Monday, March 27, 2006
We had our morning planned today revolving around taking the car in for an oil change at 11 o'clock. We both ate a light Breakfast since we had already planned on eating at McDonald's with a "buy one get one" coupon.
We were at Big "O" Tires in time for our appointment, only to be told that they had two technicians that didn't show up this morning and their would be a delay in our service. We were only having an oil change done and would have to wait an hour and a half for it. We didn't much care a s long as it wasn't any longer than that.
We headed out on foot for the Dollar Store which would be our first stop. Sharon always likes to walk through those stores out here to see what's different from the one at home. We rarely buy anything in them but we just like to look anyway.
After the Dollar Store we stopped at Von's Grocery right next door to pick up a few things. Sharon walked them back to the car, across the parking lot, before our next destination, McDonald's and lunch. We had Big Macs and a large order of fries that we shared. Our next stop was Walgreen's across the street. Sharon had seen in the Sunday paper that they were selling 2 Soduku puzzles for $10 and because she's always collecting the puzzles from the paper, she wanted to try the electronic handheld version. From the time we arrived in the store til about 20 minutes later, nobody in the store knew where they were. They had everybody in the store, including the manager, looking for them. Finally they found them, and by that time I was sitting on a bench outside the store. What a joke.
By the time we got back to the tire shop it was about 12:15 and our car was almost ready. They tried to sell us an $18 air filter which I declined and we were on our way almost immediately. A $9 oil change is good deal. A $27 dollar oil change with a filter is not. Nice try guys!
Back at home I tried to get the new phone activated convinced that I had everything working now. The automatic programming wouldn't work so I had to call Verizon to get it running. When the person on the other end of the line said it would cost $20 to have it activated this way, I said good-bye and hung up. Besides it was time for the pool anyway.
By this time it was about 1:30 and the breeze had just started to pick up outside. We stayed at the pool for about 3 hours and when we came back home it seemed like we were over there forever. The water was very nice today indeed. With all the empty spots in the park who would've thought the pool would have so many people in and around it today. It was still nice with a slight breeze by the time we got home.
I tried Verizon again and got another girl who was willing to waive the $20 fee and I was tickled. Phil Bach has always told me to never believe the first person you talk to at Verizon. It certainly paid off this time.
I tried to get connected without luck on the dial-up connection to Verizon. It was giving me weird answers when I tried over and over, failing each time. This was apparently not going to be a fun time. Sharon is now questioning why we needed this new phone anyway. I couldn't come up with an explanation that was adequate except that the other phone was two years old and it was time for an upgrade. She didn't buy it, and quite frankly neither did I. If we lose our dial-up capabilities we'll encounter extra fees to get them back, and that won't be worth a new phone.
Prison Break and "24" were on TV tonight but by now the wind was blowing hard enough to give the dish fits. I wasn't worried though because we could still catch them on cable later on tonight. Both shows were very good tonight and "24" ended with it's usual cliffhanger. I had called Phil earlier tonight and he called me back during Prison Break and I asked if he'd call back at 10. He said OK but never called. I think he forgot about me. He won't have a chance to get hold of me all day tomorrow because we start at the Kraft Nabisco Golf Tournament in the morning.
We ended the day on a sour note with the phone not working yet. We could make calls but our dial-up was kaput. This is not a good thing.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
This is our first morning to work at the Dinah Shore/Kraft Nabisco Golf Classic. We had decided to start it off with a bang and go to the Agua Casino for Breakfast. As usual the food was excellent and me and the Mrs. ate our fill. We had rationed our time poorly this morning and arrived at Mission Hills Country Club by 9:25 and our shift would start at 10. We stood around gabbing with the early crew until 10 when they left. Sharon and I were working with one other guy, Jerry--------, His wife was also working but she was over at Admissions and working the 6-10 shift. We were parking cars in the VIP lot and it's basically the same job and cars that we parked last year. We were in the Media Lot last year but this year they eliminated that lot when they built another sporting field on it.
After our shift was over today we decided that we would walk through the vendors and see what they were giving away today. Most of the tents had nothing in them and some stuff was being distributed, mostly just food items. We just kept waling and we came upon Roy and Maryann Parent our Michigan friends from Catalina Spa.
As we returned to our car we walked past the Driving Range and Putting Green and there were several golfers whacking balls. Their Caddies in white Jumpsuits, with their names on the back, were with them at the time. We didn't see anyone with name recognition at either place, but we did see Laura Davies when we were talking to Roy and Maryann.
By the time we got back to the car my leg was throbbing to say the least. I had to stop once and sit down to relieve the pain. We came directly home and proceeded to eat our "lunch" that we got at the tournament. After the Casino this morning, we weren't ready for lunch today. It was a Ham and Cheese Croissant Sandwich and quite good. The rest of the lunch was Kraft goodies. Chips, Cookies and Nuts and an apple. It was good even for Supper.
We settled in for TV for the night and I also tried to get the computer hooked up to the Internet. It seems that the connections are working fine but just not connecting. I tried calling Phil again tonight but his service in Yuma (Winter Haven) is just horrible. He sent me a voice mail that was all choppy tonight. I couldn't understand what he was telling me, but I'm sure it wasn't anything important. I'm hoping to hook up with him when he comes back to Indio this week.
We watched TV until 10 and then headed for you-know-where. It had been quite a day for sure. We'll have to get up tomorrow and do it all again.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
When I got up this morning I felt a twinge in my back like it could be kidney stone working it's way through me. I took my medication with me this morning in case it turned out to be one.
We ate Breakfast at home this morning before we headed out to the Golf Course for "work." As we left the gate at Catalina we saw Roy and Maryann just ahead of us. They stopped at the Market on the corner and we got ahead of them. But by the time we made the turn off Dinah Shore Drive they were right behind us. The parking lot where we work was fuller today as expected. It'll fill up more and more by the weekend. It was a relatively calm day today with only a few idiots coming into our lot.
By about noon the pain in my back was definitely a kidney stone. I took my medication and the pain went away giving me some relief.
At two o'clock we took a walk up to the grandstand area behind the clubhouse where Roy and Maryann work selling programs. As we stood there talking, Richard Karn ("Al Borland" from Home Improvement and more recently of the Family Feud) walked by and I snapped a picture of Sharon and Maryann with him. I told Sharon that I wanted a picture of myself with Elke Sommer and as luck would have it she drove by us in a golf cart. I would have had to throw myself in front of the cart to get them to stop however. We sat in the grandstand and watched a few of the pairings come in on the 18th. And when I didn't recognize any names except Brooks Robinson coming in we left and headed back to the car.
By the time we got back home we still had enough time to go for a swim so we went over to the pool. Roy and Maryann were there but not many other people. I guess they were scared off by the wind. While it didn't blow at all over at Mission Hills, it was blowing quite briskly here. The water temp in the pool was quite nice however, and we stayed over there for about 45 minutes or so.
We both had leftovers for supper tonight. I had about a quarter of a rack of ribs and Sharon whipped up some Chicken Alfredo for herself. After supper we took the computer and went to Desert Pools to check our e-mail and so Sharon could log on and do some payments online. We booted up the computer and then I realized that I had deleted the UP.NET connection the other day. It was a dial-up connection that uses about 15 numbers to connect. So we shut everything down and headed for home.
For the rest of the night we watched TV and Sharon did her electronic Soduku. We only lasted until about 10:30 tonight and couldn't finish up the night's entertainment. I guess today had been a longer day than we had originally thought.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
I was up early this morning taking medications for the kidney stone I was carrying around. I took it on an empty stomach and it made me sick, even though I didn't heave it up.
By the time we left for Mission Hills I felt a lot better and I had no pain. The wind was blowing somewhat by the time we left home but by the time we arrived at "work" it was sunshiny and calm. The parking lot was a little fuller today than yesterday, but that was to be expected. We didn't have many problems with people today because Sharon was turning them away left and right. She's refusing entrance to the cars that don't have the correct credentials to park in our lot. That'll change before the days is over. Everybody will have the right credentials.
After we got done working we walked through the vendor's again today. We were given 4 Kraft/Nabisco Baseball Caps that were pretty nice even though I don't wear them. We picked up a couple more on our walk. By Sunday we should have enough for everybody we know.
I got a call from Phil today saying that he and Joyce were back in Indio for a couple of days. I had put the computer and phone in the car today in case they made it back by today. When we left the Golf Course we headed over to Indian Waters RV Park. I had tried to get a hold of him while he was in Winter Have, CA but the reception was just horrible. I talked to him for a few minutes when he called to let him know that I would be dropping off the computer and phone to see if he could get it hooked up. I knew if he couldn't do it we were done with the phone. We'll be without the phone or computer for a couple of days.
On our way back home Sharon picked up a Deli Chicken from Stater Bros grocery store in Indio. I didn't feel much like eating but she had to have something. As soon as she got done eating she took a couple of loads of wash over to the Laundromat to do them up. I sat in my recliner and napped while she was gone. Actually for most of the night. I was still having pain and taking meads for it. Man this stone is a stubborn one.
We sat in front of the Tube for most of the night and I watched TV in between naps. By 10 I was ready to hit the hay even though I had been napping all night.
Friday, March 31, 2006
I woke up with enough pain to know that the stone hadn't gone anywhere during the night. I took my medication and hoped that the pain would subside, and it did, for the most part.
I've taken to writing the Journal long-hand for the lst couple of days. I had the problem of not being able to use the computer for a couple of days before and trying to remember our days past is almost impossible.
We left for work about 9:30 and arrived "just in time" for our shift. We had a little more traffic this morning to fight our way through. but we made it on time.
The parking lot was a shambles this morning with the way they parked cars. They looked like they just let people park where they wanted. What a mess. We tried to straighten it out but it was hopeless.
I didn't feel like walking through the vendor's when we finished our shift so we just jumped in the car and came home. Besides I was tired from not getting much sleep over the past couple of days By the time I hit my recliner I was out cold. I was napping on and off all night between pill sessions.
Sharon had called Phil earlier to see if he was having any luck with the computer and he said it was finished. We'll pick it up sometime tomorrow. If we're ready early enough we'll pick it up before work at 9. I don't know what he did to it but he's kept me connected for the last two years and it looks like we'll be on for another two.
At 10 I woke up and Sharon was in bed already. As I got ready for bed and refilled my hot water bottle she was incredulous that I could go to bed after having napped all night. It sure didn't feel like I had slept all night. This stone was really taking it out of me. In fact it felt like I was ready to hit the hay.
It didn't take long for me to start sawing logs tonight. I think I was asleep before Sharon.
Saturday, April 1, 2006 APRIL FOOL'S DAY
We were ready this morning early and headed over to Indian Waters RV to retrieve our computer and phone. We thought we had plenty of time but we were actually 10 minutes late for work after we said our good-byes and got on the road again. As we were coming on Bob Hope Road a sports car came whistling by us at well over a hundred miles an hour. But by the time we got to Mission Hills he was waiting at the stop light. Damn-the best laid plans of mice and men.
When we got to work everybody had expected that I was in the Hospital because we were late. But as they could see, I wasn't there............ yet.
The parking lot was another cluster f again today. I don't know what the problem is with those guys who work in front of us. But obviously they don't know a thing about parking cars.
I didn't feel like walking through the vendor's today after work so we just came right home. I pretty much settled into my recliner and it looked like it was going to be another night just like the last couple. I slept through all the TV tonight, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Sharon got ready for church after we got home and I pretty much didn't even know she was gone or what time she got home.
I didn't feel much like eating tonight either so I just took my pills and napped. By 10 Sharon was in bed and I was ready to go there. I was completely done in by the time bedtime rolled around. It had been another day of drugs and naps and it ended abruptly at 10
Sunday, April 2, 2006
We were up and ready this morning and Sharon stopped over to the Store and picked up the Muffins we won from Miniature golf Last week. They were Chocolate Muffins and very good. I could only eat half of mine so I saved the other half. I actually offered it to My Honey before we went to work but she declined.
We were on time this morning and the parking lot was looking good for a change. Everything was lined up nicely with a nice wide aisle. I had no complaints this morning. Of course the rules for who was authorized to park in the lot had changed again. No problem we would adapt.
This has been a less than fun week nursing the kidney stone and all. I've had the drugs to control the pain but it just won't pass. I'll have to do something about it in Casa Grande when we get there tomorrow. We've already decided to eliminate the 1-day stay in Quartzsite.
They were going to pass out the "Goody Bags" today and we were anxious to see if there was anything special in the bags for the 35th Anniversary. The past winners received Diamond Rings and we got a "note" thanking us for our participation. That was pretty damn scant for the work we performed and the shit we put up with. I think we won't be there next year at this time. The goody bags were particularly pathetic in that they were smaller than they were last year. It's a shame because we enjoy working the tournament, but this will be our last year I'm sure.
When Sharon got home she was busy outside picking up all our stuff to make the move tomorrow. Afterward she came in and took her own nap.
When I got home it looked like it was going to be a drug and nap night again tonight. I wasn't wrong and I fell into the recliner as soon as we got home. I didn't nap as much as I did the other nights but I was in bed before 10. Sharon stayed up and played on the computer online checking her paper and our finances. I don't know what time she finally caved but I was already sleeping.
