Sunday, June 1, 2008
Correction
But..speaking of Sunday...
...actually this goes back even further, to Saturday afternoon. I lay down for a short nap and as I was lying there I felt a tiny bit of tightness in my chest. This worried me a wee tad because, as regular readers know, I have a pacemaker in my chest. But the thought that went through my head was this:
My buddy Steve, who has season tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks games, had invited me down to take in a game this afternoon (Sunday). So as I was lying there contemplating the tightness in my chest Saturday I wondered idly if I suddenly "ceased to exist" (to quote the Monty Python dead parrot sketch), would SWMBO call Steve and tell him I wouldn't be able to make the game.
I then further thought that if she had neglected to do so and the time reached, say 12:15 p.m. today (Sunday) when I was due to to meet Steve at his house and I wasn't there, would Steve call and ask SWMBO "Where's ***** (Catalyst)?" And would she then respond, "He can't make it. He's dead."
Well, I told Steve all of this today when I did get to his house on time to go to the game. He said if the latter case had happened, he probably would have told SWMBO that he still had the ticket and could she make it to Phoenix and go to the game with him.
Y'know, that's what friends are for.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Sunday evening
Whiskey and water.
Smell of grilled meat.
Diamondbacks win.
SWMBO clipping rose hips.
Smoke hanging out.
A trip to the (new) neighbor.
Her neighbor out grilling steaks on a barbecue grill.
Stop for a quick visit.
He's bare from the waist up, except for numerous tattoos. But he's a gentle man, in spite of his unmufflered car, truck and motorcycle.
A talk with the new neighbor about her love of cats, including Smoke (she already knew his name.)
Later, after TV dinners, a wonderful strawberry shortcake.
Nice evening.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Car Sale
Monday, May 26, 2008
Accidental Scott
Though we've been married for 37 years, it's not our first rodeo.
I was married before and so was SWMBO.
And we both have sons named Scott! Curiously, I guess, my kids have never met her kids. And none of them are kids anymore.
This story is about SWMBO's Scott.
In this picture of him in California a year or two ago, I think of him as "Indiana Scott." Which is fitting, not just because of the hat, but because he actually lives in Indiana, where he grew up.
We had a telephone call from him about a week ago in which he told his mother "I thought I'd better call you before you find this out from somebody else."
Uh-oh.
Scott is a contractor and a remodeler and a damned good one at that. But he has a tendency to be a little stubborn. When a refrigerator was delivered to a construction site, he asked the delivery man with some help moving it into the house.
"Not my job", said the delivery man.
So Scott . . . being Scott . . . said "All right, I'll do it myself!"
Well . . . that didn't work out so well. The fridge fell over onto Scott, breaking two bones in his left leg.
He told his Mom that he had broken one of his own rules. He had employees on site who could have and would have helped him but his orneriness took over.
So, he had surgery and his left leg is now full of screws and staples and he's trying to be patient. That is not a good trait of his: patience.
But he has a sense of humor. Some years ago, some friends of his gave him a lift somewhere and as he got out of the car, he got hit by another car and broke two bones in his right leg.
As he told his Mom, "Now I've got a matched pair!"
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Weddings, anyone?
After all, who doesn't dream of being married surrounded by roses. Just step into my bower, dear hearts, and I shall be happy to commit you to a life of (a. happiness, b. misery == pick one).
And, after the rain, a carpet of rose petals.Sometimes, my brain just stuns me.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Me and the Times
So, I've decided to bare my soul and tell you of my problems with the Newspaper of Record, the New York Times.
For months, maybe years, now I've been taking the Sunday Times delivered to my driveway. Since I live in Lower Butf--k, Arizona, I find this amazing at best. Every Sunday morning, I open my door and there lies the Times in my driveway. Except some Sunday mornings when the delivery guy has had a meth overdose or something and my paper didn't arrive. Or some mornings when it's been lying in the rain or snow for long enough to soak it through. (Note: you can't dry it out in the microwave.)
For this great convenience (mainly for SWMBO who gets through the whole paper in one day while it takes me two, three, four or more days) I pay the New Yorkers 26 bucks a month.
Until this month. I noticed a payment deducted from my bank account on May 6th for $52. Well!!! I called the Times (very convenient: 1-800-NYTIMES) and was told I had been double-billed because I had not paid anything in April. I checked. Yes, I had. My bank account had been debited for $26 on April 8th. I told the guy on the phone about it and he said they had no record of it. I faxed them the proof. (This was on about my third conversation with a third person - - you never get the same guy or gal twice.)
Everyone I talked to said the same thing: we have no record of it but the billing department has opened an investigation and we'll get back to you. I finally asked them to tell the billing department to call me. They never did.
Somebody once told me: go to the top.So last night, I e-mailed the Publisher (Arthur Sulzberger Jr.) and the President and General Manager (Scott H. Heekin-Canedy), told them the whole story and asked for their prompt attention.
This morning at 8:15 I received a call from someone who said her name was Tanya, who sounded cooperative, or perhaps cowed, who asked me to fax all the bank proofs of my various payments (which now are $78 more than I owe) and she would definitely take care of it. She gave me her private, direct telephone number. She was very sympathetic.
Of course, this is Friday. The beginning of the Memorial Day weekend. I am hoping that maybe, just maybe, by next Tuesday I will hear something back. If not, maybe Mr. Sulzberger and Mr. Heekin-Canedy (what kind of a name is that?) will receive yet another e-mail from me.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Grillin' 'n' Chillin'
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Progress(?)
But I haven't seen a single comment about the ugly hillside drivers are confronted with as they enter Prescott from the east. As graders and bulldozers have carved away at another hillside to make way for the long awaited highway intersection improvements, they have draped the top of the remaining dirt with some strange type of netting. This has offered (from my car) the rather odd two-toned view as one enters the town. Certainly distracting and definitely not a pretty entrance to the city.
Where are the letters? Or have their authors just given up?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
More flowers - more snow!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Through the lens, blurrily!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Chalupas!!!
And as we left the stadium, every attendee was given a small paper coupon like this:
To those of you not familiar with that delicacy, it is a Chalupa. Every time the Diamondbacks score 8 or more runs in a home game, everyone in the stadium gets a coupon for a free Chalupa at any Taco Bell in the state.
I am happy to say that I have claimed several of these coupons on the occasion of games I have attended. The Chalupas are good and they usually represent a Diamondbacks victory.
Our team is now 21 and 9 for the year with the best record in the Major Leagues by nearly 100 points. Brandon Webb, who got the win today, is the top pitcher in the game with a 7 and 0 start. If you want to read more about the game and today's star - Augie Ojeda - go here.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Slouching into May Day
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Out come the plants!
She was out for 3 hours before we were aware of it this morning, planting, bringing big plants out of their winter quarters in her sun porch, watering. By the time I noticed it, she was back in her recliner, panting. So, what has she done? Well . . .
Friday, April 25, 2008
A new day - a new year
Yum!
Then I had a New York strip steak and a baked potato.
The Normster and the gals all were more sensible - they had fish.
Oh, and as I told Mike over at his blog, I decided to pay tribute to him. I had several of these:
So, in all seriousness, I say congratulations, Mike. Eventually you will not miss either of these bad habits and you'll feel a heck of a lot better.
In the meantime, to another blogger pal . . . Tombo who likes to cook and photograph his dishes, I'll say "Look at those pictures above, Tombo, and eat your heart out!!!"
For the sake of honesty: I swiped all those pictures off the Internet but they are a good representation of what was on our table.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Flowering
It makes old sunny face (on the left) smile a bit.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The end of 67!
This is a picture of me from 38 or so years ago. A young stud. Cleft chin and all. I don't remember that. But the glasses on top of the head? Typical. Even now.