Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

08:05 AM: I’m up. 

12:00 PM: Mom saw her eye doctor yesterday. Apparently, that left eye did not clear up as her opthalmologist had hoped. So they’ve scheduled Mom to see her retina specialist, later this week in the Altoona office. They may do the laser surgery at this time.

01:45 PM: Just talked with the social worker at Mom’s nursing home. Mom’s Medicare skilled nursing coverage runs out tonight at midnight. She’ll then switch to private pay as of tomorrow. This means that she will be billed for the full cost of her care (roughly $250 per day), starting on March 2nd, 2011. This is when we’ll start spending down her assets. When what she has left falls below sixteen thousand dollars ($16,000), that’s when we apply for Medical Assistance. That shouldn’t take too long at the home’s over $6000 per month rate.

01:50 PM: Asparagus and Cheerios for lunch.  Yes, you read right, I started off with a half pound of fresh asparagus, margarine, and a bit of garlic salt.  Delicious, but that didn’t fill me all the way up.  That’s when the idea occurred to have a bowl of Cheerios with bananas, raisins, and organic skim milk, a great dessert.  All of this combo may seem odd.  But tongue and tummy now both say  YUM!!!  YUM!!!  YUM!!!

02:25 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR. 

04:00 PM: Watched today’s Dr. Phil episode:  Three’s A Crowd.  I took notes and posted them    here.

05:00 PM: Posted the first parts of the   Dr. Phil Episode: Three’s A Crowd   piece.  Now, it’s nap time.  Back later.

06:30 PM: I’m up again. 

08:00 PM: Finished posting the rest of the   Dr. Phil Episode: Three’s A Crowd   piece. 

08:40 PM: Talking about Pittsburgh PA being designated as among the most rude places in the world:  I’ve ridden in New York cabs back in 1997.  Yep, those cabbies drove pretty fast, with lots of unduly fast starts and stops, and weaving around and through traffic.  I was quite dizzy when I finally reached my destinations, and it took a few minutes to regain my footing.  I saw cab drivers yell at other drivers there.  Didn’t see this in Pittsburgh though I’m sure it happens there from time to time as well.  Still though, since I experienced this in New York and not in Pittsburgh, my “gut feel” is that New York is ruder than Pittsburgh.    But that’s about as scientific basis as my opinion has.  Perhaps I find it so hard to believe this of Pittsburgh because I lived in that city for nearly two decades.  I’ve never lived in New york.  So I’m probably biased in Pittsburgh’s favor. 

11:00 PM: Talked with [Emmy]  on the phone. 

12:00 AM: Spent an hour iPodding.  Today’s repeater song: Shadow Dancing   by   Andy Gibb   from 1978.  This is a great pop disco tune (more pop than disco).  But it’s simple on the lyrics, somewhat gentle on the drums, yet it still makes me want to   get up and boogie.  That’s another great disco song as well by   The Silver Convention.  Andy Gibb died way too young. 

12:15 AM: Reviewed today’s blog traffic stats.  This was another banner day.  Keyword hit count: 376 (up from 313 yesterday).  So I guess I’ll keep posting the Dr. Phil show summaries for a little while to see just how big a piece of that particular pie I can get. 

12:20 AM: I’m going to bed now.  But I’ll be back out here again in less than 16 hours.  Good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Weekly coupon mailer.
• Analog Science Fiction magazine; the 2011-04 issue.
• Coupons from Wolf Furniture.
• Property tax bill.
• Coupon (10% off) from Bed Bath & Beyond.
• New checking account offer from First Commonwealth Bank.  Not at this time, thanks.
• MasterCard credit card offer.  No thanks.
• Notice of non covered medical expenses for Mom.

Related Posts

• Common cold: 2011-02
• Dr. Phil Episode: Three’s A Crowd
• Today’s Diet: 2011-03-01

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Do all (1) pending loads of laundry for Mom.  DONE.   39 loads completed in the new washer now.

Log

09:25 AM: I’m up. 

11:15 AM: Posted an update comment to the   Tom’s Love Quest –> Will BT Write Me?   piece.

11:45 PM: Revised the   Tom’s Love Quest  –> Childhood Foot Fetish   piece.

04:25 PM: Leaving now to Visit Mom.  She talked to sister Christine this morning and said she wasn’t feeling well and that she felt that her UTI has returned.  So we’re heading up to check on her.  Back later.

05:10 PM: Enjoyed my first ever Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s this afternoon. Minty cool it certainly was. Utterly delicious! But at 550 calories per 16 ounce serving, and trans fats weighing in at 1 gram, you’d only want to enjoy this at around St. Patrick’s day time, like NOW. Yum! Enjoy.

05:30 PM: I’m back home from visiting Mom with sister Christine.   Apparently, Mom grew to feel better as the day progressed, so that by the time we arrived nearly an hour ago, she was out of her bed, buzzing around her room in her wheelchair.  We talked with her for perhaps ten minutes, and Mom petted Christine’s dog, which we also brought with us.  These animals always bring a smile to Mom’s face, as anyone who knows Mom already knows I’m sure.  Finally, we wheeled her to the dining room, where her friends were already sitting at her table, waiting for her. I also returned to Mom all her pending laundry.  It’s all up there now, and for the moment at least, it’s all clean.    

05:50 PM: [Emmy]   went to the Console Energy Center this afternoon, hoping to donate a unit of blood.  However, they rejected her due to her iron count being lower than the minimum requirements of a donation.   She seemed to think that this problem might have been solved if she’d only eaten a hearty unch before going.  So I wrote as follows: You won’t solve your low iron problem just by eating lunch before going to the blood drive. You need to eat one of my t-bone or sirloin steaks at least a couple times per week for several weeks, to build your iron levels up to where they need to be, to safely donate blood. Then too, lots of green, leafy vegetables helps also, and I can make those too.

10:35 PM: Thought: I think fate or destiny either simplify or complicate accomplishing one thing over another, and some other achievements fate can make impossible or so easy to achieve that you can easily take them for granted.  But we choose (free will) which goal(s) to pursue, and fate provides valuable input into these free will decisions.  Thus, fate and free will are not dichotomous concepts; they coexist, helping and hindering each other.  IMHO.

11:10 PM: Added a new comment to the  Tom’s Views –> Free Will, Yes, But Determinism Too!   piece. 

12:15 AM: I just love some of these Internet searches that Googlers are running: “who was responsible for the creature’s crimes in the book frankenstein” I say, the creature. “What to do in quest for love” I say, you grope and pray… I mean   hope   and pray, and this one’s my favorite: “the only measure of success is financial gain.” I say, hmmm, must be an Adam Smith throwback student, either that or a gold digger.

01:10 AM: Well, with recycling being the “in thing” these days, why should we spare music, especially when the results of reused riffs can really rock our worlds?  Case in point is today’s repeater song: Tom Jones’ dance hit   Sex Bomb,   which borrows heavily samples from Sister Sledge’s 1981 hit    All American Girls.  Though I enjoyed the Sledge tune, Jones put their music to better use than did they, IMHO. It was   his   mix after all, that finally got me dancing. 

01:25 AM: Tom Jones may have given their music more umph in   his   dance smash, but the ladies in Sister Sledge were the   real   sex bombs in the eighties. Gosh, am I allowed to say that?  This was one of my all-time favorite disco tunes. 

01:48 AM: Can’t you just imagine that big old disco mirror ball casting blips of light all over the floors and walls, the fog machines, and the hundreds of watts of black light that puts a purple sheen on everything and makes fluorescent colors come alive?  Oh, and I can’t forget all the neon and lasers buzzing and zapping around.  Yep, I so love the disco atmosphere.  Yes!

02:00 AM: Perhaps all people do deserve a second chance if they offend a friend enough that the friend decides to end the friendship.  But I suppose it depends on how egregious whatever they did was that destroyed the relationship.  Indeed some transgressions can be quickly forgiven but others take more time, some even a  very   long time.  Still others can never be righted.  It all depends. 

02:20 AM: And so ends another broadcast day here at   Tom’s Diary.  I am accordingly, headed off to bed.  So good night, sweet dreams, and I hope you’ll come back later to read more of my ongoing saga of life.  Take care. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail or other deliveries on Sundays.

Related Posts

• Common cold: 2011-02
• Today’s Diet: 2011-02-27
• Tom’s Love Quest –> Childhood Foot Fetish
• Tom’s Love Quest –> Will BT Write Me?
• Tom’s Views –> Free Will, Yes, But Determinism Too!

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

09:15 AM: I’m up.

10:00 AM: Reviewed some older audio journal entries.  If for nothing else, my audio journal recordings are great pacifiers, because when I’m tired, they put me right to sleep.  

12:30 PM: Finished the weekly system backups of my blog web sites.

01:15 PM: Upgraded all blogs from WordPress 3.0.5 to WordPress 3.1.  So far, no problems observed.

01:20 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

03:10 PM: I’m awake again, grabbed some lunch, started a load through the dishwasher, and prepared a basket of Mom’s clean clothes for sister Mary Ann to take to her later.

03:40 PM: Leaving now to visit Mom with sister Mary Ann.  Back later.

07:40 PM: I’m back home again.  Now listening to the Penguins hockey game with   [Emmy].

09:40 PM: Watched the 2011-02-10, 2011-02-11, and 2011-02-12 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.

09:55 PM: Posted the   Weekly Backups: 2010-02-26   piece.

09:56 PM: The Penguins just beat the Maple Leafs, 6 to 5.

10:25 PM: So what is “figgy pudding” anyhow? Is it just pudding with a lot of figs in it?  Something like that, yes.  it turns out that figgy pudding is in fact, a fig-laden soufle’, and I found a recipe for it on the Internet.  I so love the Internet.  Perhaps this holiday season, I’ll try baking up some.

10:45 PM: So, with St. Patric’s day coming up in just about two weeks, talk on Facebook has turned to the shamrock shakes that McDonald’s serves up every year at this time.  I’m ashamed to admit however, that I’ve never had a shamrock shake, though I’m told that they’re green in color and have a mint flavor.  Hmmm.  Sounds good already.  Perhaps I’ll have sister Jojo run me by there to try one on our next shopping trip.  St. Patrick’s day has always been special for me as my favorite grandfather (Bill Jewell, Mom’s father) was born on St. Patrick’s day, 1905.  He died in 1977 but I still can play back his voice in my mind.  I never forgot how he sounded and how good to me he was.  Happy St. Patrick’s day, Pap.  I miss you.

10:50 PM: Today’s repeater song:   Zoot Suit Riot  by   Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.   Never wore a zoot suit before, and don’t believe I ever saw anyone else wearing one.  But it appears to have been a racially charged symbol, at least in the 1930s and 1940s, when tensions between the white and Mexican populations in California, Arizona, New Mexico et al, were high.  The zoot suit riots were but one more racial conflict here in America, fueled primarily by prejudice, propaganda, and baseless hatred by whites of Mexican Hispanics.  So, come to think of it, perhaps I’ll not wish to don a zoot suit myself.

12:00 AM: Listened to and recorded more episodes in my audio journal.

12:10 AM: Reviewed the daily stats for my sites.  Keyword hit count is up to 281 over the past thirty days.  This is a new high.  So far, we’ve passed the 250, 260, and 275 goals this year.  Next goal: 300.

12:15 AM: Bed time.  More later.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• Common cold: 2011-02
• Today’s Diet: 2011-02-26
• Weekly Backups: 2010-02-26

I discovered   WPEZ FM Radio   (AKA: The Stereo Z) upon return to school at WPSBC, in the fall of 1973.  They filled the void left by the format change of 13-Q FM (WSHH) from top 40 to beautiful music format during that summer.  Though I was devastated to learn of the passing of WKTQ Radio’s FM side back to softer musical fair, my sadness was countermanded by the new WPEZ, which offered a similar format to 13Q, and a much stronger FM signal.  Plus, they broadcast in stereo from the beginning.  13-Q FM was mono. 

Like radio station WKTQ, WPEZ FM 94.5 ran many cash radio contests though they didn’t pay nearly as much per win as did 13-Q.  Yet the winners seemed to get just as excited at their telephone triumphs of $50 or $100 (typical); probably because they got to talk to a live charismatic DJ in addition to winning the money, which the WPEZ DJs tended to be indeed. 

WPEZ radio’s big slogan was “WPEZ plays less commercials,” and during the first year or so, that seemed to be quite true.  They indeed did run very few commercials, and this was a big lure for us kids, who just wanted to hear the big hit music and not a bunch of talk and squawk. 

However, they also played the same songs quite often; highly repetitious.  In late 1973, I think they spun the Steve Miller Band’s hit: The Joker, every fifteen to thirty minutes.  I remember commenting in amazement to [Mentat] about it one fall Friday afternoon as we waited for the bus home.  He said that he’d asked a WPEZ DJ why they played the same stuff so much, and the DJ grumbled that he didn’t like playing songs over and over.  But that’s what the listeners wanted, he told [Mentat].  So they must have also gotten many requests for Grand Funk’s   We’re An American Band, and The Locomotion  singles, along with Led Zeppelin’s classic  Stairway to Heaven, Paul Simon’s Love Me Like A Rock, and the Edgar Winter Group’s Free Ride hits.  They ran these songs into the ground. 

In the morning, Jane Clark read the news two or perhaps three times an hour, opposite of morning drive DJ Striker McGuire.  Originally, McGuire worked the 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM slot but got promoted to the 6:00 to 10:00 AM shift sometime in 1975 if memory serves.  I used to listen to him on my portable GE TV radio just prior to assembly at 8:30 AM, and get a chuckle from his jokes.  One time he said something nasty that I’m sorry I missed.  But for months afterward, WPEZ periodically ran this announcement from their general manager, apologizing for “the comments of Stryker McGuire.”  To this day, I still do not know what he said, and regretfully so. 

DJ Jim Ryan hosted the 6:00 to 10:00 PM spot throughout the mid 1970s.  He was funny in the style of 13-Q’s Jackson Armstrong in that he’d try and see just how much he could get away with saying, and when he’d utter something totally outrageous, he’d play this tape of a bunch of guys going, “Whooooah, whooooooah, whooooooah!” to call even more attention to his borderline risqué’ comments. 

Several of us rode a weekly bus from our home towns in and around Altoona to our school in Pittsburgh.  We’d make this trip every Sunday, and come back home again each Friday.  Most of us carried FM radios on these trips, and WPEZ 94.5 FM was perhaps the last Pittsburgh station to fade out as our east-bound bus topped Cresson mountain on Fridays.  At 50,000 watts effective radiated power, WPEZ had perhaps the “loudest” FM signal in its region and beyond.  I could even get them here at home faintly, if I swiveled the radio antenna the right way. 

However, the local cable company (Warner Cable at the time) also offered an FM radio service during the 1970s through sometime in the early 2000s, and they carried The Stereo Z as well.  Once I learned how to hook this up to my radio, I fooled no more with those telescopic antennas that I was always breaking anyhow.  Cable made those obsolete, and my parents, wishing not to buy me new ones all the time did not help matters either.    

Until I upgraded to cable service in my bedroom though, and after I’d broken the antennas off all the radios I had, I spent many a weekend trying to pull in WPEZ Radio FM clearly in my Bellwood bedroom using other sorts of antennae.  I’d string wires from old extension cords and motor windings all around the ceilings in my room as well as in the hall and up the stairs into the attic.  I even bought an FM dipole antenna from Radio Shack, hoping to get WPEZ  better.  A sympathizing ham radio friend, aware of my struggle to receive “the Z” DX-style, gave me a tube type RF amplifier that functioned between 54 and 98 Mhz.  So, it could amplify WPEZ’s 94.5 Mhz. signal, making it quite strong.  But the darn thing added so much hash and noise to the signal that, though stronger, the reception was no clearer by any means.  Still though, trying to listen to WPEZ at over a hundred miles away taught me much about radio basics and making antennas. I sure wish I would have owned a Beam Box FM antenna.  That might have worked better than the amplifier and strengthened the signal without adding all the noise.

On one warm spring day in 1975, I awoke to find WPEZ’s signal coming in just as strongly as if I was in Pittsburgh hearing it.  For the entire morning, it reverberated wall-to-wall.  Had I finally found an antenna configuration that worked?  Well, I had.  But my antennas weren’t what brought it in on that day.  Indeed, it would be decades before I’d learn of tropospheric ducting (a phenomenon on VHF frequencies that allows broadcast signals to travel much greater distances than is typical for them).  Changing temperatures and air pressures in the atmosphere create the so-called ducts, in which the signals travel quite far, just as water is carried through pipes to distant cities.  Unfortunately, these “air ducts” constantly change position, length, and number.  It turned out that I was lucky to receive WPEZ as long that day as I had.  Just after lunch, their signal began to fade, and by 2:00 PM, had all but completely disappeared.  Learning that my antennas were not all that brought WPEZ from Pittsburgh to Bellwood depressed me for some days, and I had to seek counsel from my electronics teacher to feel better about the whole incident. 

From the fall of 1974 to the fall of 1976, WPEZ FM was my primary source of new music and news while at school.  At the beginning of 10^th grade however, WTAE FM changed into an automated-style top 40 station that for the first several months anyhow, played absolutely no commercials.  This new station on the block (96 KX) captivated me; particularly the no-commercials part, the automation (everything was run by computers), and the KX Call Girl sweetened the KX pot even more.  Then, WPEZ failed to measure up; the same that happened to 13-Q when WPEZ came to town.  Though WPEZ continued for several more years, I tended to listen to them less. 

But WPEZ’s role in my teenage musical evolution was as profound as 13-Q’s had been in pre adolescence.  During seventh and eighth grades, you could have taken the tuning knobs away from all of my radios, and I probably wouldn’t have cared so long as they were all tuned to WPEZ Radio.   They changed format again in the early 1980s and changed their call letters back to what they’d been before the WPEZ hoopla; WWSW FM. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• 13-Q Radio Memories
• Today’s Business: 2011-02-17

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

09:15 AM: I’m now up. 

11:15 AM: Mom had low blood count yesterday and required a transfusion. But she seemed in better spirits when Carmen and I visited her. She’s receiving twice-daily physical therapy, and they pressed her again to have a spinal tap. But she’s still refusing. The attending physician told her that they’d probably not be able to help her recover without the tap. Still, no.

01:00 PM: Wrote a new report for Google Analytics, that allows me to see, for the past thirty days, all the keywords (searches) people have run that subsequently directed them to my blogs.  As of today, 250 keywords drove people to my sites.  I’d like to get this up to 500 by summer. 

02:00 PM: Cooked some Del Monte sloppy Joes for lunch (a great Manwich alternative by the way), made with near fat-free ground turkey.  In spite of that, they still taste just as good as the ones fashioned from ground beef. 

05:20 PM: Stacy’s Mom.   Hmmm. Well, the SONG was much better than the movie.

05:25 PM: Discharge planning has begun. I gave the counselor Mom’s list of long-term care facilities for placement when she called here this afternoon. But I warned her to check with Mom one more time before things are finalized, as Mom may change her mind.

07:30 PM: Watched today’s episodes of   The Young and the Restless   and   The CBS Evening News    on the DVR.

08:10 PM: Cooked   [Emmy]    a scrambled egg on pumpernickel rye sandwich for supper.  I had a bowl of oatmeal with Parmesan cheese and oregano. 

09:45 PM: Posted the   Tom’s Love Quest –>Boyhood Foot Fetish   piece.

10:00 PM: Created the   Foot Fetish   category on the   Tom’s Love Quest   blog.

11:15 PM: Looked over Google’s Analytics web site to better understand the statistics they collect about my sites.  Hopefully, this will help me to better optimize my blogs so that more visitors will come, and more people will find what they’re looking for.

12:05 PM: Heading to bed.  Good night, and see you later.   I hope. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today. 

Related Posts

• Movie: Stacy’s Mom
• Today’s Diet: 2011-02-09
• Tom’s Love Quest –> Boyhood Foot Fetish
• Tom’s Love Quest –> Foot Fetish

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Shovel walks and common pathways.  DONE.

Log

06:00 AM: I’m up.  Today, I hope to file more of that big stack of papers in the downstairs office and perhaps finish all of that by the end of this week.

07:00 AM: Finished my early morning Facebook session.  Friend count: 385 (up 4).  Fan count: 96 (up 1).

09:00 AM: Shoveled all walks around the house.  Looks like three inches of snow has fallen during the past couple days.  But paths here are clear once more.

09:30 AM: Today’s repeater song:  Witch Doctor   by David Seville.  Apparently, it has that same stuck-in-the-head effect for some of my Facebook friends as it does me.  It’s simply a great tune even with the bogus advice it gives.

10:00 AM: Posted the   Internet Shopping: 1996-04-25   piece.

10:10 AM: Posted the   Today’s Business: 1996-04-25   piece.

10:20 AM: Posted the   Today’s Business: 2005-09-09   piece.

10:40 AM: Posted the   Today’s Business: 2005-09-11   piece.

11:30 AM: Filed all but two or three papers in the downstairs office.  I’ll get to them either today or tomorrow.

01:00 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

02:15 PM: I’m back up again.

03:30 PM: Added a comment to the   Tom’s Views –> Drug Testing For Food Stamps    piece that further magnifies my views on the topic of the state cutting welfare recipients off from aid if they test positive for drugs.

05:30 PM: Watched today’s episodes of   Dr. Phil   and   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

08:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episodes of   The CBS Evening News   and   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.

10:15 PM; Talked with   [Emmy]   on the phone.  We were both very tired, at least at the start.  But she became quite energetic by the end of our conversation while I became more “dead”.  Still though, we enjoyed a fun talk as per usual.

11:00 PM: Watched a bit of CNN’s   AC 360   news cast and dozed a little besides.  But I’ve got to get to bed, for real.  So good night and sweet dreams.  I’ll write more on the morrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Gas bill.
• Banking interest tax document.
• Misc. forms and informational sheets from Mom’s investment company.

Related Posts

• Internet Shopping: 1996-04-25
• Today’s Business: 1996-04-25
• Today’s Business: 2005-09-09
• Today’s Business: 2005-09-11
• Today’s Diet: 2011-01-27
• Tom’s Views –> Drug Testing For Food Stamps

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

06:00 AM: I’m up. There’s a large stack of papers (bills, updated insurance documents, recent bank statements, and such) that I plan on filing this morning.  Plus, I’ll add a disc or two more to the Tommy’s Tunes music library to fill in more of the requested music from the   DJ Gig: 2010-12-31   effort, that I did not have at that time.

07:00 AM: Finished my early morning Facebook session.  Friend count: 381.  Fan count: 95.

07:40 AM: Added the   Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam   CD to my DJ music library (15 songs).

08:45 AM: Made several friend suggestions to a couple of my Facebook friends from WPSBC.  Hopefully as a result, they’ll connect with each other.

09:50 AM: On waste and fraud in government: Certainly waste is never desirable. So it should be purged, so long as we don’t get rid of “lean tissue” programs that serve the nation well or would serve it better with some tweaking. Also, one person’s waste is another’s necessity. So we need consensus on what true waste is, before deleting vital expenditures willynilly.

11:30 AM: I’ve been filing papers and bills in the office writing blitzes. 

12:10 PM: Registered Mom’s Visio television we bought last November with the manufacturer.

12:25 PM: Ordered a pack of four HDMI cables on eBay, so I can try out my DVR on Mom’s Visio TV.  I think we can get more HD channels when using the DVR as a set-top tuner than with the TV’s internal tuner.  We’ll see.

12:30 PM: Ordered a free t-shirt from Promo Only music subscriptions.

12:35 PM: Working on the next piece for the   Tom’s Views   blog.

04:45 PM: Posted the   Tom’s Views –> Drug Testing For Food Stamps   piece.

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

10:10 PM: Talked with   [Emmy]   on this decidedly snowy night.  32 degrees currently, cloudy, and lots of wet and heavy snow is weighing down the tree branches, bending them to the ground, like some invisible giant sitting on them would do.

10:30 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.  Lots of coverage on the president’s speech last night, but perhaps even more of Christine Bachman’s overly passionate rebuttal.  She lost most of her credibility when she referred in a derogatory way to the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 as “Obamacare.”  Vitriol!  So I don’t listen to much of what she says these days.  She appears to be just another Sarah Palin wannabe; employing the usual, sensational spin on the facts, larded heavily with exaggerations and gross omissions.  I applaud news outlets like NBC and CNN for holding these folks accountable for the inflammatory rhetoric they spew.  Keep at it guys.

10:45 PM: Well, you guessed it, it’s time for bed.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• DJ Gig: 2010-12-31
• Today’s Diet: 2011-01-26
•  Tom’s Views –> Drug Testing For Food Stamps

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Pay all (6) pending bills.  DONE.

Log

08:00 AM: I’m up.  Less brrrrr this morning.  Temperatures have climbed up to 26 degrees F over the past 24 hours.       

11:35 AM: Registered our new washing machine with the manufacturer.  Had a little trouble locating the serial number.  But a call to thier automated customer experience line quickly instructed me on where to look.  It turned out to be printed on a sticker underneath the lid, between the hinges. 

12:30 PM: Spent my lunch hour talking with   [Emmy]   on the phone.  She received the Christmas gifts I mailed her last Friday, yesterday.  She  loves her new teapot although she has no permanent spot to sit it.  She has little counter space in her apartment.  So any time she goes to use an appliance, she must get it out, and then, when she’s finished with it, put it away again. 

01:40 PM: Paid all six pending bills.

02:00 PM: Balanced the   WPSBC Alumni Association‘s   checking account.  Light duty here, as we had no transactions this month except for a new monthly service charge of $3 for sending us a paper statement.  Gosh, free checking accounts are getting harder and harder to find. 

02:45 PM: Added the   2009-10   edition of Promo Only’s   Dance Radio   music series to my DJ music library (22 songs).

05:45 PM: Watched today’s episodes of   The Young and the Restless   and   Dr. Phil   on the DVR.

06:00 PM:  I have three similar programs in my DJ software, and one of them began crashing after I made what I thought were the  same changes to all three. Yet the other two still work. Hmmm. Time to pull out my UltraCompare program, to diff the files and see which change I flubbed in the crasher. I LOVE IDM Software (UltraEdit, UltraCompare, et al).

07:15 PM: Found this problem with UltraCompare and fixed it with Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2008.  In the crashing program, I had forgotten to copy the block of code that allocates memory for internal purposes.  I added this block, compiled, and tested, and I’m pleased to report that all is well now.  Hale to UltraCompare!

07:20 PM: I’m calling   [Emmy]   to listen to tonight’s Penguins hockey game.  We’ll catch the first two periods of it anyhow but will cut ver to the president’s address sometime during the third.  That’s going to kill   [Emmy]   as she rarely misses any part of a hockey game.  But in this case, what the president has to say is probably more important. 

08:30 PM: Added   Disney Pixar Greatest   collection to my music library (24 non duplicate songs).  Did this to get Randy Newman’s Toy Story movie classic: You Got A Friend in Me. Someone asked for this at the last gig and it surprised me to learn that I did not have it.  But, I do now, as well as 23 other Disney movie and show tunes. 

08:35 PM: Now,  We’re watching the State of the Union presidential address at 9:00 PM as well as the republican and TEA party reactions.

11:00 PM: We’ve seen all three speeches (the president’s, the republican response, and the TEA party’s response).  The republican response was civil and measured, and the TEA party speech was sensational and at times, wildly over the top. 

11:15 PM: Taking the garbage out.  Yep, it’s that time of the week again. 

11:45 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.

11:50 PM: Hmmmm.  I just realized that I’ve not experienced one headache this year, and to this, I attribute my omission of most sources of caffeine from the diet, such as black tea and regular coffee.  In fact, I’ve cut way back on the decaffeinated coffee as well, opting to drink only one or two large cups a week, and cut my chocolate consumption back to one square every two or three days.  Yep, as far as i’m concerned, more than a very small amount of caffeine causes nasty, mood-fouling headaches.

12:10 PM: Bed, I’m coming.  Good night all, good night   [Emmy],   and I’ll have more to write tomorrow.  Until then…

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Cable TV, Internet, and phone bill.
• HSBC credit card offer.  Not at this time, thanks.
• Whole life insurance offer from Mom’s bank.  No thanks.

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2011-01-25

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

07:00 AM: I’m up.  Today I plan to gather up another bag of rubbish in the cellar, and finish figuring out how much Mom owes me.  Yes, that Mom task has been on my to-do list for a few days now, as I still have five or so grocery and appliance receipts to process from last year.

08:40 AM: Started my day by listening to Mike Oldfield’s  Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist movie)  piece.  This is a beautifully orchestrated tune that I would have made today’s repeater song.  But at over 25 minutes long, one couldn’t repeatedly listen to it very many times, and still have enough time to get anything else done in a day.  So, I only listened to it once.  Still though, for those who have the time, this is a great repeater song. 

09:25 AM: Extended and revised the   Tom’s Views –> My New Maytag Bravos Washing Machine   piece.

12:00 PM: Shoveled and swept the sidewalks around here.  Looks like we got an inch or two of fresh snow overnight. 

01:00 PM:  I’ve called my congressmen to oppose repeal of the   Affordable Health Care Act of 2010.   I encourage all of  my friends to do the same because repealing this bill will only prolong the poor state of our health care system, and force tens of millions of people to do without health care because they can’t pay the going rates for health-related services. 

01:15 PM: Tried calling Mom on her cell phone.  No answer.  Darn, she’s hard to get hold of, and the sad thing is that she’s probably right near her phone, either sleeping or unable to reach it in time. 

01:30 PM: Arranged a ride to take me to visit Mom at the nursing facility later this week.  She’ll probably want some different clothes and some spending money.  So I’ll be sure to gather that stuff up presently. 

03:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of    The Young and the Restless   on the DVR and last night’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   news show as well.

04:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil,  in which the  ‘Get Real’ housewives come to his stage and interact with the live audience.  Good episode.  Now, it’s nap time.  Back later.

05:20 PM: I’m awake again and heating up some supper. 

07:00 PM: Added the 2011-01-02 issue of Promo Only’s  Express Audio Digital Audio Format (EADFF) to my music library.  37 new songs in this edition. 

07:45 PM: Sister Christine brought her son Grant’s computer to me to correct a problem she encountered while installing the AVG antivirus software package.  I’ll take a peak at it tomorrow morning. 

09:45 PM: Listened to the Penguins hockey game with [Emmy] over the phone tonight on her Internet radio.  The Pens won this contest with the Redwings, 4 to 1.   

09:50 PM: Added the 2009-07 issue of Promo Only’s Dance Radio music series to my DJ music library.

10:15 PM: Ice storm in progress outside, but I didn’t discover it until I was about half the way down our ramp and the walk surface, without warning, became very slippery.  Then, at the bottom, where the ramp meets the concrete, very smooth and clear ice (black ice) coated the entire sidewalk.  I fell and landed on my side.  My right arm took practically all the impact.  Fortunately, nothing jagged was in my path.  But when temperatures hover at around freezing, I’ll be sure to lead with a bag of salt.  This could have been very serious, but fortunately it was not this time around. 

10:50 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.

10:55 PM: Bed time, with a busy day on the morrow.  So take care, and look for more right back here then.  Good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Yellow Book telephone book.
• Weekly coupon mailer.
• Misc. banking papers.

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2011-01-18
• Tom’s Views –> My New Maytag Bravos Washing Machine
• Tom’s Views –> Tubular Bells 2003 By Mike Oldfield

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Grocery shop.  DONE.

Log

07:00 AM: I’m up.  Today, I plan to grocery shop, continue clearing off more of the older TV shows on the DVR,, and continue working on figuring out how much Mom owes me.

08:00 AM: Leaving now for the weekly   shopping trip   with sister Jojo.  Back later. 

10:10 AM: We’re back from the   shopping trip   and groceries have been put away. 

10:50 AM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2011-01-14   piece.

11:05 AM: Added more information to the   Shopping Trip: 2010-12-17   piece.

11:20 AM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-10-01   piece.

11:50 AM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2011-01-02   piece.

12:05 PM: Added more information to the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-19   piece.

12:40 PM: Watched the 2011-01-04, 2011-01-05, and 2011-01-06 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR throughout the morning. 

12:53 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-10-29   piece.

01:00 PM: Added more information to the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-21   piece.

01:13 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-09-25    piece.

01:27 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip 1: 2010-11-24   piece.

01:47 PM: Added more information to the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-12   piece.

02:20 PM: Sister Mary Ann called, wanting updates on Mom and sister Jojo.  We chatted for twenty minutes or so.

02:45 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-17   piece.

03:49 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-29   piece.

04:10 PM: Posted the   Shopping Trip: 2010-12-14   piece.

04:20 PM: Added more information to the   Shopping Trip: 2010-11-19   piece.

05:00 PM: I especially like Celestial Seasonings Mint Magic tea served in a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee mug. Makes it taste better. It really does.

06:45 PM: Spent the past couple hours iPodding.  Didn’t think that I listened that long.  But I started with a nearly dead iPod Touch, and so, plugged it in.  When I finished iPodding, the battery had fully charged.  Hmmm.  It sure didn’t seem like two and a half hours.  I must really love my music. 

07:35 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

07:55 PM: Watched the segment on today’s  The Talk  episode that featured soap star   Eric Braeden.  He plays Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.  He appeared very thoughtful and measured; quite the wise and older man. 

08:55 PM: Gathered up two more bags of refuse in the cellar; much of that was my old electronics paraphernalia — parts, specialized hardware, tubes, dried out capacitors, inductors, and so on.  I’ll likely never use this stuff again.  But still, it’s hard to say goodbye to it.  However, it’s necessary if I’m to successfully “downsize” my life, and get leaner and meaner. 

10:15 PM: Talked with   [Emmy]   on the phone.  We kept each other company tonight.

10:30 PM: Headed for bed.  Good night and I’ll say more tomorrow. 

03:00 AM: Woke up prematurely.  So I’ll blog a bit.

03:50 AM: Posted the   Tom’s Views –> My New Maytag Bravos Washing Machine   piece.

04:45 AM: Going back to bed to finish this night’s sleep allotment.  Good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Offer from our gas company for a water heater repair insurance.   I may do this in a few years.  But we just had ours replaced last summer.  So I think I’ll wait a while. 

Related Posts

• Shopping Trip: 2010-09-25
• Shopping Trip: 2010-10-01
• Shopping Trip: 2010-10-29
• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-12
• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-17
• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-19
• Shopping Trip: 2010-11-29
• Shopping Trip: 2010-12-14
• Shopping Trip: 2010-12-17 
• Shopping Trip: 2011-01-02
• Shopping Trip: 2011-01-14
• Shopping Trip 1: 2010-11-24
• Today’s Diet: 2011-01-14
• Tom’s Views –> My New Maytag Bravos Washing Machine