Doggone Confusing

Headlines can be interesting to read, especially if the reader has no clue what the story is about.  Take this headline from a local newspaper:  LQ couple found dead ID’d; dog safe. What would a reader expect the content of the article to be?

Someone tried to harm a couple’s dog, but the criminal was halted in his/her efforts to kill the dog by the couple, who then died from injuries inflicted during the fight over the dog's life.   Or, a couple was accosted by a criminal, who killed them but left the dog to survive the crime. Or, the couple committed suicide/murder, but didn't kill their beloved dog.   We'll never know what happened, but we know for certain that the dog is safe.

Of course I can fill in the blanks and feel reasonably comfortable with thinking that a couple was killed—somehow, and the dog, which was in the house, was not involved in the … murder, murder/suicide … , and the couple has now been identified by the process that is used to determine who the victims of a violent crime are. It just tickles me not only that the dog became part of the story, but it shares the headline with a double-death report.

Not to mention the "LQ couple" teaser.  Any ideas what that could be?

Back in the day, a good copy editor would rewrite the headline to focus on the death of the victims and omit the dog as not really relevant. What is a copy editor, you may ask?  One who has a reasonable command of the language in which the newspaper is written so s/he can read what is in the paper before it is published, thus avoiding embarrassing and/or confusing and/or just plain incorrect content (copy).

UPDATE: the couple, who lived in La Quinta, were victims of a murder/suicide and the dog was not killed in the commission of the crime.

Coff-tastrophy

After finishing my last post, I ambled into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.  I have a Senseo coffeemaker that takes little paper pods that have to be put in correctly or … disaster strikes, as it just did this morning.

The water comes out of a tank on the back of the machine, floods the little paper pods, and drips coffee into my mug.  Great system when it works, but if one gets the pods in upside down or not perfectly seated, water goes … everywhere, which is what just happened.  Luckily, I keep the coffee maker on a glass plate, so most of the water pooled on the plate, but as I started to clean up that mess, I hit my coffee cup, knocked it over, and splashed coffee everywhere, but most especially on the floor.

Wonder of wonders, Sparkle came over to see what was going on, and she started lapping up all the coffee on the floor.  She must have liked it as she did a great job of getting the liquid off the floor for me.  I dealt with the mess involving the coffee maker, and pretty quickly I was ready for round 2, which went a whole lot better than my first attempt.  I don't know if coffee is good for dogs, but we'll soon know the answer to that question.

Late Late Night TV with James Corden

I’ve never been a fan of the late-late night entertainment shows, and when I have watched some of them, I’ve been appalled at the crudeness of the comedy and the skits. This week, however, James Corden’s show was on at 10 pm, so I decided to watch it and see what all the hoopla is about. Of course, I didn’t stay up much past 10 pm, but I dvr’d the show and watched it the next day.

What a funny, entertaining show! I enjoyed the skits and laughed so hard when he did the crosswalk playhouse routine that I thought I would wet my panties. What a great concept, and the cast he chose to perform The Sound of Music really sold the skit. Allison Janey was a perfect foil for James, and I don’t know how they kept from busting out laughing when they were performing.

I had, of course, heard about carpool karaoke, but had never seen the bit played out. James had a couple of cohorts in the car and the performance was over the top, especially with Christina Aguilera. It was quite the surprise when Melissa McCarthy popped up in the back row of the SUV and joined the hilarity, catching both Aguilera and Corden off-guard.

I tried to watch Saturday Night Live a couple of times, and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The skits were more vulgar than humorous, and the actors seemed to play too much to the audience to get a laugh than letting it happen organically. I’m going to tape Corden's show a couple more times and see if it’s really as good as this episode before I commit to staying up late to watch the performance “live.”

No Juice

Went out to drive the RAV to b'fast this morning and nothing happened. Finally called AAA to check whatever functions they check when a car doesn't start, and it turned out to be the battery. The AAA guy told me that the battery was installed in July 2016, which meant it was still under warranty at Auto Zone, so we kept the car running and drove the mile to the dealership.

Yep, it's an AutoZone battery, but it was installed at a different point of origin -- so no warranty unless we took it back to that source for service. Yeah, that's a great idea, but it's Saturday, and my installer doesn't work on the weekends. I told the sales representative that I wanted to buy another battery, preferably one with a longer warranty, and I'd forget about dealing with the battery I drove in with. She sold me a new battery with a 5-year warranty, so I'm hopeful that it won't die in the next 2 years.

Problem solved. Saturday errands underway.

Tee-hee-hee

Y and I have been working on resumes, cover letters, and applications for jobs. He's looking for a salaried position, and has had several calls and interviews, all of which have gone well.

This week, he had an interview in Monterey, which, living in the range of the greater LA area, he thought was Monterey Park. He got himself all gussied up and left early. When I didn't hear his car leave the driveway, I was curious, but figured he was setting up the GPS and would be on his way soon.

Nope, he came back into the house and, very chagrined, admitted that when he put the address and zip code into his GPS, it told him he had a 7-hour drive ... to Monterey, up south of the San Francisco area! He never knew that there was both a Monterey Park in LA and a Monterey, CA up north.

Have to admit I got a good laugh from his discomfort. Is this one of those "live and learn" opportunities?

Medical Issues Updated

The problem with my right upper leg is in the bursa: hence, bursitis, which means swollen and painful bursa. I had a steroid shot directly into the spot that hurts the most, and once that takes effect, I will get relief from the problem.

I also have been prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy, including massage, which will hurt while I do it, but feel great once I'm through it.

The good news is that I am not in the market for new hips, which is a huge relief. Everyone I know is having either hip or knee surgery, and I don't see that the surgeries make the problems go away in the long run, and in the short run, it's painful and stressful.

So, thankful for the good news and ready to get back into walking the dogs each day.

UPDATE: 3 days since the steroid shot and my bursa still hurts like hell and makes it challenging to walk. First day of physical therapy today, so hope that will help with the over-all issue.

UPDATE 2: 2 weeks of physical therapy, anti-inflammatory aspirin, and babying my hip/leg and I feel better. The physical therapy is nothing compared to the therapies I've had in the past, but I have to complete what's prescribed in order for my insurance to cover the MRI and other dr. visits. Will do -- done next week.

The Best Blizzard Ever!

Dairy Queen already has the best ice cream products, but a new product this month is number one of all time greatest treats ever!!

It's the truffle blizzard, a vanilla-based dessert that is lush with little chocolate truffle candies, three different kinds, and plenty of each and all of them included in the blizzard. I ordered the large (because if I'm going to splurge, I'm going to really splurge), and there were candy bites down to the bottom of the cup. Each bite was delicious, and I scraped the empty cup while wishing for just a little bit more because I hated being finished with the blizzard before I was finished enjoying the taste of it.

Now, this is not the kind of dairy product that is meant when one is being urged to keep adequate dairy in the daily diet, but for an extra-special treat once in a while, the truffle blizzard is my new favorite.

My Favorite Things

My favorite time of the day begins about 2 pm, when the dogs and I go into my bed to read. They cuddle up next to me and I take a full cuppa joe with me, so we have our routine down pat. Me and my Kindle and my best friends. It doesn't get much better than that!

A Hunnerd 'n Wot?

It is challenging to describe to anyone how hot it is when the temp is at 122 degrees. Yes, 122 degrees. Most people say something inane, like "it's a dry heat," not realizing how really hot dry heat is. Want to check it out? Put your face into your oven while you're baking cookies: it's dry heat, too, but still darned hot.

I'm staying inside as the sun can literally burn my skin in minutes. The older I get, the thinner my skin is, and I feel as if I'm holding my arms over an open flame. There is a definite burn wherever the skin and sun meet.

If I had a clothesline, my clothes would be dry before I could finish hanging a load. As it is, I have to run the dryer, which seems ridiculous when it's so hot outside.

My cooler is running non-stop. I have it set at 86 degrees as it's much cooler when compared to the outside temps, and I don't need to refrigerate myself to feel comfortable. There are cooling centers throughout the valley to help homeless residents deal with the heat, which is a necessity in this temp range, not a luxury.

Yep, it really is 122 degrees out, but we're reassured that the temps are cooling down -- expecting 118 tomorrow, a total cooling off trend!

Startled!

I made my way to the dentist office for a cleaning this morning, only to find that I had arrived a day early. Not to worry, I told the receptionist -- I'll go home and come back tomorrow. Arrived home, petted the dogs a bit, then decided to go in and read as I have a book I'm reading for an author as part of his ART, which is his Advance Readers' Team, and I need to comment.

Next thing I knew, I was shooting up into the air as if a cannon were underneath my body, yelling "Shit!", and grabbing for my shoes. I believed it was tomorrow and I was late for my dental appointment. It took a couple of minutes for my mind to clear enough for me to realize it was still today and I had the rest of today until I had to go to the dentist tomorrow.

Jet lag is crazy stuff. I know I was concerned about driving home from LAX on my arrival back from China, and I did, indeed, sleep until noon the next day, having gone to bed at 8 pm the night before. I thought I was over the worst of it, but I guess today caught me unawares and still in the throws of jet lag.

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.

S'Miley

I wonder if, when Miley is an older woman (say past age 30), she'll regret any/all of the wardrobe choices she's made while participating in celebrity events such as the recent VMAs? Women my age were taught to be discreet with what they shared with the world, especially prior to marriage, but Miley seems to think that walking on stage totally nude but for a couple of strips of sheer fabric or colorful post-its is just fine.

If that's the choice she makes in her personal life, okay, but when she's representing America? Let's raise our expectations: I vote for a more modest look.

Be Careful What I Wish For

I didn't like the "bob" haircut, so I looked around for another stylist to reshape the first cut into the picture I found that showed exactly what I wanted. I should have checked this stylist's credentials or figured out from the appearance of his shop that he probably wasn't what I wanted. Too late after he'd butchered my hair, all the while talking about how he was exactly duplicating the picture.

My hair went from Bob to boy-cut, about 2" long all over my head. Nothing I can do about it after the fact, but my gut told me not to have this stylist cut my hair, and then I laughed that feeling off and sat in his chair. To add to the total effect, my hair is naturally curly as I've aged, so the short cut is curly, with wisps sticking out here and there. Y likes it, but I don't share his enthusiasm and hate the thought of appearing in public with this ridiculously short, curly mop of hair on my head.

The only blessing in all of this is that my hair grows fast, so I should look a bit better in say 3 months or so.

The Trouble with being Into The Woods

Imagine a group of older people sitting around, perhaps sipping cocktails and drinking far too much wine, and all talking about the myths from their childhoods, the folk stories that parents used to read to their children before they turned over the reading function first to the TV and more recently to the hand-held electronic device. One person recalls a bit of one story; another person adds a piece from a second story; a third person recalls with glee a favorite moment from yet another story, and so it goes until the subject of fairy tales has everyone laughing and enjoying the nonsense.

As the evening wears on, the wine runs out and the reminiscences begin to falter. Suddenly, someone says, "Wouldn't it be a hoot to take a whole bunch of mishmashes from all these stores and put them together into a movie?"

The one who had consumed the most wine adds, "And make it into a musical!" That comment was followed by loud guffaws from the more sober of the revelers because they knew it wouldn't make good sense, much less a good movie.

Spend your $7.50 for the matinee of Into the Woods and see for yourself. You'll be wanting your own glass of wine just to make it through the opening scenes 'n songs!

Mile Marker 70

The letter arrived today from Social Security: time to sign up for benefits.

I read it with a sinking heart as it constantly referred to my milestone birthday coming up soon. There's an offset for teachers in California, so we don't get our benefit on top of our retirement, both of which we've earned through years of hard work. I'm not sure how the offset works, but I know I'm penalized for having both Social Security and a teacher's retirement pension.

The clock is ticking harder and faster, with time whizzing by. Hope I'm ready for the late autumn of my life and make the most of it because winter just ain't far behind!!

A True Story

A week ago, I was in Palm Springs airport preparing to leave on my vacation. I breezed through the security check with “preferred” status and was on my way to the boarding gate for my flight when the sun hit on something in the landscaping alongside the sidewalk. Curious, I walked over and picked up the object that had caught the sun’s rays and saw that it was a memory card. I put it into my purse and didn’t give it another thought until I arrived in Canada and was looking for something in my purse.

I told my son/daughter-in-law the story of finding this memory card at the airport and asked if they could open it to see what was on it. They put the card into my son’s computer and dozens of family photos emerged. With all the pictures on the card, they were able to determine an address, but they also discovered the name of a woman on an award for service to an organization, after which a Google search led them to a city/state to go with the address. I was amazed at how easy it was to “find” the owner of the card, but the story does not end here.

Son looked up possible phone numbers for the name he discovered and decided to make phone calls to track her down, verify it was her card, and then return it to her. He made a couple of calls, left messages, and then we waited. Sure enough, Charlotte called and was delighted to learn that I had found her memory card; however, the story that goes with it is amazing. She was visiting Florida and either lost her camera or it was stolen from her. She’s never been in California, so she had no idea how the memory card ended up in the landscaping at Palm Springs Airport. She was delighted that we had the card and would return it to her because the photos on the card were special to her.

My son told Charlotte that he saw the photo of her award and recognition for service to an organization that helps people with liver disease, which my son has had for the past 20 years. After a conversation between them, Charlotte told my son that she would keep an ear open for any break-throughs in his type of liver disease, which is auto-immune chronic hepatitis.

When I left Canada this past weekend, the envelope containing the memory card went into the mail. I continue to marvel that I found the card and that my son and daughter-in-law were able to find the owner. That she had never been in California and had the camera taken from her in Florida astounded me. And, finally, what are the chances that she was recognized for her service to an organization that works with liver patients?

All in all, one of those weird, but true "6 degrees of separation" stories.

Psychic Sunday

Today I drove up the hill to visit with my movie buddy. She has a second home in Idyllwild, so when the temps soar here on the desert floor, I travel to the top of the mountain and enjoy sitting outside and chatting, and then dining at Oma’s. After our lunch, we walked around the village, with its clusters of charming shops and never-ending parade of interesting people to watch. Upstairs at the Fort, we saw a sign that announced a psychic was doing readings and I decided what the heck. My movie buddy, who is a staunch Catholic, would have nothing to do with it, but I paid my money and took my seat to wait my turn.

The psychic told me that she saw planning, guessing that I am a person who makes plans and then sees them through. Uh, maybe, I guess, as I spent 35 years of my adulthood as a teacher, as well as over an hour on the phone recently to plan my flights to Canada, so I’ll give her that one. Then she told me that I have a son who is delighted that I am going to be with him soon. Yep, that was the trip planning. Then she told me that I have a daughter – and a grandson – which I cannot deny. She also told me she could clearly see me riding a train, looking out the window and enjoying myself. That I don’t know about because I have no plans to be on a train, but have talked about taking the train ride across Canada when I come into the $10 grand it costs!

Finally, she told me I’ve been alone for a very long time, but that’s going to change. There is a “G” name coming into my life, either Gene or George, and we are going to become fast friends and, perhaps, even more intimately connected. She said his wife recently passed away and he’s deeply grieving her passing, but when he and I meet, it will be instant camaraderie. He’ll be walking his small dog when we meet, and I will be delighted with his million-dollar smile, and it will be on.

Her final words to me were that when I meet “G” and see his smile, I’ll remember my visit to the psychic one sunny Sunday afternoon.

News Flash

According to a local news reader, “Classes are canceled today at the University of California in Santa Barbara for the victims of the mass murders.” Not to put too fine a point to the message, but classes are canceled for all the rest of the UCSB students because “the victims of the mass murders” are no longer alive whether classes are canceled or not.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Same Old/Same Old

As my movie buddy and I left the theater after viewing Son of God, the three ladies ahead of us were sharing their experience with the film. One of them was really disgusted by the fact that there was "nothing new" in the story! Movie Buddy and I guffawed, both leaping to the conclusion that yep, the story is 2000 years old and there's really nothing new in the telling or retelling of the plot: Jesus is born, he lives, he spends 40 days in the wilderness, he's crucificed, he arises on the third day.

My son, when I shared the story of the disappointed movie viewer with him, provided another perspective: the same film was part of a TV series that Mark Burnett and Roma Downey made about The Bible. It appears (I have no personal knowledge) that Burnett and Downey clipped out the relevant parts from The Bible mini-series and turned it into a feature-length film titled Son of God.

With that said, the "nothing new" comment makes a whole lot more sense than expecting a new twist on the same old/same old Jesus story!

Holy Guacamole

Only in California can the BIG lead on the local news be the coming shortage of avocados! We're all lamenting the potential loss of "guac" with our tortilla chips.