9/22/2006
So I try again. Not as enthusiastic as I was but feeling better none the less.
First of all yesterday I had a great reference to International Peace Day and I mention H.G. Wells birthday, both things I learned from
Pip Wilson's Almanac and Book of Days.
Then I talked of the old TV program
"That Was The Week That Was" this was a news/political satire program we stole from the BBC, and it was on long before
"Laugh In". (Yes, I am that old).
So let me tell you of my week that was:
Sat 9th - Having not been paid on the 8th I was broke and Betsy had to work, so we did not go out. However I did win tickets on a radio program to attend an Irish festival on the 17 th-the host said they would be mailed. A year ago I left for Lyon.
Sun 10th - Nothing much going on.
A year ago I arrived in Lyon, took a tour, met with friends and had dinner in Bistrot de Lyon.
Mon 11th - A year to the day that I was in the Lyon installation and I visited the Roman stadium.
This year we started the day off with a two hour nursing meeting, where our bosses used our not being paid like Bush uses 9-11 to scare us into more productivity. Then after the meeting I go to my office to type up my notes that got behind last week. My computer was down. It would not reboot to Windows even in safe mode. I spent the day trying, when I wasn't also trying to figure out a call I'd gotten from an upset "mentor" of a client. Suffice it to say I found these fine folks
The Mentor Program. I had one client for samples all day. No notes done. Early in the day I notified the IT guy.
Tues 12th - Last year I was in the second Lyon installation and standing naked on a street in Lyon. This year I tried to reboot my computer. It worked! Into the safe mode, then shut it off, then reboot in to normal mode. I saw the IT guy in the hall told him I fixed it. This lasted a few hours. But I was busy seeing clients for two nurses who were off, and I had my own as well. I got some notes done, rebooted, and a few more notes. Then home.
Wed 13th - My computer is down again. I reboot several times, sometimes lasting for almost an hour sometimes less than 20 min. Finally I called IT. He is not surprised. He said he was surprised I got it to boot at all and to quit as he was afraid for the hard drive. He thought some bad capacitors in the motherboard were the problem and he would take my computer away for a few days, which he soon did. I get an important company email, which I didn't see due to the computer being down. Later I was handed my check. Yea! By late in the day I had seen several folks had only a couple of notes from early in the day done and was waiting on Betsy, who was running late. She arrived after 1730 and called up to say she was in our parking lot. I was ready with my work keys on my work bag, my car keys in my pocket. Just needed to turn off my radio and turn out the lights. I even had my trash out. A knock on my office door. A doctor needing to "pink slip" a patient wanted some backup in case the patient became unruly. The police were on their way but till they came... I went and sat for what seemed like a long time as the doc tried to convince the patient it was for the best. Seeing that the patient was accepting of it though upset, the doc turned me loose. I went to get my bag and office keys. They were locked in my office. Nothing to do but wait till morning to get the master key so I could get in. I went downstairs to see Betsy sitting just out front.... in a down pour. I waited a couple of minutes realized it was not stopping and started to run out, just as the police arrived. One of the managers also arrived and wanted to know why the police were there. I stood in the rain explaining, and getting very wet. I then got into Alice, only to find her fuse had blown again. As this is the fuse for the rear window defogger and the heater/front defogger I needed to change it before we could drive anywhere. I had to be half out of the car in the still pouring rain to do this, as the fuse box is low on the driver's side to the left of the break pedal and near the door. I think I set a new personal record for changing the use and not touching the ground with my butt while doing so. Now I was ready to go shopping . We needed a few things and it was after 1820 and I was cold wet and hungry. So we went to our nearest store and I went in. Let me tell you, air conditioning was the last thing I wanted but they had it on and I was freezing. So I shopped fast and weird, and went to the car.
On the way home we saw a beautiful rainbow when the sun finally came out and the rainbow was a double at times and lasted a good twenty to thirty minutes as we drove home and unloaded the car. I also ordered the tickets to the
Kingston Trio concert on Saturday at the
Kent Stage. Betsy and I had both really liked them and had never seen them preform. This was a splurge but a needed one.
Thurs 14th - Not as busy, and I. get my computer back. I get the email. Due to the delay in processing our checks were "live" i.e. not direct deposited. Great!The groceries I'd just bought were overdrafted as were the tickets. Well, I'd put my check in tonight after work. A little after 1700 Betsy calls. She had left the lights on the car all day and needed a jump start. I told her call AAA. She also tired to get back in the house but the lady's door automatically locked. Lucky Betsy had her sweater in the car. So, anyway she waits, AAA arrives jump the car. She calls again. The car had stopped only a few blocks from where she had started. Luckily the AAA guy was right behind. He checked the car and said it was the alternator. Yikes! I told Betsy to have it towed to our auto repair place. I would go to the bank and try to get some money to meet her where she was as she had to stay till the tow truck arrived. One of my coworkers who was working late herself noticed I was late and gave me a ride to deposit my check and to pick up Betsy . We got home about 2000.
Fri 15th We each took the bus to work, Betsy getting to her job an hour early. I was ten min early. I called the garage. By mid morning they called back. The battery was dead but the alternator was fine. Whew! So a hundred dollars was not as bad as I expected. I had a busy day with the usual weirdness and then I got a ride to pick up Betsy and then to get the car. I got very few notes done.
Sat 16th A warm beautiful late summer day. No tickets had ever arrived to the Sunday event but we were going to see the
Kingston Trio. We stopped for dinner at a
Steak n' Shake in Streetsboro, a favorite place of ours, Betsy has a "Smores" shake and I had a "Caramel Apple" which was great! We saw about 6 hot air balloons in the sky as we left and headed down to Kent. We arrived a little after 1900, parked and went to go in but they were not officially "open" yet Still they let us in to wait. A bit later they asked for those picking up will call tickets to step up. I was there. The reservation was printed out-but the tickets were not there. Hmm, what to do. After i showed them my confirmation, in addition to the one they had, they came up with a couple of tickets that were in much the same area as my "purchased "ones only on the right instead of the left side of the theater. The seats were great. and so was the concert. Yes, all the "original" members are now dead, but folk groups are like the farmer's ax. "I've had this ax twenty year now, nigh onto thirty. It's my favorite. Replaced the head three times and the handle twice, cause it's my favorite ax." I bought the 3 CD set of their hits, then dropped in the john as I went to use it. Luck was with in that I hadn't used it yet! I also got to meet
Daffy Dan the T-shirt guy, who's shirts I've worn for years. When I said "I've been wearing you shirts for years," he replied "So have I!"
Sun 17th _ Nothing much up. We shopped a bit and went to Dairy Queen. We ate out on the patio an I had a banana split.
My vacation started Wednesday, the one I put in for way back when there was a fleeting hope I might get to Dusseldorf for the installation originally planned for this weekend. As that changed and our finances got worse I gave up any idea of a real vacation . Betsy is working again this Saturday. We did let the babies out into the rest of the house.
Yesterday I was not feeling too well and was resting with boys when my job called looking for the keys to my med cabinet. Later I called them back to see if they found them. I then lay down to take a nap. About 10-15 min later I heard a nearby siren and the someone yelling "Police! Hello!" I wondered what the hell, then heard them inside. Crap! I jumped up, glad I had not undressed. They had a "911" call /hang up from here. and since no one answered and the front door was open they came in. I convinced them I was fine, and they left. I still don't know how it happened. My work number starts with an 831, and I dialed it with no problem. The babies were with me and the computer is no longer connected to the phone since we no longer have dial up. I can't figure it out.
