The Senate

I colored my hair today. It was actually BAD timing, as I was doing it when Marilyn mistressmarilyn got home from work -- and she's had a sore throat and been pretty allergic, so...

I got a call from the woman who might hire cousin Linda yesterday, looking for a reference. Linda took care of our mother the last years of her life, up until she died. (Linda was a Licensed Vocational Nurse at one point in her life.) This would be a good deal for Linda, as it's a live-in position, so beside her salary, she'd get room and board. (Linda is currently living in a shelter, so this would be ideal.)

Anyway, Linda phoned me today and it looks like she'll probably get the job, assuming she really wants it. She's supposed to go tomorrow to see the routine of care and check out the woman, her husband (who needs care) and their home. I'm certainly wishing the best for her!

I also (finally!!!) ordered the new hard drives for my home desktop PC that I'm going to have Ron install. I wish I'd done that before! They're going to take longer to arrive than my laptop, believe it or not. I'm getting them through NewEgg.Com, using the LINK RON SENT me. That will mean I'll have two 320 gig hard drives (I have a dual hard drive system). Currently my C: drive (system drive) is 40 gigs, and my D: drive (data drive) is 80 gigs -- so you can see the improvement we're talking about!

I really can't wait to get this work done. I've got applications I can't even load right now, because I'm so maxed out...

I did speak to Hector today -- and told him I didn't like to complain, but I had some concerns. He was nice and told me the guys would be here TODAY, which they were. And they really worked their butts off, too, which I was glad to see.

And Marilyn got the pump back into the fountain (harder than hell to do), so we've finally got it working! All I need to do is put the table cloth on the outside table -- then put my rock garden back again (it had to be picked up to do the fence, and is just a total mess). Maybe I can tackle those things tomorrow.

The flowers are already doing well and the yard really looks nice! Yes, photos to follow at some point when it's all done.

Well, it's heading toward 11:00 p.m. and both Marilyn mistressmarilyn and I are beat (and didn't have our usual nap). So I suspect we should be off to bed soon!

Did I mention here that my current medicine has just slews of side effects? I've been noticing a few of those, I'm afraid. (sigh) Oh well. Hopefully this will fix me. (Three more days to go...)

My doctor's assistant phoned to say the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss the results of my blood work.

( Originally they told me I'd get the results by mail. )

The funny thing?

Except for this stupid infection (whatever), I don't feel bad at all. I've been active and stronger recently than in YEARS. So I don't know what to think.

But I guess it's always better to know what's happening than NOT to know, so that's a good thing. If there's something wrong that I can work on, then I need to get busy trying to fix it. I can always get more exercise, eat even more healthy foods and lose more weight, for one thing. So I guess we'll see!

I'm pretty excited, having just ordered my new laptop from Buy.Com!

I decided to get the IBM Lenovo Thinkpad T42. It's 'Factory Refurbished,' which basically means I save huge -- 52% on the cost! (For the record, a refurbished product can be anything from an unopened item the customer had second thoughts about to an item that that was missing an accessory, was sent back to the manufacturer where they replaced the missing part, tested and repackaged it. Refurbished goods are substantially lower-priced than their 'new' counterparts -- and often are of the same quality with a similar warranty.)

The thing about laptops is not to spend too much. They generally have a short life span, whether we're talking battery life or other issues. If your laptop is still going strong at three years, that's pretty amazing. Most will go for two to two and a half years, max.

I checked several reviews on this model and it was rated 'very good' more than once. It's never going to be my primary computer (I've got my desktop for that, after all -- plus my desktop at work), but I love the idea of being able to pack it around with me. Or to be able to use it downstairs in the family room. (I used to have a desktop down there and really loved it.) It could be handy for work, as well. I can see so many things I can do with it. Anyway, if I'd realized I could get one for $355.99, I'd have done it AGES ago! (Donn was the one who suggested Buy.Com, which seems like a great way to go. I told him I wanted to stay 'under $400,' and he said that was totally do-able.)









I like the look quite a bit, though I imagine some people would find it very plain. It weighs around 5 1/2 pounds and has a 15 inch monitor. Anyway, I'm excited as can be about it!

And even though this purchase is under $400, it's a big one for me. At one point I said to Marilyn mistressmarilyn that it was a luxury item I didn't really need, but she pointed out that I'll use it a lot for work, which is quite true. Anyway, I added to the shipping to speed it up ($26.99), as the cost was so good, so I guess I could have it by next Tuesday! (Very cool, huh?)

I'm really happy that I was able to get Windows XP rather than Vista (which I pretty much hate). That was a big bonus to me.

Another bonus? I've wanted a personal DVD player for years. I can use this laptop to play DVDs, so that's pretty cool. (And all the DVD players I looked at cost around $200, so think of it -- I'm getting that feature as part of my $355.99 cost!)

I'll review the laptop when I actually have it and have used it -- in case anyone else is thinking of buying it. (Jeff actually mentioned on Tuesday that he might get one for himself, which I think would be great.)