October 16, 2024

I sing. I'm studying and getting pretty good.

I intend to audition for the Orange County (CA) Women's Chorus. I'm working with a coach, who is tremendous. Very good at what he does. Besides voice, he's also teaching me solfege*, to read music, to master rhythm, and more.

I have a serious problem, though. I can't get through my chosen audition song without tearing up. I hate it, but I'd hate it worse if it happened in my audition.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to handle this? I don't know when my audition will be, but suspect early- to mid-2025.

Thanks for whatever advice, or even just comments you have.

*The key is to watch the hell out of The Sound of Music (doe, a deer . . .). 😉

October 6, 2024

Letter to the Editor - requesting assistance

Letter to the Editor

The body of the letter (below) contains the matter.

If you've a moment, please read the letter and, if you have any, share corrections or suggestions.

Thank you

***************************************************************************************************

To the Editor
Orange County Register

October 6, 2024

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a Republican PAC, has recently sent several mailers to my home. These state that Democrat Derek Tran, a candidate for California's 45th Congressional District, as a defense attorney, defended those accused of sexual misconduct, racial intimidation, and discrimination against minority groups, allegedly making Mr. Tran unfit for Congressional office.

CLF infers that the fact that Mr. Tran, having defended the accused, is unfit for office, whereas he should be receiving praise for observing (word?) the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. CLF has conveniently omitted any mention of the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees, among others, the right to assistance of counsel.

In defending the accused, Mr. Tran was protecting the alleged criminals under the Sixth Amendment, as such protection under the Constitution is guaranteed to the citizens of the United States.

If the CLF must be disingenuous by not recognizing the Sixth Amendment in these mailers, perhaps they ought not to put out these hit pieces in the first place.

Sincerely,

K.J. H.

******************************************************************************************************************************************
The 45th is now occupied by Republican Michelle Steel, who is extremely anti-abortion. She thinks that supporting IVF is enough to forgive her of that egregious stance.

You're welcome to make changes, from words to phrases to entire sentences.

Thank you very much.

I hope I've posted this in the correct forum..

September 5, 2024

I *think* this is the forum for this discussion - if not, suggest where I ought to post it.

I'm 61. Up until about a year ago, I enjoyed my retirement. My wife, 72, has always been in decent health. That changed about two years ago. She has become infirm. She has fallen several times. We've called the paramedics six times in the last year because we can't lift her. The worst is when we can't get her off the toilet. (Sorry for bringing that up.) Before he knows the extent of Kathy's needs, the leader of the paramedics crew always greets me with, "How's Kathy doing? What do we need?"

On four occasions they've taken her to the hospital. On three of those occasions, she was kept at the hospital overnight, suffering from dehydration. On the fourth occasion, they kept her for three days. Again she was dehydrated severely, and had a frightful UTI. The doctor told me and my sister that those two things explained her loss of control of her limbs, her speaking gibberish, and other problems that manifested themselves.

My sister and I have begun to call around to try to find visiting nurse organizations and other services. I have yet to call our medical insurance to learn if they have such a program, and if so, what the cost would be.

The point of this post: to try to expunge some of my anxiety. I used my whole session with my therapist yesterday to talk about this horrible anxiety. She had a good deal of insight, and as she explained it, I scribbled as fast as I could in my journal. She's wonderful. (If anyone in coastal Southern California needs a therapist, send me a message.)

Do you have any experience with such a situation, either as a spouse/partner, a doctor, or a visiting medical professional? I'd appreciate any insight you can share.

Thank you.

PS I've posted this in mental health because I am bipolar, have ADHD, have extreme anxiety, and other problems. Ooh, so much fun being me. I know that many of you understand.

August 14, 2024

TODAY'S POST OFFICE SCORE

TODAY'S POST OFFICE SCORE:
KAMALA 2, MAGA 1!

Yesterday, I was at the post office and wearing one of my Kamala shirts, and I got two great responses. A woman whispered, "I like your shirt!" We smiled at each other. A man in the parking lot gave me a big smile and a thumbs up, both of which I returned.

But then I crossed paths with a man in a red MAGA hat. He scowled at me as I smiled at him and said, "Hello." He kept scowling as he made eye contact, then after he passed me he said, "No, bad, bad." Quite an intelligent comment, I thought. But not everyone can slip easily into human kindness mode. I can't always. Apparently just saying "Hello" pisses off the MAGAs. I wonder how he would've reacted if I hadn't been showing my pride in Kamala.

Have you had any like encounters with the MAGA crowd? Tell us about it.

August 13, 2024

Here's what is maybe a lame question:

I'm off to Lowes and/or Home Depot and here's a question:

How much should a three-foot or four-foot by one-inch dowel cost? I need it for physical therapy.

July 28, 2024

Need help reducing image for avatar

I've tried four sites that seem like good choices, but my image doesn't come out small enough with the use of any of them.

ADVICE: can you advise me on this process, or perhaps point me to a site where it's easy to reduce an image's size?

-- OR --

HELP: is this something you'd be willing to do for me? (This is the weeny's way out.)

Thanks for whatever direction or assistance you can offer.

July 7, 2024

What one food or beverage . . .

What one food or beverage can you just not stand - and what would you rather have in its place?

For me, it's IPA. I'd rather drink hot water with seasoned salt mixed in.

What's yours?

July 7, 2024

Looking for the correct forum

I'm very unhappy in my marriage. I don't know the proper forum in which to discuss this.

Do you know if there's a specific forum for this?? Separation and divorce are out of the question. I don't want to discuss this in that forum.

Thank you.

June 25, 2024

Charley Girl died on June 3

I posted on June 1 that my Charley Girl, my 21-year-old blind tabby, died on June 3. We went to the vet to help her along, as she had already lost her life, her interest, her wanting to play with toys, her desire to eat - all the things you expect from a cat.

She went peacefully.

Thank you to all of you who gave messages to me.

Best,

Not Heidi

June 1, 2024

I think my cat is dying.

Charley Girl is 21 years old. In January this year, she went blind. She seemed insane for a day or two, but once she learned to navigate her way around the room (she's always lived in our bedroom), she improved. Until a couple of weeks ago, she'd made our bed her own, until she took to her old enclosed bed* in the closet. We don't see her very much anymore. Except when we feed her, she stays in the closet.

Shortly after she went blind, she began to lose weight. She now looks like an abandoned stray who can't find any food or any friend or any home. She is so thin. To pet her is to feel her ribs. The space behind her ribs is all sunken in. We can feel the bumps of her spine. She does eat, not quite as much as I'd want, but she drinks enough water.

My wife and I have been discussing whether it's time to take that trip to the vet. We don't want Charley Girl to suffer anymore.

Have you had a similar experience with your cat? Can you offer any advice from experience? None of my friends or Kathy's have had similar experience - at least not in the last several years.

We are desperate to know what to do.

* It has a bed, four walls, a roof, and a small hole to get in by.