A Better Day

Our driveway, freshly shoveled for the second time this year, yesterday morning just as the sun was rising over our neighborhood. We're not in Palm Springs/Kansas!

 

Thank goodness today was better than yesterday!

I finally got my iPhone upgrade problems solved. Now I just have to wait for the new return box to arrive (next week between the 12th and 14th, ironically both days that I found Bill unconscious after his strokes last year on these same dates) for the new return box for my old iPhone. Wow, that was a long sentence. 

The sun was out today in all its brilliance with the dazzling white snow covered landscape here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. The temperatures didn't give above freezing so it looks like the snow will be around for at least a couple more days. Reminds me of when we lived in Pennsylvania. We usually got our first heavy snow late November or early December and it would hang around until early March. Dirty, snow covered frozen banks in supermarket parking lots. I hated that. In fact I hate snow, living in it. Nice to look at on TV or in the movies but I can do without it in really life, thank you.

COVID infections are raging here in southern Delaware where I live. As far as I know neither I nor Bill has COVID but we could. I have all the symptoms. How do I know? I asked Bill's hospice nurse who does have COVID what her symptoms were. By the way, she couldn't make her weekly house visit yesterday, we did the visit via TeleHealth on FaceTime on her personal phone. I asked her what her symptoms were and she told me it "was like a mild cold. Achy body, coughing, slight temperature, runny nose. I have all those "symptoms". In fact I have them pretty much all the time. But I'm not going to get another COVID test. There is a pop-op testing sight near hear but I saw in the local newspaper where folks were waiting in line for an hour or more in the cold to get their test. Then if I did get a test and it came out positive what would I do? Isolate myself? I'm already living in an isolated state. I did make a change though, the one time I go out is to the local supermarket. I'm back to wearing my mask. This time it's a real mask, N-95, not one of those face art masks. Actually it's easier to breath in an N-95 mask. Tight fit. I can see where it would be hard for the COVID virus to get in my facial orifices.

So here I am on a quiet Saturday night, sitting at my computer typing this blog entry (all my blog entries are this fresh), about to wrap up this daily posting and make myself some dinner. "Taco bake a la Ron" tonight!

Reeived My New Replacement iPhone!

Talk about service!  

I received my replace iPhone about an hour ago by overnight FedEx Express.  I'm in the process of setting it up now.  

Damn but Apple does make it easy. 

I do have to go through several steps like backing up my old iPhone date to iCloud. 

Then I have to erase all the data on my old iPhone.

Then I have to remove the SIM (telephone) card and place it in the new iPhone.

Then I have to package up my old iPhone and in the box provided by Apple (I just tear off the top shipping label and use the shipping label beneath)

Then I call FedEx to arrange a pickup.  

Then I download my old iPhone data from my iCloud backup, which is what I am doing now.

Sounds complicated doesn't it?  It's not actually.  

Doesn't make for the most interesting or provocative blog posting I admit but this procedure is important to me.  

What did I do before I had my iPhone?

I'll tell you what I did, I struggled and my life was a LOT more complicated.

With my iPhone I have unlimited access to news and information, can stay in touch with friends, neighbors and everyone by e-mail, text and FaceTime, and (this is really important) take a LOT of photos!

I was bummed out yesterday when I broke my iPhone. I could still use it but I had this ugly spider crack on the glass.  Being the perfectionist I am, you know that I was very bothered using a damaged piece of equipment.  

Ah bliss, I now my perfect iPhone. And you can bet I won't drop it again.

Have a great day!

Accidents Happen

Broken iPhone glass - yep, I did it.

This morning, groggy, I reached for my iPhone on the nightstand next to my bed.  Half asleep I forgot that I had my iPhone charger plugged in. Thus, as I reached for my iPhone to check the latest Trump news, I lost my grip and my iPhone fell and crashed against the brass knob of my nightstand. Unbelievably, the knob hit exactly on the bottom button on my iPhone, breaking the glass in a spider like web. Lucky Ron.  You know if I tried to do that I couldn't.

I know others who have shattered the glass on their iPhone and I smugly thought "How careless can you be?"  Well folks, here I be.  I did it myself and now I know how carless one can be.  

Lesson learned. 

I called Apple support and thank goodness I have an Apple Care Protection plan.  They will replace my $949.00 phone for $99.00.  Phew!

Next time before I groggily grab for my phone in the morning to check for the latest Trump news, I'll make sure I'm awake. By the way, I'm blaming this broken phone on Donald Trump.  Why not?

Productive Morning

Well folks, I did it!  I ordered the new iPhone.  Yep, I sure did.  I'm not going to be left behind. 

Which one did I order?  The biggest . . . . of course. The cost? Don't ask.  I just extended my contract.  Yep, I'm on the hook for another two years.  Hope I'm around when that contract ends but I doubt it.  If I'm still alive I'll probably be wearing sweat pants, wearing a diaper, and drolling on some health care center.  Hopefully that won't be my fate but after seeing how my long time friend Bob M. has ended up.  Who knows?

A very productive morning this morning my faithful blog followers.  I also washed my buggy car.  Such a beautiful fall day how could I not wash it. I asked Bill to take a video with my now OLD iPhone (they'll call me when the new one comes in).  Bill still doesn't know how to use the iPhone to take pictures or videos.  It's all a learning process . . . . still.  But I'm a patient guy, sort of.

Ron Buys a New iPhone

Me and Robert (at work)

So here I am at work the day before yesterday, changing shifts with my co-worker Robert and he whips out his iPhone.  Immediately I notice that his new phone looked different.  I asked him "Did you get a new iPhone?"  He gave me an "isn't it obvious?" look and said "yes."  

My mouth dropped open and I said "What? You got a NEWER iPhone than me?"  Well folks, HE DID.  He's now ahead of me.

So there I was, sitting at the front desk with my piddly iPhone 4, feeling suddendly inadequate, watching Robert smugly scrolling through his iPhone 5, occasionally looking up with an arched eyebrow at me. Uh huh.   

You know what I'm talking about here folks don't you?  The MALE COMPETITION bug, also know by some as "P-Envy" (although I must say that issue  has never been a problem with me thanks to THAT gene I inherited from my Dad; thanks Dad, not to brag but I am).  

Both my brothers and I have always one-upped each other on who has the newest and biggest computer.  Same with cars.  You know how it is folks, just a "guy thing."  Hey, even though I'm gay I still have that "guy thing". I gots to have the biggest and best.  

So what did I do to rectify this untenable situation?  Well of course I went out first thing yesterday morning, in the driving rain yet, to the local Verizon center on Route 1 in Rehoboth and bought me a new iPhone 5. 

Me buying my new iPhone 5 yesterday at the Verizon store

Ah yes folks, all is right with the world now.

Me and my new toy

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs 1955-2001

I woke up about a half an hour ago.  I couldn't go back to sleep.  It is now 2:50 am in the morning.  I normally get up at 6 am.  Today is different.

Last night as I turned on the Lawrence O'Donnell Show on MSNBC, a news bulletin flashed across the bottom of the TV screen.  It said "Steve Jobs Dead at 56 years old."  Immediately a wave of sadness washed over me.  I knew then that this would one of those days that I would remember where I was when I heard the news that a very public figure has died.

In the future I will always remember that I was in my bedroom at 8 pm in the evening of a fall day, preparing to listen to the latest analysis of the political news that is consuming this country.  The date and time I heard of Steve Jobs death will be added to the time and place where I first heard of the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, John Lennon and Princess Diana.  Now a new name has been added to this sad roster of larger than life figures who are no longer among us.

Perhaps why Steve Jobs passing has affected me so deeply is because this is one man who has made my life and millions of others so much easier.  Until I switched to Apple products last year, I struggled like millions of others to harness the new technology of computers.  Up until Steve Jobs, computers were designed and built for techies, normal people need not apply.

After years of frustration dealing with Windows based computers and thousands of dollars paid to a "computer guy" to fix the glitches, and hours on the phone for tech help with people who didn't even have English as their first language, I finally switched to Apple products last year at the urging of a friend and my life has been made immensely easier and more pleasant.

So much in todays world is unpleasant, and frustrating.  From our government that doesn't work for the common man to Wall Street which has systematically robbed the dismantled the middle class of this country, to today's version of the Republican Party whose goal it is to destroy the president and further enrich the top 1% of the rich of this country, a flag waving Republican Party that boos a soldier serving in Iraq after that soldier declares that he is gay; this ugly world in which we live in today a person like Steve Jobs was a shining beacon of USER FRIENDLY.

I am under additional stress today because today is the day I meet with the owner of the hotel where I work about the way disrespectful way he treats me and the fact that I haven't had a raise in pay in over four years despite the fact that I am on call 24/7 and go above and beyond what is called for as my job as a part-time front desk clerk.  I am a professional man who is about to turn 70 but I am treated with contempt and talked down to like a child.  That is today's business environment in which so many of us tolerate because we need the job to pay our bills.  I doubt if I will be working after my meeting today to air my grievances.

Thus it was appropriate that I heard a quote from Steve Jobs last night that is exactly applicable to my situation today:

'Your Time Is Limited, So Don't Waste It Living Someone Else's Life'

 Thank you Steve Jobs for all that you did to make the lives of millions of your fellow human beings more tolerable.  Rest in peace dear man.

Jolly Good

Guess Who?

Just as I was finishing my lunch of a roasted red pepper hummus wrap I hear the harp ringtone on my iPhone.  I go over to the granite countertop where my I always put my iPhone at rest when I am in the house and I see the handsome visage of Dr. Spo on my iPhone!  Yes folks, it was Dr. Spo of Phoenix Arizona, known far and wide for his beloved blog "Spo Reflections" making his virgin FaceTime call on his iPhone (or his 'iPrecious" as he calls his loved iPhone).  Now talk about a Pick-Me-Up!  Be still my heart (and nether regions).  

The famous Dr. Spo of Arizona (wow) 

First thing I thought was "How's my hair?"  "How do I look?"  Yes folks, I am one of the many Spo Fans. Yes, yes....I know.  I am in a long term relationship as is Dr. Spo.  He is TAKEN but hey, I can fantasize can't I?  Dr. SPO WAS CALLING ME!  


I touch my forefinger on the "Accept FaceTime" display only iPhone and viola!  There he was.  Perhaps the most handsome and adorable face to grace the FaceTime feature on my iPhone yet.  Sorry Don and Larry, I love you guys but Dr. Spo is SO GOOD-LOOKING AND SEXY! 

Looking at this comparison picture I feel real old and ugly

I congratulated Dr. Spo on making the connection.  Shortly into the conversation I told him how to take a picture with FaceTime and I took his picture which is what you see on this post.  Dr. Spo immediately said "How's my hair?"  HA!  He said the same thing I thought when I answered his call earlier.  He told me this was a family joke.  He said one of his aunts, after every time she got her picture taken (or was it before)? would ask "How's my hair."  Well Spo, you hair was just fine as were you (you handsome devil you). In fact, if I was twenty years younger, single and lived in Phoenix I would give Dr. Spo a go.  I would give Someone some competition.  Yeah, I said it.   

Dr. Spo shows me how my shirt will look finished - looks good on him doesn't it?

Dr. Spo then showed me the progress he had made on the shirt that be was making for me.  He posed with the pieces of the colorful material that I had sent to him a few months ago from eQuilter.  I have also posted those pictures.


Them I showed Dr. Spo some of the features of the iPhone like how you can reverse the camera and I took him on a tour of my back deck and to the front of my house and showed him my tulips.  Yes, 'my tulips."  I bet no one has ever used that come on line before..."Why don't you come home with me and see my TULIPS?"  


Well folks, all I can say is that I started out in a 'fowl' (to use my friend Lar's spelling of 'foul') mood this morning.  However that mood quickly evaporated when my Blogger Buddy Spo called me using FaceTime on his iPhone.  


"Jolly Good!"  

Dr. Spo in all his adorableness

FaceTime

Brother John on FaceTime this afternoon

Check out these two old dudes will you!  This is me (the tired looking dude with the beard in the smaller picture lower left) and my 'little brother" John who lives in Greenville, South Carolina.  We were talking today on Apple's great new....what do you call it?....'feature' FaceTime.  I love it!  John loves it!  His wife Barbara loves it!  Oh, the reason we look so tired is that I just got up from my afternoon nap (I'm 69 years old) and John needed his afternoon nap (he is 67 years old.)  


John has lived in Greenville for about 35 years now.  The only time I could see and talk to him face to face was when he would come up and visit us (and our Mom) in Pennsylvania about once every five years.  All the other times we talked was on the phone which was always frustrating because he has a bad connection in his home.  The past several years we have been talking on our cell phones but you know how that goes...scratchy and hit or miss.  Now that I have been introduced to FaceTime by a friend, I can talk to my brother just like he was right here.  Again, Apple has vastly improved my life.  


I also have an iPhone (which has FaceTime) and the iPad2 with also has FaceTime.  So as I waltz into my Golden Years, my life is made immensely easier and more comfortable by Steve Jobs and his wonderful Apple company.  


I thank my friend Don V. for giving me the final push to go 'all the way' with Apple.  Thanks Don!

My longtime friend Larry of Claymont, DE on FaceTime yesterday.

Now if I can just talk some of my other brother Isaac and my other longtime friends  to go 'all the way' and get an iMac, iPad or iPhone.  You hear that Bill B., Bill P. and Don McK.?  Let's go guys!  Be cool!  Don't be afraid of the new technology.  You can do it!

Five More on the Fifth

Waiting for the light to change at Rt. 1 and 16 - uh oh, what's that up there?

I know, I know...I've already posted my "Five on the Fifth" today but events demand that I post another "Five on the Fifth."  


I asked Bill to take me to the Post Office in Milton to mail a iPhone dock charger to my brother John in Greenville, South Carolina.  While in Milton I wanted to stop by my main supermarket, Food Lion, to pick up a rotisserie chicken.  I use rotisserie chickens in my broccoli cheese recipe and I was feeling some of that this afternoon.  Well, you know how the best laid planes of mice and men and something like that goes don't you?


As we arrived at the intersection of Routes 1 and Routes 16 to make the left turn to the town of Milton we see an accident that just happened.  It didn't appear that anyone was hurt but both cars were pretty well damaged.  They would probably have to be towed away.  Just think, a few minutes earlier we could have been that car making a left hand turn on Rt.  16 and get plowed into by that idiot in the 'other' car.  Could've been us!

Somebody was driving where they shouldn't be

Next stop Food Lion.  I zip into the store to pick up a $5.99 , $6.99, er...$7.88 rotisserie chicken.  Uh, that's how much the price has gone up this month.  The best rotisserie chickens are at Sam's Club in Dover.  They only cost $4.99 and they are big, juicy, tasty birds with just the right seasoning.  The Food Lion chickens are alright but not as tasty.  I could stop in Rehoboth at Super Fresh or Giant and get one of their puny $8.49 oven roasted chickens (have to pay for that union overhead).  The price of Food Lion's rotisserie chickens have gone up almost $2.00 in ONE MONTH.  No thank you.  Good old Slower Lower never disappoints.  One would think the chicken prices would be about 3 bucks a chicken down here since this is where they raise the poor fowl who are trucked daily to Auschwitz the processing plants. I put the still warm plastic container of $7.88 rotisserie chicken back in its case and zipped on out of the store.

The Milton, DE Food Lion where the price of rotisserie chicken goes up faster than the price of gas

Next stop, the Milton Post Office.  A visit to the Milton Post Office is always the highlight of my day.  Today was no exception.  A typical, slow-ass local post office.  I gave the zombie like lady postal clerk my small bubble envelope contain the aforementioned iPhone docking device and got the postage ($1.79).


Back to Bill and his antique (1991) Jeep Laredo waiting for me outside.  We left Milton by way of Atlantic Avenue because I was sure the POO - LEASE would have the accident scene blocked for at least an hour while they 'investigated' the scene of the accident.  Hey, the one lady plowed into the other lady.  What's to investigate?  They'll make big deal out of it anyway.  I always feel sorry for people in accidents (which can happen to anybody).  All the aggravation that they have to go through now with the police, insurance, etc.  As I said before, THANK GOODNESS no one was hurt.

Downtown Milton Delaware - yes, the DO roll up the streets at night

Bill and I got back home.  I decided not to take a walk this afternoon because the cold and wind are back.  Yesterday's 87 degree temperatures (even with the wind) were an anomaly.  We're back to our balmy 45 degrees.  Down to 38 degrees tonight.  


Spring, where art thou?

Back home again, Bill soaking up the latest issue of Globe magazine (Kirstie is fat!)

Not Quite There Yet

That's right folks, I'm not quite there yet.  I'm still a bit off the tracks.  In fact, I feel like I've been tied to the tracks for the past few weeks because my schedule has been totally disrupted.  Don't get me wrong though, it was all for the good but this upheaval has thrown my normally, placid and controlled life out of whack. I feel like the train is coming down the tracks and I'm tied to it with the sound of the on rushing train about to overtake me.


Take for instance this morning.  I had all good intentions of writing one of my 'Trip Down Memory Lane' blogs to include some of my vintage photos from the 70's gay era.  All 'good intentions', those are the operative words.  Well, you know the saying about 'all good intentions.'  So true this morning.


So here is what I did.  I thought before I totally committed myself to delving deep into my iPhoto library looking for those vintage 70's photos and cleansing my mind of current events to GO BACK TO THE GOOD TIMES of the 70's, I would take care of my new Verizon Wireless account.  HA!


Two hours later and here I am.  Yes ladies and germs, I was on the phone with Verizon for almost two hours getting my new wireless account set up on my computer so I can view my account on line and make payments on line.  I had assumed that all I had to do was sign on to Verizon and view my account.  Oh no. It doesn't work that way.  I had to setup a whole new account.  Yes, yet ANOTHER Verizon user name and password.  So, here I am two hours later, clock is a ticking, I haven't taken my daily walk yet, and I have to go to work again today.  These days I've been working three days (in a row) a week which is really knocking me off of my game.  


So that's where I am now friends, getting myself together again.  I don't know, is it me or is life a lot more complicated these days?  


See you tomorrow,  hopefully I won't be wound up so tight.  I am so ready to go back to the good old boring Ron coasting through the day, taking occasional trips down Memory Lane and being my usual happy self.  

Not Enough Hours in the Day

Brother John on FaceTime today in Greenville, SC

The title of this blog says it all, ever since I've been retired I find that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.  I find this especially true since I have discovered the fantastic benefits of having an iPhone, iPad and iMac computer.  Steve Jobs should hire me as a spokesman for their commercials.  But then Mac products don't need paid commercials do they?  They sell themselves.


I know I've been tardy on my blog postings and the main reason is I'm still learning all the fabulous functions that my new iPhone performs.  My friend Don V. was over again yesterday for my latest lessons in the many uses of the iPhone.  We had agreed that he would only be here for two hours (from 10 to 12 noon) but that soon stretched to 2 in the afternoon.  Then even longer when I introduced him to how to make his own blog.  I think I've created a monster here.  Don is on his new blog, "My Life as a Saga" hot and heavy.  I suspect he will soon surpass me in having a very cool blog with many followers.  Don is one of those naturally talented guys who take quickly to all the cool new technology our digital age has to offer.  Sometimes I wonder where Don (who is 70) and I would be if we were just entering our formative years with all this new technology.  I think my 43,000 digital pictures are a lot now, I can imagine what they would be if I was working on them for forty plus years instead of the past few years as I have done.


I'm going to take a break from my iPhone lessons and get caught up with my other "retirement" activities.  Like I said earlier in this blog, how did I have enough time to do everything?


Pictured above on this blog is a screen shot I took of me talking to my brother John who lives in Greenville, South Carolina.  I just had to call him and tell him that I am now ahead of him on the new toys. He has the OLD iPhone.  John and I (or is it me? I can never get that grammar rule straight) and our other brother Isaac have the typical sibling rivalry.  We always have the need to one up the other.  I'm ahead now.  


I am so glad that my friend Don V. is showing me all the wonderful things I can do with my iMac, iPad and iPhone.  The only thing I don't have is an iPod but I don't think I need one.


I'm on FaceTime (another cool function) with Don now.  And I'm about to wear out so I'll finish this posting.  


More later!

Guess Who Likes His New iPhone?

The Master listening to music on his new iPhone

Guess who likes his new iPhone?  Bill!  Yes, that's right.  My 82 year old, stubborn, know-it-all, stuck in the past Life Partner for the past 46 years!  I am amazed.  AMAZED!


Bill was very reluctant even to use  a computer up until about five years ago.  He called them "A waste of time!"  Bill is of that generation that is reluctant to expose themselves to learning something new that might show them as less than perfect.  Bill is not alone in this kind of Neanderthal think.  Such celebrities as Larry Kane, Judge Judy and, yes, even Regis Philbin proclaim far and wide that they "don't need the web and all that stuff."  What they're really saying is "I'm a expert in my field and I don't want to risk looking like a dummy learning something new."  

Bill and me 1964 - were we ever that young?

In Bill's former life he was an electronics technician.  He has worked everywhere from the NBC studios in New York City to the General Electric space program.  He's met Barbara Walter, Edwin Newman, and, make sure you're sitting down for this one............Tom Snyder!


When he worked in Washington D.C. he met the likes of Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia (Bill was coming out of the Men's Room and Senator Byrd was going in, rather gruffly according to Bill, he must have had one "pushing").  


Bill was in the Army and Air Force for a total of eleven years.  He was stationed all over the world, his favorite place being Japan.  Bill traveled a lot with his job.

Twenty -seven years ago, when General Electric was going to send him on another assignment (this one to Las Vegas, Nevada) I suggested to Bill that he take the early retirement and stopped the life of travel.  We had just built a new home in the middle of the woods in Chester County, Pennsylvania and I was making mucho dinero at Girard Bank in Philadelphia and I could afford to have a 55 year old houseboy.  Bill took my suggestion and retired early.  And, as fate would have it I lost my job at the bank two years later but that saga is a subject for future blog postings.  

Bill laying cinder block at our PA home 1982 - something I would never do because it would break my fingernails

In the twenty-seven years since Bill hung up his transmitter, a lot has changed in technology.  Of course he hasn't been able to keep up with it.  He's been too busy mowing the grass and performing handyman duties around Casa Tipton-Kelly.  Yes, he's the butch one who does all that mechanically declined inclined stuff.  I take care of the household finances, cooking and am the chief spender (and very good at it I might add) in this partnership.  

Bill fixing our 30 year old tractor this past summer - we got a new one - something I would never do because I would break my fingernails

When Bill finally accepted the inevitability of computers was when he inherited my Mother's old Toshiba Satellite laptop computer.  That was about ten years ago.  I think that computer is at least twelve years old now.  Yep, Bill still uses it. The memory is full at only 1 Gigabyte.  It takes about ten minutes in the morning for it to boot up.  I've tried to buy him a new computer over the years but he refuses.  He says the one he has now is "good enough." One thing positive, I'm glad there is only one Spender in this family......ME.  


So when my friend Don V. suggested that I upgrade from my pitiful TracFone to  the new Verizon iPhone I decided to make one last effort to drag Billy Boy into the 21st Century.  I ordered one for him too.  Oh yes, I expected the usual histrionics about how I was wasting money again and expected the strum and drang that always followed these confrontations about my spending habits.  But that didn't happen this time.


To paraphrase Sally Fields' famous quote "He likes it!  He really likes it!" 

Bill and me 2010 - 46 years later and still standing!

Thank you Jesus.

Having Fun With My New iPhone

A Toon Picture Don took of me yesterday with my iPhone

I'm having a LOT of fun with my new toy, my iPhone.  Oh I know one of my regular blog readers left a comment saying "enough with the i whatever."   I'm sorry folks, I can't help myself.  I'm fascinated with this new technology.  


Tonight I took my iPhone to work and tried the FaceTime function with my friend Don V. and Larry M.  How cool!  It worked both times.  I tried it with Bill but all I saw was black.  He could see me but I couldn't see him.  I think he had his thumb over the camera portion of his iPhone.  Bill has a lot to learn.  He thinks the iPhone takes pictures like magic.  Well, it does in a way.  Remember the Dick Tracy comic strips of the 50's where he could ACTUALLY talk into his wrist watch?  That seems so quaint now doesn't it?


Well, I'm glad I got the iPhone, iMac and iPad.  Now I can synchronize all my information together and have fun doing it.  For too long I kept my contacts in a little black book in my shirt pocket.  My calendar reminders were on a calendar in my kitchen.  I financial information required multiple sign ons.  Now I do all this through one portal.  My life has just been made much more efficient.  Which is just in time because I'm starting to get more forgetful.  I keep telling myself that I'm not getting dementia but that fear lurks within me.  My Mother's last years were progressively worse with her dementia.  Both of her older sisters had dementia.  My father didn't.  Maybe there is hope for me.  I hope I don't have it.


But in the meantime I'm going to make my life much easier with all this new technology.  I am so thankful to my friend Don V. for pushing me in this direction.  


Now if I can only get TracFone to assign me new numbers.  I've been working on them for two days now to do the simple function of assigning new numbers to my old TracFones, which I am going to keep as backups in our vehicles.  I don't see any reason for throwing them out.  


It always amazes me that as far as technology has come, there are still pockets of our modern world that finds the simplest function so difficult to accomplish.  

I Love My iPhone!

A big smooch for the object of my affection

Count me in among the multitudes who love their iPhone!  


With the help of my good new friend and experiences Mac user (27 years) Don V., we got both of my new Verizon iPhones hooked up yesterday.  The whole process took us several hours because I was transferring  both my and Bill's phone numbers from our TracFones to our new iPhones.  I had problems with the TracFone support folks but not with Verizon.  I was caught in a Catch-22 loop with TracFone.  I called Verizon for help and they were wonderful.  Wonderful!  A young lady named Kelly went out of the box and "pushed" my portal transfers through and viola!  Both of our new iPhones work!  And I am here to tell you cannot express how much I appreciate Don's help and Kelly's help yesterday.  Thank you folks.


I know I've been away from my daily blog posting updates and believe you me, I feel it.  I feel a little "hurt" when I don't post. But there are just so many hours in the day and yesterday I was so exhausted after those hours of being on the phone to transfer my phone numbers.  And then there is the continuing training on how to use the iPhones and all it's wonderful features.  


I am so fortunate to have Don V. share his vast Mac experience with me to show me all the wonderful features that an iPhone is able to do.  I won't go into detail here because I don't have the time.  I just got another call from work asking if I could come in today to fill in for my co-worker Lisa.  Over the weekend Lisa took a bad tumble skiing and asked to switch times with me on Monday.  That was another reason I didn't blog post on Monday.  Then yesterday I was so exhausted that I took a long nap before my company came over for dinner which I had already prearranged.  Ron is a busy little bee as you can see.


Lisa was supposed to take my hours tonight but she called in today because she had an adverse reaction to the medication she was taking for her injuries from skiing.  I don't mind going in because I LOVE MY JOB but my tight little schedule here is leaving precious little time for anything else.  


I did manage to vacuum the first floor today and I'm doing the wash now.  I got a haircut this morning and I'm washing the clothes now.  Just a busy little bee I am.


I'm going to have a little lunch now and a nap and then I'm off to work tonight.  I'm working tomorrow night too so I don't know if I'll have time to blog tomorrow.  


This is one retiree who doesn't have to concern himself with finding something to do to fill the hours of the day.


By the way, I do think I detected Spring on the horizon this morning when Bill and I were tooling down Rt. 1 to the Safeway Shopping Center where I get my haircut.  I could be mistaken but there definitely were some twinges of Spring in the air.  


Bring it on, I AM READY!

Dog Tired

Simca - a Tired Pitbull
Cousin Janet's "puppy"

I know I'm tired when my friend Lar tells me that my last blog read like it was written by a tired old man. 


That would be me.  Guilty as charged.


I've been on an intensive Mac Roller Coaster Ride the past week. My friend Don V. has been patiently instructing me of all the cool things my iPad and iMac can do.  I ordered my iPhone (one for Bill too) this week after having got up at 2:30 am on Wednesday morning to do so.  I'm afraid that impulsive action put be behind my sleep eight ball all week even to this day as I type this little missive on my blog.


I'm here to tell you folks I am dog tired!  I was even going to use that polar bear picture that Spo posted on his blog representing how tired he is right before he and his Someone takes off to their yearly jaunt for their holiday with friends.  But that wouldn't be right, and besides I HAVE to do something original or else why even have a blog.  Right?


So I scrolled through some of my thousands of pictures this morning and came across my cousin Janet's little dog (a pit bull mix of all things but gentle as a kitten) named Simca.  


Simca, this is exactly how I feel today.  


Well, I'm off for a light lunch folks, then a nap.  I'm going out with friends tonight for dinner and a show and I want to be at my sparkliest.  No Droopy Ron tonight!

iHappy

Today I am on brain overload.  


Yesterday my new friend Don V. was over for dinner.  After dinner Don, who has been a happy and faithful user of Mac computers for the last twenty years or so, showed me some cool things to do with my recently purchased iPad.  WOW!  To say I am impressed is an understatement.  I am literally blown away!


For too many years I was a user of Windows based computers.  And of course for too many years I went through the usual nerve wracking inevitability of wondering when my computer would crash.  And crash they did, with regular basis.


After my year old Dell computer crashed last year, I gave in and brought an iMac computer with all the bells and whistles. I haven't looked back since.  


I am sitting before my 27 inch screen iMac computer as I happily type this blog post.  I don't worry about my Mac freezing up.  I don't worry about viruses.  I don't worry about registry problems.  I don't worry.


Now that I have a new found comfort level I decided to dip my toes into some of these other Mac products I've been hearing so much about.  A few months ago I purchased an iPad.  I love it!  


I take it to work with me to access my e-mail, blog, Facebook - all functions that I am unable to do on work computer.  Those functions are blocked to prevent a virus or maleware to infect the work computers, which has happened in the past.  So I was quite happy doing these few functions on my handy, little iPad notebook.

Then last night Don opened up my eyes to the whole new world of apps (short for applications) for Mac. Wow!  I'm not a game player or one of those virtual reality guys but he had me driving a car through the city streets of Chicago, my hands gripping the sides of my iMac as a steering wheel.  I was a little kid again!  That was fun! 

So here are just some of the apps: 

• Beautiful Planet - gorgeous pictures of this planet
• Weather Channel - yes, just like on TV!
• Eyewitness Guardian News - current photo coverage of news events around the planet
• White and Yellow Pages - a must for me who is always looking up this information
• Ebay - yes!  I am an eBay customer
• iFishpond - not quite the same as my ponds in PA but close
• NFS Shift - the aforementioned auto racing - FUN!
• X-Plane-9 - flying an airplane - more FUN!  I crashed and burned first time up!
• Pandora - music all kinds all the time - LOVE IT!
• Angry Birds - need I say more?  Just the most popular game on the planet
• E*Trade - easy access to my millions
• Mint.com - my favorite!  All my financial records at the touch of my fingertips
• Rehomobeach - an awkward name for all the gay places in the Rehoboth Beach area
• This Day in History - a must for this information hog

This probably sounds like a promo for Mac products.  Well, maybe it is! 

I showed Bill (my 82 year old stick in the mud partner) and even he was impressed.  He has finally agreed to replace his twelve year old Toshiba Satellite lap top computer (with one gigabyte memory that runs slow as molasses) for the iPad we have now.  I'm going to buy the new iPad that is scheduled to come out this June with a camera so I can use their FaceTime function, which is another great application.

Next up,  I'm placing my order for my first ever iPhone through Verizon.  

Just yesterday I was slipping into the doldrums because of an offhand remark about my sexual identity.  Perhaps I was a little too defensive.  Perhaps I should just let insignificant "things" like that pass me by.  

It seems just when I'm down someone comes along and through their kindness and generosity, they renew my faith in the goodness of most people.

Thank you my new friend Don.  You have made me iHappy!

Don V. - my iPad mentor