UNEXPECTED -- BASSEY & BOND -- ALLERGIES

 Republic -- "If you can keep it."  [Democracy]

     Accountability for Jan. 6 insurrection

U.S. Select House Committee on Jan. 6th Hearings

Thursday, October 13, 2022 -- 1:00pm ET (10am PT)

QUESTION:  Why has our ex-President DJT kept classified government documents and continues to do so as the Department of Justice reports believing he is still doing?

The James Bond movie series celebrates 60 years anniversary 2022.

"Dame Shirley closes the 2011 Classic Awards Show (May 12, 2011) by paying tribute to John Barry.  ... Goldfinger was co-written by John Barry, Leslie Bricussee, Don Black and Anthony Newley.  Bassey is the UKs most successful female recording artist of all time, with 140 Million records sold worldwide!"  (Read more at this YouTube site HERE.)

Shirley Bassey -- GOLDFINGER (2011 Live)

Unexpected events keep intruding into my life including some thought to be previously resolved.

Once again would you believe I was subjected to having to contact my phone company's customer service number?  That's the number I described in my previous post.  The call reaches a recorded message explaining how unusually busy they are, so they offer a call back service when an agent is available.  That sounds customer oriented.  Surprise!  No agent is available.  

Instead I hear the same recorded message, we're busy, so sorry, we'll be with you soon, but no callback offer this time.  I had to hold a whole hour before a live agent answered.  This process is a real joke and an insult to the customer.  They could at least not call back until there is an agent available.  

I don't understand what sort of cockamamie system this phone company has -- it certainly isn't geared to caring about their customers and reflects poorly on them.

Another inconvenience two weeks ago when I went out to my car only to discover what I thought must be a dead battery which the emergency service person later confirmed.  He simply jumped the battery, and I was soon able to drive away.  

My car isn't driven as much as in the past, and not necessarily every day as I told him.  This accounts for why I encountered this older battery dead again this past week.  The different service company replaced the old battery with a new one.  There was still a one month guarantee on the old battery so the new one was free. 

Why didn't the first guy replace my battery, especially since he said it was over five years old?  I hadn't checked but I told him  I thought it was newer than that.  The new service man reported the old battery had been installed in 2019.   Maybe the first guy wasn't good at math.

Also, several weeks ago I started experiencing itchy, eventually hot red inflamed swollen areas on various finger and arm areas of my body.  These were not rashes or even like hives which can indicate an allergic reaction.  Conferring virtually with family I learned one of them had at one time experienced much the same symptoms that were diagnosed as angioedema.  

Reading some reliable medical internet sites I am inclined to believe this is what I have caused by an allergy.  A fruit is named which I rarely have eaten until recently when I ate three over a one-week period.  I immediately stopped eating that fruit and my symptoms went away.  

I had several more of the fruits on hand but thought I couldn't be quite sure that fruit was the culprit.   I decided to eat one earlier this past week to see what happened.  A few days after I ate that kiwi the symptoms appeared again.  I'm more convinced now that the kiwis are the cause of my apparent allergic reaction which I'm still experiencing as I write this.  Nothing else has recently been new in my life or my diet.

Light-skinned people (I'm a redhead) can be susceptible to some medical issues so perhaps this is one for me.  My body could never tolerate highly seasoned foods such as with some raw onions and hot peppers until I was in my mid-twenties.  Even now I still best take some care.  

I've eaten strawberries in great quantities much of my life though I know they can cause allergies for some people.  Given that I am a confessed strawberry addict I'm grateful to be able to safely indulge that berry addiction without any problem.

Allergies can be really troublesome, even life threatening for people.  I recall the last commercial flight I took some years ago eating a nut mix I had brought from home in a small plastic bag.  The stewardess came to me to ask that I put them away since there was a passenger with a peanut allergy.  She then went on to say, "That's why we didn't distribute any peanuts."  It almost seemed as though she thought I should have known.  

Certainly, I was more than willing to put away my nuts which weren't peanuts and wouldn't have gotten them out to eat had I known the situation.  They hadn't announced they weren't distributing peanuts, but then I didn't know they typically did as not all airlines did.  I glanced around and saw a young girl wearing a mask (this was before Covid) in the seat behind the ones across the aisle from me.

I recall a family friend contemporary of my mother.  She was allergic to some foods, citrus, also monosodium glutamate.  The family ceased eating at restaurants as in those years MSG was used much more prevalently than in more recent years.  She was a marvelous cook even of foods she could not eat but never used MSG in what she prepared.

She lived to 103 years of age.  When she was in her 80s or 90s she began to be able to eat some of the foods, such as citrus, she had not been able to tolerate before.  Our bodies are certainly functionally complex and change in numerous ways over time.  

People can develop allergies to all sorts of foods and other substances.  You likely know this from your own experience or what you know of others.  

RECORDED MESSAGES FRUSTRATE

 Republic -- "If you can keep it."  [Democracy]

        Accountability for January 6th Insurrection

U.S. Select House Committee on Jan. 6th Hearings continue in the fall.

QUESTION:  Are more of the American people beginning to realize the threat to turn our form of government into an autocracy by using fear and intimidation of possible  violence by those inciting a civil war?

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms died at age 96 years, 8 September 2022, Balmoral Castle Scotland.  She reigned 70 years.

                

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Dull moments seldom appear in my household.  I always have something to either demand my attention or I am attracted to engaging in numerous other activities that give me pleasure.

Wonders never change -- last week I was writing of our unusual excessively hot humid temperatures.   Now, thanks to that rare Hurricane Kay coming up our Pacific Coast from Mexico our heat wave ended.   Kay became a lesser tropical storm after colliding with a high-pressure system from the north resulting in our experiencing very welcome but unusual cooler temperatures.  Never mind, we're promised some hotter weather again before our summer ends.

The dreaded mud slides in previously burned forest fire areas have brought devastation but not to my community.   I shudder when I view TV news reports here and around the world of those driven from their homes or worse, thanks to the vagaries of climate change.

Long-promised and even longer awaited conversion to fiber-optic internet service has finally come to our neighborhood and more specifically my home.  Even my landline phone service transmission is now changed to the internet with an 8-hour backup battery should my electricity ever cease.  

The scenario wasn't that efficient leading up to the installation of this fiber-optic change but that only took several hours for the technician to accomplish one afternoon this past week.  Granted for that final actual change I didn't have to do anything, but somehow, I always seem to feel almost as tired as if I had done the labor.  I don't recall feeling that way when I was younger so wonder if that is just me, or is it an aging thing?   Oh, and another thing, why does everything always happen at once instead of occurring on different days?

The previous week I was busy getting exhausted as the young men working in my garage replaced by hot water heater.  In the midst of all this came my phone company agent to discuss my ordering installation of their fiber-optic system for internet and phone.   He had no printed material to leave with me to review and consider later.   We took a photo of his working rate form and particulars with my iPhone for my convenience.  

I phoned the agent the first of the week, discussed further installation matters and placed my order.  He immediately connected us with a third party to initiate the change portion taking place by phone which took about a half hour.  

As luck would have it, at the end of that process there was a glitz resulting in my having to call their customer service number.   I was apprehensive since I had gone through that process a week or so earlier which became one of those recorded message nightmares.  The message was:  "We're working quickly to answer your call, but it is taking a little bit longer than normal and someone will be with you soon."  

That time they eventually said there would be a 45-minute delay.  I could hold or they would call me when the customer service agent was available.  I optioned the call-back which came after 45 minutes but I still had to hold again.  No offer for a call-back as before.  Totally exasperated after another 45 minutes passed just as I was about to hang up a real live person answered.  What kind of weird system was that?

This time I wasn't offered the call-back option, had to hold 45 minutes again, became exasperated again and was ready to disconnect just as a service representative answered.  Turns out there was no need for me to call them but I had no way of knowing that then.  

My on-site installation occurred several days later as scheduled -- new line to my house and all the changes inside accomplished by the technician in a few hours.  

My landline phone now goes through the internet, has an 8-hour backup battery if the electric power shuts down.  I can't see that the internet speed on my computer is any faster than what I had, but I'll see.

Isn't progress wonderful!

ANOTHER DAY

When I wrote this the day had been a mixed one of accomplishment for me.  I felt really good mid-morning, finally being able to safely dispose of an accumulation of papers needing shredding -- thanks to our local Senior Center arranging for a shredder truck.   Maybe I can keep up with shredding here at home now.   Still lots of materials to sort through as I gradually whittle away in one of my latest projects.

Seem to be more spring time pollens in the air since February rains ending, temperatures warming, blossoms and blooms emerging, but stimulating a few sneezes and my eyes watering a bit.   Actually, it’s become suddenly summer with temps pushing 90 degrees. 

A handyman/carpenter was able to complete painting, weather/bug sealing a door replaced following also security screen door installations.  The latter I wanted because they allow me to look out but the person outside cannot readily see inside.  Also, the screens do allow more fresh air circulation in the cooling evenings if I want to catch a breeze.

Then, there was the matter of an incorrect phone bill invoice for the second month in a row.  I phoned at 5:30 pm successfully navigating my way through the recorded messages, instructions, inputting on the correct keys to then listen to interminable music before a live person answered.   Then, until 6:30 pm I related my past one year history since this new company became the provider of my land line and internet services.  Having exhausted her ability to correct my March bill by confirming the rate I had been promised in January, and the February bill had been corrected to when I phoned then, she then transferred me to another department.

Another recording and a hold for fifteen minutes more before, once again, I had to relate the past year history to which I added reference to all the internet connection outages to which I’d been subjected.  Presumably, her putting me on hold to seek further clarification, allowed another fifteen minutes to go by and then its 7 pm when suddenly my line is disconnected.   Knowing this service person had my phone number I mistakenly assumed, whether we lost contact by her accidentally or deliberately disconnecting, that she would phone me to apologize.  Wrong!   Is this a “wearing down” process?

I took the opportunity to fix and eat my dinner, but the call never came.  I was ready to let it all go for the rest of the evening, but then thought maybe I could actually reach her as I had her name – or at least the name she gave -- I always get names.  So, at 7:35 pm I phoned again, waded through all the recorded steps, and eventually reached a person, but had to eventually hold with this new person.  She was unable to resolve the issue, so I requested speaking to someone else.  At 7:50 pm she informed I would be called by another person but would be in two days.   

They better call today, or I’ll be calling them again – getting an address to write their President with a copy to the Federal Communications Commission who approved their purchase of our phone company with service strings attached for them to meet.    I’ve had a history of tolerance with this company since they took on the responsibility for our service over a year ago.  My patience has reached its limits.

 I was really tired by days end – all this wasted time as need to do further work on my income tax – another day, I guess.