Technology woes...

I had to make a trip to my parents home this past weekend. In the past year I've purchased two DVD players from Wally World and both have conked out on me. Now, I admit they weren't the best of brands but they worked, which was what counted in my opinion. However, the second one only worked for about four months. It's frustrating to be watching a show or movie on DVD only to have it freeze and then not respond to buttons. I'd try ejecting the the disc, reinserting it and then the "loading" of the disc would go on and on and on only to result in a "bad disc" message. Yeah right! After a few hours of non-use, it would miraculously start playing again for awhile but I knew the end was near. My mother commented that I could get one of the DVD players that my Dad carries as store merchandise. With my family discount, it cost less than the previous two combined so if I only get a year out of it, I'll still be ahead. LOL. I watch a lot of DVDs, especially of old TV shows. :) Currently I'm working on the Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Since I was going to be down near the homefront on a Saturday, it was perfect timing to stop and get the girls some Heartguard. We had ran out last month and while I wasn't worried too much about missing a month, I'll take opportunity where I can and get it without having to make another special trip. A quick stop by the vet office resulted in said purchase, doing considerable damage to my checking account. Apparently in the past six months the price on Heartguard has gone up by $7/box! Ouch! It was over $50, all for my lovable, energetic Jack Russell Terriers. *sigh* At this rate, the precription flea drops will definitely be off the agenda this summer. I'll have to try something different that won't cost as much. Molly's due for a rabies shot, which makes me cringe. Vet care is expensive!!

With these two tasks done by noon, I only had an hour before we were due to start making the dough for the Lions Club taco dinner fundraising event. My father is the President of his local chapter so I was drafted into helping prepare the dough. My arms, shoulders and back didn't start aching until this morning. It was really tough dough to mix, even with using my hands! We did about 15 double batches of dough, which was enough to make about 175 tacos. We definitely need to modify the recipe next time. It called for way too much flour! One of the Lions members tried to recruit me as a new member but I stood fast with a "no". I don't mind helping out a few times a year but membership is not what I'm looking for. With starting up my Museum volunteer work again, I refuse to give up what's left of my other weekends without good cause. I become extremely grouchy if I don't have time for myself!