Toms Diary

Today’s Business: 2010-07-29

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.

Log

08:30 AM: I’m up.

09:30 AM: Made today’s batch of cream cheese Jello. Today’s flavor: Strawberry.

11:45 AM: Revised approximately 200 posts on the Tom’s Love Quest blog, to include links to my home page and my full name.

01:30 PM: Heading to DelGrosso park for an afternoon / evening of good food, great rides, and wonderful fun over all. Back later.

10:00 PM: We’re home and heading to the shower to get the layers upon layers of sunscreen off.

01:15 AM: Watched the past two days worth of The Young and the Restless on the DVR.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None yet.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up.

09:45 AM: Starting the beef + grain soup in a few minutes. First, I’ll brown seven or eight pounds of stew meat, then, throw the grains, onions and the beef into the roaster and let it cook all day. The roaster in this scenario serves as a gigantic crock pot. By this evening therefore, we should have eighteen quarts of delicious soup / stew to eat. Yum!

10:40 AM: All beef cubes have been browned with Mom’s assistance, and added to the roaster along with the grain, onions, and salt. We’ll put in the beef bouillon cubes later. Gee, I hope that five pounds of grains won’t expand excessively. But, just in case it overflows the roaster while cooking, I have several additional big pots standing by into which to scoop the excess. I’ll check the progress of the stew every hour or so throughout today.

02:20 PM: The grains are tender now and have absorbed quite a bit of water. But we only experienced a small overflow, which we ate for lunch. now I’m allowing the roaster to cool for a couple hours before spooning the grain stew into freezer containers.

05:15 PM: Well I did use an extra slow cooker, because as folks on Facebook suspected, the grains really “exploded” in the last hour or so. Perhaps next time, I’ll use 4 pounds of grains instead of 5. Also, the grain stew has been packed in freezer containers and carried downstairs to the ice box. Now I’m just cleaning up the roaster and slow cooker, and the pan we fried the beef in.

06:00 PM: Cleanup from the grain stew project is complete.

07:00 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 6:00 PM.

09:00 PM: Talked with [Ron], who has just returned from camp. He filled us in on how everything was. He said that few campers liked the shorter session (by one day in fact), but that they made the best of it and enjoyed themselves. No long hikes this year — only a two-mile one. They missed my music. But [Rick] filled in, in my absence.

[Ron] said he disagreed with many of my reasons for not going, and he seemed genuinely disappointed that I did not attend. I explained the two nasty encounters I had with [Prism], and how I didn’t like watching the camp experience slowly but certainly erode right before my eyes. He understood, I think, but even after a twenty-minute monologue in my defense, I still got the impression that he didn’t consider my reasons sufficient for opting out of camp this year. Well, to each, his own I guess.

The truth is that he need not understand. But I understand, and I’m the one that I must please ultimately. But I’ll see [Ron] at the alumni convention in August, and that seemed to make him happier. Hopefully he was not insulted at my decision to skip camp.

10:40 PM: [Emmy] and I read more of the Frankenstein book.

11:35 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM, but we’re headed to bed now. Enjoy your evening and look for more of my story tomorrow here at Tom’s Diary. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Mis-directed mail.
$10 coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Do all loads of colored laundry. DONE.

Log

06:00 AM: I’m up.

07:15 AM: The drain stopper in the bath tub has broken; it’s gotten loose such that turning it to the right does not tighten it. So I’ll take the entire drain assembly out to see what’s gone wrong. Something probably corroded or something. But I’ll do that later; once we get back from [Emmy's] doctors appointment.

07:30 AM: [Emmy] reports that her wrist is not hurting at all this morning, and she is unable to make it hurt by doing any of the exercises that induced pain in previously. Grrrrrr. Of course, on the day of her appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, it stops hurting. She’s now carrying bags of groceries around the house along with weights in her book bag in an effort to reproduce the problem.

08:30 AM: Heading out now, for [Emmy's] doctors appointment and to do some shopping. Back later.

08:40 AM: We heard Mom’s cell phone beeping, somewhere in the car. That’s good. At least it’s not lost. I’ll re activate it when I return home.

10:00 AM: The orthopedic doctor ordered a new set of nerve conduction tests. He was unable to re create the wrist pain that [Emmy] has experienced almost non stop. He also says that she may have been misdiagnosed but with good reason, won’t commit to a diagnosis until the aforementioned tests are run in early August. The appointment has been scheduled at a hospital in Pittsburgh for these tests.

11:30 AM: Shopping at Wal Mart complete, and we picked up Mom’s latest batch of meds from her pharmacy as well.

12:30 PM: Mom, when asked if she knew how the bath tub drain plunger came to be broken, said that she slipped while taking a shower this morning. Fortunately, she was not hurt. But the drain assembly requires replacement. So, we stopped at Lowe’s to get the necessary hardware.

01:00 PM: We all ate lunch near Lowe’s; cheese steak sandwiches for all. Yum.

01:20 PM: We’re home again and all groceries bought on today’s shopping trip have been put away. But since we enjoyed a big lunch at Dominick’s in front of Lowe’s, we’re going to delay the buffalo flavored chicken breasts until tomorrow.

02:00 PM: Reactivated Mom’s cell phone on Verizon’s web site.

02:15 PM: We considered going swimming again today at the Bellwood pool. But as I got a little sunburn yesterday, and since [Emmy] is feeling tired from not enough sleep last night, we decided instead to stay home and nap, and to that nap we go…

04:00 PM: I’m awake again.

06:00 PM: The customer stopped by to pick up laptop, per the Laptop Shuts Off: 2010-07-15 project.

06:45 PM: Rinsed out our 18 quart roaster, and lots of reusable and seal-able single-portion containers. Preparing to make a big batch of beef grain soup tomorrow.

08:50 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR. However, we skipped today’s rerun episode of Dr. Phil.

09:15 PM: Facebooked throughout today. Friend count: 267. Official Facebook page fan count: 44.

10:00 PM: Watched bits and pieces of KDKA TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live on the DVR. But as tired as we both are due to the early rising this morning, the shopping, and the domestic work, we’re foregoing reading any more of the Frankenstein book tonight. Instead, it’s to bed with us. So have a great evening and I’ll add more to this story tomorrow. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Weekly coupon mailer.
Talking Book Topics; the July-August, 2010 issue.
Consumer Reports Magazine; the 2010-07 issue.
Referral from Mom’s PCP for her to see a cardiologist in Pittsburgh in August.
Advertisement for free personal checking from First Commonwealth Bank.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Do all loads of colored laundry. IN PROGRESS.

Log

10:30 AM: I’m up.

12:30 PM: [Emmy] and I walked outside to the benches in the south yard and basked in the intense sunshine. Air temperatures are in the mid 70s but the sun rays are quite warm.

02:15 PM: Heading to the Bellwood swimming pool for an afternoon of hot fun in the summer. Back later.

04:40 PM: We swam and floated around in the water for two hours with a little break for snacks after the first sixty minutes. Great weather, with temperatures in the low 80s and the humidity low as well. The remodeled pool looks nice with a bright blue interior with a row of deep but vibrant blue tiles running around the entire top edge. The shape of the pool remains the same (L shape) and they kept the 12-foot section. However, there are now no diving boards (too much of a liability I suspect). The bath house layout is the same — no doubt still the same building; just the colors of the walls are now blue whereas in the 1970s, they were a pale yellow. No jukebox for tunes. But someone brought a boom box that, surprisingly, could be heard throughout the entire pool area. Not as many trees around for shade, I noticed. But all the grassy areas where I spent hours laying out still accompany that old and familiar, basic layout of the swimming area. Now, we’re leaving for supper.

06:30 PM: We then walked into downtown Bellwood and enjoyed a steak Stromboli at Brothers Pizza.

06:45 PM: Afterwards, we visited Hometown Market and bought some cream cheese for our Jellow dessert we’ve come to love.

07:00 PM: We’re back home and getting showers, to wash the sunscreen from our hair and bodies.

09:00 PM: Watched today’s episodes of The Young and the Restless and Dr. Phil on the DVR.

10:30 PM: Read more of the Frankenstein book.

11:00 PM: Whipped up a batch of lime-flavored cream cheese Jello for tomorrow.

11:35 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM.

11:40 PM: Now, we’re off to bed. [Emmy] had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon here in Altoona to get a second opinion on all the wrist problems she’s been experiencing in both hands. The carpel tunnel operation she had back in 2007 has only provided marginal relief, and that’s even after a rigorous rehabilitation and exercise program. Hopefully, she’ll get better results this time around.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Amtrak train tickets for the trip to Pittsburgh next month to attend the WPSBC Alumni Associatioin’s biennial convention, and to visit some long lost friends.
Promo Only’s Mainstream Radio music series; the 2010-08 edition.
Promo Only’s EADFF music series; the 2010-07-04 issue.
Notice from Mom’s medical insurance company that she’s approaching the “donut hole” gap in her drug coverage. Hopefully, we can make it the rest of the year without spending too deeply into that hole.
Two credit card and / or balance transfer offers. Not at this time, thanks.
Information from Mom’s medical insurance company about their SilverSneakers fitness program. They’re inviting her to participate.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Do all loads of colored laundry.
Fill Mom’s med trays for the next three weeks. DONE.

Log

08:45 AM: I’m up.

10:20 AM: Filled a three-week supply of Mom’s med trays and called in orders for refills for two of her meds. They should be ready for pick-up by tomorrow afternoon.

12:30 PM: Facebooked and iPodded, and am thinking that for some of my favorite songs, I’ll make a post for each one that briefly describes each of the key memories and meanings associated with each song. I’m not sure how many I’ll be able to do because, since music has been a mainstay in my life, there are thousands of songs that mean at least a little of something to me. So I’ll attempt to zero in on the most emotionally poignant pieces to describe. The memories of music represent yet another means for me to get at the key events in my life that, if not for the songs, I’d have surely forgotten long ago.

05:30 PM: Prepared supper. Tonight’s meal: Scrambled eggs, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, seasoned with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.

06:15 PM: After supper, I went with [Emmy] out to the south porch to listen to the locusts, crickets, and birds buzzing, chirping, and singing.

07:20 PM: Just awoke from a small nap, and pretty excited to resume the reading of the Frankenstein book. But [Emmy] does not share my enthusiasm. She frowns at the story; complaining incessantly that, “it’s boring.” But I shouldn’t judge her for this because I felt the same way about it my first time reading it. I’ve tried to impress on [Emmy] however, that the initial exposition is often confusing and boring, but that the second reading can be much more understandable and thus, enjoyable. I’ve found initial boredom to be commonplace when reading classic works of literature the first time. In fact, the boredom may be a necessary part of the process of learning the material. So I tell [Emmy] that if she can just get through these unpleasant beginnings, that a joy of reading is certainly in store for her. But she’s not convinced though; griping that she’s not learning a darn thing from boring prose. Ah well. Hopefully someday, she’ll discover differently.

01:00 AM: Read more of the Frankenstein book; now finished with chapter 11.

01:30 AM: Bed time. More tomorrow. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No deliveries on Sundays.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Do 1 load of white laundry and 1 dishwasher full of dishes, pots, and pans. DONE.

Log

09:50 AM: I’m up.

10:30 AM: Blogged and Facebooked.

12:15 PM: Chatted with [Emmy] about my hopes that reincarnation does not happen. I’d dread having to do all this again; learning about life and being humiliated for that which I do not yet know. I like where I stand now but hated the struggle to get here. So if reincarnation indeed does occur, I hope that next time around, it’s not so hard to reach this plateau as it was during THIS life cycle.

12:40 PM: Took the weekly site backups.

05:20 PM: Watched the 2010-07-07 and 2010-07-08 episodes of Dr. Phil on the DVR.

06:20 PM: Heated up the leftover beef roast and vegetables from yesterday. But [Emmy] is growing bored with roasts. So I suppose I’ll have to cook other foods when she visits.

07:30 PM: We bought some ice cream at Sheetz for dessert. [Emmy] had strawberry cheesecake flavor and I had vanilla.

10:00 PM: Watched Larry King’s Whale Wars interviews with Bob Barker and some folks who take on illegal whalers boat-to-boat and sometimes, face-to-face. Hooray for these heroes for trying so valiantly to save the whales.

11:00 PM: Read the Frankenstein book for an hour with [Emmy].

11:35 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM:

12:15 AM: Read another chapter of the Frankenstein book with [Emmy].

12:30 AM: This day’s over now, and so we’re going to bed. More tomorrow. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Papers for Mom from UPMC Cardiovascular Institute. I think Mom is planning to visit this place to figure out why she’s in heart failure.
Coupons from Weis pharmacy.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.

Log

09:30 AM: I’m up. No swimming today is planned. We’ll likely just stay here at home and perhaps visit the pavilion if the weather’s nice. I also need to weed whack around the yard this evening.

10:00 AM: Read a bit more of the Frankenstein book overnight.

10:30 AM: Put a beef roast, onions, carrots, and vegetables in the crock pot. This should be finished cooking by 6:00 PM.

11:45 AM: Read the Wikipedia article on The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and was surprised that on a percentage-of-votes basis in the house and senate, as broken down by party, the republicans offered stronger support for this bill than did democrats. In fact, some of the staunchest opposition to the proposal came from southern democrats. I should have expected this; given that a hundred years earlier, democrats were willing fight to the death to preserve slavery. Hmmm. So I guess both parties are guilty of oppression at times. Sadly, I’m disillusioned.

02:40 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR. Ronan may not be a crooked cop after all though he appears to have been instrumental in framing Chance. Chance confesses to Cloe to sleeping with Heather, and Patty considers recanting her confession to the murder of Richard Hitower.

04:00 PM: Skipped the 2010-07-12 through 2010-07-23 episodes of Dr. Phil. We’ve seen all of these previously.

05:00 PM: [Emmy] talked with [Jack] on the phone and I conferenced in as well. We discussed camp. So far, none of us has heard from anyone in attendance there at present. So we’ll likely have to wait until [Rom] gets home this coming Tuesday.

05:40 PM: Created audio journal episode: AJE-2010-07-23-17-13.

06:30 PM: Worked the Laptop Shuts Off: 2010-07-15 project. I obtained a different power adapter from sister Christine, and connected it to this laptop. Now, I’ll just let it run for a couple days and see if these intermittent shutoffs recur.

07:00 PM: Sister Jojo, her oldest son, and daughter stopped in to visit. They brought the puppy they kept from the litter they had two months ago for [Emmy] to see. Then, Mom and I went to Sheetz for dessert and to get some spending money from the ATM.

08:00 PM: [Emmy] and I sat on the south porch and enjoyed our Breyers Cookies ‘n’ Cream flavored ice cream. It began melting rapidly in the 92-degree temperatures. But with some struggle, we managed to eat it all before it deformed into a soupy drippy mess.

09:00 PM: Watched the Rick’s List news show on CNN. I’d like to read more of the Book: Frankenstein with [Emmy]. Hopefully she’ll be up for it once she finishes her nap. In the meantime, I’m just blogging and Facebooking here.

11:00 PM: [Emmy] agreed to read two chapters in the Frankenstein book with me.

11:35 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM. Now we’re off to bed. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Lions Clubs International: The Pride of PA Magazine; the 2Q 2010 issue.
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School news magazine for the summer of 2010.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Make train reservation for the WPSBC Alumni Association convention next month. DONE.

Log

07:15 AM: I’m up. No doctors appointments today but I think I just woke up early because it’s so pretty outside and I did get to bed relatively early last night. So, here we go with another day…

08:20 AM: Read a bit more of the Frankenstein book overnight.

10:10 AM: Added 700 words to the Be Yourself section of the How to Attract Women post on the Tom’s Love Quest blog.

11:45 AM: Headed to sister Christine’s for swimming today. Back later.

06:30 PM: Worked the Laptop Shuts Off: 2010-07-15 project.

07:00 PM: We’re home. Wonderful afternoon. The sun was neither too hot nor bright and the temperatures were just right; in the mid eighties. We listened to some 1960s tunes, floated around in the pool, basked in the hot tub, and enjoyed some Papa John’s pizza. I also had a chicken sub from Sheetz. I had to challenge nephew Garrett on his strong support of the death penalty a little, and some comments were made with a disparaging air about immigrants that we had to nip in the bud. That made for a slightly charged atmosphere for a little while. But we all left the gathering just as we entered it this morning, as friends, and I think people definitely learned a thing or two from the conversations. That’s good.

09:00 PM: Watched CNN’s Rick’s List In Prime Time news show. So far, so good. I think Rick will do quite well in prime time; just what the news-seeking audience needs to balance out the opinion-casting of Bill O’Reilly and Fox News. Boy, Fox sure screwed up that Shirley Sherrod thing, didn’t they?

10:00 PM: I must schedule a dentist appointment tomorrow. I’ve got some pain and sensitivity to resolve.

10:15 PM: Facebooked and blogged since we finished viewing Rick’s List. Now, we’re off to watch The Young and the Restless.

11:00 PM: All TV viewing done for today. Bed time now. So check back in here tomorrow for more drivel. Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

TigerDirect catalog.
$10 reward certificate from CJ Banks.
American Express card offer. Not at this time, thanks.
Notice of expenses paid by Mom’s medical insurance company.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Make train reservation for the WPSBC Alumni Association convention next month.

Log

08:15 AM: I’m up. We’re up early because [Emmy] has a podiatrist appointment later this morning to investigate some chronic pain in her arches. We’re thinking that she just needs to wear better shoes. But the doctor will hopefully advise us for sure.

08:20 AM: Read more of the Frankenstein book overnight.

09:30 AM: A computer customer called to say that she’s having problems restoring her QuickBooks backup and wants my help. So I told her I’d get back to her this afternoon, after we get back from [Emmy's] foot appointment.

10:05 AM: Leaving now for [Emmy's] podiatrist appointment. Back later.

11:30 AM: The doctor examined [Emmy] and made the following suggestions to correct her aching arches:

Try insole supports — we bought a pair from him for $20. He says to wear these for just an hour or so each day to start, and then to gradually work this up to where she’s using them full-time.
Buy better shoes. We have been purchasing the cheaper, off-brand varieties for under $30 a pair. Now, we’ll try Nike and Rebok.
Replace primary pair of shoes every six months. She had been wearing hers for over a year.

12:40 PM: Grabbed lunch at Original Italian Pizza in Tyrone, PA. Yum.

12:55 PM: We’re back home again, and taking an after-lunch nap.

01:00 PM: Mixed up a batch of strawberry-flavored cream cheese Jello. My only complaint about these potions is that they take too long to harden. Otherwise, they’re delicious.

01:30 PM: Called the customer with the QuickBooks problem back. Apparently, she figured it out. Nice.

02:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR. Now, I’m heading outside to work in the yard.

08:00 PM: Worked the Lawn Maintenance: 2010 project. Cut the mow-able parts with the lawn tractor.

09:00 PM: Watched Campbell Brown’s last newscast on CNN. Sorry to see her go. She’ll be missed.

11:00 PM: Blogged a bit, made another bowl of sugar-free Jello; this time, cherry, and re read some of the Frankenstein book. [Emmy] listened along with me for this reading, up through letter 2.

11:35 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM. Now, we’re heading to bed. So sweet dreams and sleep well. I’ll continue this story tomorrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Balance transfer offer from a prominent credit card company. Not at this time, thanks.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.

Log

10:30 AM: I’m up.

11:00 AM: Well, I thought I’d get off on a good day with Mom today. But inside of a minute after I got to the kitchen for breakfast, she told me that [Emmy] and I drinking glasses of milk together looked “stupid.” She immediately followed that up with quips about how much bigger my stomach looks today; though my weight has held steady at 175 pounds over the past month. Finally, she was about to take a double dose of her water medication today until I stopped her. I told her Sunday night that I had put the correct doses of this med in her trays for this week. Yet this morning, she took the pills in the tray, plus she was taking a second water pill from the bottle. See, I can’t leave any bottles downstairs because she’ll take them when she’s not supposed to. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhh. This care giving role has become exceedingly difficult at present. Universe, please give me the strength to continue with it.

12:00 PM: Made a big bowl of peacn flavored cream cheese Jello. It should be hard enough to eat this evening.

12:45 PM: Watched today’s episode of Pittsburgh Today Live with [Emmy].

03:55 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR.

05:25 PM: The New York strip steaks were quite tasty but just a hair well-done for my preferences. I’ll have to remember to cook them a minute or so less the next time. Wow, they grilled up a lot faster than the t-bones we’ve been eating of late — over twice as fast.

05:30 PM: Nap time.

06:55 PM: I’m up again. The garbage is out, the dishwasher is going, and all is put away from supper. Next time I purchase a George Foreman grill, I’ll get one that has the removable plates. Seems like these would be much easier to clean.

09:45 PM: Watched the Stacy’s Mom movie with [Emmy].

11:00 PM: Blogged, Facebooked, and iPodded. Facebook friends count is now 259. Fan page fans count is now 41.

11:45 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM, but now we’re going to bed. Good night. More on the morrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Weekly coupon mailer.

July 2010
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