Election Day for NY26; Good Friends; LiveWorld Deja Vu

Election Day - Morning
I was up at 4am on Tuesday, May 24.
My plan was set the night before.  Get up, make coffee, shower, dress, pack my breakfast and lunch then enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee before heading out to the library where I would be working the polls for the special election.
The library is just around the corner, so I knew I didn't have to leave until 5:20am to make it there by 5:30am.  We'd set up the room, power up the voting machine and be ready for the throngs of folk clamoring to cast their vote at 6am.
The plan was sound.  It really was.  Except, I didn't check to make sure my keys were hanging on the door.  They weren't.
At 5:20am, I discovered that my keys were missing. 
Without them, I didn't have the keys to my friend's car, which I would use to transport what I needed for the day.
Without them I couldn't get back into the building or my apartment at the end of the day.
On the outside chance that my friend was awake, I put in a call to see if we could change plans and have him take me to the library.  No luck, the call went to the answering machine.
I went downstairs and buzzed my friend, Gert.  Could she take me to the library, NOW?  She certainly could and did.  I have called her my angel before....now you know why.
I'd like to report that voting was brisk.  It wasn't.  We never saw our first voter until 7:30am. By then my friend did call to find out what I wanted at that ungodly hour.  I explained the situation and asked if he would bring my extra apartment key to the library.  At least, with that, I'd be sure to be back in the apartment at the end of this long day.
Friends
You have already met two of the friends who were part of my day.  There are more.
Dan dropped in mid morning to see if I needed coffee.  We had coffee on site, but a diet pepsi would hold me for the day if he could drop one off later.  He did.
Cathie, from the library, stopped in and brought me a bagful of books I had ordered for my summer reading.  They came in handy to wile away the time between voters.
My friend did bring me my apartment key.  He also was kind enough to take the bag of books home so I didn't have to cart them at the end of the day.
Chris came in to cast his vote around supper time.  He was kind enough to order a pizza for us.  Thank you, Chris.  Chris was really running a tight schedule as well,  He would be part of an election pod cast at 8:30pm, in Buffalo.  So, taking the time to think us was doubly appreciated.
I called my neighbor, Marlene, to ask if she would mind buzzing me in sometime between 9:30 and 10pm.  She agreed to wait by the phone for me to come home.
Each of these people made the day much easier.  I am so blessed to have good friends.
Election Day - Evening
I got home, turned on the TV to get the election results.  Kathy Hochul won the congressional seat for NY 26.  I celebrated with a diet pepsi and went to bed.  I'd look for the keys in the morning.
The LiveWorld Connection
If my friend, Julia, is reading this then she already has figured out the rest of the story. 
Years ago, while working for LiveWorld, I had a fob that was needed to enter a client's site.  You had to enter the numbers displayed on the fob, so I kept it on my desk where it would be easy to read.
One particular day, I had a shift for that client, then a shift for another client, and then had to go back to the first client for the next shift.  I reached for the fob and it was gone.  Not just gone but it evaporated into thin air.
The room I worked in was devoid of anything but the desk, my computer, printer, and paperwork.  There wasn't anywhere that fob could go where I wouldn't see it.  I did a frantic search but couldn't find it.
I made a desparate call to Julia, my supervisor.  I was in NY, Julia in California.
She would have to get someone to do my shift and send me a new fob via overnight messenger.
Thank goodness for the time difference.  Julia's late husband, Jim, would have time to get the fob to Federal Express in time for it to go out that evening.
The next morning, I was putting things away in the kitchen.  There was a cracker box on the counter that felt very light.  I decided to just pour what was left in a bowl and have them for lunch.  When I poured the crackers out, there was the fob...in the cracker box.  I had the box on the floor while doing my shifts the night before.  It fell in the box without me knowing it.  Sheepishly, I called Julia to tell her that the fob was found.  We've laughed over this many times over the years.
Wednesday Morning
Coffee in hand, I started the search for the keys.  They were no where around the desk, not on the couch, not under the bed, nowhere.
I looked on the kitchen counter, and there was a box of crackers.  I reached in and realized there was only one sleeve of crackers left in the box.  I reached in to get the sleeve and felt the keys.  There they were, in the cracker box. 
Keys found.  Mystery solved, I think.
This time I can't say I had the box out the night before.  I did have it out to take a sleeve of crackers with my stash of food I took to the library.  How the keys got in there is beyond reason. 
Had I just posted my problem on Facebook, I'm sure Julia would have read it and just answered back, "check the cracker box!".

The Right Knee and Me Week 3

Today was the last of three gel injections in the right knee.  I wish I could say I sailed through it, but I can't. 
I have to thank my friend, Lu, for taking me and being in the waiting room when I came out.  Injections never bother me.   I had to sit and let the nausea settle before I could leave the office.  Lu, bless her soul, waited patiently until I felt I could leave without fainting. 
The target for this shot was the vein.  It was right on target.  The doctor couldn't get it to stop bleeding and at one point even asked if I was on blood thinners.  I'm not. 
So, he wrapped it in gauze and then an Ace bandage which makes my knee look five times bigger than it really is.  It has to be iced tonight to bring down the swelling.
My next appointment is in six weeks (on Valentine's Day, no less) for x-rays to see if the gel is doing what it is suppose to do. 
I think I hoped that the right knee would react the way the left knee did.  But, it seems to want to take a different path.  Not only is the pain still there, but the top of my right foot is swollen too.  I'm told that it is all part of the process.
I have a script for a cane!  A cane?  Sometime on Thursday, I'll be getting a cane.  It will only be for six weeks until my next visit.   It is suppose to help with stability.  We'll see.

Perhaps one of the intriguing elements of a blog is to see where my visitors live.

The United States, of course, is well represented.
In the few short months since I began the blog, visitors came from
Vietnam (25); Slovenia (24); Netherlands and Russia (17 each); Croatia (14);
Germany and France (8 each); Denmark and Canada (5 each); Philipines (4); Great Britain (3) Australia and Isreal (2); Singapore (1).
I can reasonably assume that many of the hits come from Facebook friends; relatives and people with whom I worked at Kodak and LiveWorld.
I can, also, reasonably assume that some are gathering data and watch to see which ads get hits. (if that is the case, then please click on an ad once in a while).
Whoever you are and wherever you are located, welcome. I appreciate the interest.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve was a mixed bag of pathos and joy.  Go figure! 
Soon to be born great grandson gave his mom and dad a scare when she went into contractions seven weeks early.  Fortunately, all is well.  She is home resting.
Alaska family celebrated Christmas a few days early then J.D. and Doug went off to spend Christmas touring San Fransisco while Deb and Taylor left for New Jersey to visit family.
Deb became ill on the flight from Anchorage and Seattle.  When she arrived in New Jersey, she went to the ER.  They ran tests to discover what caused the fainting spell, she was admitted.  The first good news is that they ruled out any of the "bad stuff", according to what J.D. learned.  Hopefully, she will be back with her family today with a clean bill of health.
Then there is favorite daughter, who was incognito all day yesterday.  Trying to reach her by phone was useless.  Her voice mailbox was full.  She wasn't responding to any comments or email on the computer.  It seems she left her cell phone in the car and never wondered why her phone didn't ring all day. 
The joy of Christmas Eve was that life returned to normal and all is well.  What more can one ask for on the night before Christmas?
This early Christmas morning finds me having my coffee and watching out the tower window.
It is surprising to see people coming and going this early, but they are.
The roads look clear.  The sky somewhat cloudy.
Soon, I'll see lights turn on in the neighboring houses as children awake to see what Santa brought them.

This year, I learned that FaceBook is an amazing communication tool.  This Christmas I have heard from friends, relatives, and ex co-workers from both Liveworld and Kodak.  We all have connected in a way that was impossible just a few years ago.  Each of them share a special memory with me that brings a smile. 
My Liveworld family, due to the nature of the business, are prolific online.  There isn't a hour of the day that I can't find at least one right at my fingertips.  There are many I have never met, but we are as close as if we lived right next door to each other.  That type of friendship is a true gift.

I wish you all the merriest of Christmas'.  I hope Santa is good to you.