I haven’t had the T.V. on yet today, not that I blame it for the bad news, but there was just too much of it yesterday.  The shootings in Las Vegas and the death of Tom Petty gave us all an uneasy feeling about our own mortality.  It can happen even when we’re having fun and at times when we least expect it.  Tom Petty was my age and I just saw him in concert a month and a half ago.  I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, but a country music festival would not be a reason to draw me there.  The shooter was recently retired, so he should have been enjoying life rather than taking it away from others.  Las Vegas is no place for guns and security is tight, so how did this tragedy happen?

Coldplay opened their show last night at Portland’s Moda Center with the song, Free Fallin’, as a tribute to Tom Petty.  We enjoyed the show and especially their Xylobands, the recyclable LED wristbands that each of us wore in-sync with the band’s music.  The idea for the wristbands was actually conceived at one of their concerts by the inventor, Jason Regler.  The lights are actually much more entertaining than the giant video backgrounds that many artists use.  They use them in conjunction with confetti guns and giant rubber balls to keep the crowd engaged.  It was a great show and a nice diversion from a horrible day of national news!  As my wife pointed out to others in our group, as they questioned whether they should go or not, if we change our plans because we’re afraid from what they did, only the bad guys are the winners.  I was glad we went.

A couple of days ago, I went to soak some empty wine bottles in hot water to ease the removal of their labels.  We then take them to a friend’s house to be recycled through their hobby vineyard.  I turned the water on to fill the sink, and frankly forgot about it.  Soon, our hardwood floors were covered in water and the oriental rugs soaked.  We got the hassle cleaned up without too much damage, and put the rugs in the garage to dry, since it was raining at the time.  I also used a carpet cleaner to extract as much water as possible, but they were drying slowly.  When the sun came out the next day, I put them on the driveway to bask in the heat.  As I was inside writing, a pop-up shower must have happened and drenched them once again.  When I went outside, it was blue skies, just as I had left them, so all the rain was hard to explain.  I know, it’s Portland, so you have to be prepared!   I’m keeping a close eye on them this afternoon, as I try once again to get them dry.  The garage smelled like a wet dog before I dragged them out into the sunshine, and hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate.

My glasses have been repaired and I will no longer have to wear the spare pair that is held together with Super Glue.  I somehow broke my frames while riding in the Hood to Coast Relay van five weeks ago, and it has taken that long to get them fixed.  I wish my ears were as easy to fix as my eyes.  They may have played a factor in not hearing the water spilling over the edge of the sink, at least my wife thinks so.  A friend’s wife says she won’t speak to him again until he gets a hearing aid.  I’m afraid of what I might hear.  At any rate, I’ll pick my glasses up tomorrow and have them for Date Night.  I also have to get a flu shot and visit the chiropractor tomorrow, a few more retirement hassles that have unfortunately been going on for a long time before retirement started.  Old age is not for sissies!

Good news also arrived yesterday, in the form of a package.  It helps offset some of the misfortune.  It was a ribbon-wrapped box containing a pacifier and a note from baby IRMA, who will be my third grandchild come May.  My son and his wife are jokingly calling it IRMA, until they know if it’s a boy or girl, since the hurricane storm just missed them a few months ago.  We’ll be looking forward to this visit from IRMA.  Kitchen duty calls, as I’m marinating Cornish Hens in buttermilk and Tabasco to be floured and fried for dinner tonight.  I’m also looking forward to the start of the baseball Playoffs that start tonight, so my T.V. viewing strike will be ending soon.  Looks like the rugs are still drying in the sun, so no surprises there!