Tom's Book Recommendation: The Kingmaker's Daughter

Kingmaker's Daughter

Long weekends are good for catching up on reading! I (Tom) finished reading Phillipa Gregory's The Kingmaker's Daughter today. It drags in parts. A bit repetitious and the story probably could have been told in half the number of pages. But still a fan. 
   This is the story of Richard III's rise as told through the eyes of his wife, Anne Neville. Bummer that no plausible explanation is given for what happened to the two princes (his brother Edward's sons and legitimate heirs to the throne) locked up in the tower by his command. One of history's mysteries.   
   Over all this was a GOOD read (although not one of the author's better ones).
- Tom



WHO WAS RICHARD III?: Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, symbolises the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the subject of the play Richard III by William Shakespeare.

Richard III

RICHARD'S REMAINS FOUND IN A PARKING LOT- Richard III's remains received burial without pomp, but the original tomb is believed to have been destroyed during the Reformation, and the remains were lost for more than five centuries.^[3] In 2012, an archaeological excavation was conducted on a city council car park using ground-penetrating radar on the site once occupied by Greyfriars, Leicester. The University of Leicester confirmed on 4 February 2013 that the evidence pointed to a skeleton found in the excavation being that of Richard III.^[4] This conclusion was based on a combination of the results of radiocarbon dating, a comparison with contemporary reports of his appearance, and a comparison of his mitochondrial DNA with that of two matrilineal descendants of Richard III's eldest sister, Anne of York

2 Minute Video Intro to Rob's Book (with Tyler!)

Here's a short 2 minute video with an introduction about my new book "Pets and the Afterlife" featuring me and Tyler, one of our three dogs.
Summary: PETS AND THE AFTERLIFE by Rob Gutro: The loss of a pet is like the loss of a child to pet owners. The love we share with our pets never dies, and in a new book called "Pets and the Afterlife" by Rob Gutro, the author provides proof that our pets do communicate with us from the other side.    Available in paperback and E-book, on Amazon.com and other outlets at: To order paperback of Kindle- http://tinyurl.com/mqgamq2%20

Computer Woes: When Virus Protection Gets a Virus : Part 2

 This is part 2 of my recent Computer Woes and I can only call it: When Virus Protection Gets a Virus.
    As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, my Symantec virus protection wasn't protecting anymore, so I had to call Symantec customer service. Apparently, my contract may have expired (although I didn't get notified) and the Firewall wouldn't update and said it was basically broken.
 - That made sense to me because one of my word documents suddenly had a virus from somewhere... SO I had to do something.

  I called Symantec and decided that I needed to get a 3 year product and wipe out the existing one. Simple, right?  WRONG.
TRYING TO INSTALL THE NEW PROGRAM -   After paying for it, I was directed to a website via an email with a log in. The website took me to a page to pick one of 50 languages (including "international English" which turned out to be the right one). - Then it took me to a page to pick which operating system (turns out I have Windows 64 bit, whatever THAT means). I didn't have a clue so I called the help line.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW...
   Then the new Virus protection program wouldn't download. ANOTHER ADVENTURE. The Tech said that we had to uninstall the old version. It didn't uninstall so he had to take me into a back way of roots and files which I would never understand or remember. After 35 minutes we were able to delete the OLD file. Then we had to download the new one.
   The gentleman was talking to me from southeastern India and told me they just had an Earthquake the day before as we waited 15 minutes for the new program to install. SIGH. There's a lot more to it- but I must say that people in India are very patient and kind.  At least this guy was outstanding. I believe his name was Dupesh.
A GOOD ENDING - AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE - 
 I will say that Dupesh's use of Web-Ex to direct me through my computer files was Critical, and very helpful. Bravo, Symantec!
  Symantec is up and running now, and is 100%. WHEW.
THE FINAL FRONTIER - A PRINTER INSTALL -  The next adventure came that night when my new HP $129 laser printer arrived and I had to install it.  (BTW- I recommend that P1100 HP laserjet).  It only took 90 minutes... UGH. I need a night AWAY from computers!!!


   

A Double Birthday Celebration: Stef and Stacey!

This week marked the 25th birthdays of two of our friends and neighbors, so we had to celebrate!  Stacey and her hubby Nathan and Stefanie and her hubby Jeff joined us for dinner out, and then lots of different homemade sweets at our house afterward. Stacey's birthday is today, the 24th, and Stefanie's was the 19th so we combined them into one cozy celebration.
  Rob baked earlier in the day and made carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate raspberry cupcakes and we tossed in apple pastries and blueberry scones, topping it all off with coffee! 

L to R: Nathan, Jeff, Stef, Stacey, Tom (Rob took the picture!)

   It was a fun way to celebrate and the weather was perfect so we enjoyed sitting on our sun porch (something that we hadn't been able to do up until three weeks ago when winter weather finally disappeared).

Computer Woes and Customer Service Adventures: PART 1

Thursday was a challenging day for me (Rob). On Wednesday I attempted to clean off some virus

I was almost to this point!!!!

from my computer that was infecting files. My Virus protection (Symantec) suddenly wasn't working and the "firewall" was not updating. In fact, it said it couldn't be fixed. SIGH.
UH-OH!!  -    So, when I went to remove what I thought were infected programs (or fake programs) I accidentally removed the wireless program to my modem!  OH NO!!!  I learned about it first thing Thursday morning when I tried to access email to telework. Fortunately, I had my office computer, too, so I used that.
  EXPENSE OF COMPUTER FIXES -    I called Comcast (our service provider) because when I put the disk in to reload the program to connect the wireless, it wouldn't run. They said "sorry, can't help you, but we can transfer you to a computer service that will charge you $129.00 to talk about it over the phone." Arrggh!!! So, no internet, no virus protection, and $129.00. I said "NO." - I called a local Geek computer place and they said $100.00 for the first 30 minutes and $25.00 each additional 15 minutes. I said "NO."
RESET TO PREVIOUS TIME - So, after about an hour I managed to find a "reset to previous date" and got the wireless program back! (I couldn't figure out where in the world to find that button!!) WHEW.  One issue fixed.

NEXT: WHEN VIRUS PROTECTION GETS A VIRUS
 

A Cat's Spirit Visit at the Vet's Office !

Last night I went to my local vet as two of our Dachshunds needed to get their Bordatella update shot.

A cat's spirit visited me in the vet's office!

After the Vet Tech weighed them we went into the exam room with the dogs to give them their shots. She asked me if I was the medium (the Vet's office folks know me and some have read my books). I told her I was. I told her that there was a feline spirit around her. She said that her cat passed recently and she wanted to know if she was around.
  Her cat was in fact, there, although I couldn't get her cat's name. Her cat had a great message for the Vet tech, though. Her cat's spirit said, "Thank you for taking care of other animals, mom, and giving them the love you gave to me every day. I'm still with you."
  I was trying to corral my two dachshunds, so I kept getting distracted, and after I was on my way back to my car, the cat's spirit had followed me outside and told me that she's going to be walking around her mom's house tonight and will curl up on the bed with her mom. Hopefully, her mom will realize her spirit cat is present!
 

CHECK OUT MY NEW BOOK: 
PETS AND THE AFTERLIFE by Rob Gutro: The loss of a pet is like the loss of a child to pet owners. The love we share with our pets never dies, and in a new book called "Pets and the Afterlife" by Rob Gutro, the author provides proof that our pets do communicate with us from the other side.    Available in paperback and E-book, on Amazon.com and other outlets at: To order paperback of Kindle- click here

Missed Rob's interview about Pets in the Afterlife on Angels of Light Radio? Hear it here

If you missed Rob's interview about "Pets and the Afterlife" on Angels of Light Radio" this past Sunday night, you can hear it here! 
   Airing on Sundays (Bi Weekly) at 8pm PST/11pm EST Angels of Light Radio is on LiveParanormal! www.liveparanormal.com is the PREMIER online community dealing with all things : Paranormal, Unexplained, History, Horror, Sci Fi, & More.

ON May 18th 8pm PST /11pm EST we visited with Medium, Author, and Scientist by trade, Rob Gutro  (LINK: http://youtu.be/ViDJzoNBISQ)

   Rob has a special connection with animals in particular, so animal lovers do not want to miss this! Unlike many Mediums, Rob uses scientific equipment to find proof of ghosts or spirits and considers himself a "Medium Rare". He is also the author of "Pets and the Afterlife," "Ghosts and Spirits" and "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead".
    "One of my big focuses is on pets. I had a dog that was tragically killed as a puppy and who became the world's best canine communicator. He opened the door for other dogs and cats to give messages for others that I've proved over and over.

Great Sci-Fi Paranormal Mystery: Proven Guilty

  I just finished my second novel in the "Dresden Files" series about a paranormal detective in Chicago, and like the first one, it was great!
   The STORY:   The White Council of Wizards has drafted wizard Harry Dresden as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in Chicago. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in the Windy City at a horror convention called "Splattercon!!!" but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob. 
  This paranormal detective has to figure out where these blood thirsty entities are killing conference attendees. He also has to figure out how his best friend's daughter fits into the paranormal outbreak... and it leads him into trouble in a Faerie kingdom full of dark entities and evil. This is the 8th book in the series (there are now 15 of them!) and it was such a great read, I finished it in less than 2 weeks. Highly Recommended! 

Watched Classic Comedy Movie: Big Business

We watched a classic comedy movie this past Friday night- "Big Business" with Bette Midler and

Lily Tomlin. I (Rob) remembered it from the 1988, and decided to buy the dvd on-line. It was well-worth the laughs again!

SUMMARY:  In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night. One set to a poor local family and the other to a rich family just passing through. The dizzy nurse on duty accidentally mixes the twins unbeknown to the parents. Our story flashes forward to the 1980s where the mismatched sets of twins are about to cross paths following a big business deal to closedown the Jupiter Hollow factory.

REALLY FUNNY VIDEO TRAILER: 
Click for Scene where they learn they were switched twins!

A Great Post by our Friend Nanette About Toxic People

We had to share this Facebook post from our Friend Nanette - She wrote about reasons she defriended someone who is toxic, bigoted and uses religion to defend their hypocrisy.
   As Nanette says in her post, the hypocrisy of people is appalling. We have also un-friended people because of their bigotry and intolerance- who also sadly have said they are religious, and view gay couples as "less than human and undeserving of equal protections."  - One couple were friends since 1993, another since 1996, and others here in Md. that we invited to our wedding reception in 2009 who revealed themselves. It was brutal to hear this from people we thought were our friends.  These former friends preached about Jesus and threw us under the bus. Like Nanette, we're tired of intolerance. Religion and conservativism are the roots of the hatred and division and people need to grow past them. Being accepting of all people is what our nation was founded on- we welcome all. Sadly, not everyone gets it. - and we are much better off for removing toxic people like that from our lives. - Rob

NANETTE'S POST 

I just had to de-friend someone on FB and that makes me sad. I met her through rescue and while we really didn't have much in common, our love for animals was enough. She has a kind heart and a lot of compassion, and it makes me feel bad that I had to cut off communication, but sometimes you have to draw the line. The problem was the combination of her extreme right political posts, which were getting more and more hateful and racist. The thing is, I don't think she even realizes she's a bigot and I'm finding that there are a lot of folks out there like that. 
    It kind of blows my mind that someone can be so kind and compassionate when it comes to animals or children, but then they turn around and call people "towel heads" or say racist things about our President. They talk about God and Jesus and The Bible, but then protest Americans helping find the Nigerian girls that were kidnapped. They preach compassion and forgiveness, then scream about having foreigners in this country. They scream "pro life," but condone bombing abortion clinics. They preach kindness and empathy, but constantly bitch about people getting assistance from the government who truly need it. Yes, there are those who abuse this privilege, but there are many who truly need and deserve it. I'm just so sick of the hypocrisy. 
   I'm so sick of how everyone has blamed Obama for the giant mess he inherited, from the second he walked into office. Is he the best President we've ever had? No, of course not, but he is definitely NOT the worst. You are entitled to your opinion and I have no problem with that. What I DO abhor are people who rant and rave about him being evil, claim he's not American, claim he's anti-American, a Socialist, etc. Three-quarters of these people don't even know what a Socialist is, and why they are so afraid of it.    It's all propaganda. Fear mongering, playing to the fear of all things anti-Patriotic. All politicians lie. All politicians have an agenda. He is no worse than anyone else. I have never seen this country as polarized as it is now. 
    People say they don't want big government, but they want to control what women do with their bodies. They want to impose Christian prayer in schools when there are so many other religions out there, and they call that freedom of religion. You should be able to be a Muslim, Jewish, an Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, even a Satanist, if that is what you wish...and shouldn't have to be exposed to just one religion in schools or government meetings. That is not what freedom of religion means. 
   I'm just really disappointed in some people. I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian...doesn't matter to me...just don't be a hypocrite and don't be hateful. Don't be a racist. Think about what you're saying. There's already so MUCH shit in this world, there's no need to add to it.

Yolie's Birthday Celebration!

Tom and Yolie hamming it up

Our friend and neighbor Yolie celebrated her birthday on May 15th, and asked friends and neighbors to meet at a local restaurant, so we did!  It was a lot of fun, and there were a good number of people there. Yolie says she's approaching our age, but she looks 30! 

David and Yolie

Tom and Yolie

 Yolie is a great cook who has hosted the most wonderful parties with Puerto Rican and Mexican

Yolie and Rob

food, and always has a laugh and a smile for everyone.  She loves people, cats and dogs, laughing, friends, family and enjoying life. It's people like Yolie who make it easy to celebrate their birth, because they make you happy! 
 (BTW, because we were sitting at a table that faced the bar, most everyone's backs were facing us for a good amount of time, and well, we just had to take a picture of Yolie's boyfriend David's behind.). LOL

Shelley, Yolie and David

Group shot at the bar - yeah, it's blurry!

David's behind. :)

 

So Cool! THE FLASH comes to TV this fall- (Extended Trailer) !!

As a HUGE DC Comics superhero fan, I am so excited to hear that the CW Network is bringing the world's fastest superhero to TV.  It won't be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become. Don't miss The Flash, coming Tuesdays on the CW Network.
 - CW remade Green Arrow (ARROW) into one of the best shows on television - and brought so much depth to the character.  Now, they're going to do the same with the Flash.
    Nicknamed the Scarlet Speedster and the "Crimson Comet" all incarnations of the Flash possess "super speed", which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and seemingly violate certain laws of physics.  (More about the FLASH: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_%28comics%29)
   (BTW- Remember the FLASH in a live action television series in 1990, starring John Wesley Shipp.? I do! I have them on DVD!!)

 VIDEO LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj0l7iGKh8g&list=PL6abPzY300GXMqcRUBqRovXSy4Bh8jBIc&feature=share&index=2