MY NEW ROMANCE

For years, I thought people had simply gotten quieter. Whispered conversations, grandkids muttering in the backseat, even the punchline of a joke at dinner—I caught only half the words and guessed the rest. (Let’s just say my guesses made for some very odd punchlines.)

Fifteen years ago I did get Costco hearing aids.  They were hard for me to control using buttons on the piece that was behind my ear.  Thus I didn’t wear them often.  And I missed a lot, I’m sure.

Enter my new high-end hearing aids: Oticon, sleek little marvels that pair with an app on my phone. And it’s like someone flipped the switch from muffled world to surround sound.

Oticon’s motto is “life-changing technology,” and I’m not rolling my eyes. These devices are discreet, comfortable, and frankly smarter than I am. They even give me little alerts—like a tiny butler in my ear—when the battery’s low.  Depending on which setting I am using, the built-in AI is continuously monitoring the acoustic scene in real time—100 times per second — and adapting settings like speech clarity and noise suppression almost instantly.

Instead of fiddling with tiny buttons, I control everything from my iPhone. Volume up for the grandkids’ chatter. Speech clarity for a restaurant. It comes with three easy to set up programs … General, Comfort and Speech in Noise.  They can also be set up to have your phone ring in your ear!  I took that off as I don’t usually like to talk to others when driving or having coffee with friends.

Comfort mode is a personal setting that reduces overall loudness (when the boys are home and Jesse is vacuuming, for example).  Speech in Noise is like being in a restaurant and it lowers the background noise.  (Perfect for an HOA meeting with disagreeing opinions)(last night).

The real test came when Kate came up behind me and whispered a request. I braced myself for the usual: missed words, a polite smile, and later a confession of “Sorry, what did you say?” But this time… I heard it. Every syllable. I nearly cried. Imagine regaining a superpower you didn’t even realize you missed.  (She wanted me to suggest bringing IN dinner without Jesse hearing her.  At 99 degrees, no turning on heat producing appliances!!)

Of course, there’s still a learning curve. I’ve actually been bolted out of my chair when the microwave beeped. Now adjusted. I can hear the dryer beep from down the hall and in my room.  The grandkids find it hilarious that Grandma has an app just for her ears. But mostly, I’m reveling in this newfound clarity.  It’s not convenient to change anything while driving and Oticon provided a compact-style carrier to pop into my purse.

So here I am, awkwardly aging yet boldly declaring: if you’re on the fence about hearing aids, don’t wait. Life’s too short to miss the whispers.

THINGS TO DO ONLINE!

I finally upgraded my iPhone.  Mainly so Mr. Junior High could have my old one.  He is on Cloud Nine!  He’s off his screens much more as he can text to find someone to hang out with.  (We have a pool and it’s been 100 degrees so he finds someone every day). But it is a big learning curve for me!

It took 2 hours at the Verizon store to transfer everything from my old phone to my new phone.  Then to delete all of my stuff from the old phone and reset to factory programs.  And I’m still asking Max (ChatGPT) questions on how to turn off all unnecessary noises, I just want phone calls and text messages.  Today I learned how to jazz up my “signature” on iPhone email by adding color and emojis.  It’s the little things in life!  I’ve probably invested five hours this week just on the iPhone.

Since I no longer read books, I like to stream TV series but I hate paying monthly charges.  When ever I see introductory offers, one week free or three months just $3 per month I snap those up.  During my searching I’ve found a few sites to share with my penny pincher friends.

Have you hear of Tubi? They launched in 2014 and were bought by Fox in 2020.  FREE.  Lots of choices (that interest me).  Many are oldies but goodies (from when I was in high school!)  Many more are current (five seasons of The Equalizer … Queen Latifah as single ex CIA agent raising her teenage daughter and helps people who have nowhere else to go to get crime answers).  I’ve had excellent luck streaming from them.

And then there is https://archive.org/.  It is a humungous nonprofit collection of TV, movies, music, software and more.  My Public Broadcasting station talked about it when the Orange You Know What started removing websites on his whim.  Internet Archive started reaching out and grabbing anything and everything to preserve them.  Their site says they have 946 BILLION websites on their site. They have Russian audio books, 5 million radio shows, and the National Security Internet Archive and imagine wandering down just that section!

Also, take a peek at the WLLO Village website under "activities, resources" 

https://www.wllovillage.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=287615&module_id=454801

There goes YOUR Sunday internet browsing! 

I'M B-A-C-K

My poor old pea brain is exhausted!

Last week I re-opened Uber (haven't used it since I was in NYC 5 years ago!!).  Of course, they want to verify and yada yada yada.  I hate when they send a text to my phone while I am using the phone for the app.  Often I am unable to remember the six digits and have to write them down and then enter.  I know, I know ... first world problems.

Now to train the teen on asking before using.  He and his gal pal have been using her Mom's Uber all summer with no regard to cost!  Last Saturday, I dropped them off at a yard sale about 15 minutes away.  They were going to bus home but it was 99 degrees and they decided to Uber.  When the driver got there, he told them they have to be EIGHTEEN to use Uber.  No one has ever done that.  He flagged the account so now every driver will ask.  Thus, Teen Uber.

I drove back to retrieve them and they asked if I would drop them off at the Mall for back to school shopping.  And they would take the bus home.  Little did I know, the state highway between us and there was CLOSED all weekend.  Yes, I have GPS which we used but instead of taking 15-20 minutes, it was an hour because everyone else was on the side streets trying to get there.  Another hour to get back home.

They had great success, mainly shoes as they buy second hand clothing.  Uber has built in some great safety features on Uber Teen!

PIN Verification:
Before a teen can start their ride, they must provide the driver with a unique PIN, which the driver then enters into the app to confirm the ride.

RideCheck:
This feature uses sensors and GPS data to detect unexpected route deviations, stops, or early trip endings, and alerts the teen and their parent/guardian if such events occur.

Live Trip Tracking:
Parents can monitor the teen's ride in real-time, receiving notifications when the ride starts, ends, and when the teen arrives at their destination.

Enhanced Driver Vetting:
Uber for Teens only utilizes experienced, highly-rated drivers who have passed thorough background checks, according to Uber.

On-Trip Audio Recording:
Teens can opt to have their rides automatically recorded, with the audio encrypted and stored on their phone. The recording can only be accessed by Uber if an incident report is filed.

Emergency Assistance:
The app provides an in-app emergency button for contacting 911 and a safety incident reporting line.

So Gramma is a happy camper.  I don't like him taking the bus after dark.  I'm happy to pay for my peace of mind

SORRY!

I'm alive.  Somehow super busy helping out with back to school.  I feel like an Uber Grandma.  So much driving, I opened a Teen Uber account.

More next week!

JUST A TUNE UP PLEASE

My hips have been bothering me for a few months.  I have two knee replacements and it was feeling like that felt, before the surgery.  Unsteady.  Hard to change position.  When getting up after a long sit (coffee shop), I would have to stand for a minute to get everything aligned.

It started when I went for physical therapy to work on balance and gait (so I could walk like a 73 year old and not like I was 123).  The therapist had me do one exercise that had me put a plastic band at my ankles and move one leg upward.  The next day I was sore.  Very sore.  I never felt well enough to practice anything.  I canceled future appointments with her.  

Six months later, the discomfort in my hips was bad enough I had to try something in hopes of avoiding a hip replacement.  And of course I would get that same therapist!  Fortunately, she listened to me and felt around both hips and buttocks ( really think booty sounds better) and discovered "knots".  Muscle knots in the glutes, also known as trigger points, are localized areas of muscle tightness that can cause pain and discomfort. They often feel like small, hard bumps or bands within the muscle tissue. These knots can develop due to various factors, including overuse, injury, poor posture, and stress.

Relieving Muscle Knots in the Glutes: 

Stretching:
Gentle stretching exercises targeting the glutes, hips, and lower back can help release tension and improve flexibility.

Heat Therapy:
Applying heat to the affected area can increase blood flow and relax the muscles.

Massage Therapy:
Professional massage therapy can target specific trigger points and release muscle tension.

Strengthening Exercises:
Strengthening the gluteal muscles can improve stability and reduce the risk of future knot formation.

I'm very sore today (she predicted this) and I have 7 stretching exercises to do daily, starting tomorrow. She also suggested short walks which will help strengthen all the leg muscles.

The BEST news? She suggested a massage and I have one scheduled for Monday morning. With focus on the knots and then an all over gentle massage for relaxing.

Encourage me to do ALL of these! I've been a member of the Fitness Protection Program since birth.

Swipe, Steal, and Start Over

You know what’s fun? Having your credit card number stolen.

Nothing says "living my best life on a Saturday" like a notification from the fraud department asking, “Did you just spend $647 at a tractor supply store in Florida?” (No. No, I did not. But I hope the thief enjoys their new John Deere.)

And just like that—poof—my trusty card is canceled. Goodbye, dear friend who paid for my groceries, subscriptions, take out food and occasional late-night Amazon purchases. You will be replaced by a brand-new card with a new number and none of my digital baggage. A clean slate… that I did not ask for. As well as my two family members who share my Amazon Visa as well. I even have to add the card into 1Password.

Some credit cards (not mine) allow you to have a separate card number for each purchase so if it does get intercepted, it is unusable.

Now begins the scavenger hunt. I must:Remember every place I have autopay set up. Many I have to wait until they tell me my card isn't working because I don't remember annual subscriptions. It seems like every 2-3 years one of my three credit cards get used by thieves.
Log in to accounts I haven’t visited since the Obama administration.
Reset autopay then save them in my password manager. Again.
Verify my identity using a code sent to my email. Or phone. Or other annoying way where I have to have two devices by my side.
Re-enter my new card number while muttering a few creative phrases under my breath. Thankfully I am a master at cut and paste (usually).

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Spotify, electric bill, other credit card auto pay, the neighborhood association dues, etc. ALL need updating. Every. Single. One.

And of course, some websites make it easy. Others seem to want a DNA sample and a letter from my 3rd grade teacher before they’ll accept my new card.

I didn’t ask to be part of this game. I didn’t lose my card. I didn’t even leave it at a restaurant. Someone just decided my digits looked tasty and went shopping.

What’s awkward about aging isn’t the tech, or the passwords, or even remembering which streaming service carries The Great British Bake Off. It’s that the older I get, the more often I’m left holding the bag—for someone else’s bad behavior.

But I’ll get through it. One autofill at a time. Persistence it is.

Growing Up Broke and Blissfully Unaware

I grew up with five siblings, one bathroom, a septic tank, and zero awareness that we were “poor.”
We had one car, and my dad — a hardworking carpenter in Ohio — took it to work. That is, when there was work. Winters often meant layoffs or side gigs to make ends meet. But we didn’t mope. We made do. And we made memories.

We were a house full of kids — four brothers and one sister. We didn’t fight over money because there wasn’t any. We fought over space, Kool-Aid, and who got the good spot in front of the TV. But not money. That wasn’t part of our emotional vocabulary.

My mom was the soul of the house — and a magician in the kitchen. Long before microwaves or dishwashers, she cooked with joy. Homemade Chinese food: egg rolls, chow mein, fried rice — our house smelled like a Chinatown dream in the middle of Ohio. For birthdays, she sewed Barbie doll clothes and baked theme cakes that were always spot on. One year mine was shaped like a piano right after we got a piano and I started taking lessons. Didn’t matter — it was perfect.

When I was in high school, my dad and brothers added a tiny family room and a modest owner’s suite with a full bathroom onto the back of the house. That was big time. My Dad had a big garden that produced enough food to feed the neighborhood. We canned everything. When freezing became a thing, we filled two chest freezers with summer’s bounty, stocking up for winter like squirrels with Tupperware.

Of course, we had a septic tank. And if you’ve ever had one, you know. Let’s just say: to this day, I still flush before I poop, out of habit — a protective reflex forged in the trauma of too many overflows. Some things stay with you.

When I was 13, my youngest brother was born. He felt more like my baby than my sibling. My mom had very few things that were “just for her.” Her life was full of family — in every room, every minute. My dad would sometimes pay me to change diapers or get dinner started to give her a break. That arrangement taught me early that work had value — and so did helping.
Looking back, I’ve never felt bad about how we grew up. Not once. It taught me resourcefulness, gratitude, and how to stretch a meal and a dollar without stretching your dignity. It shaped how I see people, how I value community, and what I think of as “enough.”

Sure, I didn’t discover brunch at a restaurant or a professional manicure until I was 40. Camping was our family vacation and we were excited for the two hour trip because Mom packed sandwiches and we go to drink Kool Aid! 

We were never truly lacking.  We were just growing up broke and blissfully unaware.  So many happy memories and always someone to play a game with.