Done last month (20150125 Su - 31 Sa)

[mdlbear]

So, yeah. This week's big news is that I wrote a song (see previous post, and maybe the next one as well). It feels good -- I should do it more often. We also did some more garage-clearing. There's now about a three-foot strip cleared -- only about 17 more to go :P.

Apart from the post-songwriting high I've been pretty depressed, and my back has been giving me trouble. Makes for bad evenings. At least I've been able to get out of going on call while I'm on loan to another team, so that took a little pressure off. And my L-tryptophan arrived, which may help my mood. (One of the reasons for stopping my SSRI was to see whether an alternative would work better. Too early to tell.)

Oh, yes. Conflikt. As is usual for cons I was frazzled and unhappy right up to the last minute before leaving, compounded this time by having to rent a scooter. Spinlife will be getting a bill for that, though I doubt they'll pay it. Not much singing so far -- we've been too tired to stay up for the circles. We will get to the Smoked Salmon this evening, though, since it starts at a sane time. And we have a song to sing.

Anyway. Links in the notes, as usual.

0125 Su
  * up 7:15; W=215.2; Shower, laundry, ... dishes
  @ "Winds Of the Old Days" - Joan Baez - Lyrics (earworm from yesterday)
  * Got C's speakers and ladder picked up.  Also my shopvac, since G identified the big
    one as his.  More garage-clearing.  Two boxes out, plus the end plates taken off of a
    couple of 5' shelves.  Several book boxes moved into better positions.  Toppled tower
    of boxes deconstructed.
  % 3:40 ... and of course now I'm feeling down on myself, and also tired and in pain.
  * Broccoli chicken for dinner.  Kind of wish people would tell me whether or not they're
    staying for dinner -- I think in the future I'm going to stick to something quick and
    stretchable.  If I can figure out what.
  % Feeling worn out and slightly down.  Also very anxious about going oncall next week.
  * 15min: cleared a box of mostly art books, by putting it into 3 grocery bags.  Two of
    which are up already.  Maybe not so clever when I'm already tired, but it helps me
    feel useful.  Also took out a box of cardboard to recycle.

0126 Mo
  * up 6:30; W=214.6; laundry
  * Starting to get some clarity around my new project at work.  Talked with the TPM,
    finally; she filled me in on the history as well as providing a large chunk of the
    email archive.  (And she lives in West Seattle, though not terribly close to us.)
  : 7:54 I have a cat on my desk.  Curio makes an excellent villain's cat, when he isn't
    walking over my keyboard to try to get at my dinner.
  @ Seattle Has the Smartest Kids Ever, Which Is Why They Delivered a "State of the
    Planet" at City Hall This Weekend | Slog  % proud

0127 Tu
  * up 6:45; W=214.2; laundry, dishes
  @ Drinking A Glass Of Red Wine Is The Same As Getting An HOUR OF EXERCISE, Says New
    Study and Our Wildest Dreams | Bustle f(Moira Greyland)
  @ Rent Electric Scooter
  * leave 11ish so we can have lunch at Mazatlan
  * 1:30pm Colleen urology
  % very tiring day; got home 4:30 or so.  Very long wait at Walgreens.  Had to get up
    and walk around rather than deal with a conservative idiot sitting next to me.
  % It's a good thing there's a bag of ground coffee in the fridge.  We're out, and I'm
    not up to going out again today.  I feel like crap; mostly mentally.
  : We're missing a scooter charger.  I moved it out of the way when Colleen's chair
    snagged the cord.  Now I can't find it.  We'll manage, but...
  ~ Pageflip Firefly arrived.  Missing its battery compartment cover, but otherwise a nice
    little gadget.  Compatible with almost anything, because it has modes for different
    key pairs and mouse buttons.
  & We decided to rent a scooter for the weekend, since it's unlikely Spinlife will get
    ours fixed any time soon.
  : Don't know who's doing dinner tonight.  Last night the YD declared it leftovers.
  ! depressed.  Well, at least I'm noticing.  That's something.
  : I'm not looking forward to Conflikt, and I don't know why.  All I can think about is
    logistics.
  @ Tomorrow's Songs Today history of filk
    (I'm an IndieGoGo campaign sponsor)  It does improve one's mood to see one's name in
    print.  Though there's certainly a sense of dissociation.  What am I doing in a
    history book?

0128 We
  * up 6:30; W=214.0; laundry
  * finished Tomorrow's Songs Today.
  @ 3d Printed Instruments (TST)
  @ Frequently Asked Question About Zoybar - Zoybar open hardware 3d printed guitars
  * Called hotel to ensure accessible room with 2 beds.
  * Arranged for scooter rental from wheelsforfeet.com - not impressed.
    -> got a fast callback by phone.  OK, that's impressive.
  @ Drones running (and compiling) Linux [LWN.net]

0129 Th (added from work)
  * up 6:30; W=214.0; dishes
  * fax change of address form to BNY after tracking down the account # in a 2012 tax form.
  : WheelsForFeet link still broken.  Their website is on Microsoft Azure, which accounts
    for the brokenness.  They'll include a paper form with the scooter.  One-man operation.
  * git pull --rebase #FTW
  @ Láadan Language  

0130 Fr - 0201 Su Conflikt
  * up 6:40ish; W=215.2;
  @ Wonderbag (Liralen) 
    -> no -- it's bulky and we aready have two slow cookers.  But cool idea.
  * work feedback for (manager) P and Jack
  * Got almost all the work stuff done -- all the important stuff
    ! but suddenly very down - running behind and not finding stuff
    ! (later) seriously frazzled
  & packed in an assortment of tubes and other small bags; made it a lot easier when I
    decided I didn't have enough room in Rolly and moved to a suitcase.
  * arrived about 4:15; the scooter guy called three times (and connected on the third;
    while I was still driving)  Nice scooter.
  * 6:30 opening ceremonies
  * Your reservation for January 30, 2015 at Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center is
    already confirmed (Confirmation: 3163678601).
  @ For gifted children, being intelligent can have dark implications | Calgary
    Herald f(Lorien Patton) Hell yes.
  : Listening to 3/5 at Conflikt.  I miss having a bass player.
  % 11:30 very tired.  Should have brought Rolly.  Colleen seems to be doing ok with the
    cane going from scooter to bed, so that's good.   Too tired to think straight.

0131 Sa
  * up 7ish?;
  : Cygnus's fan is definitely going.  Do Not Like.  Will have to decide between fixing it
    and getting something newer; Lenovo is expensive.  Maybe a refurb.  Will have it
    fixed, once it gets worse.  It's ok once it warms up, seemingly.  But grump.
  * 0819-23 Worldcon(SasQuan) rates go up 0201.  Not cheap.  I tried to get out of it, but
    Colleen and Emmy are set on going.
  : Let's skip the lunch next time.  Sandwiches, and not particularly good ones.  The
    gluten-free ones were veggie, mostly bell pepper and eggplant.  The clam chowder was
    good.  The salad had blueberries.  Someone allergic to both gluten and onions would
    have had *nothing* to eat.
  : The wifi outside the guest rooms sucks.  Fortunately my cell phone tethers.  And
    hotspots, but tethering is faster.  Both are annoying, but in different ways.
  : Sound check.  Toyboat is pretty loud, even from the very back of the room; may have to
    retreat outside for the concert.
  : We want either the Doubletree or the Grand Hotel for Sasquan; the Doubletree is
    supposedly the one for people with mobility problems, but we'll have to contact the
    housing desk.  Grouch.
  : Distance makes a very effective volume control.  May still have to adjust it.
  * Working on Wherever -> "Windward".  -> finished; posted on DW and LJ, and linked on FB.
  : using wireless hotspot so I can share it; keeps dropping the connection every five
    minutes or so.  OH.  It's probably the damned hotel.  KILL.
  @ Dell Precision M3800 — 15" Mobile Workstation | Dell Want.

Comments

[amaebi]

Oh boy, oh boy, I bet back pain would have me depressed if nothing else internal or external did. :/

[mdlbear]

Hmm. It probably accounts for a decent chunk of it, but by no means all.

[amaebi]

Oh, just to be clear-- I wasn't meaning to suggest that your depression is all due to back pain. Just trying to commiserate over the back pain.

[mdlbear]

Thanks. I think it was fairly clear, but...

In any case it's an intriguing idea that I hadn't really considered before. One more variable to work with.

[septemberlilac.livejournal.com]

Wish I'd known you didn't have Sasquan memberships yet. I have one I'd happily sell - cheap - if there's a mechanism to transfer it to someone else. The hotel situation is ridiculous; the only hotel that would have been feasible for me apparently sold out on the first day of booking because the rooms were gone when I tried to book that afternoon. My enthusiasm for the whole enterprise began to dwindle at that moment and is now in the range of nonexistent.

[mdlbear]

Yeah; I'm concerned about the hotel situation.

[liralen.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is really bulky, and if you don't have the storage for it I really wouldn't recommend it. But, yes, neat idea. *grins*

I hope your mood lifts and that the music is good. *hugs*

[mdlbear]

The music was great, although I didn't make much of it (only sang three songs over the whole con). Too early to tell about the mood.