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.