Today’s Business: 2010-09-17
Friday, September 17th, 2010Today’s Activities
- Shower. DONE.
- Cat duty. DONE.
- Wash 3 loads of laundry. IN PROGRESS. The whites are done; now, just the colors and darks left.
Log
08:30 AM: I’m up. Dark and gray this morning; but not rainy. Yep, the days are getting noticably shorter, and to think that there are just over three months until they start growing longer again. Ah well. At least, there’s Christmas to look forward to amongst those mostly dark days.
09:00 AM: I’m sad because Mom is sad. I want to help her but know not what to do. It’s been hard sleeping lately because I keep having these audio dreams. Visually, everything about the dream makes me think that I’m fully awake and looking around at my bed, television, dressers, and DVD collection. Murkiness shrouds everything like it normally does in the midst of night. But then, I hear her voice. She’s calling me in such a doleful way, and I get all happy for a moment when I hastily jump to the conclusion that she’s come home. Soon though, I remember that she’s not here, and begin feeling as sad as she sounded in the dream. Yes, her departure will devastate me when it comes. But hopefully that won’t be for a good while yet. The coming weeks hold little certainty for us on that score. But I’m optimistic that she’ll recover most of her health. I have to be.
11:00 AM: Watched The History Channel’s mini series: America: The Story of Us; Part Five on the DVR. This one covered the growth of American war machine as we prepared to enter World War II, and how the further refinements of industrial practices like the assembly line and utilization of women in the war-time work force, not to mention the development of the atomic bomb, enabled us to win that war. They illustrated work life and the dangers of it in ammunition factories; noting that it was about as dangerous to make a weapon as to use it. The role of boxer Joe Lewis, when he beat his German opponent, in revving up American morale during the depression, against Hitler’s “master race.” They covered D-Day from June of 1944 and depicted graphically the monumental casualty rate there but how that was probably a big turning point in US favor in that global conflict. They discussed how America pulled out of its great depression thanks to the war effort, and the resulting consumer and baby booms. Again, a highly informative show. In fact, I learned why they use “tracer bullets.” These enable night-time battle because they make it much easier to aim your gun. If you can see the target, you’re better able to guide the tracer stream to it; much like is done in shoot-em-up video games today. There are two one-h0ur episodes left, and I’m so looking forward to viewing part six later.
12:00 PM: Watched a bit of KDKA TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live variety show with [Emmy].
02:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR. They revealed that Chance is not actually dead. However, he said good-bye to Nina; saying that he’s going into the witness protection program. The fact that he’s still alive made Nina’s day. But she’s not allowed to tell anyone else about it. He says she’ll probably never see him again. Though a fiction, I’m actually relieved that they didn’t actually kill Chance off. 
05:00 AM: Watched the final two hours of The History Channel’s mini series: America: The Story of Us; Parts Six and Seven on the DVR. These covered the post World War II economic and baby booms, aong with the senses of achievement and optimism that pervaded the country well into the 1960s. They discussed the cold war at length and the twenty-five year-long arms race with the Soviet Union. Key defining moments such as the Civil Rights act, the first man on the moon, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, Kent State, Watergate, the Iran hostage standoff, the Challenger disaster, the end of the cold war, as well as the 9/11 attacks were illustrated and put into context of America’s narrative; all monumental hurdles that Americans grew from and because of which, we became a better nation. The military may have been the first large-scale American institution to de-segregate. But segregation still lived strong outside the disciplines of the armed services.
I’m sorry that we’ve reached the end of this series. I’ll definitely check out other shows on the History Channel. Really good stuff.
06:15 PM: We fixed sloppy Joes for supper on whole-grain white flat bread. Hmmm. I wonder how you can have white bread that can still legitimately be called white bread. As I understand it, the very nature of white bread precludes any wholeness of the grain; since they must bleach the grain and so, remove its natural nutrients and other compounds, just to get it to appear white. Perhaps they died wheat bread white. I dunno.
06:20 PM: Nap time. Back later.
07:35 PM: I’m back up again, blogging and Facebooking.
09:00 PM: Posted the Mom’s Status: 2010-09-16 piece.
09:40 PM: Recorded audio journal episode AJE-2010-09-17-21-17.
11:00 PM: Facebooked, and watched CNN’s AC 360 news show.
11:35 PM: Folded and put away laundry while watching KDKA TV’s Local News At 11:00 PM.
11:50 PM: Watched David Letterman’s monologue; a humorous way to end the day. Good night. More tomorrow. Take care.
Received Mail and Shipments
- Monthly sewage bill ($40).
- Misc. bank papers.
- Pamphlet of Penn State’s continuing adult education course: Retirement Planning Today. Not at this time, thanks.
- Note from Hammer Chiropractic to Altoona Spine and Injury Center. Okay.