Friday, July 11, 2025

Glitched Out!

I learned a new term on Wednesday, "Glitched out."

My "education" began a little after 9:00 am on Wednesday when I received a text
from my endocrinologist's office telling me that I needed to
update a computer form before my 11:00 am phone appointment with my doctor.
No worries!  I had accessed this large healthcare system's patient site before.   
I sat right down at my computer to do it.

An hour later I was nowhere.
After texts, phone calls, security identifications questions, 
password changes, emails, codes, and expiring links,
I was online with an IT specialist at the large health system.

He investigated my problem for a few minutes, 
came back and told me that my account was "glitched out."
He said he'd try to fix it and to wait on the line until he got back to me.
Twenty minutes later, my call was dropped.
I guess he couldn't fix my account's "glitched out" issue.

Google

I called my endocrinologist's office and was told no completed form, 
no appointment.
They sent me a direct link.  Didn't work.

I called a second time and explained.
They sent me another direct link.  Didn't work.

I called a third time.
"My account is glitched out.  That's what IT told me before they dropped my call,"
I explained in frustration ~ Yet again!  "I can't access my account or the form." 

"You have to fill out the form or book a new appointment."

"I already went to the hospital and had blood tests for this appointment.
I don't want to have to the repeat the blood tests," I sobbed.
(ADHD and LD in technology is not a good combination.)

By this time Terry had been running in and out of my office telling me to hang up.
That this was ridiculous.  Repeatedly.
He shouted at the doctor's office person, "Just tell the doctor what's going on.
She knows us.  She wouldn't like what's go on.  She'll call us.
She'll take my wife's appointment, form or no form."

"No," said Office Person.

"I'm going to have to take my wife to the emergency room, if you don't  fix this.
She is very upset!" said a very loud and upset Terry.

"I'm fine, " I yelled at Terry.  "Fine!"

Google

Things were not going well in the Barbour household.  ðŸ˜‚


"The doctor is with another patient right now," said Office Worker.

"But this is my appointment time."

"But you didn't fill out your forms, so you lost your appointment."

"Then get us to the doctor after this person," Terry demanded with a few !@#$%s.  "Or we'll get a new doctor."

"I'm going to say "Goodbye" now," I said.  
Thank you for your help.  Have a good rest of the day."

Silence.

I ended the call.

Glitched Out!
Google




Glitched Out!
Google


I resorted to playing Royal Match and eating Shredded Wheat Bites.

Ten minutes or so later my phone rang.

It was my endocrinologist.
This wonderful Chinese woman from Adelaide with this warm Aussie accent 
smiled at me from my phone and listened patiently as Terry unloaded.
This was most distressing for this born Canadian.

Google


"Okay, I better stop now, so you can talk to Louise."  He leaves my office.

"I'm sorry!" I say.  "I'm not as upset as Terry said.
He's just worried about me because he loves me."

"I know," said my doctor.  "Sometimes we just have to vent."

My bloodwork and thyroid are excellent!!!

Ten minutes after my endocrinologist and I finish talking, my phone rings.  
It's my doctor's office.
"You had an 11:00 appointment with your doctor that you missed ..."

Some days do you just want to crawl under the covers
and work up the courage to start again?  ðŸ˜µ‍💫



Now I'm contemplating calling the health system's IT department,
to see if someone can fix my glitched out account.
I've got nine months before my next appointment.  ðŸ˜‚

AI Overview:  "Glitched out" is an informal term used to describe a situation where something is not working correctly, especially due to a temporary malfunction or unexpected problem."

HiNative:  "It can also refer to a person feeling panicked." 😵‍💫



Have a great week!


 Till next time ~
 Fundy Blue
 
Standing Into Danger                                    https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
 Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be 
Friday, July 17, 2025 🤞 

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


    

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, July 2 ~ Three IWSG Authors with a Little Led Thrown In!




It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are 

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is: 
Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy July, Everyone! 
I hope all is well with each of you.

I have never written romance.
could write about sexual assault, but not romance.
I'd like to break through that barrier.
We shall see.

On an entirely different topic, I like to read books written by IWSG authors,
and I've read a fair number.
This month I've read two new books and reread a favorite.

The first is the short story "The Power of Touch" by Pat Garcia.
I may not have written romance, but I enjoy romantic stories,
and this one is refreshingly unusual.

For Gianluca Abate, "One single, gigantic blast
had blown up everything he lived for." (from "Power", page 3...)
But at a train station, he meets a stranger,  
someone unlike the cold-hearted people in his life
someone who might redirect his despairing course.

This story will make you believe in the possibility and the power of love.
The second is the inspiring memoir "Determination:  A Mother of Five Conquers College"
by Victoria Marie Lees, another longtime active IWSG member like Pat Garcia.

"Funny thing about dreams," Victoria writes.  
"You can try to hide them in your heart, but they never truly die." (from "Determination", Introduction ...) 
This determined woman finally sets out to prove to her children, 
the naysayers, and herself that dreams can come true.

I connected with this memoir on so many levels.
It reminded me of my mother's struggle to earn her degree as a mother of five,
and of my own nontraditional path to my Masters degree and beyond.


The third is a book I've read and reread, a definite original, "Imagine Hatt:  Season One"
by a second Pat, my friend and a fellow IWSG Admin, the irrepressible Pat Hatt.

Pat and I
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 27, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

"So what do you want to do with the rest of your life? ... 
The Researcher patiently waited for my response."

"I'm going to continue my writing
and hopefully bring a little imagination back to the world.
People are stuck, unable to use their imagination because they lack it
or they are stifled by the big wigs.
I'd like to show it can still be used."  (from "Imagine Hatt", page 103 ...) 

I think those few sentences are the key to who Pat is as a writer and why he writes. 

And Pat's imagination is in full use, as Orlin, the irreverent and funny cat,
erases his human's boring emails to a penpal
and replaces them with zany tales making fun of humans instead. 

Even though the novel is funny, outrageous, 
wildly original, poignant, and, in places scatologic, 
I had trouble remembering that it was fiction and its characters fictional.
And it has changed forever how I look at planes flying overhead.

I'm the first to admit that this book isn't for everyone,
but if you're broad-mined, imaginative, and uninhibited,
you may enjoy it as much as I have.

Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,
and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.
(I'm patting myself on my back, because I'm flying as I co-host.)

I'll share this and why not?  
I've been listening to this as I write (over and over).
Here's a link to a classic guitar solo by Jimmy Page and song by Led Zeppelin.
Jimmy's solo in "Stairway to Heaven" starts at 6:00 minutes.





Robert Plant (left) and Jimmy Page (right) of Led Zeppelin,
in concert in Chicago, Illinois, 1977


We've been in Las Vegas, a seven-day break from the renovation.
The end is really in sight.

I caught a favorite band, Alter Ego, three nights in a row on Fremont Street.
I do love great guitar playing.
This is Kevin Vecchione playing the lead guitar in the Eagles' classic "Hotel California,"
accompanied by Rick Embry on the acoustic guitar.

Alter Ego Performing on the 1st Street Stage, Fremont Street
Downtown, La Vegas, Nevada, UA
June 28, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved





Terry and I with Friend Janeth from Ottawa
Catching the Show "Maverick" in the Plaza Showroom
Downtown, La Vegas, Nevada, USA
June 28, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

Have a healthy, happy, and creative July!
Take care!



Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be Friday, July 11th ðŸ¤ž 



Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them.  This means your comment won't appear immediately.  I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.   

Friday, June 20, 2025

Beautiful Things

Connected again, that's a beautiful thing!
It's amazing how much technology impacts our lives.
I'm am very grateful to be back online. 

One of the hardest things was missing my music videos 
which I play and sing along with throughout the day.
So I've been gorging on my favorite songs,
like this version of "What's Up" performed by Playing for Change.

It features two members of the very talented international group, 
Clarence Bekker Milton (Netherlands) and Louis Mhlanga (Zimbabwe).  
CB sings with a passion and a joy that radiate, never failing to fill my heart,
and Louie is one intense guitarist, one of my favorites in the world.
I enjoy all the members including Titi Tsira (South Africa)
and Grandpa Elliot (USA) who also appear in this video.

Titi Tsira and the Playing for Change Band

Our renovation is moving along, and on Monday Terry and I 
went to Urban Lights to choose some light fixtures and fans.
It was more like an Urban Fantasy with a maze of glittering lights.

Terry Follows Rhonda, the Salesperson, into the Maze
Denver, ⁨Colorado, ⁨United States⁩
June 16, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved




As usual, I am trailing behind.
Denver, ⁨Colorado, ⁨United States⁩
June 16, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

Our newest family member is thriving and the next newest is surviving the new arrival.

Three Generations
Krista, Jackson, Donnie with Elsie, and Martin
United Kingdom
June 11, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


One of our painters, Juan, put a smile on my face every day, 
during the week he spent with his son painting our home.

A Joyful Artist with Paint
Juan
June 6, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


Someone who has made me smile for decades.

Terry and I in a Happy Place
Oahu, Hawaii, USA
March 19, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved



For Tom:  Back to the Moon! ~ Canadian Patrick Roy, accompanied by fellow Canadian Kim Richardson, sings a song that never fails to lift my spirits in a place I WILL see next year, Jurassic Park on Oahu.
Back to the Moon
YouTube

For Nicole:  Three Special Faces ~ Grandpa Martin takes Jackson to the British Museum of Natural History without the new sister.  ðŸ˜‚
One Very Happy Grandpa with Jackson
British Museum of Natural History, London, UK
June 3, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


For Rain:  White Pines ~ White pines have a special place in Rain's heart, so I'm sharing a photo of some lovely New Brunswick white pines.
White Pines

Wishing you beautiful things in your life!


 Till next time ~
 Fundy Blue
 
Standing Into Danger                                    https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
 Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be 
Friday, June 27, 2025 🤞 

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


    

Friday, June 13, 2025

Cut Off!

 


I may need a third, fourth, or fifth order of Starbucks coffee and a chocolate croissant.

You may remember that my electrical power and internet was out for hours on IWSG Day.
Now, I have no internet service, so I couldn't write a Friday post or publish it.

I am currently parked at a corner table in the Starbucks near home,
trying to cover essentials.

Life is never dull! 😂
I hope to have internet service again soon.
Have a good weekend!

Life is never dull! 😂




 Till next time ~
 Fundy Blue
 
Standing Into Danger                                    https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
 Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be 
Friday, June 20, 2025 🤞 

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


   

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, June 4 ~ Bitten with Wanderlust





It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are 

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is: 
What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy June, Everyone! 
I hope all is well with each of you.

I don't remember a time I couldn't read, and I read voraciously while I was growing up.
My parents and other adult family members encouraged me to read,
and they never censored my book choices.
I had free access to all the bookcases in my extended family, and there were many.

One lazy summer afternoon in Charlottetown when I was eight,  
I was browsing through my Grandmother MacBeath's bookcase in her living room.
I pulled out a plain black book titled "The Flying Carpet" and opened its cover.
I was expecting magic, genies, and rugs swooping through the air.

The Front Endpapers of The Flying Carpet by Richard Halliburton  
Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 2, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

Instead, the endpapers were maps covered with routes, 
the front cover's of Europe and North Africa, and the back's of India and Asia.
The flying carpet was not a magical rug. It was a plane!
More specifically it was an open cockpit biplane, a modified Stearman C-3B.

Richard Halliburton (forward) and Moye Stephens (aft) sitting in the Flying Carpet

I read the opening lines:  "Ten thousand feet above the California hills.  The airplane sailed through the air with the ease and the grace of a sea-gull.  It hurdled the clouds, soared over the mountaintops, dived toward the sea, and skimmed the waves."

I was hooked, bitten with wanderlust.

Moye Stephens and Richard Halliburton

Stephens, an aviation pioneer, shook hands with Halliburton
and agreed to fly him around the world for no pay but with unlimited expenses.
They began their adventure on Christmas Day, 1930, 
just three years after Lindbergh flew the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic.
Halliburton's flying trek around the world with Stephens made him a household name.   

Richard Halliburton's Books

I avidly followed his 40,000 mile journey, and I vowed that I would travel the world too.
I swore, like him, I'd visit the hidden city of Petra and visit the headhunters of Borneo.
I've slept on a dirt floor in a hut among the headhunters, 
but I've haven't made it to Petra ~ yet ~ although I've studied and read
about that magical city carved from rose sandstone throughout my life.

Al Khazneh or The Treasury

Of course I devoured Halliburton's other books over the years, 
and I've followed his footsteps as I traveled the world.
I really, really wanted to follow him into the Blue Grotto of Capri.
I came so close ~ within a few dozen feet,
but high seas prevented me from going inside.

Me, by the Entrance to the Blue Grotto
Capri, Italy
May 21, 2016
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved

I haven't given up on the Blue Grotto either!
I've been gifted with a sense of wonder and wanderlust,
and I hope to visit more of the amazing places Richard Halliburton introduced me to. 

Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,
and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.

Have a healthy, happy, and creative June!
Take care!



Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be Friday, June 13th ðŸ¤ž