Stuff Done

The past week has seemed filled with "stuff to do" that was not sufficiently interesting to write about at length: follow-up appointment with radiologist (skin all healed well after radiation treatments in August). Dentist appointment for a filling. Appointment for a CT scan to discover whether any changes have taken place for good or ill during past 6 months. Haven't had result yet. Letters and numerous garbled phone calls about my grant towards cost of Ibrance medication running out. Efforts made to obtain a fresh grant. Finding a way to fax our last tax return in relation to the grant issue. Having faxed it, more garbled phone calls in relation to same. I say "garbled" because most of the time I cannot understand what the person at the other end of the line is saying. They are usually carrying out lists of routine contacts, gabbling their lines at top speed. I thought that it was an accent problem, but no, my husband has the same difficulty. Nobody is taught how to speak on the phone, in a professional way, these days - or if they are, the lessons are soon forgotten!

Then it was Hallowe'en.

We had only two trick or treaters this year, one of whom was my husband's great-granddaughter, Serenity, with her grandparents. It seems that the old-fashioned Hallowe'en customs have, at last, been overtaken by more communal and organised dress-up occasions care of churches, schools or other societies. It was an unusually cold evening here too, which didn't entice young visitors travelling on foot. Here is great-granddaughter Serenity, with husband and I - he got all dressed up for the occasion too. :)

Various Goings On

The weather here in southern Oklahoma is, at last, after days of temperatures in the 80s, acting in more autumnal fashion. Today it's actually cool to cold outside - 49 degrees, windy with a storm in the offing. The trees haven't yet donned their fall colours, after a few more of these cooler nights, it'll happen.

In other news, a routine blood test on 16 October, to discover how the targeted therapy medications are affecting my blood quality, showed that the white cell count was below desired minimum - same for platelets. Oncologist told me to take a second week off the Ibrance capsules - these are routinely taken for 21 days with 7 days off each month. This time I had 14 days off. Blood test yesterday showed figures had bounced back to an acceptable level, so off I go again with the Ibrance. I'm to have a CT scan next week - to check whether much has changed for good or for ill since my last scans around 6 months ago. Not looking forward to that!



The problems I had in obtaining a refill of my pain medication last month happily did not recur this time. Our usual pharmacy has changed their wholesaler. The medications I take for pain-while-walking now come from a different generic manufacturer. I was worried that these might be even less effective than those I've been taking, but, though it's a little early to be sure, I do suspect that these might be a tad more effective.

Further afield, Brexit bumbles on...and on....and on. When, oh when, oh when will it end? The part of it all that affects me personally is the currency exchange rate, it affects my two pensions coming from the UK. The rate has been volatile for a couple or more years, diving down then up, down again etc, depending on what had been Boris Johnson's or Ms May's latest failed attempts at bringing about a deal.

In the USA the season known as "The Holidays" is almost upon us. I'm glad to be here, still, to see it once again! Hallowe'en decor has been showing up for the past few weeks in front yards - ghosties, ghoulies and long leggedy beasties, spider webs and witches...you know the drill. We now await the Trick or Treaters on 31st of the month. We had very few last year - disappointing, because it's fun to see the imaginative costumes the kids come up with, and the excitement on the faces of the littlest ones. Perhaps the custom is starting to go out of fashion, for one reason or another - safety, perhaps, and many communal organised Hallowe'en costume events. Next up: Thanksgiving on 28 November, followed by You-Know-What-mas, a month later.
Ka-ching...ka-ching!

On the knitting front, I'm using a big skein of pink "ombre" tinted yarn to make another, longer scarf. It's something I can pick up and just knit, without need to refer to a pattern. I love seeing the changing shades of pink appear, apropos of which, I noticed that my husband is reading "The Secret Lives of Colour" by Kassia St Clair. I shall read it too, when he's done with it. Back-cover blurb: "From the scarlet women to imperial purple, from the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, from kelly green to acid yellow, the surprising stories of colour run like a bright thread through our history." Several varieties of pink are investigated, for example: Baker-Miller Pink; Mountbatten Pink, Puce, Fuchsia; Shocking Pink, Fluorescent Pink, and Amaranth. Maybe some of those will appear in my scarf.

It's Hallowe'en Already!

(Source).

Music Monday ~ Josh Krajcik of The X-Factor USA

We've slogged our way, groaning and complaining (mostly about Simon Cowell) through audition and bootcamp phases of The X Factor USA.

As I've written before on this blog, TV musical talent shows are my/our "guilty pleasures"; such shows are routinely put down as "fodder for the sheeple" by critics. But I love, and get a kick from the idea, that ordinary people of the 99%: car washers, burrito slingers, hairdressers, students, butchers, bakers and what-have-you, if they possess some musical talent, can achieve a few minutes, few weeks, months and maybe years in the limelight, able to do for an audience what most of them feel they were "born to do".

We always find at least one stand-out performer who appeals to us particularly. This time its Josh Krajcik, a 30 year old burrito slinger from Columbus Ohio. He lives with his girlfriend of 8 years, and has a 13-year old daughter. (Thanks to commenter Keena for the information). That's as much as I have so far found out about him. His birth date, unfortunately, isn't anywhere to be found on line. If looks are anything to go by I'd say he has either Taurus or Sagittarius prominent (Sun, Moon and/or ascendant). First time we heard his voice, in the earliest show, we both immediately said "Joe Cocker!!"

Josh is in the "Over 30" category. He will need to remain consistently outstanding to beat some of the youngsters who judges Simon Cowell and L A Reid appear to be pushing forward rather aggressively. I have confidence that, if any of the "Over 30" group can do it, Josh can. It doesn't matter whether he wins or not though - he'll not be slinging burritos again!

This video is from his first performance, when he sang At Last



Here at "bootcamp" at the home of the Over-30s group judge Nicole Scherzinger, with guest judge Enrico Iglesias. He sings The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face




Well....he curls MY toes!!! He'll perform again this week, on the first show on which the TV audience gets an opportunity to vote.

Anyone know his date of birth?

Finally, as it's Hallowe'en tonight, something to help create the atmosphere:

Video of Night on Bald Mountain from Disney's wonderful Fantasia...
..... all very Scorpio, in tune with astrological position of the Sun
on 31 October.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT ~ Hallowe'en-ish. (No astrology).

It was an interesting Hallowee'n. We ate around 6pm, so as to be ready for the Trick or Treaters. They started to trickle around 7pm, just as we'd settled down to watch Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde on Turner Classic Movie channel - the Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman version.

It was dusk. The early Trick or Treat contingent usually consists of teeny tiny fairies or goblins who sweetly gaze up at you as you answer the doorbell, big bowl of candy in hand. They stand there nervously as Mom and/or Daddy hover in the shadows. Eyes wide, they delicately pull a single candy from the bowl and daintily drop it into their little bag - "Take some more", we'll say. The fairy or goblin turns doubtfully to look at Mommy who eagerly nods.

A little later the older tribes arrive, mob-handed. With a few years of Trick or Treating under their belts, they know the score! When offered a bowl of candies their hands come down, claw fashion, like a human earthmoving machine half emptying the bowl. We don't mind. There'll be less left to tempt me.

Spencer was, by now, at his most evil with poor Ingrid begging for mercy. It was around 7.50 when.....the lights went out, the power went off, and we found ourselves in total darkness.

There was no storm, the skies were completely clear....."Vandals playing a trick because a treat wasn't forthcoming at the electricity company's office?" We wonder.

"It's all very Hallowe'en-ish".

"Well, the Martians haven't landed, a tsunami isn't heading this way either or the emergency squeal would have interrupted the radio programme", said the husband reassuringly, as we listened to the soothing jazz being played on our battery operated radio, kept for just such emergencies.

" Oh, Good!"

After a while the husband called the daughter who confirmed that their power had gone off also, but only for 10 minutes and was now back on. They are supplied by a different company, though presumably off the same grid. We remained in darkness for almost an hour.

"We should buy a musical instrument for occasions such as this", I declared. "Maybe a banjo - it'd be fun!"

I wandered into the kitchen and opened the venetian blind to find the backyard bathed in silvery light. At first I thought the yard light must have somehow found its own power source, but no, light was coming from a big, almost full Moon. It struck me as I gazed out, how important and magical the Moon must have seemed to ancient peoples.

Then the lights went up, the TV spluttered back to life. A new movie had started. I'll never know whether Spencer Tracy got his come uppance, or if poor Ingrid survived. Ah well...maybe next Hallowe-en they'll show the movie again.