1/8/2017

Weekly Update 1/8/2017

It was another boring week, but I like boring. I AM boring.

I waited until after New Year's Day to take all the Christmas decorations down and pack them away in the closet for another year. I have a very large collection of snowmen that are now spread around the condo – a few knickknacks on the book shelves and end tables, a fleece throw, a pillow. The best part of having all these snow objects around is that when I go outside, there's none of that out there! Georgia, and most of the South, had unprecedented storms at the end of the week, but the worst that Savannah endured was some colder temps. 

snowmen inside the condo

On the down side, I also needed to clean a lot out of the office on January 1 – old utility invoices and bank statements were taken out of the file cabinets and stored in a box in the closet. New ledgers were set up for tracking expenditures. Old check book registers were closed while new ones were started. A new calendar for trying to remember birthdays was posted on the wall. It feels good to have that done, but it took almost a whole day.

I'm loving my new toys more and more. They make it harder for me to do housework, or work in the office, or even read a book now. I'm getting caught up on tv shows now that I can watch any episodes, not just current ones, with the new tv update, which includes voice remote. I face timed with Marcia and I chatted with Lisa. And I'm becoming a huge fan of Netflix. I've watched almost every episode of Grace and Frankie (which is very funny, but also can be painful, as much of what they go through is what I've been though because I, too, was dumped and need to start a new life, one that I didn't know I would need; they make it seem funny), a few movies, and now I'm watching The Crown. There are other programs in my queue – some that I've already watched and want to see again, and some that I want to see for the first time. I still need to investigate PBS.com, but I think I may be able to watch some series there that I enjoy. One thing that is really nice for me is I can watch on the tv, or the iPad. And if I want, I can watch the iPad in any room. I don't need to watch DVDs in my bedroom, but can see something on the iPad. This is eye-opening, and I love it. I fear I may never read another book!

watching Netflix in the living room...

...and huddled under a warm blanket in my bedroom. 

I was upset when I checked my pension deposit, and it was not what I expected. Since I signed up to switch health care effective January 1, I expected a larger check because they would no longer be deducting for the premium for the old company. But there was no change. In an effort to continue my “taking care of myself” policy, I immediately emailed and telephoned, and got it straightened out. I should have a slightly larger check month, which will be a huge help with all the new technology I'm going to have to pay for monthly.

Some lecture series have started again. I was at The Learning Center at the Senior Center twice this week. TLC celebrates it's 10^th birthday on January 7, so there was a little retrospective of the first ten years that was very interesting to attend. Since I've been going there for about six years, I guess I'm one of the Oldies. That was a one time lecture, but I also attended the first of a series on architects in Savannah in the 19^th Century. The first talk was on William Jay, who designed homes such as Owens-Thomas house, Scarborough House, the Telfair mansion which is now the Academy Museum, and the Archibald Bulloch house, which was torn down. Next week, we have a visit to the Scarborough house, which now houses the Ships of the Sea museum.

I asked to have the month of January off at DH. I'm burning out there, and not enjoying it as much. I think a few weeks off would be good for me. January is typically a slow month, and the slow times are when I least like being there – waiting to see if anyone shows up, twiddling my thumbs if no one does, giving a tour for only one or two – so this might be a good time to step back. I did, however, go to The 90, as I usually do on Friday afternoons.

Facebook reported on Friday that there would be no free tours of BC on the weekend because of the expected cold weather. Then, I received a call Sunday morning that said we would be offering the tours as usual, but I should dress warmly. Well, I don't own a winter coat, or boots, and the mittens that I used to have apparently are still in the VW, someplace in a junkyard. I put on two sweaters, a windbreaker, and warm socks and headed off to give one of my famous tours. It's been since last September that I've been a guide at the cemetery, and I haven't forgotten all that I ever knew.

The play off games were spectacular in their boredom. It was almost like watching the Bills.