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

08:30 AM: I’m up.

08:45 AM: Facebooked for several minutes. Friend count: 623 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

01:00 PM: Red up and organized the area of the basement near windows 2 and 3.  Since I had to unload these shelves a few days back to replace these windows, I took the opportunity to vacuum the floors underneath them (lots of cobwebs and dust), and better organize their contents while reloading these shelves.

02:15 PM: Watched today’s episodes of NBC’s   Meet The Press   and CBS’s   Face The Nation   weekly news-in-depth broadcasts, via the DVR.

03:00 PM: Leaving now with nephew Garrett for sister Christine’s house to watch some playoff football games.  Back later.

06:15 PM: I’m back home.  Decided not to stay for the 2nd game, as they’re predicting some freezing rain for this area tonight, and we did not want to risk running into that while driving over the mountain later tonight.

07:30 PM: Watched last night’s and tonight’s episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

08:30 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of CBS’s   60 Minutes   via the DVR.

10:00 PM: Red up and organized the area of the basement near windows 4, 5, and 6.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:05 PM: I’m stopping the daily reporting of the monthly keyword hit counts for my blogs for now.  The numbers haven’t changed appreciably over the past few month, and I must admit that I’ve not attempted to do anything about that either.  So reporting the same traffic here each night not only wastes space, but my time as well. However, once I resume my efforts with the blogs in ernest, I’ll report those numbers once again; especially if they start to rise consistently.

11:10 PM: I’m heading to bed.  More tomorrow.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail on Sundays.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-22

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

07:50 AM: I’m up.

08:05 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 623 (up one). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

08:10 AM: Lots of snow fell overnight; perhaps 4 to 6 inches.  So, no basement windows replacement project today.  Instead, I’ll probably continue organizing the basement, catch up on some television that I’ve been putting off, and catch up on these blogs as well.  Haven’t journaled in close to a month.  So I definitely owe the audio recorder a session or two to update the journal as well.

09:00 AM: Watched the 2012-01-03 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Smart People, Bad Choices.

09:45 AM: Watched the 2012-01-04 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   CBS This Morning.

10:30 AM: Watched the 2012-01-05 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   B-Wars.

11:15 AM: Watched the 2012-01-06 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Weight Wars.

12:30 PM: Took down and put away the Christmas tree.  Also, checked and repaired any burned-out bulbs in the ten strings of lights that I removed from the tree before stowing it.

01:15 PM: Made a large bowl of pasta and Parmesan cheese for lunch.

02:00 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

04:00 PM: I’m awake again.

04:20 PM: Watched last night’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

05:10 PM: Watched the 2012-01-16 episode of NBC’s   Rock Center   in-depth news show via the DVR.

06:00 PM: Replaced kitchen electrical outlet to the left of stove due to loose-fitting sockets.  Items plugged into this outlet would sometimes fall out. The new outlet is much tighter.

07:15 PM: Replaced one faulty light dimmer in the kitchen for the bank of task lights above the stove.  Hmmm.  That’s the 2nd one I’ve replaced there in the past ten years.  If another fails, I’ll look into taking those lights off of the same circuit as the outlets near the stove.  Voltage spikes from appliances going on and off that are plugged into those outlets may be destroying these dimmers.

07:20 PM: I’m following the primary election returns in South Carolina on CNN throughout tonight.

08:40 PM: Corrected the wiring for and replaced the outlet in Mom’s old sitting room that feeds my treadmill.  A routine check revealed that the hot and neutral wires were reversed. Plus, the old recepticle had lots of old paint on it.  So now, this outlet works better, is safer, and looks nicer as well.  Oh, and it had a ground as well.  Nice.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:10 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is ???, up from 946 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-21

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

06:00 AM: I’m up.

06:20 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 622 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

08:20 AM: Worked on the blogs a bit.

08:30 AM: Going out shopping now with sister Jojo and to visit Mom.  Back later.

09:45 AM: We’re finished shopping at Wal Mart. Now we’re driving to Duncansville to pick up some new eyeglasses I have waiting out there.

10:30 AM: I got my eyeglasses and they fit and look great.  They work quiet well also.  I got three pairs this time.  Two pairs are identical, each with bifocal lenses.  The third pair has no bifocals, and are for distance vision only.  I’ll use these for television viewing so I’m not constantly having to look around the bifocal to clearly see the screen.   Now, we’re going to Denny’s for breakfast.

11:30 AM: We’ve finished breakfast.  I enjoyed a healthy omelet, pancakes, fruit cup, and hot chocolate.  Yum!  Now, we’re heading to Sam’s Club, where Trey is to pick up some new contact lenses.  Now, we’re heading to Dunkin’ Donuts to pick up a couple lemon donuts for Mom and a coffee for me.

11:45 AM: Now, we’re stopping at Subway to get a sandwich for Mom that she requested.

11:50 AM: We’ve just arrived at the nursing home.  Mom was still sleeping.  However, she quickly and fully awoke upon seeing Jojo, Trey, and myself.

01:00 PM: Mom felt quite well today and was in a pretty good mood.  We all enjoyed the visit, including Mom.

01:45 PM: I’m back home, and groceries have been put away.

03:00 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

05:30 PM: I’m awake again.

06:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

07:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil,   called   Cruise Ship Disaster   via the DVR.

10:30 PM: Spent the evening putting back the shelves in front of windows 4, 5, and 6 (the windows I replaced yesterday) back, and organizing their contents.  I also worked on repairing a broken gliding rocking chair down there.  I’ll have to get a drill out tomorrow and some thick screws, to fasten the parts together so they’ll hold together.  This chair keeps falling apart on me.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:10 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 946, up from 941 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-20

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

08:30 AM: I’m up.

08:50 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 622 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

10:35 AM: Wrapped up my numerous audio and video cables that were sort of strewn about in the cellar prior to the basement windows replacement project.  They’re neatly rolled and stacked in the northwest corner of the basement (near the power box and just beneath window #3).

10:45 AM: Leaving now to pay a visit to Mom.  Back later.

11:30 AM: Arrived at Mom’s nursing home.  Mom was sleeping when I got there.  So I busied myself putting away her clean clothes and loading up the laundry bag I brought with me, with her dirty ones.

11:45 AM: The morning nurse came in to dress Mom.  So I’m heading to our favority Mexican restaurant to pick up a cheese steak sub for myself.  Then on the way back, I’ll stop off at Mom’s favorite hot dog shop and buy a hot dog and fries for Mom.

12:30 PM: I’m back at the home.  Getting lunch took a bit more time than usual today, because I had to wait for the cheese steak sub, and then, also, the hot dog shop for Mom’s order.  But it all worked out, as this gave Mom plenty of time to get dressed.

12:50 PM: We at lunch in the first floor lounge.

01:30 PM: While there, we watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless.

02:25 PM: Then, Mom and I went down to the lobby to wait for my van home.  We just chit-chatted until it came.

02:30 PM: I’m leaving for home now.

03:00 PM: I’m home.

04:05 PM: Published a few new posts to my blogs, including this one.

04:10 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

06:00 PM: I’m awake again.

06:30 PM: Steamed some fresh green beans in the wok, which appears to steam them twice as fast as the dedicated steamer I have.  However, one should keep an eye on the water level in the bottom of the wok, as the water boils away rather quickly.

07:15 PM: Watched the 2011-01-17 episode of   Dr. Phil,   called   Teen Trends: Killer Numbers   via the DVR.

08:00 PM: Watched the 2011-01-18 episode of   Dr. Phil,   called   Unusual Syndromes and Fears  via the DVR.

08:20 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

10:00 PM: Unloaded the shelves in front of windows 4, 5, and 6 in the basement, in preps to replace them tomorrow.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:55 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 946, down from 951 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None yet.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-18

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.
• Process (5) loads of pending laundry.  DONE.  Mostly Mom’s clothes, my jeans, and rags from the basement windows replacement project.

Log

08:20 AM: I’m up.

09:15 AM: Facebooked for a bit. Friend count: 622 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

10:25 AM: Put things back on the shelves that I had removed the other day in preps for basement window #3 replacement.  That replacement is now complete and went well.  So I figured I’d reorganize the shelf items before putting them back.

10:30 AM: Leaving now for the Red Cross donor center in the Orchard shopping plaza.  I’m giving blood today.  Back later.

11:00 AM: Arrived at Orchard Plaza.  However, since the Red Cross is not yet open, I’m heading for Eat ‘n’ Park for lunch.

11:45 AM: I’ve finished lunch and have walked over to the Odd Lots store, to shop a bit before my appointment at Red Cross.

12:20 PM: Finished shopping at Odd Lots.  B0ught a few hammers to place around the house in places where I typically use them for minor household repairs.  Also found some cheap diagonal pliers for the same purpose.

12:30 PM: I’m now at Red Cross.  No wait.  They’re not too busy today so they’re taking me right away.

01:10 PM: Blood donation complete.  My blood pressure is still high for my liking (140 / 86).  My next doctors appointment to follow up on this is in March.  Otherwise, all was well.  My hemoglobin count this time was 14.9.  I think I’ll walk back over to Odd Lots for more shopping until my ride home gets here.

02:30 PM: Just left Odd Lots but found nothing I really need this time around.  The van is here as well.  So I’m heading home.

03:00 PM: I’m home.

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

05:15 PM: Spent more time in the basement cleaning up after the first three window replacements.

05:20 PM: Leaving now with brother-in-law Richard for the state store and Lowe’s.  I’m buying the rest of the glass block basement window replacements tonight, along with the required three 50-pound bags of glass block mortar.  Back later.

06:30 PM: First stop: The PA state store.  I’ve decided to relax my alcohol ban slightly, and buy a few bottles to keep around here for when friends visit.  I also wanted to buy Rich a few bottles of American Honey bourbon as payment for his driving me tonight.

07:45 PM: Next, we went to Lowe’s.  We picked up six of the seven windows needed.  The seventh one is a special order item, because it must have a dryer vent built in.  That made it $40 more expensive than the regular glass block windows.  But it’s worth it.

08:00 PM: I’m home.  I showed Richard the three windows I’ve installed already, and he said they look quite good.  He also gave me some tips for how to more easily replace the remaining ones, showed me some advanced techniques for spreading the mortar with a trowel, and how to smooth the mortar over broken brick to make for a smooth-appearing window sill.  Then, Rich went home, saying he had to get to bed early due to the past couple days of extremely early rising for him (4:30 AM).

10:00 PM: I carried the new glass block windows and mortar down to the basement and continued organizing the shelves as well as pondering how best to unload the shelf in front of window #4, which I hope to replace this coming Thursday.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:40 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of    NBC’s Nightly News    broadcast via the DVR.

11:55 PM: Washed, dried, folded, and put away laundry throughout the day.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 951, up from 958 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

01:15 AM: Watched the next four episodes of    Space Academy   via my DVD player, called    Life Begins at 300,   The Cheat,   My Favorite Marcia,    and   Space Hookey.

01:20 AM: 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: 2012-01-17

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

08:45 AM: I’m up.

09:00 AM: Facebooked for perhaps ten minutes.

09:15 AM: Continuing with the basement window replacement / upgrade project.  Today, I’m upgrading window #3, replacing it’s rusted frame and very thin glass with a glass block unit.

02:45 PM: Basement window #3 upgrade complete.  No unusual problems encountered.

03:45 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

04:35 PM: Watched today’s episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Shot, Tortured, and Left to Die.

05:00 PM: Cooked a pot of whole-wheat pasta for supper.

07:25 PM: Watched tonight’s edition of   NBC’s Nightly News   broadcast via the DVR.

08:15 PM: Watched last night’s episode of CBS’s   60 Minutes    weekly news broadcast via the DVR.

10:00 PM: Watched the next four episodes of    Space Academy   via my DVD player, called     The Rocks of Janus, Monkey Business, The Phantom Planet,   and   Planet of Fire.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  We watched tonight’s rerun episode of   Hawaii Five-0.

11:20 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.     Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is ???, up from 936 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-16

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

09:45 AM: I’m up.

10:00 AM: Facebooked for perhaps ten minutes.

02:00 PM: Unloaded the shelves on the basement north wall near the power box, in preparation for the replacement of basement window #3 with glass block.

02:45 PM: Watched today’s episode of NBC’s   Meet The Press   weekly news show via the DVR.

03:10 PM: Watched today’s episode of CBS’s   Face The Nation   weekly news show via the DVR.

04:00 PM: Sister Mary Ann called earlier, and we chatted for nearly an hour about Mom, both past and future New York City trips, and some inconsequential tidbits.

04:45 PM: Watched the 2011-12-14 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Saving Daniella.

05:30 PM: Watched the 2011-12-16 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Grudges, Gripes, and Grievances.

06:15 PM: Watched the 2011-12-19 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Second Chances.

07:05 PM: Watched the 2011-12-21 rerun episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Life in the Fast Lane.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 946, up from 941 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

12:50 AM: Watched the next four episodes of the 1970s children’s sci-fi show   Space Academy,  called   Castaways in Time and Space, Hide and Seek, Countdown,  and   There’s No Place LIke Home.

01:00 AM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.     Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail or shipments delivered on Sundays.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-15

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

07:50 AM: I’m up.

08:05 AM: Facebooked for a bit.

11:00 AM: Watched the 2012-01-12 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Held Captive?

11:50 AM: Watched the 2012-01-13 episode of   Dr. Phil   via the DVR, called   Tarnished Tiaras: Beauty Queens Gone Bad.

03:45 PM: Continued cleaning up and organizing the basement after the upgrade of windows 1 and 2 to glass block units a couple days ago.

04:00 PM: Leaving now for sister Christine’s place.  We’re watching two football playoff games today.  Back later.

06:00 PM: I also took with me my Verizon Wireless network extender, to show them that with it, they can have cell phone service in the valley where currently, they have none.  Once we hooked up this box to their Internet router, they borrowed my Verizon cell phone and walked around in their back yard, making calls and testing the range and sound quality.  They liked it.  However, they all have AT&T cell phones.  This Verizon box does not work with AT&T.  However, AT&T does offer a similar box for their cell phone service, called Micro Cell.  In fact, they were so impressed with my box that they immediately ordered one from AT&T.

10:00 PM: I’m home.

10:30 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of   NBC’s Nightly News   via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].

11:10 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.  Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 942, down from 951 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-14

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

08:00 AM: Lowe’s just called.  They’ll deliver my glass block windows between 10 AM and 12 PM.  So I think I’ll lay here a bit longer before getting up.  After all, I have time.

09:00 AM: I’m up.

09:15 AM: Facebooked for perhaps ten minutes. Friend count: 620 (unchanged). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

04:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of  Dr. Phil,   called   Held Captive.

09:40 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   via the DVR.

10:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of    NBC’s Nightly News    broadcast via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked to   [Emmy].

11:20 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.     Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is ???, up from 958 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None yet.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-12

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

08:45 AM: I’m up.

09:00 AM: Facebooked for perhaps ten minutes. Friend count: 620 (up one). Fan count: 114 (unchanged).

11:10 AM: Leaving now to to shop for glass block window supplies at Lowe’s.  Back later.

01:30 PM: I’ve finished shopping at Lowe’s.  Now I’m waiting out front for my ride, just inside the exit doors.  It’s raining.

02:00 PM: While waiting, friend Wanda happened by and saw me.  She offered me a ride home once she was finished shopping, and invited me to wait in her warm car until she came back out.  Nice lady.  Our family has known her for decades.  In fact, she and I were in the same class when I attended public school in the late 6os.  Hmmm.  If I’d have known I’d run into her, I’d have brought the windows home with us, instead of paying to have them delivered.  Oh well, I’m still saving a boatload of money by installing these glass block windows myself instead of paying a contractor.

03:15 PM: I’m home, and still feeling somewhat wiped out from Momday’s treadmill workout.

04:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of  Dr. Phil,   called   Why Am I Still Single?

06:30 PM: Closely examined the cellar windows to see how best to remove them, so that I can replace three of them.  They’re to be delivered tomorrow.  I removed the bottom portion of the frame of the first window, and also learned how to remove and re-attach the window glass.  Even with the bottom frame removed, you can still put the glass back in the window well.  That will be handy for keeping the cold air out until I’m ready to install the glass blocks.

08:30 PM: Read the table of contents (ten pages) of this new book I bought last week, called Upgrading and Repairing PCs, the 20th Edition, by Scott Mueller.  I haven’t reviewed this information for several years, and this book discusses some technologies that I’ve never studied before.  Yep, it’s time to review as well as expand what I know about computers.

10:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of    NBC’s Nightly News    broadcast via the DVR.

11:00 PM: Talked to   [Emmy].

11:20 PM: I’m heading to bed.  Good night and do stop back tomorrow for more content.     Good night.

12:05 AM: The daily traffic stats from yesterday for my blogs.  The monthly keyword hit count for this run is 958, up from 954 at last check.  The record high for this dimension remains at 1788.  The next goal: 2000.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Offer from Travelers Auto Insurance.  No thanks.
• Offer from First Energy Solutions to make them my electricity supplier.  Not at this time, thanks.

Related Posts and Links

• Today’s Diet: 2012-01-11