Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.  Cat duty involves cleaning the litter boxes, bagging the excess, feeding, and house cleaning cat dirt of all types.

Log

08:15 AM: I’m up.

08:30 AM: Facebooked for perhaps fifteen minutes. Friend count: 625 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

12:30 PM: Balanced all five checking accounts under my management.

01:15 PM Vacuumed the first floor.

02:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

03:00 PM: Requested a disbursement from the    WPSBC Alumni Association’s   investment account.  Their checking account is getting low, and we must assure that we have sufficient funds on hand for the upcoming alumni convention this summer.  The amount I requested should not only stop those low-balance monthly service fees that the bank who hosts our checking account charges us, but should also provide enough liquid capital for all alumni business for 2012 and beyond.

04:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Starving To Death.

06:30 PM: Next long-running project: Phase out all cloth-insulated, two-wire fifteen-amp circuits here at my home; upgrading those still needed to three-wire twenty-amp circuits that employ state-of-the-art insulation.  This house really shows its age when you see its deteriorating original cloth-covered wiring.  I’m working on the first circuit now.  I don’t need a new box yet, as it was last replaced in 1997 with a 200-amp service.  I would however, love a 400-amp service, on MY OWN transformer !

07:30 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   The CBS Evening News.

08:00 PM: Watched tonight’s edition of    NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

10:00 PM: Listened to my iPod while watching tonight’s Florida Republican debate.  I’ll watch this again over the weekend via the DVR; this time, without the iPod, so I can pay full attention.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

12:30 AM: I inadvertently cut out the supply line for the first circuit I’m upgrading before realizing that that wire fed the overhead lights in the kitchen as well as those on the south porch.  See   [Emmy]?   I do indeed make mistakes.  So I spent some time upstairs in the crawlspace, looking for a new place to get power for those lights.  I found one.  I must say that I was surprised to find that clipping the old wires inside an outlet box in the living room, deprived power to lights so far away (in the kitchen).  But 65 years ago, they did not run as many circuits as they do now in houses.  I believe that before our service upgrade in 1997, this place only had six or eight circuits.  Now, we have roughly thirty-four.

12:55 AM: Listened to my iPod and facebooked for a couple hours, and fiddled around a bit more with the wiring upgrade project.

01:05 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.     Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-26

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Wash (1) load of pending laundry for Mom.  DONE.  83 loads done in the washer now.

Log

07:05 AM: I’m up.

11:00 AM: Finished adding all pending current music from Promo Only to my music library.  I now have roughly 1000 songs from 2011.

12:00 PM: Synced all hard drives with the updated music library.  Now, the library occupies 389 GB.

01:00 PM: Listened to some of the new music on my 3rd generation iPod Nano.  Still sounds great.

01:05 PM: Today’s repeater song:  You’re Not My Daddy   by   Eva (Featuring Baby Bash).

03:35 PM: Posted the   Tom’s Views –> Definition: Offensive Dating Double Standard   piece.

05:15 PM: Power outage occurred due to strong thunderstorms in the area.

07:15 PM: Power just came back on.  I spent the off-time journaling and iPodding.

09:25 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless  via the DVR.

09:55 PM: Check out the guitar strings on the Google home page today, in memory of Les Paul. Move the mouse over them, and they play! Neat.

10:00 PM: Losing my mind? Two keys on ring.One for south door, other for east. But I often forget which is which. Is the dull one east or south? Just when I got the pattern, the dull key would not open the right door. It turns out both keys have a shiny side and a dull side. I was just looking at the wrong sides when picking the key to use. Grrrrrrr. I’m not nuts, though perhaps most disagree. 

10:45 PM: 2-hour power failure this afternoon from 5:15 to 7:15 PM. Almost two hours exactly. Lightning bolt knocked it out, and hit close enough that I heard it snap in the air conditioner here in the office, followed a quarter second later by a THUNDEROUS crash.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

12:05 AM: Reviewed the daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count decreased a bit, and now stands at 1294; down from 1300 yesterday.  Well, once I start posting again now that I’ve finished updating my music library, the hit count should resume its upward climb.  Next goal: 1500.

12:10 AM: Bed time.  More tomorrow.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2011-06-09
• Tom’s Views –> Definition: Offensive Dating Double Standard

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

09:30 AM: I’m up. 

10:10 AM: Posted the   Bandwitth Usage: 2011-03   piece.

10:15 AM: Posted the   Weekly Backups: 2011-04-02   piece.

10:50 AM: Talked with Mom’s financial planner, and liquidation of her investment account is now in progress.  We’ll need this money to pay for her ongoing nursing home care. 

11:55 AM: Talked with Mom’s lawyer.  He’s completed the title transfer documents on her house.  However, we’re going to hold off on the actual deed transfer until I gather more information about medical assistance and nursing home care for Mom. 

01:05 PM: Watched the 2011-04-02 and 2011-04-03 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News    broadcast via the DVR.

01:30 PM: Determined that none of my income is taxable for 2010.  Hey, I’m poor, what can I tell you? 

01:50 PM: Balanced Mom’s checking account.

02:35 PM: Posted the   Tom’s Views –> Tough Love For Addicts?   piece. 

06:30 PM: Posted the    Tom’s Views –> The Bonds Of Manifest Destiny   piece.

08:00 PM: Today’s repeater song:  Neutron Dance   by   The Pointer Sisters. 

08:30 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   broadcast via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy]   on the phone.  Experienced several small power failures tonight that endured for perhaps fifteen minutes.  It seemed to be wide-spread as during the outage, I could see no lights from Bellwood. 

12:30 AM: Bed time.  Have a great night and I’ll have more to write tomorrow.  Take care. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• Bandwitth Usage: 2011-03
• Today’s Diet: 2011-04-04
• Tom’s Views –> The Bonds Of Manifest Destiny
• Tom’s Views –> Tough Love For Addicts?
• Weekly Backups: 2011-04-02

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

10:40 AM: I’m up. 

11:00 AM: Finally finished yesterday’s system backups.  The database backups finished during the night. See the details of that backup   here.

01:00 PM: iPodded in the front (Den) room.  The song   Up In A Puff Of Smoke   by   Polly Brown   is today’s repeater song.  This has been a big repeater song for me in the past; I practically wore out the 45 RPM single in 1975.  I still love that tune, nearly 40 years later. I remember my sisters (the twins) liking this song a lot as well, as they’d often set it to play over and over on our Zenith stereo record player.

01:05 PM: Now, I’m listening to the matinee Penguins hockey game with   [Emmy]   on the phone. 

02:00 PM: Sister Jojo stopped by to pick up Mom’s clean laundry and cell phone.  She’s visiting her later today and taking two of her children with her. 

02:30 PM: By the way, that New York Strip steak I had for lunch last Saturday was actually 12 ounces, NOT 16. I know that because today I ate its twin, and THIS time, I weighed it first; 12 Oz. No wonder I got hungry just six hours later last week. Those 4 ounces make all the difference between irksome hunger later today, and satisfied  fullness until tomorrow.

03:47 PM: The Penguins just won against the Panthers, 2 to 1. 

04:00 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

05:00 PM: I’m awake once more.

05:35 PM: Sisters Christine and Diane stopped by to pick up a couple coats for Mom.  Hmmm.  Did I ever tell you about the spelling bee that I lost by spelling the word coat as  COTE?  True story.  If I didn’t, I’m sorry.  But shame kept me quiet for some thirty five years, until now.  I was too embarrassed to mention it before.

05:45 PM: Added the   Homosexuality   category to the   Tom’s Views   blog.

09:00 PM: Watched the CNN special:   Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door  with [Emmy].   Another excellent, balanced CNN presentation.  But I don’t have to be balanced like them.  So, I opposed anyone who denies the Muslim community the right to build mosques where it deems fit.   SPOILER: Did that lawyer for the plaintiff really think the judge would deny the building permits for the mosque, due to his “Islam is NOT a religion” argument?  Yea right. Feeble and desperate I’d say. 

12:10 AM: Reviewed today’s traffic stats on my blogs.  The thirty day unique keyword hit count has risen from 822 up to 823; yet another high record. Skimpy, but appreciated just the same.

02:05 AM: Watched the 2011-03-15 through 2011-03-27 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   broadcast via the DVR.

02:10 AM: Bed time.  Good night.  More tomorrow.  Come back then.  Later.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail on Sundays. 

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2011-03-27
• Weekly Backups: 2011-03-26

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

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

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.
• Process at least ten grocery and other store receipts.  IN PROGRESS.

Log

08:00 AM: I’m up because I must schedule some appointments and rides for Mom first thing this morning.

09:00 AM: Got Mom up and into her easy chair, and dispensed her Morning meds.

09:30 AM: All appointments and rides for Mom scheduled / rescheduled.

10:00 AM: Facebooked a little bit.  Friend count: 338.  Fan count on Facebook page: 81.

10:15 AM: Worked the   Christmas Lighting: 2010   project.  Added more lights to the indoor Christmas tree.

11:00 AM: A reported called from Altoona Mirror, wanting to do a story on our blue Christmas lights here.  Cool!

11:45 AM: Mom’s nurse visited to get some blood.

01:00 PM: Dispensed Mom’s lunch meds.

04:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

04:15 PM: Sister Christine stopped for a visit and we chatted about the cats and their fleas for a bit.  She also said that the family is planning another progressive Christmas dinner this year; our third year in a row doing this.  Unfortunately we won’t be able to get Mom around to the various places this year given the weakened condition of her legs.  But the last stop will be here at Mom’s place.  So she won’t miss out on the entire event.

05:00 PM: I set up a little work bench in the kitchen for the photographer, like the one that I repair our Christmas lights on in the basement.  But this one is minus the mess, clutter, and irrelevant tools. 

06:45 PM: We experienced a couple power outages during the past twenty minutes or so.  Fortunately, they only lasted a few minutes in total, and I was comforted, as I walked down into our basement after the lights went out, to see the warm, orange-blue glow of our natural gas heaters.  They still churned out the heat, even without electricity.  This is good because they’ll keep the house pretty warm without the primary furnace.

07:30 PM: Dispensed Mom’s evening meds.  She’s a bit cold but sleeping nonetheless.

08:00 PM: Upgraded my iPod Touch to iOS 4.2.  No problems discovered so far.

09:15 PM: Facebooked for an hour tonight.  Friend count: 339.

09:20 PM: Today’s repeater song:  Silent Night Medley   by   Hanson.  Excellent, excellent Christmas slow dance tune.

09:30 PM: Sometimes, I feel like I’m mourning Mom even though she’s still with us; like I know I’ll feel once she’s gone.  I’ve watched her health decline over the years, and am quite saddened that there can be only one ultimate outcome from it all — that we’ll eventually lose her.  On that day and during that week, in that month and in at least a years worth of days that follow her departure, I will hurt.  I so want her to enjoy her Christmas, and am thrilled that she’s residing here at home and not in some strange place where I can’t visit her but several times a week.  Thinking of her situation while listening to Christmas music on the radio gives all those old songs a new and highly special meaning.  That music makes feeling happy a little easier though the threat of Mom’s final departure looms larger and larger with each passing year.  Merry Christmas Mom.

11:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   Hawaii Five-0   with   [Emmy]   over the phone.

12:45 AM: Visited with Mom in her sitting room for an hour plus.   We both felt the need to talk and lean on each other; her with her health situation, and me with my romance-related monsters.

01:10 AM: Helped Mom to bed and dispensed her night meds.

01:30 AM: Well, time for bed again.  Man, the days just seem to fly by so fast these days.  So good night and I hope you’ll come back for more prosaic drivel tomorrow.  Take care.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Christmas cards for Mom (3).
• Promo Only’s Urban Radio series; the 2011-01 edition.
• Birthday card for me from my financial planner.
• Misc. bank papers.
• AAA World Points credit card offer.  Not at this time, thanks.

Related Posts

• Christmas Lighting: 2010
• Today’s Diet: 2010-12-13
• Weight Loss: 2010