We have had to stay inside. Rod already has a chronic cough and smoky air does not help. Do not know when we will be able to head to Seattle as we had planned. View of my son's house on 101 two days ago. They could see flames. Luckily it has been contained.
Hmm. In light of the latest issues involving the live-action Mulan, why have I always figured that doing live-action remakes of animated classics was a bad idea?
Just got back from a much needed vacation from the workplace. Spent a couple of days in Long Beach with better air quality than in the Portland/Vancouver area. I am happy to report that our air quality is SOOOO much better after the rains we had this past week.
Every time I see one of those direct-to-patient TV spots for some prescription drug (or occasionally a non-prescription one), and it goes through some long list of side effects and contra-indications, I always think about that old "Wacky Packages" sticker for "Exceedrin," and wonder when beriberi is going to come up in one of those lists. Speaking of which, when the "Berry Berry Kix" breakfast cereal first came out, my first thought was, "Hmm. Does it contain enough vitamin B1 to cure beriberi? Does anybody else here remember all those TV spots for creams that purportedly treated "The Heartbreak of Psoriasis"? Now, every time I see a spot for some (usually prescription) psoriasis treatment, I immediately wonder why nobody has brought back the old catch-phrase. And speaking of skin conditions, why is it that, when discussing a certain rather common one, every MD I've ever heard pronounces it "ex-EEE-ma," but every TV pitchman I've ever heard pronounces it "EGGS-uh-ma"? (As Cole Porter put it, "Let's call the whole thing off.")
To this day; when I have and itch I say, *Oh no, maybe it's eczema, seborrhea or the heart break of psoriasis!!*
We got a real dose of dementia today. We are finally allowed to visit Rod's mom. They have set up a table and chairs outside. Of course we had to mask and stay several feet away from her. (I don't think it was actually 6 feet.) What really hit home was when they brought her out to us; she said she was happy to see us and immediately started her usual questions about why she is there, when can she go home, where is Mitzi (her dog). She was totally unaware that she had not seen us for 6 months. She also does not think she has any memory problems.
I know what you're going through. And I don't have the words to express the depth of my sympathy for you.
We are finally leaving tomorrow for WA. There have been so many setbacks I was wondering if it was every going to happen. Even so, we may end up having to rush home if the son-in-law takes a turn-for-the-worse. I so want to see my grandchildren. Even the surly 17yo says he is looking forward to seeing us. (We had plans to visit in May just before things went cablooee!!
I was just in the local grocery, picking up a turkey-cheddar Lunchable and a shallot. And as I was approaching the checkstands, I heard something on the Muzak that filled me with profound sadness: Top of the World, by The Carpenters. Then again, ever since February 4, 1983, anything by The Carpenters fills me with profound sadness. Oh, Karen, why didn't anybody get you the help you needed?
Oh yes, I was at a friend's house when the news came over the radio. We both just stood there stunned and said in unison, "She is so YOUNG!" My father called me that night crying. She kind of became the unofficial patron saint of Overeater Anonymous (which addresses all eating disorders; not just overeating.) I used to sing Top of the World to my daughter as a lullaby.
It was not that many years after her death that the "general" adult skating class at the long-gone Costa Mesa Ice Chalet did a group ice show number to the Carpenter/Bettis secular version of Ralph Carmichael's "Love Is Surrender." I think I was in it. That was somewhat bittersweet, too, but it surprises me how now, decades later, my reaction to hearing any Carpenters recording has only gotten stronger. They were, by the way, one of relatively few acts from that era that I liked, and one of the few that my mother and I could agree on (I couldn't stand Tom Jones, and I still can't).
"It's not unusual"! YUCK!!! As I said, my mother and father were crying. They spanned many generations. One of the things I loved most, for myself, was; she sang in MY key. There are very few performers I can sing along with on the radio without having to drop or raise and octave along the way. We are in Washington now and having a really good time. Especially considering that we cannot take the grandchildren anywhere. Yesterday the girls broke out the old Wii and once we found fresh batteries all for the remotes; we bowled and played tennis. We are staying at a friend's house while she is away so it is really nice. The kids are all distance learning so it is best if we are not there during the day to distract them from their school work and use up bandwidth.
I'm back!! To chime in on The Carpenters talk I agree that their music does evoke a sense of almost melancholy when I hear certain songs. I remember watching The Karen Carpenter Story as a teenager. It was my first real look into what an eating disorder could do to a person. So talented...such a loss to the music genre too. @iamsally I'm glad that you were finally able to make it to Washington!! It's great that you're able to stay at your friend's place. I hope the kids are doing okay with the distance learning. I have friends that are teachers, and it is a grab bag as to whether or not they want the distance learning. I think most teachers really miss being able to interact with the kids one on one. I spent a few days all by myself in Long Beach this last week thanks to my parents WorldMark ownership. I had a two bedroom suite all to myself because they are only booking at 30% capacity...no complaints there! Steve finally acknowledged the fact that some alone time would do us both a bit of good since the only time we spend apart is when we are at work. Generally I would've had a few trips to McMinnville to visit friends and some time out at Trout Lake, but Covid really threw a wrench in all of that. I was able to make it to McMinnville for an afternoon outside playing board games with Tawnia's family, but it just wasn't the same not being able to stay and really unwind with her. Back to the grind...it's good to be back though.
