1/27/2014

weekly update 1/2/2014

Verizon was true to it's word, and I received a memory card in the mail this week. I'll just have to figure out how to use it. I have learned how to put it in the phone, and how to remove it again, but I still have to find out how to transfer data to it. Always something to struggle with and learn.

There was an interesting lecture at the Massie School on Wednesday. I'm a member there, and this was the annual meeting and the time for renewing memberships. Dr. (PhD) Stan Deaton was the speaker. He is the Senior Historian of the Georgia Historical Society. He spoke on how history and other humanities continue to stay relevant in the world focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It was very interesting, and was a good reinforcement of how important I believe history (and literature, art and music) to be. I have enjoyed Dr Deaton's short programs on PBS, Today In Georgia History. Each evening all last year, there was a minute that he spoke about some event, or someone's birthday, or something that happened that affected Georgians on this day in the past. That was interesting, and I enjoyed hearing it. It was a nice treat for me to hear him speak in person.

Thursday, when I woke up, I received an email from my friend Anne Nedd, who lives in the same condo complex that I do. She and her husband were entertaining out of town guests, and they wondered if on very short notice I would be able to take them all on a tour at Bonaventure. Of course! I wasn't doing anything, so I met them there. A group of ladies from California (Andrew is originally from there) were visiting Savannah for a conference, and Anne & Andrew graciously agreed to show them some of the great things about this city. It was a cool day, so walking around the cemetery was not as pleasant as it can be, but I gave my tour and we were there for a little over an hour. It's what I enjoy doing, and it was an unexpected and fun way to spend some time that day.

It was back to Davenport House after a week's postponement when the museum was closed. I didn't forget everything I'd learned in that time, and I did four tours. What was a little different, however, is that they are doing an archeological dig in the back yard at DH. The diggers are trying to find where outbuildings may have originally been located, and are also looking for artifacts that may give more insight into the life of the 19th century. They have found a brick wall, and some interesting lost objects (a bone domino) and it was exciting to talk to them. 

 

I haven't seen my friend Beth in quite a while. The holidays were busy for her, and then she was sick and it lasted for weeks (the unusual cold weather doesn't help). But we were finally able to meet on Saturday. It's restaurant week in Savannah, so we had an early lunch at Vic's and then went to a matinee of Frozen. The lunch was excellent, but the movie was not as good as I had hoped it would be. A nice story, a happy ending, a good lesson, but kinda bland. I guess cartoon figures singing their cares away doesn’t mean that much to me any more - it reminded me very much of the Barbie videos Emily and I used to watch. I was glad to catch up with Beth, and it was wonderful to see her.

Lisa & Dave had invited Donna & me (and Kay and Jeff) to their wonderful historic home in downtown Savannah for a gourmet meal on Saturday night. Dinner parties for me are pretty much a thing of the past. I don't entertain (I don't have dishes, or pots and pans, so there's little I would be able to do even if I wanted to) and if I meet with friends for a meal, as often as not, it's at a restaurant - there are so many good ones in Savannah. It was so nice to sit and enjoy a wonderful meal with good friends. The company was grand, the food was outstanding. There wasn’t time for a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit; maybe when they come over to my condo and we all sit on the floor and eat delivery pizza.

I watched some tennis this week, but since it was the final week of the tournament, there were not as many matches played. And they were in Australia which meant the live broadcasts were in the middle of the night. I did watch a bit of the Women's Final early Saturday morning, and I got up at 6 am on Sunday because the Men's Final was in the 4th set. I thought it would go to 5 sets, so I got up, made my coffee and settled in my chair to watch the last exciting set to see who the champion would be. It didn't work out that way, as Warwinka won 2 games to finish off Nadal, and it was over in five minutes. I went back to bed.

I did Bonaventure desk duty in the afternoon on Sunday, and then drove my neighbor to the airport. He'll be going to Massachusetts for a week to visit his daughter. I wanted to watch the Pro Bowl, but who cares? I didn't even know who to cheer for, since it seems to be a different set up now. It used to be that the AFC would play the NFC, and of course, that meant I’d want to conference that the Bills played in to be victorious. But who really cares if Deion Sanders' or Jerry Rice's team win? Besides, I had to switch channels to watch Downton Abbey and Sherlock.

1/20/2014

weekly update 1/20/2014

I will be having taxes to get started on, and I've got some other thing that I wish I had a copier for (repairs to the VW, payments to Verizon and Comcast while my VISA is in flux, etc) so it's becoming apparent that I need a scanner / copier as well as just a printer. Dave & Lisa Winkler came over last week to see if they could do anything with the old HP that I've had since I moved here, but it was pronounced dead. So, I guess it's time. I went to the Walmart on Monday to see what I could find. I bought another HP that is a printer / scanner / copier all-in-one, and the cost was $49. And that included $35 worth of ink cartridges! How can this be? In our throw-away society, it's cheaper to buy new and just junk the old, and the landfills get more and more full. Anyway, I was proud of myself that I could install the new printer myself and it seems to work fine. 

 

I did look online for recycle places, and Staples will take old devices, so I stopped there first on my errand run on Tuesday. Staples, then the Midtown Deli for the only good bagels that I can find in all of Savannah, and then Barnes & Nobles at the (gasp) Mall for a new crossword puzzle book. Except for going to The Rail on Thursday, that was all the venturing out I did.

There was no DH this week. Many of the places in Savannah close for a week, or two, or a month (I'm talking to you Mrs Wilkes) when the tourist trade is slow. I know that DH uses the week to clean and repair the museum, and I'm sure others do as well. But it was rather nice to have a week off.

It's been chilly again, and by Saturday I decided I'd had enough. I turned the furnace on. I'll still have the windows in my bedroom open so that I can keep it cool in there, the way I like it for sleeping, but I've got the heat on to a toasty 68 degrees.

The Oxford Dictionary added words this year that have become a part of our language: twerk, selfie, defriend. I would suggest a few words or phrases be deleted as they are no longer relevant: early retirement, honest politician, competent lawyer (ask Ishy about this one!).

I was going to add customer service to my list, but Verizon has redeemed companies everywhere (well, maybe not Comcast). I had written to the company headquarters in to about the preloaded apps using all the memory on the phone, and how December I w complain as stuck with a 2-year contract when the memory is exhausted in 4 months. To their credit, they left text messages, and tried to contact me by phone (I didn't realize it was them since the area code on the display screen was 910, and I don't know anyone there; I don't pick up my phone if I don't know who is calling). Finally, I received an email from a representative who offered to send me a free memory card to make up for the issue I was having with lack of storage. Imagine! They made an effort to be sure I was satisfied! whoda thought?

While the games were on, I “watched” while occupying myself with other things:

1/13/2014

weekly update 1/13/2014

Monday was supposed to be the day I was to get back into my walking routine. But it was 45 degrees and windy, and I thought it was too cold. Monday was also book club day, so I did venture out to get to the library. We talked about books - this month we were to read a book that was going to be featured at next month's Savannah Book Fest - but we talked even more about the cold. I continue to tell people here that they don't actually know what cold is, but they disagreed. I had to admit, with the wind as it was on Monday, it was really very cold. I got my mittens out of the glove box in the car for the first time since I moved here. I still do not own a coat other than my raincoat, so I layered - shirts, sweatshirt and fleece jacket. 

 

frozen Forsyth Park fountain

Tuesday, I awoke to temps of 18 degrees. I still haven't turned the furnace on, but the temp inside was an acceptable 61. I watched tv snuggled under my fleece throw, and drank instant cappuccino. Donna called early, because her condo is even colder, even though she has turned her heat on. She's on the third story (I'm rather protected by having a unit above me and below me, and wonderful south-facing windows) and she has cathedral ceilings, which add to the feelings of cold. She invited me to spend the day with her at the warm, comfy club house. We played some rummikub, had soup for lunch, and watched The Water Is Wide video. For supper, I was to make myself a salad. I had bought lettuce and other good things last week end before I knew I'd want to have a hot meal everyday, and didn't want the lettuce to get brown. Just as I got everything put together, I realized that the salad dressing that was in my fridge wasn't going to be enough. I got in the car to go over to the Publix, but the car did not cooperate. She was dead dead dead - not even an attempt at turning over. No problem for the salad, but I had promised Suzy to drive her on an errand early Wednesday morning. I didn't want to call the AAA that night because I thought they might be very busy, and I could wait until the next day. I drove Suzy's car to take her to her appointment, so that was not a big deal, except for my driving phobia.

rummikub at the clubhouse

Wednesday, after returning to the condo following Suzy's errand, I called AAA to have them come jump the car. They got it started, and I drove to the Goodyear that's near my condo (and where they all know me - I think the computer pops up with my info as I open the door) and they had a battery in stock. It was still pretty cold, and I didn't want to walk back to the condo and they told me it would be only a little over an hour to install, so I went to the nearby McDonalds for a cup of coffee while I waited. I sat in the sunshine and read the magazine I had stuck in my pocket. When I went back to pick the car up, they wanted to know if I had the “radio code”, because the radio had stopped working and they needed the factory code to reset it. Well, of course I don't have it. This is a “protection device” that apparently is for my own good, as it prohibits thieves from taking the radio out and selling it. Well, I think that in reality, it's a Volkswagen we'll-get-you-coming-and-going device to be sure that even the smallest thing that goes wrong will require a trip to any authorized dealer and a huge investment. I said I'd just have to sing to myself, and that I would go back and see if I had a code anyplace in my VW info. Of course, I did not. But, as I was looking thru the glove box in the car to see if something might be there, I at last decided to turn the radio on to see what it sounds like. Nothing – until I turned the volume up. Good as new. Holy shit - the mechanics who installed my battery didn't know the volume was low! That certainly shakes my confidence in their ability. But I'm always at the mercy of the repair people. I need you Tom!

And another thing - because my VISA card has been “compromised” in the Target debacle, my credit card company is closing down my account on January 10. I didn't know if they meant “sometime before Jan 10” or “around Jan 10” or just what that would mean as far paying for a large auto repair invoice. Luckily (I guess) the ATM that is my best friend is right at the Publix near the Goodyear. So I made a withdrawal of enough cash to cover the bill if the VISA wasn't accepted. But it went through fine. I received a new card later in the week, so now I just have to update all the auto-payments I have made to my card to the new number and I guess I'm made whole again. What a hassle.

There was an interesting lecture at the Telfair Museum on Thursday evening. It was about the Telfair and the history behind it's development as a museum. Mary Telfair, the patron, left her house and much of her fortune to the City of Savannah for the formation of an Academy of Arts & Sciences. What has evolved from that initial bequest is what we enjoy today as the Telfair Museums, which include the Academy, the Jepson Center for the Arts and the Owens-Thomas House. After the lecture, I wandered over to The Rail to meet Dave and Lisa who are back from Wales. I pint of Guinness and some catching up with my good friends, and Thursdays in Savannah are back on track.

I've been having more and more trouble hearing. It's been a problem for a while, but it seems to be getting worse. I noticed it at the movies last week. For the most part, I never have a problem in the cineplex, as they seem to have the volume at levels that can be heard in the next county, but it was difficult for both movies I saw last week. So, I guess it's time. I dragged out the hearing aids I've had for years and bought new batteries. I noticed immediately that I could hear some things better - like the static on the microphone at the Telfair lecture, or the TV in the bar at The Rail, the denim of my jeans rubbing against my fat thighs as I walked, or the unbelievably loud noise of people walking on a gravel path as I led my tour at Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon. I don't know know if this is going to work. I'll give it a little while longer before I toss my hands up in frustration, but I don't think the trade off for hearing things I don't want to hear make up for a slight volume increase for the few voices I have trouble with.

Can you see it?  I have them in both ears

The football this weekend was a disappointment.  I had hoped the Cam Newton and the Panthers would get farther into the post season, but it didn't happen.  I also hoped that both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would go down, but that didn't happen even.  And, the games were not nearly as good or exciting as the games of a week ago.   On the plus side, the Australian Open has started, and I can watch some tennis again. 

I'm a Southerner now - I watch the SEC, boiled peanuts don't seem strange, y'all is a valid pronoun, mac and cheese is a vegetable, and being cold is relative. My friend Jan posted this on FB, and in case you didn't see it, I think it's worth repeating:

60º - Arizonans shiver uncontrollable; people in Buffalo are still sunbathing.

50º - Californians try to turn on the hear; people in Buffalo plant gardens.

40º - Italian sports cars won't start; people in Buffalo drive with the windows down.

32º - Distilled water freezes, Lake Erie water gets thicker.

20º - Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves and wool hats; people in Buffalo throw on a light jacket.

15º - People in Buffalo have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0º - All the people in Phoenix die; Buffalonians close the windows.

-10º - Californians fly away to Mexico; the Girl Scouts in Buffalo are selling cookies door to door.

-25º - Hollywood disintegrates; people in Buffalo get out their winter coats

-40º - Washington DC runs out of hot air; people in Buffalo let the dogs sleep indoors.

-100º - Santa Claus abandons the North Pole; Buffalonians get frustrated because they can't start the car.

-460º - All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale); people in Buffalo start saying “cold enough for ya?”

-500º - Hell freezes over; The Buffalo Bills win the Super Bowl.

1/6/2014

weekly update 1/6/2014

It's time to get back into my walking routine. I haven't been out much through the holidays, but I know if I don't get back into it soon, I'll abandon the exercise totally. So I was out Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday it rained, and Friday was DH, so there wasn't time that day. Then I took a couple of days off because I was just too lazy. I'll have to try harder this week.

New Year's Eve not a big holiday for me. 2013 wasn't that great and I have no expectations that 2014 will be any better. But I stayed up, watching college football and reruns of the Twilight Zone, until midnight. Then I walked over to the building in the development that faces the marsh, and climbed to the third floor landing with a glass of champagne in my hand to see if I could watch the fireworks along River Street, about 12 miles away. I actually saw 3 different sets of displays, but they were all very distant. That's about as festive as I could muster.

On New Year's Day, Anne Nedd and I went to the movies. We saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It was ok, but not memorable. I love Ben Stiller and Sean Penn, and Kristin Wiig is from Rochester, so there was that, but the story was pretty lame. As if that wasn't enough, I ventured out again on Thursday to see American Hustle. I had heard that is was good, and I love Amy Adams. This movie was by far the better of the two. I probably won't see two movies for all the rest of the year, but it was a good way to spend a couple of rainy, yucky afternoons.

Donna came back from spending her holidays in Maine with family. She arrived in the late afternoon on Thursday. We went out for burgers and to catch up on what we both missed while she was away.

There's been a lot of football on tv. There were college Bowl Games on during the week, and they were fun. And this was Wildcard week-end. Keeping in my true form, I picked only 1 winner correctly. It's lucky for me that I don't put money on these games, and this is the reason I don't buy lottery tickets.