Category: life

Posted in 2026, life

Technology

Posted on by nancyb422

I usually have pretty good skills with technology but I’ve reached the end of my rope with my printer.

It is my home printer, a simple Canon TR8520, which, for its inexpensive cost, has always worked well for scanning and printing pictures, and printing emails and such.

I periodically have problems with its connection between my phone, or iPad, or computer which can be very frustrating. But now, it is a whole different situation.

Code 5011! Evidently this code means it can be any number of things. Hardware, wi-fi connection, or paper jam. In my case it could be wi-fi because ours did go out on Sunday and I accidentally left something I wanted printed in the queue searching for most of the day?!

I have a much older and larger Canon printer that has lost its ability to print photos well so I use it primarily for scanning. Since I had something to photocopy, I went to my craft space next door to do that. Oh my word, the theatrics that this printer goes through just to print something! Then it pops up that 2 cartridges need replacing and one is near the end of its life. I felt my blood pressure rise. “Great”, I thought. “All this technology and I can’t get one single piece of paper to print anywhere.” Thankfully, it decided to allow me to photocopy the pages I needed.

Although I’m tempted to throw my printer out the window and start fresh, I’ll call “my computer guy” and see if he can fix the TR8520 for me. I have too many ink cartridges left to cast it aside right now.

Posted in 2026, life, thoughts

DST Update

Posted on by nancyb422

I didn’t realize I missed my early morning stars until I saw them this morning because of the time change!

Stepping out the door
Turning the corner

I suffered a little yesterday from losing the hour of sleep. We always say we’re going to stay in bed on the weekend, but never do. We were up at 6am, which was really 5am. It was especially tough for me because we went out to dinner on Saturday night so I went to bed about an hour later than normal! That made 2 hours of lost sleep. No wonder why I felt off balance, figuratively and literally!

I went to bed last night at my usual time, heading upstairs around 9:15, read a bit, and had my light out by 9:40. I woke up refreshed and ready to go.

So it looks like I survived the time change and I’m actually happy to step out into the dark.

Posted in 2026, life, thoughts

Daylight Saving(s) Time

Posted on by nancyb422

It’s 8:43 am. But it’s really 7:43 am!

Honestly, turning the clock forward doesn’t affect me as much as the turning it back in the fall.

We went out to dinner last night with friends and although I knew it wouldn’t be a late night, I KNEW with moving the clock forward, it was going to be tough to get to church for 7:30 in the morning.

Thankfully, between the three churches in our parish, there is a 4:00 pm mass on Saturdays! It was at my old church, Holy Trinity, the one I grew up attending and it was built in 1887 and is one of those big, beautiful, old churches with spires and the most beautiful stained glass windows.

My current church, Resurrection, was built in the 1960s and is very modern looking. I’m sure it was ridiculed when it was built but whereas Holy Trinity is on a main road in town, Resurrection was built in an area that is bordering residential so it has a low profile. Oddly, I’ve come to enjoy the atmosphere of this church more than the traditional one.

So, church was attended for the weekend, not “gotten out of the way”, as my husband said, and I was able to sleep in this morning. Win-Win!

What are your thoughts on Daylight Saving(s) time?

Posted in 2026, life

Forgetful

Posted on by nancyb422

I have left my iPhone at home three times this week. Not on purpose, but because I put it down, and forgot to check for it in my pocketbook!

One day, I put my Apple watch on top of my phone because I kept forgetting to charge my watch or take it off the charger. This would be the perfect setup, I thought, because I’ll never forget my phone! But I forgot them both.

The next two times, I brought it upstairs with me while getting ready for work, and I guess I wasn’t used to having it upstairs with me! Dressed, makeup on, and back downstairs to leave, never even thinking of my phone until I got to work.

Today, one of those two times, I was driving an hour away to meet my friend and didn’t realize it was left behind until I was at work to drop something off. Damn! I didn’t have time to go back home to get it. It was a little unsettling to drive that far without it. What if something happened to me? To someone at home? What the heck did we do before cell phones!?!

Needless to say, since I’m writing this now, I survived. The only wrinkle was that we stayed so long talking at the restaurant, I wasn’t able to make it back for a meeting with someone who wants to convince me to sign with their marketing company for SEO. I had to use my friend’s phone, and good thing I had the person’s number on a piece of paper!

Of course, once I got home, I had to scroll, scroll, scroll, to see what I missed. It must be time for a note taped to the door that says WATCH and PHONE

Posted in 2026, life

Alarm On

Posted on by nancyb422

At the start of the year, I cancelled my 5:40am alarm. I noticed during the week off for the holidays, I was naturally waking at that time so decided I could wake up in my own.

I was doing really well with it, but noticed over the last few days, I’ve been waking at 3 am and then watching the clock.

I probably fall sleep in between but it’s like – you know when you are going on a trip and you have to set the alarm for an earlier waking hour? Well, it’s like that. The anticipation of my need to wake up at a certain time. Between 3 and 5:40, I’m dozing and waking, sneaking a look at the clock and dozing some more.

So, the alarm is on again during the week. It’s my security blanket for a better night’s sleep.

Posted in 2026, life

Sneaky Sunrise

Posted on by nancyb422

I walk outside each morning at about 6:15 and head to my workout room. Twenty minutes after I’ve jumped (ha!) out of bed, made coffee, and drank the coffee while reading my daily bible plan/emails/quick social media glance.

Many days I round the corner and I’m compelled to take a picture of the sunrise. I’m not sure why because I have thousands of sunrise pictures already. Something about the morning sky, just makes me what to capture it.

Yesterday I took a picture and realized – it is a lot lighter out than I remember! Maybe because it’s been snowing the last few days and the 2 days before that was the weekend and I didn’t work out early?

Can it possibly be Spring getting closer? I can’t wait to start complaining about how HOT it is!

February 11 6:17am
February 24 6:15am
Posted in 2026, life

My Friend ChatGPT

Posted on by nancyb422

I’ve been a little late to jump on the ChatGPT train.

I first started using it to write business social media posts, usually pasting in what I wrote, asking Chat to “make it sound a little more professional”. It does its work, and I always think how much better it sounds! I find it also useful for writing a letter or a note in a card, taking out my habit of sounding a little pompous. It always succeeds.

More recently, I’ve been using it to identify something in old pictures, like my uncle’s Polish Legion uniform, or information on how an ancestor would have made their way from Ellis Island to their sister’s home in Massachusetts.

Yesterday, I asked it about some wording I pulled from a palm reading I had in 1987. Yes, 39 years ago and I still have the transcription from the reading. It gave me some insightful information.

Now, I realize this is artificial intelligence, so I asked it how it determines what to reply to me. It says it analyzes the words I use, the tone, and whether I’m asking for facts, advice, emotional support, strategy, or creativity. It considers my past context and remembers general things about me to respond better such as, I run a remodeling business, my age, that I work out in the mornings, and I’m exploring my Polish family history. It predicts from that, what would be most helpful using probability and language patterns. And lastly, it adjusts to my style and doesn’t respond to me like it would someone “firing off one-line tech questions.”

From there, it asked me when I ask this question, what am I wondering about. I know there have been many instances of ChatGPT being wrong, or sadly, promoting or assisting in suicide. I am wondering how it “knows” me and how their responses are shaped because I found its response to my palm reading session so long ago very thoughtful, for artificial intelligence.

I’ll continue to use it, with caution, and not get caught up in the idea that it really “knows” me.

Do you use some form of artificial intelligence for information?

Posted in 2026, life, Memories

Comparison

Posted on by nancyb422

“Comparison is the thief of Joy” is often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, but it dates back much farther than the end of the 1800s. There are references to it in the bible telling us that “to compare oneself to others, steals joy and leads to sin.” Ok, a little deeper than I intended to go.

Comparison… how can you NOT compare yourself to everyone around you when you have spent your life being compared to someone else?

It starts early as a twin. Weigh a little more? Measure a little longer? Eat more, drink more, poop more. Getting the picture yet?

Move on to school. Who’s smarter? Better at math, better at reading, drawing, nothing changes. But wait ’til high school!

High School….who’s prettier? friendlier? who’s dating whom? She didn’t say hi – you must be the friendly one! Oh, wait, you’re the one that didn’t say hi to me last week, I guess you’re both bitches! And cheerleaders! How did you both make it at the same time? That’s not fair! You must know someone! Oh, you’re the better cheerleader! Wait, maybe she’s the better cheerleader, I forgot who is who!

The comparisons ended at the end of high school for the most part, but the damage was done. The damage was done years ago. The damage was done as soon as we went to school. How could it not? People, adults and children alike, are all human. People don’t think of the words that hit like pebbles every time a comparison is made.

When we were in 8th grade or so, poring over our cousin’s high school yearbook. There was a set of twins graduating that year. Pretty girls with long, blonde hair. One was so pretty, and the other was pretty, but just not quite as pretty. As if the picture was fuzzy. That’s how I felt right up until we graduated.

Comparison of everything under the sun subsided long ago and all that’s left is how I feel about my body. I glance at other woman to wonder if they are as short as me? Where do they find pants to fit? Are they forever unhappy with the shape of their body?

Why do I care? I’m strong and fit.

“Comparison IS the thief of Joy”

Posted in 2026, life

Dentist’s Bills

Posted on by nancyb422

I’m being driven slowly insane by my dentist’s office and their lack of bills to me.

Is there anyone else out there who will get a statement any old time during the year with a random $700 “balance forward”?

After my statement of $738 in November, my first statement since April, I started paying $200 a month towards the balance. My Taurean nature says, “if you can’t send me a bill, I’ll pay you what I feel like. My balance was down to $138 and then my husband had two visits in January. I received the explanation of benefits from the insurance company, added them to my balance and paid another $200 in January.

I received a statement this weekend and it included the $200 I paid in January. And the balance forward was $573! What?! No record of the $400 I paid and no explanation of the new balance forward. According to my records at that point it should have been $338 at the most.

I can’t possibly be the only patient at this practice that has this problem – and there are only 2 of us on the account. Imagine if there were 2 or 3 more??!!

Oh well, I guess they don’t really need the money….

Posted in 2026, life

Always Our Baby

Posted on by nancyb422

As a parent, will we ever NOT worry about our children?

Our 35 year old son, married, business owner, and dog father to two cocker spaniels, borrowed my car so he and his wife could go to Foxwoods Casino for a concert. The casino is about an hour and a half away by way of 95 North to 395 North.

Of course I said yes, so he left his truck in our driveway and said, even though it would be late, he would come and swap vehicles. Which was good because I didn’t want to drive our truck to church!

Our New England weather this weekend includes temperatures of single digits, blowing winds, and snow squalls. Brrrr.

I went to bed and didn’t put in my earplugs thinking I would possibly hear him pull in later that night. Of course, I couldn’t, so I slept fitfully wondering if they had come back yet.

Every time I woke up, I wondered. But I didn’t want to get out of bed to check because if his truck was still there, I’d worry more!

I woke up at 6 and went downstairs where my husband was drinking his coffee. He said on one of his trips to the bathroom, when he saw the truck was gone, he was able to sleep better.

Now, if they had gone in their own vehicle and we didn’t know their coming and going, we’d have slept blissfully through the night!