Translations

Saturday, October 24, 2020

LIFE, SUCH AS IT IS: 9-21-2020, Monday, to 10-24-2020, Saturday (published 10-24-2020)

Introduction

Well, howdy, y’all! “Hit’s” been “ary a while” since I “done writ” here. “Hit’s done been” five weeks, since my article of Sunday, 9/20/2020. How y’all “been a gittin’” along? Okay, I hope.

Well, let’s see here. I’ve been writing more today, on two articles. I've been working on four draft articles, off and on, since 10/11/2020. This article is the first of two that are published today. The theme is “Life, such as it is.” It's a chronological record.

Life, Such As It Was

9/21/2020, Monday: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman still drives, bravely, to and from her vice principal/teacher job every workday. My “ex-favorite-sister-in-law,” the “coward” that she is, still does her teaching from home. The carpooling is still not happening.

Also on 9/21/2020, I worked at home from 8 to 10:30 AM. Then, my dentist set a temporary crown (i.e., corona; study the etymology). Historical note: on 8/10/2020, Monday, while working at home, I had chipped a tooth. My dentist patched it, on Thursday, 8/13/2020, when I worked at home. I thought that I’d have a new crown today. Wrong! My dentist doesn't set a crown on the same day. I paid the full price for the crown. Finally, I got the new crown, on Monday, 10/19/2020.

After having the temporary crown installed, I shopped, for a few items, at “Food Crappy,” with all the mask-wearing fun. After that, my chiropractor adjusted me again. It was an extra adjustment, after the usual monthly adjustment, on Monday, 9/14/2020. I think that he set all my bones in place, finally. I’m still working on the muscle and soft tissue recovery. I’m getting tired of this type of “fun.”

9/22-23/2020, Tuesday and Wednesday: Our recent deck replacement contractor called on Tuesday. I understood, to some degree, why he took so long to reply to me. His father, at age 80, is not doing very well. My contractor had gone to care for his father in Pennsylvania. His sub-contractor came the next day, on Wednesday. He was leaving, just as I was returning home from working at the office (for whatever insane reason). I met him. We talked. He promised. He lied. We still have a few minor details that must be done!

9/28/2020, Monday: In contrast to the previous mediocre service, our fine heating and air conditioning service man and his son-in-law inspected our A/C and heat units, as I had arranged. Jerry Roberts (owner, of Robert’s Heat & Air) knows how to do business! Our A/C and heat units are fine, but it was good to have them checked.

10/3/2020, Saturday: “Microcrap” wanted to update “Winders” to the 2004 version. I let it update. After having fought the desktop computer monitor for days, on Saturday, 10/17/2020, I ordered a new monitor (which arrived on Monday, 10/19/2020). The “Microcrap” technician, by phone, confirmed what I had concluded already. The “Winders” 2004 update had not been the problem. Interestingly, the monitor had started to go bad, after the update.

10/5-6/2020, Monday and Tuesday: Our deck replacement contractor called on Monday, 10/5/2020. I have no problems with him. He had a major problem with one of his sub-contractors. His now fired sub-contractor came, unannounced, on 10/6/2020, to see that he had not done the work, which he had promised to do, on 9/23/2020. I assume that he surprised himself, by seeing that he had not done his promised work. I did not talk with him. He is done. If he comes around here again, he does not represent my contractor, and I will get him off our property. I hope that he takes up the Good Lord’s free gift offer. I have tried to help him toward that end. It’s his choice now.

10/8/2020, Thursday: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman has been exposed to her teaching assistant, who has been exposed to his daughter, who has the COVID-19 virus (i.e., a new cold virus). The daughter of the teaching assistant had a bit of the snots. What shall we do? We do nothing, of course. How many times have I been exposed to someone, who had been exposed to someone, who had a cold? It’s been more times than I could ever count. I have moved on from this Corona Myopia Obsession! I wish that this once great nation could do so. By the way, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman is completely health! Neither one of us has been nor will be tested for this new cold virus.

10/9-11/2020, Friday through Sunday: I hope that the Rogersville Heritage Days weekend, in the rainy weather, was enjoyable, to whomever was there. I hear that Heritage Days isn’t what it used to be. I remember when the occasion was enjoyable. The rain, the “Corona Myopia,” and the festival’s decline did not inspire us to make the trip this year. Will we next year? We’ll see.

10/10/2020, Saturday: I have to toss this one in, for fun! In late September, Nielsen, the radio listening survey folks, had been “hammering” (i.e., calling and never leaving voice mail) our landline, for days, until I grew tired of it. I made the mistake of calling Nielsen back, to see what they wanted. Well, I agreed that Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I would fill out their survey forms, to mail back to them, postage paid. We received the survey forms by mail. We completed their one-week survey forms, about radio stations, to which we had listened. Nielsen, in two postal letters, sent us a total of three crisp, new one-dollar bills! (That’s the way to get rich!) On 10/10/2020, I mailed, postage paid, our improved, computerized survey forms – along with a pithy letter to their “he ain’t from around here” executive. I don’t think Nielsen will ever bother us again.

10/12-16/2020, Monday through Friday: I was supposed to have worked at home on Monday and Tuesday then at the office on Wednesday through Friday. My colleague, with whom I share the same insane home-office rotation, became ill on Monday (a cold, not the “new cold virus”). I, therefore, “enjoyed” working at home Monday then at the office Tuesday through Friday. The insanity needs to stop, or I can always find a work-at-home job, before I retire from this state job.

Mrs. Appalachian Irishman -- still driving alone, bravely, to and from work daily -- had a long weekend. It was her Fall break. She was off on Friday and Monday. The time off work “inspired” her to take up hammer, chisel, and blowtorch, to clean out the kitchen oven. (Recently, I had opened the oven door to hear it growl at me.)

10/19-23/2020, my work week: to make up for last week, I worked at home on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday – but at the office on Wednesday. The rationale, for doing the same job at home or at the office, exists only in the minds of the bureaucrats! I'd rather not drive the 16.4-mile, one-way route to the office and back. I have to drive through the crossroad, where I almost died, on 3/29/2016.

On 10/19/2020, as I've already stated, my dentist installed my new crown, with no extra charge. I told him that, apparently, I need a crown, about every 40 years. He knows that, if he’s still doing dental work, I’ll be back, at age 100, for my next crown. Afterward, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I visited our chiropractor. The appointment had been set for 10/5/2020, but our chiropractor's daughter had come down with the “new cold virus.” She had recovered quickly. Out of “an abundance of caution,” as the media folks turn the phrase, our chiropractor had closed his office for two weeks. Neither his wife nor he was sick. At least, my adjustment was the usual “tune up.” My bones are holding alignment well. I’ve about had it with the Corona Myopia Obsession in this once great nation. Most everyone, with whom I discuss this, agrees. Why can’t the politicians understand?

10/24/2020, Saturday: I should have been born 200 years before I was. I understand modern technology. I don’t like it much. I had wanted a VGA computer to monitor cable. Our desktop computer needed to connect to the new monitor that I had received. My father-in-law bailed me out! Yesterday, I had ordered online a VGA male-to-male cable. Afterward, I had called my father-in-law, since Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had forgotten to ask him, to see if he had an extra cable. He and I had a fine 45-minute conversation. (Mrs. Appalachian Irishman needs to create her own website journal, for her side of family history.) Well, today, my father-in-law called to say that he had an extra cable that I needed! I canceled my online order. The cable works! Once again, with help from my father-in-law, I defeated modern technology! Eventually, the desktop and laptop computers will need upgrades, but not today!

Conclusion

Well, that’s the latest “life, such as it is,” update, from 9/21/2020, Monday, to 10/24/2020 Saturday. Please read on, dear reader!

I have a few more articles to publish. I’m getting there! I’ll also publish today the article, about my 171st hike on House Mountain, on 10/4/2020. I plan to publish two others later, as the Good Lord wills.

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