The kiss of death

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Or maybe the subtitle should be Murphy strikes again.

As an old person (yes, I’m old. I did the calculation with my birth certificate and the number is BIG. Personally I think it’s wrong but whatever!) I try to spread out appointments whether they are doctor appointments or fun stuff. I’m not good at running from event to event these days. I get cranky and there isn’t enough Starbucks mochas in this world to help medicate.

Anyhow back to the point of this post. I had a contractor coming to look at our bathroom this week. I’ve waited a month for this appointment. On the day of, his office called and he has covid. Not only is he really sick (instead of in quarantine but feeling fine) but they couldn’t reschedule for another two weeks. (That’s the week before Christmas.) Not happy but what could I do? Sick happens and covid is still around.

On the same day, my Outlook (that’s my email handler) crashed and burned. I am not able to access my notes, contacts, schedule, etc. (I can access my email on-line but not with all the fancy bells and whistles.) I did everything Microsoft suggested and nothing worked. It was as simple as I went to heat up my mocha and when I came back it was all gone. (The beloved husband wondered if Gracie the cat had done something during one of her strolls on my keyboard but no, that couldn’t happen, could it?)

I stewed a bit. The guy I used for computer fixes retired. I asked around and came up with a new person to try. When I finally got through (it took a while and that is another story) the soonest he can come by is the week before Christmas. He and his wife have covid and they are sick.

This week opened up and the week before Christmas is booked. It could be worse. I could be the one sick. Excuse me while I go knock on wood or do the current superstition, so I don’t get sick. Life is humbling.

It wasn’t a completely bad week. Two pairs of sneakers I ordered on-line fit perfectly and I love them both while a pair of joggers that were on sale did not. Overall, it’s a win.

56 thoughts on “The kiss of death”

  1. As long as it takes me to find how to undo whatever it is that Zoe has done, it just doesn’t seem fair that she can cause that much chaos by a simple walk on the keyboard.

    Kind of a scary reminder that Covid is still around. I’ve been hearing for months that they expected a resurgence with the cold weather. We’re out of practice.

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    • It’s pretty rampant around here. I know several people with it now and several who have just gotten over it. We are vaccinated and careful with the hand washing. We also try to stay out of large crowds as best we can. Dang cats! They are more computer savvy than I am.

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  3. Computer issues are the worst … I still have the Windows 10 laptop sitting here, getting booted up to run updates and virus protection monthly, but Windows 7 and my Comcast web-based e-mail are my “slippers” and my comfort zone. I use Windows 10 and Office 365 at work, so it won’t be totally foreign to me when I eventually migrate to the Windows 10 laptop, but I’ve got lots of stuff on this laptop and it’s a pain to move it all. As to COVID, a friend of mine just wrote on Facebook this week that she spoke to six unrelated persons in one day, all whom had family members with COVID, attributing it to Thanksgiving gatherings.

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    • I’m using my RCN web-based email but prefer Outlook with the extra bells and whistles. However, if I have a Microsoft Office issue it’s always with Outlook. We have friends who are out of state visiting now and will see them next week. Hopefully they don’t bring anything back.

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      • Yes, Outlook has lots of bells and whistles and my Outlook at work is always asking if I want to try something new. They keep threatening to change the snipping tool, something I use for editing scanned-in work to be typed or revised, but so far they’ve not changed it. (I don’t use a printer, so I take screen shots of what is being edited and paste it into my document to edit that way).

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  4. Sorry for the computer machinations and hiccups. Stuff like that send me into orbit. Hopefully you’ll get things worked out soon. While you may not need your notes, etc. just knowing one doesn’t have them at our fingertips constitutes a crisis. Just ask me, I know from experience. 😊

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  6. I try very hard to keep November and December cleared of any doctor appointments. I didn’t do the best this year but it has been tolerable. Next year hopefully I reach my goal. Not a lot of Covid here in our area currently… thankfully. Hopefully the road is a little less bumpy in front of you, Kate. Wishing you peace and good health through the Holidays.

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    • That is a good grief although I was at PetCo to pick up some stuff and they have a delightful gray cat for adoption. My grays are easy cats but I have 4 so there is no vacancy.

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  8. There are a lot of various icky sicknesses going around these days. I am just getting over a 6 week cough/cold thing. Stay home, stay well! Um, maybe Gracie was online trying to order you a present and she hit the wrong button?…

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  9. we knock on wood… and we hope no one is sick… apart from our mama… she caught something… typical… after all others had it and no one wants it, she comes home with the ole virus… a good weekend to you….

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  11. I’m seeing a lot more people out and about wearing masks these days. I’m fully vaccinated – flu and Covid – so I’m trying to be careful and hoping for the best.

    I completely agree about scheduling appointments. For some reason, I had three doctor visits this last week and it drove me nuts. Fortunately, all results were good so there’s that.

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    • More masks around here too. I think my medical scheduling issue started 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer right before the holidays. I had two surgeries, one two weeks before Christmas and one between Christmas and New Years. After that, my yearly checkups were in December and I always was nuts when they were due. Now I don’t like medical stuff in December and I don’t like them close together (so I can properly dread each one individually!).

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  12. I understand the desire to have space between appointments. I try hard to do the same, and when it occurs otherwise, I find my resilience tested. Crazy COVID just doesn’t want to go away! 🙀

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    • I don’t like a day full of appointments. I feel like I’m running from place to place. There is a lot of covid going around here. I’m grateful to be healthy.

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  14. Sorry you’re having problems. Computers are frustrating. The flu seems to be going around in my city. One family member had it, but I’ve had my vaccine and hope it does the trick.

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  15. Hi, Kate – I get it. All of it that you were saying in this post.
    Lucky for me, one of our computer guys from where I worked in Beijing, moved to Canada and now lives less than 30 minutes away from me, and is a friend. Yes, I thank my lucky stars every single day!

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    • That’s the one thing I miss about work. One of our IT guys would help me out with my personal computer. When I retired he continued but eventually he left the company and I lost track of him.

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  16. Ah, computer woes, I understand. I had issues with Word yesterday, and I finally got rid of a problem with Chrome this morning. Glad the hearing aids worked okay in the restaurant. I tried to hit ‘like’ on that comment, but WordPress wouldn’t allow it so add WordPress to the list. 🙂 Sorry about the contractor, and Covid, Flu, and RSV are alive here as well. We had a MG meeting on Monday, and the list of those sick was as long as those in attendance. Stay well.

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  17. Call me old-fashioned (or pessimistic), but I use paper and pen for my address book, my calendar, and my To Do List. I do keep longer term Notes on line, but nothing I would need for a week or two.

    Good Luck!

    And Good Luck getting Gracie to confess . . . cats are notorious for doing as they please AND being please with what they do. Guilt? Not in a cat’s vocabulary.

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    • She says she didn’t do it! My “to do” list is on paper and I have an address book but it doesn’t have email addresses and that’s how I contact people these days.

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  18. Microsoft Word was making me nuts last week. Trailing pages I could not get rid of, disappearing rulers for margins–there was a lot of swearing. Called in tech support (i.e., spouse with advanced degrees in computer stuff) and he was all, “Microsoft Word is just so buggy.” He couldn’t fix anything. I rebooted twice and it finally worked again. Maddening.

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    • After rebooting multiple times, it’s still not working but just Outlook. The other programs are fine. Very maddening because that’s where I keep my contacts and calendar! I need to rethink this!

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  20. I am hopeless with computers and know no-one who could help me out in an emergency. I need to address that. Hope you don’t get Covid!! It’s doing the rounds here toop, together with a horrible flu type bug that is knocking its victims for 6. Our neighbour has it (not covid) but is very poorly.

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  22. I keep telling myself that I should check if the local pharmacy has the new vaccine in stock and get it. I have been wearing a mask all week went out in public, but only because I have a cold and more sneezes than usual, so I don’t want to breed anything in that will exacerbate my health.

    Unlike you, I try to schedule my appointments off for the same day of the week, allowing extra time between them just in case. If I have to get dressed up enough to go out in public, I want to get out there and get everything done so I can come home and put on comfy clothes/pajamas.

    You didn’t complain in this blog about the hearing aids. Does that mean the experience is getting better?

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    • Oops! Forgot to put them in today. The experience is getting better but I’m wondering if I really need them. They make everything louder especially the annoying noise. They improve the clarity of voices minimally and that’s what I’m looking for. I’m still working with them though. First adjustment is next week. Restaurant experience was good. Not too much background noise (clinking silverware and dishes).

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