Saturday, July 11, 2009

Doubts

Not much to write about today except to say that I am having doubts about Mom taking off for Utah on Monday and I am not exactly sure what it is going to feel like Tuesday morning when I wake up completely alone and am responsible only for myself. Anyone have any pointers?

On to the games. Yesterday's answers:

Besides being illnesses what to Hepatitis, Jaundice, and Cirrhosis have in common?
Liver Diseases.

What to the characters Perry Maonite, Rock Quarry, and Cary Granite have in common?
Characters in The Flintstones.

What do a shoulder, A fan, and an ice skate have in common? All have blades.

What to Danke, Tack, & Grazie have in common? All mean thank you.

What to Joe Besser, Jo De Rita, and Shemp Howard have in common? The Three Stooges after the original ones.

Let's try a new game today, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Although I probably won't use this type of game in the contest starting August 1, 2009 if I do it will be something like I am going to try today. There will be four questions. Each will have a different dollar or point value level. In order to get credit for the second question, you have to get the first one right, in order to get credit for the second question you have to get the third one right and so on. You can drop out at any time and take the points but to get the maximum points you have to answer all four questions. If you miss any question you will drop back to the point value of the last question that you had right.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

4,000 Point Question

The Libery Bell has long possessed what well known flaw?

A. Being green in color.

B. Shaped as a square instead of being shaped as a bell.

C. Has a crack in it.

D. Is displayed upside down.

8,000 Point question:

In the movie, The Stepford Wives, what is unique about the wives in the movie?

A. They all appear nude during the entire movie.

B. They are robots.

C. They are sisters.

D. They are teachers.

16,000 point question:

On The Cartoon "Scoobydoo, Where are you?" the girl with the glasses is named:

A. Pat

B. Michelle

C. Thelma

D. Velma.

32,000 Point Question

The Island of Bermuda is directly East of what US State?

A. North Carolina

B. Florida

C. Georgia

D. South Carolina.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is coming back to prime time on ABC in August. You can be a contestant! Go to ABC.COM. Click on "shows", then click on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", then click on "the phone game". You answer a few quesstions, if you get them right you go into a pool of everyone that got them right that day and if they draw your name you get a free trip to New York, and we will all be watching if you get on!

May today be filled withg a million laughs for you!

18 comments:

dona said...

Yeah I've got a suggestion on your waking up Tuesday morning with no one to worry about but yourself for a couple of weeks......Go to bed Monday evening with a smile on your face and wake up with one as well. Get up get dressed and find something to do for you. Call a friend, go to breakfast, lunch or dinner with them or just with yourself. Whatever you do, smile and have a nice time getting a small deserving break. Consider it a small bonus payment to spend however you choose! Just have a wonderful few days to yourself.

Game looks fun, answers coming soon in email.
Have a great nite!

Pat said...

Bill, it's only two weeks. Just relax and sleep late on Tuesday morning. Get up, take your time getting ready for the day and then just do whatever you feel like doing. And try not to twitch every time the phone rings.

I think the bigger question for me would be what will I feel like when the two weeks are over. But I'd try not to dwell on that.

I want to be a millionaire, so answers in email.

Lady DR said...

I like Dona's suggestions.

I've three weeks to figure this out, for the long term, and today (this changes daily, if not hourly) I think I'm going to go back to those things I enjoyed before life changed five years ago - fortunately, I already have editorial work lined up - and take time to do the things I've NOT done but used to enjoy, to see if they're still appealing - guitar jam session, gardening, whatever. I'm also going to make a point to set up lunches with folks I've not been able to spend time with, if they're willing to do late lunch after my workouts. And think about inviting friends up here for cookouts or dinner or whatever, without feeling guilty about not inviting Mom. The one thing I encourage you to do, given your time is limited, is take advantage of being able to "go and do," without guilt or feeling you need to check in or whatever. If that means a couple day trips or going down to Ashland (when is the Shakespeare thing there?) or hitting the road for a couple days, do it! Getting out with friends, holing up with a good book and no interruptions -- whatever it is that seems to have been "taken" from you, do it during your break.

I need to know what works (wry s)

William J. said...

Hi Dona

But if I am happy and have nothing to complain about, what am I going to write about?

I am going to an open house and private showing of 2010 models at the local Ford Dealership and they are serving food! That is Tuesday. Wednesday the comedy class.

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Pat

Believe it or not that is one of my worries, one if I enjoy it so much that I won't want to be a caregiver after two weeks and I end up deserting my mom!

I twitch now every time the phone rings!

Bill

William J. said...

Hi DR

I honestly have been doing this so long that I can't remember what I enjoyed before all of this!

I do plan on doing a few things the two weeks, movies and the like. I also going back to walking and looking out for my health, which is hard to do when you have so many responsibilities.

Yup the Shakespear thing is going on in Ashland!

I will let you know how this works!

Bill

Lady DR said...

>> But if I am happy and have nothing to complain about, what am I going to write about

Ah Ha! There you've stated my query, although in different terms. Most of us here have built our lives around our parents or other dependents, which has meant giving up certain things in our lives and hopes and such. When that goes away... whether short or long term... who are we? How do we define ourselves? What's our purpose?

You'll never desert your mom, Bill, regardless of where she lives or what the situation is, just as I'll never desert Mom. It will be hard to let someone else be in charge and not know on a daily - sometimes hourly- basis how she is and not be able to see for myself. I supsect that's why you twitch when the phone rings .. or doesn't. Releasing control and/or responsibility after so many years is d*mn hard and I've not even had to do it yet, just consider what it means.

Walk for your soul and your soles and your health. Try to let go and let God, asking for the greater good of ALL involved. I'm working on that now (the jury is still out).

Any change is hard. A case of the "devil you know" versus the "devil you don't" I guess.

Mom had a difficult discussion with D today, in which nothing was right and D was adamnent about her not leaving anything here with me and so forth. I reminded Mom of the dates -- Deb's late husband's b-day was Thursday and middle sister's late husband went into the hospital about now and Mom had failed to make all the connections. It's interesting that, as we grow older, we find ourselves needing to be more "careful" -- or at least as cognizant -- about birthdays and anniversaries involving the deceased as the living. At least in my fanily, where we make it a point to take Mom out on her wedding anniversary and do something special on Daddy's birthday and be very careful about the date of his death and the birthdays and deaths of my sister's husbands. Don't know about the rest of you, but sometimes it seems I spend half my life walking on eggshells.

Pat said...

You shouldn't really worry about that, Bill. You don't want to be a caregiver now, but it's your role in life at the moment and you've accepted it with good grace. You will again, never fear.

I know you twitch now every time the phone rings. Been there, done that. I still twitch when it rings at night, not so much in the daytime. But try to let the 2 weeks be twitchless. {g}

DR, I think I probably have less need of a "purpose" than you do. I sort of think "been there, done that" about that, too, and I think I'll be able to find little purposes that will suit me well when I have time for them. I think you will, too, after a feeling of loss for a while. I hope so.

William J. said...

Hi Dr

My second attempt at trying to respond to your message, Google seemed to kidnap my first response.

I knew that even though we express ourselves differently many times we think the same thoughts!

I ask who I am, how do I define myself, and what my purpose is sometimes daily, sometimes hourly.

It is going to be really hard for me to let go and not call mom daily while she is at sister's. But I am going to fight that tooth and nail.

Change is hard but often rewarding and often unexpected.

How intutive of you to know how important the dates were to D. and to point out to your Mom what D. was dealing with. Like you I remember the dates that are important to mom (and sometimes me) like their wedding anniversary (May 27) and take her to lunch and give her a rose, Her mom's birthday (May 21), dad's death which I celebrate alone at home and then go to mom and have a cup of coffee to discuss memories (November 9) and so on. My sister, on the other hand, doesn't want to know those dates she game plan and advise is we should all move on.

All though I don't spend a lot of time walking on eggshells, I do have several holes in my tongue from biting it so often.

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Pat

See that is part of the worry that I won't accept the roll of caregiver as gracefully as I have in the past.

Bill

Pat said...

Bill, you will accept it with the grace you always have shown. And if you don't, nobody but you will know.

William J. said...

Thanks, Pat

Mary said...

Come visit me! It's a beautiful drive, I'll take you for a walk on the waterfront and we'll go to dinner. You can check out houses or accounting practices or whatever you want and be home in three hours. And I will give you a good talking to about doubting yourself. You will always be a good and loving caretaker to your mother, of course you will. Even if you have doubts inside your head, you'll never show them to her.

Seriously, though, come visit me!

William J. said...

Hi Mary

That actually sounds pretty enticing! It would be fun to see you again. I do think these two weeks though I am going to stay close to home.

And thank you for the nice words!!

Bill

Sian said...

Hi Bill - I've been scarce so a bit out of the loop, but I echo others comments. I'm sure the two weeks will speed by so I do hope you can relax and enjoy them to the full. You deserve some "YOU" time!

William J. said...

SIAN!!!!

So good to see you here!!

Hope things are good on your side of the pond!

Bill

Mary said...

You don't have to come visit me, but I think you should consider going somewhere for a quick trip. Who knows when you'll get another chance?

William J. said...

Hi Mary

I got a to do list a mile long to do while mom is gone, I can concentrate on that list and then will be freeor even when mom gets back.

I might take some day trips and some trips to the country but not anything long.

Bill