A Resemblance to Tcheky Karyo?

We love British tv and movies. We have an Acorn subscription, and have never missed a PBS Masterpiece Theater. Primarily we watched the classics, but over the last many years we watched them all - including the mysteries. Of late, there is a Julien “Baptiste” program playing - a spin-off of “The Missing,” which we hadn’t seen. While watching that, my husband searched for other shows the main character, Tcheky Karyo has been in. We aren’t enamored by this particular show, but the reviews for “The Missing” series were good, and there were several actors in them that we are very familiar with. So the last couple of weeks we watched both shows with eight episodes each. The Julien character started looking very familiar to my husband - especially when he shaved his head. The ears and general features reminded him of his father. He had “lighter” eyes based on Iranian standards, as did this character. So we took a couple of photos and made them black and white and sent them to our son, asking if he knew who this person was? He said it might be him in a couple of years. Then we resent the real photo who resembled the character and asked if he knew who that was (he had only seen him at a very young age). He responded “my grandfather.” It sounded funny because he always calls his father “Pops.” The resemblance was striking and my husband still can’t get over it. So we didn’t fool him, but it was another bit of trivia. We like watching tv in the evening because it reminds us of how we lived “before” and takes our minds off whatever might be bothering us now. so much for Julien Baptiste. 

Julian Fellowes Belgravia on Epix

Yes, we loved Downton Abbey and even got to see the cast at a talk back and then watched the first episode of the last season before everyone else at GWU in DC. We visited the costumes at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. And Highclere Castle was a great place to visit when we were in England. So when Belgravia - written by Julian Fellowes - came out this year, I didn’t want to miss it. But the problem was it was being shown on Epix - a channel we don’t get. Ironically, our Verizon line up offered a free month of several channels due to the pandemic. The offer included Epix. So we watched the first three episodes that way. The music even sounds like Downton Abbey. When the month turned from April to May, the free channels disappeared. So I searched on ways to get Belgravia without having to pay an arm and a leg. Epix would cost $10 more a month on Verizon. Then I searched for the Epix app on Apple TV and found that you can get a seven day trial, then a charge of $5.99/month with a “cancel at any time.” So I downloaded the app on Apple TV and went through the sign up process. It was wonderful to catch episode four on Sunday night. Now I see that episode five is available. Since there are only six episodes the minimum we will have to pay is $5.99, unless the final one is released before Sunday. Regardless I will cancel the subscription because there is really nothing else we want to watch on Epix. We already have Verizon, prime, Netflix and Acorn. Since we already use Apple TV as our central location for the apps, we will need to explore what they have to offer. Pretty soon the new shows will start to dwindle. How can you make a new movie or tv show during a pandemic? ( photos are from the Epix app)

Apple iPad Repair Request

Last Friday I opted to request a repair of my mom’s iPad. She passed away in February and we had swapped her old iPad for a newer edition a couple of years ago. When I updated it to the latest operating system, it stopped working. I tried everything, including talking with the techs, trying to get it back to ground zero, etc and nothing brought it back. Once I placed the order, I got an email from Apple about the next steps and what to expect. Yesterday in the mail I received the box to send the iPad along with instructions on preparing the iPad and where to drop it off. It needs to be charged and the SIM card needs to be removed, then put in a protective envelope and in to the padded box. I added a note with more details about the problem because “doesn’t start” didn’t seem quite enough. This afternoon we will take a walk over to FedEx for an overnight delivery to Pennsylvania. It’s a good excuse to stretch our legs and get this task accomplished. I’ll be able to follow the progress along the way. Hopefully this will be a painless and successful experience. It’s cheaper to repair this ipad rather than buy a new mini for my husband. His mini is quite old with a cracked screen that can’t be used anymore because it has “ghost strokes.” So far, so good. Let’s see how the next 5-10 day business turnaround goes. 

Mom’s IPad

My mom passed away almost three months ago. I called her every week since I left home for college, and wrote millions of letters and cards in between. I got her a Presto machine that sent photos - it was a printer that printed whatever I sent to her printer address. When the iPad came along, I got her one - she was 90 and she took to it like a bird flies after a bit of apprehension. She always took on challenges and looked ahead. She loved looking at the photos, playing solitaire, and downloading and reading books - the large type helped because she had macular degeneration. When her first iPad couldn’t download books anymore, we got her another one three years ago. It was a bit more tricky to use and she would often call it “that stupid iPad” whenever it started acting up. She preferred the simpler version. When she passed away, I got her iPad. The first thing I did was update it to the newest operating system. Ever since then, it’s gone dead - literally. I’ve tried everything and nothing works. Since I can’t take it in to the Apple store, I looked to see what my options were. I was directed to the Apple site, selected the iPad I’m having a problem with, and picked the issue. It then gave an estimate of how much it would cost including shipping. They are supposed to send me a box to return to them with a promise to turn it around within 5-10 business days. I needed to remove the SIM card and remove any peripherals and covers. So now I’m waiting for the box in the hopes we can finally use mom’s iPad again. My husband’s mini has a cracked glass so he’s been using my really old and heavy iPad. Unfortunately my other iPad also died when up updated the operating system. It was used for all my digital art until I got an IpadPro last summer. Obviously the problem occurs when the operating system is updated to the latest and newest version all at once without the incremental updates in between. Neither mom’s nor mine was updated incrementally. Wouldn’t you know it happened during a pandemic when we need these devices more than ever. Luckily for us we have backups. It’s cheaper to get it repaired than to buy a new one. Time will tell if that actually is the case. Until that happens, I agree with mom and her “stupid iPad.”

Bromeliad Views - a Lovely Reminder

It’s been almost three months since my mom passed away. Some days it feels like yesterday; but then it feels like months ago on other days. Because I kept in constant touch with her, the “routine” is hard to break. Every Sunday at 4:30 we would chat. The last year was very difficult as she slowly began to deteriorate. In between were emails that began to taper off. One of my friends traveled with us on messenger while we were off making final goodbyes, lending support and checking in. When we returned from it all late in February, an unexpected gift arrived. It was a bromeliad plant. It was from our friends who wanted it to be a reminder of my mom. They have one in their home that represents their mom’s loss. So I’ve been trying to get the plant accustomed to it’s new environment and hope it lasts for a very long time. It’s in the corner of the dining room and gets a bit of afternoon sun. The other day it looked so pretty in the late day light. So whenever I look at it I think of her, and the friends who were so thoughtful to think of us. The last few months have been more than weird. it almost feels surreal. 

First Walk in Six Weeks

We missed the Blue Angels flyover this morning. We heard them but couldn’t see them. It was so beautiful on the balcony that we decided we should take a walk - something we haven’t done since March 13 or so. Of course now we need to wear masks - or at least we think we should. That makes for a bit less comfortable experience. But not being out in the spring time is hard. But being in the “at risk” category makes me more mindful of what and what not to do. So we headed toward the park we used to walk in two miles every morning, but changed the route as soon as we saw too many people. What I missed most was seeing and taking photos of anything I thought was interesting enough for a blog. Today, everything was wonderful - even the weeds looked nice. We saw our first iris and varying colors of azaleas. The drive up line at McDonald’s was very long and wrapped around in to the street. It was only 70 degrees with bright sunshine, and by the time we went 1.4 miles we were surprised our legs didn’t feel more rubbery. Avoiding the elevator, we always take the stairs - four flights. I always wanted to live in the second floor for that reason. We were quite winded when we finally got home. So I rubbed everything down with alcohol like we do every time we leave the house - which is usually to pick up groceries in the lobby and go for midnight mail runs to avoid running in to anyone. This is the one time I am sorry we don’t live in a single family home. It affords a bit more freedom when you know you are only dealing with yourself. But there are drawbacks for everything. Having left DC for northern Virginia last year was a good move. A lot of people are thinking about city vs suburb living now. Everything will be changing. Up until now we haven’t ventured to pick up any restaurant food. Maybe that will be next. Baby steps. 

Cascade Pod Does Not Dissolve in Dishwasher - Sometimes

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. Since we have been using the dishwasher more than we ever did, I made sure we would have enough cascade pods and rinse to handle the extra load. We never had luck with dishwashers in the past. Our Capitol Hill model would no longer work with cascade liquid so we started using pods. In our new condo in northern Virginia it was the only appliance we had that worked when we moved in. The microwave wouldn’t heat, the oven didn’t hold a temperature and required a replacement, and the refrigerator filter was impossible to remove. Now it’s been a year and signs are showing there may be issues. The cascade pod doesn’t always “melt away” leaving the contents less than clean. So I looked up why that might be happening - make sure the slot the pod is placed in is working (opens and closes); check the filter on the bottom to be sure it is clean; and check the water temperature - it needs to be about 149-150 degrees. I did all the above and the last one seemed to make the most sense - because the pod not dissolving is very inconsistent. So before we turn the dishwasher on we run the faucet until the water is hot and then start the dishwasher. My husband doesn’t always use hot water at the sink so that might be the reason, although it seems strange. Since we’ve been adjusting the temperature there hasn’t been a problem. But it’s only been two times. You can certainly tell the difference when it works right - no pod residue, and sparkly shining dishes, glasses and silverware. When it works it really works. When it doesn’t it leaves a sort of soapy film. We will keep our fingers crossed - and turn on the hot water.