Fainted and Tampa

I was in Tampa last week and naturally, we talk each evening.  First thing Jack says to me Thursday night is “I passed out today”.  And naturally, 20 questions spill out.  What?  Where?  Are you all right? Were you just walking and keeled over?  Are you hurt? Did you stand up too fast? Finally, Jack was able to get a word in edgewise.  He was at home, it happened mid afternoon, it was when standing up from after having been seated/reclined for awhile, and he landed on carpet without hitting the end table.  He remembers standing up, feeling dizzy, the feeling of falling, and then the dog licking his face.  He doesn’t think he blacked out for more than a few seconds, basically the time it took to fall.  Sore right side leg and arm was the extent of any injury.  Oh, and I think he said slight headache.

He hasn’t felt dizzy since then, and he does have a doctor appointment in a couple of weeks so he’ll let the doc know plus watch for dizziness between now and then.   

Thank goodness we do have terrific next door neighbors.  I am going to give them a key so that if I’m not home and paramedics are needed they would be able to get in without waiting for me to get home or busting a window.

Tampa trip was a meet ‘n greet.  I met my soon to be new boss and a colleague from Minneapolis.  We all have the same work ethic; do it right the first time.  We have already been working on the transition.  Who knew upper management just might know what they were doing with this re-org.   

They were having terrific weather – mid 80’s with low humidity.  It was so nice we were even able to have dinner outdoors one night. 

Flights were uneventful except for the last 20 minutes of the Tampa to Detroit leg.  A screaming child - not a baby - a 3 or 4 year old who did not want the seatbelt on.  A top of the lungs, high pitched, non-stopper.  I was a good half dozen rows away and could barely survive.  Can’t imagine what it was like to be real close.  Oy Vey.

BBC Top Gear - Skoda

I'm becoming addicted to BBC’s Top Gear.  The show is three guys who test drive cars - mainly very expensive and very fast cars.  Celebrities racing a reasonably priced Focus around their track.  Turning cars into boats and campers.  Racing each other around the world.  Lots of humor and banter. 

Lately, they have featured more mid priced vehicles.  Most recently the Skoda Roomster.  Jeremy Clarkson, the main host of the show, spoke highly of the Roomster, “It’s a Golf underneath but with extra space and a genuine big-car feel.“  Year or so ago they tested the Skoda Yedi.  It looks very similar to the Roomster.   And after driving the Fabia, “Oh to have been a fly on the wall when the bloke behind the VW Polo was asked to explain why Skoda’s version is better.”

Skoda is manufactured in the Czech Republic in partnership with VW, thus the comparisons to VW’s.  Jack’s son and family live there and they drive a Otavia Skoda.  They recently ordered a new one…for less than they paid for their five or six year old one…with more options on the new one!  What a deal!  Marek (grandson) will be touring the factory later in April. 

                      Octovia                                                                         Roomster

    

Wednesday in Grand Rapids

We had scheduled the dog for a teeth cleaning and eye shots for his Keratitis (a cloudy film that starts off to the far side of the eye and eventually would cover it) to take place on Wednesday.  This meant we had to drop him off in Grand Rapids at 8:30 and pick him up at 4:45.

After dropped the dog off, we had breakfast.  By that time the malls were open.

My nephew gets married in May, so I wanted to look for off white dress pants to go with an existing top that I have.  This would be a great time to do some shopping as I would have a better selection of stores and even better yet, Jack couldn’t say he was tired and ready to go home after only an hour or so.  Can’t beat that!  I ended up going a totally different route, new top and sage dress pants.

We arranged to meet with friends, Russ and Diane, for lunch at 1:30.  Russ used to work for Jack back in our Greenville, Michigan days…some 25 years ago.   By the time we got done eating and chatting, it was after 3pm. 

Our next destination was to see the newly remodeled Gerald R. Ford Int’l Airport.  They now have a huge parking ramp as opposed to only surface parking.  The greatest part was that they brought back the middle area where you can sit and watch planes take off and land.  This makes it especially nice place to wait to pick someone up or if you are dropping someone off that is flying out.  You are able to go up to this area and sit with them before they have to go through security to board their flight.  There are a couple of shops, a small restaurant, and a pub.

By the time we left there, we had just enough time to take a drive over to Sunset Lane where we used to live.  There are a couple of new homes on the street.  Then it was off to the vet to pick up the pooch and head for home. 

A very pleasant day.

Faucet and Book Recommendation

 Faucet

This winter the kitchen faucet started to leek ever so slightly and had gotten progressively worse to the point that there was one spot off to the right where it had to be placed exactly to prevent it from leaking.  It's the single handle pivot type.

Couple of weeks ago Jack said we should stop by Menard’s and pick up whatever it was that he said would be needed to fix it.  I was thinking more along the lines of picking up the yellow pages and picking out a plumber.  Wouldn’t ya know, this past Wednesday he had the car for a dentist appointment and went to Mendard’s.

So Saturday was the dreaded day of doom.  The day of the 15 minute project that would turn into 2 hours, the yellow pages, and a plumber.  However, it was a pleasant surprise in that it took us exactly 35 minutes.  The only hard part was shutting off the water.  Both shut of knobs or handles were corroded that even with a small pipe wrench it was work to get them to move. 

I put each piece I took apart in a line so that it would be a no brainer reassembling it.  Luckily, Jack was paying better attention to the way the spring and plastic thingy came apart.  When it came time to insert the new spring and new plastic thingy, I couldn’t remember if the larger end of the spring was up or down, or which way the plastic thingy went over the spring.  In the end, Jack pointed out there was only one way they would go together. 

We now have a perfectly working kitchen faucet once again – Job well done.

 Book Recommendation

At the library Saturday I picked up a book that I couldn’t put down.  Super by Jim Lehrer.  IN LARGE PRINT no less.  Love that large print.  It’s a short 250 pages fun read.  Highly recommend it.

“In the tradition of Murder on the Orient Express, Jim Lehrer brings together a cast of characters as fascinating as the historic train that will carry them from Chicago to Los Angeles.  Among them are a once-great Hollywood producer, a dying millionaire, a stowaway, actor Clark Gable, and former president Harry Truman.  Pulling out of the Dearborn Station, the Super Chief’s passengers – famous and infamous, anonymous and enigmatic – can’t possibly imagine what lies ahead…“ 

“The twists and turns will keep readers turning the pages at top speed to finish one of the most captivating stories of Lehrer's prolific career.”

Pefect Jacket Update - The Dog and The Fly

Update on Perfect Jacket Search:

As I had said in an earlier blog, I’m looking to replace my perfect summer jacket.  The one I ordered from Lands End came and it’s a good contender.  Only thing is it has a shinier material than I really like.  It’s rain resistance, a taupe-ish color, just below the hip in length, two inside pockets (they could have been a tad bit bigger), had a belt (I’ve removed it).  It’s just that material I’m hesitant about.  It’s too soon to tell if this will be the one.

The Dog and The Fly:

Came home from work Thursday and Jack said Česky spent the better part of the day in our bedroom or my bathroom.  It wasn’t until about 3:00 that he came out.  He was acting fine when I came home so we thought maybe he just wasn’t feeling good.

Came home Friday and Jack said the dog drove him crazy for most of the day.   If Jack moved, the dog was right at his legs to the point of almost tripping Jack as he walked.   If Jack sat down, the dog would keep pestering him or be pacing from room to room - continually. Finally, the dog went into my bathroom.  About 3:00 Jack went to look for him.  The dog had somehow closed the bathroom door.  He came out and was fine for the rest of the day.  This is the way he acts when there are either fire crackers or a bug that flies in the house.  I looked around and didn’t see anything.

Saturday he started the pacing and finally went into my bathroom again.  I heard the door close.  About an hour later, I went to check on him and left the door open.  I could hear him pacing in there, finally the door closes and he settles down. 

We had both noticed he would look up when he was pacing through the living room.  Finally, I saw the fly up in one of the sky lights.  We have a cathedral ceiling and the sky light glass is even farther up.  I got the 6’ step ladder and a broom trying to squish it without causing any damage to the sky light.  No luck.  There is crown molding around it with enough room between the molding and the sky light framing that the fly could get down into.  Tried spraying fly spray up where it had gone, which was now the highest possible point.  It didn’t look as though the spray actually got up high enough, but it must have or the vapor got to it because today the dog is fine today.

When he is outside he will go after flies and hornets with a vengeance, but in the house he can’t stand the high pitch noise their wings in motion make.

Official end of winter and The Dog goes to the vet

It’s official.  Winter is coming to an end.  We know that because the snow man has been put away.  My parents had given us a snow man whose facial features, stick arms, and button are fiber optic.  He has a blue cap, which really didn’t go with my red and green Christmas holiday décor, so I brought him to work three years ago.  We put him out early in December and he goes back into his box and up to the storage area at the end of February, thus the sign of winter being officially over. 
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Twice a year we take The Dog to the vet in Grand Rapids.  After having tried a couple of local vets, we just decided we like Dr. Stasiak at Forest Hills Veterinary Clinic the best so why keep looking.  We have known him now for close to 20 years. 

 We had lived in three different Grand Rapids suburbs over the course of 10 years.  Each time we are there we pick somewhere to “tour” just to see how that particular area has changed.  There are a number of routes too that we take just getting there or coming back, the trip makes for a pleasant afternoon drive.  Not sure we’ll be saying that much longer the way gas prices keep increasing. 

This past Wednesday was The Dog’s annual spring check up, heartworm testing, and because he is pushing 10 years he now gets blood work for kidney and liver too.  We did this trip without the usual sightseeing.  It was a cold, windy, and rainy day.  Jack didn’t even get out of the car to come in.

What we did notice was the difference in snow still on the ground.  We have very little snow left.  Allendale, about half way between us and GR, had more snow than even GR had. Plowed fields were completely white.

Tests all came back good.  He does want to give Česky a good teeth cleaning.  We will schedule that in a few weeks so that we can coordinate it with having lunch with old friends, now retired.

In Search of the Perfect Jacket.

I actually own the perfect jacket.  I have since we first visited Mike in Prague in 1993…1992??  Well, right around that time.  It’s the perfect weight.  Has the key attribute to a perfect jacket, inside pockets, multiple inside packets.  It wasn’t expensive; I bought it either a K-Mart or JC Penney type store. 

The only thing was that it is red, which wasn’t exactly the best color to wear while touring a former communist country shortly after the velvet revolution.  Well, what did I know back then?

Anyway, I have replaced that perfect jacket five or six times in the past seven or eight years.   I keep purchasing what I think will suffice as a replacement, and…they never do.  Couple of years ago I found one that had the mandatory inside pockets, however it was fleece.  What was I thinking when I thought fleece in July and August would work?  Or the one that was navy blue, unlined, a big deep floppy pockets-too big and a tiny pocket-too small, cell phone barely could fit it; the one that was car coat length that is annoying with a lining that was too warm; the simple unlined windbreaker that makes too much noise when walking; or the black cotton that’s too hot and attracted the white dog hairs. 

So I’ve started the search once again only this time the budget has increased, within reason that is.  I still can’t spend $100 on a jacket, a summer jacket no less.  Macy’s had dozens, either no mandatory multiple inside pockets of a reasonable depth or the right weight and length.  The search goes on.  Land’s End seems to have a couple possibilities. Our Sear’s didn’t carry the one I was most interested in so I’ve ordered it.  I'll know in a few days if I've found 'the one'.