Chase Financial Services Crosses My Line

Apparently, Chase is offering a new financial service to those of us who pay our mortgages a month (or more) ahead. The twist to the new service is that it's a surprise: they don't tell you that they have taken your advanced payment plus and applied it to the principal, rather than as a payment plus, because they figure (ha-ha-ha) that you are too stupid to know how to manage your own financial resources.

Case in point: I am three months ahead in my mortgage payment; thus, when I sent in my March payment, I used the payment coupon for June (because I had already paid April and May). I was recently on-line checking my accounts and realized that I had not received my next mortgage statement from Chase, so I checked to see how to send the payment without a coupon. Imagine my surprise to learn that my entire last payment plus amount was credited to the principal, rather than to the payment coupon I had included in the envelope. Instead of continuing to keep 3 months' ahead of my mortgage payment due date, I am now back to only 1 month ahead and that only because of my call.

Well, I called to talk to a person about the logic behind the Chase decision, and after going through endless menu options that had nothing to do with my issue, I pressed the 0 several times until Victor answered. When I asked why I have not received a payment coupon, he explained to me that I am already "paid up" and do not owe a payment this month (May).

"Really?" I asked him. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

Victor schooled me: when I sent in the payment coupon the first of March, it was for June, which was not due, so it was applied directly to my principal. I will receive a payment coupon this month (May) to pay for June, but I currently do not owe anything.

Isn't that amazing?

I am ecstatic that Chase caught this egregious financial error on my part and fixed it for me! Imagine in these tough financial times anyone sending money to a mortgage company for a payment due a month or two or three down the road!! It must be a mistake! I could be spending that money on shopping, on credit card bills, on summer vacations, but I (idiot that I am) decided instead to send it to Chase to apply to my mortgage.

The only action on Chase's part that could possibly have made me angrier than I am is if they had credited my "over-payment" to a debit card and told me to go forth and stimulate Obama's economy with all this extra money I seem to have or re-distribtue my wealth to those less financially fortunate than I seem to be!

I have asked for a payment coupon to be sent to me immediately and instructed Victor to add to my account notes that in the future, when I send in a payment, it is to be applied to my account the way I direct -- not the way someone in their corporate structure determines it should be applied. I will over-look the obvious error of their ways once, but I will take it to them if it happens again.

The Sandy Standard

The world knows how low we can go, but we seem unable to find the bottom and continue to plunge into the grunge of life's worst. For a public figure, that grunge has restorative properties: no matter how ugly the mess, wallow in the grunge for a few weeks and careers are revitalized. If you're a person on the fringe of fame, grab ahold of a famous person and leap into the pit, dragging the famous one with you. Wallow in the grunge and you may no longer be on the fringe, but at the center of the evening news and the centerfold of a star magazine.

You will have made it to the top of your world by wallowing at the bottom of what the rest of us believe is the worst of the real world.

Along comes Sandra Bullock, a principled woman whose private life was violently torn from her by excruciatingly public exposure by fringe people who used her stardom to create a career. Jesse James was not by anyone's wildest dream an "ideal" mate for Sandy, but she saw something in him no one else saw. After waiting privately for her Mr. Right to come along, she chose Jesse. She knew his past but believed in his future. On the heels of her awards season triumphs, the fringe people gathered at the grunge pit, waited for the right moment, grabbed ahold of Sandy and jumped in.

It was really not about Sandra Bullock, but about the whores and hookers who survive on the coat-tails of someone else's public life. They sell themselves to public figures with an ulterior motive, and that motive is always about me, me, me.

Sandy, however, pulled herself out of the filth: immediately. She took care of her personal commitments, not her publicity. She left the public venue and went private, an unusual H'wood coping mechanism. Endless speculation was just that: speculation. No one saw her, no one knew what was going on, and there were no publicity releases either to justify or explain the personal situation between Sandra and Jesse. Questions shouted across a school parking lot went unanswered; accusations splashed across the pages of the tabloids were ignored.

Sandra Bullock stayed home and took care of her personal life in private.

Perhaps we can use Sandra as the new standard for appropriate conduct. Perhaps other public figures can realize that nothing is gained by public confrontations, accusations, justifications. Stay home and take care of personal problems personally and privately. Make decisions based on what is best for yourself, your family, and the other people in your life who are important to you. When you arrive at your decisions about your life, do it and move on.

More public figures need to learn to be more private and stop believing that any publicity is good publicity. No one makes a lasting career from exposing another person's private pain, but that lesson needs to be retaught to Hollywood. Keep your private business private. Please.

Just Ring My Bell!

Lucy and Ethel shared a friendship song in a long-ago episode of I Love Lucy that featured the lyrics that if one of the two were ever to be down a well, the other could just "ring my bell." That's friendship, a perfect blendship, assured the off-key duo.

One of my friends came down the night before the surgery, chauffeured me to the appointment and was the first face I saw as I stared dazedly from behind the veil of anesthesia. She provided me with excellent after-care that included propping up the knee, learning how to use the "ice pack" machine (which I highly recommend to anyone who has to keep icing an injury), fixing my meals for a few days, and sharing the couch afghan with Daisy. She did the shopping, picked up my mail, removed the dressing and did the first cleaning and rebandaging. And, she barely chastised me when I said I had to take a shower even though it was a full 24 hours ahead of schedule.

Maggie has headed home for the weekend with her hubby, but I thank her for the wonderful care, the positive attitude, the love she showered on my dogs, and the constant smile and humming as she went about her tasks. I am back on my feet and getting a bit antsy to also get back on schedule. It's the end of the semester and there are things to do, people to teach, papers to grade, and ... the most important task of all, dog poop to scoop.

The surgery is a mild memory, I'm pain free, and life is good in this neighborhood.

Sinatra Surgery: Doin' It MY Way!

This was a piece o'cake: arrived at 6 am and departed the surgery center by 9 am. The surgeon told Mags that it went well and I should be fine to return to work Monday. I won't know details until my appt next week for the post-op check-up, but obviously he didn't find anything he didn't expect to find.

What's weird is that the pain is gone ... absolutely and really gone. Not only can I take a gentle step (with the walker) and not feel the stabbing pain, but my knee cap is not flopping or locking and causing me even more pain. After so many months of constant pain, this is truly a blessing.

Mags is going to stay until about noon tomorrow and will return if I need her. She's off doing the errands of checking the post office box, picking up the pain pill refills, and buying a few groceries to take me through Sunday so I can stay in and baby the surgery site a bit before resuming my schedule. She is a wonderful friend for so many reasons, but add "primary care-giver" to the list.

PS: Daisy, being the good hostess to our guest, slept with Mags last night, while Mia snored with me. The wind howled all night, but the dogs were quiet, so we're good.

Do Cheaters Ever Prosper?

It’s crunch time at the college. After a semester of instruction, it’s time to see if the students not only can get the homework completed correctly and participate in class discussions, but also to determine whether the student can apply the education in a practical application. In math, calculate correct responses to complex computations; in science, develop the hypothesis, then design, conduct, and evaluate the experiment; in composition, write an analytical essay with a clearly defined thesis that is supported by credible evidence from legitimate sources. Do it and move on; don’t do it and repeat the course; but copy an essay from an on-line source and be held accountable for cheating.

Google the word “plagiarism” and the list of well-known public figures attached to that key word confirms that far too many individuals take the written words of other authors and make them their own. Many people think that making a few changes here and there avoids the issue of plagiarism, but that’s not true. Citing the original sources of information “covers” the use of another author’s content at the college level, using in-text cites at the site of the source material. Back in the day, however, it was easy to plagiarize because the odds of anyone recognizing the stolen words were slight; however, today’s internet can find the phraseology in mere seconds.

There are world-class plagiarists, those writers who find obscure sources of information and rewrite the original text in their own style to fool readers into thinking the ideas are original. According to writer Jonathan Bailey, searching for well-known plagiarists reveals that “… five men on the list, Stephen Ambrose, T.S. Eliot, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Richard Owen and H.G. Wells are all well-known cases in plagiarism circles” (www.plagiarismtoday.com). Alex Haley, in the seminal TV series Roots, was caught by the still-living author of the 17 pages he stole word-for-word from her published book. The case went to court, Haley’s reputation was tarnished, and the original author accepted a financial settlement. Perhaps if Haley had contacted the author, conducted an interview, and invited her to participate in the process of his own writing, he would still be basking in the glory of his authorship, but that is not the choice he made.

It’s curious why famous individuals borrow from others without crediting the original source, but it’s understandable at the college level: the clock is ticking on the semester, the student has fallen way behind in completing the requirements of the course, and a sense of panic develops that leads many students into believing that it’s okay—just this once—because the teacher probably will never know that it’s copied from an on-line source. It’s not a good decision, and it’s made on flawed logic, but it’s a coping mechanism that far too many people use. Whereas the societal expectation back in the day was that it’s always wrong to lie, cheat and steal, today’s operating system is situational ethics: it’s okay as long as I am not caught and/or don’t hurt anyone. I have to pass this class, and I'll do whatever it takes to get a passing grade, including lie, cheat and steal.

What many writers don’t get is that each writer has a unique syntactical rhythm, a way of selecting words and forming them into thoughts that are expressed as sentences. Readers recognize their favorite authors by the style and know immediately if/when a co-author comes on-board or the author has gone public, writing far too many commercial products to support a lavish lifestyle. The original vocabulary of the writer reflects his/her generation: older writers have more archaic words in their vocabularies, while younger writers develop a kind of linguistic short-hand that incorporates street slang, conversational catch-all phraseology, and limited academic language choices. For instance, an inexperienced movie review writer may capture an idea by writing that a character “... comes across as a no-B.S. mother with a strict agenda, but just as [another character] goes through a complete change, so does she” (www.cincemablend.com), an opinion that is not just expressed in a modern slang syntax, but says nothing of an analytical nature about the main character's, mothering, a strict agenda, or the process of complete change for either character. Whereas most readers know what B.S. is, that abbreviation would never be used in an academic environment. A complete change indicates that an individual no longer is any part of what s/he was before an inciting incident caused a total transformation, such as an individual who is critically injured in an accident and no longer is the same person physically, mentally, or emotionally. Using an example from the vernacular of today’s culture, Chas Bono has truly gone through “a complete change.” Simply inviting another person into one’s life does not cause a “complete change” of the individuals involved in the new relationship, but it can begin a metamorphosis from what one is to what one becomes, often referred to a transformational process.

Additionally, there are standards for academic writing, which include no acceptable use of contractions (they’re instead of they are, for example) and no instance of analytical analysis using the word “you.” The focus is reflected in the thesis statement, and every word of every sentence in every paragraph is carefully selected to present the analysis of an idea captured in the thesis. Concluding a movie review with the challenge to “Do yourself a favor, don’t get too picky, take the film for what it is—an inspirational sports movie—and you’ll win big” is not a conclusion, but a cop-out (www.cincemablend.com), and a poorly-written one at that.

Students say they don’t get it, they don’t understand, and create their own version of an assignment and present it with the expectation that doing anything is better than doing nothing. If the student is held accountable for not meeting either the criteria or the standards for the assignment, it becomes the result of "bad teaching," rather than "bad learning." Students rely on the kindness of the academic community to accept whatever they present as valid, as well as valuable, but that is simply not the case, especially when some of the students do get it and actually submit quality written work. No one ever says to a math professor, “I couldn’t figure out how to do the problem your way, so I did it this way – and I think my way is good enough to earn me a passing grade in this class.” An analytical error in math results in a nuclear disaster as there is only one way, the right way, to compute mathematical problems. In written expression there is some leeway, but analysis is analysis is analysis, the same way that a person’s ethics should prohibit anyone from first, thinking, and then deciding that passing off someone else’s source material is okay as long as the student who makes this choice is either not found out or not held accountable.

In the legal system, ignorance of the law is not a reason not to follow the law; in the classroom, “I didn’t know” is simply an excuse that demonstrates an individual’s inability to accept responsibility for all the decisions s/he makes, not just the ones that are not exposed. Do cheaters ever prosper? Certainly, as evidenced by the Jonathan Bailey article (plagiarismtoday.com), but perhaps more certainly as evidenced by the fact that few students think that copying to get a grade is a problem. Cheaters do seem to have the upper hand in defending their actions as acceptable, rather than illegal. When our role models, our authors, our politicians, our ministers, our teachers, our family and friends lie, cheat and steal and get away with it, why would any reasonable person not do likewise, especially if the chances of being caught are minimal.

A society is only as strong as its most honest citizen, and a lack of morality indicates a crack in the fabric of honesty. When I cannot participate in the ages-old trust exercise, falling backward into the arms of those who claim to have my back, I know that contrary to the claim that “no man is an island,” I am, indeed, standing alone.

B-M-E/F-M-K

Best movie Beginning: the limo scene in No Way Out, even if I did see it the first time with my son!

Best movie Middle: sex on the boat in The Wedding Date.

Favorite line from a movie: I'd rather fight with you than make love with anyone else, also from The Wedding Date, especially if delivered in person by Dermot Mulroney!!

Best movie Ending: a tie between You've Got Mail and the last 5 minutes of Never Been Kissed.

Worst movie ever: Hell on Wheels, with Marty Robbins in the starring role: really.

Best movie actor: Johnnie Depp in any movie role he's ever played, including his latest, Alice in Wonderland. Why hasn't he won more awards?

Best Movie Actress: Meg Ryan before her face lift in the comedy arena, but for a serious actress, Helen Mirren.

Most over-rated actor: George Clooney in anything he's ever done and Angelina Jolie.

Favorite novel ever: To Kill a Mockingbird, which I can read a hundred times (and probably have) and learn something new with each reading.

Favorite contemporary author: LaVyrle Spenser, who has not written anything since she turned 50; I totally miss her.

Best children's author ever: Holling C. Holling, especially Paddle to the Sea.

Two movies I simply did not get on any level: The Players and American Beauty.

Current favorite TV shows: Glenn Close is incredible in Damages, absolutely incredible; Bones, but probably for David Boreanaz (Seeley Boothe), who says more with a look than most men say during an entire evening.

TV Shows I Absolutely Will NOT Watch: anything with "reality show" in the hype; comedies that just are not funny; late night TV (I'm a morning person); and game shows.

Man I'd Fuss around with: Colin Farrell's older version: tall, dark, handsome, bad boy or Tom Hanks if he's anything at all like the characters he plays.

Man I'd Marry: B, my plumber/handyman, if he were a much older man, but just as kind and helpful.

Man I'd Kill: it's a toss-up between one of my past relationships and my dotter's ex-husband.

Wah-Wah-Wah

I've tried not to whine too much about my knee injury, but after dealing with it in one form or another since Thanksgiving, I'm about at the end of my tolerance for the continuous pain, the lack of mobility, and the confinement to my home unless I absolutely have to go somewhere/do something, such as the 3 days a week I work.The swollen right knee gets even bigger if/when I have to stand and use my right leg. This is what it looks like after keeping it elevated for well over an hour. My left knee has already been through 3 separate knee surgeries in my past, and it's feeling the strain of doing double-duty for the past 5 months.

Today, it's just too much; tomorrow will be better; but actually having the surgery Wednesday will be the best of all. There is no pain associated with recovery that can come close to what I have been dealing with, so bring it on. Fix this damned knee!!!

Pourin' and Snorin'

Last Friday, I was outside putting a coat of linseed oil on the outdoor furniture and sunburned my face -- again. Drat, I thought, it's time to get out the heavy duty sunscreen. This morning, however, I was wrapped up in an afghan as it poured rain for almost 2 hours. As I drove back down the hill from work at dinner time, the news reader informed the audience that it's snowing in both Big Bear and Idyllwild. This is weather in the desert: don't like it? stick around for a day and it'll change.

Daisy learned that it's fun to play in the rain, especially if she runs back into the house and leaps onto my lap. I get a quick soaking and grab for a towel to rub her dry, a massage that she evidently likes as she began tearing in and out the doggie door a quick dozen times BEFORE I caught on that her little game could literally go on all day!! I let her come in one time without rubbing her dry and she stopped going in and out. Neither dog has admitted to peeing a lake in the middle of one of the floor cushions, but had to deal with that little mess, too, before leaving for class.

I did finish all the table toppers, which look really nice in a paisley print on black that includes red, yellow and green and picks up the couch color perfectly. I made a topper for each flat surface in the living room and then a table cover for the dining nook, which has solid black cushions and a corner pillow. Looks good.

I also talked to B, and he's going to come over and help me with a couple of last-minute projects before my BFF comes to take me to the surgery and stay overnight with me "just in case." All the furniture moving in the guest room led to the metal frame losing that screw clamp that holds it together, so he can pull out the bedframe and put it back together, as well as finish up a few other little things before she arrives. I'm going to try to remember to vacuum and dust, but that chore has gone to the bottom of the to-do list when standing on my sore leg is involved.

I actually realized today how few weeks there are left in the semester, so it's time to kick it into gear and git 'er done. Still not sure what my summer plans are, but I do know it'll include a road trip in my new RAV.

My Eyes are Bigger than My Tummy!

You know how it is when you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and everything looks so good that you take far too much food and simply cannot eat all of it? When I talked to my friend about buying her couch, I remembered that it was a large conversation-pit style that formed a U and included a chaise, which was the selling point for my poor hurting leg. I borrowed one of the cushions and decided that it would fit into my non-existent decorating scheme as I have black wrought iron and black picture frames. I can make a new set of table-toppers that pick up the colors in the couch and tie it into the rest of the room. What I didn't quite remember was exactly how huge the BIG COUCH actually is until it arrived at my doorstep.

Yesterday, my friends delivered it and we set it up. Now, when anyone walks into my living room, they are going to see BIG COUCH. As big as my living room is, BIG COUCH has taken over the space! I like the BIG COUCH, it's a totally comfortable seating area, and it has a sleeper section, as well as the chaise, but it is also huge!

Daisy loves the new couch as, for her, the top of the couch cushions is like an indoor running track! Mia likes it because it's much more comfortable for her than her various floor pillows and places. I like it because that chaise is well worth the purchase and will be totally great after the surgery. And, if both my dotter and g'son visit again at the same time, they can sleep separately in comfort as one of the 3 pieces is a hide-a-bed. I just have to get myself used to the BIG COUCH in my living room!!

I did stop by the big box store and buy fabric to make table toppers, which I'll do this morning, to tie the charcoal of the couch into the rest of the room. The good news is that I totally like the new couch, as well as the changes it brought into the space. Guess my next order of business is to invite people over for a visit -- a LOT of people!!

One Step Forward; Two Steps Back

If the rest of the month continues the way it has begun, I'm gonna be in big trouble.

First, the knee specialist pushed my appointment back a week, so I'm still limping around and in constant pain! I'm irritated, but have no option, so have to wait it out. I'm taking the vicodin so I can work, but that simply masks the pain: when the pills wear off, it's still there.

Next, I applied for the MediCare stuff, mostly online, which was mucho convenient; however, it also became redundant! I provided both my street and my mailing address, assuming, as one may be prone to do, that mail would then be sent to my mailing address. Oh, no: I'm getting packets at the street and in my box! And, as if that were not enough to tax my patience, I'm getting duplicates!! This last week, I ended up with 3 copies each of 2 different packets -- and believe me when I say they are packets, not just letters.

One prescription plan packet had a little plastic card with my name on it and a warm, welcoming letter all about my new prescription plan, while the other 2 packets simply had a John Doe plastic card. All I had to do, the adhesive strip across the plastic membership card with my name on it told me, is call and verify enrollment. When I did that, I ended up re-enrolling another 2 times! I tried, I really tried to tell the three different people with whom I spoke in the course of this experience that I had ALREADY enrolled: I was simply calling to verify that enrollment and activate the membership card, the one with my name on it, not the two cards with John Doe on them.

No way. No person by my name or birth date in the computer data base, so we went all the way through it again, and then when I transferred to the prescription service number, we did it a third time. I dread finding out that I'm going to be getting 3 enrollment cards and 3 bills each month.

Then, my census form arrived in the mail two days after the postcard that told me I was going to receive my census form the next week. I filled it out the day I received it and mailed it the next day. Two days later, I received ANOTHER complete census form with instructions that told me if I had already completed a census form to ignore it, but if I had lost mine or not received it, fill this in and mail it out because ... "our records indicate that we have not received your census in the mail." Really? I guess the US Gov't has higher expectations for the US Postal Service than we citizens who actually use the service. We KNOW it's impossible to send something and have it arrive anywhere the next day, much less have the receiving agency open the envelope and process it the same day it's received.

What a total waste of time, money and resources. And now, those pesky census people are showing up in neighborhoods to ascertain why people haven't returned the form. I thought citizens had until April 30 to return the forms, so why are census workers already out checking? Must be stimulus money we're spending to artifically pump up the unemployment statistics.

And, since it's Spring in the Desert, a special time of the year when I open all the doors and windows to let nature into my humble abode, I bought the screen panel that fits on a spring rod inside the casing so I can take it down at the end of the open door season. Installed it to keep the flies out and allow the dogs to come in, but it seems to be working the opposite from my plan: the flies are coming in, but the dogs won't go out. Whatever.

I also bought those ugly sticky hanging fly catcher rolls to put by each open window and door as my house is abuzz with dozens of flies. Sure enough, the word went out to the fly community: come on down, boys! Snack time! This lady has that really good-tasting sticky fly stuff all over her house! Nah, you won't stick to it: we know how to make that not happen.

And, because I'm getting the new-to-me couch tomorrow, I bought one of Woolite's new shampoo sticks designed especially for high traffic areas and area rugs, exactly what I needed to clean. Well, I'm pretty good at following directions, and I even saw the commercial yesterday, so I was confident I could work this tool. Not. I assembled it, inserted the sample bottle of rug shampoo, and slowly drew the dark blue bristles toward me to spread the shampoo. Nothing until the last inch of the pull, and then a really scanty spattering of white foam. Removed the can of shampoo, shook it again, put it back in until it clicked, turned the lever to the spray icon, and did it again -- with the same results.

After literally a dozen tries at this process, I said to hell with it, opened the new can of spray on shampoo, sprayed the area rug, used the tool to work it into the fibers, and did just fine. Pretty expensive to get the stick to spray the shampoo onto the carpet if it won't do that, but the bristles on the brush did a great job of spreading the foam and picking up the dog hair. Probably could have used a push broom with stiff bristles and not paid for the fancy-schmantzy applicator, but I warned you that this is how my world is tilting this month!

Finally, I bought an array of colorful tees to wear until school is out and a package of iron-on appliques to pretty them up a bit. Because I bought the bargain bag of appliques, 40 pieces I thought might match a couple of the tees, I now have a bag of appliques that don't go with any of the tees!

Some days, it just doesn't pay to live in Lizaland.

Cutting Off Your Nose to Spite Your Ex-Wife!

Jon Gosselin is an idiot. He left his wife and 8 children to hook-up with 20- something bleached blonde hotties, but now claims that his ex-wife has "abandoned" her children because she's working out of town? Kate's trying to earn a living after being dumped by her husband: he's the one who abandoned not just the children, but his wife.

Jon disrespects ALL single women who have to do whatever it takes to stay afloat when the man ditches them for something much younger, much hotter, much sexier than the "old lady." When Jon was at the top of the media coverage, it was all about his Hollywood social doings, his New York sightings, his vacations to exotic locations with yet more women. Kate stayed home, took care of the children, and figured out how to create a career for herself that would keep the family together.

Kate is practicing dancing for the DWTS gig in her basement and traveling to the actual performances. She has been writing books, developing another TV show, and making hay while the sun shines on her media fame. Jon, on the other hand, laments that he cannot find a job, any job, because he cut all ties with the network that paid the expenses for 5 years. His grandiose plan to become the next best media star blew up in his face when he cut off the source of his income for a lame plan to make it big on his own. Kate, on the other hand, continued to cultivate her business contacts and has developed them into a lucrative career. Jon wants his cut of her success, perhaps forgetting that she is the "ex" and owes him nothing.

Kate has not been seen at nightclubs, partying with hot young guys, spending money recklessly, traveling the hot spots at the luxurious hotels: that's all on Jon. Shame on Jon for even thinking that he has the right to take over the parenting and be paid by Kate to do so. It was HIS decision to leave, to look for greener pastures, to spend money he did not yet have for a career that didn't exist. He made his bed, but now he doesn't want to sleep in it.

Jon, get over yourself! Your 15 minutes of fame were used up months ago and no one, especially your ex-wife, owes you a thing.

Rockin' and Rollin'

It started small, then built and built and built to quite the earthquake. Seems like the ground was moving continuously for about 45 seconds to a minute, and then lots of rolling movement continuing to right now.

The news just came on and said it's related to the recent swarm of quakes just south of the border, at the far edge of the Salton Sea, measuring a 6.9, which is substantial.

Drop and hold onto the table legs until it quiets ... and it's still rolling.

update It's been upgraded to a 7.2 quake and the news readers are making much ado about nothing. On the scene in LA; on the scene in San Diego; on the scene in the Coachella Valley ... but nothing more than water slopping out of swimming pools, hanging light fixtures swinging back and forth, and the sound of fear in people's voices who are all waiting for this to be the prelude to THE BIG ONE, the most dreaded monster for this area of the world.

More Update: The quake struck on the Mexico side of the border and has done significant damage to homes, businesses, and the infrastructure in the area of the epicenter. Lots of people on the scene are calling into the local news outlets, sharing stories from a position of proximity to the quake.

The experts are saying this is NOT on the San Andreas fault, but one of the other of the hundreds of faults that run through this area. Many, many more after-shocks to come.

Anything but Shear Genius!

Yet another one of the reality shows I’ve been watching since confined to the couch, Shear Genius has little to do with hair styling genius and everything to do with playing the game to win. The game begins with a dozen contestants who are whittled down to the top three, and those three compete to see who gets the big bank to open a salon. The biggest challenge of the show is trying to figure out what the stunningly gorgeous hostess is saying as English is not her heritage language. She dresses beautifully and uses an assortment of wigs to turn her into this week's challenge. She takes her job very seriously, but I'm never quite sure what she actually says, other than "hair IS important," the weekly sign-off.

The stereotypes are almost comical: the flaming gay guy; the totally butch bitch; the sweeter-than-pie goody-two-shoes; the marginally capable bottom dweller; and the bulge of mediocrity in the middle. Completely unrealistic hair styling goals are set for the hairdressers to complete in a totally inadequate amount of time, so no one ever really finishes and/or actually creates a great hair style. The judges, however, take each contestant to task with a critique that assumes the game decides whether the world ends today or tomorrow. After all, “hair IS important."

What interests me is that the odds favor one of the bulge people, the ones who aren’t good enough to win a challenge, but aren’t bad enough to be booted off the show with the dreaded words: “this was your final cut.” This season, it’s Brig, a brassy female clown (red hair, too much make-up, and a big Minnie Mouse hair bow create her signature look) who relies on her ability to talk back to the judges to make it through challenge after challenge because it became readily apparent early on that she cannot cut, color, or style hair. She can’t do anything really well, but when one of the judges said that her hair coloring job on a model left a really bright pink color at the part, Brig said, with a straight face, “I’m not seeing what you’re seeing.” One week she squeaked through by taking down the hair style she had created and pouring a bottle of water over the model's head. Believe it or not, the judges raved about how she "saved" the look and the photo shoot! She is the first to dis other contestants and the last to admit to any personal failings, but she’s made it to the final round after consistently being at the bottom of the score card each week.

Because it’s been a repeat marathon this past week, I’ve watched quite a few episodes of the show. Brig never gets it right, but she always justifies what she’s done as if the whole world is wrong, and she’s right, again, this time, and always. The looks from the judges, as well as the other contestants, should be enough to shut down this approach to the styling challenges, but good ole Brig always says that she knows best what she does best and hangs on for another week. For one of the challenges, she piled fake hair up into a really tall beehive that she accented with metal zip ties (where she got these I’ll never know), while making a rolled up mess of fake hair on another head of hair – and won! The judges were wowed by her personal style and statement, but any customer in his/her right mind would have not just refused to pay for the mess she made of the hair, but demanded a redo from a stylist who knew what the hell she was doing!

The big finale is next week and, yes, I’m going to watch it because I have to see if Brig wins this thing. The grand prize is $100k to open one’s own salon, so I sure hope the big bucks go to someone who can actually style hair!

Brig won it! Don't know how she came out on top as she consistently was at the bottom of the heap, but she received $100k for her efforts.

I Kneed Surgery

The consultation with the knee specialist went well: he pointed out the micro-fractures to the kneecap, as well as deep bone bruising, and then the fluid in the knee area and the meniscus that is completely torn off its anchor. No wonder my knee has been hurting so much!

The only way to repair the cartilage damage is surgery, which is scheduled for Wed, April 14. I asked for a sooner date, but that’s the first available opening. I won’t know the time until sometime the end of next week. The micro-fractures and the bone bruise will heal without intervention, and the actual pain is being caused by the meniscus which will not heal without surgery.

I’m taking pain pills as there is nothing else that relieves the constant throbbing or the white hot heat that sears the interior of my knee every time I take a step. I’ve tried using an Ace bandage for support as my knee is quite unstable, but putting pressure on the affected area makes it throb more than it does without the bandage. The pain pills put me to sleep, so there’s no activity such as driving or walking the dogs unless I skip a pain pill so I can function. The pills don’t stop the pain: they just mask it. I don’t see how anyone can deliberately cause this feeling of disconnect from life by taking prescription meds that are not prescribed for them. My head floats off in one direction, while my body slowly sinks into the couch cushions for another nap.

I’m looking forward to having this event behind me! It amazes me that it takes so long to schedule an appointment with a doctor. The knee specialist asked me why I hadn’t sought medical help earlier, and I explained to him the “wait 4-6 weeks” prescription, as well as waiting 2 weeks to be seen by my primary care, then the MRI, and then 2 weeks to get into see him. He was shocked that it took 2 weeks to get an appointment with him, so I suggested that he try calling his office to schedule an appointment and see how it goes. Originally, I was told he was not available until the end of April and only got in this quickly because another patient cancelled.

As I explained to him, this whole incident has been a comedy of errors that is no longer funny.