Rolling Pills

At age 79, every morning I take vitamins and fiber pills–three pills in all with an extra B-complex pill twice a week. When I first get to my computer in the morning, I immediately collect the pills from the different containers and line the pills up to take when I pick up my morning bottle of water. One of the pills is oblong; the other two are round. Can anyone tell me why, at least 50% of the time, the round pills land on their rolling side and take off for parts unknown. It is unbelievable. Certainly the amount of surface on the rolling part of the pill is not as substantial as the surface on the flat side. Nevertheless, almost always one of the two round pills rolls over, sometimes under my keyboard and other times onto the floor, where it finds the darkest corner or farthest distance. It is almost a hide-and-seek game each morning, and the physics of it baffles me. Thank goodness, the five prescription medication pills that I take at lunch time are already in a container and can’t roll off like the morning pills. I don’t mind taking my medicine so long as it is beneficial to my health. However, I regret the frustration that occurs with the “rolling” pills.

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My Five-Day Respite

How many of you have had a summer “respite?” Well, I kn0w–what I’m calling a respite is usually called a vacation. This past week was both vacation and relaxation away from home. We departed on Tuesday via an Air Canada plane and arrived at the Pearson International Airport just three hours later. We had pre-paid for two days of sightseeing in Toronto plus a trip to Niagara Falls on Friday, the last day of our stay in the area. The city tour proved to be most enjoyable although we stayed on more than we hopped off. By the end of the first day, we knew what we wanted to hop off and see more thoroughly the second day such as the CN tower, the Rogers Center where the Blue Jays play baseball, the old and new town halls. We saw the Amsterdam bridge on which the kissing scene in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was filmed. We also took a boat tour of the Toronto islands which are presently flooded and closed for any traffic other than by those who live there. Niagara Falls was, of course, the greatest and most memorable scenic element of the entire trip. The weather was perfect with clear skies and a wonderful breeze. I am definitely a homebody, but occasionally it surely is good to get out and go away for a few days. My partner and my cane/seat allowed me to handle the walking and having a place to sit when I could not walk any farther.

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Quick Showers of Blessing

My partner loves to take prolonged showers. If he can think of any reason during the day to take a second–or third shower, he’s in there and usually for a considerable amount of time. I, on the other hand, am a once-a-day shower taker unless there is an “emergency.” To me, showers are necessary but certainly not essential for a feeling of restoration. They are cleansers only to me. After I have washed all of my “essentials,” I then shampoo my hair after which I’m out of there. I have read that there are some reasons to back up my reluctant showers, studies that show that Americans shower too much and eradicate certain nutrients that keep the body healthy. I don’t know. I just know that I shower, not for pleasure but for cleanliness. I will admit though that I do love an occasional bath, especially in the wintertime when the only heat that warms my bones is water heat. For some reason, a shower doesn’t provide as much warming as soaking in a hot tub of water.

Reader, I will miss blogging on the 15th and 17th, and will return to WordPress on June 19th.

My Neighbor and I Meet

I love my home. I had my home built nearly 30 years ago. There were two major appeals to this property: (1) there were two magnolia trees in the front yard, and  (2) I had an alleyway entrance in the back which would allow me not to park my car on the street. Because of the rear access, I opted to have a car port in the rear instead of a garage in front. When I moved in, there was very little foliage in the rear of the house. However, over the years, bushes and even trees have grown up around the car port exit. Because I back the car out, I back out slowly as the alleyway, though certainly not a major thoroughfare, is utilized by others than myself. Pulling out one morning recently, I slowly entered the alleyway and was pleased to look in the rearview mirror to confirm that there was no traffic coming from the rear. I then began to pull forward toward the exit of the dirt alleyway. Fortunately, I was moving slowly as my neighbor to the west backed out of his car port just ahead of me. Of course, I slammed on brakes and blew my horn as he evidently did not see me and was continuing to back out. Thanks to the quick response of both of us, we did not collide and each exited and headed on to our destinations, a little unnerved, of which you can be certain.

An Evening Out

Dimitris and I don’t normally go to movies but, when the AARP, of which we both are members, advertised a free showing of Sam Elliot in “The Hero,” we “packed our bags” and headed out. Dimitris drove, his first time driving with his new Florida driver’s license and parked, heading out, in the Cobb Luxury Theater’s parking lot. We had never been in this theater so had to be directed to the check-in station where we were cleared to sign up for our seat reservations. We chose back row seats as the theater only held 165 patrons. We had arrived a bit early as the event, according to AARP, had been “oversold” to insure a good crowd. Dimitris “cased the joint,” returning with information that a patron can get popcorn with any topping of his choice, while I sat waiting until we were ready to enter the theater. While the entrance into the auditorium was unimpressive, the reclining seats we found to be attractive and appealing. The movie began right on time without previews of coming attractions, and we were soon watching the aging Sam Elliot giving a reasonable performance. My main problem was with the temperature in the auditorium. I should have worn a long-sleeve shirt. Although I found the language offensive, I was more offended by the casual examples of drug use portrayed as normal and acceptable. We were grateful for an evening out as a gift from AARP, but we were not so impressed with the choice of films.

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In Other Words (revised)

I love words. That’s why I was an English teacher. I stressed vocabulary learning in every class I taught. “The limits of my language are the limits of my world” was one of my favorite axioms I employed in my classes. I emphasized the importance of using words in context rather than memorizing definitions. I also taught that some words are to be spoken while others, such as the words “facetious” and “penurious,” are more commonly found as written words. I remember too encountering words repeatedly without being able to determine their exact meaning, such as the word “ubiquitous.” I saw that word everywhere. What a surprise to learn that was what it meant — everywhere. Some words are difficult to remember, such as the word “funicular,” which I first heard when I was in Norway and rode a funicular up the side of a mountain. I have trouble remembering the word for artistic sculpting with plants such as is done at Disney: “topiary.” That word always escapes me. Then there are the words that I abuse by overuse, such as “really.” I think the abuse of “really” is southern, and I certainly have availed myself of it to the extreme. I have even had to “de-really” my journal. My brother’s favorite repeat word is “again,” which he uses to show contrast. Language is magical, and I love it. I REALLY do.

My Latest Hero

On June 2, 2017, my Greek partner passed his Florida road test. That was a biggie! He drove to the examination center, parked the car, was taken on the road by a certified testing agent, and received his Florida state drivers license on the spot. The agency allowed him to keep his Florida ID as a souvenir. I had prepared spaghetti with turkey meat and mushrooms in order to celebrate this achievement. While the pasta was boiling, I went to my scanner to make a copy of his new license. Instead of getting the usual OK,  my computer flashed a message saying that it did not recognize my HP Officejet Pro 6830 printer. Frustrated, I contacted the Geek Squad, as I have done before as we are Geek Squad members. I was connected right away, asked about the problem, agreed to turn over my computer after leaving my phone number, and was urged to relax the rest of the evening as the tech would call. Indeed, just after dinner, the phone rang. It was Victor from the Geek Squad who told me that he was going to uninstall and reinstall my printer and that he would need for me to unplug the printer from the USB connection and then reconnect it, which I did. The next time the phone rang, Victor told me that the job had been completed and that he had scanned an item for me, which indeed he had. I assured him that he was my newest hero.