62

Today is my parent's 62nd wedding anniversary. They were married on the same day as my father's parents. They are still the same loving couple as they were in 1953. They still walk holding hands and think of each other before they think of themselves. They are still active, sometimes more active than me. They will receive many phone calls today, with everyone singing to them. Tonight will be dinner and a show. Does life get better?

Defaults

I love defaults. They are no brainers. I wish all phases of life had a "set back to original default" option. We would look better and have a chance to redo bad decisions. We could start off fresh and go from there. I had a computer problem the other day and I tried everything to fix it. I finally gave in and called the computer support company. They asked me which date I wanted to go back to. I said 1985.

First Penguin

I love the expression "First Penguin ". It is not only visual it is also meaningful. A first penguin is the one that jumps in and sees if it is safe for the others to follow. If it is, the rest will jump in. If not,  the first penguin will sacrifice itself for the safety of the group. It is different from the "leader of the pack". The leader of the pack just  leads, it does not protect. Humans have first penguins too. We all know which person in our group will be the first to test the waters. My sister is always a first penguin no matter where she is. I am occasionally one if no one else makes the move first. I need to hone my swimming skills so I can do it more.

Apps

This is an app world. Apps for coupons. Apps for forms. Apps for everything else. I have an old fashioned phone so I do not have the capability to use them. I need to resort to paper, unfortunately the paper is slowly being phased out. I feel left out and shunned. I am not hAPPy about this.

Happy Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday. I was the first one to wish her a happy day. We are like Patty and Cathy (for those who remember the Patty Duke show). We are the same but different. Yin and Yang. Laurel and Hardy. Lucy and Ethel. Thelma and Louise. A team that works so well together because each person brings a special individuality to it. We never argue because we were brought up to have patience and understanding. We are thinkers before we are doers. She is the person that I have the most fun with. She never judges or gets angry. She would give me the shirt off her back and would walk around naked and proud. She is everything to me. Happy birthday and a million more.

Don't Bet On It

I can't wait to go to work this morning. A few weeks ago one of our new doctors wanted my opinion of a business proposal that she was going to present to my boss. I loved the idea and helped her write up a presentation for it. I told her not to get her hopes up, as I did not think that my boss would be on board with the financial part of the deal. The doctor wanted a partnership and my boss doesn't partner with anyone. I was pleased to find out that my boss agreed to the terms. I will find out the specifics this morning.

Generations

Our names come back into style every few generations. In the 20's and 30's, some popular women's names were Doris, Sophie, Isabelle, Mildred. In the 40's, 50's and 60's we had Susan, Barbara, Ellen, Karen and Debbie. The 70's and 80's brought us Jennifer, Jessica, Jamie and Danielle. The 90's moved on to Madison, Taylor, Ryan and Samantha. The 2000's are a free for all with many people using odd names to be different. Sometimes they are regular names just spelled differently, like that makes a difference. Some names stand the test of time, like Maria, Anna and Elizabeth. Just as a point of interest, the name Michael has been popular since the 1500's. I know a family that has two small children named Benny and Sophie. I wonder if they will be vacationing in the Catskills this summer.

New Program

A few weeks ago I bought a surface pro tablet. I love it, but I am not used to Windows 8.1. Microsoft wanted to be competitive with Mac and decided to use an app type based program. After years of being proficient in one program, I am now forced to learn another. Some parts of it are easy and some parts I just can't figure out how to navigate. Years ago a product came with a paper manual so I read and learned. Now the manual is online and switching between a manual and a screen is not easy. I am slowly playing around with the machine and through trial and error I am learning.

Mr. Independent

I can't really recall much about bringing up my children. I remember the big milestones but not the small ones. I know that I must have fed them but don't remember sitting at the kitchen table with them. I don't remember when they started to feed themselves. I am getting a second chance at these wonderful milestones with my grandson. Since it is school vacation week I did not see him for a few days. When I babysat for him last night, he was Mr. Independent. I put down his plate of ravioli and picked up the fork to feed him. He said, "No, no, no" and took the fork out of my hand. He proceeded to eat the entire plate of food, one piece at a time, very neatly. Midway through the meal, he wiped the sauce from his mouth. When he was finished, he turned the bowl to me and said, "All done". The baby has become a toddler and I am so proud of him.

Dressed for a Struggle

I am sure this scenario has happened to most women. We decide to try on an outfit that is our size and slowly realize that it is cut too small. We are now trapped in the clothing. It becomes a test of the wills. Woman versus clothes. It is annoying enough when it happens in our own home but occasionally it will happen in a dressing room of a store. That is where I had my biggest fight. I was in Marshall's trying on a dress. It went on a bit snug and did not look that good so I began to remove it. It had a mind of its own and decided to glue itself to my body. I twisted and turned and started to go in a circle like a dog chasing its tail. Round and round. I tried pulling it up. I tried pushing it down. I was at the point of almost dislocating my shoulder. I was thinking of ripping the dress off of me. I felt that it deserved it. On the last attempt it came off, almost choking me as it cleared my head. From then on, if is doesn't glide on, I put it back on the hanger.

Trust Your Gut

I had been going to the same dentist for twenty years until my insurance changed two years ago. I was forced to choose another provider. I made an appointment with a neighborhood dentist and went for a visit. He examined my teeth and said that he was not happy with one of my crowns. I thought that was odd as It was just put on six months prior and it felt fine. He did a prior authorization for a new cap. I left the office and did not feel that his opinion was correct. I never went back. My insurance reverted back to my old plan again and yesterday I went to my regular dentist. He took xrays and did the exam and said that everything looked great. I told him the story of the other dentist and asked him why I would be told I needed a new crown. He got the xrays and sat down next to me. He went over each tooth showing me that it was fine. He showed me the crowned tooth and how it was perfectly set in. I thanked him for explaining. I was glad that I went with my gut feeling and never replaced a good crown, but sad that someone had to resort to lying to make more money.

Senior Blog Moment

I am a very routine person. I get up the same time every day, even on weekends. I get dressed and walk the dog. Then I write this blog. Today, that routine was thrown off. I had to shovel the snow to get my car out to go to work. I kept saying, "Write the blog at work, write the blog at work" and you guessed it, I totally forgot. If not for a call from my sister in law to see if I was still alive, I would have missed a day. Thanks for the reminder, Barbara. That is what family is for.

Bundle Up

Tee shirt. Sweater. Scarf. Leggings. Pants. Boots. Coat. Another scarf. Hat. Hood. Gloves. Shelby's fleece jacket. Okay, I am now ready to walk out of the door and venture into the cold to walk the dog. Unbelievable. I will be walking about three feet in total as Shelby knows he needs to be quick. I will then sit in my car and warm it up for ten minutes before I go to my office and freeze for about one hour until the heat comes up. Maybe the motion of me shivering will act as exercise.

Smart Farmers

We are in the modern age and rely on technology for everything. With this horrible winter weather, the forecasters are using many Doppler methods to predict the weather patterns. Some are right and some are wrong. The news is now using 2 systems.  The other day, I actually heard the reporter say that depending on which program he was charting, we would either have a large storm or be bypassed totally. I could have told them that. It is either snowing or not. Look out of your window. The point of this blog is that in July I looked on the internet and read the Farmers Almanac. It said that this winter would be a bad one with a lot of snow. The moral of the story is, if you need a precise weather report forget all of the fancy computers and just call a farmer.

Old World

Last night I had dinner with my family and we were discussing "the olden days". We were reminiscing about how things have changed over the decades and how certain experiences are gone forever. We started to discuss the old fashioned candy store. Every neighborhood had one. It was usually run by "Mom and Pop". You could purchase food and all types of candies. Some even had small toys. The owners were usually immigrants of Jewish, Italian or German descent. Now the candy store has become the convenience store and is owned by immigrants of Asian descent. They carry similar items but do carry with them the same feeling. We then started to discuss candies and realized that we have not seen the Nestles candy bars in years. They were either milk chocolate or milk chocolate with crunch. The wrappers were either blue and white or red and white. For some reason it felt sad to not be able to go into a candy store and buy one.

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th of February. It is my lucky day. All good things have happened to me on this date. It has been like this for many years. I consider 13 to be my lucky number. I am a numbers person so I tend to add up addresses and dates to see what the final number will be. For some reason 13 is considered an unlucky number. I never did research to find out why as it does not pertain to me. In 28 days it will be Friday March 13. Does life get any luckier?

Cold Feet

I live in the ice age. When I look at my backyard, all I see are the glimmering ice caps that are normally only seen in Alaska. The only problem with this is that Shelby is not an Eskimo dog training for the Iditarod. He has tiny paws that are not made for walking on ice. He slips and slides and after a few minutes he wants to run into the warm house, whether or not he finished his walk. I might make him a pair of snow socks if this cold front keeps up.

Faster Speed

I called my cable company yesterday to go over my plan and see if I had the lowest rate. The representative reviewed my bill and said that the rate that I had was the best they had to offer. She said that for $10 more I could have faster internet speed. I said I didn't need faster speed. She said that the faster speed would make a big difference. I said that it would not really matter as my eyes can't move any faster than they already move. She started to laugh hysterically. She said she didn't expect that response.

Rake the Roof

I have heard the expression raise the roof but I have never heard rake the roof. My son sent me a picture of him raking his roof. Normally New England gets about 36 inches of snow a year, but this year they are up to 90 inches. The snow is piling up on the roof and needs to be removed. He bought a roof rake which extends probably over 50 feet in length, and raked his roof. He was standing waist high in snow scraping his roof. It looked surreal. There is more snow on the way. I wish it would end.

Icy Days and Mondays

For the past few weeks every Monday has snowed. Today it is an ice storm. I am sitting here deciding if I should venture out to work. The roads look like they are moving, so I will chip the ice off my windshield and be on my way.

Pampered

Last night we went to Blackstone Steak House. It was not only a great meal, it was an experience. It is true that you get what you pay for. The food was top quality. The service made me feel like I was a celebrity. There was a woman who delivered the steak to the table. Then there was a man who explained the cut of meat. Next there was a man to plate the meat and pour the juice over it. There was a potato man, a spinach man and a pasta man. Five servers not including the two waiters, one busboy and the Maître d'. When the baby cried for one minute, out came a big bowl of ice cream to make him smile. It worked. When I went to the restroom, the attendant turned on the water for me and squirted the soap onto my hand. It was very high priced, but they delivered excellence.

Steak

Tonight we will be celebrating my son's birthday at a steak restaurant. I love the food but think it is quite over priced. The only reason I am going there is because my son loves it. He is looking forward to this for weeks. I am preparing myself for the bill and have been practicing my poker face for days. Good thing there isn't a blood pressure meter in the restaurant. I told him to enjoy the meal because I won't go there again for a long, long time. (tagl)

Troubleshooting

You have to be your own tech person. I just got a new tablet and when I turned it on, the screen said there was no battery detected. I wrote to Microsoft to ask how this could happen. I used the electric cord and set up the unit temporary, but I needed to troubleshoot more. I keyworded all combinations of "no battery" until I came upon a forum. Someone listed explicit directions on how to uninstall the battery drivers and reboot. I followed the instructions and fixed the problem. I feel so empowered.

Stuck in Paradice

I would love to live in Paradise. Instead, for the time being, I live in Parad-ice. One letter, "C", changes the meaning of everything. Each morning I look into my backyard and see a white shimmering covering. At first it was beautiful, but I am long over that. Now I just want to see my beautiful green lawn. According to the weather reports, my parad-ice will continue to grow for at least a week.

Another Language

We all speak one language. Some of us speak two or even three. There is one language we speak that we do not even realize. I call it the Family Language. We all have one. It is made up of words or phrases that only have meaning to us. It is kind of like an inside joke. Sometimes we include close friends into the language. It shows closeness and solidarity. I am laughing at the word "solidarity" as I write it. The people I am closest to know the special meaning of that word.

Loss of Business

Medicine is business and the weather effects revenue. Yesterday most of my patients cancelled. There is no way to make up the business as they have weekly appointments. Just like a restaurant, the day's business is gone. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon and against my better judgement I went to it in the storm. I arrived early and hoped to get out quickly. I called ahead to make sure that the doctor was there. When I arrived it was hailing. There was only one other woman there before me. We sat for 45 minutes and neither of us was taken in. I looked outside and it was snowing. The office now had 6 people waiting. I had a 2:25pm appointment time and it was now 2:35. I got up and said that I was leaving as my safety was more important than this visit. I also said that I had been here 50 minutes and no one had been seen and the doctor was here. I got up and so did the other 6 people. I said a polite goodbye and went to the elevator. Within 1 second, a nurse came running after me. She said the doctor would see me immediately, so I should come back in. I guess he didn't want to lose a day's business.

Eye on the World

I got up this morning to rain and sleet. I do not like driving to work in this weather as I work in a hilly area with some steep inclines. Since we are in the age of modern technology, I am able to see the live cameras on the parkway that I drive on. I go to the website and enter the roadway and then the exit and in a matter of seconds I see the live traffic. I get to gauge whether or not the commute will be a good one. Today the traffic looks like it is moving so I will get on the road soon. It is nice to have an "eye on the world".

Sick Days

There is one thing that every working person knows. Sick days are never to be used when you are sick. Sick days are for fun. Sick days are for leisure. If you use them when you are sick, it makes you sick. If they were used properly, people would stay home at the first sign of illness and not come in and spread the germs. If they were used properly, there would be 50% less people that would get the flu or a cold. We all try to hide the illness as best we can, but sometimes we just can't. Last week I was forced to use a sick day for the blizzard. All day I felt sick about it.