thanks, jake of xfinity!

"Don't you mean 'Jake of State Farm'? The helpful guy in those 'mercials?"

 

No, my dear. I don't have any insurance with them, though those ads are cute. But I said "Jake of Xfinity" and that's exactly what I meant to say.

 

"Hey, did you finally get the new Wifi router up and running??"

 

Yes, I did! Rather, yes, he and I did. I finally found a phone number for Xfinity support. 1-888-966-7602. Yes, I'm recording it right here so I can find it in the future. I spent almost an hour searching through their website before I found an actual phone number to call. They really want folks to use their AI chat or the app. But I found the AI chat to be fairly useless, as it kept trying to get me to install the app - even though I told it I did not have a smart phone.

 

"I bet it tried to sell you a phone then, didn't it?"

 

Yep, it sure did. Going through the FAQ and watching the youTube video were of no help, either, as they kept referring me back to the app. I started to feel like i was in some new-tech version of "Who's On First". I was so elated to find an old-fashioned phone number for technical support!

 

"That didn't try to get you to download the app?"

 

Of course it did! "Would you like me to send you the link to download the app?" was one of the first things it asked. Jeesh. But I knew to say "agent" and it finally acknowledged that the robot just would not be acceptable. And get this: Jake stayed right there on the phone with me for the 46 minutes it took to get the new router installed. Right there on the phone with me, the entire time! I was very happy with his service!

 

"That sounds like a true service technician! Good for him!"

 

Yep! I'll be taking the old black one back to Xfinity at some point. When they sent me the email that my router needed to be replaced, free of charge, I'd gladly accepted the offer. After all, they were going to send me packaging to return the old equipment to them, too. However, that part didn't happen and the old router is too large to fit into the box the new one came in.

 

"That white model is quite sleek, isn't it? And it doesn't have all the lights on the front that make it look 'techie'. It looks more like a room deodorizer than an internet source. I guess that makes most customers feel more comfortable displaying it."

 

I don't know the reason for the design. I'd prefer having some lights to let me know it's working. The little thing has one little light and I have to be standing right over it to see it. Hey, as long as it lets me access the ether, I really don't care how it looks! Thanks, again, Jake, for your help!

 

sitting in the dark, trying to type...

That's because both of the bulbs in the dining room light fixture are out.

Both of them, at the same time.

Honestly, how did they burn out so quickly?

It's only been a little over a year since they were replaced.

I'll have to see if Smitty or Tony can come by to put in new ones.

Well, when I buy the new ones, I'll have to call my brothers.

How aggravating.

At least I can stop by Home Depot after I leave Wednesday Night Supper tomorrow night, so that will be a good errand for me.

Now, I need to stop typing before the computer glare makes me blind.

i wonder how the first part went?

This afternoon, AARP-GA of Savannah had its second volunteer event of the year.

As with the first one, this had an issue, too, that was out of the control of the volunteers who had arranged it.

Today was the four-part Estate Planning Workshop, with Gabrielle Richardson helping out from her Atlanta office.

I had registered to attend the ZOOMs for three of the four sessions. 

Wanda Lloyd was lead dog for this event, and she had arranged for several on her team to take a turn as the emcee for each session.

I had not registered for the fist session, but I was there on time for the ZOOM for the second, which started at noon.

Titled "Putting Your Wishes In Writing: Essential Estate Documents", it was to be about wills, Power of Attorney documents, and Living Wills.

I thought it might be a nice refresher for me, right?

And it was. 

Harry Singleton, over in Pooler, introduced us to Laurie M. Thomas, who was an attorney with a legal firm in Conyers, Georgia.

I made sure to have a question in the chat, mostly to mark my presence.

I wanted to make sure my fellow volunteers knew I supported them!

"Who should have copies of your will, POA, and other documents?"

Wanda Lloyd was the one to read the questions during the post-talk Q&A, so I know she saw my name.

Good! (smile!) 

One good thing I learned during that session: I got a real deal from SmithBarid on my new trust.

Apparently, most people pay $5,000 to $10,000 for those documents, with some paying considerably more.

One thing that was stressed by the attorney today was the need to have the trust funded, so that it could be enacted after death.

At least I've had that done since about 2010. 

At 1 PM, I was there on a different Zoom link, this time to hear about "Trusts 101: Understanding How Trusts Work".

This time, Lillian Sykes was the one who introduced the speaker!

Well, rather, she talked about Lester B. Johnson, who was the attorney selected, but he never showed up.

Lillian tried to buy him some time, chatting about how the folks in the audience could become AARP volunteers, talking up the AARP Fitness Fridays and the various programs available for free on the AARP website.

But time ticked by without the attorney... ten minutes... another ten minutes, when it seemed that Gabrielle could hear him, but no one else could see or hear him. 

I even asked at 1:26 PM, "Are we still waiting for him to connect?"
Finally at 1:32 PM, Wanda announced that the session was cancelled and would have to be rescheduled for another time.

There had been folks in the audience from Oregon, Illinois, and a few other states, according to the chat.

I guess it was good that the attorney in the second session had spoken so much about trusts, even though that wasn't the focus of her talk.

 

Finally, at 2 PM, I tuned in on the final ZOOM link for the session titled "Preparing Those You Love: Creating A Family Plan For Survivors".

I'd almost not registered for this one, as I thought its focus to be for families who would leave behind grown children with special needs, or other family members who would need perpetual care.

Nope, it wasn't about that at all!

Well, there was one point where the topic was broached in terms of the different types of wills that could be used to handle such situations.

Mostly, though, it was about how to talk about death with your family members so they would know your wishes and know what steps you were going to take in light of that assured future event.

Really somber stuff, that.

However, their approach was fabulous!

"Very nice to have it in small steps. Just getting started is somewhat overwhelming, as I found out several years ago. I like the smaller steps."

That's what I wrote for Moya Campbell of Lighthouse Financial Group, who'd been introduced by the event hostess, Wanda Lloyd.

Get this: they're even located in Savannah!

Moreover, she and Wendy Wallace left us with access to a workbook to walk us through the steps we would need!

That was most generous of them, and something the others had not done.

The 12-page "My Family Plan Workbook" reminds me of the Five Wishes Living Will that I'd done with Ronnie a decade ago.

I'll have to pass that link around to others!

I'm so glad I was there for this session!

I do hope Wanda will regard this total event as a 'win', even with the third session being a complete bust.

Technical issues are beyond our control, as I'd learned at my event.

As long as it ends on a good note, that's a 'win', not just for me or her, but for AARP-GA in Savannah and AARP nationally.

Good work! 

'noids do not have sex with doodles

"Wow. Has the chill in the air frozen your brain, dear?"

Oh, ha ha ha. No, that's the one rule that cannot be broken in Ralph Bakshi's movie that combines live action with cartoons, a la "Bedknobs And Broomsticks" or "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". "Cool World" is one that I somehow missed, but, in my defense, 1992 was a bit busy for me. I was finishing my doctoral research, sewing my wedding dress, going off to Michigan for a wedding shower with his mom and friends, getting married, and driving back and forth to Savannah from Tallahassee on a frequent basis. So, going to the cinema was a tad low on my list of things to do. (smile!)

"I remember. Being retired has really amped up your movie-going, that's for sure. So, what was this Bakshi movie? I recall that you discovered his work when you were in Panama."

That's because we had a theatre lounge in an old Army officer's house in Coco Solo. SOmeone would get us a few reels of movies and we'd watch them on the old projector when we were off duty. "Wizards" drew me in with its title, of course, and I fell in love with the story of good versus evil! That was in 1978. "Cool World" was written a good decade later, then rewritten by two other people when the producer didn't like it. My guess is Mancuso wanted a happy ending on this live-action animated fantasy, so that's what he got.

"And that's what you chose for this $1 Movie Night reward from Comcast?"

Yep! I'm glad I've seen it, too, even though it was a far cry from "Wizards" or some of his later works, like "Fire And Ice" or "American Pop". For one thing, the 28-year-old Brad Pitt couldn't seem to get his body language in sync with the cartoons he interacted with, so those scenes came off as awkward. He played 'Frank Harris', a veteran who got transported into the fantasy realm when his motorcycle crashed, killing his mom. That was in 1945, and 47 years later, he's still there, serving as the head of the Police Department. He has a girlfriend there, 'Lonette', but they've never had sex. See, that would violate the one law: Humanoids do not have sex with Doodles.

"Oh, okay. I get the post title now. So, let me guess, someone is going to violate that law and cause mayhem, is that it?"

Absolutely! And that someone is 'Holli Would', a curvy blonde Doodle who wants to follow in the footsteps of the mythical 'Vegas Vinnie', a Doodle that supposedly became human and struck it rich in Las Vegas. To that end, she enlists the aid of 'Jack Deebs', a cartoonist who thinks he created that realm, and her, while he was in prison. As soon as he's released, 'Holli' zaps him into her realm, knowing he will gladly have sex with her and make her "real".

"And of course he does and mayhem does result..."

Oh, you betcha! That Doodle is portrayed by a giggly 39-year-old Kim Basinger, with the ex-con cartoonist played by 41-year-old Gabriel Byrne. They were well-versed in making contact with imaginary folks. (smile!) 

"And there you were, dining on your version of your Mama's Salmon Stew."

Absolutely. That tuna chowder nourished my body and my soul tonight. Who could ask for anything more? Not I. Now, I'm going to wind down and get ready for my nice, warm, bedroom. I'm so glad I set up the space heater earlier!

me watching football???

Yes, yes, I was right there, at Marcia's request, watching the Georgia Bulldogs have their first loss of the season.

Not that the team has anyone but their defensive lineup to blame.

I'd arrived at Midtown Sports Grill during the second quarter and the game was tied up at 14-14 as they headed into half-time.

Marcia had called me in because Elissa was going to be out of town and she wanted some company.

She wound up with me and Sandy both on this chilly Saturday. 

As I'd told Cheri last night, the temperature at 7 AM was going to be the highest we would get all day.

In fact, as the WSAV weather song shows, there's a 20-degree difference between the high on Friday and the one today.

All next week is not going to be much better.

I've already put the blanket on the bed a couple of weeks ago.

Tonight, I'll put a heater in the bedroom, too.

I won't worry about the rest of the house, but that one room is going to be my haven against the autumn chill.

So, what was that about the Bulldog's defense?

The score says it all.

With only two minutes left to play, the Auburn Tigers was still matching the # 1 team on the scoreboard.

That's because both teams only scored when they had the ball, because both teams had poor defensive plays.

At this point in the game, Georgia had put on an offensive drive that was beautiful to watch, getting repeated first downs before scoring a touchdown.

Honestly, it was the best they'd played all day!

Auburn's offense couldn't seem to get down the field, so they ended up kicking the ball back to Georgia.

Everyone else thought the Bulldogs would put on another show for us... but not me.

Sure enough, they fumbled the ball and the Tigers grabbed it!

The Tigers held onto it, too, as they jostled down the field, seeking to get within range of a field goal... and they did get within range... and they scored with that kick, placing them three points in the lead.

The Tigers won, 27 to 24, in a Bulldogs' home game in Sanford Stadium, on the Georgia State University campus in Athens, with thousands of red shirts in the stands.

I wonder what the football equivalent is of baseball's "the mighty Casey has struck out"?

not a luncheon, but a 'bring' and a 'make'!

"Goodness, what is that all about?!"

Well, you know that Sisters In Faith has a luncheon every month, right?

"Right, except during the summer."

Correct. Well, this month, the leader, Linda Combs, has been overwhelmed by medical issues. She suggested instead that we make this a gathering for service to the community. She even listed several activities for us to volunteer our presence - BRING, MAKE, SERVE, DONATE. I chose the first two of those four.

"And what was required of you for those options?"

The first was to BRING nonperishable items for the Asbury Memorial youth group's food campaign, "It's Spooky To Be Hungry". I raided my pantry, selecting five cans of vegetables plus a box of bread dressing. Those went onto the stage in Holliday Hall when I entered this evening.

"I'm sure they will appreciate that donation! And what was the other?"

That was to MAKE rainbow bracelets to be given away at the Asbury Memorial booth for the PRIDE celebration next Saturday. August Alderman also turned that into a "3rd Space" event, something I usually cannot attend as they are always on Fridays at 6 PM. Usually they are held off the church grounds and are a small group. Not tonight! Because it was in Holliday Hall, lots of folks showed up!

"I imagine most are part of the Sisters In Faith group."

Nope! I'm guessing there may have been a handful of us there. All told, there were four tables - of at least eight people - of bracelet makers. I came in right after Rhonda Reed and sat with my SIF for this outing.  

"Are those ones that you made? Only the top right one is a rainbow wristband. Aren't they all supposed to be?"

Well, the thing is, no one expected such a huge turnout! The event leaders had brought beads and elastic string, but not nearly enough in the seven colors of a traditional rainbow to go around for thirty-plus people. Fortunately, the church had plenty of other-colored beads, and some folks brought leftover beads from projects at home, so we had enough to keep folks as busy as they wanted to be.

"These are different from the ones above, and none are rainbows."

Let me tell you what I told all there: my rainbows have all the colors, not just the ones people usually see. August liked that, so it may well show up in a future sermon. (smile!) At the end of the evening, I'd completed nine beaded wristbands. Some were larger, some were smaller, all with six different colors as their pattern, plus one fancy bead. We had little paper cupcake holders to hold our beads for each bracelet, to help us keep on track. I really liked how they turned out!

"They certainly are colorful, my girl. And how long did those take?"

Longer than I had expected, that's for sure. I was there for about 90 minutes. That means each took an average of ten minutes. Honestly, the majority of that time was spent trying to find enough beads of a particular color! The longer bracelets took six sets of six colors, the shorter ones were five sets of six colors. Even when I found enough purple beads, they may not all have the same hue or sheen. I didn't let it deter me! I just tried to space them out so it looked like it was on purpose. One of the other women really liked that random pattern!

"Very nice! I'm glad they met with approval!"

Me, too. And I had a nice chat with Cheri Hester about the musical, "Six"! Someone had asked if she'd seen it and she told them she'd skipped it because it had popular music in it. Oh, no, it didn't!!! I let her know it was not a jukebox musical, that the songs were composed by the writers of the play, and how it came to be, and the fact that it was an entry at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, like JinHi's play had been, but in 2017. She was quite surprised that I knew so much about it!!! I think everyone at the table was!

"Hahahaha! Yes, you did go into research mode on that one!"

I did! That was fun, though, and so was tonight. I missed dinner with my brothers, but this was a nice change of pace. I do like making crafts, it's just not something I do at home. Anyway, I'm going to catch up with "Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators" now. Later, dearie!

watching a dragon make contact

That's what I was doing at 10 AM this morning: watching the Dragon that had blazed off of Earth two days ago as it neared the International Space Station.

 

I had become captivated by its travel on Tuesday.

My first niece had texted a photo of it as it flew past her home in Hinesville.

That photo was sent to me at 7:46 AM.

The Falcon 9 rocket is over on the right, flames still shooting out, as that 'space jellyfish' of hot vapors spread across the early morning sky.

Apparently, it was visible all up the Eastern seaboard of the USA.

According to the NASA site, this was the 35th supply mission to ISS.

This one was carrying 6300 pounds (that's 3 tons) of scientific experiments, cargo with new foodstuffs, and two more solar arrays.

Wow.

As soon as I read that I could watch the Dragon dock, that's what I wanted to see, that's what I wanted to witness.

What great progress has been made in these missions!

This particular Dragon has made this trip back and forth to the ISS three times.

Three times!!!

These are not the one-and-done rockets of the past.

Oh, no.

They are recovered from their landings into the ocean and returned to space, to repeat that successful journey multiple times.

Wow!

I learned that from watching the video of its third docking to ISS.

I advise fast-forwarding to the 1 hour 10 minute mark, as things don't really get interesting until then.

I was absolutely enthralled!

And once it made contact... wow.

That was one of the most interesting, and impressive, actions I've witnessed in a long while.

My many thanks to my first niece for igniting that spark within me...

I do so love you, Christina Ann.

You really do 'get' me.