mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)
mdlbear ([personal profile] mdlbear) wrote2012-11-17 10:58 am
Entry tags:

Done over the last 2 weeks (20121105 Mo - 17 Sa)

OK, a weekend short of two weeks. Too much to summarize. Elections happened. (You'll find a bit of analysis in the links.) Work happened. Looked in several of the local stores for a Nexus 7, and didn't find one. Guess I'll have to order online. Upgraded my netbook to Ubuntu 12.04, and Colleen's to 12.10 because .04 was a disaster. .10 isn't perfect, but at least it supports the Dell's stupid Poulsbo video. Sorta. Still doesn't suspend properly, which sucks.

There also seems to be something majorly wrong -- it can take up to 20 minutes to boot! I suspect disk, but it could be something even more serious. We discussed options; she may be better off with an Android tablet or chromebook. I forwarded her email to her gmail account, which pretty much takes care of the only reason for connecting to the in-house network. That's still flaky, probably because of interference.

Last weekend also included a massage from N, who is studying massage therapy at Cortiva. She's *good*, and I especially enjoyed having her talk through what she's doing and observing. It also started me off on a week's worth of link-chasing around anatomy, and especially muscles.

I ran out of my morning BP pills (lisinopril/HCTZ) on Sunday, so have been watching my blood pressure. Unfortunately I didn't get a couple of baseline readings last week. It's marginally pre-hypertensive now, but not worrisome; I'll see what happens in the next week. By which time the supply I mail-ordered from Kaiser should be here, assuming they ship to ex-members. One reason I'm not particularly worried is that I'm still on doxazosin for my BPH, and was noticing occasional dizziness on standing up. Which suggests that it may have been too much before.

Noteworthy quotes:

"Hmm... my panic attacks feed on fear, they lie all the time, they try to control me, they threaten me with dying and going to hell, and they don't care in the slightest for logic. They can be defeated by ridicule, because for all their bluster they aren't very bright, but they don't admit defeat; they just regroup with another dirty tactic and try again. Maybe they're Republicans?" --Nora Rivkis in Facebook

Colleen: I hate it when my Kindle freezes.

Me: Speak sharply to your little toy / And boot it when it freezes. / It only does it to annoy / Because it knows it teases.

All the horrible details, plus bonus links, in the notes below. Feel free to give them the tl;dr treatment. I need to start doing this more often.

1105 Mo
  * up 6:30; W=198; d, n, t; laundry, shower, exercise, dishes
  @ Nov. 4: Did Hurricane Sandy Blow Romney Off Course? - NYTimes.com 
  * walk:  to Pioneer Square Park  1.5mi?
  * put insurance card in Ford; check for registration

1106 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=196.8; d, n, t; laundry, dishes
  * happy hour at Fado, the local Irish pub.
  * over to N's to watch the election returns
  * brought a couple of boxes over, and pulled out the Senheiser 'phones and the 
    Samsung 17" monitor.  Didn't find the keyboard.
  @ pocketnaomi | Roommate wanted: Shoreline, WA

1107 We
  * slept poorly; awake 4ish
  * up 7:10; W=197.2; d, n, t; 
  * load drugs (forgot last night).  Run out of lisinopril/HCTZ Saturday
  * humira
  * ordered two pair CAD noise-cancelling earbuds ($20 each from MF)
    Then found my original set, way in back under the mail sorter.  But ok; I'll
    keep one set at work, one at home, and one in my bag.  Or give a set to someone
  % ran late, no breakfast, forgot coffee again. :P
  @ Scott Chacon on the Interwebs 
  * N and the kids came over.  
  % have been looking for the older TP keyboard for several days.  No dice.
    Perhaps it's in the "small computers" box over at N's.
  " QOTD: "Hmm... my panic attacks feed on fear, they lie all the time, they try
    to control me, they threaten me with dying and going to hell, and they don't
    care in the slightest for logic. They can be defeated by ridicule, because
    for all their bluster they aren't very bright, but they don't admit defeat;
    they just regroup with another dirty tactic and try again. Maybe they're
    Republicans?"   --Nora Rivkis in Facebook

1108 Th
  * up 6:20; W=196.8; d, n, t; laundry, dishes, light
  * walk:  to 3rd and Pine - ~1mi.
    Stopped in at Radio Shack.  Yes, they sell the Nexus 7.  No, they don't
    have any in stock.  Pretty much as expected.
  * moved the mail sorter/inbox tray to the shelf above the desk.  Still a lot
    of stuff that needs sorting.
  * going to try upgrading cygnus, first to 11.10 and then to 12.04, now that
    11.04 is no longer supported.  Wishing myself luck.
  * successfully upgraded to 11.10, started upgrade to 12.04

1109 Fr
  * up 6:20; W=196.2; d, n, t; laundry, dishes
  * Found stupid upgrader waiting for keyboard input.  Hit return a couple of
    times and sent it on its way.  Will probably have to leave it at home.
    -> it finished in time for me to get to work.  Wasted a little time getting
       used to Unity (which I don't like much) and setting up Ubuntu One
       (because... free encrypted backups with Deja Dup)
  : so it turns out I actually have to submit *two* timecards - one for getting
    paid, and one for project tracking.  :P
  * walk:  3rd and Stewart; ~1mi.  Fast pace.  Poor GPS reception.
  @ Why the white evangelical religious right can no longer presume to claim
    moral superiority  (solarbird)
  @ siliconshaman | the perfect setup... (dislodging Unity)

1110 Sa
  * up 7:20; W=196.2; d, n, t; laundry, dishes
  * 10:30 to Central Market with Colleen
  * buy:  coffee, a stuffed chicken, various other things.
  ~ noonish ping N if she hasn't checked in
  * took the TV box and a wardrobe box full of folded-up book boxes over to N's.
  * N coming over for massages. - me (back of legs, back, neck), YD
    She's good, and I enjoyed not only the massage but having her talk through
    her observations and what she was doing.  Quite a lot of improvement on the
    back (trapezius problems can often be traced to rhomboid problems) and right
    leg (especially the soleus, likely tracable to a misstep/ankle stress a
    couple of days ago). 
    Also learned about the IT band, which has nothing to do with either
    information or music; it's the iliotibial band, running down the outside of
    the thigh, with associated muscles.  Given where it is, it's  what must have
    been stretched in the ankle incident. 
  * swap cars; put insurance card in honda
  " colleen:  I hate it when my Kindle freezes.
    me:  Speak sharply to your little toy / And boot it when it freezes.
    	 It only does it to annoy / Because it knows it teases.
  @ Why Math is Like the Honehelp.y Badger: Nate Silver Ascendant 
    How Conservative Media Lost to the MSM and Failed the Rank and File 
    (From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space - Another winner on Tuesday)
  * 6ish dinner at the Indian restaurant next to Wayward
  ~ 7pm meet Angelwear's Angela at Wayward -> no-show
  * attempting to upgrade Colleen's netbook.  Seems to be having trouble
    rebooting, though Colleen says this isn't unusual.  Annoying.  
    -> X not starting.  Evil.
    -> apparently fixed in 12.04.  It's the Poulsbo driver
    -> do-release-upgrade from command line.
  * switched back to gnome classic on Cygnus - much better.  Had to reconfigure
    the panel, but ok.  alt-right-click instead of right-click.

1111 Su
  * up 6:55; W=196.2; d, n, t; laundry, shower, exercise
  : Colleen's stupid netbook is apparently booting, but doesn't go past the
    splash screen.  Ctl-Alt-F1 doesn't work.  Feh!
    -> finally got to a console -- looks like her disk is dying or dead.  WAAAH!
    -> actually, it's griping about sdb, which doesn't exist!  STUUUUUUUPID Ubuntu
  : ... and on cygnus, with a fully-working Ubuntu 12.04, the
    focus-follows-mouse and raise-on-focus options are GONE!  GAAAAAK!
    -> unity - How do I set focus follows mouse? - Ask Ubuntu ok then 
  & downloaded a 12.04 install image; going to try a clean install on purple
  * cleared a bookbox - food and other stuff from the bedroom
  * Albertson's with Colleen
  * buy: kosher salt, paper towels; gas
  * install seems to be proceeding.  Stupid Dell only boots from the left-hand
    USB connector, which is sdb.  Glark!
    -> barely working.  Not clear whether it needs to have the dm restarted
       after every damned boot.  
  * asked Colleen about her requirements, and got good answers.  She wants a
    Windows box for her sewing machine software, which is easy, and something
    she can browse, print, and read email on.  Which she says could be a tablet.
  ~ point Colleen's IMAP at polaris; port-forward it.
    -> redirect her email to gmail.  Much simpler
  : None of the published fixes seem to work on Colleen's box.  Weird.
    -> upgrading to 12.10 via the desktop.  Can't hurt -- her home directory is
       backed up and doesn't work with 12.04 anyway.  Waste of a weekend.
  * cleared another book box
  * apparently the drier works *much* better when you clean the lint screen
  * apparently what I needed on cygnus was gnome-tweak-tool for setting focus=sloppy
  @ Little Cosmos: Emacs keybidings in Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise) 
    -> gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-key-theme "Emacs" # YAY!!!
  * purple seems to work with 12.10, but won't wake up from sleep
  % 9:30ish - very sleepy and tired
  : Apparently N's been tryin to get hold of me all day.  What happens when she
    can't text and I don't check email.  And stupid Pidgin deactivates AIM
    without telling me again.

1112 Mo
  * up 6:50; W=198; d, n, t; laundry, light
  * KForce - submit benefits enrollmemt for 2013
    Realize that I also needed supplemental life for 2012 in order not to have
    to submit evidence of insurability.  Case# 479903 started with help desk.
  @ 12.04 - Auto_raise broken in GNOME 3.4.1? - Ask Ubuntu 
  * redirect colleen's email to her google account

1113 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=198; d, n, ; laundry, dishes, light
  * Colleen has what appears to be an infected tooth.  Gaaaak!
  @ Fahrenheit 451 as the future of books? « Building My World
  @ gov.uk: GDS design principles
  * 8am dentist - another crown.  May have to trade off with Colleen
    they could take both of us -- C needs a root canal/crown; staying for an
    hour's worth of cleaning.  I was done ~9:30
  * cygnus had some boot weirdness; seems to be ok now.  Mistook the WiFi
    password; spent altogether too long struggling.  Silly bear.
  * Walgreens: buy: pantsu, clorox wipes, garbage bags, scrip for C
  ~ N coming over for dinner
  @ Bark Like A Fish, Damnit! - In Before Scalzi! cosplay
  & cab to UW hospital for a pickup.  The "Taxi Magic" app seemed like a good
    idea at the time, but gives no idea of the wait time, and doesn't list the
    cab company that's actually closest to me (North End).

1114 We
  * up 6:30; W=196.6; d, n, t; laundry, dishes, light
  * walk:  3rd and Union.  Stopped for groceries
    buy:  apples and tangerines, as requested by Colleen.
  % Fascinating insight:  could the fact that I have a hard time reading
    gestures, faces, and body language have anything to do with the fact that my
    myopia went uncorrected until I was six years old?  Possibly longer.  I
    obviously missed a lot, during the years when language learning is happening.
  & link-chase in wikipedia on hypertension    BP=118/75, P=70
    -> systolic at the high end of normal (90-119).  :P  Only a couple of days
       after running out of my lisinopril/HCTZ.  We'll see.
  @ 6 Tips for Making Friends | LinkedIn 
  % 9:45 - sleepy
  @ U.S. Poverty Even Worse Than We Thought  (ysabetwordsmithy)

1115 Th
  * up 6:15; W=199; BP= 124/76; d, n, t; hair, laundry
  * ordered lisinopril/HCTZ and doxazosin from Kaiser.  They're both cheap
    generics, so the fact that I'm not a member at this point shouldn't matter.
    If they ship them, which is of course not a given.
  * Colleen cooking up a storm -- her fourth day this week
  & another run to UW med center.
  & skimmed through N's anatomy and physiology book.  

1116 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=198.6; BP=117/72; d, n, t; laundry, dishes
  * slightly late start; caught the 312 at about 8:18. No problem.  I like the
    312; it comes 0-5 minutes after the 522 and isn't so crowded
  : ok, I understand that tights are pretty warm.  But a short skirt, and tights
    just _looks_ cold.  And incongruous with warm jacket.
  * I've decided I like getting off at the first or second downtown bus stop, on
    Union between 6th and 3rd.  The walk is good for me and, given bus stops and
    traffic lights, probably not a whole lot longer.
  * walk:  3rd and Stewart.  I'm finding my city pace, which is pretty
    brisk.  The trick is keeping it slow enough to prevent leg cramps.
  * Trying Swype keyboard on phone -- sweet!
  * took a box (manuals from the desk) to N's