b.c.'s I've seen, look like cute little yellow diplomas with blue printing, including the seals, and only list the baby's name, birthdate, and birthplace. Maybe I'll see if I can get an official copy from the city, although what for I have no idea. If I've never needed it until now, I never will. I guess that when you die they just assume that you were at some time born, yes? I also found my social security card, the one I had issued after I was married with my married name, so not the original, which vanished sometime in the early seventies.

So, I'm good. I had an unbelievably productive day. Go me.


WATCHING PROJECT RUNWAY SEASON 1 :: ENTRY #1354

The Continuing Saga of Me

[copied from dland]

I toddled off to the gym this morning for a 9:15 appointment with the trainer. Early, as usual, so I stopped into the CVS next door to pick up a couple of things, and ran into a colleague who retired last year and who, of course, looked fabulous. I don't know if I've mentioned this guy before, but when he retired he decided to pursue his lifelong dream and he started pounding the pavement, as they say, auditioning in New York for whatever he could find, and now, he told me, he does a lot of Law and Order episodes. He has no lines, you understand, has never had one and doesn't expect ever to get one, but they use him as a background extra regularly. Cool, eh?

So there I was at the gym, and the trainer set up a whole routine for me on the weight machines, and one thing with lifting dumbbells, and a couple of floor exercises. She also showed me two of the aerobic machines that I can do at my own pace to warm up and cool down. My plan is to go do this twice a week, plus yoga on Saturday mornings; she also pointed out a Pilates class -- I really have no idea what Pilates is -- that she thinks I can do, and that's on Monday evenings, at 6:00, I believe. Which turns out to be a good time for me, as K will be in an evening class on Mondays, so I won't have to provide any kind of dinner for her that night. (I assume she'll eat on campus, since she'll be there on Mondays from 10 am until 8 pm.)

And then I had a nice massage. Not the best ever, but far from the worst ever, so that was okay. I did feel very good afterwards, so I guess it was okay, and the masseuse was very nice.

The Sibs and I went out for lunch and an intense make-up discussion, since she's converted me to this make-up she's been using, and really, we were like teenagers comparing what we use, and how to put it on, and so forth. We did everything but giggle; it was fun. Turns out she's gotten most of her stuff on QVC, so I went to their website when I got home and ordered another item. Okay, two, but they were good deals, really. What can I say. I have mental problems.

My plan for tomorrow is to hit the mall when it opens and return a couple of things to Macy's. (The MIL gives gift receipts with everything now, fortunately.) I was also going to return something to Penny's, a sweatshirt she got for the Hubs, but I just looked at it and I like it, so I'm keeping it for me. He'd already told me to return and keep the money, or donate the shirt, or whatever, he doesn't care, so I might as well get some use out of it, a nice, cuddly, gray Nike sweatshirt. One less errand for me tomorrow.

I turns out I have a cold after all, which is pretty close on the tail of the last one, less than a month ago, but so far it's not that bad. I'm not coughing or headachy or feverish, I'm just stuffed up and sneezing a lot. It wakes me up a lot at night, too, but what else is new; something would be waking me up if not a cold.

Okay, off to post and juggle the cars in the driveway before the Hubs gets home.


WATCHING STILL STANDING :: ENTRY #1334

Where Does the Time Go?

[copied from dland]

Not any place constructive, I can tell you that. Oh, maybe a little.

I'm all mixed up on dates, which you wouldn't think I'd be, considering that yesterday was December 25, but since we had family Christmas on Saturday, I'm all turned around. I think I did post on Sunday, but not yesterday.

Yesterday was as quiet as a day gets. I never did get dressed (although yes, I did put on a bra; a whole day without one is not so much as comfortable as you might think) and other than that, I don't think I did anything at all. Were the girls both here? Uh ... I think so. They went to the movies Sunday afternoon, but I don't even remember what they were doing in the house yesterday, or what I did. I do remember that R slept until 10:30 while we were all waiting to open gifts, and just as we sat down to do that, the ILs called to wish us a Merry etc. and ask what we got, and so on, but we finally got to it. Here's the take:

K gave me a cuddly zippered top I had picked out at the Giant Jeans Conglomerate, as well as two very cuddly pairs of socks.

R gave me a pair of socks THAT SHE MADE (pictures tomorrow) and a matching belt THAT SHE MADE. (She knits.)

The Hubs gave me a couple of books (a new biography of Walt Disney and a book by Bob Newhart), the "new" Beatles album, Love, which is actually wonderful, and a Lenox statue thingy of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Hey, it means he went to a mall. I'm impressed.

He seemed amused by his bobble-heads, and very much liked the newest Rumpole book that I gave him, as well as another trinket or two. The girls seemed to enjoy their hauls as well, although the backup battery I got K for her phone didn't have the right connector, and I took that back this morning. I'll get her a battery backup for her iPod instead, since she's got one day a week next semester where she has something like a four-hour break between classes, and her phone holds a charge better than an iPod does.

I actually braved the mall again today, twice in a holiday week, this time to get a little more info on that cool make-up I got last week. Okay, okay, I got another item or two, but I also got my make-up done in the store so the girl could show me how to use everything, so that was fine. Today's mall strategy was that I wasn't going to care where I parked, which made things less tense. Of course, I could have parked in my driveway and walked to the mall, considering how far it was, but since we're still having spring in December, it wasn't a big deal.

Then this afternoon, the girls and I headed down the Parkway again to go to a wake, which I think I mentioned the other day. It was a little odd to drive an hour and a quarter each way to spend fifteen minutes there, but it was the right thing to do. The colleague whose father had passed away said that only one other person from school had come, and although he wasn't expecting anyone, really, I did know that other guy was going -- he had told me the time and place of the wake -- and I knew it was the right thing for us to go, too. This guy has been an incredible teacher/mentor/friend to my children, and they wanted very much to pay their respects to him. He was touched that we came, and we were very glad that we went.

I just looked back at my last couple of entries, so, to follow up: I made the pumpkin pies. We did have cognac after dinner on Sunday, and may I say, yuck. Also red wine with dinner, probably the first red wine I've had in twenty years, but it was nice and dry, so I liked it. (I found the wine glasses and the huge wine goblets that were a wedding gift but which we had never ever used until the cognac.) We did have Chinese food last night.

So now you know where the time went, and so do I, I guess. I have some actual activities planned for tomorrow, so perhaps I will have something to write about. Keep your fingers crossed for no broken bones or torn anythings; I'm going to the gym in morning.


WATCHING no idea :: ENTRY #1331

Where Was I?

[copied from dland]

I was going to write yesterday, but I was just knocked out, so here's what I wanted to write yesterday, and then today. I guess.

Yesterday I was going to write about two stories in the news that I found particularly repulsive. The first is the story about the congressman from Virginia who wrote a letter to his supporters condemning the incoming congressman from Minnesota who is Muslim and who plans to take the oath of office with his hand on the Q'uran instead of on a Bible. This man -- the letter-writer -- represents the worst of all possible interpretations of "American", and has no business whatsoever in having a role in making our laws. He had clearly violated his own oath, regardless of what book his hand was on when he took it, by failing to support the Constitution of the United States, which, once again, states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. No one is asking him to adopt the Q'uran, just as no one has the right to ask Keith Ellison not to. Ellison, btw, is behaving like a true gentleman in all of this. I tried to email him a letter of support this morning, but I couldn't get a valid email address, and Goode's site clearly states that he only accepts email from people who live within his own district. What a guy.

The other thing I couldn't wrap my head around was this so-called feud between Rosie O'Donnel and Donald Trump. First off, both of them are assholes and should keep their stupid mouths shut. Second, if you're going to talk trash about each other, quit making stuff up, the truth is bad enough. Third, as soon as you stoop to criticizing the other one's appearance, you've lost your argument and should slink away in disgrace. Rosie's not thin enough for you, Donald? Here's news: she doesn't want to sleep with you, either. He's got bad hair? Rosie, you couldn't come up with something better than that? Both of you: shut the fuck up.

And now, life.

School was over at 12:30, so I'm on vacation. Yay! I'm not hopelessly exhausted today, which is a first for this week, but I've got something going on, not sure what. It's definitely of the caliber of not needing attention, though, so it'll run its course and I'll be fine. After all, the Christmas marathon starts tomorrow with the trip to the ILs, down the Parkway to exit 88. (We live at 160.) Sunday we'll have a Christmas eve dinner for the four of us, then Monday, of course, actually is Christmas, so we'll open presents in the morning and then probably watch DVDs all day. (R is giving the Hubs An Inconvenient Truth and that other documentary about crossword puzzles.) Then some sort of Christmas dinner for the four of us, for which I've asked R to think of some interesting vegan dish to make for her father.

Tuesday's activity is not so much more Christmas as it is another drive down the Parkway. The drama teacher at school, to whom both my kids are still close, lost his father yesterday, and the wake is on Tuesday, down the Parkway at exit 98 (which is still pretty far, as you can guess, just a few miles north of the ILs.) So I think the three of us should go; K just left for work for today and is going to try to arrange her hours for next Tuesday so we can.

Other than that, I'm reluctant to outline my vacation week plans because when I do, I tend to break bones or get Ebola or something. But I will tell you what I did today ater school. I went to the mall.

The. Mall. Let me tell you, you may have heard the occasional movie or TV joke about "the Paramus mall" -- they said it on Ugly Betty last night, and it's in the movie Soapdish, among others -- because Paramus is a funny word, of course, but also it's a town just ten miles over the bridge from New York City and it's covered in malls. But Paramus is just up the road apiece from me, and today I went to The Big Mall, the one with two multi-level parking garages and a twelve-screen movie theatre set to open next month. It's THE single place I avoid like the previously-mentioned Ebola at this time of year, but you know what? I just felt like going. I didn't have to go for anything, just felt like it. Which made it not a chore and an ordeal, but fun. I went to the Apple Store and asked my little questions -- ten minutes, in and out -- and then to Sephora.

So now you're thinking, What's that, a typo? Sephora? The make-up store?

Yes. I, least girly of all girls, went to the high-class make-up store. And I bought myself some high-class make-up, because I'm a big believer in getting at least one Christmas gift each year that I really want, which means I have to get it for myself. This year, I got nifty make-up. It's from a company called bare escentuals.

Apparently, this is a big deal on infomercials and QVC, neither of which I watch, but my sister does and she recently got into this, along with Wonderful Niece, and I started looking at their website and stuff and thought I might like to give it a try. It would be nice to have glowing skin, don't you think? I'm rather caught up lately in taking care of myself and stuff, giving thought to what shampoo I use and the like. OH! And there was this other news story yesterday:

Weight gain is now being linked to having certain kinds of bacteria in your stomach.

Which would explain a lot, I think; all I need now is for ten years of research to get started so someone can figure out what kind of antibiotic I need and then ... I'll be okay. Just kidding, sorta, but not really. I mean, some of my weight gain is certainly explained by what I eat, but not all of it, and not the way I gained it, and not why I can't lose anything at all even when I eat 1200 calories a day for six weeks.

Okay, I think I'm off track here somehow; I'm not sure what track I was on, anyway. The Hubs' last bobblehead came today -- Robert E. Lee; I'll have to take a picture of the set and post it after Monday -- so I've got every gift and everything is wrapped. (Must remember to leave eBay feedback after I post.) I brought home some of the new YA fiction from the recent book shipment, and I guess after I post my feedback, I'll finish one of those. Or, mmmmmm, play with my new make-up. Yeah, that's the ticket.


WATCHING THE GOLDEN GIRLS :: ENTRY #1328