Look what it's doing!

It's called "rain." We haven't seen it for a long, long time but I do believe I remember that's what they call it.

Can you see it?? There was enough here that I could leave a footprint on my porch! And I got a drop of rain on my sweater when I went outside! WOOT!

The James Frey controversy

Writer James Frey has run contrary to Oprah Winfrey by revealing that his book, "A Million Tiny Pieces," is not a factual memoir as he has represented it. In several instances, portions of the best-selling book have overblown the truth of Mr. Frey's addiction and recovery. One point in particular is his assertion that he was imprisoned for three months -- the truth is, it was a few hours.

The questions about the truth of his tale had been raised by www.thesmokinggun.com. Frey subsequently appeared on Larry King Live and was questioned about the discrepancies; Oprah called in to defend him.

Since then, Oprah has further investigated Frey's manuscript and withdrawn her support of Frey. Now she is on the warpath, knowing she was intentionally duped.

Questions she and others have raised: Why wasn't it written as a novel? Why did he sell this book as a memoir?

Today's episode of Oprah will further deal with this as Frey appears again on the show to defend or explain his decisions. (The morning broadcast in some areas was interrupted by the President's address.)

Bottom line: Tell the truth if you're claiming that the piece you are writing is "the truth." If you're not writing a truthful account of the facts, label it as fiction or a "novel based on facts." Don't lie. Don't deceive your readers.

Isn't that part of recovery, anyway?

Some color -- For Einar

I don't want Einar to think that my life in the kitchen is colorless, in shades of black and white only.

Though the photos didn't show it as well as it might have, one side my glass-front cabinets are filled with cobalt blue glass dishes and pottery that I've collected in my travels.





































On the other side I have ruby red dishes and assorted accessory pieces. They are such a dark red they may look black in the photo since they don't have light coming through them.





































I have a lot of colorful textiles I use in the kitchen -- aprons and tea towels. Here's just one example -- the newest of my aprons. This fabric is called "Fruit Cocktail."



































And here are some new serving pieces I just got (don't look at my fat little hand.)

And God laughed

Sometimes I think God must have a real sense of humor. Remember some of us have talked about "signs" recently?

Well, today I've really been down in the dumps (it's that Jan. 24 thing...) I've been watching American Idol, wasting a couple of hours. And I started thinking I wish I could find some sort of motivational help to pull myself up out of this funk I've been in about my life.

I hadn't checked the mail today, so I just went to the mailbox and there's a letter from a Realtor I've met with a couple of times for business. Nice lady. There was a little note from her.

"I pray you will 'Be Moved' beyond your wildest dreams and that this year proves to be your best year ever. And remember ... don't just wish for it, go out and make it happen!"

She signed it "Be Moved" with her name.

Also in the envelope was a copy of this story:


1000 Marbles

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind. He sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles”.

I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital.”

He continued, “Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of “a thousand marbles”.

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.” “Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me, Tom, I’m getting to the important part.”

“It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail” he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.”

“So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.”

“I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.”

“Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.”

“It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 75 year Old Man, this is D9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.”

“What brought this on?” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special, it’s just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids.” “Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”

The Kitchen is CLEAN!

Welcome to my kitchen! I spent all afternoon cleaning it. Now it sparkles and shines! It smells like an Almond Butter Pound Cake because that's the candle burning in there now that it's clean.

It's a small kitchen -- 7 x 15 feet. I wish I had more storage space. That's on my wish list for my "next house." Yeah. It is. (I have a long list and no money. Meanwhile, I love my kitchen as it is.)

So here we are:









And now, for some reason, I am STARVING! Must find food!

Could it be.... Spring Cleaning?

Today I am spending time on my nest. It's a major cleaning day to set things right here at home.

It could be this non-wintery weather we've been experiencing or just a need to purge the unnecessary things out of my life. I may even do some blog cleaning -- or find more topics to rise to the top.

So far today I've done three loads of laundry while working on the kitchen. Definite progress is being made. I just want to get it done, get it done, get it done.

I'm working in shifts of about 1 hour labor, 10 minutes of break.

I did myself an injury yesterday, more to pride than anything else. I fell full-force on my knees after missing a step at a house where I was doing an interview. My black pants, which I had put on straight out of the dryer about an hour earlier, now have green knees from the paint on the porch. On the way home I got something to drink at Sonic. I managed to pour a great amount of it on myself as I was getting out of the car at home. Mis-er-a-ble day it was.

Well, back to the scullery, right after I do another laundry flip-flop.

Which religion?

Lifted from E.R. over at Erudite Redneck. Take the quiz yourself and see what you get -- are you surprised?

You scored as Christianity. Your views are most similar to those of Christianity. Do more research on Christianity and possibly consider being baptized and accepting Jesus, if you aren't already Christian. Christianity is the second of the Abrahamic faiths; it follows Judaism and is followed by Islam. It differs in its belief of Jesus, as not a prophet nor historical figure, but as God in human form. The Holy Trinity is the concept that God takes three forms: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (sometimes called Holy Spirit). Jesus taught the idea of instead of seeking revenge, one should love his or her neighbors and enemies. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humankind and forgive people's sins. Christianity 88% Judaism 46% Islam 42% Buddhism 38% Satanism 29% Hinduism 21% agnosticism 21% Paganism 21% atheism 8% Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com

WOOT!

It's Tuesday night and AMERICAN IDOL starts NOW!
No meetings for me (hooray!) so I'm catching the first show of the new season with the auditions -- good, bad and ugly.

I'll be glued to the tube for the next couple of hours. Hope the rest of the world continues to turn without me!

Oh HOORAY it's FRIDAY!!!

I am so glad to see this week saying farewell, even if it is Friday the 13th. This is kind of a tough week of transitioning into the new year.

I've been struggling with emptying out my old computer, transferring the keepers to an external hard drive. And then I've been disconnecting my oldest computer and the router. I'm too old and fat to be crawling around inside an armoire disconnecting cables! So the tower of my sick computer is now on top of my work space rather than in the cubby. Thank goodness for USB ports on the front of computers!

Anyhoo, I have about 9 miles of excess cables and cords now. And Every. Single. Piece. Of. Paper in my office has been moved to the dining room table. I must find my Microsoft Office and Microsoft Works discs before I have my sick computer erased. This will be my weekend project.

Throw in extra time on the road, church meetings and hospital visits and it's been a full week. The good thing was having dinner Tuesday night with my friend J.T., who was in town for a meeting. (He still needs to answer the 7 Meme.)

I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm vegging out this evening with a frozen pizza and crappy television. Ahhhhhhh.

YAY!

We have SNOW! Yes! It's just a thin frosting of white, but it's laying all around like a natural fire extinguisher!

No, I'm sure it's not nearly enough to register any significant moisture, but at least for today, perhaps, the grass fires will take a break. YAY!

Knock knock -- is this thing on?

Well, I'm tentatively back online -- with a new laptop. The desktop will be going to see the computer doctor soon. It's a little tricky getting used to a new setup and keyboard. I broke down and installed the mouse through one of the USB ports because I cannot stand the little touchpad thing. I find myself bumping function keys and having everything disappear on me -- I will have to adjust where my hands rest!

Back to the grind -- just wanted to check in, say hello and hope that things are going better for you than they have been for me!

Time Out

I'll be scarce for a few days because of computer headaches. Things have gone from normal to bad and then worse. Today the computer has learned a new trick -- it has decided to just turn itself off. It's been randomly shutting down programs for a week or more, but now that's not enough to satisfy its need for power. Nope, not at all. Now it's saying "bye!"

So I have ordered a new laptop, which I should have in a few days. After it's ready, I'll take the PC in to have it wiped clean and start from scratch having Microsoft reloaded. I'm excited at both prospects!

Until I've got my new machine and get the old one up and running again, I can't make any guarantees about being online. My work comes before playtime, like everyone's, but things are currently too erratic to get my work done. And that makes more than me anxious.

So... I'll try to check in, but if you miss me for a short while, you know the story now.

Shamrock is burning

Once again wildfires are burning the little bit of what's left of Shamrock, OK, basically a little ghost town in Creek County.

Today the old school burned to the ground.

There may not be more than a handful of people still living in Shamrock, but it is important to me. Much of my family history centered here.

Shamrock was a boom town during the oil boom of the 1920s and 1930s. My grandparents worked and lived on the oil lease, where they raised a family of six children, including my dad.


The Museum in Shamrock, OK. (2001)

In my lifetime there's never been much to the town, which at one time had up to 30,000 residents overnight. There's one two-story building in town, painted bright green. It's most recently been a "museum" of sorts, but that's a whole different story.


Postman at the Shamrock Post Office. (2001)


The Shamrock Volunteer Fire Department. (2001)
There's small volunteer fire department; a post office about the size of my living room, and a bar.

And a cemetery.

There are two days during the year which swell the population of Shamrock considerably. One, of course, is St. Patrick's day. Rather, it's the Saturday before St. Patrick's day; anyone who wants to come can be in a parade, or watch it. There's usually some sort of community meal, maybe a few activities for kids.


Say hello to my Dad, who is next to his brother and my grandparents at the Shamrock Cemetery.

The other boom day is Memorial Day, when the descendants of those who lived here gather at the cemetery. Now and then you'll hear one of the older survivors refer to the day as "Decoration Day." Graves are tidied up and decorated with flowers and flags; tombstones polished to remove the red dust.


The Shamrock jail.

There are bits and pieces of other structures -- car dealerships, banks, a jail -- all long gone. There's just enough left to identify what they used to be, decades ago, when people actually strolled along the sidewalks and Saturday nights were wild.


Remnants of a former bank (2001).

An early-day auto dealership.

One of the last businesses of Shamrock; it looks like one day they just walked away and never came back.

The Seven Meme

I picked this up over at E.R.'s place. He tagged me to post my answers, so I did. You might want to see his answers to understand why I posted B7 as I did. I wasn't intentionally offering TMI. Feel free to copy and paste this and insert your own answers in the comments.

A. Seven things to do before I die
1. Find the purpose of my life.
2. Find the geographical place that means "Home" to me.
3. Find a small acreage with the house and barn I dream of.
4. Find the man who would love, cherish and adore me as much as I do him.
5. Form a lasting relationship with #4.
6. Rejoin the ranks of the gainfully employed.
7. Travel lots.

B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Stay awake if I hear football.
2. Play cards.
3. Lie convincingly.
4. Shuffle cards.
5. Suffer fools gladly.
6. Whistle.
7. Menstruate (just going with the flow here...)

C. Seven things that attract me to (...)
(any given person)
1. Intelligence.
2. Desire to continue learning.
3. Spirituality.
4. Easy conversation.
5. Sense of humor.
6. Able to put aside arguments.
7. Strong, healthy pink lungs (nonsmoker.

D. Seven things I say most often
1. I'm taking care of it, don't worry.
2. Hi! How are you doing today?
3. Father God, help me.
4. S--t!
5. Hi, this is (---), I'm calling to ask about (---).
6. Oh my.
7. I can't believe it.

E. Seven books (or series or genres or topics) that I love
1. Billie Letts' books.
2. History of housekeeping.
3. History of Oklahoma.
4. Historic homes.
5. Garrison Keilor.
6. The Bible.
7. Books about prayer.

F. Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would if I had time)
1. "Fried Green Tomatoes."
2. "Laughing Gravy" (Laurel & Hardy).
3. "It's a Wonderful Life."
4. "Meet John Doe."
5. "Sleepless in Seattle."
6. "Ma and Pa Kettle" (any of them).
7. "You've Got Mail."

G. Seven people I want to join in, too.
1. Frenzied Feline.
2. Jeannie Diane.
3. J.T.
4. Nikki.
5. Miranda.
6. Soupy.
7. Viking.

On the backroads

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had happy, safe and blessed Christmas!

I returned home today from spending the holiday with family in northwest Missouri. Travel was good today, excepting the construction zone which backed up traffic painfully on I-35 south of the U.S. Highway 60 exit (Tonkawa/Ponca City exit, No. 214.)I had just gotten past that exit when traffic stopped dead. It took 30 minutes to go half a mile. Thanks so much to the Braums' trucker who left a gap which allowed me to exit at the Billings/Marland exit. I'm just glad it was in my old stomping grounds, where I know the backroads well enough to make better time. I much prefer to take the two-lanes anyway, so I considered it a bonus.

And then, after winding through the country, going through Perry and then back west of I-35, past turns on U.S. Highway 77 wrapping around sandstone bluffs, I slowed down as I slid past the Mulhall city limits.

Mulhall was founded in 1889 during one of the major land runs. It's had more than its share of disasters over the years -- a train derailment in 1988, for one. The town of barely more than 200 people was basically obliterated on May 3, 1999, when the World's Biggest Tornado wiped out 110 years of life. Even now, you can see where trees were snapped off 6 feet above ground.

I love driving through this tiny hamlet just to see the tenacity of its residents and their efforts to rebuild. There are still scars -- buildings left empty by those who have given up and moved on to Guthrie, Stillwater or some other community. But there's hope. Churches help maintain the spiritual life of the residents, as well as the spirit of community.

Another assault on Mulhall occurred a couple of weeks ago when a BNSF train derailed and spilled mountains of wheat just yards from the highway. I've never seen a derailed train before, so I pulled in next to the two-bay car wash, grabbed my camera and walked around for the better part of an hour in awe of the power and destruction that again visited itself on this village.

The noise must have been horrendous, enough to make residents think the end of the world had arrived. Dozens of train cars, along with twisted metal rails and splintered wood landed scant yards from a herd of cattle which today grazed in their pasture unfazed.

While I took photos, I crossed over the double tracks to the west side, closer to the cattle. Just minutes after I made my way over lakes of grain, another train came through, sounding its horn all the way through Mulhall. I think they may not have been pleased with my presence so near the wreckage.

Here are some of the images I saw. I hope they convey some of the awe.

This 'n' That

OK, it's been a while since my last post. It's been too frustrating fighting my computer problems. It may be that my computer is simply too full. I don't know. Haven't had enough time to fool with finding out what the root problem is. Maybe after the first of the year.

Here are some random thoughts, in random order as they pop into my head.

1. It is COLD. Miserably so. I'm trying to be an energy conservator because I got slapped across the face with a $200 gas bill this month. That's ridiculous for one person. I've been keeping the thermostat at about 68-69 degrees until it is just unbearable, then I'll punch it up to 72 for a little while, to thaw out. I've got a programmed thermostat, so it drops back down every six hours or so. I'm sleeping with as many blankets, etc., as my bed will tolerate. During the day I dress in layers and try to follow Jimmy Carter's advice to "put on a sweater!"

2. I have been summoned to celebrate Christmas with family in Missouri. I tried to play the weather card to keep from having to make the drive to northwest Missouri, but I failed. My aunt keeps a vigil on the weather reports and forecasts. So it looks like I'll be driving north on Friday, returning on Monday. It has been ordained. No, my heart isn't really into it. But it's a sacrifice I will make out of love. I really don't need the family reminders...

3. Some people are so wonderful. I had written a story about a couple in their 90s. The husband's second career (maybe third) was as an artist. His daughter appreciated the story so much that she had a print made of his favorite painting and sent it to me. It is lovely and a very touching gesture. The story itself touched my heart; this was above and beyond.

4. I want cookies. I really do. Those nice thick sugar cookies with the icing are leading my cravings, but chocolate chunk would be nice too. I should refrain from baking or eating any sweets. My doctor already called me to yell at me for not checking in with him on my last lab results. I might as well forget about having any holiday treats.

5. Too many bills coming due. Property tax, etc. Good thing I'm not a big spender otherwise.

6. Too cold to do the laundry. This is the major drawback of having the washer and dryer in the garage. I have to wait until the temps are above freezing to do laundry. Fortunately it's not urgent at this point. It should be warm enough tomorrow. I can't risk having the water pump break.

7. I need to get the oil changed in my car and have the tires checked before I travel. Bah. Yet another reason I wanted to stay home.

8. Wanda Sykes for President! Or Oprah Winfrey. Even Whoopi Goldberg. I think a black woman could do a better job than the white men we've had for so long. Well, just as long as they haven't been politicians up til this point.

9. Angst is attacking me again. Can you tell? I've been having very vivid dreams, very telling dreams. And I've been remembering them, long-term. They've been so vivid that I've been awakening before the alarm goes off, already filled with adrenaline. This is not good.

10. Some of my friends have been talking about dating, and the importance of feeling a spark with someone. So I wrote a letter to Santa and asked him to bring me a stocking full of spark!

We also agreed that the lack of wit and sharp conversation pours a bucket of water over any chemistry. Guys who are lame thinkers don't stand a chance.

11. Dang! I need to get to the pharmacy for precription refills. This list is turning into my "to do" list, isn't it?

12. Big Bad VooDoo Daddy is on Leno right now. He had the Brian Setzer Orchestra on the other night. Ahhh, good music. At least fun music.

13. Hmmm. My toes are so cold they are numb. I think I'll go have a cup of cocoa, despite what the doctor would say. Maybe I'll get myself a new pair of walking shoes for Christmas. Whee. Well, everyone needs at least one package to open, right?

14. Christmas letters: I don't hate them as much as I used to. The ones I've received this year have been filled with genuine news instead of self-serving boasting. Oh, wait, there's one friend I still haven't heard from.... (me-ow.)

15. Gah! I want to get the carpets cleaned. It's been too long. I'll do them later.

16. Mrs. Dunwoody and I have been spending more time together. I think she's really my alter ego... If you don't know, she's the character in "Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instruction for Homekeeping." It's not exactly a novel, but she is a fictional character from the 1800s who teaches how to do housework. The author collected advice from the ledgers of many women from that era. I have my great aunt Beulah's receipt book (which is what these were called.) Bobo, as everyone called her, included advice on hog killing, curing hams and making cold-processed lye soap, right along with recipes for chocolate cream pies and butterscotch pudding. And no, none of the recipes included "open a box and ...."

17. I really think I may have to join the modern world and get a cell phone. I've refused, on principle. But it's becoming more of an inconvenience. I really can't afford to have a cell phone, so it's a headache.

18. I need a job. Something to keep me from filling my head with such thoughts as these.

19. Where does depression hurt? It hurts all over.

20. That's it for tonight, dear friends. Come back soon. Maybe we'll talk about the hunger for babies and/or puppies.

Happy birthday, Jeannie Diane!

Today is Jeannie Diane's birthday! Whoo hooo!!! She claims to be over the hill, but I think it's a hill I passed, oh, a decade or so ago. In any event, let's all wish her a big Happy Birthday! She's returned to blogging after a much-too-long absence. If you've missed going to her part of the blogging world, go visit again. She's written some really heart-touching pieces of late. And she asks for your stories as well when it comes to matters of the heart. Go check it out!

Where the Heck is 10Buck2?

Eleven Thumbs Up for Narnia

We can whole-heartedly recommend the newly released Narnia, based on C.S. Lewis' novel. Rich in symbolism, it's a morality story in which the good side wins.

This is a film for those who appreciate the gift of their imaginations. There's plenty of battle between good and evil, but nothing horribly graphic. No blood seen, though war violence is implied. There's also a scene which echoes the Great Sacrifice made by Christ; again, no blood was shown and the death blow was implied, not shown.

This is a great film for families with children perhaps as young as middle grade school. The younger kids will miss much of the symbolism, probably, unless they are well educated in Christianity and are asked about the story.

The movie is two and a half hours, but to me seemed to fly by. It felt like an hour at most, to me.

As a bonus, I got in my car just as Prairie Home Companion came on the radio, always a treat. Good music, better story-telling.

I attended the movie with my singles group, following a luncheon at my house for nine of us. I made Tech's "Many Can Soup," a 15-bean soup, and a ham which we used for sandwiches with a variety of breads and cheeses. We also had a Caesar salad and chocolate-raspberry brownies from Panera (ohmyohmyohmy!)

It's been a good, but LONG day. I need a nap. Maybe I'll have another bowl of soup first. Ah, but choices, choices....

Tomorrow morning is the cantata at my church. I probably should run through the music this evening too, since I missed this morning's rehearsal getting ready for lunch guests. It will be a long, long day tomorrow. Morning church will be from 8 a.m. to noon at the earliest for those of us in the choir. There's a children's program tomorrow evening but my bones are telling me I probably won't hold together long enough for that. We'll see. I also need to rehearse my music for Tuesday night's meditation time.

I hope your weekend is going well! Enjoy this time of Advent.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas/Take time to be quiet

I'm sitting here watching the 40th anniversary showing of Charlie Brown's Christmas show, trying to keep from tipping over to full-blown sobbing. This may be the last Christmas tradition I have left from my childhood, other than the B.C. Clark Jingle.

Granted, it doesn't take much to put a big-ol' breath-stifling lump in my throat this time of year. It's a tough season for me, as it has been for many years. Probably all my years.

And here's Linus, the sage of children of the ages, reciting the Christmas story from Luke.

Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Whatever else may transpire for you this season, I wish you all peace and good will, and to God our Father be all glory.

During this time of Advent, as we await the arrival of the Good News, take some quiet time to reflect on this gift, away from the maddening crowds. When the weather turns harsh, enjoy a warm cup and some meditative music.

Next Tuesday night I'll be spending some time offering some meditative moments at my church. It'll be a quiet time of contemplation, on a come-and-go basis. I'll be playing some quiet, gentle piano music and showing images of nature to reflect on. It is open to anyone who wants to stop by to help focus on the reason for all the busy-ness of life in our modern times.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by if you like. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 in the sanctuary at Grace United Methodist Church, 6316 N Tulsa (on the south side of NW 63 where Northwest Expressway crosses NW 63 at an odd angle.)

I think I caught something from my computer

Did you ever notice how strong the force of gravity can be when you're ill?

It all started with a little indigestion Friday night, about the time I went to bed. Saturday was completely unpleasant, let's say, and leave it at that. One of those rare days when just the THOUGHT of food was repugnant. By the time I went to bed last night I couldn't get warm, no matter what. I was wearing a sweatshirt and sweat pants, thick comfy socks, and was hunkered down under a sheet, a microfleece blanket, a quilt and a doubled-over thermal blanket.

I even missed church today, something I hate to do at any time, but especially during Advent. I think I am finally starting to turn around, but today it is very difficult just to MOVE. That darn gravity is stronger than I am!

My computer is still sick. I still cannot get the virus(es) off of it. I've now decided I will have to concede defeat and get help. Fortunately the man who keeps the church computers running also makes house calls, so I will see if he will come rescue me. I think this virus likes to do redirects when you get busy trying to remove it. Every time I try to use the Norton cleaning tools, I wind up getting a "server not found" screen or I am sent to some advertising screen. I can't even remove Norton Antivirus.

It's enough to make me sick.

Somehow or other, my Palm M515 also got fried or infected. My Data-to-Go program is missing. Well, every add-on program is missing. All my files are gone. It makes me very sad. My Palm was one of the best tools I've ever had. With the folding keyboard, I was able to take notes on interviews and just download them into my Word program. It saved me a LOT of time and headaches because I can type faster than I can write by hand. Sigh. Maybe I'll use my $45 taxpayer rebate to start saving for a replacement. Sigh.

I think I better go back to bed.