When I first heard about Bob Dylan's Christmas album, I could not wait. This will be too hysterical. Well, today I listened to said recording. I kept thinking who gave the three pack a day, homeless wino a recording contract?
There are some singers who have gravelly voices and it is a distinctive trademark. Louis Armstrong comes to mind. Howlin' Wolf. Tom Waits. The voice is not clear but you can listen to it and not wince. It has character.
Not Dylan. He sounds absolutely awful. Honestly, he needs to take a year off from his endless tour and gargle every day. I actually heard an interview with a voice expert who was discussing various voices that have changed over the years. Not that Dylan was ever the greatest singer in the world. But the expert explained that as our voices age, the vocal chords lose their flexibility and therefore an older person loses the ability to control the tone and sounds. When he heard Dylan, he just groaned and said it is simply too much vocal chord use. He needs to rest his "voice."
I am guessing that it is way too late for that but he could try. Honest, Bobby, give it a rest already.
Even so, I am coveting the idea that you may be the voice of a GPS system. That would be so totally cool and I so have to have it!
Drat, he always sucks me in.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
December 21 - Clever
I have always maintained that if I am nothing if not clever. It is something I share with all of my siblings. We are just problem-solving, clever people. It is what we do. A family of McGuyvers, if you will.
I did a few things this week that I have to record.
On Sunday, a car was stuck in the snow in front of our house. A woman was desperately trying to dig her way out of her predicament. Matt went out with the kitty litter to help but the ice was just too much and she could not get any traction. I cut up a pair of Matt's old LL Bean pajamas pants, one flannel leg for each tire. I marched out in my slippers, put under the treads, and told her to go. Go she did.
On Monday, I had to make a casserole for Matt's office party. Unfortunately, I put it together in a metal pan, not thinking that he had to microwave it when he got to the office. So I had to get the casserole from the metal pan to a glass pan without it falling apart. I did it alright. First, I put a flat baking sheet over the casserole and turned it over like upside down cake. I did it so quickly it stayed together perfectly. Then I put the glass pan over it and flipped it again. See? Completely in tact and this was something made from crumbled tortilla chips.
Today, I wrestled with trying to frame two raw scroll paintings from Bhutan that needed to be put on dowels. The art store simply could not figure out how to do it. They had never heard of such a thing. I thought about it for a while. I walked around the store trying to see the answer. There is was--archival bookbinding tape. I cut the dowels to the right size, then I glued the dowels to each end of the scrolls with the tape. It worked perfectly.
See. Clever!
On Sunday, a car was stuck in the snow in front of our house. A woman was desperately trying to dig her way out of her predicament. Matt went out with the kitty litter to help but the ice was just too much and she could not get any traction. I cut up a pair of Matt's old LL Bean pajamas pants, one flannel leg for each tire. I marched out in my slippers, put under the treads, and told her to go. Go she did.
On Monday, I had to make a casserole for Matt's office party. Unfortunately, I put it together in a metal pan, not thinking that he had to microwave it when he got to the office. So I had to get the casserole from the metal pan to a glass pan without it falling apart. I did it alright. First, I put a flat baking sheet over the casserole and turned it over like upside down cake. I did it so quickly it stayed together perfectly. Then I put the glass pan over it and flipped it again. See? Completely in tact and this was something made from crumbled tortilla chips.
Today, I wrestled with trying to frame two raw scroll paintings from Bhutan that needed to be put on dowels. The art store simply could not figure out how to do it. They had never heard of such a thing. I thought about it for a while. I walked around the store trying to see the answer. There is was--archival bookbinding tape. I cut the dowels to the right size, then I glued the dowels to each end of the scrolls with the tape. It worked perfectly.
See. Clever!
December 21 - Happy Winter Solstice
Christmas has very nearly lost all meaning for me. We are going out of town this year and like last year, we have decided since we are not going to be here, why bother to get a tree. Once you slide down that slippery slope, the next thought is why bother to decorate at all? Matt put up some lights outside, but the inside remains unchanged. I had hopes for cookies but that never panned out. Too busy.
But as I pondered more I thought, what is really the point? So I decided that I would go back to the roots of Christmas and celebrate the Winter Solstice instead. I did some research on winter solstice and of course most of our Christmas festivities come from those old celebrations. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia which included feasts and gift giving. The yule log and tree come from the Norse.
So in celebration, I hung some festive lights and made a nice meal that harkened back to the days of yore--venison and potatoes. The snow prevented a yule log. That is really what the tradition is all about. I was going to make Wassail but I did not think Matt would like it. But we are thinking we are going to try the kind that includes eggs. You heard me, eggs! Kind of like egg nog.
But as I pondered more I thought, what is really the point? So I decided that I would go back to the roots of Christmas and celebrate the Winter Solstice instead. I did some research on winter solstice and of course most of our Christmas festivities come from those old celebrations. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia which included feasts and gift giving. The yule log and tree come from the Norse.
So in celebration, I hung some festive lights and made a nice meal that harkened back to the days of yore--venison and potatoes. The snow prevented a yule log. That is really what the tradition is all about. I was going to make Wassail but I did not think Matt would like it. But we are thinking we are going to try the kind that includes eggs. You heard me, eggs! Kind of like egg nog.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
December 4 - A new Leak
Why Neptune? Why? The rain has revealed more leaks around the windows from the construction gone bad. Lord, if I had those guys in front of me I would kick them down the street. I came to a settlement with them on the issues I had identified at the time I fired them so I got some restitution. But I think that now I am operating in the red. What they paid will never cover the entire scope of the damage they did to this house. Maybe we should move and let this be someone else's problem.
December 5 - Snow!
Well, I guess it is better than rain. For some reason snow seems so comforting and it makes me want to hunker down and have hot chocolate. Rain, just makes me want to stare into space in a fuzzy blur
December 3 - Presentation on the Fly
My brain is just so overloaded from work and being sick and school that I forget the tiniest things. I had to do a presentation today in Chemistry class and I completely forgot my paper. So I had to give the presentation off the top of my head. I knew pretty much what I wanted to say but lucky for me I am very good at BS.
There is a line in the movie "Groundhog Day" where Bill Murray is sitting in the dinner talking to Andie McDowell and he says something like this: "I am God. Not The God but A God. I think that Gods are probably people who have just been around a really long time."
One thing that I have come to learn being around these young college kids is that I am A God. Not The God but I have come to see that I know a lot of things mostly from experience and often almost by osmosis. If you are around long enough and you read the paper and books and watch educational t.v. or otherwise, you probably have seen it, heard it, or learned about it. If you have been around long enough you have tried it, done it, thought about it, or known someone who has done it, thought about it, or lived it. It is just the nature of aging.
So when I went into that class, I watched those kids, well, they are not all kids, some are older, but most had probably never done a presentation before and they all seemed so nervous about public speaking. Me, I can stand up and pontificate about anything really, even if I have to make it up. But that is because I have done it so many times I have the experience and I know that the world is not going to end if I somehow screw up. This is the big lesson to learn in life. Everyone is just as afraid as you are and honest, the world will not end if you do something dumb. Life goes one. People forget.
The same is true in my stress class. I marvel at how much I know about the things we are learning in that class-- what causes stress, relaxation techniques, ways to be a better person. I have already learned a lot of this because in my life I have thought about stress and tried to deal with it. She is not telling me anything that I do not already know. But for a lot of the people in this class, it is all new. The other night we were talking about smoking and why it is bad for your health. Stress tends to make people smoke and it makes it hard to quit. (Ask Obama) But I have smoked and I quit. One young girl said she was worried about her father who has been chewing nicotine gum for years. The teacher is young and has never smoked so she was clueless about it. I piped up and confessed to my earlier nicotine gum addiction. I loved nicotine gum. I chewed it for years until the doctor refused to give it to me any more. (That was long enough ago for it to be a prescription.) I assured her it was better than smoking. But I only know that because I have lived it. The teacher thanked me for being so brave as to share that I smoked and chewed the gum. As if it was some kind of shameful thing to admit. That seemed odd to me but she is young. I am old enough to not care anymore.
There is a line in the movie "Groundhog Day" where Bill Murray is sitting in the dinner talking to Andie McDowell and he says something like this: "I am God. Not The God but A God. I think that Gods are probably people who have just been around a really long time."
One thing that I have come to learn being around these young college kids is that I am A God. Not The God but I have come to see that I know a lot of things mostly from experience and often almost by osmosis. If you are around long enough and you read the paper and books and watch educational t.v. or otherwise, you probably have seen it, heard it, or learned about it. If you have been around long enough you have tried it, done it, thought about it, or known someone who has done it, thought about it, or lived it. It is just the nature of aging.
So when I went into that class, I watched those kids, well, they are not all kids, some are older, but most had probably never done a presentation before and they all seemed so nervous about public speaking. Me, I can stand up and pontificate about anything really, even if I have to make it up. But that is because I have done it so many times I have the experience and I know that the world is not going to end if I somehow screw up. This is the big lesson to learn in life. Everyone is just as afraid as you are and honest, the world will not end if you do something dumb. Life goes one. People forget.
The same is true in my stress class. I marvel at how much I know about the things we are learning in that class-- what causes stress, relaxation techniques, ways to be a better person. I have already learned a lot of this because in my life I have thought about stress and tried to deal with it. She is not telling me anything that I do not already know. But for a lot of the people in this class, it is all new. The other night we were talking about smoking and why it is bad for your health. Stress tends to make people smoke and it makes it hard to quit. (Ask Obama) But I have smoked and I quit. One young girl said she was worried about her father who has been chewing nicotine gum for years. The teacher is young and has never smoked so she was clueless about it. I piped up and confessed to my earlier nicotine gum addiction. I loved nicotine gum. I chewed it for years until the doctor refused to give it to me any more. (That was long enough ago for it to be a prescription.) I assured her it was better than smoking. But I only know that because I have lived it. The teacher thanked me for being so brave as to share that I smoked and chewed the gum. As if it was some kind of shameful thing to admit. That seemed odd to me but she is young. I am old enough to not care anymore.
December 1 - Florida
I had to travel to Florida for a meeting. Being the end of a holiday week, there were a lot of families traveling. But for Florida there is another phenomena--old folks! Not sure if they were snow birds or just holiday travelers since they were going in both directions. For each trip, coming an going, there were four senior citizens lined up in wheel chairs waiting to board the plane. Then came the seniors with walkers. Then the seniors with canes. But my favorite were the seniors who simply decided they were not going to wait for their zone to be called to board. By golly, they were getting on the plane now! The gate attendant had her hands full trying to shuttle wheel chairs while the waiting old folks revolted. This too happened for both flights.
The fun did not stop when we got on the plane. I have to say, I did not envy the flight attendants. It was like herding cats trying to get these olds folks in their seats. They were begging them to please sit down! They threatened them. They cajoled. They were pleading with them.
I came to the conclusion that when you get to be a certain age, you simply do not give a hoot about rules. After 80 years, I think I would be pretty unwilling to do what people tell me to do. Hey, I could be dead tomorrow after all. And I have been living by rules all of my life. So screw it. I'm getting on the plane and I do not plan on sitting down in a hurry!
It was annoying for me but then I started to admire their tenacity.
Oh, and p.s., I would never live in Florida. I would never want to put up with all of these senior citizens.
The fun did not stop when we got on the plane. I have to say, I did not envy the flight attendants. It was like herding cats trying to get these olds folks in their seats. They were begging them to please sit down! They threatened them. They cajoled. They were pleading with them.
I came to the conclusion that when you get to be a certain age, you simply do not give a hoot about rules. After 80 years, I think I would be pretty unwilling to do what people tell me to do. Hey, I could be dead tomorrow after all. And I have been living by rules all of my life. So screw it. I'm getting on the plane and I do not plan on sitting down in a hurry!
It was annoying for me but then I started to admire their tenacity.
Oh, and p.s., I would never live in Florida. I would never want to put up with all of these senior citizens.
November 29 - Swimming!
Those steroids do a lot of things and one thing they do is reduce inflammation. My shoulder paid calmed down so much that I decided to try a swim and yahoo it worked. Between the steroid and my osteopath, I may be on the way to getting over the injuries from my accident. Oh how I love the smell of chlorine.
November 26 - Thankgiving
Gosh darn it, I did not pull out the camera. We spent the day with some friends. Suzanne and Carl and Armand and Gia came over to join us for dinner. I got to cook the turkey using a Julia Child and Jacques Pepin recipe. Armand made some stellar puerto Rican potato casserole that we all scarfed down with some scotch bonnet pepper sauce mixed in to give it that island feel. Suzanne made pecan pie. Yummy!
November 22 - Last Grass Cutting
No really, I had to cut the grass. We have had so much rain and it has not been that cold so the grass is just growing like mad on the sunny side of the house. I hope I do not have to cut the grass in December. That would just be beyond the pale.
November 21 - Waltz Ball
We did okay considering. The orchestra was playing for a mixed interest audience so they were going fairly slow and keeping the waltzes short (no 20 minute marathons). That helped. We were able to dance without completely collapsing at the end.
I have decided however that the dinner is not all that interesting. The ball is held at the Cosmos Club and given by the National Society of Arts and Letters. Not exactly a rowdy bunch. They are way too conservative for my tastes in the lifestyle sense, not the political sense, and the conversation was not all that engaging. The food was not that great either so it was just not worth the money. Yes it is for charity but by golly I have a life! I hate for my time to be wasted and a waste this was.
Here some more pics. We are getting arty!
No, he is not! Yes, on his bloody iphone. Well, I forgive him. He was playing with the camera.
November 20 - God Bless the Doctor
I emailed the doctor to tell her that I was once again getting sick. She emailed back and said we were going in blasting this time. She ordered a new antibiotic and steroids. I was all for it. I just hope it works.
It is amazing how consuming being sick can be. It has just pervaded my life. If I am not at 100% then I am not able to do everything I want to do and that makes me less than happy. I feel like there is nothing else.
It is amazing how consuming being sick can be. It has just pervaded my life. If I am not at 100% then I am not able to do everything I want to do and that makes me less than happy. I feel like there is nothing else.
November 19 - Sliding Back Down the Hill
Perhaps we had that celebratory dinner too soon. My sinuses are clearly starting to get worse again and I just do not feel good. Lots of green gunk. Good Lord what is this alien disease???
November 17 - We Survived the Swine Flu Dinner
We just had to go out for some reason. Any reason. We have wanted to go to City Zen for months. So we went out to celebrate our getting over swine flu. Neither one of us was 100% but what the heck. We needed some cheering up and pampering. The great thing about CityZen is that they wait on you impeccably without being intrusive. You do not feel like they are hovering with every drop of a crumb but they are there when glasses needed to be filled and plates needed to be removed and you get a look like you need something.
I had the stuffed quail and Matt had a black bass. We both had broiled stuffed sardines just because we love them. We had a fine red wine and rolled out after cappuccino and dessert. The frustrating thing for us is that being sick leaves us with a reduced appetite. We just cannot shovel it in like we normally do.
I had the stuffed quail and Matt had a black bass. We both had broiled stuffed sardines just because we love them. We had a fine red wine and rolled out after cappuccino and dessert. The frustrating thing for us is that being sick leaves us with a reduced appetite. We just cannot shovel it in like we normally do.
November 16 - The Magician
I have been having ongoing problems from my bike accident so I got an appointment with an osteopath. He is both an orthopedic doctor and a chiropractor. He practices rehabilitative medicine. From what I can tell there are about three in the entire metropolitan area. Trying to see this guy is like trying to get an appointment with the pope. But I persisted and I ended up with two appointments because of cancellations of other patients. (Idiots) One reason it is so hard to get an appointment is that it lasts two hours.
First, he checked me out structurally. Spine straight? Muscles in line? Muscles in knots? He could tell just by looking at my back. Then he does some pressing and poking. Once he checks out the structure, he decides what I need. Perhaps some major stretching, some spinal manipulation, some trigger point injections. once he decides he starts working. Think of it like this. If you go to a physical therapist, that person might do some muscle work, a little massage, a little stretching. The osteopath knows about 100 times more ways to get at the problem. They are rehabilitation specialists at the top of the heap.
I got two visits in one week and we shall see what the results will be.
First, he checked me out structurally. Spine straight? Muscles in line? Muscles in knots? He could tell just by looking at my back. Then he does some pressing and poking. Once he checks out the structure, he decides what I need. Perhaps some major stretching, some spinal manipulation, some trigger point injections. once he decides he starts working. Think of it like this. If you go to a physical therapist, that person might do some muscle work, a little massage, a little stretching. The osteopath knows about 100 times more ways to get at the problem. They are rehabilitation specialists at the top of the heap.
I got two visits in one week and we shall see what the results will be.
Monday, November 30, 2009
November 15 - Clean Up
Even though I am sick, I am not as sick as Matt so I have to do what I can. Well, it is leaf raking time. I actually like to rake leaves. It is good exercise and I can get into the mediation of it. When I rake leaves, I actually rake. I do not use a leaf blower. Too much noise. It is like an assault. I like to think that I am combing it, getting all the grass in place, very neat and ready for winter.
November 14 - A Good Day
Today was a good day. I decided muscle pain or not, I had to swim. Stuffed nose or not, I had to swim. So I did. I managed 20 laps, which is about half of what I usually do and it was hard but that chlorine felt so good in my nostrils. That smell is so soothing to me.
Then we went out for dinner at the lebanese Taverna and we had a huge meal of Lebanese appetizers for two with hummus and baba ganoush and fresh bread and oh my God was it good, all accompanied by that fine Lebanese Syrah.
On the way back to the car, we stopped at Cake Love and I got a German Chocolate cupcake because I never managed to get a birthday cake. Matt put a candle on it and I made my wish.
November 13 Relieving the Pressure
Okay, I have had enough. I am so overwhelmed with being sick and with too much work and too much school that I just started to jettison obligations. I changed dates and schedules and appointments. I decided I had to take control. I am just too sick to be this busy. So I postponed my life for a month. I hope it works.
November 12 - Exams
I had two exams today. I'd like to say that I killed myself studying but I decided to do the minimal because I was sure that was enough. And it was. I aced them both.
November 11 - Capitol Area Food fight
We did do something on my birthday. We dragged ourselves to the Capitol Area Food Fight. We were determine to go out and try to have some fun. This is a great big foodie taste fest. Restaurants come with tastes in a fund raiser for the DC Central Kitchen. In the meantime, while we are all stuffing our faces, there is a chef battle on stage with local and celebrity chefs battling for top chef honors. Honestly, I don't think too many people are actually paying attention to the chef part. We are all too busy getting our tastes of food which is our own food fight.
Here are some pics.
The chefs preparing tastes.
My favorite taste: emulsified potatoes with caviar. I had two!
Jose Andres and Anthony Bourdain hosting the chef battle
November 11 - Turning 50
I got my AARP Card!
Actually I have been so sick, that I barely noticed that I turned 50. But I feel just the same as I did when I was 49.
Matt had a whole plan for us to celebrate. He was taking me to Chicago and we were going to eat our way through town and take some tours. Well, that all got canceled. That's okay. We would never have been able to enjoy it with any joi de vivre.
We can have a belated trip some other time.
Actually I have been so sick, that I barely noticed that I turned 50. But I feel just the same as I did when I was 49.
Matt had a whole plan for us to celebrate. He was taking me to Chicago and we were going to eat our way through town and take some tours. Well, that all got canceled. That's okay. We would never have been able to enjoy it with any joi de vivre.
We can have a belated trip some other time.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
November 7-8 - A Light at the end....
The weekends are so much better because we can sleep and rest and not face an alarm clock if the sleeping is interrupted. I woke up on Saturday vowing to lift weights and be normal. This has not impacted my lungs and I should be able to do this even if that means I have to blow my nose every two seconds. I got through it. It took a while but I did it. Matt tried a little too. Nothing that would produce any cardio for him. We are just determined to get back to normal so I sent him on some errands while I took care of chores here and I worked. (As if it could not get any worse, I am knee deep in school and so busy with work that I am overwhelmed.)
On Sunday I woke up feeling well enough to rake the leaves, although my head continued its purge of snot. Matt ran some errands too. Then, trumpets, he tried some red wine! That was thrilling. How deprived we are to miss out on our medicinal wine with dinner.
On Sunday I woke up feeling well enough to rake the leaves, although my head continued its purge of snot. Matt ran some errands too. Then, trumpets, he tried some red wine! That was thrilling. How deprived we are to miss out on our medicinal wine with dinner.
Week of November 1 - We are despondent
This is week five and we are absolutely despondent. We just cannot shake these symptoms. I have been on so much medication that I feel like a walking pharmacy. My nose is an open faucet. I really came close to tears. Then I woke up one day feeling awful and just got angry at being sick and I vowed that I would simply get well. I need my life back.
Matt is still on medications and is also wishing desperately to get better. He is using a nebulizer a few times a day to keep his lung open. It is helping to reduce the coughing that was really getting him down.
I feel like we have now hit rock bottom with this and it can only get better.
Matt is still on medications and is also wishing desperately to get better. He is using a nebulizer a few times a day to keep his lung open. It is helping to reduce the coughing that was really getting him down.
I feel like we have now hit rock bottom with this and it can only get better.
Friday, October 30, 2009
October 30 - Random Thoughts On Snot
When will this snot factory that is my head stop running?
If snot were oil, I would be Saudi Arabia.
It is really not of this earth this green disgusting slime coming from my head. I blame aliens.
Does wiping the entire layer of skin off of my nose count as some kind of peel? Will my nose look ten years younger? it has a lovely red glow.
If snot were oil, I would be Saudi Arabia.
It is really not of this earth this green disgusting slime coming from my head. I blame aliens.
Does wiping the entire layer of skin off of my nose count as some kind of peel? Will my nose look ten years younger? it has a lovely red glow.
Week of October 26 - Still Dealing with H1N1
Well, it is official--Matt has pneumonia. He is at home, they are plying him with antibiotics and they have given us a nebulizer to keep his lungs open.
I have a massive sinus infection and have had it for a week now. It makes me sound like I have been in a swimming pool for a week. We are both coughing and it is quite a chorus here when we get started.
Lord, when will this ever end! I want my life back! We are both absolutely sick of being sick. This is the third week. September and October now seem to have disappeared and there is no getting those weeks back. Between my bike accident and this flu I have been unable to exercise for about 6 weeks and that is have a huge impact on my mood and disposition. I have not been in the swimming pool since mid-August. That is my meditation time and I am sorely needing the smell of chlorine. I have also lost five pounds, no doubt much of that muscle. Matt has lost ten pounds. Our appetite has not suffered but if you are sitting around, you don't want to eat as much.
Some terrifying medical news--we were both on azithromycin, a high power antibiotic. It did not work and the doctors have told us that the infections that come with this flu appear to be impervious to it. So they put us both on a different antibiotic. We shall see what happens with that. But losing a possible antibiotic for these infections is not a good thing. The main issue with this flu is not the flu but the secondary infections. Indeed, that is how many people dies during the Spanish influenza. It was not the flu but pneumonia that felled most people.
We have both concluded that it is a good thing that the elderly are not really susceptible to this flu because it would kill them.
I have a massive sinus infection and have had it for a week now. It makes me sound like I have been in a swimming pool for a week. We are both coughing and it is quite a chorus here when we get started.
Lord, when will this ever end! I want my life back! We are both absolutely sick of being sick. This is the third week. September and October now seem to have disappeared and there is no getting those weeks back. Between my bike accident and this flu I have been unable to exercise for about 6 weeks and that is have a huge impact on my mood and disposition. I have not been in the swimming pool since mid-August. That is my meditation time and I am sorely needing the smell of chlorine. I have also lost five pounds, no doubt much of that muscle. Matt has lost ten pounds. Our appetite has not suffered but if you are sitting around, you don't want to eat as much.
Some terrifying medical news--we were both on azithromycin, a high power antibiotic. It did not work and the doctors have told us that the infections that come with this flu appear to be impervious to it. So they put us both on a different antibiotic. We shall see what happens with that. But losing a possible antibiotic for these infections is not a good thing. The main issue with this flu is not the flu but the secondary infections. Indeed, that is how many people dies during the Spanish influenza. It was not the flu but pneumonia that felled most people.
We have both concluded that it is a good thing that the elderly are not really susceptible to this flu because it would kill them.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
October 25 - The Reader
Once again we are way behind on movie watching but for all you folks who are as behind as we are, order "The Reader" from Netflix right this minute. We sat for two hours, we did not move after the movie started. We just sat and watched. I cried for an hour. I was simply overwhelmed by the story of this young boy who has an affair with an older woman who has a secret. It is all about morality, and ambiguous morality at that. What happens when we are torn between love and law and right and wrong. What justifies anyone's actions until we are in their skin. The story went at the right pace and was told with authority. Kate Winslet was moving and believable as emotions crossed her face in so many directions. She was a human being more than anything, a complex, incomprehensible human being. She won Best Actress and it would have been robbery had she not. And Ralph Fiennes was his conflicted best. Even the kid was perfect. Absolutely powerful. I checked and Slumdog Millionaire won out over this movie in 2009 for Best Picture. Now I am kind of sorry because this movie was just too powerful to be ignored. This really is what great cinema is all about. It made me believe once again that great and insightful movies with intense plots and characters can be made. Unfortunately, no one sees them.
Week of October 19 - When will this end? Being Shunned
Another week of being sick. My flu finally wound up and bit me. I was sort of okay, kind of like a bad cold. I got a bit worse each day but I still felt okay enough to get around and work and exercise a little. But then it sucker punched me. It is like I have been boxing with it for two weeks and I went several rounds and then it just gave me one good punch and I was out. My sinuses suddenly became so painfully congested that I could not breathe or sleep. It was sudden. One minute it was like a nasty cold then pow! My head was in absolute pain. I woke up on Saturday (10-24) determined that I was going to beat this thing. I am sick of it. We called the doctor and she said this flu is causing all sorts of secondary infections. People are ending up in the hospital with pneumonia. So she encouraged us both to just take the antibiotics. I usually resist antibiotics because they are so abused but this is the most vicious flu I have ever had. It just will not let go. My sinuses ached so badly that I relented. It felt like someone had stuffed a pound of cotton into them. The pressure was unbearable. Matt developed a nasty cough and we were concerned that he was heading for pneumonia so he took the antibiotics too.
We have been at this for two weeks now. Frankly I am ready to move on now. I just don't know if it will let me.
So far I missed Steve Martin in concert. We missed a Diwahli party at Nema's and we missed a waltz ball this weekend. Hey, I like to have fun. This sucks.
It is even worse that we are being shunned. We both went out yesterday to run errands. If you cough in public, people stare at you like you have leprosy. No matter that I am long over the flu. But I sound like I am dying because I have a sinus infection. Same with Matt. His flu is long gone. He now has bronchitis. But we sound so awful coughing and sniffling and talking with bass voices, that it scares people. You can tell they just want us to stay home. Hey, we have been home for two bloody weeks! What more do you want? Geeze.
We have been at this for two weeks now. Frankly I am ready to move on now. I just don't know if it will let me.
So far I missed Steve Martin in concert. We missed a Diwahli party at Nema's and we missed a waltz ball this weekend. Hey, I like to have fun. This sucks.
It is even worse that we are being shunned. We both went out yesterday to run errands. If you cough in public, people stare at you like you have leprosy. No matter that I am long over the flu. But I sound like I am dying because I have a sinus infection. Same with Matt. His flu is long gone. He now has bronchitis. But we sound so awful coughing and sniffling and talking with bass voices, that it scares people. You can tell they just want us to stay home. Hey, we have been home for two bloody weeks! What more do you want? Geeze.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Week of October 12 - H1N1 Comes Calling
This was not a good week. On Sunday I woke up feeling a bit scratchy in the throat but I thought that It was from drinking too much wine the night before. (We had dinner with Suzanne and Carl to celebrate her birthday.) On Monday I woke up not feeling right. We had tickets to see Steve Martin playing the banjo but I decided that I should not go. I was sure I was getting sick. Matt went without me and I went to bed at 9 p.m. Really. I slept for ten hours and I woke up feeling okay.
But alas, Matt woke up the next morning feeling sick and he went downhill. He developed a fever that would not go away. I was on the verge of sick, it was outside the door, but I was not feeling the same thing. My illness was sore throat scratchiness, feeling heavy in the lungs, and just not feeling all together. But Matt was just burning up with a high fever, in the 101 -102 range. By Friday, we decided he had to go to the doctor. She threatened to send him to the hospital if his fever did not go down by the end of the weekend. That night, I put a cold compress on his forehead. He did not like it but I did it anyway. It cooled him down some and he finally went to sleep. But on Saturday, he woke up with his temperature at 102.9ยบ.
That was it. I went into nursing action. I told him that he had to get out from under all of the covers because it was just keeping the heat trapped. He had to take a tepid shower and then put on light clothes. He also had to drink cold water or juice continuously to keep himself hydrated and cool. As he does, he followed orders. I relented and let him put on slippers and a sweater after an hour. But as the day went on, he stayed out of bed and outside of the covers. With heavy doses of Tylenol and Motrin, and cooling his wrists, his temperature slowly fell over the course of the day until by the evening it was normal.
Man, that was scary. He had a fever for five days! We were relieved when it broke.
Then I got to be sick. Since we were both sick, but since I was less sick, I did the errands, chores, and nursing duties. By Sunday, I was worse and I developed a lovely Lauren Bacall voice and an enticing cough to scare the daylights out of everyone afraid of swine flu. When I was in the grocery store, people were avoiding me. I actually had the doctor check me out when we took Matt in. I never had a fever so it is unlikely I had the flu or I somehow dodged the full throttle of it. I have a virus but not anything severe. It is just totally annoying because lung viruses mean I cannot exercise. I just start hacking. The rule is with a lung illness, you should not do cardio. I am sad for that.
But does that mean that I can still get H1N1? Who knows. I was exposed to it and I did not get it from him. Or perhaps I had it but for me it just manifested itself differently. Hard to say. But Matt is now rewarded with immunity having lived through it.
But alas, Matt woke up the next morning feeling sick and he went downhill. He developed a fever that would not go away. I was on the verge of sick, it was outside the door, but I was not feeling the same thing. My illness was sore throat scratchiness, feeling heavy in the lungs, and just not feeling all together. But Matt was just burning up with a high fever, in the 101 -102 range. By Friday, we decided he had to go to the doctor. She threatened to send him to the hospital if his fever did not go down by the end of the weekend. That night, I put a cold compress on his forehead. He did not like it but I did it anyway. It cooled him down some and he finally went to sleep. But on Saturday, he woke up with his temperature at 102.9ยบ.
That was it. I went into nursing action. I told him that he had to get out from under all of the covers because it was just keeping the heat trapped. He had to take a tepid shower and then put on light clothes. He also had to drink cold water or juice continuously to keep himself hydrated and cool. As he does, he followed orders. I relented and let him put on slippers and a sweater after an hour. But as the day went on, he stayed out of bed and outside of the covers. With heavy doses of Tylenol and Motrin, and cooling his wrists, his temperature slowly fell over the course of the day until by the evening it was normal.
Man, that was scary. He had a fever for five days! We were relieved when it broke.
Then I got to be sick. Since we were both sick, but since I was less sick, I did the errands, chores, and nursing duties. By Sunday, I was worse and I developed a lovely Lauren Bacall voice and an enticing cough to scare the daylights out of everyone afraid of swine flu. When I was in the grocery store, people were avoiding me. I actually had the doctor check me out when we took Matt in. I never had a fever so it is unlikely I had the flu or I somehow dodged the full throttle of it. I have a virus but not anything severe. It is just totally annoying because lung viruses mean I cannot exercise. I just start hacking. The rule is with a lung illness, you should not do cardio. I am sad for that.
But does that mean that I can still get H1N1? Who knows. I was exposed to it and I did not get it from him. Or perhaps I had it but for me it just manifested itself differently. Hard to say. But Matt is now rewarded with immunity having lived through it.
October 10 - New Car
II dumped the Audi. Here is the story. Last Christmas we drove to New Hampshire in the Audi. It was awful. The car made a terrible racket. It whined very loudly. We could barely think or hear the radio. When we got home I called the dealer and told them about it. The service rep did not even hesitate. He said, you wore out a wheel bearing. Bring it in. At this point I had around 15,000 miles on the car. Sure enough the bearing had gone bad and, he said, I needed new tires. New tires? Are you kidding? I barely drive the car. Well, they are cupped, which means the tread is worn unevenly and that is what is making the racket. (Never mind that the tires are worn because of the bearing.) He asked me to pony up $1500 for tires. I laughed and said I don't think so.
I took the car to my tire place and the customer service rep, who happens to be a woman, said the tires were cupped but rotating them should help dissipate the noise. She said if that did not work, it was the car, not the tires. After the rotation, the car did quiet down but after another few thousand miles it started again, during the car trip to Atlanta. Another uncomfortable long ride in a screaming car.
I got on the internet and did a little investigating. I found a few message boards with some interesting discussions about Audi A3 tires wearing out prematurely. Customers were baffled that their cars were making deafening, loud noises. The dealers were telling them they had to change their tires because they were excessively worn, one guy after 5,000 miles. I knew right away that this was a car problem that related to the wheels and that Audi probably knew about this. The first service guy was too quick to correctly call the problem.
So I took the car back to the dealer and asked that it be checked. Nothing wrong with your car ma'am. I asked if Audi knew about the problem with wheel bearings and the noise and the premature tire wear. Nope. We know nothing. But ma'am, you do need new tires. That is the reason for the noise and that will be $1500, thank you. Do you think it is normal for tires to be worn out before 20,000 miles, I asked? You don't think that it has anything to do with the wheel bearings? Ma'am, tires just wear out. I wish I had been looking him in the eye because I did not believe a word he said. I told him about the internet discussion and his reaction was, well, people say things. I was furious. No way was this guy getting my money for new tires.
But this time I had about 19,000 miles on the car. I tried to tough it out but the noise was so deafening that I just gave up. I had Matt go to Sears and get the cheapest tires he could find. By 23,000 miles the car actually started making the noise again on the new tires. I had had it. There was no way I was going to put up with a car that needed new tires every 10,000 miles or so, particularly performance tires. So we started looking for cars.
I traded it in and got a Nissan Murano. Got a great deal because some poor internet salesman wrote the wrong price in the quote he put in writing in an email. Matt had a copy of the email and there you are. It is big, fully loaded and perfect for long car trips. Now let us hope this last long enough for me to drive it into the ground.
I took the car to my tire place and the customer service rep, who happens to be a woman, said the tires were cupped but rotating them should help dissipate the noise. She said if that did not work, it was the car, not the tires. After the rotation, the car did quiet down but after another few thousand miles it started again, during the car trip to Atlanta. Another uncomfortable long ride in a screaming car.
I got on the internet and did a little investigating. I found a few message boards with some interesting discussions about Audi A3 tires wearing out prematurely. Customers were baffled that their cars were making deafening, loud noises. The dealers were telling them they had to change their tires because they were excessively worn, one guy after 5,000 miles. I knew right away that this was a car problem that related to the wheels and that Audi probably knew about this. The first service guy was too quick to correctly call the problem.
So I took the car back to the dealer and asked that it be checked. Nothing wrong with your car ma'am. I asked if Audi knew about the problem with wheel bearings and the noise and the premature tire wear. Nope. We know nothing. But ma'am, you do need new tires. That is the reason for the noise and that will be $1500, thank you. Do you think it is normal for tires to be worn out before 20,000 miles, I asked? You don't think that it has anything to do with the wheel bearings? Ma'am, tires just wear out. I wish I had been looking him in the eye because I did not believe a word he said. I told him about the internet discussion and his reaction was, well, people say things. I was furious. No way was this guy getting my money for new tires.
But this time I had about 19,000 miles on the car. I tried to tough it out but the noise was so deafening that I just gave up. I had Matt go to Sears and get the cheapest tires he could find. By 23,000 miles the car actually started making the noise again on the new tires. I had had it. There was no way I was going to put up with a car that needed new tires every 10,000 miles or so, particularly performance tires. So we started looking for cars.
I traded it in and got a Nissan Murano. Got a great deal because some poor internet salesman wrote the wrong price in the quote he put in writing in an email. Matt had a copy of the email and there you are. It is big, fully loaded and perfect for long car trips. Now let us hope this last long enough for me to drive it into the ground.
October 4 - Cooking Japanese
(bonito flakes)How many people do you know have kelp and bonito flakes in their pantry just waiting to make dashi? Well, you know at least one, because when I made a Japanese udon noodle soup today, I had all of the ingredients to make the Japanese broth.
Kelp? Well, the Japanese actually eat a lot of seaweed. It is a very important vegetable for them.
This is kelp. To make dashi, which is a Japanese staple, kind of like chicken broth to us, the kelp is used first to impart a salty sea flavor to the water. The bonito flakes are just what it says. Bonito is tuna. Bonito flakes are very fine flakes of dried tuna. These too are used to flavor the broth. Once they have cooked for about ten minutes, the broth is poured through a fine sieve and clear broth is your end result. Japanese broth is clear largely because they never boil it. The water is always brought just to the point of boiling and then turned off to steep.
From there you add cooked udon noodles, chop the kelp finely and add that in. Add some vegetables--shiitake mushrooms, some napa cabbage and voila: Japanese Udon soup.
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