Microblogging, Teepee Style: Microbugs and a couple other random things, just because

First of all, I want to apologize for removing my earlier post today.  I came across an old photo of myself and my cousins from the 1970s, shared it with a little backstory, and a couple hours later took it back down.  Just been doing a little too much reminiscing lately.  On that note, here's a few items that aren't exactly blog-worthy in themselves, but all together...

1. This serves me right for buying bananas

I'm wondering if anyone can offer some advice...the other day when I was in the store, the produce man was setting out bananas. 🍌  How come I haven't bought any bananas in awhile?  I love some sliced banana on my morning cereal!  So I got some.  

I remembered why I stopped buying them, when the fruit flies started hopping around my apartment--and into my coffee.  I asked AI what the deal was, it said they come in teeny eggs on your yellow fruit, so wash those nanners right away when you get home.  I did, but was too late.  And now I'm getting assaulted by one whenever I enter my kitchen.

I set out a bowl with warm water, apple cider vinegar & a couple drops of dishwashing liquid this morning (on my stove underneath the light).  It caught 10 of those things, but I don't know where they are coming from.  The kitchen drain?  I'm going to start pouring pots of boiling water down it I guess!

2.  I wish I was this crafty...

My friend Kimberly recently told me she'd signed up for a glass mosaic class, and was creating something on her own for her home.  I asked her to please send me a photo when she was done.  

She sent me this.  I was amazed and told her it looked like something you'd find in a pricey catalog.  Isn't this an awesome piece of artwork?  I'd pay good money for it too. 

3.  This Medicare book came with ham & beans... I think

When I was downstairs getting my mail the other day, one of the other residents was getting hers.  I don't know her name, she's a tall black woman who looks around 60, from the 6th floor.  (She is really tall--I'm 5'7", she's over 6 feet.)  She saw this Medicare book in my hand and asked "You on Medicare?"  I said very soon, in October I turn 65.  She nodded and didn't say anything.  

We walked back to the elevator and she said "You're no spring chicken, but you don't look 65."  I said thanks, I think.  She said "Do you like ham and beans?"  I said er... yes.  She said "That's what I'm making for dinner."  I said it sounded good.  She said "Well, I'm not asking you twice."  Did I miss something?  I said if that was an invite I had other plans, thanks anyway.  Was that an invite?

4.  And finally... someone is paying attention to my butt

A couple weeks ago when my LC symptoms lessened and I was able to join the others at the senior center for a lunch outing, I stopped in the barbershop along the way to say hi to my friend and hair cutter Roe.

I shoved my phone into my back pocket, and we chatted for 10 minutes or so before Roe said "Hey your phone is lit up."  I pulled it out and my most frequent contacts were on the screen.  How did that happen?  I shut it off and went on my way.

I got to the center, we go to lunch, and Paul the Playboy (one of the other seniors) asked if I owned a "vSee Box".  I said I'd never heard of them.  He explained it's a tv box that allows you to stream local channels, cable channels and even paid streaming services on your tv for free, with no cable or subscriptions required.  They cost around $300 and he'd be happy to set me up with one.

(It sounded pretty shady to me.  I'm sure the FCC will be shutting that down.)

When I got home, I heard from my friend Diana who said she got a call from me earlier when I was at the barbershop--my phone "butt dialed" her and she heard us chatting.  (It won't be happening again, I finally activated the security app on my phone so it won't turn on without a pin.)

Later that night, I got back on my phone to watch a couple of YouTube videos before going to sleep and what pops up on my Recommended to watch list?  4-5 videos for vSee boxes!  Coincidence?  Maybe, but I doubt it.

As I approach 65, here's 25 things I'm noticing about myself

As I approach 65...

1. The earlier I'm going to bed at night.  When that 11:00 news comes on, I am ready to hit the hay.   

2. The more I prefer a hot breakfast (like eggs or oatmeal) over cold cereal.

3. The less I like swearing--hearing it or doing it.

4. The less I let other people's politics bother me.  I lost a couple good friendships over Donald Trump a few years back and regret it to this day.  

5. The less I like television sitcoms.

6. The warmer I like to be.  I used to run around (in my apartment) in my bare feet in the dead of winter.  Now I wear socks year round.  

7. The less I want to watch the local or national news.

8. The more I like to soak/doze in a warm, sudsy bubble bath.  

9. The less I like perfume or cologne on people.

10. The shorter I like the hair on my head.

11. The less I can tolerate loud movies or violence in movies.  Isn't there enough noise & violence out there?

12. The less embarrassed I am to talk about or show my body.  I almost asked my barber last week if she wanted to see my gall bladder scar.

13. The less I care about social media or trends.  What's an influencer?  Who cares?

14. The more comfortable I am with people 5-10 years older than me than people 5-10 years younger.

15. The less I know what younger people are listening to these days, music wise.  Taylor Swift... that's all I know.

16. The more I miss funny, beautiful actresses like Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr, Catherine O'Hara, Jill Clayburgh, Mary Tyler Moore.  I can't believe they're all gone. 😔

17. The easier it is for me to use words like "dear", even though I sound like a Mrs. Beasley doll.  "Thank you Kimberly, you're a dear."

18. The more patience I have for people like my special needs neighbor Sally who likes to tell me what she had for dinner the night before, condiments included.  She's a hoot... and a dear.

19. The less patience I have for salesman who knock on my door (like T-Mobile) who "just happened to be in the neighborhood" and want to check my internet speed.  I'm shutting the door now!

20. The less I can remember everything in my past.  I came across this picture in some old papers awhile back and have no memory of how I got it, or who took it.  On the back of the photo it says "Michelle Phillips and Doug Morris, lunch at Warner Center 1993."

I recognize my coworker and myself of course, but who had the camera?

21.  The less I mind living like a hermit.  (In fact, I worry sometimes I like it too much.)  When I was younger, I couldn't imagine spending the weekend alone.  Now I can't imagine otherwise.

22.  The luckier I feel every day I don't have cancer--as far as I know.  Mom & Dad both died from cancer and never made it to 65.

23.  The more attraction I feel towards chubby people.  Well, birds of a feather...😉

24.  The worse my handwriting is becoming.  I guess that old saying "if you don't use it you lose it" is true.  My mom had beautiful handwriting up until the day she died.

25.  The more I like my gray hair.  I wear it like a badge of honor!  

I reckon milestones are like gallstones; they come in all shapes and sizes

A couple days ago I called my barber Roe and asked if she could fit me in.  She said to come on up, and while it took a bit longer to get there (about 35 minutes vs my customary 15 minute walk) I still made it there and back on my own.  That's a half-mile trip each way and the most I've walked in 20 days.

When I got home, there was a letter from the Federal govt in my mailbox.  I thought "Uh-oh, Trump has declared another war and I've been drafted."  Fortunately I was wrong and it was from Medicare.  

I got my Medicare card, which means I've reached the government's benchmark for being classified a senior citizen, effective October 1.  

To be honest, I'm going to miss my ACA health insurance; not only are my premiums $45.00 cheaper a month than Medicare, I think I have better coverage too.  

Now I have to figure out if I want a Medicare Advantage plan.  It looks like I don't really have a choice.  Medigap coverage (keeping traditional Medicare and getting a supplement to cover the 20% Medicare doesn't pay) is outrageously expensive.

Are you on Medicare Advantage?  Do you like your plan?

At least I have insurance.  I've been getting pre-insurance "DO NOT PAY" medical bills for my 2 recent surgeries and 8 day hospital stay and home rehab visits, we are talking tens of thousands of dollars.  The gall bladder surgery alone was $22,700 and my ambulance was $1662.00 before insurance kicked in.  My final bill for that ride is $85.93.  Whew!

On another positive note, I went 4 days in a row with reduced long covid symptoms.  

I was all set to say 5 days, unfortunately my LC reared its ugly head an hour after I got up this morning.  But for the last few days I've been waking up feeling pretty normal.  So the LC may not be gone just yet, but for something that's been ongoing since last September (with zero let up) this break in symptoms seems pretty significant.

I hope I'm not jinxing things by speaking up too soon, but 4 consecutive mornings of relative calm?  I can't help but feel hopeful.  

Still debating whether I should attempt this "nicotine patch" therapy.  I think I'll wait a couple more days and see.

Finally, this isn't important in the slightest but it's still a milestone.  This is my 800th post.    

Back in 2006 when my friend Ross suggested I start a blog (we belonged to an online message forum and I enjoyed sharing stories about coworkers, weekend cooking, etc) I said I'd give it a try but probably wouldn't write more than a dozen posts total.  Who'd want to read about my humdrum life anyway?

Well, to the few out there that do it's been a great motivator.  Thanks everybody.  😏

The Next Ten Movies I've Enjoyed Again & Again

After the positive feedback from my recent movie blog The Top Ten Movies I've Enjoyed Again & Again I thought I'd strike again while the iron's hot.

If you recall in that post, I mentioned my list was more like 20 movies, but thought it was too many for one blog-post.

I want to stress these aren't necessarily what I consider the best films ever.  I saw a horror movie in 2020, Saint Maud that I consider a masterpiece--but I couldn't sit thru it again. 

These movies are 'wonderful comfort movies', that I enjoy revisiting whenever I can.

So in ascending order...

10.  Every time I watch Butterflies Are Free (1972) I'm struck by Edward Albert's portrayal of a young blind man.  It's flawless. He's a 20 year old aspiring musician, living on his own for the first time (in a very slummy apartment in hippie-San Francisco) and Goldie Hawn lives in the adjoining unit, an aspiring actress who spends most of the movie in her underwear eating his food.  She's wonderful.

I love when Goldie takes him shopping for some far out threads, but there's a scene where she pretends to move on and Edward's world is suddenly very dark again.  It makes me tear up every darn time.  Goldie won an Oscar for her performance but Edward Albert deserved the prize.  I'm glad I own this on dvd.

9. Breaking Away (1979) is about 4 young men from blue collar lives who just graduated high school with no idea what's next--except for David who loves his Italian bicycle, singing opera and dreams of becoming a professional bike racer--in Italy.  His father (Paul Doolie, God bless him) is a used car salesman in Bloomington Indiana struggling to understand what happened to his boy.  

This coming of age drama was released one month after my own high school graduation, and like these four boys I knew college wasn't in my cards either--at least not yet.  But it's poignant and original, and after all these years this movie still resonates with me.  

8.  This movie bears the distinction of being the first thing I recorded on a vcr when I got one in 1983.  (I think it aired on Sunday Night at the Movies but I can't be sure.)  It's The Final Countdown (1980).  I replayed the recording so much I wore out the tape.

The USS Nimitz is a nuclear aircraft carrier in 1980 (102 aircraft, 6000 men) that is mysteriously thrown back in time to 1941--right before the Japanese are set to attack Pearl Harbor.  The captain (Kirk Douglas) must now decide if he should use his vessel (which contains more firepower than the US & Japanese fleets combined) to stop one of the greatest attacks in American history. 

I'm not into war movies, but I do love time travel stories--and I love this one.  Also, this movie is unapologetically patriotic.  It's like a Navy recruitment film, but it works.  Watch this just once and you'll want to enlist, I guarantee it.

7.  I miss Jill Clayburgh.  I can't believe she's been gone since 2010.  The first time I saw Starting Over (1979) was the night of my 18th birthday.  I'd been on my own for a few months and this cheered me up so much.  After Burt Reynold's wife Candice Bergen announces she's leaving him to pursue a "disco songwriting" career, his brother (Charles Durning) convinces him to leave a slushy New York City and start over in slushier Boston.

Charles wants to fix Burt up with their friend Jill Clayburgh--who is dubious of Burt the first time she meets him, let alone all the baggage he comes with.  And then his ex-wife decides she wants him back... did you know this movie was written by James Brooks of The Mary Tyler Moore Show?  

I feel the need to watch this every couple years, and every time Candice Bergen breaks into her hit song "Better Than Ever" to a stone-faced Burt Reynolds I burst out laughing.  It's so good!

6.  I can't remember the first time I saw Moonstruck (1987), but boy did I fall in love with Cher here.  Cher plays Loretta, an Italian bookkeeper on the brink of middle age who is swept off her feet by her fiancé's younger brother Nicholas Cage.  The film is laugh out loud funny, but when Cher agrees to attend the opera with Cage, gets a glorious makeover and meets him at the Met... his look is priceless and so is hers.  It almost stops my heart every time.

5.  I'm going to say something that will bring the house down.  I am not a fan of Singin' in the Rain.  I'm not.  But I am a huge fan of Gene Kelly, and in 1944 MGM loaned him out to Columbia Pictures to star in Cover Girl (1944) with Rita Hayworth & Phil Silvers.

MGM later regretted this--the movie was a huge success.  I'm talking Oscars.   

Three pals dream of hitting it big, so what happens when one of them becomes a Broadway star?  "Make Way for Tomorrow" steals the show, but I LOVED the Broadway finale with giant sized 1940s magazines--Vanity, McCall's, Coronet, Woman's Weekly just to name a few--all with a living cover girl.  

My God this movie is awesome.  I'm glad I own it on dvd.

4.  Betty Hutton is picture perfect as Annie Oakley (sorry Judy Garland, originally cast) in Annie Get Your Gun (1950) as the real-life Wild West Show gunslinger.  I just loved how her jaw dropped every time she saw handsome Howard Keel!  And of course, "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" & "Anything You can do I can do Better" are show-stoppers.  Did you know this movie was unavailable until 2000 because of music right disputes with Irving Berlin?  It was worth the wait.  Note: Bobi, thank you for reminding me of this one--it's my third favorite musical. 😊

3.  Jimmy Stewart is a photojournalist with a broken leg, in that marvelous run-down Greenwich Village apartment.  Thelma Ritter is his home nurse.  And Grace Kelly the socialite is in love with him!  Yes it's Rear Window (1954) and I've probably seen this 15 times, easy.  

Here's a fun fact--my first time seeing it was at our local theater in 1983, after Universal Studios bought & released 5 of Hitchcock's movies he had squirreled away for 30 years.

It was released on RCA Videodisc a year later.  I snapped it up and probably watched it 10 times with my sister.

Note:  Steve from Toronto, thanks for reminding me about this one! 😊

2.  How many times have I seen the best Star Trek movie of them all?  Countless.  I first saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982) on a date with a very Trekkie woman named Amy and the moment Spock died, she literally screamed "Noooo!!" in the theater.  When I frantically whispered "Amy--stop!" she cried "Have you no emotions!!"  I swear to God, I'm not making that up.  

Fyi, when Leonard Nimoy died in 2015 I cried like a baby.

 1.  Wizard of Oz (1939)  Judy Garland, I am yours forever.  The End.

Finally, if I didn't give Honorable Mentions to The Graduate, When Harry Met Sally & every Charlton Heston movie between 1968 & 1973 (Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man & Soylent Green) I'd have to make a third list and we don't want that, do we? 😏

The Top Ten Movies I've enjoyed again & again (Mary Poppins isn't one of them)

I can remember the first time I went to the movies.  It was with my Grandma Morris, who took my sister Shawn and myself to see Mary Poppins.  We were both too young.  I remember being confused by the giant faces and booming voices, and my sister (almost 2 years younger than me) wouldn't stop crying.  

That was 60 years ago, and since then I've seen a few thousand movies.  That's not an exaggeration. I've written over a thousand movie reviews on my blog's Movies page since 2008 alone.  

Like anyone else, I've seen a lot of good films, bad ones, some real gems and the rare masterpiece.  (I'm thinking about you, Elephant Man.)

But there are a few movies--a small number--I've watched and rewatched so many times, I've lost count.  I'm not saying they're the best I've ever seen, but I will sit down and watch these in their entirety every chance I get.  So in ascending order...

My Top Ten Movies I've Enjoyed Again & Again

10.  For as long as I can remember, The Ten Commandments (1956) has played on network television around Easter and I think last year was the first time I missed it.  (ABC aired it a week ahead of schedule because of basketball--basketball!)  It's an all night, commercial laden affair and leaves me feeling like a certified Christian afterward.  I'm not fooling around.  It stirs something in me, every time.

9.  Spencer Tracy calls Elizabeth Taylor Kitten, she calls him Pops and Joan Bennett is the very definition of a nonplussed wife & mother.  It's Father of The Bride (1950) and this is post-WWII upper middle class America at it's finest.  My gosh I love this movie so much.  It's as laugh out loud funny as it is sweet, a real time capsule of an era we'll never see again.   

8.  Growing up in the 1970s, To Sir With Love (1967) seemed to air every other week on the Sunday Afternoon Movie.  Never tired of watching it, I still don't.  Sidney Poitier, fit and wise and elegant, instructing a class of unruly East London kids on the subject of adulthood.  I loved Lulu before I knew who Lulu was.  One of the best movie title songs, and one of the best movie endings--ever.

7.  I love Bette Davis, love all her films.  But Now, Voyager (1942) is my favorite and I've seen this one more than her other films combined.  From her start as the lonely spinster Aunt Charlotte, to becoming the chic darling of Boston society, her love of Paul Henreid and all their delicious smoking... when Charlotte Vale says "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."  I swear to God I swoon every time.  It is that romantic.

6.  Remember Flip Wilson's line, "The Devil made me do it"? Every couple years I'll see Rosemary's Baby (1968) pop up somewhere and something compels me to watch it in it's entirety.  Casting Mia Farrow was a stroke of genius, and while many of Ruth Gordon's admirers say Harold & Maude is her finest work, I disagree.  She is nothing short of brilliant here.  This movie is a dark, dark masterpiece.

5.  When Young Frankenstein (1974) opened at my local theater, my best friend Dan was supposed to meet me out front and didn't show.  My mom had dropped me off and said she'd be back in 2 hours.  I didn't want to go in alone, but it was late, cold and pouring down rain.  The theater was packed and I had to sit beside a long haired college type.  We laughed so hard together I thought I was going to have a stroke.  Madeline Kahn and those lightning bolts in her hair... God how I miss her!

4. One late night in December '77, Mom and I were up watching tv when a trailer for The Goodbye Girl (1977) came on.  We both thought it looked good, and Mom asked if I'd be too embarrassed to see it with my old mother.  (I was 16, she was 37.)  We did right after Christmas and both got a big kick out of it.  I loved this pair so much, and every chance I get to see them again I'm taken back to that first watch with Mom, who is now my own Goodbye Girl.

3.  In the summer of 1985, my 10 year old sister Courtney asked me and our sister Shawn to take her to see Back to the Future (1985).  Shawn said sure, I said I didn't want to.  Shawn asked why not.  I said "Because I don't like that show 'Family Ties', and I don't like that kid who plays Alex Keaton.  And I can't stand that trailer they keep playing where he learns his dad is a Peeping Tom.  Shawn said "You're going, and you love Michael J. Fox and you want to be him!"

I later learned Michael J. Fox and I were the same age, only 3 months apart.  So we went (along with my friend Brenda, who I invited to tag along) and as the movie played I knew right then it was destined to be a classic and in my Top Ten Favorites for Life List.  And for the record, while I don't want to be Michael J Fox, I do love the guy.

  

2.  In the fall of 1970, MGM re-released George Pal's The Time Machine (1960) and my older brother Duke and I went to see it at a Saturday matinee.  Rod Taylor as the handsome, inquisitive time traveler--he was terrific.  And I loved his co-star.  No, not Yvette Mimieux--the time machine!  I sat there utterly gobsmacked, and this has been a yearly watch for me ever since.

1.  "You're psychotic!"  "No, I'm employed..."   I've seen and loved every movie with Dustin Hoffman. Tootsie (1982) is hands down my favorite.  (The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy & Kramer vs Kramer are all tied for second place.)  I love this film so much it's crazy; I've probably seen it 30 times.  At the end of the picture, when Jessica Lange tells Dustin Hoffman "I miss Dorothy..."  my God, I do too. 

Love the cast, the story, the hopeful ending.  I just watched it again 2 nights ago on YouTube.   

PS.  The list of movies I watch again & again was closer to 20, but I knew it was too much for one blog.  So I hope you liked this, Part 2 may be coming soon.

Soup Thursdays aren't for everyone, and patience isn't a virtue--it's a necessity

Here was my Thursday dinner.  A crusty roll and bowl of Mexican Style Street Corn Soup.  It was very tasty with several cheeses and jalapenos, and the can suggested I add a dollop of sour cream so I did.  I never thought I'd be eating Campbell's again, but I do like their Home Style soups.

I eat soup every Thursday.  This began a couple years ago, when I would eat a light dinner on Thursdays because I did a weekly weigh-in Friday mornings.  (It's no longer official, but I still do those Friday weigh-ins.)

Anyway, Wednesday night I'm talking to a friend on the phone while looking at the cans of soup in my cupboard and trying to decide.  She said "Why must you have soup on Thursdays?  You know what--never mind."

What's the problem here?   I said "I don't have to have it only on Thursdays.  On Monday I had a BLT with butternut squash soup for dinner.  But Thursday will still be Soup Thursday.  It doesn't have to be one flavor, one week it could be a bowl of Tomato Bisque and a grilled pepper jack cheese sandwich, the next week a ham sandwich and broccoli soup."  

All she said was "Okay Sheldon."  I admit it, I've become a creature of habit, particularly while waiting for these long covid symptoms to abate.  I'll admit something else; Fridays are Fish Fridays.  That's not during Lent, that's year round.  It might be fried haddock one week, baked flounder the next.  But Thursdays are Soup Thursdays and Fridays are Fish Fridays.  I don't understand why this would bother anyone, do you?  

Part 2:  These things take time... too much time

This past Sunday after finishing that blog about my childhood church, I was eager to get cleaned up and head outside.  We were having our first day of blue skies and warm temps in months, and I wanted some.  But while putting on my shoes, I began "smelling covid", that strong odor of burnt hair and diesel fuel & baked beans.  (That means a flare up is fast approaching.)  I wound up turning everything off, going into the bedroom and shutting the door.  I laid in there until almost 5pm.

This has been a daily thing since my big relapse in September.  A mild burning in the eyes and face in the morning,  it rises and falls during the day, settles down around 10pm.  But every couple days it's a crazy-ass flareup day; I honestly wonder if this will ever go away.  It did last summer.

Monday morning, my barber sent me an article about long covid and "micro clots" in the blood, which scientists say are causing the long term symptoms.  It was a scary but interesting read and meant a lot that Roe took the time to read the article and send it to me.

Anyway, after getting up and starting my Sunday dinner (cheesy rice with roasted green peppers & baked chicken) I turned on the tv to catch the next episode of "Pioneer Woman".  I began watching her cooking show a couple years ago with Season 1, Episode 1 and vowed to watch every show.  I am currently on Season 7, Episode 3.  My 81st episode!

I don't think my Soup Thursdays are "Sheldon-esque", but I admit I'm pretty anal about finishing things I've started.  After this one was over, I noted there were 10 more episodes of Season 7.  There are 13 episodes per season.  How many seasons are there in total?  

THERE ARE 39 SEASONS.  (She must do 3 seasons every calendar year.)

I did a manual count of remaining episodes to watch.  I have 416 more shows.  It took me 3 years to watch 80, I'm not sure I want to watch 416 more.  I turned off her show, turn on the news... this is not a joke.  They said "In entertainment news, for you fans of the Pioneer Woman, she just started filming her 40th season."

This will probably be one habit I can break!

I can't believe it, again: Five recent things with surprise happy endings

Shortly after I posted my last post "I can't believe it, 7 recent things" a few good things happened to me and I just wanted to share.

1.  I think YouTube was eavesdropping, but that's okay

This past Friday night I was sitting quietly on my couch reading, when the text alert sounded on my phone.  I jumped to grab it, and do you see that yellow cup with juice on the right?  That's where a cup of hot coffee was, and I knocked it over, splattering the carpet below.

I had a 12" round, dark brown coffee stain on my carpet.  I blotted up as much as I could with paper towels, sprayed it with Resolve Carpet Cleaner, scrubbed it... went to bed.

When I got up Saturday morning, there was a 12" round rust colored stain on the rug.  Oh no!  I googled "large coffee stain on carpet" and AI suggested I make a baking soda paste, smear it on the stain, spray it with vinegar & water.  I did all this, the stain remained.

I decided to take a break from that damn spot and watch some tv.  I clicked on the YouTube channel.  The FIRST thing I saw was "How professionals remove rug stains".  How did they know??  A man demonstrated spraying a stain with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, placing a wet kitchen hand towel over the affected carpet and "ironing it away" with a steam iron set on High.  I did that and look above.  My stain is gone.  Thank you YouTube, you saved my carpet and I never even asked.

2.  I'll tumble for ya 

After I finished admiring my rug, I jumped in the shower.  I dropped the soap, and when I bent down to pick it up, felt my left foot slide forward and did a literal flip in the tub, smashing the guard on the side of my tub and literally flying out of it.  My head smacked into the side of my toilet, knocking it over, water gushed everywhere.  I landed on my back on the floor with a really loud SLAP, face up, heart racing, out of breath.  

And aside from a slight scratch on one leg, I am fine. (I righted the toilet, Steiner is coming to inspect the "o" ring and replace the water guard.) 

It was such a hard fall, I could've easily gotten a concussion, deep laceration, broken a limb or even my back.  I just got up and walked away.

3. Curse you Xfinity!  Thank you Xfinity!

On Friday I saw a commercial for a couple of movies premiering on Peacock this week, and wondered if I should sign up.  I'm already a regular subscriber to HBO Max & Paramount Plus, I don't want to pay for a third streaming service.

I jumped on my Xfinity account (it's how I get my internet) and saw I had a couple messages alerting me I was a "Platinum" member now, I should check out my perks.  Yes Xfinity, I know all about your so called perks, I'll pass.  Unable to find any deals for Peacock, I clicked on the "Your Perks" message out of curiosity and saw a mobile phone discount, yawn--and an offer for Peacock Premium, for free.  I contacted Customer Service.  For real?  Yep!

4. The folks at Falk Pharmacy are life savers

Last Saturday there was a fat yellow envelope in my mailbox from Falk Pharmacy in downtown Pittsburgh.  (Since Rite-Aid closed in my neighborhood, I get my prescriptions delivered thru the mail now, from Falk.)  I opened the envelope, it's a refill of the Amlodipine I take for high blood pressure.

Why'd they send these? I didn't request a refill, I've got plenty of pills upstairs.  I call them up, the pharmacist said that according to his records I was down to 5 pills and with a big winter storm on the way, I may not have mail delivery anytime soon.  I said thank you, hung up and chuckled to myself.  Worry warts, when did we ever go without mail?  I check my old bottle, oops--only 5 pills in there.  He was right.  And later that night, a foot of snow.    

And because of our city's snowplow shortage, we didn't have mail delivery for a week.  Falk, you are one awesome pharmacy.  

5. Speaking of good folks...

I somehow managed to find some great people online to look at my blog and read my latest post, and you are one of them.  Thank you.

I can't believe it... 7 recent things I can't believe

1.  I can't believe they released a new Star Trek series on Paramount Plus that I can't bring myself to watch.  I've been a devoted Star Trek fan over 50 years, gobbled up everything with the Trek logo (including some real stinkers in the mix).  But this is beyond saving.  I barely made it thru the first two episodes, it's so bad.  I hope that Paramount puts it out of it's misery, it makes JJ Abrams version of Trek (which was crap) look almost genius in comparison.

2.  I can't believe Melania Trump produced a movie about.. herself?  (I've since learned this thing is a big flop.  Now THAT I can believe.)

3. I can't believe I haven't been in a movie theater since 2013.  I love movies, from the late 1960s thru the 1990s I probably went to the theater once a week.  But I learned a dozen years ago I don't need a big screen--movies at home on my own tv are the best.  (I tend to hit that pause button a lot.)

4.  Speaking of TVs, I can't believe I bought a new one a few months back and it only cost me $233.00, taxes & delivery included.  I also can't believe it's considered small and has a 45" screen.  In 1978 I was working at The Pancake House and saving my money to buy a 13" color tv for $299.00.

But at $2.25 an hour, I ultimately decided it was too expen$ive for my wallet and bought a 13" b&w television instead.

5.  I can't believe it took me 25 minutes to walk to Kuhn's Market yesterday (normally a 10 minute walk).  But since that monster snowfall last weekend, temps have remained in the subzero and single digits and the city discovered 37 of their 80 snow trucks weren't operational.  So my little borough has remained buried in the snow.

I also can't believe UPMC Health Plan just donated $10 million to the city to buy new snow trucks.  It's very generous, but they're notorious for underpaying their employees--which is why UPMC workers are always striking and on the news. 

6.  I can't believe my 69 year old neighbor Dee knocked on my door earlier today and asked if I'd send a text to her pharmacy confirming her prescription number & address.  When I asked if her phone was broken, she said "No I got it right here honey.  But I never done a text before.  You probably think I'm a dinosaur, don't you?"  No Dee, I don't.  I'm fairly new to texting myself, around 2 years now.  But I hardly use it, I'm not a fan.

7.  I can't believe Catherine O' Hara is gone.  So sharp, so wicked funny.  She was only 71 years old.  I'm still adjusting to Olivia Newton John's demise, and she's been gone since 2022.  She was only 73.

Rest in peace, Catherine.  Gosh I loved you so much.

Five random videos I enjoy watching over and over

Why does YouTube always recommend videos to me I've already seen?  Because I've got a habit of rewatching stuff over & over?  I only do that with certain videos, like the five below.

I can tell you how many times I've watched these, and I haven't gotten tired of them yet.  Do you have videos on YT you've enjoyed again & again?

Not to worry, all of these are short--maybe not as short as Nancy Sinatra's miniskirt in the third one, but they're short enough!

1.  Steve Lawrence & Edyie Gorme, The Ed Sullivan Show - September 17, 1967

When I was growing up in the 1960s-70s, I thought Steve Lawrence & Edyie Gorme were the hammiest pair on television.  But I began "rediscovering" Eydie's career on YouTube several years ago and fell in love with her earlier stuff.  Anyway, this is the couple at their finest. 

Number of times seen:  16

2.  Joan McCracken in the opening number of 1947's "Good News"

Love the movie, love June Allyson--but whenever Joan McCracken (below) appeared on camera, she stole the show.  Sadly, Joan died at the tender age of 43 (from a heart attack) on November 1, 1961.  One day after I was born.

Number of times seen:  19

3.  Nancy Sinatra, Goldie Hawn & Ruth Buzzi - Laugh-In Salutes the End of the Sixties

Here's what I love in no particular order:  1969, Laugh-In, Nancy Sinatra, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi's surprisingly sexy legs.

Number of times seen:  17  

4.  The Kitten Lady meets Chickpea

I have a big confession--I love cat & kitten videos, and I've been following this young tattooed woman aka "The Kitten Lady" for at least 5 years now.  She's nationally known and hugely respected, and takes in broken or orphaned kittens.  (She's also rescued puppies and the occasional goat.)

In this video (which I've watched time & again for 5 years) she rescues Chickpea, a kitten that proves even too cute for her.  I'm happy to report Chickpea lived happily ever after.

Number of times seen:  Unknown, probably around 15

5.  The DeLorean Time Machine in Back to the Future

Loved the movie, loved that pimped out ride.  And that's all this is, the car hitting 88 mph.  One awesome minute of it.

Number of times seen:  21

My 700th post: Here’s 15 of my Favorite Posts on the Teepee

I’ve been blogging nearly 19 years, having started in November 2006. 

If you look at my Blogger Profile, it says “On Blogger since March 2010” but I started a few years earlier on another platform.  In 2010 I moved to Blogger and brought my old posts with me.

This post marks my 700th, and truth be told I have been less than proud of several of them.  But the other night I was looking at a few “oldies but goodies” I’d almost forgotten about, and thought I’d come up with a list of 15 of my favorites.  

I’m not saying these posts are my best ones, but they are the ones I had the most fun writing or sharing. 

If you’re curious to check any of them out, all you have to do is click on the image.

1. Back in my working days, women in the office were getting a little crazy so a club for dudes only was started.  Who was the first to join?  A woman.2. A 1900’s high school sat up the road from my sister’s house—before it was demolished, a haunting we will go…3. My dad and his brothers were country rock musicians and had a successful band.  Here is some of their music.4. Once upon a time… I was Batman.5. What do you do when you find a headstone with your name on it?  You look for more headstones.6. What if Christopher Columbus had been prevented from “discovering” America?  A great sci-fi novel thinks it knows.7. In Pittsburgh in the 1960s, letters to Santa were delivered to the North Pole via a moon rocket.  (THIS IS MY SECOND MOST-VIEWED POST)8. What happens when a young woman walks thru the lobby of my apartment building in her underwear?  I have 33 opinions on the matter.9. Who was the girl who played an ugly duckling on the Brady Bunch?  One weekend, I was determined to find out.  (THIS IS MY MOST VIEWED POST)10. A long time ago, my brother Duke tried to hypnotize me. (THIS ONE IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE.)11. It’s one thing when a Star Trek character is changed into a woman, but when it’s a Star Trek friend…12. The trial of a bully who tried to take down a nerd and lost—TWICE. 13. I’m not afraid to admit it, I’ve had a man crush or two in my lifetime.  Here’s those men I crushed on.14. In 1973, a plane flew over our farmhouse and took this picture.  50 years later on a historical website…15. And finally, from way back in 2006—one awesome grandma.

While going thru these posts, I came across so many I wanted to share I may do a Part 2 in the near future.  Isn’t that exciting?  Hello?

To you folks out there who take the time to visit and read and comment on my blog, thank you so much.  Your feedback makes this all worth it.