Friday 😫

👩‍🦳

Home: 129.2, so minus .04.
T.O.P.S.: 130.0, so minus .02. (Not being a mathematician, I don't know how any ounces.)*

👌

It was all downhill from there. It just seemed as if anything that could go wrong, did.
First: I had admired the new jacket that Bobbi, my fellow T.O.P.S. member, had on last week and asked her to buy one for me. (She bought it at Costco, where I'm not a member, and don't want to be.) After the weigh-in and everybody had left, I went home and had breakfast, then tried on the jacket. X@#$@!--the zipper wouldn't zip! I tried and tried and put W-4 on it, but no, it won't zip. Damn!  I didn't want to ask Bobbi to return it, so I'll just keep it, I guess, but it's so annoying.**
Second: I wanted to change my e-mail with CVS Caremark, where I get my medications, via the mail. That's always been so convenient, but I spent 45 minutes on the phone with three different people trying to do this. It's unbelievable that it's so difficult! It put me in a sour mood.***
Third: I got a text about my second COVID test from Thursday; readers may recall that the first one, on Monday, didn't take. This told me the same thing: they weren't able to get a result! Okay, I went for a third time to be tested. This necessitates walking about a half-mile to the bus stop, riding to the transit center, boarding a second bus to Santa Clarita Street, then walking the mile or so to the fairgrounds testing site.****

😒

I had my ground turkey stir-fry and it was delish. Betty called with one of her rinse-and-repeat conversations--or monologues. I got a curious Messenger from Karyn N., with whom I was in the Fractured Actors show in August. (Her fiancé was in it, too.) I'm bemused because she wrote to asked for my address so she could send me an invitation to her wedding "next year." She's about 25 and I barely know her; we weren't in the same segment and we've only exchanged a few words, so at first, I thought it was some kind of hacking scheme. We are, however, Facebook "friends" and I wrote back for her email address and sent her my address that way.  Hey, my policy is "never turn down an invitation," so I'm looking forward to the wedding.

😁

Later, thing improved a tad:
*Just for my info: T.O.P.S. membership number: 4691156.
**I tried again and was able to zip it.
***I finally succeeded, so that's taken care of.
****I did the third test and if that doesn't "take," the hell with it, anyway--I don't need the damn thing.

😜

Bouncing Back

I'm feeling good again. Did some food prep to the extent of chopping five onions and storing them in the fridge and freezer. Then I walked to the Market for blueberries and sweet peppers, so got my three miles in, at least.
As I was walking, Jim called back and we chatted; we also made a date for lunch  (here outside, of course) on Tuesday. I ran into Michelle, who delivered her usual frantic, teeny-bopper complaints about management (she's about fifty, I think). Although she was a pain when we were protesting the utilities bill thing, she actually grows on you after awhile. (I must be getting soft in my old age. I mean, I'd think that if I were old...)
When I got back, I chopped up my peppers and put them in the fridge with the onions. I want to make a turkey stir-fry for dinner tonight and like to have all my ingredients prepared and ready. I also partially cooked, seeded, and cut up a big butternut squash I had gotten at WinCo the other day.
As for the COVID test I took on Monday: I got a text telling me that for some reason--it wasn't specified--it didn't "take," so I should try again. Hmm...I wonder how often that happens; not infrequently, I'll bet.
I had lunch, then started for town, but Suzanne called when I was just outside, asking if I'd come n and listen to her refrigerator. The freezer part is making a rather loud, rhythmic sound and yes, I definitely think that's abnormal. She said Gabe had looked at it, but wasn't sure if it needed to be replaced. Sounds to me as if it's on its last legs.
Went to town and to the fairgrounds for another COVID test. Oddly, all my information was taken and input again--why wouldn't they already have this in their system? Also, this person didn't ask for ID (the last one did), plus this time, I was told to twirl the cotton swab for ten seconds in each nostril; the last one didn't give me that instruction. Anyway, no big deal, assuming this one is valid.
Walked back to Main, so I certainly totaled five miles yesterday, if not more. I had aimed at five every day, but I doubt if I've been reaching it. No prob, though, and I won't obsess over it.
Betty called while I was busing home, telling me what she told me yesterday--and the day before, but oh, that's okay.  She also talked about Jay, her youngest; it was sixteen years ago yesterday since he died. Her older son had told her of the anniversary; she had forgotten it. What a dreadful time that was for our extended family. I'll never forget it, but I'm glad his mother did.

Wednesday

In the long-ago days when I was at Rider, we used to call Wednesday "hump day" because it was in the middle of the work week and we were over the hump.
I should call yesterday "slump day." Boy, was I low. I'm sure it had partly to do with my poor sleep, but the reason I couldn't sleep was because of something I'm beating myself up over even now. I don't want to go into detail, but it has to do with a financial move--nothing major, I hasten to add--that I meant to make and I forgot. It may have cost forty bucks or so and that's not a big deal. I don't even know myself why I kept brooding over it, but I did. In this case, it truly isn't the money, but the fact that I forgot what I meant to do. In light of my siblings' conditions, I can't help but worry. In an effort to lift myself out of it, I washed the throw rugs, then dusted and mopped the hard floors. This actually helped, I guess because it took my mind elsewhere.
I remembered that my son's and daughter-in-law's anniversary is next week. I was going to go buy a card, but found a lovely homemade one I already had (I didn't make it) with a cloth heart on the front and a blank inside. After lunch, I wrote them out a note of congratulations and walked to the post office to mail it.
From there, just on impulse, I got on the 21 bus and rode down Victoria. I stopped in at what I thought was a key place (I want Ellen and Suzanne to have my key), but they make only car keys. At loose ends, I took the bus to Oxnard just to kill time. Rode to the transit center there, then immediately got on the 6 and rode back to Ventura.
I stopped at Von's to get grapes and felt marginally better. I had more of my bean stew, plus roasted carrots, spinach, and avocados for dinner, and enjoyed it.
I felt much better after dinner when El called. She's getting along okay with the tech stuff and the first few days of virtual school went well. Happily, on Monday, she'll divide the class into groups of nine, much easier than all 27 at once. It also helped my mood that I donated $25 to Ventura Food Share. I didn't feel right taking the food, as I have no problem supporting myself.
I called Jim, but he wasn't there. Wrote him an email, which he'll see todat when he's in his office. Okay, things are looking up and I'm back to normal, I'm happy to note.

Tuesday

AAGH, I think I'm losing it! It was on Monday that I lunched with Stella and this one actually chronicles Tuesday.
I called Helen Crawford just to say hello and we had a nice chat. We barely mentioned Betty and I think that's better for now.
I took my little cart and walked to Smart 'N' Final for the day's produce. Went next door to Dollar Tree to get some glass jars to store the seemingly years' worth of beans I now have. Speaking of which: I had put about a pound of pinto beans in the slow cooker before I left and when I got home, I sautéed onions and sweet peppers to add to the beans. 
After lunch, I bused to town. Bought yet another DVD, this the early Matt Damon (one of my favorite actors) and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. I also bought a kind of small Halloween flag--or it's a dish towel--black and white with two skulls on it. (I needed that desperately, of course--everybody should have a Halloween flag.)
I didn't get home until almost 5:00, which was fine by me. The beans were nicely done and, combined with the onions and peppers, were delicious. I also had broccoli and roasted carrots, so another vegetarian meal.
Niece Carolyn called and we talked for a long time. I asked her to give Mary, Betty's companion, my phone number, as we're planning a visit from her and Betty one of these days.
Darn, I didn't sleep well. I awoke at 3:53 (I made the mistake of looking at the time) and couldn't get back. Finally did, and slept until 7:22, late for me. Maybe I'll take a nap later.

The Sheets, The Carbs, And The Dead

Hey, it turned out to be a fun day. After breakfast, I changed the bed and put the sheets in the washer. They were drying when I got a call from Stella. Wonder of wonders, she asked if I wanted to meet for lunch in town.
Now, Stella happens to be a victim of Coronaphobia and since the alarm went out six months ago, has hardly had her mask off.  I've asked her several times if she'd like to meet somewhere, but she always begged off, since CO-VID was lying in wait for her and only her. Naturally, I immediately agreed and we met at the Mexican restaurant next to The Coalition. I never know what to order when I go Mexican, so (along with my Modelo beer, of course), I got a rice and bean burrito. Good grief, talk about carb overkill! I could eat only half and that was probably six thousand calories itself.
Some smaller tables were occupied and the longer one had just one woman there. It was in a nice shady spot, so we asked if we could sit there, too. Yes, indeed, and we fell into conversation. In a nutshell: Phyllis is in her sixties, she lives in Ojai and used to own two coffee houses there, along with another business. She thinks the virus thing is way, way overblown and, as I do, that the cure (closing schools and businesses, isolating people, and so on) will probably prove worse than the disease. She's also--wow!--a committed pacifist (she' s Jehovah's Witness). The three of us talked and talked; I gave her my card and hope she calls me.
After we parted, I told Stella I was going to the Fairgrounds where they were conducting COVID tests. She drove me there, but she didn't go  in; she said she wanted to look into Food Share, which was being run on the other side of the building.
When I got out of the testing site (it was so quick and easy, I could hardly believe it), I walked around and got into Stella's car, waiting at the Food Share line. We were then each given a big box of packaged food, plus fresh spinach and a number of pears. There were lots of bags of dried beans, pasta, and oats, plus canned goods and so on. Now, I often eat beans--they're an excellent source of vegetarian protein--but I couldn't eat that much in a year.
Stella drove me home and helped me carry the food to my front path. I separated out the things I could use, left the rest in the box, and put it in on the chair in the front. I then left for the mall, went to Target for "Cuties" (small tangerines, one of which I eat every morning with breakfast), then  bused back. I called Suzanne to give her the foodstuff I couldn't use and we sat outside for a half hour and chatted. She'll use some of the food and will take the rest to the food-for-the-poor program at her church. So-o-o, a good, active day, and a little different from most.
I had almost forgotten about my puzzle mania--could it have been only a month or so ago?--but yesterday evening, I did one. I've always been fascinated by the Day of the Dead thing--it seems to me both attractive and frightening. I especially like representatives like the following. I don't remember where I took the picture, but I think in the park near the museum in Ventura:

    

Sunday

Sunday, Sunday, what a bum day. Well, that doesn't rhyme, but I don't care.
Actually, it wasn't so bad, although the crossword sucked. I finished that, cleaned up a bit, then took my little cart and walked over the footbridge to the park. Walking there, I got a welcome phone call and plans are afoot--well, I won't say more just now.
I left off two books and borrowed three from the little lending library, then bused to WinCo. Got  spinach, butternut squash, fajitas, and--oh, joy!--two containers of disinfecting wipes. They're not from Clorox, they're WinCo's own brand, but I don't care if they were manufactured in the hottest part of Hades--I got them, finally, and what a joy! I took the bus back to Victoria, but walked from there, so all-in-all, I got in about four miles, maybe more.
Betty called to tell me what a great time she and her family had at Carolyn's on Saturday. I thought to myself, "I wonder if she knows how lucky she is." I'm so thankful to have my younger daughter so close, but I rarely see my other children. Then I was ashamed, because I remembered Betty will  never see one of her children again.
I'm in the middle of the book, Hello, Darkness, My Old Friend, and the premise is fine, the story interesting (young man goes blind at nineteen, thanks to an incompetent ophthalmologist, but excels in life anyway), yet I find it a little draggy. Of course, the guy is not an actual writer, so I'll give him a pass. Here's a short video of Dr. Greenberg's best friend, Art Garfunkel, talking about the campaign to stop blindness (scroll down):

http://www.endblindnessby2020.com/People/Sanford_D_Greenberg/?fbclid=IwAR2VbyKArSbCqrK8_Tn1pT5pJVGv6iWFd-zBVDjQ0QX_Khnbya3Wau9CW78

Greenberg is on the board of Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute and is a friend of my nephew, Patrick. Patrick was recently wooed away by the Cleveland Clinic to it chair of otolar--whatever (head and neck surgery).
After lunch and about 3:30, I was at loose ends again, so I watched more of the Godfather III--yes, n the daytime--maybe one of the most god-awful movies ever. Yet I watched it! Dummy.
My arm continues to itch, although the cold patch helps a lot. If it isn't better soon, I'll call the doctor.

Being A Third-Grader

A busy day and, for me, and enjoyable one. I got to Ellen's about 12:30 and was shown her classroom-at-home. It has turned out very nicely, with colorful pictures and cutouts on the walls, a large desk, and an easel with whiteboard.
Oh, the kitties like it, too. They jump on the desk, play with whatever they can find that's loose, and get behind the blinds to look outside. They're going to have be be banished to another room while El's teaching.
We had lunch first, then turned to the technical stuff. El had me use a Chrome Book, which is what the children have, and she directed from her laptop. I think we were able to solve some problems, but the use of Google Classroom isn't that simple and you'd think it would be. This Corona-dominated era necessitates so many unforeseen problems and extra work, and we haven't seen the bulk of it yet.  I can't even imagine what might come up when young students start actual classes.
Anyway, by the time we finished, it was about 3:30, and we sat outside with Coke, beer, and nibbles. El gave me some of her homegrown peppers and tomatoes (of several varieties), and I'll enjoy them for days. My darling daughter walked me part of the way to the bus stop, then I continued on. I had to wait only a few minutes and got back to the transit center about 6:15. I did have to wait another twenty or so for the number 10, so didn't get home until almost 7:00, but that was okay.
Note: I have an annoying problem on my left forearm: an area that itches terribly and that now seems somewhat swollen and red. It's possible I was bitten by something, but I don't see any entry hold, although there's a bump under the skin.  El recommended putting an ice pack on it when I got home. I did and it has helped considerably.  I'll continue to do so, but if it isn't better by tomorrow, I'll call the doctor.