A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
The Difference Between Men and Boys is the Size of their Toys

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Sent:          Tuesday, April 28, 1998 9:41 AM
Subject:       The Difference Between Men and Boys is the Size of their Toys
 
Your new equipment sounds like fun.  I think you're getting the "millennium" computer which I want, i.e. all the accessories.  The cherry blossom picture was interesting.  For some reason I never understood that the Washington sites were on the water, probably because I've never walked around there, only driven, and I don't recall the water. 
 
I'm not happy with the tuition raise. I did some brief calculations.  My two checks per month will now cover tuition and all my household bills, but leave no "spending money."  So this summer, that all has to come out of savings.  I'm telling myself it' s only short term, however.  In August I will cut back to two courses, and hopefully in November I will get a raise of some sort, after a year, possibly, although I have no idea.  I don't spend a lot of money, but I saw a portable washer AND dryer advertised at Sears that I would love to have.  I've never seen the portable dryers advertised before.  In Europe apt. size units are well known, and don't need all the elaborate connections we do over here.  I've read there are even all in one units. 
 
How much space do you have in your townhouse yard.  Do you actually own the "property" as well.  The ones here are sort of zero lot line, i.e. the houses are abutted, with small front yards, and sometimes a back yard or more commonly a sort of shed garage (trashy looking I always think).  Where do you park cars?
 
A dinner party is a feat beyond my imagining at the present moment.  When I was complaining about not being able to find activities and groups here in Montgomery, my counselor suggested I join one of the dinner party clubs which are fairly common here in town.  A small group alternates "dinners" in their house.  I only had to chuckle.  My idea of a dinner party is the tremendous bowls of salad we used to make in the 60's and everyone sitting around on the floor.  Well, I have evolved some, but not much.
 
My knee is absolutely killing me.  It hurts now almost as much as it first did a year ago, but from which I really improved so that I wasn't using any medicine for it.  For some reason, it really started acting up about a day or two ago, although I haven't been doing anything unusual, and had even cut back on walking to every other day.  I walked yesterday, but used ice afterwards, and I had a few pills left so I rationed them out (Cataflam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent which costs about 1.50 a pill--but is a wonder drug.  I called my pharmacist yesterday to see if he can get me switched to a generic form which has come out, which should be less costly.  I truly do not want to resume NSAIDs however.  In fact, Sunday morning, when I did my grocery shopping and went to the bookstore to get Wired, I sat in the bookstore and read through virtually every book they had on arthritis.  The only really highly touted "alternative" is a supplement called "glucosamine."  However, along with it was also recommended "chondritin."  However, "chondritin" is what people were taking who were taking "shark cartilage" and that has been proved to cause a very, very severe, I believe, form of anemia.[1]  I checked in the drug store and there was a bottle of "glucosamine" for 17.95, but I want to do some more reading first.  Also, I'm going to try and exercise and ice this out, as I was successful in doing a year ago.  I guess this is what arthritis people call a "bout" but I was feeling so good. 
 
As I told you, I've been watching some t.v., but this morning I thought, t.v. is certainly how people waste their time--they could go to law school instead.  Anyway, I did watch Ally McBeal for the first time because the network was doing a linked episode to The Practice.  My law school professor said The Practice was the most realistic lawyer show ever, and I have watched a few episodes when I get a chance.  I don't know if you saw it, but the "characters" including Ally moved back and forth between the two shows. 
 
No t.v tonight, because what I do is "plan" what I want to watch, then that is usually all I watch, and nothing is marked for tonight.  Wednesday night I think there is an "inside x-files" piece on some show, which I would like to see. 
 
Well, I'm dis-spirited because of my knee, which makes me not want to move, even to do the work around the library.  Later.  Elizabeth

[1] I’ve been taking Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for several years now. I started after my sister’s husband Tom said he had been taking it for joint pain. I had been having pain in my knees and big toes for some time so I tried it and found it really helped.

I wondered if she watched Perry Mason when she was a kid. Perry Mason was a popular lawyer show back in the 60’s that we used to watch as a family. Back then we only had one TV so we all had to watch the same thing which was a problem sometimes when we wanted to watch something different. In the end it was usually Mom that decided if there was a disagreement.

Toys R Us