Tuesday, October 26, 2010

It's Official

It's official......I'm off to the Rally to Restore Sanity on Saturday. It has taken me forever to make a decision as I seem to have relapsed into that old  Aramco indecisiveness!!  I've dithered around for weeks while one plan after another fell through and train tickets went up in price.  Even with all that, I couldn't let it go, so Thursday night I purchased tickets.  There's a group from Sun City going, none of whom I know, but I'm tagging along with them.  We're going up by train, leaving Savannah at 8PM Friday evening.  We arrive at Union Station, perfectly situated for the events, at 7:30AM (11+hours!!).  That gives plenty of time to have breakfast, wander around and get positioned for the rally, which runs from noon until 3PM.  Then there will be more wandering around and dinner, before catching the 7:30PM train back to Savannah, arriving at 6:45AM Sunday morning.  It sounds grueling but if the folks from Sun City can do it, I should be able to keep the pace, too (I'm hoping).

It should be lots of fun even though there have been no announcements as to speakers, entertainment, etc.  Jon Stewart (Rally to Restore Sanity) and Stephen Colbert (Rally to Keep Fear Alive)  should be able to keep it rolling for three hours, though I'm sure there will be others featured.  If I understand it correctly, their TV shows will be from DC this week and there has even been scuttlebutt that President Obama might appear on one of them.  Am hoping they will begin to share plans throughout the week, to add to the excitement. 
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For having no plans at the beginning, the weekend was quite busy.  The concert on Friday  night was excellent and it was nice to have it take place right down the street.  It started at 7:30 (earlier than usual) and ran straight through, without intermission, which I really liked.  They seemed to be noting everyone's zip code so I'm hoping they are using that info to determine whether or not it's worth doing more things out our way, as opposed to having to always drive on island.

On the spur of the moment, I went to the next-to-last day of the Bluffton festival on Saturday....the weather was just too nice to pass it up!!  I hate to keep harping about our weather, but it continues to be beautiful.  Today (Tuesday) we are close to breaking the warmest temperature on this date in history!!  I'm still in shorts and flip-flops.  Anyway, the festival was a totally relaxing way to spend the afternoon - I looked to my heart's content, took photos, ran into a few friends, then settled with a glass of wine and listened to the bands.  Totally civilized!!

On Sunday, I forfeited my morning news shows to go to the Unitarian Church to hear Imam Ali from the mosque in Savannah.  Who knew there was a mosque in Savannah??  I keep tabs on the Unitarians because I know some of them from my Living Liberally group (two of their members started the local chapter) and they always seem to come up with some interesting programs.  Anyway, the Imam did the sermon on "Balanced Communities", which was sensible and thought provoking.  There was a social time after the service and then he stayed for Q&A.    He prefaced it all by inviting questions and assuring everyone that he would not be offended by whatever was asked. He was very personable, knowledgeable and gave thoughtful answers. I didn't get home until almost 1PM, but it was worthwhile and enlightening.

An unexpected, positive side effect of going to the Unitarian service was that I met another lady who is going to the rally on Saturday.  She has since put me in touch with others who are going and I'm now feeling part of the group......I'm on the "official" list.  It seems that there will be about 15 of us and I'm even riding to the train station with a lady who is coming from the island.  So, things are shaping up nicely for the rally.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fall is in the Air

We continue to have absolutely fabulous weather.....cool, crisp mornings that warm to the low 80s as the day goes on.  It's been this way for several weeks and I hate to think of it coming to an end.  So as to take advantage of it all, my neighbor and I went to the opening day of the Bluffton Seafood and Arts Festival.  We took our chairs and sat on the bluff overlooking the May River (by the Church of the Cross) for the Blessing of the Fleet....I was thinking shrimp fleet, but it was the "pleasure" fleet!!  Even so, it was fun and a great thing to do on a beautiful October day. 

Once the blessing was over, we turned our chairs around for a gospel music concert by a very charming and entertaining Kim Polote and her band. From there, we walked down the street to The Dispensary for another concert by the Volunteers, the Army Field Band.  They were also very good and all of it made for a totally relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.



Other than that, I've been a little more productive since my last post, but it's been a slow build!! I've had several bursts of cleaning, with a general tidying up and cleaning all of the drawers in my bathroom - again disposing of some things that date back to Saudi days!!  Next I hope to tackle my closet.

I visited Rita and she seemed to be doing well under the circumstances.  The interesting thing was that she was playing cards with her friend.......with no problem.  There was only one time when she got a little confused but quickly "got it"........but, when she tried to speak, it was either a jumble of words or a real struggle.  The human mind and body are amazing and baffling things!! She was pleased to see me and I'm glad I went, and hope to see her again soon.  

Wednesday I joined Sharon for lunch and also ran into several other people from my synagogue days.  We enjoyed catching up and it was good to see everyone.  Tomorrow night I'm going to the choral society concert, songs of faith........so, it's been a good week for music.

Just heard from Jan, who today went to a rally for her Senator, Patty Murray.  It also featured President Obama, which must have been exciting.  I remember seeing him in Jacksonville before the election, and it was electric.  He does have lots of charisma and, as I said to Jan, I hope he can get everything working in time to be re-elected.  As bad as things have been (and as much as everyone is complaining), it helps me to think of where we would be if he had not been elected.........think McCain/Palin!!


Just for fun.......

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Fighting Inertia!!


 This has been the view from my window for the last few mornings.  It's cooler now and we've had a layer of fog for the last couple of  mornings.  Great sleeping weather!!

Since being home from NC, I've been battling inertia and lethargy, for some reason not being able to focus on very much.  I am liking my new laptop and wasting a lot of time with it.  Believe it or not, I went through 60+ floppy disks (yes, floppy disks - computers no longer have slots for them and some dated back to Aramco days!!).  Photos were removed and all saved to a removable hard drive, a few other items were saved, then all were thrown away.  Then, I did the same with the same number of CD's!!  It is nice to have all photos together in one place and backed up.......and space has been created on the shelves above my desk.  At least something was accomplished while sitting on my butt!!

My walking routine is back in place and the temperature is such that it can be done almost anytime through the day, which is great.  Between the rain and my trip to NC, I didn't do it for almost two weeks and I really missed it.  Am hoping it will begin to generate energy again!!

My friend Rita's husband called several nights ago to let me know that Rita had suffered a stroke.  She has fought lung cancer so valiantly, and now to have this. It's just devastating.  Al said that she has no paralysis but it has affected her speech.  I spoke with her on the phone and her actual speech is fine, it seems to be finding the words that's the problem.  She would start a sentence and sound like herself and all was fine, and then she would hesitate and end by saying something like "I just don't know what to say".   I'm going by for a short visit with her tonight......just to see how she is and if I can help in any way.

Am also going to my Living Liberally group tonight.  The guy who founded the organization 7 years ago in NYC is going to be there, signing his book 538 Ways to Live, Work and Play Liberally.  Haven't been in a while and hope to see some familiar faces.  It should be fun.

Not a lot else to report but hope to get to emails soon.......I own everyone!!


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Reunions and Gadgets

Well, it's been a busy week!! On Friday I drove to NC so that Saturday we could prepare food for the reunion.  So, both were full days.  The reunion was not until 1PM on Sunday so we slept in and had a leisurely morning, which was appreciated.  It seemed that there were fewer people in attendance this year.  Four relatives had died since last year, including two (brothers, Tommy and Warren) my ageThen there were just a lot not there, so it seemed very low key and somewhat of a let down.  Even so, it was good to see folks I don't see otherwise.  One couple stopped by my mother's for a short visit before heading back to Charlotte.  We then went to visit my mother's friend, Ruth, as we had packed a plate of food from the reunion for her. By the time we got home, we were pooped!


Monday was a 9:30AM doctor's appointment for my mother.  She has lost even more weight, now being down to only 114 pounds. While he didn't prescribe anything to stimulate her appetite, he did take blood to check her thyroid and several other things.  She is to go back on the 18th.  If it is caused by her thyroid (or anything else), her appetite should come back naturally if it is treated.  It all seemed logical to me......but since I've been back, she's twice complained of not being able to eat and feeling weak.  So, I've suggested she move the follow-up appointment  forward and discuss it with the doctor.  She does eat a very good breakfast, but after that every meal is accompanied with "I just don't want anything", "Nothing tastes good to me", etc.  I'll bet she says something similar to that 10+ times a day.......doing her best to talk herself out of eating.  So, the doctor is going to have his work cut out for him unless her thyroid is out of balance. 


Gypsy and Mama
Tuesday was another full day.  We went to Southern Pines to have her eye check.  She sometimes has bleeding behind the eye and takes shots directly in the eye!!  The clinic is huge and it was absolutely teaming with people.  It's set up so that one person takes you and does one thing, you sit and wait a while until someone else comes along and does something else.  This continues until you're ready to be seen by the doctor.  We left at 10AM and got back at 5PM, with only one short stop to pick up a prescription.  What a grueling process!! 


By Wednesday, I was ready to head home, being homesick for my kitties.  I got an earlier start than expected and was home by 2:30.  The kitties got their due attention and then I just unpacked the car and dropped everything where ever it landed.......and headed out to look for a computer.  Staples had so few they looked like they might be going out of business, but Best Buy had a great selection.  After checking them all out, I decided on a Toshiba notebook.  They set it up for me and I picked it up this morning.......so you know how the rest of the day has been spent!!  Technology has changed so much since my other one was new.  It didn't seen to be slow until recently when it started having problems, but newer ones really are faster, and lighter, quieter and cooler!!  It is now pretty much set up the way I want it and  didn't take nearly as long to do as I expected.  Yippee!!


Before leaving for NC, I ordered a Tom Tom satellite navigation device.......a refurbished one off the internet for about $75 bucks, since I can't see that I'll really use it a lot.  So, I've been getting it set up and using it for errands, just to see if and how it works.  When Misty was here, she showed me hers and the selling point was that you can call for help (Highway Patrol, emergency services, etc.) if you're stranded on the road.  That seemed like a great safety feature for my trips to NC.  Anyway, everything from the trip is still where I dropped it, but I've had a great time playing with my new gadgets!!  


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Thanks to all who have sent emails lately......I'm way behind but, now that I'm up and running again, I'll be in touch soon.  Don't give up on me!!