Pentimento

Speed Kills The eBay Bid

This story cracked me up. Well, other than the twit was going over 100 mph when the Washington State Patrol stopped him and could have killed someone...

You know your hobbies are way out of control when you have to rush home to place an eBay ad for (possibly) some more Star Wars memorabilia. Now, granted, I have bought and sold some stuff on eBay and rushed to the computer...from the other room...to place a bid or see if my item sold, but how out of control was this guy? My question is, why didn't he just sign up for a swiping service and guarantee himself an easy win?

~~~~~

Auction Swiping 101

What is "swiping" you ask?  Imagine yourself waiting for the last few seconds of an auction, you are the only bidder and sure you will get your coveted item. Ding! Time's up and you are ready to feel all smug while you rush off to PayPal to complete your transaction. But wait! What happened? Someone named slimeysniper has stolen your treasure. But, how can that happen when you were the only bidder? That's how the sniper sites work: in the background with the item number and the amount of seconds to wait already loaded into the criteria for your bid. That is, along with the amount you will bid up to for the item so you can win and swipe it from that poor unsuspecting eBay newb.

AuctionSwiper is just one of many swiper sites you can use. They aren't free though. You might be able to try them for free, but most likely you will have to pay to get good results=win. Just another way for us to cheat and get what we want, right?

Monitors, Flickers and Downy Woodpeckers

This is the longest winter in western Washington that I can remember. We've had more snow than usual, and it seems to be lasting long into the early spring. Usually by now we have some hail storms and warming temperatures. Tonight though, it's suppose to get down in the teens around here. Weirdness.

The feathered friends were hard at all the food today in the back yard. Jim got a glimpse of a downy woodpecker and I was able to get a couple shots of it with the camera.

He also got a picture of a red-shafted flicker at the feeder too. The must have known it was going to be a cold night, so they were stoking up. You can't see it here, but the color under their wings is about the color of the spot on the throat. They use those talons on their feet to cling to trees and eat ants and other bugs. Notice the way it's balancing itself with it's tail?

 

I ordered a new monitor from Dell Outlet about a week ago, and it arrived today. I have to tell you, and I am not doing it as an affiliate or anything, but this is the second refurbished Dell monitor we have purchased and we are very happy with them. When I bought a new computer last year we got a flat 19" panel too, which is what I'm using right now. We have an old Dell computer that is about 9 years old, with a few upgrades to help it last a little longer. It had an old monitor and that's the one that got replaced. It takes up so much less room and is a lot easier on the eyes, that's for sure. How do ya like that junky looking family cat room?

That's about it for Monday (now Tuesday) at the Wilkerson Estate.

An After Christmas Pentimento Update

As you can imagine, first and foremost on my mind is the imminent arrival of our newest granddaughter, Shelby. The doctor told Jenn that he will be at the hospital on the 31st and the 1st if she wants to have the baby then (be induced). Tomorrow is our son's 37th birthday, but he hates his day of birth. Well, he used to, until he got older. When he was little no one was around because it was Christmas vacation. I told him we could start celebrating his birthday in July or something. He declined. His daughter Katrina's birthday is July 19th.

The eye of hurricane Katrina

Speaking of Katrina...First of all, no, she wasn't named for the hurricane because she was born in 2001, long before that nasty storm was even forming. But the fallout is that ever since that hurricane there is nothing in stores with her name on it. She was so thrilled when she opened one of her gifts from us and it was a zippered personalized pencil case with KATRINA right on the side. Score 1 for this grandma!

I think we will always refer to the Christmas of 2008 as the 'stay at home Christmas'. Most of our family and friends that have had snow, or their right minds, stayed home and celebrated by themselves. The exception would be those people who live where there wasn't any snow...like southern CA in the lowlands like our kids. At some point, you just don't try to "push the river", meaning why make the effort if it's (1) dangerous (2) foolhardy, or (3) snowing like it hasn't done in the last 100 years. Yes, I exaggerate.  Our friends Ron and Diana did come over on Christmas Eve, but only because they were without power and we had ours.

I spent part of yesterday writing a new post for iPentimento about Henry Travers of "It's a Wonderful Life" fame. The gist of it is, you just never know what family connections other people have. Sometimes, even someone famous. Go check out Henry Travers: The Rest Of the Story!

How did your Christmas turn out? Good? Did you have safe journeys? Anything good to eat? Did something exciting happen? Inquiring minds want to know! Tell me!!  Please.
 

The Eighth Deadly Sin

This is a true story. The actual names of the culprits have been omitted to cover their shame. They know who they are.

Isn't it fun to go places with friends? A movie or dinner out can be a delightful event. Our story begins with our dinner date with our friends Bill and Melinda. Always frugal, we decided to ride together in one vehicle to the Mexican restaurant in the next town. We drove our car, with Bill and Melinda sitting in the backseat.

Our dinner was enjoyable and being the old geezers that we are, by the time it was over we all were ready to go home and hit the sack for some ZZZ's. So, we all piled back into the car, each of us sitting in our original seating configuration. We were chatting on the way home about various topics like the economy, our kids, etc., when it became apparent that someone had "let one".

We were in a terrible spot, and I suppose the tooter was too. I can imagine the dilemma they went through: "Should I let it loose, or risk blowing up?" Obviously, he or she chose the former. It doesn't take long for an aromatic gift to waft around inside a small vehicle, and unfortunately for me, I have a very sensitive nose.

My first guess was it was my own husband, but this ill wind was more vile than anything he had ever done in the past. What's more, all of us in the car were in a social strait jacket. I mean, what do you do when you know someone has pooted a stinky and no one fesses up? There were no recriminations by either spouse in the backseat, and this was of the SBD category (silent, but deadly) so whoever did it was remaining verbally silent.

It was a cool night, so it wasn't like I could open the car window, and besides, we have air conditioning, so I didn't want my husband berating me for playing "freeze out" with our passengers. There was nothing I could do! No one was going to open a window and take responsibility. This was low. Lower than low, it was disgusting. Whoever it was probably needed to get home ASAP and retire to the restroom.

As soon as Bill and Melinda got out of the car and into their own, my window was down and I was gulping in fresh air by the lungs full. I turned to my husband right away and said bluntly, "Did you fart?" He said, "What??". It was then I knew that his threshold for foul air was higher than mine ever will be. I mean, he makes me smell the food in the refrigerator before he'll eat it. Ugh! His answer to my question absolved him from guilt, which then left us knowing who might have been the guilty parties.

If this had been almost anyone else we knew, we would have just giggled and gagged and opened all the windows. If it ever happens again, to heck with social graces and preserving friendships, I'm going to declare a "Code Brown", or say I'm having a hot flash and that window is comin' down!

Lady, I'm OK - You're Not!

Some people are just jerks (not me, of course). I should have entitled this, "The Witch In the Mail Truck"...

I had a package to go out the other day, and since I hadn't set it up with the post office to pick it up, I had to watch for the mail person's truck to come by. Luckily, we live in a cul de sac and when she drives in, I have enough time to get my outdoor shoes on and trot out to stand at the end of the driveway by the mailbox.

That's what I was doing on Wednesday afternoon when this shocking (to me) event happened. Keep in mind, this was the day after the election, although I am not sure that had anything to do with what happened.

So, to get to the tale...When the mail lady pulled up near me she looked rather glum and said in a rather un-enthused tone, "Hello". Innocent me, I said back, "Gee, don't be so cheery!", but it was said with a smile and meant with no ill intention. This woman looked at me and said, "What do you mean?" Uh oh, I thought, I must have ticked her off somehow. I backpedaled a little bit and told her that she hadn't sounded very happy. Then, she proceeded to tell me "You know, I don't think you've ever said a kind thing to me!". Huh? What? I don't even remember talking to this woman on any other particular occasion, so her statement really caught me off guard.

You know how it is though, you think of the perfect replies about 3 hours later. I mean, I could have said, "Listen honey, you are a government employee and you need a wee bit of an attitude adjustment." Or, I could have come back with some other colorful two word metaphor, but no, I just kept my feelings in check. Postal chick handed me my mail and I made her hold it for another couple seconds while I kept from changing into my Super Witch (spell that any way you want) mode. Truthfully, it hurt my feelings a little bit (I need to work on that sensitivity thingy).

I happened to be outside today when the mail truck pulled up to my driveway. I didn't see who was driving, but I heard the truck stop and the sliding door open. "Oh *hit, she is getting out!" was my first thought. I didn't want to get into it with her. I was relieved to see that it was the substitute driver though, and I took that opportunity to ask her what was going on with the other mail lady the day before. Hey, they work together, they probably know each other's history somewhat.

This lady was very nice, and she did tell me that the other driver did have some problems with being able to deal with the public. No kidding?! Well, at least now I know it wasn't me that really irked her. She is just a grump and I'll have to keep that in mind should I ever have to deal with her again. Trouble is, my memory isn't all that good if it happens again months down the road I may have forgotten the incident and tick her off again. Sheesh! I figured she had voted for McCain and was fired up to take her loss out on someone. You know, I could be right...

"Can't we all just get along?"
 

Visit my other blog too! iPentimento Genealogy Blog

The Good, The Bad, and The Screwed Up

First the good:

The newest grandchild is reported to be a girl!

I am slowly, but surely, getting our two computers to connect and share. It is so hard to teach a new Dell old tricks. Today, I managed to hook up the scanner again to the old computer. Worked fine, and no major glitches. Yay, for once.

Now the Bad:

The summer seems to be flying by and I didn't even plant any flowers this year. I don't think I have ever done that. We had a very, very cool spring, and all the crops and flowers are late. Will we be having a longer summer then, or will the rains arrive in September like they are suppose to do?

I am nervous/happy that my husband is going to retire on August 1st. But I worry about money. Yeah, who doesn't?

The Screwed Up:

We always pay our dentist bills on time and usually in full when we get them. We have a new dentist and they are just getting their practice under control in the office dept. Today, we got a bill for my husband's new crown. The last time we were in there for our cleanings I asked if our previous bill had been submitted to insurance. It had been re-submitted. Fine, ok....

We have been waiting for them to get their act together (the doctors didn't know they had to alert the insurance companies when they had a physical change of address for the practice. So, they showed up as not preferred providers for us, leaving us with the whole bill.) and for them to send us a statement for a couple months now. Today, we finally got a statement and what do I see on it but interest charges! What?! They have been screwing up in submitting claims and I am suppose to pay them extra money because the bill has been languishing in their files for months while they wait for the insurance company to pay up? How can I know what to pay if they don't send me a bill?

I really hate having to call tomorrow and hashing this out, but they are not going to penalize me for their ineptitude! This is what happens when dentists retire and sell their practice...bleah!

The Floods And Other Random Thoughts

Iowa Flooding

I got an email today that made me wonder about this too: With all the flooding over a good part of Iowa, where is all the looting? Why hasn't the mainstream news picked up on this phenomenon? These people are actually helping each other! "We aren't in New Orleans Toto".  My email has been full of pictures and letters from family and friends who live in various parts of Iowa.  None of them have even seen this kind of destruction in their lifetimes. Here is a file of one of the emails with pictures that were sent to me.

Download charles_city_ia_flood_pics_2008.jpg

Computer Woes

It has been a very weird two days for me. We moved our old computer to the new desk and put the new computer together with the new wireless router so both of them could be online. As it turns out, our new computer (yes, it was a refurbished Dell, with a new flat panel monitor) is not working quite right, which made it really hard to set up the old computer so I could still be online. After a day of scratching my head and trying to get back online, I finally figured out what to do late tonight. I just hope I can get the new computer up and running like it should be. Nothing ever goes smoothly, does it? At least not where computers are concerned.

In Perspective

Putting things in perspective: I called an old friend today to see how she was doing and when her husband answered I knew that she must be getting worse. Twenty years ago my friend Deb had an operation for brain cancer. She opted for radiation rather than chemo. Why, I don't know. Anyway, through the years she has been getting progressively worse. Today, when I called I knew she was much worse. She could hardly talk to me, and she dropped the phone three times. I felt so bad for her, and it wouldn't surprise me if she is in the last stages of her life. I don't know that for sure, but I think that is what is happening. That damn radiation treatment is finally going to do her in. In a way, I wish it was over for her. No more suffering if it was. As for putting things in perspective, my life is pretty darn good compared to what she is going through.

 

I Just Wanted To Kill Him

Well, not kill in the literal sense, but I really wanted to scream loudly yesterday during our shopping trip to find a new TV stand. As we all know, unless you are independently wealthy, or the recipient of some priceless antiques (I am neither), most of the furniture you can buy these days for an affordable sum is particle board and bailing wire assembled. Even during the conversation with the lady who was helping us, she lamented that it is unusual to find real wood furniture anymore.

After making our choice of TV stand and getting the Suburban ready for loading, my husband decided that it was imperative that he put the bar across the back of the cargo area and then bungie cord the cabinet to the bar. Mind you, we were not going on the Oregon Trail, and all the streets around here are paved. With the exception of one of those damn speed bumps, it was all pretty smooth wherever we were going to be driving.

As he grunted and groaned and attempted to strap down that already heavy stand, that's when it happened. I had tried to tell him that it was probably not necessary because it "wasn't going anywhere" but he is of the mindset that he knows better than EVERYONE ELSE, so just as I was turning around to warn him that he was leaning on the glass of the door....CRACK! There it went.

I am not a screamer, and because I have fibromyalgia I try to keep my stress level down because it just makes me feel worse. So, I kept quiet until he said to me, "You don't have to act mad", "I'm OK, don't worry about me" followed by "It was just an accident", and I couldn't keep my opinion to myself any longer. I told him the reason I was mad was because he wouldn't listen to me and that we couldn't even get out of the parking lot of the store before he ****ed up what we'd just bought!

This isn't an isolated incident. He is routinely not careful with things. His actions show me that he is more interested in doing something faster than anyone else. His ego is going to be his undoing. Today, I had to order a new piece of glass to go in the door. So, our not-so-inexpensive TV stand just got $10 more expensive, and all because he is ALWAYS RIGHT. Not.

Blind Faith and Stairways to Heaven

As kids, we had the run of our rural neighborhood. Especially in summer, you could find us anywhere our bikes would take us. Other times though, we would explore the woods that were the boundary behind the big field that encircled our house. It was in the field behind our house that I tested my beliefs and faith in a higher being.

Our neighbors were the Watsons, a Catholic family whose children often talked about God and going to heaven by way of a ladder or staircase. I remember standing alone in that field, facing west and contemplating the possibility that such a thing could happen just by having faith that it would.

No doubt, I considered myself a very powerful being (I was actually quite naive) because as I stood there determining whether or not I wanted to envision that stairway to heaven, it occurred to me that if it came down I would cease to be me here on Earth. Keep in mind, I was probably only nine or ten years old at the time. The thing is, I truly believed it could happen. It's too bad that I have lost that blind faith and now I am a 57 year old cynic. Still, I am not ready to go out in the backyard and take a chance.

My Week So Far: Weird

This post has nothing to do with anything in particular, it is just a compilation of the stuff that has been going on in my life, or the lives of people I know. And, it is in no particular order.

Today, I was making out greeting cards and finding it very strange that I was sending sympathy cards to my grandchildren because they just lost their Great Grandmother suddenly last week. The other cards I was making out were to our good friend Robert who is retiring from the Navy on Friday after over 30 years of service to our nation. It might seem weird to some people that kids should be sent sympathy cards, but I firmly believe in acknowledging their grief and helping them through the healing process in any way I can. I guess it all seemed strange to me that the 6 and 7 year olds are getting sent sympathy cards and our friend is getting a retirement card. Life stages know no age I guess.

On Monday we signed our refinance paperwork and now we are just waiting for everything to get recorded, stamped, spindled and mutilated dispersed. We squeaked in and got a 5.5% rate, and for once we might have done something right. The title company lady said that the rates had gone back up again. Whew! We are patiently waiting for all to be final and our cash out to get in the bank so we can go ahead with paying off bills and getting work done on house projects. It's going to be a busy Home Improvement 101 summer.

It's funny how things work out...We were invited to our friend's retirement ceremony, but at the time we chose to not attend and ended up buying a new TV instead. Sounds low, I know, but we plan on visiting our friend and his wife this summer after he is retired and we can really enjoy a few days together. If we had gone to the ceremony then we might not have refi'd and missed a lower interest rate, along with being able to pay off bills so my husband can retire this year. Our son and his family will be at the ceremony (I hope!) to 'represent' us, and we won't get to tour the ship and see another long time family friend, but I guess all things work out the way they should. I liken it to not "pushing the river". 

My husband's uncle is in the early/middle stages of Alzheimer's and even though we live in WA state and he in Illinois, he has caused us some worry in the last month or so. He 'left' his wife and filed for divorce, tried to take money out of his savings in cash but the bank talked him into putting it in an account in his name. His wife does not have power of attorney so she is now having to figure out how to deal with all of this uncertainty. This affects us because this uncle ended up at my father-in-law's house and stayed there until they told him to go home and work things out with his wife. He did, but he had arrived with a pistol in his belongings and he asked his brother to hold on to it for him. When he went home the gun stayed with my father-in-law. Thank goodness. Not everyone in the family has a clear understanding of Alzheimer's symptoms (we do, but only because we sought out the knowledge) and it is hard to convince them that what John tells them is delusions and not real truths. John's wife called tonight to let us know how things are going with him home again, and we are powerless to help out with us being so far away. We just hope he doesn't get violent with her. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the wife has a brain tumor. They are both in their 70's.

My friend in Missouri, whom I have known for 36 years, called this week and she was telling me what a hard time she is having with her anxiety. As she talked to me about feeling so trapped in the house (she can't drive because she had radiation for brain cancer years ago) and since I have Season Affective Disorder, it made me wonder if she might have the same problem. She lives near St. Louis and they have had so much snow that she never sees the sun for much of the time. I can't tell the whole story here, but I suggested she look into getting a light box and she put her husband on the phone so I could explain what it was. Did I mention I am not a physician? I hope she can get some help, but once again, I can't do anything from here.

I don't take these things on voluntarily, they just happen. People feel safe telling me stuff. Why, I don't know cuz I don't have all the answers. Heck, if I did I would solve some of my own problems! I hope you are having a better week than I am.