Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1 p. 547
153.2 miles
90s and muggy

367 recordings of 51 types, 74 old SVU. 18% clear. (I had it lower but made the mistake of visiting TCM!)

Gah! I am so far behind! Besides this journal, obvious, I have TripAdvisor reviews to do, and so much paperwork to clean up in the house, and then there's the rest of the Camino to write up. So instead, I play Fishdom and watch TV.

I came back from Ashland two weeks ago. The first week back was awful, so very hot. Alicia informed me something was wrong with the answering machine. Actually, I finally found out the phone was offline. So I called AT&T and in was voice mail hell. Then I tried online and got to chat with a human. I was reluctant to give last four digits of my social security number (it probably would have to be Rich's anyway) but I could tell what the last phone bill was. He said there'd be a tech out in the next 24 hours. I waited all day long then suddenly realized I could go online again and see what was up. I initially started another complaint but then I saw the place to check progress. Lo! They had checked the line and set up a technician appointment and I would be back online at 8 PM.

In the meantime, the cleaners came and went. At 7, AT&T pulled up. I told him where the phone box was. As I was trying to push the dog back in with my foot, he snapped at it, then realized what he was doing. Tsk. The technician discovered, just as I'd suspected, that when the UVerse guy fixed that and put in a new router, he knocked a wire loose. I did have a couple of phone calls but then nothing, and I knew something was wrong with the phone when I talked to the vet.

(On the Monday in Ashland I checked my phone and had three calls. All from the vet, one each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They had tried running my credit card and it had been refused.) So on Tuesday I called and said "why didn't you use my home number?" They said they had, but nobody had answered. So *I* thought it was the answering machine, somehow off.) Always something.

Tuesday of that week I completely forgot about the widow's breakfast. I did brave the heat and go to the commissary and took a quick trip to Raley's also for milk. This was just a stopgap trip, which I had to do quick before the very end of the month, and I plan to do a big one in the middle of September. I called to make my mammogram appointment, and also talked to the windows people, and it turns out the appraisers had never actually scheduled me for right after Labor Day after all, so when I called her in the time between trips and she tried to call me back, no answer. My windows will be here on the 14th! I also talked to the bank to find out when I was supposed to tell them to put more money (when USAA closed out the California account in my mutual funds) into the CD renewal.

And for the first time in 4 weeks, Vince was able to call me at home!

Wednesday was Padreic's birthday. It was SO HOT. I told Bernadette I would like her to drive me over to pick up the big kids, and this fit in right with her plans. So I brought Padreic the riding Tyrannosaur I'd gotten for him in Wyoming, and he instantly named it Roar. Then when it was time to pick up the kids, Bernadette drove over and I walked into the school for them. Then she didn't drive straight home. The kids were baffled. Then we pulled up at Leatherby's! They gave Padreic a special sundae and sang to him, and he was thrilled. (Unfortunately, I can't seem to get the video up on Flickr. "Candle out" he said once he blew it out on the second try.) I had a small sundae but probably should have had a kid's sundae. I do try to be good!

   

   

Doris died. I no longer have to feel guilty about not visiting her... well, I still can feel guilty, but nothing I can do about it now. It's a blessing for her. Sweet lady.

SMOKE! From the Sierra fires and even the Oregon fires, which I thought I'd left behind when I left Ashland. (That smoke continued till Weed, but after my lunch the smoke had lifted, and I had clear skies coming home.) So I couldn't walk except very early in the morning. This morning I got as far as Whitney School, but I saw someone opening the fence and driving in. I figured that he had a key, he was probably OK, but I stopped to check anyway. Looked like he was cleaning the bathrooms instead of stealing the computers. But I came home after that, and the rest of the week the heat and the smoke kept me in.

I called the Bard's Inn and discovered, yes indeed, they do have a AAA discount, so I definitely should have used it this year and will certainly use it next year. I reserved a cabin at Crater Lake, next to the kids' campground, and I hope I can do the plays I'm interested in immediately afterwards. That way I'd only have one day (Monday) down.

I donated, through Catholic charities, to Harvey relief.

It's so slow on the jigsaw. One day I only managed 7 pieces.

Because I was gone much of August, I hadn't registered for a class at Renaissance. I had been interested in TED talks or the Time Machine Movies. I thought maybe after a documentary in the morning, I would be tired of thinking. Hence, I wanted the movies. But, since I hadn't registered, I was worried there wouldn't be room. I crashed the class and there were about 10 open seats, so good. The movie was the Time Machine. I'd never seen this one (with Alan Young) before and enjoyed it. Our "homework" was to think what three books you would take to help fix the future. I contributed The Way Things Work and then when I got home I would add the Boy Scout Handbook.

The morning class was a seminar on food in Sacramento. It was OK.

And after trying a few times to get back to "fossilfreakca" at LiveJournal, I gave up and came here. Still learning it.