Random 5 for September 29, 2024 – Death, hearing, computers, cars, busy

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The valley of death – In the past two weeks, we’ve had people we’ve known pass away. I had three and the beloved husband had one. None of them were close or even what I would call friends. They were people who passed through my life for one reason or another, but they were contemporaries. One was a high school friend who worked the concession stand with me (and encouraged my love affair with potato chips). He was what you would describe as one of the good guys. I haven’t seen him since high school, but I remember how encouraging he was when I was offered an internship. Death is a fact of life and the older I get the more I see it hanging around.

Is the third time the charm? – I’m on my third trial of hearing aids. This time I went through my health insurance to get a great deal on “over the counter” aids. As far as I can see, they have similar features (rechargeable, programmable, etc.) as my last pair (which cost three times more) but I must adjust them myself with my cell phone or use on-line help. No in-person staff. I’m on my third day so the jury is still out but I’m trying hard to make these work. I need them to clarify conversations, not to make things louder. Fingers crossed.

Hark! Did something good happened? – It’s no secret that the beloved husband and I occasionally (like always) struggle with computer stuff. Nothing is intuitive to us and our computers are inhabited by the devil himself. For years we’ve been looking for a reliable person or place to get help. What we found were former IT techies who have retired and are running a little side business. That’s fine except that they aren’t always timely (they schedule around their social life) and, in some cases, aren’t knowledgeable about the latest stuff. Sometimes they live a distance, and we must wait a few weeks until they can get here because they don’t have the capability to access from their own computer. The beloved husband tried a new business that is within ten minutes (bingo!). The guy (who is young-ish and loves cats) tried to repair on-line but ended up coming out the next day (NEXT DAY!). With some fiddling (that’s a technical term), he fixed what was ailing the beloved husband’s computer. His charge was amazingly low. Now we are sure he is going to get hit by a truck. It’s just too good to be true.

In mourning of a different kind – Tomorrow my car goes into the shop for repairs to the scrape I got this past summer. They are predicting ten days to repairs. I’m not a fan of driving cars that aren’t mine. It takes me a while to figure out where everything is. It is an economy class car which means it won’t have the bells and whistles my car has. I may need to use a key to open the door and start the engine (Oh no! Not a key!). It will be a long two weeks.

An aging thing – For the next eight days I am scheduled with activities. Some are things I like to do, and some (like a medical thing) are not. I’m not a fan of having something every day. I love those days where there is nothing on the schedule and I’m free to do what I feel like.

So how was your week?

57 thoughts on “Random 5 for September 29, 2024 – Death, hearing, computers, cars, busy”

  1. I’m never a fan of a packed week! I hope your car gets repaired much more quickly than they think and you will have it back as good as new. Yay for finding a good, local IT person! That is awesome 🙂 My week was pretty hectic. Thankfully things are calming down a little. Not a lot, but a little.

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  2. I’m with you…I don’t need or want something every single day. It exhausts me and makes me crabbish. I feel like I’ve been on a hamster wheel for the past 12 days with something constantly going on. Ugh, I’m exhausted and yet as exhausted as I was, I could not fall asleep from midnight to around 3:30 this morning. Eek…I tend to say exactly what I’m thinking as if my brain were a gum ball machine with thoughts falling out of my mouth. It’s embarrassing and I end up having to eat a lot of crow. And being a vegetarian, that can be especially unpleasant.

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    • Your reply made me laugh. Crabbish? Yep, when my calendar is full I am crabbish. Today I somehow got committed to do something I’m not excited about doing. It may be fun or it may be boring but it’s a lot of work (at least for me) and has turned out to be $$. I was asked to pick up a few items so that meant running around looking for specific stuff. It’s just not my shtick! Other events on my calendar, like mahjong, I enjoy but I don’t like the “doing something everyday” thing. Oh yes, I have let go with some stuff I wish I hadn’t said in a moment of frustration. We get over tired just like a toddler.

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  3. We made it through Helene’s huffing and puffing. A bit weary but intact. A whole lot of wind was going on! I hope you have good luck with the hearing aids. You sure have been hanging in there. Jerry’s Mom had issues with them itching. We have a great tech for our laptops… it’s like striking gold when you find one! Too bad I can’t find a great primary care doc!

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  5. “… our computers are inhabited by the devil himself.”

    I’d not thought of that and you are right. *snarl*

    Ten days without your car plus a schedule of daily activities, I’m tired reading about it, but know you’ll come through with a few good stories to tell.

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  9. Right now I have several blogging/other friends who are dealing with very serious illnesses themselves or in their families … it does make you stop and take notice. I have had a few friends pass away, no one recently though. I have good hearing, but not much longer if this blasted dog next door is still around. Whenever its owner leaves, it whines and howls continuously – this is INSIDE the house. It’s a Bijon Frise and they have separation anxiety. I have Kleenex stuffed far into each year to block the noise. I have gotten up in the middle of the night three times this Summer thinking it is the alarm clock and it is ringing in my ears. I bought a noise-cancelling headset, but am reluctant to use it and risk damage to my hearing. I listen to a white-noise station online (not being plugged in), but I don’t like constant noise – we never had a lot of noise in our house (since my father, who played all his albums full blast all day left).

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      • My computer is on the kitchen table and when I was working, I had to be here for work, then was here for a good four hours afterward catching up on social media/blogging … that was bad. At least I am not here as long now since I’m retired. But my house is small and the kitchen is my “hub” and more open than being in a small bedroom – besides, I can hear the dog all over the house, even in Winter with her windows closed. I no longer open my windows. On Friday, I had a furnace check-up and the dog was howling and whining and the furnace pipe is right there by her bedroom window where the dog spends most of its time. I was chatting with the tech and she said to me “that dog would drive me crazy!” Then she told me her cousin had a Bichon Frise and hers does the same thing. My neighbor’s dog starts as soon as she shuts the door to go to work – she is gone about 11-12 hours a day. She had two poodles before this one and they both howled … and my mother asked her if she could close the door to her bedroom as they were driving her crazy. Neighbor’s answer was “but my dogs like it in there!” Life expectancy is 14-16 years – she has had it about 12 years already.

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  10. I just got fitted for new hearing aids and will pick them up this week. I think my hearing has gotten worse, so fingers are crossed that they work well. Like you, I didn’t wear my old ones all the time, but now I’m wondering if I should.

    You are so fortunate to have found a tech person you can rely on. They are as good as gold.

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  11. Congratulations on finding a good tech guy to fix your computers. That’s fantastic. I know a good tech guy, but he only works online now and he raised his prices, so I don’t call him unless it’s absolutely necessary.

    A high school classmate keeps in touch with everyone in my class, so I always know when someone dies, whether I remember them or not. The assn. of retirees from my husband’s old employer also informs everyone when someone dies.

    I’m reading a novel by a favorite author, Lianne Moriarty of Big Little Lies. This one, Here Today, is about someone who predicts the date of death for everyone on the plane. Not a nice thing to do. It’s better to find out after the fact. Although it’s not good for them, it’s a good book.

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    • How odd, we had a discussion today on whether you would want to know when you are going to die. We didn’t come up with an answer. At my husband’s high school reunions they used to have an in memoriam on a card on each table. Then it was a sheet. Then it was two-sided. Next time it will probably be multiple sheets if they have another one. Not sure. Last time they said it was the last but you never know.

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  12. Sounds like your week and future week will be a mixture of good and bad. Good luck on the OTC hearing aids – seems none are perfect no matter the price. Your new techie sounds perfect and likes cats. Cheers for more good than bad in your coming week. All ok here so far.

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  13. Three cheers for not having activities scheduled for every day. I am such a homebody that I plan my grocery shopping and any other errands I have all on the same day (Tuesday, because it’s senior day at the grocery store) and do everything while I am out and about.

    I hope you know how lucky you are to find a computer techie close to you his prices are reasonable. Around me, they want $75 just to look into and find out what the problem is. Allegedly, if they end up servicing your unit, they give you $75 off the final charge. It always seems to me that the cheapest thing to do is buy a new laptop. I don’t need a bunch of bells and whistles. I have had my laptop for over five years and it is acting funky, but I back up everything regularly so that when it goes kaput, I’ll be prepared.

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  14. I’m not showing this post to my wife, re: your new hearing aids. I’ve tried suggesting she look at the OTC ones, and she’s dead set against it. She just ordered her third pair (her current ones lasted five years, which I guess is good?), and even with a $2500 insurance credit I am still gobsmacked at how much they cost. Keep us posted on how these new ones work, please! – Marty

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    • It all depends on your hearing loss. I can manage without aids but can’t catch every word someone is saying. It’s even worse with TV. So far, these have “crisped up” the conversations although I also get the sounds of the washing machine, heating system, etc., amped up too. I bought through my health insurance at half the retail price (they sell at Amazon, Walmart, CVS, etc.) so even if not perfect (and I don’t think any hearing aids are), they will help. So far they don’t itch or hurt which are issues I had with the last ones (along with a snarky tech). On the downside, I have to read and understand how they work. I hate using brain cells for stuff like that. 🙂

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  15. We survived Helene . . . so we’ll call the week a win!

    This article includes a damage assessment video by the Manatee County Sheriff’s office.  

    It is sobering to see the devastation caused on neighboring islands by Helene’s 5-7 feet of storm surge:

    https://thebradentontimes.com/stories/countys-public-communications-markedly-more-present-during-helene,108611?newsletter=108699

    Good luck with the loaner car and hang on to that IT guy!

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  16. Last week was like that for me with plumber appointment, looking after kids and then a vet visit. I’m looking forward to a quiet week. Hope your week goes well. Glad you were happy with the computer tech.

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  17. I’m with you on having to use a car key! I always wonder if the car is an antique.

    My mother moved to a retirement community a few years ago. Everyone she came friends with when she first arrived had died. She feels very secure there, but it isn’t easy to make friends knowing you may outlive them. You are smart to live in the community, with a larger range of friends.

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  18. I feel your pain…….everything you talked about are things on my mind as well and mostly never were until I got old (I don’t like that 3 letter word). But I “get it”……life is not forever but I wish having things SEEM more complicated wasn’t part of the package! We have a super computer repair place about 15 minutes away AND they also do house calls. Nice, knowledgeable people with brains that seem to function – JOY! I know death is all around us – friends, relatives, etc. – but because our “circle” is so small and always has been we aren’t experiencing the losses YET. We will I know but not YET. Sigh. Nobody said this “life” thing was easy!

    Hugs, Pam

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    • In many ways, I’m like my mom. She couldn’t believe she was aging either until it smacked her in the face. Around here computer repair places come and go. As soon as we find one, it closes or moves or something. We used the Geek Squad after we bought our computers but the wait is forever and the staff changes a lot so you don’t feel a sense of continuity.

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  19. We had to cancel some events in order to attend a memorial service in a few weeks (the parent of a cousin-in-law). These are undoubtedly going to become more frequent. But hopefully the bus will swerve and you will not need to attend any services for the new tech guy!

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  20. Sorry about the personal losses. Good luck with the rental car and the ten day estimate. Applause to finding a computer technician who makes house calls. Wow! We have a small computer repair shop in town that is pretty good, but they sure don’t make house calls. Enjoy your activities and then enjoy the rest from the activities. 🙂

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  22. I have a busy week ahead too, with more pet sits than I like in a day anymore. One a day is okay…three is too many now. I hope the new hearing aid works. I just got an apple watch and I need to figure out how to program it and such. Very trying. I wish I’d just gotten a basic old-fashioned watch at this point.

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    • I feel your pain. I have videos I have to watch and I haven’t been able to make myself do that yet. Maybe later today. I hate to get new technology of any sort, watches, cell phones, computers. Argh!

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  23. I too love days where you can just be. I had a mammogram on Thursday that took all afternoon. I remember sitting there thinking, I just can’t wait to be on my way home to a hot bath, soup and a good book, exciting woman that I’ve become. Peace has more value than anything these days.

    As far as people leaving the planet, alas, for me too. Actors I’ve known. A woman I took a yoga class from. A woman in my building who died in her sleep leaving tons of books as her legacy.

    Acceptance is the pathway to peace, I’m told.

    Care to join me Kate? Nice list, most poignant in spots. 🙂

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