Never Forget

Isaac Is Gone

Power has been restored and Isaac is gone!  I was going to say the rain is gone, but today and last night it rained some more, and the forecast is for more rain.   I was without power from Tuesday evening when it went out for the second time until sometime Friday night.  Except for the actual day of the Hurricane, Wednesday I wasn't really at home anyway, I was at work Thursday (without power) and Friday (we had power when I went in that morning).  When I got home from work Friday around eight o'clock I had power at home.

I realized that I need a radio that works off of batteries to keep in contact with what's going on as far as the storm goes.  I used to have a small 10 inch television that I used, but when they switched to HD the TV no longer works.  Wednesday as I sat home with no power and the wind and rain just continually bearing down outside I wondered what was going on.  This storm seemed to be lasting an awful long time, which it was basically just sitting over us for most of the day.  But without power I had no idea.  I just knew that the wind and rain never seemed to let up.  It was sometime in the middle of the day that I heard part of the siding on my home tear away.  During a brief lull I ventured outside to see a corner of my roof peeled up and shingles all over the yard.  Somehow I managed to make a phone call during the storm and placed a claim with my insurance as the storm continued.

The insurance adjuster came out yesterday and said I need a new roof, plus some other damage.  I was very relived that he was very nice and basically didn't try to talk his way out of anything.  He saw the damage and said it needed fixing and wrote it all up that way.  I know after Katrina a lot of people had major fights with their insurance agents over when they would or would not cover.

I will say that I think the Hurricane deductible that insurance companies added to everyone's insurance after Katrina sucks.  My Hurricane deductible is 5% of the insurance on my dwelling.  I don't understand how insurance companies can get away with things like this.  For some people this type of deductible is pricing them out of being able to afford to fix their house.  You'd be better off putting the money you pay for insurance in a bank account and only touch it if something happens.  You'd probably have more money to do the repairs that way.  But if you have a mortgage you can't because the bank is going to make you have insurance.  It's a terrible circle.

Thursday after the storm we opened with no power and a generator powering one register.  We had about ten associates show up for work.  When a customer showed up the associate would walk them to what they needed and then bring them up to the register.  We were only open for hurricane supplies, if someone needed propane, flashlights, etc.  Even though I had some people that were bored and just wanted to come in to shop.  I didn't let them.  If you needed something for the storm you could come in.

A mini rant here:  If the power is out and the red lights are NOT working that means it is a four way stop.  Not to just drive through the red light as if it wasn't there now.  One road I swear a dozen cars just kept driving through the non working red light while we sat on the side street wanting to turn.

Well I think that's enough about Isaac.  It's over and gone, now it's time to move on.

Lost Power

Around five this afternoon we lost power.  The wind was blowing but it didn't really look that bad outside.  Luckily it was still light enough outside that I was able to open the door and leave the screen door closed and drag a chair by the open door and read.  There's not a lot you can do in the dark by yourself so I was glad I could continue to read.  I broke out the camp stove that I bought back from Katrina and warmed up some Hamburger Helper and ate before it got too dark.  Finally it was dark enough I had to start using one of the Lanterns and suddenly the lights came back on.

I'm sure we'll lose power again.  The wind has really gained in strength over the last few hours.  Now I have power I can check the TV and see where the storm is and see what's going on.  I had turned off both my cell phones, hoping to conserve power.  I also had forgotten to charge my laptop so when I went to see if it still had power it wouldn't even turn on.  I'm not really surprised, it's been a long time since I've used the laptop.  I was hoping to use it to watch a movie or tv show from dvd.  I've got it charging now, so hopefully it'll have enough of a charge if I lose power again.

Isaac at three

More on Isaac

It just started raining at around 3 in the afternoon.  We've had some high winds and clouds and one point a tornado warning but nothing serious yet.  Was at work until noon.  We went in because we were getting more hurricane supplies and wanted to give any people that still needed some a chance at whatever they needed.  So tell me why we started getting people shopping for golf clubs or arrows the later the day went.  We opened at around six because people were stopping by and I felt great being able to help anyone that needed something for the hurricane.  But really....you're going to come shopping for a golf club or a new pair of shoes.  I haven't have time to pick anything up in my yard yet at the point because I've basically spent the last three days at work getting ready for this storm and now I'm not even getting a chance to get my home ready for the hurricane because someone wants a new pair of sandals!  Aggravating.  When we finally get out of the store you can guess the outcome...the winds are the strongest they've been all day and its raining.  So I get to work outside in my yard in the wind and rain.  But I get it done and the last couple hours have been reading and relaxing.

Isaac

Seven years ago almost to the day I was getting ready to go to work to finish getting the place ready for the coming storm and barricading it up.  Tomorrow morning I'm heading into work to do the same thing.  There are a few differences.  Hopefully this storm is nowhere near the strength of that one.  At the moment they're even talk that it might not make hurricane status before landfall.  And the previous one I ended up heading towards Tennessee with my Mom and Dad who hadn't moved up there yet to escape the storm, this one I intend to sit out at home.  Until I lose power I'll try to keep everyone updated to what's going on with Isaac as it happens.

Lost More Weight

Down to 170 pounds this morning.  My weight goes up and down during the day.  I'm sure when I weight myself again I'll be a few pounds heavier.  But it's still going down.  I think I need to lose another ten pounds or so.   Now I just have to get a regular schedule for the gym.

Vacation

Just spent the last five days at my Moms.   It's nice when you can sit on the porch and look out see something like this picture.   This picture actually wasn't taken from my Mom's porch, but three different times I saw two deer hop across her front yard.  Looking out her kitchen window to her back yard I was able to observe the ground hog family that lives back there.  And from her back yard all you see is trees and hills, no house or person in sight.  Very relaxing.

And just what I've been needing.

I Can See!

These posts are kind of all over the place, not in any order of what happens.  Today I got hopefully my last pair of glasses until I go for my yearly check up next year.  And guess what?  I can see!  The worst part of this whole diabetes thing has been how much it's been screwing with my vision.   First it was distance, than it was close up and to read the computer screen I'd have to take my glasses off and lean in closer.  Than I get a new prescription and the glasses are almost ready for pickup and my eyes go back to how they were before this all started.   My first pair of glasses worked.  I get the other pair, they don't work for distance.  The original pair doesn't work for up close, like reading.   ARRRGGGHH!  Over two months of this.  I can't even begin to explain how frustrating this was.  Everyday not being able to see correctly.  Finally after going back with the second pair and having them re check my eyes and make a new prescription....and I go in today and get them.  And they work.  I can see distance.  I can read with them.  And the best part is I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow so I'll actually be able to see.

When I Learned

It was around the end of March/beginning of April that I discovered I had diabetes.  I'd been going to the doctor for problems with my foot and recently had a second surgery on my foot.  Well for surgery they do blood work and my sugar levels were higher than they liked, but didn't seem in the danger zone yet.  Not long after this I was at work and I can remember looking up and suddenly the other side of the store appeared blurry and signs on that side that I had been able to read just moments before were no out of the scope of my vision.  And that week I was drinking water like a camel and going to the bathroom it seemed like very ten minutes.

I don't need a house to drop on me.  I knew what these symptoms meant.  I went to the eye doctor, even though I had just gotten a new pair of glasses at the start of the year.  He checked my eyes and recommended new lenses and also that I should go the doctor, which I had already made an appointment for when I made the eye appointment.

More blood work and I was told I was borderline.  He wrote me a prescription for medicine and gave me some pamphlets about diabetes.  A couple weeks later I was back for a follow up and I was no longer borderline.  I had diabetes.  One of the tests they do is called A1C and its supposed to be under 6.  My reading was 11.3.

In 2010, the ADA issued new guidelines regarding the A1C test. First, it can now be used as a test to diagnose diabetes. If you have a 6.5 percent level or above, you are considered to have diabetes. If you have a result between 6.0 percent and 6.5 percent, you are considered high risk.

So yeah, that was little high.

Diabetes

di·a·be·tes

   [dahy-uh-bee-tis, -teez]  Show IPA

noun Pathology .

1.

any of several disorders characterized by increased urineproduction.

2.

Also called diabe·tes mel·li·tus  [mel-i-tuhs,muh-lahy-]  Show IPA. a disorder of carbohydratemetabolism, usually occurring in genetically predisposedindividuals, characterized by inadequate production orutilization of insulin and resulting in excessive amounts ofglucose in the blood and urine, excessive thirst, weight loss,and in some cases progressive destruction of small bloodvessels leading to such complications as infections andgangrene of the limbs or blindness.

3.

Also called Type I  diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes,juvenile diabetes. a severe form of diabetes mellitus inwhich insulin production by the beta cells of the pancreas isimpaired, usually resulting in dependence on externallyadministered insulin, the onset of the disease typicallyoccurring before the age of 25.

4.

Also called Type II diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, adult-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes. a mild, sometimes asymptomatic form of diabetesmellitus characterized by diminished tissue sensitivity toinsulin and sometimes by impaired beta cell function,exacerbated by obesity and often treatable by diet andexercise.

5.

Also called diabe·tes in·sip·i·dus  [in-sip-i-duhs] Show IPA. increased urine production caused by inadequatesecretion of vasopressin by the pituary gland.

I'm Back

If you had asked me a year or so ago if I would not be writing on this blog I would have thought you were crazy.  I genuinely enjoyed writing on this blog.  I looked forward to it.   But in the last year I kept taking long and longer inbetween posts until it seemed like I was never writing.  Well, I hope to make up for that and get back to writing.  While I've been gone from posting here the biggest news that's happened to me is that I've found I have diabetes.  And the last month or so has been an up and down struggle with my vision.   I plan to post more about that, but for now I just wanted to dip a toe back into the water and let everyone (if there is still anyone that is even reading this) that I am back.

The Voice vs. American Idol

I missed The Voice last year, but started watching it this year.  One of my biggest complaints about American Idol was the joy they seemed to get in humiliating some people.  They pick some of the early auditions just because they're bad.  The Voice only shows good singers.  They may not all be good enough to get picked, but even when they're not picked the judges are polite and respectful to the singers.  While on American Idol sometimes the judges can't stop laughing or make ugly comments while the singers are on the stage.  I've always talked about this aspect of American Idol and how much I hate it.  Watching The Voice it just seems so much nicer.  Even when the judges compete against each other they don't seem to be so mean about it.  While I haven't been excited about a winner from American Idol is years I'm hoping to feel some of that excitement this year on The Voice.

The Best Show You're Not Watching: Cougar Town

One of my favorite shows from the past two years is Cougar Town.  Luckily they decided early that the original premise for the show wasn't working and moved it into a show about Friends.   With Courtney Cox.  Now where have we seen that before?  But the show is nothing like Friends, it's a completely different sense of comedy, though you can can see some of Monica in Jules the character Courtney plays.  I really like this show and think it mixes humor and a sense of seriousness like few other shows.  This year it's been regulated to mid season replacement and still has failed to show up on ABC's schedule.  The network needs to put it on now and give it the support it deserves.  Being put on this late in the year we've missed the annual Thanksgiving show.  ABC get this show back on now!

If you're not watching this show because you think you know what it's about because of the title give it a chance.  The title has nothing to do with the show anymore.  In fact the creators have fun with the title's logo before each show opens.

Five on Friday

Today I'm going to feature Theresa Andersson, who just happens to be the Artist of the Month over at Voices to Hear.

1. Na Na Na


2. I'm On My Way


3. Mary, Don't You Weep


4. Find the Cost of Freedom


5. Hero

Five on Friday

Today I'm going to feature one family...The Thompsons.

1. Richard Thompson, father and ex husband.  For those not familiar with this man he is one of the greatest guitarists and writers in the music world.  This is one of my all time favorite songs ever.



2. Linda Thompson, was married to Richard and they performed together for years until they divorced and she went on to a solo career of her own.



3. Richard and Linda Thompson



4. Teddy Thompson is the son of Richard and Linda and has established a successful career in music for himself.



5. Kami Thompson is the daughter of Richard and Linda and has just started her life in the music industry.



If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Check it out at Trav's site.

Five on Friday

Local legendary singer Coco Robicheaux died earlier tonight, so I want to do my Five on Friday featuring Mr. Robicheaux.  For more on the man you can read on my Voices to Hear site.

1. Cottonmouth


2. Walking With The Spirit


3. Work of the Devil


4. Working Man


5. Time Has Come Today

Google +

I don't know if I'm just stupid or what but I find myself having more trouble doing anything on Google +.  I really want to use this but it just seems to be so difficult.  I'm really not a fan of Facebook but at least I can post and link and do things, on Google + I just seem to go in circles.  Is anyone else having problems?

Happy Birthday Dad

It's not quite midnight so I can still say that today would have been my Dad's birthday.

He died a little over four years ago from cancer.

You think in four years the loss would get easier.  But a day doesn't go by that I don't think of him in some way.  To be honest it didn't seem like four years had already gone by.  The amount of time was reinforced recently to me.  I was at Best Buy picking something up that I had ordered online.  They asked for my drivers license for identification purposes.  When the clerk handed it back to me I gave a glance at the expiration date, wondering when it was coming due.  In Louisiana a drivers license is good for four years and expires on your birthday.  This was back in July, a few weeks after my birthday.  When I looked I saw that my license had expried that year.

The last time I had renewed it was four years ago, just weeks before my Dad died.  I had to take a trip for work to Texas and my license was expiring and had to get it renewed before I flew.  The week I came back from Texas was the week my Mom called to tell me to get up there, my Dad was not doing good.

So it had been four years.

Four years.  I thought at first that couldn't be right.  He hasn't been dead that long, it wasn't that long ago.  Was it?  But I guess it was.  Time continues to pass and his death recedes into the past, if not in my memories.

One last thought of him I had recently.  Last month I had to drive to Alabama for a meeting for work.  Coming back I passed by the turn off from the highway that would have brought me to their old house when they lived in Mississippi before Katrina.  When I lived in Florida and came back to visit that was where I turned to go to their house.  A brief thought went through my mind of turning off and stopping by to say hi on my way home.  My Dad would have appreciated the unannounced visit and insisted I get something to eat and sit and rest before I continued on my way home.

Damn.

I still miss him.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs died today.  Few people in the last quarter century left such a mark.  Like Apple or not, the product that came from that company changed the world.  ITunes changed the way music is sold.  The Iphone changed the way we use our phones.  And who knows what the IPad will change.

I don't have an IPhone.  If Sprint had been an original carrier of the phone I probably would have made the plunge, but I've always liked Sprint and the people I knew that had AT&T weren't too happy with their services so I stayed where I was.  A brief side trip to the Pre WedOS, but it's been Android and Google as the phones for me.  Even now with the IPhone coming to Sprint I don't think I'll change.  I have a Nexus S and if anything I'll probably update to the Nexus Prime.  

But I do have an Ipod and an Ipad.  Both are devices that I love.  The Ipod for my money is one of the greatest inventions ever, I have over 40,000 songs downloaded on it and I can carry my music anywhere I go.  The Ipad is something I'm learning to use more and more.  I'll go a few months and use it almost everyday and than put it down and not pick it up for another few months.  

Still whatever you think of Apple you have to admit that Steve Jobs left an impression.