Done last week (20131117 Su - 23 Sa)

[mdlbear]

High point of the week: Colleen managed a car transfer in her PT appointment on Tuesday, so we scheduled a drive for Saturday. It was lovely. We spent nearly two hours in the Honda, driving around West Seattle, with me pointing out the sights. First long drive together in ages. Half a year at least.

Also yesterday morning, I was awakened by the doorbell. When I come to the door at some insane hour of the morning and see a woman holding a book, the first thing I think of is not long-lost relative. But it was, in fact, my cousin Susan, who lives here in Seattle. Her father, Dad's brother Kenneth, is visiting for Thanksgiving; he came later with her husband Dan. So... yay!

We exchanged phone numbers, so she can call ahead next time. We'll definitely have to get together a couple more times this week while Uncle Ken is still here.

I was a Useful Bear last weekend; I finally got around to installing new showerheads, and the adjustable shower-cum-grab-bar that's been sitting around since April or so. It was taking forever to drill through the tile in the shower stall, so I went down to Home Despot Sunday morning and picked up a Ryobi hammer drill and some new bits. Never did get around to trying the hammer feature (which works best on concrete and brick -- I'll be needing that this weekend), but tile/glass bits and a lower speed setting made all the difference.

I need to walk more. I did manage a couple of walks over the course of the week, and my walking speed seems to be up a little (probably thanks to the daily trek to and from the bus stop), but it really isn't enough. My weight has also gone up, in spite of being back on BP meds. Grumph.

I have set the wheels in motion for an interview loop at Amazon; I'm hoping to interview at a couple of other places as well, though that's by no means certain.

Links, as usual, in the notes.

1117 Su
  * up 7ish; ;d, n
  @ Wrong Planet - Ten Myths about Autism - Debunked f(Rachel Silverman Sommer)
  * bacon with a cheese omlette for breakfast; a guacamole and salsa omlette for lunch.
    My cholesterol is just fine, thanks.
  * Home Depot:  Ryobi hammer drill, masonry and glass/tile bits
    Turns out that I've also been running the bits too fast, which is why they tend to
    whip.  That and the fact that some of them are just crappy bits.
  * Metropolitan market:  gin, IPA, turkey (fresh organic free-range), coffee
    Also a spare turkey breast, because the turkey was a little small
  * Ryobi glass/tile bit made short work of one of the two screw holes I needed.  Then the
    battery died.  :P
  * 15min: got the grab bar outside the master bathroom mounted.  Required wallboard
    anchors, there being no studs within reach.
  : Ebb+Flow gin from Sound Spirits -- good, and Colleen likes it too.  She's pickier
    about gin than I am.
  * 15min:  got the shower grab bar installed.  As it turned out, I could have done it
    with just the tile bit and not the hammer drill, but that'll be essential for the
    brick and concrete elsewhere in the house.
  : I have two of my loaner laptops out
  @ Global acclaim for conservation organisation addressing unmet need for family
    planning -- includes transcript of my niece Caroline's acceptance speech.
    (via email from Lynn Savitzky)
  & grump.  Thanksgiving is *next* week.  *puts fresh turkey in freezer*

1118 Mo
  * up 6:45; W=205.4; d, n
  * call Acorn to schedule service on the stairlift
  @ They're killing the PC | ZDNet
  * Kforce healthcare enrollment - same as last year, and I *do* have vision care -- it's
    cheap.  So Colleen can get new glasses this year.  For some reason the FSA is limited
    to $2500.  :P
  * Went to Amazon to check on an order that seemed to have been taking too long -- found
    that it had been delivered at 7:53 tonight.  Didn't ring the doorbell or anything.

1119 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=206.6; d, n
  ~ 6:30 am call with a financial management company
  @ Leonardo Da Vinci's wacky piano is heard for the first time, after 500 years 
    Basically a keyboard hurdy-gurdy!  Cool!  Sounds like a string quartet.
  * 12-2 Acorn service scheduled
  * Colleen made a car transfer!  In and out of the Honda.
  * Set the wheels in motion for an interview loop at Amazon; replied to several
    recruiters.  Still need to ping a couple more.
  @ sweetmusic_27: There's A Sickness You Can Get - ISoSD 2013 Suicide trigger warning

1120 We
  * up 6:20; W=206.0; d, n; shower
  @ Wetmachine » Intellectual Property, Jewish Ethics, and Aaron Swartz 

1121 Th
  * up 6:36; W=206.8; d, n
  * Walk:  d=.90, t=:17, c=109, s=3.1; Whole Foods.
    I seem to have gotten my speed up a couple of points, which is good.
  : Whole Foods' spring rolls pretty much suck, esp. compared with the ones I used to get
    in SJ
  % 9ish hurty bear.  Of course, after changing Colleen and doing dishes and pots...
    I am now settled into N's massage chair with a cup of hot buttered rum.
  * Fell asleep in the chair at 10; Colleen sent me to bed.

1122 Fr
  * odd dream.  I was living with a family of aliens that resembled otters.  The had just
    had babies; one, the youngest, had been born small and paralyzed.  She was very
    special, though; I think this is because she would grow up to be a powerful telepath,
    though that was never made clear in the dream.  The dream ended, as they often do, in
    a parking lot trying to load up the Honda.  My brain is an odd place sometimes.
  * up 6:30; W=207.6; d, n; shower
  @ Ad of the Day: Yorkshire Tea Fends Off Heartbreak and Zombies With a Catchy Tune 
    f(Mary Anne Mohanraj)
  @ A Rare Convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah - NYTimes.com With recipes. 
    Last time, 1918; next time, 2070.  So not quite as rare as some people have been
    saying, but rare enough.  Thanksgiving overlapping with the _first_ day of Hanukkah
    _is_, apparently, quite rare.
  @ Is There Anything More Beautiful Than This? | MoveOn.Org | Democracy In Action 
  @ Do your "Life Partner" and "Romantic Partner" have to be the same person? Not
    according to one Relationship Anarchist. — The Good Men Project (ysabetwordsmith )

1123 Sa
  * up 9ish?; ;d
  * awakened by the doorbell.  When I see somebody unannounced at the door holding a book,
    my first thought is _not_ a long-lost relative, but it turned out to be my cousin
    Susan, later followed by her husband Dan and my uncle Kenneth (Dad's younger
    brother).  So... yeah.  Good morning.
  * DRIVE!  In the Honda with Colleen, all around W. Seattle.  ~2h.
    She managed the car transfers by herself, with the help of a walker.

Comments

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Yay for taking a drive. :) Miss you both, y'know.

[mdlbear]

I miss you, too. And a lot of other people in the Bay Area.