Thanks, Lord, for today

Today dawned bright and sunny. I was scheduled to take the last computer class today, and I actually got up before the alarm. I had enough time to negotiate with Verizon to lower the price on our DSL after breakfast. Got a break, too. Rachel was up to help me put stuff in the car and I got off on time. The commute was a little thicker on the traffic than I had experienced before, but I still got there on time.

With a one-on-one with the instructor, I cruised through the MS Excel class. The beginning was shaky, but once I woke up.. :) I finished the class an hour ahead of the time normally allotted to it. (This accommodates multiple students' questions.) I received certificates for finishing the class and the total course, filled out a course review, and said goodbye. I'll still be in touch by email.

Since the school is 13 miles from home (in the opposite direction from Paradise - see post on art) and I had the car, Bob expected me to shop my way home. Considering I only had 5 dollars cash and some change, this took some planning. First to Produce Junction, a fruit, vegetable, and flower wholesaler 1 1/2 miles away. Three heads of green leaf lettuce and 3 pounds of carrots came to $2.75. Then to the Dollar Tree store for the county newspaper, 75 cents. Check out BJ's Wholesale (local Costco competitor) to see if the 2# burger chubs were near expiration date. No luck, try next week.

So I had 3 greenbacks left - used the change on the paper and the veggies - so I considered rye bread at Acme (local Albertsons). I didn't find our favorite unsliced caraway light rye on the shelves, so I went to the bakery to ask for some. The baker had it, but she tagged it at a price 50 cents higher than the sale price on the shelf sign. I pointed this out, and got the break. So I had one dollar left for white bread for the girls' PB&J. Over to Giant, where I had a question on a previous shopping trip.

I didn't get a break on the other trip - a double coupon contention - but I found the house brand soft Italian bread on sale for a buck. Home, do-it-yourself supper (the girls were still at the barn), and fall asleep with my feet up in my recliner.

Classes done and some good financial deals for today. The organic horse fertilizer may hit the fan tomorrow, but Lord, thank you for all the good things of today.

A mixed bag

Condolences to friends Nikki and Daniel. Dan's father passed away Saturday night. They will traveling back to CA... and Nikki is around 6 months pregnant. I told her how I survived going home for Grandpa Walter's funeral when I was 5 months pregnant with Maria. She will have it easier than I did, because: 1. Her husband is going with her... or more like, she's going with him, because it's for his father. And 2. She won't be chasing two rambunctious pre-kindergarten kids - smile, Tom!

Anne fixed little cans of Fancy Feast frosted with a thin veneer of mashed potatoes and decorated with food coloring for each of the cats, to celebrate their "birthday". Haruhi, the spotted girl cat, nipped into hers even as Anne held her and Maria took pictures. Gotta find the pix and post them. Anne wouldn't have spent the bucks on Fancy Feast for any other occasion.

My sister Grace got out to see the Star Trek movie on their birthday. She implied that Kirk was a young punk and was given the choice of jail or Starfleet. I've got to see THIS! Dad would have loved it. I had made the 3-way call to her and my mother, and Mom told us that our sister Deb, her kids, and grandkids came to visit after Mother's Day. It feels strange for Deb to have a 9-year old granddaughter when Grace and I are both older than she, and NOT grandmothers. Life deals interesting hands to all.

Tomorrow I go to make up that MS Excel class I'd missed for a 102° fever. Time to start job applications.

Also, I've been exchanging emails and pix with cousin Ray, the youngest of my cousins. Given that his dad was my dad's oldest brother, it's another "feels strange" hand dealt by life. He dug up a really good picture of Dad and my uncles that he labled "Lydens brothers jam session". That one's priceless. Judging from the two wedding pictures on the piano, the picture dates from 1946-1947 and my dad is the teen on guitar.

Dan's father is perfectly welcome to join their jam session in Heaven, especially if Dan inherited his musical talents from him.

Catchin' up on the ol' blog

I finished the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant course April 3 - got 99 out of 100 on the exam. The certificate is in the mail. (Technically, I still have to take the Basic MS Excel class I missed February 24 because I was running a 102° fever with the bug going around. I'm scheduled for May 22 - too far out - but I'm noted to be contacted for a cancellation. I've checked out a book on MS Office from the library.)

The young woman in our class who is turning her life around, and was so anxious over being able to pass at all, got a 96. Shrieks, tears, laughter, and pictures all around with the instructors. Which reminds me, I need to email her the Student Profile for Career Search, since I don't know if she got one. She left before I did on Friday.

I applied to a library-secreterial position at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Coatesville. Its main building looks like a knockoff of Independence Hall sitting on the crest of the hill overlooking Coatesville on the north. I got a NIce Turn Down email sounding like the position was open to the public only to be fishing for any veterans out there who weren't IN the hospital. C'est la vie. I haven't heard from my Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor lately, so I think he's fuming over it. :)

Michigan State got to the finals, just to be stomped flat by University of North Carolina. Wait till next year, Nikki. People here in the Philly area aren't too happy either. UNC defeated Villanova before taking on State. Villanova is a Catholic university about 35 miles east on US 30 from where I live, and Bob's cousin Jerry is an alumnus. He must have gone there on his father's sweat at Lukens Steel, and ROTC, because after that he went to Nam...... and back, fortunately.

The Jeopardy tryouts will be held at the St. Regis Hotel in DC, at 9am. ZZZZZZ. Their cheapest room is $400/night, we can't afford to stay there. Separate beds in sex-segregated dormitories at the American Youth Hostel are about $30 each per night. Looks like we may not be able to avoid just driving down (115 miles) and/or staying at a Motel 6, 8, whatever, near the terminus of the Washington Metro and commuting in. Who wants to park in the capital of confusion?? It was a lot easier auditioning in Culver City on the Jeopardy soundstage. Stay tuned.

And ONE MORE TIME: Thomas, email your father or get a cheap phone card if you can't get your cellphone to hold a charge. I believe your sisters have no reason to lie to me when they say they've heard from you..... but your dad wants proof and he won't get off my back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's try again on the Alla Barocco link

In case I didn't get the title to be a hot button, try this for Alla Barocco. When you get there, scroll down to Alla Barocco and choose the right play button: gray for lo-fi, black and green for broadband. I finally looked in blogger 'help'.

Tom was kind enough to create a file to place in our iTunes, and I can forward it if anyone would like a copy. Playing this, the Star-Spangled Banner, and our fight song (plagiarized Notre Dame Victory March) was the cost of getting into the school basketball games for free.

OK Nikki or Daniel, how do I link in jpegs?