Author: Sharon

I hear you over there, “What in ghod’s name has the woman been doing?”

Answer is that I’ve been working — there’s been an…development in re the current project.  But, yanno, it’s a good development!  You’ll like it.  No, really.  It just means that the delivery date’s been put back a smidge.

Also, I’ve been on hold a lot because —

The health insurance company, which last year let it be known that it was going to be serving out Tier One meds for no cost, if  (IF) you moved your business to a handful of approved pharmacies, and then decided that the cost/benefit thing didn’t work (they’re a non-profit, so even though they sent a letter to their membership indicating that it was not profitable for them to continue the program, I’m told I shouldn’t say “didn’t make a profit.”  So, that.), and then got pissy when everyone who had somehow imagined that this was going to be an on-going thing (I went to the damned orientation session.  The words “pilot program,” “experiment,” or “so we can see what happens” were never uttered in my presence.), got corked off at them?

The insurance company isn’t answering the phone.  Now, all I want to know is how much my meds are going to cost me this year, which the pharmacy can’t tell me, because they have to process the prescription, and every card’s a winner person’s price is somehow different.  But!  All those uneducated folks who are mad at the insurance company are tying up the lines, and the poor automated answering system was, as of my last attempt to call, yesterday, just about to lose its tiny mind.

What else?  Oh!  Today was the first day of Tai-Chi at the YMCA.  Steve and I went together, to find that there are only four of us in the class, which needs six to continue, so if you’re within the sound of my voice — or, more pertinently, within reasonable distance of the Alfond Center/YMCA/Boys & Girls Club on North Street in Waterville — and you’re free on Wednesday mornings from 9-10, the Tai-Chi class could really use you — and you could really use the Tai Chi class.

Anyhow, the four of us and the instructor did the first class, and when it was over, Steve was for going up to Anytime Fitness to do his usual Wednesday thing there, and I — heard the sound of ping-pong being played, with vigor, right down that hall there, and having once been an avid ping-pong player of little to no note, I wandered down to have a look.

What I found wasn’t ping-pong.

What I found was?

Pickleball!

Pickleball, for those who have never heard of it (like me, before this morning) is the unholy child of ping-pong, badminton, and tennis.  Played with a wiffle ball.  There was a roomful of people having at it, and they all looked like they were having so much fun.  And badminton, which I also used to play and enjoy, has long been denied me — long story short, I went out to the desk to find out how I could participate.

And the news from the receptionist was:  “Give me three small ones, take yourself down the hall, sign up on the game sheet, and wait ’til a court clears.  There are extra paddles in the room.”

Ohmighod, I had so much fun!  I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun for three bucks.  The rules are a little Calvinballish, so I was happy to be taken in hand by Mike, who showed me the rudiments, and good-naturedly partnered me through two learning games — we lost both, but we lost the second game much closer than the first!

It turns out that there’s pickup pickleball every M/W/F from 9-11, and all you need to do to play is show up, fork over with the three small, and go put your name down on the sheet.

Not only is pickleball fun of itself, but I (1) wasn’t the oldest person on the court, (2) nobody felt like I was picking on them if I managed to return and/or volley, and (3) everybody was delighted to have someone new wander in.

The last time I tried to play badminton was at Colby, where a group of students had arranged for a time for pick-up badminton, all invited.  But it turned out that “all invited” did not mean middle-aged secretaries.  They were very nice about letting me play the first time, then moved the session time to an hour when I wasn’t on campus.  Ah.  Well, then.

But!  Let us not repine nor be made gloomy by the past.  Let us look to the future, where —

I believe I shall play pickleball again, on Friday.

In case you’ve never heard of pickleball, here’s a video.

For the Facebook peeps (and for you, too; I don’t mean to exclude anyone), here’s a picture of Belle, who does not believe that she will be playing pickleball, thanks.

Today’s blog title brought to you by David Bromberg, “Danger Man.”  Here’s your link.

The Big News from Cat Farm and Confusion Factory Management on this January Saturday is the fact that the power went out at 5:01 am, waking Management from a sound sleep.  The house makes several Complaining Noises when the power goes, which are quite plaintive in the Overall Unnatural Silence, thus, Management was awakened.

At 5:02 am, the generator rumbled to life, and moments after, the house came back on-line.

What an incredible feeling of relief.

Management would like to thank everyone who participated in the Great Generator Caper of 2015.  Without your encouragement and active support, we would not have taken on the expense of installation.  You made us believe that it was not only possible, but that we would be able to pay off the debt.

So, yes — thank you! For that feeling of relief, for the warmth and the food that wasn’t lost, and for those extra three hours of sleep, after the house cried out in its distress.

 

. . .In other news, I own a skirt — an ankle-length black skirt that I’ve had for a while now, and which I on several occasions wished to wear, except that?  I couldn’t find a slip.  It’s been. . .Rather a While since I’ve owned a skirt, or a dress, and the slips that went with them were long-ago donated to Goodwill.

Do you know how hard it is to find slips, anymore?  I finally bought one at Amazon, having exhausted all my other, usual vendors.  I mean, c’mon, KMart used to sell slips!  But not anymore.  Or, at least, not anymore in my part of Maine.

So, that mission accomplished, and I also bought a couple books, while I was there and all.  Note to self:  stop buying books.  No, really. 

Yeah, that’s gonna work.

But!  What’s notable about these expenditures is that, having purchased, let it be clear, an ankle-length slip, and two books — a biography of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, and a graphic novel entitled The Sculptor — I received in my inbox, a Special! One! Time! Offer! of a Free Gift! from Amazon, which was —

A digital copy of Kung Fu Panda.

Seriously, Amazon?

I mean, my deeply negative feelings for Jack Black aside, what, exactly, in that purchase persuaded your algorithms that I would in any way be receptive to receiving a copy of Kung Fu Panda?

I respectfully submit that you need to do a little work behind the nose.

And don’t you dare send a copy of Kung Fu Panda to any of my devices.  Things will get Very Ugly if you try.  Thank you.

And, now, having washed the dishes and doodled around on the web, it’s time to deploy the Cat Eating Machine.  Poor cats; they were being so comfy together in the living room.

Well.

Needs must.

Hope your Saturday is both comfortable and productive.

Here, have a picture of the Lights in early evening at the Maine Botanical Gardens:

I’m doodling around, here, as one does on the first day of the year.  Closing out old accounts, setting up new accounts, changing out the old, wrinkled mileage books in the cars for brand-new books, rarin’ to get on the road.  I updated the front page of sharonleewriter.com with a photo which was not only taken in this decade, but within the last 45 days!  Also updated the delivery/pub dates and the con schedule.  We’ll be going to a couple of bookstores to talk about Alliance of Equals, in early July.  Guess I ought to get that up, too.

In the course of updating the front page, I came across news of a sort.  Amazon is selling the Kindle editions of the Carousel books, bundled, for $24.97.  It’s like a little electronic boxed set.  Here’s the link, for those interested.

There’s a large orange cat asleep in the manuscript basket on my desk, and new calendars in play.  On the desk is a month-at-a-glance.  January looks pretty empty so far — Wednesday morning tai chi, and the volunteer orientation at the hospital.

The new wall calendar features photos from Dancers Among Us — a departure from the carousel horse theme of the last few years.  If you haven’t…read…Dancers Among Us (the photo-book) I recommend it.

And I think that’s all I’ve got.

How’s your New Year’s Day shaping up?

For the FB peeps:  Belle and Trooper.