What Can I Say?
Indeed. What can I say? About what are you talking about Mr McD? I hear you all enquire inquisitively. About the idiot/s at Sony who grade the genre of music for iPods. The other day I was whiling away the hours (after doing my exercises of going up and down the stairs 14 times) importing music onto my Christmas present. I found it rather amusing / frustrating to find out that half of my BLUES music is actually POP music. And some very well known ROCK music is classed as WORLD / ALTERNATE. A classic example, Savoy Brown Blues Band was classed under pop. Somehow I don’t think Kim Simmons would really appreciate the title. Bo Diddley also came under this genre of pop. Methinks he would be rolling in his grave. Enough already. Maybe I am being a wee tad too fussy about it all. Knowing me as I do that is probably the reason, but do they not know this at Sony?
My biggest problem with putting music onto the iPod is in what order / and what albums do I put my Rolling Stones on. I have some recordings that only ever came out on vinyl and I don’t think I can put them on (unless of course someone knows of a way) My other problem is my Frank Zappa collection. Do I put it on or leave him off for eclective listening only? Wait and see.
During the day I find myself at a loose end. After everyone has gone out to work it is just me and the dogs. I get up and have my brekky, after getting dressed of course, and then start into my light housework duties. One of the first things I do is tidy the kitchen, I cannot work in a messy kitchen. Then I fill up the log basket and the coal scuttle. This involves a couple of trips outside. I then clean out the previous days ashes from the fire and set a new fire. With my expert skills at lighting fires I soon have a nice blazing fire going. (I used to do this for my Mother when I was a wee lad in the days before central heating, hence the ‘expert’) After that I can then sit down and switch on my laptop and see if anyone wants me. E mail / Facebook / Blog etc. Some days I get a very pleasant surprise. There is something there on all forms of media for me. Other days there is diddley squat. I do have one friend who lives in London and he keeps me amused with the the e mails he sends me. (some of them should really be censored completely)(but they are funny)
Today you may have noticed, I am talking the biggest load of gack in the history of this blog. Reasons being that I haven’t really been out anywhere to do anything, apart from going to hospital and going for a coffee with my wife. Maybe next time round there will be something of more interesting content for you to get to grips with.
As always, keep the comments coming and stop a poor man going stir crazy
Byse byse lemon piesy
Posted :: Sunday 1/31/2010 3:23:00 AM
So That’s How It Works
Now that I am home and taking things really easy I have time to play with my Christmas presents. The first thing I wanted to master was my Ipod Nano (my first one). I read the instructions, I read them again. I made myself aware of what everything was. Could I work the feckin’ thing? No way Hosay. Old farts like me aren’t supposed to know how nano technology works. In comes my daughter. Help me please. She picks it up and does this and does that and in seconds she has shown me everything I need to know about it. The only thing is, my brain can’t take in so much info so quickly these days so I had to ask her to slow down and go through it all again. I now have a load of ‘my’ type of music downloaded onto it and it is ready to go. All I have to do now is get myself ready to go to make full use of the blessed thing.
Since I came home from hospital (again) I have been really quiet. Not overdoing anything but taking it easy. This is all very well but soon the boredom sets in. Daytime TV isn’t worth watching. I couldn’t be bothered watching a DVD (as yet) I only read at night. So what is there to do? Play with my new laptop, that’s what. The other day I downloaded a free trial of MS Office 2010 (the link was given to me by a friend who works with computers but I am sure anybody could do it) I am trying to see what the differences are between it and 2007. So far there has been nothing major. Just a bit of fun really. No doubt I will have to purchase it in 3 months time when the trial is up, or go back to 2007 which I already have. See what happens.
Whilst I was in hospital I read all my books. I was panicking as I thought I won’t have anything to read now. Heaven forbid. Then, when I came home I found this one book hiding in the corner that I had omitted to read. It is a Clive Cussler novel and I usually really enjoy his stuff. This one though. It is really heavy going and I am finding it quite hard to get into it. Is it me or is it the book? I will keep going and see if I can finish it.
I would love to start going out for walks by myself but I don’t trust me at the moment. I am worried that I might walk somewhere and then realise I can’t walk back. I have been out twice with my wife and it has only been for short distances. I want to go out with my nano and just keep walking. I have my instructions from the hospital. When I start walking (in another weeks time) all I need to do is walk until I get slightly breathless, that’s when I know I have exercised my heart enough for that day. I am very impatient though.
In the meantime I just have to make do with doing light housework. Nothing too heavy, although this morning I actually cleaned out the fire and set a new one. Nothing beats a real fire when you are sitting writing gack like this. After this I will go into the kitchen and tidy up there and then make a cup of tea. It will then be lunch time and I will try and force myself to eat something solid (I have no appetite at the moment and am finding it very difficult to eat food. I am taking protein drinks to keep me going but these are bad for me as they are high in sugars)
I will love you and leave you now but please keep your comments coming. I really look forward to reading them even if they are a load of nonsense
Cheers
Posted :: Monday 1/18/2010 2:34:00 AM
So There’s No Extra Discount
Whilst out with my sister looking for a new laptop as a Chrissy present to myself we find ourselves in one of the big, big stores. You know the type, BIG. They were the ones who had the best (supposedly) deals on after Christmas for this kind of stuff. No harm in looking was there? Now, I knew exactly what I was looking for (my nerdy geek friend had told me about this particular make and model and I would rather go with what he says than what any salesman would tell me) so I said to the sales guy. ‘Attempt to sell me a new laptop model such and such and if you give me a good price (good being better than what I can buy on line) I will buy it from you now’.
Well, he looks it up on the store computer and comes up with the make and model. He also comes up with the wrong price. I tell / remind him that I can buy this on line at a better price. He tells me to hold on a minute and he will ask his boss if they can reduce it any more. He comes back and says he can drop the price by a further £10.00. Not good enough I tell him. That’s the end of that conversation. I also want an external storage facility for downloading music onto. He shows me various things and I pick one of them. After all, the price was pretty keen (I had checked these as well on line) He goes to get one for me and then….KABOOM….heart attack. Again. In the middle of the store. What do I do? I know, I’ll start swearing a lot and hold onto myself whilst looking for somewhere to sit down. (why is it that these big stores never have any seating for their customers?) Anyway, I end up on the floor with people all around me trying to help. A member of staff, who is a trained first aider comes on the scene and does her stuff and then calls for an ambulance. Whilst awaiting for said ambulance I jokingly as the salesman, who by this time looks worse than me, if I can get any extra discount on the laptop. He tells me no! (I was only joking matey)
The rest is history. Another stay in the Cardiac Unit in hospital and then home. I am taking things very, very, extra careful now. One thing I did do last night was, I ordered my new laptop on line. I was very excited (but not too excited for obvious reasons) and I have saved myself over £90.00 by doing so. It will be delivered to my door within 2 days. Great innit!
One problem with these two recent visitis to hospital. I have run out of reading material and I can’t get out for a while to get hold of some more. What does one do in a situation like this? As I am a very picky type of person when it comes to books I can’t let anyone go and get me reading material. Can I? Maybe Amazon is having a New Year clear out.
I will go now as I need to go and have a lie down. I find that the new regime of drugs I am on makes me tire very easily. Or is it just me being lazy? Who knows.
Comments from as many of you as possible always welcome, especially to the newcomers.
Byse byse
Posted :: Wednesday 1/13/2010 7:33:00 AM
It All Started With….
It all started with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Next it became a hacking cough and then that sent an infection down into my chest. I ended up lying in my bed feeling really sorry for myself on Christmas Eve (on my own as my wife and daughter were out at church) and that’s when the first pain hit me. Excruciating as it felt I thought to myself, ah, it’s only a sore chest, never once thinking it could be anything more serious. More to follow.
Christmas Day is here folks. The family is all home. The Prodigal son has returned for the seasons festivities (well for one night at least). What indeed has Santa brought this year? I wonder. With us all downstairs, dogs as well, we start to open our presents. Wife has about 8 presents, I have about 6. Son has about 15. Daughter, now wait for it, at least 50. FIFTY! Now I know that she is popular and her boyfriend spoils her, but FIFTY. This is one of the benefits of being a schoolteacher. All the kids tend to bring something in for the Miss. And of course, depending on what type of school you work in depends on the quality of gift that is sent in by the parent/s. This year, everything, and I mean everything that I received I can actually use. My biggest shock and surprise was when my wife turned round to me after all the hullabaloo had died down and gave me this tiny wrapped box. About the size of a pack of ciggies. Upon opening it I was delighted to see that it was an IPod. My very first ever. I had mentioned in passing once that it might be nice to have one so that I could have all my music with me wherever and whenever I wanted. I was amazed at the size of the actual device. The only thing I could compare it to would be a matchbook. I am going to have some fun with it, that’s for sure. I also got some books that I am looking forward to reading and a nice warm scarf to keep me warm for when I start my re-hab of going walking. Maybe soon I will be fit enough to walk all the way to the Turkish Barber I use and get a hair cut and shave using the gift token that I got from Santa (my son) I always love going there as he is so good at what he does and he makes me feel so good upon leaving his shop.
Next we go to church for the Xmas Special service and onwards to visit the in laws. After that the rest of the day is our own. By the time it comes to sitting down for Xmas Dinner I am starting to wane a wee tad and I feel as thought he Xmas Spirit has left me. I feel sooo drained. While the young ones go out my wife and I just stay in and watch a bit of telly. I go to bed early. Next day the proverbial hits the fan. I can’t make it out of bed. I am in such pain. I find it difficult to breathe and my chest weighs a ton. By the end of the day I phone the Dr. on call and she sends an ambulance out. They take some readings with this and that piece of equipment and realize something is not right so they whisk me off to A&E where I go on to have a heart attack (possibly my second inside two days)
So, 2009 has been my anus horribilus indeed. Five times inside this year alone. My New Year resolution is to stay out of hospital in 2010. I did say in my last blog comments section that I would list the highs and lows of 2009. Upon reflection there were so many lows that I couldn’t really think of any highs, although there was one very pleasant surprise on Xmas Eve morning. The phone rang and my wife took the call. She spoke for a while, as she tends to because nobody ever phones me to speak to me on the landline, hence me not answering the blessed thing. Then, she passes the phone to me and says it’s for you. It turns out that it was a certain Bulgarian friend who I worked with in The Tree nursery for some years. He was phoning me from Africa where he is doing some wonderful things for the less fortunate children, to wish me a Happy Christmas and New Year. I hadn’t seen or heard from him for a couple of years and for this call to come out of the blue like that can only be counted as a high. A big HI. You know who you are as I know you read this
So, going back to the first paragraph then. That pain in my chest was not just a sore chest. It was something more serious. Don’t take things for granted . I certainly won’t.
I will leave you for now as I need nap naps
Byse Byse
p/s One other thing that I found a bit amusing. Whilst I was in hospital they put me from a mixed ward into a side ward. I thought, well, they must know who I am and that I must have my privacy etc. But no, they put me in there as an isolation patient and I was being tested for……swine flu. Thankfully the tests came back negative. I was then put out on the main ward again. Maybe they didn’t know who I was after all !!!
Posted :: Saturday 1/2/2010 5:23:00 AM
