Our Cruise!

Our cruise to the Baltic ends tomorrow with a flight from Copenhagen to London, London to Chicago and Chicago to Dallas. We'll be home tomorrow night about midnight. We'll be tired - but it has been fun and we've really learned a lot. Who knew Estonia was such a brave place? Hooray for Estonia!

I intended to write everyday, but with limited time (we've hit Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Sweden again), unreliable internet access, and tours every day, plus a lot of eating and drinking, I haven't had time.

I'll have to look at the hundreds of pictures I've taken to remember where we've been, then write it up.

U-verse

Have you been seeing the ads for the new AT&T service U-verse? We've seen them, heard them on the radio and received several mailings as well. Two Saturdays ago, two young salesmen rang our doorbell and sold us on the system. University Park has a deal with Charter, - even after a city survey which detailed the complaints the whole community had with Charter service.

Anyway, apparently AT&T called "monopoly" and has wedged into our area. We had two salesmen - one experienced one and one newbie (sort of like good cop-bad cop). Whatever we figured out wasn't just right was always the new guy's fault. We were promised "everything Charter was giving you, plus more channels, faster internet, free installation, AND lower cost per month" After about and hour and a half, we'd signed up and waited while the new guy tried to make contact with the installers. After about 15 minutes, they left saying that the installers would call that afternoon.

By Wednesday, I called (they had neglected to leave us a personal card) the main office and was shunted around to finally hear that someone would call. On Friday, I went to a corporate office (not the cell phone office on Lovers Lane, but the one on NW Highway next to El Fenix). They were shocked that someone hadn't called to install, then disputed what the salesmen had sold us (now it was more because of our two lines and the multiple TVs), but they promised Byron over the phone of a cash-back - not of $100 but $275. The installers came on Monday.

All good so far - except that the phones were dead. We got the phone people out Tuesday and they fixed the phones - except for the City + Country Pets line (not connected with our home lines at all - different number, different bill). It is now ringing on our main home number. Apparently Elizabeth can get messages from the remote call notes, but that's all.

Harold, the installer, said he just couldn't figure it out and said a more experienced technician would have to come out to see where the phone line came into the house, since he couldn't find it. He would have someone out on Wednesday.

On Thursday, two new men showed up to survey our experience with the installers - not getting the word that something was still wrong. They couldn't figure it out either and said someone else would be out to fix it.

I've called Harold 4 times and left messages and called Chris (in the last duo) three times who always says "I'll have Harold back out today!"

The TV part of U-verse is working great, though. I can record programs on all the TVs and watch them on any other TV, and there seems to be a good selection of movies (we did have HBO on Charter, which is extra on U-verse... we should learn to have salespeople put it in writing...sigh)

Quiet, Hot, Not so busy

It's been a quiet weekend here in the Bubble.

Byron went to a conference in Austin then on to the ranch where he met Mark and Megan. The prospect of being even hotter than Dallas and being stuck doing the bed making, laundry, cooking and cleaning didn't appeal. I stayed at home and worked on a Directory (the first one for a large organization - so lots of bits and pieces). I think it is basically done, if people would just stop moving, marrying, changing their names, resigning and dying!

I helped clear up stuff at the Library, enjoying having our old Director back as an interim. Tried to eat healthy and do 20 minutes a day on the Wii. (That tennis is addictive, but I haven't made it to 900 yet. My Wii Sports age yesterday was 29!)

Projects for next week:
*Figure out clothes for the cruise. I told a friend we were cruising and she gave me some solid advice - "Your clothes don't need a vacation. Leave most of them at home. You'll never see most of the people on the cruise again - they won't care if they see you in the same outfit more than once." She had other good advice: take snack bars and spend time looking at the sights, not having a mediocre meal that lasts three hours; put your name and numbers on the top of your packed stuff in your suitcase, so they can find you if the bag gets lost; take extra camera and watch batteries; if you see something you like, buy it - you probably won't see it again.
* Finish up the Directory and don't tell anyone we're not going to print for a month.
* Work on the backyard. The grass is mostly dead. It's time to put in a ground cover.
* Think about getting the shingles vaccine. Dr. Armstrong said to get it from CVS - cheaper there than at his office. Side effects?
* Worry about whether I sprained my kneecap by slipping on a sweet gum ball while getting out of the car and hitting it on the edge of the door. I'm icing it, but it will sure be sore tomorrow.
* Learn how to work the camera Byron brought me back from Austin.
* Resist eating all the delicious-smelling German bread he also brought.
* Hope the guys from AT&T show up to do the transition from Charter tomorrow at 8 a.m.

New York

I'm off tomorrow to NYC to have a family reunion with my siblings, Bobby, David and Mary Bird. The occasion is David's visit to his daughter Dorothy, who has just completed her Masters at Drew University in New Jersey, and the rest of us, from various parts of Texas, are going to see him. We've got tickets to see Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit on Broadway.

It's too bad Byron isn't coming, because we saw Angela Lansbury 43 years ago in Mame while we were on our honeymoon. I've written her to see if she will autograph my 1966 program. We'll see.

We stayed at the Plaza on our honeymoon, and several years ago - before they tore most of it down to make condos - they had a promotion that if you could bring a bill from your honeymoon, you could stay there for the same price. Of course I couldn't find the bill - but I have since found it. $31.50! I do remember ordering room service and Byron was horrified that it cost $7.50 (for coffee, eggs, toast and bacon).

We are planning to have some wonderful meals, visit and play some bridge in memory of Mother and Daddy.

Girls' trip

My high school girls group met in Dallas and we had a great time. Age is creeping up with us, though, as Lynn is suffering from Parkinson's, which is a really terrible disease. We met in Dallas to make it easier for her - but nothing is easier for her. Her darling husband (also a classmate and former date partner of the four of us who didn't marry him) stayed with her to make sure she got her medication on time.

Somehow, even though we weren't the best of friends in high school, we have become dear friends now. You just never know.

Unlike another group with which I travel, this group stays in nice hotels - with a spa that offers massages and facials. We all have a separate room, so no worrying about snoring, farting, inability to sleep, wanting to read, needing to smoke, etc. My other group even books places which requires two to a bed - which is OK but suboptimal.

The spa at the Stoneleigh was great - as was the whole staff, who got to know us and waited on us hand and foot. The only drawback was the slow food service in their restaurant Bolla. Great food and a bargain at 4 courses for $40 - but slow, slow. It took about 10 minutes to get granola for breakfast. How long should it take to pour granola into a bowl?

On another day, I had hashbrowns for breakfast - topped with red onion chips and sour cream. Yum! But not served quickly. I wonder if they hoped that keeping the few diners they had at the table, they seemed more busy.

We visited the Dallas Arboretum (always worth a visit, highly recommended), Sam Moon (king of inexpensive jewelry, luggage and stuff), Half-price Books, Taco Diner and Sprinkles!

My friends are ready to come back next year.

Comfort reading

I always have a book. I keep old paperbacks in the car in case I decide to stop at a fast food place for lunch (or any other place to eat). The trick is to have a book you are interested in enough to read during a meal, but not interested enough in to take it in the house - thus depriving yourself of a book to read when the need arises. I've been known to detour to a book store to pick up something to read while I eat, if I can't get home.

I don't understand people who don't read while eating alone. Reading at the table used to be forbidden when I was growing up. We could read the paper (the funnies, of course) at breakfast, but since lunch was in the dining room with a tablecloth and Peggy serving and the whole family present - books were not allowed.

The pattern changed a little when we got TV - we would eat supper in the kitchen and watch our one channel.

Now both Byron and I read through meals AND have the TV on.

Comfort reading is also what I have when I can't sleep. They say that stewing in bed while not sleeping is counter-productive and makes for bad memories of your bed. So I usually move to my chaise longue where I have a good light, and read. I usually don't choose that new thriller or the psychological mystery at that time. This is the time to reread an old, comfortable favorite. Some of mine are the Mary Lasswell novels about the three old ladies in San Diego, Agatha Christie mysteries, Phoebe Atwood Taylor's Asey Mayo and Leonidas Witherall mysteries, the Cheaper by the Dozen books, or Betty MacDonald's "The Egg and I" or her Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. You don't want anything troubling, which might keep you awake.

Now that I have a Kindle (thank you to the family for the Mother's Day gift!), it will be interesting to see if my pattern changes. i tried it out this morning at Panda Express. I downloaded "Tea for the Traditionally Built" by Alexander McCall Smith and it is great. A wonderful feature is your ability to choose the size font that you can read most comfortably.

It will never take the place of the book in the bathtub, however.

Party paranoia

I'm having a luncheon for the Junior League of Dallas Garden Club Committee, of which I'll be President next year. It's a turn-over meeting, meaning that past officers are supposed to "turn over" their notebooks (this is the Junior League, you know). It would have been so easy to just invite them all to the Woman's Club or to a restaurant - but no - I decided to host them at my house.

I figured that for the cost of the Woman's Club, etc - I could entertain at home and get some of the things around the house fixed for the same cost. - Like replacing the St. Augustine grass in front that has grub worms (I did add nematodes, which are supposed to kill the grubs), getting the front door painted, polishing up the front door knocker and door knob, putting out colorful, perennial, shade-loving plants, and cleaning up the house. (Except for Byron's study - we'll just shut the doors on his study.)

I'm having chicken salad, fruit salad, rolls (Sister Shubert), two-bite brownies and potato chips - which all sounded easy last week.

Tip - put all the serving dishes - plates, glasses and polished silverware - in the dishwasher before the party. I made the mistake once of not doing this and having a guest look askance at a plate with dried-on scrambled egg.

It will all be over at 1:30 tomorrow, and as Rick Reilly says "1 and a half billion Chinese don't care."