Old Age Day by Day November 6, 2013

I just finished Dave Eggers' "The Circle", and it is an amazing read.  He tackles the subject of online life and is fearless about his dark view of what it brings.  The Circle is a Google-like company and a young woman, Mae, is hired there due to her college friendship with Annie, who is a star in the company.  It reads like a mystery or Stephen King, but Eggers is serious about his concerns about the commercializing and privacy erasing effects of online culture.  I can't recommend it enough.  I almost didn't buy it because I thought I knew the drawbacks, but I learned a lot and kept seeing hints of these dangers in events today. 

I am such an admirer of Dave Eggers.  He's a terrific writer, and an amazing person doing so much good in the real world for people.  He began a program for children writing that is now all over the world.  "Zeitoun", his non-fiction book about Katrina and Louisiana, brought it all home for me.  I love "Hologram for a King" and "What is the What" and "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" as well.  He runs a publishing company, "McSweeney's", a magazine, and publishes public interest books.  He's a whirlwind of activity.

Today I have my foster granddaughter and we'll be doing stuff around the house, given my foot.  I'm thinking of making tree ornaments out of felt.

Old Age Day by Day November 5, 2013

My husband returned from the cabin yesterday afternoon and we went to a cafe close by for dinner.  Then he watched a marathon of Antique Road Shows on TV, while we waited to pick up our younger daughter and her boyfriend from the subway.  We had a long talk about how often we'd seen anything on the Roadshow that we would actually want - rarely - for both of us.  Some items are fascinating, but I wouldn't pay money to own them.  Last night we saw a midcentury modern black dining table that we both liked, but would not go anywhere in our house.  I sometimes see Native American baskets or artifacts I covet, but I could not afford them.  Once in the blue moon there is a painting I like.  I love rugs, but rarely see one I'd have.  The furniture is mostly impossible, the lamps gaudy, the pottery too this or that.  The jewelry, no, not my thing.  Tapistries - I don't think so!  Civil war or gun anything - no way Jose!  Samplers, those scary antique dolls and the like, who collects those and why?  Silver, no, jade, no, Tiffany anything, no, as they all look like reproductions but if you break them, tragedy. 

Do I think the owners' reactions are sincere?  Only one in a hundred.  Are they all going to treasure their find more?  Most are heading straight to the auction house, give me a break. 

I can see you can tell I'm slightly cynical, which is why mostly I don't watch and my husband does.  What is fascinating is the range of stuff collected and the stories around the find or handing down of the item.  It's a storybook on TV.  And a good way to get some knitting done.

Old Age Day by Day November 4, 2013

The brunch for my friend turned out well.  It was a bright sunny day, and everyone plus a couple more showed up and my friend seemed really pleased.  I got to see some friends and meet new people, and the clean up wasn't even that bad.  I was exhausted last night, but being on my feet too many hours took its toll.  In the afternoon another friend and I went to a small quilt show nearby in a house that turned out to be somebody's I knew from my kid's school.  The quilts were so creative and gorgeous.  The show inspired my friend and I to think of beginning a similar group, and starting small, with something the size of a placemat.  We both decided we might be up for that.  Then we saw an open house on the street above us that my friend was curious about, and it had magnificient views.  The house had interesting bones and a gorgeous dark wood entry and staircase, but the rest had been whitewashed, literally, and staged with super modern super boring furniture.  It would take a huge amount of money to get it back in shape, but undoubtedly somebody with a lot of money will take it on for the views.  I couldn't negotiate the upstairs or downstairs, with my boot on, but got reports from my friend.  She drove me to the quilt show and the house, and then, and I call this above and beyond the call of friendship, put out the garbage and recycling bins for me.  What a pal.

Last night I tried to watch a bit of PBS TV, but it was something called "Paradise" and it was too upstairs downstairs for my taste.  I don't like those series, not the old one or the new, and I'm sick of British class strife and turmoil.  That kind of thing has never gripped me.  It seems to expose what is already vastly overexposed, and I think I have the American revolutionary reaction to the lives of the British.  I read Evelyn Waugh in my time, but that was in my twenties, and living in a British colony took all the romance out of their lives.  I am Scottish and Native American, and the whole thing just appears to be rubbish to me.  I can't do the Tutor movies, or regency dramas or Howard's End.  Not my cup of tea.

Old Age Day by Day November 2m 2013

My friend rescued me last night to pick me up for dinner.  We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes, plus prosecco.  I came home and watched "The Bodyguard", which shows how mentally alert I was.  I have figured out that the boot is actually a total deterrent to walking.  It's as long as my leg and as wide as my butt, doesn't fit on stairs, and chafes my leg.  The whole idea really is to keep me from moving at all, and also, if I do move, to kill me and keep me from noticing.  After I walk on it a while, my knee on my other leg begins hurting, as it gets twisted trying to get the bad foot to move.  It's all quite annoying.  My problem is there are stairs going up to my house, stairs in my house and stairs to go to my studio, where my computer is.  The boot doesn't do stairs.  Yesterday I came around the side of the house to avoid the stairs to the front door.  That helps somewhat.  Today I'm going to attempt to take a shower and wash my hair.  That is my sole goal for today.  Frightening, isn't it?

I'm not as grumpy as I sound.  But close.

Old Age Day by Day November 1, 2013

Well, I've seen the podiatrist and have a boot to wear when I'm walking.  It will take 4-6 weeks to completely heal.  I can drive, and don't have to wear the boot when I'm not walking.  Still, it's not what the cool folks are wearing this season.  We got up at 5:45 am to take our younger daughter and her boyfriend to the airport.  They're going to a wedding in Philadelphia of one of his countless cousins.  I hope they have fun. 

I'm reading a good mystery, and read an even better one right before my fall.  It helps to have engaging material when you've got your leg up and icing it.  We watched "Lincoln" last night, and I still marvel at the acting and beautiful cinematography.  We were only interrupted twice:  we had exactly two groups of trick-or-treaters.  It's sad, but I understand.  Every house on our street has too many steps, and it's just not efficient.  I gave two ziplock bags to my daughter and her boyfriend to take on the plane.  And my husband will eat the rest.  He's looking forward to it.

I got a email with a bunch of lovely photos of our granddaughter last night.  She looked adorable, and she helped make her own costume.  Pretty cute snow princess!

Old Age Day by Day October 31, 2013

Well, I set out yesterday to get some exercise, and decided to go with my husband to the reservoir to walk the dogs.  I did not change out of my dansko shoes, and sure enough, I fell on the uneven pavement.  I thought I could walk out the pain, but by the end of the almost 3 mile walk, I knew I needed ice, and badly.  After looking at my right foot after we returned, my husband thought I should call our doctor, so I got an appointment and lay in the sunroom for three hours with my foot up, icing it.  The doctor then looked at it, sent me for Xrays, and lo and behold, I fractured my fifth metatarsal bone.  I have to see a podiatrist, but no one answered, and we'll see if I get a call back, or end up waiting until next week.  Doctors these days often work only four days with big lunch breaks and close by 4 pm.  My foot feels okay just sitting, but I have to hobble a bit, and have had to cancel everything for the next couple of days.  I usually am so good at changing to the appropriate shoes, and I have twisted my foot a dozen times before in danskos, so I know better.  I was just in a rush and not thinking.

Well, I guess I'll be reading a lot.  Just to top off yesterday's fiasco, we watched the sad end of the Cards hopes for the World Series, with them outclassed in every way and looking like they'd already given up all hope.  Nobody even tried to really run to first base.  So the best team did win, and it wasn't ours.  Oh, well, time to concentrate on the A's again.

Happy Halloween!  I missed seeing my foster granddaughter because of my fall, and now she won't get her goodies until next week.  She's going as a fifties ponytailed girl.  My granddaughter up north is going as a snow princess.  I wish I could see them!

Old Age Day by Day October 30, 2013

I was in the car way too much yesterday and near the end of it there was an accident right in front of me, as I was stopped waiting for a light to turn green in a long line of cars.  A woman came from my right, and barreled through the intersection, hitting a car coming from the opposite direction from me.  I was boxed in, with no time to honk or move out of the way, but she missed me and smashed the other car.  I was stunned driving the rest of the way home.  I keep seeing such scary driving, and most of us are trying to be calm and defense, but with impulsive drivers that hardly matters.  I had a long talk with my husband about whether I should have stopped, but there was nowhere to pull over until after I'd crossed the wide intersection, I didn't have any special skills or abilities, and there were no police.  Nowadays, there is no reason for witnesses, as the drivers are expected to take care of everything themselves, unless there are injuries.  When I got hit from behind, there were cars all around and everyone just went right on by and left us to ourselves in the middle of the street.  And then there is the fear of being in the middle of road rage, and someone pulling a gun.  Driving is pretty scary these days.  And what is the rush?

Last night we watched Jurassic Park, which seemed a little bit like the accident, with cars getting knocked over and chased by T Rexes.  It's a jungle out there.