Tech Guy is demoted

A month or so before Christmas, one of my desktop monitors quit working. Or at least I thought it had. Before I alerted Tech Guy (a moniker I stole from an author instructor), I turned the monitor off and then on again in a sort of reset. If unplugging and replugging hadn't required a lot of crawling on the floor under my desk, I might have done that.

Hubby strode into the office, asking his usual aberrational questions, and the monitor worked with one touch of his finger. After several tit-for-tat and the beginnings of what might have turned into a huge argument, he admitted that the monitor was fairly old and probably on its last legs.

Him: "The problem is the video card might also be bad."

I heard that statement in bold capital letters like this:

THE PROBLEM IS CATASTROPHIC!

His explanation only increased the problem until I'd come to the conclusion that to replace the monitor with a new one would result in me losing everything on my computer, including my two and a half-written novels. (Even though they are on jump drives)

Because anytime Tom works on a computer, it is at least a day, usually several days, of ripping the innards, and when everything is up and running again, I'm left with searching for files and programs that are forever gone.

Now, I've concluded he makes these off-the-cuff remarks to deter me.

For Christmas, he gave me a new monitor. It has sat in its box in my dining room, and every time he sits down to eat, he asks if I want him to replace it with my old one...this weekend.

Then, the weekend comes and goes without monitor replacement. Oleg and I play the game of how many off-and-on flicks it takes to ready my monitor for use every day.

The answer? Anywhere between 3 and 11.

Finally, on one of those days where it was 11, Oleg decided he would attempt to replace the monitor, and if it didn't work as Tom kept threatening, we would pack it back up into the box and wait for Tech Guy to do his magic. After dinner, and long before Tom came home from work, Oleg moved out file cabinets, junk, chairs, etc., to crawl under my desk and unhook the old monitor. He removed the new one and hooked it up on the floor first to make sure it would work.

It did. BAM. No problem.

Like...no problem. It took maybe half an hour from start to finish, which included vacuuming the crap accumulated under my desk, Clorox wiping my desk, and rearranging everything back under the desk. Oh, and I did that part, not Oleg.

We put the old monitor on Tom's desk, and while he was a tad chagrined when he came into my office to see the new monitor, I don't think he minds that he is now Tech Guy #2.

Nature Tuesday

A frolic before lunch

 

How is the day already over?

Before I begin my daily writing, I like to check my email and then the news on Yahoo. Today, I caught up on how close Russia was to the Ukraine border, how COVID vaccines would be given to my great, great, great, great-grandchildren, and I read about Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph's mental state with regards to Ben's not yet declared retirement. 

Then I saw that Louie Anderson and Meatloaf had died. 

Me: "Whoa. Meatloaf died."

Oleg: "Meatloaf?"

Me: "Yes."

Oleg: "Is that a rapper?"

Me: "You don't know Meatloaf?"

Oleg: "I do not know Meatloaf."

Immediately, as I do when singers die, I popped on Amazon Music and started playing Meatloaf's hits. Oleg had heard I'd Do Anything For Love but not Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. He went back to his Zoom work. I went back to work.

Well, that's what I should've done. Instead, I began playing my oldies playlist. I started with 1970's country hits, and when I realized that the first ten songs were all by now dead artists, I looked them up on the Internet. I wasn't sure about some of them. I knew the status of Glen Campbell, Charley Pride, Eddie Rabbitt, and Kenny Rogers but wasn't sure about Johnny Paycheck, Jerry Reed, and Crystal Gayle. 

FYI, the first two are dead. Crystal Gayle, and her sister Loretta Lynn, are still alive and kicking.

But I was fascinated to read that Crystal moved and lived in Wabash, Indiana, that Johnny Paycheck had a sexual assault charge against him, and that Jerry Reed married his wife of a zillion years when she was seventeen, and he was twenty. That led to me checking out the others' married lives. Most of them were married only once and still with their spouse when they died. 

I investigated the lives of Olivia Newton-John, Donna Fargo, Luther Ingram, and Marie Osmond. From Marie, I was horrified to see that Dan Seals had died. I'm sure I knew that since he died years ago, but I was still bummed. But then, in reading about his life, I learned that he was ENGLAND DAN!

I did not know that. Nor did I know he was the little brother of Jim Seals from Seals and Croft.

England Dan and John Ford Coley! That was a name I hadn't heard in years.

So, I had to play all of their hit songs and sing along. Poor Oleg. We share a workroom. He is good about indulging me when it comes to my music. 

Then Darcy's friends showed up to visit her from a distance outside. I had to know if they'd heard about Meatloaf.

Me: "Did you guys hear about Meatloaf?"

Them: "We don't know who that is."

Darcy: "I know! He died. Poor Meatloaf."

Her friends immediately got online because if Darcy knew who he was, why didn't they? My youngest knows how to play the game. She hadn't a clue who Meatloaf was, but she'd read the news. Thank god, Madison arrived home from work because she knew Meatloaf and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. We proceeded to sing it for the crew.

Wait. How is Madison already home from work? Is it already 4:00 p.m?

I headed back to the computer to write. I put on my Dan Seals Greatest Hits album to compare his shift in personas. From there, I switched to my 1980's country hits playlist where Barbara Mandrell sang about how she was country when it wasn't cool. When she said she put peanuts in her coke, I stopped typing.

What?

I had to look that up. How have I never heard about this living in Florida? Now, I just want to try it. I mean...right?

When John Anderson started swinging, I wondered what famous person he'd married. Turns out, that wasn't true. But he's from Apopka, Florida! 

It's now 5:00 p.m. I'm supposed to be wrapping up my day because I have to be at dinner at 5:30 p.m. I've been at this since noon, and I can honestly say that besides the above information, I have nothing to show in my romance writing.

Okay, not true. I have jotted down a somewhat romance plot based on Meatloaf's song. Whew. 

Bye Ben*

Sunday, the Chiefs kicked the Steelers out of the playoffs and Ben Roethlisberger out of the NFL. Big Ben is likely to retire, although he hasn't made any announcement to that fact. For many, it's long past the due date. 

From a football standpoint, Ben defied the odds. He came from a small university and wasn't drafted first. He couldn't run. He didn't have Peyton Manning's football genius. But he had heart and grit, and he loved the game. 

His stats are impressive. Three trips to the Super Bowl and two rings. Six pro bowl appearances. Rookie of the Year in 2004. He leads all quarterbacks with four games of passing over 500 yards. In his 18 years in the NFL, he hasn't had a losing season, and on Sunday, he passed Joe Montana and Brett Favre for the third spot behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning for most career passing yards. 

As a Steelers fan, I'm grateful for what Ben brought to the game and our team. I thank him for his 18 years in black and gold. I bow down to his accomplishments. I can admire his ability in the no-huddle and in his comeback wins. But, I can also acknowledge that my stomach clenches when I do. 

Off the field, Ben wasn't a good guy. He crashed a motorcycle while not wearing a helmet and not carrying a valid license. Reports of him ignoring fans popped up. Pittsburgh establishments deemed him surly and egotistical. Then came the first of two female accusations accusing the 6'5 quarterback of sexual assault. No charges were filed in either case. Action came swiftly, led in part by the Steelers organization. 

The NFL suspended Ben for four games after the second accusation. He underwent a professional behavior evaluation and adhered to recommended counseling. The Steelers owner Dan Rooney made Ben report to him once a week for a sit-down chat. By all accounts, he pulled up his big boy pants. 

 He attended church and found religion. He married. He granted interviews and answered inane questions with a smile. He stayed out of trouble. He took pay cuts to help the Steelers' salary cap. 

But while I'm all about redemption, I disagree with ignoring that part of Roethlisberger's history as he fades into retirement. To hear everyone on TV these last two weeks, the man was the messiah in Pittsburgh, and that is far from the truth.

I've written for years how I believed Roethlisberger's trouble was the beginning of the Steelers' downfall. Legally, the owners had no choice in retaining Ben. I credit Dan Rooney with most of Ben's one-eighty turnaround. But I'll always believe that many in the locker room could not look to him as a leader. Even while the NFL, and other major professional sports leagues, gloss over the ugly (the NFL has had murder for hire, domestic abuse, and battery charges, among sexual assault charges), some men in the locker room have to be angry. Many have daughters or sisters. Hell, even Antonio Brown referenced Ben's past when excusing his own.

There are too many good NFL players off the field as they are on the field. Those are the guys that should be revered. The rest, like Roethlisberger, can be admired, but let's not leave out the truth. Like the Brady bashers who want an asterisk next to his name in Canton, Steelers fans should be asking for the same for Roethlisberger's. 

Nature Tuesday

 

Christmas is over

And COVID has gotten us

After 22 months, COVID arrived in our household. It came in with a whimper, not a bang. Darcy had a cough. She was to be a bridesmaid at a wedding this weekend. Because we've spent almost two years diligently wearing masks, getting vaccinated and boostered, and practicing social distancing, she took a COVID test TO BE SAFE because the groom was not vaccinated.

Her rapid test came back positive!

She called me sobbing. It was heartbreaking. 

Then she went to another testing site and got the PCR test and another rapid. That one came out negative. She called the bride whose mother works on the COVID floor in a hospital. Everyone agreed a third test would determine it once and for all.

It was positive. 

We masked up and solemnly watched her march into her bedroom, where she has been for the past four days. We deliver her meals outside her door, knock, mask up, and run. 

Okay, that's me being funny. But we did back out of the way. 

To add to it, when Madison heard the news, she panicked. Students have dropped like flies at her school, and because she has a sore throat, she got tested and isolated herself.

Her rapid came back negative. She went to work on Friday, and Darcy had to stop blaming her sister.

She isn't sick. She works out every day in our backyard. She has nothing but a cough. No fever. No chills. No aches or pains. But she missed the wedding. 

The rest of us are not showing any symptoms. Tom and Maddy wear masks around the house. Oleg and I are here together every day, so we only wear them when Tom and Maddy appear. I've quarantined myself and shall do so for ten days to avoid having that thing stuck up my nose. Fingers crossed we all stay healthy!

Tuesday Nature Post

 

Chlorine Fish

Wild Week 18 in the NFL

I haven't missed a game despite not writing about football this season. Sundays are vegetable days. I rarely make it off the couch, and thanks to the Redzone Channel, I'm able to see the exciting parts of every game. 

Week 18, an addition the NFL made this year, began with math--or the equivalent of it by NFL terms--on who could or couldn't make it into the playoffs. If I heard it once, I heard it a zillion times. The only way the Steelers would be in was to beat the Ravens on Sunday, for Jacksonville to win against the Colts, and for MNF not to end in a tie.

Simple, right?

Nothing about Steelers football is simple.

Jacksonville and Pittsburgh played Sunday at 1:00. The chances of the Jags pulling off a win against the Colts was, well, math, but SLIM. They were 2-12, and while the Colts were 8-8, hardly anyone picked them. 

I did!

The Jaguars beat the Colts in week 1, Indianapolis hadn't won in Jacksonville since 2014, and the Steelers needed them to win. It was an easy decision.

And they won! And then Pittsburgh came back in overtime to win against the Ravens! 

I mean...

Steelers Twitter fans were chanting about us going into the playoffs, and suddenly all those Debbie Downers who've whined all year had them winning the Super Bowl--before we'd even gotten into the playoffs.

Because...yeah, MNF couldn't end in a tie.

That is a story all its own. If the game did tie, both the Raiders and the Chargers would go to the playoffs, knocking out Pittsburgh. Speculation began Monday morning. Would these division rivals actually agree to tie? That would be like the Steelers deciding to tie with the Ravens. Or the Bengals. Or the Browns. 

Uh, no way in hell!

I didn't even consider it. I turned on the game and said, "Yay, go, teams!" I didn't care who won. I just wanted a winner. I read a book while the Raiders took charge in the first quarter. But the Chargers came back and took the lead. Then the Raiders went ahead at half-time. Then the Chargers missed a field goal, made some turnovers, and the Raiders went ahead in the fourth quarter, 29-14, with a little over eight minutes left to play in the game. Everyone in my house went to bed. 

I'm not an optimist. I'm a Steelers fan, for god's sake. I stayed up, biting my nails and engaging on Twitter. 

With four minutes left in the game, the Chargers on 4th and 21 scored a touchdown, went for two, and got it. Score 29-22. Then the Chargers defense not only sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr but stripped him of the ball and recovered it.

What the what?

The Chargers made three first downs on 4th downs. Suddenly I believed the Raiders were allowing a tie with their division rivals. They tied the game 29-29, and it went into overtime.

I couldn't even scream because everyone was in bed asleep. I settled for pacing around the living room. The Raiders couldn't get into the endzone and kicked the field goal. Now, I cheered for the Raiders. It didn't matter. The Chargers kicked their own field goal to tie it again. It came down to the next score or--gasp!--settle for a tie.

Can you imagine Steelers fans? Me? People, I was a wreck. My entire body was shaking. My heart was pounding. I was angry at the thought of these rivals settling for a tie, and I couldn't SCREAM or CURSE OUTLOUD! 

Then the game got weird. The Raiders marched down the field into Chargers' territory. At the two-minute warning, they were looking at a 63-yard kick. The Raiders could have just kneeled and let the time run out for the tie, but the theory was that they didn't want to play the Kansas City Chiefs, which is where they would've gone had they tied. I don't know that I buy that theory. Especially since the next sure bet was playing the Bengals in Cincinnati--a team that hasn't won a playoff game in like 123,456,789 years.

But...the Raiders kept playing. Half-heartedly. I mean, the Raiders had nothing to lose. On 3rd and 4th, the Raiders let the clock run. Tick, tock, tick, tock. I thought I would pass out. 

What the hell!

But then the Chargers called time out! The Chargers! I still have no clue what they were thinking. At that point, the Raiders were looking at a 57-yard field goal. They didn't seem inclined to kick a damn thing, in my opinion, but who knows? Did the Chargers think they would? Their coach said he called it to have time to get his best defenders against the run onto the field. Hmm...but did the Raiders see it as an insult? Were the Chargers trying to force a FG attempt with hopes for a miss, where they then could snag the ball and run it back down the field?

When sideline reporter Michele Tafoya asked whether the time out changed their strategy, Raiders quarterback Carr replied, "Yeah, it definitely did, obviously." 

Uh? Obviously? He did follow that little blip with, "But we knew no matter what, we didn't want a tie," but we will never know what truly was going through the minds of either team.

Instead, the Raiders ran the ball on third down, gained ten, which put them into much better FG range. With the seconds winding down, Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson kicked it through the uprights to seal the win, knocking out the Chargers and pushing the Steelers through.

Pittsburgh's in the playoffs! Am I supposed to go to sleep now?

Steelers send off Big Ben with a MNF win

Since the beginning of this blog, I've talked about football--mainly Pittsburgh Steelers football. That's my team. The ones I chose to back in the 1970s before they netted their four Super Bowl rings. 

Indiana didn't have an NFL team. The Colts resided in Baltimore then, but my local sports station piped in the Steelers games every week. Having lived in Pennsylvania, it was easy to check these guys out. I liked everything about the team, from its rich history to its down-to-earth owners. The players then had a strong work ethic mentality and a band of brothers' camaraderie. Plus, their uniforms were bad-assed! My brother and I hopped on the Steelers Nation train. 

He jumped off at some point, but I remained aboard, although I admit to some lackluster watching years after the births of my children. 

I bleed black and yellow. I have an entire room devoted to the team and the present and past players. Every September, the outside of my house flies seven Steelers flags. I celebrate the wins and mourn the losses. I was there for the highs in the 70's and 80's. I suffered through the lows in the 90's and early 2000's. 

And I remember the drafting of Ben Roethlisberger eighteen years ago and the joy of finally getting back to where the Steelers belonged--in the Super Bowl.

Monday night, Big Ben took Heinz Field for the last time to a packed crowd wearing number 7 jerseys and a national audience of Steelers fans waving Terrible Towels. For many (and I'll admit I was one), it was a year or two past due. 

It still didn't make it any less emotional.

Even for me, whose admiration for the 6'5 quarterback took a severe hit after his 2010 sexual assault allegations and leaves me more than ready to say goodbye, Monday night was special. I couldn't have written it any better.

There was a sold-out crowd of 63,624. Signs thanking Ben for his 18 years of leadership dotted the arena and hung from the balconies. The offensive line protected Ben like they should've been doing all year long, allowing Najee Harris holes to run 188 yards. Renegade blared during the fourth quarter. The defense sacked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield nine times, T.J. Watt contributing to four of those. When the Browns got within five points with a little over a minute to play, the offense did enough to keep the ball in Ben's hands, and then they dug deeper and scored a touchdown to seal the deal. 

The Steelers crowd went wild, and shouts of Thank you, Ben filled the stadium.

But the defense wanted their turn. With mere seconds ticking on the clock, the Steelers defense picked off Baker Mayfield to return the ball to Ben for the victory formation that allowed him to take a knee.

"I didn't think I was going to take the field again, but it's the best play in football, when you're an offensive player, to take a knee. So I'm glad I got to do it one last time," Roethlisberger told ESPN's Lisa Salters after the game, tears pooling in his eyes.

He didn't want to leave the field. Neither did the fans. Both stood, one holding his arms high and waving, the other thanking their quarterback for 18 damn good years. Big Ben took a lap around the field, then sat on the Steelers bench for the last time. When it was apparent he was heading back to the locker room, Ben's family came to him. Kneeling, he embraced his three children, then hand-in-hand with his wife and kids, Big Ben walked off the field into the tunnel and out of the limelight.

Storybook evening. 

And it would've been nice to have ended the season right then and there. But NO! The NFL added an 18th week to the season this year, and the Steelers need a miracle--that in Jacksonville beating the Colts--alongside a win against the hated Ravens on a short week amongst a raging COVID spread.

"It's funny because it's probably not the way you'd want it other than the win, and that's all that really matters," Roethlisberger said about his stats in Monday's game. "That's kind of been the story of my career. It's not always pretty, but we find a way."

Thanks for the ride, Ben. It certainly was never dull!

Tuesday Nature Photo

I received the new iPhone for Christmas. I'm going to experiment with the camera. Thus far, I have no idea what I'm doing not only with the camera but the phone itself. Today I tried to pay for my groceries with Apple Pay and had no idea how to do so. Apparently, this is different than how I used to use it on my iPhone 6 plus. 

So, why not create a weekly nature photo as I learn? 

Exactly. Why not?

French Toast for Me and Bee

Wrapping up 2021

• Completed several projects, leased vehicles, and replaced the hated refrigerator Tom purchased on his own one day when I was out of town. 
• Took a few trips to the other coast to help Oleg secure housing. This not only got me out of the house and back among people, but it reminded me how much I enjoy swimming for exercise. 
• Got the college students graduated during a pandemic.

• Weighed the pros and cons and got vaccinated. Then received the booster.
• Continued walking with the neighbors until we were hiking 3 miles a day. Added water aerobics to my routine when the summer months knocked us back down to a mile.
• Hosted Easter and Thanksgiving. Skipped Halloween.

• Had success in my writing career by participating in an RWA event where unpublished authors were paired up with a published mentor. Completed book two with my mentor. Wrote 50,000 + words on the third during NaNoWriMo. Took several writing courses via Zoom. Met my mentor in person and accompanied her to a book signing. Had my head shots done. Got my pen name. Started out on social media to build a following.
• Moved Darcy home. Moved Oleg to the other coast. Contemplated painting the inside of my house and then shoved it off for 2020.
• Lost good friends to various ailments and old age. Despite differences of opinions regarding politics and covid, managed to keep friendly with family and friends.

• Spent time with family from out of town in person.
• Helped with and attended a writer's conference.
• Went through several ailments with the dog and got to know our new vet.

• Dog sat for a friend and enjoyed the time to myself.
• Flew on an airplane.
• Discovered Tom Ellis and Lucifer

• Had dinner plans twice a month with a friend and her family
• Went on a girl's trip even though it was only locally.
• Won a writing contest

• Managed to stay healthy with only one round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. This does not include my chronic back pain, sciatic nerve issues, or piriformis muscle pain. Did reawaken my plantar fasciitis which has been dormant for 24 years. Will need more mental health work in 2022.
• Enjoyed having my girls back home in the nest.

I call the year a good one! Looking forward to an even better one this year. Thanks for reading, peeps!

2022 Resolutions

Our family has kept resolutions since the 1980s, and while I agree that we can start over every morning, this tradition has been fun. So, here I go again, resolving to do things in 2022. 

• To finish several projects I've started and haven't completed, including staying on Tom until we have completed our will - This is sort of a carry-over to all the resolutions left undone.

• To establish a daily business routine with hours and keep to it - I'm working now. I should have work hours. Plus, I need to manage my time better.

• Begin a healthy eating/workout regiment - This is the year I'm determined to shed a lot of unhealthy things.

• Create my author website and increase my author social media presence - I did well on social media via Instagram and Twitter for my author persona, but I need to do more, and I need a website.

• Have a monthly dinner calendar, so I'm not struggling to know what to cook at night - I did this several years ago for about two months and loved it. 

• To finish my mess, that is book one. Finish book three. Edit both. Learn the self-publishing industry - Another huge resolution but one I plan on completing!

• Eat weekly meals at a table and not in front of the TV - I think this bad habit has contributed to my unhealthy life, therefore, be gone!

• Go on several girl trips - A few friends and I have talked about this, and to make sure it happens, I'm documenting it here.

• Purchase birthday cards and prepare for sending out at the beginning of the month - Yep, still struggle with this one, although I have taken to using Venmo for sending birthday gifts to my nieces and nephews

• Get back to blogging on my personal site. - Have you missed me?

Happy New Year! May this be a year of continued health and happiness for us all!