Done yesterday (20110702 Sa)

[mdlbear]

0702 Sa
  * awake 6ish; Colleen sensibly told me to put my mask back on and go back to
    sleep.  Needed it.
  * up 8ish; drugs, coffee, light.  Nose postponed to reduce standing time.
    Some back exercises.  Do Not Like my back; it's not hurting but I can tell
    it's on a hair trigger.
  @ Move to Amend: coalition to abolish corporate personhood
  @ When Three Is Not a Crowd: Polyamory as a Responsible Lifestyle (ysabetwordsmith)
    Includes a reading list, mostly but not all fiction.
  % my arms itch like crazy; aveeno lotion didn't help much
  @ cflute: we don't need another hero
  * 11:30 started some hardboiled eggs
  * 11:45 tried to wake Colleen with a kiss.  She needs her sleep.
  % 11:55 arms not itching so much anymore.  Niacin flushing effect?
  * flex account Claim Number(s): 111506616-01 denied
  * The following claim(s) can't be approved until you provide your
    documentation. Be sure to take action by the due date.
    115804473-01 - 07-07-2011    115804474-01 - 07-07-2011
    111506616-01 - 05-25-2011 (this is the denied one above)
  ~ make Westercon setlist; practice daily -> kinda late for that now
  $ Yeah, right:  From my 401K site:
    To eliminate the income gap when you retire, you'll need an additional
    $2,200,000 in savings.  
    (extra 60% (!) if I retire at 70; plus there's an account that 
     the website doesn't know about.  I just thought it was funny.)
  : with luck we may leave the house by 2pm.  But I'm already near overload at
    1:44 and I do not have a good feeling about how this day is shaping up.
    % well past overload by the time we left the house.  (cue quote from
      Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live In Vain")
  * Good thing I headed first for the green room -- I'd left my badge @home.
    Got a new one, with my sticker on it.
  * Con Suite has comfy chairs, but it's crowded.  Left Colleen there for
    the Afternoon Tea; ended up in Fred & Robin's concert because the rooms
    have chairs, and the hallway doesn't.
  : Dinner at Johnny Rocket.  Showed Colleen how to read text on her phone.
  : now (6:30) Sitting in almost-comfy chair near power.  Minnie tends to
    flop sideways when in "shoulder" configuration; would need some way of
    stabilizing.
  : 8:44p currently sitting outside the filk room.  people gradually
    filtering in after the masquerade.  Not in a hurry to go in.
  % Feeling much more relaxed now.
  * 10:ish home.  Colleen decided she was fading fast a little after 9pm as we
    were sitting outside the filk room.  YD called just as we were st/rolling
    down the hall to the elevators.  I told her I could pick her up no later
    than 11.  
  % Doing pretty well.  No disasters at the con or on the way home, back not
    hurting.  Spending the day sitting on my arse with Barnard and Plink,
    Chami and Minni seems to have been just what I needed.  
  & Gave they YD til 11:30 while I listen to Canadian Songsters 
  * picked up YD at 11:30; splat 11:45.

Even though it got off to a very shaky and stressful start, yesterday got much better. I basically did nothing but sit on my arse with my netbook, had a few short but nice conversations, went to the Bohnhoffs' concert (after coming in toward the end of Fred and Robin's), had dinner with the family, and sang WItC outside the con suite. We left around 9:15, just as I was debating either going up to the parties or into the filk room, after hanging out with Colleen outside the filk room (where she had space and I had power).

I was reasonably well-relaxed by the time we got home, but not worn out the way I had been the day before; I didn't have any trouble picking the YD up at 11:30. Colleen went to bed about 10pm, which is early for her. (She's up now, which is very early for her these days.) Healing takes a lot of energy.

I spent some time in the morning filing "flexible" health spending account paperwork. While on the benefits site I pushed through a lot of my long-standing avoidance issues and looked at the state of my retirement account. "To eliminate the income gap when you retire, you'll need an additional $2,200,000 in savings." Yeah, right. I turn 65 next year. Things look notably better if I retire at 70; it's an extra 60%. I'd only need around 1.5M to close the gap.

It would work out fairly comfortably if it weren't for the recent refinance and our lack of long-term care insurance. You can see why financial stuff is tagged "trainwreck".

It's easier to roll Chami with Minnie slung "over the shoulder", which gives the combination a lower center of gravity. But Minnie has a tendency to slip off at that point. But it's easier (i.e., possible) to get at Chami's zippers, and her top handle is usable. Perhaps a strap or carabiner would help.

A couple of links from the morning's browsing, up in the notes.