Season of the Sticks

 I touched my first computer terminal keyboard in 1980.  Prior to that I  used an electronic telephone computer system to place orders for the store I worked at.  I started working with terminals and mainframes in 1983.  Personal computers in 1988.  (Well, I did help a co-worker with an Apple computer in 1984 but I didn't touch it).

I was the family go-to person for computer issues until my nephew passed me with his super knowledge of the machines.  Actually, I was still the go-to person because my nephew didn't have the time to help anybody.  

I continued to work with mainframes, personal computers and in 1996 I added switches, routers, networking, firewalls, taps, modems and anything else they can throw at  you.

I retired in 2024 and I have a confession.  It almost seems as if the day I stopped working in the field of technology I lost my entire ability to troubleshoot technology.  Did my brain just say "Enough!  I'm done!"  I think so.  

I avoid self check-outs.  I had to use one today because the store did not have any human being ringing people up.  I ran the price under the red beam.  Nothing.  I did it again.  Nothing.  A person walked up beside me on the next machine over.  The barcode!  Idiot!  Barcode, not the marked price!  LOL!  I turned the product over and scanned the barcode.  Beep!  Okay, I did the next one.  I was only purchasing 2 items.  Then what.  I'm trying to shove a ten dollar bill into the slot that looks like a picture of paper money.  Nothing.  I shove and re-shove.  Finally I looked at the screen.  Oh, I had to choose cash.  I pushed the selection on the screen and the cash slot lit up.  It took my ten dollar bill and after a bit of grinding and chirping, threw some change back at me.  I scooped it up.  My fingers almost got smacked by the little plastic door that comes down when you remove the cash.  Sheesh!  Then I looked at the screen again.  Print receipt.  Push.  More grinding, and popping and out comes my receipt.  I grab the receipt, shove the two items into a plastic bag (which I couldn't open until I spit on my fingers to pry it open) and I went on my way.

I can't tell the people I know that now technology confuses me.  Especially my new phone.  I have worked with technology for over 40 years but I am OLD SCHOOL.  My brain is tired.  My brain says 'No more!  Stop!  I've had enough of technology!'  My body is getting tired quicker and my brain seems to blank out all the time.  The other day, I went to ask my daughter if she wanted me to get her crutches and I could not (for the life of me) remember the word crutches.  I asked "Do you want your ....er.... your...uh...sticks!?"

Nightmare over

 The phone nightmare is over but now I have the "Learning curve" as I try to master the new features of my new phone.  A la headache.

I returned to the Verizon corp office armed with prices from Amazon on the two phones I was considering purchasing.  Each phone had 3 versions.  Small, medium and large.  Well, regular, plus and ultra.  

I was hesitant to order online (recently burned by Verizon) for fear that the delivery would be delayed and backordered.  I was tired of waiting.  But, I did not want to pay in store prices.

I showed the prices to the Verizon rep.  He was young and so polite.  He was unable to match the price.  However, he used to work at Best Buy and suggested to go there and they would match the price.

I did.  I had a great nephew that worked there and was hoping he was working that day.  He was not. In fact he had moved to a Best Buy 30 minutes north.  Rats.  Anyway, before finding out my nephew no longer worked there I walked around waiting for somebody to offer to assist.  Nobody did.  I walked and walked. I looked at refrigerators. I looked at cameras. I looked at phones. I was disappointed - they only had a few phones.  I was looking at a phone and noticed the one I wanted was missing.  The little stand was there, just no phone.  There was a little yellow button-like piece.  I pushed it.  You see a button, you gotta push it - amiright?

Well, that got me some attention as it set off an alarm.  A young gentleman quickly came over and said he needed to get a key to turn it off.  He was very nice about it.  He said he was with a customer but if I just took a seat he would be with me in a few minutes.  I waited.  And waited.  I even joined in the conversation with his current customer.

Finally, it was my turn.  I explained to him a few details.  He said yes, he could match Amazon's price but they would have to order the phone.  Oh, I can't do that.  My wound was still too fresh.  I didn't want to go through it all again.  But,....but....he did have my second choice.  It was in a status of "Open box".  I asked what that meant.  He said somebody had purchased it, opened the box but returned it.  So, it wasn't "used" or "refurbished" - just open box.  Well, this was a much nicer phone and their price was very close to Verizon's price for the regular model.  I took it.  I wanted this to be over. If I did not purchase this "Ultra" model at $8 more than Verizon's "regular" model price I was not getting a phone today.  By the next day I would have been without a phone for 2 weeks.  

In speaking with the salesman (very young polite guy) I mentioned that I was in the process of switching banks.  He said that he was going to look into working at a bank.  I thought the job position of bank teller was going to be a thing of the past since ATM's came out.  He didn't think so.  Huh.  A bank teller job is better than a sales job at Best Buy.  It just didn't sound right.

Later, I had another two hours to kill before picking up my daughter from work so I went to a nearby craft store.  As I got out, I looked around at the plaza recalling how it looked 20 years ago.  The big draw to the plaza at that time was Circuit City.  Remember that store?  Micro Center is still around.  I looked up the nearest Radio Shack.  It is a couple of hours away from me.  I was surprised.  I thought they had all closed.  I used to go to Radio Shack just to browse to see what was new out there.  I have "NEVER" browsed clothing, shoe or hand bag stores.  I only like to shop for a few things.  Tech items and stationery supplies being my favorites.  My interests change over the years same as everyone else.  These days its more houseplants, flowers and gardening.  I did tech for so long, I tend to steer clear of that subject completely if I can.  This phone shopping was enough to last me the next five years.

No soup (phone) for you!

 Currently at a Verizon store there is a big poster on their window that reads:

Broken phone?  No problem.

I beg to differ.  But, of course it isn't the fact that my phone is broken.  The problem is the fact that I ordered a phone from Verizon on line and used up my upgrade.  I was not eligible for another upgrade until I canceled that order.  Sure I could buy another phone but I could not get my phone number attached to it.  I could buy a second line....no thanks.

When I ordered the phone online, it said the phone would ship in two days (48 hours).  Of course they meant business days (although they did not specify).  It did not arrive in 2 days.  I went to the Corporate office closest to me and tried to get it canceled.  There were unable to - the Verizon service center said it had shipped.  I returned two days later and said the phone still had not arrived.  This time they were able to cancel it (in 2 more days).  

I was ready to close my account.  I believe I have been a Verizon customer for over 20 years.  I was wondering where the nearest Sprint or T-Mobile stores were.  Verizon purchased Frontier (my Internet provider) and I get a discount but I don't think it is all that much and I was prepared to forego that when I dropped them.

I refrained from closing my account.  I left the store today looking for another provider.  I did not see one.  I got home and checked my e-mail later that afternoon.  Order canceled.  Okay.  I can go back and get a phone, now.  Every damn thing these days has to be so difficult.  Nothing is simple any more.  We have to make three or four trips to get a job done or three or four phone calls.  

One step forward, two steps back.  The nightmare will be over soon.  It is a hassle without a phone.  I have reached for my phone no less than five times when I wanted to take a picture.  I've written on my to do list to call so and so and such and such just to realize I could not.  My daughter is at work from 8 to 5 (when most businesses are available for phone calls) so I do not ask for her phone.   Friday it will be 2 weeks.  It isn't all Verizon's fault.  I take some of the responsibility.  They have their procedures and rules.  Still...

Dizzy from going around in circles

 So.  I suppose it is pretty much impossible to live in today's society without a cell phone.  Or, it is very, very difficult to participate in life as we know it.  I knew I would get another phone sooner or later, it was a joke that I asked "Can I survive without a cell phone?"  LOL!  Most people would say "What?  Who would want to?"   Well....

I think it is great when I am out picking something up for a family member and they don't have that color, size or flavor and I text them and say "You want me to get one in  yellow instead?" or something like that.  They answer (hopefully before I give up and leave the store).  Sure, it's great but what did we do before cell phones?  We bought what we thought they would like and they dealt with it or returned it. It isn't the end of the world if we are unable to have instant access to them.  Really, it isn't.

It is also nice to let people know if we are running late or how to get somewhere, sure the cell phone has given us endless opportunities that we did not have before but we managed.  There are also all those funny "Flour the kids?"  stories.  I recall one from my niece's phone conversation to a friend.  She was learning to drive and told her friend over the cell phone "I drove to Cambridge."  and her friend thought she said "I drove off a bridge."  

First, I looked on Amazon.  Shipping sometime in August.  Pass.  I went to the Verizon site.  I would switch providers but my Verizon (cell phone) is connected to my Frontier (Internet) and I get a combination discount.  On the Verizon site I find a phone that I want.  I'm tired of looking - at this point just send me a phone that will text, call, get on the Internet once in a blue moon and take a picture now and then.  I go through the steps to order it.  What do I want to do with this phone - upgrade my current line or add a new line?  I chose upgrade.  I've been eligible for an upgrade for years.

To complete the transaction it wants to send a text code to my cell phone or (hallelujah!) my daughter's.  I was thankful she lives right in my basement as I was able to get the sale to go through.  Sheesh!  I'm quite dizzy by now.  

The hard cast

 This is what my daughter has been wearing for two weeks or so.  She sees the doctor tomorrow for a follow up and she is hoping to get it off and get a lighter easier to maneuver cast.  

This isn't the kind of cast I've ever seen (I've not seen many).  It has a dial to adjust the tightness and a button like air pump.  I don't think my daughter had to do much adjusting.  She is mostly bothered by her toes.  She says they feel weird.

She has been stuck in the basement since the operation also.  She will be getting some fresh air tomorrow and I hope it helps her headaches.  We didn't want to make her go up and down the stairs as when this first happened she over-did it and ended up back in the ER with fracture blisters and severe swelling.  So she just stayed home and I did too.  

She starts a new job on the 27th.  I'm not sure she can put in a full day.  She will be in training.  I will take her and then go to sister 1944's house for the day.  She lives close to where my daughter will be working. I'm going to have to buckle down and get a phone so my daughter can call me if she is only going to work half a day or so the first few days.  She has been doing nothing for weeks now except roll herself to the bathroom.

A Mess

 I made a No-Bake raspberry cheesecake today.  I wanted it to look like the above image.  It did not.

I've researched and I think I have discovered what went wrong.  That recipe has been destroyed.

I'll be cleaning the shelving in my refrigerator tomorrow.  Heh, heh.

I made a mad dash to the local produce stand in town this morning before it got too hot.  I picked up some blackberries the size of mountains, yellow Rainier cherries, Mariposa plums, cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn on the cob, and a large garlic bulb.  

The tomatoes were a variety of Heirloom.  They were horrible.  I threw most of them away.  I'll go through the rest tomorrow and taste test them to see if they are decent enough to eat.

I pulled my phone out of the rice tank today and attempted to turn it on.  Nothing doing.  I figured as much.  I'll probably go in on Monday and get a new phone.  I hate this.  Like buying a car.  What one should I get?  I will have to research between five and ten phones and read about them.  And they all cost too much.  I should just purchase one off the Internet and take it in to be set up.  Le sigh.  

After the cheese cake catastrophe, I was so disgusted (and hot working in the kitchen) I decided not to fix sloppy jo's and corn on the cob.  I fixed turkey sandwiches for my daughter and I - along with cut veggies and (very well cleaned) fruit.  Her husband had a gig tonight and he and his band always eat dinner (most of the time at the place they are playing) before they perform.

The smoke from the Canadian fires has dissipated in my area.  It was rather thick for a couple of days.  I limited the time I let the dogs outside.  I usually limit them when it is really hot anyway.  I hope Canada got some rain to help them fight the fires.  The Little Knife incident fire and the Chub fire are both currently in Minnesota but originated in Canada.

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Squeaky clean phone

 With the Cyclosporiasis parasite going around and recently reading an article that our cell phones are more contaminated than our toilet seat, I washed my phone.  In the washing machine.  I think it's clean.

No, it wasn't on purpose.  It is spending the night in the rice tank.  I know it probably won't help because you can't take phones apart like you used to.  At least I can't take it apart. But, I had nothing to lose.

It is over 6 years old anyway.  It was time for a new one.  I am just wondering if my sim card will be salvageable enough to transfer my data.  Or, does Google do that, now?  I don't keep pictures on my sim card (well, I had about a dozen of my plant progress - no biggie).  

I don't think I've ever lost a phone before.  I'm thinking....no dropping, no puddles, no toilet drops, nope.  I guess this is my first cell phone catastrophe.  Now external hard drives - that's another story.  I blame my cat Moses.  He was always getting caught in the cable and dragging the poor thing off my desk and they did not recover.  I eliminated that problem by purchasing a docking station that holds 5 hard drives (I have about 10).  I keep all my hard drives from my old computers so I can still get access to the data.  I double and triple copy everything. I am a hoarder.  I hoard many things.  This happens to be data hoarding.

A job with USPS (almost)

 Brother 1942 was in the air force and when he finished his tour, started working at the post office.  I applied for a job there in 1983 while I was between jobs.  I studied for the tests (I recall it was addresses and zip codes, etc...) and I believe I did well but I did not get called.

In 1986 I was living in VA Beach. I had a full time job and health benefits.  Things were going well.  My Mom (I think) got word to me that the Post office called and gave me a phone number to call.  They had a part time position (midnights) with no benefits for two years.   I mean the post office was a pretty good place to work (back then).  I was thinking who can wait three years to get called for a part time job with no benefits available for a couple of years?  Not me.  I remained in VA Beach about two more years until my relationship ended and I returned to Ohio and continued working in technology.

I am reading a book by Stephen Starring Grant who delivered mail in his old home town after graduating, earning a degree and working in Europe and big cities in the US.  He grew up in Appalachian Southwest Virginia.  He needed a job.  It didn't pay a lot but did offer benefits and he had a family.  Between brother 1942's stories, sister 1949's stories and this author - I'm kind of glad my opportunity with the USPS did not work out.

Just Don't!

 I ran into the manager I wrote about on May 11th at

a memorial for a good friend of mine.

My good friend had been a manager in another department and

had beat cancer stage IV in 2016 (mine was 2017 Stage 3A)

Not the same type of cancer.

Hers came back with a vengeance. I don't know if she was doing

the follow up blood work or not. She went to the doctor because

of a back ache and they found her full of the vile disease.

Her husband had passed less than six months prior and she was 

gone within 6 weeks.

I remained friends with about seven other women from that work

place and we (more or less) got together once a month since

we all worked there.

The memorial was a day of bittersweet memories.  I saw a lot of

people I had not seen in over 30 years. I had left this job in

1995 and worked in education until I retired in 2024. 

There were a few I recognized right away and a couple that I had

to apologetically ask their name.  We shared stories of the past

and had a few laughs.  It relieved the sadness of it all.  The

friend who passed was one hell of a lady.

She had 3 songs play during the memorial. I suppose she picked

them.  

The songs that my friend had play were:

"The Rose" - Bette Midler

"The Dance" - Garth Brooks

"What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong

It got me to thinking about what I would want.

I looked up "popular songs played at funeral/memorials".

I decided on:

"Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" - Wizard of Oz

"Knocking on Heaven's Door" - Bob Dylan

"Cold As Ice" - Foreigner

runner ups:

"Stayin' Alive" - Bee Gees

"Another One Bites the Dust" - Queen

and I told my daughter if she played "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

by Bobby McFerrin I would come back and haunt her. 

I loathe that song!

Oh, this list of choices is written here in jest. Of course I

won't have them play at my memorial. Well...

Greed. More, more, more!

 When I began working in the schools in the mid-90's in rural Ohio, we (my organization) set up the Internet for schools in several surrounding counties.  A telephone company was called to install a 56k line and I would connect the appropriate equipment to that biscuit (the little phone jack on the wall) and the school network.

I would arrive at the school and being polite and somebody who followed the rules I would wait in the office until the telephone worker arrived, then we would go to the wiring closet and complete the connection. That was how it was supposed to work.

I was at one such location and after waiting an hour, I called my home office.  They said they would look into it and call me back.  They called me back and said the phone guy had been there and gone.  I was like "How? I've sat here all morning and I didn't see him."  If you are a visitor at a school you are to sign in at the front office.  

Come to find out, the telephone guy had snuck in the back door (schools were not yet locked down), went to the closet (also not locked back then), installed his biscuit and left.  He never bothered signing into the office.  The telephone company was not worried about breaking the rules. They were the only game in town.  Corporate American greed had seen to that.

Situations like this were not uncommon in my early years of working in this environment.  I also came to find out that the phone guy did not like other people around when they worked.  Know why?  Because they never did it right the first time.  Never!  I would go, install my equipment and nothing worked.  The phone guy had to come back.  I thought either their job must be really difficult or they hired a bunch of bozos.

Until I caught up with one.  It was a Wednesday afternoon and this was the second or third time he had to come back to make the connection.  He bragged "I've already got my 40 hours in and it's only Wednesday!  Everything from here on out is overtime!"  He almost sang it.

Sadly, later that day it hit me.  They did this on purpose.  They did it wrong so they would have to be called back out however many times so they could build up their hours and make more money in overtime.  I didn't get overtime. I was a salaried employee.  I had to drive out to the site every time only to find out the connection did not work.  Tax payers paid my mileage (through my state organization).

It was an eye opener and a depressing one.  The phone company did not hire bozos and the job itself was simple enough if you knew what you were doing.  No, they hired greedy workers.  I need more, more and more!  More money, bigger house, a new boat, a nicer car! More stuff to put into my bigger house.  

Things changed.  After Columbine, schools began locking all their doors.  56k lines turned into T1 lines and then several T1 lines and then fiber.  The big Ma Bell was broken into several smaller Bells and competition improved the installation process a bit.  Not much, though. I left in the Spring of 2024.  

Ti 22

 My daughter will have to inform Airport Security from now on that she has a titanium plate in her ankle whenever she flies now.  It was a long day.  I found out that pain killers give my daughter a migraine just like they affected me.  The nurse had her eat 4 saltine cracker squares so she could give her 2 Percocet.  My daughter slept, came home, slept a bit more and woke up with a screaming headache.  I'm pumping fluids in her and got her some chicken nuggets.  It is a tossup as to which pain she wants to deal with.  For now, since it just happened she will deal with the headache pain because the operation was just today and she has to east THAT pain.  As time goes on, she may adjust to the pain pills, I don't know.  But, she may stop taking them sooner rather than later.  

Say it ain't so

 My first memory of headaches was 10 years old. I slept in my Mom's room and at around 4:30 or 5:00 she would wake up and sit on the side of her bed. I was across the room. And I would hear it.  The first thing she did every morning.  Strike a match and light a cigarette. A few seconds later the smoke smell would hit me.  I hated it.  I had a headache almost every day.

When I was 12 my headaches changed.  Migraines.  My Dad had migraines, brother 1942, sister 1944 and sister 1949 all had them.  We called them sick headaches back then.  When I began to get headaches nobody seemed to realize they were migraines.  Even though we had a family history of them. Perhaps it was because I was so much younger, I don't know.

But almost ALL my headaches stopped after my total hysterectomy.  It was bizarre.  All the folks saying it was what I ate.  Well, I kept eating the same things I had always eaten and there were NO MORE headaches. Not only migraines but those regular stress headaches ceased also.

Le sigh.  That was late 2017.  I had a doozy today.  Is that the word and is it spelled correctly?  Yep. I looked it up.  For about five years 2018 - 2023 my life was much improved without those headaches.  I had a lot of issues at work in 2024 and I retired that year. I noticed a few more headaches than I'd been having. 

It may be allergies.  I have never had an issue with allergies but they can creep up on a person anytime.  My daughter  pointed it out to me a couple of years ago with a nagging cough that was just driving me crazy.  I began to take a pill but it must have been seasonal because it all stopped.

I noticed myself sniffling today.  For the past three days I have been sneezing a lot.  And then the headache.  It may have been the heat played a part, also.  Since the temperature has come down a bit, I thought I could get away with  not running the A/C.  Not because I want to save money or be "green" but because I freeze the kids out in the basement.  I was also spending more time in the basement with my daughter since she broke her ankle.  I came upstairs today late afternoon and it said 87 degrees.  I was sick to my stomach and my head was pounding.  I can't say it was heat related since I'd spent a few hours in the cool basement but maybe it was a delayed reaction from earlier in the day.  I turned the A/C on and then just now turned it back off (dropping into the high 60's overnight).

I am postponing going to bed because laying down makes the headache worse.  I will have to lay on my left side because that is the side with the pain.  I'll probably have one hand tucked under my head to create some sort of pressure on the throbbing.  I've taken my usual ibuprofen and I even took an allergy pill.  I did not take a migraine pill (Imitrex).  It is too late for that anyway.  They usually only work when you take the pill at the very first sign of the migraine attack.  And for an hour or two it is pure hell.  The pill makes everything hurt and sometimes it can squeeze the chest area.  It no longer does that for me but I do feel pretty bad.  After the initial two hours and if the medicine works - voila!  I am headache free!  I can't jump up and down on a pogo stick, but I can function.  I don't dance, run or bend over.  Just calmly carry on.  No sudden movements, especially the head.  

From 12 years old to 35 I had nothing but OTC headache pills.  My sister did have me try a Midrin (an older drug my older siblings took) but I didn't really like the way it made me feel.  It took the edge off but it was just weird. Then at 35 when my daughter was four years old I reached out to a doctor after seeing a commercial that spoke of new medicine for migraines.  I went through a few and the one that I seemed to do well with the most was Imitrex (sumatriptan).  Well, Maxalt (rizatriptan) was the best but I had a tiny little reaction one day to it and that stopped that.  My doctor prescribed me another one, but I still had prescriptions left of Maxalt and I am sorry to say that I continued to use that until the prescription ran out.  I never told my doctor.  

The reason I reached out when my daughter was young was because it made me angry.  When I had a migraine (which was often) I was no better than a drunk on the couch.  I couldn't move.  I couldn't stand lights, sound or smells.  I was throwing  up.  My head was pounding.  It was pretty much the same as a hangover but you did not have any fun the night before.  I hated that my daughter had to "play quietly" because Mommy was sick again.  Medicine had come a long way since 1972.

Ad for coffee

 There is a  YouTube ad for a mushroom based coffee that has a tune everybody seems to love.  It isn't a song from a band or from a recording.  It is an unknown singer and the tune was made specifically for the commercial.  You only get a minute or two of the song in the ad but it is SO mesmerizing.  I love it.

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Yes, let's!

 Let's blame everything on AI.  

It's the new scapegoat.  

Something goes wrong?  It was AI.

Something misunderstood?  It was AI.

Burned dinner?  It was AI.

Keeping my cool

 My daughter and husband live in my refinished basement.  Since she broke her ankle, I have been down there more than usual.  While husband is at work, I help my daughter navigate.  My daughter was to start work on the Monday after she broke her ankle on Sunday.  They are holding the job for her for 30 days.

It is so much cooler in the basement.  It might sound crazy, but I keep my A/C at 82 - 84 degree F.  If I make it any lower I will freeze them out.  They have all the registers turned off downstairs and have even taped cardboard over the larger one.  

I am okay upstairs when I sit in front of my fans.  I don't dare turn the oven on. (The dryer is in the basement, so it can run).  If I absolutely have to use the oven, I have a small second one built into my stove - I will use that one.  I just have to use certain casserole dishes that fit in there.

A/C does not just cool the air - it helps the humidity.  

Surprise, surprise - I hardly hear my young neighbor's loud car when my windows/doors are shut, the A/C and fans running.  So, he gets to live.  For now.

And now, the fireworks.  My young (other) neighbor is fifteen or so and I hope he gets out of the firecracker stage soon.  He does this when his parents are not around and when he has a friend over.  At least I think it's them.  Again, I don't mind the occasional noise on the actual 4th and maybe the 2nd and 3rd if it doesn't go on too long.  But the last Saturday in June pushed the limit for me.  I can recall one year, they must have let off firecrackers a dozen times.

Along with thousands of other folks, I am staying indoors during this heat wave. It's funny.  My daughter has two large dogs both with long, full fur.  When I let them outside (they live in the basement) they lay out in the sun.  Not so much the black one, but the gold one just stretches out like she is sunbathing.  I let her stay out a bit, but not too long.