INDONESIAN RICE TABLE (RIJSTTAFEL) – a treat from Amsterdam in Philadelphia??
Posted: December 23, 2019 Filed under: geezerEats, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Indonesian rice table, Philadelphia, Rice Table, Rijsttafel Leave a comment »
In August 2019 while visiting relatives in Philadelphia, we ate at Sky Cafe, an Indonesian restaurant that featured a rice table, known in Amsterdam as rijsttafel.
There are several Indonesian restaurants in Philadelphia; but, none in Albuquerque or Tucson. Sky Cafe is authentic, small, and except for us everyone appeared to be Indonesian. It was crowded at 6:00 and we had to sit in the hall for 20 minutes until a table was ready. Sky Cafe was down a hall in an ethnic shopping center. It was full of uncrated furniture. The sign on the door said Sky was expanding.
There is an extensive menu, but only one “rice table (rijsttafel)” for $17.
The liquor laws in Pennsylvania are BYOB (bring your own bottle) for restaurants, so we took two bottles of wine. Sky Cafe provides glasses and cork screws. There is no corkage fee.
This part of Philadelphia is out of our comfort zone, but it was not problem. An ethnic neighborhood, with a safe and local feel.
We used LYFT and when we left the restaurant, our Lyft showed up in minutes, but we did not recognize it because a cop had pulled him over for a broken tail light, which did not result in a ticket. When we got the message that “your car is here,” we discovered it was the car the cop had stopped in front of us. A story to tell.
The trip back was without incident. He told us he was about to attend the police academy in New Jersey to become a police officer. Most Lyft drivers have an interesting story to tell.
For more information on rice tables in Amsterdam search Rijsttafel on Wikipedia, which has a bunch of pictures and a list of items in a typical Rijsttafel.
Search: Rijsttafel + name of town. ie. Rijsttafel +New York or Rijsttafel +Amsterdam
Maybe you want to prepare your own rice table (Rijsttafel) with a cookbook from Amazon.
THINK OLD! TRAVEL OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE!
TV REMOTE CONTROLS – Why old people go crazy in vacation rentals!
Posted: September 18, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: clicker, TV remote Leave a comment »After 79 years I have just barely managed to work my TV at home. Now, every time I am in a new vacation rental, I face an impossible learning experience. I have yet to be able to turn on a TV with ease. Why, I am not sure. This week in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, a favorite place of ours, was the worst.
There are three TV’s in the unit and NINE TV remote devices. Fortunately the master bedroom only has one.
The living room TV has 6 remotes.
The first night, and over the week-end, I could only make the TV in the master bedroom work; and that only by punching several buttons at random. The TV in the living room simply flashed “No Signal” and “35 Animal Planet.”
On Monday I went to the management company and they suggested that I contact the cable provider. They gave me a number.
The cable provider telephone call consisted of a series of messages and suggestions; none of which did any good and ended up suggesting that I unplug the system, wait 20 minutes, and attempt to restart. I did this. Nothing. I then unplugged the system again, waited an hour, restarted the system. Again nothing. So, I turned to drink.
After a few hours, I called the cable provider again, and by carefully punching buttons on my phone, finally got to a live operator. She was very nice. She must have a nice grandfather.
She suggested I punch “source” on my remote. At first I couldn’t find it; but then hiding at the bottom in small type, was a button that said “video source,” right next to the red button that said “light.”
I punched the video source button and got several choices. By sorting through them (it took me a couple minutes to figure out how to go from one to another), I hit on one that turned the TV on. Not clear, but after a while the TV got to the point where could find some familiar channels.
For the next several days, it took several attempts with the remote to get the cable. I never could make it work in the guest bedroom, but….
Even after I managed to start getting the cable channels, I got ads popping up suggesting that I upgrade this or that. There seemed to be no way to get away from them except by powering off and restarting the TV.
The one remote that finally worked has 63 buttons; each with small hard to read (and harder to understand) words.
On a prior trip, but a different condo, all of the clickers were dead. After a couple of days, and calls, we discovered that the batteries were not only dead, but corroded.
The remotes are not labeled. They each control a different tv, vcr, or some other electronic device.
I realize that I am 79; that my grandchildren were not with me; and, that I am not versed in “remotes;” however, I notice that a lot of old people rent condos in Florida during the school year, when things are quieter. You would think that there could be a simple solution.
Old people tend to watch TV. Imagine if my life revolved around Jeopardy? I would go crazy if the remote did not allow me to access that.
I have come up with a simple check list. This should help, not just with tv remotes, but with most of the problems old people have with electronics.
- Don’t wait. Face the problem now.
- Prepare- whoever you contact is going to want information that you don’t have, so get it.
- numbers
- time
- photos on your cell phone
- contacts – owner – manager
- Think it through
- Use your age as a bargaining chip. “I am 79 and need your help.”
- Try everything. Whomever you contact will ask you.
- Be nice.
- Seek help; in person, if possible.
- Finally, call your grandson or granddaughter.
THINK OLD!
BODY DONATION – No box for the geezer!
Posted: August 21, 2019 Filed under: burial, dying, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Body donation, medical school cadevers Leave a comment »Skip the box! Choose body donation!
Not only are more people living longer; their older dying age requires more old bodies for medical schools and their budding gerontologists. Body donation is the key; not, medical students going out late at night to source their own cadaver, as was the custom 100 years ago.
The frugal senior will explore interesting alternatives to funeral homes.
A funeral can cost $10,000; cremation can cost $2000; even green burial can cost $1000 and all these require more hassle than you want to force on your heirs.
Think body donation; it costs nothing and you can focus on a convenient and cheap memorial service at a convenient time and place.
See the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act and the states in which it has been adopted.
The best bet may be a medical school body donation. Medical students have become quite civilized. You will not be the butt of their jokes and what was you will be treated with respect. It will be your last good deed.
If you are in New Mexico, contact the University of New Mexico. In other states search the medical school website.
The Mayo Clinic says you are never too old to donate your body; and they will provide you with a copy of their donation form. Click on Mayo Clinic Form.
Your driver’s license may authorize organ donations – make sure this does not conflict with your body donation to a medical school. Medical students need all of you, not just the left-overs.
Carry medical school contact numbers with you. In fact, tape the name and number on the back of your driver’s license.
Have the cremains, after the medical school is through with you, put in a plastic bag; that way they will be around for a thousand years.
Check these two cites:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/body-donation/making-donation
https://hsc.unm.edu/school-of-medicine/cell-biology-physiology/anatomical-donation-program.html
THIINK OLD!
HOW BUSINESSES LOSE OLD PEOPLE – they don’t know what seniors want/need!
Posted: May 30, 2019 Filed under: AGING, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized Leave a comment »Last week I read The Longevity Economy, by Joseph F. Couglin, who is the founder and director of MIT’s AgeLab even though he is only 56. His basic thesis is that businesses do not really understand old people and what they want or need. I was intrigued enough, at 78, to 1) sign up as an AgeLab volunteer and 2) over the last week, while on a trip to Tucson, come up with personal examples of how businesses do not understand old people.
Here are just a few of my thoughts:
1. Side mirrors on cars do not let you see a car next to you on either side and it is hard to turn your head. I bought a blind spot mirror from Amazon and stuck it on my mirrors before I left.
2. The bath tub in our first hotel was too high, with a step and inadequate grab bars.
3. The bed is high. I couldn’t sit on the edge and put my shoes on. I was unstable getting out of it in the middle of the night; and, I get up often – another problem of aging
4. The TV clicker is difficult to use, though this one was simpler than most.
5. The restaurant is great. It is quiet and you can share a plate, unlike a lot of restaurants.
6. In case we don’t want to drive the distance, we have options. We can fly, we can use Uber/Lyft and rent a car. A little more costly than the drive and stop but not much, and not the stress. We miss the non-stop SW flights from ABQ to TuS.
7. When we leave, ABQ, we notify our neighbors, set up on/off lights and hide the computer. When you think about it, we really don’t have much that the average thief would want.
8. The car is a Prius and after 6 years and 75,000 miles, we still average 55 miles to the gallon,which appeals to our geriatric cheapness. And it is easy to drive and park, although I would like a back up camera that is standard on new cars.
9. Freeways are ok outside of cities as we stick to the right lane. And use speed control.
10. We also plug the I-phone into the cigarette lighter so it is always charged. And of course, google maps gives us directions as to where we need to go.
11. We don’t drive at night on the freeway
12. Food and other items packed in plastic that old fingers can’t open. Knives are hard to use on plastic packages with arthritic fingers. Scissors are also difficult, but who travels with them.
13. The paper TV channel guide has letters too small to read. The TV clicker was confusing, no grab bars in the bath tub, , bath tub too high, so without a grab bar, difficult to step into. – For the blog I have enhanced the TV channel guide.
14. On the way back, we stayed at a famous old hotel, but again no grab-bars on the high tub and the bottles of shampoo and conditioner were over a foot tall and heavy.
15. Lights in hotel rooms are not designed for old people; nor is the placement and switches on lamps.
This is just a sample.
More to come.
THINK OLD!
DUMMIES BOOKS, SOURCES FOR SENIORS!
Posted: May 7, 2019 Filed under: COPING, geezerAdapts, geezerLearns, Out of my comfort zone!, SIMPLICITY, Uncategorized | Tags: Dummies, learning Leave a comment »Old people need to learn new things. And, at your age, all your mentors are dead. The problem is finding someone to teach you and having the guts to go and learn something. It is an uphill battle to admit at 78 that you are ignorant and don’t know everything. Old people are afraid of being wrong, stupid or foolish.
I suggest that if you want to learn something new that you start with a “Dummies” book. There are hundred of them and they cover everything from Dating after Age 50 to Beekeeping. Some of them are 20 years old, but most basic knowledge is also old and you can use a Dummies book as a starting point.
At least you won’t feel quite as foolish after you have looked through a “Dummies” book.
Note that there are a number of Dummies Books directed at Seniors, or of topics of interest to seniors; even topics that you might not want anyone to know you are interested in, such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Dummies, which you can order on Amazon.com. Get the Kindle edition, as you don’t want to leave it laying around, and it is cheaper.
When you are ready to buy, go to Amazon, which sells hundreds of “Dummies” books. Just search “Dummies + topic” and see what you get; or do the same thing at your local library.
Amazon should be your starting point. It is better than a card catalog, or the electronic equivalent. Then check your library; or if on vacation, the library in the town you are visiting. They usually have a good supply and it is free. Besides, going to the library is interesting anyway as they have numerous magazines, programs, cafes, etc. They also are frequently the location for the local genealogy society, and other interest groups.
For example, we go to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida each year. Except for White Sands, New Mexico has a shortage of beaches. We like the Largo Public Library in Largo, Florida which provides us with a book store, a cafe, genealogy courses, genealogy library and dozens of magazines in addition to a huge number of books for “Dummies.”
Some of the Dummies Books I found at the Largo Public Library of interest to old people, deal with laptops, tablets and smart phones, Facebook, fit over 40, social security, estate planning, genealogy, personal finance, dating after 50, and dementia.
Of special interest to those of you who are downsizing, maybe in anticipation of a move to “The Home” is: e-Bay for Dummies. Or, you might just want to buy a copy for your kids. Time to sell off all that junk, which no one in your family really wants.
You might be interested in:
And, of course, if you are an old blogger, there is always:
At my age, nothing could be more interesting than the 4th Edition of Beekeeping for Dummies.
THINK OLD!
“SENIOR BUTTON” FOR THE GEEZER’S COMPUTER
Posted: April 9, 2019 Filed under: AGING, COPING, geezerTips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, aging in place, computer, creativity, elder, elderly, elders, geezer, geriatric, lifespan, living-in-place, mature, mature adults, old age, old people, older, older adults, outsourcing, retirement, senior, senior citizen, simplicity Leave a comment »
I need a large “senior button” on my computer keyboard to take it into senior mode.
Pressing the button would disable everything I didn’t need including, without limitation, ads, spam, e-mails and anything except what I had specifically included.
The senior button has to be large, clearly marked and perhaps even a toggle switch or a button like the illustration that signals a bus driver that an old person wants off. I need to signal the computer that it needs to stop and let me off.
Pressing the senior button will disengage all the software and hardware, except for the following which would be in large print:
- E-mail from people I select.
- Skype in case my grandkids call.
- The obituary page of the local paper.
- Stock market update.
- geezer2go.com
- Select telephone numbers that by clicking would dial select friends and family members.
- E-mail addresses with a picture of the recipient.
- Printer.
- An onscreen volume control so I can hear.
- Daily menu at the local senior center.
When the button was pressed a second time, it would re-enable the computer so that my grandkids could fix things.
This would be simple.
Think about it. old people suffer from too much, not too little; and not just in computers. Think about the world you occupy. There are too many choices that require too much time to learn.
THINK OLD!
FERAL CAT OF ORANGE COUNTY! Finding a feral cat in your bathroom
Posted: January 9, 2019 Filed under: geezerPets, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: cats, feral cats, feral children, pet cameras 1 Comment »
Several weeks ago we went to visit a relative in Orange County, CA. We were supposed to go to Alpine, CA, but due to the fire situation, we ended up at their home in Orange.
A homeless family of feral cats had taken up residence outside their front gate; a mother and two small kittens. By chance, they trapped the female kitten in a fenced area next to the garage and adopted her. When we arrived, the kitten had disappeared. They had kept it in a closed second bathroom along with their washer and dryer. The cat was gone.
Using tuna as bait we hoped to entice the cat out of its hiding place. We thought she was behind the washer and dryer. The tuna was set out, and a string was tied to the washer/dryer closet door. The cat would come out, we would see the cat, jerk the string and prevent the cat from going back behind the washer/dryer. Nothing happened! For several hours we watched the door and held the string. Nothing.
We took a break, shut the bathroom door and a short time later, the tuna was gone.
Prior to our arrival, a four-foot cat cage had been delivered for the cat. We took a break and put the cage together; not a simple task, but the feral kitten could not run free.
The cage being ready, we turned our attention back to the bathroom again. Nothing. No cat. No tuna.
We went to Best Buy and bought a wireless camera that could be hooked up to a cell phone. We placed the camera in the bathroom and aimed at the washer/dryer and another helping of tuna. After some time, the cat appeared, ate the tuna and disappeared; but not in the direction of the washer/dryer.
We pointed the camera at the sink and toilet and set out another helping of tuna.
At 11:00 at night the cat came out, ate the tuna and disappeared behind the sink. We caught it on the cell phone. On checking the base of the sink, we discovered it was hollow and the kitten was hiding inside the base.
The kitten was moved to the cat cage and kept there except when it was being held. It is still feral – look at its eyes – even when it is being petted.
The mother and the brother are still waiting outside the house, but the sister is on the way to domestication.
Since this was first written, the mother has given birth to 2 or 3 more kittens; more feral cats. The next step is to catch the mother and take her to the vet for a bit of surgery.
Makes one wonder about all the feral children that are being separated from their parents at the border. But maybe being kept in pens with dozens of other children is not the same thing….. Maybe I just imagine that I see the kitten we captured in those kids. It is amazing how much the cat cage looks like the cages for immigrant children being held near the border.
THINK OLD!
SOURCES:
Wireless Security Camera https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lorex-indoor-4mp-wi-fi-security-camera-silver-black/5824309.p?skuId=5824309
Cat Playpen https://www.chewy.com/midwest-collapsible-cat-playpen/dp/45740
Feral Cats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat
Feral children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child
FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF ST. PETERSBURG FLORIDA – a creative source, especially if you are old!
Posted: October 9, 2018 Filed under: Florida, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Espanola, FL, lowrider, Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, NM, scones, St. Petersburg Leave a comment »I like museums, but not for the reasons you might think. I have spent 60 years going to museums and have been overwhelmed by the shear volume of items and my lack of ability to be selective in my viewing. I have been to art museums, archeology museums, and science museums. I have been to big museums and tiny museums.
Museums have become a blur; they are useful, however; especially if you are studying something – you can see how in idea or a concept developed over time. You can get new ideas and make new connections to old idea; which is especially rewarding to an old person.
These days, I go to museums with altered goals. I am interested in the creative side of museums and the ways in which they present new ideas and spark creativity and imagination. I am interested in new connections to my distant past. I like large international museums because they have great cafes and almost always serve local wine. In fact, I usually start with the cafe.
Our recent trip to Indian Rocks Beach led us to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida. It has all the art basics; a chronology from various schools with representative samples; including two Georgia O’Keeffe’s, which I appreciated, coming from New Mexico.
First, the Cafe . It is simple, pleasant, and worthy of the museum. It is located in the entrance hall and the food is great. With our menus, we received a plate of scones. They were so good, we asked if we could order some to take with us. We received an additional free plate of 5 scones, three of which we took with us.
Scones at the museum.
The menu gave us a variety of choices and allowed us to share a plate; a requirement for couples of our age.
Since I had a Bank of America credit card, my entry into the museum was free; next time, I will have my wife bring her card, so we can both get in free. Old people are cheap, even when they don’t have to be. Bank of America Credit Cards give free access to about 150 museums the first week of the month through its Museums on Us program.
Once inside, I did a quick run through, checked out the Georgia O’Keeffes and then went looking for the special exhibits, which I found more interesting and which touched some dormant part of my imagination.
The first was Selfies which was a collection of self photographs that preceded cell phones. Interesting.
The exhibit that got my attention was outside the museum, where Haider Ali, an artist from Pakistan, was painting a Prius. The exhibit, Live car painting by Haider Ali, reminded me of Espanola, NM where the City Council recently declared Espanola as the “Lowrider Capitol of the World.”
Prius by Haider Ali
Having gone through Espanola many times, and having been amazed at how stock cars could be modified and painted, I was surprised to find an artist from Pakistan painting a Prius in St. Petersburg, Florida. My first thought was that he should go to Espanola, some Sunday.
Finally, there were signs on lawn. An interesting idea that could be copied anywhere. Intriguing, because the only part that required skill, was coming up with the idea; everything else was done by volunteers.
Lawn signs.
The bottom line is that I enjoyed the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, for all the wrong reasons, but which gave me something to take away.
THINK OLD!
VACATION RENTALS – A guide for seniors – more than you wanted to know!
Posted: October 2, 2018 Filed under: COPING, Florida, geezerAdapts, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: beach, Vacation rental Leave a comment »Condo Maintenance Work in September!
- Use a reliable rental agent; such as Airbnb.com or VRBO.com.
- Look at the pictures and read the reviews on the web page.
- Determine if you can cancel and the penalties.
- Why are you going to this particular place? Beach? Skiing? Museums? Family?
- Read the contract.
- Take dated cell phone pictures.
- Look for problems; especially old people problems – stairs, rugs, anything that could lead to a fall. Remember the public lights that guide you may also shine in your bedroom window. Construction may start at 8 in the morning. Remember, a beach condo is probably not designed, or furnished, for old people!
- Check all light bulbs – enough light to read by.
- Check, and pitch, food left in refrigerator, or stored.
- Batteries in tv clickers – take spares – I have had battery problems in the last three places I have rented. And, the battery was always the last thing I checked and in each case, fresh batteries made the clicker work. Usually, but not always, there are buttons on the TV – BUT, old people are addicted to clickers and don’t like to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel.
- Locate instructions for all appliances.
- TVs and electronic devices are probably designed for someone 60 years younger than you. Best to bring a grand-kid with you, if you anticipate TV, computer or cell phone problems.
- Is there construction work taking place? In Indian Rocks Beach, FL, construction work takes place in September – See photo above.
- Are there cleaning supplies?
- Toilet paper, dishwasher soap, laundry soap? The owner, previous tenant, cleaning company all use different brands than you do. Get over it! Adapt!
- Sheets, towels, dishes, etc.?
- Parking spaces and car tags?
- Heating and air conditioning?
- Name and cell phone number of contact person for problems – ie lock box doesn’t work late at night when you arrive and you can’t figure out how to get in the unit.
- Deadlines for leaving – ie cleaning crew has to come in.
- Restaurant guides – can you walk there?
- Public transportation, if you need it.
- Uber or Lyft available?
- Shopping?
- Light from glass brick walls, windows without shades, or from public areas?
- Read the book of comments.
- Communicate by e-mail so that you have a record.
- Insurance – damage, illness, death, cancellation for any reason?
- Seasons – On Florida beaches, September is the time to repair in anticipation of the high season, it is also hurricane season and low season – you probably got a good price, but you may have to put up with closed businesses, construction work, bad weather, air plane cancellations/delays, etc. SPRING BREAK – NOT A TIME FOR OLD PEOPLE – Think about it!
- Red Tide or other natural or man-made disasters. – Have you gone swimming in the ocean since you turned 70? Who is responsible?
- Why did you pick the place? low season, cost, hurricane, knew the area???
- What was disclosed?
- Don’t forget that your i-phone is a flashlight?
- Is there a library near by? newspapers, computers, books for sale cheap, information on local events, museums, etc.
- Hospitals, CVS clinics available? – Can your local pharmacy send meds to an out-of-state pharmacy? Old people must have their meds – lack of meds will panic an old person quicker than anything else.
- What do you do if you can’t make the TV work?
- Old people tend to make mountains out of mole hills on vacation; instead of adapting and enjoying.
What you can do!
- Call contact person.
- Notify VRBO.com or Airbnb.com.
- E-mail, so that there is a record.
- Photos
- IS THE PERCEIVED PROBLEM WORTH THE EFFORT? YOU DIDN’T COME ON A VACATION TO MOVE TO A NEW UNIT, TO COMPLAIN, OR TO SPEND YOUR TIME RUNNING AROUND. WHY DEAL WITH WHAT IS REALLY NOT A PROBLEM – AND PROBABLY JUST A NUISANCE.
- You are not here to litigate, but to enjoy yourself.
After three weeks!
THINK OLD! Especially when you are on vacation.
GEEZER FACES OLD AGE – hanging on…
Posted: September 25, 2018 Filed under: AGING, COPING, Out of my comfort zone!, SIMPLICITY, Uncategorized Leave a comment »NO COMMENT!
