BarbStAubrey..
.. i have just started watching a comedy show called " Miranda " here in UK, i was never interested before when it aired but watching it now she makes me laugh...Just looked it up and America can view it on " Hulu " whatever that is...

Good morning Barb, the original type is hard for me to read, too. I have so much trouble getting anything in or out I had put off trying to fix it. I tried the other day to use the quote thing with the font changes and failed. So here's the old fashion way, " he writes using the Scottish vernacular and after a bit I get tired of looking up words to understand the story"  that gave me a giggle. The homeopathic books are written in the vernacular of 200 years ago. I have a digital Miriam-Websters that I have to look up the antiquated term in. I totally agree about stuff on the TV/news. Not much worth watching. I don't even watch when I'm back home for the winter. If you do decide to read Burns, throw around some of those Scottish action adventure terms in your posts.     

Quote from: BarbStAubrey on June 03, 2025, 02:58:36 AMI wonder if they even publish the Guide anylonger? 

TCM has a monthly Guide via email. Go to their site - TCM.com - and sign up for it - free

Jackie,   Hulu, is a streaming channel here, so you have to pay extra for it.  We already pay extra for Netflix and HBO, so will hold off on Hulu for now.  I could use a good comedy show,  so if you have any other suggestions, let me know??   The World isn't a happy place right now, so it's refreshing to find something funny to laugh at! 

Rick,  We've had TCM for many years, but I didn't know they have a free monthly guide.  I'll definitely sign up for it.

Patricia,  Thanks for the update/reminder on the eaglets!    So much going on that I seem to never get caught up.   Other than the Eagles and the old music video's, I rarely watch YouTube much anymore.   So much misinformation there now that I don't want to waste time on it.  Too many websites,  newspapers and TV programs out there, and they all tell a  different story about the same event?  It's exhausting to try to sort things out. 

More later to Barb,   Ciaobella  and  OLM.   It's already 9:00 am here in CA, and I'm not even dressed yet.  I need to get busy and clean up the kitchen and everything else.  I'll return later.

Barb,

Quoteused to be this kind of fun 'what shall we watch tonight' while looking at the TV Guide - I wonder if they even publish the Guide any longer?

I get so lost trying to find shows on tv any more I could scream! I have literally lost track of all the choices Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Sling, Disney, Roku, Peacock, etc., etc. and if I hit the menu/guide button on my remote I get Movie & Event Channels, Sports, News & Information, Entertainment & Music, Family & Kids, Local, HDTV etc., etc. I feel like my smart TV has made me dumber than possible.    I can't even figure out how to use only one remote control. I still have a DVR with Direct TV so I program that with what shows I want to watch at a later time which are mostly reality TV competition shows like Amazing Race, Big Brother, Survivor, Traitors, Housewives (yes, I am a junkie for the crazy insane women on Bravo) and a couple of news shows along with my one Soap Opera General Hospital I have been watching for over 50 yrs. My mom got me started watching GH and I have stuck with it.  I tape it so I can fast forward the commercials.  I'm not very interested in movies any longer but when my grandkids spend the night, they will pick out a movie and we watch it together. I grin and bear it because I see so much subliminal messages that drive me up a wall. I will probably never go to a theater to see a movie ever again since they all end up on a TV network in time.

Vanilla-Jackie, Hulu is a paid streaming service like Peacock, Apple TV and the others. I find it rather crazy to have to pay for a cable/streaming service and then you have to pay an extra price for certain channels in order to watch certain shows and sports.  Every year I tell Direct TV if they don't give me my loyal customer discount I'm leaving and lo and behold, they always find a great deal to lower my bill!!

OLM, I have never once re-read a book that I can remember. Once I have finished a book, I usually give it away to the used bookstore or leave it on the shelf.  I have often thought about picking a couple of my favorites back up and reading one but as of, yet I have never done it. I suppose it's no different than re watching a favorite movie. One of my all-time favorites I have thought of reading again is Emma by Jane Austin.  Another good one I wouldn't mind reading again is A Gentleman in Moscow by Armor Towles.  Speaking of teaching yourself new things from books, I have found watching a YouTube video is even more helpful.  I was making crocheted Christmas bulb covers this past year and found a very easy to follow DIY video that got me through the task. 

Rammel, thank you for the Guide tip at TCM.com.

Marilyne, I agree, we need more laughter in our lives and when I watch the crazy Housewives show I do a lot of laughing.    

Ciaobella, or anyone, - While I'm not a big book reader or movie watcher, I have found that when I do re-read or re-watch. I always pick up on something I missed the first time around. Not wasted time, and nice to enjoy something a second time. (I should do it more.)

I haven't had a TV since I gave mine away in 1997. When I did have one, I tended to read while watching and then would get caught in my reading and turn the TV off. That's when I knew it had to go, and I never looked back.

I do pay for YouTube Premium and there are some older game shows and television I watch such as What's my line and those types of shows or Carol Burnett is a favorite as is Cher for older TV reruns.

My YouTube current events are the Big Bear Eagles, Elephant Orphanage, Kruger Park Lion Photo safaris, and Photo Game Safaris in Africa. Another genre is older WWII newsreels and YouTube videos of the Nuremberg trials. I'm a huge history buff and I watch a lot of that on YouTube.

Now books I read and save to re-read are mainly history, English and grammar, cookbooks, plants and gardening.

I tend to save and re-read books more than once. I have been reading since I was three, so that's over seventy years, and I still savor re-reading some such as the Scarlet Pimpernel or something by Mary Stewart. Sometimes I will reread an older book, such as Nora Roberts or Agatha Christy, and still savor it.  I rarely get rid of a book and usually regret and re-purchase.

I also agreed on the smug hatred, imagined self-importance and disingenuous twists on stories, depending on which viewpoint is more prevalent in the area you're in.

Not only that, but I read an interesting article sometime back on the complex relationship climate change has on this world. It causes migrations, war, religious fractures and the rise of fascism and strongmen.

I want to try and find that article again, as unfortunately I didn't save it.

Marilyne - Ciaobella...
...try youtube, maybe you can get a glimpse of the comedy " Miranda " on there..

Barb and Patricia . . . I read your latest messages in SS this morning.   I want you to know that I remember both of you in the past, writing about the loss of your son, Barb, and your daughter, Patricia.   Both stories have stayed with me, and  I have never forgotten  how you were both alone, without the support of a loving husband.   Patricia, I think you said your mother and sisters  came to be with you for awhile, and Barb, you had your two other adult children to help you through the shock.   Still, they eventually had to go home, and you were both left alone, to deal with it by yourselves.   I admire both of you. very much,  for moving forward with your lives.

OLM . . .  I'm so sorry that you lost so much, and had to give up so much of your former life, and start in all over again in a totally different way.   I'm wondering if you have support from others like you,  who are dealing with the same problems?    Is there a chance, that over time, your immune system will build back up to what it once was, and  you can slowly get back to the life you once had?   You are fortunate to have the continuing support of your husband, and adult children.    You're younger that my oldest daughter , who turned  67 in May.  She struggles with an auto immune illness, that is getting worse as time passes.

Jackie and Ciaobella . . . I want to respond to both of your posts, and will do so, later this afternoon.  Right now, time to start the daily routine.  I'm grateful that I can still manage!

Hi Marilyne, Thank you. People with what I have typically die in under 2 years. It gets worse with every exposure. I was sent home to die in 2004. I volunteered for 10 years with a 501(c3) that assisted with toxic injuries. A few of us are stubborn enough that we survive more than our toe tag estimate of 2 months to 2 years. Those that I worked with and those that I met through service are gone now. Normal people have a great difficulty dealing with the ongoing, never ending trauma of this condition. They have to go on with their lives. What I've told counselors is that, "If you love someone you don't drag them down into the oubliette with you." So while they do support me, I also support them by letting them live their lives, "not all about me, my illnesses, disabilities, and frequent circling the drain." I don't see them often. But when I do its very precious. Recovery is possible IF you avoid toxic exposures. Thats really hard to do. There's not much awareness and not a lot of accommodation. I just went through a round of trying to get assistance where the providers told me in essence (albeit politely) 'We don't serve your kind.' I've had more than enough of that response: it winds me up!    

OLM, I know what you mean about dealing with a chronic condition. In the early days, I was hospitalized three times because of people believing I was making something up to somehow "make" myself seem important.

Jackie . . . after I posted that message earlier to Barb and Patricia, I remembered that you also were left alone with no support, when  Richard died so suddenly. 
You did eventually find a church that helped you  to heal, which 'I know you're grateful for.   

I did find some videos on YouTube,  featuring the comedy Miranda.  I watched one that was titled  "Famous BBC Miranda Moments",  which gave clips from different shows.  I have to confess that I had a hard time with the British accent?   I think the dialogue moved a little too fast for me.  In spite of that, I can see that it's a funny show, and the actress who plays the title role, is a good comedienne!   

Ciaobella . . . I agree with you that there are WAY too many streaming channels!  As
I mentioned, we already pay extra for Netflix and HBO, which includes Peacock.  Also we have Amazon Prime, so we automatically get the channel as well.  I find that I rarely ever watch Netflix anymore, and haven't seen Peacock since the Olympics last Summer.  So we should certainly eliminate those to lower our cable bill!   My husband watches one of the streaming sports channels, so what ever that is, we will keep it. 

I mostly watch various News channels, plus Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and HBO.  I've been wanting to watch the recent Oscar winning movie  A Complete Unknown,  about the life of Bob Dylan, but hadn't been able to find it.  Now I discover  that it's on Amazon Prime, so hope to watch it soon.  About "General Hospital":  My younger daughter has a friend who has been watching it since she was a teenager, and is now in her late 50's.  She even went to a gathering of long time fans, held a few years ago in NYC.

I'm also one who reads a book more than once, IF I liked it a lot the first time.  I have a few books here that  I've read three or four times, (over the years) and not ready to give them away yet!  Same way with movies: I have dozens saved on my VCR, that I have watched a couple of times. 
There are some very dramatic or sad ones, and some that are guaranteed to make me feel good . . . so I like to keep them all around.    I have some War related movies that we watch on certain days of the year,  like 4th of July, Veterans Day, D-Day, Memorial Day, and December 7th.

Patricia! That's terrible! How long ago was that? I've been accused of making stuff up to get attention, but typically only by the ignorant, the bigoted or those that would actually make stuff up to get attention. It was usually unpleasant family members. I had a part in people thinking I was making it up:;when I'm hurt I go some place private. So most people would never see the "fall out." The ones that upset me were those that thought they had a right to "test me," by delibertely exposing me to toxic substances, to see if it was true.   

Two of the cases were similar in that people, supposedly friends, "tested me" by making parts of the meals with powdered mixes or processed compound foods mixed in.

When I became ill and an ambulance was called, they were billed. Plus, they were both dropped from the group and both were angry at me as if this was somehow all my fault. One was from a cafe.

Now, I rarely go out unless I know the people or the place is amenable to customer's issues.

Wow! SMH I had a supposed friend insist she wanted to bake me a birthday cake... I explained carefully how difficult that would be and that it had to be made from scratch, all organic and no wheat flour. She insisted she could do it. I double checked when we got there. She insisted she'd followed my instructions to the letter. Not long after I'd eaten my piece of cake and things started to go down hill I went in the kitchen to get some water. I saw the cake mix box in the garbage can, on top. I asked her if that was what she used, busted. We went home and I was horribly sick. Never trusted anyone else after that. And she was furious at me Go figure.

I never was very badly allergic to things, but when I did eventually start getting a reaction to tenuous shots. Now I don't get boosters any more.

I do remember the news about "the bubble boy" David Vetter. I just looked him up because I never knew what became of him. At the age of thirteen he died from lymphoma after getting a bone marrow transplant.

What is it with people liking to blame the victim or choosing not to believe them? My most memorable episode of that came when I was in high school. Neighbor girl, her friend and I were walking up along a fence row one time. One of them saw some vines and was about to pick a few branches off. I immediately told her to stay away, that it was poison ivy. Neither one believed me. They picked the branches and proceeded to flail each other on the face and arms with them, then they came after me. I was able to dodge them, thankfully. Next thing I heard they were both in being treated for an extreme case of poison ivy. It was, of course, my fault. I had my share of poison ivy when I was in elementary school and spent the summers exploring the woods between the housing and the sheep farm. One of my junior high school teachers was also a sheep farmer. How cool is that! Pleasant memories there, except of course for the poison ivy.

Allergies are interesting. My brother could look at poison ivy and break out, while I could (and did once) rub it on myself with no results. However, over the course of life I have been allergic to lots of things, including some food groups. Luckily things I can usually avoid. Tree and grass pollen are my big problem, and Ragweed in the fall. Today's antihistamines get me through it all.

In my case, the two people purposely using ultra processed foods in a dinner because they didn't believe me, and lied about it; ended up paying each 4.5 thousand for my treatments.

In the café, the waitress assured me she had noted my concerns, no problem. When I was ill, with the ambulance coming into the business to tend to my being unable to breathe, and transport me to the emergency room, it was more.

The owner fired the waitress and of course paid the almost six thousand dollar bill. I heard later that a couple of the co-workers felt bad, "Because she was such a sweet person!"

This was in mid 2013 through early 2014.

I also hear about people complaining they can no longer send food to school parties because of people with allergies. Or kids can't go trick or treating in neighborhoods, stuff like that. One parent even stated in a letter to the editor that such children with serious allergies, such as peanuts, shouldn't go to regular schools?!?

So, anyone with a chronic illness or allergies, needs to evidently isolate themselves from the human race, so not to bother everyone else.

Wait, the co-workers were saying "its to bad because (the waitress) was such a sweet person"!!!  That is so appalling and it happens way too often! Yeah the whole intolerance thing for anybody who's different is terrible. There's a name for that: bigotry. My daughter had terrible food allergies. I cooked all her food from scratch. I'd get a menu from the camp coordinators for church camp, etc and make her the same foods as everybody else was going to get and pack an ice chest. I did everything I could so she wouldn't feel left out. Its hard enough on kids to be different. I've never heard anyone say that about kids with food allergies should not be allowed to attend public school. I'd have flamed! That last statement you made, before I isolated myself from society, I got that one a lot. I had one guy get in line behind me at a checkout counter and come unglued. He started ranting about calling the guys in white with butterfly nets to come and get me and how people like me shouldn't be allowed out in society. He went on for 15 or better minutes. The horrible thing was that the store people just stood there and let him. 

Those must have been horribly scary for you. My reactions weren't anaphylactic.