Thursday Thoughts ~ 9/29/22

Here we go! My last thought of the month. Oh who am I kidding?!? My thoughts are a daily whirling dervish. If I’m not overthinking, I’m sleeping. I’m also scheduling this post so that I don’t miss my once a day forever goal. This is post 1508 in a row with 4112 posts in total since I began this blog for real the second time. Saved my life I tell you what!

Yesterday, not really yesterday but 9/23/22*, my monitor went out. This is a Hannspree which are hard to find but a boatload are available on eBay. I vividly remember getting the monitor. I told the guy at Best Buy, don’t take advantage of a luddite, I want the least expensive but most reliable monitor. Oh & I’m really not a luddite. I LOVE new technology & while I can’t keep up with the kiddos, I have found ways of meeting my technology needs handily … for my purposes which are limited anyway. Sometimes I play dumb to get assistance when I’m impatient but mostly when in doubt, I right click my way to something.

So back to the monitor. It is at least 22 years old because I have had it ever since we moved here. I said this recently, I mark time by life events. I worked on my little laptop all hunched over which is NOT good for my back but I couldn’t really take a day off since I was facilitating training that day. Pony had an extra monitor that he brought to me that afternoon but in doing the ole switcheroo, the gently used screen got damaged when we accidentally laid it on top of the camera. Now that screen is completely toast. He wasn’t upset because he was never going to use it again anyway.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. I mean a generally funny thing happened. The jingling around (my technical term for reestablishing connection) of the Hannspree brought it back to life all Evanescence Thank you Amy Lee. I used it for a while last night* without issue & today (really 9/24/22) I have some flickering when I delete emails of all things. Then the screen went all fuzzy like the end of TV broadcast in the old days. This means I’m getting a new monitor even though the laptop works in a pinch.

I surely do not want to go back into the office more days than mandated just to have a big screen. More so because our covid protocols at work are relaxed. The mandatory testing is done & the what to do if exposed has changed. No more quarantine. Come on in folks, the water is fine. We’ll be back to the old days of if you’re not coughing up a lung & your fever is 101 or less, we expect to see you there. FML, seriously. I’m wanting to avoid exposure at all costs because we have to help B’s parents. I’ll never forgive myself for passing this along. But all I can do is control myself so I am five times vaccinated – two shots, two boosters (regular), & one booster (bivalent). I’ll do whatever I need to do annually as well. Sure I’m overreacting but that’s what I’m known for don’t cha now. lol

As always, more to come.

#1linerWeds. 9/28/22

We’re watching Ian like everyone else. Hope Florida makes it through okay. HERE are the rules & ping back to today’s #1linerWeds.

I was in a meeting this week & since I’m literal and easily amused, I decided to use what I heard as my one liner. The person speaking was giving a demo on a new tool and he said …

The process is a little different but it is still the same

Anonymous presenter

Well which is it mister? Haha! ba-dum-tis. Something I may have said myself. I get he meant almost the same with a few new enhancements. And on that note, FIN for now. Until next time, behave 😉

As always, more to come.

Share Your World ~ 9/27/22

She’s back in the saddle again! Yipee! Melanie is serving up the #SYW questions & I’m dishing up my answers. To join us, HERE are the rules & ping back.

QUESTIONS

Would you rather have no nose, or no arms? I can’t imagine being without either. Could I keep one arm at least? The medical experts are doing so much with technology & robotics these days. I think I would keep my nose & become bionic woman with prosthetic arms. Did I find a loophole to this question?!?!?

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What is your spirit animal?  Hmm, I usually answer dog because I love mine so very much. But also because dogs provide unconditional love right back to me. Much better than some humans to say the least.

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Do you think cavemen had nightmares about cavewomen?     LOL well I would imagine so.

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Where did Pina Colada come from?   Puerto Rico with the actual creator hotly contested. I just assumed pina = pineapple & colada = coconut but I was wrong. Pina is indeed pineapple but colada mean wash.

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GRATITUDE SECTION

How thankful are you for good health, should you enjoy such a state of being?  (a bit close to home perhaps, sorry) I’m thankful for everyday above ground but not gonna lie, I am tired of constantly hurting. Ever since I got my MRI results, I feel worse. Something is definitely twisted in there. L3 to L5 & including S1. Pain radiating to my whole body. The only time I feel ok is when I’m deep asleep. Knock on wood because last night, for the first time, the pain continued as I fell asleep. I had not experienced that before. Usually taking the weight off and lying prone removes all the aches. So, wah-wah, call the wambulance. I know others have pain worse than me. So far, they’ve ruled out everything life threatening. I’m getting by as I grin & bear it, waiting to get in with a doctor for epidural steroid injections. I’m grateful for everything else that is going right in my world. #stillblessed

As always, more to come.

haiku – nose & twitch ~ 9/26/22

Scamper happily

Nose twitching while tail wagging

Our fierce protector

Written for Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 429 NOSE and Twitch.

#SLS ~ 9/25/22

Today the prompts are Sweet, Honey, Sugar, Candy, Chocolate suggested by Angie of King Ben’s Grandma. Thanks JIM for hosting. Some many choices, where to begin? Guess I’ll while away the hours listening and dancing until something grabs me. As I strolled down memory lane, I was going to use Sugar/Sugar sung by the Archies but pretty sure I posted that song before. Reminds me of my brother since we had the 45. We shared our records and would take turns picking what got played. Sugar/Sugar was one of his top selections. Sticking with the era, I finally chose Sweet City Woman by the Stampeders. Songwriter: Richard Dodson. Hope you enjoy!

Well, I’m on my way
To the city lights
To the pretty face
That shines her light on the city nights
And I gotta catch a noon train
I gotta be there on time
Oh, it feels so good to know she waits at the end of the line

Sweet, sweet city woman
I can see your face, I can hear your voice
I can almost touch you
Sweet, sweet city woman
And the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing, yeah, yeah

Bon, c’est bon, bon, bon, c’est bon, bon
Bon, c’est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon
Bon, c’est bon, bon, bon, c’est bon, bon
Bon, c’est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon

So long, ma
So long, pa
So long, neighbors and friends

Like a country morning
All snuggled in dew
Ah, she’s got a way to make a man feel shiny and new
And she sing in the evening
Old, familiar tunes
And she feeds me love and tenderness and macaroons

Sweet, sweet city woman
I can see your face, I can hear your voice
I can almost touch you
Sweet, sweet city woman
And the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing

Sweet, sweet city woman
Oh she’s my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet city woman
oh my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Everybody
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman

Sunday Reflections ~ A Week in Review ~ 9/25/22

Yep I know it’s still September but I’m ready for Halloween hence the feature image. This week was rough. I had to be in office which isn’t new but what made it different was we had in person meetings. Large group gatherings. And yes I was the only dork in a mask. Another thing that made it rough was my MRI & results with next steps to commence. Good to know but overwhelming all the same. And if that was not enough, I was called out by a coworker from another area to a point where our managers had to step in. I was offended y’all, that is all I’m going to say about that.

Well wait there’s more. I was so very upset that I shared what had happened with two trusted co-workers, besties. In their defense of me, we learned some things about each other I could never have imagined. Unrelated to the work incident but about life. Goes to show 100% that you never know what anyone else might be going through so just be kind to everyone, even if you don’t like them, maybe especially when you don’t like them. And use the F word often because nothing releases pain that swearing. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!! Look it up, research shows that’s true.

Meanwhile on the homefront, MoMo is declining. Friday was the first time that she didn’t recognize PoPo. She called him Griffin. I thought that was good since at least Griff is her grandson. That maybe her faculties will come back. A momentary misfired synapse. But it isn’t good when your spouse of almost 60 years doesn’t know who you are at all. PoPo is devastated. He said if there is a merciful God, he will take her now because she never wanted to live like that. None of us do.

He hadn’t called the nurses station since that happened so I did that for him. They said she refused occupational therapy & had slept over 12 hours & was still sleeping. The nurse said MoMo’s vitals were good & sleep is what she needs. They’ve said she was down for the count before & she bounced back. For now, things are wait & see. But I’m back in it again. After removing myself when things went to hell in a handbasket back in January. I don’t think she will know who I am much less accuse me of trying to send her away. Everything I do from here on out is for B and his daddy. Our sweetest PoPo.

Okay, moving on to the recap. Reversing it up again. Rebel that I am!

• Saturday – 9/24/22 – #SoCS
• Friday – 9/23/22 – Book Club
• Thursday – 9/22/22 – Thoughts
• Wednesday – 9/21/22 – #1linerWeds.
• Tuesday – 9/20/22 – Share Your World
• Monday – 9/19/22 – haiku
• Sunday – 9/18/22 – #SLS

Peace y’all. Until next time. Stay safe.

As always, more to come.

#SoCS ~ 9/24/22

Hello my lovelies. Time once again for #SoCS. I’m ready to let my mind wander as I write any fool thing that pops into my head after reading Linda G Hill’s prompt which follows:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “home.” Use it as a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. Enjoy!

To join in or read what our fellow streamers create, HERE are the rules & ping back.

Hmm 🧐 homework. Lolly lolly lolly get your adverbs here 🎶 School House 🏡 Rock was a Saturday cartoon favorite. A house 🏡 just ain’t a home. The people make a home. Or at least I think so. I’d live with B in less than stellar conditions if it ever came to that. He’s way more important than nice real estate. Check noun off the list.

Though realistically I think I should quit while I’m ahead. No verb, no adjective, no adverb. Especially since the only other thing I could think of is homing pigeon. And I surely don’t know anything about that. I do seem to remember though on the TV series NYPD blue, that Andy or Greg would go up to the rooftops of New York to a pigeon coop, if they’re even called pigeon coops, and would talk to the birds. Or maybe just feed them. I don’t know if there was a significance to the birds. Homing pigeons are probably quite fascinating.

I’ve been on a nature kick lately. Filming caterpillars in our tree, and filming racing lizards scampering down the sidewalk, and taking pictures of the beautiful blue skies. Sometimes I toss one of these random videos or pictures out to Facebook, which automatically links me to Instagram. Much in the same way that this post will fly on over to Twitter.

Physically, time to be a slug today. I just can’t take it. I got my MRI results and I’m moving forward. I just don’t like the anesthesiologist to which I’ve been referred. I think I’m gonna try to find a pain management doctor on my own. Started and stopped to write a whole other post on that. I may still because healthcare in America, it’s not for the faint of heart. And maybe someone can avoid what I am currently experiencing if I share.

As always, more to come.

Friday Book Club: J-Dub’s Review of The Best American Short Stories of 2021 Editor Jesmyn Ward – Part Three

Short intro – look back HERE for details of what I’m attempting. These posts are my experiment. Having the time of my life. Reading, writing, and all around musing. HERE you will find Part Two.

“You, reading this, you’re here, alive, because your parents synced and you showed up. That’s it. Even if they planned for a child, it was still a raffle draw. A hand went down in a bowl and picked you. The tree shook and a fruit fell down. If it pains you to read, then cry.”

Good Boy by Eloghosa Osunde

Only one quote today because of the length with so much to unpack. I was seriously in right place & time to read this quote. The randomness is not something unique to me. What matters is what comes after. What we do with our life is what counts.

As always, more to come.

Thursday Thoughts ~ 9/22/22

Borrowed these words because I couldn’t have said it better myself …

For what it’s worth, I don’t share my sometimes painful personal history to garner some sort of sympathy for myself, or in support of any causes, though I do support causes, I share so others like me will know they’re not alone. I believed I was all alone.

Anonymous

I know better now. We are legion. Sadly. This cohort that I keep alluding to here because I’m a big chicken who doesn’t want to be found out or found out further knows too. How can I be my best, most honest & genuine self if I conceal certain parts of what makes me, well me? The answer lies somewhere in between. I can’t really explain it. When I try, my response sounds like an excuse.

This post is written in response to a spam comment I received where the author accused me of whining. Damn straight I do & if you don’t like it, scroll on by.

As always, more to come.

#1linerWeds. 9/21/22

Ooohhh, I like Linda’s one liner today. Let’s all go slay some dragons!! Look HERE to check out the rest of today’s offerings. My borrowed two cents worth even less than 1/2 a penny follows:

The Opposite of Love is Not Hate, It Is Indifference

Elie Wiesel

Last week I went back to a lighthearted one liner after several weeks of trying to lift myself up using quotes from The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Well the levity didn’t last. Not going to whine now. My break is almost over. I have to get back to crack-a-lackin.

Special thanks to the unnamed blogger who commented that quote back to me on one of my prior sad sack posts. Just what I needed, right when I needed to see it. No matter how often B tells me, “they don’t hate you Jill, they don’t even know you. If they took the time to know you, they would love you just like we do”, that lesson refuses to stick.

From another view, then maybe the opposite of hate is difference. As in making a difference, looking out for others. Being kind & giving a little help along the way.

As always, more to come.