Fighting a Little (I Hope!) Cold -- Saw June Today, and Worked (Surprise!)
Well, unfortunately I'm fighting a little cold. At least, I HOPE it's little! I hope it doesn't go full blown. And that I don't feel any worse that right now, which is mostly a sore throat and stuffed up head (with some sniffles). And HEAVEN FORBID that I expose Marilyn to anything! She really can't afford to be sick between now and the end of the festival.
Frankly, if I'm going to be sick, I hope it happens now and I'm OVER IT for the rest of the next couple of months. I do not want a repeat of being sick during the week of the Grand Floral Parade again this year.
Last year we had a rough time. First we dealt with sister Sue being sick (which lasted for ages -- and we really thought we'd lose her). Then I was sick for the end of the festival and the entire summer. And then Marilyn got sick and was ill all fall. It was pretty damn awful, to tell you the truth. I think we're trying much harder this year to stay well. Resting whenever we can. Eating better and getting some regular exercise. Sleeping more! Working in recreation around our long work hours (as much as we can, anyway).
Today was LINEUP DAY for Marilyn! First there was a Junior Parade meeting in the morning. Then GFP lineup was at 1:00 p.m. and Starlight Parade lineup was at 4:00. Marilyn told me both lineups went VERY SMOOTHLY this year!!! They had done a ton of advance preparation -- and she changed the method by which it was all done.
It's hard to believe about Starlight. Marilyn used to do this parade (she did ALL three parades, back in the day) and had some good practices in place. But then somebody else took it over and things were changed -- and not for the better. And others came along and did exactly the same thing. When Marilyn would ask WHY something was being done the way it was, the answer would be: because that's the way it's always been done for the past twenty years. Gee, that's a great reason for not changing and improving methods! So this year she's changing things. And encouraging more change to take place. I suspect we're going to see some real improvements to this -- and other -- events...
She came home in a very good mood, anyway. She had been telling me this week that there were people in the office who had said how much 'fun' doing lineups appeared to be. And she'd expressed that it was always one of the hardest days of her entire year. It's interesting that people look at certain jobs and think how 'fun' they are!
I think that's how the website work is viewed, too, frankly. And some people who previously had hands on some of the pages really managed to mess things up. Just this week I discovered a PILE of screwed up coding on one page! I asked David (at Fish) about it, and he said it was the code that was 'left over' from somebody doing their website changes inside Word, then cutting and pasting it directly into our WordPress website! Yikes. Such a mess for me to deal with. Another reason I'm glad we've cut back on how many people are actually touching the website.
I also realized yet again today how I try to protect the integrity of the website. No, it's not my personal design. But we did go to the trouble of having a company design our site. And we shouldn't just be putting up elements that don't MATCH the existing design. Anyway, that won't be happening under my watch. (Even if it means more work for me, by the way...)
As for me, aside from doing both website work and some IT stuff (which included typing up instructions both for the staff AND for myself), I did manage to go next door briefly to see my friend June (and her husband Jim). She was having trouble yet again (sigh) with her Google account. Part of this is due to her having an original account that's named just like her Comcast account -- which makes sense, I think! I helped her to set up both of those, by the way, years ago. But at one point somebody else was helping her and couldn't get in to her Google email (why I wasn't asked about it at that time, I don't know!). So this person created another entirely different Gmail for her! Now she has TWO Google accounts to deal with. And what confusion! Two different sets of passwords and some things signed up for on one account, while some are done on the other. So today I (finally) got rid of that second account -- hopefully for good! It's hard enough for anyone to have too many emails to keep track of. But it gets nearly impossible as you get older, which I can personally attest to (seeing as I'm no spring chicken... hahaha...).
Sometimes less is more. That's the truth!
The annoying part? When you delete the second Google account via a web browser on your desktop computer, it GOES AWAY. But on your App on your device? No. It's still listed there! With June I always say 'out of sight, out of mind,' because if she can see it on her computer or device, then she can't stop herself from wanting to touch it -- and that can cause problems. When I need a special software or App to help her, I always 'hide' these inside folders. Heck, I do the exact same thing with stuff in the office! This isn't just true for June -- it's true for most people, I think. Donn seems to be picking up that habit, as well. But June has this other company assisting her on her desktop (it's paid for for the next year). And they have TONS of different things all over her desktop!!! Seriously??? Seeing all of it made my head spin.
But I got her fixed up, anyway. She's logged back in to her gmail (which she uses all the time for her iPad and iPhone). And I did some tidying on her computer, too. Folks, I'm delighted if you have Windows 10 and really like it. But I find it extremely annoying how complicated some very basic tasks have become! I can't believe how many steps are involved in pinning a shortcut to the taskbar, for example. Seriously? I had one shortcut that kept trying to pin to Firefox -- which meant it didn't display anywhere that I could see it! (So how was June to find it?) Her desktop is currently a mess with tons of icons, which is stupid in my book. (I set up desktops for people all the time, by the way, so I have some experience here.) Hopefully they'll improve some of these features in future updates of the OS.
Well, I just got up from a nap and did the garbage and recycling (it's real garbage week here). Thankfully it wasn't raining out! It was a relief to get that done, anyway.
Rich and I did the latest Press Release/News Item for next Monday -- announcing our Starlight Parade Grand Marshal. I just plugged mine in and used a timer to set it to post at midnight on Monday night. We're actually making the announcement in the evening Monday. Rich has his ready to go, but he'll have to send it out first thing Tuesday morning... (I love being able to set my stuff up in advance to be ready to post!)
I got a new Fitbit tonight!!! Mine had gone belly up (it was cracked in back and piece came off). And here's the good news: it was ON SALE (!!!) at Freddies -- and they had the same color I had before! And I got some kind of special where I got a gift card from Freddies for buying it. Anyway, it's set up on both my iPhone and iPad -- which went pretty easy for the iPhone and was more complicated for the iPad. (I've always had it on both, so it shouldn't be a big deal.) I got more than 5,000 steps today and more than 6,000 on Wednesday. Not bad.
But I'm worried the new Fitbit might not being working! I just checked it downstairs, then walked up our staircase and checked it again and had NO STEPS for that walking. WTF??? I guess I'll have to watch it closely for the next couple of days -- because it will go straight back if it's not working right!
Anyway, it's currently going on 2:00 a.m., so I'm off to bed. Again, I got a good nap in there from around 9:30 to 1:00, in case you're thinking I'm not getting enough sleep. Hahaha. I just have a different sleep pattern from most people. But I'm totally ready to head to bed.
No word from Sue recently. I'm going to assume that no news is good news. We can't force her to call us. And I think it makes her uncomfortable when we call her, for whatever reason. Maybe it's just easier for her to deal with the people who are physically right around her. Marilyn and I are hopeful they're giving her good care and will continue to do so, anyway. (And there's no reason to think differently.) But it's odd for me not to talk to her or see her. I know I'll get used to it. Life is about change, after all. I'm just glad she seems so happy with things the way they are now.
What am I forgetting? Hahaha. Chili for dinner. Marilyn and I love eating it any time, but especially when we're not feeling that hot. But it gave me cramps tonight. Still, I have to say it was delicious, even so! (smile)
I'm going to see how I feel in the morning as to whether or not I go to work tomorrow...
Sweet dreams, all!
Frankly, if I'm going to be sick, I hope it happens now and I'm OVER IT for the rest of the next couple of months. I do not want a repeat of being sick during the week of the Grand Floral Parade again this year.
Last year we had a rough time. First we dealt with sister Sue being sick (which lasted for ages -- and we really thought we'd lose her). Then I was sick for the end of the festival and the entire summer. And then Marilyn got sick and was ill all fall. It was pretty damn awful, to tell you the truth. I think we're trying much harder this year to stay well. Resting whenever we can. Eating better and getting some regular exercise. Sleeping more! Working in recreation around our long work hours (as much as we can, anyway).
Today was LINEUP DAY for Marilyn! First there was a Junior Parade meeting in the morning. Then GFP lineup was at 1:00 p.m. and Starlight Parade lineup was at 4:00. Marilyn told me both lineups went VERY SMOOTHLY this year!!! They had done a ton of advance preparation -- and she changed the method by which it was all done.
It's hard to believe about Starlight. Marilyn used to do this parade (she did ALL three parades, back in the day) and had some good practices in place. But then somebody else took it over and things were changed -- and not for the better. And others came along and did exactly the same thing. When Marilyn would ask WHY something was being done the way it was, the answer would be: because that's the way it's always been done for the past twenty years. Gee, that's a great reason for not changing and improving methods! So this year she's changing things. And encouraging more change to take place. I suspect we're going to see some real improvements to this -- and other -- events...
She came home in a very good mood, anyway. She had been telling me this week that there were people in the office who had said how much 'fun' doing lineups appeared to be. And she'd expressed that it was always one of the hardest days of her entire year. It's interesting that people look at certain jobs and think how 'fun' they are!
I think that's how the website work is viewed, too, frankly. And some people who previously had hands on some of the pages really managed to mess things up. Just this week I discovered a PILE of screwed up coding on one page! I asked David (at Fish) about it, and he said it was the code that was 'left over' from somebody doing their website changes inside Word, then cutting and pasting it directly into our WordPress website! Yikes. Such a mess for me to deal with. Another reason I'm glad we've cut back on how many people are actually touching the website.
I also realized yet again today how I try to protect the integrity of the website. No, it's not my personal design. But we did go to the trouble of having a company design our site. And we shouldn't just be putting up elements that don't MATCH the existing design. Anyway, that won't be happening under my watch. (Even if it means more work for me, by the way...)
As for me, aside from doing both website work and some IT stuff (which included typing up instructions both for the staff AND for myself), I did manage to go next door briefly to see my friend June (and her husband Jim). She was having trouble yet again (sigh) with her Google account. Part of this is due to her having an original account that's named just like her Comcast account -- which makes sense, I think! I helped her to set up both of those, by the way, years ago. But at one point somebody else was helping her and couldn't get in to her Google email (why I wasn't asked about it at that time, I don't know!). So this person created another entirely different Gmail for her! Now she has TWO Google accounts to deal with. And what confusion! Two different sets of passwords and some things signed up for on one account, while some are done on the other. So today I (finally) got rid of that second account -- hopefully for good! It's hard enough for anyone to have too many emails to keep track of. But it gets nearly impossible as you get older, which I can personally attest to (seeing as I'm no spring chicken... hahaha...).
Sometimes less is more. That's the truth!
The annoying part? When you delete the second Google account via a web browser on your desktop computer, it GOES AWAY. But on your App on your device? No. It's still listed there! With June I always say 'out of sight, out of mind,' because if she can see it on her computer or device, then she can't stop herself from wanting to touch it -- and that can cause problems. When I need a special software or App to help her, I always 'hide' these inside folders. Heck, I do the exact same thing with stuff in the office! This isn't just true for June -- it's true for most people, I think. Donn seems to be picking up that habit, as well. But June has this other company assisting her on her desktop (it's paid for for the next year). And they have TONS of different things all over her desktop!!! Seriously??? Seeing all of it made my head spin.
But I got her fixed up, anyway. She's logged back in to her gmail (which she uses all the time for her iPad and iPhone). And I did some tidying on her computer, too. Folks, I'm delighted if you have Windows 10 and really like it. But I find it extremely annoying how complicated some very basic tasks have become! I can't believe how many steps are involved in pinning a shortcut to the taskbar, for example. Seriously? I had one shortcut that kept trying to pin to Firefox -- which meant it didn't display anywhere that I could see it! (So how was June to find it?) Her desktop is currently a mess with tons of icons, which is stupid in my book. (I set up desktops for people all the time, by the way, so I have some experience here.) Hopefully they'll improve some of these features in future updates of the OS.
Well, I just got up from a nap and did the garbage and recycling (it's real garbage week here). Thankfully it wasn't raining out! It was a relief to get that done, anyway.
Rich and I did the latest Press Release/News Item for next Monday -- announcing our Starlight Parade Grand Marshal. I just plugged mine in and used a timer to set it to post at midnight on Monday night. We're actually making the announcement in the evening Monday. Rich has his ready to go, but he'll have to send it out first thing Tuesday morning... (I love being able to set my stuff up in advance to be ready to post!)
I got a new Fitbit tonight!!! Mine had gone belly up (it was cracked in back and piece came off). And here's the good news: it was ON SALE (!!!) at Freddies -- and they had the same color I had before! And I got some kind of special where I got a gift card from Freddies for buying it. Anyway, it's set up on both my iPhone and iPad -- which went pretty easy for the iPhone and was more complicated for the iPad. (I've always had it on both, so it shouldn't be a big deal.) I got more than 5,000 steps today and more than 6,000 on Wednesday. Not bad.
But I'm worried the new Fitbit might not being working! I just checked it downstairs, then walked up our staircase and checked it again and had NO STEPS for that walking. WTF??? I guess I'll have to watch it closely for the next couple of days -- because it will go straight back if it's not working right!
Anyway, it's currently going on 2:00 a.m., so I'm off to bed. Again, I got a good nap in there from around 9:30 to 1:00, in case you're thinking I'm not getting enough sleep. Hahaha. I just have a different sleep pattern from most people. But I'm totally ready to head to bed.
No word from Sue recently. I'm going to assume that no news is good news. We can't force her to call us. And I think it makes her uncomfortable when we call her, for whatever reason. Maybe it's just easier for her to deal with the people who are physically right around her. Marilyn and I are hopeful they're giving her good care and will continue to do so, anyway. (And there's no reason to think differently.) But it's odd for me not to talk to her or see her. I know I'll get used to it. Life is about change, after all. I'm just glad she seems so happy with things the way they are now.
What am I forgetting? Hahaha. Chili for dinner. Marilyn and I love eating it any time, but especially when we're not feeling that hot. But it gave me cramps tonight. Still, I have to say it was delicious, even so! (smile)
I'm going to see how I feel in the morning as to whether or not I go to work tomorrow...
Sweet dreams, all!