Hello,
Even in the short time that I was at the new house in DC I met some of the neighbors. They all were very friendly and welcoming. One of the guys has the same first and last name. What is the world coming to? Neighbors talking to neighbors? In the big city?
For my return trip, Sarah and Stephen dropped me off at the Metro stop close to their home. They were on their way to church so it was a bit early, but that did not bother me since I like early better than late especially when catching planes.
The escalator was not working at that spot, but a friendly Metro employee told me I could go across the street and go down there. That worked out just fine. At the level where I paid to get in I asked the attendant which side I needed. I am now into asking if there is the slightest doubt. When I got down there I saw that a train was coming in five minutes, but not the one I wanted. In fact there were none listed that I wanted. Hopefully a time would appear. After a while another train for the line I did not want was listed in 20 minutes. Then it said there was a problem on a track. What to do? No phone to reach anyone, but I still had about 40 minutes extra surely something would work out in that time. Fifteen minutes later it flashed up that my train was due in two minutes. It was there in just two minutes. I hopped on, sat so I could see the map, and settled back for my fairly long ride.
It was going just as it should with no trouble finding my way around the airport. A long walk was nice since I would be waiting quite a while.
Checking in this time was a bit less stress since I was flying NW. I simply went to the elite check-in kiosk and it told that I could check in two bags free. Since I only had one to check in I was in great shape. Someone had left a copy of the Sunday Comics on a seat and I pounce on it happy to read something that might make me laugh.
I had never ridden first class before so it was a treat to experience that. The seat was bigger, there was more food for snacks, and a bottle of water was already at my seat. Maybe I could get used to this.
Paula
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My Phone
Hello,
Last month when I was in DC two-year-old Lexi wanted to use my phone. That was ok much of the time as she just listened. At one point I told her no and she threw it in the toilet. Sarah yelled and snatched it out, but not before it got quite wet. After some inquires we learned that you can take the sim card out, as well as the battery and put it all in uncooked rice over night. It may have been dry in the morning, but a light only flashed on the screen a few seconds before it went dark again. I was not able to get a new phone before I came home.
It feels so uncomfortable to fly without a phone. How did people manage in the old days? It was necessary to trust Leroy to be at the airport at the appointed time. Hopefully he would not have to wait too long. I picked up my bag and waited outside, no Leroy. Finally I asked a women standing close by if I could have her call Leroy. Luckily I keep all these numbers in my calendar. People are so generous if you just ask, but I keep forgetting that.
Once home I did not go right away to buy another phone since the store had a senior day on Thursday and this was Sunday after all. I do not use the phone much around town so waiting was not a problem. Regretfully I learned on Thursday that the phones were not subject to the 15% off so the wait was not necessary.
The man at the phone company, Tracfone, told me that it could take 72 hours for activation, something to do with the fact that my old phone would not work and that I now lived in a different place.
By Sunday night there was still no service. I hate to call for most anything so excuses came easy, maybe they meant 72 hours of working days. By Wednesday evening there was still no service so further procrastination made no sense even to the phone shy person. The man that day told me that it was because of changing towers, but if I had no service in 24 hours to call back.
No service so I must again make a call. The woman this time told me that I could just keep my service with the same tower since it was not so far away. She then helped me manually get started. It took many codes of about 15 numbers to get this done. Because she gave the numbers as single units and not double digits such as 27 which I could easily make 72 we got the job done. I am not sure why, but they seem not to have a record of how many minutes I had left on my service. I did remember that it was close to 170. I also had the bill from the last time I added time so I knew that I had purchased through August 2010. She then put in the time and somehow it turned into 340 minutes. When I told her about that she said, “That is ok.” After that she said I will give you until 11 on the length of service. I thought she was talking about 11 as the month of November instead I now have service through September 2011. That is so great since I do not use my phone much therefore I will possibly not buy any more minutes before then. What looked like a negative turned into a positive. Plus I like this phone so much better than my former phone.
Paula
Last month when I was in DC two-year-old Lexi wanted to use my phone. That was ok much of the time as she just listened. At one point I told her no and she threw it in the toilet. Sarah yelled and snatched it out, but not before it got quite wet. After some inquires we learned that you can take the sim card out, as well as the battery and put it all in uncooked rice over night. It may have been dry in the morning, but a light only flashed on the screen a few seconds before it went dark again. I was not able to get a new phone before I came home.
It feels so uncomfortable to fly without a phone. How did people manage in the old days? It was necessary to trust Leroy to be at the airport at the appointed time. Hopefully he would not have to wait too long. I picked up my bag and waited outside, no Leroy. Finally I asked a women standing close by if I could have her call Leroy. Luckily I keep all these numbers in my calendar. People are so generous if you just ask, but I keep forgetting that.
Once home I did not go right away to buy another phone since the store had a senior day on Thursday and this was Sunday after all. I do not use the phone much around town so waiting was not a problem. Regretfully I learned on Thursday that the phones were not subject to the 15% off so the wait was not necessary.
The man at the phone company, Tracfone, told me that it could take 72 hours for activation, something to do with the fact that my old phone would not work and that I now lived in a different place.
By Sunday night there was still no service. I hate to call for most anything so excuses came easy, maybe they meant 72 hours of working days. By Wednesday evening there was still no service so further procrastination made no sense even to the phone shy person. The man that day told me that it was because of changing towers, but if I had no service in 24 hours to call back.
No service so I must again make a call. The woman this time told me that I could just keep my service with the same tower since it was not so far away. She then helped me manually get started. It took many codes of about 15 numbers to get this done. Because she gave the numbers as single units and not double digits such as 27 which I could easily make 72 we got the job done. I am not sure why, but they seem not to have a record of how many minutes I had left on my service. I did remember that it was close to 170. I also had the bill from the last time I added time so I knew that I had purchased through August 2010. She then put in the time and somehow it turned into 340 minutes. When I told her about that she said, “That is ok.” After that she said I will give you until 11 on the length of service. I thought she was talking about 11 as the month of November instead I now have service through September 2011. That is so great since I do not use my phone much therefore I will possibly not buy any more minutes before then. What looked like a negative turned into a positive. Plus I like this phone so much better than my former phone.
Paula
Monday, October 26, 2009
That Locksmith
Hello,
When I was in Washington a month ago I had the responsibility of greeting, passing on instructions, inspecting, and paying the locksmith and the electrician.
When the locksmith was finished I checked the locks to be sure that I could indeed open the doors with the keys that he gave me. Then it was time to pay him. Credit card was not an option. My debit card would work, but where was an ATM? The friendly locksmith checks the Internet on his phone and tells me, “There is one about two minutes away.”
“Is that walking or riding?” I want to know.
“Riding,” he said and seeing my hesitation he added, “I can drive you there. It will be no problem.”
Now do you think it is a good idea to leave the house and all the possessions with the electrician?
“Ok,” I said since I could think of no other option to pay this bill.
Before I could get in the car the seat needed to be cleared of assorted items. I got in and noted that it was dirtier than our car has ever been. Mr. Locksmith got in, put the key in the ignition, turned it and nothing happened. He tried again with the same result.
“I left the lights on,” he said, “So sorry.”
He gets out and runs across the street to ask some workmen if they could jump start the car. No luck. Then he tries to stop a car going by. Next it was back into the house and he asks the electrician. Following that he comes back and goes across the street to beg. While he was doing that the electrician came out, opened up the hood of the car, took out a pliers from his belt holder, banged on the battery terminal, tightened something on the battery, closed the hood, got in the car, started it, said to the locksmith as he came back, “You should really pay more attention to that battery connection.”
“It is not my car,” the locksmith says, “It is my boss’s car.”
After a two minute drive we stop at the ATM. I cannot get my door open since there is no handle inside so the locksmith gets out and opens the door for me.
At that point I stand in line for more than fifteen minutes even though there is only one woman ahead of me. She appears to be making a number of transactions or trying to figure out how to get more money from the system than is possible. I am waiting patiently trying not to tap my foot or think about how the house could now be totally devoid of furnishings.
At last it is my turn. I have not used an ATM for some time and ask for fast cash, after all I want it fast. The trouble is that I cannot put in the amount needed so I must do it twice taking more time and doubling the charge for using this machine. (My bank covered all but $1.00 of that so it was not a big deal.)
Finally with money in hand I hop back into the car and we speed back to the house where I pay the bill, get a receipt, get the car door opened for me and my friendly locksmith speeds off on his next assignment. I go in the house and everything appears to be the way I left it complete with a still working electrician.
When Sarah heard about my escapade, she commented, “You rode off with a stranger? You could have been kidnapped!”
Paula
When I was in Washington a month ago I had the responsibility of greeting, passing on instructions, inspecting, and paying the locksmith and the electrician.
When the locksmith was finished I checked the locks to be sure that I could indeed open the doors with the keys that he gave me. Then it was time to pay him. Credit card was not an option. My debit card would work, but where was an ATM? The friendly locksmith checks the Internet on his phone and tells me, “There is one about two minutes away.”
“Is that walking or riding?” I want to know.
“Riding,” he said and seeing my hesitation he added, “I can drive you there. It will be no problem.”
Now do you think it is a good idea to leave the house and all the possessions with the electrician?
“Ok,” I said since I could think of no other option to pay this bill.
Before I could get in the car the seat needed to be cleared of assorted items. I got in and noted that it was dirtier than our car has ever been. Mr. Locksmith got in, put the key in the ignition, turned it and nothing happened. He tried again with the same result.
“I left the lights on,” he said, “So sorry.”
He gets out and runs across the street to ask some workmen if they could jump start the car. No luck. Then he tries to stop a car going by. Next it was back into the house and he asks the electrician. Following that he comes back and goes across the street to beg. While he was doing that the electrician came out, opened up the hood of the car, took out a pliers from his belt holder, banged on the battery terminal, tightened something on the battery, closed the hood, got in the car, started it, said to the locksmith as he came back, “You should really pay more attention to that battery connection.”
“It is not my car,” the locksmith says, “It is my boss’s car.”
After a two minute drive we stop at the ATM. I cannot get my door open since there is no handle inside so the locksmith gets out and opens the door for me.
At that point I stand in line for more than fifteen minutes even though there is only one woman ahead of me. She appears to be making a number of transactions or trying to figure out how to get more money from the system than is possible. I am waiting patiently trying not to tap my foot or think about how the house could now be totally devoid of furnishings.
At last it is my turn. I have not used an ATM for some time and ask for fast cash, after all I want it fast. The trouble is that I cannot put in the amount needed so I must do it twice taking more time and doubling the charge for using this machine. (My bank covered all but $1.00 of that so it was not a big deal.)
Finally with money in hand I hop back into the car and we speed back to the house where I pay the bill, get a receipt, get the car door opened for me and my friendly locksmith speeds off on his next assignment. I go in the house and everything appears to be the way I left it complete with a still working electrician.
When Sarah heard about my escapade, she commented, “You rode off with a stranger? You could have been kidnapped!”
Paula
Friday, October 16, 2009
More time in DC
Hello,
When I finally did get to the new house I managed to get the door open without difficulty. I was loaded with keys, three for the apartment and two for the house. I was happy to pass any challenge at this point. These keys need to be persuaded to open the door.
I spent a bit of time pulling weeds. I also tried to get the weed eater put together, but the holes would not line up just right and I was afraid that I would break one plastic piece or the other so I set that aside. Then I moved on to washing out the kitchen cupboards. Next it was on to washing the dishes, glasses, and etc. that I found. When they were dry I put the in the cupboards any which way since I did not really know the best place. Unpacking a few more things completed the day and tired me out.
Tuesday I managed the bus like a pro, but I kept my schedule in hand and the map readily available. On almost all of the bus rides I was the only white person. Most of the people were black with a few Hispanics.
Today I was to let in the locksmith and the electrician. The locksmith came first. He looked to be late 20’s or early 30’s. When I explained that I did not own the house he wondered where I was from. I told him a small town in Iowa. He thought he might know it because he had family in Ridgeway which is close to Decorah where I went to college. Small world?
I will continue this story later, but now I am tired as tomorrow we will get up very early to drive to Omaha to catch a plane to SLC to visit Miriam and family.
Paula
When I finally did get to the new house I managed to get the door open without difficulty. I was loaded with keys, three for the apartment and two for the house. I was happy to pass any challenge at this point. These keys need to be persuaded to open the door.
I spent a bit of time pulling weeds. I also tried to get the weed eater put together, but the holes would not line up just right and I was afraid that I would break one plastic piece or the other so I set that aside. Then I moved on to washing out the kitchen cupboards. Next it was on to washing the dishes, glasses, and etc. that I found. When they were dry I put the in the cupboards any which way since I did not really know the best place. Unpacking a few more things completed the day and tired me out.
Tuesday I managed the bus like a pro, but I kept my schedule in hand and the map readily available. On almost all of the bus rides I was the only white person. Most of the people were black with a few Hispanics.
Today I was to let in the locksmith and the electrician. The locksmith came first. He looked to be late 20’s or early 30’s. When I explained that I did not own the house he wondered where I was from. I told him a small town in Iowa. He thought he might know it because he had family in Ridgeway which is close to Decorah where I went to college. Small world?
I will continue this story later, but now I am tired as tomorrow we will get up very early to drive to Omaha to catch a plane to SLC to visit Miriam and family.
Paula
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Sunday and Monday in DC
Hello,
Sunday morning it was off to the National Cathedral for church. I even remembered it from a visit 12 years ago. At that time after church we took a tour of the facility. Today we had other things on the agenda.
The organ seemed so muddy with the melody of hymns well hidden in the rolling sound. It is a very live building. Good thing some hymns were familiar or that I can read some music.
In the afternoon it was off to the new house to unpack, and assemble some items. Lexi even took a nap in her new surroundings.
Monday morning I rode the bus to make the trip back to the house because the rest went to work and daycare. Sarah had talked me through the bus basics and armed me with a city map as well as the bus schedule. I marched down to the stop, saw the bus number 8 and hopped on. My paper metro card would not work on the bus. The driver informed me, “It is only for the metro. Instead you need the plastic one here.”
He had already started up. “Oh no what do I do?” I wondered.
He mentioned, “It costs $1.35 to ride.” And after a beat he added, “Sixty cents for seniors.”
“I have money. Am I a senior?” I asked.
He just shrugged his shoulders.
“You do not have to know everything.” I laughed and said, “I am 62, does that make me a senior?” (Later I remembered that I am only 61, but I will be 62 in three months.)
“Yes,” he grinned. I found my money, put it in the slot, and went back to sit down.
I pulled out my bus schedule and saw some of the streets that I thought should be there. Schedules here are not as precise as those I was accustomed to in Slovakia. After a while I could not see any more streets that I expected. I asked the woman ahead of me if I was on the right bus. She looked at my schedule and said, “You’re on the wrong bus.”
Immediately she pulled the stop request line even though the bus was stopped at a traffic light. She the called out to the driver, “Wait, she is on the wrong bus.”
I went up and told him where I wanted to go, he thought a minute and said, “You cross the street and go to the bus stop down there. 4F will stop and he will help you.”
With my heart pumping a bit I hurried across the street to wait for the proper bus. After about 20 minutes it came. I got on but before I put my money in the slot I asked the driver if he could help me get where I wanted to go since I had gotten on the wrong bus. He considered a bit and he said, “Yes, I can do that. You should get off at a stop and you can catch the right bus.” I had gotten on 8G and I should have been on 8H. “Because you have already paid you do not have to pay again.”
The second bus driver told me which was my stop and pointed out the proper bus stop since it was around to the side. It took quite a while, but I got there. What a gift to be able to speak to the bus drivers. They could understand me and I could understand them. No Slovak here.
Helpful people are everywhere.
Paula
Sunday morning it was off to the National Cathedral for church. I even remembered it from a visit 12 years ago. At that time after church we took a tour of the facility. Today we had other things on the agenda.
The organ seemed so muddy with the melody of hymns well hidden in the rolling sound. It is a very live building. Good thing some hymns were familiar or that I can read some music.
In the afternoon it was off to the new house to unpack, and assemble some items. Lexi even took a nap in her new surroundings.
Monday morning I rode the bus to make the trip back to the house because the rest went to work and daycare. Sarah had talked me through the bus basics and armed me with a city map as well as the bus schedule. I marched down to the stop, saw the bus number 8 and hopped on. My paper metro card would not work on the bus. The driver informed me, “It is only for the metro. Instead you need the plastic one here.”
He had already started up. “Oh no what do I do?” I wondered.
He mentioned, “It costs $1.35 to ride.” And after a beat he added, “Sixty cents for seniors.”
“I have money. Am I a senior?” I asked.
He just shrugged his shoulders.
“You do not have to know everything.” I laughed and said, “I am 62, does that make me a senior?” (Later I remembered that I am only 61, but I will be 62 in three months.)
“Yes,” he grinned. I found my money, put it in the slot, and went back to sit down.
I pulled out my bus schedule and saw some of the streets that I thought should be there. Schedules here are not as precise as those I was accustomed to in Slovakia. After a while I could not see any more streets that I expected. I asked the woman ahead of me if I was on the right bus. She looked at my schedule and said, “You’re on the wrong bus.”
Immediately she pulled the stop request line even though the bus was stopped at a traffic light. She the called out to the driver, “Wait, she is on the wrong bus.”
I went up and told him where I wanted to go, he thought a minute and said, “You cross the street and go to the bus stop down there. 4F will stop and he will help you.”
With my heart pumping a bit I hurried across the street to wait for the proper bus. After about 20 minutes it came. I got on but before I put my money in the slot I asked the driver if he could help me get where I wanted to go since I had gotten on the wrong bus. He considered a bit and he said, “Yes, I can do that. You should get off at a stop and you can catch the right bus.” I had gotten on 8G and I should have been on 8H. “Because you have already paid you do not have to pay again.”
The second bus driver told me which was my stop and pointed out the proper bus stop since it was around to the side. It took quite a while, but I got there. What a gift to be able to speak to the bus drivers. They could understand me and I could understand them. No Slovak here.
Helpful people are everywhere.
Paula
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Old and Narrow
Hello,
Because the stairs to the basement, in Sarah and Stephen’s DC row house, were a bit shallow the appointed couch would not go down instead it had to go in the living room on the main floor. The smaller couch went to the basement. Lexi’s tall dresser could not make the turn to go upstairs so it when to the downstairs bedroom.
The large looking house shrunk rapidly as more furniture, more boxes, and more curios kept coming in the door.
In the afternoon Sarah and Stephen left to get the shipment from Geneva. They had hired two guys to help with the truck loading and unloading. Unfortunately the movers had a flat tire so they had almost loaded the truck without help. There was hardly an inch to spare by the time the load was on. They learned that the movers were deaf. As Stephen said, “How can you tell the guy on the other end of the load that you need to stop if your hands are seriously occupied?”
Somehow these guys managed to unload very quickly. There were a lot of hand signals. We might tap them on the shoulder to get their attention and use body language. Because of the signing time that they do with Lexi they were able to ask if they needed more water to drink and to say thank you. Clapping and thumbs up worked too. These two guys helped do the impossible by getting the queen sized box springs to the second floor. One of them stood on the ground and passed it up to his partner standing on the porch railing who in turn passed it up to Sarah and Stephen standing on the balcony above. It was exciting to watch. The mattress was bendable enough to be persuaded to go up the small narrow turn in the stairway.
Finally all things were in the house except for a few things back in the apartment.
Paula
Because the stairs to the basement, in Sarah and Stephen’s DC row house, were a bit shallow the appointed couch would not go down instead it had to go in the living room on the main floor. The smaller couch went to the basement. Lexi’s tall dresser could not make the turn to go upstairs so it when to the downstairs bedroom.
The large looking house shrunk rapidly as more furniture, more boxes, and more curios kept coming in the door.
In the afternoon Sarah and Stephen left to get the shipment from Geneva. They had hired two guys to help with the truck loading and unloading. Unfortunately the movers had a flat tire so they had almost loaded the truck without help. There was hardly an inch to spare by the time the load was on. They learned that the movers were deaf. As Stephen said, “How can you tell the guy on the other end of the load that you need to stop if your hands are seriously occupied?”
Somehow these guys managed to unload very quickly. There were a lot of hand signals. We might tap them on the shoulder to get their attention and use body language. Because of the signing time that they do with Lexi they were able to ask if they needed more water to drink and to say thank you. Clapping and thumbs up worked too. These two guys helped do the impossible by getting the queen sized box springs to the second floor. One of them stood on the ground and passed it up to his partner standing on the porch railing who in turn passed it up to Sarah and Stephen standing on the balcony above. It was exciting to watch. The mattress was bendable enough to be persuaded to go up the small narrow turn in the stairway.
Finally all things were in the house except for a few things back in the apartment.
Paula
Monday, October 12, 2009
Back in DC
Hello,
Before I go back to DC, I have to correct a name in my last missive. It is Joel Hoger rather than Josh. Can you imagine that I might forget a name?
My first Saturday in DC Sarah and I headed out for a tour of the White House. Stephen kindly gave up his spot to me. It was quite interesting to see some of the rooms that were slightly familiar from publications. The guide’s talk was informative. For instance he said that Taft was the heaviest president at 300 plus pounds. When we visited Belle Meade Plantation they told us that they had invented a forerunner of the modern shower because Taft was to visit and he had a history of getting stuck in bathtubs. The shower was three or four upright pipes with two or three pipes that circles around on those supports. The pipes had holes in them so water would spray out. It seems that necessity is the mother of invention. Taft liked it so well that he had one made for the White House, but this was not mentioned in our tour. Is my memory correct?
But what is the correct pronunciation of library? The guide kept saying the berry sound on the end. Two weeks ago at Luther College someone on the phone also said that.
Following the tour we went to the new house where Stephen and Lexi was in the middle of the furniture and boxes that was coming off the truck which had come from Seattle, Stephen had things stored at his parent’s house, and Salt Lake, where they had stored things when they first went to Geneva. This looked like a big truck, but Miriam said when the truck was at her house it was a bigger one. The movers told her they would change trucks outside of Washington because they could not take that large truck into the city. Leroy who at one time worked for a moving company said, “That is a terrible job. I have done that in the past.” They were fortunate because everything was checked off by the time the movers were done.
Paula
Before I go back to DC, I have to correct a name in my last missive. It is Joel Hoger rather than Josh. Can you imagine that I might forget a name?
My first Saturday in DC Sarah and I headed out for a tour of the White House. Stephen kindly gave up his spot to me. It was quite interesting to see some of the rooms that were slightly familiar from publications. The guide’s talk was informative. For instance he said that Taft was the heaviest president at 300 plus pounds. When we visited Belle Meade Plantation they told us that they had invented a forerunner of the modern shower because Taft was to visit and he had a history of getting stuck in bathtubs. The shower was three or four upright pipes with two or three pipes that circles around on those supports. The pipes had holes in them so water would spray out. It seems that necessity is the mother of invention. Taft liked it so well that he had one made for the White House, but this was not mentioned in our tour. Is my memory correct?
But what is the correct pronunciation of library? The guide kept saying the berry sound on the end. Two weeks ago at Luther College someone on the phone also said that.
Following the tour we went to the new house where Stephen and Lexi was in the middle of the furniture and boxes that was coming off the truck which had come from Seattle, Stephen had things stored at his parent’s house, and Salt Lake, where they had stored things when they first went to Geneva. This looked like a big truck, but Miriam said when the truck was at her house it was a bigger one. The movers told her they would change trucks outside of Washington because they could not take that large truck into the city. Leroy who at one time worked for a moving company said, “That is a terrible job. I have done that in the past.” They were fortunate because everything was checked off by the time the movers were done.
Paula
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