Checking Things off the To-do List

Sometimes I get overwhelmed when I have a long to-do list. Sometimes I even get overwhelmed with a short list. 

I recently said that I just wish I could get up in the morning and not have a million things to do. So, in effect, I took a little time off last week. I still did the things I had to do--like food shopping, cooking, and cleaning--but I figured I could take a little longer to make doctors' appointments, research hearing aids, and do some paperwork. 

I meant to turn things around this week, but I didn't get off to a good start in terms of productivity. Yesterday, I was up early journaling and made a Thursday to-do list and completed each item.

• MLB: Jeff and I have been trying for a month to get the Mets TV channel--SNY. I won't detail all the issues, but I got it straightened out yesterday with a helpful ESPN customer service rep.
• Living room screen: The previous condo owner took the screen to be fixed, but it wasn't ready when she moved. I called and discovered it was still at the shop (and picked it up today.)
• My Eye Doctor: I made appointments for both Jeff and me. Since we went to My Eye Doctor in Connecticut,  the new doctor will  be able to access our records. 
• Healthcare Powers of Attorney: I edited and submitted Jeff's. (I couldn't complete mine because I needed a new copy and my contact was out of the office.)
• Clean bath: no need to elaborate.
• WRITE:  (in all caps as written in my journal. It may not have been many words (around 100 words) but it's writing and I'm happy with that for now. 

I just need to keep it going. 

Closing Out May

This month just flew by. We've been grieving Jeff's sister Melissa (who died in April and will have a service in Connecticut in June.) We had our first guests--my brother and his girlfriend came for a long weekend. We got some more furniture. We celebrated Jace's and my birthday. 

We're trying to decide about our wills and health care powers of attorney. I know that this is something we should have dealt with years ago, but we didn't. Now that we're older, it's real. Hey, Melissa would have made a great executor. We don't have kids, the logical choice as executors. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about providing for our kids either. 

This post has taken a dark tone. But, we're dealing with a lot of heavy things. And. I just had a birthday. I'm at the age when you have to start thinking about how much time you have left.

I need to work on my book. 

First Re-read: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

I don't remember when I read this book maybe 20 or 30 year ago? I don't know what led me to pick it up. I do remember that I really liked it. It convinced me of Richard III's innocence in the deaths of his two nephews--the princes in the tower.. I began to doubt that conclusion after I read Weir's book on the subject. 

I loved revisiting The Daughter of Time after reading The Princes in the Tower Both books focused on police procedures to investigate the ultimate cold case of the princes.

In The Daughter to Time, Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant is stuck in a hospital bed with a broken leg. He becomes fascinated by a painting of Richard III and investigates if Richard is really responsible for the death of his nephews. 

Grant concludes that the children survived Richard's reign and suspects Henry VII. Of course, he didn't have access to the records that Langley did.

Happy Birthday and Blogoversary

Yesterday was my birthday--Jace's too. Today is my 16th anniversary posting here. Jeff and I are in the process of getting a financial plan including wills and health care power of attorney. And, of course, Jeff's sister died in April. So, I'm thinking a lot about time, i.e. the time that I have left. 

I want to use some time to revisit my Merwinsville book. Over the last few days, I read about the Merwin and Gaylord families and double checked some dates. For a few minutes I wondered if I was wrong about Sylvanus Merwin and Peter Gaylord being half brothers. Luckily, I was right. 

I was surprised to see I hadn't written or edited anything in over a year. (Although I believe I journaled about Merwinsville a few times.) I'm trying to get into that head set and think about the people. I need to develop the rivalry between the half brothers and add details. I'll probably lose the original scenes between Syl and Flora. Beef up the conflict. Figure out the ending.

Mellow Monday Morning

I'm feeling mellow today. Jim and Liz were visiting Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning. We had dinner with Annette and George at their place, lunched at Bowleys and Loonasea, and went thrifting. Otherwise, we just hung around. I cooked one night and we got pizza a second night.  

I took it easy yesterday too. Jeff and I had gin and tonics on the balcony, I read, and I journaled. As for today, Jeff has a PT appointment at 1. I'll go food shopping while he's there and figure out tonight's dinner. I have several things to do but don't have to do them all today.

It's my birthday week, and we're heading into unofficial summer. The weekend doesn't look very good now, but things can change. Regardless, I'll just try to hold onto the mellow. 

More from TCM--Starring Bette Davis

Lately, I've really been into old movies from the 30s (mostly) and 40s. Some are classics, some not so much. 

One of my top five films and favorite Bette Davis movie is The Letter. I've written about it here. I ended up watching it in bits and pieces as I made dinner, etc. In this last watch, I was shocked that I didn't remember one scene. Leslie (Davis) and her attorney (James Stephenson) go to retrieve the incriminating letter of the title in a store. Leslie handles an ornate knife. The knife appears in one of the final scenes of the movie. I really need to rewatch this film with no distractions to truly appreciate it. 

The most recent film I re-watched was Bordertown; here's my post about it. I don't have a lot to add, but it struck me on this viewing is how unlikable all the characters are. 

At the beginning of the film, Johnny (Paul Muni) is lauded for his hard work ethic and escaping a life of crime. But Johnny is unbelievably arrogant as well as hot-headed, and prone to violence. He takes all the wrong lessons from his failure as a lawyer and from his interactions with snobby socialite Dale (Margaret Lindsay.) Dale is cruelly oblivious to Johnny's feelings. 

Marie (Bette Davis) is a murderer who falsely accuses Johnny. Johnny's mother (Soledad Jimenez) is slightly more than a stereotype because she didn't believe in him. She prays for him to win his first case. Padre supposedly supports him, but might as well be singing, "stick to your own kind" a la Anita in West Side Story.

Only Charlie Roark (Eugene Pallette) Marie's husband and murder victim and Johnny's boss then partner, is remotely likable. And he is portrayed as a drunken clown.

I still enjoy watching this film. 

Visitors

My brother Jim and his girlfriend Liz are coming to visit tomorrow. Jim helped us move and has been here a few times. But this will be his first time as a visitor. We had expected to have a few visitors before this, but things changed. 

We don't have many plans, but I've got some restaurant ideas and Annette invited us to dinner one night. It should be fun.