out of control

I sacrificed supper tonight

     No, I did eat eat....the sacrifice was in the cooking.
     We had a couple of steaks and some vegetable kabobs.  I turned the gas grill on high..all three burners.
     My thinking was sear the meat, then lower the temp and let it cook slowly while the veggies cooked.
     I tossed the steaks on, then went to help Jackie with the kabobs.....and that took longer than expected.
     When I got back out, I swear the grill was at 900 and the steaks were blackened around the edges.       Plus, they seemed smaller.
     And there was flame on the bottom of the grill.
     So I pulled the steaks off, turned down the temps, and waited for the grill to cool before I put on the kabobs.
     The kabobs actually turned out ok...except the carrots were a little hard.  But the corn and potatoes were fine.
     The steaks were dry.  And tough.  And black.
     I'm just glad I didn't melt the siding off the house....it was that hot.  I did get a little worried about the fire on the bottom, but nothing blew up so I guess all's well that ends well.
     I did order a new left side shelf for the grill.  Last spring's storm caused my shelf to break and it just looks tacky, so I got a new one.  I'll put it on tomorrow.  That should be an all day project.
     But at least I won't burn anything.

confused, as usual

My computer has flummoxed me tonight

     I sat down to type, and could not get out of Facebook.  The little color wheel just spun and spun.  Got me dizzy keeping up with it.
     I tried escape, escape control, escape control, command.....you get the idea.
     Finally, after 5 minutes, I turned it off.
     When I turned it on, the screen was gray and a box with a question mark popped up.  And stayed.  And stayed.
     I turned if off, waiting, then turned it back on and ...... the box with a question mark appeared again.
     So....do I have a virus?
     Do I need a new computer?
     Do I have some updates I don't know about?
     Only two people can answer my question (hint:  they live close. and are married.) but tomorrow is a busy day.
     Maybe after being off for a while, it will work better?  I know that is not how things work....but I can hope.
     Meanwhile....any suggestions would be helpful.  I did try force quit, but it would not quit.
     It's possessed.  The demons have taken over.
     Funny, 20 years ago that would not have bothered me.  Now it seems the computer and internet are lifelines to the world.  I check ball scores, (Cubs won!  But I don't know about the Cards and Sox.) read the headlines, find out what crazy things were said today in our political world, and even check the weather.
     I can do all that on my pc, but I have not yet.  Because I am doing this.
    Usually my blog is the last thing I do before the hour of bed prep time....but tonight, I still have webs to surf, and stories to read before I go to sleep.
     Sorry, Robert Frost.

let the games begin

I love the Olympics!

     It doesn't matter if it's summer or winter, I love the Games.  I am a little partial to winter, to be honest.
     I think it is amazing that people of all nations, religions, creeds, beliefs, social systems, whatever....come together with the sole purpose of competing.
     No sectarian violence.  No demonstrations.  No protests about who should and who shouldn't compete.
     They live along side each other, eat food with each other, travel with each other.  It truly amazes me, and makes me wonder why the world can't be an Olympic village.
     Early in the parade of athletes, a young man came in, looked around, and tears began rolling down his cheeks.  I can only imagine the sacrifices, work, challenges, that young man had overcome to be in Rio.  He may never win a medal, but he is there.  That counts.
     I thought I knew world geography, but there were nations represented that I had never heard of and others that I had no idea where they were, exactly.
    And the ceremony itself was spectacular, with the dancers, performers, staging, fireworks..... pretty darn neat.
     It's hard to imagine that this is a country teetering on the edge of instability.   A president under impeachment, an economy that has collapsed.  Poverty abounds in the hills outside of town, the lagoon is filled with a mix of human waste and garbage...and billions were spent on hosting the games.
      Hopefully, for the next two weeks we can be focused on the games and not the hatred.
      Who knows:  Maybe even peace will break out as a result of these games.
       And I was impressed by the 54 year old man competing this year.  His is an equestrian event, so maybe that explains how an older guy can go against youngsters.  I hope he wins a gold.
     Now if I could just find a sport that matches my athletic ability.........

Dracula, I presume?

I don't like blood tests!

    Because of cholesterol medications we are on, we have to get our blood checked several times a   year.
    Today was that day.
    This is a pretty normal thing for most people, but for me, it is an experience in fear, anxiety, apprehension, worry, and hunger.
    I can't look.  I have to take off my glasses, turn away, and generally hum.  I don't know why I hum, but I usually do.
    And I always tell the tech drawing the blood that I am nuts.  Years ago, and I mean years, I actually almost fainted and had to lay down.
    I am much better.
    The tech today was one of the best I have had!  I didn't even feel the poke!  It was over before I had a chance to hyperventilate and sweat profusely.
    Jackie is just the opposite...no problem for her.  She is quite comfortable with someone sticking a needle in her arm.
    Me?  I worry about whether the person sanitized their hands after the last bathroom break and if the gloves are still sterile or were used to clean out a toilet.
    Some great author once wrote, "Much Ado About Nothing."
    That's what my test was......nothing.
    The only satisfaction I do get is a cinnamon roll and a vanilla capachinno afterwords.  I know that is not spelled correctly, but it is really storming now and I want to get off the computer.
    Peace out, dudes and dudettes!!

I am starving

We are getting blood tests tomorrow

     That means no food for 12 hours before the test.
     We don't get up early, but I am hopeful that by 8 we can be at the hospital, having needles stuck in our arms and having the blood sucked out as if a giant mosquito was having it's way with us, but without the itch.  Then we can go have breakfast.
     I have been thinking of food since 8......which will be 12 hours.
     I have not had my late night snack, or the couple of bits of chocolate, or the piece of fruit.  Golly, I do eat a lot at night!
     All I can think about is an omelette with hash browns, or a a huge cinnamon roll, or a half pound of bacon, cooked to perfection......
     Morning can't come fast enough.
     I rode my bike today, then took Corki for a walk.  When we walk, I take off her fence collar so she can get out of the yard without being zapped.
     At 9 I let her out and went to finish the dishes.
     At about 9:40, I heard a dog barking out front and it sounded like Corki. Why did it sound like Corki?  Because it was!!
     Not only did I forget I let her out, I didn't put her fence collar on either.  She stayed in the yard...luckily.
     Food deprivation does that to me....clouds my thinking...makes me irrational.....maybe he would be a good president.....maybe indiscriminate use of nuclear weapons is a good idea......makes me sometimes think insane thoughts.
     Dreams will be of a food nature tonight!

it's a sign

I don't have the eyes of a 20 year old

     So sometimes I miss things, or misread them.
     Like the Yahoo story about the cat bringing in the wood.  It was actually a cat hiding in the wood, but I misread the title.  I didn't read the article because it didn't interest me, but that is not the point.
     Words sometimes seemed jumbled to me.
     Whether it's a book, a newspaper, or a sign, sometimes I just mis read it.  I don't know if that is going to be a bigger problem in the future.
     But I do know auto correct is driving me nuts.
     When I use an abbreviation on the phone, it will substitute a word and I don't bother to read what I wrote, so I hit send.
     I told Jackie I was stopping at Petro.  Auto correct changed it to Pedro.  She wondered why I was stopping at Pedro.
     I sent her a text that it took me two hours to get to Johns.  Autocorrect changed it to Johnsons.
     I caught one where I typed tonite and was autocorrected to Toni's.
     And sometimes I can't see the little screens clearly and I end up sending strange messages.
     And hearing?
     I just heard police were investigating an alligator on the city's north side.  Turned out, it was a shooting in an alley.
     Well, I got part right.
     I don't like this aging process at all.

stocking up

I can't pass up a good buy

    I was at a store today and saw tea bags on sale for $2.29.  The box of 100 had an extra 25, so I could have 125 bags. for less than $3.
     So I bought them.
     125 bags is about a four month supply for me.  One bag a day.
     I put the box on the shelf with three other boxes, all bought on sale.
     So, I have a year's supply of tea bags.
     I can't buy anymore..... despite the cost.
     I seem to do that:  buy stuff I don't need when it is on sale.  That's why I have a six month supply of tp and a year supply of paper towels.
     Maybe I should stop buying it and just wait for the prices to rise?
     No, I can't  I have to buy low, just like the stock market mavens say to do.
     Eventually I will have to buy some more shelving units to hold all the stuff.  Maybe they will go on sale soon.
     I'll stock up on them too, just in case.