My Computer Scare

I just had a big time scare of losing all my documents on my computer.
I had been getting this stupid notice on my computer telling me my Windows version may be counterfeit etc...
Well I had accidentally hit yes to a windows box I should had clicked no to and have had this issue for a few months while my brother was in the moving stage to the new house they bought.
He finally found the Windows disc and I reloaded it this am only to have even more troubles!
Luckily he was in town and came by to patch things up and resolve the dilemma.
The issues still resides in the CPU, but after resetting everything we were able to disable the notices.
All I can tell any of you is make certain you read any window before clicking yes!
What hassles from HELL!

Surprise Visit of an Old Friend

Wow! What a wonderful day!
I got an Email from an old Navy Friend-she was my LPO-Lead Petty Officer at NSGA Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico.
We had great times together and kept up correspondence.
In fact her son came to stay with me, in Italy, for a summer-a few years later!
So...this Email said Hey I'm in Portland, Oregon LOL!
I read it and freaked! She, from Pensacola Florida obviously didn't realize how close I am to Portland!
So I must've Emailed her a ton of times.
I even called every hotel I could think of, but missed calling the Marriott, which is where she was staying, for a conference.
So she finally called me this morning and we spent the entire day just chatting and I took her to my favorite haunt in Portland-Powell's City of Books! Love that place.
(Broke in the New Year with my family there on January first!)
Then we went to one of my favorite Mexican places and ordered huge burritos and at my home we ate and chatted.
I then took her to the Gem & Mineral Museum here in town-Great place all should go!
The Rice Gem & Mineral Museum.
Then hopped across town to the Jackson Bottom Wetlands and meandered a bit more.
What a nice special day!
Toni is two months older than me, but joined the Navy at 20.
I joined when I was like 32!
So the fact that I was disability Retired around the time she retired at 20yrs kind of evened things out.
She has some disabilities and is still filing for further evaluations.
It was so great to see her!
Our last time together was back in '99 when I was in Pensacola for TACTINTEL school at NTTC Correy Station in Pensacola where she lives.
I can only hope it isn't seven years until we have another chance to see each other!
What a great day!
I hope our Football teams did as well today!

Sending Out Good Thoughts & Prayers

One of my Dearest friends from way back in High School, we have always stayed in touch, has MS & is having real troubles with it.
Funny how many can live a fairly uninterrupted life with MS & then others, like my friend, have nothing but troubles.
Even with her strong willed personality, education & intelligence, she is having trouble coping.
She has all the DRs care needed, but sometimes I wonder if it is the personality of the DR that can conflict with their application of health & wellness.
I just hope that sometime soon the one drug that hasn't yet been tried or another medical treatment comes along that brings my charming friend back into herself!
All my best goes out to her daily!
With love & prayers to you Cindy!

Mitzvah for a Buddy

We all do our best to do a Mitzvah when we can.
A Good Deed for someone in need!
One of my VFW buddies recently lost his wife to cancer.
Not only that he is poor.
I don't have much, but with a little better education and knowledge I have budgeted well. My sister says I am the only one she knows that can pinch a nickel so hard I can make the Indian ride the Buffalo!
So...Each evening I have been calling this guy just to see how he is, let him know some one cares and maybe get him to smile or laugh before his dreaded march to an empty bed. He has thanked me often for these friendly calls.
Well the other night on one of these calls I asked him what he had for dinner-having to start the conversation somewhere! He said Corn Flakes.
I said that I hoped he was having them by choice and not because he had nothing else to eat! He said he didn't know what anything was in his freezer, what was good and what was never tossed out!
So I went to his place the next day and we sorted it all out. Funny...I hadn't seen a non-frost-free fridge in like ever! You know someone is poor when you open their freezer and realize it isn't a frost-free unit!
Anyway, so we organized it and tossed the old stuff.
Then of the stuff left the chicken and a roast he said he didn't know how to fix so I took them home and made a huge pot of chicken with lentils soup and last night I made BBQ chicken wings with beans and brought them over to him today.
Then I took him into Portland to see our VFW Service Officer to begin his VA paperwork for disability consideration. Being a Korean Vet this should have been done like before I was born-1960!
So...I know he is on a positive motion forward to taking care of his financial predicament and he has food in the house and a roast to arrive cooked soon!
I feel I have done a well needed Mitzvah!
It is now is his park to keep the ball rolling.

A Book & Movie Recommendation

It isn't everyday we have read or seen something so worthwhile as to pass it on, but dear friends I just finished a very interesting touching book by Neil Peart~Drummer & Lyricist for RUSH.
After having lost his 18 year old daughter to a fatal car accident. She had just said goodbye and drove off to her first year of college. He then lost his wife Jackie to cancer one year later.
He decides he has to do something before he goes crazy and realized if he kept moving the momentum will give him time to figure things out.
So he packed his bike up-BMW RS and, with map in tankbag, headed off. He toured much of his home country of Canada and then hit the states and headed for Mexico.
While he was gone his Property caretaker contacted him that his dog had a bad tumor growth and had to be put down.
Soon after he finds out his best friend had done some business in illegal substances and was caught driving a truck loaded with the happy weed. So on top of all else now his best buddy was in jail!
He even mentioned how his life sounded like a twinny country western song: My kid died, my wife died, my dog died and my best friend is in jail!
He speaks of his inner being as the baby soul that needs repair.
I enjoyed mainly the traveling portion of the book and I do not believe you need be a motorcyclist to enjoy it!
As for the movie-I just saw "Inside Man." A Spike Lee film with yummy Clive Owen as the lead character-bank robber, Denzel Washington as the detective, Christopher Plummer as the bank owner and Jodie Foster as financial mediator of sorts.
Captivating action and drama that really leaves you wondering. Well performed and written, "Inside Man" is a 2006 movie not to be missed!

I Am A Vikings Fan!

Yes dear friends it is true!
I am back to enjoying American Football and recently decided I should go to a college game!
Oregon is ALL about College Football!
So with three Big College teams to consider, I chose the most local-PSU-Portland State Univ.
Their home games are right in Portland at the PGE Park.
So this girl finally got the gumption up and went to a PSU game last night!
Good thing! It's their last home game on an odd schedule this year!
What a fun time! I checked out the stats of the PSU Vikings and the opposing team Eastern Washington Eagles and I believed PSU had a very good chance of coming away with a 21-7 score in their favor!
Good thing I didn't gamble on those numbers because the Vikings cleaned the Eagles clocks with a 34-0 final score and that's after a first quarter penalty that lost them their very first score!
Had a fantastic time and the seats around me were filled with parents and friends of players, so the shouting and cheering was on a high note!
The beer was expensive and you would think it and the pizza would taste EH, but I have to say in that environment it was some of the greatest beer and pizza I ever swilled and swallowed!
I even got the opportunity to shake a couple of the players hands after the game!
WOW! I told them I was devirginized and turned into a true Viking Fan! I AM!!!
34-0 numbers and a night I will never forget!

School Daze!

What is it that Oregon or Washington County, is allowing school children to be out of school so much!
I cannot believe it but my neighborhood is filled with kids today: Many of which go to different schools.
We wonder where the world is going to and we should start changing this terrible mode by increasing school days, in the school year, for these children so they can grow up intelligent enough to take on the responsibilities of our Country!
Oh! And these kids are becoming more delinquents!
They were tossing balls and wound up breaking a window in a recently vacant rental house. Then thought it was neat and tossed rocks at it!
I called the company, leaving it to them to contact the police if they felt it necessary.
I am just sick of this crap going on in my neighborhood, city, county, state and country!
We have got to make parents responsible for their own children's doings!!!

Cashing A Check At the Local Market

I hardly ever write a check at the local market.
I DO when I go on base to the commissary since the baggers only work for tips and that way I can make certain a have a few singles to give them.
It just so happens that I was bringing my soda cans to recycle and needed to pick up some veggies.
I am off lettuce until all is safe from E-coli. Cole Slaw is my salad of choice now!
Anyway I realized I didn't have my debit card in my wallet, left at home until my disability pension hit the bank.
I DID have my check book, so I opted on cutting a check at the store.
You know it's been a very long time since you have written a check at a local market when you write down the WRONG store! (I wrote down Albertson's rather than Fred Meyers-which is the Pacific Northwest's chain of the Kroger Franchise.) WOW! Was that embarrassing!

Cutest Movie of 2006!

Over The Hedge has got my vote as the funniest film of 2006!
The animation and action is great.
The story line is entertaining and the characters or classic!
I LOVE Stella-voice of my all time favorite Stand-Up comedian Wanda Sykes.
My favorite line of the film is from Stella-the Skunk who says:
"I'm gonna gas you so hard your Grandchildren are gonna stink!"
My kinda humor!
You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this one!
Let the kid inside of you enjoy!

We Will Miss You Aldena!

A great lady has left this world.
Aldena was a splendid thoughtful friend who would give the shirt off her back to anyone in need.
She and her husband Gene were very active in the community and VFW.
She suffered from many forms of cancer that finally took her life this past Saturday morning.
She will always be thought of and those who knew her will have her in their hearts!
I hope she saves us all a seat on the other side!

Iridotomy

Funky name for the laser procedure done on patients with Narrow Angle Glaucoma.
Don't get hooked on the word glaucoma,
it isn't Glaucoma!
The narrow angle thing has to do with the fact that the cornea angle and how it rounds near the Iris is, in my situation, narrow and thus causes the miniscule tubes, in that space of the eye, that circulate the fluid from the front of the eye to the back of the eye to be pinched closed and this causes a high amount of pressure build-up on the eye that causes blindness.
So, as I mentioned before, I got a laser cut into all the layers of the Iris in both eyes, in the upper most section of the Iris that my eye lid sometimes covers.
Well today I went in for a pressure check and my right eye was still too high. So my Doc went in with the laser and increased the miniscule hole, making certain all layers of the Iris were opened sufficiently to allow the fluid to seep out.
Crazy thing, but if it can cause me to go blind-DO IT! TAKE CARE OF IT!
I go back next Monday to see if the laser treatment and these steroidic drops I am using 4x a day worked and we don't need to do anymore laser cutting!

MOC Grand of WA. Fall CofA

Since I am an officer in the Military Order of the Cootie-The Honor Degree of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Grand of Oregon, I thought it high time I attend one of the Council of Administrations of the Grand of Washington!
They attend in Droves at our events so fair is fair!
What fun! These guys are great and there was a lot of stories and good times shared.
I also got a look at how another Grand operates and functions and for any office that is a good thing!
I also enjoyed being in Washington, as it didn't rain until leaving, I had the chance to walk along the harbor and breath in the salt air.
We were in Westport, WA which is known worldwide for its Salmon fishing.
Though I had a Prime Rib dinner at the banquet, I heard the Salmon was awesomely delectable!
All in all it was a nice trip and a pleasure to join the Grand of Washington!

It's A Shame

It's a shame when people have good intentions in showing their friendship or love by contacting you on your Birthday,
a special day that in and of itself should be celebrated with joy and laughter,
but wind up considering their own welfare and impede any joy by forcing an argument.
It's a shame when you ask them to change the subject and discuss some topic that is more agreeable and celebrates the day of ones birth and they refuse to change the subject.
It's a shame when they refuse to and push to force the issue and exude a pompous attitude of winning an argument on the other person's birthday.
It's a shame when the birthday girl pleads with the caller to please change the subject as that it is her birthday and then the caller hangs up!
It's a shame when the caller hangs up because they cannot keep the silly benign argument going.
It's a shame when that caller is your only sister calling you on your birthday!

Laser Procedure for Narrow Angle Glaucoma

For as long as I can remember, which is at least through my Navy tour & now with the VA, I have known I have narrow angle glaucoma-which means that the fluid surrounding my eye that should flow easily from the Iris to the back of the lens-does not because I have this narrow angle at the apex of the Iris' edge.
If my eyes dilate it could cause headache, nausea and then blindness.
The Glaucoma specialist at the Portland VA said I am a walking time bomb and that it is not if blindness could happen, but when!
I didn't like hearing that and that is why I allowed for the laser procedure on my left eye last week.
Yesterday I was back in to have the left eye checked, pressure is still high in it and if it is still high later in the week he suggests cutting a larger hole in the Iris.
He completed the procedure on my right eye as well and yet it did not reduce the pressure.
He gave me some drops that should assist the traumatized eye in reducing the pressure build up because this fluid cannot circulate and I am to go back tomorrow and have them checked.
At least the laser procedure on the right eye didn't hurt like the left eye did!
The Doc says that these holes can heal over and that I may need this procedure done again.
Well if it means blindness if I don't then of course whatever it takes!

Why We Fight (2005)

This documentary runs the line of history that parallels our industrialization & is explained with Churchill's term of "The Military Industrial-Complex."
It leads on by explaining how the US has partnered its military with commerce and contract bidding and has
thus formulated a 'military-machine.'
The film provides the stand that the US political stand has brought us into military actions/wars every ten years or decade since WWII.
Thus fueling the American military-machine and adding to the lies spread into the American public so that the US retains world dominance. The interviews in the film include John McCain, Chalmers Johnson, Richard Perle, William Kristol, Gore Vidal and Joseph Cirincione.
The film also incorporates the a broad span of emotion, from a Vietnam Vet to the World Trade Center attack and so on.
There is, in this film, the truth that was held back from "WE THE PEOPLE" for so long.
For anyone wanting to know the truth and have it explained you must see this film.
This film shows the lies we were led to believe and why we allowed our sons and daughters to go to war in Iraq.
A must see film!

A Cool Product For Us Boomers!

Actually you don't need to be a Baby Boomer to like this product!
Glade Plug-Ins has come out with a new product called Glade Plug-Ins Scented Oil Light Show!
It has the scent oil as well as colored lights that you can adjust a bit. I got one just for the hell-of-it and LOVE it! It works well as a night light and I have to say that every time I go into my bedroom, while it is on, I smile!
If you are looking for something to give you a little pick-me-up then I recommend one of these!
I have a feeling a couple of friends will wind up with one of these from me for Xmas!

My Big Shopping Expedition

I was beginning to feel like 'Old Mother Hubbard.'
My cupboards were bare!
So I went up to McChord Air Force Base in Washington. 120 miles north of me & the Best & largest BX & Commissary around!
I always go with a shopping list in hand.
I had only a few items to purchase at the BX & concentrated my thinking on the Commissary, hoping I could get enough to get me through Thanksgiving-the plan was to get my turkey & fixins' too!
WOW! The soda was so cheap I got 20 12pks!
What I did was load up the soda, the got the laundry soap & other large items like a big bundle of TP etc...
I purchased them & loaded them in the trunk, then went back for the rest.
By the time I made it through the canned good I knew there was no way I could get the frozen food onto the cart. So I purchased the food & packed it into the car & went back a third time to get my frozen food!
My car was so packed it took me forever to unload!
One thing I can say for certain is that I won't be 'Old Mother Hubbard' for some time!
I should make it through until just before Xmas.

Saving My Eyesight

I have always had very good vision & even with aging & needing glasses my farsightedness has been a positive thing rather than a negative.
I do have what is called 'narrow angle glaucoma' which of course the glaucoma part is what everybody latches on to first.
So, this Narrow Angle thing is always checked during my annual eye exam and because the eye Docs always want to dilate your eyes to better view the back of your eye, I wind up having to stay in the office all day.
Because of this Narrow Angle stuff the tiny outlets for the fluid to pass out of the front of the eye to the back cannot do that and thus my pressure increases in the eye and could cause blindness.
So, the specialists set me up to take care of the problem. Yesterday was my appointment.
The glaucoma specialist checked my eyes as well and she stated that it wasn't an issues of IF this could happen to me, but WHEN! She said I was a walking time bomb.
So with that I signed the release form & sat in front of a laser gizmo that the eye Docs said would cut an tiny hole into my iris allowing the fluid to drain if necessary.
I was told I wouldn't see a light nor feel any heat or anything.
LIARS ALL!
At the sound of a tap the eye Doc turned on the laser & it felt like a hot ice pick was stabbed into my eye!
Then I find he has to keep doing this to get through all the layers of the Iris!
I saw gold stars and then red ones. When I started seeing red ones the Doc mentioned "There's some bleeding but that is to be expected." I said "Yeah I can see the blood!"
I was so close to fainting it was only fear of embarrassment that kept me in my chair, plus I was afraid of him cutting something else in my eye if I moved!
They were all surprised when I mentioned how painful it was & how I saw the blood.
I was also pissed that they didn't mention I would be temporarily blinded in that eye.
So here I am not told they have to turn on the laser like 8 times on my eye, or that it could hurt like freaking hell or that I would be temporarily blinded.
With all this I am told to come back next week to check the left eye & for them to do the right!
Like I'm supposed to look forward to it!
I guess it's better than going blind though!

Fall CofA Fun in Redmond

Our illustrious Grand of Washington Cooties often, & in hordes, attend our Oregon activities. True to spirit they attended our Fall CofA in Redmond, OR.
Upon reaching Redmond, from Washington, the Washington Grand Commander realized he had in fact forgotten his Cootie hat! Oh! What to do! With all the earnest he could muster he headed off to the WalMart store adjacent to the hotel & appropriated colored paper & white yarn thus he created his hat!
We had to give him heck for it & mess with him. But I do not believe any of the rest of us would have done such a fine job of covering up for the blunder!

Fall MOC Grand of Oregon CofA

We had a great turn-out for the CofA, it helped that the Supreme 17th District was having theirs too!
Because of that I met many Cooties from Montana, Idaho & Alaska!
We had a great time!
I really enjoyed the drive to & from Redmond as that the trip takes me through Mt. Hood & the Autumn colors are beginning! Making the forest gain an animated fire appearance.
Not like a real fire, but the bright reds, yellows & oranges at the base of the forest gives this interesting color scheme that creates a look of fire.
Love the Autumn colors & soon there will be lots of snow up here!