Done last week (20171218-23)

[mdlbear]

Some really good parts, mixed with a lot of stress. We had six guests, so a total of 11 people, over for latkes on Tuesday, and a disjoint set of six on Wednesday. So I got lots of help with the cooking, but it was still somewhat stressful. There was even more stress later in the week worrying about whether we would have enough food for the predicted 12 people on Christmas -- I had forgotten that we had that invitation out. (Latke recipes in the notes, though we didn't follow either of them exactly. Using frozen hash browns is a major short-cut and works surprisingly well. We have one bag left.)

I was considerably relieved yesterday when I picked up the standing-rib roast we'd ordered. It's huge. And later that day some of tomorrow's guests backed out due to illness. We'll be eating leftovers for the rest of the year, more or less.

I have been sorting paperwork. Not all that effectively -- I'm a master-level procrastinator -- but I'm getting there. There are still some bills to pay, checks to deposit, and funds to transfer. And appointments to make. Some of those things require phone calls, which I'm wretched at. (One of those calls would be to a therapist. Catch 22.)

Finally got E connected with her college fund, which has more in it than I remembered (see procrastination). She needs a new laptop. It took three phone calls to get the order in after HP's website declined all three of the payment methods I gave it, and tried to say the problem was on my side. I don't think they're quite as bad as GM; I may never know because I don't intend to order anything from them again.

On the web/software front, I did quite a bit of cleanup, and finally got Let's Encrypt certs installed on the more important domains. (I'll probably let some of the ones I'm not actually using expire.)

ysabetwordsmith's poem "Climbing Through the Cracks" and the links in her notes got me thinking (again) about underground_rail, and a related domain that I happen to own. I think it would be dangerous at this point to use them as originally intended, for organizing actual escape routes. The current plan is to use them for links to resources that organizers can use. Watch this (and that) space.

And now if you'll excuse me, I probably ought to get started on cooking, gift-wrapping, and other last-possible-minute activities.

Notes & links:

1218Mo
  * up 5:45; W=199; 
  @ Forbidden words
  @ "A Christmas Prayer with Seven Words" All Souls Church Unitarian f(G)
  : Whitewood seems to be broken.  Not logging me in.  VGA stays up only momentarily; had
    to go back to the adapter with DVI.  Bletch. -> ok after reboot
  * download TaxCut 2018 offer ends 1220
  & down to Alderwood Mall for last minute shopping with N.
  * entry.make:  ljpost needs to take optional file
  @ Former Gawker employees are crowdfunding to relaunch a Gawker.com that’s owned by a
    nonprofit and funded by readers » Nieman Journalism Lab (Don Marti)
  @ The Rust Programming Language
  : hilltop reserve seems to be about 10%, which would be 6.5KWh or 15-20 miles.  Not
    clear it's worth it unless it makes the efficiency calculations more accurate.
  & to Freeland for cat litter, water chestnuts; added BAH bread
  * 15min: sorting paperwork.  As usual, some things have been left too long.

1219Tu
  * Up 5:45; ;
  @ Why Trump Continues to Forge An Unlikely Bond with Religious Conservatives (thnidu)
  * gift wrapping.
  * 3-3:15 M, J, M's brother and his kids up for the afternoon/evening
  @ Hanukkah recipes: Pre-made hash browns saves lots of holiday work 
  * Ed's youngest is vegan, so we need a vegan latke recipe for them.
    Potato Latkes Recipe - Vegetarian Times
    2 large potatoes peeled, grated and squeezed dry (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
    1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
    1/4 cup flour
    1 tsp. baking powder
    1/4 cup canola oil, divided, for frying
      (1tbsp/batch: just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet)
    http://www.cookshideout.com/potato-latkes-eggless-vegan-recipe-with-chunky-applesauce
  * Hash brown potato latkes:  Prep: 10min; Cook: 10min/batch;  Makes: 12.  Ingredients:
     1 pound hash browns, defrosted if frozen
     1 medium onion, finely diced
     2 large eggs
     1/3 cup flour
     1 teaspoon baking powder
     1/2 teaspoon black pepper
     1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
     5 tablespoons canola oil, or as needed
    Working in batches, drop large spoonfuls of potato mixture into the oil; fry, turning
    once, until golden brown on both sides. Serve warm with apple sauce or sour cream. 
  -> J did most of the latke-cooking, with my help and keeping up with the cleaning
    I did all the hors d'oeuvres prep.  The spinach dip was successful; J came up with the
    idea of using it on latkes, which worked brilliantly.
  -> We used 4 onions, a bag of hashbrowns, and some Bisquick for each batch.  4 eggs in
     the second batch, which was much more cohesive.
  -> Unsurprisingly, we didn't need _any_ of the chex mix or pretzels.
  -> the mulled cider was way too heavy on cloves, but most people liked it.
  : N, E, and the kids are playing Munchkin
  * added Let's Encrypt SSL certs to: chaoswolf.org, hyperspace-express.com,
    lookingglassfolk.com, rainbows-end.net, rainbowsendmassage.com,
    {stephen,steve,}savitzky.net, tempered-glass.info, thestarport.org, tres-gique.com.
    -> Need to decide which others to add, and which to force to https-only:
       RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
       RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
  * force https on steve.savitzky.net, stephen.savitzky.net, hyperspace-express.com
    (so far)  s.s needs some work -- the redirects work, but they're inefficient

1220We
  * up 5ish; W=199;
  * First pass of paperwork sorting done.  Next step is actually opening envelopes. 7
  * wake N if not up by 11
  * noon - Charmer's - E, M, et. al.
  * Finally got E and her college fund paperwork together in the same place, called, and
    found out what has to be done so that she can tap it.
  * latkes - E did the frying.  Only one batch.  I feel bad about not making sure that N
    got one, but a second batch would have been overkill.
  : Determined by experiment that the redirected domains -- {kat,colleen}.savitzky.net,
    penguinsong.*, thestarport.com, possibly others -- break with a cert error if used
    with https.  Should dump some of the less-used ones.
  $ mr $35 to indiegogo for https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/via-bella-cd-music
  % DAMN - forgot to take up the trash yesterday.  And of course we'll have the wrapping
    paper next week.
    -> I'm going to try not to blame myself too much -- I was *very* busy.  I should
       really make taking up the trash part of T's work; she can do it when she leaves.
  * use https for redirects in steve.savitzky.net.  Saves a step.
  # xdotool get_desktop` returns the current desktop (zero-origin)
  * in wssetup, set $WS to the workspace number and use for a per-workspace bash history.
  * reusable hand warmers (arrived today)

1221Th Solstice (8:28am PST)
  * up 6:17; W=197.8;
  @ Robot Hugs - Solstice 2017
  $ $479.58 for E's school computer
    -> HP screwed up the order.  Called (after three attempts with different payment
       methods were all declined on their end; the transaction was actually posted to AMEX
       and I got a confirmation).  Had to escalate, and it looks like _they_ had to
       escalate it offline.  We'll see.  -> re-placed as H320255676
    -> And they called once more to verify the shipping address.
  * teaching today.
  & cleanup, a little before noon
  * Cert on rdna.org; redirected kat.savitzky.net to savitzky.net.
  @ Food to Fight Depression and Anxiety and Boost Your Mood | Greatist (ysabetwordsmith)
  * updated savitzky.net.  Noted in .htaccess that one
    should not force https, since that would break redirected subdomains kat and colleen
  
1222Fr
  * up 6:30; W=199.2;
  @ thnidu | ... and some predecessors Enemies of the people
  ~ 8:30am wake N, work with j on the rolling cabinet
  * 9:30 leave for appointment
  * 10am Freeland Clinic Dr. Leena Sumitra (telepsych)
  * 10:40ish went over to the library and picked up a library card.  There's going to be a
    makerspace meet-up next month that looks interesting.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Poem: "Climbing Through the Cracks"
    peersm.com | Anonymous peer to peer download inside
    browsers and distributed database inside browsers, compatible with torrents but
    encrypted and untrackable 
  & Chat with Chevy about inability to set charge limit default for location-based
    charging.  Will have to talk to connection team for the app and the website, both of
    which have stopped showing charge limit.   877-558-8352. Their hours of operations are
    at 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. EST, Monday – Sunday.
    this is the team that handle any electric charging inquiries or issues. Their number
    is 1-888-811-1926.  Chevrolet Bolt Team. -> roadside assistance.  they said call
    dealership's service department, then gave me 866-522-9559 (which last time I called
    is a GM generic number)
  @ Freenet
    Documentation
    Freenet Social Networking Guide
    The Freenet Project | GitHub
  # It occurred to me that there's really no safe way to use UndergroundRail.org -- or any
    website, really -- for organizing and managing an underground railroad.  Domain
    registrations and DNS are way too easy to trace, and undergroundrail.org is already
    compromised just by existing.  Instead, I think we (I) should fill it with pointers to
    resources that organizers can make use of.  Freenet, steghide, etc., plus
    inspirational links, ... that kind of thing.  (cf underground_rail on DW)
    
1223Sa
  * Up 6:30; W=199; 
  * early:  try calling onstar (888-466-7827) and selecting general information.
    If that doesn't work, try 866-522-9559.  For web problems, maybe  877-558-8352
    (connection team)  Website also says: "For questions about your Chevrolet vehicle:
    Inside the U.S.: 1-800-222-1020"  Not sure I've tried that one yet.
    -> charge limit in app case# 82230136  I got transferred 6-8 times.  The only info I
       got was that the app was updated in August and December 4 (suspicious), and that
       the changes probably have to do with their introducing fingerprint recognition/pin
       back in August.  ISTR that that's when I stopped being able to set charge limit in
       the app.  For location-based charging, I was referred to pp 124-132 in the manual. 
  * 11:20 Bronx at SWAC for booster shot -> 8.8 lbs and looking really good.
    meowed a little on the way there, but stopped the moment I turned on the radio.
  % extremely tired and depressed around 1pm; had a lot of trouble dealing with the menu.
    -> made myself a bowl of tofu fried rice; it helped a _lot_.
  * Checked in Molly; it looked like charge limit is set correctly.  Should check tomorrow
    to confirm.
  * pick up roast beef at Payless
  * SL: 2 lg jars cinnamon applesauce, 2 bags cranberries, 2 navel oranges, frozen Swedish
    meatballs, tofu, whole milk, butter, baking potatoes, 1-q-_p_t cream, ground beef,
    ~ chicken, horseradish, broccoli, lemons, walnuts, all-purpose flour, peanut oil
  % I'd been terribly worried that we might not have enough, and didn't remember whether
    N and G knew that E et.al. were coming. -> the roast beef is *huge*, and Bethan has a
    cold.  We're going to be eating leftover roast beef for the rest of the year.
  * kids up for Christmas -> 8pm ferry, with G; going home Tuesday am
    -> I did the pickup because N fell asleep.
  
Menu 1217Su - 23Sa
  * Sunday: (3 people) - fish? Chinese? leftovers/scrounge
  * Monday: (3 people) - steak
  * Tuesday: (11 people) - latkes, kugel, mulled cider, cheese, crackers, spinach dip
    -> never used the frosted cookies, chex mix, or pretzels.
  * Wednesday: (11 people, dinner at 4), cheese, crackers, latkes, spinach dip
  * Thursday: (5 people) - burgers, broccoli, BAH sourdough
  ~ Friday: something with the beef remaining after Monday's steaks -> scrounge
  ~ Saturday: scrounge -> small steaks;

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Tell me more about "reusable hand warmers" -- are they flexible little sand bags that you nuke?

[mdlbear]

Some of them are. These, however, are rechargeable, battery-powered heaters, and they have USB connectors so you can use them for charging your phone at the same time as you're warming your hands.

[kellan_the_tabby]

*wanders over to underground_rail to see what's up over there*

[fractalwolf]

I've found that a lot of phone calls (thought not all, sadly) can be avoided and done by email these days. That's how I found / scheduled appointments with my therapist when I needed one. I tell them it's because I have trouble hearing over the phone, which is true but it's also partially phone anxiety.

Dunno if that helps, but I figured it couldn't hurt :)

[mdlbear]

Thanks -- yes, I do that too when I can; very few of the local therapists actually post their email addresses or have a web presence; in particular the one I've been referred to doesn't.

[jcfiala]

Well, nothing wrong with leftover Roast Beef.

Reusable hand warmers

[markc1957]

There are a lot of different kinds of reusable hand warmers out there. The battery powered sort, the platinum catalyst fuel kind, and the HotSnapz brand that uses sodium acetate and is recharged by immersion in boiling water.

Re: Reusable hand warmers

[mdlbear]

Had one of the catalytic ones decades ago - rather scary. We have a couple of the snap kind mainly for heat therapy; they don't get used much because electric heating pads are a lot more convenient. But those are what I was looking for when I ran across the electric ones.