I'm really very relieved to report my dad is home from the hospital. There were a couple of issues, so he had to stay a few nights, but he got the all clear earlier today. Being this far away from my folks During this was tough, so I'm really glad he's home and resting. I'm looking forward to calling him tomorrow. I didn't want to risk waking him up tonight. I know he didn't get a lot of sleep while he was in hozzie.

I'm exhausted myself. Worrying takes it out of me! I didn't really tell anyone how worried I was... Now I can really concentrate on stuff and stop being so darned distracted.

On a completely different note, I did my first FaceTime. A client was out of the country and needed help, so sthey wanted to "call" me that way. I have to say, it was a little heartbreaking, I looked so old!!! it was a neat experience, but my self esteem took a bit of a hit.

Ah well....

Off to make dinner.

My dad went in for surgery yesterday and I'm so happy that he made it through okay!!!!! They're still keeping him, but I think that it's a really good idea. I've been worried about this for a while, it's been re-scheduled so many times.

I'm not sure if I should be proud of this or not, but on my way home "King Tut" came on.... and I still knew all the words!!! That made me not worry about my dad for a couple of minutes.

If you a chance, spare a good thought for dad.

As I've mentioned in the past, I really enjoy watching all sorts of infomercials and home shopping channels. "As Seen on TV" stuff fascinates me! So, about a week ago, I was re-loading the channels on my antenna and deleting the vast number of channels I have no interest in watching when my TV landed on HSN. So far, so exciting, right? Ha!! I sat back and watched for a bit, I couldn’t help myself.

A few presentations in, the coolest thing came on! Headphones that you don't have to insert into your ears that also aren’t big bulky huge DJ sized either. How do they work? Bone conduction! I was so excited to see these things, you have no idea! I've never been able to wear earbuds because 1) my ear canals are too small (even for child-size earbuds) and 2) I have really sensitive ears and just about any pressure on them is painful.

I got right onto the internet and did some research. The manufacturer and their products are top rated across the board. Now, I knew not to expect Bose standard quality, but compared to not being able to wear anything up to this point, any decent sound at all will be pretty fucking amazing! You wear them around the back of your head and they sit lightly on the top of your ears (where glasses would rest) and the little sound thingies rest in front of your ears on the cheekbone kind of wear your sideburns are.

No surprise, I bought them!!! Almost half off their retail price, so they were a bargain too!

Now, when I got them and opened the package, I thought maybe they were just a little speaker hanging by your and that's what I would be hearing... not so! I asked people if they could hear the music or podcasts I was listening to and no one could! If I wear my hair down, they barely show, which is good. Turns out the sound quality is really good too! You can put ear plugs in if you want more sound immersion (I can’t, but you can). Also, a big plus is that, since nothing is jammed into my ears, I can still hear what's going on around me.

The only drawback so far is that they aren't adjustable, so the back tends to hang down which makes laying back against something uncomfortable. Small price to pay though!!!

I love these things!!

I had a really good time yesterday taking my friend out for her birthday. The day started with us having a good lunch, then we were off to Beverly Hills to see the Drunk History diorama exhibit at the Paley Center. The exhibit was a wee bit disappointing, as it was so small, but we had fun nevertheless. After that we went to Trejos and had REALLY shitty chips, salsa, corn, cheesy bean dip, margarita and a diet coke. Seriously, how can you make any of those not taste good? They managed it! With EVERY item! At least I can cross them off the list of places to try... After that, it was back to my place for presents. She got me loads of neat stuff (as well as Gotham) and seemed to like the gifts I got her, which is nice as I never seem to get people the right thing.

After that, we watched MST3K for a bit and she went home. It probably sounds like a boring day to most folks out there, but once you get to my age, having lunch, giving someone a copy of Adrian Edmondon’s “How to be a Complete Bastard”, snacks, cocktails, a good chat and a funny TV program is a really nice day!

I woke-up early this morning, walked to Trader Joe’s and am now sitting outside in a plaza on a beautiful Sunday morning killing a few minutes until the specialty pet food store opens, so I can get Gotham his weirdo food. As long as none of my TJ’s food spoils, I can tell it’s going to be a really good day.

I guess I should probably do chores when I get home. BAH! So much for taking full advantage of the beautiful day!!

This week is taking forever to end! I'm excited about going with a friend of mine to the Paley this Saturday. I've got a lot of friends with birthdays in December and January, so I'm taking one out for lunch (local to my house), then over to the Paley. Should be a lot of fun!!! I'm hoping that it won't be raining, driving over to the West Side in the rain is a dangerous proposition!

Really looking forward to lunch. We're going to a bar in the area that's fairly historic that serves the best prime rib beef dip sandwiches! And free cookies. 😆 Mmmmmmm, free cookies!!

One more day of work to get through first though! I still need to wrap the presents and stuff... I'm terrible at getting gifts for people, luckily I've known this friend for almost 30 years, so they already know and expectations are sure to be low!

Most folks know that I cut the cable/dish cord about 8 years ago (give or take). I really do dig not having a HUGE bill every month. When I first got rid of cable, I used to have to hook my laptop up to my TV and then watch Amazon or Netflix. Then I discovered Roku and got one for each TV. This opened the door to Sling, Pluto and others. The best was when I got a few antennas and the joy of over-the-air programming opened-up to me. channels with just 70's/80's sitcoms and Canadian lifestyle shows!!!

It may not be cool to admit to it, but I LOVE watching infomercials and shopping channels. I can't help it! The shows are really good! As Seen on TV products are so awesome!

The sad bit of news is that I think the weather is affecting my antennas because I'm not getting ANY of the informercial channels or the home shopping channels. WTF??? Luckily, QVC has an app on Roku, so I'm getting the entertainment, but it's just not the same.

I want to see Ronco! Power XL! NuWave!

Simple pleasures......

(Sigh)

I'll get over it. I guess.

Happy 2019 everyone!

The holidays were really good. Spent a very cold, yet snow-free Christmas with my parents. It really is very pretty where they live. I wouldn't want to live there, but it's nice to visit for a bit over Christmas.

I came home to a cat that, apparently, comfort ate the ENTIRE time I was gone. I think he ate about 2 or 3 weeks worth of food over the course of the 7 days I was gone. I always leave WAY too much food out as I'm afraid something will happen to me and it will take a while for someone to realize they need to get him and feed him. Honestly, him being fat is much better than when he first got sick and got so skinny. I'll take it! I just wish he'd stop yelling at me to feed him all the time as though he's starving when he's got a full dish of food.

New Years' was nice and quiet. End of the year is always a stressful time at work, so it's always nice to have that behind me.

2018 was a good year for me, but I'm hopeful 2019 will be just as good, if not better! I have a lot to be grateful for. Friends and family being top of the list. My only resolution is I need to make more of an effort to make time for more people and let them know how much I appreciate them (and maybe go through and shred my junk mail).

I think that's about it for now. I may post again later.

Take care of each other!!