Reminiscing About Pinwheels

Have any of you heard of Nabisco's Pinwheel cookies?
I was talking to my buddies in Hawaii about these cookies and they'd never heard of them. Maybe it wasn't sold in Hawaii.

I kind of remember a graham cracker like cookie (maybe it was chocolate?) with marshmallow on top and dipped in dark chocolate. They sold them everywhere in Chicago.

I knew it wasn't the best thing for me so I didn't have it much. I remember my kids getting it for me for Mother's Day or my birthday as a treat. The package of cookies wasn't expensive. It was probably about $3-$4. That's why my kids could afford to get it for me when they were little.

Well... I don't think I've eaten or thought of it for the last 20 years. Until now. Since my friends hadn't heard of it, I was going to get them a package to try.

I couldn't find it at any of the grocery stores. Walmart had it listed online as Out of Stock.

I also read online that Nabisco had changed the recipe and everybody complained that it was terrible. And the price had gone up to about $8.

I read one comment that due to all the customer complaints, Nabisco had gone back to the old recipe.

Well... I don't know. I have a feeling that if I ever find the cookie again, it just won't be as good as my memory of it.... of seeing my kids' faces as they gave me the package.

Still... if I do find it, I think I'll try it anyway.

POSTSCRIPT:

I mentioned to my daughter that I was doing a blog post on Pinwheels so she looked at the Jewel grocery store in Chicago and sent this photo to me.

It's $4.99! Not bad. But will it taste the same?

I've asked her to bring a package so we can do a taste test this summer.

I hope it doesn't melt.

Deleting Facebook

After hearing so many negative things about Facebook security and its reluctance to stop misinformation, I came to the decision to terminate my Facebook account. I looked up how to do it and was advised to think carefully before permanently deleting everything I had on it, not to mention all my "Friends".

Since I've been using my blog to record everything that goes on in my life and what is going on in my mind, perhaps Facebook was redundant.

They warned that I wouldn't be able to use Facebook's Messenger texting. That didn't bother me since I use the regular Apple texting, Hangouts and Line which all work great.

I would also not be able to use Spotify or Pinterest or any other apps I may have signed up with using my Facebook account.

OK... No problem. I haven't used Facebook as a sign in for anything (I think).

Whatever the case, I decided to embark on this move cautiously. I decided to just temporarily Deactivate my account. 

After several months I felt pretty confident I'd be OK. Granted I will no longer be able to see my friends' baby pictures or know what my cousins are up to. Sigh...

So I did it. I followed the directions and did it.

1. Click  at the top right of any Facebook page.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Your Facebook Information in the left column.
4. Click Delete Your Account and Information, then click Delete My Account.
5. Enter your password, click Continue and then click Delete Account.

Well.... I just hope 6 months from now, I don't regret this. Ahhh well...

Cellphone Lint?

Hmmm.... I didn't mean for all my blogs this week to be about technology. Especially since I'm almost the last person to go to for technology.

Anyway...

Art was trying to charge his iPhone without success. He plugged in the charging wire but nothing happened.

Then he remembered his high school walking buddy telling him that he'd had the same problem with his iPhone and had brought it in to the Apple Store to ask them if his phone was broken.

The techie genius looked at his iPhone and determined that there was lint in the charging hole. I don't know what you call that place you stick the charging wire.

Art got a toothpick and found that's what had happened to his iPhone too.

There was this big wad of lint in that hole where you stick the charging wire.

Art thinks it's because they keep their iPhones in their pockets where it collects lint.

Tsk...

That never happens to my iPhone because I bought this Otterbox case that has a cover over that charging hole.

My iPhone didn't have a lint problem and it was well protected. It just died of some natural cause that even the techie at the Apple Genius Bar couldn't figure out.

My techie son-in-law and brother are probably both rolling their eyes. They both own Android phones.

POSTSCRIPT:
And look what I saw on Amazon!

And then Art's Computer Died... Totally

It was bad enough that my iPhone XR had died recently.

One day, Art couldn't turn his computer on. I wondered if it was due to the power outage we'd had recently for 4 hours. Then again, we do have a surge protector on his computer so that couldn't be it.

Art looked online to see what he could do to resuscitate his desktop computer. After trying everything, it seemed his computer had died like my iPhone.

His computer had been giving him problems for the last year so I told my son-in-law that Art really should get another computer.

But when I told my brother, Dennis who happens to be another techie, he said he thought it could be the power supply. In fact, Dennis said his computer had also died recently and needed to have the power supply replaced.

Really?

I'd never heard of the power supply dying on a computer. What's a power supply anyway?

Wow!

So that's another bad thing that could happen to a computer.

Dennis came over and tested the computer to see if it really was the power supply.

It was.

Being the wonderful brother that he is, he'd bought a power supply just in case since it just happened to be on sale at Best Buy.

He'd already asked us before for the specs on Art's computer.

The arrow shows the red light which means the computer was brought back to life.

So Art is up and running again.

I can hardly believe it.

I am so grateful for having the smartest, most wonderful, kindest techie brother and son-in-law!

Yay!

My Almost New iPhone Died!

My son-in-law told me last October that it was a good idea to upgrade my iPhone 6s to an XR because our carrier, T-Mobile had a great iPhone upgrade plan.

I’ve been loving my new cell phone. However a month or so ago, my new XR just wouldn’t turn on. Totally dead. I looked online and it said I should quickly press the Up Volume button, then the Down Volume button and then the Power button on the side. It worked! But that was rather disconcerting. That never happened with my iPhone 4 or my iPhone 6s. What the heck!

I thought it was just a fluke. Nope.

A week ago, the same thing happened. This time, the iPhone stayed dead. Totally dead!

This was very upsetting. I called Apple Support and told them what happened. They made an appointment for me at the Genius Bar at Kahala Mall for the next day.

We went in with my dead phone. I'd been feeling really disconnected without my trusty cellphone.

My genius tech checked my phone and pronounced it truly dead and said it would need to be replaced.

So she asked me for my Apple ID so she could back up the information on my phone.

Ummmm.... Would you believe I didn't know it? I have it at home, but I didn't know it right off the bat. Sigh. I am probably one of those seniors that techies have to train to be patient with.

Once I got home I looked online and found this:

Follow these steps before you take your device to an Apple Store, Apple Authorized Service Provider, or carrier. If your device won't turn on or respond, finish as many steps as possible:

1. Back up your iOS device.
2. Have your Apple ID password ready. For some repairs, you'll need your Apple ID password to erase your device and turn off Find My iPhone.*
3. Bring your sales receipt (if possible), in case your service requires proof of purchase. 
4. Bring your device and any accessories that you need help with.
5. Bring a form of personal identification, like a driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued ID.
6. If you haven't already, call to check whether you need an appointment before you go to a service location. For example, schedule a Genius Bar reservation before you go to an Apple Store.

Ah well... the genius techie did replace my phone, helped me get a new Apple ID, reloaded my iPhone with all my information and reminded me to write my Apple ID somewhere so I don't forget it.

Art thinks I probably got a refurbished iPhone which might explain why the battery seems to run out a little faster, but just a little.

The main thing is, it's all working again.

But for how long?

Have You Gotten Rubella (German Measles) or Rubeola (Measles) or Both?

They say that if you were born before 1957, you're probably safe from contracting measles. So I wasn't worrying much about the outbreak of measles around the country.

Measles may be a childhood disease but it's not to be taken lightly.

There hasn't been any outbreaks in Hawaii so it seemed safe.

Then again, we do travel to Illinois and Maryland to visit our friends, children and grandchildren.

And what's on the list? Yup! Illinois and Maryland!

Art called his sister to ask if she remembered him getting measles. She said she was pretty sure he had German measles (rubella) but didn't think he'd gotten rubeola (measles). I'd totally forgotten there were two types of measles.

I asked mom the same question and she said I'd gotten measles. Well... I wasn't so sure about her memory so I asked my doctor when we went to see her this month if it was a concern. Our doctor said Art and I should be tested.

We went straight to the lab and had our blood drawn.

Sure enough. Both Art's sister and my mother were correct. I am immune to measles. Art did have German measles but not the regular measles. He was told to get the measles vaccination before we decide to travel again.

Well, I'm sure it's true that most people are safe from measles if they were born before 1957, but I guess it's not 100% a sure thing.

POSTSCRIPT:
Look what was in the news recently!

Looks like we need to get Art immunized quickly.

Diamond Princess Again?

Since returning from Japan and taking that Princess cruise around the country, mom has been once again looking through all the travel albums we've made for her.

She could not believe what she discovered the other day. One of the reasons we took the Princess cruise was because mom loved going on the Alaskan cruise with her sister, Grace so very much.

We happened to take our photo outside the Pacific Moon Dining room last month. Mom found this 2011 photo of us outside the same restaurant during Formal Night. I had to laugh because mom is wearing the same muumuu and Art is wearing the same tie. I'm the only one dressed differently.

And here's another page from 2011. You can see it's definitely the same ship.

The funny thing is we had the same vegetable carving demonstration 8 years ago in Alaska just as we did in Japan a month ago.

I've read that Princess has 17 of these cruise ships. It's pretty amazing that we managed to sail on the same ship twice!

Embarrassed for U.S.

One of the experiences on the cruise that I'm remembering now has me not knowing what to say.

We were seated at one of those chairs waiting for our excursion to be called when a Caucasian couple sat next to us. It turned out that they were from South Africa.

It was fun talking to them and telling them how we'd met quite a number of wonderful people from South Africa on our travels who we enjoyed getting to know.

We exchanged a lot of travel stories and then I mentioned how we enjoyed watching Trevor Noah of the Daily Show who is from South Africa.

In reply to their expression and conversation I laughingly said, "We do not take blame for Trump being in office. We didn't vote for him."

I also said, "We're rather embarrassed about having him for president."

To this, they said, "We're embarrassed for you."

I think about this comment from a couple whose country struggled with apartheid for nearly 70 years and realize how far we as a country must have fallen in the eyes of the world.

The sad thing is that when you meet people from other countries, they often have a better knowledge of what is going on in our country than Americans themselves. It's pretty sad.

April 19th: Return to Hawaii

The morning television screen showed the route we'd traveled during our cruise.

We were now back in Yokohama where we'd started from.

We had to be out of our suite by 8:00 AM, but we could stay at the Pacific Moon restaurant to wait until our Color and Number were called. There were some refreshments offered, but when we saw all the people coughing over them, we decided not to partake.

Besides, we'd already had a gorgeous breakfast at our usual Santa Fe restaurant where we said goodbye to all our wonderful servers. We promised them that we would be sure to respond to the survey questionnaires from Princess. Dante told me that it was their road to some perks like a day off, a promotion, etc.

Soon, we were called to leave the ship and collect our luggage. A new group of passengers were already getting ready to board the ship.

The Princess shuttle took us to Narita Airport. We left the Diamond Princess around 9:20 AM and arrived at Narita around 11:30 AM. Our JAL flight to Honolulu was scheduled to leave at 8:30 in the evening. There was a LOT of time to kill.

We were really happy to learn that JAL would accept our luggage even though our flight was 9 hours later. They offered a chair for mom while we checked in and then loaned us a wheelchair to use for the rest of the day.

It wasn't that painful a stay at the airport. There were a lot of shops to explore. Mom got to watch the news and other variety shows.

We were surprised that other passengers didn't arrive at the gate until about a half hour to take off. We were given priority and were the first to board the plane.

Although the flight going to Japan was a lengthy 8 hours 20 minutes long, the strong tailwinds enable our flight back to Hawaii to be just 6 hours 25 minutes.

Our luggage arrived safely. We were happy, but tired.

The next day, mom's coughing got worse and we headed to the hospital.

A week of exhaustion for the three of us followed. After about a week and a half, mom was getting better.

Art was fine.

I was drained.

And mom? She's happily looking at photos I printed for her so she could remember the journey, her family, the cherry blossoms, the fun.

April 18th: At Sea

We were At Sea again. No port to visit. We would be leaving the ship the following day. It was a day to pack and NOT FORGET anything.

There were so many drawers and spaces to leave things behind that I really didn't want to make a mistake. I'll bet I looked in those drawers a dozen times.

We did take a walk around the deck to look at the endless expanse of ocean.

Mom was tiring and beginning to cough. Uh oh...

There were a LOT of sick, coughing people onboard the ship.

Mom's appetite for desserts was not yet diminished. She wasn't hungry for much else though which had us a little concerned.

Art ate the macaroons just because he wanted to take a photo to show our granddaughter. KC loves macaroons. She has expensive taste.

We attached the tags to our luggage which were to be placed outside our door before dinner. Art actually fell asleep on the deck. Gracious! That man can sleep anywhere, anytime.

We had another lovely dinner at the Santa Fe Restaurant and gave our main servers some tips of appreciation and macadamia nut candy which they loved.

That evening, mom was tired and wanted to sleep so Art and I went to see Lena McKenzie (opera singer) on our own.

I was getting tired too and already thinking about the day of travel ahead. Art? Nope. He is the perpetual Energizer bunny.

April 17th: Kagoshima

Since we'd technically left Japan to go to South Korea, we had to be processed through again to enter Japan.

We would be going on an excursion to Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu.

We could see the Sakurajima volcano from the ship balcony.

Is that a cloud or is that volcano erupting?

We left for our excursion at noon so there was time to relax first. Here's mom watching Moana.

Our Japanese tour guide, Ms. Tanaka told us that Sakurajima had indeed erupted this morning.

Sakurajima (Japanese: 桜島, literally "Cherry blossom Island") is an active composite volcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsula. It is the most active volcano in Japan.  --Wikipedia

We passed by a statue of Saigo Takamori. Mom had just watched a Taiga drama about this famous samurai. We arrived at the Sengan-en Gardens.

This giant lantern was called the Jumping Lion lantern.

Ms. Tanaka told us that although cherry blossom season was over, the city had planted 730,000 azaleas throughout the city. I've never seen azaleas this florescent before.

We boarded a ferry to get a close-up view of Sakurajima. Ummm... I was wondering why we were going there if it had just erupted that morning.

Yes, the volcano was smoking.

Art found a rock where people were sticking 1 yen coins into the crevices. (That's about 1/10 of a cent.) I had a lot of those coins to donate to the cause. I wonder if people were wishing the volcano wouldn't erupt.

People in the Kagoshima area have learned to live with the annoyances of the volcanic ash. They don't buy white cars. They build roofs and sometimes walls around their grave stones. They have shelters in case of a big eruption.

Back onboard the Diamond Princess, we took a photo with our fun-loving, cheerful crew of servers in the Santa Fe Restaurant.

We were going to skip the harmonica performance that night but mom wanted to see it so that's where we went. Aiden Soon is a very talented Korean musician. Mom loved every minute of his performance.

It was a fun day. Tomorrow would be another At Sea day.

April 16th: Busan, South Korea

We would now be stopping in Busan, South Korea. We filled out Immigration paperwork to enter the city.

We took a shuttle into Busan.

We were told that the Jagalchi Fish Market was the place to explore.

We'd been there a couple of years ago on a tour so we thought mom would enjoy seeing it.

The shuttle bus took us into Busan with directions on where to go.

We found the Jagalchi Fish Market, only to learn it was closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday. This was the 3rd Tuesday.

Art talked to this fellow who was manning an Information booth. He actually walked us to another fish market where he said we could buy some dried seafood.

We went back to the ship and found a plate of chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. Art took a walk around the massive ship. We were told there were 3,000 passengers on this cruise.

Dinner that evening had escargot and lobster. Mom has developed a liking for those salty, buttery snails. Me too.

It was the 2nd of 2 Formal nights. I felt naked without my travel vest. Mom has always loved that muumuu that a good friend of hers had made for her many, many years ago.

We heard urgent announcements that several passengers had not passed through customs procedures on the ship and we could not depart Busan until this was complied with. After a while, their names were called and we could finally be on our way.

The best part of the day was the Bravo! show that evening. We all loved the musical performances and obviously the rest of the audience did too.

April 15th: At Sea

We had some rough seas again and were glad we were in the middle of the ship. We met a woman whose cabin was at the front of the ship and she said it was awful.

This would be our first At Sea day with no port to visit.

This morning we tried the buffet breakfast at the Horizon.

We actually liked going to the buffet because I could get mom exactly what I knew she would enjoy.

You knew the ship was still traveling over rough seas because the swimming pool water was sloshing back and forth.

Mom spent the morning writing in her journal. She was also loving watching a lot of movies dubbed in with Japanese.

She enjoyed Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Crazy Rich Asians and I forget what else.

The Fruit and Vegetable Carving Demonstration was a lot of fun, but for some reason the lighting turned everything pink. I tried to correct the color on Photoshop, but couldn't.

After the Fruit and Vegetable Carving, Art and I went for a lesson in portrait photography. It was sort of helpful.

We ate lunch at the Santa Fe Restaurant. Mom and I had perch. Art had a veggie burger.

We got some exercise walking around the deck. 

Dinner was a casual meal at the Horizon buffet on the 14th floor. We enjoyed an interesting walk through the Princess Art Studio. There was also a magic show at 7:45 in the evening. I thought it was interesting, but mom was dozing next to me for half of it.

It was time for bed.