Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[John Morrison]

14 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I have several small cylindrical towers, called Echo 2nd generation, I bought in 2018 through Amazon. I plug them in, and at my command, I can say “Alexa, play Elvis Presley music”.

 

Betty, ask Alexa to "act like a teenager"... 😎

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, John Morrison said:

 

Betty, ask Alexa to "act like a teenager"... 😎

Coming from you, I’m almost afraid to! 😂

Edited February 8, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Michael Ventura]

4 hours ago, John Morrison said:

 

Betty, ask Alexa to "act like a teenager"... 😎

 

When I asked my Alexa this task it said it didn't understand...guess I'm too old.  BTW, my command name for my Alexa is "Echo"!  Only because my daughter had an Alexa first and the two were in competition with one another so I had to go with the other name it can go by.  Now that my daughter moved out, I could go back to Alexa but I do like Echo as the wake-up name.

[John Morrison]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Coming from you, I’m almost afraid to! 😂

 

It works for me (and nothing horribble happens!). Just say "Alexa... teenager". Makes me laff every time.  😀

[Betty LaRue]

Yesterday I saw my family doctor, then told him he might want to run out of the room screaming. 🙃 He ran another blood panel, and good news, my hemoglobin is up to 10.2. Still needs to come up a bit, but it’s on its way. Kidney function and everything else good. I forgot to ask the nurse specifically about my platelets, which were too high in previous tests. That can sometimes lead to blood clots and strokes.

Yesterday, a man delivered a bone stimulator which should help my fusion form healthy bone. I have to strap it on and use it two hours every day for three months. My fusion consists of donated ground-up bone in some sort of recipe I’m unaware of. I assume the bone stimulator will help this solidify and adhere to my own bones through the healing time, which can be a year. The low oxygen in my blood was caused by Atelectasis, collapse of small air sacs in my lungs which was caused by anesthesia.

I see my surgeon March 2nd, and I’m hoping I can quit wearing the back brace. It’s a real pain to have to strap on when I wake up in the middle of the night for an urgent bathroom run. There are Velcro flaps and other snaps to engage, which takes a bit of time. Meanwhile, I can’t bend, twist or lift much. 
I’m fighting my instinct to do more than I should, which causes me to crash big time about 7 p.m. Pain is better overall, but nights are still the worst, and I often find myself awake and squirming around 2-4 a.m. until I finally get up before 7. I’m told it takes 8-12 weeks post op before things are more normal. Boo. I’m at 4 weeks.  My kids are taking turns staying with me, feeding me like a pet dog…arf-arf. My appetite is still way off, and I’m eating about 1/4 of what I should.  I take so many meds I threw them back up this morning. I’ve lost 10 pounds and it’s not flattering.

Would I do this again knowing what I now know? Yes. My eye is still on the results, which I look upon with a bit of fairy dust in my eyes. But I might arm myself with some sort of punishment for those medical people who neglected to treat me properly with no regard for the tremendous pain that was not managed well. When begging for help, tears pouring down my face, squirming in my bed, I was met with cold, unsympathetic eyes and no help.

My daughter praying with me is the only thing that gave me a measure of peace, and calmed my cries.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Bryan]

Good to hear of signs of improvement Betty !  I confess that I also have difficulty sleeping, I go down fine, but then wake up 3 or 4 hours later and struggle to get back to sleep. Crosswords after midnight are a comfort !

 

My good news, the window frames and glass for our house extension have now all arrived, so work can begin on the final phases of our house extension.  The worst has yet to come, the upheaval and muck associated with knocking down the outside wall to connect with the new build, but I can foresee light at the end of our dining room !

 

I have to say that the builders have been very good, with both excellent workmanship and project planning, arranging for the various trades to appear at the right times. There have only been a few days delay waiting for window components, while I have heard horror stories about people waiting for weeks for glazing etc.  So far so good. The roof has been completed since this photo was taken.

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

 

"I confess that I also have difficulty sleeping, I go down fine, but then wake up 3 or 4 hours later and struggle to get back to sleep. Crosswords after midnight are a comfort !"

 

I've been waking up for an hour at about 4AM for years now, Bryan. I check Alamy and play virtual pool on my iPad. I also sleep for an hour in the afternoon. I've been taking a siesta since Rome in 1965. 

 

We are in Betty's good news post, right? Anyway, there's no heat or hot water in my building. I'm trying to take this poster's advice:

 

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Bryan said:

Good to hear of signs of improvement Betty !  I confess that I also have difficulty sleeping, I go down fine, but then wake up 3 or 4 hours later and struggle to get back to sleep. Crosswords after midnight are a comfort !

 

My good news, the window frames and glass for our house extension have now all arrived, so work can begin on the final phases of our house extension.  The worst has yet to come, the upheaval and muck associated with knocking down the outside wall to connect with the new build, but I can foresee light at the end of our dining room !

 

I have to say that the builders have been very good, with both excellent workmanship and project planning, arranging for the various trades to appear at the right times. There have only been a few days delay waiting for window components, while I have heard horror stories about people waiting for weeks for glazing etc.  So far so good. The roof has been completed since this photo was taken.

 

That looks to be a fine addition, Bryan. By the time flowers bloom, you should be enjoying it.

[Bryan]

8 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

 

there's no heat or hot water in my building.

 

 

Are you thinking of moving on Edo ?

[Ed Rooney]

16 minutes ago, Bryan said:

 

Are you thinking of moving on Edo ?

 

I would love to get out of this building -- it's a disaster area. Moving from Liverpool is a separate issue. I have what seems to be the world's best passport right now. Irish. I'm still in the EU and also part of the Special Relationship. And I'm a Yank, which means I can carry a gun, right?

[John Mitchell]

I lived in north London for a year (mid 1950's) when I was a kid, and I remember that the flat my parents rented had no central heating. We had to keep feeding a weird radiator-like contraption in the kitchen with shillings in order to get some warmth. Hopefully it's not that bad in Liverpool.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by John Mitchell

[John Morrison]

27 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

I'm a Yank, which means I can carry a gun, right?

 

Of course, Ed. Just tell the police you're allowed to "open carry" (though in Liverpool pubs it's considered polite to put your handgun on the bar before you order a drink)...

[Ed Rooney]

 

John, can I point it at the barman? 

 

Today a barman at a fancy bistro at Liverpool ONE did not charge me for the martini I ordered. Amazing! I told him that it was the first martini I had in 40 years, which is true. I drink beer, wine, and maybe a brandy these days. Yesterday, the pizza chef at Rudy’s on Castle Street did not charge me for my pizza. I must be oozing charm. Or was it the S&W .357 on the bar?
 

[John Morrison]

30 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

John, can I point it at the barman? 

 

Today a barman at a fancy bistro at Liverpool ONE did not charge me for the martini I ordered. Amazing! I told him that it was the first martini I had in 40 years, which is true. I drink beer, wine, and maybe a brandy these days. Yesterday, the pizza chef at Rudy’s on Castle Street did not charge me for my pizza. I must be oozing charm. Or was it the S&W .357 on the bar?
 

Gun... OK. But ordering a Martini in a Liverpool boozer is still a capital offence...

[Ed Rooney]

 

Gee, John -- I wasn't planning to shoot anyone . . . unless of course they were somewhat tardy with my drink. 

 

Seriously, I like the Scousers. They can be really nice. If only they could speak English. 

[John Morrison]

13 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I like the Scousers. They can be really nice. If only they could speak English. 

 

The Scouse accent is impenetrable to a lot of Brits too...

[Betty LaRue]

On 08/02/2022 at 09:46, John Morrison said:

 

It works for me (and nothing horribble happens!). Just say "Alexa... teenager". Makes me laff every time.  😀

John, I tried it. My Alexa didn’t know what to do. Bummer.

[John Morrison]

49 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

John, I tried it. My Alexa didn’t know what to do. Bummer.

 

Never mind, Betty. Maybe it was the de-luxe model I bought (Alexa tells me how great I am, even without me asking!)… 😎

[NYCat]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

John, I tried it. My Alexa didn’t know what to do. Bummer.

 

Try it with a British accent. 

 

Paulette

[Ed Rooney]

 

Apple's Siri understands nothing I ask. "Siri, is the Earth flat or round?" "I'm not sure I understand?" is always the answer. I should get me one of those Alexa speakers. Just what I need -- another costly piece of mysterious digital tech stuff. 

 

My fake Oxbridge accent would knock Prince Charles's socks off. 

[Michael Ventura]

For the Alexa users, try this fun game with it.  Say “Alexa, activate the Akinater”.   It will play a twenty questions type game where you think of any character in tv, movies, books, animation etc.. and it will try to guess it.  I’ve played it twice and Alexa got it in 10 or so questions.

 

Oh and is Wordle big in the U.K.? My daughter got me playing that once a day.  Good way to keep the brain functioning.  Seems like everyone I know is playing it here.  I think started in the U.K.  It’s web based, not an app.

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

4 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

For the Alexa users, try this fun game with it.  Say “Alexa, activate the Akinater”.   It will play a twenty questions type game where you think of any character in tv, movies, books, animation etc.. and it will try to guess it.  I’ve played it twice and Alexa got it in 10 or so questions.

 

Oh and is Wordle big in the U.K.? My daughter got me playing that once a day.  Good way to keep the brain functioning.  Seems like everyone I know is playing it here.  I think started in the U.K.  It’s web based, not an app.

 

 

Wordle has invaded Facebook. People are posting what I guess are scores.  Means nothing to me. I do Sudoku and crossword puzzles every day, and that takes up enough time.

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, John Morrison said:

 

Never mind, Betty. Maybe it was the de-luxe model I bought (Alexa tells me how great I am, even without me asking!)… 😎

Oh. Mine told me I was an idiot. There’s the difference.🙃

[Allan Bell]

3 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Wordle has invaded Facebook. People are posting what I guess are scores.  Means nothing to me. I do Sudoku and crossword puzzles every day, and that takes up enough time.

 

 

That is the reason why my breakfast takes 2 hours.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

1 minute ago, Allan Bell said:

 

 

That is the reason why my breakfast takes 2 hours.

 

Allan