Cloudy

It feels like summer has already ended even thought we officially still have a few week left. People have lost the summer feeling and have one more day before life returns to its normal routine. The teachers are counting down to beginning their school year and I am counting down to having traffic again.

The Book

It used to be easy to remember passwords. You had one email account. Now everything is online and each website has a different criteria for their passwords. One wants a capital letter. One wants one capital and one lowercase. One wants one capital, one lowercase and one number. The most annoying are the sites that require one capital, one lowercase, one number and one character. I am at the point where I no longer can rely on my memory for user names and passwords. I have everything jotted down in a notebook. If I lose that book, I would be in trouble. Of course we all have the "recovery" email or cell phone number, but no one wants to bother doing that.

Best Entertainment

Usually in the evening I watch television. I used to read, but as my reading vision got worse, the desire to strain my eyes by reading lessened. Last night, I watched my grandson as I usually do on Thursday evenings. As he gets older, he gets more interactive. We played with his musical toys and then his puzzles. When the sun started to go down, we took a short walk. We then came back and had a snack. After that it was "bowl time". I like to leave that for last. I bring out about 10 plastic cereal bowls of all sizes and spread them onto the floor. He then stacks and unstacks. Before I knew it, his mother had arrived to pick him up. When I went upstairs to go to sleep, I realized that I had never put the television on all night. I didn't need to. He was better entertainment.

Read Between The Lines

This morning when I got up, I found an article on the kitchen countertop. It looked like an article that was written by a reporter, regarding a new medical procedure that was on Long Island. It told about an ultrasound to diagnose arthritis. It was written in very simplistic language and did not seem professional at all. Since this was the doctor that I had worked for 10 years ago, I knew that he had written it himself and just bought the ad space. Of course when I looked at the top of the page the word "advertisement" was written in small letters across the banner line. If you look carefully, most doctor articles are self written and they are trying to have the public think they are credible.

Nice Gesture

There are a few patients that I go the extra mile for. I never file insurance, but for these people I will. It takes me five minutes once a week to help them out. I know that if I do not do it for them, they will procrastinate and never get their reimbursement money. I went in to work yesterday and found a gift waiting for me. I opened up the big bow, wrapping paper, the box, the tissue paper, the plastic envelope and then the orange envelope. In that, was a $100 gift card. I was so surprised. It was not necessary but it was such a kind gesture. I thanked the patient and he said that was the least he could do to show his gratitude.

Crickets

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard a cricket chirping in my den. Since the den is attached to the garage, occasionally we have a stray cricket. It was a loud, continuous noise. I never looked for the cricket, as they are good at hiding and I had no time. When I got home from work, I had totally forgotten about it. When I went to sleep last night, I heard it again. This time it was in my bedroom. I have no idea how it snuck up two flights of stairs and made its way into my bedroom. My room is the last door on the upper level, so it must have taken all day to travel. All night it chirped. I felt like I was camping in the mountains. When I come home this afternoon, I will have to go on a cricket hunt.

Worth The Trip

We spent the day in New Jersey visiting my niece and nephew's new home. We looked forward to going there for a month and were not disappointed. The house was more beautiful than the pictures, and renovations had begun. These renovations were by choice not by necessity. I sprawled myself on a floating pool noodle and paddled around in the water until my fingers turned pruney. Then we had a barbeque and ate hot dogs the size of Texas. They were so good that we actually googled the brand. Then came the chicken cutlets or should I say chicken grandlets. They were so big and juicy. We ate and enjoyed the day, but nothing was better than seeing the smiles on everyone's faces. This is what life is all about!

Day Trip

Today my family is going on a day trip. We are only going about 50 miles, but the destination is special. We are going to see my niece's new home. We are packing like we are going on vacation. She is the first family member to have her own pool and coupled with the beauty of her property, we feel like we are going to a resort. There is an expression that says, "You get whet you deserve". It is usually used in a negative way. In regards to my niece, I will use it in a positive way. She "got what she deserved". A wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter and now will top it off with a gorgeous home!

An Extra E

What is it about the letter "E" that makes us think something is fancier than it is. I was driving on a major street the other day and was just looking at the store signs. First I came upon one that used the word "shoppe". Why did the owner think that he needed to add the extra "pe" to that word? Did he think that the public would think that the items he carried would seem more cultured? Then I passed a restaurant that used the word "grille". What purpose did the extra "e" carry? Is the food more continental with it? I guess I am a purest. I do not add anything to words. While I am talking about added letters, what is up with "honour" and "favour"?

Foreign Policy

We have a research assistant in our office that is from Switzerland. He is always telling us how things are so different there. Things are more relaxed. This became very apparent in the last few weeks. He is the supervisor of 4 girls and each one has a crush on him. They fawn all over him and he gives them back rubs. Now the girls are getting jealous of each other. I pulled him aside and told him about "sexual harassment laws" in the US. I even showed him our office policy handbook that says there can be no physical contact between employees. He read it, acknowledged it and said, "America is no fun".

How It Feels

Each day has a feeling. People always say that "it feels like a Monday" or "it feels like a Friday". I totally agree. I do not know why our minds should differentiate between days, but they do. Since last week, I lost that feeling. Maybe it is because I was on vacation midweek. I get up each day without that "feeling". I have to think what day it is. Today is Thursday, but I only know that because I looked at the calendar. I am hoping that by tomorrow I will be in sync with the week again.

Baby Hair

One of my doctor's brought his 10 week old baby into the office to meet everyone. She was the cutest little girl but she had a ton of hair. So much that it looked weird. All of the babies in my family were born with a small fluff of light colored hair. Just enough to see but not enough to comb. This baby had enough to have braids. Picture putting a mink Cossack hat on a tiny baby. Her hair was that full and that thick. I was tempted to touch it but that would have been rude. I am the kind of person who will focus on one thing, so I missed the cooing and the smiles. All I could see was hair.

Special Order

I was eating in a nice restaurant a few weeks ago and there was an older couple seated at the next table. The waiter came over to take their order. The woman said she wanted the fish. Then she gave specific instructions. It had to be slightly grilled, with minimal oil, not dry, a dash of salt, a bit more pepper and no garlic. Then she ordered the vegetable, steamed, not too over cooked, no salt, a bit of pepper and no butter. Those were just a few of the guidelines she gave. There were a few more but I could not remember them. She the ordered for her husband and gave explicit instructions for him, which were different from hers. When the waiter left, she looked at her husband and said, "Wasn't I good? I only asked for a few things." If that was a few, I cannot imagine what her usual routine is.

Last Weeks

We are entering the last weeks of summer and for some reason today feels like the turning point. This summer was a strange one. It felt like a big puzzle that had missing and mismatched pieces. Nothing seemed quite right and I feel like I just went through the motions of summer and never really lived it. People were ill, there were job changes and even the town pool seemed the emptiest it had ever been.Though I like the beautiful weather, my spirit feels like it just needs to move on to another phase, another season.

What Color?

I have always been a blond. First it was natural and then as I got older, it was through hair dye. Recently I became a little lazy and did not dye my hair for a month. Then two months. By the time it got to three months and after three haircuts, all of the dye was cut out. I now have completely natural color hair. The only problem is that no one knows what color it is. Everywhere I go, people are telling me that they love my hair color. I have never received so many compliments. When I ask them what color they think it is, everyone pauses and thinks. Nobody has the answer. It is still blond but has a few white streaks in it. It is not salt and pepper because that is black and white. Could it be salt and blond?

Where is The Beef?

I know where the beef is. It is in the supermarket, because it is too expensive to buy. Yesterday I wanted to barbeque steaks on the grill, so I went to Stop and Shop to buy any type of beef that was reasonably priced. The Porterhouse steaks were in packages marked for over $32.00. The skirt steak was in packages marked for over $30.00. When my head was done spinning around, I decided to go to the Best Market, as their meats are priced lower. Their packages of beef were somewhere in the $13 - $17 range. I then did my calculations. If it cost me $17 for the meat and added in the price of a salad and 2 vegetables, I might as well eat out and not use my energy to cook and serve. I wound up buying a package of hangar steak for $10. I could deal with that. It tasted pretty good and my stomach was not in knots from paying too much.

Free Lunch

Whenever we travel to Massachusetts, we stop off at the Mystic, Connecticut McDonald's for lunch. On Tuesday,  the register receipt said that if I return to that store within 7 days I can get a buy one, get one free Quarter Pounder. I put the receipt into my wallet. On Thursday, when we were returning home, we stopped off at McDonald's in Mystic again. I went to the register to order my 2 items. They said that I had to have a validation code. There was a telephone number on the receipt so I called it. The store answered and said that I had to go online for the code. I went back to the register and asked to see a manager because this was now becoming ridiculous. The girl said that she would not call over the manager. She said I had to go online. Now this was becoming a mission and there was no way that I was not getting this item for free. I unpacked my car and got out my tablet. It took 10 minutes for me to figure out how to connect to the McDonald's WIFI. Then I started the "short" survey that had to be completed for the validation code to appear. The short survey was over 50 questions. Since the writing on that tablet was small, I just kept hitting that last option so the questions would move along. After another 10 minutes I was done. Unfortunately since I was forced to chose random options, the store was graded as being dirty with horrible food. It also said that I was a Native American, over 65, making $200,000 a year. I got my free Quarter Pounder and it was delicious.

To Capacity

It was a rainy day yesterday, so we decided to spend the morning touring the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory. It took about 1/2 hour to get there and when we arrived, we saw a lot of cars pulling out of the street. We drove into the parking area and saw three employees blocking the entrance to the lot. We rolled down the car window and asked where to park. They said that the tours were "full to capacity" and that we should come back tomorrow when the weather would be better and the factory empty. My son was very disappointed as he wanted us to take the tour. He drove around to the main entrance and double parked the car. He went into the factory to see how crowded it was. He came out and said that there was no one on the tour. He suggested that my husband and I go in and take the tour and then he would go in with his wife and baby. We went in and took the tour and got a free sample of chips at the end. My son and his family did the same. We were the only ones on the tour. Here is the puzzle...if the lot held 100 cars and most cars hold 4 people, there should have been 400 people on the tour. There was no one, so where were all of the people that made the factory "to capacity"?  I hope they were not turned into chips.

The Cape

We arrived at the Cape yesterday. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. Our granddaughter was playing at the beachside pool and was a little shy when we went to say hello. It took her a few hours to feel comfortable around us. Once she did, we were the best of friends! We swam with her and kicked a soccer ball back and forth. At dinner time she only wanted to sit at the table with the adults and not in her high chair. When my son tried to put her into the high chair, she started to cry and had a look of despair in her eyes. He then gave in and let her be a big girl. After dinner we ate ice cream. Breakfast will be soon and I can't wait to see her.

What Our Eyes Cannot See

I woke up this morning to read that Robin Williams had committed suicide. He had relapsed with alcohol and cocaine and I guess the pain got so bad that ending his life was a better option than continuing it. I was never a fan of his comedy style because it was too frantic for me, but I was a huge fan of his serious acting roles. I always enjoyed seeing clips of Mrs. Doubtfire because he reminded me of my mother in law. She resembled his character from the hair to the glasses. The real tragedy was that someone so funny was so unhappy. I work in the mental healthcare field and have learned that many people with depression are good "actors". They act upbeat for the world and when they walk into their homes the show ends.

Early Start

It is only a few minutes after 7am but I have already had a long day. I got up at 5am and took my sister and brother in law to the airport. They are off to Tennessee for Elvis week. The trip to LaGuardia airport took 45 minutes as there was a lot of traffic. The trip back to my office was also slow because the rising sun was directly in my eyes. I drove with my hand in front of my face for a good part of the trip. I am now starting my workday and feel like I could take a nap.

Eye Opening

If you know what you are looking for, you will see it immediately. If you don't know, it will remain hidden. It is this way with people, places and things. I can spot a stain on my driveway from 20 feet away. No one else would ever see it. I can find my way on a road that has no signs because I know where to turn. The most striking example of this is with people. Have you ever met someone for the first time and then within a week, see them again, whether it is in a store or just walking in town? They were there all along, but you never noticed. I call it your "frequency". If something is in your scope of consciousness, it will be ingrained forever.

Entrapment

In case you do not know it, Nassau County has a new trick up their sleeve. There are now speed traps in front of most schools. The cameras are not visible and the signs blend in with all others. Even though the signs say 30 mph from 7am to 6pm SCHOOL DAYS, they are sending violations in the mail during the summer if you go over 40 mph. The schools in my neighborhood are on main roads that have a 40 mph limit otherwise. Since it is summer, people are adhering to the 40 mile limit and going maybe a few miles over 40. That is where the problem lies. Friends that live off the main school street are being ticketed each time they pass the school, even if they are only going 41 mph. The tickets are $80 each. So far one person got 3 tickets in one day. I am sure that I will be receiving at least one since my husband travels past the school on his way to the parkway. If someone went past the schools 6 times a day for at least the two weeks that the cameras are in force, are they supposed to pay over $5000 in fines? How come our Mexican borders do not have such tight restrictions? It makes you think.

Week By Week

I babysit for my grandson one evening a week. It amazes me how much a baby can change in 7 days. Each week he has learned a new skill.  Things that I showed him the previous week, he now does with ease. I never focused on my children as much since they were full term babies. Preemies go by different rules. They grow at "preemie pace". From the day he was born, we were told that by two years old he would be exactly where he needs to be. I think he will get there before two.

Inconsiderate

Why are people inconsiderate? Yesterday I had set up 6 interviews for a part time job. Out of the six, only 2 people showed up. Why did the other four even bother to send a resume if they had no intention of showing up to an interview? If they had a change of mind, do the right thing and call to cancel. Luckily, the two women that did show up were very nice and I decided to add more hours to the original job so that I could hire both of them. Maybe there is a high unemployment rate because no one really wants to work.

Green

For the past decade we have been using the word green to mean ecologically correct. Going green is showing up in many aspects of our lives. Green energy, green household cleaners, and green paper goods are just among the few ways that we are asked to live our lives. For some reason, the picture of green paper bags popped into my head the other day. If you are my age, you probably remember going to the grocery store and putting your fruit into these small dark green bags. Plastic bags were not used. There would be a stack of these bags at the produce department and I have vivid memories of my mother placing peaches and plums into them. When you got home the fruit remained in the bags until it was ripe. The bags would then be used for school lunches. If we are so environmentally conscious, how come the green bags are a thing of the past?

Awkward Interview

This morning I will be starting to interview for a part time receptionist job. I have two applicants this morning and a few later in the week. My first interview should have not been booked but this is a politically correct world, so I had to make the appointment. A young man sent his resume and I called him. I would hire a male if he was qualified. When he answered the phone, he stuttered. The job description was listed as "heavy phones" which means high volume of calls. Why did he send the resume? Heavy phones means stress and stutterers do not do well under stress. I know this because my degree is in Speech Pathology. I listened to every word as we had our conversation and made an interview for 9am this morning. I feel bad wasting his time, but there is no way for a person who stutters, to answer the phone in a practice that specializes in OCD.

Orange

I walked into my local Dollar Tree yesterday and saw orange. It took a moment to realize that I was seeing pumpkins. The store was being stocked with Halloween ornaments. Really? Halloween in August. I guess I should not have been so surprised. The store had "back to school" items in June when school was still in session.

Rain, Rain

It is the first week of August and so far the weather has been awful. Rainy, clammy and cool. I remember when I was a child, August was warm, sunny and beautiful. Yesterday, I actually went to the town pool with my sister and my husband. We were the only three people there, except for the lifeguards. The only difference was that they had to be there. We didn't. There was just nothing else to do. I do my "winter weekend" errands on Fridays during the summer, so I have the entire weekend to sit and relax at the pool. Yesterday we did sit and relax. The only problem was that we sat under our towels, as it was so cold.

If You're Happy

We all know the song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". It has been sung by children for many years. We learned it as babies and years later taught it to our babies. It is an ongoing cycle of childhood. The other day, my grandson was playing with a toy that has a few songs recorded in it. There is a continuous music sequence and the song "If you're happy" is somewhere in the middle of the rotation. He was playing and listening to the songs and as soon as he heard the first four notes of the "happy" song, he began to clap his hands. He clapped at the appropriate times throughout the song and then resumed playing. The other songs played and he had no particular reaction. When the happy song played again, he stopped what he was doing, began to clap his hands and looked up at me with the biggest grin. He knew he was doing something special.

No Connection

I have a Verizon Business account at work. For a while they suspended the rewards program but they have recently started the program again. I received a notice in the mail and went online to purchase items for my office. I signed in and just as I was about to choose my rewards, the office phones got busy, so I logged off. Later in the evening I tried to access the account again and the website said that I did not have an account. I used the online chat option and they say that I did have an account, but for some reason the site had locked me out. I tried again this morning and I still cannot get access. At 8:30 I will call a live person. Hopefully they can unlock me.