What's Happening In Your Life?

[Glennsallnighter]

Brooke, hope you enjoy your time with your family. And it must be lovely to have someone else to do the cooking.

Ann! I too hope your Uncle recovers quickly and fully from his stroke.

Rhonda, good luck with the gourds.

Carla! I hope you aren't being worked too hard!!

Lou! Glad your panic attacks have gone. But Don't YOU work too hard either!!

Well I had an interesting start to the week. Over the last few years I have been trying to locate my cousin Shane with whom I was good friends in the eighties. But I hadn't seen him since 1989 when he emigrated to the USA. Last time I saw him was in New York in '89. Anyway having tried the usual routes, facebook, email, mylife, myspace etc, what happened.... He came HOME for a few days this week with his wife and daughter. So we met up in the nursing home where his father is resident and had a great afternoon catching up and reminiscing.

And we have each others emails.

AND we've promised NOT to let it go 21 years again. :):):)

[Brooke]

Awww Brooke--How wonderful it must be to have the kids under the roof again at the same time!! How was the dinner, BTW?

Yes, it was great having them home together. And dinner was wonderful. She fixed Beef Bourgeoine (can't spell it!) which is a beef tomato dish served over noodles. She did a great job! It was delicious!

Ga, it's fun to meet up with old friends/relatives, isn't it? Glad you had such a great time.

[sodascouts]

Brooke - glad the dinner went well - sounds fancy!

GA - very cool! Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. ;)

[Koala]

Brooke, nice to hear the dinnerwas great!

GA, Cool that you have met yours cousin Shane after all years again.

[Glennsallnighter]

Brooke - glad the dinner went well - sounds fancy!

GA - very cool! Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. ;)


Aren't they.....? :thumbsup:

[TimothyBFan]

Have you ever had one of those days that is going so very good and everything's right in life, only to have it all go to crap in a matter of minutes? That was my day yesterday until about 4:30 in the afternoon!

First I noticed that my dog Pickles (the vertically challenged one) was acting kinda stiffened up all day. He gets to wrestling around with Rufus and periodically over does it. All day he was moving gingerly but then got really bad to the point he couldn't get up without squealing from pain. Just as I was ready to call the vet, the phone rang. It was my MIL to tell me a very close family friend had just been found dead in his house. Hubby was walking in the back door so I sent him right over to the house (only a block away). He hadn't been feeling well and the last time anyone talked to him was Tuesday night. They found him in his kitchen. He was really quite a loner and had no blood family alive. 13 years ago his mother had died on Christmas day right after my FIL had passed away right before Thanksgiving and so since the family had been friends with him & his mother, had him start spending the holidays with us. He was only 56. I'm still in a bit of shock over it all.

Then my son called and said he had just left the doctors office. Long story no one wants to hear the details of. But all looks well now.

Anyways, we are hoping that today and the weekend are uneventful because yesterday was a weeks worth of trouble wrapped into one day.

[MikeA]

WOW Willie! Just WOW!

[Brooke]

Awwww, Willie. I'm sorry about your friend and hope your son is ok.

[sodascouts]

How sad about your friend! Only 56 - wow! Hope Dillon stays well.

[Koala]

TBF, I'm sorry about your friend, glad your son is well now!

[Peekaboo]

Willie, so sorry about your friend. Hugs to you and yours. :hug: I hope things start to look up for you soon.

I need some help from y'all. I've been invited to a Halloween party on the 30th and I have to wear a costume. I have no idea what I want to be. I haven't worn a Halloween costume since I was about 10 years old. I've really never been that into Halloween. I wasn't even gonna go but my friend putting on the party put in my request off from work for me and I got it. I tried to get out of it but my friend insists that I go and that it'll be a good time. I'm sure it'll be fun but I just don't know what to wear. I need some help coming up with costume ideas. Something fairly easy and won't be too costly$$. I've got a few ideas but nothing that i'm too excited about. Y'all got any ideas?

[EagleLady]

Witchy Woman! ;)

[TimothyBFan]

Thanks everyone!! It's been a rough few days. Supposedly there is a will...somewhere... telling what his final wishes were and how to handle all the property etc. Problem is, no one know where it's at and haven't been able to find it or an attorney's name. Therefore NOTHING has been done yet. So very very sad. With no family, who knows how this will end up. :-(

Jess, in the past, we have often gone to places like the Salvation Army or Goodwill stores and wondered around. It's amazing the ideas that you can get from just looking around the store. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Prettymaid]

I've been keeping up here, even though I haven't had the time to comment, and thinking of you all.

Jess, why not just wear and/or carry anything Eagles and go as a groupie? It wouldn't cost a thing! (You could even make a 3E button...) :hilarious:

[Freypower]

Hello everyone! I'm back! We had a really good time in England. My favourite was the performance at Shakespeare's Globe. We went to various cathedrals & stately homes & visited my in-laws up in South Shields amongst many other things. I love London - the more often I go there the better it gets.

I have only just started scratching the surface here but have noticed a couple of very nice avs (Soda & Maleah) that look very promising. It's great to be here again! :D

[whitcap]

Welcome back FP!

[Troubadour]

It's SO good to have you back, Julie! I'm thrilled you had a fantastic trip.

On a personal note, a massive thank you for my postcard. It was a real surprise, and it completely made my day. Can't wait to hear all about your adventures.

In the meantime, there's a rather nice recent photo in Frey Fever that is calling you... ;)

[sodascouts]

Willie - what a nightmare about the will! Sometimes I wonder if I should make one up - yeah, I'm relatively young and everything would go to my parents, but what about all my memorabilia? That would be worthless to them but would make some of my fellow fans very happy. I guess it's silly to think of such things, but I do!

Peek - I like the "Eagles groupie" idea. Just get ridiculous with it and put on/wear/carry everything Eagles you can. It would get a lot of laughs!

FP - I said this elsewhere, but welcome back. I too was thrilled to receive postcards. Thank you so much!

[Koala]

FP, welcome back ! I missed you! Glad to hear you had a fantastic time!:)

[TimothyBFan]

Willie - what a nightmare about the will! Sometimes I wonder if I should make one up - yeah, I'm relatively young and everything would go to my parents, but what about all my memorabilia? That would be worthless to them but would make some of my fellow fans very happy. I guess it's silly to think of such things, but I do!



Not to be morbid but my advice is DO IT!!! I think I mentioned a couple months ago about my friend Sherry who we lost to an automobile accident. She was only 34 and had 3 beautiful children. It does happen to young people also. And again, not to sound horrid, but you travel a lot...you just don't know what will happen or when.

Welcome back Julie. I was just saying yesterday in the Frey thread that I was missing you here.

[Glennsallnighter]

Willie, I'm so sorry for all the rough things that are happening at the moment. I really hope Dillon is OK. My deepest sympathy on the loss of your friend. I hope you can all sort things out in the way he would have liked.
We too should make a will, and I ahve no problem doing so. The only problem is that there is NOBODY that we can appoint as legal guardians of the children should anything happen us together. My parents are too old to do this fulltime and I just know from my brother and sisters lifestyles that 2 kids (1 with some special needs) would NOT fit into their plans. We have very definite reasons for NOT wanting hubby's brother and his wife to do it either. I guess I'll just have to mind my health and not drive too fast for the next 20 years!!

Jess, I hope you find something nice to wear for the party. I tend to go as a witch when I'm asked to dress up.

And Julie! Welcome back :hug: I'm delighted you enjoyed your holiday in England. Have fun catching up.

[Brooke]

Peek, I really like the Eagles Groupie idea, too! How more perfect and like Soda said, it wouldn't cost a thing! Fun!

Fp, welcome back from me, too! We missed you so much and are glad to hear you had such a nice holiday. I'd love to see some of your pics, too, as I've never been overseas.

I'll second the will thing. Everyone should have one. My husband and I had one drawn up several years ago and needs a bit of revising now since our kids are grown up. Ga, surely you can think of someone you would trust with your kids welfare. Better your decision than the courts.

I have exciting news....our son and his girlfriend got engaged over the weekend! I'm so happy! She is a lovely girl and they've been together for over 3 1/2 years and are crazy about each other! No date has been set for the wedding yet, but probably next summer or fall. :yay: :yay: :yay:

[TimothyBFan]

Congrats to your son and your family Brooke!! how exciting!! http://bestsmileys.com/wedding/8.gif

[Freypower]

Brooke, that is wonderful news. Congratulations to your son & his fiancee, and to you of course. :applause:

[Brooke]

Thanks! I am so excited! :blueblob:

[EaglesFanatic]

Willie-I hope everything is sorted out with the will. I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you are going through.
FP-Welcome back :)
Peek-You should totally go as an Eagles groupie! That would be hilarious!
Brooke-That's awesome! Congratulations to you and your son.

Life is getting crazy... I broke up with my boyfriend a couple days ago, because I found out that he cheated on me several times. But here's what I don't understand... My cousin, who is like a sister to me, called and told me she's going out with the guy I just broke up with. Man, at this point, I don't even know what to think...

[Troubadour]

Wow, EF... I am so sorry you are going through this right now. :hug: That must be very hard to deal with.

Brooke, congratulations to your son and his fiancée. Your excitement is tangible!

[Prettymaid]

FP, I welcomed you back in the Frey Fever thread, but let me officially say here that it hasn't been the same without you!

Brooke, congratulations to the happy couple! Sounds like your son picked a good one! :wink:

EF, good for you for breaking up with a guy who is cheating on you. I know it's hard, but you deserve better than that. And if your cousin wants him knowing he cheated on you, then she's got some issues to resolve herself.

[sodascouts]

Congrats, Brooke! Best wishes to your son and his bride-to-be!

EF - how lame is that guy! Look at it this way. You are now freed up to find someone better. If your cousin wants to be stuck with a loser, oh well, that's her problem. Guess she has lower standards than you do.

[Koala]

Brooke, congratulations to your son & his fiancee!

EF, that must be a hard time for you but is it better you broke up with this guy when he had cheating you!The guy has not earned you at all. You can find someone who is better for you!

[Peekaboo]

Welcome back Julie!! It's great to see you around here again. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time on your trip.

Brooke, big congrats about the engagement. That's wonderful news!! :thumbsup:

EF, there are plenty of better guys out there. You're still young and have plenty of time to find the right guy for you. Hopefully your cousin will figure that out soon too because your ex sounds pretty lame to me. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

You guys are cracking me up with the Eagles groupie idea :hilarious:. The funny thing is that I've already thought about that. EL, I thought about the Witchy Woman idea too but i don't know how i could pull that off. I'm still trying to come up with something but i'm not ruling out the groupie idea. I don't have too many choices at the moment but the one I really like so far is to be a Pink Lady like from the movie Grease. Other than that I really don't have many good ideas.

I've made a last minute decision to take a trip to Wichita, KS tomorrow to visit my cousin, Francene. I haven't seen her in nearly 2 months so we've got some catching up and hanging out to do. Plus, I've been a bit stressed lately so I could really use the chance to get away for a few days. I'm also looking forward to the drive there. I enjoy driving. It gives me a chance to let my mind wander and daydream. It's a 3 hour drive so i've got plenty of time to daydream and jam out to some Eagles tunes.

[Brooke]

Ef, I agree with everyone else. You deserve better and he's a loser. And I don't know what to think about your cousin. Obviously, not your friend.

Peek, have a good time on your trip!

ETA: Peek, all your talk about Halloween made me think of changing stuff around here!

[EaglesFanatic]

:hug: Thanks for the reassurance everyone. I know that I did the right thing in the long run.

[Glennsallnighter]

Peek! Enjoy your trip. Best wishes to Francene. Hope she is still doing well. I know what you mean. I love driving on open road listening to my Eagles and Glenn :heart: music as well. Have a great time.

Brooke, wonderful news about yor son and his fiancee. I hope they have many years of happiness together.

EF, try not to stress too much. I know these situations can be difficult but I'm sure you will meet a man who is much more worthy of your love. And your cousin will come crawling back to you if he treats her like he treated you. heart up lady! :thumbsup:

[MikeA]

Forget the "Witchy Woman" idea Jess. You'd never be able to pull it off! Maybe "Elvira" or that wiggly nose witch on Bewitched. But I can't see you with a ladle stirring something in a cauldron!

EF....such a bummer! Not that you are back on the market, but that I'm 50 years too late to make a bid! To me, he sounds like he's got a lot of growing up to do.

[EagleLady]

Twas the only thing that came to me at the time :sad:

[MikeA]

Twas the only thing that came to me at the time :sad:

It IS a good idea EL. I was just making an attempt at humor! *G*

Peace, Love and Harmony.

[sodascouts]

Have fun and be safe on your trip, Peek!

[MikeA]

Now this is about as serious as you can get. A new phone!

After researching the heck out of cell phones, I decided that my wife and I needed to get a simple dumb-phone since the only thing we do other than talk is text a little bit...and I mean a LITTLE BIT!

Just couldn't justify paying $20 a month for each phone to get a "data plan".

So I settled on the LG GU295 that AT&T offers. It has good talk time (6 hours) and 21 day standby. It comes with a lot of phone memory but has expansion for microSD chips that are reasonably priced. I paid $21 for a 16GB chip on my phone.

I thought that with that and the Music Player, I could put a lot of music over on the phone. I was right. As soon as I got the phone, I built a playlist with Windows Media Player and "sync'd" that playlist over to the phone's external memory using a data cable that I bought. The music functionality is pretty good. Nothing fancy though. You can listen by a selected Artist, to a specified Album or to everything in the library either sequentially or in random sequence. That suits my needs perfectly.

But where I ran into trouble, was when I tried to load a ringtone to the phone. I could copy it or sync it to the external memory, but it was NOT available to select as a ringtone. I had recorded a clip 25 seconds long of Hendrix's "Wild Thing" that I liked and it was less than 300kb in size and was 128kbps in bitrate. Should have worked fine. But the phone could do nothing with it other than play it as a song with the Music Player.

I tried software to do the transfer, tried using the memory in a "reader" so I could write directly to it and tried using the data cable. Nothing worked though everything got it into the Music Player.

Finally, like any Normal Male would do, I read the manual. Nothing there helped me do as a last resort, I called AT&T for HELP!

My problem was that there are "connection options" on the phone. If you chose USB like I had chosen, there was another menu I hadn't seen. It is defaulted to "Music Sync" and that's why it worked so well with Windows Media Player when I sync'd my playlist! But there is another option besides that one called "Mass Storage". When I turned that option on, it revealed all the stuff that was NOT associated with Music.

There was an Audio folder that had been hidden and when I copied the MP3 into that folder, it showed up as an available ringtone!

Same thing with the Camera Album. With the Mass Storage option, I can move pictures taken with the camera off onto my computer...or upload pics from my computer to the phone.

I think the phone is pretty well unlocked now and I think will serve all the intents I was expecting of it. Mainly to Talk, to Text and to Listen to Music.

[TimothyBFan]

Good luck with the phones Mike. They can be so confusing!

What a week! The flu flew through this house like crazy this week. Luckily it only last about 24 hours for everyone but it was an UGLY 24 hours. YUCK!!!

Today is hubby & I's 22nd anniversary. And they said it wouldn't last! :hilarious: No big plans. Dillon will be home this afternoon for the weekend so that's nice. Probably dinner out tonight or tomorrow night but that's about it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

[Brooke]

Mike, I think you should stick with talking and texting. That's about all I can do with my phone! I refuse to pay for data on mine also. :lol:

[Prettymaid]

Happy anniversary Willie! Seeing you and Larry together it's clear that you two have a great relationship. Here's to many more!

[Koala]

Willie, Happy 22 anniversary!

Mike, good luck with your new phone!

[tequila girl]

Willie, Much happiness to you both on your 22nd Wedding Anniversary - may you have many more! :love:

[MikeA]

Twenty-Two Years Willie? And you haven't worn him out YET? You must be doing something WRONG!


CONGRATULATIONS!

[sodascouts]

Happy anniversary, Willie!

[Brooke]

Happy Anniversary Willie! That's great! :thumbsup:

[EaglesFanatic]

Happy Anniversary Willie!!

[Glennsallnighter]

Happy Anniversary Willie. Have a great evening this evening whatever you choose to do. And I'm sure it'll be great to see Dillon again.

Mile, enjoy your new phone. Unlike you I do a lot of Data transfer on my phone as I have BlackBerry chat, internet and email on it. And I CAN justify its use.

Its midterm break so I have next week off, as well as the kids so the 4 of us are heading to Munich in Germany on Monday (last time I was there it was WEST Germany!). On the downside I have had a mild dose/headcold all week. Its settled in my chest the last few hours. My voice is gone and I feel ROTTEN! Hope it clears.

[Wildthyme]

Well I had a wee bit of what I guess you would call excitement last night. I was coming home from Walmart and turned from the main highway onto a side street and I see this person slowly driving next to the curb on the other side of the road but in the wrong direction. Assuming he must be looking for a house number I gave him a wide berth. I got to my next turn off and I could see him still making his way slowly down the road against the curb. He moved back to the right side of the street and passed me as I turned off but something felt off to me so I decided to go back and follow him. He went up the road, made a turn and then started driving down the middle of that road and occasionally swerving into the oncoming lane (fortunately the roads around here are nearly deserted in the evenings). The guy had to be drunk or something so I kept following while digging my phone out to call the cops. He crosses a couple of intersections, almost hits a kid on razor scooter and then ends up in a dead end. While I am identifying myself to the dispatcher and pulling off the road this guy is just sitting there idling. He tries backing out and hits another car. Then he starts doing point by point turns until he gets himself turned around and headed back the way he came. All this time I am on the phone with the dispatcher telling her what is happening and trying to get his license number and description and cross streets and so on. She asks me to stay behind him but at a safe distance until the sheriff gets there. Finally the cop flashes his lights behind me, passes me and tries to pull the guy over but not before he swerves again into oncoming traffic and almost gets taken out by a city bus.

I headed home but the dispatcher called me back and had me go to the scene to make a statement. By the time I got back they had the guy in the car. The officer told me the guy didn't appear drunk but he was definitely impaired - "out of it" as he put it - maybe dementia or something like that and they were trying to get hold of his family. All I could think was how sad for the poor man. I sure hope there is someone out there who cares about him and will take care of him so something like this doesn't happen again.

[EagleLady]

Wow! That must have been scary for You Cami!

[tequila girl]

Well Done for being a concerned citizen - whatever the circumstances of the erratic behaviour were!

[EaglesFanatic]

You did the right thing calling the police. How scary though!

[sodascouts]

Good for you, taking the initiative, Cami. You probably saved some lives!

[Glennsallnighter]

Yes indeed, well done Cami!

[Brooke]

Good job, Cami. :thumbsup:

We had something similar happen last year while coming home fro southern Missouri. We came upon a truck driving slow and erratically and every time we would meet a car, he would swerve in to the oncoming lane and then swerve back just before hitting them head on. We just knew he was going to hit someone, so we called the highway patrol and they finally found him and got him stopped. It was one of the scariest rides of my life.

[Koala]

WT, well done!

GA, I love Munich, its a really beautiful city. Hope you feel better now!

[MikeA]

Hip-Hip-Hooray for you Cami.

Regardless as to whether the guy was under the influence of something or having some sort of health related issue, you couldn't have handled it better.

This country needs more who are like you to take initiative.

[TimothyBFan]

I totally agree with everyone here, Cami!! There are far to many people who turn away and ignore situations like that. You should be commended for your actions.

[Troubadour]

A belated Happy Anniversary to you and Larry, Willie!

What a sad story, Cami. As others have said, well done to you for acting on your instinct and calling the police. You possibly saved some lives. It's a testament to your nature that you are concerned about the driver and his health and safety.

I've been quiet the past few days because Saturday was my sister's birthday, so we've had a long weekend together. I'm still up at her place in the Cotswolds, but I'm heading home on the train tomorrow evening. My Mum was supposed to join us, but she's not well at the moment... she should be getting some test results back tomorrow, so fingers crossed that there's nothing serious and that she will get better soon.

On a more positive note, my sister and I have had a great weekend. We went to see The Gaslight Anthem in concert on Friday night (brilliant, apart from the idiots who shoved me around and elbowed me in the face... they got ejected, thankfully.) We went to a rugby game yesterday afternoon, and then had an Indian meal at a lovely little restaurant in a local village. Today we went to the cinema and just chilled out at her house... It's freezing all of a sudden! This part of the country is so beautiful, though. Very rural. I can hear the pheasants outside as I'm typing this. My sister has had a bit of a hard time lately (she and her boyfriend of five years broke up a month or so ago) but she's dealing with things really well. It's been really lovely to spend an extended period of time with her and catch up properly.

[Glennsallnighter]

WT, well done!

GA, I love Munich, its a really beautiful city. Hope you feel better now!

Thanks Cami! We head out in the morning. I AM feeling better, thanks to a very good cough bottle that my friend Maureen that I work with recommended.

Lou! Delighted you are having such a good weekend catching up with your sister. I'm glad that she's coping ok and I'll keep my fingers crossed that your Mum will be ok!

Have a good week Ladies! See y'all Freyday!

[sodascouts]

Troub, sounds like some good times with the sis. It's always nice when you can have a good visit.

GA, Have fun!

[Troubadour]

Some of you may remember that I mentioned my uncle, Martyn, a while ago... He has been unwell for a long time, and he took it very badly when his father, my Uncle John, passed away two years ago. Martyn has cancer and he also has suffered for years with depression. He is only in his late 40s. Anyway, I spoke to my Mum on the phone a little while ago, and Martyn is in intensive care. He was due to begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks, but he had started feeling very ill over the past few days, and called an ambulance. Apparently he has pneumonia. He has been moved to a different hospital today, because his lungs had started to fill with blood... My Mum said it doesn't look good at all. Please keep Martyn and his mother in your thoughts. It makes me so sad... he has had nothing but problems and illnesses for so long. I pray he will be okay, but the outlook is pretty bleak at the moment. :(

[TimothyBFan]

Oh Lou, I am so sorry to hear that! He is most definitely in my thoughts today as are your whole family!!

[Koala]

Troub, I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. He and the whole family are in my thoughts and prayers!

[Wildthyme]

Lou, I will definitely say a prayer for your uncle and keep good thoughts for him and your family.

[Brooke]

Lou, same here. I'm so sorry.

[MikeA]

Lou, you know you have shoulders here...some sharper than others but all there for you!

[Troubadour]

Thank you all so much.

My uncle was in surgery for a long time today. The blood in his lungs was caused by an artery that I guess had ruptured... They have fixed that, and he is stable for now, but his situation is still critical. Apparently the next 24 hours will be crucial. They have given him new blood because he lost a lot during surgery, but it is not mixing well... Also, his kidneys don't seem to be functioning properly. He has an awful lot of problems - and these are all unrelated to his cancer. Poor guy.

Your thoughts and prayers mean a lot. I'll obviously keep you updated.

[Prettymaid]

Trying to get caught up...

Cami, your compassion for that driver's situation says a lot about you. I'm afraid I would just be angry at him without getting the whole story.

Lou, thinking about you, your mother and your uncle now.

[sodascouts]

I'm too tired tonight to reply to all the interesting discussions on the board - will do so tomorrow - but I wanted to quickly say that Martyn and your family are in my prayers as well, poor soul.

I had a big shock today - one of my students died over the weekend of complications from sickle cell anemia. I only talked with her just a few days ago about an assignment - she said she wasn't feeling well, and I said I hoped she'd feel better soon - you know, the usual response. Then to hear that she died... like I said, shocking, and tragic. Her family is in my prayers as well.

[TimothyBFan]

Oh Soda, that's terrible. So young!!! My thoughts are with her family and all her friends and others she has surely touched in her short life.

[ticky]

Wow! Miss a day or two and I miss all the excitement!!!

Cami! Wholey Moley! Way to be a super citizen! Im gonna make you a cape *G* Good job! Poor old guy, gotta be a really rough time when you loose your ability to drive, I mean there goes your freedom! not to mention your ability to think clearly. Scary times. Good thing there are people like you out there looking out for the rest of us *G* Super Cami *G*

Lou, Awe hon *HUGS* Hope your Uncle gets past all this as quickly and painlessly as possible and I hope your Mom comes through okay. Im sorry about your sister and her ex. I know you were pretty close to both.

Nancy, Wow!! scary and sad. It's hard to believe a young vital person like that could just be gone so quickly.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you, always.

A little lighter and MUCH less intense, I had a funny little experience this morning I thought you all might get a chuckle out of. I have been FREEZING my backside off the last few weeks (as soon as the weather gets cold and rainy here, like below 50 degrees and just a non-stop drizzle) I get cold, really cold down to my bone cold!!. All day yesterday I was shivering. my feet were like ice and I was sniffling and coughing. I asked Cliff last night if pleeeeeeease couldnt we turn the heat on a little early this year?? (we usually wait till November) This morning he was wandering around the house vacuuming out the heating vents and a minute later I heard the furnace kick on. I sat up and happily said "The Heat is On!!!!" It took me a minute then I started to giggle maniacally. Cliff just looked at me and shook his head. No appreciation for my sense of humor.. hehehe

[Prettymaid]

Soda, that must have been a shock. So sad when young people die.









Ticky - The Heat Is On! The Heat Is O-On! http://bestsmileys.com/dancing/14.gif

Your house sounds like mine...

Me - '"Please, can we turn the heat on? I'm cold!"
Hubby - Oh, just throw a blanket on!

So much for marriage being a compromise. :hilarious:

[Koala]

Soda, how sad, that must been a shock for you and for all other which knows her!

ticky = cold http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Wetter/smilie_wet_025.gif------------> The heat is on http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Wetter/smilie_wet_053.gif

[Brooke]

Soda, I'm so sorry to hear about your student. Very sad.

[Troubadour]

Thank you all so much for the kind words. My uncle is still in intensive care... I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything else.

Nancy, I am so sorry to hear about your student. It made me incredibly sad reading about it. Hugs to you - it must be a real shock to everyone who knew her.

[Lisa]

Troubador--I hope that your Uncle Martyn is recovering well after surgery.


ticky--"Freezing weather" hasn't arrived yet. Almost. Here's to the "heat" going back on--for the season.


sodascouts--I'm sad to hear about the student with sickle cell anemia. I hope there will be a cure soon.
My condolences for all of the bereavements on the forum thread.

[Wildthyme]

Soda, I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your student. Its seems especially tragic when someone so young passes away. During my years working at the university there were two students that I had worked with long term that died (one was a suicide and one was a traffic accident) and it was so shocking to imagine they were gone and would never reach the potential that I know they both had so much of.

Well I am now at 14 months of unemployment and I am getting incredibly frustrated and discouraged. I just got two more rejections in the last couple of weeks for jobs that I interviewed for (and a few more for ones I applied for). I was so sure I was going to get an offer on one of them because the people that interviewed me commented on how impressed they were with my credentials and interview. Yet they chose someone else.... ARGH! I don't know what to do next. I can't even seem to get jobs I am more than qualified for. At least with the holidays coming up I know I can pick up a couple of part time seasonal jobs but then I will be back to square one after the first of the year. I never imagined this would be so hard. At the very least I have determined I need to look at jobs out of the area and out of the state in spite of the fact that moving means making some hard choices. I own a house here and I refuse to just walk away from it because I have invested a lot in it. But renting it will be difficult because there are so many vacant rentals in this area already (and selling it isn't even feasible). I hate to move away from my family and friends but I am not seeing much of a choice anymore with unemployment in this valley at almost 14%. And I don't think anything is going to change anytime soon...

[pueblo47]

I'm in my 18th month of unemployment, also with no luck, but hopefully will be able to find something part-time soon. And to cap it off, my car went out on me yesterday and today the shop called to tell me it's not repairable. Unemployment here is around 10%, I'm just beginning tier 4 for the next 5 weeks, then that's it. So I know what you're going through. The future is kind of scary.

[jdubfan]

So many sad things happening to good folks, prayers to all. A young man from Notre Dame was killed yesterday while working on some kind of aerial platform filming the football team. In 50+ mph winds. Very sad for friends and family. Just incredibly sad when it's a kid.

I've been out of work since February, and it's wearing on me too, so I can relate to your stories a bit. After 22 years of working for a small engineering firm, the "stupervisor" that was my new boss gave me 2 hours notice, and did it while the owners were out of town. He's a control freak that'd worked there for 2 yrs and didn't like me 'cause he couldn't figure out how to control me. Sposed to be open to go back there when things improve, but my county has been the poster child of the bad economy, the Prez has been here 3 times. The jobless rate has come down from 19% but is still around 14%. My job depends on new construction, and there won't be any of that around here for awhile. So I guess i finally have to figure out what I want to do when i grow up. I also had a fakeout interview. A local government agency that I've dealt with in the past talked to me for an hour, told me office protocol, how things ran, insurance, blah blah blah, things that only mattered if I got in there. But they already knew who'd get the job, but legally had to have open applications. Thanks, very much. I've incorporated (I like my boss a little better!) and sub-contract for the old employer jerk when there's work and for some of my old clients, but it's slow. Wish I had a crystal ball to know where to head next...:fear:

[sodascouts]

So many people struggling - I know, I was one of them. In that interim between being at Purdue and finding my current job, it was awful. I was very down on myself for not being able to get a job faster and couldn't even talk about it on here because I was so ashamed. I found the "it's the economy" talk to be cold comfort, but it's so true.

I guess all that can be said is that, obviously, you are not alone.

[EaglesFanatic]

All I can say, since I'm not speaking from personal experience, is to keep at the job applications. I totally understand how this can get frustrating, but eventually you'll get a job offer. It's just sad that so many people are having to deal with this... Like Soda said, you are not alone.

[Koala]

WT, I was jobless for 2 years,so I can well understand what you are going through now :hug: I have found my current job by accident when I never expected to, hopefully to you will happen the same, soon!

[TimothyBFan]

So many sad things happening to good folks, prayers to all. A young man from Notre Dame was killed yesterday while working on some kind of aerial platform filming the football team. In 50+ mph winds. Very sad for friends and family. Just incredibly sad when it's a kid.

I was thinking of this this morning also as similar to what Soda was talking about. He was basically the same age. Did you see what he had tweeted that morning? He was scared something would happen while working in those conditions. So very sad.


I've been out of work since February, and it's wearing on me too, so I can relate to your stories a bit. After 22 years of working for a small engineering firm, the "stupervisor" that was my new boss gave me 2 hours notice, and did it while the owners were out of town. He's a control freak that'd worked there for 2 yrs and didn't like me 'cause he couldn't figure out how to control me. Sposed to be open to go back there when things improve, but my county has been the poster child of the bad economy, the Prez has been here 3 times. The jobless rate has come down from 19% but is still around 14%. My job depends on new construction, and there won't be any of that around here for awhile.

My husband works in that county also Deb. He works for about the only company that was left standing after all the others were closing doors on a daily basis. He did have to take a pay cut and had some temporary layoffs but we consider ourselves VERY lucky. It is good to see some of the RV industry picking up again in the area but it's no where close to where it was and probably never will be.

Good luck to all of you!! It just saddens me that it has come to this. It's scary for everyone and I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in the years to come.

[sodascouts]

I can't see this economy going downhill forever... the pendulum has to swing back sometime. Let's just hope it's sooner rather than later.

[Brooke]

I'm sorry so many here are having tough times. I wish all of you the best of luck finding jobs. And soon. I know it must be very scary for you and can only offer thoughts and prayers for you.

[Glennsallnighter]

This reminds me so much of what me and my contemporaries went through in the 80's and early 90's. We were all either qualified to do a job but had no experience. Or we had experience but our qualifications didn't fit. In all though there were no jobs at the end of the day. BUT things DID improve, and people who thought they'd never work again DID get good and valuable jobs. This weak economic situation will not last forever. And when things improve I hope everybody here will get something.

Soda, I too am so sorry to hear of your student's sudden death. I know sickle cell can be a pretty debilitating illness but I had no idea it could caus death as suddenly as that.

Lou! I'll keep your uncle in my prayers too, I know this is a difficult time for your family.

Rhonda!!! Enjoy that heat! I think we did quite well here keeping it off until mid October, but in the latter part of the month the temperatures dropped so we had some early morning frosts so on it had to go!

[Peekaboo]

On my way to the hospital. My friend, Christi, is having surgery this morning. She's been really nervous about it the past few days. I know she's gonna do just fine. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

[tequila girl]

Sending healing vibes to Christi, I hope the op goes well :)

[TimothyBFan]

Same here!! Good luck Christi!!

[Koala]

Good luck to Christi! Hope everything goes well!

[Prettymaid]

Thinking of Christi and of you too Jess. You're a good friend to be there for her.

For all of you who are unemployed looking for work, don't get down on yourselves. It's not you, it's the economy and although that doesn't give much comfort (or put food on the table) I agree with Soda. Everything is cyclical and this, too, shall pass.

[sodascouts]

praying for Christi!

[TimothyBFan]

Well yesterday was a rough one. It was the funeral of Larry's uncle. Lots and lots of family we haven't seen for awhile which is always nice but sad it's something like this that brings everyone back together. It was a military funeral (he was a decorated WWII vet) which are always a bit more emotional to me anyways. The last military funeral I had been to was my father's almost exactly 3 years ago. I start losing it with the 21 gun salute and fall apart when they fold the flag off the casket & hand it to the widow. Larry's family all have plots in the same beautiful cemetery right next to each other. It so happens that it was exactly 15 years ago yesterday that Larry's father had also passed away so we all spent some time there also. His Aunt & Uncle had been married 62 years. I just can't imagine finding yourself waking up alone each morning after spending that many years with someone. My parents were 49 years and Larry's 52 years when our father's died which is an extremely long while also but 62!! WOW!

[Glennsallnighter]

Positive vibes out to Christi Jess. I hope she's over the worst of her surgery by now.
Willie, my comiserstions to Larry and his extended family on their loss. It doesn't matter how old a person is when they pass on we all still feel the same regrets. But I'm sure you are all proud of his long and distinguished service over the years.
62 years married. WOW, thats nearly as old as Glenn :heart: (Sorry that whole 62 thing means just that this week) What an achievement. My parents are 53 in February.

[sodascouts]

As I said on FB, your family is in my prayers, Willie.

I still hope to one day find a guy I could tolerate for a few decades. ;) My parents just celebrated their 43rd anniversary last June.

[Brooke]

Yes, thinking of you Willie.

[MikeA]

Shot this one yesterday.


https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=865

[MikeA]

She's crawling and sitting up now! Just over six months. Miles is like an electron!...constant motion.

[jdubfan]

Congratulations, that's a good looking group.

I get to go hold my sil's hand today (she already has a ton of...issues shall we say) while my bro has a 2nd procedure on his spine. Hoping/praying this one takes hold and gives him some relief.
0h and still arguing w/unemployment folks via the phone today. Guess 2 trips to and 4 hrs at their office yesterday wasn't enough. By the end of the day, I told the office manager I needed a job, and could have been more effective than just about anybody I dealt with yesterday. I may not have known what to do, but I would looked for answers and pretended to give a rat's a$$.

[Koala]

Willie your familie are in my thoughts!
Mike, how cute!
jdubfan, hope everything goes well with your brother!

[Brooke]

Mike, cute photo!

Jdf, good luck to your brother. Does not sound fun.

[Prettymaid]

Nice photo Mike, but does poor Miles own another shirt? :hilarious: (Just kidding!)

[MikeA]

LOL.....well, he's wearing the same one in all of my sig photos! But the one in that picture is the same color but not the same shirt as the one in the sig. <LOL> Or maybe it is at that! looks like the same color "something" in the upper right part of the design.

I'll bet it was washed though!

[Glennsallnighter]

I still hope to one day find a guy I could tolerate for a few decades. ;)

What a pity Mr Frey is spoken for Soda!

Adorable pic Mike. Your grandkids are gorgeous. Megan has gotten sooo BIG!

JDFan, I too hope everything goes ok with your brother.

[sodascouts]

Congratulations, that's a good looking group.

I get to go hold my sil's hand today (she already has a ton of...issues shall we say) while my bro has a 2nd procedure on his spine. Hoping/praying this one takes hold and gives him some relief.

I'll say a prayer for him, too. The spine - yikes!


By the end of the day, I told the office manager I needed a job, and could have been more effective than just about anybody I dealt with yesterday.

Makes you wonder how THOSE people got jobs!

Mike - great photo!

[jdubfan]

Well, didn't work liked they'd hoped. Last thing to try is a facet joint block deal - whatever. Bro says more drugs to twilight him next time or he's not doing it. This deal today was torture, he's a big, tough one and he was at his limit. He's a pharmacist and spends multiple hours on this feet, so his back, knees, etc are shot, because he is....as I remind him as often as I can.....much, much older than I am. Poor buddy. :worried:

[Glennsallnighter]

Awwwww JDF! I'm sorry! :hug: It can't be easy for your brother at all at the moment. I hope the next procedure works.

Nancy! Love the av changes you are going through this evening.

[MikeA]

JDF, I'm really hoping that something WORKS SOON for your brother! Agony.

[Koala]

My sister has just called me, she told me, that in their apartment was burgled.

She and her boyfriend were away for the weekend they came back this afternoon.
Almost everything was stolen, 3 televisions, computer, laptop, Playstation, jewellery, the coffeemaker and even most clothes of my sister!
There must have been at least two thieves, as one alone can not at all the great TV carry from the living room.
It must have happened yesterday afternoon, because the friend of my sister has got e-mail that his computer was taken of the net!
He thought it was a false alarm!It was not!
Unbelievable!

[MikeA]

He thought it was a false alarm!It was not!
Unbelievable!

WOW Koala. I thought crap like that only happened in the US! I do hope that some of it can be recovered. Her CLOTHES? That's LOW.

[sodascouts]

How awful! To lose almost EVERYTHING! I at least hope the police can catch these people.

[tequila girl]

Koala, that's just terrible! I feel so sorry for your sister and her boyfriend - I hope they were insured? at least then they can replace some of the stuff without it costing them loads of money, I know though that personal items can never be replaced....some people are just SCUM :-x

[EaglesFanatic]

Oh my gosh Koala! That is horrible, I feel very sorry for your sister

[ticky]

Awe Deb, Im sorry about your brother. I hope whatever they plan on doin next, they drug him well and he smiles through it all.

Koala! WOW! Your poor sister!! I hope they catch the thieves!! That's awful!

Had a sale yesterday and did okay. It was the same sale as last month, a monthly flea market at the local grange, but there were a few more customers in attendance and I think everyone did a little better. I have a holiday bazaar on the 20th and another on the 26th so wish me luck! I also started a store on Etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/ticky37 and there's a local art gallery I have been invited to join! It's kind of funny, my Mother was one of the founding members of the gallery years ago, and now here I am, joining as well. Im looking forward to it.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well Done Rhonda, and congrats being accepted by the Art Gallery. I hope your next run of sales go well.

Koala, heartfelt sympathy to your sister and her boyfriend. I hope too that they had a good insurance policy. Its a bummer paying it out on renewal date, but absolutely priceless when something like this happens.

I only have 2 days at work this week, because Laura is in hospital on Wednesday to get her squint in her eye fixed and will have to be off school on Thursday and Friday as well. Suggestions for entertaining a post op 9 year old are gratefully appreciated!

[Koala]

Thank you for your friendly words!
Luckily, both are well insured!
But, unfortunately, this does not bring back the personal or memorabilia, how the jewellery of the recently late mother of the friend of my sister.


WOW Koala. I thought crap like that only happened in the US! I do hope that some of it can be recovered. Her CLOTHES? That's LOW.
Such a thing also happens here! Yes almost the whole clothes are away and she had an amount!
But now it becomes almost funny,If it was not so sad, it was pinched even a laundry stand and the Christmas decoration!

GA, good luck to Laura!
ticky, nice to hear your sale was good!

[TimothyBFan]

How upsetting Koala! That's really scary also. What if they had been home? I know it takes a long time to get past the fact that someone as invaded your space and privacy let alone now trying to replace the stuff that they can that was taken.

Good job Rhonda. I will have to check out your Etsy account.

Good luck GA! I hope everything goes well for Laura!

[sodascouts]

Glad things are going a little better sales-wise, Rhonda.

GA - Hope Laura's visit to the hospital is relatively stress-free and that she can relax afterward. If you wanna know ways to entertain kids, though, I can't be of much help!

[Brooke]

Koala, I'm so sorry to hear of your sister's burglary. How awful! At least they had insurance.

Ticky, best of luck with your sales!

Ga, good luck to timtot. I hope all goes well. I'm sure an ipod with lots of Tim songs playing will aid in her recovery. Maybe a few pics of him, too!

[Prettymaid]

Reading all the posts and thinking of you all.

[jdubfan]

Awe Deb, Im sorry about your brother. I hope whatever they plan on doin next, they drug him well and he smiles through it all.

Koala! WOW! Your poor sister!! I hope they catch the thieves!! That's awful!

Had a sale yesterday and did okay. It was the same sale as last month, a monthly flea market at the local grange, but there were a few more customers in attendance and I think everyone did a little better. I have a holiday bazaar on the 20th and another on the 26th so wish me luck! I also started a store on Etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/ticky37 and there's a local art gallery I have been invited to join! It's kind of funny, my Mother was one of the founding members of the gallery years ago, and now here I am, joining as well. Im looking forward to it.


Wow ticky, your stuff is really neat. You must have a very steady hand and lots of patience! Very creative.

[tequila girl]

I just came in from shopping, made a coffee, put a sweet potato on the stove to cook for Charlie (parrot) came on here..............................forgot all about the potato until I smelt the burning pan :brickwall:

[Glennsallnighter]

Awwww thanks for the good wishes for Laura folks. I'm sure we can keep her well entertained, and Bhavya, her best friend will drop around when she feels up to it too, I think a few Eagles gigs on DVD and Hannah Montana (Grrrrr) will help too.

Koala, again that was a terrible experience for your sister and her boyfriend. At least they can be grateful that neither was injured and that at least the expense of replacing their goods will be covered. Why don't they try pawn shops to see if the jewellry is there? Or sometimes stolen jewellry can appear in any second hand facility from car boot sales to antiques fairs depending on its value.

[Koala]

I think a few Eagles gigs on DVD and Hannah Montana (Grrrrr) will help too.

Eagles sounds good, Hannah Montana:fear: , does not have to be, but if it will help Laura feel better.......


Koala, again that was a terrible experience for your sister and her boyfriend. At least they can be grateful that neither was injured and that at least the expense of replacing their goods will be covered. Why don't they try pawn shops to see if the jewellry is there? Or sometimes stolen jewellry can appear in any second hand facility from car boot sales to antiques fairs depending on its value.
This is a good idea, I will tell her this, on it I / we have not still thought at all! thanks!
My sister wants to search a new apartment for herself and her friend, in the old ones she does not want to remain, I can well understand it!

[MikeA]

Gotta get my Brother-in-law back on his feet. He had gall bladder surgery last week and then Saturday, had to go into the hospital because of excruciating pain. They got him on a Deladined drip (no idea how that heavy duty pain killer is spelled) with a button that he can get a booster every 10 minutes. Pain is under control now, but they still don't know what's wrong. He's had the Cat scans, Cats with nuclear dye, and this morning had to be transported by ambulance to an outpatient clinic for an MRI. Still trying to find out what's causing the problem. He couldn't do the MRI. He is extremely claustrophobic and they couldn't dope him up enough to calm him down. So now they are transporting him to a hospital where they can sedate him for that test!

It will most likely involve some sort of major surgery when all the smoke settles. That has him all depressed. All he wants to do is get out of there and play golf! We've missed right at 4 weeks of golf and to him, that's like going cold turkey as a crack addict!

[tequila girl]

It's all 'The Borders' fault I had a burned potato....if I hadn't been on here :hilarious: ....and I wouldn't mind but I only bought this set of pans about 3 weeks ago and now it's completely ruined!! :brickwall:

[EaglesFanatic]

Mike-Hope they can find out what is wrong, and your BIL gets back to golfing soon!
Ticky-Good luck with your sales, you've got some great talent! :thumbsup:

I've been having problems with my knee, and it's not getting any better. I went to the doctor and they're doing a scope on my knee, because they said I did in fact tear my meniscus. I'm really nervous, I've never had surgery before... One of two things could happen... It could not be able to be repaired, which means quicker recovery time, but long term arthritis. OR it could be repaired, which means a 5-6 month recovery time. I'm so bummed though, because either way, I won't be able to go on my school Israel trip now! I've been looking forward to this trip for years... Oh well :shrug:

[MikeA]

Things change FAST around here! Butch (B-I-L) went to a hospital where they could administer enough sedative to pretty much knock him out for the MRI tunnel. The technician told him she was 99.9% sure there was a stone lodged in a valve that they had closed off when they removed his gall bladder.

That would have meant major surgery (the old kind...not that micro surgery that is minimally invasive) and would require a long time to recover.

Thank goodness the technician didn't know what she was talking about. After studying the MRI results, there was no "stone". Just "sludge" as they called it. They think it was at its worse Saturday and is dissolving now. They are starting him back on liquids and solid foods tonight and think that he'll be able to go home tomorrow WITHOUT ANY SURGERY! YEAH! That's what I"M talking about!

They have pulled him off all the IVs and are just giving him pain meds by injection now and he's not needing much of that so he must be getting better!

[tequila girl]

That's great news Mike!! :thumbsup:

[Brooke]

Ef, so sorry to hear about your knee problems and missing your trip. Bummer.

Mike-wow, I'm glad to hear your b/i/l is doing better already. :thumbsup:

[Glennsallnighter]

Mike! I'm so glad your B-I-L is not facing invasive surgery. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.

EF I hope your knee can be sorted. I know it can be inconvenient to be laid up for a few months but if it can be repaired its a much better longterm prospect than arthritis later in life.

[MikeA]

EF...Girl, I'm really so sorry to hear about your knee. Especially that trip you're having to scratch. No way to go? None at all?

[sodascouts]

Mike - so glad to hear you're brother's improving!

EF - How awful that you have to miss the trip you've been looking forward to. Maybe you could go next year? Let's just hope the measures taken now will make life easier for you both now and in the future.

[Koala]

I've been having problems with my knee, and it's not getting any better. I went to the doctor and they're doing a scope on my knee, because they said I did in fact tear my meniscus. I'm really nervous, I've never had surgery before... One of two things could happen... It could not be able to be repaired, which means quicker recovery time, but long term arthritis. OR it could be repaired, which means a 5-6 month recovery time. I'm so bummed though, because either way, I won't be able to go on my school Israel trip now! I've been looking forward to this trip for years... Oh well :shrug:
EF, I'm, sorry to hear about your knee and the trip!
Such knees surgery is not bad and normally does not last also long. If it is only the meniscus, one can run after 1-2 weeks again well without walking facilities!
Arthritis was a bad, I have it since yearsand with me one can make nothing more against it, it is progressed too far, I have no more protecting cartilage. I really hope you have it not!However, if it is not progressed yet very far, one is able to do it well with drugs as tablets or syringes treat!


Great news Mike!

[TimothyBFan]

My thoughts are with you BIL Mike. Sounds like things have really improved!

EF--Good luck with that knee. Take care of yourself and get it feeling better soon.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well we were at the hospital for most of the day yesterday. Laura had her operation and apart from a red slightly tender eye is fine again. Thank goodness it went well. Even for a straightforward procedure, parents always worry I guess. Thanks for all the good wishes we have received.

This day 4 years ago I 'discovered' glennfreyonline! Though it was another 3 months before I found the Border. In the meantime I had been actively downloading the many pictures on the site (even then!) and reading up on his biography and discography!

[tequila girl]

So glad everything went well for Laura yesterday :)

[EaglesFanatic]

Thanks everyone, I'm having the scope in the afternoon today.

Mike-Glad your BIL is on the mend. To answer your question about the trip, there really isn't any way I can go, unless I can miraculously hike and bike, even just sitting hurts, so I probably wouldn't be able to sit on a 14 hour flight. :shrug: You never know though!

Such knees surgery is not bad and normally does not last also long. If it is only the meniscus, one can run after 1-2 weeks again well without walking facilities!
That kind of gives me more reassurance, thanks Koala :)

GA-I'm so glad to hear the procedure went well :nod:

[MikeA]

Well, you are awfully young to use the solution that I'd use EF. I just feel bummed for you. So, what you do is get that knee all healed up and make a solo trip in a year or so! You could take someone with you. I'd go <LOL> I'm a dirty ole man so it would be okay.

[Koala]

GA, I'm so glad to hear everything went well yesterday at Lauras operation!

[EaglesFanatic]

Well, you are awfully young to use the solution that I'd use EF. I just feel bummed for you. So, what you do is get that knee all healed up and make a solo trip in a year or so! You could take someone with you. I'd go <LOL> I'm a dirty ole man so it would be okay.
Next year Mike! Come on over, it'll be fun :hilarious: Maybe you could teach me some guitar while were there :thumbsup:
There's actually a program (with no affiliation with my school) called IST. It's also for 6 weeks, but it's for the summer of your junior year. I'm going to consider doing that.

[Prettymaid]

EF, I'm impressed with you. You seem so much older than your years. Are you sure your a teen? :hilarious:

Sorry to hear about the trip. I remember when you first mentioned it on here. You were so excited! But I believe things happen for a reason, and when it's time for you to visit Israel you will go.

GA, glad to hear Laura's procedure went well, and hoping she won't go stir crazy (or drive you crazy). :wink:

So Mike, sludge, huh? Tell your BIL I hear you can pick that up playing too much golf right before gall bladder surgery. :wink:

[EaglesFanatic]

EF, I'm impressed with you. You seem so much older than your years. Are you sure your a teen? :hilarious:

Lol, why are you impressed with me? Last time I checked I was a teen :hilarious:

[MikeA]

But I believe things happen for a reason, and when it's time for you to visit Israel you will go.. :wink:

Of course there's a reason.....I've always wanted to go to Israel....

And about the sludge....Yesterday when he got home he called me. Said he thought he could get out and play by Sunday. Well, He isn't regaining strength quite THAT fast (no food no liquids from Saturday through around 2pm Tuesday! He lost 13 lbs!) But I'm going to pick him up Sunday morning, golf clubs in the bed of the truck...and just drive around to different golf courses! I'm quite sure we won't be playing any but he'll at least get the flavor and maybe by the time we return from Vegas, we can get out....long handled underwear, winter overcoats and earmuffs....AND FREAKIN' AT LEAST SWING A CLUB OR TWO!

[MikeA]

P47:

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening--it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.

quote by Arnold Palmer

TRUTH!

[sodascouts]

Wow, Palmer makes golf sound downright poetic!

Glad the procedure on timtot went well, GA!

[Glennsallnighter]

Once again, Soda, TG, PM, Koala, EF and everybody else, thanks for all the positive vibes for Laura. She's pretty much back to normal now anyway though I'll keep her off tomorrow (Doctors Orders). Her best friend Bhavya called over to her today which really cheered her up.


MIKE!!!! 13 lbs in 2 days????? I think I'll go on your B-I-L's diet! Good luck with the golf.

EF once again, sorry the knee is causing such problems. Hopefully next years trip can be a realistic goal.

[MikeA]

MIKE!!!! 13 lbs in 2 days????? I think I'll go on your B-I-L's diet! Good luck with the golf.

Actually, It was more like 3-1/2 days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and over half a day Tuesday) without food or liquid. With this loss, B-I-L has lost over 200 pounds over the past Year and a Half (gastric bypass). He has reached his goal and was "holding" until this bout with his gall bladder. In fact, he was 4 pounds under the weight that his doctor had set for him to stop losing.

After all that we have learned about this gall bladder issue and gastric bypass, some surgeons doing the bypass surgery remove the gall bladder when doing the procedure. Seems like a very high percentage of bypass patients end up within a year having their gall bladders removed.

Something to consider if you get into situation where you are considering bypass. I don't think it is such an issue with Lap Band.

[Glennsallnighter]

Worth knowing Mike! Thanks :thumbsup:

[jdubfan]

Batting .333 tonite....Good news for my dog companion Tess, 2 of the tumors haven't grown much since September and the third has shrunken. Bad news for my bro, he's got to play pincushion again before they deaden the nerves, or insurance won't pay (don't even get me started about that...) and found out tonight that my very favorite cuzzin in the world, who has been outstanding in his grand fight against ALS, is now in the very last stages. Nasty, nasty, nasty f#*kin' disease. No other way to put it.

[AzEaglesFan]

We had some excitement in our neighborhood tonight but not the kind that anyone would want. The house at the top of our street burned. I walked up to talk to the man that lives there with his wife to make sure they were ok. He said his wife and the dog were ok and that was all that mattered to him. He even joked that he needed a new roof anyway. They are very kind hearted people and I hope everything gets taken care of for them. I asked they had a place to stay and he said some people from his church had already asked them to live with them until their house was repaired. He said it was faulty wiring in their kitchen. Our house was built by the same people at the same time so I guess we need to get the wiring in our house checked.

[Troubadour]

Wow, AZ. I'm glad your neighbours were okay. It still must be awful to have your house and possessions go up in smoke like that, but it sounds like the guy is already looking on the bright side! It's great that they have a place to stay until everything is sorted out.

Mike, great news about your brother-in-law. As a wise man once said, "in a New York minute, everything can change". ;) Amazing!

EF, thinking about you. It's such a shame you had to miss a trip you'd been looking forward to, but it sounds like you're already looking ahead and checking out other options. Good for you!

Lisa, so glad everything went well with Laura's op. I know how nervous you were while she was in theatre! :hug:

Everything's fine over here - I'm busy writing a rough first draft of a novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month. Those of you on Facebook will have heard me mention this already!) It's just for fun, but it's basically to encourage people to write creatively. It's a challenge, to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I've got a lot of catching up to do, but I'm determined to hit 50,000, just for my own sense of accomplishment! It's already taking some directions I hadn't anticipated, which is the whole point. I'm glad I signed up.

I did have a bit of an accident at work today... I slipped on the stairs (which had just been mopped) and landed hard on my back, on the edge of the steps. It hurt at the time, but it's gotten worse during the day. I feel so stiff, sore and battered at the moment! I have bruises all along my lower back and I have a bruise/lump on my right calf. I'm just hoping it hasn't jarred or jolted anything too much... I already have quite a lot of problems with my back.

[MikeA]

Lou, do NOT procrastinate about getting that back checked! You are FAR too young to be having to deal with back pain!

[Troubadour]

I've been to the doctor, Mike, but they just tell me it's muscular, and that stretches/certain exercises will help. I do exercise, and it does help (in the sense that my back feels MUCH worse if I sit in the same position for a long period of time)... It's still not much fun, though. I have aches and twinges most of the time.

I also went to my cousin when she was training as a chiropractor, and she and her supervisor said that I have a muscle that's kind of twisted, very low down on the left side of my torso, at the front. They said the only thing that will help to release that is stretches, because it's too deep to massage, but that that could definitely cause pain along my back. She also said my back was a bit out of place. When I was laying down, the middle of my back was more raised/curved than it should be. She put a towel under my back and pulled it really fast down under my legs. It straightened it out a bit - I can definitely feel that that needs doing again! Beyond that... I don't know.

[sodascouts]

Poor thing! I hope you're able to get your back sorted out soon, and that there is no lasting damage.

[MikeA]

I've no experience with muscular issues...but spinal/vertebrae, that's a different story. I do know what those constant nagging type discomforts can add up to and it doesn't take a LONG TIME either. It's sort of like that "Chinese water" torture that you hear about. You can take the water dripping on your head for hours, but eventually, it is like it becomes a sledgehammer pounding on you.

It's that way with the back. For a while, it is just annoying. Everyone gets back pains and thinks nothing of them. But when it is CONSTANT it just takes you down.

I pray (seriously I Do) hope that you can get this under control permanently and not have to deal with medication for relief.

I can honestly say that I feel your pain!

[Koala]

AZ, I'm glad to hear your neighbours are ok.

Aww Lou, I'm so sorry to hear from your fall, I really hope that the pain in your back become better soon !

[TimothyBFan]

So sorry to hear about your fall Lou!! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Friday, shortly after I signed off here, I received a phone call from Life Line (see them on the caller ID and the heart drops-both of our mothers are sat up with one and I am the first responder they call). Seems Larry's mother (she'll be 88 next month) had taken a fall in the tub. She wanted her daughters (meaning me & Larry's sis Peg) and no ambulance. I had to make some decisions on the fly. Told them to tell her we wouldn't be able to get there as fast as a couple of her grandsons and told Life Line I wanted an ambulance called and if they beat the grandsons there, to kick in the door. I called my nephew who is a fireman and told him. He pulled in to her driveway right in front of the ambulance. He called me a few minutes later and said she was showing signs of a stroke and that they were transporting her to the hospital.

I started making the phone calls to Larry & his brother and sisters. And getting everyone where they needed to be. Our large family is spread out all over the country, so I started making the calls. At that point I'm glad I went against her wishes and had an ambulance there instead of waiting for the boys to decide.

She is in the hospital for a few more days at least. She did have a mild stroke, no broken bones which is pretty amazing considering she is 88 and already has a bad hip and fell with her leg under her. She is having trouble controlling her right hand and cannot lift her right leg at all. Her speech is still a bit slurred but improving. Her blood pressure and sugar #s are all over the place. When they got her to the hospital Friday, her blood pressure was 212/101. When they get that under control and release her from the hospital, she will have to go to the nursing home for a few weeks of rehab. Hopefully we will get her back home for Christmas.

This all came exactly 2 weeks after she lost her last living sibling, her brother Jay and 4 weeks after we lost our close family friend also. I really think she's just had so much on her mind with all this that it could of been part of the reason. I'm no doctor or nurse so what do I know.

[sodascouts]

How hard but I'm so glad to hear she's improving. It sounds like your decision may have saved her life, as I imagine time is very important in such cases. I too am reluctant to call ambulances and actually tell people not to do so in case I have a seizure, but sometimes - better safe than sorry - and that is certainly true here. As I told you earlier, she's in my prayers!

[MikeA]

I've catching up to do here....but have to rush to catch a plane to Vegas!

Willie...WOW! Good on ya if I got the gist. I'll read it closer when we get to the hotel.

[Brooke]

Louise, so sorry about your fall and hope you are better soon.

Willie, good for you in calling the ambulance. Better safe than sorry. I hope your m/n/l makes a speedy recovery and at least nothing was broken.

[MikeA]

Okay Willie, I'm settled into a hotel now and plugged in. Went back and read your post.
You are officially MY HERO!

[WalshFan88]

TimothyBFan - I hope everything turns out ok! Good on you for having the ambulance called! :)

It's been a long week for me, I went for my yearly eye exam. I was born blind in my left eye, and so they keep close checks on me. I've noticed within the last year I'm becoming increasingly nearsighted and my night vision or dark vision is now completely gone and the nearsightedness keeps increasing at a somewhat alarming rate. It's to the point where I stumble and can't see when the lights are off at night.

So I go for the exam, and the nurse has me read the letters on the chart. Everything was incredibly blurry except for the biggest of the letters. I started getting REALLY nervous, as I used to be able to see most of them. So the doctor comes in and basically to save time and typing what it boils down to is that I have to go see a Neuro-opthamologist and probably have a Brain scan. She is worried that my optic nerve might be being pinched and that if it is, I'll have to see a Neurosurgeron and have brain surgery. She's not sure that is what is what it is, but with my long medical history and previous brain surgery she wants to be on the safe side. Another possibility is that I might have what is starting to look like Cataract's. One of the medicine's I take can cause those.

The appointment is next month and I'm quite nervous. I've been to hundreds of doctors in my life, had 8 surgeries so far, and I still get nervous when they refer me on because I never know what to expect.

[TimothyBFan]

Oh my Austin.... I sure hope it all works out for you and they can correct that problem very very soon!! How scary. Keep us posted please!


Aww shucks Mike---I hardly think it warrants that. I did what I just thought was best, even at the risk of p*ssing her off. I know why she wanted us instead of the boys or the ambulance crew...she was naked in a tub but at that point, you put all that aside and do what needs to be done.

[MikeA]

All the good stuff your way Austin! It is just Hell when bad things happen to good people!

[Troubadour]

Willie - my thoughts are with you and the family.

Austin, I'm thinking of you too, and hoping for the best! Keep us updated.

[Koala]

Austin, hope the best for you!
Willie, my thoughts with your family!

[Brooke]

Austin, best of luck to you. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

[sodascouts]

You're in my prayers, Austin! It sounds like you've been through enough for 10 lifetimes already.

[EaglesFanatic]

I briefly read through the posts in this thread. Willie you did the right thing. I hope she will be okay! Austin my thoughts are with you, hang in there bud :). I Have benn so high on my pain meds so I have not been able to stop in the border. I promise this is my last rant about my knee LOl there is no meniscus tear which really surprised the doc. They are now saying I have an IT band problem. The good news is I can miraculously enough go to Israel. I will hopefully be able to go three weeks late. I will not be able to hike or do the army training but I am just so grateful I can go for at least a few weeks. Thanks for all you concern everyone :hug:

[tequila girl]

Willie - thinking of you and your family, sometimes it's hard to go against a persons wishes but you did the right thing without a doubt

Austin, hoping all goes well for you - what a bummer!

EF I don't know what this is (IT band problem) but hopefully they can sort it out for you and great news you can now go to Israel! :thumbsup:

[WalshFan88]

Thanks everyone! :) I'm pretty nervous, as I'm already blind in my left eye, and I don't want to go completely blind.

EF - I hope they get everything figured out and it gets better! :)

[Koala]

EF, I'm so glad to hear you able to go to Israel!:)
An IT band problem ok, I know what is it, this one can very well be treated with physiotherapy or injections or should you be operated on it?Which is indeed a possibility.

[MikeA]

Extremely happy for you EF! I'm sure it is all due to your positive attitude...and the pain meds <LOL>

Austin....Man, you've been in my thoughts a lot since you disclosed the possibilities you are facing. I can think of nothing to say other than it really REALLY Pisses Me OFF! I sure hope that it does not turn out to be the worst case scenario. Oh, I know you'll persevere no matter what happens after the dust has settled, but that doesn't make not knowing for sure and the waiting any easier!

[Koala]

I got news from my sister.
The good one is that they found a new a house,
the old tenants of a house that belongs the father of her friend move out at the end of the year and Nadine and her boyfriend move in there.
The bad one is, the insurance refuses to pay! That Sucks! Because no evidence of forced entry are to be seen at the front door! What does believe the insurance, that both have brought all their own stuff out of the house to cheat the assurance?! I can't belive it! But there the last word is not spoken yet! During the next days they meet their insurance guy, both do not want to accept this so!

[sodascouts]

Koala, I feel for your sister. That angers me so much about insurance companies. They're happy to take your money year after year, assuring you that when you need it, they'll be there ("like a good neighbor" etc) ... and then when a crisis occurs, they do their level best to keep you from getting a cent of that money back. If they are forced to pay you something, they raise your rates so they can get it back ASAP or just drop you altogether. What other business can get away with crap like that?

EF, I'm so glad you're getting to go to Israel!

[WalshFan88]

Austin....Man, you've been in my thoughts a lot since you disclosed the possibilities you are facing. I can think of nothing to say other than it really REALLY Pisses Me OFF! I sure hope that it does not turn out to be the worst case scenario. Oh, I know you'll persevere no matter what happens after the dust has settled, but that doesn't make not knowing for sure and the waiting any easier!

Yeah it really plays on my mind all day everyday. Best case scenario that is just either Cataracts (which can easily be fixed) or perhaps just nothing at all. The other possibility is that I have a pinched optical nerve and that I'll need brain surgery. The worst of the worst case scenario would be blindness, but my doctor doesn't think that will happen. She said the worst that may happen is that I need brain surgery, but it could be something simple like cataracts, etc. So it's just wait and see and see the Neuro-opthamologist next month and they'll probably do an MRI and see. If it's necessary, they'll send me on to a neurosurgeon. I don't want to have brain surgery, but I also don't want the chance of going blind either. I'm just hoping/praying it's something simple.

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and prayers! :)

[MikeA]

Mike is really missing his guitars! Vegas is okay, but it is a real trial to give up my strings for a whole week! Besides, it's a lot cheaper to build up callouses than it is to count cards all day long!

Going to Hoover Dam a little later today to take a look at the new bridge spanning the Colorado River Canyon by Hoover Dam. Hoping to walk the bridge and get some good photos.

Went to the Neon Sign Museum yesterday and shot 75 photos of those signs! They are literally in a bone yard! Signs from casinos that no longer exist like Stardust and Desert Inn. The one conspicuously missing is the Sands. Nothing exists from that one <sigh>. But they do have the sign from that famous or infamous Moulin Rouge.

The Moulin Rouge was the only property built for the Black entertainers and workers in Las Vegas in the 50's. The hotel was only in operation for something like 6 months. Threats of protests in the Civil Rights era caused the City Managers and Hotel owners to get together and abolish Segregation in the city. It is said that property owners of the Mob Owned casinos on the Strip and Downtown in Vegas told employees that if they were seen at the Moulin Rouge, they would be fired. It had become one of the hottest properties because ALL entertainers would head for the Rouge after the second shows on the Strip and Downtown. The reason? The Rouge broke the model of two shows. They put on a third show after the others were finished and then gave the performers in the earlier shows somewhere to go and be entertained!

The Moulin Rouge burned to the ground only a couple of years ago. There was a Motion Picture produced that had the Rouge as a main setting.

Hotels like the Stardust and Frontier and Bourbon Street that no longer exist are casinos that Verna and I have been to. Vegas has no historical sense at all. It is nothing to them to implode buildings that any other city would have on the Historical Registry!

[Troubadour]

Koala - I'm sorry that your sister is having to deal with all that crap from the insurance company. I hope they get some joy in the next few days.

Mike, hope you're having a great time in Vegas, despite missing your guitar! I remember driving past Hoover Dam so well... aah, memories.

I did my first bit of Christmas shopping yesterday. I spent over an hour browsing in the children's books section of Waterstones, and it was bliss! I've bought gifts for all of my little cousins. Inspired by that, I drew a little something today for my five year old cousin, Morgan. I normally draw portraits, but I wanted to try something different. I think I'll frame it and give it to him as an extra little gift for Christmas.

This isn't a great shot of it, but it's the best I could get on my phone. It's just black ink and coloured pencils.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq285/atthetroubadour/dinosaurformorgan2.png

[Brooke]

Wow, Louise! You are so talented! :thumbsup:

[EagleLady]

Awwww Lou that is soooo cute

[EaglesFanatic]

Troub, that's awesome!
Mike-Hope you're having fun in Vegas :)

[MikeA]

Having fun....pocket book testifies...but not in a good way so far <LOL>

[Lisa]

The ink and colored pencil picture will be the best Christmas gift! Wow! It is cool!

[sodascouts]

Wow Lou - amazing. I envy your talent!

Mike - don't you gamble away your savings, now!

[MikeA]

Turned the tables today! I ended up a whopping $15 ahead for the day. Sadly, I needed to win around 10 times that amount to get back to even. Oh well, I still have tomorrow.

Did get out to Hoover Dam. That new bridge is stupefying! Enormous supports. We drove across it first looking for the parking lots it was said were there so you could walk across the bridge (behind concrete barriers) and walking is the only way you can see over the sides of the bridge....at least from a car.

No parking lots on either side of the bridge. You have to take the old road that goes across the dam to get to the parking lots. There are two of them that cost $7 to park at and a couple of really crowded free ones on the Arizona side of the bridge. We drove by the visitors center for the Memorial Bridge but didn't stop. There is a long group of switchback built for tourists to climb up to get to the bridge for pedestrian traffic. We just stopped over in one of the free lots and took a couple of pictures. Took more pics while driving across the dam. You get a really good view of the bridge from the dam.

Some day, we'll go ahead and to the walking thing. But today, neither of us felt like hiking a half mile down and back up the hill. I'll get some pics posted when I get home.

[Koala]

WOW Troub, that's so awesome!:thumbsup:
Mike, hope you have more succeed tomorrow!:)

[TimothyBFan]

Troub--like I already told you of FB, that is so cool. I wish I had ANY talent like that!! Morgan will love it!

Mike--Come on man!! We are waiting for that big private Eagles concert we've talked about in the past, after you win big!!!

[Prettymaid]

It's hard to keep up with all of you! Just know that I do eventually read every post in this thread and I'm always thinking about my Border friends.

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately I have a head cold that isn't helping me feel very festive. Hopefully I'll be well enough to celebrate this weekend.

Back to work for now. I'm just home for lunch. I'm on vacation next week and I plan to get caught up here then.

[Brooke]

Happy Anniversary Pm! Get yourself well so you can celebrate! :thumbsup:

This is a sad week for me. I lost my sweet m/n/l two years ago today and my Dad passed away one year ago tomorrow. I really miss them both.

[TimothyBFan]

PM---Happy 10th!!! Any big plans for the weekend? I hope you're feeling better in time for the celebration!

Brooke--:hug: I know how it is. It was 3 years ago yesterday I lost my father. Just keep those good memories alive!

[jdubfan]

Just got back from my cuzzins funeral. Made 6 Eagles/Joe cds to play for the trip. The down and back was 16 hrs car time in 2 days. Rained, and I mean in buckets, most of the way down, but I had my fellas as co-pilots. Kept me company, and more importantly, awake. Gonna miss my cuzzin, he was joe cool 8)

[sodascouts]

Sorry about your loss, Deb - and even though Willie's and Brooke's losses are not fresh, I'm sure it's never easy.

PM - happy 10th anniversary to you and hubby! Get well soon!

[MikeA]

Deb, my condolences. Those loses hurt...BAD. I know.

[Koala]

PM, happy 10th anniversary!

Deb, I'm sorry about your loss.

TBF & Brooke you are in my thoughts such days are always difficult, keep your good memories!

[Troubadour]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Deb.

Cathy, I hope you feel much better soon. Happy Anniversary to you and the hubby!

[Brooke]

Deb, thinking of you.

[ticky]

God
bless,Deb. Peace to you and yours

Cathy! In the immortal word of Fred Flintstone, "happy anniversary!"

Have my first Christmas Bazaar tomorrow, wish me luck!



Btw, I posted this from my phone!!! Yay! Its working now so I can be MUCH more of a pest! *G*

[MikeA]

Back Home here in Wichita. The big blowout is gonna have to wait I'm afraid. The good news is that for anyone going to Vegas the next few months: You don't have to worry about the Casino's light bills. The casinos will be lit!

[MikeA]

Nah, not a bit "wiser" unfortunately. Brain Dead from counting: 0, -1, -2,+1, +3 big bet....lose....repeat ad nausium! But did have fun. There are definitely better ways to "have fun" though.

[sodascouts]

That's why I don't gamble. I don't consider losing money to be fun!

[MikeA]

Honest, I seldom lose when I play 5 or 6 hours a day for several days. The odds really are in my favor by around 6% because of my card counting skills. I know that a lot of gamblers say something like that but usually it is on games that they have no control over. With counting, you are forecasting what the trend is going to be for the next hand. With a positive count, the remaining cards in the deck contain more High Cards than Low ones and that is an advantage to the player.

But, there is also a thing called "variance". With Blackjack, that variance is around 5%. That just means that if you were playing at even odds with the casino, you would have a probability of losing up to 5% or winning up to 5%. That variance is an average number though....in reality, it can get extreme either in favor of the casino or in favor of the player. There are NO GUARANTEES other than if you count cards and play long enough, you will win around 5% more than you have bet.

In the short term, it is totally unpredictable other than you are giving yourself a marginal 5% more than what ever the game rules dictate. In my case, I was playing at a 105% probability. So losing what I lost is not at all uncommon though it is a little unusual.

[tequila girl]

Mike, I don't gamble at all..............................and you've just LOST me!!! :hilarious: :hilarious:

[sodascouts]

The very few times I have tried to gamble, I have lost. Consistently. They tell you, "Aw, just keep playing, you'll win it back."

So, in order to get into gambling, you have to believe that no matter how much you lose in a sitting, you'll eventually win back your money and then some if you just keep playing.... and then maybe you do win, which makes you even more convinced that you need to keep playing the next time you lose. That's the belief that keeps people in those casinos for hours and hours and hours, day after day after day; it's a never-ending cycle. Yep, thanks to people like that - and there are many - the casino business is a very lucrative one.

Not trying to criticize you, Mike. You just gamble for fun and know when to walk away. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with gambling per se.

[MikeA]

Jess: Do NOT READ THIS!

I would never want to encourage anyone to gamble. I don't. At least not the way most tourists gamble. They walk into a casino, plug money into a machine selected by the pretty flashing graphics and music, and press buttons until their money is gone.

I could NEVER do that. The first time I went to a casino, I have witnesses who will tell you that I swore that anyone putting money into a machine or gambling in any way were just paying the casino to be entertained and any thoughts of winning anything substantial had about the same odds as someone buying a lottery ticket.

That "first time" was at an Eagles concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I was there for the show...not the gambling. But my wife took a shine to it and anything she wants, I'll give her if I can. So I had to learn to do something in the casinos to kill time.

I came home, got on the internet and started studying up on how to even the odds a bit and in studying up on it, found that there are really only a couple of games that you can actually play at an advantage. Blackjack is one. Some Video Poker is "full pay" but you really have to look for pay tables that will pay over 100% IF (and it is a BIG "IF") you play using perfect strategy.

With video poker, there is one way to hold cards and only one way for each combination of 5 cards you are initially dealt. There are probably 2 dozen different games and the strategy is very different for each one of them. So I learned to play a game called "Double Double Bonus". It has the highest expected return but also has the most variance. At 27%, even if you play perfectly on a machine that has 10/6 paytables, you will have long stretches of losses offset by one big win. Even playing 5-coin at a nickel, you are spending $.25 on each spin. It doesn't take long to go through a lot of money before you win it back and get over 100%. It was NOT my game!

So I dug deeper and looked at Craps and Blackjack. Craps was way more in variance than Blackjack and it took a lot of money to cash in on the 10x to 100x multipliers that are available on some casino's tables. I never even tried that seriously. Just too much money at risk.

So that left Blackjack. Like Video Poker, Blackjack requires first that you learn to play perfect Basic Strategy and never deviate from it. The strategy differs slightly depending on whether you are playing single deck, double deck or six deck games. It also varies depending on whether you can double after splitting, whether the dealer hits on soft seventeens or stays on them and a few other variables in the table rules.

But basic strategy itself wasn't that difficult for me to learn. When you play that way alone, you are playing at an expected return of around 99.6% at best and more like 99.2% with the worst rules. Not bad actually because with the variance factor, you can win but not consistently and if you keep records over years of constant play, you will lose that .4%. That's pretty cheap entertainment.

But I didn't even want to play at those minuscule odds. I wanted the advantage! So I started reading up on how to get that advantage. I had heard about card-counting and thought you had to be a "Rainman"...someone with perfect recall and able to somehow remember every card that had been played. It was a total mystery to me. But after reading about how it was done and why it works, it made sense. It also meant that though any one who has the intelligence read a thermometer in sub zero weather could do it.

You do have to be able to keep track of numbers both above and below zero. Zero minus One results in a "minus one". "Minus one" minus One results in "minus two". If you can then add 1 to a -2 and understand that you get a -1 then you have it beat!

Well, almost. When you see a Ten or Face card or an Ace, you subtract one from your mentally maintained running count. When you see a 2 through 7, you add one. When playing single deck, your count starts out at zero. When it gets to +2, you can start raising your bets. You do that starting with a normal bet of one unit (in my case the table minimum of $5). When it gets to +2, you bump your bet to $10. At +3, your bet goes to three units or $15.

Simple, right? It is. Really. And it works. You don't win every bet when your count goes positive but the ones you do win more than offset the minimum bets you lose when the count is negative. That's becasue you have more bet when you get opportunities to double down and you get more in win with blackjacks (Ace/ten-valued card) dealt to you.

There are really just two downsides to Blackjack. First is that though you have the advantage (just like a Professional Boxer has the advantage over 90 pound weakling, every once in a while, the 90 pound weakling will get in a lucky punch and knock the pro out) you are not always going to win in the short term.

The other disadvantage is that for some reason the casinos do not like card counters. They do NOT want to give up that fraction of a percent advantage! And they will take action against you if they catch you doing it. They don't break your knees any more that I know of, and they cannot have you thrown in jail for counting cards, but each casino is a privately owned establishment. They reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. They WILL kick you out or forbid you playing in their house. If you persist, they can get a restraining order issued and if you come onto their property, they can then legally have you arrested.

So, if you are a card counter, you have to be able to do it without being obvious about it. You have to be able to do it with all the chatter going on at the table, with the dealer calling out numbers constantly, with the idiot sitting next to you counting his chips out loud, with the waitresses hounding you to order drinks! And you have to be able to count at a glance because the good dealers deal FAST and try to pick up the dead hands before you can get a good look at them!

So I took the challenge. And that really is why I did it. I wanted to see if I could. The fact that it kept me from losing thousands of dollars didn't hurt any either. After a while, I proved to myself that I could do it but the thrill of doing it soon wore off. It is like total concentration for 6 hours at a time. Not much entertainment there, especially if you are not winning. <LOL>

[Stars]

Just got back from a wonderful 8 day trip to California-it was so much fun we didn't want to come home! Visited Yosemite for three days, and what a beautiful place-I've never seen anything like it!
At any rate, it's nice to be back on the border again!:thumbsup:

[sodascouts]

Welcome back, Stars! Glad you had such a good time.

[Stars]

Thanks, Soda-would love to go back there sometime!

[Brooke]

Welcome back Stars! You'll have to share pics with us. Yosemite is definitely on my bucket list.

Mike, good for you on figuring it all out. I'm not a gambler at all. The only time I've been in a casino, I put $5 in the slot machines and never won anything. And it was hard for me to even do that. My husband wouldn't even spend that much! The only reason we went was because he had helped build it and we just thought we'd check out what it was like. :lol:

[Troubadour]

Welcome back, Carla! I would love to visit Yosemite. I'm glad you had a fabulous time.

[MikeA]

Here are three albums of pictures I took while out in Vegas this past week. The ones of Hoover Dam and the Memorial bridge are pretty good. The ones of the Neon Sign "Boneyard" museum are not bad either. The third album are some shots from our hotel room window (14th floor).

http://mvabercrombie.net/casino_albums/2010_1117_dam/2010_1117_dam.html

http://mvabercrombie.net/casino_albums/2010_1117_Neon/2010_1117_neon.html

http://mvabercrombie.net/casino_albums/2010_1118/2010_1118.html

In the last picture in the pics from our hotel room, there are several things that you might not recognize (or care about for that matter <LOL>).

The "head" of the zip-line. That's a new feature on Fremont. I think it costs $15 a ride. It starts before the beginning of the Fremont Experience dome and continues past Fitzgerald's and ends in front of 4-Queens which is across from the Fremont Hotel/Casino.

The street that appears to be under the head of the zip-line (the one with the red car turning to the left) is Las Vegas Blvd...otherwise known as The Strip. The beginning of the wall to wall group of Resort Hotel Casinos that draws everyone to The Strip begins about 4 miles to the south (to the right in the photos. Fremont is in the Downtown district which is north of the Strip properties.

You can see some large signs in the middle and to the sides of Fremont St when you look "east". These signs and banners mark the area that has been recently "cleaned up". It was a slum area even 3 years ago! Dangerous to walk down at night. It is heavily patrolled now and well lit.

In the background you might be able to make out the "Western" hotel sign. That is the last casino in the Fremont District. It is still a pretty scary place to visit. I didn't mind it. They have pretty good $2 blackjack tables there. But my wife was freaked completely out! It is definitely frequented by 'locals" and the locals who go there, pretty much are homeless, rough talking and often either stoned or drunk! We haven't been back there <LOL>

[TimothyBFan]

Great pics Mike!! The boneyard photos kinda make me sad. How things have changed huh? And on that note.... there is a show on NPR called Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and every week they have a famous guest star. Hubby had it on Saturday and told me Wayne Newton (you've all made fun of me about that obsession) was on so I listened to it online this morning. The host asked him since he's been in Vegas for so many years, if he prefers the "old" Vegas or the "new" Vegas. He said he definitely loved the old Vegas more. There was more camaraderie among the performers back in those days than now. Your boneyard photos reminded me of the "old" Vegas.

[MikeA]

Back in the 50's and 60's when Vegas was owned and run by the Mob, things were a lot different. Understand, my first trip to Vegas was in 2003 or something like that, so anything I say about the "old days" is all hearsay.

But back then, the games like slots and blackjack there because the "men" were either in meetings with the Mob or were playing Poker. They had to have something for their wives and girlfriends to do so they brought out the machines and "carnival games" for the women. No one had discovered "card counting" <LOL>. They dealt ALL the cards out when playing blackjack. But once a mathematician from MIT studying for his doctorate published his paper on card counting, the casinos panicked and started playing with multiple decks and then later started cutting the decks off so that all cards were not dealt out.

As for the "other side" of Vegas, I'm sure Wayne Newton is absolutely correct. It rivaled any city for entertainment anywhere in the world! If you played any at all at the casinos, you could easily get free rooms, free food and free tickets to all the shows. You just had to give them a chance at your money and they rolled out the red carpet.

That's not true any more. The Low Roller like me, still can get "comps" in the form of rooms and special prices on buffets, but the tickets to the big name entertainers (like Celine Dion and Elton John and Cher and others who are staples in Vegas) go only to the High Rollers...people playing and losing Tens of Thousands or even Millions in the casinos.

That is one reason that Verna and I like Fremont St so much. It isn't the Las Vegas of the 60's, but it is a lot closer to it than are the Strip properties. We still get either "free" rooms or at least rooms at Player's Rates anywhere on Fremont St. The MOST we pay is $39 a night. Offers come in weekly to us in eMails and Snail Mail promoting their properties. I think this last trip, we were booked in three different hotels, though we stayed in only one. We go ahead and book the rooms because along with them, come free meals, maybe cash to use at the tables or machines and often, gifts. And, by taking up the casinos on these offers, we remain on their mailing lists and continue to get more free offers.

If you do go to Vegas, even if you don't "play", sign up for the Player's Clubs in the casinos. It is free to do and you really have no obligation and for new members, you'll get some good souvenirs like playing cards, coffee mugs, tee-shirts, hats....whatever. Anything with a logo on it might be given as a new-member gift. Heck, we got a freakin' massager as an Anniversary gift from Jerry's Nugget a couple of years ago <LOL>

[Brooke]

Great pics, Mike! Thanks for sharing!

[WalshFan88]

I hope everyone had a great Turkey day! I'm having two this year. Another one tomorrow with relatives.

I'm still nervous about my appointment next month. I'm now having eye pain out of the blue this week. I hope it's unrelated.

[Brooke]

I've spent most of the last 2 days working on the Christmas decorations! Bah humbug! Tis the season!

No really! I usually just dread Christmas because of all the work that has to be done. But after it's done, I enjoy it. :partytime:

[TimothyBFan]

Hey, I think I want a Christmas cactus!! Very cool!!! When we get the first couple feet of snow out front, I'd take it right outside and stick it on top of the tallest drift! :hilarious:

[Eve]

I've spent most of the last 2 days working on the Christmas decorations! Bah humbug! Tis the season!

No really! I usually just dread Christmas because of all the work that has to be done. But after it's done, I enjoy it. :partytime:


The last two days...me too. And my house looks like a bomb went off. Then we went out to some friends for dinner and my kids and a friend decided to put up the tall skinny family room tree. They couldn't figure it out, and thought the lights were tangled. They took the lights off a pre lit Christmas tree. Now my daughter is out there swearing trying to untangle the mess and put the lights back on the tree. Hopefully, by Monday this mess will look like Christmas!

[Koala]

We needed also almost 2 days for the whole chrismas decorations, that is, the rest of my family have done it, I am not this year in Christmas mood.Actually, it is for me always the best time in the year, not this year. You know it has happened so much this year and the worst one is it becomes the first Christmas without my grandparents!

Austin, hope your eye pains will be better soon and hopefully they are not serious!

[Glennsallnighter]

Yes Koala, I understand. Its difficult to celebrate the Christmas after you have lost somebody special during the year. And you have lost 2. Its the same for my Hubby as this will be his first Christmas without both of his parents. But you will enjoy it again when you are ready. Think of yourself and your family.

We tend to put up the decorations the first weekend in December, so its another week for us! And of course another marathon job!! But I was off with a viral infection last week so I managed to get a start on my Christmas shopping. We have also had some snow here, normally unheard of in November in Ireland, so that is really putting everybody in the Christmas mood!!

Here's a few pics I took today.
Firstly, the view from my hall door at about 9am.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/Irisheaglesfan/Winter%20scenes%202010/IMG_2649.jpg

I wanted to get this robin, so I put out loads of bread, grabbed my long lens, opened the back door and waited......

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/Irisheaglesfan/Winter%20scenes%202010/IMG_2655.jpg

sadly it didn't hop onto the snow which was what I wanted it to do.

Later on in the morning we went for a walk in the Phoenix Park. I took loads but I'll just post up these 2.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/Irisheaglesfan/Winter%20scenes%202010/IMG_2691.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/Irisheaglesfan/Winter%20scenes%202010/IMG_2692.jpg

[EaglesFanatic]

Wow, beautiful pics GA!
Hope everyone has a good time getting decorations ready for Christmas :thumbsup:

[Brooke]

Your pictures are beautiful, Ga. Love the little birdy!

[Eve]

The little bird is so cute GA!!!
I have most of the Christmas decorating done. Tomorrow I'll finish up and bake the first batch of cookies.

[sodascouts]

Since I visit my parents for Christmas during the break, I don't decorate much if at all. However, this past weekend, I went with my parents, my sister, brother in law, and 4-year-old niece, and 2-year-old nephew to cut down a Christmas tree. The one we picked out was beautiful and the whole family decorated it together. It took all afternoon and evening but it was worth it. My parents had already put up the other decorations before I arrived - lights lining the house and some lit up reindeer, angels, and snowmen on the front and back yards.

The photos are lovely, GA! And for those celebrating without loved ones this year - I hope this holy season gives you cheer to help with the hard times. Austin - I also hope things go well with you.

In an unrelated but funny story: my niece caught me checking the Border and pointed at my avatar of Glenn in reindeer gear. "Why does that girl have reindeer ears? She looks funny!" Sophia declared. Apparently she thought the mustache was part of the "costume." I was laughing too hard to explain to her that despite Glenn's long flowing locks, he is indeed a male! lol

[Koala]

In an unrelated but funny story: my niece caught me checking the Border and pointed at my avatar of Glenn in reindeer gear. "Why does that girl have reindeer ears? She looks funny!" Sophia declared. Apparently she thought the mustache was part of the "costume." I was laughing too hard to explain to her that despite Glenn's long flowing locks, he is indeed a male! lol
Lol, this is great!:hilarious:
GA, wow, your photos are beautiful!:thumbsup:

[tequila girl]

Fabulous photo's GA! :thumbsup: Love the Robin on the swing - you could make that into a Cristmas Card :)

[GlennLover]

Sorry I haven't been on this thread for a while. I find it hard to find enough time to keep up with all the threads that I want to read :(.

Beautiful pics, GA. We've had a few days like that here. Right now we have a couple of inches of snow on the ground.

All of you who have your Christmas decorating done already put me to shame. I don't think that we will put out any outdoor decorations this year. Can't really get into it. It will be the first year without my mother so I know what some of you are going through. We are just going to concentrate on the real meaning of Christmas this year.

[EagleLady]

So We Changed the Cartridges in the printer but it came up with an error message, anyone know why?

[Koala]

Our heating don't work since yesterday, this is not fun , because it is really cold here!
Now we wait for heating engineer so that he repaired them!

[Koala]

Thats me http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Wetter/cold.gifBut since about half an hour the heating functions again! Now, I have sat down with my laptop before the fully turn up
heating!

[MikeA]

Thats me http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Wetter/cold.gifBut since about half an hour the heating functions again! Now, I have sat down with my laptop before the fully turn up
heating!


Just for you Koala:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-mU-YSk32I

[Koala]

Just for you Koala:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-mU-YSk32I
Awww, thanks Mike, thats so cute!
It helps, to me becomes already much warmer!:)

[Troubadour]

Mike - that brought a smile to MY face, I'm sure it made Koala very happy indeed! Glad the heating is working again for the moment. Our boiler broke down the other day, and it wasn't much fun. Thankfully it was only the fan and we were able to get it fixed quite quickly.

[EaglesFanatic]

I'm sorry about your heater Koala!

Since my class is in Israel, I have a really easy schedule at school for the next couple weeks! Today I only have two classes, and I don't need to be at school until 12:45! :partytime:

It's the first night of Chanukkah tonight, so Chag Sameach if anyone here celebrates it :)

[Brooke]

Koala, this morning our furnace had quit when we got up! Plus my alarm radio was turned down low accidentally and I didn't hear it go off, so I was 25 minutes late getting up!

Thankfully hubby checked out the furnace and reset it and it worked then, but it took a few minutes to heat up the house as it was 20 F outside! And I did make it to work on time! Makes me wonder why I was getting up that early anyway!

[EagleLady]

I had a filling put in this morning. So Now I look like a pufferfish :hilarious:

[Troubadour]

Aw, hope you're okay, EL! I've never had a filling, but I know any dentistry work can be quite unpleasant!

[EagleLady]

I'm great now Lou Wasn't too bad but not pleasant either :hilarious:

[Eve]

It's good you got it taken care of when it is just a filling EL, instead of waiting until it got to something more extensive.

[Koala]

Koala, this morning our furnace had quit when we got up!
Oh no, such a thing is always so annoying, good that the furnace is working again!

[Brooke]

I'm heading to Chicago early in the morning for a shopping trip with friends for the weekend!

Hopefully the weather will cooperate up there! :fear:

[Koala]

I'm heading to Chicago early in the morning for a shopping trip with friends for the weekend!

Hopefully the weather will cooperate up there! :fear:
Be carefull when the weather is bad!

[Peekaboo]

:wave: I'm back. Feels like forever since i've logged on here. Lots to catch up on. I may not get around to responding to every post i've missed but know that I will do my best to catch up on all of them. It's been a crazy month or so since i've been on here. There's been good and bad. I like to end on a good note so i'll start with the not so good. I've finally gotten on good terms with a few people in my life that I've had a tough time with lately. Things are good between us and that makes me happy. There was lots of unnecessary stress there and i'm glad to be done with it. The next not so good thing is that I spent most of this past week sick with the flu. The one year that I'm late getting my flu shot and I get the flu. Go figure. That darn flu bug knocked me out for the count. I felt so horrible that all I wanted to do for 4 days straight was lay in bed and sleep and I did just that. I hope you've all gotten your flu shots because you do not want to go through what I went through, trust me. My eyes actually got bloodshot from throwing up. No joke, they were literally blood red and even a little bit bruised around my eyes. They're still a little red but not nearly as bad as they were. I'm feeling so much better today and I'll finally be going back to work tomorrow after missing all week.

Now for some good news. My friend Christi's surgery went well and she'll be returning to work next week. It was a little rough in the beginning for her because she was sick with bronchitis but Christi fought through it and recovered well from her surgery. Here's an update on my cousin Francene. She had another bone marrow biopsy done a few weeks ago. Everything went well with that procedure and she was told that if the results show that she no longer has the Philadelphia Chromosome then her cancer will be in remission. They said that things are looking good so hopefully that means no more Leukemia for her. My fingers are crossed.

The next good news is that I'm going to be an Auntie again :yay:. My brother, Will, and his wife, Valerie, are going to have another baby. I'm so excited!! We got the good news the day before Thanksgiving. Natalie is so excited to be a big sister. She says that she wants a little sister but I'm hoping that they have a boy. It's possible that they could have twins because Valerie's mom is a twin and she has cousins that are twins. Val is about 7 1/2 weeks along so we're looking at a July/August baby. Babies just seem to be happening a lot in my family right now. My cousin Ronda just had her second child on Nov. 22nd. Baby Madison joined our family at 10 lbs 3 oz and 21 in. Ronda was just over 2 weeks due and was more than ready when she finally had her baby. Ronda's older sister is pregnant with her third child and is due in March. My family just seems to have baby fever right now and we're loving it.

Here's baby Madison.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/Pekahchu/2010-11-23185615-2.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/Pekahchu/2010-11-23185435-1.jpg

After a month or so of some down and stressful times I'm trying to focus on the good that has happened and things seem to be looking up now. I'm hoping to have more time here on The Border and i'm looking forward to catching up on all of the newest concert pics.

[Koala]

Welcome back, Peek! We missed you!

Glad that you feel better now.
Great to hear the good news about your friend Christi.
Congrats to going to be an Auntie again and of course to your brother and his wife!
Madison is very cute baby.

[sodascouts]

Hey Peek! Good to see you! Glad things are looking up for you and you got over that horrible flu. Those photos are precious!

[GlennLover]

Welcome back, Peek. Glad you're felling better after that awful week!

Glad Christi is doing well. Thanks for the update on Francene. So happy to hear that she had good news & praying that she is in remission!

The baby is sweet! Glad you're so excited about being an Auntie again.

[Troubadour]

Congrats to Will and Valerie! Is Nat excited?

Madison is beautiful. She looks strong and healthy!

So glad to hear that things are better family-wise, Jess - I know that's a big weight off your mind. Sorry you got such a bad dose of flu, but I'm happy that you're starting to get over it... take it easy and watch a few Eagles DVDs (if you haven't already!) :hug:

[Brooke]

Hey Peek! Glad to hear things are looking up and you are better. What a sweet baby!

Btw, I've never had a flu shot and don't plan on getting one anytime soon! Knock on wood! Most "younger" people around here don't.

I survived Chicago. We had a wonderful time and did lots of walking, talking, eating, sightseeing and general having of fun! It snowed all day Saturday, but didn't stick to the roads, so we stayed and shopped till about 3. The Christmas decorations were just beautiful! And the view from the 94th floor of the Water Tower complex was just breathtaking at night. My second trip to Chicago ever!