S~U~R~P~R~I~S~E

written for TMP76 ~ Portal Schmortal

 

today’s prompt:  portal

Is constant change bothersome to you?
My answer to that question in recent years is ‘yes’.

Do you ever take a hiatus from social media inclusive e-mails?
For my emotional health and to work on self-care I chose to
remain offline for a brief period.

Upon return I was overwhelmed to learn of all that transpired
during my absence.
An example, reason it’s imperative to continually keep track
of current events, was change of the Patient Portal which took
place at the medical facility where I’ve been a patient for
several years.

I had no prior knowledge of the change therefore when I
attempted to access my records I faced quite a dilemma.
The username and password were defunct.

There were directions to create a new account which when
followed didn’t exactly work. Thankfully direct contact with a
real person, not an automated menu, resolved the problem.

https://lightmotifs.wordpress.com/2022/10/03/tmp76-portal-schmortal/

TMP64 ~ July 11th

Hello my friend,
I’m not able to peeve about your prompt ‘extra channels’ due to
my choice – cancellation TV and Landline portions of my provider’s
package deal
autumn 2021.
In recent months I’ve become a tad upset with how the online
definition of words requires one to access more words in order
to obtain the exact meaning.
I wanted to be able to use the word ‘waiver’ correctly in a sentence.

Discovery consisted of several words synonymous totally foreign
to me, legal words.

Irritated ‘yes’ then looked further down the accessed page and I
saw the last seven words I’d looked up.
Imagine a computer keeping track of vocabulary words for me.

https://lightmotifs.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/tmp64-extra-channels/


The Monday Peeve – 51

Back from a brief hiatus, I didn’t want to cop out and not post thus ‘peevery’

is my blog contribution on this last day of August.

Be thankful – count your blessings!!

I continually tried to keep a positive attitude amidst constant chaos these past

months (nearing 1/2 year now) with no real back to old norm in clear sight.

I’m aware many have adapted to this new way of living – me, I dislike it immensely. 

A resident of a 17-unit apartment complex is the pits!!

Imagine all your life (gal here is 73) always helping others – volunteering your services

and due to a myriad of circumstances suddenly you’re alone – with little choice

other than fend for yourself.

Never did I dream I’d wind up spending the last chapter of my life void of a husband,

unable to visit with my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

For many these are circumstances (myself inclusive) forced to face due to the present

health crisis and living distance from family members.

Phone calls are nice only actual face-to-face visitations and hands-on assistance 

would be most welcome and beneficial.

It’s a sad, sad reality. Thank you Covid-19.

Yes, you remind me of the devil lurking around every corner waiting to

attack some innocent person. 

A little self-admission:.

I’ve been driven (not via automobile) to seek recommendations for a 

cleaning service since I’m no longer capable of moving the heavy 

furniture.

No, I’m  not looking forward to absolute strangers and their

do-your-work for you paid services.

Back to the laundry issue – two washers and two dryers for 17 units.

Besides too few machines it’s hard finding quarters to feed these machines.

Why?  Banks in my locale are still closed and ATMs don’t spit out coins.

Luckily today I was able to do two loads of laundry after putting off the task 

over a week.

A little reminiscing ’bout college days.

Thankful tonight I have a fresh clean towel for my shower straight from a dryer.

Why I managed to close this post on a positive note after spurting out an abundance

of negatives.

Imagine!!

The Monday Peeve No: 51

 

 

The Monday Peeve #45

Today’s prompt: topical

Early a.m. and awake I accessed my cell phone in search of info related to an 

incident brought to my attention earlier during a conversation.

As I scrolled the newsfeed I came across two articles posted by a new

virtual friend – a member of a group I joined in recent months. 

One article copied and shared from stated source claiming to be a member of

OSHA 10 & 30 certified was quite lengthy thus decision made to scribble a few notes.

I was shocked to read all the negative facts pertaining to usefulness of three

different types of masks.

Stated was how N95 masks designed for contaminated environments basically

are one way – exhale without filtration. If a person wearing one has Covid-19

his breath is now distributed into surroundings. 

Following was info pertaining to surgical masks designed and approved for

STERILE environments.  The amount of particles and contaminants in the

outside and indoor environments clog these masks quickly. The moisture

from one’s breath combined with the clogged mask render it useless. 

God forbid you come in contact with Covid-19 and your mask traps it you

become a walking virus dispenser.

They should be changed or thrown out every 20 to 30 minutes in a non-sterile

environment.

Cloth masks were the last addressed and rendered useless with the

potential to make a person sick as they don’t filter anything. As you exhale

you are exhaling contaminants and carbon dioxide. The moisture caught

within these masks can become mildew-ridden over night.

Wrapping this up: 

N95 blows the virus into the air from a contaminated person.

Surgical masks supposedly don’t filter the virus upon inhaling it.

Cloth masks are worse than none. 

We are told to wear masks – have we been sold a bill of goods?

I found all the above info quite disturbing and figured I’d print the article

this morn. 

Surprise!!

This is what transpired: 

All of my new virtual friend’s files from FB were shared to my computer

in code. 

I managed to maneuver around like a computer technician and delete

upwards of 800 of her files.

My intention, afternoon project, is to  rid myself of the branch of 

social media I’m grown so tired of in recent months.

I’m old-school and constant changes which create confusion and

newfound problems consume too much precious time.

NOTE: OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration

which assures safe and healthful working conditions for working class. 

 

The Monday Peeve #45

 

The Monday Peeve No: 44

Today’s prompt: stream

Since forever when I heard the word ‘stream’ I thought of water.

I was totally confused the first time I heard it in reference

to the entertainment world.

Who knew?

The adjective ‘continuous’ best describes the ‘flow’ of both. 

Moving on . . .

I wonder if a high percentage of people prefer today’s tablets.

Although the lighting of the screen is good for reading, I still like to hold

a book, place a pretty bookmark between the pages where I left off and 

be able to earmark pages and highlight sentences or paragraphs for

future reference. 

Moving on . . .

The world of Acronyms –  dislike them – period (.) exclamation point (!)

Oh so fun to come across one of them – three letters and no idea the actual

meaning thereof.

Who on earth can remember all of them?

Add to the above those cute little or sometimes larger in size ’emojis’.

I’ve  discovered many of them aren’t in sync across all branches of

social media.

Talk about the tech generation politely – a bucket full of confusion and

frustration!

Final thought:

Blogging can be somewhat amusing and quite interesting.

I managed to forget my original topic for today’s rant = cell phones.

The Monday Peeve No: 44

 

 

The Monday Peeve #33

Oh dear – a day late – belated complaints:

I prefer to be aware, follow guidelines,  remain calm and  stress less.

Two days ago  I counted the dots (33 of them) on my home page’s slideshow.

Some of the pages have more than one article (three to be exact).

If you find one of interest be prepared to fight off all the pop-up ads and requests

ranging in brightness from dull to absolute glare flashing at you.

To rid yourself of them one must locate the ‘X’ – ever notice how tiny the ‘x’ is?

Numerous articles contain statistics while others reader best look at top to find

if current within hours written.  I read an update then noticed it was submitted

three days prior. 

I’ve grown tired of the computer and all its’ glitches (wasted time to fix) only

it appears future holds demand for so much more to be accomplished online.

Once upon a time twas nice to speak with humans – now no choice other than

press menu buttons and sometimes face disconnection.

Pray someone explain to me how technology created to lighten the workload

managed to result in havoc and chaos.

 The Monday Peeve #33

 

The Monday Peeve #32

Most nights I like to enjoy a small bowl of ice cream (my only vice late in life).

Unexpected while waiting for the remainder of the container designed to look

like there’s a half gallon within (only 1.5 qt) I fell asleep.

I awoke near midnight (way too late to indulge in ice cream).

Some was melted – separated from a blob – a strange sight before my eyes.

I  placed the container in the kitchen sink and unbelievable the next morn

little had changed  – the blob was soft yet still a blob.

What happened to the name brand that once melted when the temperature

soared?

To think I’ve been consuming this dairy treat which contains preservatives

leaves me with an uneasy feeling.

So much for name brands and their higher prices!

The Monday Peeve No: 32

 

 

 

 

 

The Monday Peeve – No: 27

Topic of price gouging

Over the weekend I read an article posted on the internet. 

The source was one I trust for truth – no fake news.

Caption of man sitting on 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer and no place

to sell them. 

Boo-hoo!!

It seems he and a few others who chose not to reveal their identities saw an

opportunity to make quick cash without concern for fellow humans.

Beforehand, lacking conscious, these gougers travelled store to store (even

to outlying areas) buying up entire supplies of surgical masks, hand sanitizers 

and thermometers.

Through online sellers they earned big bucks – one quoted a $25,000 profit 

before being halted.

Personally I feel when you violate polices you should be punished by the

legal system.

In my opinion, any person who profited via hindering public safety

precautionary measures (especially to elderly and other unfortunate

members of society) before the now sad Pandemic is a total disgrace

(polite word) to mankind.