my favorite DSI story

It was a fadabulous day. I got my new ID badge, so now I know who I am, and what I'm supposed to be doing, again. Then, there was the envelope Bob placed on my desk (Kimberly Myers, anyone?). Finally, a nice celebratory dinner with John at the Village Inn. I had the Catch of the Day (lobster meat, scallops, feta stuffed shrimp on a bed of lightly cajuned orzo) - a tad on the spicy side, so I hope I don't suffer from heart burn tonight.

So my favorite DSI story is from last year. It was a night when the boys had dinner with us, and we were sharing stories about our days. When it was my turn, I mentioned that I had gotten a DSI that day. They went wild. I didn't understand their enthusiasm, until we all came to realize that we didn't know what the other party meant by DSI. Sorry guys, no new Nintendos here.

the in-laws

It has been a rough fall for John. Tom has been in either the hospital or the nursing home since early September. Meanwhile, Jean and Gerry may be evicted from their homes, due to either the town condemning them, or because they haven't made a mortgage payment in months. The only way Tom could leave the nursing home would be to move into a handicap apartment, and then only if there were sufficient home health assistance. We have been trying to make this happen since this summer, at Ricky Place, but their name hasn't gotten to the top of the list yet. John also found out about Section 8 housing that is located across from Orchard Manor, but for whatever reason Gerry hasn't gotten the paperwork in to apply for it yet. Glen has suggested an assisted living place in Hilton (Hilton East?), where both his parents could live together, but I'm not sure where that is going. Gerry called John in on Friday, and said that Marsha had said she wouldn't be eligible to go to a nursing facility or assisted living. So John went and talked to the social worker at Orchard Manor, who told him that they would have to talk to her doctor or see if she was able to live on her own. She really isn't. John reported back and she flipped out on him, saying he wasn't going to force her into a nursing home. No one wants to force her into anything, but the fact that she is on oxygen full time, and literally spends most of her time sofa-ridden, seems to indicate to me that she needs some kind of assistance. 

So, the new plan, as of this weekend, is that she and Jean are moving into a 2nd story apartment on North St. 2nd story, seriously? And when it doesn't work out, we know whose fault it will be.

Why yes, yes there was...

I have my first iPhone, and it's pretty cool. We went up to the Verizon store on my lunch hour Wednesday, and while it wasn't crowded, it took a long time there. OK, so part of the probably was me. I admit it. I knew I wanted a smart phone, but didn't know which one. I was torn between the Droid, and the iPhone. It had been months since I last gave the issue any thought, and John sprang the idea of going to get new phones on me with no advanced warning. So, I found myself in the Verizon store going back and forth between the two displays. Despite John's concerted efforts to convince me otherwise, I ended up with an iPhone4. There was no time for any show and tell at the store, so we headed back to Brockport.

No problem, right? It's a college, I work in a library with lots of techno-geeks (ok, I guess you don't have to be a techno-geek to own a smart phone). I sent a message to the library listserv saying "First smart phone, first Apple, who's the guru around here?" Here were the 3 responses:

• Come down anytime. :)
• Ask my secretary
• Apple has help files on the web

How helpful would you describe these? Obviously, I took JS up on her offer, and 15 minutes later I walked away feeling pretty comfortable. Now you might think the second response was somewhat unhelpful. But what if I told you if was from the CIO of the college? I was surprised he even responded! And the third one? Let's just say this person and I are on opposite ends of the service/helpfulness continuum. Not that it would have been a bad response, if I was looking for the answer to a complicated problem months down the line, but in this context - not so helpful. Enough said.

I got my nameplate for my office the next day and took a picture of it. I will try and post it here, once I figure out how to get it from my camera. It will probably be easier than on my old phone, because I could email it to myself.

Could there be an Apple in my future?

I have never owned an "i" anything - pod, pad, phone or Mac attack. But Friday, PM invited me to a Lion demonstration, and I got my first taste of what could be in my future. And I downloaded itunes, because apparently you can download free audio books there, but without an ipod, I will have to convert to a different format? Time to enter the 21st century?

Important days

September 14th (1995), was one of the life changing days. I was working at the downtown DMV, when Peter told me I had a phone call from John. Not that it was an emergency, just that he was on the phone. So, I finished the customer at my window, and took the call- and found out that he and Adrienne had been in a head on collision in the GEO. His folks were on their way to pick me up, and we raced to Medina, where they were both in the ER. Adrienne was having a lot of pain in her abdomen, and they called an ambulance to take her to Strong Hospital in Rochester. I rode in the ambulance, and I remember them saying to her, come on Adrienne, stay with us. They rushed to surgery soon after we got there, and before it was over John had joined me, having made arrangements for someone to watch the boys. Together, we waited and prayed while the surgeons performed their magic on our daughter, removing her spleen and part of her liver, and saving her life. I took today off, (could it really be 16 years later?), and spent it with Adrienne, helping her do some things around her house. Then, John and I took her to lunch at Zambistros. It was a wonderful day, and I am so glad we had it to spend together.

Back to school for the K kids

No Peyton?

So apparently, Peyton had a second surgery on his neck today. No word on how long he will be out. Oh, my.

On the work front, no movement yet to the new office. Word was today, that the movers would be here tomorrow. Then after lunch, it had changed to not for another week. Uggh! This being in limbo is annoying. I'm sure Logan feels the same way.

On the home front, Tom is in the Buffalo VA Hospital. Glen took him there yesterday. At first they thought he had a TIA, but I'm not sure if that is the current thinking. John is going up to visit him tomorrow. He has pneumonia in one lobe of one lung, apparently due to difficulty in swallowing (this is a common side effect of Parkinson's).

Finally, today is the second day of school for the boys. Where did the time go? Aeddon is now in 7th grade, Alden - 6th, Alwyn - 3rd and Rowan is in 2nd. Wow.