It's mediocre!

1. It's warm and sunny. Honestly, too damned warm for late September where I am. But it's good for having a cup of beer on the lawn.

2. I attended about half of a football game (American football, that is), this being homecoming weekend. See above about too damned warm, though. I have no idea how the players were continuing without IVs dripping fluids into them. Well, that's not really true since I've done much longer endurance events in hotter weather myself, without an IV. But still, snappy autumn weather is best for the footballs.

3. I have lots of work that I could be doing that I'm blowing off because it's Saturday and it's warm out and the whole point of working is so you can sometimes STOP working and enjoy a sunny afternoon. Later, I will watch Pony.

1. Got the new iPhone 6s yesterday, also signed up for that Apple program where you always get the new phone when it breaks. Yes, I like it a lot. Yes, I am a shallow, shallow human being.

2. More Super Jew stuff for me -- a very rocking Shabbat service last night, and I got the bagels and cream cheese for Torah Study this AM, which was interesting, and also went to Saturday AM Shabbat services, which is when I began to feel a bit overdosed though they were fine.

3. Most of my errands for the week got done today, which was great. One reason is that my hair salon cancelled my appointment today (THIRD time in a row, and I've only been there three times, they have moved my appointment on me at the last moment) and left me with some unexpected time to fill.

Senyar, sorry about the Yank oriented Friday Question. Bad on me.

Eh.

1.My IPad just died. I'm growing to hate Apple and all their fucking products.
2. I forgot both my glasses and my lunch at work today.
3. The Mets clinched a playoff spot!

Am I having a good one? That's a tough question.
Recently all the action in my life has been on the working side. And I know ones life shouldn't be so one sided. If only because it means putting all ones eggs in one basket.

One exception though: I've finally bought a 2nd hand saxophone after tracking personal ads for western Europe (F, DE, B, NL that is) for 5 years.
Saxophones tend to be expensive when compared to electric guitars f.i. So I'm very happy I found an obscure 1970s French tenor saxophone for little money. It is really responsive with a nice sonorous almost gravelly tone.
I was very excited about my new acquisition. So naturally I felt an urge to show my shiny new thing to friends. But then I had to laugh. Because every saxophone really looks the same. So I think my friends would find it hard to feign enthousiasm. :-)

Today, sunday, I walked into town to have lunch while doing my homework for the programming study group I started. That's the best thing about living in an old city: the city center that's almost exclusively people walking and biking and old houses.

1. We got home from a trip out to the PNW on Thursday, and my husband's godparents showed up for a visit that same day. Then my in-laws showed up. I love all these people dearly, but I have had a cold and am feeling pretty wretched. Not to mention the fact that it has been pissing down rain since we got home, and that isn't helping my cold at all.

2. Yesterday my mother-in-law and I went to see the touring company of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. My MIL is a huge Carole King fan, and she loved every minute of it. I hadn't realized how many songs Carole King had authored or co-authored, I was impressed. My MIL was over the moon.

3. Today is Steeler Sunday. Football football football all around this place. I feel so sick, I wish I could get my ass in gear and get out of the house, but I doubt it.

1. Left eye is stil the same-- too blurry to read even the largest of type (if I close my right eye), with a weird peripheral image that makes me think something's there when it's not. After-effects of a blockage in a vessel in my eye (basically a mini-stroke in my eye-- that word "stroke" is scary). Nothing to do but wait and see how much the vision improves over time. Apparently, about a third recover fully, a third partially, and a third stay the same. It can take up to a year or more to clear. Meh. I'm managing with the one eye, but reading's difficult (not great for an English teacher).

2. Depressed. Don't want to go to work. Must go to work. Just want to hide under the covers. Sad and anxious a lot of the time. May need to see someone.

3. Signed up for an online writing class about a month ago-- it starts next week. Not sure I'm up to it. (Enlarging type on touch screens helps a lot.)

Argh pips. That sucks.
Hang in there!

1. It is Sunday. I am at work.
2. I am pretty sure I am the only person in the building.
3. Actually, I've had a pretty good weekend. Until now. Because I'm AT WORK. Bleah.

My iPad came back to life. Maybe the worm will turn.

*knocks wood*

(thanks, jouke-- appreciate the good thoughts)

((yay for iPad resurrections! : )

Pips! That is scary! My Mom had a retinal vein occlusion that didn't get treated - she can do things OK, but I wonder how much better it could have gone with treatment by a retina specialist at the onset.

I really hope you're seeing everyone possible about your eye so you have the best chance ever to fully improve. Big, big hugs (with enlarged type,heh)

My update:
Still working bunches. Am taking tomorrow off just so I can get some things done.

Kitties are settling in. Wrecking crew are always into something. Ms Nibs likes to give the younguns baths..

We're having copious rain. Flood watches for low areas. I don't live in a low spot, but know some folks who do. Nothing bad happening - so far it's just our normal amount of heavy rain.

Thanks, mightshould-- my research shows, though, that the best course of treatment is to just let it be, let any bleeding and swelling heal on their own (same advice my ophthamologist gave, who's also a retinal specialist/surgeon). Unlike a stroke in the brain, it didn't matter, apparently, whether I saw the doctor right away or not. There are some injections that can help with swelling if there's no improvement in a few months, but they have mixed results and side effects like infection. So again, nothing for now. Not very satisfying, I know. Best wishes for your mom-- they do advise checking other issues like high blood pressure (which I have) and possible problems with the heart, arteries, and/or diabetes that may be contributing factors. (I need to make some appointments myself.)

I must say, of all the things that can happen, I never saw this coming (forgive the pun).

Oh no, sorry about your eye, Pips! That really sucks.

Yay for kitties settling in, mightshould. I think we need moar pix over here.

me:

1. Have I mentioned on here that I injured myself really badly (running injury)? I've been complaining all over the internet, so, probably. Anyway, it's neeaaarrrrrlllly gone and I can nearly start running again (after 8 weeks off) but there is just a minor pain that's causing my gait to hitch, so I'm still holding out. It's fucking frustrating.

2. I made a new friend yesterday! And we have emailed with each other and made a time to meet for coffee! It's really hard making new friends after you are like, what? 30 or so?

3. I am the secretary of my daughter's school PTA. She is at a huge school. a couple of weeks into the school year, and I'm thinking holy shit, what have I let myself in for??!!

Thanks, 'pode-- hope your foot feels better!

A little late, but here goes:

1. I met my dad's girlfriend yesterday (for those who don't know, my mom died a little over two years ago from a somewhat long illness, and my dad has been seeing this woman for about a year). She seems very nice and I liked her. My dad, on the other hand, consistently pisses me off for other reasons, but at least he seems to have good taste in women.

2. Further to the above, my dad has very little interest in my kids, his only grandchildren, and it hurts my feelings and makes me bitter because I know things would have been different if my mom was alive. Don't take an interest in me, that's fine. But your toddler grandson adores you and you just keep pushing him away (figuratively).

3. My son has an appointment today with the cardiologist to see if the heart murmur he had as a baby is still there. I have been trying to get him excited for listening to his heartbeat and seeing it on the ultrasound.

My weekend was pretty good:
1. My mom and her partner came in to town Sat and Sun am and it was nice to have them. My sister is going through a rough time (but is currently out of town) so it was good to be able to talk to my mom about her take on things. They took care of the babies while me and my husband went out for a drink Sat night. WOo! Date!

2. We all went to the NYC coffee festival and my husband took it as a challenge to try every sample of coffee in the entire building. He was so wired and wouldn't stop drinking more so eventually I grabbed the samples from him after 1 sip and threw them out before he could drink 20+ half cups of coffee. Then as we were leaving he got a full cup of iced coffee "for later" but since it was in his hand he kept absent-mindedly drinking it the whole way home. He didn't feel well. Sigh.
I am not a coffee drinker but it was fun to see him and my mom enjoy it so much. There were a few tea booths as well so I got some of that.
They had these insane machines that did elaborate steaming and vacuuming and brewing things, and they let us press some buttons. We asked how much the coolest one was, oh just $45,000 but for you with the show discount, $40k.

3. Sun night we took a group of NYU students to a rooftop to check out the moon. We had a great view between clouds and could see it starting to get red, but then it was just too cloudy to see the peak time or anything after 10:10.

Yeah amro, the kleinkind - opa/oma relation is one of the basics in life. So I understand your frustration in seeing the lack of interest in your father.

I'm in the reverse situation. I only get to see my daughter every 5 weeks. And my parents only get to see her every year. That has the effect that my daughter doesn't know who they are and doesn't care very much. However often I keep mentioning how they love her. My parents are troopers so they don't say a thing. But I know my mother would love love love having a grandchild sleep over, or anything else, so much.

Some hurts in life we only have the option to suck up I guess.

(?? does that sound right? I mean 'incasseren'. Like a boxer absorbing blows.)

Ah, the blood moon. I got up at 4:10 and looked at it from a window. Unfortunately I live in a major NL city so it was rather lacklustre. Later on when I drove to work at 6:15 the moon was so bright I wish I had seen it from there, outside of the city.

Ah well; I'll get to bore my grandchildren anyway with seeing the 2015 blood moon.
(Oh wait, my 6 yr old daughter won't have children yet in 2031 when the next one will occur. I guess I'll have to pester her with mispronouncing her favourite band and the contemporary youthspeak. "oh yeah, The Radiohead! They're very rad! I dig them deeply.")

(The English second language thing will come in handy there. Since she's a native speaker.)

Jouke, my mother-in-law is Dutch and the grandkids call her Beppe, not Oma - is that a regional distinction? I think she is Frisian.

Absolutely! Beppe & pake is how they're called in Friesland. My grandfather was Frisian. I got my 6'6" height from him. Even my username here is his first name.

Does she still speak Frisian? It sounds uncommonly like English. You should ask her.

Formally Frisian is a wholly distinct language. Don't let her hear you call it a dialect!

Opa & oma is the Dutch (and German) name...

1. So, so sorry to hear your news, Pips. Please take good care of yourself.

2. Gaspode, you will be awesome as secretary of the PTA. You will take no shit from anyone, but at the same time will be diplomatic and sensitive.

3. I have a strange little rash on my tum - itchy, blistery, constantly burny - and have given myself the screaming ab-dabs by looking up things on the internet. I have an idea what it might be, but I'm going to keep an eye on it, and go to the doctor's on Wednesday if it's not gone.

She came to the States at 4 years old and because her parents wanted to assimilate, does not speak much Frisian. She was the fourth of five daughters, though, and I believe that the older ones may have more memory of the language.