Bfth's Boring Blog

  When last we left Bfth & Computershare :   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/i-shouldt-have-to-resort-to-x.html . It's time for me to bring you up to date.  I swear that what I am about to write is true and I haven't been drinking (yet). With the help of social media and maybe a little luck in finding/guessing a corporate exec's email address, I heard back from a nice person at the company's Service Intervention Unit.  (What is that?)  After a couple of emails and phone calls (yes, I actually spoke to a human being without being cut off or any annoying headphone feedback), less than I week after I wrote that last post, I was told:  " Just wanted to give you an update, we have replaced the certificate and I am currently working to complete the transfer.  I will give you an update as soon as possible."   April arrived and I didn't hear any update, so...I followed up with this person again.  (Once I have a phone number and email address

  Today is Earth Day.  It's also the first night of Passover.  So you might think I have something (profound?) to say about these important events.  I don't.  Or at least I don't now.  What I AM going to write about it my stupidity/carelessness and a lesson that I learned long ago, only to ignore/forget it recently.  Maybe by writing this I will FINALLY learn? (Or maybe not.) For the past week or so I haven't been feeling great.  I couldn't decide if it was allergies (everything is in bloom here and the air is full of pollen) or a cold.  Or maybe it was both.  Some days I'd feel kind of ok.  Other days I felt miserable.  I took allergy meds.  I took (generic)  Dayquil or Nyquil.   (Not all at the same time.)  It helped, somewhat. Before I continue on, I need to mention that I have difficulty swallowing pills/capsules.  Doesn't matter how "slimy" there are, I can't always get them down.  Which is why I've been taking chewable calcium and

   I actually got a pretty good night's sleep the other night.  (Hoorah!)  I still got up too early.  (I wish my eyes would not snap open before 4).  However, I went to sleep really early (before 9) and slept through for the most part.  This is likely the result of the allergy medication I took, along with a Tylenol yesterday evening.  (The pollen count is extremely high around here.  Everyone has sinus issues and headaches, or so it seems.)  On the other hand my husband didn't sleep much at all last night and was awake when I got up (just before 4).  I encouraged him to try and get some sleep while I went out for a walk.  (Yes, I've started walking again, but I am not walking as far or as long as I need to get out the door by about 6:35 if I want to catch the 6:47.  And I'm just not going as fast as I'd like...my knee will never be the same as it was before it went "wonky.") So with sweats, my reflective vest and a blinking light (that is supposed to sn

I've written before about the thrift shop where I work/volunteer several times before.  The shop financially supports the church that houses it as well as several other charitable organizations both locally and internationally.  It also supports the community and the world at large with donations that are not financial; towels/linens that cannot be sold are donated to a local pet shelter. Clothing that is not sold within a certain amount of time will be given to local shelters.  Families in need have been given household items.  And so it goes. The thrift shop is part of the church's mission.  But thinking about it, the thrift shop is very much like a church itself.  There is no sermon of course, but there are so many other aspects that would fall under what a church (should) provide.  And maybe churches and other organizations ought to sit up and take note of the lessons that can be learned in the thrift shop.  Like many churches today, the thrift shop is made up of predominan

 Billy Joel recently played his 100th show at Madison Square Garden.  I've been hearing a lot of Billy Joel lately (not a bad thing) and he's said a lot of profound things in his songs over the years.  (Did he intend that or did it just happen?)  One that sticks with me is "Cause the good ole days weren't always good. And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."  It's a reminder to me that when we look back on the past it often seems better than it was and that we tend to think the worst of the future because we don't know what it might bring (as much as we might think we do). I know I often yearn for the "good old days" when my son was small and we would cuddle up together.  His hugs and kisses were priceless and I treasure those memories.  However, if I really think about it along with those precious moments there were also smelly diapers, fights over eating/food, and sleepless nights.  Those aren't things I want to go back to. I want the cu

 It's been a rough week, and surprisingly it has nothing to do with work.  (Which is usually exhausting.)  I'm tired because I haven't been sleeping well and I have no reason for it other than my brain is working overtime. There's no logical reason for my poor sleeping habits.  It is typical for me to go to bed early and get up early.  However over this past week, I've been waking up 2 or  3 times during the night.  (Should I really have to pee that often?)  And then I wake up a good 45 minutes (or even more) before my alarm is set to go off.  (My alarm goes off at 4:35; it sucks but if I want to get in some sort of exercise before going to work, it's what I need to do.  Exercise after work?  There's too many things that could distract and/or interrupt me.  Plus I know by the end of the day I'm going to be worn out and find an excuse for NOT doing it.)  I sometimes lie there wondering if it's worth trying to fall back asleep.  Most of the time I give

 On April 8th, much of the United States had the opportunity to view a total (or nearly total depending on where you live) solar eclipse.  There was also talk about the Rapture (the transporting of believers to heaven at the Second Coming of Christ.) taking place, but it seems that that didn't happen. (If you were transported to heaven and have met Christ there, can you send me a text to let me know you've arrived?  I believe the last Rapture was supposed to take place on a day in May (it might have been 2011?), but instead of meeting Jesus, I spent time reading to my son's kindergarten class.  (Which in its own way is rapturous.)  So eclipse; yes, rapture; no.  (Again, if I'm wrong on that, message me and I'll be sure to update this post.) In my part of the world (northern NJ), it was partly sunny.  Which meant that there were clouds, but they didn't totally cover things.  I was able to look up and see 90% (give or take) of the sun slowly being covered by the m

  Ghosts & ghouls may be part of October's scarefest, but just a few days into this month has made April pretty eerie in my book.  Lots of weird stuff has happened in this week alone and I'll admit that I'm hoping it's all going to end as the week wraps up.   Some of the out of the norm stuff that has happened to me this week. Rain & wind:  I know April is the month of showers, but this week was off the charts, particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.  Umbrellas were of no use; nor were jacket hoods.  That wind was blowing and protection from the elements was not happening.  Not only did it make getting to the office a challenge, it left me cold and disheveled.  (That's putting it mildly).  The combination of the two also made flooding an issue.  (It's becoming more and more of an issue.)  While the waters did not rise as high as they did in January ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/hanging-on-craving

 No, I didn't know him.  (I wish I did).  I knew (know?) his plays.  His (dark) wit entranced me.  He grew up in the town next to mine.  He spent much of his time in "my area."  And he died not far from where I performed in my first Durang play. I'd like to say that the first "real" play I did was by him, but it wasn't.  (That would be Tom Stoppard.)  I had done musicals in middle school and in my sophomore year in high school I was in the chorus of "Mame."  The following year, there was a fall drama.  (Actually two, "After Magritte" and "The Real Inspector Hound."  I was in the former and I don't think I comprehended it completely.  Or maybe all.)  Then there was a winter/spring(?) musical ("Carnival," for which we didn't have enough "male" performers and the lead was very nice but...To put it nicely,  Jerry Orbach had nothing to worry about vocally.)  And finally there was a one act penned by

 It's raining.  AGAIN!  We had very little snow this winter (and it's now spring), but we had TONS of rain.  (And there is a chance of snow tonight...)  I'm tired/fed up with red alerts from the weather forecasters.  (No, I'm not blaming them...)  There is just too much rain!  (And too much stress.)   Now I AM grateful that Easter was sunny and warmish.  Monday was just icky and overcast with some rain drops.  Tuesday...was rainy.  I tried to time my walk to the bus stop so that I wouldn't have to wait too long.  And it actually worked.  (Bonus I was able to grab the recycling bin before I left since they came to pick it up early.  A semi-dry bin is a big win.)  However, the wind made an umbrella impossible to handle and water dripped off my hood down to my feet (which were nice and wet).  When I got to work, I was a mess.  (I'd say a hot mess, but I was cold).  And I stayed a straggly mess the whole day through. When I got home last night, all I wanted to do wa

It didn't feel much like Easter to me this year. (And not just because it was in March, when we all know it should be April.) This was the first year neither of my parents were alive.  (I have strong memories of our Easters past.)  My son was not home either.  (Although from what I understand my son had a marvelous Easter:  he went dressed in top hat and tails to the NYC Easter parade, where plenty of photos were taken [according to him], but none have shown up on any media sites [I think he actually looked too "normal" whereas most of the photos that I have seen are much more flamboyant.].  He attended part of a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral [he left during communion; as we are not Catholic, he was not invited to partake].  And had dinner at the apartment of a friend's grandparents [who I believe are either retired or active Episcopalian ministers] where he discussed religion with them before heading back to campus.  Sounds like quite a day!) I kept some &qu

We're in the middle of Holy Week.  Lent is wrapping up and soon it will be Easter and I can enjoy my chocolate and wine without guilt. I have not made this a very Holy Lent.  I usually TRY to be reflective.  I usually focus on the season and what it means (with various degrees of success).  This year...well I'm just not "feeling" it.  I've been going through the motions.  I haven't focused on the season; I've just gone through it. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm feeling the loss much more this Easter than I have for other holidays; my parents have passed and my son will not be coming home for the holiday.  My father was always one to buy me a chocolate bunny for Easter; it was a given.  Last year when he was not well enough to even do so online, I bought him chocolate bunny ears in the rehabilitation facility that he was in at the time.  (I'm not sure if they ever got eaten.)  And this past Monday I attended a service where w

   Last week my cousin came from across the country for a visit.  We rarely get to see each other (living in different time zones is only part of it) and it was a treat to spend some time with them, especially since when we usually get together it's for a sad occasion.  (Their father and my father were brothers; both of which are now deceased.) This time that was not the case.  My one cousin had never met my son and the other had only met him when he was a little boy.  (He's not so little anymore!)  However, they were not just on the east coast to see us; they wanted to spend time with our respective father's remaining sibling.  And while we were all spending time together, we also did some organizing.  Because life gets away from all of us and getting organized and taking care of the non-day to day easily gets put off.  ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/take-care-of-yourself.html ).  It's something that we all do and while I'm trying to rectify it in m