Friday, May 6, 2005

Quick shots

1.  I am getting lazier and lazier.  First, I quit walking with a walker and started using a wheel chair.  Now, I have quit using wheel chair and am using electric scooter. I even got on scooter this morning to go to the parlor and mail box, a distance of about 200 feet.

2.  The roses in the garden did NOT like the recent rain.  They are all bent over, with heads in the mud, and looking thourghly soaked and miserable.

3.  The Cinco De Mayo here at the old folks home was delightful.  The dining room was festooned with colorful pennants, and there was a Mexican display in the corner with Serapes and Sombreros. (Let's see what the spell checker does with those.) The entree was enchiladas with beans and rice, one of my favorites, and there were Margaritas to start with.  A little pinata on each table held nuts and sugar free candy. 

4.  Chevrolet has still got it.  The most attractive car in the parking lot today was a new Chevrolet.  They make 'em look like Toyotas nowadays, but this one was even prettier.

5.  There are two rather unnoticed gems in your windows program.  If you haven't discovered PAINT on your computer you are in for a treat.  It is tucked away as an accessory.  You may have to seek it out using the START icon on the task bar.  But once you find it, you can draw, letter, modify photos, and generally waste whole mornings playing with it.  And on your Windows 98 is a handy gadget FAX.  Right on your computer you can send and receive FAX messages.  Handy, huh?  No machine needed to sit upon the telephone stand.  I rue that is missing from my Windows XP.  I don't need it often, but how I hate running to the office when I need to fax some document.  How come Microsoft dumped that neat feature?

6.  I had a hurtful prank played upon me by two friends.  I had made colorful placemats for our dining table, using the Paint program.  I made each placemat in the favorite colors of my tablemates.  They stayed in place for several days.  Day before yesterday I went early and added one for Jim, who has returned from a month long illness.  I had to readjust the place setting for each person slightly. 
   Since there was some time before dinner, I left the dining room, and as I left I passed Mrs. Asinine and Ms. Withered, my tablemates, entering.  That's not their real names, and I have changed them, not to protect their identities, but because I don't want to get sued. When I returned in about fifteen minutes, all the placemats were GONE. 
   I was astounded.  I asked what had happened to them, and no one knew.  I asked the waitresses and and even the cook.  No one could tell me what had happened.  I was flabbergasted and very upset.  Later I found them, twisted and tossed into a nearby trash can.
   Later I reasoned, only Mrs. A and Ms. W could have taken them.  For some reason they resented them, and removed them, and yet, couldn't tell me face to face.  In fact, they lied about removing them. It made me feel very defeated, and small.  I had made them for them,   What about all the other contributions I have made to the life aroud here?  The giant exercise ball, the card shuffler for card games, the funny signs on my door, my musical entertainment.  Is everything unappreciated?  It makes me feel very OLD, and very ALONE.
   I didn't confront Mrs. A nor Ms. W about this.  I may be wrong, and any further separation would merely add to the hurt. Thank goodness for my friends in J-land.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the paint program too (as you can tell from my journal lol).  

I'm so sorry they threw your placemats away.  That was just plain meaness from what you say.   Maybe they thought they were getting stained and didn't want to use them anymore?   I hope it wasn't really meant malicious.    

Well, if they don't show they appreciate you there, just know that we here in J-Land definitely do!  

Anonymous said...

Chuck don't take all this business re: the place mats to heart. Life is too short and there will always be someone around whose only purpose in life is upsetting the apple cart. I reckon they must be eaten up with loneliness and jealousy to do this.
Sylvia x

Anonymous said...

If those women threw those place mats away I would like to wring their necks. I am going to check out the Paint place. Thanks for telling us. I am so glad they have those scooters for people so they can continue to get around. Paula

Anonymous said...

"I didn't confront Mrs. A nor Ms. W about this.  I may be wrong, and any further separation would merely add to the hurt."

I'm sorry the old bags did this...but NOT confronting them, telling them you were hurt just stuffs the feelings, doesn't make them go away.  Then they start eating at you from the INSIDE.  I think if people would share feelings about being hurt by someone else's actions honestly, perhaps we would all learn how NOT to hurt others.  It is tough to put your artwork out there...EVERYBODY is a critic!

Love and hugs!  Kate

Anonymous said...

If somebody didn't appreciate your efforts, that's who is small, not you! Please don't let them get to you. - Karen

Anonymous said...

Fax is still part of XP, it's just not installed as part of the default regular installation. It's easy enough to turn on though (From MS Help):

Using FaxFax provides you with complete fax facilities from your computer. You can configure fax settings, send and receive faxes, track and monitor fax activity, and access archived faxes. Using Fax, you can choose to send and receive faxes with a local fax device attached to your computer, or with a remote fax device connected to fax resources located on a network.

Fax is not installed by default during Windows Setup.

To install the Fax component
Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
In the Windows Components Wizard, select the Fax Services check box, and then follow the instructions on your screen.
Notes

To open Fax after installation, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Fax Console.
For more information on using Fax, click Help in Fax Console.

Anonymous said...

What a mean thing for them women to do. They were probably jealous of your thoughtfullness to your friend at your table........as always i ove to read your journal...hang in there...............Kasey

Anonymous said...

Perhaps said people are jealous of you?  What an awful, terrible thing they did!!  Wow, very hurtful and not right.  I am sure that the things you do are not un-noticed by the other's, Chuck.  There are a couple of you-know-what's in every crowd.  Love ya!
http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ValsThoughts

Anonymous said...

hi-i'm new to your blog, but i wanted to introduce you to a very fun paint program since you are so smitten with Paint. Go to JASC.com and download a free trial version of PaintShop Pro 9. You will be amazed at the wonderful things you can do there. I'll be checking back in to see what you've discovered! And regarding the placemats...I'd make them every day. Don't stop! Mrs. Aching and Ms. Weary are obviously in need of a little color in their lives, and I would make sure theirs are extra special, if I were you. "Kill 'em with kindness", if you know what I mean! ;)