when it rains...

My 84-year old mother in law broke her hip today; she'll be having surgery in the morning. Normally, this isn't too major of a deal, but her health isn't all that wonderful to begin with. I'm carrying thoughts of pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke as potential side effects. At the very least, I forsee an extended stay at a rehab facility that will likely snowball into residing in a nursing home for the remainder of her days.
Sigh.

Can you hear me now?

Last week was not a pleasant week in many ways, the least of which being without power intermittently, and phone service indefinitely. The brilliant minds of our local borough decided it was high time to use the $5/mo "electrical wire maintenance charge" to replace some of the lines. (This fee is helpfully labeled EWMC on our bill, resulting in riotous laughter between the hubster and I. If I could charge someone $5 a month to maintain my similarly-acronymic you-know-what, well, count me in).
Anyway, somewhere amidst the blackouts, my phone went dead. Just mine. Not my neighbors', no one else in the neighborhood had complained. Just me. Took several CELLphone calls to the phone company to convince them that I did have a problem (nothing was showing amiss at their end), I have no little grey box on the side of my house (everyone has one, they scolded me), and I could be persuaded to pay their $91 charge if someone would just fix my effing phone already! Friday afternoon, about 4pm, the dude shows up to have a look-see.
Turns out I was right - I didn't have the typical modern convenience of an outside box, so he installed one; and, the problem was the dropline from the pole, not inside my rat's nest wired home, so it was f-r-e-e. Yay! I didn't make one call all weekend. But dammit, I could have if I had wanted to. So there.
Yesterday there was a message on my answering machine, encouraging me to call them back if I still was without service.

Remembering John

October 9, 1940
December 8, 1980



How
John Lennon

How can I go forward when I don't know which way I'm facing?
How can I go forward when I don't know which way to turn?
How can I go forward into something I'm not sure of?
Oh no, oh no
How can I have feeling when I don't know if it's a feeling?
How can I feel something if I just don't know how to feel?
How can I have feelings when my feelings have always been denied?
Oh no, oh no

You know life can be long
And you got to be so strong
And the world is so tough
Sometimes I feel I've had enough

How can I give love when I don't know what it is I'm giving?
How can I give love when I just don't know how to give?
How can I give love when love is something I ain't never had?
Oh no, oh no

You know life can be long
You've got to be so strong
And the world she is tough
Sometimes I feel I've had enough

How can we go forward when we don't know which way we're facing?
How can we go forward when we don't know which way to turn?
How can we go forward into something we're not sure of?
Oh no, oh no

and now for a word from our sponsers

Taking a break from my usual whining... I honestly do not have the energy left to complain anymore, so...
A non-compensated plug for something amazing.
I just had to share.
New shower.
Black shit stuck on the non-slip surface.
Bleach, c0met, soft sc.rub, daily shower sprays... nothing worked.
Nothing.
On a brand new shower floor.
Pissed.
Mr. Cle.an Mag!c Era.ser.
Wonderful. Works. Buy it.
No fumes, no gloves. Little bit of scrubbing.
That is all.