Real Change

Yes, I helped. There were millions of voters like myself, or shall I say "no vote" folks like myself, who at the very end decided to vote for Donald Trump instead of not voting for one of the candidates. Almost since the beginning of this election year, I wasn't going to vote for any of the presidential candidates because of: Hillary's dishonesty, crookedness, support for Obama's policies and overall bad attitude, and Donald Trumps fowl mouth, lack of understanding of the issues and generally embarrassing actions. The final week of campaigning by both candidates made me realize that we had to "block" Hillary Clinton at all costs. I decided to vote for Trump. There are many other subtle reasons, but let me say that I believe the country got it right!

Here are a couple shots below of our "visit" to the polls in Glendale at 6 AM yesterday AM:

As we were standing in line, we guessed that Hillary had most of the votes that were about to be cast. The mix of blacks and Hispanics in the line certainly pointed that way. We knew that we were in the minority at this particular polling place, but our votes had to be counted. Right now, it is an overwhelming feeling about how things turned out and how Donald Trump pulled it out.

I will take our truck into the repair shop this AM for repairs. I also will pick up a rental car to use while the repairs are being made.

Lost in all of the hoopla over the election is the fact that Austin and his WMU teammates beat Kent State last night in pouring rain, 37-21, to remain undefeated at 10-0. This is the first time in the school's history that they have won 10 games in a season. Also, they are one of only five teams in the country that remains undefeated. GO BRONCOS!!

Physical Done for Another Year

I went to the doctor at 11:45 yesterday for my annual physical. Josie went with me to get the blood work done for her physical which is scheduled next week. Mine went well which is always good news. My liver enzymes are elevated - by one point - which is no concern according to the doctor. My cholesterol was also elevated - but not by much - so I'm good to go there also. With no major complaints, I am cleared for another year.

I have one more appointment scheduled for the 21st with my Gastroenterologist. I had a Colonoscopy last year that was good, so I don't anticipate any problems with that appointment.

I called my insurance company to get a reservation for a rental car tomorrow when I drop off my truck for the repairs from the accident in Jackson this summer. It will be ready when I drop the truck off at 8 AM. It looks a 3-4 day rental for the repair time.

Watched the Seahawks game last night against the Buffalo Bills and I have very little left of my fingernails. The Seahawks won, 31-25, and the game ended with a Buffalo incomplete pass in the Seahawks' end zone. Whew! They are going to have to get their defense healthy again so they can stop some of these teams. They sorely miss a couple of their strongest defensive backs. The good news is that Russell Wilson is almost totally back from his injury dating back to game 1 of the season. Their schedule gets tough now with the New England Patriots up next.

We got up at 5 AM this morning to vote which is why the blog is late today. Don't forget to vote everybody. And also, don't forget to watch Austin's game tonight at 5:30 local time on ESPN2 against Kent State...

Nice Stay at Home Day

Yes, it was one of the rare days yesterday when both of us just stayed home and relaxed. Josie put in her first week at work and we had no appointments or errands to run, so it was a perfect day to stay home. The weather was beautiful and we sat outside for some of the time, watched a little TV and played our games on our phones for some of the day. You need to have these kind of days once in awhile.

Today will be a bit different as Josie has to have her bloodwork done for her physical exam which is scheduled next week. I have to go for my physical today, so we will go together as the lab is in the same location as our doctor for the physicals. My bloodwork was done last week and I got the usual report - high liver enzymes and high cholesterol. Everything else looked normal on the lab report. I have to figure out a way to keep those two negatives under control.

Make sure you tune in tonight to watch Monday night football - the Seahawks take on the Buffalo Bills in a game that the Seahawks should win, but you never know in the NFL..

Ho Hum Football Day

The football games that I watched on TV yesterday were mostly games that had no impact on the Bowls for which Austin and his WMU team would be considered. I must admit that I didn't watch any of the later games that were broadcast from the west coast, but I don't think those games are affecting the choices for WMU. I started a new cross stitch yesterday that I worked on while watching the games. The biggest upset I watched was a 6-1 Baylor team get crushed, 62-22, by a 4-4 Texas Christian team. The games are getting significant now.

Today is pro football day and there will be some good ones on TV. My teams, the Cardinals and the Seahawks have the day off. The Cardinals have a bye and don't play until next week, and the Seahawks play the Buffalo Bills tomorrow night on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys/Browns and Panthers/Rams games appear to be the best, but I will have a hard time selling Josie on watching any of them. Oh, well.

Other than football yesterday, it was a very quiet and peaceful day...

Good for Another Year

The Ultra Sound done at my doctor's office yesterday AM was good. The surgery last year to place a "sleeve" on the aneurysm I have near my lower spine is doing its job. I am good to go for another year until next November.

I stopped at my Audiologist to drop off the "problem" hearing aid that will be sent to the factory for some rework on the receiver. I was given the use of new hearing aids to test while mine is being repaired. They are new Phonak hearing aids that are rechargeable and do not use batteries at all. Instead of taking out the batteries at night, I just place them on the charger and they are ready to go the next morning. Actually, they fully recharge in about one hour. They are also waterproof and smaller than my present set. They contain all of the latest technology in sound management and circuitry that is available.

My initial reaction to them is positive - but not $5K worth of positive. I can tell the difference in some situations - especially in the car - but haven't really had an opportunity yet to test other environments. I doubt that they will be something I cannot live without right now. I expect to get another few years out of my present pair, but it is nice to keep track of new developments in the marketplace.

I haven't seen today's TV lineup for college football games, but I know that Austin's team doesn't play until Election Day (Nov 8) at 5:30 PM (EST) on ESPN 2. I expect to watch some of the key games today to see if they impact the bowls at all. They are getting closer to being announced and we should know in a few weeks where Austin - and his family and us - will be going. It will be exciting, for sure...

More Local Stuff

Much of the day was taken up with errands to Office Max to replenish some computer supplies and to Michaels to pick up some supplies for a new cross stitch I am starting. Josie worked and was informed that she had 70 hours of accumulated vacation time that is unused (from when she was full time over the last two years) and that she will split time during the week - every week, for now - between her normal location at the Glendale store and the store located on 19th Ave where she once worked a few years ago. That is something that she has wanted to do as the 19th Ave store is closer to where we are now living. We'll see how that goes.

The truck work will be scheduled  now following a call from the body shop indicating that the parts are in. It looks like the repairs from the accident we had in August in Jackson will finally be made. I will take care of that today, following two appointments this morning. My first appointment is with the Doctor who inserted the device for my aneurysm last year, It is a routine check to make sure that the device is doing its job properly. The second appointment is back with my Audiologist who will resend my "problem" hearing aid to the factory for a major overhaul. I will be using the new technology hearing aids for the time that the hearing aid is being repaired. That will be an interesting experience.

We had some rain and heavy winds yesterday afternoon, but it seems that the storms have moved on and we will be back to nice, warm, sunny weather...

Chicago Cubs World Champions

You couldn't write a better script than the one that played out last night in Cleveland, Ohio. The Chicago Cubs ended a 108 year drought by winning the 2016 world Series in exciting fashion, 8-7, in game 7 of the Series. The game looked like a Cubs romp until the eighth inning when Cleveland tied the game and extra innings ensued. It took a short rain delay for the Cubs to regroup and they came out swinging and put the game away in ten innings. We are happy for the town and for Mark whose family had suffered - forever - to finally see this result. Enjoy it.

Our day was one filled with what is probably "normal" activities these days. Josie went to work at the flower shop to start her new year, and I did some repairs (refrigerator line) around the RV along with some computer work and research on various subjects.

Oh, and the truck was "repaired" in about 4 hours. The dealer gave me a rental car to use while the work was being performed, so I had the truck back home by 1 PM. I have some doubts about the fix, as all they did was reset the diesel programming module to eliminate the engine problem and, they believe, the intermittent instrument panel lights problem. We'll see how it goes.

It will be more of the same today as Josie goes to work and I have things to follow up on here at home...