Spectrum

I really disliked being a Time Warner Cable customer for the past 15 years. The company charged far too much for far too few services, and customer service was not their forte. I complained annually about my always increasing service bill, which seemed to have a full column of "add-on" service charges over which I had no control. I'd see the ads for basic services at $29.99/mo, but I never was able to actually receive any services for anything close to that amount. My monthly bill, prior to Spectrum taking over, had settled in at $165.00, which is my highest utility bill -- including both water and electricity!

When I hit $165/month with only 1 working TV in the house and constant issues with poor service to the home, I decided that if TWC couldn't fix it, I was going to go cold turkey. It was nice when into this same timeframe, Spectrum arrived. The words "Time Warner is now Spectrum" gave me hope that I would be able to have some service issues dealt with and I could again enjoy watching TV.

Spectrum is great! I had a list of issues I wanted handled, including receiving TV on the small set in my bedroom, making the start/stop/freeze frame/pixilation issues go away on the livingroom set, learn how to use On Demand without having to pay even more money to the cable company -- and stop my bill from steadily climbing to higher and higher peaks.

Adam, my Spectrum service rep, showed up cleanly dressed and professional. He introduced himself and asked me why I had called for an in-home service call. I gave him my list and he said we'd start in the living room with replacing the DVR box, then move on to checking the service in general, from outside line to outlets in the house. Thus, Adam found the problem with the bedroom TV: in spite of the fact that there was cable in the bedroom, that cable wasn't activated with actual hook-up to the service for the house. Adam solved that problem and voila! I had cable on the bedroom TV. He also did all the replacement hookups for the livingroom, then checked the outside lines and determined that the cable from the pole to the house needs to be replaced too.

And all of this at no service charge and no upping my monthly payment. It's just part of the Spectrum service. Really.

He also showed me how to use the new cable box in the livingroom, including OnDemand, which is free. He also assured me that I could call Canada without paying an additional fee, so I am now able to communicate more freely with my son who lives there. I know how to delete a series I chose to record, but then didn't like once I watched it. And I feel free to contact Spectrum if I have other service questions without feeling like an idiot.

I'm rooting for Spectrum to take over and run Time Warner Cable out of business!! I'm so glad to be free from TWCable's monopoly of bad service.

Manchester by the Sea

With all the buzz Manchester by the Sea has been getting, I decided to go see for myself what this film is all about. I lasted about 20 minutes before I left and got my money back.

It's very slow to start, very slow, and has lots of use of the "f" word, lots and lots. Casey Affleck is so ... laid back? ... that he's almost catatonic. And not much of the story is revealed in the opening of the film.

My film buddy stayed for the entire film and said it got better, but she can't see what all the hype is about, so I'm saying this movie is one to skip. Despite the hype.

What If Today is THE Day?

A friend and I went to a funeral mass for a dear friend who passed away at age 85 and, as it often happens, we looked at all the snow white-haired people attending with us. I remarked to her, "What if today is my day to die? I don't know if I'm ready yet as I have lots of closet cleaning to do."

We giggled just a bit and then turned serious as the mass began. I didn't understand too many of the priests' words as English is probably his 3rd language, and most definitely not his first tongue. I also am not Catholic, so I didn't know all the rituals and the responses one should give at key moments of the service. As the priest prattled on about Sue and her equally departed husband Jim, one of the grey-haired men we had been talking about, Larry, fell off his feet and onto the pew.

Larry's wife went into immediate panic, bursting into tears and trying to get her husband to respond to her. One of the men who had been sitting across the aisle jumped up and came over to see what was amiss. Larry was unconscious, 9-1-1 was called, and the wife kept trying to get her husband to come around and respond, which he ultimately did. The paramedics arrived and got him onto a gurney and then off to the hospital.

As my friend and I were sitting there -- and the rest of the congregation was congregated around poor Larry's prostrate form, I said, "Let's depart. There is nothing we can do to help and no reason to sit here and see what comes next." She agreed and we left the church.

Over a cup of coffee and a slice of pie at the local Denny's, I recalled my somewhat prophetic words, "What if today were my last day?" Am I be ready? No, I'm not--but ready or not, each one's day comes. I'm sure it's not Larry's last day, but it is a wake-up for all of us elderly people to cherish each day and not put off what needs to be done today.

Pinterest Adds Unwanted Spice to My Life

Ah, man! I went onto Pinterest looking for some crochet patterns and had to sign up to use the patterns I found. That was yesterday; today, I have 27 spam emails to deal with in my message box! Most of them are “dirty” spam, offering sex and kinky sex and dirty sex and more and more sex. Plus, there’s always a Viagra message to go along with the emails.

In addition, I have far too many messages from Pinterest telling me they have added this 'n that to my Pinterest board -- in case I haven't seen any of it yet. Which I haven't because I JUST signed up and don't even know if I'm going to like being a Pinterest Person!!

Now I regret signing up for Pinterest, even though I thought it would be a good place to look for patterns. Of course, I’m not sure how to undo the do, so will have to live with this and daily empty my email box.

Thanks, Pinterest, for adding yet another irritant to my daily life.

Dead on Arrival

It's a good concept, being invaded by alien beings with whom we need to learn to communicate, but it's poorly executed. Think giant octopus, but with 5 legs, and each of the ends of the legs expands into a "hand." The communication is in inky circles, and I'm not sure how we learn to interpret them into our language, but, of course, we do.

The film begins at the end, and the rest of the story goes back to the beginning, so it's really challenging to figure out what the heck is going on. The entire middle part is ... boring. And the beginning and the ending aren't too interesting either.

Arrived is a film I would skip as it's (wait for it) Dead on Arrival at your favorite theater.

The Final Debate

Overall impression: Donald says Hillary is "a nasty woman" and admits that he'll have to see whether he concedes the election if she wins.

My conclusion: I know I cannot vote for Donald Trump, but I'm still not sure I can vote for Hillary.

My personal take-away: I want my hair styled exactly the way Hillary's looked tonight!! It's the right length, it swoops back off the face, and there is height at the top. Now to find a stylist who can cut that 'do.

Billy Bush Deserves Better

Watch out, world: the perhaps next President of the United States is having another temper tantrum. In an interview with Howard Stern, who was laughing and egging him on, Trump revealed that he walked in on pageant contestants in various stages of undress -- because he owned the pageant and could act with impunity. So far, there's been no cry for Howard Stern to lose his job. Billy Bush, on the other hand, did what a good journalist is supposed to do: keep the subject talking, providing him/her with enough rope to make for a good story, and Bush loses his job and maybe his lifelong career.

Poking and prodding a talkative subject like Trump, who likes to hear himself talk, often results in him saying more without thinking first, without self-censoring. Billy got Donald to cross the lines of decency in a way that Trump otherwise might not have done. Get a braggart bragging and see what comes out is the job well-done by Billy Bush. Call it locker room talk if it makes you feel better, but I call it good journalism: catching a future Presidential candidate revealing the content of his character.

Howard Stern did the same thing Bush did: kept Donald talking, Stern laughing along with the storytelling and letting Donald run his mouth about how he thinks about and treats women. Donald admitted to Howard Stern he did what women are accusing him of, most especially the incident at the pageant. When others accuse Donald of what he has already admitted to doing, he denies it and calls it "vicious lies"--unless a good reporter gets him to talk while the tape is running.

Howard Stern got Trump to talk on tape and Billy Bush got Trump to talk on tape, but Billy loses his job. Why does Billy Bush have to take the fall for Donald Trump? Invite Billy onto the talk shows to tell how easy it was to push Trump’s buttons and get him to reveal what he’s really like. Billy was a good reporter doing a good job of revealing Trump being Trump and should not lose his job for doing his job well.

Pay Hike

My Hispanic housekeeper told me the bad news: instead of paying her $70 every two weeks for 2 hours of housekeeping, she's raising her fee to $100 for the same services. I gasped and said, "That's $50 an hour."

Her reply: "I work so hard."

My response: "I earned $50 an hour as an adjunct faculty member at the community college -- with both a bachelor's and a master's degrees."

To which she again replied, "But I work so hard. The house is so dirty."

Well, that sealed the deal! Didn't know I was living in such filth, doing the cleaning myself between times for the housekeeper. I vacuum, dust, clean the kitchen every single day, and clean the bathrooms once a week. Y even uses the rug shampooer and cleans the livingroom carpet about every two weeks to keep the dog hair and odors at bay. May not be the best housekeeping in the world, but the house can be opened to guests at any time without my feeling embarrassed or ashamed of the way it looks.

I talked to Y, explained the situation, and told him he's going to have to work with me one day a week to clean the house ourselves because there is no way I'm going to pay $200 a month to have someone else clean it. We'll set the saved money aside and treat ourselves to a nice dinner and a movie once a month instead.

I hope all her other clients, who are also being told of the rate increase, do likewise. She won't have to work so hard any longer because ... she isn't going to have any clients!

Rate hike? Take a hike!

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

A black woman was found guilty of child abuse leading to the death of her child. Her husband, speaking to the media after the trial, claimed that his wife did not get a fair trial with a jury of her peers because there were no blacks on the jury. Had there been at least one person of color, s/he could have explained black culture to the rest of the jurors, leading (of course) to a verdict of not guilty.

We all share what’s called the human condition, a set of circumstances that bring us commonality, that make us peers. Our individual uniqueness does not separate us from our commonalities; it simply broadens the definition of one's self in relationship to others. Peers are not cookie-cutter copies of one another, but a common bond of the traits that we share. Underneath the outer shell, we are peers, one who has equal standing with others.

I guess if I ever have to go to trial I may feel differently and demand a jury of my peers: a white septuagenarian female, divorced, retired schoolteacher with both a BA and a MS, mother of two, grandmother of one. After all, unless you’ve walked in my white female shoes, you cannot know my journey.

Three Slices of Life

Café Society is a comedy of manners: well-dressed, upper-class gentlemen and ladies, living life without a care, but every move carefully crafted, every sentence uttered with perfect inflection. It’s not a film for everyone, but it’s a very typical Woody Allen period piece with pizzazz. The sets and the costumes are spot-on, and the story is what we would call typical of the generation and social class it portrays.

Bad Moms is balls to the walls, flat out funny comedy that mocks the “Stepford Wives” stereotype of a good mother when one character gets fed up with being a good mom and goes rogue. The language is over-the-top and in your face, but the actual storyline is solid and makes a good point about being true to one’s self, rather than trying to live up to a false ideal.

Florence Jenkins is a poignant story of a woman who contracted syphilis from her new husband on her wedding night and is in the final stages of the mental after-effects as she faces her death. She is pleasantly out of touch with reality and quite charming, lavishing affection on everyone with whom she comes in contact. Hugh Grant plays Jenkins’ husband with just the right touch of warmth, kindness, and love without being obsequious.

Three different films, but one thread in common – live life to its fullest the first time around because there is no do-over.

Best Case v Worst Case

What is going to happen when Petulant Donny gets pissed off and says, "I quit!" There will come a time, and I predict it's not too far in the future, when people are going to begin to pressure him to shut the hell up, and Donny won't like that. When push comes to shove, he wants to be the one pushing and shoving -- but he won't take it from anyone else. In his mind, the best thing to do is have a tantrum and quit, leaving the mess he's made of the political system to figure out how to get back on course. And then he'll stand back and say, "I told you so."

Or he'll continue to plow through the next few months wrecking havoc everywhere he goes, using offensive language, bullying anyone who dares to step into his pathway, and pissing off world leaders with whom he will have to work if elected. It's like he doesn't get it, like he doesn't know what he's saying and the impact his words have once they've been put out there. The neighborhood bully knows only that he feels good about his actions/words, but fails to recognize that he has no friends, no support system, no future.

I don't know which scenario is better/worse, but something is going to blow up before all is said and done.

The Great British Baking Show

My new favorite TV show is on PBS: The Great British Baking Show. I watched it last year and loved it, so was happy to find it in the listings again this year. The premise is fairly standard: a group of bakers are brought in, given 3 different (and often challenging) baking tasks to complete, each of which is judged by Mary and Paul, both of whom are well-known and respected British bakers. They are critical in their opinions and comments, so only the best are kept from show to show, no matter how well s/he has done previously. Thus, a star baker one week can go home the next: it all depends on this week's bake.

The three challenges are a technical challenge, which means making a baking product that each baker should not only know how to bake, but bake well. A runny custard can ruin the bake, no matter how good the crust. The second challenge is the star baker challenge, where the bakers are given a recipe to make with minimal directions -- and they each have to figure out how to do it and how to do it well enough to be #1 for that contest. The third and final bake is the showstopper, which is a challenge that the bakers may have practiced at home and done well, but the only performance is that at the actual baking contest. Too thick a crust on a game pie? Sorry, that's not acceptable. Too little or too much seasoning? Sorry, that's not going to cut it. Game is under-cooked or over-cooked? Not worthy of being the showstopper winner.

The variety of bakes is interesting, sometimes featuring recipes from the 1800s, othertimes featuring recipes from the early 20th century. Appearance is a big part of the challenge, so if the crust is too pale or too brown? the filling is too thick or too thin? the appearance is not grand enough? Not going to score points and can lead to a contestant leaving the show. And, beware artificial flavorings! It has to have a natural taste or the judges turn up their noses at the bake, regardless of how well all the other many criteria are met.

This season has come to an end, but look for reruns on your local PBS station. It's well worth the time to watch this dignified British delight.

Jason Bourne

Caught the new Bourne film and was wowed with all the action, excitement, and pace of the film. Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, and he brings a passion to the role that elevates his performance to the top of the list of action stars. The actual story is a bit thin, leaving the exciting action (including an over-the-top car chase scene filmed in Las Vegas) to carry the film. The ending pretty much says we'll see act 2 of this film ... soon, which I hope is true. I say go see it!

AT&T Update

The other day I was fed up -- with the runaround from the AT&T service center and the storefronts and decided to have one more visit to the AT&T storefront to get some answers and some service. Luck was with me as there were no other customers in the store when I arrived, so I was greeted promptly and courteously, seated, and then asked what I needed help with. I pointed out that my previous phone was replaced because, come to find out, nothing wrong with the phone, but a lack of cell service in my city. He agreed that there have been problems, but then asked if I might be interested in a small micro-cell that I would install myself, and then assured me that I'd have at least 3 bars of service in my home (I actually get 5 bars). This flipped another one of my switches because I've been round and round with the phone center and had far too many visits to the storefronts and NO ONE ever mentioned this work-around before.

The CSR told me about the micro-cell, then volunteered to update my new phone and certify that it was working properly before I left the store. I told him I couldn't receive calls and/or texts and had no idea why. He did his magic and voila! He sent me a text and I received it. One small step for me, but several more to go. He explained the micro cell installation and showed me how to do it myself, which I did when I arrived back home. He explained why I had to adjust my service plan (because I had no data plan, just calling and texting) and then figured it's going to increase by about $20/month, which is reasonable. And, finally, he suggested a new phone number to start off fresh with the new phone, the new contract, and the new micro-cell.

I am now a happy AT&T user: everything is working just like it should. Well, there is one operational difficulty: I can't remember the new phone number, so I sent out the wrong number to all my important contacts and then had to email them back to tell them the correct number. No, I'm not good enough to text that info to more than one person at a time; hence, the email message process.

I long for the day that I can whip out my phone, zip out a text, go onto the internet and look up something, and play a song on my new cordless wi-fi speaker that my CSR gave me just because he felt bad for all I've been through. He really was nice ... and gave me answers instead of attitude .

ATT: Phone Home

I just got a new phone as my old phone seemed to “die,” dropping calls, recharging far too often, and not receiving calls/texts. Went to AT&T to get the new phone all set up, and voila! I have a new phone. Oddly enough, the service is spotty. People call me and the call won’t go through; people send me texts I don’t receive; and it is dropping calls. So much for a new phone, I thought.

Imagine my surprise when Y goes online and finds a whole slew of messages about the spotty at best cell service in my small town. All of the problems we’ve been encountering are shared with a whole lot of local users who are just as upset as we are about the poor service. Some of the complainants talked about cell tower problems, so we decided to go to one of the local AT&T store-fronts and ask them why our service is so poor.

Seems that there have been issues with the cell tower that is about a mile from our home. Vandals have targeted the tower, which is an issue—but I’m not sure how that affects service. Evidently, this problem has existed since last November, but the AT&T folks are making it a local issue, rather than doing something about it themselves. According to the rep I spoke with, AT&T plans to relocate the tower, but is dragging its process for whatever reasons. Since this issue has existed for 8 months already, I guess someone has decided that there is no urgency to serve the customers in my small community.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a new phone to replace a phone that probably did not need to be replaced. I’m lucky when I get one bar of service on the phone while I'm at home, which means I’m not able to use it as my go-to phone while I’m at home or out in my local community. I doubt that changing my service provider will solve the problem because I believe that several providers share the local cell tower, a guess based on the number of pieces of equipment on that tower.

In my world, AT&T owes me at least 8 months of free service to make up for the 8 months of poor service that led me to purchase a new phone to fix the problems I was having. In addition, I can send them a copy of the bill of purchase for a new phone and they can pay that for me, too.

The Finding Dory Story

My friends and I went to see Finding Dory, having enjoyed Finding Nemo all those many years ago. We settled in amongst the parents with children and laughed our way through age-appropriate coming attractions. Then, it was time; finally, Finding Dory swims onto our screen.

The first half wasn’t bad, but it was draggy. The same point was made countless times and we could have moved on to the next stage of the story much sooner. We stayed with Dory for far too many instances of “I can’t remember” and “I suffer from short-term memory loss” issues. Make the point, reinforce it – and move on. Finally, Dory arrives at an aquarium where her parents have been taken after being found in the open ocean. Dory now knows where they are, but not how to find them – and that’s where the story grinds to a halt.

Young children don’t get all the nuances of the octopus constantly changing its form and camoflauging with its surroundings, but the octopus changes for a full 20 minutes of story time. Young children don’t get all the nuances of the search, including numerous mentions of the pipes and getting lost and taking wrong turns: they just get bored and start acting out. The youngsters near us wondered when Dory was going to find her parents, and so did we not-so-youngsters. Adding in a car chase scene involving the moving van from the aquarium being stopped on a freeway, including going the wrong way in traffic and then being crashed into the bay was simply too much. The children wanted the movie to end, and end happily, but once the truck crashed, they pretty much lost the great moment that finally came far too late for them.

If you’re going to write children’s films, you have to be in the mindset of a child. If this film had simply ended 25 minutes sooner, it would have been wonderfully concluded with a happily-ever-after ending that all children want and need to come to closure. As it is, I can’t recommend the Dory story and find it amazing that word of mouth hasn’t turned the financial faucets off.

Senior Moment

My dryer has a feature that is purely annoying: the on/off knob and other features are accessed by turning a knob that’s on a long plastic spindle. The knobs last for about 6 months before they crack, which means they no longer have a solid grasp on the long plastic spindle; hence, the operator cannot turn on/turn off the appliance, rendering it useless. Y and I have replaced the knobs several times in the past several months – and I’m now over it.

Especially since the long plastic spindle broke, rendering another knob as a useless fix for the problem. My solution for the problem: buy a new dryer and start the process over. Yes, every dryer I looked at has plastic knobs on a plastic spindle to access the on/off feature of the appliance. And, dyers are not cheap, so it’s an expensive fix for a cheap problem, but once the plastic spindle broke, we were out of repair/replacement options.

I went to Home Depot first to find a replacement dryer, but HD does not offer free delivery, so I drove across the street to Lowe’s, which does give that service. I found just what I wanted: a dryer marked to half-price because someone else ordered it and returned it within 30 days for a refund. The service rep, Carter, and I discussed the features, as well as the persistent plastic problem and whether I needed a three-prong or a four-prong cord option. I didn’t know, so he said he’ll just send both and the delivery crew can use the one I need to make the dryer operational.

All well and good, I went to the garage upon my arrival at home, to pull out the old dryer and clean the area so the delivery persons could more easily install the new dryer. Imagine my surprise to find that my dryer is hooked up to gas and not the electric dryer I thought I had – and had just purchased a replacement that was also electric. There is a moment when one feels totally and completely -- stupid -- for making such an error, which now has to be undone, beginning with the phone call to cancel the delivery.

Yesterday, I went back to Lowe’s and reversed the first purchase process and replaced it with a new purchase, a dryer not on half-price sale, but which is gas. The new dryer will be delivered and installed today, so my trips to the Laundromat to dry my clothes come to a close as I will once again enjoy having that option at home.

Yeah, I learned the lesson: check what I need to replace before I go to store in the first place. But I was certain I had an electric dryer, so didn’t feel the need to measure twice/cut once.

UPDATE: The new dryer is here, delivered, installed, and tested, so we're good to go.

Invasion from the Samantha Brown People

For my river cruise a couple of months back, I went to the Samantha Brown website looking for a travel wallet that would keep my cash/credit cards safe, as well as handy. When it arrived, it was not what I expected, so I returned it to SB. Since that fateful transaction, I now am punished with Samantha Brown offers on every single page that opens in my browser.

I go to email and get SB offers; I go to msn.com and get SB offers; I go to the site I use for directions and get SB offers. I doubt that I’ve ever had such an invasive intrusion into my personal computer than I’ve had with Samantha Brown.

My question is: how do I remove this pest from my machine? I tried deleting cookies, but it stayed – and I don’t know how to do much of anything else to remove this annoyance, so I’m afraid I’m stuck with the banners and special offers and lovely photos of merchandise available to me from this vendor.

I may not know how to get rid of the computer infection, but I can guarandamntee you that I’ll never order from that website again!!

IHOP No More

Today, Y and I decided to go to Palm Springs for breakfast at the IHOP on Indian Canyon. Originally, I wanted to get the pancakes with peaches and caramel sauce, but didn't see them offered anywhere in the store, so switched my order to the "senior special," which is 2 p'cakes, 2 bacon, and 2 eggs (scrambled in my case). Y ordered chicken fried steak, with fresh fruit instead of the potatoes. And, we both ordered coffee. Pretty much a run-of-the-mill b'fast, nothing fancy at all.

My meal was lukewarm, not hot, but the p'cakes arrived a bit later and they were smokin' hot -- really melted the butter. Y's meal was just fine, but by the time he had eaten his p'cakes, he was almost full, so he only ate half the chicken fried steak and brought the rest of it home for his afternoon snack.

When the bill came, I was astounded to find a total of $31.13. For 2 b'fasts, not a family of four. We were each charged for a cup of coffee, although the server filled a carafe at the table and whether one was drinking or two, the same amount of coffee was left for us to self-serve. My senior meal is supposed to be budget friendly, but it came in at $9.69, which is about $3 more than the last time I ordered it. Y's chicken fried steak was a whopping $13.29, which is also higher than the last time we ate the same b'fast at the same IHOP.

Needless to say, IHOP is now on my don't-go list. It's far too expensive for what is served, and the service isn't anything to sing songs about. There's always a reason that the meal comes late, or, in the case today, in two separate servings of egg dish first, then the p'cakes. For the price, I can find a dozen restaurants that do it better on all levels of dining -- and will the next time I get a hankering for p'cakes.

Papa

Our local Palm D'Or theater shows films that the larger mega-screen theaters don't, and Papa is one such film. It is the story of Ernest Hemingway's last 2 years of life, living in Cuba and involved in clandestine activities involving the upcoming Cuba revolution. The film reveals that Hemingway was an integral part of the gun-running of which he was accused in a scene that briefly shows the FBI trying to arrest him for his subversive activities.

The actor who plays Papa is excellent. What's remarkable is his appearance: he looks just like Ernest Hemingway, the corpulent body, the steely eyes, the white hair and beard. He portrays the angst of an author who can no longer write juxtaposed with the boozin', high-living "old man" who was actually just 59 years old when he committed suicide. The supporting cast is not as strong as the lead, but the ensemble cast works well together to tell the story.

I recommend this film to anyone who has read Hemingway's work, especially Old Man and the Sea, as it bookends the reading with a visual that makes the man and his work come alive.

Cruise Part 5

The last day, we took an optional tour from Basel, Switzerland to the Alps. At Jungfraujoch, the top of the world at 11,333 feet, is a small village accessed by a tram system. The magnificent Alps rise above the village, which caters to tourists. We had a group dinner shared with 3 other tour buses full of guests, then spent a little bit of time finding souvenirs, including my t-shirt and some Swiss chocolate bars.

It is challenging to describe the majesty of the mountains rising above Jungfraujoch, covered in snow and almost menacing in appearance. It snowed the whole time we were there, but green grass and flowering trees covered the valley below the tram ride pathway. The snowline was quite distinct and really did look like a line drawn across the mountains. There were many chalets in the lower part of the valley, as well as what appeared to be full-time residents. Leaving the immediate area, we saw a beautiful sky-blue lake which is allegedly stocked well with fish.

On the way up to Jungfraujoch, we stopped at a woodcarving shop and saw a carver at work making a crèche. The prices for the finished figurines and collectibles was quite high, but still tourists were clamboring to get something to take home. They also had a display of cookoo clocks, but they too were highly priced to be considered by this tourist.

We returned to the ship, arriving at 7 pm, and then had to pack up to leave at 4:00 am. Yes, 4:00 am, but our suitcases had to be in the hallway by 3 am, so sleep wasn't on the agenda for the night. We took a flight from Basel to Amsterdam and arrived back in Los Angeles in the afternoon, then drove the 2-1/2 hours back to the desert.

It was a wonderful trip and I would gladly take another river cruise as it is so relaxing and well-paced for cruising, then stopping to visit the locale. Viking cruises did a great job of pampering us when we were on-board, and caring for us while we were out touristing, so I would consider them for my next cruise.

Cruise Part 2

In Germany, we toured small villages and castles that became a bit muddled in my memory as we went from one to another. One that stands out, however, is the huge castle on top of a mountain in Heidelburgh, where the famous university is located. It’s difficult to show in words how large the castles are, how thick the walls are, how many rooms there are. The castles are walled-in, with fortifications still evident against marauders who came to the villages to take possession of the land and the people. As we cruised down the river, we saw the ruins of many castles along the way. At least one of the castles has been modernized and become a hotel. Other castles are used as venues for weddings, and one is used by a society of people dedicated to keeping alive the medieval traditions. The group meets monthly in the castle and prepares meals in the kitchen area of the castle. There is no running water in the castles and the ovens use wood for fuel, but if you're into the Medieval times, it must be fascinating to participate in the events of the society.

There were many, many churches, too, each one large and imposing. It seems that the churches were protected from the warfare of the ages as most of them were still in good condition and continue to be used for worship services today, as we found as we entered our tour during services. The famous cathedral of Notre Dame is huge and beautifully maintained, and I felt awkward gawking my way through Sunday service. Interestingly enough, there is another Notre Dame cathedral, smaller than the one in Paris, but still impressive.It is difficult to believe that these magnificent buildings were erected by mere men: the vaulted ceilings raise hundreds of feet into the sky, with bell towers that still toll the times for worship to the surrounding villages.

Cruise Part 4

There was a special bit of the cruise for me alone. The head of the hotel on-board is a very nice, very outgoing person. He was in the lobby one morning, talking about his hotel being the best (the sleeping quarters of the ship is called the hotel). I told him it was good, but could be better, to which he gave a shocked look and asked why I said that. I told him that there was no chocolate on my pillow -- and the best hotels, the 5-star hotels, always put a chocolate on each guest's pillow. He laughed, asked me my room number, then wished me a happy day touring the venue.

Sure enough, that night there was a piece of chocolate on my pillow -- and every night thereafter. The next morning, he was standing at the gangplank as we departed for the day, holding a big basket of candy pieces. He gave me a wink and a big smile, and I thanked him nicely for his kindness.

Throughout the week, he kept finding me to ask how the cruise was going and how well I was enjoying my hotel accommodations. I always told him it was perfect -- especially the piece of chocolate on my pillow each evening. He laughed, winked, and went about his duty.

The last night aboard, everyone got a piece of chocolate on their pillow, and he gave me a quick wink as one of the guests mentioned it specifically. As I left the ship to return home, I gave him a small box of chocolates and a thank-you note for his kindness.

Cruise Part 3

The people are the best part of the cruise. The first night, we're all strangers, but by the end of the 10 days, we know each other well. Nadine and I sat at a table toward the back of the dining room and were joined by two women and then a couple. As we enjoyed introducing ourselves, we found out that we had an amazing amount of commonalities, and by the end of the cruise, felt more like friends than strangers who found themselves randomly seated together. Before we disembarked, we shared names, addresses, phone numbers and email contacts. We have already discussed an anniversary cruise in another couple of years.

But one cannot mention a cruise without raving about the food! The day began with an endless variety of breakfast options, including an omelet station that also made amazing eggs Benedict; a wide variety of fresh fruit; a never-ending selection of bread products; and every kind of beverage one could want for breakfast, including freshly-squeezed options. The lunch meals were a repeat of breakfast, with five different options every day, beginning with appetizers, then including the main dish, and followed by dessert. Ice cream was a favorite because it was delicious, both at lunch and at dinner.

Dinner was amazing, with a wide variety of appetizers, followed by a good assortment of main dishes, and then ended with desserts. Each dinner featured a variety of wines, as well as other drink options to meet anyone's taste. The food was so delicious and so varied that no one could complain. And, of course, it was served by a professional wait-staff anxious to make a good impression so s/he could earn extra tips.

After dinner, there was a lounge area with a bar that became the central gathering place for the party people. And boy, did they party. The entertainment was low-key, but my two favorite offerings included classical music night (an opera singer accompanied by a French horn and a pianist), and the "dance" night, when all the favorites from the 60s, 70s, and 80s were played by the pianist. The guests, divided into teams, had to first dance the appropriate dance to the music, then answer 2 questions about the time period/events. My team, the Spice Girls, came in second after tying for first in 2 elimination rounds. We were exhausted after that evening, but it was exhilarating.

There was a captain's dinner, the chef's dinner, and the farewell dinner, all of which were made more special by the little touches. The staff, from the captain to the food servers, were all so professional but friendly, and made the experience memorable.

Cruise Part I

It occurred to me as I was sitting on the sundeck of the Viking Vidar that it’s too bad all the passengers shared grey hair in common. This is an experience that younger people should enjoy as it’s the living history of another civilization that puts one’s own history into perspective. In America, we have 200 years of history; in Europe, there are literally thousands of years of history on display, including a series of castles that we either cruised by or stopped and toured. Walking where the footsteps of others had walked centuries before was at least thought-provoking.

The cruise began with a land tour, two days in Paris. The tour buses took us past the most prominent places, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the left bank of the river, and many, many more. It provided a quick snapshot of all the scenes people associate with Paris, but we did stop and tour Notre Dame. My reaction to the glass pyramid at the Louvre is ... why? It is so totally anachronistic and out of place that I now understand the reaction of the Parisians to this monstrosity.

As we toured this first day, we saw that there was a race/walk along the Seine. It is estimated that 30 thousand people participated – and I believe that number as we saw walls of people along the route as we toured the city. It was a “color” run/walk, so each kilometer was a different color of chalk that was thrown out onto the participants, who were covered in a rainbow of colors when they finished the event. In addition, there were bicycle riders, both adults and children, sharing the fun.

But what really stays in my memory is the dinner we had at a restaurant close to the hotel. The tables are arranged quite close to one another, so when we (Nadine and I) were shown our seats, it was as if we were sharing the table with another woman sitting right next to Nadine. The waiter brought her a cheese tray with wine, then some muscles with more wine, then bread and wine, then her dinner and wine, and, finally, her dessert. This was a woman of small stature, so I don’t know where she put all this food or why she isn’t the size of a small cruise ship herself!

I talk to anyone anywhere about anything, so I asked her if she was Parisian, to which she said yes. It turned out that she knew a little bit of English and Nadine remembered a little bit of French, so we “talked” about Paris a bit. It was interesting to find out about her life and to share a bit of ours.
This was the first, but certainly not the last time, of meeting people in places during the 10 days that served to show just how much we have in common, rather than how much we are different.

It's All Blonde

After dealing with the world's worst haircut for the past month, a friend offered to color my hair to lighten and brighten it, thinking that I would feel better about how awful my hair actually looks. I'm leaving on a cruise in a few days, so we talked it over a bit and I said "let's do it." She bought the same product in the same color choices that she uses on her hair, light ash blonde, and we were off and running on the make-over.

With what little hair there is on my head fully saturated with what looked like a light beige crème, she began to massage the color into the hair follicles. Suddenly, she said, "Hmmm." I asked her what was going on and she said, "This makes your hair look red." When I asked for clarification, she told me not to worry because ... she used the same product that she uses on her hair, and it's an ashy blonde that I really like.

Well, as things far too often go in my life, when we got to the rinse phase of the process, we were both sure that the "red" hue would go down the drain, but that was not to be the case. As a matter of fact, my hair looked even redder after washing out the product than it had in-process.

And when I say it was red, it was R-E-D. No doubt about it.

Of course, she was horrified and absolutely unable to come up with a reason why my hair was now a pretty shade of red with some undercurrents of either blonde or grey. I just laughed: I can count on one hand the number of times I've had something done to my hair and it turned out like it was supposed to turn out! I assured her that it didn't matter as the color will fade -- and I'm going on a cruise (shudder here to realize this is what I'm going to look like on the cruise), so I won't know anyone who will know any difference. Can't change it, so gotta live with it.

The current plan is to wash it with regular shampoo each day until I leave and maybe, just maybe, some of the color will fade. I'm not sure what will look worse: really R-E-D or pink-tinged hair from hoping the color will fade.

Maybe this is the time to investigate wigs?

Updating: the red tinge washed out and my hair is a yellowish ash blonde color. It's bright and really freshened my appearance.

Doris

Much of today's world is aimed toward a younger demographic, with 50 being the "oldest" age many Millenials can fathom. For those of us who remember the 50s -- and perhaps the 60s -- fondly, we see 50 as being still in the youngish bracket, with old age starting with the big 7-0. In the past decade, films have trended younger and younger, with few aimed at the after-50 generations, even though we usually have both more discretionary income and unaccounted-for hours of leisure.

Today it was a pleasure to see a film, Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Fields as, perhaps, a 50-something or maybe even a 60-something. Her mother has recently died, and Doris is having a tough time accepting the loss. Doris and her mother shared a home, and both of the women favored picking up things that they cannot live without regardless of how old, used, worn-out or odd those items may be. Hence, the home is right at the edge between hoarding winning and still able to dig out from under the clutter. This problem comes to the forefront when Doris' brother comes to her and insists that they clean out the house and sell it -- so he can have his inheritance. Doris tells him that she's the one who put in the time, effort, and energy to keep their mother in that very house until the day she died, and she's not ready to leave it or the rooms filled with junque that should be carted off to the dump.

The focus of the film is on Doris, who, in her grief, is unexpectedly taken aback by a newly-hired employee at her worksite. He's gorgeous, young, and quite appealing, and played perfectly by Max Greenfield. Doris latches onto John and is totally smitten. Doris is a voracious reader of romance novels, and in her quest to be seen as a woman, Doris imagines a reciprocal relationship with John, a relationship that is woven into the story seamlessly and heightens the gap between what's real and what's happening in Doris's fantasies. Tyne Daly plays Doris's friend, a friend who tries to get Doris to accept the lack of reality in the "romantic" relationship with John that consumes Doris's life, but Doris takes offense with Daly's interference and prefers to live within her fantasy.

This is a sweet story that definitely appeals to an older demographic. We, the older audience, giggled our way through the romantic encounters, and tisk-tisked at the harshness of her sibling's demands that Doris give up everything she has ever known, including her worthless treasures from years of making finds with her mother, finds that came into the house and occupied a place of honor and told a story. Although this story definitely appeals to lonely 60-something women with a fetish for trashy romance novels and/or a hot sexual relationship with good-looking significantly younger men, this film also had the older men in the audience guffawing.

My son? My Daughter? I hear two loud "Really, Mom?"

Presenting Self

I am a conservative Republican saddled with a totally unacceptable potential party leader vying for his shot at the White House. Donald Trump is an offensive embarrassment in general, but also specifically for the Republican party with his off-color language and sexually explicit references, as well as his blatant racial slurs and ethnic portrayals.

When I hear Trump, I ask, "How low will you go this time?" He is the least presidential person on the ballot for either party.

If Donald Trump is the Republican party candidate for President, I will vote for Hillary Clinton, especially after hearing her foreign policy speech at Stanford University today. She presented herself as a candidate worthy of world-wide acceptance as the future leader of the United States -- with a presidential bearing that is sorely lacking in other candidates. She may have some ghosts in her political closets, but she still stands out as the leading candidate from any party in my mind.

If you want to become the President of the United States of America, show America now, today, in everything you say and do, that you are presidential material.

Double Standard

I could understand the anger/backlash if a good film featuring actors of color was in the marketplace and failed to be considered for Academy recognition, but the only "outstanding" film in that category is Outta Compton. When there are pictures worthy of consideration, they land on the Award list; when there are actors worthy of consideration, they land on the Award list and are recognized for their achievements. Skin color is not a criteria.

Should there be a industry-wide bruhaha about the BET Awards? The NAACP Image Awards?

D-Fence

I like to watch football and always look forward to the play-offs, which is a time for the better team to shine. This past weekend, however, the play-offs were a case of which team played better in some really lousy games. There was no winner, just a team that didn't lose.

The key to winning a football game is a strong defense combined with a fast and efficient offense. What I saw in the games was mediocre offense combined with shameful defense. This was not a case of the better team winning, but the worse team losing. If I hadn't known I was watching the NFL play-offs, I would have thought it was the opening game of a season, the time when the plays are new and the offenses haven't jelled.

Based on what I've watched, either team can win the next round, with no blow-outs expected. And, rather than being excited about the upcoming 50th Super Bowl, I've lost my enthusiasm for ending the season in an exciting, thriller-packed, evenly-matched superior team game.

Petty Theft

We have two collection bins provided by our trash service. The blue one is for recyclables and the green one for general household waste. Saturday morning, I was still in bed when I heard the sounds of a trash bin being wheeled up the street. It struck me as unusual because it was the weekend and our collection service comes by on Wednesday. Didn't think anymore about it until Y went out to empty the trash yesterday and came back in to tell me that our blue bin is gone.

I'm not sure why anyone has to steal a neighbor's trash or recyclable bin because they are provided free by the disposal company. When I reported the theft to our collection company, they asked me if my address is on the bin, to which I replied "yes," and she assured me that they will go look for it. The address is faded, but it's still there.

However, Y told me that our new next-door neighbor has spray-painted their bin ... I'll leave it for the collection company to connect those dots.

TV Tech

The sound went off in my livingroom TV with no warning and no obvious cause. I called a technician several times and was assured that he would contact me for an appointment to fix the problem, but by day 3 after my call I still had not heard from him, so I went to the internet and did some exploring.

Seems that one trick to try before involving the pros is to turn off the TV and the box from the cable company, then disconnect the main cable from both and wait for about 15 minutes. Plug everything back together and let the cable box reboot. Voila!! Sound appears and the problem is fixed.

I don't know how/why this fix worked, but I'm glad it did -- it certainly saved me some big bucks from a TV tech's visit.

The Revenant on Mars

About the Revenant …

The movie is too long, too repetitious, too esoteric in creating mood, rather than action. Yep, Leo does a good job of being injured and battling against the forces of nature and savage hostiles, both French and Native American, but a little bit of that goes a long way. Especially when the setting is big mountains and deep snow.

I feel the same way about The Revenant as I did watching Martian: we must be running out of good ideas for good movies, so we stretch the story by including long shots of the environment. In
Martian, Matt Damon is stranded on Mars and has to figure out how to survive: cue the long shots of the desolate environment. In Revenant, Leo Di Caprio is stranded in the snowy mountains and has to figure out how to survive: cue the long shots of the desolate environment. Leo is mauled by a bear, so has life-threatening physical injuries, while Matt has to overcome isolation and the threat of dying before help can be sent. Both of them have issues to overcome in their “man v. nature” battles, but both of the movies easily could have cut ½ hour and it would not be missed.

A long movie sometimes is just that: long. Once the viewer has the basic concept presented a time or two or three, it's time to move the story along.